Back to the Past

"Thank you for this, Discord." Twilight spoke as she held a scroll in her magic.

"I suppose this makes us even now." Discord spaced out and stroked his beard, then sighed. "It wasn't easy to make that, you know."

"I... I can't imagine." Twilight truthfully answered and shook her head. She started pacing around the room which held the cutie map, and she ruffled her wings. "Once I start this Luna will know." she paused, "She will try to stop me."

"I can't help you there." Discord solemnly answered.

"You... You should go. She won't trust me with this..." Twilight trailed off, "Stay safe, Discord." Twilight teleported beside the draconequus and pulled him into a hug. Discord happily returned it. They parted after a moment, Twilight stepped back.

"Take care of yourself, Twilight." Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared in a flash of white light.

Twilight turned her head towards the map. She inhaled deeply and exhaled. Her eyes glanced at the spell, and then back to the map. She took a step forwards.

And then another.

She soon found herself with her hooves on the crystal map, a representation of Equestria. It had changed so much, she hardly recognized it anymore.

It pained her to look at it.

She swallowed back her growing anxiety and steeled her resolve. She levitated the spell out in front of her face, and then over to the center of the map. She inhaled and started channeling her magic into a spell. A very complex spell. One which would bend the fabric of both space and time.

The amount of magic the spell required would leave her with very little magic to do anything while casting it, and would severely drain her for a long while afterwards. The level of focus required was beyond that of a normal unicorn, but Twilight was not a normal unicorn. She was an alicorn.

She closed her eyes tightly, and opened them a minute later. Her eyes had turned pure purple, magic radiated off of her eyes. She soon found her body levitating in the air from the amount of magic she was channeling. Pure magic soon radiated off of her body in waves, she focused the magic into the spell she was preparing in her mind.

As she channeled the spell, her memories were brought to the surface. The good ones, and the bad. Every memory she had flowed through her eyes, as if a replay of her life was taking place. Twilight smiled as the memory of first meeting her friends came up, followed by several more happy memories.

The memories started to flood back to her, cascading over her mind unbidden. She soon found herself reliving the memories of her past. Her first Winter Wrap Up, how she tried to help without using her magic, and eventually resorted to organizing it. Seeing Rainbow Dash perform a sonic rainboom to save Rarity from falling to her death at the Best Young Flyers competition.

The first Grand Galloping Gala she attended with her friends, and how it ended up being a good time not because the event was perfect, but because they were there together. Fluttershy crashing the party by scaring the animals... The world being turned to chaos by Discord, her friends forgetting who they were, and eventually reforming and befriending Discord. Her brother's wedding to her foal sitter, Princess Cadance. How they had repelled the changeling invasion... The return of the Crystal Empire, defeating King Sombra... Her ascent to alicornhood... She smiled at that distant memory, back when she had been so young and naive...

Battling Lord Tirek to a standstill, until he threatened her friends' lives... And subsequently using the power of friendship to defeat him... Her first encounter with Starlight Glimmer...

As minutes passed, her smile soon turned into a frown and tears fell from her eyes.

Twilight sensed something off, it took her a moment to process it. 'Luna is here...' Twilight clenched her jaw. 'I can't fight her while doing this, and I won't get another shot at this.'

The spell was nearing completion, and Twilight was almost out of magic when the door exploded open, showing the room with jagged shards of crystal. Princess Luna stepped in with determination plastered on her face. Her horn was smoking from the heat generated from the spell she had used to obliterate the heavy crystal door.

"L-Luna... Please." Twilight pleaded as she readied a barrier spell. It wouldn't hold long against Luna if she attacked her, and it would slow down the spell, but it would be better than meeting a quick end.

"Twilight! Stop this at once or else." Luna glared at Twilight with her horn lit, magic was flowing into it for a spell. Twilight grit her teeth, knowing she needed to buy time.

"I... I can't do that Luna. I have to do-" Twilight was forced to cast her barrier spell to prevent Luna's attack from hitting her. The purple magic barrier cracked when hit by the bolt of indigo magic.

"I can't let you interfere with the timeline, Twilight." Luna paused and shot another spell towards Twilight, the cracks in the barrier expanded even more. Twilight shuddered from the impact. "You should not meddle with time. Even Starswirl did not actively seek to change the past."

"Luna, do you honestly think this is how things were supposed to turn out?" Twilight shouted. Sweat rolled down her head, her magic was nearly depleted and the spell was almost finished.

Twilight's words gave Luna pause, "No..." Luna answered, and the magic in her horn faded. She frowned as she pondered Twilight's words.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her barrier spell, immediately pumping the magic into the other spell. 'Two more seconds...'

"But what has happened has happened." Luna fired a spell towards Twilight, who having no magic to raise a barrier clenched her eyes shut.

A magical rift opened right at the spell neared Twilight, she fell through it, and some of the magic from Luna's attack managed to get through before the portal exploded outwards.

"No..."

"I'm so glad you could make it!" Twilight exclaimed as she opened the door to her castle for Princess Celestia. They walked into the castle side by side.

"Twilight, please calm down. That is the twelfth time you've said that on the way here." Celestia smiled at the small purple alicorn beside her.

"Sorry..." Twilight sheepishly apologized. "I'm just excited, this will be the first time both of us will get to spend time together along with my friends without the fate of Equestria hanging in the balance..." Twilight trailed off and sighed, "I really am looking forwards to you spending the night, even if Princess Luna couldn't make it."

"Well, one of us had to stay in Canterlot. She offered to stay so that I could go." Celestia smiled.

"Hi Princess Celestia!" Spike waved as they walked into one of the castle's living rooms.

"Hello there Spike." Celestia greeted the young dragon.

"Are the girls here yet, Spike?" Twilight asked as she glanced around the room.

"They were hanging out in the kitchen last time I saw them."

"Thanks, Spike." Twilight replied and lit her horn, casting a teleportation spell to take her to the kitchen.

There was a popping sound and Twilight appeared in a purple flash, startling the assembled ponies. "Oh good, you're all here!" Twilight happily exclaimed, then took each of them in her magic and pulled them closer to her and teleported them back to the living room.

"Hello, my little ponies." Celestia greeted with a smile as Twilight returned with her friends. All of the ponies except for Twilight, who had teleported them, and Pinkie Pie seemed slightly startled by the suddenness of what just transpired, and it took them a moment to recompose themselves.

"Hi Princess Celestia!" Pinkie bounced over to the alicorn with a big smile spread across her muzzle.

"Hello, Pinkie Pie." Princess Celestia greeted in return. Spike walked in wearing a pink apron and carrying a tray of cookies. Pinkie sniffed the air, and her attention was immediately drawn to the freshly baked cookies.

"Thanks, Spike. You're the best." Twilight praised Spike's cooking ability, and his foresight.

Spike put the platter of cookies down on the table in the center of the room, "No problem, Twilight." Spike replied nonchalantly. He turned and walked back out the room, "Hope you all have a good time tonight."

"You sure you don't want to join us, Spike?" Twilight asked while the rest of the girls idly chatted among themselves.

Spike batted a claw at her comment, "No thanks, Twilight. I have comics to read and stuff. If you need anything else, I'll be in my bedroom." Spike walked out of the room. Twilight shut the door with her magic.

"I take it Princess Luna couldn't make it tonight, Princess Celestia?" Rarity asked and levitated a cookie off the platter.

"Please, just Celestia is fine for tonight. We're here to have fun." Celestia paused, "And sadly, yes. She volunteered to stay in Canterlot to deal with both our royal duties."

"I sure hope Twilight doesn't try to use a book for advice on slumber parties this time." Applejack deadpanned. Twilight nervously smiled and hid the book she had been carrying in her magic behind her.

The group of ponies settled in over the next few minutes. They chatted for several minutes before Twilight eventually pulled out Mareopoly. Rainbow and Pinkie had been neck and neck for a while, but then Pinkie landed on the 'Go To Dungeon' tile. A few minutes after that, Twilight landed on Manehatton Square, and went bankrupt. Applejack eventually drew a chance card, one which Twilight hadn't noticed in the game before, 'Discord's House Cleaning Service', she ended up having to pay one hundred bits to repair each house she owned. The game lasted for just over an hour, and ended with Princess Celestia dominating the rest of the group.

Games came and passed, hours slowly faded by, and soon it was night.

"It's getting rather late for myself," Rarity said with a yawn, "I don't know about you girls but I think I will retire for tonight."

"Aww, Rarity! You can't go to bed now! It's..." Twilight stopped paying attention when it became apparent that Pinkie was about to start rambling a long, incoherent speech to convince Rarity to stay up.

"Okay, I'll stay up... Just for a little while longer." Rarity finally gave in, causing Pinkie to smile.

"Yippie!" Pinkie shouted.

A few minutes of idle chatter passed, "So Twilight..." Celestia spoke up.

Twilight turned her head towards her mentor who was smirking, this perplexed her. "Yes, Celestia?"

"It's been a while since I've seen you, anything interesting happen... Maybe find a somepony who you like?" Celestia cheerfully asked.

Twilight blinked, then opened and closed her jaw repeatedly as she processed what was said, "I... Why... Wh... What?" she finally stuttered out. "Why would you think that?"

"You invited us all to a slumber party. Cadance thought for sure you had found somepony," Celestia smiled, "I told her that wasn't the case, she disagreed. We made a bet about it, in any case, you didn't actually answer the question."

"I-" Twilight stopped when she felt a tingling sensation throughout her body, everybody seemed to notice it too. Celestia had stood up, and the rest of the girls were looking around the room.

"What is that?" Fluttershy asked with fear.

"I don't-" Celestia was cut off.

Twilight was hurling through space and time, the fabric of reality being bent and broken by the spell she had used. The long tunnel she had been passing through seemed to stretch on forever, but she could see the end coming. She did not know exactly when she would come out, but she had focused on sending herself to a time when her friends were all gathered in close proximity, along with Princess Celestia. There were hundreds of times she could arrive at, but she had focused on the more calm and happy events, attempting to focus on one of them.

She looked behind her and clenched her jaw. Some, if not all of the spell Princess Luna had sent towards her had managed to follow her into the portal. Depending on the spell, and how much of it followed her, it could kill her instantly when she arrived at her destination. 'The spell shouldn't allow a time loop to be created, so... What would that even mean...' Twilight began contemplating what could happen if she did die when the spell hit her, 'If it kills me, then they will know I die in the future...' Twilight's eyes darted about, 'I will know I die in the future... I may even figure out it was Princess Luna who killed me.'

'That could cause problems... The timeline could turn out worse...' Twilight shook her head, when she looked ahead she could see one of the rooms in her castle, she could see herself, her friends, and Princess Celestia.

'It looks safe, that's good. Although they do seem to notice something is off.' Twilight frowned, 'I suppose that's to be expected. The amount of magic I used...' She shook her head.

She tightly closed her eyes as she quickly closed the distance to the portal, bracing for the jolt of her arrival, and the impact of the spell trailing her, unaware as to what it would do.

There was a bright flash of light, temporarily blinding everypony present in the room. The Twilight from the future appeared and yelped as the spell struck her, she quickly collapsed to the ground, bearing a wound from the impact of the spell.

A second later everypony's eyesight was restored, "Twiligth are you oka-" Applejack stopped when she saw two Twilights, one lying on the ground with a burn on her flank, and one was standing where Twilight had been standing before. Applejack did a double take.

Princess Celestia rushed over to the injured Twilight, and examined her in her magic, "She's alive, but unconscious..." Celestia's eyes flew over Twilight's body, she noted several scars that Twilight did not have, her horn was longer, and her mane looked ethereal, yet lacked the same quality that her own mane possessed. Celestia also noted that the injured Twilight was as large as Princess Luna.

"What..." Twilight finally managed to mumble in disbelief. "That's... That's me..."

"How can she be you if you're standing right here?" Rainbow asked.

"I... I don't know." Twilight paused to think.

"Whatever happened, she is you, Twilight. Much older than you, but she is you. Whatever spell she used to get here seems to have drained her magic. The spell she was hit with was a very powerful one... One designed to cause magical feedback, it would have caused her great pain, and harmed her greatly. " Celestia levitated the injured Twilight in her magic and looked to the other Twilight.

"Right, um..." Twilight lit her horn and teleported them all to one of her spare bedrooms. Celestia placed the injured Twilight upon the bed.

"I would heal her, but the residual effects of the spell would cause me to do more harm than good." Celestia answered with sadness. "All we can do right now is wait for her to wake up so we can ask her some questions..." Twilight cut her off.

"That's assuming she doesn't go back before then..."

Arrival

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The Twilight from the future had been sleeping, that was until she regained consciousness. It took her a moment to realize she had woke up, her mind instantly went to work on figuring out what had happened. She heard something... 'The door.' she noted. She pretended to still be asleep as the sound of hoofsteps approached her, she listened intently for any signs of who would be checking on her. The sound stopped, and she felt the tingle of magic enveloping her body.

"I see you're awake." Twilight opened her eyes when she heard her own voice greeting her. The younger alicorn stood beside her bed with a bright, cheery smile on her face.

Twilight started to get up, she felt a sharp pang from her body, instantly reminding her of being hit with a spell. Her face grimaced momentarily, but she pushed through it.

The younger Twilight was surprised by her resolve, "You shouldn't do that! You're injured, you'll make it worse!"

The older Twilight chose to ignore her words and was quickly on her hooves. The younger one had stepped forwards to help her get up to reduce the stress on her body. "Thanks..." she lifted a wing and looked at her body where the spell had impacted and noted the bandages surrounding it. She returned her gaze to her younger self.

"I have... So many questions for you!" Twilight shot out with excitement, "And that spell, the one you used, how is it you're still here? Shouldn't you have returned by now? Starswirl's spell only lasted for about a minute..."

The door opened and Princess Celestia walked in, "Perhaps you should give her a chance to speak, Twilight."

"Sorry." the younger Twilight apologized sheepishly, "It's just... It's not everyday you meet a future version of yourself..."

Celestia approached the older Twilight, taking note of how much more developed her alicorn form was, her more sharply muzzle, her more filled out wings, how her neck curved back more. "Good morning, Twilight." Celestia's greeting surprised the older Twilight, having not expected it to be so friendly.

Twilight shook her head and recomposed herself, "Sorry, Celestia... It's... I wasn't expecting that."

"That's quite alright, Twilight."

"Calling me Twilight is going to be confusing, having two of us here."

"Wait, how long are you going to be here?" the younger Twilight spoke up with confusion.

"I won't be leaving any time soon. I still have a couple thousand years of life..." she trailed off when she remembered that she didn't know that currently.

"Wait... I'm... What!?" she looked between Celestia and her older self.

"Sorry, Celestia. I forgot I hadn't realized that yet..."

Celestia nodded, accepting the apology.

"So... I don't think 'Older Twilight' is going to cut it..." younger Twilight said, having finally regained her line of thought.

"What would you prefer we call you then?" Celestia asked.

"First, I want to say I'm surprised you're not pounding me with questions..." she looked at Celestia with a knowing smile, "Thank you. I took on the name Eclipse for a while..." she grimaced.

Celestia caught her reaction to the name and frowned slightly, but chose not to push it.

"So... Eclipse then?" Twilight asked.

"That's fine, yes."

"I have so many questions..."

"I will tell you everything... Eventually... In due time. But feel free to ask away." Eclipse replied.

"The spell... I've never seen that before, and there's no way that was based on Starswirl's."

"No, it was not based on Starswirl's. It is a... Very taxing spell..."

"Did you create that spell, Eclipse?" Celestia asked.

Eclipse winced for a moment, "No, I owe it to Discord, actually."

Twilight did a double take, "What? Discord made that spell!?" Twilight opened and closed her mouth, trying to find words to speak, however nothing was forthcoming.

"It wasn't easy, either. It is easily one of the strongest spells in existence." Eclipse added.

"I'm surprised it drained your magic so much then..."

Eclipse turned to Celestia, "I..." she looked down, "I don't want to talk about it..."

"I will push it no further then, until you want to talk about it."

"Thank you..." Eclipse looked at Twilight, "I... I have to admit, I'm surprised you're not... I'm surprised you're so... Trusting of me... I guess I shouldn't be surprised..."

Both Twilight and Celestia looked at her with confusion.

Eclipse shook her head, and glanced at her bandaged side. "Celestia, do you think you can do me a favor and heal me? I'd do it myself, but..." Eclipse trailed off, not wanting to talk about her lack of magic.

Celestia nodded, "Of course," she lit her horn and cast her spell, Eclipse felt a tingling sensation where her injury was as the effects of the spell took hold.

The glow from Celestia's horn died down. "Thank you." Eclipse nodded as Celestia pulled the bandages off with her magic.

"Why... Why are you here?" Twilight finally asked the question Eclipse had been expecting since she awoke.

"I can't tell you that. Not yet, anyway."

"Why not!?" Twilight started to whine.

"I'm from the future. Granted, my presence will change how things turn out..." Eclipse smiled slightly, "But I have not yet had the impact I need to have."

"And what impact is that, exactly?" Celestia inquired.

Eclipse sighed, "I will tell you everything, just not right now. If... If it's not too much to ask, I'd like to see the others... My friends..." Celestia nodded in understanding, Twilight simply furrowed her brow in confusion.

"I believe that should be alright, Twilight?"

"Sure..." Twilight said, still contemplating why Eclipse sounded sad when she had mentioned her friends. She pushed the thought aside for the moment as the group walked out of the room.

"The castle really hasn't changed much. I never really noticed that until just now." Eclipse commented as they walked through the halls towards the dining room.

The trio walked in silence for a few minutes before finally reaching the large crystalline doors to the dining room. Twilight opened the door with her magic, and beckoned everypony inside with a hoof. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Spike were all waiting inside the room, sitting at the table with plates full of pancakes in front of them. Eclipse fought to hold back tears as she took in the sight of her friends once again.

It was hard, but she managed to hold back the tears. She let herself smile more happily than she had in a long time.

Everypony turned to see the trio enter the room, they happily greeted them with smiles. The three alicorns walked over to the table and took a seat next to each other. Twilight and Eclipse both sat to the right of Celestia, who sat beside Fluttershy. Twilight levitated a couple pancakes from the platter on the middle of the table over to herself and Eclipse.

"I see you finally woke up. Good morning... Twilight?" Rarity pondered.

"Call me Eclipse. It will be easier than calling us both Twilight."

"That's an awesome name." Rainbow's words were near indecipherable with her mouth full of pancake.

"Rainbow, it's rude to talk with your mouth full!" Rarity scolded. Rainbow just nonchalantly batted a hoof in her direction and swallowed.

"She's still Twilight."

"From the future." Twilight added.

"Twilight... Eclipse, I... I don't know why you'd want to mess around with time travel... I know you... You wouldn't do that unless it was important..."

Applejack managed to redirect all attention onto Eclipse, she grimaced. "Yes, Applejack... You're right."

Rarity spoke up a few seconds later, "You going to tell us or..?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you. It's too soon."

Pinkie Pie popped up beside Eclipse, "Awwwwww! But come on Eclipse, it would be so much fun!" Pinkie paused as her eyes lit up and an even larger smile took hold of her muzzle, "Just think about it-" Eclipse raised a hoof, eliciting her to stop.

"After I fix everything, I promise I will tell you everything." She paused, "It's a pinkie promise." she smiled as she went through the motions.

"Um... I don't mean to interrupt or anything... But uh, maybe we should let her eat? She looks kind of hungry..." Fluttershy trailed off and shrinked back into her mane slightly.

"I reckon you're right, Fluttershy. We can all talk more after we eat, right?"

Eclipse nodded, "Yes, I'll be here for a while."

Breakfast passed mostly in silence as the group of ponies and dragon enjoyed the delicious blueberry pancakes. With the exception of idle question about Eclipse's opinion on something, she was mostly left in peace. She was grateful for the relative calmness, it was a much needed break from her past.

The past.

And with that, Eclipse's mood went south, her smile contorted into a frown, and her ears fell slightly. Memories she would rather forget soon replaced the present, bringing pain, sorrow, and regret.

"Eclipse?" Celestia's voice managed to snap her out of it.

Eclipse blinked a couple times and looked at Celestia, "Yes?"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm..." she clenched her eyes, trying to steel her resolve. It wasn't working. "I'm... Fine..." her voice broke up slightly, everypony soon turned their attention back to her. 'I thought I had prepared myself for this...'

"If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me." Celestia's motherly tone had the strange effect of both comforting her and souring her mood both at the same time.

"And I'll be nearby if you ever need me." Twilight added. Eclipse smiled at the thought of comforting herself.

"And so will we." Applejack smiled.

"Thanks..." Eclipse took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and slowly released it. A few minutes passed of just awkward silence as eveyrpony finished their breakfast.

"Well, I'm sorry to have to cut this short, but I need to get back to Canterlot and discuss this with Luna. I will also need to announce your arrival, Princess Eclipse."

"Not yet, please." She paused to contemplate a reason, "I'd like to have as much magic as when I was a unicorn at least before that..." While it was true, she did want more magic before that, she also wanted to get certain things done first.

Celestia nodded her head, "Very well."

Eclipse sighed as she flipped through yet another book by hoof, her magic still hadn't returned. She read through the text, knowing full well that it did not contain what she was looking for. She looked around the library, the massive crystalline bookshelves supported thousands of books on many subjects. Some books were fiction, while most contained knowledge ranging from magic to alchemy.

No, only a handful of places would have the knowledge she was looking for. And only one pony knew the spell she was searching for. Of course, she couldn't simply ask Princess Celestia about it. She would come up with some excuse about it.

Eclipse let out a frustrated sigh, "It's not her fault, Twilight... Everypony made their own choices, you made yours..." she looked up from the last page of the book she had been skimming and looked around the library.

She missed her magic already. It would return to it's full power eventually, but it could take months to do so. This knowledge plus the fact that the spell mentioning "for every force there is an opposite force" did not help her stress levels.

She stood up and took a deep breath. She put a hoof on her chest and slowly extended it while she exhaled. Despite the technique bringing back memories which hurt, it did help relieve her stress.

"You can stay in my room if you'd like, or you can just stay in the same room we had you in last night. You can use whatever you need while you stay here, and of course, you can stay as long as you need." Twilight rattled on as both her and Eclipse walked through the crystal halls. Eclipse had spent the day in the castle's library, Twilight figured she wanted time to adjust to the sudden change.

"I'll stay in the room I woke up in then."

"Are you sure? I can-"

"Yes, I'm sure. It's closer to the library anyway..." Eclipse trailed off.

Twilight wasn't sure how to take the fact that Eclipse wanted to be closer to the library, "You can spend time with me and my friends, you know. They are your friends too..." Twilight said comfortingly.

"There will be time for that soon... After..." Eclipse shook her head.

Twilight was starting to get annoyed by now, Eclipse had left shortly after Celestia had left. She spent the entire day in the library. "Your friends will always be there for you, if you need us."

'If only that were true...' "I know..." she sighed, "Sorry. Thank you."

Eclipse stepped into her room, it was sparsely decorated, due to the unexpectedness of her arrival, but it contained a bed, a desk, and other assorted bedroom decorations. 'I'll be sure to put the desk to good use.'

Somehow they had managed to acquire another bed for the castle that was large enough for her alicorn form. White pillows, blue sheets, covers... Woooden frame... It looked nothing like the bed she had before. It was comforting, knowing everything was better now, but saddening leaving what she knew behind, even if it was for the best.

She strode over to the bed and gently laid down underneath the covers. She laid there with her eyes open, thinking about the past day and the days to come. 'I can't do much until my magic recovers... I can't really easily put anything down on paper, or hid it without magic either... I won't find anything of use in the library...' she sighed, 'I do want to spend time with my friends... But they're not the same... They're younger... But they are my friends...' she smiled.

For Every Action...

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The Everfree Forest was a mysterious place, timing with many unknown, magical species, both animal and plant. The weather could function on it's own, without need for pegasi to control it. The Forest teemed with danger, ranging from manticores, hydras, parasprites, and various other unspeakable horrors. The forest contained an unnatural amount of magic, along with remnants of magic leftover from the battle between Nightmare Moon and Princess Celestia, some one thousand years ago.

The forest, with all it's danger and hostile mystery, also contained the Tree of Harmony, from which the most powerful artifacts in existence were acquired. The crystal tree was in the end of a shallow cave, hidden from sight under most circumstances. The ruined Castle of the Two Sisters sat atop a plateau nearby.

The Castle of the Two Sisters, former home to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, before the latter was consumed with anger, was in a ruined state ever since that fateful night. The broken castle walls, dark hallways, and countless traps served to unnerve anypony who thought of venturing out here. It was even said that the ghost of Nightmare Moon haunted the castle. There had never been any proof of such a claim, but it still caused fear to anypony who dared to venture to the castle.

The cool night air surrounding the castle was teeming with magic, filling the air with a energized quality. The magic was almost palpable, bathing everything in an eerie dark violet glow. Anypony who would have been at the castle would have ran from the tingling feeling they would have received as the magic in the air reached an apex, causing a massive purple flash of light, lasting less than a second, to appear.

In the throne room, where the flash of light had appeared stood a dark alicorn. The alicorn's tall, slender build set her apart from average ponies, and the sharply muzzle would almost confuse anypony into believing this alicorn was male, despite the distinctly feminine features. The alicorn's mane rippled violently in the wake of the magical dischage, before settling down around her neck.

The alicorn seemed to radiate pure hatred. Hatred for everything, hatred for life, hatred for death, hatred for light, and darkness. The alicorn's eyes were blood red, with her pupils slits like dragon eyes. The alicorn was far from young, having lived over a thousand years, yet it did not show.

The alicorn immediately collapsed from the magical expenditure. The alicorn quickly fell unconscious, even in rest, the alicorn seemed pained with her existence, as if her very nature rejected her.

A full day had passed before the alicorn woke up to the dark night air. She surveyed the surroundings, taking in the damage her magic had done when it dissipated. Even more of the castle had been damaged and fallen apart from the sudden burst of magic left in the wake of her arrival. She lit her horn, taking note that although she had very little magic, she still had more than a enough to get started. She would have to just pace herself.

She heard the sound of hoofsteps falling on the stone floor off in the disatance. 'Or find another source of magic I can use.' She smiled maliciously, and took off methodically walking towards the source of the noise. She soon turned a corner into a hallway and spotted a grey unicorn filly. She ducked back behind the corner to stay out of sight, her hoof hit a rock. She didn't care that the filly would have heard it.

When she heard the noise, the filly called out, "H-hello? Any... Anypony there?" She approached the source of the sound with caution, oblivious to the danger she was in. She slowed to a crawl when she reached the corner, her heart was racing as she looked behind the wall to see...

Nothing.

"Anypony there?" She called out again. She waited for a few seconds before taking a step back. And then another, and then she started to turn around.

Right into the alicorn that had made the noise in the first place. The alicorn smiled at her, the smile sent shivers down the small unicorn's spine. The alicorn spoke in a voice which sounded halfway between insane and uncaring, and completely cold and heartless, "Hello... My little pony..."

The small unicorn filly took a step back in utter terror as the alicorn lumbered over her. "St-stay back!"

"Aww, what's wrong, little filly?" The alicorn stretched out her wings and leaned down towards her, "Afraid of little 'ol me?" She pulled her head back, the filly gulped as she backed herself against a wall. "Good." she hissed.

The filly lit her horn in her defense, she was however, no match for the dark alicorn, who smiled wickedly and lit her own horn. The filly cast a light spell, one which the alicorn immediately countered, consuming the magic. The filly squeaked as the light was extinguished before it lit the area up any. The alicorn levitated the filly up in her magic and cast a spell, draining her magic. The filly possessed next to no magic, but she would take what she could get, every last drop of magic the filly had was soon hers. She threw the filly against the floor, discarding her like a useless item.

The filly yelped when she hit the floor, and started crying in pain.

"Aww... The poor little filly's crying..." The alicorn mocked her. "Well, I guess I'll just have to fix that." With one fell swoop, the alicorn brought her earth pony strength to bear down upon the little filly, killing her instantly. The filly's crying instantly went silent, the alicorn smiled. She chirped in a malicious voice, "Much better."

She looked down at her work, the filly lying dead at her hooves was an unsightly waste of material. She frowned, 'That won't do at all... I will find some use for you...' She lit her horn, casting a spell opening a pocket dimension, she threw the dead filly into the dimension and sealed it. Time was not an issue with her pocket dimension, she could store anything she wanted within it without fear of it losing viability.

"Now let's see... Castle of the Two Sisters... Yes, that should work quite nicely... Oh, YES! The Elements of Harmony should be nearby... That will make this much easier... Ah haha... AH HAHAHAHA!" She paused mid laugh, "I still need to work on that."

The alicorn's stomach growled, she frowned. Although she could sustain herself with her magic, it would be a waste of what precious little magic she had to do so, disguising herself as a unicorn with a simple illusion and finding someplace to eat would be preferable. She looked up, noting position of the moon. It was the middle of the night, despite the fact that the Everfree would be crawling with danger, she could handle it.

And if she happened to run into a magical creature or two, even better. She lit her horn, pausing for a moment before casting her illusion spell, and then took off trotting towards the nearest town, Ponyville. By her calculation she should arrive just before dawn, giving her ample time to decide where to eat.

Several hours of walking and a handful of encounters with hostile critters later, a slightly worn out white unicorn with a long, flowing, light-pink mane, and black sun for a cutie mark with a yellow corona walked out of the Everfree Forest, and into Ponyville. Seeing the small country town, with it's genuine friendliness, and desire to help each other out made her sick to her stomach. The lack of food wasn't helping that any either. 'Don't they REALIZE the FUTILE NATURE OF THIS?' She shouted in her mind. She scowled as she passed several ponies who greeted her with a smile and friendly wave.

'Focus, no need to draw undue attention on yourself... You're not strong enough... Yet.' She forced herself to put on a mask of complete neutrality, had she tried for anything more it would have failed miserably, and she knew it. She stopped at the first place she could remember that served breakfast from her short time spent in the town. Short being a relative term.

She approached the cashier, a tan earth pony with brown mane, and stubble beard, "Welcome to The Hayburger, what can I get ya for this fine mornin'?"

"I will-" She paused and cleared her throat to mask her casting a spell to alter her voice, "I will take two.. No, three hayburgers and a large hayfry."

"Alrighty, miss, that'll be twelve bits." He smiled at her. She wanted to punch it off his face.

She opened her pocket dimension and retrieved her saddle bags, and withdrew twelve bits. She levitated them over to the cashier, and found a secluded spot away from the door to sit. A few minutes of silence later a unicorn brought out her plate of food.

"Enjoy your meal!" she chirped as she walked away.

'If I didn't want to conserve magic I would choke you with it.' the disguised alicorn happily thought as she bit into her first hayburger. She ate slowly and methodically, forcing herself to chew the hayburger so that it would digest quicker. After finishing the second hayburger and fries, she took the third hayburger and stored it in the pocket dimension for later. She despised the thought of keeping it, but it was easier to eat than sustaining herself with magic.

After she left The Hayburger, she momentarily thought about burning the place down, but decided against it, 'It would be a waste of magic, and no need to warn anypony until I'm at my full power...' She smiled at the thought of burning the world with the sun, once she took control of it.

"I can't believe that she actually won that bet..." Eclipse mused as she and Twilight walked down the street. The ponies they passed greeted them with happy smiles and waves, they returned them for the most part, not wanting to seem rude. Eclipse found the friendliness slightly unnerving, but not unwelcome. Twilight started laughing.

"Well, I am a lightweight when it comes to drinking." Twilight chuckled, "Some things never change..."

"I never really indulged in that before, you should know that, and understand why." Eclipse paused, "It was fun though... Even if my head still hurts."

"Rainbow probably feels worse." Twilight mused. "I can't imagine how hard it would be to beat Princess Celestia or Princess Luna in a drinking game." Twilight switched into analytical mode, "With alicorns growing more powerful over time, and giving an age estimation of around four thousand years for the princesses... I don't think anypony alive could beat them in a drinking game and live."

"Discord." Eclipse countered, "He's easily far older than either of them. I doubt alcohol would even affect him... Unless he let it..."

"We should make sure that never happens." Twilight rapidly replied.

"Agreed."

They walked in silence for a few minutes until they reached Sugarcube Corner, when they walked inside the building Pinkie Pie was immediately pulling Eclipse into a hug. "Ohmygosh you both came today! I'm surprised Eclipse is here though because the amount of cider she drank. It was a lot, even for Rainbow's standards, I'm pretty sure she's regretting it right now." Pinkie lit up, "Guys! We should totally throw her a party to congratulate her on beating you both in a drinking game! Even if it really only was Eclipse doing the-"

Twilight finally pulled the pink menace away from Eclipse with her magic. Eclipse mouthed a silent thank you to her, "Pinkie Pie, please tell me you have something for a headache. Twilight refused to fix it with a spell, saying that I brought it on myself... And seeing as though I don't exactly have my magic..."

Pinkie seemed to teleport, one moment she was standing beside Eclipse, the next she was gone, and then she was back, holding a milkshake in her hooves, "Here you go! This always cheers Rainbow up!" Eclipse took the chocolate milkshake in one of her hooves and took a sip through the straw.

"Mmm..." she moaned, "That is good... It's been..." she took another sip, "Centuries since I've had a decent milkshake..." She took another sip and let the chocolate flavor caress her tongue, allowing the chilled, smooth liquid to sooth her headache. "Is that cherry I taste?" Eclipse didn't have to contemplate the hint of flavor for long until she received her answer.

Pinkie bounced with joy as she answered, "Yepperoni!"

"I thought so..." Eclipse trailed off. The trio walked over to a table and took a seat, Eclipse set the milkshake down on the table to give her hoof a break. Eclipse starred out the window, allowing her mind to slow down to a crawl.

Eclipse watched several ponies as they walked passed Sugarcube Corner, one in particular caught her interest. She frowned, the white unicorn with a pink mane looked familiar... 'White unicorn... Pink mane... Why does that sound familiar?'

The unicorn seamed to wear a scowl as she walked passed the building, something seemed off about her to Eclipse. She didn't look right either, she decided. "Hey, Twilight?"

Twilight turned from her conversation with Pinkie, "Yes?"

"Do you know any white unicorns with pink manes?"

"No, I'm sorry. I don't think I do. Do you?" Twilight inquired.

"I... I don't know, that unicorn looked familiar somehow... And not from my memories around this time..." Eclipse furrowed her brow.

"Well, did you see her cutie mark?"

"I didn't get a good look..."

"It's probably nothing, Eclipse. You're probably just still not feeling well from last night!" Pinkie chirped.

"You're... Probably right... I did drink a lot... More than I ever had in my entire life, in fact." Eclipse mused on her rather limited drinking experience, "Well, that and I'm still... Adjusting... It's probably just stress." Eclipse mused.

"Are you still having nightmares..?"Twilight gently prodded.

Eclipse clenched her jaw slightly before relaxing, "Yes..."

"I don't understand why you won't let Luna help you with the nightmares. She can keep them away and help you."

Eclipse carefully contemplated her words before answering, "They involve future events that... I would rather not discuss... Yet."

Twilight knew her past was not something she really wanted to discuss... Ever. It seemed like she had ulterior motives to her. Twilight lost herself in thought about what it might be.

Rainbow Dash suddenly half walk-half fell into Sugarcube Corner. It was obvious to everyone the poor pegasus was still suffering the aftereffects of beating an alicorn in a drinking game. Rainbow tried to return to her hooves, but only managed to avoid falling back down when she propped herself up with her wings. The trio immediately rushed over to assist her, Twilight readied a spell to heal her ailment, Pinkie provided moral support, and Eclipse physically helped her stand up.

"Ow... My head..." Rainbow's voice sounded pitiful.

"Don't move, the spell might take a few minutes to kick in... And you did out drink Eclipse..." Twilight's weak condemnation was met with a brash smile from Rainbow Dash.

Right before shell fell down again.

"I might have overdid the spell..." Twilight noted as she examined the sleeping pegasus lying on the floor.

Eclipse snickered, "You think?"

"Oh shush, you're the one who accepted her bet."

"She's the one who refused to lose."

"You two are like, totally sisters!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Outing

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Eclipse looked around the bookshelves of her... Twilight's castle. The shelved were well stocked with many, many books, ranging from theoretical magic to novels, and everything in between. She looked back down at the book she was reading, 'Daring Do and the Ring of Destiny'. She looked at the book blankly, completely lost in thought.

While the library held a vast amount of knowledge, it lacked the information that she needed. The information which was contained in a few places. Information she would need in order to fix everything. Information kept in the Canterlot Archives. Information Celestia had. Information about the Elements of Harmony, and-

"Hey Eclipse?" Twilight asked as she walked into the library. Eclipse looked up from the book she had been reading and looked at Twilight. "We're going to go have a picnic if you want to join us."

Eclipse looked down slightly, pondering the choice. The choice was an easy one for her, really. Stay in a library that doesn't hold anything of actual value to you, or spend time with the ones you love, the ones who you have limited time with. Yes, the choice was easy. "Alright," Eclipse spoke as she stood up, "Lead the way."

Twilight beamed at the thought of spending the day with her friends, and herself. Eclipse had been spending time with them, but not as much as Twilight thought she should be. Whenever she found Eclipse, she was generally alone, absorbed in her thoughts. Seemingly lost to herself, as if the weight of the world rested in her hooves. Twilight solemnly noted that she even acted like it did. Eclipse walked over to her and motioned her forwards with a hoof. Twilight walked out the door, followed closely by Eclipse.

"I'm glad you decided to join us." Twilight commented as they walked through the castle's halls. 'Being alone isn't good for anypony, nor is it healthy. I know first hoof...' Twilight grimaced as she thought back to her time spent studying as Princess Celestia's star pupil in Canterlot, back when she thought friends weren't important.

"I... It's strange. I mean, they are my friends, yes. But they're not the ones who I know." Eclipse's voice was barely audible, "They're so much younger... S-so..." Eclipse closed her mouth tightly as she tried to prevent herself from breaking down.

Twilight's voice was filled with concern, "Eclipse? What's wrong?"

"It's... It's not important..." Eclipse lied.

Twilight wasn't the best at seeing lies, Applejack easily beat her there, but she could tell that was a lie, and something was bothering Eclipse. "You'll feel better if you talk about it. I'm here for you if you need me."

Eclipse sighed, she knew she would feel better. She laughed halfheartedly, "It's funny... I thought I wouldn't have this problem before I came back... Now that I'm here, I... My emotions..." Eclipse's body jerked lightly as she silently released a sob, "I had forgotten... Before... Before I came back, I didn't have time to... To dwell on the past, like I can now..."

Twilight sat down on her haunches next to Eclipse and put a wing around her body comfortingly. Although Twilight was much smaller than Eclipse, the gesture made her smile.

"I remember when... When C-Celes-tia... Used to do that for me... Be... Be-fore... It..." Eclipse clenched her jaw and lowered her head. She started crying in earnest. Twilight gently pulled Eclipse closer to herself with her wing.

"Before what?" Twilight asked.

"I d-don't want t-to talk ab-about it..."

Twilight smiled weakly, and teleported a cloth to her and began to gently remove the tears from her eyes. "It's fine..." Twilight barely held her curiosity at bay, 'What happened that left me so...' Twilight shook her head. A few minutes passed before Twilight spoke again, "We don't have to go to the picnic if you don't want, I'll stay here with you if you need me to."

"N-no... I... It would help me. I always feel better when they're around."

"Well of course you do!" Twilight smiled cheerfully, hoping to lift Eclipse's mood, "Let's go." Eclipse smiled back as she stood.

"I find myself wondering... If my lack of magic... Is affecting my mood as well..." Eclipse muttered.

As they journeyed to the meadow where they were having the picnic, Eclipse's mood seemed to improve with each step. The calm breeze, the sun high in the sky, the chirping of birds as they flew by, up so high in the sky, like pegasi. The green grass, with flowers dotting the ground, the beautiful blue sky, with not a cloud in sight... The warmth of the sun as it warmed the earth beneath it, offering ponies light and a warm embrace during daylight hours.

Yes, it was a nice day, a beautiful day even. Eclipse made the mistake of comparing it to where she came from. 'Stop.' she commanded, and for once, her mind obeyed. This only served to brighten her mood as they approached the picnic spot. She could see a red and white chessboard looking blanket spread out across the grass, sitting beneath a tree. 'The spot they had chosen is lovely.' Eclipse thought.

She could see Rarity sitting on her haunches on the blanket, looking at her mane as she held a mirror in her magic. Pinkie Pie was hitting a ball up and down with her nose, with an almost perfect beat, not once missing the ball as she chased it around, oblivious to her surroundings, yet not tripping. Rainbow Dash was laying on a tree branch, reclining against the trunk, while Applejack tried to get her attention for something. Fluttershy was just laying down on her belly with her eyes closed, she looked relaxed, even from the distance Eclipse was.

Pinkie took note of them first, and soon after the rest of them were smiling at the duo was they approached.

"What took ya so long?" Applejack asked with a smile as she looked between the two. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but looked at Eclipse.

"Sorry," Eclipse apologized, "I didn't mean to keep you all waiting."

"Well, now that everypony's here can we get started? I'm hungry." Every eye was on Rainbow almost instantly. "What?" Rainbow asked as she looked around her friends.

"So what did you bring, Fluttershy?" Pinkie jumped onto the blanket and opened the picnic basket, she then somehow fit her entire head inside it. Pinkie's voice came out muffled slightly, "Ooh it's roomy in here!"

Eclipse blinked, and then rubbed her eyes with her hooves. 'Right. Pinkie Pie. Don't question it. How di.. Right...' Eclipse wondered how she had forgotten that Pinkie seemed to defy logic, and physics.

"Pinkie, darling, that's uncouth!" Rarity complained.

Pinkie pulled her head back out, "Aww! But it was so much fun!"

Rarity levitated the basket to herself and started pulling out the food and plates. She then levitated a plate and daffodil sandwich to everypony. Rarity levitated a sandwich to Eclipse, she closed her eyes in concentration, and after a few seconds managed to produce a soft glow from her horn as she gently took the sandwich in her magic. Eclipse smiled triumphantly.

Pinkie pulled out a party cannon from somewhere, and showered everypony in confetti. "Woo! Eclipse has her magic back!" She exclaimed as she jumped into the air. The sudden surprise from Pinkie was enough to cause Eclipse to loose her weak magical grip on her sandwich, fortunately it landed on her plate. "Oops" Pinkie smiled apologetically as she landed.

"It's fine..." Eclipse murmured as she picked the sandwich back up in her magic.

"I didn't realize your magic had come back yet, I thought that it wasn't supposed to happen for months?" Twilight pondered this development.

"My full strength won't be back for months." Eclipse corrected. "It is coming back, very slowly. As it is I can barely hold this in my magic. I tried to lift a book earlier, and couldn't do that. I was able to flip a page with my magic though." Eclipse smiled.

"Shouldn't you try to conserve your magic then, darling?" Rarity asked after she swallowed a small bite of her sandwich.

"The more I use it, the stronger and sooner it will come back to me." Eclipse replied. "Perks of being an alicorn, although granted, the strength increase will be negligible." Eclipse took a bite of food in her mouth and started chewing it.

"When we first spoke with Princess Celestia, do you remember what she said about being surprised that the spell drained your magic so much?" Twilight asked as she rubbed a hoof on her chin in thought.

"She said she was surprised the spell drained my magic so much." Eclipse deadpanned. Twilight wanted to facehoof.

"That's not what I meant... I mean... She seemed surprised, right? Like she expected you to be stronger or something?" Twilight continued to ponder what Princess Celestia meant by that, and just how strong Eclipse's magic was.

"Yes." Eclipse raised a hoof, silencing Twilight's next question, "And I have my suspicions about why that is, but I'm not entirely sure."

"What do you think then?" Twilight asked.

Eclipse switched into Twilight's lecture mode, except it was less formal, and seemed to have not been used in a while, "As you know, alicorns get more powerful the older they get, their power eventually caps out, as is the case with Celestia and Luna. She and all of you know I am several centuries older than you, I am in fact, one thousand three hundred, to one thousand five hundred years old." Eclipse paused as every mouth fell agape.

"You... You don't know how old you are!?" Pinkie shouted in shock.

"I sort of... Lost track of time..." Eclipse trailed off. "Anyway, being the former bearer of the Element of Magic-"

"Wait, former?" Twilight asked.

Eclipse skillfully ignored her, "-I should be more powerful than what I am, I know this, and Celestia seems to know this also."

"Why do you keep not using Princess Celestia's title when talking about her?" Rarity asked as she sipped a cup of tea.

"I had almost a hun... " Eclipse coughed, "I had a while to get to know her and Luna personally, being... As old as I am... Although I did have a... Falling out... Of sorts, with Luna..." she grimaced.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Twilight prodded.

Eclipse spoke more coldly than she had intended to, "No."

Rarity could feel almost see the tension in the air after Eclipse answered Twilight. The silence after her reply was deafening, she tried to change the subject, "Has anypony found that filly yet?"

Twilight grimaced, "No. There's been no sign of her." Twilight sighed.

Eclipse pursed her lips, this had been the first time she had heard of that. 'That... Did not happen before.' She pondered with worry what else her presence might have caused.

"Hey, do you know where she is?" Twilight asked Eclipse.

"I don't, I'm sorry."

"Will she be okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"I don't know that either, it didn't happen before."

Fluttershy frowned, "But you've not been here that long, could your presence really cause that much to change?"

Eclipse pondered her question for a moment, "I don't know. But I will see this through. I promise you this will turn out better than..." Eclipse trailed off, unwilling to say anymore.

"You should totally tell us a story, Eclipse!" Pinkie shouted as she bounced alongside the older alicorn. Twilight and Rarity lead, while the others walked slightly behind them. "Since things are already changing, it's not like it'll cause anymore problems!"

"Okay fine... Just not today." Eclipse paused, "I pinkie promise." Pinkie Pie bounced with joy.

"So what do you plan to do this week, Eclipse?" Twilight asked.

'Same thing I always do, worry, think about what happened.' "I need to visit Canterlot sometime in the future." Eclipse admitted. She needed to find a certain book, she wouldn't know which one until she found it, and she both wanted and needed to talk with Celestia.

"You want to talk with Princess Celestia I take it?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, among other things."

"Well I'll be happy to accompany you." Twilight chirped.

"The Wonderbolts are performing in Canterlot three days from now." Rainbow added.

'I know where this is going.' Eclipse thought, and began counting down until Rarity jumped onto the 'let's all go to Canterlot' train.

"It's Canterlot." Rarity beamed.

"Alright! Then it's settled! We're all going to Canterlot!" Pinkie threw confetti everywhere.

Eclipse didn't know whether to smile, happy that her friends would come with her, or sigh, that they would preoccupy her time. She decided to go with the former.

Half Truths

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"And I swear, it was one of the funniest things I had ever seen," Eclipse tried her hardest to stop from laughing as she recalled the memory, "Pinkie, just sitting there, on the couch, with a cake on a platter, motioning at Celestia to come sit with her. She was stroking the couch back and forth." Everypony present, including Pinkie Pie started laughing. Rainbow Dash had spit out some of her drink and was coughing.

After a few seconds, the laughter died down, allowing the low thumping of the music to once again reign. "And then what happened?" Rarity's face was swimming with glee, that quickly changed when Applejack lightly hit her with a hoof. Rarity scowled slightly at Applejack's brutish behavior.

Eclipse smiled, "And then... Oh yes. And then, Luna started laughing as Celestia's face was turning redder than an apple from embarrassment. She stormed out of the room almost immediately, and Pinkie looked around obliviously..." Eclipse laughed again. She completely left out a few details, such as what Pinkie had been wearing, and the state Celestia's wings were in. A single tear formed in her eye, from the combination of joy of telling that story, and sadness knowing that memory would never happen again.

"I'm surprised you'd share that with us." Twilight noted as she sipped her apple juice.

"I figured I might as well enjoy this while it lasts." Eclipse commented. She frowned ever so slightly. She had been paying close attention to how events were unfolding ever since her arrival. There was already significant deviation, for one, a filly had disappeared, and nopony had seen her since. Another point of deviation was that Twilight had beaten Starlight Glimmer and forced her to flee without losing her cutie mark, thus meaning Fluttershy didn't learn something important.

"Although," Twilight paused, "I'm not surprised Pinkie did that..." She smiled, then frowned at the sight of Eclipse frowning, "You okay?"

'No.' "Yes," she lied, "I'm fine." Applejack raised an eyebrow slightly, Eclipse shot her a quick glance, before looking back at Twilight. 'Right, Applejack definitely knows that was a lie. I'm going to have to work on lying to her. Or...' She smiled briefly, 'Or maybe half truths could work? I need to test that sometime.'

"Ooh ooh tell us another story!" Pinkie bounced with enthusiasm. The bubbly pink mare always seemed to make everypony smile, how she managed to do that still eluded Eclipse. Eclipse shook her head. "Aw, please?" Pinkie frowned. Her face... Her frown... How could anypony resist the urge to make her smile again?

"Alright... Fine..." Eclipse trailed off to think of another story. Since her last one had been about Pinkie Pie, and something embarrassing, which didn't seem to affect her at all, she would apply the same principle to the next story. 'Which one...' She looked left and right as she searched her happier memories for just the right memory to share, "Ah! I know!" Eclipse cleared her throat and leaned forwards over the table a bit, "This happened about... Ten years from now? I think that's right. So anyway, it was Hearth's Warming Eve, I had all of you over at the castle, along with your respective families, also had Princess Celestia and Princess Luna there." Eclipse began to break out into a smile, "So anyway, I had let Pinkie Pie do all the decorating for the castle, and Celestia knows where she put everything... I kept finding decorations placed randomly around the castle for over a year afterwards..." She chuckled.

"I had no clue where she put everything, because I was out assisting Rainbow finish up the storm that was scheduled for that evening. It took us a while, and it was dark and cold outside when we came back. We walked inside, and made our way to the study I was holding it in. It was one of the ones with a fireplace, I don't remember which one now. Somehow, we timed our entrance so poorly that we were both under the mistletoe at the same time... Pinkie also somehow timed her arrival perfectly to give us grief over that..." She trailed off with a slight smirk, then she shot a glance at Rainbow who was looking at her hooves with interest.

"So the rest of the evening passed mostly without incident-"

"Wait, you're not going to tell us what happened with the mistletoe?" Rarity was aghast.

Eclipse smiled, "Of course not." Rarity collapsed her face into her hooves. "Eventually, we got into a pillow fight with the princesses. Don't look at me like that... It got out of hand, I surprised Luna, and she cast the first spell that came to mind. We were all out cold until the next morning..." She started to laugh, "And so the next morning, when everypony woke up..." Eclipse was having a hard time keeping her composure, "I was the second to last to wake up for some reason, and I woke up lying on the couch. Rainbow was curled up on top of me. I never found out who put her there, because that's not where she had been when we were hit with that spell." All eyes were immediately drawn to Rainbow Dash.

"Oh ho ho, Rainbow..." Applejack patted a hoof on her back.

"S-stop it, guys..." Rainbow managed to say.

Twilight wasn't entirely sure what to say. She kept opening and closing her mouth. Eclipse managed to carefully levitate her glass to her mouth and took a sip, before gently setting it back down.

"Too much?" Eclipse asked as she looked around the group of assembled ponies. Everypony seemed to ignore her question, too focused on Rainbow and Twilight. Eclipse took another sip.

Eclipse was pacing back and forth, she was awaiting the arrival of Celestia and Luna. She had been waiting for five minutes, and you could already start to see the line she was wearing into the floor from her nonstop pacing back and forth. 'Okay, calm down, and relax... It's fine, see?' Eclipse tried to force herself to be patient, 'Besides... They're not the same as the Celestia and Luna I knew... Just ask for access to the archives, get in, find the book, find the spell, and figure out how much magic it's going to take...' She was brought out of her train of thought as she heard the door squeak open at the hinges.

Celestia and Luna walked inside in unison. Celestia greeted Eclipse with a warm smile, while Luna seemed preoccupied. Eclipse thought about that for a moment, 'Oh, right. The Tantibus... Sorry Luna, it'll be a few months before that's over...'

Luna walked over to Eclipse, "You are the Twilight from the future, Eclipse, correct?" Eclipse nodded. "I see. It is most intriguing that you are still here. It truly must have been a powerful magic you used indeed." Luna turned and took a seat at the table. Celestia took a chair beside her, across from Eclipse.

The large dining table was nearly empty, having only three occupants. Eclipse wanted to speak with Celestia and Luna in private, without Twilight or the others. They had agreed to her request. Celestia lit her horn and teleported a large tea kettle and three teacups into the room, she poured everypony a cup and handed them out before taking a sip of her own.

Eclipse calmly took a sip of her tea, 'Okay keep it together...' "It's good to see you again, Celestia," her voice sounded more coolly, "Luna." Luna raised an eyebrow, the difference was very little, but it was there. Eclipse mentally winced.

"Do I offend you somehow, Eclipse?"

"No it's... It's not important." Eclipse took another sip of her tea to buy time to think, "You and I just... We had a falling out of sorts in the future..." 'Not a lie.' she mentally affirmed.

Luna pondered her response, "I... See..."

Celestia took this moment of silence to break in, "What happened? When you arrived you were hit by a spell that had followed you through the portal, I know that spell was Luna's work." Luna's eyes shot over to Celestia before quickly returning to rest on Eclipse's form. Celestia spoke in a conversational tone, "It must have been quite a falling out," Celestia calmly took another sip of tea, "for her to have tried to kill you." Luna didn't react.

Eclipse frowned, "So you did figure out that spell was Luna's doing? But, I digress, our falling out is not one of my proudest moments."

Luna spoke somewhat forcefully, "Perhaps you should explain what happened?"

Eclipse took a sip of tea and paused, "Come now, Luna, no need to be rude, We're supposed to be friends, remember?" Surprise momentarily flashed across Luna's face, before returning to normal.

"She has a point, Eclipse. I did say you would have to explain what happened eventually."

"And I have not come here to discuss such a topic. I need access to the Royal Archive."

Celestia began to speak, "You have-"

Eclipse cut her off, "The other. Archive. The one which I'm not supposed to know about." Luna's eyes widened slightly.

"You... Why would you need access to the Forbidden Archive?" Luna asked skeptically.

"It has a certain spell I need. One which I was unable to..." Eclipse paused, 'I need to be careful here.' "Figure out..." 'That should work.' "On my own."

Both Celestia and Luna eyed her skeptically. Eclipse remained calm and took another sip of tea.

Celestia answered firmly, "No."

Eclipse glared daggers at her, coldness and anger were evident in her voice, "That's what you said last time..." 'So much for plan A. Looks like I'll have to locate it and sneak in then.'

Celestia looked slightly taken aback by her reaction. Luna glared at Eclipse.

Eclipse sighed, 'I shouldn't have snapped at her like that... She's not the same Celestia...' "Sorry. I... Have some issues..."

Luna replied in a deadpan voice, "Clearly." Luna took a sip of her tea before speaking again, "I will be honest with you, Eclipse. I do not trust you."

"I trust you, at least enough to allow you to roam about without having somepony keep an eye on you."

Eclipse scoffed, "Hah! We both know that my staying with Twilight allows her to keep an eye on me." Her voice grew colder, "She's loyal to you to a fault..."

Celestia redirected the conversation with her next question, "Why do you want access to the Forbidden Archive?"

"Smooth redirect." Eclipse noted. Celestia pursed her lips. "I told you, I need a certain spell from it. One that I can use to fix everything."

"And which spell, pray tell, is that?"

Eclipse turned to Luna, she opened her moth, but closed it. She closed her eyes, inhaled, and exhaled. "I am not arguing about this. Last time this happened..." Eclipse shook her head. She felt her emotions would soon begin to betray her. "I messed up." Eclipse flatly stated, "I failed." She turned to Celestia, "I wasn't the only one who failed..." She shook her head, and took a more solemn tone, "I do have mixed feelings about both of you... It's hard... On one hoof, I know you've not... I know you're not the same, and I'm happy to see you again, yet on the other hoof, I have my memories..."

"You keep saying that you're happy to see me again whenever you talk to me. Why is that? Did something happen?"

Eclipse winced, and forced herself to not show her growing sadness, "Yes... But I don't want to talk about it..." Eclipse lowered her head, and swallowed her growing discomfort, 'I should go before I break down... Why did that have to happen...' She stood up, "I'm sorry, I can't do this right now." She lit her horn instinctually, preparing to teleport. She tightly closed her eyes in concentration as she tried to muster the magic, but the soft glow that surrounded her horn wasn't enough. She exhaled sharply after several seconds of concentration, and collapsed to the floor.

Eclipse groggily opened an eye, she took in her surroundings. She was in the room she was temporarily staying in at the castle in Canterlot. She laid on a red bed, with velvety covers and a plush white pillow. She turned her head towards the window, she could see the moon shinning in through the clouds. She turned to her left when she heard a soft snoring, she shared the room with Twilight, they had both agreed to that.

She lifted her head from the pillow, groaning when a massive headache slammed into her. She softly laid her head back down, and whimpered in pain from the headache. She fought through the pain and rolled over so that she was facing Twilight's bed. Twilight was laying on her side, slightly curled up into a ball, with her head resting on her forehooves, facing her. 'She must have fallen asleep while watching me...' Eclipse's mind was racketed with another wave of pain as she tried to remember what happened.

'There's no way I can sleep in this pain...' "Twilight?" Eclipse's voice was barely audible. She waited a few seconds, no response. She spoke in a conversational tone, "Twilight?" Still no response. Eclipse moaned, then started moving to the edge of the bed. She slowly got up and put her hooves on the floor, she tried to ignore the growing discomfort in her head, 'So far... So good...' She stood on weak legs, she lifted a hoof and stepped forwards. Her hoof soon found hold on the floor, her body closely followed with an audible 'thump'.

Eclipse groaned as she hit the floor hard. Twilight woke up at the sound of something heavy impacting the floor, she then heard a groan. It took her a second to process the groan, and realize that Eclipse wasn't in her bead. Her eyes widened and she shot to her hooves, almost immediately landing beside Eclipse, "Eclipse? What happened? Are you okay?" Eclipse moaned in equal measure pain and annoyance. Twilight lit her horn and gently levitated Eclipse back onto her bed.

"My head..." Eclipse mumbled.

Twilight used a quick spell to scan Eclipse's head, and cast a spell to heal her. The pain went away after a few seconds of stillness. "Eclipse... What happened?"

Eclipse rubbed her temples with her hooves, "I woke up and my head was killing me, I tried to stand up, and you saw how well that ended up."

Despite the only light coming from the soft glow of the moon, Eclipse could tell Twilight was exasperated. Her voice conveyed anger and concern, "You... Why... Why would you do that?"

Eclipse changed the subject, "What happened to me anyway?"

"Princess Celestia said you tried to teleport, and you did something wrong, or just didn't have enough magic... It almost killed you..."

Eclipse pondered that for a moment, her expression did not betray her feelings, or she felt nothing towards the fact she almost died. "That would be... Detrimental..." Eclipse finally spoke.

After a long, awkward silence, Twilight finally spoke up again, "She didn't tell me what you three talked about. She said it was up to you as to whether or not to tell me."

"Don't you think it's a little late to be talking?"

"Would it make you feel better?"

Eclipse grimaced, "Yeah..." Eclipse sighed, "I asked her for access to something that I need to fix everything. She said no... I... I kind of snapped at her..."

"But... Did you explain why you needed it, or what it was specifically?"

"No... That's the thing, I know, and at the same time I don't know what I need. I will know it when I find it... And Celestia won't be happy when I find it..." Eclipse trailed off.

"But she said no?"

Eclipse looked at Twilight, "This is something I have to do... To be honest, I don't even know if the spell is written down anywhere... I know Celestia knows it..."

"Then why didn't you ask her directly?"

"It would be repeating history." Eclipse felt certain memories resurfacing, "She would have said no... She said no even after it... Was... T-To... La-Late..." Eclipse closed her eyes, she felt tears begin to roll down her face. "And sh-she... Di-ied because of it..."

Twilight couldn't focus after hearing those words. The idea of Princess Celestia dying... It was so foreign to her, it was impossible. She was Princess Celestia, after all. "Eclipse... I... I'm so sorry..." Twilight sat down beside her and draped a wing around her body.

Luna walked into Celestia's bedroom, "Sister?"

"Yes, Luna? What is it?" Celestia beckoned her into her room with a nod of her head.

"I... I'm not quite sure what, but something is amiss. I believe I have found Eclipse's mind, but it is... Hidden from me. I can't enter her dreams... And there is another I found, whose dreams I cannot enter..."

Celestia pursed her lips, "If she is maintaining a spell to keep you out of her mind, it's no wonder her magic is coming back so slowly... But why would there be another who would be blocking you?"

"I do not know, sister, but it troubles me... I believe Eclipse is hiding something."

"She is, I can tell. She wasn't very forthcoming today, was she?"

Luna frowned, "That is... Not what I meant, sister. Also... Twilight's dreams last night troubled me..."

"How so?"

"She had a nightmare... In it, you died."

Meanwhile, In Griffonstone...

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Three cutie marks circled the spire that was Griffonstone, a cloud with a rainbow colored lightning bolt, three balloons of different colors, and a purple, six pointed star, surrounded by five smaller white stars. Twilight looked at Griffonstone with glee, "This is so exciting! The map is summoning us to Griffonstone, the heart of the Griffon kingdom!" Twilight levitated a book over to her, "I don't know if any of you-" Twilight was cut off by the door opening. Eclipse trotted in, her cutie mark was pulsing. Twilight lifted a wing and looked at her own cutie mark, it wasn't glowing. She folded her wing back and sighed as she lowered her head with annoyance.

Eclipse slowed down and walked over to the map, she frowned as she looked at the spire atop a mountain with three cutie marks circling it, "I should know what that place is."

"That's Griffonstone!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Oh... Right, this... Except this time..." Eclipse looked at Twilight, "Sorry, I don't know why it's calling me." Eclipse frowned, "I didn't realize it would be capable of calling me..."

"What do you mean?" Twilight inquired.

"The first time around, it only called Pinkie and Rainbow to Griffonstone. Probably a good thing too, because of the state it was in..."

"What do you mean the state it was in?"

Eclipse quickly replied, "Not important..." Eclipse walked over to the map, "My presence has altered the timeline already, the map seems to be more intelligent than I realized... It's connected to the elements of harmony... I need to examine this further."

Twilight began again, "Right, well, I know Eclipse has read Bygons, Griffons, and Greatness, but griffons were known to be-"

Rainbow cut her off, "Rude, insensitive bullies?"

"You mean Gilda?" Twilight asked.

"What other griffon would I be talking about? Gustov?"

"Rainbow," Eclipse spoke softly, "everypony deserves a second chance..."

"Why would-"

"What about Luna? She turned into Nightmare Moon. We gave her a second chance, didn't we?"

"Well-"

"And Discord?"

"He betrayed-"

"He was tricked." Eclipse answered firmly. Eclipse took a softer tone, "I know the value of second chances."

Rainbow mumbled something inaudible.

"Anyway, we should get started, we'll need to bring a small fortune with us..." Eclipse looked to Twilight, "That book is outdated by the way." Twilight frowned as she pondered what Eclipse meant.

"I wish the map would've summoned me there anyway..." Twilight sighed.

Eclipse smiled weakly, "Trust me, it's better this way."

"Isn't this just great?" Pinkie happily asked. "What're you reading Rainbow?"

"Twilight literally wrote a book on what we need to do..." Rainbow moaned.

"You do realize that, despite my name, and my age, I'm still Twilight, right?" Eclipse frowned towards her. Her inner feelings were however happy about seeing Rainbow being so... Rainbow.

"Hehe... Sorry, Eclipse."

Eclipse smiled, "It's fine. I'm just glad you're being you." Rainbow frowned. "What's wrong Rainbow?"

"I know you said I should give Gilda a second chance, but it's hard. She was a jerk to all my friends, especially Pinkie."

"That's not all that's bothering you is it." Eclipse stated.

"Yeah..."

"It's me, isn't it? I make you uncomfortable."

"No... It's... Well yeah, kinda. I mean, you're from the future, you know more about us than we know about us. You already know how everything will turn out!"

"No, I don't. Things are already deviating significantly, I just hope I don't cause more harm than good..."

"Still! You already know how this goes, and what happens to each of us!" Eclipse looked pained for a brief moment. "Eclipse, you alright?"

"I... I'm much older than all of you, despite still looking like I'm in my twenties, I'm over one thousand years old. My height is the only thing that gives reason to suspect my age. Well, that and the full power of my magic." Eclipse paused to think about what to say next, "A good friend is one of the most valuable things you can have, if not the most valuable thing you can have. I... I outlived all of you, it was... Hard. To say the least..." Eclipse shook her head.

"That's... I don't know how you could do it..." Rainbow replied.

Pinkie jumped over to Eclipse and hugged her, "Better?"

Eclipse smiled, "Yes, thank you." Pinkie broke the hug and returned to her seat. "To tell the truth, Discord became my best friend after a while."

Rainbow shouted "What?"

"He was one of the few ponies who had a life expectancy to rival my own. The only others were dragons, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence. Spike eventually grew up, I had a falling out with Luna, Cadence went evil-"

Pinkie spit out the piece of candy she had been sucking on, she and Rainbow spoke in unison, "Wait, what?"

"The princess of love... Take a guess as to why she went evil."

Rainbow spoke softly, she was thankful they had the train car to themselves, "Shining Armor..."

Eclipse spoke more coldly than she intended, "Celestia should have seen it coming, really. She should have seen a lot of things coming..." Eclipse sighed, "Maybe she did..."

Rainbow spoke comfortingly, "Twilight... Er, Eclipse... It's fine, okay? We'll fix everything."

"You can call me Twilight until we get back, if it would make you feel better."

"Okay then... Twilight."

"I know we really haven't talked since I spoke about that Hearth's Warming party... Sorry about embarrassing you, I shouldn't have done that."

Rainbow lifted a hoof to her chest, "What? Me, embarrassed? Pfft, yeah right!"

Rainbow, Pinkie, and Eclipse stopped in front of the gates to the rundown city of Griffonstone. "Wow. This place is a dump." Rainbow deadpanned.

"Yep!" Pinkie exclaimed as she started bouncing into the city.

"I find myself thinking that it was this simple fact that the map chose not to send me here the first time." Eclipse spoke to no one in particular as she started walking into the city gates.

Every way the looked, the city was rundown, buildings had collapsed or had roofs caved in, windows falling out, dead trees with limbs falling off as griffons perched on them.

"This is Griffonstone right?" Pinkie asked a nearby griffon who was walking by, she didn't get a response, so she stood in his path. The griffon walked into her, then picked her up in a claw and put her down out of his way.

"Yes, Pinkie." Twilight answered.

"So we should head to the palace and find the king then?"

A grumpy voice answered, "We don't have a king."

Rainbow sighed, Eclipse prodded her with a wing. Rainbow took a step forwards, and spoke without malice, "Hello Gilda."

Gilda's expression turned from one of disgust to one of surprise, "I'm surprised to see you again, Rainbow. Whose the pegasus beside you? Your marefriend?"

"Hey, I- w.. What?" Rainbow stuttered.

"Actually, I'm an alicorn, Gilda." Eclipse motioned a wing to her horn, "And no."

Gilda took a moment to process the fact she was now speaking with an alicorn, "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to help Griffonstone!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Gilda scoffed, "Help it with what?"

"Well-"

Eclipse cut her off, "A friendship problem."

Gilda huffed, "We don't have any friendship here. It's everygriffon for themselves."

Eclipse smiled weakly, "That's the problem Gilda."

"I thought the problem was with their missing idol?" Rainbow asked in confusion.

"Missing idol? Hah! Only a fool would believe in that tale."

A elderly voice called from a nearby doorway, "You better believe it!" He coughed and fell down. A second later he flapped back up to the perch and then down to the ground. "The idol was the best thing to ever happen to us!"

Gilda spoke with frustration, "Great, now you have Grandpa Gruff started!"

The elderly griffon walked forwards to the three ponies, "I'll tell you the whole tragic story... For some bits."

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary," Eclipse levitated five bits out of a bag, "but you can have some bits anyway." Rainbow shot Eclipse a glare.

"It's your loss then." The elderly griffon bit one of gold coins with his beak and then flew back to his house.

"Aw, I wanted to hear his story..." Pinkie said dejectedly.

"Anyway, the idol is in the Abysmal Abyss." Eclipse said nonchalantly.

"So we go get the idol and fix this problem then?" Rainbow asked.

"Ha, here we go, typical pony hero complex. Thinking they always have to be in control."

Eclipse ignored Gilda, "Not exactly..." Eclipse started planning, "Do you trust me?" Eclipse looked between Rainbow and Pinkie.

"Of course silly!"

"Yeah?"

"Good. Pinkie, you help Gilda, Rainbow and I will go get the Idol."

"Hey, I don't need any help!" Gilda shouted.

Rainbow took to the sky, followed shortly by Eclipse. They flew to the nearest supply store, Rainbow rushed through the doors and took a heroic pose, "We're here to find your idol an-" Eclipse tugged on Rainbow's tail with her magic, breaking Rainbow's concentration. "What?" Rainbow asked.

"Trust me on this." Eclipse walked up to the counter. The griffon running the shop was lying against the counter, with depression plastered on her face. Eclipse levitated out a bag of bits from her saddle bag, "We'll need some rope, a grappling hook, and a guide to take us to the Abysmal Abyss."

"And I'll need-" Eclipse dropped the bag of bits on the counter and opened it with her magic.

Pinkie Pie bounced after Gilda, who was towing a cart behind her. Gilda detached the cart from her and put the harness on a rock. Pinkie watched as two griffons walked into each other and scowled as they walked passed each other. "Oh, I know what Griffonstone needs!"

"Fewer ponies?" Gilda asked as she dropped what appeared to be a rock onto her cart.

"No, silly. A song! I've got a song-"

Gilda closed Pinkie's mouth with a claw, with her other claw she pointed at a sign, "Can't sign here."

"What about a party? Nothing cheers ponies up like a party! Where's your party supply store?"

Gilda blinked.

"No party supply store? What about cake? Surely you have cake!"

Gilda groaned.

"No signing, no party store, no cake! What is this place!" Pinkie shouted with exasperation.

"You're welcome to GET LOST AT ANY TIME!" Gilda shouted back. The force of the shout threw Pinkie back, she impacted a wall leaving a perfect silhouette impact of her body and mane.

Pinkie fell out of her crater, "Well that just takes the cake! Wait, it can't take the cake since there's no cake or muffins! Or griffon scones!"

"We have griffon scones, they're my talent." Gilda stepped back and raised a claw pointing at her cart and the 'scones' on it.

Pinkie rushed over to Gilda, "I'll buy one!"

Gilda picked up a scone and held it out for Pinkie. Pinkie went in to bite it but Gilda pulled it back, "Bits first." She held out a claw.

Pinkie tugged on her mane with a hoof and a bit flew out and landed in Gilda's claw. Gilda shoved the griffon scone into Pinkie's mouth. Pinkie chewed the scone, it was as hard as a rock. Pinkie swallowed.

"Well what do you think?"

"It's good but rock hard. And not in the good way like rock candy but in the bad way like actually as hard as a rock and not melting in your mouth."

"Whatever, I don't even care. I just want to sell enough of these to get out of this dump."

"I can help with that!" Pinkie beamed.

Rainbow Dash looked over the edge of the ravine and into the Abysmal Abyss. The wind was gusting out of control, and blew her mane back despite the helmet she wore. Eclipse walked over to her and tightened the strap on her helmet with her magic. "Thanks."

Eclipse looked down into the Abyss. "How deep is the Abysmal Abyss anyway?"

The griffon answered in an even voice, "How deep are your pockets?"

Eclipse blinked.

"Your recipe is good, but it's missing one important ingredient-"

"Don't tell me, friendship?" Gilda sarcastically waved her claws around in the air.

"No, baking powder silly." Pinkie smiled, "Lucky for you I never leave home without it!" She reached into her mane and pulled out a jar of baking powder. Pinkie added baking powder to the next batch of griffon scones Gilda was preparing to cook, and put them in the oven. "Now you just bake them and they'll be worth their weight in gold!" Gilda raised an eyebrow.

A griffon flying over the oven paused when she smelt the scones, she sniffed the air and smiled at the aroma. Her smile was soon replaced by a scowl as another griffon collided with her and knocked her out of the sky. She hit the ground with a thud. Gilda turned towards the thud, "Greta!" She reached down and helped the griffon up with a claw.

Once the griffon was back up, she forced Gilda's arm away and scowled at her. "Ah ha!" Pinkie exclaimed as she walked away. Gilda turned to look at Pinkie. "I saw that Gilda! You may act like a meanie pants, but inside you're nice!"

"What are you talking about?" Gilda asked with venom.

"You just helped your friend up when she got knocked down!" Pinkie cheerfully explained.

"What? Her? Greta's just some griffon I've met before." Gilda scowled. "We don't have friends here." Gilda sighed, "I did have a friend once, but you saw how that turned out."

A sudden realization hit Pinkie, her pupils shrank, "Oh my gosh! I gotta go find Rainbow!"

Pinkie took off running for the Abysmal Abyss, "See you later looser." Gilda called after her.

"You sure we can't just fly down?" Rainbow asked. She prepared to jump into the air, but Eclipse held her tail in her mouth.

"Rainbow, even you have your limits. It's too windy for either of us to safely fly down there." Eclipse answered. Eclipse picked up one of the ropes with her magic and tied one end around a rock, and the other end into a harness for Rainbow.

"Why aren't you doing this?" Rainbow asked.

"Because this has to happen." Eclipse replied flatly.

Rainbow sighed and walked over to the edge of the ravine and slowly stepped over the edge to begin her descent. She started slowly, but increased her pace as she began to get more comfortable with rappelling. The wind seemed to become more fierce as she descended further, her mane and tail were blown about carelessly by the strong air currents. "Just have to find that golden idol and get out of this place." she monologued.

She rappelled past a sharp rock outcropping, as she continued past it and hit the cliff face the rope was rubbed against the rock. As she pushed off again, the rock tore into the rope and severed it. Rainbow screamed as she started falling into the ravine. Eclipse felt the sudden reduction in weight and knew what had happened, however she couldn't do anything about it yet.

Eventually, the force of the wind became enough to throw her about, and it threw her back up and onto a outcropping. Rainbow hit the outcropping hard, landing awkwardly on a hoof. She cried out in pain as her leg broke. She held her leg protectively and fought through the pain and called out to Eclipse, "Twilight! Help! Throw me another rope! I think I broke my leg!"

Eclipse frowned back down towards her, she felt bad for the pain Rainbow was in. She would heal her leg when she got the chance, however it would have to wait. "Rainbow, pulling you up with a broken leg from this height would be dangerous! Don't worry, help is on the way!" Eclipse bit her lip, the last time Pinkie had showed up to get help for Rainbow. She didn't know if that would be the case this time.

Rainbow began wrapping her leg in a bandage, she wrapped it tightly to help immobilize the limb, but not tight enough to cut off blood flow. After finishing, she started flapping her wings, slowly she lifted off the ground and into the air. The wind fought against her wings, and soon overpowered them. She was thrown back against the cliff wall, and fell back down to the outcropping. Eclipse winced.

"Eclipse?" Pinkie asked from behind her. Eclipse jumped slightly in surprise.

"Pinkie? Good, now you're here. I need you to go get Gilda, Rainbow's in trouble."

Pinkie's eyes widen, she peered over the edge of the ravine and looked at Rainbow, "Don't go anywhere! I'll be right back with help!" Pinkie immediately took off back towards Griffonstone to find Gilda.

"Where am I going to-" the rock outcropping Rainbow was lying on started to crumble beneath her weight, she barely managed to push herself against the cliff in time to prevent her from being sent into a free fall again.

Gilda pulled out the pan of freshly baked griffon scones and put it on a rack to cool. After a few seconds, she took a scone and popped it into her beak. Her eyes widened as she chewed the delicious scone.

"Gilda!" Pinkie called out as she galloped to Gilda, "Rainbow is stuck on a ledge in the Abysmal Abyss and we need your help to save her!"

"Not my problem!" Gilda swiftly replied.

"But it is your problem! She's your friend!"

"Used to be." Gilda corrected.

"Can't you remember when she was?" Pinkie asked.

"Yeah, of course..." Gilda thought back to their days at the Junior Speedsters Flight Camp. The memory of first meeting Rainbow Dash played through her mind, she soon found her eye was tearing up. She flicked the tear away with a claw. "Fine." she relented. "I'll help her." Gilda got up in Pinkie face, "But that doesn't make me her friend."

Pinkie smiled, and spoke in a sing-song voice, "Except it does!" Gilda rolled her eyes and walked passed Pinkie.

Even more of the rock outcropping crumbled beneath Rainbow's forehooves. She looked fearfully between the ravine below her and Eclipse standing at the top of the ravine.

"They're back!" Eclipse called down to Rainbow.

Gilda put a harness around her body and Eclipse tied the other end of the rope around a rock. After the rope was secured, Gilda ran to the edge of the cliff and dived into the ravine. She accelerated downwards, and the wind fought against her, soon battering her and pushing her against the cliff wall. She dug into the rock with her claws, and fought against the wind to maintain her grip.

The rock beneath Rainbow shattered completely, and Rainbow was sent into a free fall. Pinkie saw it happen and ran over to the rock and put the end tied to the rock around her body and jumped into the ravine.

Eclipse clenched her jaw as she watched the scene unfold before her, she knew the map had called her for a reason, but she also knew that Gilda had to save Rainbow, or they would fail to rekindle their friendship. As the trio fell through the ravine, Eclipse made a mental calculation. Pinkie wouldn't catch up to Rainbow in time. Her heart skipped a beat. 'What do I do... What do I do...'

Eclipse was running in place, before Pinkie had caught Rainbow and Gilda had pulled them to safety as she climbed out of the Abyss. Gilda hit the ledge, Pinkie hadn't caught Rainbow. Eclipse looked around for something that could help. Her eyes settled on her horn and she grimaced. "Here goes nothing..."

Eclipse lit her horn, channeling magic for a couple of spells. One, she would cancel Rainbow's downward momentum. Two, she would create a barrier around Rainbow to block out the dangerous wind. Three, she would levitate Rainbow back up to the ledge and set her down.

She fired the first two spells successfully, but she didn't have enough magic for the third and final spell that would save Rainbow. She just didn't have the magic to lift Rainbow long enough to cover the distance required. She grimaced as she considered her options.

None of her normal spells would fix this problem, only a certain spell would solve it. A spell of dark magic. It would convert a certain amount of her life force into magic. It would shorten her lifespan, but provide her with the magic she needed to save Rainbow. She frowned, but lit her horn with dark magic and began casting the spell. She ran through some calculations as to how much she would need, factoring in the wind, and maintaining the barrier.

It would only cost her two years of life. Nothing compared to the life span of a normal alicorn. She could have done it more efficiently, she knew it for a fact. But she didn't have time. She grimaced and cast the spell.

Dark magic coursed through her, converting some of her life into magic, giving her just enough to levitate Rainbow back up to the other ledge. Eclipse collapsed from exhaustion.

Rainbow was set down on the ledge which the idol was on, she picked it up with her mouth and then leaped over to the ledge Gilda was on. Gilda motioned for Rainbow to climb onto her back, Rainbow obliged. Pinkie popped up onto the ledge next, having climbed up the rope.

"Think that alicorn of yours can lift us back up there? I'm not looking forward to carrying you both up there."

Rainbow looked up to the top of the ravine, but didn't see Eclipse anywhere. She shook her heard no, "I don't see her..."

"Of course not... So much for your marefriend bailing us out."

"Gilda, please..." The rock ledge they were on started to crack. Everyone looked down to see the cracking, "Climb now!" Rainbow shouted.

Gilda jumped onto the cliff and started climbing up the rock face.

"Rainbow! Look!" Pinkie shouted as she pointed towards Eclipse.

Rainbow dropped the idol from her mouth, "Eclipse!" Rainbow quickly flew over to the fallen alicorn. She landed beside her despite her broken leg. She winced as her hoof touched the ground. She put a hoof on Eclipse and shook her.

Eclipse stirred awake, and bolted upright. She dry-heaved a couple times before standing up. "Ugh... I hate dark magic..."

"What?" Rainbow asked.

"It's not important right now..." Eclipse lifted a hoof up to her horn and gently rubbed it. Eclipse spoke slightly bitterly, "I hope the map is happy now..."

"Sorry about how I treated your friends last time, Rainbow. Pinkie, thanks for showing me that I was wrong... Eclipse is it?" Eclipse nodded, "I... I have no clue who you are."

Eclipse smiled lightly, "I'm from the future. I'm Twilight Sparkle."

Gilda raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Huh..."

Twilight looked passed Gilda, "Is that... The idol?"

"Sure is!" Rainbow boasted, "I managed to save it since you put me down on the ledge it had fallen onto." Eclipse's jaw was agape.

"I take it that didn't happen the first time around?" Rainbow asked.

"No..."

"Well, between the idol and you showing me the value of friendship, I think I can fix Griffonstone." Gilda walked over to Rainbow and hugged her. "Keep an eye on your marefriend, I wouldn't trust ponies from the future. For all you know she could have started a pony war or something."

"She's not... Ugh."

Eclipse watched Rainbow return the hug, even if it was brief. She felt she had made a difference, no, she knew she made a difference. But now she had questions that needed answers, such as how the map was able to call her, and why she collapsed. She frowned briefly at Gilda's joking accusation.

Eclipse went over the events of what happened today in her mind, one thing was certain, she needed her magic back. And fast. The map had called her for a reason, and had she not been there Rainbow would have died. Had she not known how to convert her life energy into magic, Rainbow would have died.

Rainbow limped over to Pinkie Pie. Eclipse soon joined them. "Here, let me help you with that." Eclipse pointed her horn towards Rainbow's leg. She cast a spell, healing her broken bone. "It seems I still have some magic left over from that..." 'Good. I'm going to need it.'

Power and Corruption

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"Something is wrong." Eclipse stated flatly. She was frowning at Twilight as she considered the events of her adventure with Rainbow and Pinkie.

Twilight took a sip of her tea before answering, "What do you mean? You keep saying you're here to fix 'everything', yet you also keep saying something is wrong..."

"It's not... It's different from what happened before. Rainbow almost died this time. That did NOT happen before. I'm worried..." Eclipse sighed.

Twilight stood up and laid down beside Eclipse, and smiled at her. "It will be fine, okay?"

Eclipse lightly chuckled, "I came here to help you... Not the other way around."

There was a brief silence in the room, with the exception of the crackling of the fireplace. The warm glow that the fire gave off seemed to fight off Twilight's worries, and while it did comfort Eclipse, it did not comfort her to the same extent. "She would have died if I wasn't there."

"But she didn't." Twilight firmly stated.

Eclipse shook her head, "You know, I didn't have the power to save her. I had to use a spell to convert some of my life into magic in order to have enough to save her."

Twilight momentarily looked shocked, "There... There's a spell for something like that?"

"Sorta... It's dark magic." Eclipse looked down with sadness.

"Who... Who would create such a terrible spell?"

Eclipse whispered in a barely audible voice, "I did."

Twilight clenched her jaw lightly, then relaxed. "Why?"

"I was..." Eclipse pondered what to say for a moment, "It's... Not something I want to talk about."

"How much of your life did you sacrifice to save them?"

"Two years." Eclipse stated.

"That seems like it was very inefficient..."

"I didn't have time to make it as efficient as I could. If I had to do it again, I would though. Even if it killed me."

Another silence filled the room, lasting for several seconds.

"You said you're about one-thousand, five hundred years old, so how much longer are you going to life for?" Twilight asked.

"Before I answer that question, understand that your lifespan is not going to be the same as mine. You will far outlive me, provided I fix certain things."

"I don't understand?"

Eclipse sighed, "Twilight. I used up most of my life energy, normal alicorns live to be thousands of years old. I won't, I might live for another two hundred to five hundred years. I am not going to let you make the same mistakes."

A few minutes passed before either one of them spoke again. Twilight broke the silence, "What happened?"

Eclipse smiled weakly towards her and pulled her into her body with a wing, "Nothing you need to worry about."

Eclipse's smile somehow managed to calm Twilight down, it had a similar effect as Princess Celestia's smile upon her. "Is that why you, despite being over a thousand years old are so weak? Magically speaking?"

"More or less." Eclipse paused for a moment, "I'm going to need more magic to fix things. I had assumed beforehoof that I wouldn't have to use as much as it seems I will need to..."

"You could use mine."

"No. I have another idea in mind. The Alicorn Amulet, Zecora should have it hidden somewhere. I tried to find it several years back to no success."

"That would corrupt you..." Twilight softly worried.

Eclipse laughed, "That's humorous, Twilight. There are two reasons you don't need to worry about that. One, it's not the first time we've dealt with dark magic. And two, I won't be wearing it. I know how to take it's magic from it."

Twilight pondered her words for a moment, "Well, it's too late to go venturing into the Everfree now. I can go with you tomorrow though."

"Very well, I would enjoy my own company."

Twilight giggled.

"Hey Zecora!" Twilight greeted as she walked inside, "I've brought Eclipse with me."

Zecora turned to greet them, "Ah, so this is Eclipse, to what do I owe this glimpse?" Zecora walked over to Eclipse. Eclipse smiled brightly at her.

"She's wanting the Alicorn Amulet." Twilight stated.

Zecora frowned, "The artifact you seek, it is not for the meek. It corrupts it's wearer, slowly destroying it's bearer."

"I'm not going to wear it, Zecora. I'm going to take the magic out of it." Eclipse stated.

"Very well, but playing with dark magic should not be taken lightly, it can end tragic." Zecora walked out of her hut, Twilight and Eclipse followed.

The Everfree Forest was a strange place, filled with strange creatures and plants. The weather even functioned on it's own, without need of pegasi to control it. It was relatively safe during the day, but not at night. Fortunately, it was after lunchtime when they set out to find the Alicorn Amulet, giving them plenty of time to find it and get out of the Everfree before nightfall.

The group eventually entered a clearing, Zecora walked up to a lone tree in the middle. She moved a rock aside with a hoof, revealing a box beneath it. She picked the box up by it's handle with her mouth, and then walked back over to Twilight and Eclipse, setting it at the latter's hooves.

Eclipse lifted the amulet in her magic, "Thank you, Zecora." Zecora nodded. "It will take me a few minutes to complete the transfer." Eclipse's horn glowed as she began charging her spell to take the magic from the amulet and add it to her own reserve.

Dark tendrils of magical energy shot out from Eclipse's horn, surrounding the Alicorn Amulet in a cocoon of dark magic. A minute passed without incident.

Then the timberwolves showed up. Zecora and Twilight both looked shocked at the sudden arrival of an entire pack of timberwolves. The wolves were paying no attention to the small alicorn and zebra, and were instead focused on Eclipse, and the dark magic she was wielding.

The wolves slowly entered the clearly, Eclipse was too preoccupied with her spell to realize anything was wrong, even as Twilight shouted at her and prodded her with a hoof.

"Oh dear, this situation is most severe." Zecora commented.

The timberwolves had finally taken notice of Twilight and Zecora, the pack had begun to circle around them.

"I don't think Eclipse is going to be able to help us..." Twilight's eyes darted between multiple timberwolves circling them. "I count six of them... We're going to have to protect Eclipse..."

"I concur, we must defend her." Zecora paused for a moment before a timberwolf locked eyes with her, "I hope you can fight, for they will bite."

The timberwolf lurched towards her only to be thrown back by a beam of magic. The timberwolf yelped as it hit a tree, but quickly rose to it's feet again. Another timberwolf lurched at Zecora again, this time Zecora jumped to the side and kicked it away before dodging another wolf's attack.

One of the wolves jumped towards Eclipse, only to get knocked out of the way by Twilight slamming into it. Pain from the impact radiated through her front left leg. She winced in discomfort, but fought through it and threw another timberwolf back with a well timed blast of magic.

The group of wolves regrouped and began circling them once more. Right when the first one started to lunge towards Twilight, there was a flash of light as Eclipse finished her spell.

Eclipse immediately took in the entire situation, with her magic restored, it would be an easy fight to win. Fighting would not be in her best interests however. If Fluttershy found out that they fought and injured them... She shook her head and grabbed Twilight and Zecora in her magic and teleported them back to Zecora's hut.

Twilight and Zecora took a moment to recover from the disorientation of the teleport. "What... Was that?" Twilight asked.

"I teleported us to safety." Eclipse sighed, "Sorry about that. I forgot that doing that would draw attention to us."

Twilight looked slightly mad, "You knew that was going to happen?"

"I forgot about that but yes."

Eclipse and Twilight had been walking back towards Ponyville for a few minutes before Eclipse realized it was a perfect time to slip away and check on the Elements of Harmony, "Twilight, you go on ahead, I'm going to check on something real quick. It shouldn't take long."

"What are you-" Twilight was cut off by the flash of purple light indicating Eclipse had teleported away. Twilight shook her head and started walking again

Eclipse reappeared just outside the cave where the Tree of Harmony was located. A shiver immediately went down her spine, 'Something's wrong...'

It did not take a genius to feel that something was wrong, the presence of dark magic was heavy in the air, almost suffocating even. Eclipse cautiously looked around for any signs of danger. She didn't see anything, so she did a quick scan with her magic. The area was devoid of any kind of life except for her. That made her shudder, something was definitely wrong. She ruffled her wings as she stepped into the cave, keeping an eye out for danger.

The Tree of Harmony was still alive, and pulsed with power. A quick scan with her magic had revealed that dark magic had attempted to tamper with the Tree of Harmony, but it had failed to harm it any. Another quick scan revealed that the tree was at maximum power, and that even if the dark magic was ten times stronger, it would still take hundreds of years for the tree to exhaust it's power. She quickly walked up to the tree with a combination of nervousness and excitement.

Eclipse sighed and began speaking to the tree, "I know we had a falling out last time..." No response, not that she had expected any from a tree. Eclipse shook her head, "Something is wrong here. I can feel it. I know that you can too. You're obviously more aware than I first realized... Whatever is going on, it's not good." She raised a hoof and gently touched it to the tree.

The tree reacted violently, the second her hoof contacted the tree there was a massive burst of magic. Eclipse was sent flying across the cave and impacted the wall in less than a second. She cried out sharply from the pain, and fell unconscious.

Eclipse woke up suddenly a few hours later. She was still in the cave, but her magical senses told her something was coming, and that she needed to be gone before then. She stood to her hooves, noting that her previous pain was gone. She stepped forwards, and something called to her.

The tree. The Elements. She couldn't just leave them, it would be too dangerous. If whatever was corrupting the area could somehow corrupt the elements... Eclipse shuttered and ran over to the tree as fast as she could. "Whatever is doing this is coming. Please, let me help you. You know I just want to fix this..." She tentatively raised a hoof and closed her eyes tightly as she slowly put her hoof on the tree.

The tree did not react. She slowly opened her eyes. "Thank you..." She used her magic and gently pulled on the six Elements of Harmony. The tree immediately let go of them, allowing Eclipse to take them. As she drew them closer, each on of the Elements shocked her, as if reminding her not to push her luck with them. She could sense whatever was coming was almost to the cave. She quickly put the Elements into a pocket dimension and disappeared in a flash of magical light as she teleported away.

A few seconds later a tall, slender, dark coated alicorn gazed into the cave with her dragon slit eyes. She held a scowl upon her face, her eyes narrowed when she saw that the Elements were missing.

Eclipse reappeared right beside Twilight in the castle library. Twilight immediately jumped from the surprise. "Eclipse! Where have you been? We were worried about you!"

"Sorry, had-wait, we?" Eclipse looked around the room to see the rest of her friends assembled. "Oh, uh." Eclipse shook her head. "How long was I gone?"

"You were gone for four hours!" Twilight said in exasperation. "What were you doing?"

"Checking on something. And I was right, something is amiss..."

"What's wrong Eclipse?" Rarity asked.

"I went to check on... The Castle of the Two Sisters... The area has been corrupted by dark magic..." Eclipse answered. Applejack raised an eyebrow. Everyone else looked shocked at the sudden revelation.

"Did... That didn't happen before, did it?" Twilight inquired.

"No, it didn't." Eclipse answered.

"I'll write to Princess Celestia about this immediately..." Twilight lit her horn and summoned a quill and scroll.

"The dark magic there was very strong..." Eclipse shook her head, "It's a good thing I have my magic back now..."

Make New Friends but Keep an Eye on Discord

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Discord leisurely sipped tea from his teacup. He repeated the name with a mix of skepticism and distaste, "Treehuger?" Discord didn't even try to stifle his laugh.

Fluttershy spoke softly, "Oh yes, she's a really nice pony. In fact, I'm going to be taking her to the Gala with me." Fluttershy took a sip of her tea. Discord pulled his head back and upwards. Fluttershy was completely oblivious to Discord's dislike of that idea.

After a few seconds, Fluttershy finally caught on to Discord's perturbed expression. "Is something wrong, Discord?"

"Oh uh, I just thought you were going to take me is all. Bah," he batted a paw in the air dismissively, "It would probably be boring anyway. Not my style..." He trailed off, then looked at his right arm, "Oh, look at the time. Sorry, Fluttershy, gotta go!"

"Wait! We haven't even had any of our Tuesday Teacakes!" Fluttershy held up a platter of miniature cakes with a hoof. Discord grabbed it and dumped the contents of it into the vest he made appear by snapping his talon.

"Maybe next time, Fluttershy dear. Oh-ho did I say that out loud? I er... Hmm... Ta-ta." He put on a hat and snapped his fingers, disappearing, leaving a confused Fluttershy behind.

Spike was sleeping in his basket, having a most pleasant dream involving gems and Rarity returning his love. He rolled onto his back, and felt something slivering under the covers. He cracked open an eye to see Discord right in his face. He immediately became wide awake in fear of the sudden appearance of the Spirit of Chaos. "Ah!"

Discord spoke coldly with a small amount of malice, "Where's Twilight?"

The still terrified Spike managed to find courage to reply, "She's in Canterlot helping Princess Celestia with the Gala!" Discord looked up and off to the side, then disappeared in a flash of white light.

Spike, still terrified from the encounter wrapped himself up in blankets, attempting to hide himself.

"Oh your first Grand Galloping Gala!" Rarity nearly fainted with joy as she skillfully manipulated a long, silky ribbon with her magic. "The excitement, the anticipation! I wouldn't miss this for all the jewels in Equestria!" Rarity beamed as she skillfully adorned Sweetie Belle with a bow on her back.

Sweetie Belle looked happily at Scootaloo, standing across from her, they began to jump in unison and chant, "We're going to the Gala! We're going to the Gala!"

Meanwhile, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were playing the card game that they and their friends had invented. Rainbow Dash looked intently at her cards as she hovered in the air. "All right y'all, keep it down. It's not like it's a life changing experience or noth-" Applejack lost her words as Applebloom entered her sight, wearing a beautiful dress. "My little sister is all grown up!" She began to cry, and grabbed Rainbow's tail, blowing her nose into it.

"Hey!" Rainbow shouted in response.

Applebloom ran over to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, they began giggling as they thought about what tomorrow night would bring. One of the mirrors suddenly changed from a silvery blue color to yellow. Soon, a giant red iris appeared in the center. "This is going to be the best night ever-" The shouted and then they opened their eyes to see the mirror blink. They cried out in fear and jumped behind their respective sister, of honorary sister in the case of Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash. The mirror soon shrank down and turned into Discord's eye.

Discord slithered through the air over to Applejack, "I uh... Don't suppose these adorable-" he rubbed Applebloom's chin with his lion paw, "little fillies have their own tickets to the gruesome gala, do they?" Applebloom slapped Discord's paw away and stuck her tongue out at him.

Rarity cleared her throat and spoke up, "Ahem, to answer your-" she put emphasis on the next part, "-rather rude- question, they're going as our dates." she paused, Discord blinked, his mind going elsewhere. "Our plus ones!" Rarity added.

"We're plus ones!" Sweetie Belle shouted joyfully. Soon Scootaloo and Applebloom ran over beside her and joined in, "We're plus ones!"

Discord pulled off his horns and stuck them in his ears. He spoke with frustration. "Yes! Yes yes yes... I believe I got that!" He glared at the trio menacingly before teleporting away in a flash of white light.

Rainbow Dash threw down her cards and jumped back higher into the air, "Yeah!" All eyes turned to her.

A box appeared in the middle of Sugarcube Corner as Pinkie Pie finished selling a cupcake to a certain wall-eyed pegasus. "Have a wonderful, special, fantastical day!" Pinkie chirped. She started humming as she happily bounced back towards the kitchen, as she passed the box, she didn't even look at it before speaking, "Oh hi Discord, want some cake?"

An exclamation point suddenly appeared in the air above the box, accompanied by a strange sound. The top of the box opened and Discord cautiously stuck his head up out of the box. Pinkie rushed over to him, and Discord pulled his head away from her and smiled awkwardly, "I can give you a list of all the flavors we have ranging from delicious to amazingly delicious!" Discord jumped out of the box and stepped against the wall. Pinkie put out her hooves, trapping him against the wall, and smiling.

Discord looked slightly terrified and equally creeped out, "Actually Pinkie... Who're you taking to the..." He stammered with words, and then scratched a spiral pillar with his claws, "Oh you know what-" he took a moment to calm down, "I am famished..." He started flying over Pinkie towards the counter, "I'll take all the cakes!"

Pinkie did a double take, he eyes became pinpoints, "All of them!?"

"Why yes, I'm going to need all my energy when I'm dancing at the Gala." As Discord Spoke, Pinkie was throwing boxes into the room from behind the counter. She seemed to move faster than the speed of light as she darted around. "If I decide to go that is. Oh, by the way, are you bringing... Anypony?" he asked.

Pinkie dropped a cake into a box, "Oh of course! I was gonna ask my mom because she's my mom, but she didn't want to go, so I decided to take my sister! Maud!" Discord stared unhappily out the window.

Discord suddenly caught sight of a strange green pony walking with Fluttershy. A flashing red light suddenly appeared over his head. "You know what... Cancel my order!" He spoke forcefully, disappearing in a flash of light.

Pinkie Pie looked around the room filled with cakes that had already been boxed, "You want none of the cakes now!" She shouted with exasperation.

Fluttershy giggled lightly, "Oh my, hmm, you are funny."

Discord extended his neck and his head appeared in between the two, he glared at Fluttershy, "Well, I guess every being is funny today." he growled. Fluttershy was oblivious to Discord's disdain. Discord swam through the air and landed on his two mismatched feet.

"Oh! How rude of me," Fluttershy began, "Discord, this is Treehuger. Treehuger, this is Discord."

Treehuger stepped forwards, "Radical to meet you... I'm really digging your vibe..."

Discord turned around to face her, he leaned in close to her, as he spoke his eyes flared red, "My vibe?"

"It's a complement." Fluttershy whispered.

Discord pulled his head back, almost completely changing his demeanor. "Oh well," he chuckled lightly, "I'm sure it is..." He leaned forwards, "Well I must be off." He suddenly disappeared in a flash of white light.

Fluttershy looked confused for a moment before Discord reappeared, "It has nothing to do with Treehuger, nothing at all." He chuckled before teleporting again.

A second later he teleported back. "Have fun at the Gala!" He forced out, then teleported again.

"Righteous." Treehuger smiled.

The door to Discord's house suddenly opened of it's own accord. With a flash of light, Discord appeared in the center of his living room. He scowled at nothing in particular, "Oh Treehuger, you're such a good-"

"Hello, Discord." Eclipse cut him off. Discord jumped in surprise, having not realized Eclipse had somehow made her way into his chaos dimension.

"What? How did you get here?" Discord quickly asked.

Eclipse pointed to her horn with a wing and smiled, "Magic."

"Yes... Well... Right..." he deadpanned. "What do you want?"

"I came to see if you wanted to be my date for the Gala." Eclipse smiled.

Discord did a double take. After a second he composed himself, "Really?" Discord stroked his beard and thought for a moment. A light bulb suddenly appeared over his head, "That must mean I end up causing chaos at the Gala... Oh he he..."

"Yes, but Celestia enjoyed what you did."

"What?" he asked flatly.

"It... Nevermind. She did send you two tickets, but the mailpony... Ran into some issues..." Eclipse chose not to elaborate.

"I see... Very well then! I shall come to the Gala with you as your-" he smiled, "-date."

Eclipse suddenly regretted using that particular word, then smiled regardless. "Well, the Gala is tomorrow evening, we have about a day before we need to go... Perhaps we could talk?"

"About what?" Discord asked.

"Oh, come on, Discord. You're the Spirit of Chaos. I'm from the future, surely it must be killing you to know what I know." Eclipse teased.

Discord stroked his beard for a moment, "Are you going to tell me?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

Eclipse smiled, "Nope!" Discord deflated. Literally.

Eclipse walked over to Discord and picked him up with her magic, and sat him down on the couch, then took a seat beside him.

They sat together in silence for a few minutes before Discord spoke up, "Why are you doing this?" he asked with a certain genuineness that made Eclipse smile broadly.

"Come now, Discord, surely you can figure it out." She waited a moment before banishing her happy mask, allowing her true feelings to take the forefront of what she was about to say, "I outlived almost everypony I knew, Discord." She lowered her head sadly, "All my mortal friends... Celestia... Cadance..."

Discord looked surprised at hearing that, but he knew not to interrupt her.

After a few seconds Eclipse continued, "You... Both you and Luna know what it's like to be alone for a very long time... So do I. For the first hundred years or so, ponies were still alive from before I ascended, so I had friends. After that generation died, making new friends was much harder. Ponies would only see the crown I wore, the wings upon my back, and the horn upon my head. They would look at me like I was so perfect..." Eclipse sighed, "Cadance kept my brother alive for over a hundred years. When he died... His death drove Cadance mad with grief... You actually handled Fluttershy's death better than she handled his death."

"Over the next hundred years or so, I tried to not blame Celestia for making me an alicorn. I wanted to be with my friends, but they were gone. I started to... resent her for it. Before they passed, I had tried to convince her to make them alicorns too. I... Failed. They all grey old and died, while I stayed young. We grew closer, Discord. After a while, we became best friends. You may scoff at the idea now... But give it time. I know what friendship means to you... I know what it meant... And means to me..."

Silence filled the room as both of them thought about what she had said. Discord pulled Eclipse against his slender body, and hugged her comfortingly. Eclipse laid against him, not caring what the others would think if they would see her now. Soon, tears began to fall from Eclipse's eyes. Discord summoned a towel and gently dried them away as they fell.

After Eclipse had finished crying, Discord began to speak, "I was trapped in stone for several thousand years... It is not a fate I would wish upon anypony. I would not have wished it upon even Princess Celestia back when I was trapped... Absolute stillness... For thousands of years... For a being of pure chaos..." he shook his head. "Every minute was torture... I was so happy when I broke free, thinking I would be free to reign once more... But then you and your friends came along... We had our fun, and then you managed to defeat me... Fortunately I wasn't trapped in stone as long that time..."

"Fluttershy is my first friend I have ever had. The rest of you didn't really give me a chance, but I can see them starting to turn around... Slowly. But you? You do actually care about my feelings." Discord waited, making sure that they were both emotionally stable before starting again, "Well, not that we've got that sappiness out of the way..."

Eclipse chuckled, "Thanks for hearing me out. And don't worry, we can have some fun at the Gala..." Eclipse smiled devilishly. That caught Discord's attention.

Discord and Eclipse walked into the Gala in unison, they immediately grabbed the attention of everypony present from the unexpected entry they made together. Discord wore a tuxedo, and had a top hat and monocle on, whilst Eclipse worse an indigo dress nearly identical to the one Twilight wore, save for being larger and having a dark circle emblem surrounded by yellow rays on her chest. Soon everypony returned their attention to what they were previously occupied with, paying the pair no mind.

As they walked towards the stairway to greet Princess Celestia, Twilight approached them, she smiled happily until she got close enough, then she scowled. "Eclipse? Why did you bring him here? He'll ruin it!" She spoke quietly.

"You look beautiful, Twilight." Discord commented, immediately throwing her off track.

"I.. Uh... Thank... You... Discord." she stammered out.

Eclipse smiled, and they walked past her, and approached Princess Celestia. Celestia put on a slightly forced smile as the pair approached, Eclipse could tell it was forced, but Discord couldn't. "I'm surprised you took Discord as your plus one, Eclipse."

"Oh, I know how much you enjoy a little chaos at the Gala, Celestia." Eclipse winked.

Celestia's eyes darted to and fro, then she leaned in and spoke softly, "A little chaos is fine, but do not cause too many problems, Eclipse. We are keeping an eye on both of you."

"Where is Luna anyway?" Eclipse asked.

Celestia opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, before opening it again. "She is... Preoccupied."

"I see." Eclipse nodded, then turned to Discord, "Shall we go conspire with our friends?"

"Oh, I'd be delighted to!"

The Grand Galloping Gala, the social event of the year for Canterlot's elite. An opportunity to partake in gossip, and attempt to get the favor of Princess Celestia. For once, most of the attention of the Gala was directed not to Princess Celestia, but towards an alicorn and draconequus pair. They stopped just outside the door before entering another room, they could hear the music being played from the other side. It was classical, it definitely featured Octavia's playing, both of them agreed it was too high end for their tastes.

Discord smiled, and opened the door. There was the sound of a record failing, and the music and the music immediately became something more intimidating as the pair walked in. Everypony had heard the door open too, and had turned to look at the pair who were now walking in stride. Eclipse was trying her absolute best to not break out laughing, while Discord was walking nonchalantly.

The pair eventually found Fluttershy with Treehuger, and approached them. Discord's mood went south. 'I need to keep him preoccupied...' As Discord opened his mouth to say something at Treehuger, Eclipse muzzled his chest, completely throwing his off track.

Off in the distance, above Canterlot Castle, a single flash of lightning appeared in the sky, the sudden and unexpected illumination caused a shadow of a tall pony to fall onto a guard standing watch at the Restricted Archive entrance. He immediately turned towards the unexpected visitor, "Halt! Who goes there?" he spoke in a commanding voice. Both he and his partner raised their spears threateningly.

The two poor unicorn guards never stood a chance. The pony threw off her cloak, and flared out her wings. The alicorn immediately threw the two guards aside, and snapped their necks with telekinesis while they were unconscious. She approached the door and tore it out of the wall, opening the building up. She silently lowered the door to the ground, alerting anypony else could cause issues.

"Don't you think the lightning is a bit dramatic dear?" Rarity asked with a unnerved frown.

"Just because I'm reformed does not mean I still don't like drama." Discord replied.

"Eclipse can I speak with you for a moment?" Twilight asked. Eclipse obliged and followed her away from their friends. "Why are you encouraging him?"

Eclipse smiled lightly, "If you had seen last time... This is organized chaos compared to what he did last time. He almost sent Treehuger..." Eclipse shook her head, "That's not important." Eclipse frowned, "Hmm, when I first arrived here... I was the one who was serious, and you were cheerful. It seems our roles have reversed tonight."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Twilight tone conveyed irritation.

"Relax. The night doesn't have to be perfect..." Eclipse paused, "I'm going to go get a drink..."

The Forbidden Archive was surprisingly poorly defended. Not that it would have made much of a difference. Only two guards, and they were the ones she had already killed. The vast library seemed to stretch on forever, it ran beneath Canterlot, stretching into the mountain that the city resided on. A vast, nearly uncountable number of bookshelves were within the archive. The bookshelves held copies of every single book or spell known to exist.

She had been unable to obtain the spell book for what she had been seeking last time, having destroyed the archive in the battle. finding the book could take a while. Time was something she did not have, however. There was a Grand Galloping Gala going on, so Princess Celestia and Princess Luna should be busy for a while. A while, however, might not be long enough to search the vast vault of forbidden knowledge.

Using her magic, she did a few quick scanning spells, searching for a particular spell. Her magic search found several books of interest, they were a ways apart, fortunately she could teleport. She channeled magic into her horn and teleported to the first book of interest.

The first book was something of very little interest to her, she determined it contained information on casting a spell to strip an alicorn of their alicorn status after several minutes of reading. She put the book back and teleported to the next location of interest.

She examined the bookshelf she stood in front of intently, attempting to find the title that would indicate what caused her spell to indicate this area. After several minutes of searching, she failed to find anything of interest. She decided the spell must have not worked properly. She lit her horn and cast her spell again, then teleported to the third location.

Only to appear right behind Princess Luna.

Princess Luna was alerted to her arrival by the popping sound, she turned around just in time to see a flash of light as she teleported away. Princess Luna quickly cast a spell to search for life inside of the forbidden archive, but found none. After a second, she realized that she had not even sensed the two guards outside the archive. She quickly teleported outside the archive, horn prepared for immediate combat.

"I see you all appear to be enjoying yourselves." Princess Celestia spoke as she walked over to the table where the group of friends were occupying. Twilight walked beside Celestia, her eyes darting between Eclipse, Discord and the elder alicorn she stood beside, half expecting Discord to do something too much.

"Oh, why yes, of course Princess Celestia." Discord answered with a smile as he slithered through the air and curled around Twilight's body. Twilight did not appear to be enjoying it, but she didn't say anything.

"I must say I'm surprised you're behaving so well tonight, Discord. Aside from... Mixing up the music, and that clap of lightning."

"Oh yes well, I'm reformed, you know. That and Eclipse suggested not actually causing chaos to cause chaos. Something along the lines of by not causing chaos, you would think something was up, thus resulting in more chaos." Discord slithered back to his former position beside Eclipse.

The door on the other side of the room opened, Princess Luna briskly walked inside, and scanned the room looking for her sister. Anypony who knew her well enough would quickly realize something was wrong from the relatively rapid pace of her actions. She jerked her head across the room several times before she found her sister.

Princess Luna quickly made her way across the room, "Sister."

Princess Celestia turned around, surprised to see Luna at the Gala. She quickly realized something was wrong, "What happened?"

"I... Am not completely sure. Somepony broke into the other archive..." Eclipse tilted her head a barely noticeable amount to the left. Luna's eyes glanced around the room momentarily, "We should discuss this away from the party." Luna's eyes briefly made contact with Eclipse's eyes as she turned around to follow her sister to somewhere more private. Twilight looked conflicted for a moment, but chose to stay with her friends.

"What was that about?" Rarity asked.

Eclipse watched Celestia and Luna leave the room. She knew that by the 'other archive' Luna was referring to the Forbidden Archive. Something must have happened there, she has a suspicion about just what, but she would need to confirm it.

"I have no idea." Twilight answered, then looked at Discord.

Discord rolled his eyes, "Oh sure, just because something goes wrong it's always Discord's fault. I'll have you know I've been with either Eclipse or Fluttershy this whole time."

"I'll be right back. I need to do something." Eclipse casually left the group, heading for the nearest exit. After she was outside, she lit her horn, and cast a teleportation spell, she appeared outside the Forbidden Archive an instant later.

It was immediately obvious something bad had happened. The door had been ripped from the wall,and two guards, both unicorns, were limp on the ground, their necks at odd angles. She felt a pang of sadness at the sight, two lives, taken before their time... And then, she felt annoyance. Annoyance at Luna for not having the guards replaced already. She left the fault unguarded to get her sister. It was understandable, but still a mistake.

Or, an opportunity in her case. Despite the sadness of the situation, it did give her an opportunity to look for the spell book she needed without alerting anypony. Provided that Celestia and Luna did not find her inside the archive. She did a quick calculation, she should have enough time to find what she was looking for if she used a spell to locate the book. Provided there was a book on it.

She lit her horn, and concentrated on her spell, and the spell she wanted to find. A few seconds later, with a flash of magic, she completed the spell. She smiled as the spell located the book she was looking for. With a flare of magic, she teleported to the general location of the book.

She reappeared starring at a large, no, a massive bookshelf. She didn't need to count to know it must have contained hundreds of books on different subjects, some of which were related to dark magic, others were completely harmful backup copies of normal books, in case something were to happen to the one in the Royal Archive.

So many books... So much knowledge was held within the Forbidden Archive. She started reading through the titles, looking for a certain one of interest. Seconds turned into minutes as her eyes lingered on the title of many books for longer than she intended. She even took a look at a couple of books, before eventually forcing herself to focus again. Eventually her eyes came to rest upon one word. The title of the book she was looking for.

Ascension.

She rubbed her hooves together and gently levitated the book out from it's place. She softly put it on the floor and opened it, taking a peek at it to confirm it was the book she wanted. It definitely was what she was looking for. A broad smile started to grow on her face. She inhaled deeply and then exhaled. She would need to study the book carefully, but even her most liberal estimates said that Celestia and Luna would arrive soon. She was running out of time.

She quickly teleported the book into a pocket dimension she could access later, when she had time to study the book. The book disappeared in a flash of light. Now she just needed to get out of the Forbidden Archive before Celestia or Luna showed up. She turned around on one hoof, smile plastered on her face as she charged her teleportation spell.

Only to be greeted by two simultaneous flashes of light. Light yellow and night blue. Two alicorns stood before her, both with their horns charged and pointing at her.

Her smile immediately left her face, and she swallowed as she took a step back. Almost immediately a expression of shock and confusion made itself known upon their faces. "This looks bad, doesn't it?"

Point of Contention

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Celestia finally overcame her shock, "Eclipse? You're not supposed to be here, please explain yourself immediately." Both Celestia and Luna still had their horns charged and aimed at Eclipse, she was in a tight spot. She could undoubtedly teleport away, but that would merely postpone this, and cause more problems for her later.

Eclipse took a deep breath, "I-"

Luna cut her off, "I don't believe you need to explain anything, Eclipse. I did not trust you before, and it seems I had chosen well by not trusting you. You were the one who broke in. How many ponies do you that know have the same lavender aura that your magic does?" Luna stamped a hoof down onto the floor, in a finalizing matter.

Much to Celestia's surprise, Luna's next move was to immediately attack Eclipse. Eclipse barely had time to respond with a barrier. The dark blue bolt of magic was designed to incapacitate her, fortunately it struck her barrier and was dissipated. Eclipse stood back in surprise at Luna's sudden assault. Luna narrowed her eyes in determination. "Luna, I-" Celestia recovered from the shock of Luna's sudden outburst and followed suit, sending a spell towards Eclipse.

Eclipse was fortunate she still had her barrier active. When the spell hit, the barrier showed signs of stress, and cracks became visible. 'Why are they attacking me! Why would Luna think I was the... Oh no...' Eclipse teleported a few feet away to dodge another spell, the spell hit the bookshelf behind her, setting fire to countless books and tomes. She felt a pang of sadness in her stomach at the sight. "If you two would just let me explain!" Eclipse shouted in frustration.

Both Celestia and Luna turned towards her, horns still prepared to attack. 'Think... How to get them to listen to me...' Eclipse's barrier was hit by another spell, followed by another. Luna's work. She sighed, lowered the barrier and stepped forwards. "I am not fighting you. Please, hear me-" A spell struck Eclipse, stunning her. Her body fell limply to the floor.

Luna took a step forwards, and Celestia reached out a hoof to block her. "I will speak with her when she wakes up. While I trust you, I do not believe she is responsible for this. She is hiding something, however."

Eclipse groggily opened her eyes, and looked around the room. Celestia's chambers. Speaking of Celestia...

Celestia stood up and looked sternly at Eclipse. "Luna says you were the one who she saw teleport away from her in the archive. Though she does admit she did not actually see you, she did see the flash of magic, lavender. The same color aura as your magic."

Eclipse rubbed her head with a hoof, taking note of the metal ring around her horn. "Funny story actually. I have a theory about that..." Eclipse paused to think about it, remembering what the spell had said.

After a few seconds Celestia spoke up, "Care to enlighten me?"

"I believe there's another me wandering around." Eclipse stated nonchalantly.

Celestia pursed her lips and spoke skeptically, "And this 'other' you just happens to somehow be in the same city the same night you were here?"

"You don't believe me." Eclipse stated.

"One of you running around, I can believe. But two of you?" Celestia shook her head.

"She. Is not me. The spell I used... It said it had the effect of bringing another, an opposite force, back with me." Eclipse shuddered at the thought of where that could lead. "Where I came back to fix everything... She... Would have come back to ruin everything."

"So she's evil then?" Celestia asked in such a way that made it seem like a evil alicorn was just another day at work.

"It could explain some things, yes. The corruption at the Castle of the Two sisters..." A thought occurred to her, and her heart sank, "The missing... Filly..." Eclipse winced and Celestia frowned.

"Do you have any proof that it wasn't you?" Celestia asked.

"Ask my friends and Discord. I was at the Gala the whole night. Well, until..." She grimaced.

"And why did you go there?"

"I told you before, I needed access to it." Eclipse stated.

"You never specified what." Celestia pointed out. Eclipse pursed her lips.

Eclipse spoke slowly, "It doesn't matter now."

"So you did acquire what you needed then." Celestia frowned, then sighed. "I suppose if it really matters as much as you say it does, I'm willing to trust you enough to not worry about it."

Eclipse was shocked for a moment, but then smiled, "Thank you... That means a lot to me."

Celestia nodded. "I actually already had asked your friends about where you were last night. They did confirm you were with them at the gala up until after I left to discuss the break in with Luna." Celestia stood to her hooves and removed the metal ring from around Eclipse's horn, then teleporting it away. "Perhaps now would be a good time to tell me exactly what happened in your past to cause you to return?"

Eclipse sighed and slowly sat up on her haunches, "I'm going to be honest, Celestia. If I told you everything, you probably would not trust me. But I need you to trust me. I will tell you of certain events... Pertaining to you and me, but I'm not going into details."

Celestia nodded.

"As you already knew, I had a falling out with Luna... That was after... Your death..." Eclipse paused and searched Celestia's face for any sign of surprise, she found none, and continued. "When you died... Well, we weren't on the best of terms... It was... When I finally realized that my alicorn status extended my lifespan, I realized I would outlive... My friends." She swallowed before continuing, "After a couple of decades of looking for a solution, the only one I had found would be to encase them in stone. Effectively placing them in suspended animation. They wouldn't die... But they wouldn't really be alive either."

"I eventually realized another method, too. I tried to convince you to help me with it, I even begged you to help me... You refused... I tried to figure it out on my own, and failed. Then my brother died... Cadance... Did not take it well. I was... I refused to help you two battle her. You two won, of course. Cadance was no match for both of you... In the end, because I had refused to help you, you couldn't use the Elements of Harmony to restore her from the insanity which had taken hold. She did not survive the battle." She finished grimly. Celestia looked pained from the revelation.

"When we heard about what you had done... It affected us all to varying degrees. Me? I had expected that outcome. I didn't actually care at that point..." Eclipse paused to take a deep breath. "A few years later, Fluttershy died. Discord went mad with grief... And I knew it would only be a few years before they all died. I asked you again to help me, again you refused."

Eclipse swallowed, her voice was weak and full of sadness, "I watched them... Die... One... By one..." Eclipse sat in silence for a few minutes before speaking again, "I tried to not hate you for it... I really did... It didn't work, and eventually I grew to resent you for it... Eventually a new great threat... Arose... You faced it on your own, and died. You could have beaten it, yet..." Eclipse shook her head, "I didn't try to... Save you... Eventually Luna managed to gather the Elements of Harmony, the gems themselves, and use them to banish the evil..."

"One thousand years later, Luna, having used all of the Elements at once could no longer use them again, so she faced the threat when it returned from it's banishment. She intended to fight it to the death, but that was not necessary. The threat did not attack, so they did not end up fighting. However, she never grew to trust the threat, due to not being purified by the Elements." Eclipse paused, "Years later... I didn't keep track of time... I found DIscord. I kept him in check, and we became close. Eventually I convinced him to help me fix everything..."

Eclipse took a breath, "And that's basically what happened."

Celestia nodded and thought about what Eclipse had said. "What... Was the world like, before you left?"

"Without you? A mere shadow of what it once was..." Eclipse stated.

"I see..." Celestia stated grimly.

"I did leave out a lot of details and some events, of course." Eclipse stated calmly. "My biggest regret is what happened between us..." Eclipse sighed, "I'm not going to let that happen again."

"It sounds unavoidable." Celestia stated sadly.

"It's not, I know how to fix it..." Eclipse smiled, then frowned, "I just hope it makes a difference... I'm not doing this to try to regain what I lost, rather I'm doing this to ensure it doesn't happen to me again..." Celestia nodded.

Celestia spoke after a brief pause, "This threat... What is it?"

"I'm going to stop it." Eclipse spoke confidently. "I promise."

"In the mean time this... Other... You... What should we do about her?"

"Stay alert, make sure you're both well protected, I'll do my best to protect my friends and Twilight. Eventually she will make a mistake and we'll get her."

"How do you know she will make a mistake?" Celestia asked.

"Because she already has."

Celestia nodded her head. The two sat in silence for several minutes, Celestia going through her thoughts, and Eclipse just enjoying the company. "Perhaps we should go to breakfast. Your friends should be joining us this morning." Celestia said as she starred off at the morning sun.

"I would like that." Eclipse cheerfully smiled.

Eclipse found herself thankful that Luna had chosen not to join them this morning. She and her friends were leisurely strolling through the streets of Canterlot, she found herself enjoying it despite Luna trusting her even less than she did before. Despite the morning bustle of the city, and their status as heroes several times over, the group of friends weren't mobbed by ponies, thanks in part to the fact that nopony seemed to care, pay attention to them, or even take note of not one, but two alicorns walking with them.

Soon, the friends found themselves discussing the events of the gala, "It was simply marvelous! Sweetie Belle an I met so many of the nobles..." Rarity trailed off with a giddy laugh.

"I got to hang out with Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts!" Scootaloo exclaimed happily.

"Hehe, it was pretty awesome, wasn't it?" Rainbow patted Scootaloo on the head.

"I have to say, this certainly went better than the first time we went to the Gala... That was a real mess."

"It really was..." Fluttershy sighed, "And to think, I just wanted to see all the animals..."

"Oh, Fluttershy, it wasn't all your fault..." Rarity comforted the timid pegasus, pausing and placing a reassuring hoof on her shoulder, eliciting a small smile from her.

"How did you manage to keep Discord in line last night, Eclipse?" Twilight asked.

Eclipse perked up at the sound of her name, bringing her back from her thoughts, "He's not all that bad."

Rainbow flew over to Eclipse, she waved her hooves about as she spoke, "Oh come on, Eclipse! Did you forget what he did to Ponyville? What he did to us?"

Eclipse shook her head, "He's changed. He's not the same as he was before, he may still be a little chaotic, but that's just who he is."

"What about when he betrayed us to help Tirek?" Rainbow Dash, being the bearer of the Element of Loyalty, took betray rather seriously. It was not surprising that she still had issues with Discord.

"Yes he betrayed you... Us... Yes, he will continue to cause some chaos. But you're supposed to be his friend. Not treating him like an enemy." Eclipse shook her head, "Besides, we have bigger things to worry about."

"You're talking about the... Evil version of me running around?" Twilight's voice and demeanor conveyed a certain soberness, one which Eclipse was rather familiar with.

Eclipse looked Twilight in the eye, and spoke firmly, "She is not you, nor is she me."

Pinkie bounced over, "I can't imagine Twilight going all evil on us! She'd never do anything like that!"

Eclipse softly spoke to herself under her breath, "You'd be surprised..." She shook her head.

"What was that darling?" Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow.

Eclipse looked at her, "What?" 'Feign ignorance.'

"Oh, I just thought you said something. Never mind then."

The group started walking again, the conversation droned on, and Eclipse blocked it out for the most part, choosing instead to focus on her thoughts. 'Having her running around complicates things... I'm going to have to keep an eye out for anything amiss." She nodded to herself, and subtly scanned the crowds on the streets every so often.

Shortly before they reached Pony Joe's, Eclipse sighted a unicorn she recognized. One she could never forget. Her eyes immediately narrowed, she instinctually lit her horn. 'I need an excuse to go pay her a vist...' "I'll be back shortly..." The others turned to her, "I forgot something." She teleported a block back, and out of sight. After her friends started walking again, she teleported once more, this time behind the unicorn. The unicorn didn't have time to react before Eclipse grabbed her and ripped through reality, taking them both to a pocket dimension.

The fabric of reality shifted, they were suspended in a ethereal plane, much like the one where Celestia had completed her ascension process. "What is this?" the unicorn asked, unaware that she wasn't alone.

"Hello, Starlight Glimmer." Eclipse stated. The unicorn turned on a hoof, her horn ready for combat. She was greeted with an unexpected sight and her horn lost it's glow.

Where Starlight had been expecting an alicorn about as tall as she was, she instead was met by an alicorn halfway between Princess Cadance and Princess Luna's height. "What? Who are you?" She shouted.

Eclipse raised a hoof to her chest in feigned ignorance, "Who, me?" Eclipse chuckled, "Surely you recognize me, Starlight. My voice... My mane... My eyes... Well, maybe not them. I've seen more than she has... Done more than she has..." Eclipse shook her head. "Take a guess." She firmly commanded.

She spoke begrudgingly, "Twilight?"

Eclipse clapped her hooves together, "Good job, Starlight!" She ended her clapping a few seconds later, "Yet not entirely correct. I'm a future version of the Twilight you know. They call me Eclipse. You? You can just call me Your End." She lit her horn.

Starlight took a step back, and lowered her head, preparing her horn to strike. "This will be quicker if you don't resist." Eclipse stated, "You know, I believed you had changed." Eclipse frowned, "Then you back stabbed us..."

Eclipse raised a barrier to block a beam of magic from Starlight's horn, "As if! I would never side with you and your... Friends!" She attacked again, once more being intercepted by Eclipse's barrier.

Eclipse retaliated, her magic easily shattered the flimsy barrier that Starlight had used in her defense. The beam of magic impacted her, sending her flying. She let out a groan of pain as she hit the ground. She found herself unable to move as Eclipse approached her, the alicorn's expression changing from one of distaste to one of pity as she neared her. 'This isn't right... She hasn't betrayed them yet... Everypony deserves a second chance...' She shook her head, and lowered her horn. 'Why am I doing this... No. I've already changed events so much...'

"I... I will give you a second chance. But mark my words, if you try anything, and I mean anything to get revenge..." Eclipse let the silence in the aftermath of her statement hang in the air.

"Letting me go is a mistake." Starlight glared at the alicorn standing above her.

Eclipse smiled solemnly, and raised a hoof to Starlight's chin, and slowly lifted it upwards, "I would be a hypocrite if I were to... Make you disappear... For something so trivial as stealing ponies' cutie marks." Eclipse removed her hoof from Starlight's chin, and turned around, "I've done worse than you have..." Eclipse took a more solemn tone, "I've killed before. It's not something I want to repeat..."

Starlight didn't know how to respond to that revelation, she did realize she was on thin ice, and chose not to say anything at all.

"I know about Sunburst... I found him for you the first time. I can tell you where he is, if you'd like. I can't answer what happens, or how, or even if it would work out for you two this time..."

"Why?" Starlight finally asked.

Eclipse turned her head to Starlight and smiled, "Because friendship is magic, Starlight."

Starlight steeled her resolve, "Is something wrong with you? Because just a minute ago you were trying to kill me, and then threatening to kill me. And now you're telling me that friendship is magic." her voice was drenched in distaste.

Eclipse turned around and furrowed her brow in contemplation, "Your delivery would be much more efficient if you weren't immobilized right now." She lit her horn, and in a flash of light the duo reappeared in a dark alleyway in Canterlot. Eclipse then cast a spell reversing the effects of the paralysis on Starlight. She spoke as she walked away, "My offer to find Sunburst is still on the table. If you want me to do so, you'll be able to find me."

Starlight slowly rose to her hooves, she frowned as she thought over the information that Eclipse had given her without realizing. She smirked, 'From the future? Yes, I could use that.' She thought, completely disregarding Eclipse's warning.

Eclipse immediately teleported to the Starswirl the Bearded section of the Royal Archive upon turning the corner. There was a certain spell she needed to remove. After all, she knew Starlight wouldn't heed her warning. Without the spell, however, she would be unable to cause any major damage. Probably, anyway. It wasn't like Starlight was going to attack the princesses.

It took Eclipse less than a minute to locate the scroll, and seal it away in a pocket dimension with a quick spell. 'Now that that is taken care of, I can focus on more pressing matters...'

Dreams and Devastation

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Nightfall stood atop a cliff, looking out across the badlands. Her dark mane billowed freely with the cool night air. Her form cast a shadow out across the badlands, her form standing against the moon, silhouetting her to anypony who would be looking at her. Her eyes were drawn to a single point in the distance. The darkness hid the pair of changeling guards well, seeing them would be impossible unless one knew where to look, and had a vast array of magic at their disposal.

She did. She took a step forwards, her shadow moved forwards with her, becoming unnaturally long, aided by magic, and fell upon the changeling guards. She watched with her magically amplified eyes as the guards realized something was wrong. She flared her wings out, the changelings looked at each other. They showed no fear, nor did they have any concern, after all, what was the worst a lone alicorn could do to them?

The changelings were very aware that, despite their unsuccessful invasion of Canterlot, the ponies were not an actual threat. They weren't violent, they sought 'friendship' with everything, even their worst enemies. The changelings, on the other hoof... They fed on love, and were violent and dangerous. Each changeling had the magic capacity of roughly a royal guard unicorn. Almost every changeling was the same in respect to their magical strength.

Nightfall smiled. The ten thousand or so strong hive down there wouldn't stand a chance, especially since they were starving. She would have to play it safe, however. 'Step one...'

She took a step forwards, and fell off of the cliff. She fell faster and faster through the air, wind gusting by as the ground started shooting up to meet her. Mere seconds before she impacted the ground, she pulled her wings in, and cast several spells.

The first spell absorbed the kinetic energy of her fall, and magnified it several times over, and stored the energy in the form of magic.

The second spell teleported her between the two changeling guards.

The third spell took the magnified energy of her fall, and exploded it outwards from her body as she landed on the ground, spreading her wings. The powerful shock wave spread out, impacting the two changelings, and crushing them. Their deaths were immediate.

She smiled and giggled, "Hahaha..." Her laugh was quiet and cold, almost a more calculated version of Nightmare Moon's insane laughter. She looked to her right, at the dead changeling, then to her left. She thought for a moment, them spoke to herself, "Stupid bugs can't even defend their hive right." She shook her head.

"Let's see... The rest of those pests should be-" her voice was cut off by the rapid chattering of a swarm of changelings as they started flying out of the cave before her. The changelings rapidly formed a circle around her, and blocked off all of her escape routes, including the air. The changelings knew it would be suicide for her to try anything, she would have to surrender at being this outnumbered.

The changelings were also not the brightest bunch. A malicious smile began to grow upon her face, eventually her lips parted, revealing her teeth. 'Now we get down to business.' She lit her horn, and a magic barrier immediately formed around her and the changelings present. "Oh, don't worry. I intended it to be that big." She chirped as the changelings looked at each other in confusion. She lowered her head, and spoke in a much, much darker tone, "How else was I going to trap you in a small enough space for me to efficiently eliminate you all?"

Immediately the changelings began to swarm her, one by one, she struck out at them with her magic. Not just any spell, either. One by one, she ripped the life force and magic from each changeling that assaulted her, one by one the changelings fell to the ground, lifeless, and powerless. One of the changelings landed on her back, wrapping it's legs around her barrel and holding on as tight as it could. Her head swung around as the changeling bit into her neck.

She cast a teleportation spell, shifting her location in space to being above that of her previous position. The changeling below her soon found itself falling towards the ground, it's wings began beating rapidly, arresting it's fall. And then she crashed into it, and snapped it's neck with her hooves.

She looked up from the now dead changeling towards the next nearest changeling, smiling, "Don't fight the inevitable... Everything will die." Her face contorted into one of rage, and she jumped towards the changeling.

Meanwhile...

Eclipse's eyes shot open, and she shot up from bed, "NO!" she frantically shouted. Her heart was racing, she lifted a hoof to her chest, and looked around the dark room of the castle. As her eyes looked about the room, her other hoof subconsciously went up to the back of her neck, moving away some of her mane, and falling upon a scar she had not thought about in years.

She lowered her head back onto the pillow, and starred at the ceiling for several minutes. "Hello, Luna."

The tall, dark alicorn slowly stepped out from the shadows, she wore a perplexed expression upon her face, "How did you-"

"You tried to access my sleeping mind. Well, you've succeeded I should say." She slid out of her bed and approached Luna, her face one of annoyance. "You shouldn't be able to do this. I'm blocking you out with my magic."

"And yet here I am."

"Yes... You're here... In my dream. One which I control." Eclipse shook her head with frustration, then took a deep breath. "What did you see?"

"I saw nothing, save for a void until you became aware of my presence." As Luna replied, Eclipse started pacing.

Eclipse eventually stopped and looked at Luna, "You know I could expel you from my mind, right now? Or I could counter invade your mind, and rip it apart." Luna took a step back. Eclipse sighed. "What do you want, anyway?"

"I was hoping to learn more about you by observing your dreams..."

Eclipse thought for a few moments before shaking her head sideways, "Then observe."

The dreamscape immediately shifted from a darkened room to a vast, empty black void, dotted with stars. The ground had taken a dull grey appearance, and a blue-green orb was rising over the horizon.

Luna took a step back in shock, her eyes widening, "What... How... This... This is the Moon?"

Eclipse remained silent, sitting on her haunches as the life sustaining orb slowly rose into the sky. Eclipse lifted a grey rock in her hoof, and tossed it up. It flew upwards, and slowly reduced in speed until it started to slowly fall back downwards.

"How do... This... Looks exactly like the Moon did when..." Luna eyed the grey surface of the Moon, confused and scared.

Eclipse stood, and looked up into the sky, at the magnificent orb that was Equis. "You never actually killed anypony as Nightmare Moon, Luna."

Eclipse's statement cought her off guard, "I... No, I did not. I still regret it all the same, however."

Eclipse sighed and turned around, and looked Luna in the eye. "I know you don't trust me. I know you don't even like me. But you shouldn't be torturing yourself over something as... Minor... As what you did..."

Luna looked shocked, then angry, "Minor!? You call nearly plunging Equestria into eternal night minor!?"

"Luna, we, that is to say in my timeline, were enemies most of my life... I regret it. We both paid for our mistakes. We're both still alive to change the world for the better. You? Well, you were imprisoned on the moon for a thousand years, and then redeemed by the power of the Elements." Eclipse shook her head. "You can't torture yourself every night for that, Luna."

There was silence for several moments before Luna spoke, "The Tantibus..."

"Take my advice Luna, you need to destroy it now and come to terms with what you did before it harms anypony else..."

"But I-"

Luna was cut off by Eclipse. "Didn't kill anypony."

Luna opened her mouth, then closed it. There was silence for what seemed like several minutes. Luna starred at the ground, looking at a specific rock. The longer she starred at it, the more she looked deep in thought. She lifted the rock in her magic, and let it drop, watching as it slowly fell back towards the ground. "How do you know so much about the Moon?"

"I... Uh... Er... It's... Um... Not... Important." Eclipse's stuttering slowed towards the end at her magnificent speech. 'Well played, Twilight. I'm sure she completely missed that. Not going to suspect a thing! Nope, not one bit!' She thought with sarcasm.

Luna frowned, "Very... Well..."

Nightfall lashed out with her magic once more, taking all the magic and life from the nearby changelings surrounding her as she held them in her magic aura. Their magic flooded into her body, and was rapidly assimilated, increasing her strength. The changelings just kept coming... And coming...

All things considered, she was barely getting more magic than she was expending from this. She had not expected so little net gain from the massive amounts of magic she had to use to fight them. It was an annoyance to her.

Another wave of changelings poured out of the cave, and she felt the ground rumbling. She turned her head to the right just in time to see a hole explode outwards from the ground, debris varying in size from small pebbles to chunks of rock the size of a pony flew into the air, seconds later impacting the ground.

Nightfall channeled magic into her horn, and released a blast towards the hole. Changelings began flooding out of the hole right as the spell impacted, releasing a massive explosion, sending more dust and debris into the air. She momentarily glanced back towards the changelings coming from the cave, they were being kept out by her barrier. She returned her attention towards the now-filled-in-hole from which changelings were previously pouring out, and smiled.

'I need to reach the queen, then I can strip her of her power and use it to destroy this hive.' Nightfall noted. Her horn grew brighter, and she disappeared in a flash of dark purple light. The barrier collapsed and the changeling looked around confused, unsure as to what had happened momentarily. Then their eyes filled with fear, and they quickly started running back inside the cave, towards the hive.

Queen Chrysalis's senses told her something was immediately wrong as soon as the changeling guards reported that the alicorn had disappeared. The flash of dark purple light also helped tell her something was wrong.

The queen jumped back, using her wings to propel herself further back in order to avoid a blast of magic that hit the space she previously occupied. "What!? How did you get in here!?" she hissed.

Nightfall replied with another blast of magic, it impacted a green barrier that the Changeling Queen had thrown up. The queen smirked, "My guards will be here within moments, you will not escape my grasp, whoever you are. You have made a grave mistake attacking my hive." her voice echoed through the chamber, resonating and gaining a eerie echo.

Nightfall grabbed the queen in her magic, bypassing the barrier. The queen's smile disappeared, replaced by an expression of shock.

Luna sat beside Eclipse, both watching the dream unfold. It was a simple dream, a construct of Eclipse's mind, of a time before everything went so wrong. A simple picnic, her and her friends. Somehow, Eclipse was managing to shape the dream so that she was conscious of it, yet her sleeping mind was the one interacting with her friends.

Pinkie bounced around with her usual vigor, talking about something neither of them could quite make out. Rainbow was laying on her back, wings spread out across the picnic cloth, wearing sunglasses, letting the midday sun warm her body. Meanwhile, Rarity was talking with Applejack, the conversation was inaudible, as were all of them. Fluttershy and Twilight were talking, Eclipse regarded the scene with a solemn smile.

"I miss these times." Eclipse stated.

Luna furrowed her brow, "Did not you make new friends, after they passed?"

"I... No. I didn't try, I was too blinded by grief..." Eclipse sighed and shook her head, then turned to Luna, "I'm not even sure if I could have made new friends..." Luna raised an eyebrow. "It's... You know what it's like. Being an alicorn, outliving everypony that you know... Or who knew you before you became an alicorn, in my case. They look at you differently... It's like they don't see the pony, because all they can see is the horn, wings, and crown..."

Luna thought for a moment, "It is difficult to accept that as an alicorn, you will outlive everypony you know... I am lucky enough to have my sister who will stand beside me for my entire lifespan."

"I can't imagine how many sacrifices you two have made in your lives... It was only after I... After Celestia died that I realized just how much she did to maintain peace and harmony, and how much she must have sacrificed." Eclipse shook her head. "The world wasn't the same after that. You took over controlling the sun in her absence, and you tried, you really tried to keep things held together... I think it was just too much for you. You did the best you could have done under the circumstances."

Luna looked to Eclipse, "I thought you did not like me?"

"No. We simply had a falling out in my timeline, I don't hate you or anything like that. I don't even blame you for not trusting me, I wouldn't trust myself..." she shook her head. "I've had quite a bit of time to think, since I came here. I've been doing quite a bit of introspection."

"And what conclusions have you arrived at?"

"I made mistakes, but that's in the past. Not seeing the results of those mistakes with my own eyes every waking moment of my life helps with that... I regret what happened, what I did... What happened between us... How blind I was..." Eclipse shoot her head. "I'm not going to let it happen again."

"So you keep saying. Pray tell, how will you prevent it?"

"I couldn't convince either of you to let me do it the first time, so I'm not going to even try this time."

Luna's expression subtly shifted, "Is that-"

Eclipse's eyes widened, her head rapidly turned to face Luna, "No! No. I'm not threatening you."

"Did you not threaten me earlier?" Luna sternly gazed at Eclipse.

"Can we talk about something else?"

There was a break in the conversation for what felt like a few minutes, during which time the dreamscape shifted once more, returning to Eclipse's room in the castle. Luna finally broke the silence, "What do you plan to do after you 'fix' everything?"

"I've not given that much thought... My goal here will be complete... I won't be needed anymore..." Eclipse paused, and spoke to herself, almost inaudibly, "I probably won't survive it anyway..."

Luna furrowed her brow, then opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again.

Both Eclipse and Luna felt a powerful burst of magic, Luna's face took one of confusion while Eclipse's took one of fear. "What... Was that?"

Luna's words broke Eclipse from her shock, she opened and closed her mouth rapidly, unable to find her words. In anger she threw a hoof downwards, striking the crystalline floor with enough force to crack it. She lit her horn, and the room became flooded in a purple glow, seconds later Eclipse bolted awake.

Luna staggered back from the sudden shock of the spell, it took her a moment to remember that she was in her room in the Canterlot Castle.

Eclipse rushed out of bed, nearly falling out of it as she got up. She ran over to the balcony, stealing a glance at the clock as she did so. 'One in the morning...' She forcefully threw open the balcony doors just in time to catch the fading light being emitted from a pillar of dark purple magic coming from the badlands.

Eclipse felt her heart sink, "No..."

Warning Signs

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Eclipse regarded the night sky in the direction of the badlands with a mixture of anger, worry, and solemn acceptance. What had happened... She didn't need to go there to know what had transpired so many miles away. The Changelings would all be dead now, the spell that she had used would've destroyed them, using their hive mind to cause a chain reaction...

It was hard to forget a spell of such magnitude, capable of committing genocide of an entire species, even more so when you created it yourself. Eclipse fell to her haunches, sorrow replacing solemnity. She lowered her heads and looked at her hooves. "I shouldn't have come here..." she whispered. She sat in silence for several seconds before it was broken by a flash of light, and a snapping sound. She jerked her head upwards and to the right to regard the new arrival.

"Discord..." Eclipse's voice was barely audible.

"I take it you felt that too?" he asked as he slithered through the air, landing beside her.

Eclipse merely nodded weakly.

"I take it you also know what transpired?"

"Yes..." she whispered.

"Well." Discord rose to his feet, then brought his paw to his beard and stroked it. "Normally I would be de-lighted in the chaos this is sure to cause..." Discord slumped down. "But-"

"I killed them-" Eclipse's voice was barely a whisper, yet conveyed a certain firmness, that took the draconequus by surprise. "-before... I know that spell because I personally used it once..."

"Hmm... You didn't mention that before." Discord's voice wasn't accusatory, rather it was conversational.

Eclipse snorted, "No. I didn't, did I."

"It's not your fault." Discord laid his arm around Eclipse's neck, surprising her.

Eclipse opened her mouth, then closed it. She repeated that process several times before deciding what to say, "If I hadn't come back here-"

"Oh, pft, nonsense!" Discord batted his hand at the air, dismissing her words. "If you hadn't come back to this timeline, it would've been another, and another you would've come back here."

"You can't know that." Eclipse stated.

"Oh? And why not? I'm the spirit of chaos, after all."

"Because you told me so." she deadpanned. Discord frowned. Eclipse sighed, "I should tell them everything... They need to know." She looked at Discord, almost pleading for an answer, "But if I tell them everything, they won't trust me, and I won't be able to help them... But if I don't tell them everything, the other me could tell them everything, and they would trust me even less... Some of them could die... What do I do?"

"Eclipse, I'm not the right being to ask about that. And besides, I'm sure whatever it is you did wasn't that bad." Discord paused and looked off in the distance, "Well, at least compared to me." he mused.

"You never killed anypony though! I ki... I..." Eclipse sighed and let her head fall downwards. After a few seconds, she looked up, her eyes glistened slightly in the moonlight, and she was smiling. "I guess it really doesn't matter, does it? No matter what you do, history is doomed to repeat itself." she laughed weakly. "I've lived long enough to see it happen. Heck, I'm living proof history's doomed to repeat itself..."

"I believe you were the one who told Luna to stop torturing herself over her own choices, correct?" Discord smirked.

"I... Wh... Yes, how do you... Wait... You..." Eclipse blinked. "You were watching my dreams?"

"Mmm not exactly." Discord slithered through the air and curled around her, "You see, I was actually watching Princess Luna's dreams. And it just so happened she managed to break that nifty little spell of yours that blocks her out... Quite clever by the way. Of course, she had help, little does she realize..."

"Well that explains that..."

"Yes. It does." Discord snapped his talons and reappeared sitting beside Eclipse. "Although I must say, I'm impressed. I could only break through your spell because Luna was trying to do so at the same time." Discord shook his head, "What were we talking about again?"

"I believe you were trying to convince me to not blame myself." she replied in monotone.

"You took the words right out of my mouth!" As he spoke, words fell out of his mouth. Eclipse smiled and laughed lightly.

After a few seconds, silence returned. Eclipse looked out at the sky, her eyes fell upon the moon, words echoed in the back of her mind, 'Twilight, please...'

'No!'

She clenched her eyes, then opened them, and shook her head. "I need to go talk to Celestia and Luna, and make sure Luna's okay." Eclipse stood and looked at Discord, "Can you give me a-"

There was a flash of light, and both of them reappeared in the deserted Canterlot Castle Throne Room, followed seconds later by the arrival of Luna and Celestia.

"-lift." she cleared her throat, "Thanks..."

Discord bowed, "No problem, my dear." he rose, and suddenly was wearing a conductor's uniform. "And thank you for choosing the Draconequuis Express!" A second later he disappeared in a flash of white light.

Eclipse turned to regard the two other alicorns in the room with her. Luna looked slightly dazed, and Celestia was asleep. Eclipse starred at Celestia for a few seconds, just blinking. Luna slowly followed her line of sight until her gaze fell upon Celestia also. Eclipse raised a hoof and opened her mouth to say something, then shut it and lowered her hoof.

"Perhaps this could wait until morning... When we can get the others here." Luna suggested.

"Yeah... Maybe..."

"Twilight!"

Sleep was peaceful, except when it wasn't. Sleep being peaceful was something that everypony knows, will know, and had known. It was such a widely known fact that sleep was peaceful that it went without saying that you had a good night. Unless of course the rare instance when you did not have a good night's rest.

"Twilight!"

Thunk

"Oww..."

Twilight shifted under the covers of her bed, carefully rolling over onto her side, laying upon her folded wing. Her mind was not fully asleep, nor was it awake yet. She was in a state of half conscious bliss, having been stirred ever so slightly by some sound that wasn't noteworthy.

Creek

The sound of rapid clawsteps falling on crystal had no immediate affect upon the slumbering alicorn, save for causing her to snuggle further into her bed. She felt a quick ripple of air, and soon her source of warmth had been stolen from her, most likely by some foul creature, at least according to her mind. She groaned and clenched her eyes tighter.

"Twilight!" Spike called out, holding a scroll in one claw and pointing at it with another. "Princess Celestia sent you a letter!"

'Princess Celestia sent me a letter, and it's urgent. Oh, that's nice.' Twilight's still half conscious mind didn't register the importance of it until she felt a sharp claw poke her stomach. 'Princess Celestia sent me a letter, and it's urgent!' Her eyes fully opened, and she shot up, throwing Spike off the bed and towards the wall.

Twilight's eyes were assaulted by light the moment she opened them, and her ears were assaulted by a scream of sudden shock coming from her dragon assistant. her head immediately shot towards the source of the sound, and she reached out with her magic, catching him just before he hit the wall.

Upon feeling the sensation of flying through the air halting, and the sensation of being held in magic, Spike removed his claws from in front of his eyes, and peeked out. He breathed a sigh of relief as Twilight sat him down, and rather forcefully pulled the scroll from his claw. Spike still held onto the letter as Twilight pulled on it, her magic won out after a brief half second, sending Spike falling face first onto the floor.

"Uggh..."

Twilight paid her assistant's plight no mind as the scroll shot forth to her muzzle, filling her view. Her eyes quickly ran over the words, taking them in once. Then another time. And then a final time. She teleported the scroll away and looked at Spike, who was rubbing his side, "The Princess wants me to bring the girls to Canterlot at once... Eclipse is already there..."

"Uh Twilight?"

"I need to hurry and get the girls and get to Canterlot." Twilight ran over to the door, opening it with her magic, and ran out.

"Twilight."

"Come on, Spike, we need to hurry!" Twilight shouted as she pulled the small dragon to her side with her magic.

"TWILIGHT!"

Twilight came to a stop, and looked at the dragon quizzically.

"You just woke up." Spike deadpanned.

"Oh..." Twilight blushed lightly. "Right..."

A few hours later, the doors to the Canterlot Throne Room were thrown open as Twilight and her friends stormed in. Princess Celestia looked away from her sister to regard the sudden arrivals, then nodded towards the guards, who preceded to leave. Twilight and company slowed as they approached the trio of alicorns, and they fell into a hasty bow, then quickly rose.

"Princess... We came as fast as we could." Twilight's voice carried a subtle worry, one which Princess Celestia easily caught on to. She gave Twilight a reassuring smile. For a few seconds before it became solemn.

"Thank you all for coming so quickly... I'm afraid I'm not the bearer of good news..." Princess Celestia turned towards Eclipse, "Eclipse? Would you tell them what you told us?"

Eclipse slowly took a step forwards, her eyes were downcast, not quite meeting their eyes. She carried herself forwards, radiating despondence, each hoofstep fell silently upon the floor. Even as she spoke, she could not meet their gazes, "Last night... She... She destroyed the Changelings." She paused and looked up, taking the time to look each of the six mares before her in the eye, taking in their expressions, ranging from confused to horrified. The next words would not have been audible if there was not dead silence in the throne room, "All of them..."

A few seconds passed, and Fluttershy started sobbing. Applejack quietly walked over to her and pulled her into a hug, comforting her. Even if the Changelings were horrible monsters, ones that had attacked them before, and tried to take over Equestria... They still did not deserve that. At least in Fluttershy's eyes.

Rarity merely lifted a hoof to her mouth at the revelation, stifling a gasp. If that wasn't enough for one to realize her shock, her eyes had widened to the size of hooves, horror clearly evident in them.

Rainbow Dash slowed down beating her wings, and slowly landed on the floor without making a sound, then folded her wings to her sides. She looked absent, uncomprehending of how a single pony could destroy an entire species, let alone in a single night.

Pinkie's hair deflated, and straightened out. Her head fell downwards. After a few seconds tears could be seen falling from her eyes.

Twilight ruffled her wings in apprehension, the knowledge that it was her, even if it was a future version of her that had just committed genocide did not bode well for her. She blinked rapidly several times, and lowered her head. Her ears fell to the sides of her head, then she looked at Eclipse, her wide eyes, and horrified look asking the unspoken question, 'Why?'

Or, more accurately, 'Why would I do something like that.' Eclipse's muzzle drew into a line, answering her younger self's question... Would damage her more than she already was. Though Eclipse was merely a older, wiser through trial and error version of Twilight, she could not imagine having to deal with knowledge like that. A young, innocent pony such as she was, knowing that she had the potential to exterminate an entire species.

With a single spell. In an instance.

Luna stepped forwards, recognizing the anguish of Eclipse, "This... Unfortunate turn of events... Has however provided us with a few... Clues... As to her plans, and why she is here."

Twilight looked up at Princess Luna, and opened her mouth to ask what she meant, but Eclipse cut her off.

Eclipse slowly looked up as Luna spoke, then as Twilight opened her mouth, she answered the question before it was asked, "She just exterminated an entire species, with a single spell, in a single night." Eclipse paused, and took a step forwards. "She took their power using that spell, and added it to her own." Another step, "She destroyed them by using the hive mind against them." Another step, "A species that, at the moment, was no threat."

She lowered her gaze downwards, "Why, you ask, would she take the raw magic of the changelings, and kill them in the process?"

A long silence, nopony made a sound, save for Fluttershy's sobbing into Applejack's side, which had died down significantly.

Eclipse's muzzle once again drew into a line, she lit her horn, and prevented Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie from hearing her next words with a spell. She spoke so quietly, so full of surety, and so solemn, that her words sent shivers down everypony's backs. "It's a simple question, really... A simple question with an even simpler answer..." A pause, she looked Twilight in the eye, "She intends to end it all."

Questions and Concerns

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Shortly after Eclipse had finished, she strode out of the room, head downcast, and made her way to her temporary quarters for the duration of her stay in Canterlot. No sooner had Eclipse made it halfway down the hallway when Twilight threw open the Throne Room doors with her magic and rushed out after Eclipse. The sudden sound of doors being thrown open, and rapid hoofsteps caused her to turn towards the source of the noise.

Twilight was galloping towards her, her face carried an amalgamation of confusion, concern, and fear. Her eyes looked to be on the verge of tears. Eclipse turned around as Twilight slowed her pace, finally stopping a few hoofsteps in front of her. Her mind had finally recovered from it's earlier shock, and now was racing a million miles a second. She wanted- no, needed answers from Eclipse.

Her mind suddenly caught up to the fact she had been standing there for several seconds without saying anything. Eclipse waited expectantly. Twilight opened her mouth, then closed it, sighing.

Eclipse regarded her for a moment, unable to make up her mind as to what course of action to take. She lightly bit her lip and lit her horn, taking them both in her magic, and teleporting them to her room. Twilight was momentarily taken by surprise at the sudden change in scenery, but rapidly recovered. Eclipse shook her head and slowly made her way over to the alicorn sized bed. She rested a hoof on the indigo bed sheets, then ran her hoof across the edge of the bed.

Twilight finally found her words, "I don't-"

Eclipse cut her off, "I am over thirteen hundred years your senior..." She turned around. Her eyes were heavy with grief, and seemed dull, almost lifeless, advertising many lifetimes of experiences of the pain and regret of mistakes. She smiled weakly, "Although most of that time was wasted, I still have perhaps three hundred years of experience that's useful."

"I don't understand... How could you have wasted a thousand years of your life?" Twilight couldn't comprehend such a long period of time, nor wasting it, every single second of it. Surely it was impossible, how does one let one thousand years pass them by?

Eclipse sat down on her haunches, then looked Twilight in the eye. "We have to stop her."

"I know, but-"

Eclipse spoke more firmly, punctuating each word with a gently tap of a hoof, "We. Have. To. Stop. Her."

"Eclipse... We will."

"No. I will." Eclipse stood up, and turned her head towards the balcony. She slowly started walking towards the balcony, followed by Twilight beside her.

Twilight turned her head towards Eclipse, a gnawing worry was forming in the pit of her stomach, "You said she had the power of all the changelings... How do you plan on stopping her?"

"We have several advantages over her. Ones that she has... Forgot, or not factored into her plans." Eclipse looked out across Canterlot, taking in the view of the majestic city on the mountain.

Twilight frowned, "You said... That you knew what her plan would be... How... How did you know? Or how do you know with such... Certainty?"

Eclipse frowned at the question, face contorting into uncertainty at how to best answer the question. A few seconds later she huffed, "If I had planned to... Destroy the world, I..." Eclipse paused. "That's not actually what you asked, is it?"

Twilight shook her head.

'Well, that's an easier question to answer.' "The spell I used to come back would have, from my understanding, had the affect of syncing this timeline to another, one different from mine, in which her motives would be the opposite of mine."

Twilight pondered the concept for a few moments before speaking again, "How do you plan on stopping her? I mean... She's killed an entire... Species..."

"I have a few plans... And contingencies planned." 'Well, I suppose I should bring myself up to speed on the ones involving myself...' "My main plan is to try to talk her down. To try to convince her to stop-"

Twilight interrupted her, "What if that doesn't work? She could kill you..." She shuddered at that thought, and slowly started shaking.

Eclipse draped a wing around her, "Okay..." Eclipse looked around, then lit her horn. The lavender aura of her magic brightened as she channeled more magic into it. Seconds later, a beam of magic shot out from Eclipse's horn, and created a lavender, opaque barrier around the balcony. They couldn't see out, and nopony could see in, but it still let light through.

Eclipse looked at Twilight, her expression was one of seriousness, "I need you to Pinkie Promise that you will not tell anypony at all. Not Celestia, nor Luna, nor any of our friends about what I'm going to tell you and show you. They. Can't. Know."

"Eclipse?"

"Twilight, I need you to promise."

Twilight nodded, "Okay... I Pinkie Promise... Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." she went through the motions.

Eclipse smiled, genuinely. Eclipse turned her head back forwards, and her horn glowed brightly. A second later, six gems appeared, having been retrieved by Eclipse. The six gems, the Elements of Harmony, slowly levitated down to Twilight's eye level.

Twilight's eyes widened. "Ecl... Eclipse..."

"I had to take them. I couldn't let her have them... The Tree will be fine..." Eclipse lifted a hoof and lowered the Element of Magic over it, still holding it off her hoof with magic, preventing the gem from making contact. She then picked up Twilight's hoof and pressed the gem into it. "I imagine she already knows I took the Elements. So I need you to hold onto them for me, keep them safe, that way if something happens to me..."

Twilight turned her head downwards, and looked at the Element of Magic, then at Eclipse, "She won't be able to get them..." Twilight finished Eclipse's statement.

Eclipse solemnly nodded.

Twilight turned her head towards Eclipse, "Would she be able to use them? The Elements?"

"No, she couldn't use them. It would kill her. She could try corrupt them, however..." Eclipse's muzzle drew into a line.

"The Elements... Can be corrupted?" Twilight's mouth suddenly felt dry.

"I'm not entirely sure." Eclipse's eyes fell on the Element in Twilight's hoof. She smiled solemnly, then looked at Twilight, "Put the Elements in a pocket dimension, that will keep them safe. When the time is right, withdraw them. And remember, tell nopony."

Twilight nodded vigorously, and grasped the Elements in her magic, her horn glowed brighter and the Elements disappeared in a flash of light. "Do you plan on having us use the Elements against her if you can't get through to her?"

"Yes." she lied in a heartbeat, thankful Applejack was not with them. Eclipse's tone became more sober, "When the time comes, I'm going to tell you something. Something very important. You have to listen to me when I tell you. The fate of Equestria depends upon it."

Twilight's jaw tightened. A few seconds of solemn silence later, Twilight spoke once more, "Can you use the Elements? Er, are you capable of wielding the Element of Magic?"

Eclipse opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it, sighing. "It's complicated."

Twilight, having spent enough time with Eclipse to know when she did not want to talk, and knew what 'It's complicated' meant. Eclipse would generally either say 'it's complicated', or 'I don't want to talk about it' whenever Twilight asked about a touchy subject. "Right... Anything else I should know?"

"I remember when I was as young as you are. I remember how much I cared... Care for my... Our friends." Eclipse looked at Twilight, "I know you're willing to die for them." Eclipse paused and looked down.

Twilight swallowed.

"I'm not going to let them or you come to harm. I will give my life if necessary, to preserve yours." Eclipse felt a wave of relief wash over her at having said that, feeling a calm happiness about the thought of dying in the place of her friends.

Twilight bit her lip, "That's... It's not going to come to that, right?"

Eclipse sighed, "I don't honestly know..." 'But I have my suspicions...' Eclipse shook her head.

"Princess Celestia wouldn't let that happen-"

"Luna and the others are here." Eclipse sighed, and looked at Twilight. "Remember what I said." She lit her horn, and a beam of pink magic shot out towards the top of the dome. When the beam impacted the barrier, it shattered.

Eclipse withdrew her wing from Twilight and turned just in time to see the door open and Celestia striding in.

"Are we interrupting anything?" Celestia asked as Eclipse and Twilight walked back inside from the balcony.

Eclipse shook her head, "No, it's fine."

For a brief second, Celestia thought she saw Twilight look like she was about to panic, but it passed too quickly for her to be sure. "I want you both to stay in Canterlot for the time being, until we catch her." Celestia nodded at Luna.

Luna took her cue from her sister and stepped forwards, "It will be safer for you to stay here, under our watch."

Twilight's gaze fell behind Luna, on her friends, "What about my friends?" she asked. "I wouldn't feel safe if they weren't here with us..."

"Fear not, Twilight, they will be staying here too." Celestia's motherly tone helped sooth Twilight's fears. "I will send a chariot to bring Spike here as well, so you will not have to worry about him." Twilight smiled.

"Celestia, can I talk to you in private?"

Celestia turned towards Eclipse and nodded. Eclipse walked back towards the balcony, followed by Celestia a few seconds later. Eclipse sat down on her haunches and looked across Canterlot, and shut the door with her magic. After a short pause, Celestia sat down beside her.

"I don't think having us all stay here is a good idea." Eclipse stated bluntly. "She will come for you and Luna." Eclipse turned towards Celestia, "That. Is a fact."

Celestia smiled weakly, "And why would she come for me and my sister? Does she hold something against us?"

Eclipse sighed and turned her head back towards Canterlot. Seconds passed, and still Eclipse gave no answer.

Celestia furrowed her brow in understanding that the silence was the answer. "I see." Celestia turned towards Eclipse, "And what about you?" Eclipse turned towards Celestia, and opened her mouth to reply, but Celestia continued, "You have said before that we had a falling out before. Am I to assume that she will come for us as a result of this?"

"My two guesses would be... She will try to kill you and Luna both because you're a threat to her... Or just out of spite." Eclipse mused.

"And what about you, Eclipse?" Celestia asked. Eclipse briefly met Celestia's eyes, but averted her gaze immediately.

"I don't hold what happened against you... I can't, not after what I did. We all need second chances... You were just doing what you thought was best at the time... And I was being a foal throwing a tantrum." She shook her head. "I forgave you years ago... And I'm sorry I snapped at you and Luna back when I first arrived..."

'What are you hiding, Eclipse... It pains me to see you like this...' "Twilight..." she spoke in the same motherly tone she used to talk to her when she was a filly.

Eclipse looked back to Celestia, her eyes had widened. She almost looked like that filly she had taken under her wing, gone were all her attempts to suppress her emotions. Gone was the mare Eclipse, she had been replaced by Twilight. Her eyes started to tear up, Celestia smiled sadly, and draped a wing over her back. She gently coaxed her to lean on her with her wing, and then nuzzled her comfortingly.

Celestia lit her horn and teleported them both back to her bedchambers, Eclipse neither noticed nor cared about the sudden teleport. Tears silently fell from Eclipse's eyes, down her muzzle, and onto Celestia. Celestia merely held her more tightly against her, letting her let it out. "It's okay, Twilight."

"I'm sorry..." Eclipse shuddered.

"Shh... It's okay, Twilight." she cooed.

"I'm so sorry..."

"It wasn't your fault, Twilight. Whatever happened, I'm sure-"

"It was though... I-I... Princess, I'm so sorry..." Eclipse silently cried out her heart over the next few minutes, rarely heaving or making any sound except apologizing. Slowly, the tears dried up, and eventually her apologies became quieter, and then stopped altogether.

They sat there in silence for several minutes after that while Eclipse recovered. Eventually Eclipse slowly pulled away from Celestia, but she kept her wing around her.

"You know we all love you, right? Even Luna cares about you, though she may not show it. You are still one of her best friends, one of the mares that saved her from Nightmare Moon, just a little older."

Eclipse replied after a few seconds, "I... Thank you. I needed to hear that..."

"I'm worried about you both, Twilight." At hearing her name, Eclipse lowered her head in shame. "Twilight... You need to remember who you are. Nopony expects you to save the world all on your own. Your friends will be there for you."

"I have to stop her though... I can't let any of you die again. I just... I can't. I can't go through that again." Eclipse shook her head.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Celestia asked.

Eclipse opened her mouth, then closed it. "No..."

"You would feel better if you did." she prodded.

"I know, but I just... I can't. Not yet."

'Gah! Come on, there has to be a time spell here somewhere...' Starlight looked back to the sign reading 'Starswirl the Bearded Section: Advanced Spells' and grit her teeth.

It was simply amazing how pitiful Equestrian security was. She had been in here for hours upon hours, and not a single guard had payed her any notice. Starlight found herself wondering how Equestria managed to remain to peaceful, so free from evil or violence, considering that the Royal Guard were more incompetent than Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Her eyes glanced over the titles of books and a multitude of sealed scrolls, then they settled on an empty space. Her eyes narrowed. 'Not so incompetent after all...'

The screech of the metal doors opening alerted Starlight to the arrival of somepony new. She would have payed the arrival no mind had it been a guard or anypony else, but something about the way the pink maned, white unicorn carried herself gave her pause. She looked at the unicorn quizzically, something about her was off, and there was a growing pang of worry in the back of her mind.

The white unicorn slowly approached her, Starlight did her best to look inconspicuous. The unicorn approached, and then came to a stop beside her. Her cutie mark was a black circle surrounded by a ring of orange, and yellow rays protruded from the circle.

"Starlight Glimmer."

Her eyes widened slightly. She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off.

"Alert the guards, and I will kill you."

She promptly shut her mouth. This was the second time in a short period of time her life had been threatened. It was starting to get annoying. Granted, this time it was a unicorn, rather than an alicorn threatening her. But still, this unicorn seemed more likely to follow through.

"I have a proposition for you. One where you can get revenge on Twilight Sparkle and her friends."

"What kind of proposition?" Starlight finally asked after several seconds of silence.

"If you're interested, come to the abandoned castle in the Everfree Forest. The Castle of the Two Sisters." The unicorn turned and began walking back the same way she came in.

"Wait. Who are you?" Starlight asked.

The unicorn ignored her and continued on her path. She walked out the door and rounded the corner, leaving a confused Starlight with a choice. Starlight ran to the gate, and turned the corner to catch up with the unicorn, but the hallway was empty.

Keep your Friends Close... And your enemies closer

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Princess Celestia raised her head at the sound of a hoof lightly knocking on her door, she turned her head as the door opened, and Princess Luna peaked her head inside, "Sister?" she called.

"Yes, Luna?"

Luna pushed open the door with a hoof, and closed the door behind her, then walked over to her sister, and laid down on the floor beside her. Luna starred off into the flames of the fireplace for several seconds, leaving Celestia to wait expectantly for her to say something. "Are you sure it is wise to wait for the fallen Twilight to make her move, and then react accordingly?"

"It will give us a more thorough idea of what she plans, Luna... Although waiting on her may be dangerous." Celestia looked towards Luna, "What would you suggest?"

"I would like to go looking for her myself. I could take a couple squads of the Royal Guard, and Night Guard, and ascertain her location, gather intelligence, and act accordingly."

Celestia looked pained for a moment as she considered the option, it remained even as she spoke, "Luna, that would be dangerous. If she is as powerful as Eclipse claims..." Celestia trailed off.

"Eclipse and this fallen Twilight are both the same age, correct? Both of them went through the same general events, save for the ones which have caused the corruption of the fallen Twilight."

Celestia furrowed her brow, considering her sister's words. "What are you getting at, Luna?"

Luna smiled, "Eclipse is physically and magically weaker than she should be at her age, we both know she should be more powerful than both of us combined. But she is not."

Celestia nodded, "Yes. I believe I see what you are getting at. You think that the 'fallen Twilight', as you refer to her, may not be as powerful as she should be, despite having a massive boost of magic?"

"I do not believe she would be able to wield it all, even if she could access it all." Luna answered.

"I don't know, Luna..."

"I could likely beat her, sister! I have more experience with combat magic than you, and likely still more experience than Eclipse or the fallen Twilight."

"What if you fail? What then? How would we stop her, if she captured you, and took your magic? And what if she killed you, Luna? I can't lose you again..." Celestia's mask of confidence faltered.

"You, Eclipse, Twilight, and her friends should be more than enough to defeat her." Luna's voice was filled with confidence in her statement. She knew that they could beat her, even if she failed.

"Twilight is so, so young though... And her friends, they're not soldiers!" Celestia's voice lowered, and her head drooped downwards, "I don't know if Eclipse would be able to help us in that battle..." Celestia looked back to Luna, "If one of Twilight's friends were killed, how do you think Twilight and Eclipse would react?"

"I do not believe she would actually kill one of them, if she were face to face with them. She is still Twilight, even if it is a twisted version of her." Luna answered.

"I hope you're right, Luna..." Celestia sighed, "If you think you really need to do this, at least talk to Eclipse about it."

Luna bowed her head, then raised it. "Very well. I will, sister."

Eclipse stared at the ceiling, she had been lying awake for the past hour or so, unable to fall asleep. For some reason, Celestia had put Twilight in her room with her, she found herself wondering why. She turned her head towards the other bed, where Twilight slept. She was sound asleep, perhaps dreaming about her friends, one thing for sure however, she was not plagued by nightmares. She slept peacefully, unlike Eclipse would.

Eclipse looked back to the ceiling, raising a hoof to rub her temple. She laid there in stillness for several more minutes, still failing to feel drowsy. She quietly sighed, and slid out of bed, silently falling on the floor. Worry, doubt, and the desire to talk to somepony plagued the back of her mind. She quietly made her way to the balcony, and silently slid out the door. The starry night sky was beautiful, the mountain air held a slight chill, but it was not uncomfortable to her. It was still warm compared to... 'Stop.' She clenched her eyes tightly, willing the thoughts to leave her.

A few seconds later, she opened her eyes again, and regarded the night sky. Thousands of stars were visible, millions more were invisible to the naked eye, one aided by a telescope would see points of light everywhere. Eclipse's gaze slowly turned to the Moon, and her thoughts turned to her evil double. She sat down on her haunches, she spoke below her breath, "If you don't stop this, you'll end up there." She shook her head.

She sat in silence for several minutes, half expecting Luna or Discord to show up. Neither of them did. She sighed as she rose to her hooves, then silently slid back inside. She quietly drifted through the room and made her way to the bathroom. She entered and shut the door behind her with magic. The only light in the room came from the pale glow of her horn, and with it she made her way to the sink, turned on the faucet, and splashed her face with warm water. She rubbed her eyes with her hooves, then regarded the face she saw in the mirror. Her mane was dripping with water, and disheveled, her eyes looked darker than they should be, despite the poor lighting.

Her smile soon turned into a scowl, then into a sad frown.

After casting a quick spell to dry herself, she sighed, opened the door with a hoof, and walked back out into the bedroom. Her hooves began to carry her towards the door, through the door, and out into the castle's majestic hallways. She paid no mind to the guards she passed, nor any mind to where she was going.

Eventually she stopped. It took her a minute to realize she had stopped, when she did, she lifted her head and regarded the doors she stood in front of. She couldn't quite remember how she had arrived here, everything was a little fuzzy, but she had arrived here. She couldn't even tell what room it was, or who may be within it. She slowly, indecisively lifted a hoof to the door and lightly knocked on it. Surely whoever was inside would be asleep, and she did not really want to disturb whoever it may be.

Several seconds passed, and she had it in mind to turn to leave. As she turned to leave, the door opened. She turned her head back towards the open door.

"Eclipse?" Rainbow asked with confusion. Eclipse turned back towards her.

"I didn't wake you did I?" Eclipse shifted on her hooves.

"Uh, no. Is something wrong?" Rainbow's question brought a mask of worry over her, she was genuinely concerned something bad had happened.

"No... I was just..." Eclipse shut her mouth, then sighed. "May I come in?"

"Sure." Rainbow answered as she stepped back, opening the door fully.

Eclipse hesitated a moment before stepping inside, Rainbow shut the door behind her.

"So what brings you here?" Rainbow asked as she walked towards the bed. Once she reached it, she jumped up, turned so that her back was facing the ground, leisurely flapped her wings a couple times, then gently landed on the bed.

"Well, I would either say fate, ma..." Eclipse stopped at the look Rainbow was giving her. "Right..." her head drooped downwards, "I don't know. I was having trouble sleeping, then found myself here."

"Well... You didn't want a lullaby right? Cause if that's the case, you should have went to Fluttershy. Not me."

Eclipse snickered at the comment, then fell to her haunches with a sigh. "I missed all of you, you know." Rainbow sat up on her bed. "So many years passed by without you... It was hard." She looked up at Rainbow, "Imagine for a moment, out living everypony you knew. Imagine now, that everypony now looks upwards to you. You've become a symbol, a strong leader, and a ruler. Ponies lose the ability to see passed your status and the crown upon your head. Instead of seeing a pony like them, they see a leader, a ruler, a symbol, or a means to get ahead."

Silence reigned for several seconds before Rainbow broke it, "Eclipse, I'm not the best pony to be talking to about this. I'm not good with sappy stuff like that."

"No, but you are loyal, and trustworthy." Eclipse's gaze fell downwards, "I did things... After you all passed, that I'm not proud of. Things nopony here knows about. It... The guilt..."

"Maybe you should talk with Twilight or Princess Celestia about it?" Rainbow's suggestion caused a pang of fear in Eclipse.

"I can't tell Twilight... This whole situation has affected her worse than she lets on, I can tell..." Eclipse paused. "Imagine, waking up one day, and finding a newspaper headline that says 'Rainbow Dash travels back in time from the future and kills thousands!'." Rainbow shrank back at that. "Since I came here, Twilight's found out that not one, but two versions of her from the future are responsible for so much pain..."

"Uh... Why are you talking to me about this?" Rainbow slowly slid off the bed and made her way over to Eclipse.

Eclipse pondered Rainbow's question for several seconds before answering, "Because I need somepony who I can talk to, and who won't betray me..."

"They wouldn't bet-"

"I know, it's just... It's complicated." Eclipse locked eyes with Rainbow, "Please promise me, that no matter what, you won't abandon Twilight or myself."

The look in Eclipse's eyes... She was desperate, and Rainbow could see it. Rainbow smiled, "Hey, you saved my life. It's a Pinkie Promise."

That elicited a small smile out of Eclipse, then it faded as quickly as it came. "What would you think of suddenly becoming an alicorn?"

"What do you mean?" Rainbow asked quizzically.

"Just suddenly becoming an alicorn, with no forewarning. Not knowing it's going to happen. It being thrust upon you in a moments notice..."

"Uh... I dunno, I've never really thought about that before. It would be totally awesome though. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." she lied. Seconds passed before she spoke again, "How far are you willing to go to protect us?"

"As long as I'm still kicking, nopony's gonna hurt any of you." The brashness of the reply caught Eclipse off guard.

"What about the other me? She-"

"Twilight. Listen, we're going to beat her. We always do beat the bad guys." She smiled, "It's what we do, okay?"

Eclipse clenched her jaw. "That's the thing..." She looked at Rainbow, "I am the bad guy this time. You've said it before that I was the one that held our group together. We are going to have to face not just another bad guy. We're going to face myself. Twilight. Me." She lowered her head, "And it's my fault..."

"Come on, Twilight. Why would she want to hurt us? You've said it before, she is you."

Silence. Instead of getting an answer, Eclipse stood up, walked over to her, and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"Twilight?" Eclipse merely nuzzled her neck, after a second Rainbow reluctantly returned it.

"Be careful. The spell I used... She should want to kill you all, since I intend to prevent your deaths... But I don't honestly know if she will try to kill you. I'm hoping that she won't." Eclipsed sighed dejectedly, "The evidence points to her wanting to, however."

"She hasn't tried to hurt us yet though?"

"She broke into the Forbidden Archive, killing two guards in the process. And do I need to remind you she just eradicated the Changelings?" Her ears fell back, she sighed.

"I... I should go." Eclipse turned to leave, and started towards the door. She opened the door with her magic, "Goodnight, Rainbow."

"Night, Twilight." Rainbow called as Twilight shut the door with her magic behind her.

Eclipse sighed. 'Guess I'll go pay Discord a visit.' She yawned. 'On second thought, maybe-'

Eclipse saw something move out of the corner of her eye. When she turned to look at the area, there was nothing there. She narrowed her eyes, and slowly took a step towards the source of the disturbance. She thought she saw a faint blur where she was looking, then she noticed a slight shimmering.

It dawned on her all too late that the blur was distinctly pony shaped. A dark purple pulse of magic rushed towards her, and impacted her. Darkness overtook her as she fell the the floor. A dark purple aura took hold of her body before it impacted the floor, preventing her from making any sound.

A second later, and there was a flash of light, and a muffled popping sound. Two of the guards on patrol heard the sound and went to investigate, but nothing seemed to be amiss, so they shrugged it off and returned to their patrol.

Missing

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The first rays of the morning sun flooded through the window, they fell upon Twilight's sleeping form. Given enough time, the rays of light would work their way upwards, and fall upon her eyes, which would rouse her from sleep. However, upon closer inspection, one would see that the alarm clock on the stand beside the bed was only a few short seconds away ringing, and thus beating the early morning light at the task of rousing the slumbering alicorn first.

Right as the second hand started to move towards the ninety degree angle signaling a minute having passed, the incessant ringing starting.

RIIIIIIIINNNNGGGGG

Twilight's face contorted into discomfort at the sound, she let out a groan as she started to wake.

The alicorn slowly became aware of the ringing. It was immediately silenced by the lavender glow of her magic, which had enveloped it. She reluctantly opened her right eye, and the left followed shortly thereafter. She stretched her hooves out over her head, letting out a content moan while doing so. She turned her head towards the right, glancing at Eclipse.

Or where she had slept, apparently. Twilight blinked, the bed was empty. 'Eclipse must have risen early.' Twilight surmised. She briefly wondered how long Eclipse had been awake, then pushed it aside as she sat up.

After yawning, she extended her wings outward to their full extent, stretching them. As she slid onto the floor, she folded them back to her sides. A quick glance around the room confirmed Eclipse was not in the room with her. She pushed the thought aside as she walked towards the bathroom. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her, locking it.

Her eyes immediately glanced at her reflection in the mirror, taking in her disheveled mane, and then to her toothbrush. Multitasking, she turned on the faucet with a hoof, and used her magic to turn the shower on. Once more using her magic, she took her toothbrush, put toothpaste on it, and began vigorously cleansing her teeth. After she finished brushing her teeth, she put a quick check on her mental list, crossing that out.

Using a hoof, she checked the temperature of the water. Finding it pleasantly warm, she stepped into the shower, and began to soak her fur. She grasped the bottle of shampoo with her magic and squirted a generous amount onto her body. She rubbed the shampoo in with her magic, thoroughly lathering it even as the water washed over her body.

Several minutes later, she put a towel down on the marble floor to soak up and water which might drip off her, and stepped out. She quickly lit her horn and cast a spell to dry herself off, then made her way back to the mirror. Her brush soon found it's way to her mane, thanks to her magic, and began running through it. She was careful to avoid yanking out any knots that might have been there, caused by showering. After going through her mane, she began brushing her tail, eventually looking presentably.

'Almost.' She thought as her attention was drawn to her wings. She extended them out, and using the mirror, navigated her magic to straighten her feathers out. She payed close attention to her primaries, making sure they were properly aligned, and then moved onto her other feathers. She shook her head, 'I don't know how pegasi do it without magic...'

She unlocked the door with her magic, then opened it with a hoof, and stepped out. The room was empty, save for herself. Once more, she payed it no mind. With a quick spell, she cleaned and remade both their beds. She frowned, 'Why didn't Eclipse take care of her own bed? Oh well.' A quick glance at the clock informed her that she could still catch Princess Celestia having her early morning tea. It was a habit for her, and somewhat of a tradition for Twilight as well. It came from the personal protege of the Princess of the Sun, having early morning tea with her after she raised the sun. 'Who knows, maybe Princess Luna or Eclipse is there.' she thought with a smile.

She made her way to the door and out the door, setting her sights on morning tea with the Princess. The longer she walked towards the dining room, the more she felt like she was forgetting something, a dark foreboding took hold in the back of her mind, slowly replacing her cheerful smile with a even expression.

Other than her shift in mood, the journey from her room to the dining room was uneventful. The guards she met along the way bowed their heads towards her as she passed, and she would nod at them. She once found herself wondering if she was becoming more like Eclipse everyday, or if this was what Eclipse secretly felt like all the time.

The dining room doors were opened by the guards as Twilight approached, she quietly nodded her thanks to them, then entered. Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna smiled at her as she entered, she returned the smile, though the bad feeling lingered in the back of her mind.

"Ah, Twilight. I was wondering when you would show up." Celestia's motherly tone helped ease her mind. Twilight casually walked over to Princess Celestia and embraced her.

To Twilight, it felt like ever since Eclipse had given her the Elements of Harmony that Princess Celestia had been hugging her more tightly. She briefly panicked when she considered that Celestia might know what happened, but immediately crushed that thought. She pulled back, "Sorry, I would have been here quicker but my wings took longer than normal." She smiled sheepishly.

"That's quite alright, Twilight." They both sat down, Celestia doing so first, closely followed by Twilight, who took a seat beside her. Princess Celestia levitated a teacup over to Twilight, and filled it with tea.

"Thank you." Twilight took the teacup in her magic, and brought it to her muzzle. It smelled of cinnamon and an assortment of other flavors she could never place.

"Do you happen to know if Eclipse is awake yet?" Luna asked. She had a question to ask, and patience was still not exactly her strong suit. Celestia's eyes briefly glanced at Luna, before returning to the cup of tea before her.

"Well, she wasn't in bed when I woke up. But I haven't seen her this morning. I thought she might have been with you?" The sense of worry got stronger.

Luna shook her head, "No, we have neither seen her nor heard from her this morning." Her brow furrowed, "I did not find her in the realm of dreams last night. She didn't use the spell to block me again, I am sure of it, I would have at least found her."

Celestia's eyes narrowed, "Luna?"

Luna turned to her sister, "If she had blocked me from viewing her dreams, I would still have been able to find her. Last night I couldn't."

"Are you sure you would have been able to find them? When she first arrived, you couldn't find her dreams."

"That was before I knew what I was looking for, sister." Celestia's muzzle drew into a line, she slowly turned her head towards Twilight.

"Is... Is this a bad time to mention that I've had a bad feeling all morning?" Twilight gulped.

"We... Should not jump to any conclusions..." Luna spoke carefully.

Celestia quickly glanced towards the nearest guard, "Search the castle grounds for Eclipse. If you find her, inform us." The guard saluted, and galloped off, the doors barely opened before he was out them.

"So much for not jumping to any conclusions." Luna spoke to nopony in particular.

"Your friends should be joining us for breakfast shortly," Celestia glanced at a clock, "perhaps Eclipse is with one of them."

Twilight regarded her teacup, "Yeah... Maybe."

One by one, or two, in the case of Rarity and Spike, Twilight's friends arrived at the dining room. Each of them answered the same, they had not seen Eclipse this morning. Each answer made Twilight more concerned, and then the guards reported no signs of her in the castle or surrounding area.

"I'm sure she's fine, darling. Eclipse can take care of herself." Rarity comforted. Twilight merely prodded her pancake with her fork.

"Yeah, Twilight!" Pinkie shouted, then stuffed a large piece of cake into her mouth. Twilight's eyes glanced towards her in time to see her swallow.

'How Pinkie can do that, I'll never know...' Twilight thought.

Princess Celestia eyed the pink mare wearily, while Luna starred daggers at her. Pinkie was completely oblivious as she devoured another slice of cake.

"Remind me never to challenge Pinkie Pie to a cake eating contest again..." Princess Celestia mumbled.

Twilight started to space out as she eyed her pancake, the sounds of conversation were drowned out by her thoughts, 'Okay, no sign of Eclipse... There's a crazy version of me running around, and she just massacred an entire race. Scenarios?'

'She could be somewhere they didn't check, or they could have just missed her.' the logical part of Twilight's mind reasoned.

'She may want to be alone, perhaps she is with Discord?' another part suggestion. Twilight shuddered at that thought, 'Why would I spend a night with...' Twilight shuddered as the image of Discord and herself running around causing chaos popped into her mind, and immediately purged that line of thought from her memory.

"Princess, what if Eclipse was ponynapped?" Applejack asked.

Celestia furrowed her brow, "It is a possibility that she was abducted, and that the other... May have her..." Celestia shook her head, "We're not jumping to any conclusions. Besides, there's no evidence she was abducted."

The conversation between Princess Celestia and Applajack, while not the focus of Twilight's mind, still had an affect on her thinking, 'What if the other me has her?' her breathing quickened.

Princess Celestia's eyes fell upon her former student, she looked.... Distressed. Her eyes narrowed. "Twilight?" she asked in her calm, motherly tone, hoping it would break Twilight from her worry.

'That would not be good...'

'You think!?' She berated herself. Her face began to take on a frown.

'She...' her expression softened, 'She could be... Dead...' Her mouth suddenly felt very dry.

'Would that count as suicide?' part of her wondered. 'Because technically that would be me killing myself...' her brow creased.

"Twilight?" Princess Celestia spoke slightly louder. Speaking louder, while not accomplishing what she hoped, did draw attention to Twilight.

'Well, yes, but, we're all separate ponies.'

'Of which two of them are me from the future.'

'I-'

"Twilight." Princess Celestia lightly placed a hoof on her shoulder, breaking her from her thoughts.

Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but she was cut off by the sound of the door opening. Everypony turned to see Rainbow Dash nonchalantly walk in. It came as no surprise that she was the last to arrive, nor did it come as a surprise that she was alone. Rainbow paused briefly to look around the room after the doors were closed behind her, her eyes fell on Princess Celestia standing beside where Twilight was sitting. She payed it no mind, and glanced around the room for an empty chair. Her eyes fell on the seat between Rarity and Pinkie Pie, she quickly made her way over and sat down.

"It's nice of you to finally join us, Rainbow." Rarity's voice had a slight edge to it, but the pegasus was preoccupied with the pancakes that had been placed on her plate.

"Yeah." She took a bite, "Mmm, these are really good." She swallowed, "This was a great idea..." She glanced around the room, then frowned, "But uh... Where's Eclipse?" She took another bite of a pancake, allowing the syrupy goodness to fill her thoughts with bliss.

"We were hoping you could tell us." Princess Celestia answered with an even voice.

Rainbow swallowed, "I've not seen her since she dropped by last night."

Rarity's eyes lit up, and she turned to Rainbow, and opened her mouth to say something, but Twilight cut her off, quickly jerking her head towards Rainbow, "What for? What did she say? Did she say she was going to do something like this?" she rambled out her questions quickly, succeeding in confusing the target of her questions.

"Uh, she said she was having trouble falling asleep, so we talked for a bit."

"What did you two talk about?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Mostly mopey stuff, like how she missed us and how hard it was to make new friends once you outlived everypony you know."

A pang of sadness momentarily flashed across Celestia's face, but it quickly faded. "I see." she stated. "Anything stick out to you, other than that?"

"Not really. Well, actually, she was afraid that we wouldn't win, because we would be facing another version of her. Um, she was sad too."

"She didn't mention anything about not being here today?" Twilight asked.

"Nope." Rainbow replied.

Luna's eyes glanced to Celestia, her voice was but a whisper, "Sister?"

Celestia turned her head towards Luna. The expression Luna wore was one of determination. She furrowed her brow in thought, then slowly nodded. No words were needed. Luna stood up, immediately drawing attention to herself.

Luna spoke as she turned towards the doors, "You'll have to excuse me, there is something I must attend to." She swiftly crossed the distance between herself and the door, the guards opened it, and she strode out without another word.

Princess Celestia noticed that Twilight's brow was furrowed, 'She probably realizes what Luna is going to do... I will have to speak with her after this.'

"What was that all about?" Applejack asked.

"Probably just important princess business." Rarity answered.

Celestia glanced at Rarity, noting how right she was. 'If Fallen Twilight has Eclipse...' Celestia shook her head, she would not go there.

Princess Luna calmly strode out of the room, the doors were silently closed behind her by the guards. While she felt bad about leaving on such short notice, time was of the essence. Every second they delayed could prove harmful to not only Eclipse, but to the rest of Equestria as well. She looked around briefly, then started off towards the Guard Barracks, her hooves quietly echoing on the marble floor.

'Well, like they always say, hope for he best, assume the worst.' While Luna knew that assuming Eclipse had been abducted was dangerous, it was the best lead. If Rainbow was right, then she wouldn't just disappear. She frowned, 'Perhaps she is in the Forbidden Archive...'

Luna shook her head, 'Even then she told somepony that she was going to do something...'

'It has been some time since I have had a good battle.' Her lips curled into a smile. 'Perhaps the fallen Twilight would prove herself a worthy adversary...'

She slowly lost herself in her thoughts, laying the basic framework of plans to find Eclipse and bring her back. Of course finding her would likely be difficult. Luna paused mid stride. 'If fallen Twilight truly is a future version of Twilight... Perhaps she... No, I will not burden her with this.'

Slowly, breakfast was finished. The idle chatter was replaced by planning of what to do this day, one by one, Twilight's friends left. Eventually only she and Princess Celestia remained in the dining room. Twilight slowly looked around, and upon realizing that it was just Princess Celestia and herself, she slowly stood to her hooves, then turned to walk out of the room.

"Twilight?"

Her mentor's motherly tone gave her pause, she turned her head towards Celestia, "Yes, Princess?"

"Knowing you," she stood up and walked over to her, "You have probably already figured out that Luna is going to look for Eclipse."

Twilight slowly nodded her head.

Princess Celestia bit her lower lip, she could see that Twilight was worried, even if she was hiding it better than that time when she enchanted her... Princess Celestia suppressed a shudder, even when Twilight was a unicorn, she was exceptionally powerful. 'So why isn't Eclipse...'

"Princess, I..." Twilight closed her mouth, then sighed. "Eclipse... Had a point. We're not just facing another bad guy this time..." Twilight swallowed, "We-"

Princess Celestia leaned down and nuzzled Twilight's neck, the younger alicorn stopped talking and returned the nuzzle. "Twilight, no matter what happened... Or will happen between us, you will always be important to me." She smiled, "We will rescue Eclipse, and I promise everything will be alright."

"I... I trust you, Princess Celestia." Twilight replied.

"Twilight, don't forget we are both princesses now. You really don't need to use my title or Luna's." Celestia smiled, Twilight smiled weakly.

"Captain," Luna spoke, startling the young captain who had not noticed Luna's approach, "Expand the search for Eclipse, at least Canterlot. But do it subtly, we don't want to rouse alarm."

"Yes, Princess." he answered.

"And assemble a team to rescue Eclipse, I will lead it personally."

"Yes, Princess."

Luna turned and silently walked back towards the door.

Nightfall

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Eclipse opened her eyes. Her eyes darted around, taking in her surroundings. Dull grey stone walls that were crumbling... The chill of the air... The sensation of tainted magic in the air... The general sense of dread... 'I'm in the Castle of the Two Sisters.' she concluded.

'She has me...' Eclipse gulped, realizing the gravity of the situation.

'Okay... Stay calm... Easier said than done.' She looked around again, then looked at her body. It was unscathed, and untouched, save for where her hooves were chained to the walls. Now that she realized that, she felt her hooves aching. A quick glance at the ceiling ruled out the possibility of flying out of the room she was in. 'Not that I could do that anyway...'

'How long was I...' A faint echo off in the distance, her heart beat a little faster and harder. She gently wiggled her hooves, attempting to loosen the cuffs, to no avail. She turned her head, looking at the wall she was on. It looked to be in the same condition as the rest of the walls, given enough time, the hostile environment would work it's magic, and it would collapse. She couldn't afford to wait, to say nothing of being buried under a castle's worth of stone.

She channeled magic into her horn, managing only to produce a dim glow around her horn. She smiled, and sighed in relief, 'I still have some magic...' She turned back towards where she had been facing previously, and the smile left her face.

Standing in the stone archway, the wooden door had rotted away long ago, was almost a mirror image of herself. The other alicorn had a darker coat than Eclipse had, her mane was almost as dark as night, her eyes... Eclipse shivered. The serpentine slits... They were all to familiar... The alicorn standing in the archway regarded Eclipse, her facial expression was one of disdain, and distaste.

Eclipse cut the flow of magic to her horn once she remembered that she was channeling magic into her horn.

The other alicorn stepped into the room, and aside from the entrance, revealing another pony. An all too familiar unicorn mare. 'Starlight Glimmer...' Eclipse's eyes narrowed, then widened slightly the more she thought about it.

The alicorn slowly and deliberately approached Eclipse from the side, her approach drew Eclipse's eyes away from Starlight Glimmer. She stopped in front of Eclipse, blocking her view of the unicorn, then lit her horn. Eclipse's eyes were immediately drawn to the sickly purple aura surrounding her horn.

She felt a tingling sensation and the other alicorn stepped back.

And she fell forwards, out of the restraints. She caught herself on her hooves, and eyed her evil twin cautiously. Slowly she rose back to her full height, matching her.

"Hello, Twilight." The unexpectedness of her greeting caught Eclipse off guard, and her voice... It was her own, but laced with more malice...

"It's Eclipse." she replied hesitantly. "And what should I call you?"

"Nightfall."

"Nightfall..." Eclipse repeated. The name had a certain ring to it, and made sense. At least from her perspective.

"Yes." Nightfall stated.

Eclipse had a question, but she was a bit reluctant to ask it, almost as if reading her mind, Nightfall answered it for her, "I have my reasons for you still being alive." She quickly added, "For now."

Eclipse swallowed. "Not that I'm ungrateful... But why? Shouldn't you hate me and everything I stand for?"

Nightfall started laughing. It was a deep, vengeance filled laugh, all too similar to Nightmare Moon, who both of them had faced some thousand years prior.

The laugh brought back memories to Eclipse she would rather forget.

Starlight Glimmer stepped into the room, "Oh, Twilight Sparkle... Thanks to Nightfall here, I'm going to exact revenge a thousand times sweeter upon you and your dear friends than I could have imagined..." She smiled.

"Starlight... Don't. She's using you." Eclipse warned.

The warning fell upon death ears, and Starlight turned to leave, slowly walking out of the room. "Likely story."

Seconds passed in silence, until finally Starlight was far enough away that her hoofsteps now longer echoed on the stone floor. Nightfall stepped closer to Eclipse, who held her breath as the predator approached her. She leaned in to Eclipse, purring in her ear, "She is but a means to an end... The end..." Nightfall pulled bath and smiled, flaring her sharp teeth.

"You don't have to do that..." Eclipse spoke softly.

Nightfall raised an eyebrow at her, "Oh, now you're going to try to convince me to stop? How foalish. I will not stop. Not for you, not for anypony."

"You're still mourning them." Eclipse stated.

Nightfall glared at her. "Since you brought them up. I believe you took certain items from a certain cave nearby. I would like them back."

"You're not getting them back. They're in a safe place, where you will be unable to corrupt them." Eclipse replied with determination.

Nightfall stepped back in mock shock, "Corrupt them?" She roared out in laughter, "Why would I want to corrupt them?"

"They can kill you." Eclipse stated firmly.

"You too, you know." Nightfall retorted. "I did study that spell quite a bit, you know. I know how it worked."

Nightfall was met with silence. She snorted in frustration. "Regardless. I do not want to corrupt the Elements of Harmony. All I have to do is kill one of them to prevent the only weapon you have capable of stopping me from working." Nightfall turned away from Eclipse, smiling arrogantly.

"Then why haven't you?" Eclipse softly asked.

Nightfall's smile left her, and she cocked her head towards Eclipse slightly, looking at her from the corner of her eye. She spun around quickly, and crouched down, jumped forwards, causing Eclipse to back up against the fall, and thrust her head upwards, placing her horn underneath Eclipse's muzzle. "They left me. I will make them see the result of their actions."

Nightfall backed off, Eclipse raised a hoof to rub her chin, she felt moisture from where Nightfall's horn had made contact with her. She pulled her hoof away and looked at it. 'Blood...' Her horn was sharp. "Do you really want that?"

Nightfall spoke coldly, and with surety, "Everything comes to an end. Some things just end sooner than others. It brings so much pain and suffering. I am doing the world a mercy."

"Why is Starlight here?" Eclipse asked, hoping to change the subject and gain some insight as to her plans. "She betrayed us before..."

"Her abilities merit further research." Nightfall stated plainly. It was clearly a lie, but perhaps it held a grain of truth? "This room is magically shielded. You will stay in here until I either need you, or no longer have use for you."

"They will search for me and find me. You can't win. Or have you forgot the magic of Friendship, Nightfall?" Eclipse stated smugly.

"It would seem somepony's a little arrogant." Nightfall eyed her carefully. "Where are your friends right now? Where were they for the past thousand years? Hmm? And where were you for the past thousand years? Paying off a certain debt, I believe?"

Eclipse averted her gaze from Nightfall, and looked at the floor. She rustled her wings slightly.

"You're one to talk. Ha! We are the same, Eclipse. We both went through the same events up until the point our timelines diverged." Eclipse's mouth fell open. "I told you I studied that spell. Perhaps you should have taken time to do so also?"

"I knew our timelines were similar... I had my suspicions..." Eclipse held back a sob, "Where did it go so wrong between us..."

"You became weaker for what we did, while I grew from it." Nightfall tilted her head upwards slightly.

Eclipse's voice crackled, "And what of Luna?" Eclipse dreaded the answer she would get.

Nightfall smiled, but said nothing.

Eclipse shook her head sadly. "I am... So sorry..."

Nightfall raised an eyebrow.

"I... The amount of pain you must be in..."

"I don't need your pity. It doesn't matter anyway." Nightfall radiated hatred now, her nostrils were flared, her wings were bristling, and she was gritting her teeth. Nightfall's horn flared to life, and she disappeared in a flash of dark purple magic, leaving Eclipse alone.

Eclipse fell to her haunches, and cried.

Nightfall reappeared in the castle's throne room. She looked around until her eyes fell upon Starlight glimmer, who was currently sitting in the shattered throne in which Celestia once sat. Nightfall slowly approached, Starlight watched her approach. Manipulating her was far too easy in Nightfall's mind. The pathetic unicorn was far less intelligent than she remembered, having believed her lies without any objections. 'Or maybe she wants revenge that badly?' she wondered.

"Are you sure taking over forcefully is-"

"By taking the princess's cutie marks, there will be nopony to stop us from spreading equality across Equestria. And beyond." The unicorn smiled. Nightfall was disgusted at how easy it was to manipulate her. Just tell her a few lies here, and suggest a plan to bring equality to Equestria there, masking the true intentions... 'Pathetic.'

"I couldn't help but notice you do resemble Twilight Sparkle... The older one anyway. Starlight leaned back on the armrest of the throne, and kicked her hooves over the opposite side, relaxing. Nightfall did not think that could be comfortable.

"That is unimportant." Nightfall answered. "All that matters is by capturing her, it will make our-" Nightfall carefully remembered to replace my with our, "-plans easier to implement."

"You know, I'm surprised you're keeping her alive. When we first talked, I didn't think you'd be that-"

"I have my reasons, Starlight." Nightfall stretched out her wings, "Remember your place, unicorn. You still have to fulfill your part of the deal."

Starlight grit her teeth and leaned forwards, choosing to ignore the blatant insult. "Ah yes... I have been thinking about that. It should be easy to reverse the process and apply it to another pony."

Nightfall smiled slightly, showing her teeth, "Good. Once I have their power, nothing will stop us." 'Stupid unicorn... So easily manipulated.'

'Like I'd trust you with that much power.' Starlight smirked. "So now we just wait?"

"For now. Yes." Nightfall curtly answered.

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Three alicorns, ranging in size from just slightly taller than a normal pony, to easily twice the size of a normal pony, sat around the dining room table. The early morning sun flooded through the window, illuminating the majestic dining room with it's rays of light. The light setting betrayed the general mood of the room, an air of defeat flowed off of Princess Luna, and general sadness radiated from Twilight. Despite only a couple days having passed, her mood had soured further, leaving the youngest alicorn very little will to do anything. She had been sequestering herself inside her room, save for meals, or tea with the princesses, for the duration of the previous two days. Spike tried to talk to her a couple of times, but generally it was met with silence.

Princess Celestia furrowed her brow as she thought about the state Twilight was in. Seeing her so distraught over Eclipse's disappearance pained her greatly. She felt the need to do something about it, to cheer her up, but she was unsure of exactly what to do. Under normal circumstances she would have her spend time with her friends, but Twilight wanted none of that currently. She seemed deep in thought whenever they were together, and she mostly ignored them.

It was disheartening to see her returning to how she had been before she met them. Princess Celestia wasn't one to just sit back and let Twilight sulk, but she knew Twilight needed time to herself. "Luna, w-"

Princess Luna shook her head, "No. They have still not found any sign of Eclipse." She lowered her head, "She eludes even me, and my attempts to find her in the dream realm." she growled lightly in frustration.

Princess Celestia sighed, "Luna, I wasn't going to ask about that... I know you would have told me if you had found something."

Luna turned towards her sister, briefly searching her for any signs of deceit. Eventually, she decided there was no deception, and slowly turned back, and starred at her mug.

Silence reigned. Princess Celestia took a sip of her tea. Somehow the liquid seemed less invigorating than usual. The liquid was still warm, and still caressed her tongue, yet it seemed... Bland. It was like the general atmosphere had somehow corrupted the liquid, infusing it with despair. Princess Celestia momentarily pondered if they were despairing, but decided they weren't.

Twilight lowered her head onto her hooves, her eyes were dull, having lost their normal happiness and joy. "This is all my fault." She stated simply, as if it was the most simple fact in the universe. A fact than even a newborn foal would know, a fact that everypony would know.

Princess Celestia's eyes narrowed, she clenched her jaw, and starred at Twilight. "Twilight. This is not your fault." her voice commanded authority, but was filled with compassion. Twilight slowly, reluctantly looked up towards Princess Celestia. Her eyes told the princess that Twilight did not believe what she had said. "Twilight. Listen to me. This is not your fault, you couldn't have known that Eclipse would disappear. You couldn't have done anything to stop that."

Twilight sighed and lifted her head from her hooves, "I know, Princess..." Twilight averted her gaze from Princess Celestia, unable to look her in the eye, "That's... Not what is bothering me... This... All of this is my fault. Eclipse is a future version of myself. And so is the evil one."

Princess Celestia frowned, "Twilight..."

"You saw what she did! She murdered an entire race! How can you still care about me?" Twilight swallowed. She hadn't meant to snap at Celestia like that.

"Twilight, I care about you because you're important to me. You will always be important to me, no matter what happens. I promised you everything would be okay, and it will be."

"You don't know that though!" Twilight shouted, though she was crying at this point. "She's been gone for days, and th-there's no sign of her!" Twilight whispered the next part, "She could be... Dead..."

Princess Celestia stood from her chair, and walked around to Twilight, who shrank back at her approach. "Twilight, the world always has a way of working things out. It. Will. Be. Okay." She smiled. After a few seconds, Twilight averted her eyes from her once more. She leaned down and nuzzled Twilight's neck, catching her by surprise. After the initial shock wore off, Twilight returned the nuzzle.

"I... I'm sorry, Princess. I didn't mean to snap at you like that..." Twilight looked away, and wiped her eyes with a hoof.

Princess Celestia gently turned Twilight's head towards her with a hoof, and summoned a cloth to dry her eyes with, "I know, Twilight."

Princess Luna smiled at her sister's display of affection towards Twilight. 'She really does love her as a mother loves her own foal...' She took a sip of her coffee. Coffee. Perhaps the greatest invention in the past thousand years that she had been made aware of. No, scratch that. THE best invention of the past thousand years. She downed the rest of the coffee and poured herself some more. The steamy liquid hit her stomach with a vengeance and soon enough the caffeine would work it's way into her system and give her a slight buzz.

Nightfall eyed the sleeping form of her counterpart. The fact she was still asleep could be attributed to being in a room not exposed to sunlight, the only illumination came from the glow of torches, of the magic aura of her horn. Nightfall channeled more magic into her horn, and prepared a spell. It was unfriendly for a guest to keep their host waiting, after all.

She threw her head downwards, pointing her horn at Eclipse, and immediately a beam of magic shot forth. The beam of magic landed on Eclipse's horn, and she bolted awake, nearly impaling herself in the ceiling in the process. Eclipse had to bite her tongue to keep herself from shouting.

After the initial shock wore off, she looked around and realized she was still flying in the air, her gaze settled on Nightfall, and she slowly descended.

Nightfall sneered, "Good. You're awake."

Eclipse weakly glared at Nightfall, who easily matched her glare. Eventually Eclipse averted her gaze when Nightfall extended her wings. "You don't have to do that."

"It is an efficient way of waking you up." Nightfall stated. She turned her back to Eclipse, "How have your attempts to contact Luna or Discord gone?"

Eclipse swallowed and took a step back. Her eyes darted between Nightfall and the walls of the room, hoping to find an escape route she had missed before. Unfortunately, she still only found one exit, the same one Nightfall was blocking.

Nightfall turned around and smiled, "Did you really think I wouldn't have shielded this room specifically to prevent that? I would have thought you would have been smart enough to realize that I would have included that in with the dampening field."

Eclipse stepped forwards, "They will find me sooner or later. You will lose, Nightfall."

"Yes. They will find you. When I want them to." Nightfall stepped forwards, and extended a wing towards Eclipse, then ran a feather along her neck, "As for me losing? Keep telling yourself that." she spoke sweetly. She quickly withdrew her wing and turned, "Who knows, maybe you'll actually start to believe that." She started walking to out of the room.

"We still have the Elements of Harmony." Eclipse smugly stated. Nightfall paused.

"Yes, yes I suppose you do." Nightfall turned her head towards Eclipse, "You make it oh so tempting to just end them right now, you know that?"

Eclipse's smile remained, "But you won't do that, will you?"

Nightfall gritted her teeth.

"You want to make them, who you have said before aren't your friends, pay for something they had no control over. Well you're right about one thing. They aren't your friends. But that is your own choice, Nightfall." Eclipse shook her head sadly, "Your arrogance and hate will be your undoing."

"You're just trying to get to me. Just like with Starlight. Well it won't work. There is literally nothing you can do to stop me, I could kill you right here, right now." Nightfall glared at Eclipse.

"Do you really want that?" Eclipse smiled sadly, "You are so alone, but you don't have to be that way."

Nightfall felt a momentary pang of guilt in her heart. She immediately crushed it with an iron hoof. 'I will not be stopped.' She turned and left without another word.

Rainbow Dash casually flew through the massive doorway into the throne room, at the sound of doors opening, Princess Celestia looked up from the document she had been reading. The guards at either side of the door glanced at her wearily, then returned their gaze straightforwards, they were all familiar with the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, it only took a momentary glance to identify the rainbow maned pegasus as the bearer of the Element of Loyalty.

Rainbow payed this no mind, of course, and continued flying towards Princess Celestia. Upon realizing that Rainbow Dash wanted to talk to her, Princess Celestia teleported the paper and quill away to retrieve later, and watched her approach. Once Rainbow neared the princess, she slowed down, then landed, and bowed respectfully.

"Yes, Rainbow Dash?" Princess Celestia was happy for a reprieve, no matter how brief, from dealing with tax code. Unless it meant something bad had happened. Princess Celestia frowned for a second before she brushed that thought off. If something had happened, the guards would be freaking out over it undoubtedly. As if that wasn't enough to disprove the idea that something bad had happened, Rainbow had been calm when flying inside, rather than panicking.

"Princess, I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help with the search for Eclipse?" Rainbow's trademark determination was evident in her voice, and her eyes shone with a spark of eagerness that reminded her of a younger Twilight Sparkle who had come under her wing. "She saved my life before, and I want to return the favor."

Princess Celestia frowned sadly, "I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash. It's too dangerous for you to help search for Eclipse."

"But-" Rainbow started to argue, however a raised hoof from Princess Celestia silenced her argument.

"However... Perhaps you could tell me more about what you talked to Eclipse about? It could provide some clue you may not be aware of." Princess Celestia stood from her throne, and calmly walked closer to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow thought it over for a moment, "Yeah... Sure."

"Walk with me." Celestia softly commanded, then started walking towards the throne room doors.

"Sure..." Rainbow replied, and started after her. The pair left the throne room and entered into the hallway. It wasn't long before Rainbow stopped walking and started flying. Princess Celestia suppressed a giggle at that, how the pegasus would fly almost everywhere, even when asked to walk.

'She sure loves her wings... Not surprising after all.' Princess Celestia thought, remembering her victory at the Best Young Fliers Competition.

They continued walking for several minutes, the silence was starting to get to Rainbow, it did not help that it seemed like Princess Celestia had no destination in mind as they wondered the hallways. "So uh, where are we going anyway?"

'That took her longer than I expected.' Princess Celestia noted. "How have you been?" she redirected.

"Uh, okay I guess." said a confused Rainbow Dash.

"Enjoying Canterlot?"

"Yeah it's okay. I mean, I'd rather be out practicing... But... Well... Yeah..." Rainbow rubbed the back of her head with a hoof.

Princess Celestia stopped walking, and turned towards Rainbow. "You and Eclipse are fairly close, right?"

"Sort of I guess. She saved my life and all that, so..." Rainbow landed and shifted on her hooves.

"Eclipse seems to have trusted you deeply, she went to you instead of my sister, Twilight, or myself, to talk to that night. Are you sure you don't know why she chose you specifically?"

"Well, not really. Oh! Uh, she said that she wanted me to never abandon her or Twilight. She acted somewhat strange about it too, she was worried you'd all hate her or something. I told her she didn't need to worry about that..."

Princess Celestia furrowed her brow in thought, perhaps Rainbow could help Eclipse by helping Twilight? Rainbow had taught Twilight how to fly after all, and who knows what else had happened after that. "Maybe she intended for you to cheer Twilight up if something like this happened?"

"I don't know..." Rainbow thought for a second, "Maybe, but I don't think she knew this was going to happen."

Celestia bobbled her head, "Probably not."

Rainbow looked at Celestia expectantly, "So... You want me to go hang out with Twilight? To take her mind off of things?"

Princess Celestia nodded, "Yes, I believe that would help Twilight. Perhaps you two could go flying or something?"

"Yeah, maybe. She does get worked up over things..."

"Then I will leave you to it." Princess Celestia smiled, and nodded her head towards the door, and began walking back towards the throne room.

Rainbow was confused over why she nodded towards the door. After thinking about it for a moment, it clicked. She recognized the hallway now, and that was Twilight and Eclipse's room. Princess Celestia had somehow kept her from realizing that until just now. She walked over to the door and knocked.

No answer.

Rainbow raised her hoof to knock again, but the door opened before she could. "Hey..."

"Hey yourself." Twilight stepped aside, allowing Rainbow inside. She closed the door after Rainbow, then walked to the balcony. The door had been left open, and a warm breeze flowed into the room.

"Princess Celestia wanted me to talk to you." Rainbow walked out onto the balcony, joining Twilight. The city of Canterlot in all of it's majestic glory was spread out before them. The gold topped marble towers, and manors belonging to the countless nobles that lived in the unicorn dominated capital distinguished the city from every other city in Equestria. None could hope to match the sheer beauty of such a city, expect perhaps Cloudsdale, with it's distinct pegasi architecture, or the Crystal Empire. Rainbow looked around, then noticed Twilight was looking off towards Ponyville.

"I... I'm not okay. This..." Twilight shook her head.

"Look, Twilight, it's going to be okay. We always beat the bad guys. We're just that awesome." Rainbow smiled, eliciting a small smile from Twilight. "Besides, Eclipse can take care of herself."

Twilight turned and took a step towards Rainbow, "Can she though?" She frowned, "She had to convert some of her life into magic in order to save you, Rainbow. She shouldn't have had to do that..."

"Twilight, Eclipse has a plan. How do I know this? Because you are Eclipse. She's just an older version of you."

Twilight looked away, "And what does that say about..."

Rainbow sighed, "Look, I was supposed to cheer you up. That's obviously not working, and since you're so interested in talking about Eclipse..." Rainbow sat down on her haunches. "She definitely has a plan, Twilight."

"I somehow don't think getting captured was a part of that plan." Twilight replied evenly.

Rainbow rubbed her head, "Haha... Ha... Yeah..." Twilight looked at the floor. "We still don't know for sure she was captured. Maybe she's just taking a break or something?"

"She's not... I just know that something is wrong. I felt it ever since that morning when she was missing." Twilight looked at Rainbow, "I just know something is wrong."

"And you blame yourself?" Rainbow asked. Twilight looked away, and her ears fell. Rainbow's mouth drew into a line. "Twilight." Rainbow paused, waiting for Twilight to look at her. After a few seconds of silence, Twilight looked back to Rainbow, not quite meeting her gaze, "It's not your fault."

"But it-"

"No. Twilight, I'm not having any of that." Rainbow stood up, "It is not your fault, and you know it."

"You just don't get it, do you?" Twilight asked softly.

"Look, you couldn't have stopped her from disappearing or getting captured or whatever."

Twilight shook her head, "They are both me, Rainbow. I... I do things in the future that..." She lowered her head and tightly closed her eyes.

Rainbow sighed, "Okay so... Maybe you do, or maybe you don't. Like Eclipse said, her presence might have already changed how things turn out, so you could be worrying over nothing."

"But... Knowing that I'm capable of doing that..."

"Twilight, you're capable of doing a LOT. I don't know anypony who knows as many spells as you do," she threw her arms out for emphasis, "I don't even think Princess Celestia or Princess Luna know half as many spells as you do!"

"But they're both so... Perfect..."

"Twilight, Princess Luna let her grief get the best of her. And Princess Celestia didn't notice it, or try to stop it. Neither of them are perfect, nopony is. Not me, nor you."

"I... I guess you're right." Twilight relented. "It's just so hard..."

"Eclipse told me not to abandon either of you, no matter what happens. I pinkie promised I wouldn't. But don't forget all of us are here for you, we all care about you. It's gonna be alright." She smiled.

Twilight turned towards her, "But what if it's not? What then?"

Rainbow weighed her options, blunt truth, or reassurance? She had been trying reassurance, and it didn't seem to be working. "If it's not okay? Then you destroy the world, apparently. At least according to Eclipse." Twilight looked horrified. "Now, are you going to sit around moping, or are you going to do something about it?"

"I... You're right. Sitting around worrying about it isn't going to make it better..." Twilight sighed, "But I don't know what to do, though. We don't know where she is, and Princess Celestia wants us to stay here..."

"They'll find her. Just give it time."

Twilight chuckled lightly, "You telling me to be patient..." She smiled and shook her head. "Thanks."

Fragments

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Eclipse glanced around her accommodations. The stone room had not changed much during the duration of her stay, whether that was good or bad remained unknown to her. It could have been worse, of course. Nightfall felt the need to keep her alive, fed her, and gave her clean water to drink. That made Eclipse smile, only to frown moments later when thinking about the fact that Nightfall seemed to have no problem killing everypony alive, thinking it was 'doing the world a mercy.' Nightfall's words, not hers. Although, sense they were technically the same pony...

Of course, other thoughts weighed upon her mind as well, her friends... Celestia and Luna... She needed to contact them, somehow. She couldn't escape, she had tried. She found herself knocked out for several hours after one attempt, and awoke to Nightfall's stern glare boring into her soul. She shuddered at the memory.

Flying out wasn't an option, the room was underground, and the only way out was the doorway. Not that even if she could get out she wanted to risk flying through the Everfree Forest to reach Canterlot.

The room seemed to be dampening her magic, teleportation was out of the question, even if it was just teleporting through the door. She found it strange that Nightfall had not tried to take her magic, but filed the thought away to deal with later.

'I need to contact Luna... The fact she hasn't found me yet means this room is probably shielded from that as well... I don't have enough magic to fight through that... I...' She closed her eyes. 'If I could induce a strong enough emotional distress Luna should be able to find me...' She grit her teeth, knowing full well how to cause that in herself. 'I have to contact Luna... But... Is there another way?' She looked around the room again, hoping something would spark an idea. No luck.

'Waiting any longer isn't an option...' Eclipse bit her lip. She had buried, or tried to bury, the memories she needed. They could never truly be forgot, they were too painful to simply forget, even after all this time. She always fought to not think about the memories from before, near the time of her biggest mistake.

The event was impossible to forget... Despite her best efforts to forget it, she remembered. She closed her eyes, her vision became flooded with the painful memories she had experienced. She opened her eyes, and swallowed a growing lump in her throat, then steeled her resolve. 'I... If I have to face that again to save them... I will.'

She laid down on her stomach, and rested her head on her hooves, then channeled her limited magic into her horn, lighting it with a weak, pale lavender aura. She cast two spells, first, one to amplify her memories, the second, to put her into a deep state of rest. 'I'm sorry.' was the last thing she thought before the spell took hold, pulling her mind into a state of unconsciousness.

Twilight gazed out across the darkened land that was Equestria. The nation had lost it's glory when she had been killed... Luna did her best to hold the nation together, and maintain the day night cycle... But... it just wasn't enough. The lifeless plains stretched out across the horizon. The plains weren't entirely lifeless, but in comparison to what they had been... She remembered what Equestria had been, before Celestia had been killed, almost like it was yesterday.

This was not that Equestria.

The dull grays and browns that compromised Equestria now was nothing more than a husk of it's former glory. It was simply amazing. Simply. Amazing. A single choice... Could have lead to... this. Even the crystal of her castle... It was blackened and had grayed, it just looked lifeless, like it had died from lack of harmony. Of course she knew this to be untrue, the crystal was still alive and well. She briefly considered the possibility that it reflected her current state, rather than the state that Equestria was in.

She refused to believe that.

She glanced towards the sun... The sun Luna struggled to control... Every year it grew less bright. That wasn't true, every year it flew farther away from Equestria. Yes. In time, that star would be no different from the millions of other stars in the night sky. There would be no day, only night. Eternal night.

Ironic, considering Luna turned into Nightmare Moon over two thousand years ago wanting to bring the eternal night that she now struggled to prevent. Her struggle was futile, she just did not have the connection with the sun to prevent it from flying off, and every year that passed by, she lost more of her hold on the celestial body responsible for keeping Equestria alive...

'Celestia...' She clenched her eyes. 'You fool... Why? Why did you let this happen... You could have stopped this!' "This is your fault..." She stood up. "You..."

Her words died in her mouth. Was it really her fault? 'Of course it was!' she told herself, attempting to convince her conscious. Her conscious didn't buy it. Sure, she could hate Celestia... Some... Just not with anything near her whole heart... Hating Celestia, her former mentor was hard. 'She's dead, and I'm still alive...' It wasn't fair, Celestia easily could have prevented it years before it happened...

"This isn't what was meant to be..." The words left her mouth before she realized she had said anything. The words were entirely right. There was noway that... This... Could have been meant to be. How could some higher power truly wish this? It was wrong. Ponies were beings of harmony, and friendship. And she was supposed to be the Princess of Friendship! Just not anymore it seemed...

She felt a sharp pain in her heart, not much different from what she imagined a dagger would feel like. 'They didn't... Celestia, why?' She looked down, away from the sun.

"Weren't they worthy?" She asked aloud. There was no response to her question, yet in her heart, the answer was obvious, she knew they were.

Celestia didn't think so. "Of course you said they weren't..." she stated bitterly.

A tingling sensation in her wings warned her of a brewing storm. Already her eyes could make out the oncoming front. The storm would batter Equestria, and ponies would suffer through it.

She would be safe.

Inside her crystal tree castle.

A castle given to her by the Tree of Harmony.

For learning about the magic of friendship.

And becoming the Princess of Friendship.

Yet she was alone there.

Completely alone.

Not even Spike... 'Oh Spike... I... I wish you were here... I'm sorry...' She shivered as a tear rolled down her muzzle.

Her apologies never changed anything.

The events replayed themselves in her mind. She wanted- no, needed to blame somepony else. Anypony else. It wasn't her fault. It couldn't be her fault! How could that have been her fault!? How was she supposed to know that by refusing to help, they would have been forced to kill her!? It wasn't her fault!

The small part of herself that was being honest knew it was her fault. That part of her, however, was firmly silenced to nothing more than the whisper of a passing breeze. No louder than the gentle summer wind, and passing quicker than sand falling through an hourglass.

Celestia refused to help her, so why should she help her? It was simple, really. But of course, even the simplest causes can lead to unexpected, or unintended consequences...

"Twilight, your brother, Shining Armor has passed on." she paraphrased. A sharp pain cut at her heart to think about it, she and her brother had been close... Although they weren't as close as they had been years ago, it still hurt.

"Cadance... Is not taking it well..." she continued, remembering the brief letter Celestia had sent to her. She could still remember the discolored spots where Celestia's tears had fallen.

"You have to bring the Elements of Harmony, she said." she stated mechanically.

She replied with a firm no.

And now Princess Cadance, her sister in law, was dead.

Murdered at the hooves of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

The part of her telling her they had no choice, simply because she said no, was silenced by a dark flame burning within her. 'How much longer will they even be alive? The age spells aren't powerful enough to... To...' She closed her eyes.

'Friendship... What is there really to it? They will all die... I... I will be alone.' It was a fact she could not deny, a fact she had been forced to face by Celestia so many years ago... 'She won't help me...' she frowned bitterly, 'So I won't help her.'

"Twilight?" Fluttershy meekly called for her from the doorway, Twilight opened her eyes and turned towards the aging pegasus, the sight made her frown sadly for the briefest period of time, then she forced herself to smile.

'They're still alive... There's still time...'

Gone. All of them, even Spike. He had grown up and started a family of his own years ago... She had failed. She couldn't even keep her closest friends alive, the ones who made her what she was, the ones who made her an alicorn. The ones who left her to face the rest of her life all alone. The ones who abandoned her.

What was there to her now? Anypony who knew her back when she was a unicorn would be dead before the turn of the century. How could she be the Princess of Friendship, if she had no friends? She hated it. Having to be a symbol. The crown upon her head... That was all they could see. They cared nothing for the pony she was, nor her feelings, nor the loss of her friends.

The ones who did care, or had taken a romantic interest in her... She shook her head in disgust, they wanted to use her to further their own goals, or were just... So shallow.

She looked around her room, despite the extravagance of it, it brought her no joy, nor satisfaction.

She thought she saw a shadow move out of the corner of her eye, when she looked again, there was nothing there, but she felt like she was being watched, not that she cared. Slowly she looked forwards again, and her eyes fell upon the picture opposite to her bed. The picture she woke up to, every morning.

A very special picture of her friends and herself.

She shut her eyes, screamed, lit her horn, and incinerated it.

She immediately regretted it. Opening her eyes, all that was left of the picture were the ashes. The flame had been so intense that the crystal wall had cracked. 'A fitting representation of my heart,' she thought. It was several seconds before what she did sank in, her composure broke, and her anger evaporated.

She buried herself in the covers and cried.

"Princess! The changelings are attacking!"

The guards shout's broke lighthearted chuckles coming from the trio of alicorns. Princess Celestia's magical hold on her teacup faltered. The cup fell to the table, and shattered, sending the warm liquid all over the table.

'So they finally showed themselves again...'

"They-they ha-have killed hostages!" he continued.

Twilight's heart, in mimicry of the other alicorns' hearts, skipped a beat.

Princess Celestia turned to Luna, her eyes laden with grief, but burning with determination, "Luna..."

Princess Luna rose from her sitting position, she was not happy. "We must act immediately if we are to succeed." she stated firmly...

Princess Luna watched with interest as the fragmented dream memories flowed through Eclipse's mind. Once she had found Eclipse's location, her initial thought was to move to rescue her at once, but what the dreams showed caught her interest. Delaying could prove to be a mistake, but the information she could gain by watching the memories...

They seemed to be going backwards in time, from what she could tell. Of course, she made careful note of the fact the memories were heavily distorted, fragmented, and in general, incomplete.

She could sense the pain Eclipse was in... It took all of her willpower not to intervene, thinking she could help Eclipse further if she knew more about the cause of her pain.

Rainbow Dash lay in a hospital bed. The crash she had been in... It was bad. All of them had gathered to offer support to the recovering pegasus. Twilight looked around the room, but felt like she wasn't there at all. She could see her friends' lips moving, she knew they were talking, but she couldn't hear them.

Or maybe she wasn't listening? Twilight was preoccupied. 'She could have died...' The thought swam through her mind, forcing her to come to terms with the truth...

She broke both her wings, and punctured a lung in the crash, the full extent of her injuries... It was only because Twilight was present that Rainbow was still alive.

'Barely alive.' she corrected. She had been unconscious for a week...

She lay there, only halfway conscious, pumped full of painkillers, and thoroughly wrapped in casts. Twilight glanced around the room, a private one, something she had insisted on, and managed to get for Rainbow due to being a princess. The bright white walls of the Canterlot General Hospital reminded her of Princess Celestia's coat.

Princess Celestia had been by to see Rainbow when she heard what had happened.

The conversation she had with Twilight afterwards she would never forget...

"Princess..."

"Twilight... Rainbow is very lucky to be alive, the doctor said. If you hadn't been there-"

"He told me too." Twilight cut her off.

"You won't always be able to be with them, you know..." Celestia looked... Pained.

"What do you..." Twilight met Celestia's eyes, which bore witness to the truth. Realization struck her, "But..."

"I'm... So sorry, Twilight." Princess Celestia swallowed back the growing guilt. Both of them would move on, she was sure.

"No! I... I will find a way. I won't let that happen, Princess! I promise!"

Celestia slowly shook her head, "Twilight, it's-"

"Twilight?" Rainbow's voice cut through the memory, returning her to the present. She looked up from the floor and took a second to compose herself.

She swallowed, "Yes, Rainbow?" she asked.

"You uh... You were spacing out..." Rainbow's concern for her made her feel a slight pang of guilt, considering the situation she was in.

"I-I was?" she absently asked, then continued a second later, "Oh." A second passed, and she spoke again, "Sorry..."

"Thanks for uh... You know, saving my life..."

Twilight smiled, even if it was weak, and slightly forced, "Of course, what're friends for?"

"You can't skip out on your duties as a princess, Twilight." Celestia had said.

Twilight smirked. 'Apparently I can.' she thought, thinking back to what she did to be able to be here. Rainbow, Scootaloo, Fluttershy, and herself, camping. But not just camping anywhere, camping in the Everfree Forest. A place where everypony generally avoided.

Rainbow hammered a tent stake into the ground with a hoof. Although the 'tent' was more of a miniature castle, courtesy of one fine Rarity. Twilight levitated another tent stake, rope attached, over to Rainbow. She mentally calculated the right spot, placed it there, and nodded at Rainbow.

The process was repeated several times, and the tent castle was ready.

A night camping in the Everfree Forest, what could go wrong?

That's why Twilight was here, Rainbow and the other two would have went regardless. Twilight came along mainly because they offered, but also to keep them safe. There was only so much three fully grown pegasi could do against a hydra, even if two of them were Wonderbolts.

An alicorn on the other hoof? Twilight smiled.

"Alright guys, it's ready!" Rainbow called out. Scootaloo zoomed over to her, Rainbow stretched out a hoof, and Scootaloo met it with her own hoof.

"Aw yeah!" Scootaloo shouted. The display of sisterhood made Twilight smile even more.

Scootaloo had long looked up to Rainbow, it was only natural that she joined the Wonderbolts, following in Rainbow's hoofsteps. They were a team too. It had taken Scootaloo years to become a Wonderbolt, even with Rainbow's help training. Despite the hardships and difficulties, she never backed down from the challenge, not once.

"You coming Twilight?" Rainbow called out, holding the tent door open with a hoof.

Twilight shook her head, "Yeah, sorry. Was just thinking."

Twilight walked towards the tent, a certain uneasiness came over her, like she was being watched. It felt somehow wrong. She pushed the feeling aside, and closed the tent door behind her.

The tent was literally bigger on the inside than the outside, one advantage of magic. She looked around the house-sized room, then caught sight of the fire the others were sitting around. She walked over to them with a smile, and sat down opposite of Scootaloo.

"So what's on the agenda tonight, sis?" Scootaloo asked. Her eyes gleamed in the light of the fire, Twilight thought she saw Scootaloo smirk momentarily, but it was fleeting.

Rainbow smiled, "How about a game of truth or dare?" she gave her most daredevilish smile, Fluttershy looked away slightly.

"I um... I don't know if that's such a good idea..." Fluttershy said without meeting Rainbow's eyes.

"Oh come on Fluttershy, it'll be fun!" When that didn't convince her, she added, "Okay, how about this: whatever happens here stays here, alright? Nopony outside of this tent will know whatever you say."

Twilight furrowed her brow, she had a sneaking suspicion this had been planned beforehoof.

"Oh... Um... Okay then..."

"What do you say, Twilight?"

Twilight starred at Princess Celestia, jaw hung open. Princess Celestia starred back calmly, prepared for any argument she could face.

Twilight closed her eyes, inhaled, exhaled, and recomposed herself. "What do you mean, 'no'?" Despite her best efforts, her anger seeped into her question.

"I mean no, Twilight. I am not giving you access to the Forbidden Archives to look for that particular spell." She sighed, and poured herself more tea.

"Why not?" Twilight snapped.

"They are not ready, Twilight. Please understand-"

Twilight stood from her chair, "Celestia, I have spent decades looking for an answer. No is not the answer I was looking for."

Luna's eyes shot towards Twilight, then to her sister, whose expression remained calm and collected.

"I'm sorry, Twilight. Not even Princess Cadance is allowed to-"

Twilight turned and walked out of the room, not even waiting for Celestia to finish.

"That was interesting." Luna noted. As Twilight walked out of the room, the dreamscape slowly changed yet again, this new memory brought a shiver to her , something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong... The air held a certain malevolent chill, and was filled with dark magic. The sky was darkened by clouds, and the crumbling castle surrounding them was... Familiar.

'Our old castle...' Luna realized.

But the castle was different from the last time she had seen it, it was in a more advanced state of falling down, and walls were covered in moss. She looked down at the stone floor, noting the cracks, and individual stones which made up the structure.

It was a particularly vivid memory.

She looked around, at first glance, the castle appeared deserted, but upon closer inspection, she saw Twilight standing in front of where the two thrones were- used to be. She seemed to melt into the darkness around her... Her back was turned away from the crumbling rock, and she starred across the room, at the doorway. The look in her eyes... It made Luna shiver.

She reached out with her magic to analyze the state of Eclipse's mind when reliving this memory, confirming her fears. If Eclipse hadn't been in a deep state of sleep... Luna did not want to think of what state she would have been in. Her mind was fighting the memory, it was fighting very hard not to relive it.

It wasn't working.

She heard the sound of hoofsteps falling upon stone, it came from the direction of the doorway. Luna turned her head towards the source of the sound just in time to see Princess Celestia walk in. She looked distraught. Luna looked back to Twilight, who looked infuriated by Celestia's arrival.

Luna had a sinking feeling.

"Twilight, please..." Celestia begged, her eyes pleading.

"No!" Twilight shouted in response. "You did this! This is your fault! You killed them!"

"ENOUGH!" Luna shouted, lit her horn with magic, and dispelled the memory. She would not bear witness to where this was going. Immediately the dreamscape shifted, replacing the gloomy memory of the castle set in the Everfree with a rolling field, and the afternoon sun shining down upon them replacing the cloudy evening sky. Luna looked around, searching for Eclipse, the sound of crying drew her attention towards Eclipse.

Luna looked at her with sadness, the memories had taken their toll upon her. She stepped forwards, intending to comfort her, but paused mid stride when she thought about the last memory...

Luna pushed on, no matter the content of the memory, Eclipse was in pain, Twilight was in pain. And she regretted her actions. Luna's mind wandered back to the time she had spent with Eclipse as she walked over to the crying alicorn. Her shadow fell upon Eclipse, who slowly looked up, her eyes full of fear, and her body shaking. She looked like she would try to run away, but she did not.

"P-please..."

Luna smiled weakly, "Do not worry, Twilight..." Eclipse shrank back at hearing her name, "It's alright..." She sat down beside her and draped a wing around her, comforting her. Though there were many questions to be asked, they could wait for now...

The Moon Rises

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Luna regarded Twilight with pity, she had been crying for minutes. In real time, meaning it seemed like hours inside the dreamscape. And for some reason, Luna wasn't entirely sure what time it was outside of the dreamscape, something was interfering. The younger alicorn's tears had stopped falling, but they had left her a disheveled mess, her facial fur had become damp and matted in spots where she had attempted to bury her head in the grass.

Luna looked to the night sky, she could see a white orb starting to peak over the horizon. It was by no means small. Her moon, just starting to fall into view, was massive, like Equestria had looked when she had been banished to the moon.

"Luna..." Eclipse's hoarse voice was barely audible over the gentle night breeze, Luna turned to look at her. Eclipse couldn't bring herself to meet Luna's eyes, and looked down from her gaze. "I... You..."

Luna pulled her closed with her wing, "I did not watch what transpired." she stated calmly, and softly.

"Thank you." Eclipse swallowed, "I... I'm surprised you... You stopped... It..."

"I saw what that memory was doing to you... I was not going to sit by and let you be tortured." Luna stated with a finality, firm, yet kind, and merciful.

"But I-"

"Twilight..." Eclipse's ears fell at hearing her name, "Look at me." Eclipse reluctantly obliged her, slowly turned her head towards Luna, and bringing her eyes to meet hers. "I believe it was you who once told me to stop blaming myself, and to forgive myself."

Eclipse averted her gaze, "Yes." she answered meekly.

"What has transpired, has transpired. You are in a unique position to change the future..." Luna paused in thought. "That's why you came back, isn't it? To stop yourself?"

Eclipse turned back to Luna, "It's... One of the reasons... I... Did... Did you see what happened to Equestria?"

Luna shook her head, "No, I did not." Eclipse hung her head dejectedly. Luna looked towards the sky, "You should talk to her. Tell her what happened."

Eclipse's head shot towards her, she opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, taking a moment to compose herself. "I can't do that... She will hate me... Hate Twilight... I can't do that to her..."

Luna shook her head, "She will not hate thee, Twilight. She could not hate thee, ever."

"How do you know?" Eclipse snapped, Luna raised an eyebrow.

"I do believe I know my sister quite well, even if I was banished for a thousand years."

Eclipse lowered her head and sighed, "I guess you would know her, wouldn't you?"

"The reason I was distrustful of you initially was because 'Tia told me that I was the one who attempted to kill you. I would not have done so without cause... But I can see that it pains you, and that you truly want to prevent such actions from happening again. I am willing to trust you, Twilight."

Eclipse lowered her head in shame, "But I'm not Twilight anymore. She died, killed by me, Eclipse. I killed her..."

"Yet you return to the past to save her." Luna smiled.

Eclipse's mood soured, "Nightfall- the other me- will try to stop me- us." She flinched, "How long have we been... Here?"

"I am unsure, I am unable to tell the time correctly for some reason." Luna stated.

"It's Nightfall... The room she has me in is shielded." Eclipse sighed, "That's why I..." she trailed off, hoping Luna would catch her meaning.

"I see..." Luna concluded a second later.

Eclipse shook her head, "Nightfall doesn't know I've managed to contact you. You will have the element of surprise, but be careful. Starlight Glimmer is here."

Luna's brow furrowed, "I see... And am I to assume 'here' is the-"

"Castle of the Two Sisters. Your old castle." Eclipse cleared her throat, "I am in an underground room... So try not to collapse the castle on me... Even though I deserve that..."

"Twilight, you do not deserve that." Luna spoke with finality, not allowing Eclipse any room for arguing. "Everypony makes mistakes, we're only equine after all."

Eclipse nodded weakly.

"I shall take my leave and inform my sister, then we will make our move." Luna nodded to herself, "This ends tonight." she spoke firmly.

"Just... Don't kill Nightfall, please? I think I can convince her to stop being evil..."

"She..." Luna looked over Eclipse, slowly a frown grew upon her face, "I will make no promises, if she has the full power of-"

"She doesn't." Eclipse stated softly.

"We will see..." Luna stated simply. "Once you are safe we can discuss the previous matter with Celestia, and your friends."

Eclipse closed her eyes, "Once this is over... I promised to tell you everything, and I will fulfill that promise." 'If I'm still alive...' she thought about adding, but chose not to.

Luna nodded. "Then let us end this." Luna lit her horn with magic, and cast a spell. The dreamscape shattered, and both of them bolted awake, despite the difference in distance between the two.

Princess Celestia jumped awake at the sound of the door being thrown open, and her sister shouting her name. "Luna? What is it?"

"I know where Eclipse is, and she has confirmed that Nightfall has her."

Despite the poor lighting, courtesy of the time of night, Celestia could make out Luna's seriousness, and determination. Not that she had expected this to be a prank, it was not something to joke about. "Who?" she asked.

"It is who Eclipse called the fallen Twilight."

Celestia clenched her jaw, and rose from bed. "Where are they?"

"Our old castle." Luna stated.

Celestia cringed, she should have thought of that before. "Go. I will gather Twilight and her friends and will follow you shortly-"

Luna shook her head, "That would be unwise. I have a rescue team ready right now, I'm going to-"

"Luna... Nightfall," Celestia thought about the name as it rolled off her tongue, it sounded more like something Luna would have used... "has the changelings'-"

"According to Eclipse, she is significantly weaker than we feared her to be. She does however have the help of the unicorn named Starlight Glimmer."

Celestia's brow furrowed, "That could prove detrimental..." Celestia paused to think, then continued, "What would she want with her?"

"Eclipse did not say, I do not know if she even knows, though I suspect she has some idea." Luna paused, debating how best to approach the next subject, "You... You need to talk to Eclipse, when she returns. I... I found her because she was using the pain from her memories to contact me..."

Celestia was distraught at hearing that, "Why would she do-"

"She said Nightfall had her in a shielded room." Luna stated simply.

Celestia's muzzle drew into a line.

Luna opened her mouth, then closed it, pausing. A second passed, and she opened it again to speak, "Sister, I saw her memories, in her dreams. They... Were painful."

Pain seeped into Celestia's voice, "What happened to her?"

"It... Is not my place to say, Sister." Luna sighed, "I did not watch the final memory play out, however... I believe I know what it is she regrets so much..." Luna's eyes met Celestia's, "She is worried you will hate her for what happened. I told her you wouldn't."

Celestia took a slightly more defensive tone, "Of course not, I could never hate her!"

"I... Do not know how her friends would handle knowing what she did..." Luna looked out the window, at the still rising moon. She shook her head, "I am not entirely sure how I feel about it, either. I... I was afraid to watch the memory play out..."

"Luna... Was it really that bad?" Celestia slowly walked over towards her sister, and laid a wing on her back,

Luna lowered her gaze to the floor, "For me it was..."

Celestia nuzzled her sister's neck, "Come on, we need to inform the others."

Celestia walked towards the door, but paused when she realized Luna was not following her. She turned to look at Luna, who merely shook her head. "Luna?"

"You go inform them. I am going after Eclipse and Nightfall."

Celestia nodded in resignation, "Be careful, Luna. I do not want to lose you again."

Luna grimaced.

Twilight threw open the dining room doors with her magic, and rushed inside, leaving the two guards in a daze. Her friends followed closely behind her, galloping after her, along with two guards, who had been sent to escort the group to the dining hall. "Princess?" Twilight call out with urgency, looking around the room for her mentor, who had called for them. The room was bask in a dim, yet unmistakable glow from Celestia's magic, but it was more than enough to confirm she was looking in the wrong direction.

"Twilight." Princess Celestia acknowledged.

Twilight jerked her head towards the source of her mentor's voice, and rushed over to her, nearly knocking one of the guards over in the process, "Sorry." she apologized as she ran passed him. Her friends were more calm than she was, and walked over to form a semicircle around Princess Celestia, without causing the guard to lose anymore of his dignity.

"Princess, what is it? What's wrong?" Twilight asked immediately upon the completion of the semicircle, not giving anypony else a chance to say anything before she spoke.

"Luna has contacted Eclipse."

"What did she find out?" Twilight said almost immediately, on instinct, without processing her mentor's words.

Fluttershy stepped forwards, "Is she okay?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.

Rainbow beat her wings, and hovered in the air, and flew forwards slightly, "Where is she? Who's flank do we need to go kick to rescue her?"

"Now hold on y'all," Applejack spoke, then took Rainbow's tail in her mouth, and pulled her to the ground. Rainbow was caught off guard, and landed hard, then shot Applejack a glare. "One at a time, I'm sure the Princess can answer all our questions."

Celestia nodded, "Please be calm, my little ponies. I will address each of your questions in turn." Celestia walked over to the dining table, and sat down. The others followed her example, all taking a seat on the opposite side of her.

Princess Celestia's horn glowed brighter, a teapot and several teacups appeared in a flash of light. She poured tea into each of the cups and distributed them, then took a sip of her tea. "Eclipse contacted Luna through her dreams. I am not fully aware of the details- as we were pressed for time. Luna said Eclipse had to use mind magic to break through to reach her. Nightfall, what the... Other one has taken to calling her self, has her." Celestia paused at the wide array of gasps that filled the room.

It wasn't that it was a surprise, they all had been expecting it, but it was another thing to hear it being confirmed.

"Is- Is she okay?" Fluttershy asked from behind her mane.

Celestia nodded, "Eclipse was reliving painful memories in order to contact my sister, but Luna said she seemed physically fine."

"What about mentally, or emotionally?" Twilight inquired.

Celestia grimaced, "I... Am unsure. Luna..." She shook her head. Celestia looked to Twilight, "The unicorn you told me about, Starlight Glimmer," Twilight fornwed at hearing the name, "is also helping her apparently, but we will get her back."

Applejack raised an eyebrow, "And uh... How exactly are you planning on getting her back?"

Celestia smiled, "No doubt you have noticed Luna's absence."

"Wait... You're sending... Princess Luna... No..." Twilight's eyes widened, "You can't!"

Celestia stood from her chair, she furrowed her brow, "Twilight, what's wrong?"

Twilight shook her head, "It's too obvious, Princess... I... I think I know Nightfall's plan..."

Celestia examined Twilight, and noticed her hooves where shaking, "Twilight?"

"If... If Starlight Glimmer is helping her... She could take Luna's cutie mark..."

Celestia frowned, "Twilight, I do not believe a simple unicorn could take an alicorn's cutie mark, it's-"

Twilight shook her head, "Eclipse told me what happened with Starlight the first time..." Twilight looked Celestia in the eye, "She managed to take my cutie mark."

Celestia shook her head, "Luna is not going alone-"

"We're going with her." Applejack stated abruptly.

"No, it's too dangerous. She will be attempting to rescue Eclipse and capture Nightfall, she has a full Night Guard escort to assist her." Princess Celestia momentarily wondered if it would really be enough.

"Princess... I'm a Wonderbolt... Well, Wonderbolt Reservist...." Rainbow paused as Celestia looked at her, "...Let me help her. Eclipse saved my life... I owe her."

Celestia shook her head, "That is noble, but-"

"Princess," Twilight's soft voice managed to cut through the conversation, drawing all attention to her, "I've fought Starlight before- and won. My friends were there with me. We are the ones who are always sent to fix problems once they get blown out of proportion. Tirek, Discord... Nightmare Moon..." Twilight looked at her mentor with determination, "Please, let us intervene before this gets any worse."

Celestia opened her mouth, but then closed it, realizing the wisdom of her student- no, daughter's argument. She nodded her head, and smiled with pride. "Very well, Twilight. But I am only sending you two," she nodded at Twilight and Rainbow, "it would take too long to travel to my former castle. Luna should still be at the barracks," She looked to the guard nearest to Twilight, "please take them to Princess Luna."

The guard bowed, "Yes, Princess." He turned to Princess Twilight Sparkle, who slowly stood up, followed by Rainbow Dash. "Please follow me."

"Princess Luna?"

Twilight's voice caused Luna to pause mid stride, the unexpectedness of Twilight's presence giving her pause.

Neither Twilight nor Rainbow, nor any of their friends had seen Princess Luna in battle armor before. They had faced Nightmare Moon, who had worn armor, but it was different. Princess Luna's battle armor was sleek, and covered her entire body, save for her wings, night blue in color, and, unlike Nightmare Moon's armor, seemed to actually provide protection.

Luna gently lowered her hoof to the floor, and turned to regard Twilight Sparkle- and Rainbow Dash, she noted when the pegasus came into view. Twilight's ruffled her wings in anticipation, Luna raised an eyebrow, "Is there something that thou wish to ask me?"

Twilight shook her head, "Uh right, sorry. It's just... Never mind." Twilight paused to take a breath, "Rainbow and I are coming with you." she firmly stated.

Luna didn't react for several seconds, contemplating. She slowly nodded her head up and down, "Very well. I assume you have talked to my sister about this?"

"Yes." Twilight answered.

Luna turned and started walking down the hallway, "Follow me."

The younger alicorn and pegasus quickly fell into a line, following Princess Luna towards her destination. They walked in silence, occasionally taking note of a batpony coming from the direction they were walking. They walked passed several tall windows, offering a view of the night sky, and rising moon, which cast it's pale light upon Equestria. Soon their destination became apparent.

The flight to the Everfree Forest had been eerily quiet, despite having a group of eleven ponies flying together. Even the wind was calm, no turbulence, as if not wanting to risk affecting any of the events to come. The calm night air itself was only broken by the occasional flap of wings, whether they were batpony, pegasus, or alicorn wings.

Princess Luna looked back towards Twilight, who nodded, ignoring the dull ache in her wings. "Alright, everypony. You know the plan." Twilight watched as the castle ruins came into view, she could remember the castle like it was yesterday, the cracked stone floors, the falling walls, and gloomy corridors... It sent a shiver of anticipation down her back.

Or maybe that was a shiver of fear. She might face Nightfall for the first time, and she had no idea how Nightfall would react.

Princess Luna angled her wings downward slightly, and began losing altitude. The rest of the group followed her lead, and soon fell into sync. The group of ponies silently cut through the night air, leaving no trace of their presence, save for slight disruption of the otherwise still air.

Each of the eleven ponies landed in turn, silently, on the soft earth just outside of the castle. Everypony present, with the exception of Princess Luna, was nervous, or afraid. Which was good, it wasn't the kind of fear that would paralyze them, and prevent them from acting, but the kind of fear that keeps you fast and alert. The kind of fear that keeps you alive in a dangerous situation.

Despite the ever present danger of the fallen alicorn or the unicorn showing up at a moments notice, everypony present was calm. The calmness present in the group was thanks to either their training, thousands of years of experience, or ignorance.

Princess Luna silently strode across the dirt, and then onto stone, from there she paused for a moment to listen, then quickly rushed towards the wall, impacting it with a dull thud. Luna looked towards the group and jerked her head towards the wall.

Twilight inhaled, then exhaled, mimicking of most of the ponies in the group. The front two batponies silently strode forwards, cutting through the night air like an assassin's dagger, they arrived at the opposite side of the door Luna was at, barely making any audible sound. The remaining six batponies split, three going to each side, standing behind the ones in front of them.

Twilight and Rainbow stayed back, wings bristling in anticipation, waiting.

Luna did a quick count to make sure everypony was present, 'So far so good... Let us see if our plan of attack survives contact with the enemy.'

Under normal circumstances, Princess Luna would simply blast the door in, or break it down, however, under these circumstances it would draw unwanted attention, and alert Nightfall to their presence, thus costing them the element of surprise. Luna lit her horn, and cast a spell on the door's hinges, silencing them, then she gently pulled the door open, peaked her head around the corner, and peered inside.

A quick glance around the interior told her it was likely safe to proceed. Luna pulled the door open all the way, lowered her horn, and rushed inside. She swung her head in sweeping motions across the room as batponies silently rushed in behind her, the only light emanating from the glow of the moon and her horn. Despite the limited light, it was easy enough to tell the room was empty.

"Clear." one of the batponies quietly called out.

One of the batponies returned to the door and motioned with a hoof for Twilight and Rainbow to enter. The pair quietly, yet quickly, made their way to the door and entered. Once they were inside, Luna gently pushed the door shut with her magic.

"I don't like this." Applejack reaffirmed for what seemed like the thousandth time to everypony present.

Rarity rolled her eyes, "Oh, Applejack, surely you know Princess Luna will keep them safe?"

"You're handling this better than the rest of us... Which is surprising considering... Well..." Applejack trailed off, Rarity raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Uh... Hehe..." Applejack rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Look, I'm just saying we should'a went with them, that's all."

"Applejack, we wouldn't have been able to help with this-"

"Rarity, we're her friends! And we've faced down how many bad guys?"

"Applejack," Rarity spoke sternly, "keep in mind that Nightfall IS Twilight..." Rarity shook her head, "This is different..."

Applejack grimaced.

"I don't understand how that could have happened to her..." Fluttershy sighed.

'Hallways, hallways, and- Oh, what do you know, more hallways!' Twilight thought bitterly as she turned a corner. 'I don't remember this castle having so many hallways the last time we were here...' She shook her head, causing many shadows to move as the only source of light moved around. It seemed like a never-ending labyrinth, a maze of cold stone and mossy stone, she was half convinced they were going in circles.

Twilight paused, and narrowed her eyes. 'Now that I think about it...' Twilight channeled more magic into her horn.

"Twilight?" Rainbow quietly asked from behind her. Twilight's horn glowed brightly for a second, nearly blinding Rainbow, and then dissipated after a flash of light.

Twilight grimaced, "We were caught in an elaborate illusion... We were going in circles..." she whispered.

"They don't know we're here though, right?" one of the batpony guards asked.

"They shouldn't." Twilight replied. "It's a good thing Princess Luna sent me with you, you could have been trapped for a while..." She shook her head, "We should keep going."

Twilight resumed walking, once more leading the group of four ponies, including herself, through the castle's ancient dungeons. Rusted iron cell doors were spaced evenly apart, lining each side of the hallway they walked down. The iron looked like it would fall apart if you so much as breathed on it, the result of age, and the magic of the Everfree Forest.

Twilight paused to listen for any sign of life. Nothing, save for the sound of her own heart, and her own breathing. She looked to the left, then to the right. She examined the stone wall cautiously, looking for any sign of danger, or life. The only sign of danger marked upon the wall was the many cracks that added to the aged look and feel of the castle. Her gaze fell upon an iron light fixture, she channeled magic into a simple spell, and caused the light fixture to produce a magical flame, providing more light than the simple glow of her horn.

"Alright... She could be anywhere down here... Or she might not even be in this area..." Twilight shook her head.

Princess Luna couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched, despite having checked, with magic, to be sure that her group was alone. It was a subtle uneasiness, one that could have easily been mistaken for anxiety, but she knew better than that. She paused at the door to the throne room, and repeated the process she had used on every other door, silencing the hinges, opening it, and peaking through into the next room.

She cautiously stepped into the throne room, and swung her head in large sweeps, carefully paying attention to her surroundings, and making sure not to miss anything. Her batpony guards rushed in from behind her, and spread out, to prevent themselves from being too lucrative of a target. The silence filling the room made Luna shiver, and the dark magic filling the air, the result of past events, was strong enough to mask the presence of both alicorn and unicorn.

Luna turned her head towards the thrones, both broken, but still remarkable in tact. Most of the damage done to this room was a result of her... Tantrum... Some thousand years ago. The rest of the damage was a result of time, other ponies, and the Everfree Forest itself. Luna cautiously walked forwards, pressing on to the thrones, never once did her eyes linger on a spot for more than one second.

As she grew closer to the spot where she had transformed into Nightmare Moon all those years ago, the air took on an electric quality to it, causing her skin to tingle, and her fur to stand up slightly. Luna paused and looked up at the ceiling, or rather the lack thereof. She grimaced, any fighting in here would not be contained, and Nightfall could escape, through use of her wings, should she show herself.

'It's amazing how much damage I did...' Luna thought as she continued surveying the room for any trace of Nightfall or Starlight Glimmer. Luna stepped onto the raised platform where the thrones were located, it had been some time since she had been here, the last was when Twilight and her friends used the Elements of Harmony against Nightmare Moon... And even then, she had not been in the throne room...

"Fascinating, isn't it?"

Luna's blood ran cold, she spun around on one hoof, bringing her horn to bear against the source of the sound. The guards were looking around frantically, unable to find the source.

"How the magic of this place makes it difficult to track ponies. It's almost as if it was by design." the voice called once more, this time from her left.

Luna threw her head towards her left, bringing her horn to bear in a sweeping motion. Again, there was nothing there. "Show thyself!" Luna shouted furiously.

"In due time." The voice chided. "I found it fitting, using this place... The place where Nightmare Moon was born... The first fallen alicorn, the one who sought to bring eternal night... This place had a history long before I came around."

"She was a stupid little foal. She should have known what would happen..." The voice came from behind, more venomously.

"Who?" Luna called as she turned around.

"You know who." the voice stated flatly. "But that matters little right now. I suppose this is the point where I offer my great villainous monologue about my plans and how you're weak and I will defeat you, to which you will inevitably offer a rebuke, and try to convince me to stop."

The voice came from above, "Not going to happen."

Luna turned towards the source of the voice, just in time to see a beam of sickly purple magic shooting towards her, emanating from the horn of a twisted mockery of Twilight Sparkle. She acted fast, and jumped out of the way, retaliating with her own magic, the pale blue beam caused Nightfall to teleport to avoid it.

Nightfall appeared behind one of the batpony guards, before he had a chance to react, a bolt of magic felled him. Luna grimaced, "You fight like a coward! Attacking a defenseless guard when thou could be fighting me!"

"Maybe so, but your advantage of numbers is also a disadvantage." She paused and teleported, avoiding another beam of magic Luna shot towards her by several seconds. The guards at this point had scattered further, and taken to flight to attempt to avoid the menacing alicorn.

The beam of magic Luna had shot towards Nightfall impacted the wall, exploding the stone, and sending bits and pieces of it flying across the room...

The walls shook, and a explosion could be heard in the distance, the already skittish guards jumped in surprise. Rainbow's head shot towards Twilight, "What was that?"

"I don't know... But I think Luna found Nightfall... Or vice versa..." Twilight suppressed growing uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, "Come on, we need to find Eclipse..."

Another explosion, louder this time. The walls and ceiling shook, and dust fell from both. Some small pebbles rained down upon the group, serving as a reminder of the castle's fragile state. "They could stand to be more careful," one of the guards commented, "they could bring this castle down atop us."

Twilight grimaced at the thought of being buried under several tons of rock. "Then we should hurry..."

"Can't you use your magic to locate her?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight shook her head, "The magic in this place is thick and malicious, I don't think I would be able-" another explosion shook the halls. Twilight nervously glanced at the ceiling, "Right... I'll give it a try..."

The three remaining guards only served as bait for Nightfall to use them to distract Princess Luna, she would strike at one, forcing Luna to defend him or lose another ally. Despite Luna's losses, they remained determined to win.

Nightfall jumped, then landed with a roll to avoid getting hit by a blast of magic to her wing, it would have been detrimental to her plan, to say the least. Nightfall came out of the roll and immediately targeted the nearest batpony guard, sending a beam of dark purple magic towards him, forcing Luna to either protect him with a barrier, or teleport him away.

Luna used a barrier, the pale blue shield absorbed the impact, but showed signs of cracking. Within seconds, Nightfall sent two more beams of magic at the barrier, then swung around on one hoof and sent a beam of magic at Luna. Luna barely had time to duck to avoid the beam of magic. She grit her teeth as her barrier protecting the guard failed. Fortunately, the guard had realized his predicament and was no longer in the vicinity of the danger.

"Face me you cur!" Luna shouted, frustrated at how the battle was going. It had only been a few minutes, and already she had lost three ponies. Nightfall seemed to be toying with the other three from what Luna could tell, not going all in to kill them, but putting them in enough danger to distract her.

Another beam of magic zoomed passed Luna, the wall it impacted shuddered, then erupted, sending small, jagged shards of stone everywhere.

"Oh Luna... You foal! You have no experience fighting an alicorn to the death!" Nightfall intercepted Luna's beam of magic with a barrier, "And unlike you, I do!" She teleported, then appeared to the right of Luna, cast a spell, and teleported again.

Luna barely had time to react to Nightfall's teleportation, let alone the spell. Her barrier held against the beam she sent. Luna, however, had no time to react to the second one, which came from the opposite side.

The alicorn hit the ground hard, having been caught off guard, she tightly clenched her jaw shut. Fighting through the pain, she slowly rose to her hooves. "Thy magic is blunter than the words you have spoken."

Nightfall raised a hoof to her chest in mock surprise, opened her mouth to speak, and then had to jump to the right to avoid the beam of magic Luna shot at her. Nightfall landed gracelessly, and rolled with it, then jumped back to her feet and retaliated. Luna's beam of magic struck the wall behind Nightfall, causing the stone to shatter under the stress, and Nightfall's beam was intercepted by a barrier Luna had erected.

"Luna, I would be more careful, If I were you. This castle is very old, after all. And then there was the damage you did as Nightmare Moon... It could collapse if you're not careful." Nightfall quickly glanced around the room, taking in the damage, and doing a head count, making sure that nopony was trying something sneaky. Fortunately for her, the guards seemed unable to do much of anything against her, instead, they were mostly distractions for both Luna and Nightfall.

"Why would you have care for this castle?" Luna asked, eyes not once faltering from her glare at Nightfall.

"Wouldn't want to bury your friends, now would we?" Nightfall smirked.

Luna faltered, and blinked. Nightfall took this opportunity to teleport, and dispatch another guard. He hit the floor with a dull thud as the magic stopped his heart.

Luna swiftly recovered, though the loss of another one of her allies pained her. Nightfall would regret her actions here.

"Eclipse!" Twilight shouted, relief washing over her as she approached the archway leading to the room where the alicorn was being held. The two batpony guards took up positions on either side of the door as Twilight and Rainbow rushed in.

Eclipse smiled, "You... Came for me." Eclipse embraced them both in a hug, "I thought Luna was the one who was going to come rescue me..."

"She's fighting Nightfall..." Twilight said as she pulled out of the hug. Eclipse's smile faltered. "What's wrong?"

"Nightfall killed Luna in her own timeline... I'm fairly certain of it... She... It's... It has to be a trap..." Eclipse approached the archway, and slowed, Twilight and Rainbow passed through the archway, and motioned for Eclipse to follow. "There's a spell on the door, and on myself, I can't leave. You'd have to overpower the spells before I could leave."

Twilight frowned momentarily, "Right... Give me a minute..." Twilight's horn glowed brightly. "This could take a little while..." she grimaced.

"You said Starlight was helping her?" Rainbow asked, "Where is she?"

"I don't know, but I'm worried she's with Nightfall, if that's the case then Luna is in trouble..." Eclipse sighed, "If Luna loses, and Starlight gets to her... Nightfall wins."

"You don't sound... As depressed about that as I expected... Luna said you used bad memories to contact her, and it hurt... What's going on?" Twilight asked, splitting her attention between the conversation and on examining the spells in place. The two spells weren't that complex, just powerful. The one on the archway affected the entire room, dampening magic, and it would react violently if the second spell were to leave the room.

"I... Well, I still can use my magic, it's just... weaker... But I'm using it to suppress that right now..." Eclipse grimaced.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Rainbow asked.

"Very." Eclipse answered, then shook her head, "I can handle it... The emotions... Just not right now."

Twilight's horn glowed even more intensely, then there was a flash of light, "Alright, I think I got it."

Eclipse inhaled, and smiled as she felt her magic return to her, "You did..." Eclipse cautiously stepped out of the room, and into the hallway.

"Alright, what's the plan Twilight?" Rainbow asked, looking between the two alicorns.

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Eclipse cut her off, "We get Luna and send her back to Canterlot." Eclipse looked to Twilight, "I assume you still have them?"

Twilight frowned for a moment, then realized what she meant, and nodded, "Yes... But... We don't have everypony here... How will-"

"Let me handle that..." Eclipse trailed off with a frown.

Nightfall was certainly regretting her actions, at least towards the guards. Now that there were fewer distractions, Luna could focus more on Nightfall, and it showed, the alicorn had taken quite a beating, despite her supposed experience in battle. Nightfall landed, and collected her thoughts, attempting to slow her heavy breathing. The battle was taking it's toll, Luna was stronger than she realized... 'No matter.' she thought. She would adjust her plans as needed.

"I thought you were supposed to be a worthy opponent?" Luna taunted. "But I suppose I was mistaken."

"Your taunts will get you nowhere." Nightfall retorted. She let her head fall slightly, angling her horn towards Luna, but did not channel magic into it. She now regretted the decisions which left her in a weaken state, but she suppressed those thoughts immediately. She needed to focus, giving Luna any edge in this battle would prove costly.

Luna raised her head slightly, angling her horn away from Nightfall, though still charged with magic. She took a step forwards, "We do not have to keep fighting, Nightfall. You can surrender."

"I have said this many times before, I will NOT be stopped."

"Nightfall!" Eclipse shouted from the throne room door, Twilight stood beside her, horn pointing at the fallen version of herself. Nightfall regarded the appearance of her younger self, threatening her, with contempt.

"Nightfall you are outnumbered, you can not win this battle." Luna stated.

Eclipse strode into the throne room, followed closely by Twilight.

"Can you still hear it, Luna? The voice... The Nightmare... It's gentle whisper... Of oblivion..."

"Nightfall. Stop." Eclipse stated softly. Nightfall turned towards Eclipse and glared at her, as if to say, 'I have told you I will not be stopped, you foal!' "You don't have to do this."

"No, I don't have to." Nightfall stated calmly, "But I've made my choice."

"Then choose something else! You can have them back! Your friends, they-"

"They are NOT my friends. They died long ago." Nightfall parted her lips, putting her menacing teeth on displayed.

"You're right. They aren't you friends. They died, and they will never come back. That's both our faults-"

"Wrong." Nightfall stated. "We both know who is really to blame."

"You can make new friends... Make them your friends again!" Eclipse glanced to Twilight, their eyes met. Twilight's muzzle drew into a line, a subtle action that Nightfall did not miss.

Nightfall's eyes narrowed.

"Your path leads only to destruction..." Eclipse shook her head.

"You finally realize that?" Nightfall mocked. "If you're done, I believe I have caught my breath."

"You leave us with no choice, then." Eclipse nodded at Twilight.

Nightfall smiled.

Twilight raised her head, and clenched her eyes shut. Her horn glowed brighter, and then a flash of light flooded the room. When the light subsided, Eclipse and Twilight each had grasped three of the Elements of Harmony in their magic. They slowly brought the six crystals into an orbit around their bodies, as they orbited faster, the gems started to blur into lines of color. Eclipse's face contorted, in either stress or pain, though Nightfall suspected the latter.

"I think not." Nightfall stated smugly. Acting fast, she teleported to the left of Twilight, causing her to jump in surprise, disrupting the orbit of the Elements. She charged her horn, shot out a cone of kinetic energy, knocking Eclipse, Twilight, and the Elements of Harmony away. Nightfall caught the Elements with her magic before they hit the ground, and quickly forced them into her pocket dimension, and smiled. The foals made it easy, almost too easy.

Eclipse hit the wall hard, followed by Twilight, who hit the wall even harder, head first, then fell on top of Eclipse.

Luna, too shocked by how easily Nightfall thwarted the Elements of Harmony, was too slow to stop Nightfall from teleporting far, far away. The guards, equally stunned, were practically frozen in place.

Rainbow was the first to react, breaking through the shock, she forced herself to run to Twilight and Eclipse's aid. "Princess Luna!" she shouted.

It took Luna a second to gather herself, then she rushed over to the trio, "Don't just stand there," she ordered the guards, "do something!"

"Uh... Yes Princess!" One of the guards replied, then frantically looked around for 'something' to do. His gaze fell upon the two injured alicorns, he quickly made his way to them.

Luna gently lifted Twilight in her magic, and laid her down on the stone floor. Eclipse had blood on her, a quick examination revealed that it was in fact Twilight who was bleeding.

Luna enveloped Twilight in her magic, examining her wounds, "She hit her head hard..."

"She's gonna be okay, right?" Right?" Rainbow asked, fear seeping into her voice. The normally brash pegasus had tears forming in her eyes, the thought of losing one of her best friends was just too much...

Luna shook her head, "I do not know. I am not a doctor..." Luna bobbled her head, "...She is an alicorn, however..."

Eclipse groaned, and lifted her head, eyes darting around. "What... No..." she said as her eyes fell upon Twilight. "Nightfall..."

"Eclipse, be still, I have not yet had a chance to examine the full extent of your injuries-" Eclipse ignored Luna's warning and rose to her hooves, slowly standing to her full height. Luna sighed.

Eclipse looked around, searching for the Elements of Harmony. They weren't there. "Nightfall has the Elements..."

Luna took this opportunity to turn her attention to Eclipse, "And what, pray tell, was Twilight doing with the Elements? I thought they were with the Tree of Harmony..."

Eclipse grimaced, "They were... I... Took them to keep them safe..."

"And you did not inform us?"

Luna's un-amused look gave Eclipse pause, "No... I..." Eclipse sighed. A cold breeze drew her attention to the blood on her coat, "We need to get back to Canterlot..."

"Indeed, but I do not see how we can. Flying is not an option." Luna shook her head, "I do not know if we can get-"

"Luna, do you trust me?" Eclipse asked.

Luna turned towards Eclipse, and nodded- reluctantly. "Yes, I do trust thee, Eclipse."

"I can get us back to Canterlot in a few seconds..." Luna opened her mouth to ask how, "Teleportation." was Eclipse's preemptive answer.

"That... You do not have enough magic to-"

"That's where the trust comes in..." Eclipse sighed. She lit her horn with dark magic, preparing a spell. Luna clenched her jaw at the sight, but said nothing. A few seconds later, and a wave of darkness seemed to wash over Eclipse, who fell to her knees. There was a brilliant purple flash of light, and they were no longer in the castle...

Shattered

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The sudden flash of light, and crackle that accompanied Nightfall's appearance, tore through the night air. Had anypony been near, they would not have missed her arrival if they tried. Despite being secure in the knowledge that the others could not, nor would they, follow her, she did not teleport directly to her destination, choosing instead to teleport just outside of the Everfree Forest, far away from the castle she had previously occupied.

The battle with Princess Luna had been hard fought, the alicorn was stronger than she originally expected. 'She only moves the moon here...' Nightfall frowned, then lit her horn and turned around. The first thing she saw, a tree, wasn't a tree much longer. She lashed out with her magic, the tree didn't stand a chance against the fallen alicorn's wrath. The tree exploded into a fine spray of blunt splinters, each thrown about in various directions.

Nightfall paused as splinters rained down upon her, then inhaled deeply after the rain had subsided. 'I should not have done that.' she noted, realizing her loss of control. Nightfall sighed, and closed her eyes. She let her head droop, the exertion of her previous engagement finally catching up to her as the adrenaline rush wore off. She did not move for several minutes, allowing the calm night air, free from any taint, to help her regain control.

She opened her eyes, then surveyed the damage she had done. All that remained of the poor tree was a shattered stump, 'An improvement.' she thought with a smile, 'But an unnecessary waste of my power.' She turned her head skywards, and her eyes fell upon the moon, which was just starting to fall from it's apex. The sight was symbolic of what had happened, and what was to come.

She turned her attention to her recent acquisition, lit her horn, and withdrew the Elements of Harmony from her pocket dimension. Her lips slowly pulled into a wicked smile, teeth showing, at the sight of the now inert crystals. The only weapon that could truly pose a threat to her. The weapon Eclipse in her foalishness had given her.

Yet another mistake Eclipse had made. She scowled, noting how it could be applied equally well to herself.

She turned her attention to something more curious, the fact the Elements weren't reacting to her holding them. Nightfall pondered the development, wondering what it could mean, all the while keeping the knowledge that they were watching her, just as she was watching them, in mind.

She looked at each of the elements in turn, Honesty, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, Loyalty...

And Magic.

Her eyes settled on the final element. Her former element. The one which abandoned her. She scowled, with the intention of causing the crystal discomfort, foalish as it was. Seconds passed, it seemed that the crystal was matching her gaze, and boring into her soul, judging her, reminding her of what had transpired... Despite the fact these six gems were not present when it had happened...

She averted her gaze from the Element of Magic, and channeled more magic into her horn, then deposited the Elements back into her pocket dimension, unable to stand their presence any longer. It would also make it easier to transport them.

She turned around to face Ponyville. The small rural village where she had some of her happiest days... She scowled further, and forced the memories away, condemning them for reminding her of what had been, and what had been lost.

A flash of light accompanied the appearance of several ponies in the Canterlot Castle Throne Room, the group looked as if they had seen better days, and not all of them were moving. Eleven ponies left to rescue Eclipse, capture Nightfall and Starlight Glimmer, and twelve returned, having succeeded with at least one of their goals. It had been costly, of the eleven ponies sent, only seven were still breathing.

The wave of darkness flowing over Eclipse dissipated, and she immediately collapsed to the floor, having been weakened significantly by both spells. She had lost consciousness after casting the teleportation spell on all of them, fortunately after finishing the spell.

Princess Luna was the first to react to the completion of the spell, she turned to two of the surviving guards, "Find a doctor immediately. Bring him here at once. You go and find my sister, inform her that we have returned... And that I must speak with her at once." she grimaced, not looking forwards to that conversation.

She turned to Rainbow who was torn between attempting to aid Twilight and Eclipse, she frowned, "Rainbow, I believe it would be best if you would go and find the rest of your friends... Either my sister or I will call for you when we are ready..."

"They're... They're going to be okay, right? I can't just leave them if they're-"

Luna shook her head, "Rainbow, there is nothing you can do for either of them... I am unsure of what Eclipse did to herself, but-"

Rainbow ruffled her wings, "She used her life to fuel the spell to bring us here..."

Luna's eyes widened slightly, "That would explain the dark magic..." She shook her head, then lit her horn and examined Eclipse. The dark magic had taken it's toll, but had not tainted her. Luna frowned, "How do you know what she did?"

"She did it once before..." Rainbow paused, "She had no choice..." she added slightly defensively.

"I am not condemning her actions, Rainbow..."

"Sorry, Princess Luna..."

"That is alright..." Luna looked at Rainbow, her expression was heavy, faltering from the events of the night. "You really should go, Rainbow... Your friends need to know," she paused, noting Rainbow was starting to shake slightly, "and you could use some rest..." She thought about saying more, but decided not to when Rainbow weakly nodded.

"Yeah... I should tell them... Better it comes from me than some guard, heh?" Despite her efforts to hide it, she was starting to suffer from exhaustion.

Luna nodded once.

"What happened?" Starlight asked.

"Princess Luna happened." Nightfall snapped back at the unicorn. "Needless to say things did not go entirely as planned..." agitation seeped into her voice. Tolerating that unicorn was hard. If she didn't need Starlight for her plan... There wouldn't be a Starlight Glimmer.

"Great." Starlight huffed. "Now what's your brilliant plan for getting things back on track?"

"Eclipse overextended herself and made a mistake. The only real threat to me has been taken out of the picture-"

"So she's dead then." Starlight surmised.

"Eclipse was never a threat to m-" Starlight narrowed her eyes. Nightfall blinked, and paused to collect herself. "Eclipse was never a threat." She shook her head, "But that does not matter. I believe I drained Luna quite a bit, it will take her some time to recover." she smirked.

Starlight smiled, "So that's why you..."

"Yes." Nightfall strode over to the map, she put a hoof upon it and gently slid it along as she walked towards Twilight's throne. Her throne. "Luna always was a more competent fighter than Celestia. I saw it with my own eyes... Celestia only defeated Nightmare Moon because she wielded the Elements of Harmony."

"No matter," Nightfall continued, "with Princess Luna weakened, tapping into my reserve will give me enough power to distract them long enough for you to take care of them. And then..." Nightfall smiled. Both of them imagined what would happen next, but their imaginations were very different. Where Starlight saw a world where everypony was equal, Nightfall saw a world devoid of the misery of life.

"And what of the Elements of Harmony? What if they try to use those against us?" Starlight asked.

"I said I had taken care of them. Eclipse tried to harness their power with Twilight's help. Without the other five. It did not end well for them." Nightfall answered with a predatory smirk.

"Luna, are you all right?" Celestia asked in a voice filled with concern as she rushed through the doors. Luna turned her head away from the window and towards her sister and grimaced.

"I... Am fine." she stated simply, then stood up as her sister approached. Celestia leaned down to nuzzle her younger sister's neck, Luna returned the action with a nuzzle of her own.

Celestia pulled back after a few seconds, "What happened?"

"As I am sure you have deduced, things did not go according to plan." Luna monotoned. "Nightfall was a worthy adversary..." she shook her head.

Celestia grimaced, "It's not surprising, considering that she is Twilight..." Celestia paused, remembering the state Twilight was in. "What happened to Twilight, Luna? And Eclipse?"

"They were both injured injured in our encounter with Nightfall..." Luna shook her head, "Twilight had the Elements of Harmony with her. She attempted to use them with Eclipse to strike at Nightfall."

Celestia face betrayed no emotion, becoming cold almost immediately. "It didn't work." her question came more as a statement. Luna shook her head.

"Eclipse took the Elements some time ago to keep them safe, or so she says." Luna added.

Celestia raised an eyebrow, "I thought you trusted her?"

"I do, but I do not believe that is the entire reason she took them... But now Nightfall has them."

Celestia grimaced. "Then how will we purify her?"

"I do not know, sister..." Luna trailed off in thought.

Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes, confusion struck her as she looked around the unfamiliar surroundings. It took her several seconds to process all the sensory information she was assaulted with... The beeping noise coming from her right side... The words flowing through the air... The pink pony filling her vision... The tan unicorn wearing a white coat, with a stethoscope... A bright light being shined in her eyes, to which she closed her eyes in response...

And just like that she remembered what happened, her eyes opened once more. "Uggh..." she groaned. She attempted to lift her head.

The tan pony rushed over to her, "Please don't move, Princess." the pony's dull monotone stood out in her mind.

Twilight complied, and rested her head back on the pillow. Now that she thought about it, she felt off...

"Twilight?" Rarity called, Twilight glanced towards the white unicorn. She was smiling wearily...

"H... Hey..." Twilight glanced around, performing a head count, of her friends, only Rainbow and Eclipse were missing. "Where are-" The heart rate monitor's beeping increased in response to a spike in Twilight's heart rate... She forced herself to sit up, fighting through the woozieness and fighting against the doctor's wishes. She jerked her head around, looking for her two missing friends, fearing the worst... An action that caused a sharp pain in her head.

She took that as a sign to take it slow.

"Twilight?" Fluttershy's voice was filled with worry, the timid pegasus was concerned over her friend's sudden change in demeanor.

"Rainbow and Eclipse, where are they? Are they okay? What happened?"

"Princess, you need to take it easy... You hit your head pretty hard... I'm quite frankly surprised you're awake now... Princess Celestia was by earlier, she used some spell on you... It seems to have had it's desired effect..."

"To answer your questions, Twilight... They're okay, Rainbow left a few minutes ago, she didn't say what for." Rarity shook her head, and sighed.

"We were kinda hoping you could tell us what happened." Applejack stated, "Princess Celestia wasn't very forthcoming with answers... I'm not sure she had many, to tell the truth."

Twilight sighed and lowered her head back down onto the pillow, "It's a long story... Has Princess Luna been by?"

Applejack shook her head, "Afraid not, sugarcube."

Twilight grimaced.

"Ah, If I may interject, Princess... Your alicorn physiology seems to have a greatly accelerated healing rate for this particular type of injury... A few days, tops, and you should be back to normal." the doctor said, voice betraying no emotion whatsoever.

"This particular type of injury?" Twilight asked with confusion.

"Oh yes, I forgot you did not know. You hit your head, lost consciousness, lost a lot of blood, and had a minor dark magic infection." he listed off without the barest hint of emotion. His voice did nothing to help Twilight's headache.

"Wait, dark magic infection? What? How did that happen?" Twilight asked, concerned that the dark magic could have taken hold of her so easily.

"I asked Princess Celestia about that particular fact. She was not forthcoming about information regarding it." he stated.

"It's gone now though, right?" Twilight asked.

"Yes. It is gone. I believe Princess Celestia had something to do with that."

Twilight sighed, "That's a relief..."

Eclipse stared off into the starry night sky, looking at nothing in particular. Her mind was in turmoil, going over what had happened, and suffering the aftereffects of multiple spells. Her chaotic thoughts fought for dominance, despite the internal chaos of her mind, the night was peaceful. With no sound to distract her, and the chill of the mountain air being dulled by past experiences, she was lost in thought, unable to focus on anything else.

Yet a single thought cut through the chaotic storm of thoughts, 'You failed again!'

She clenched her eyes shut as her thoughts began to align with the condemning thought against her, rebelling from her control. She failed, again. Failed. First Cadance, then Celestia, then Equestria, then everypony all over again. She had doomed them.

All because she tried to save them.

History seemed to repeat itself, despite outside influences. 'What's the point... I...'

She opened her eyes, she halfway jumped at how distorted everything looked, only to realize she was starting to cry. She brought a hoof to wipe her eyes, and swallowed back the growing guilt. She hung her head dejectedly, and sighed.

She lit her horn, and retrieved two items from her pocket dimension, the book she had taken from the Forbidden Archive being one of the items. She held it within her magical grasp, and stared at it. Several seconds passed, each one caused despair to gain a stronger hold in her mind. She closed her eyes, "I guess this is useless now." she chuckled to herself, the laugh turning into sobs of despair.

She looked at the book longingly, desperate for a way to fix things, but knowing no way would come. She channeled more magic into her horn, and formed a barrier around the book, then poured more magic into the barrier and compressed it. Gradually, the book became smaller. After several seconds, the book was no longer recognizable as such, rather it was a dense sphere.

She raged with her magic, forcing the sphere to condense even further, resulting in a sphere roughly the size of the tip one of Spike's claws. The super dense sphere at this point held considerable mass in a small area, something not recommendable. She inhaled deeply, and compressed it further, until it was barely the size of a pin tip.

She ignited it with her magic, and the sphere evaporated instantly.

Part of her immediately regret destroying the book, partially because she had not looked at it, and partially due to the lost knowledge. Another part of her regretted it because it represented another failure, the failure to fix everything. Her entire reason for coming back had been destroyed because of losing the Elements.

Nightfall had the Elements of Harmony, and Starlight Glimmer was on her side, and what did they have?

Eclipse glanced towards the dagger she held in her magic, and grit her teeth. She gently lowered the dagger to the floor, and set it down.

She had doomed them all, and only a miracle would fix it. She certainly couldn't do it, and the Elements of Harmony were in Nightfall's possession. The princesses... They couldn't defeat both Nightfall and Starlight in battle...

She came back to fix things, and instead only made things worse. Anything she had fixed was rendered moot by the fact it would have been different had she not traveled back through time.

She shut her eyes tightly. "So it was all for nothing, then. I... I failed everypony... Again. I..." She shook her head and lit her horn, then picked up the dagger.

There was a knock on the main door. She grimaced as she heard the door open, realizing she left the balcony door open. She quickly glanced at the knife, then extended a wing far enough out for her to hide the blade between her wing and body. Once the blade was in place, she pressed it against her body tightly, ensuring it would not fall out.

"Eclipse?"

She recognized the voice, 'Rainbow Dash.' She lowered her head and closed her eyes, "Ye-" she swallowed, and took a second to compose herself, "Yes?"

"You... Okay? You sound... Off." Rainbow sat down beside Eclipse, the same side she was hiding the dagger.

Eclipse considered lying, "I... No. I am not okay. I..." She shook her head more vigorously than she intended, then turned towards Rainbow. "I screwed up again," she spoke lightly, "Big surprise!" she chuckled emptily.

"Uh... Twilight?"

Eclipse closed her eyes at the sound of her name, and looked downwards.

"Look, it's not your fault-"

"It is. It is, it is... IT IS!" she inhaled deeply, attempting to calm down, then looked Rainbow in the eye, "You're not the one who destroyed Equestria, nor doomed it a second time because you tried to fix things. You don't know what a thousand years of isolation is like! You don't..." Feeling tears build up, she closed her eyes, and looked away.

"Twilight..." Rainbow sighed. "We'll beat her, I promise." she solemnly swore.

Eclipse shook her head, "We can't. She's already won, she has the Elements, she has Starlight Glimmer, she-"

"Doesn't have friends like us." Rainbow boldly interjected.

"Friends..." Eclipse snorted. "Friendship." She turned to Rainbow, her expression took on a seriousness that could rival Fluttershy's stare, "I outlived all of you. You all died, and I couldn't move on."

Rainbow swallowed back growing fear from Eclipse's display, but put on a brave face for her friend. "You uh... You sound like Nightfall there... Twilight..."

Eclipse closed her eyes, and turned away, regretting her actions. "Sorry..." She laid down, and buried her head in her hooves. "You all died. All of you. It... I... You're all going to die again- and much sooner this time, all because I failed."

"You sound like you're giving up... Come on Twilight, where's that determination that you have! You know, the determination to protect your friends, or to prove yourself to Princess Celestia!" Eclipse cringed, and Rainbow sighed at the sight.

"I am giving up." Eclipse stated flatly.

"Why?" Rainbow asked, voice taking a softer tone.

"Because it doesn't matter. I tried to fix things, but the spell doesn't want things fixed... I... I honestly thought that I could fix everything with Discord's help... I know he wanted to fix things... Otherwise he wouldn't have given me the spell..."

"Didn't you mention that when that emotion spell thingy wore off you'd be something like this?" Rainbow hoped to distract Eclipse, and cheer her up, thinking that perhaps a reminder could make her realize she wasn't exactly herself right now.

Eclipse smiled weakly beneath her hooves, "I... Yes. Thanks for reminding me... I had forgot."

"No problem, what're friends for, right?" Rainbow lightly punched Eclipse's back with a hoof.

"Doesn't change how I feel, though." Eclipse admitted.

"Look, Twilight. We're here for you if you need us. All of us, really. I promised to be there for you, and just because we're even now doesn't mean I'm going to forget my promise." Rainbow smiled.

Eclipse slowly sat up, then turned to Rainbow, "How exactly do you figure we're even? I saved your life, you were just along for the ride when you came to my rescue."

Rainbow looked at her blankly, "I was there, wasn't I?"

Eclipse smiled, "Yeah... You were." She rubbed her head with a hoof. "Look... I... When I first returned, I had a plan to use the..." Eclipse shook her head and sighed, not expecting her to understand. "Never mind..."

"What?" Rainbow asked.

"It's nothing."

"Then why did you mention it?"

She turned away from Rainbow, "Because I'm a coward." she admitted. "I couldn't handle your deaths... I was hoping to prevent them this time around, but I can't do it without the Elements... I lost the Elements because I tried to stop Nightfall. I..." She trailed off, unable to bring herself to say the words.

"You tried to stop her though, that's what counts." Rainbow countered.

"It's not though. If she wins, everything dies. You, me, Twilight, Luna..." She couldn't complete the list if she wanted to, it would be too painful for her.

"Twilight." Rainbow spoke firmly, causing Eclipse to look her in the eyes, "We will beat her. How many times am I going to have to tell you that?"

"You can't know that." Eclipse replied bitterly.

"We always beat the bad guys, Twilight. Maybe not the first time, but we always, always beat them."

"There's a first time for everything." Eclipse stated quietly.

"Okay, Twilight, you're really depressed right now, the spell must be affecting you really badly... You should go see a therapist or something, like, seriously."

"I don't think there are any therapists with experience dealing with patients who destroyed the world."

"Maybe ask Princess Luna?" Rainbow smugly suggested.

Eclipse blinked and raised hoof to massage her temple.

"I'm serious, Twilight." Rainbow continued.

Eclipse grimaced, "I suppose she would have experience dealing with that sort of thing... I wished my Luna would have helped me... Instead she..." Eclipse shook her head, not wanting to remember.

Seeing Eclipse on the verge of tears again, Rainbow sighed, and walked in front of her, "Twilight, look at me." Eclipse obliged. "We all hurt when you hurt, it hurts seeing you in so much pain..." Despite Rainbow's attempts to retain her brash composure, it was starting to slip away, the exhaustion she felt and the mood Eclipse was doing nothing to help. "You are the one who keeps us together, heck, you brought us all together! If it wasn't for you, Nightmare Moon would have won! It would be eternal night right now!"

"I'm not her though." Eclipse weakly stated.

"So what if you're a little older, you're still her!"

Eclipse said nothing in reply, instead she looked down at her hooves. Rainbow, not knowing what else to do, stepped forwards and wrapped her arms around Eclipse, embracing her in a hug. Eclipse, having not expected this, was surprised. "Twilight-"

Clink

The sound of metal hitting the floor affected them each different ways, Rainbow, having no idea the source of the sound, turned towards it. Eclipse, knowing the source of the sound, closed her eyes as tight as she could. Eclipse pulled Rainbow in closer and hugged her tighter, hoping to distract her, but knowing it would not last forever.

Rainbow looked around for the source of the sound, due to the darkness, it took her several seconds before she identified anything out of place. Her eyes followed the displaced item, glancing over the blade, and then the hilt. It took her several seconds to realize what the item was.

Their entire conversation replayed in Rainbow's mind almost instantly, her expression fell. "Twilight..."

Eclipse hugged her tighter, "Rainbow, please... You can't tell them that..." she didn't finish her sentence.

"You... You can't. Promise me you won't, and I won't tell them." Rainbow's voice had taken an air of seriousness.

Eclipse nodded vigorously.

"If that spell's downsides are that bad..." Rainbow grimaced. "How long until they wear off?"

"Up to twelve more hours..." Eclipse sighed.

"You uh... Want me to stay here and keep you company?" Rainbow offered. Despite her exhaustion, Eclipse was suffering, she wouldn't be keeping her promise if she left her alone in this state.

"You..." Eclipse closed her mouth. 'You are concerned for me, not just because of... -That-...' Eclipse smiled, "I would like that." Eclipse slowly let go of Rainbow, who reluctantly pulled back.

Rainbow nodded towards the balcony door, "Princesses first." she smirked.

Eclipse glanced at the knife on the floor forlornly, then lit her horn, Rainbow's gaze turned cautious as she levitated the knife. Eclipse shook her head and teleported the knife away, then walked inside, Rainbow following close behind. Eclipse paused at the doorway and watched the sky for a few seconds, then closed the door.

Author's Notes:

Once you hit rock bottom, things can only improve. Or, you know, I could be the writer and go further than rock bottom. Next chapter ends this arc, unless I change my mind, in which case two more chapters. I don't see how I could stretch this arc out any further. After this arc is over, things- Wait, spoilers.

I... Kind of enjoyed writing Eclipse this chapter- more than usual, anyway.

It was not stated last chapter, and I did not think of asking it until now, but which of the Elements do you think Eclipse (attempted to) wielded? I already figured it out myself (would be sad if I didn't, right?) and I'm curious if you guys can figure it out. Some of how it's divided between Twilight and Eclipse is fairly easy when you think of the choices, Magic, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Honesty...

Battle Royal

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'It was no surprise that the nobles figured out that something had happened,' Princess Celestia thought, 'just surprising they realized so quickly.' In response she had postponed several of her legislative responsibilities, and joked, in private with her sister, about wanting to declare martial law.

She pushed these thoughts aside as she came to the room in the Canterlot Hospital where Twilight was staying. She slowed down as she neared, noting quiet whispers coming from inside. 'Twilight must be awake.' She had stopped by last night to check on Twilight, and was concerned by the dark magic that had taken hold of her. She promptly purified it, but left shortly after, giving Twilight and her friends some privacy. Twilight wasn't awake when she had stopped by last night, and she would probably want to see her mentor sooner rather than later. And Princess Celestia wanted to see her student- no, her daughter.

She casually strode into the room, making sure she had a bright smile as she did so, to comfort them. "Hello my little ponies," she greeted. Immediately everypony present turned towards her. They started to get up, but she held out a hoof, stopping them.

"Princess..." Twilight acknowledged, and sat up a little straighter.

"It is good to see you are well, Twilight." Celestia beamed.

"Yeah... The doctor says it'll be a few days before I'm completely back to normal, but... I feel fine." she paused, "As long as I don't think about what happened..." she grimaced. Princess Celestia nodded in understanding.

"Uh, Princess?" Applejack's voice drew her attention back to the others present, "Can you maybe tell us anymore about what happened?"

Princess Celestia contemplated Applejack's valid question for a few seconds, then answered, "While it would be better to discuss this with Eclipse and my sister present, I believe I know the gist of what happened..."

Celestia paused to remember what Luna had told her, "The group arrived at the castle without problems... While searching for Nightfall and Starlight Glimmer, my sister encountered Nightfall in the Throne Room, and promptly engaged her in battle. Meanwhile, Twilight sought out Eclipse and found her. Once Eclipse was retrieved, they made their way to the Throne Room. Once there, Eclipse attempted to talk Nightfall down. That did not work, so Twilight and Eclipse wielded the Elements of Harmony in an attempt to strike Nightfall." Twilight made sure not to make eye contact with Princess Celestia at the mention of the Elements.

"The Elements failed for some reason, I do not know why." Silence. Princess Celestia shook her head, and continued, "Nightfall attacked Twilight and Eclipse, resulting in the injury to your head, Twilight." Twilight grimaced.

She continued, "Nightfall has the Elements of Harmony now..."

"What... What will we do now, Princess?" Fluttershy asked softly.

"I do not know... But we will stop her." she answered with determination.

"How did I..." Twilight paused briefly, still having trouble coming to terms with it, "Get infected by dark magic?"

"The injury you sustained to your head left you vulnerable to the infection. The castle has a strong presence of dark magic, and Nightfall's presence may have had a hand in the infection as well. It is also possible that when Eclipse cast her spell, some of the dark magic could have infected you then. Truth be told, I am not entirely sure of the source." Celestia answered at length.

Twilight's eyes darted about as she considered the information, and the implications. "Wait... You said Eclipse cast a spell?"

"She used her life force to fuel a mass-teleportation spell to bring everyone back to Canterlot." Celestia answered.

Twilight felt a pang of guilt in her chest, "She's used her life force to power spells before... That has to take it's toll... Even on an alicorn." Everypony present, including Celestia, grimaced at the potential implications.

Celestia looked to Twilight, "You are doing okay, right?"

"I'm... I'm still here." Twilight answered after a pause.

"How are you holding up- emotionally? This... Can't be easy on you. And I know you, Twilight..." Celestia grimaced.

Twilight sighed, her ears fell. "It's... It's hard. I try to stay positive, to look on the bright side... But... Knowing what I've done... Even if it isn't me..."

Fluttershy shook her head, refusing to believe it was Twilight who had done those things, "But... You haven't done those things, Twilight."

Realizing that the conversation wasn't going to be pleasant for Twilight, Princess Celestia changed the subject, "I'm surprised Rainbow Dash is not here."

"She hasn't been here since she left last night." Rarity casually answered. Rarity frowned, "Come to think of it, I haven't seen Eclipse yet either..."

Pinkie Pie immediately spoke up, "Oh don't worry, Rarity! They're probably just sleeping in! Eclipse has been through a lot, and is probably exhausted. And Rainbow... Well, I mean, I know she's fast, but she doesn't exactly have a ton of endurance, flying from Canterlot to the Castle of the Two Sisters had to have taken its toll on her."

"That... Actually makes sense." Rarity stated after a few seconds to process what Pinkie had said.

"I am sure you will see them sometime today, it is still early after all." Celestia reassured.

"Princess... Um... Do I... Have to stay here?" Twilight asked, hoping to get out of the hospital early. "I feel fine!" she quickly added.

"I... I will talk to the doctors and have you released... Take it easy though, I do not want you straining yourself."

"Thank you, Princess."

Rainbow stretched out her arms and legs as she awoke, then opened her eyes and looked around the room. "Good morning, Rainbow." Eclipse's voice called from the bed to her right. She turned towards the source of the voice, Eclipse was laying on her bed, reading a book she didn't recognize. Eclipse glanced towards the clock, "Or afternoon, I should say." Eclipse amended.

"Morning, Twilight." Rainbow replied, ignoring the fact that, according to the clock, it was almost noon. Rainbow leisurely slid out of the bed she had slept in, having refused to leave the previous night.

Rainbow stretched out her wings, and glanced at Eclipse. Rainbow scrutinized Eclipse's appearance, she had obviously been up long enough to shower and groom herself, "How long have you been up?" she asked curiously.

Eclipse glanced at the clock, "Oh about... An hour and a half..." she grimaced, "That night wasn't good for my sleep routine..."

"You sound like you're feeling better." Rainbow noted with a smile. Eclipse levitated the book over to her night stand, and gently let it down, then hopped off the bed.

Eclipse smiled weakly, "Yeah... I am... I still feel... A bit..." she shook her head, "But I'm feeling more optimistic today." Eclipse paused, and lost her smile, "Just don't bring up the past... I can't go through that again... Not yet, anyway."

"Hey, it'll be okay, alright?" Rainbow reassured her with a brash smile. "If you ever need to get something off your chest, just find me, okay? I promise I won't abandon you no matter what it is you tell me."

Eclipse looked at her hooves forlornly, "That really means a lot to me, Rainbow..." She looked up and shook her head, "But there will be time for that after we beat Nightfall." She bobbled her head, "If we beat her." she amended with cautious optimism.

"Look at what we have on our side compared to her side. Five alicorns, two of which are the bearers of the Element of Magic,-" Eclipse grimaced, "-one raises the sun, one raises the moon, and the other is the princess of love! That's not even including the Royal Guard, your brother, and us!"

"Nightfall is a corrupted alicorn, former bearer of the Element of Magic, responsible for killing Princess Luna, and she has Starlight Glimmer, a unicorn who can remove ponies' cutie marks, on her side." Eclipse listed.

"So what!?" Rainbow flapped her wings and hovered in front of Eclipse, "You beat Starlight Glimmer one on one, I'm-"

"I did not." Eclipse pointed out. "She beat me the first time... The second time we fought, it was a stalemate..."

Rainbow rolled her eyes, "We've got this in the bag, Twilight."

"She has the Elements of Harmony." Eclipse replied. She sighed, "I needed them to fix everything... But that won't happen now."

"How many times am I gonna have to say we'll stop her?" Rainbow asked.

Eclipse shook her head, "That has nothing to do with Nightfall. It involves my original plan..." Eclipse walked over to the balcony door, and opened it with her magic, then stepped outside. Eclipse looked out across Canterlot, Rainbow flew over to the balcony and landed beside her.

"You... You never did tell us what your original plan was, you know. And we can still get the Elements back from Nightfall, it's not like she can destroy them... Right?" Rainbow's expression became worried at that thought.

Eclipse shook her head, "I don't believe she can... She does seem to know more than I do, however..." She turned to Rainbow, "Even if we get the Elements back, I can't fix things now. I... Uh... Kinda destroyed the other item... I needed... For that... Last night..." Eclipse turned away from Rainbow, who stared blankly at her.

"You... Why?"

"You saw how I was last night... Thanks for stopping me and staying the night, by the way..." Eclipse replied softly.

Rainbow's expression softened, realizing how Eclipse must feel about that, "Yeah... Don't mention it..."

The two sat on the balcony for several minutes, until the peace and quiet was broke by the sound of Rainbow's stomach. She smiled sheepishly, Eclipse rolled her eyes. "Hungry?"

Rainbow chuckled, "Yeah..."

"I could go for something to eat too... What do you want to do, go to the Dining Room? Room service? Go out to eat someplace?"

"Uh... I could go for a hayburger right about now." Rainbow grimaced, "They probably don't serve those here, do they?"

Eclipse shook her head, "We'd have to go out for that." Eclipse eyed Rainbow's abnormally disheveled mane, "You should probably take a shower first, though."

"Uh right. Think you could give me a lift?" Rainbow asked, glancing at her horn.

Eclipse winced, "About that... Remember that mass teleportation spell I did last night?" Rainbow nodded, Eclipse continued, "Well I kinda need some time to recover from that... At least as far as teleporting something other than myself... Unless you want me to fly you to your room, that is."

"N-no, that's fine." Rainbow quickly answered.

"Well, you're welcome to use the shower here."

Rainbow eyed her wearily, "You sure about that? Will Twilight be fine with that?"

Eclipse nodded, "Yes I'm sure it would be fine. You can blame me if it's not."

"Haha... Thanks... I guess..." Rainbow replied, rubbing the back of her head.

Nightfall walked towards the door, Starlight paced impatiently, then paused and turned towards Nightfall when she noticed her approach. "Are you ready yet?"

"Yes. I have gathered my power, and I am prepared for the assault." Nightfall glared at Starlight, "Do I have to go over the plan again, unicorn?" she asked mockingly.

"No." Starlight stated, "Your plan in simple enough." she said in a degrading way. Nightfall glared at her.

"Just stay hidden until it is time." Nightfall chided.

"I will do my part." Starlight affirmed.

Nightfall nodded, then lit her horn with magic. There was a flash of sickly purple light, and the room was empty.

Twilight sighed as she shut the door to her room behind her, then glanced around the room.

"I didn't expect you to be moving around yet." Eclipse casually acknowledged Twilight's entrance from bed.

Twilight turned towards Eclipse, "I'm surprised you're surprised. Alicorn physiology comes with quick healing rates, you should know that."

Eclipse closed her book, then rose from her bed, and walked towards Twilight, "I meant you should still be in the hospital."

"Princess Celestia convinced the doctors to let me go early." Twilight smiled.

"Are... Are you okay?" Eclipse asked softly.

Twilight pursed her lips, considering the question and how she felt. "I'm... Okay... Just... I'm..." Twilight trailed off, Eclipse nodded in understanding.

"We..." Eclipse paused to think, "We need to talk about Nightfall and the Elements... Rainbow and I were going to go get something to eat, you could join us and we could discuss it over lunch."

Twilight nodded, "The hospital released me before I had a chance to eat anything... Wait, where is Rainbow? i haven't seen her since last night."

"She's in the bathroom." Eclipse stated. "She spent the night here, with me."

"Oh." Twilight paused, "That was nice of her." Eclipse nodded. Twilight looked down and shook her head, "What happened last night, with the Elements?"

"That's something we need to find out..." Eclipse grimaced.

"Well, maybe we should invite the rest of the girls to come along, they should know what's going on." Twilight suggested.

Eclipse shook her head, "Look, I... No. Just the three of us, it will be better this way. There are some things I really only trust you and Rainbow with... I... I know they won't abandon either of us... But this makes it easier, I would trust Rainbow with my life."

"I trust each and every one of them with my life." Twilight countered.

"I... It's complicated." Eclipse stated. Twilight sighed.

Twilight frowned, "You know, you don't exactly make this easy on any of us." she chided her older self. "You came back in time to fix everything, but refuse to tell us what happened! How are we supposed to stop whatever happened if we don't know what did." Twilight's outburst of anger caught Eclipse off guard.

"Twilight, you just have to trust me." Eclipse stated. "The princesses trust me, the girls do, you do." Eclipse closed her eyes, then sighed. "As for fixing everything... I screwed up with that. I'm going to have to come up with another plan."

"Let me help you then!" Twilight exclaimed.

The bathroom door opened, and Rainbow Dash walked out, cutting off Eclipse's response. "Oh hi Twilight." she greeted.

"Hey, Rainbow." Twilight replied, putting on an air of leisure.

"Right, so lunch?" Eclipse jumped in.

Nightfall walked through the streets of Canterlot, going over her plans, and making minor adjustments. Adjustments to account for any unforeseen variables. Unforeseen variables ranging from going up against the entire Royal Guard, having to face Shining Armor, Cadance, or Discord, or... Them.

Her plan of attack was simple, walk right up to the princesses and engage them immediately. She paused mid step as she thought about that aspect. She would be facing at least two alicorns at once, in combat. Possible four alicorns, it would be a difficult battle. She had the vast majority of the Changeling's power at her disposal now, however. As to how well matched she would do against Celestia, Luna, Eclipse, and Twilight... She wasn't entirely sure.

She would survive the battle, however, she knew that. She continued walking. They didn't have the competence to end her, and they would regret that, if they did manage to beat her, which was unlikely.

Of course, attacking the princesses in broad daylight would incite panic, which would lead to fear, which would result in misery. She grimaced. "It will all be over soon..." she spoke aloud, drawing the curious attention of several nearby ponies. She payed them no mind and continued on, leaving several confused ponies to wonder what she meant by that.

She soon found herself smiling, fantasizing about all the ways she could bring the princesses close to death, but leave them alive to see her work... Alicorn's had more strength and endurance than earth ponies, very rapid regeneration, and lots of magic, leaving her with many options to explore.

She paused once again, 'That's not right... They would be in pain...' She frowned at the stray thought, then shoved it aside, 'She did this to me... She will suffer for this again...'

"I didn't know this place had hayburgers." Rainbow commented as she stared at the beautiful culinary treat before her.

"One of the perks growing up in Canterlot." Eclipse mused. "I'll have to tell you... Actually I'll let Twilight tell you about it sometime. I'll just share stories of what hasn't happened yet."

"Like wgah?" Rainbow asked with a mouth full of hayburger. Both Twilight and Eclipse chose to ignore Rainbow's lack of decency, remembering their own habits...

"Well, I'm sure I have plenty of embarrassing stories to share..." Eclipse chirped.

Rainbow swallowed, "I take it the side effects are over now?"

Eclipse nodded, "They seem to be... Mostly."

"How did you hold up last night anyway, with those spells affecting your mind?" Twilight asked. Eclipse grimaced and glanced at Rainbow, who was looking at her.

"Not... Well..." Eclipse replied cryptically. "And that... Brings us here. I uh... Destroyed something important last night." Eclipse paused, upon seeing Twilight's horrified expression, she amended, "Something important to my goals, that is. I don't think I'll be able to fix everything now... I'll still try but..."

"But...?" Twilight inquired.

Eclipse sighed, "We have more pressing matters."

"Nightfall." Rainbow stated. Eclipse nodded.

"She has the Elements." Twilight added.

"I'm sorry... I... I thought we could defeat her together... Celestia and Luna did it once..." Eclipse's ears fell, she sighed. "Least we're all still alive..."

"You couldn't have known..." Twilight attempted to comfort her.

"I should have." Eclipse spoke dejectedly. "I thought that maybe the Elements would help us des... Defeat her, right then, right there... I was wrong."

"We'll figure something out." Rainbow reaffirmed.

"We have to." Eclipse stated. "If we defeat Nightfall, and reclaim the Elements, I will have decades to work on the problem I came back to fix..." She levitated the hayburger in her magic, and took a bite. She chewed it in silence, then swallowed.

"What did you come back to prevent, specifically? You've always dodged that question..." Twilight shook her head.

"I will deal with it, Twilight..." Eclipse looked at her hooves. "I... Just need to figure out how."

Princess Celestia heard the door opening, and sighed, "I said I did not want to be disturbed." she shook her head, and returned her focus to the document she was preparing. A gift, for Twilight.

"Princess Celestia."

A lump formed in her throat, she would recognize that voice anywhere, no matter how twisted and wrong it was. She looked at the document one last time, then teleported it away, along with the quill she was using. "Nightfall." she acknowledged as she stood up, continuing to keep her back to the corrupted alicorn.

"You know, it's kind of funny. It's been over a thousand years since I last saw you... Yet you have never seen me."

"If you came here to ask for forgiveness, Twilight-"

Nightfall snorted, "Forgiveness? Please. I have better things to do than beg for mercy from you..." Nightfall paused, "You know... You could have averted this several times by now... But... You just... Kept making so many... Mistakes..." Nightfall shook her head.

Princess Celestia cautiously turned around, and looked at Nightfall, she clenched her jaw. Standing before her was a twisted mockery of Twilight Sparkle, an alicorn corrupted more by hatred than dark magic. Nightfall's coat was a dark shade of purple, a shade lighter than the night sky, her wings were clearly alicorn wings, lacking the corruption Nightmare Moon had, yet her eyes... They were the same predatory slit eyes that Nightmare Moon had. Her made was almost black, with dark purple and violet highlights.

Looking at Twilight Sparkle in such a state... Was painful. Their eyes met, in that instance, no words were said. Complete silence filled the air, not a word was passed between them.

No words were needed. The pain Nightfall had felt was clearly evident, not even masked by the hatred she held. Princess Celestia could practically feel her pain.

"I am sorry, Twilight." Celestia softly stated.

Nightfall shook her head, "Sorry doesn't fix anything. It changes nothing of what happened." Nightfall lit her horn with magic, an action Celestia followed a half second later.

"You don't have to do this, Twilight." Celestia softly pleaded.

"No, I don't." Nightfall stated matter-of-factly. Celestia clenched her jaw. "But when you have lost everything, when it is taken from you... You have nothing left to lose."

Celestia steeled herself for the imminent attack from Nightfall, but it never came.

"Fighting in here will result in collateral damage." Nightfall smirked, "You don't want that, do you?"

Celestia grit her teeth. It was obviously a trap, Nightfall wanted to draw her out of the relative safety of the castle. She did have a point, however.

A large explosion shook the building, Eclipse's smile immediately vanished, to be replaced by concern. A quick glance out the window revealed two ponies fighting each other in the sky. Purple and yellow magic met, the purple magic easily overpowered the yellow magic, there was a faint flash of light, and the source of the yellow magic had changed positions.

"Nightfall..." Eclipse grimaced. She looked at Twilight, and then at Rainbow, both of whom were fixated on the battle happening in the skies over Canterlot.

"She's fighting Princess Celestia..." Twilight spoke with fear.

"...And winning." Rainbow said softly.

Eclipse's eyes shot back and forth rapidly, within the span of a second, she formulated a plan, and analyzed what little she knew of the situation. "We need-"

"Princess Luna!" Twilight shouted, pointing a hoof at the sudden appearance of another alicorn in the sky. Eclipse watched as Luna joined the battle, aiding Celestia. They were still being overwhelmed.

"Twilight." Eclipse spoke firmly, immediately drawing both Twilight's and Rainbow's attention, "We need to go help them."

Twilight took a second to process it, "R-right. Let's go."

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Rainbow shouted as she jumped into the air, rushing towards the door.

"No, Rainbow. Stay here." Eclipse commanded, grabbing her tail with her magic, causing the pegasus to stall.

Rainbow turned towards Eclipse, "What do you mean stay here!? They need all the help they can get!"

Eclipse shook her head, "They do. But... I don't want you to get hurt..." she replied softly.

"I'll be careful. Come on, we need to go!" Rainbow fought against Eclipse's grip, but she held tight.

"Eclipse... We need to go, Rainbow could help us."

Eclipse shook her head, "This is an alicorn's fight, Rainbow cannot help."

"I could distract her!" Rainbow shouted in frustration.

"I see there's no use in arguing with you..." Eclipse released Rainbow's tail from her magic.

"Thank y-" Rainbow's reply was cut off as Eclipse hit her with a spell, knocking her unconscious.

"Eclipse!" Twilight shouted as she rushed over to Rainbow. "What did you do?"

"She is unconscious, but otherwise unharmed." Eclipse replied quickly. "We need to go."

"We can't just leave her here... Why did you do that!?" Twilight glared at Eclipse, who shook her head.

"She will be fine. If she were to come with us, Nightfall might..." Eclipse steeled her resolve, "I'm not letting her kill my friends." Eclipse lit her horn with magic once more, "I am going to help Celestia and Luna, with or without you." Eclipse cast her teleportation spell, and disappeared in a flash of light. Twilight bit her lip, and looked between Rainbow and the battle going on outside.

Eclipse reappeared in a flash of light high in the air above Canterlot, she immediately spread her wings, and flapped them to retain her altitude. She first looked up, scanning the sky above her to make sure she had teleported above the fight, then she moved to check the horizon, then she looked down. She had appeared a few hundred feet above the battle, Celestia and Luna were combining their magic in an attempt to push back an attack from Nightfall, to no avail.

Eclipse had never been a fighter, it was because of what she had been through that she happened to learn battle magic.

Eclipse had never been the most skilled flier, having been born a unicorn, only later ascended to alicorn status.

Eclipse wasn't as powerful as Nightfall, or Luna, having failed too many times...

Eclipse had never been the most physically fit, having been a bookworm.

Eclipse inhaled, and exhaled, lighting her horn with magic. She closed her eyes.

Nightfall's magic was strong, far stronger than it was when she faced her last night... 'How could she have recovered so quickly!?' Luna thought in a panic as Nightfall's beam finally surged forwards, overwhelming the effort her sister and herself were putting forth. Luna had to teleport out of the way as Nightfall's beam of purple magic shot forth towards them.

Reappearing to the right of Nightfall, Luna did a quick glance around to find her sister, who had appeared opposite of her. Celestia nodded at Luna, who narrowed her eyes, understanding what her sister wanted. Nightfall continued to face where they previously occupied, preventing her from attacking either of them, and since you could only channel beams of magic in the direction you were facing...

Both Luna and Celestia lowered their horns at the same time, pointing at Nightfall. They charged their horns with magic, and released it in a steady stream, continuously pouring more magic into their beams. Where the two beams should have met, however, a sickly, dark purple barrier formed. They held the attack for several seconds, before breaking off.

The barrier held firm, despite their combined efforts. Luna grimaced. There was a flash of light, and Nightfall had disappeared. Luna immediately raised a barrier on instinct. The barrier barely formed before Nightfall sent out a shock wave at nearly point blank range, the force of the blast was absorbed by the barrier, but it still threw her the opposite direction.

While Luna attempted to bleed the speed from the sudden acceleration, Celestia teleported directly above Nightfall, and tucked in her wings. As she started to fall, she angled herself downwards, pointing horn first at Nightfall. Celestia's downwards velocity was added to the velocity of the beam of magic she shot forth. With a powerful flap of her wing, Nightfall rolled out of the way, avoiding the beam of magic. Celestia soon found herself falling past the point where Nightfall previously occupied, and flared her wings to reduce her speed.

An action that nearly costed her dearly, as a beam of dark purple magic shot passed one of her wings, missing by inches. She rolled over, so that her back was facing the ground, and pointed her horn at Nightfall, then sent a stun bolt flying towards her, all in the span of a single second. Nightfall flapped her right wing harder, sending her to the left, right into Luna's flight path.

The pair collided, Nightfall was momentarily dazed by the collision, but recovered before Luna could push her away. Nightfall pointed her horn at Luna's wing, and released a blast of kinetic energy at point blank range. The kinetic energy created a shock wave, which rippled through the air, creating turbulence, along with throwing Luna back awkwardly, her wing having caught the brunt of the force. Celestia flew towards Nightfall, sending spell after spell at her, forcing the corrupted alicorn to turn her attention away from her sister.

Luna watched a purple blur, falling at incredible speeds zoom passed a couple dozen feet away, she furrowed her brow in confusion. She locked her eyes on the object, attempting to figure out what it was. It took her a second to realize it was Eclipse falling through the air. Luna was about to attempt to save her from becoming a splatter on the ground when a flash of light indicated she had teleported. Luna's heart skipped a beat, 'Teleporting at those speeds could prove lethal! What are you doing Eclipse!'

Another purple flash of light drew her attention back to Nightfall, who was sent careening as a massive shock wave exploded outwards from the location where Eclipse had appeared, and was now hovering. Luna barely had time to cast a barrier around herself before the shock wave hit, staggering her. For a few seconds after the wave hit, her ears were ringing, and that was the only sound she could hear, even as Eclipse flew towards her, and moved her mouth, attempting to speak to her.

"Luna!" Eclipse shouted, the ringing in her ears stopped. Luna blinked rapidly several times.

"Eclipse?" Luna asked, dismayed at the aftereffects of being hit by that shock wave.

"I figured you could use some help." Eclipse smiled weakly.

Luna shook her head, "I do not know how much help it will be. Despite our best efforts, she continues to weaken us."

"Luna, Eclipse!" Celestia shouted from a distance, both of them turned towards Celestia, catching sight of a rapidly approaching beam of magic.

Both Eclipse and Luna teleported, reappearing to the left and right of Celestia, respectively. "We need a plan." Eclipse stated as the trio hovered, watching as Nightfall casually flew towards them.

"We need to keep her away from Canterlot, there would be too much collateral damage." Celestia stated, wearily eyeing the damage that had been done to the city thus far. A few buildings had been damaged, and there were a few fires, if the smoke was an accurate indication.

There was a flash of purple light, and Twilight appeared a few dozen feet below the group, she immediately looked around, getting an idea of the situation. Her eyes fell on Nightfall, who watched her like a hawk. She cautiously flew towards Eclipse, not once taking her eyes off of Nightfall. "Princesses..." she greeted wearily, aware that Nightfall could strike any second.

"Twilight... This is too dangerous, you shouldn't-"

Eclipse cut her off, "Celestia, we need her help." Twilight looked between Eclipse and Celestia, the latter of which reluctantly nodded.

Celestia grimaced, "Be careful, Twilight."

Twilight nodded solemnly, "I wi-"

"SCATTER!" Luna shouted suddenly, her command was instantly obeyed by everypony present, all of whom teleported off in varying directions to avoid Nightfall's beam of magic.

Eclipse reappeared twenty feet away from Nightfall, heart racing. She watched the beam as it raced passed her previous location, the danger of being hit by one of Nightfall's beams was not lost on her. She glanced around rapidly, performing a mental check, making sure everypony was accounted for. As she did this, Celestia and Luna began attacking Nightfall with channeled beams of their own magic.

Eclipse frowned at the sight, her analysis of Nightfall's combat technique, and how she reacted... 'It's wrong...'

Twilight intercepted a pulse of magic Nightfall had launched towards Eclipse with a beam of her own magic, 'Eclipse, what are you doing!?' she thought, watching as Eclipse just hovered in mid air, watching. 'Right... Look for an opening...' She watched as Celestia sent another beam of magic towards Nightfall, followed seconds later by a beam from Luna. The beams impacted Nightfall's barrier, doing nothing. 'That barrier is remarkable... How can it withstand so much-' "AH!" Twilight shouted as she jumped higher into the air, avoiding a pulse of magic sent towards her.

Celestia panted, she felt sweat rolling down her forehead. The exertion of the battle was starting to catch up to her, she wearily glanced towards Luna, who was barely matching Nightfall's beam with a beam of her own. Celestia beat her wings harder, and swooped towards Nightfall, forcing her to break off her attack on Luna to defend herself. Nightfall's horn glowed brighter, and a ball of light began forming in the air a few inches away from her horn. The ball of light grew in size, giving her enough pause to slow down her approach.

Nightfall threw back her head, and the ball of light erupted, sending a wave of force in all directions, and creating a partial vacuum in the immediate area surrounding Nightfall. The spell had a twofold effect, the pressure wave expanding rapidly outwards threw Princess Celestia violently away, and created an area of low pressure, resulting in a rapid influx of air as it was displaced, creating turbulence.

Eclipse raised a barrier around herself to block out the force from impacting her body, but she was still affected by the turbulence, breaking her train of thought, and forcing her back into the battle. In the wake of Nightfall's attack, she teleported above her, head facing the ground, and released a spell. Nightfall grunted as the spell hit it's mark. The wing the spell hit had become partially numbed. Nightfall immediately turned towards the source of the spell, Eclipse, and retaliated with a beam of magic at point blank range.

Eclipse didn't have time to react, the spell hit her, and threw her further into the air. She blacked out from the sudden shock, her body limply flew through the air, tossing and turning with no control.

Twilight swallowed her growing fear as Eclipse was thrown away like a piece of trash. She was torn between trying to help Eclipse, or helping Celestia, who was Nightfall's new target. Celestia's golden barrier was showing signs of stress under Nightfall's continuous point blank assault, but Eclipse had yet to recover. She glanced at Princess Luna, who nodded at her and flew towards Nightfall. Twilight channeled more magic into her horn to teleport, but her horn sparked uselessly. Twilight very quickly found her heart and mind racing, having overextended her magic, which hadn't had sufficient time to recover from her accident last night...

Luna flapped her wings harder, accelerating towards her sister and Nightfall. She pushed herself harder, despite her growing magic fatigue. 'I should conserve my magic.' she noted as she neared Nightfall. She pushed her wings harder, propelling herself faster, turning her own body into a weapon with which to strike at Nightfall. Princess Luna impacted Nightfall hard, the latter quickly righted herself, and retaliated with a blast of force, stalling Luna's forward momentum.

Eclipse opened an eye, and then immediately closed it. She slowly opened both her eyes, and looked around. She was vaguely aware of the air rushing passed her, and the feeling of falling. She looked up, and frowned, 'Why does the sky look like the... Oh.' Eclipse gathered her magic in her horn, and began converting her momentum into stored energy, then she looked for Nightfall. She hovered in place for a few seconds, then did a quick calculation, and teleported.

Nightfall paused to catch her breath, and get a better idea of where everypony was, and what was happening, the lull in immediate danger served as a perfect opportunity. Her wing was still tingling from the spell Eclipse hit her with, she momentarily glanced at her sluggish wing and grimaced. 'They're not worn out enough... Not yet...' She glanced down at Canterlot, getting her bearings. She heard a popping sound from above her, and immediately raised a barrier just in time to block a wave of kinetic energy from Eclipse. She glanced upwards at the alicorn, and snorted in frustration.

Eclipse's momentarily distraction provided a window of opportunity for Luna to fly underneath Nightfall, and strike from below. Nightfall flapped her wings hard, dodging to the right as a beam of magic shot downwards from Eclipse. Luna's eyes widened as the beam of magic narrowly missed her, Eclipse winced at her stern glare.

Celestia quickly looked around, it was obvious the fight was taking it's toll, Eclipse seemed to be doing the best of them however. 'Twilight...' she looked towards Twilight, who's horn was no longer surrounded by a magic aura, she grimaced. 'She pushed herself too far...' She should have known better than to let Twilight get involved with this...

"Sister..." Luna's voice caused Celestia to jump slightly.

"Luna... How are you holding up?" Celestia asked in a tired voice.

Luna shook her head, "Not well..." She glanced at Twilight, who was now approaching them, "It seems Twilight has overexerted herself."

Celestia nodded, "I feared as much..."

Eclipse appeared beside Luna, "This isn't working."

"You cannot stop me." Nightfall stated from a distance away, yet her voice easily carried through the air, reaching the group. Everypony looked at her wearily. "You only delay the inevitable end... If you give up now, I will be merciful, Celestia." Nightfall spat her name with hatred. Celestia and Twilight both winced.

"Nightfall, you are outnumbered. It would be in your best interests to surrender at once!" Luna spoke firmly.

"Yes, I suppose I am outnumbered... Your group of friends are still no match for my power..." Nightfall seemed to smile, "But, that is a double edged sword..." Nightfall lowered her horn, and sent a beam of magic at the group. Since everypony was watching her, they all reacted, immediately teleporting away, save for Twilight...

Twilight's heart raced as she ducked underneath the beam, and watched it fly passed her. 'I shouldn't be here.' Twilight turned her head back towards the location Nightfall had previously occupied. She quickly spun around, frantically searching for Nightfall's whereabouts. Nightfall had taken it upon herself to engage Princess Celestia, they had locked into combat, beam meeting beam. Twilight felt her blood run cold as Nightfall's beam steadily encroached upon Princess Celestia's position. Both Princess Luna and Eclipse saw this, and both quickly moved to assist the besieged princess.

Princess Celestia redirected her magic away from attempting to hold back Nightfall's beam into forming a barrier around herself. With no resistance, Nightfall's beam surged forwards, and impacted her barrier, cracking it. The force of the impact knocked her back, but she quickly righted herself, and fought against the beam, which was ever so slowly starting to erode her barrier.

Nightfall turned her head towards Princess Luna just in time to raise a barrier to block out Luna's magic pulse. The distraction gave Princess Celestia time to recover from her attack, and retaliate with a barrage of pulses. Each pulse slammed into Nightfall's barrier, causing a faint shimmer radiating outwards through the barrier as the energy was dissipated, but otherwise having no effect.

Eclipse saw an opportunity, with Nightfall preoccupied maintaining her barrier against both Celestia's and Luna's assault, she couldn't retaliate. She performed a quick teleportation, reappearing equidistant between Luna and Celestia, some distance away from Nightfall. She quickly swung her head down, bringing her horn to bear against Nightfall, and released a steady stream of magic. The stream lurched forth, and impacted Nightfall's barrier, creating a steady drain on both of their magic reserves.

As more and more magic was pumped into Nightfall's barrier, it seemed to become brighter and brighter. It was shrinking under the sustained bombardment, the strain of maintaining it perhaps too much for the fallen alicorn. Eclipse continued to analyze Nightfall, even as she poured more of her power into the attack. Soon, Nightfall's barrier left her with no room to flap her wings, and she brought them forwards, protecting her neck and face.

The barrier exploded outwards as Nightfall threw her wings back out, sending a massive wave of energy out in a sphere, rapidly expanding. Eclipse immediately raised a barrier of her own, and braced herself for the impact. The force of the wave washing over the barrier popped it like a bubble, and sent her careening towards the ground. The other three fared no better, Twilight faring the worst, being unable to raise a barrier anywhere near being able to protect from the shock wave.

Princess Luna, who was closest to Nightfall, went limp from the blast wave. Her wings and body flailed through the air. Princess Celestia quickly righted herself once she caught sight of her sister, and teleported to her aid, catching her with her magic. Celestia scanned the sky, watching as her daughter and Eclipse were thrown to the ground, landing a vast distance apart in Canterlot. She slowly turned her head towards Nightfall, who was slowly approaching her.

Eclipse grunted in pain as she rose to her hooves, the force of the impact dampened by several spells she had cast in the last few seconds before impact. Sadly, one of those spells did not include replacing the table she landed on with a mattress. She could feel the sting of splinters as she cautiously flexed her wings and legs. She eyed the ponies surrounding her wearily, having landed in the middle of a cafe. She slowly shook her head, ruffled her wings, and scanned the horizon.

'Twilight could be hurt worse than I am...' she grimaced. She took a step forwards, wincing as splinters cut into her more. Fortunately, the wounds would heal quickly once the battle was over. She quickly debated helping Twilight, or helping the princesses.

Her choice was made for her as Princess Celestia and a still unconscious Princess Luna appeared in a flash of light down the street. The pair's exhaustion showed, Celestia slumped to her knees, and panted heavily. Luna's breathing was labored, and she remained unconscious. the sight brought back several bitter memories... Eclipse shut her eyes, refusing to let what happened weaken her. 'What happened, happened. I can't change that... But I can make a difference now.' She opened her eyes, and steeled her resolve.

She lit her horn with dark magic, and cast her spell. She felt sick to her stomach as the dark magic washed over her body. She briefly collapsed to her knees, panting heavily. She inhaled deeply, and rose to her full height, determination plastered on her face, and fire in her eyes. She took in the newly provided magic, and teleported over to Celestia and Luna.

"Eclipse..." Celestia panted, eyeing her wearily.

A crowd had started to gather around the trio, confused and starting to panic at the sight of Princess Luna, lying unconscious and breathing heavy. Both alicorns still conscious looked around, Eclipse looked Celestia in the eye, she nodded.

Eclipse ran over to Luna's side, switching places with Celestia, who ran over to the crowd. Eclipse closed her eyes, lit her horn with magic, and touched her horn to Luna's. Magic surged forwards from her horn, and Luna jumped awake. Her head nearly smacking Eclipse's head. "Luna, you still with us?"

Eclipse stepped back as Luna slowly rose to her hooves, "I... Am..." Luna slowly answered. She looked around at the crowd around them, realizing the danger they were in. She frowned, "CITIZENS OF CANTERLOT, IT IS UNSAFE HERE!" she shouted in the Royal Canterlot voice.

Everypony present immediately broke into a panic, running away. Celestia turned towards Luna with an unamused expression. "It was quicker this way." Luna answered.

A flash of light drew their attention to the arrival of Nightfall. The alicorn had her wings spread wide, and was smiling, showing her sharp teeth. "You cannot evade me." she stated.

The other three alicorns exchanged glances. They slowly walked into a small v formation, Eclipse at the head, flanked by Celestia and Luna. Eclipse stepped forwards, and turned towards Celestia and Luna. She mouthed 'Run,' the two alicorns exchanged a glance, and shook their heads.

"We will not leave you, Eclipse." they stated in perfect unison.

Eclipse grimaced, but nodded. She slowly turned her head back towards Nightfall, who had not moved an inch since her arrival. Eclipse's heart skipped a beat when she saw the unicorn standing to Nightfall's left, however. "Starlight Glimmer..." she whispered. Celestia grimaced, Luna merely snorted.

Eclipse bolted forwards, dropping her head downwards as she did so. Luna and Celestia jumped into the air, an action mimicked by Nightfall. Eclipse charged her horn, and sent a pulse of magic at Starlight, who raised a barrier to block it. The barrier held, showing no signs of strain. Eclipse gritted her teeth.

A flash from her left made her turn her head, Nightfall lowered her horn and released a blast of kinetic energy at her, throwing Eclipse into the adjacent building. She impacted the wall hard, and was thrown through the window, leaving her with several cuts and gashes of varying size, length, and depth.

Celestia grunted in effort, matching Nightfall's beam with her own, using the last of her magic. Her magic lasted a few more seconds before failing, forcing her to roll out of the way as the beam was sent flying towards her. Eclipse shot out of the building she had been thrown in to, and tackled Nightfall. The two broke out into a hoof fight, both attempting to bring their horns to bear against the other, but neither succeeding.

Luna kept her eyes locked on the unicorn before her, matching her step for step. Both of them circled each other, walking in opposite directions in a circle, sizing each other up. She was surprised at the determination this unicorn showed, few unicorns could match power with an alicorn for even the briefest periods of time. Granted, she was not as powerful as Twilight Sparkle had been as a unicorn, but she had displayed superior military powers and tactics.

Starlight pulled a feint, and then attacked where Luna moved to defend from her fake attack. Luna met Starlight's beam with her own, and slowly pushed her beam back. Starlight grunted in effort, unable to match Luna's strength, even in her weakened state. Luna would have won their tug of war, but Nightfall complicated things by hitting Luna with a blast of magic which caused her to fall over and roll on the ground. She attempted to stand up, but Nightfall struck her again, pushing her back down. Luna glared at Nightfall, and attempted to rise to her hooves once more, Nightfall didn't let her this time either, hitting her with another blast of magic. On the bright side, Nightfall was starting to breath heavily now.

Eclipse slammed into Nightfall, horn almost lodging itself in her neck, throwing her aside. Celestia rushed over to Luna, and helped her up. Luna nodded her thanks, Celestia's lip twitched into a slight smile.

"Aww, the two sisters helping one another out... How cute." Starlight mocked, forcing both their attentions back towards the unicorn.

The two sisters exchanged a glance and grimaced.

Eclipse was thrown to the ground beside Luna, breathing heavily. Her horn sputtered and sparked, unable to produce a constant glow. She slowly stood from the ground, watching as Nightfall landed beside Starlight Glimmer. "You-" Eclipse coughed, "You don't have to do this, Nightfall. You can still stop-"

Nightfall smiled, "Do you not see the futility?" Nightfall shook her head, 'I can save the monologue for later. Besides... I can't tip her off just yet...'

"Twilight, please... Stop this and return to us!" Celestia pleaded. Starlight briefly glanced towards Nightfall, and hid a smirk.

Nightfall shook her head, "No." She turned towards Starlight, and nodded. Starlight pointed her horn towards Princess Luna, and prepared her spell.

Eclipse jumped in front of Luna, "No. I will NOT let you do this."

Nightfall smirked at Eclipse, and picked her up with her magic, and threw her aside. "Killing you now would be pointless. You will live to see..." she trailed off. Nightfall grabbed Celestia and Luna in her magic, holding them as Starlight cast her spell...

Nightfall, Starlight Glimmer, and two alicorns without cutie marks appeared in the Castle of the Two Sisters in the Everfree Forest. The pair of cutie marks Starlight had stolen were now orbiting around her horn, held in her magic.

Starlight had wanted to take Eclipse's cutie mark, but Nightfall rather forcefully told her not to.

Nightfall dragged both alicorns on the ground, pulling them to the Throne Room, followed by Starlight Glimmer. She threw open the Throne Room doors with her magic, and approached the pair of thrones, dragging the princesses across the cold, hard stone floor. Bits of rock found themselves matted into their coats, manes, and tails.

Nightfall forcefully threw them onto the thrones, hard enough to crack the rock further.

Starlight Glimmer turned her attention to the two cutie marks she held within her magic, thankful she wasn't on the receiving end of Nightfall's wrath. She smiled, and lowered the sun cutie mark to just in front of her muzzle, staring at it in awe. 'So much power...'

Luna and Celestia weakly lifted their heads to face their captor, they looked dull and lifeless, something not aided by the fact their manes now longer flowed. They looked into Nightfall's eyes, but said nothing, still somehow holding onto their resolve.

Starlight slowly moved towards the wall to the left of Nightfall.

Nightfall snorted, and turned towards Luna. "Luna, the fallen princess... You tried to bring about eternal night... Out of jealousy, no less. You were NEVER fit to rule." She turned towards Celestia, "And YOU..." She violently shook her head, "YOU did this to me. YOU got what you deserved before... Doing it a second time would be all the sweeter... But instead, You will bear witness to the fruits of your own sowing..." She leaned in and whispered, "The end of everything you ever held dear, the destruction of your sun, and the nation you raised for thousands of years..."

Celestia swallowed, her mask was faltering. Nightfall pulled back, "Starlight, give me their cutie marks, and then we shall spread equality across the world..." Nightfall smiled, showing her teeth at both princesses.

A beam of magic impacted Nightfall, the magic arced outwards through her body from the point of impact, injuring her further, and throwing her into the wall. "Yeah... About that, I don't think so. I know all about your plan, Nightfall..." Starlight approached with her horn lit. Nightfall, briefly dazed from both impacts, was slow to realize the betrayal. It was the feeling of her coat becoming damp that broke her stupor.

Nightfall turned towards the unicorn, and lit her own horn in preparation to retaliate. Her retaliatory strike was intercepted by Starlight, who easily destroyed the pulse of magic. She clenched her jaw tightly, and gazed at the unicorn, glancing over her body, searching for the source of her sudden strength. Due to how Starlight was facing her, she was unable to see her flank, however, the aura around her horn was infused with yellow and blue. It was brighter than normal too, confirming her suspicions.

"You cannot comprehend the forces you play with, unicorn..." Nightfall warned.

"Oh save the dramatics, Twilight." She stepped forwards, "How about I just kill you now? You're far too dangerous to keep alive."

Nightfall smiled and chuckled, "Finally somepony who understands that..." She shook her head, "However you are FAR too incompetent to kill me, unicorn." Nightfall's remark was punctuated by a flash of light signaling her teleportation.

Starlight quickly spun around, expecting the corrupt alicorn to strike her back. Nothing. She looked around the room, the only ponies present were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. She smiled.

Starlight sauntered towards the pair of alicorns, smiling mischievously, "So... About moving the sun and moon..." The two alicorns looked at each other, and grimaced.

Author's Notes:

Woo, it's over 9000! Please don't hate me.

Alright this is a rather big Author's Notes, at least for me.

To start with, originally this chapter had Eclipse and Rainbow waking up in the same bed. Obviously I changed that, I still have that chapter in this, but I don't plan on publishing it. Perhaps I could include that or something similar in a later chapter.

Alright so, I was split about stopping here, or continuing on, making this longer. Next chapter coming out on Sunday, unless something interferes. Don't worry, this story's not over yet! From what I'm thinking, this could stretch on for a while longer with my current ideas.

My original idea for this story basically involved ending it at this point, with an epic showdown in Ponyville between Twilight, Eclipse, and Nightfall. Twilight and her friends were going to wield the Elements of Harmony, but Nightfall was going to attack Twilight, thus forcing Eclipse to wield them. Eclipse would have succeeded, and then it would have ended with This is still a spoiler for what happens, so I'm not sharing it... Yet. Perhaps you already know what will happen though?

Anyone know anything about groups? I don't know what to do in regards to them, and I'm the type of person who...

Alright, I may take a break after next chapter is out, need time to think about how the next arc's going to go, but then again, I might not.

As usual, comment below.

Harbinger

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Something was obviously wrong. Of course, Eclipse could have told anypony who asked that anyway. The sun and moon went insane earlier, and night had came a few hours early. A mistake Nightfall would not have made, which raised the question, 'What is happening...'

Eclipse could only divert some of her attention to that question however, the rest of her attention was on the group of guards bowing to her.

The captain had called her "Princess Eclipse."

Celestia was going to get a piece of her mind when... If... She ever saw her again.

"Uh... Right..." Eclipse turned towards Twilight, who stood beside her. Eclipse felt a tinge of jealousy, her younger self fared better than she had when falling, somehow. She glanced towards the guards, who had risen at her acknowledgement, then back to Twilight. "Shouldn't you be taking care of this!?" she whispered.

"You heard what he said, Princess Celestia left you in charge!" Twilight retorted.

"I shouldn't be the one leading them... You don't know what I did!" She nervously glanced back to the guards and smiled.

"Celestia trusts you with this, I trust you with this. Besides, you have more experience than I do." Twilight replied.

Eclipse muttered something inaudible under her breath, then turned back to the guards. "Duly noted. Dismissed." The guards bowed again, and started marching off. Once the guards had left the Throne Room, and shut the doors, Eclipse turned to Twilight.

Twilight smiled sheepishly. Eclipse absently shook her head. "Well, you're the acting princess now. What're we going to do?"

Eclipse laughed awkwardly, "Aside from panic until Nightfall kills us all?" Twilight glared at her. "Right... Sorry. I don't understand why we're not dead yet."

"Maybe you should be a little more optimistic?" Twilight encouraged.

"You don't get it... No, never mind. It's -the middle of the night-, Nightfall should have acted already. Something's wrong."

"If you want, we could try contacting Cadance and our brother."

Eclipse shook her head, "No, it's too dangerous for them, they're go-" Eclipse shut her mouth.

After a few seconds, it became apparent she wasn't going to continue, "Okay... Then..." Twilight replied at length.

Eclipse looked towards the pair of thrones, "I'm not sitting on her throne." Eclipse stated flatly.

"I didn't expect you to." Twilight stated softly.

"I'm exhausted... That battle took a lot out of me, and then... This... I'm going to go crazy," she paused, then deadpanned, "again."

"Hey, at least you can joke about it, right?" Twilight asked with a bright smile.

Eclipse smiled lightly, "Yeah, I guess..." Eclipse turned back towards Twilight, "How are you holding up? I know the girls already asked you a thousand times, but..." Eclipse grimaced.

"I'm... I'm okay. It could be a while for my magic to recover-" Twilight lit her horn, producing a light purple aura, "but at least I can levitate things."

Eclipse nodded, "Do you want me to give you some of my magic?"

Twilight's smile faded, "Eclipse... You can't keep using that spell, it will kill you."

Eclipse looked passed Twilight, 'Fitting.' she mused. "I suppose you're right... If we had the Elements you could draw power from them."

"You need to stop blaming yourself about that." Twilight replied with firmness.

"Think Rainbow's still mad at me?" Eclipse asked, changing the subject.

"I... Don't think she ever was mad at you, just... Annoyed..." Twilight replied slowly.

"Hmm... Maybe..." She shook her head, "Well, at least we're all still alive, I can still fix everything."

Twilight swallowed, "You really... You really outlived all of them?"

Eclipse clenched her jaw, "Treasure them while we're still here, lest I-we, should fail." she stated softly. Twilight nodded solemnly as she thought about it.

"How... Do you know things will turn out the same way here?" Twilight asked.

Eclipse sighed softly, "In all honesty, I don't know for a fact it would have... Ended badly in this reality... But I'm not going to let what happen, happen again." Twilight frowned. "I'm going to go talk to Rainbow... In case Nightfall was just waiting for a certain moment, you may want to go talk to anypony you want to for one last time..." Eclipse started walking towards the door.

Twilight bit her lip, "Is... Is it alright if I come with you? Or do you want to be... Alone?"

Eclipse paused, and turned her head towards Twilight, "You may come along if you wish." Twilight smiled and rushed over beside Eclipse.

Nightfall laid against the crystal wall of the Castle of Friendship, silently cursing Starlight Glimmer, as she had for the past several hours. Her strength was finally starting to return, but the long distance teleport she had in mind would leave her magic very drained, despite having rested for most previous hour. She slowly pulled herself up from the floor, wincing as she did so. The pain emanating from her body, located just below her rib cage, was a result of Starlight's violent use of the spell.

Starlight had not intended to deliver a killing blow immediately. 'Incompetent foal.' she thought with a snarl, 'You will die for this.' She stepped forwards, wincing lightly as she moved her back right leg. 'Slowly.' she added. She slowly, and painfully, made her way over to the Cutie Map.

She sighed, then grimaced. Trusting Starlight was a mistake, she should have known that and looked for another way. 'Now she is a threat to us all.' Starlight was a unicorn with a talent for magic, well versed in battle, and now had two alicorn's cutie marks aiding her.

Nightfall did not have the strength to kill her on her own.

She hated that, it made her feel sick to her stomach.

She turned her head to look at her injury, she had exerted herself trying to repair the damage Starlight had done, to limited success. The blood was still there, having not taken time to clean it, but it was dry.

She needed assistance, help.

She needed friends.

She grit her teeth as she thought it. She huffed with disdain, and looked back at the Cutie Map, and turned to Canterlot. She lit her horn, preparing to cast her teleportation spell, but paused. Instead, she withdrew the Elements of Harmony, and glared at them, the Element of Magic in particular. "You had something to do with this, didn't you?"

Silence greeted her question.

"You think you can stop me this way? You're wrong." she stated firmly. She glared at the gem for several seconds before putting them back in her pocket dimension, welcoming their absence.

She redirected her magic into a long distance teleportation, and cast the spell, focusing on Canterlot. The Canterlot Castle, to be specific. She disappeared in a flash of magic, the light reflected off the crystal walls and briefly illuminated the entire room, then dissipated.

She reappeared with a flash of light, somewhere in the general vicinity of where she believed Eclipse's room to be. As the light died down, and she became aware of her surroundings, she felt air rushing passed her. On instinct, she flared out her wings, ignoring the pain from her side, and caught herself. She hovered in place, looking around as she gathered her bearings. She frowned at the wall she faced, noting it was an exterior wall. A quick glance downwards revealed a balcony a few feet below her. She frowned more deeply, 'My aim is off.' she noted.

She slowly lowered herself, then touched down lightly, doing her best to avoid further agitation of her injury. "No guards are yelling at me to stop, and no guards guarding the door. This security is pitiful." she mumbled to herself. She began walking towards the door, wincing with each step, and doing her best to both hide and ignore it.

She narrowed her eyes as she approached the door, noting a crack along it's edge. She lifted a hoof and gently pushed on the door, which swung open at her touch. '...She can't be that incompetent.' Nightfall clenched her jaw. She quickly peeked her head inside, despite not having her horn lit, she was prepared to charge it at a moment's notice, to defend herself. She was greeted with darkness, Eclipse was obviously asleep.

Her head swept across the room, then settled on the bed. She frowned, whoever was in bed looked too small to be her double. 'Twilight.' she thought. The thought brought a momentary pang of guilt, and of sadness. She forced the pain away, and stepped closer to the bed.

The light from the moon didn't quite reach the pony laying on the bed, but it did provide enough illumination so that as she approached, she could tell it wasn't her younger self.

She frowned, and stepped closer, cautiously. Her eyes widened, 'That... Mane...' she felt her heart skip a beat, "Rainbow..." she spoke so softly she could barely hear herself. She swallowed, the pain from her side was forgot as memories surged through her mind.

"No." she spoke softly, but powerfully. 'You are not her...' The pegasus moved in her sleep, causing Nightfall a combination of discomfort, and fear. 'Fear...? No... I am Nightfall. I'm not... Twilight. Not anymore, she is dead.'

'But that hasn't happened yet.' part of herself reminded her. She clenched her jaw, unsure of what to do, and how to react. She lifted a leg, and stepped closer to her, her heart pounded faster and harder with each step. She paused as she reached the bed, and just looked over her sleeping form.

Her mind was filled with conflicting ideas and memories, each vying for control. She swallowed again. Part of her wanted to wrap her wings around Rainbow, and just hold onto her, restoring any shreds of sanity she had left. The other part wanted to kill her, painfully.

Neither part managed to win, their battle was disrupted by the sound of the door creaking open. She had been distracted and not heard knocking, or perhaps they hadn't knocked... Her eyes shot towards the door, Eclipse walked in followed by Twilight. Eclipse was turned away from Nightfall, and didn't notice her at first.

That changed when Twilight saw her. Twilight's smile left her face, and she immediately lit her horn, faint and weak though it was. Eclipse took a moment to process Twilight's change, then her head shot towards Nightfall, horn aglow.

For several seconds, nopony moved, blinked, or breathed. Dead silence filled the room, the only sound coming from Twilight and Eclipse's horns, you could have heard a quill drop. Nightfall glanced back towards Rainbow, her expression softening as she did. She looked back to Eclipse, "Balcony." she commanded. Eclipse cautiously stepped forwards, never once taking her eyes off of Nightfall.

Nightfall eyed Eclipse as she approached for a few seconds, then turned her back to her, and shook her head, then walked out onto the balcony. As she exited the door, she heard the sound of rapid hoofsteps falling on the carpeted floor, too light to be Eclipse's. She came to a stop at the railing, and rested her front left hoof on the cold metal.

A few seconds later, Eclipse was standing beside her, glaring daggers at her, and pointing her horn downwards, but not quite angled at her. "Nightfall." she acknowledged.

"Eclipse." Nightfall acknowledged.

For several seconds, they stood silently, the only sound coming from Eclipse's magic aura. "What... Do you want?" Eclipse finally asked, hiding her distaste.

Nightfall inhaled, then exhaled. "As I'm sure you have undoubtedly realized by now... Things did not go according to my plan."

"I figured as much." Eclipse said evenly.

Nightfall looked away from the stars, and towards Eclipse, "Starlight Glimmer has betrayed me."

"That explains the night..." Eclipse mused. "But why are you here? You didn't come all this way just to tell me this."

"Of course not." Nightfall replied. "I require your assistance to deal with her."

Eclipse stared at Nightfall, then blinked. "Why? Why should I even let you live, let alone help you? You're a threat to everypony alive, everything alive..."

"She has both Luna and Celestia's cutie marks." Nightfall explained, "You cannot beat her alone."

Eclipse smiled, "So what you're saying is, you need friends?"

Nightfall glared at Eclipse, "You could phrase it that way, if you so choose. Though I will take this moment to remind you that we did not forget about the magic of friendship."

Eclipse nodded her head, "You still plan on destroying everything, then."

Nightfall snorted, "Of course. But that is irrelevant. Starlight Glimmer is a threat to us all. If she enslaves the world with her equality, everypony will be miserable. That is something I cannot abide by."

Eclipse filed away Nightfall's reasoning to ponder later, she had a feeling she could use it against her later. "I expect you to abide by my rules, if I agree to this."

Nightfall rolled her eyes, "Yes, yes. I will be good, just do not expect me to be nice."

"We'll see..." Eclipse nodded. "What about the Elements? And Celestia and Luna?"

"I am not giving you the Elements, Eclipse. It would be foolish of me. In regards to them... Starlight has them... I was... Forced to flee from her attack."

"Are you okay?" Eclipse asked with concern.

"Save your pity." Nightfall commanded. "We have... Work to do." She bobbled her head with uncertainty, "I... However, am not... Doing okay." she reluctantly admitted. "I do not have a lot of magic right now, and I am injured."

"I'm surprised... You would tell me that, considering..." Eclipse shook her head, and channeled her magic away from her horn.

"If you were going to attack me, you would have done it already. No, you're too incompetent to do so, and as I have revealed my helpless state, you would be unable to bring yourself to do the deed. Not to mention your foalish belief that you can make me choose to stop."

"You know... If that's the way you treated Starlight, I'm surprised she didn't betray you sooner."

Nightfall clenched her jaw. "Perhaps."

"I'll... Make arrangements for you to stay in the Castle... If you attack anypony, however..." Eclipse trailed off as she turned.

"I will not harm them, nor anypony." Nightfall replied.

Eclipse stepped into the room, and immediately looked at Twilight, who still had her horn lit. She was standing beside Rainbow's bed, and watched Eclipse walk in. Eclipse pursed her lips, "Nightfall... Starlight has betrayed her... She has both Celestia and Luna's cutie marks... Nightfall has agreed to help us stop her..."

"So she-"

Eclipse shook her head, cutting her off, "She still wants to kill everything, but has agreed to... Postpone it until we've dealt with Starlight... I'm going to make arrangements for her to stay here."

"You can't be serious! You know what she has done!" Twilight stepped towards Eclipse.

Eclipse sighed, "Yes, I do... I still hope to... Heal her. Surely you want that too, don't you? She is you, after all."

Twilight paused to consider her words. "I... Why? Why did this all happen to me?"

Eclipse looked away and grimaced, "I will tell you what heppened when you are older... As for why it happened to us..." A snore from Rainbow reminded them they weren't alone, "She's still sleeping?"

"I'm guessing the effects of that spell didn't entirely wear off... What about the princesses? And the Elements?"

"Starlight has Celestia and Luna... And Nightfall won't give me the Elements. I asked." Eclipse yawned. "I need to arrange accommodations for Nightfall... We can discuss this further tomorrow, when everypony is present."

Twilight sighed as she nodded her head, "Right..."

Nightfall stepped into the lush palace room, her eyes immediately fell upon the alicorn sized bed. As soon as she saw it, tiredness hit her like a train. She walked towards it, "I hope this is acceptable, Nightfall." Eclipse stated.

Nightfall waited until she reached the bed, she rested a hoof on the red, velvety sheets, "It is."

"Well... Goodnight, I guess. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Leave." Nightfall commanded.

Eclipse sighed, "If you would like to join us for breakfast... I'm sure you remember where, and when... Well, if Starlight hasn't thrown everypony off..." Eclipse shook her head, and stepped back out into the hallway, then closed the door.

Nightfall glanced around the room, eyes heavy laden, she cared very little for the decor, and once again turned her attention to the bed. She lit her horn and pulled back the covers, then slowly moved to lay down, wincing as she once again agitated her injury. Once she was lying down, she pulled the covers over her chest. The bed was so comfy, it was bliss compared to what she had been sleeping on for so long...

She quickly fell into a state of deep sleep, but it was not dreamless. Rather, it was both plagued, and blessed with dreams. Had anypony been watching her sleep, they would have noticed the fur on her face becoming damp.

Of Change

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Nightfall pushed open the dining room doors with a hoof and strode inside, immediately, the room fell silent as everypony present turned to look at the arrival. Nightfall momentarily staggered at the sight of all her friends- 'No. They are not my friends. They are dead.' She eyed each pony sharply in turn, but refused to look at Eclipse, Twilight, or Rainbow. She silently strolled over to the table, and walked passed everypony, then sat down at the far end of the table, a few seats away from the others.

The others gaze lingered on her, even as a servant walked over to her, but kept his distance, and levitated a plate, along with a bowl of some concoction the kitchen had created, over to the table, and set it down. The servant swallowed, and nervously glanced around as he fumbled with the spoon he held with his magic. He eventually righted it, and gently set it down on the table. Nightfall turned her head to look at him dispassionately, he smiled nervously. Nightfall slowly turned her head back straight forwards, facing the others who were watching her. Her eyes lingered on the servant for a few more seconds, then she glanced at Eclipse.

Eclipse cleared her throat, "Yes... Well... Thank you, please leave us." she nodded towards the servant and guards also. The servants and guards happily, and quickly, obliged her command, leaving the eight ponies and dragon in silence. Nightfall's gaze lingered upon Eclipse, who glanced around at everypony. They all seemed... Nervous, which was to be expected, but their gaze... It was focused on Nightfall's dragon-like eyes, the serpentine slits. Eclipse swallowed, "Everypony... Nightfall, Nightfall... You remember everypony..."

Rainbow fidgeted in her seat, an action which immediately drew Nightfall's attention. She froze. Nightfall stared at Rainbow for several seconds, her face seemed to grow less menacing with each pacing second, until she finally averted her gaze. Nightfall looked to Eclipse, "You did a poor job of comforting them about my presence."

Twilight's heart skipped a beat when she heard the voice. She had heard it before, but still... That voice... Knowing that it was hers, yet not hers... Knowing that it, according to Eclipse, COULD happen to her... She shuddered internally.

"You did... Arrive suddenly..." Eclipse stated, eyes focused on Rainbow, who fidgeted in her seat and ruffled her wings at the mention of Nightfall's arrival.

Nightfall sighed, her voice softening, "I suppose I did." She looked to each pony present, and Spike, then back to Eclipse. "I do believe the term 'awkward' would apply quite well to this situation."

Rarity cleared her throat, "Ah... Yes... Well..."

Nightfall rolled her eyes, and looked at Rarity, "I thought she mentioned that I have promised not to harm any of you." When it became apparent that the others were about to smile, she quickly added, "For now."

"Eclipse did..." Twilight stated softly, wincing as Nightfall looked at her.

Silence droned on for several seconds, eventually, Nightfall grew tired of it, and shook her head. She lit her horn, an action Eclipse mimicked out of fear, and picked up her spoon. Eclipse's gaze lingered on Nightfall for a few seconds, then she looked to her own spoon, and picked it up. Nightfall levitated a spoonful of the soup to her mouth, and swallowed. The soup was good, but she couldn't quite place the flavor. Of course, it had been a while since she had anything to eat at the Canterlot Castle. She took another spoonful and mulled the taste over in her mouth, 'Pitiful and inefficient.' she thought.

"Despite my promise, you all still do not trust that I will not attack you?" Nightfall asked, eyes constantly switching between each pony and boring into them.

"According to Eclipse here, ya killed Princess Luna in your own timeline, then ya killed the changelings here, and are responsible for who knows how much else." Applejack stated flatly.

"And um... You do look a bit..." Fluttershy hit behind her mane as Nightfall's gaze settled upon her, "Eeep!"

Nightfall snorted, "The magic of friendship at its finest." she said sarcastically.

"Nightfall." Eclipse glared at her.

"How..." Twilight shook her head exasperatedly, "Did you forget about the magic of friendship? All the good times we shared together with them!?"

"No." Nightfall stated. She turned to Eclipse, "We never forgot about the magic of friendship." she said condescendingly. "Isn't that right, Eclipse?" she singsonged.

All eyes turned to Eclipse, who grimaced, but nodded weakly.

Nightfall looked to her soup, "And you expect seeing them, and talking to them... To convince me to change..." she mumbled.

"What was that?" Eclipse asked.

Nightfall's eyes shot towards her, "Nothing of your concern." she shot back at Eclipse.

Everypony present, including Spike, grimaced and glanced around uneasily at each other.

Pinkie Pie hopped out of her chair, and ran over to Nightfall, and hugged her, catching the alicorn by surprise. Nightfall's wings popped out of their own accord, she stared at Pinkie Pie in confusion, but did not push her back. Several seconds later, Pinkie let go and stepped back, smiling softly. "What?" Nightfall asked, confused as to why she would be the recipient of a Pinkie Pie hug.

"I could just tell that you needed a hug..." Pinkie replied softly.

"I do not need a hug." Nightfall replied through clenched teeth.

Pinkie closed her eyes and bounced back towards her seat, "You're welcome!" she beamed, ignoring Nightfall's tone.

"This changes nothing, I still-"

Pinkie cut Nightfall off, "Of course it does, silly! You got a hug from a friend!"

"You are not my friends. They are all dead, and nothing will change that." Everypony, including Pinkie Pie, cringed. Pinkie in particular seemed to deflate upon hearing that.

Eclipse nodded, "Maybe not... But they-we, can be."

Nightfall ignored Eclipse, and returned her attention to the bowl of soup before her, and began to eat in earnest.

"Princess Eclipse!" a guard shouted. Eclipse stopped mid stride and winced.

Eclipse slowly lowered her hoof to the floor, "Yes?"

The guard bowed to her after he stopped in front of her. "The nobles wish to know what you intend to do about court, and they wish to know where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are. Somehow they found out they are not here. They also found out about you, Princess."

"I thought Cel- Princess Celestia suspended court?"

"Only for that day, your highness."

Eclipse grimaced, "Court is suspended until further notice. They won't like it, but we have bigger issues to deal with. Ce- Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are unavailable." 'Not a lie.'

"Yes, Princess." he saluted, turned, and ran off to take care of the matter.

Eclipse shook her head, and mumbled under her breath, "Nobles..." Eclipse started walking again.

Eclipse knocked on the door with a hoof. She couldn't hear anything beyond the door, but that didn't mean anything. She sighed. This wasn't going to be easy, but it was something she should have done sooner. Of course, her mind came up with many excuses as to why she didn't do it sooner, but they were just that: excuses. Oh, she had legitimate reasons as to why it took her so long, but it was no excuse for why she hadn't done it sooner. Putting it off would serve no purpose, other than to increase the duration of her distress.

She knew in her heart that Fluttershy couldn't hate her... It wasn't in her nature. But... A small part of her mind simply refused to believe that. And it wouldn't until she had talked to her about... Things... It... Would be hard on both of them... But... Especially Fluttershy. She was so... So kind, and timid. Always being so nice... But Fluttershy cared so much for others, and her animals... Life in general. Eclipse knew it was hard on Fluttershy, learning that Nightfall had killed the changelings...

She grimaced, remembering how Fluttershy broke out into sobs... And then possibly making matters worse, she couldn't bring herself to tell them the full truth... And she had denied both Fluttershy and Pinkie... Knowing Nightfall's plans. At least temporarily... They eventually found out, of course.

The more she thought about it, the more she dreaded talking to Fluttershy alone. She turned her head to the right, and glanced down the hallway, then repeated the action to her left. She slowly took a step back, and turned to leave. She shook her head, but paused when she heard the door opening. "Eclipse?" Fluttershy asked with a soft smile.

"Hey... Fluttershy..." Eclipse mentally berated herself for her weak attempt at delaying their conversation. "I... Can we talk? I... I know I haven't spent much time with you... And I'm sorry... I..."

Fluttershy nodded, and stepped back, granting Eclipse entrance into the room. Eclipse hesitated for a brief moment before entering.

"We... Need to talk. I know you're not comfortable around Nightfall, because of what she did..." Eclipse closed her eyes and sighed.

Fluttershy lost her smile, and swallowed.

"And not just... About that, but..." Eclipse shook her head, "This is harder than I expected..."

Fluttershy stepped closer to Eclipse, concerned for her friend, "What's wrong?"

"My coming here... You all had to leave what you were doing behind for safety reasons, you-"

Fluttershy shook her head, "That was because of Nightfall, not you."

"She's... Still another version of me, though... I know how much you love tending to your animal friends, and... I took that away from you." she finished softly.

Fluttershy smiled, "But they're not as important to me as you girls are. Besides, I'm sure Derpy is taking good care of them."

Eclipse chuckled lightly, "Yeah..." She paused for several seconds, then spoke again, "I feel... No, you deserve to know... Before, when Nightfall... Killed the changelings," Fluttershy winced, and fought against her emotions to remain calm, "I didn't tell you how I knew what she had done..." Eclipse paused, and turned towards Fluttershy, "I... I know because I... I did it before..." Eclipse swallowed. 'It was the only way... But I regret it...' "I didn't tell you before because... I was afraid, and... I wasn't ready to tell you all..." 'And I wanted to spare you the discomfort...'

"Eclipse..." Fluttershy spoke softly. It pained her to hear what Eclipse had said, yet... She knew Eclipse needed her, that she was in pain... But...

"I... I know you probably hate me now, but..."

"Eclipse... I... We could never hate you, you're-"

Eclipse chuckled lightly, "Yet you all... Hate... Ah, never mind... It's not important." Eclipse shook her head, "I don't want to lose you all again... Whatever may be the cause..." She walked over to Fluttershy and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her body into her own. Fluttershy laid her head against Eclipse chest. "I haven't been a good friend to you girls since I returned... Nowhere near as good as you have been to me... I don't deserve any of you."

"Eclipse," Fluttershy pulled back, she looked up at Eclipse with a hurt expression, "Don't say that! You're still hurting, we can all see it!"

"It's no excuse..." Eclipse lamented, 'Besides, it's true that I don't deserve any of you... I lost you once before... And... Myself...' "I just wish I could do more for you all... I did have a plan to make it up to you all but..." she shook her head.

"You're trying... And that's what really matters." Fluttershy smiled.

"You sound like Rainbow... Or maybe she's starting to sound like you..." Eclipse shook her head. "I... I do feel better, having talked to you about this... I still have a lot to..." she tailed off and grimaced. "Just... Please give Nightfall a chance... I think we can help her, and if there's even the smallest chance... I feel obliged to try..." 'Of course if we can't... I won't let her hurt any of you...'

Fluttershy nodded, "I'll... I'll try."

Twilight lay in her bed, lounging, relaxing. Something she desperately needed. Especially if she was to recover her magic as quickly as possible. She had looked forwards to breakfast with her friends... But now with Nightfall being here... It hadn't been relaxing, the atmosphere had been too tense... And with Nightfall's reminder that they weren't friends, which killed everypony's desire to talk... "How am I supposed to deal with this?" Twilight asked, feeling at a loss. Both Eclipse and Nightfall were her, just older. With what Eclipse had told her, and how Nightfall was... It frightened her, knowing what her future had held for them. And they were her, thus it would have happened to her, had they not intervened... She could have ended up-

"I honestly don't know how you're dealing with it so well."

Rainbow's response drew Twilight's attention, she looked towards Rainbow, who was lying on the other bed, on her back, wings spread out, and resting her head on her hooves. "I don't either... I mean... I should be all freaked out about this... not just Nightfall, but... Princess Celestia and Luna... And then the fact that..." 'Nightfall... I... Attacked Princess Celestia and Luna... And won... Starlight Glimmer has-'

Rainbow looked towards Twilight, "Maybe it's a good thing?"

Twilight smiled, "Yeah, prob-" she lost her smile, "But... What if it's not? What if... What if something's wrong with me? I mean... Look at what happened to Nightfall, she-"

"Twilight. You are not, I repeat, not. Nightfall. I really don't think that could ever happen to you. I mean, come on! You do have your... Episodes... But still! You'd never do anything like what Nightfall has done!"

Twilight held her jaw shut while Rainbow spoke, after she finished, and she smiled weakly, then returned to panic mode, "But... I... I had a dark magic infection! Sure, Princess Celestia cleansed it, but still! That shouldn't have been able to happen to me! And who knows what lasting effects that could have! I... I could..."

Rainbow rolled over onto her stomach, and repositioned herself so that she was facing Twilight, "Look, Twilight, even if that has a lasting effect on you, it'd be hundreds of years before you turned into Nightfall!"

"I'm not Nightfall..." she shook her head. "I... I could never think of you as anything less than a friend..." she added quietly.

"Of course you're not Nightfall!" Rainbow smiled smugly, "You think we'd let that happen?"

"No, of course not. But... That doesn't change the fact she still exists."

"Maybe not..." Rainbow drawled. "But... You don't have to let that happen. It's not like it's set in stone or anything, just look at Eclipse!"

Twilight opened her mouth to lecture Rainbow on her experience with time travel, but paused when she thought about what Eclipse had said. She smiled, 'At the very least, there are multiple futures, surely not all of them can be that bad...' "I guess you're right."

Nightfall gazed into the Element of Magic, watching as it's angles were illuminated and then darkened as the other Elements she held with her magic rotated around it. She watched on with curiosity, every few seconds the Element of Magic faintly glow with an inner light, a soft shade of pink, momentarily banishing the reflected light from it's surfaces. It was a curious reaction, one which she had not seen before. "So now you react to my magic, or my presence? Useless." She exhaled sharply, and threw her head towards the balcony.

"Despite what they may say, we know it's too late, don't we?" Nightfall narrowed her eyes.

The only sound was the sound of Nightfall using her magic.

"Yet she still tries... And then you... You seem to think that this will... Stop me?" She levitated the Element of magic closer to her, and turned her head back towards it,"Your last attempt to prevent me from destroying everything you hold dear? Ending the misery you've caused?"

She averted her gaze from the six pointed crystal, "You're as much to blame for this as Celestia, and you know that. Was this your grand scheme all along? Well it fell apart, didn't it?"

"When you..." She felt a pain stab at her heart, "Friendship. The most powerful magic of them all." she said mockingly. "It still ends, just as everything else does, doesn't it? Or perhaps things simply didn't turn out like they were supposed to... Regardless..."

She smiled a blissful smile, and looked back to the Element of Magic, "I'm so close... Once Starlight falls..." her smile left her.

Her eyes glanced over each of the five gems rotating around the center one, each one brought back memories of the time she spent with her friends, each one caused more pain than the last. "Your bearers here are not my friends. They are not them. They died, long ago. You won't stop me this way... They may look the same, have the same personalities, and bear the same Elements... But they are not them. They're younger, and that alone proves they are not them. And that's just one reason... I could list several... But we both know that is unnecessary. You know as well as I do that they are not them..."

She inhaled, feeling a sense of calm wash over her. She looked down, and extended a wing forwards. She lowered the Element of magic into her wing, and held it. "I do find myself wondering, now... Maybe after this is over I'll see them again... Or maybe not..." She grimaced, "Though I suspect the latter..."

She frowned, "They wouldn't want this, would they?" She shook her head, not needing to even ask the question. "Of course it doesn't matter now, does it?" She chuckled emptily, and brought a hoof to her eye. She wiped away a tear that had started to fall, and shook her head. "It's not right, the way things turned out. You betrayed me, they betrayed me, Celestia betrayed me... Everypony betrayed me."

"I still find myself asking that same question all these years later..." She paused, "No, they wouldn't want this. Nor do you... If I see them again, would they even recognize me? Would they still even consider me a friend? After what I've done? And when I succeed, could they ever forgive me?"

After several seconds of silence, she added, "It doesn't matter." she stated firmly.

You Had ONE Job, Bonbon!

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The door to Twilight and Eclipse's room was thrown open by a panicking, hyperactive, bubbly, pink pony. Both formerly sleeping mares instantly shot up, wings spread out in surprise at the sudden, unexpected wake up call. "Twilight! Eclipse! I almost forgot what day today is! Oh my gosh how could I possibly forget something so special as today!?" Pinkie's exclamation ended up sounding more like one single word to both alicorns.

"Pinkie..." Twilight groaned. Twilight turned towards the clock, "What time is-" Twilight blinked. "Pinkie... Please tell me why you're waking us up at... Twelve-oh-one A.M.?

Eclipse found herself laughing, "The better question is why it took her sixty plus seconds to get here..." she shook her head, "Ugh... What is it, Pinkie?"

Pinkie zoomed over to Eclipse, shot up onto her bed, and pushed her nose to Eclipse's nose, and pushed her head down onto the pillow, "It's Cranky and Mitilda's wedding day! Ahh! How could I have forgoten!?"

Twilight groaned, "Ugh... Pinkie..."

"Oh... Right... That's today... And we're not in Ponyville... Because we're in Canterlot... And the train ride would take a few hours... And Mass teleporting... Not wise." Eclipse mulled the predicament over in her head for a few seconds, meanwhile Pinkie starred at her, and kept her nose on Eclipse's. Eclipse blinked, and moved the covers back with her wings, then placed her wings over Pinkie, and pulled her close. "Thank you for reminding me, Pinkie."

Pinkie nuzzled the alicorn's chest quickly, "You're welcome!" she said, then disappeared out the door.

Twilight rubbed her eyes, and blankly looked at Eclipse. She slowly pulled herself out of the covers and got to her hooves.

"A... Bugbear... Attacks Ponyville today." Eclipse said as she rose from her bed.

Twilight blinked. "A what?"

Eclipse nodded her head at Twilight, "That's exactly what I asked Celestia the first time."

"So I guess that means we're not going back to sleep, are we?" Twilight asked with a sigh.

"We can sleep on the train ride to Ponyville..." Eclipse pursed her lips, "Just don't tell Rarity that we're going to a wedding."

"Why-" Twilight started, realizing exactly why right as she asked.

Eclipse raised an eyebrow at her. "You have to ask?"

"Still brain, can't sleep." Twilight answered with a smile. Eclipse chuckled, then yawned. "Well I suppose we should go get the others."

"Counter proposal: you wake the others, I will get the train ready, and tell somepony where we're going. Sound good? Good." Eclipse disappeared in a flash of magic, leaving Twilight blinking as her night vision was disrupted from the bright light.

Twilight sighed, and looked at her bed, her oh-so-comfy bed, longingly, then looked to the door. Her ears fell to the side of her head as she made her way out of the room.

Eight ponies and a baby dragon sat in a special train car, slowly pushing its way towards Ponyville. Most of the ponies present sat close by each other, with the exception of Nightfall, who chose to sit in the very back, far away from everypony else. Her eyes constantly shifted between the ponies in front of her, while they occasionally glanced back at her and smiled awkwardly.

"Well, not that this isn't... Delightful... And all that, with being woken up at such a ungrateful hour... But do need my beauty sleep." Rarity said, immediately drawing everypony's attention.

Nightfall chose that moment to stand up and walk forwards, approach the group, "Ah yes. Sleeping arrangements, do tell, Eclipse? As fun as it is to listen to you all ramble on about your pointless lives, I think I'd prefer to prepare for tomorrow with sleep as well." Everypony present, including Spike, glared at her. She rolled her eyes.

"It doesn't really matter... Four rooms per car, three cars, so twelve rooms altogether. So wherever." Eclipse stated, eyes still fixed on Nightfall.

"Then I lay claim to the farthest back car as my own." Nightfall stated, then turned and made her way through the train car and into the next, opening the door and then closing it behind her sharply.

"I just wish she wasn't so rude..." Fluttershy sighed softly.

"I wish she wasn't so condescending." Rarity stated.

Twilight blankly stared at Rarity, who was oblivious to it.

"Anyway... Good night, everypony." Rarity said as she rose from her seat and made her way towards one of the closer compartments. She walked inside and closed the door behind her with her magic.

Spike blinked. "So I guess I'm staying with Twilight tonight, then?"

Twilight turned to Spike and smiled gently, "Sure little guy..." She stood up, "We should probably get some sleep too."

"Yeah." Spike said nonchalantly.

Twilight extended a wing towards Spike, who grabbed on, expecting Twilight to pull him onto her back. Instead, the alicorn pulled Spike into a hug with her wings, and nuzzled him, then levitated him onto her back, and made her way into the next train car, smiling the entire way, leaving five ponies behind.

Eclipse laid back in her seat, "So..."

Fluttershy yawned, then blushed, "I am pretty tired..." she said as she stood up.

Pinkie jumped out of her seat, "I'm not-" and then fell to the floor, snoring. Everypony present lightly giggled.

"I better take care of her and get some shuteye myself." Applejack stood up, walked over to Pinkie as Fluttershy made her way to an unoccupied room. Applejack lifted Pinkie onto her back with a little magic help from Eclipse, then proceeded to leave the train car.

Rainbow fidgeted in her seat, but stayed sitting and silent.

Eclipse looked out the window, watching as the mountainside rolled by, the silence and gentle rhythm of the train threatening to lull her to sleep. She didn't particularly want to leave before Rainbow, not wanting to seem inconsiderate, but she didn't want a sore back tomorrow either. She pursed her lips, and looked at her reflection in the window as she thought about what to do.

The reflection in the window revealed Rainbow starting to get up, Eclipse hoped she was going to leave, instead, she walked over to the seat in front of her and sat down, ruffling her wings as she did so.

"Yes, Rainbow?" she asked without looking away from Rainbow's reflection.

"What? I can't just move over here for no reason?" Rainbow asked quickly. Too quickly.

Eclipse sighed, and turned towards Rainbow, "What's wrong, Rainbow?"

"Nothing's wrong!" she answered almost instinctually, "I... I mean uh..."

"It's Nightfall, isn't it?" Eclipse asked softly.

Rainbow winced, "Uh... Well... Yeah..."

Eclipse nodded her head thoughtfully, "You're afraid of her."

Rainbow shifted in her seat "No I'm not... Well... Just... Don't tell anypony, okay? I don't want them thinking I'm a coward..."

Eclipse looked at her softly, "Rainbow, none of us would ever think any less of you for admitting that, especially me. You know I won't think any less of you for admitting that... Right?"

"Applejack..." Rainbow said at length.

Eclipse frowned, "You know I won't let her hurt any of you... You believe that, don't you?"

Rainbow looked down at her hooves, "She beat you, Twilight and both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna alone..." Rainbow grimaced, "I uh... I don't know if you could stop her..."

Eclipse shook her head, "I'll protect you. I won't let her hurt any of you, even if it kills me. I promise..." Eclipse paused, then asked, "Does that make you feel better?"

Rainbow looked back up at Eclipse, "No. I believe you would do that, and that's kind of the problem... None of us want you to die... Especially if it's avoidable..."

"It may not be avoidable, Rainbow. There is a good chance I will die saving this reality from my mistakes." Eclipse spoke solemnly.

"I don't want that." Rainbow said firmly.

"I... I don't want to die either, Rainbow. But your lives are more important to me than my own." Eclipse looked away from Rainbow, "If I can fix things for Twilight, and all of you, it would be worth whatever I face after this."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Eclipse looked out the window, remembering what she had done... It still haunted her, but... Being around her friends again helped. She smiled, "That is a story for another time..."

Rainbow folded her arms and huffed, drawing Eclipse's attention, "Seriously?" Eclipse's smile widened.

Eclipse looked into her reflection in the window again, "Besides, I won't die just yet... I have a few promises to keep, after all."

"I want you to add another one to that list, promise that you won't get yourself killed if it's avoidable." Rainbow said. Eclipse turned to her and nodded, yawning as she did so. "Tired?" Rainbow asked with a smug smile.

Eclipse stared blankly at her, "I am at least one-thousand four-hundred years your elder, Rainbow. I am old enough to be your grandmother's grandmother's grandmother."

Rainbow smiled brashly, Eclipse rolled her eyes. "So what, you think of yourself as our protector or something then, because of your age?"

Eclipse bobbled her head as she mulled it over, "Something like that, maybe. That... Kind of is the main reason I came back, to protect you all and prevent myself from making the same mistake..."

"So what then, we were so awesome that you couldn't stop thinking about us?"

Eclipse nodded exaggeratedly, "That is... Basically what happened." She shook her head, "I should stop before I say something I'll regret..." she yawned.

"You can tell me anything, I can keep a secret!" Rainbow assured.

"So can I, Rainbow." Eclipse replied.

Rainbow looked at her, dumbfounded, "Huh?"

"In regards to you being afraid of Nightfall." Eclipse lied, adding a soft smile. Rainbow grimaced and sighed. "Well... I should rest. Tomorrow... Well, we'll just have to see how it goes, I suppose."

Rainbow beat her wings and hovered in the air, "You kidding me? We have three alicorns, it's not going to be a problem if we stay up all night long! We'll still beat the... Yeah, that thing."

"Well, we'll only have two alicorns if I don't get rest." Eclipse shook her head.

"Uh right..." Rainbow grimaced.

Nightfall, Eclipse, and Twilight stood side by side in the center of town, earning the attention of a group of ponies who were now watching them. Everytime a pony stepped forwards, Nightfall would immediately look at them, and they would decide not to continue walking forwards, rather, they would return to their previous position. Eclipse watched as Rainbow flew back and forth overhead, checking for any signs of the monster, leaving a faint rainbow trail in her wake. Twilight shifted on her hooves uneasily, unsure of what to expect. She glanced to her right, looking passed Eclipse at Nightfall. She looked back to the small crowd of ponies gathering, most of whom were more focused on Nightfall than Eclipse of herself.

She shifted uncomfortable beside her older selves. 'I wonder if we'll ever top this for weirdness...' She smiled lightly, 'This IS Ponyville... But still, this... Well, there was that one time when Pinkie used the Mirror Pool...' She knew that this was different however. She glanced back to the rest of her friends, standing a little ways behind them. Applejack smiled reassuringly, she returned it before looking back to the crowd.

Nightfall turned her head to Eclipse. She spoke in a low voice that was soaked with venom, "Do tell, how exactly do you plan on beating it this time?"

Eclipse continued scanning the sky, "There's three of us this time, we should be able to over power it easier than last time. Even if Twilight is still... Recovering..." She grimaced as she thought about it. "At least we should be able to stop it together, without anypony needlessly getting hurt."

Nightfall withheld her disgust with Eclipse. She grimaced, but felt compelled to inform Eclipse of something important, lest it come to bite them in the flank, "I will take this time to remind you that I am still recovering also."

Eclipse turned to Nightfall, "What?" Twilight turned her head towards Eclipse, and heard murmurs from the crowd. Eclipse shook her head, "Okay... Well, we'll figure something-" Eclipse's sentence was cut off by a shrill roar.

Everything went quiet, and the crowd immediately dispersed.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Rainbow cried as she fell out of the sky, heading towards a building. Eclipse lit her horn in preparation to catch her if it was necessary, Rainbow struggled for several seconds before righting herself, an action which brought a smile to Eclipse's muzzle. Once she recovered from her downwards spiral, she landed uneasily and coughed when she saw everypony looking at her. "Uh, it's here."

As if to punctuate her statement, a strange creature flew out from behind a house. Twilight blinked at the sight of the creature that she could only describe as a panda bee hybrid. She blinked again. "What?" she asked flatly. She looked over the creature, it's bottom was black, it's middle section was white, and then it's chest was black. It had four arms, two black ones, and then two white ones beneath them.

A cross-eyed grey pegasus with pale yellow mane and bubbles for a cutie mark flew passed Twilight, smiling with her mouth open. A few seconds later, she paused and looked at the three alicorns, and blinked. "Oh, hi Twilight!"

Twilight looked between the creature, her other two selves, who seemed to be sizing the creature up, and the pegasus. "Muffins? What are you doing here?"

"I acidently sent out invitations for Cranky and Matilda's wedding with the wrong date...." She sighed. "So now I'm trying to fix things so they can have it today!"

Rarity blinked upon hearing that, she looked at Twilight, "Twilight, what was that about a wedding?" she said in a threateningly singsong voice.

Both Muffins and Twilight turned towards Rarity, the latter was quicker, "Uh nothing Rar-"

"Oh, it's Cranky and Matilda's wedding day today... I still don't know how I'm going to fix this..." Muffins face scrunched up as she finished. She blinked as Twilight sent her a death glare. For a brief second, Rarity looked like she was going to faint, but the moment passed, and the unicorn remained upright.

Eclipse and Nightfall lit their horns in unison, and shot towards the panda-bee. Eclipse flapped her wings and jumped above Nightfall, going high to attack the creature from above, while Nightfall would attack from the ground. The panda-bee looked between the two alicorns with confusion, then cried out in rage as they attacked it in unison.

Twilight shook her head, ignoring the creature's cry. Muffins looked towards the panda-bee, "Hey, Twilight, since when have there been six of you? I mean, I know that two more of you showed up, both taller than you but..."

Twilight groaned, and then her expression went flat when she followed Muffin's gaze and saw Eclipse and Nightfall flying around the panda-bee, and fighting it. She spread her wings and lit her horn, "It's a long story!" She beat her wings and hovered in the air for a second before turning to look at her friends, "You going to help?"

"You sure you actually need it?" Pinkie asked. "It looks like between the six of you that you should be able to handle it!"

Twilight stared at Pinkie with confusion, "The six of me? What are..." Twilight facehoofed, "Pinkie..." she sighed, realizing the futility of arguing with the energetic pink mare. "Please help us?"

Rainbow jumped into the air, "Yeah! Let's go kick that..." she paused briefly, losing her brashness, "thing's... Flank?" She shrugged it off, and darted forwards, followed closely behind by the other mares, save for Fluttershy, who stayed with Spike.

"I'll just um... Stay with Spike." Fluttershy said softly, glancing between Twilight and Spike. Spike folded his arms and glared at Twilight, who smiled back.

"Keep him safe, Fluttershy! This shouldn't take us too long!" Twilight shouted as she flew towards the battle, which had moved higher up during the span in which she wasn't paying attention to it.

Spike looked towards the ground dejectedly, "She never lets me help with anything cool like this..." he grumbled grumbled.

Fluttershy smiled softly at Spike, and extended a wing to pull him closer to herself. She set her wing gently around Spike, and pulled him into a hug, "Spike... It's just because she loves you. She doesn't want you to get hurt, you know that right?"

Spike smiled at the pegasus's comforting embrace. He knew what Fluttershy had said was true, but he knew he could help too! ...If Twilight would just let him... "Yeah... I know that but... I just... I wish she would spend more time with me... I miss her. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed spending so much time with Rarity it's just... It's not the same, you know?"

Fluttershy nodded, ignoring the sounds of battle coming from somewhere overhead and off in the distance. "You should tell her, Spike. Both of them. I'm sure Rarity would understand you wanting to stay with Twilight again. I'm sure both Twilight and Eclipse would welcome the opportunity to spend more time with you too."

Spike grimaced. Not just at the thought of telling Rarity that he wanted to stay with Twilight and Eclipse rather than her, but also at causing Twilight and Eclipse any more discomfort or problems than necessary. Twilight already had so much to deal with, he didn't want to add to her list of problems... He sighed, "They're both so busy... I'd probably just mess things up for them..."

Fluttershy looked hurt at that suggestion, "Spike! You know that's not true! Twilight loves you very much, and so does Eclipse!"

Spike weakly nodded in agreement, "Yeah... Maybe..." Spike sighed. Fluttershy, not knowing what else to do, pulled Spike closer to her with her wing.

Twilight shot backwards, away from the panda-bee, dodging a swipe from its claw. She found herself equally parts grateful and concerned for Rainbow, who flew towards the creature's head while she flew back. Even considering the exhaustion Eclipse, Nightfall, and herself felt from not adequately recovering from their last major battle, she could tell they were all holding back. She knew she was. Despite their limited aggression, everypony was starting to slow down, but so was the panda-bee.

Despite her expectations, Nightfall was fighting at least as hard as Eclipse was to stop the creature.

Rainbow flew in close to the panda-bee's head, she struck out with a hoof, impacting the creature's head. Eclipse followed up on Rainbow's attack with a pulse of magic to it's back. The creature spun in the air at a rate that took even Rainbow by surprise. The pegasus momentarily faltered, giving the creature ample time to grab her in a paw, and start pulling her to his mouth. Nightfall glanced to Eclipse, who glanced back at her. Their eyes locked for a brief moment, then they returned their gaze towards the bugbear, now dragging Rainbow to its mouth.

Eclipse aimed her horn at the creature's stomach, and channeled a beam of magic at him. Rainbow winced and groaned as the paw tightened around her, squeezing air out of her lungs. Twilight fired a pulse of magic at the creature's head, the pulse hit right above it's eye, causing it to growl in pain. He turned towards Twilight, and put his stinger forwards, and started to rapidly accelerate towards her. Twilight tucked in her wings, and let herself start falling towards the ground to avoid the creature's assault.

It proved unnecessary, Nightfall aimed her horn at the creature's shoulder, and let loose a beam of dark magic. The sickly black beam rushed forth, and impacted the bugbear's shoulder. His arm immediately fell limp, releasing Rainbow, who fell a short distance before catching herself. Rainbow quickly flew over to Eclipse and hovered beside her, watching Nightfall engage the panda-bee.

The bugbear turned his head towards Nightfall, and roared in frustration. Nightfall felt a smile tug at her lips as she released a volley of spells towards the creature. The creature weaved through the barrage, but as it closed the distance, it had less time to react, allowing Nightfall to catch it's stomach with a pulse of dark magic. Nightfall rolled out of the way as the creature grabbed at it's stomach and flew passed her. She watched the creature slow down, and turn around. Their eyes met, she snorted, then turned to Eclipse, "If you desire my continued support, I would advise you to help me KILL this infernal creature!"

Despite being high in the air, Nightfall's voice carried down to the ground. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie all flinched at hearing Nightfall's words. Eclipse shook her head, but flew towards Nightfall, followed by Twilight and Rainbow, and reengaged the bugbear. Twilight flew higher up into the sky, while Eclipse and Nightfall distracted the creature with spells so that Rainbow could continually fly around it and punch it at random intervals. Everytime the bugbear swiped a claw at Rainbow, Twilight and Eclipse winced, but none of them ever let up.

Finally Nightfall got a lucky shot in, the dark bolt of magic struck the base of one of the bugbears wings, and seemed to paralyze it. The creature roared and immediately changed tactics. Hitting the ground hard, the bugbear's arrival scattered the group of mares on the ground, and each pony immediately set out to slow it down in different ways.

The four ponies still flying regrouped, and dived towards the bugbear. The three alicorns locked onto the bugbear, and aimed their horns at the same general area, then released a beam of magic. All three beams of magic hit their mark and collided with the bugbear.

The Ponyville Town Hall stood filled to the brim with ponies, and other assorted creatures, all gathered to see the wedding of Cranky and Matilda. Towards the back of the hall sat three fillies, none of whom were cowering in fear from a changeling who was not there.

Nightfall, Eclipse, Twilight, Spike and company all sat outside the building, somehow still managing to be late.

"I guess it is destined no matter what, that we are not supposed to be inside during this wedding." Eclipse mused aloud, drawing stares from everypony present. Eclipse clarified, "The first time around I... We were too late also, I'm afraid. We were quicker this time, but apparently it's not meant to be."

"A pity." Nightfall said sarcastically.

Eclipse ignored Nightfall's sarcasm, "It is. It was... Will be... A beautiful ceremony. So much love and joy all went into this wedding, and so much joy and happiness came out of it." Eclipse smiled as she watched on.

"I still can't believe you didn't tell me..." Rarity whined, pouting as she looked at Twilight, who smiled apologetically.

Nightfall watched on, ignoring the rest of the words that went said in the group of ponies. She would occasionally glance at them, and she saw that they had bright smiles on her face. They were filled with happiness and joy, despite everything else that had went wrong. Despite Celestia and Luna being... Unavailable... Despite her own presence... Despite everything, they were happy. She slowly turned her head back towards the window, and gazed inside just in time to see the two kiss.

Seconds later the Doctor's flameless fireworks went off, just like last time.

She glanced towards Twilight and company, seeing them all smiling and happy, just like last time. Even Eclipse was smiling. A few seconds later, Twilight walked over to the guardrail, followed by the others.

Nightfall turned away, and looked back inside the window, attempting to ignore the words she knew were coming.

"I love you, all of you!"

Path

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Starlight Glimmer could barely contain her smile, 'Who would have thought this old castle would have a library still intact! And with so many spells I've never even heard of!' Book after book, spell after spell, she increased her knowledge, and with it, her views and desires changed. She had so much power at her disposal, she could feel the magic coursing through her veins.

She smiled to herself, 'Why bother brainwashing ponies when there are spells which do that and so much more...' Several of the books discussed 'reform' spells in length. It would be easy with her skill to modify those spells into something more... Useful. Why make yourself leader of a single small village when one could just as easily use magic to 'reform' an entire city or nation into following you as their ruler...

And with the power of two alicorns, why stop there? She could take their magic and make it her own, and repeat the process until nopony, or any other creature for that matter, had any magic of their own... And what could stand against her then? And for that matter, what could stand against her now?

She narrowed her eyes as she thought about it. There were supposed to be only four alicorns, yet apparently Twilight had broken that somehow, having two more of herself wondering around. Although how much they were actually her was questionable, as both were different, and Nightfall certainly was less... Friendly... Than Twilight. Other than them, very few unicorns could have hoped to match her power before, let alone now...

It would be easy, so very, very easy to succeed. Twilight and her friends, even if Nightfall helped, wouldn't be able to stop her. Princess Celestia and Pricness Luna had already been brought to their knees, and Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor... They wouldn't be much of a threat after she had Twilight and Eclipse's magic. Then she could finish what she started with Nightfall.

And then why stop there? The fact that Eclipse and Nightfall were around proved something more existed. She didn't know how they did it, but knew somehow they had bent reality to their whims to be here... Once she had their magic, perhaps she would spare Twilight and her friends, and use them as leverage to make Eclipse tell her how to do what she and Nightfall had done...

She would need to plan her actions, and set things in motion first, however. It wouldn't do for Nightfall or Twilight and her friends to stop her before she could stop them, after all.

She closed the book she had been reading, lit her horn and teleported to the dungeon, just outside the cell housing Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Both alicorns glared at her upon her arrival, she smiled back. She levitated the book towards the bars, giving both princesses a good look at it. "A very interesting read. I have to admit, I didn't even know this was possible... Magic truly is fascinating, isn't it?" As usual, neither of them said a word.

She huffed and turned around, "I've barely scratched the surface of what this castle's library has to offer... I don't even know what to expect, anymore."

"Eclipse was unavailable to join you and sent me in her stay." Nightfall bitterly acknowledged her own presence to the group, drawing everypony and dragon's attention. Nightfall regarded each mare impassively, she completely ignored Spike, who wasn't sure whether to be irked of thankful.

"You know you could at least try to hide your dislike of us." Applejack stated flatly as Nightfall walked passed her, before stopping at a tree.

Nightfall placed a hoof on the trunk of the tree, "That would serve no purpose, Honesty." she retorted.

Twilight laughed loudly, "Ha. Ha. Ha!" her obviously fake, and clearly forced laugh drew everypony's attention, "It sure is a nice day, isn't it? A perfect day for a walk through the park!" she said more loud than was necessary, drawing the attention of a few ponies who were keeping their distance.

"Hmm, yes. A walk would do us good I think." Rarity chirped, and started off down the dirt path, doing her best to ignore how dusty it was and failing miserably. She looked more like the was dancing than walking to the rest of the group.

"I think it would be nice..." Fluttershy instinctually shrunk back when Nightfall looked to her. The memory of talking with Eclipse flashed through her mind, the desire to hide just... Vanished... She slowly lifted her head back out from behind her mane, and softly smiled at Nightfall.

Nightfall pursed her lips, "If that is your decision then I will oblige." she punctuated the statement by taking a step forwards, followed by another. As the group started walking, her mind wondered. Fluttershy smiled at her. Fluttershy smiled at her. She was taken aback by the action initially, but hid her shock. Instead, she now mulled it over. Eclipse had to be behind it, she was sure of it. That being said... Fluttershy had been the one to take the action, not Eclipse. That had to have taken courage on her part...

Fluttershy occasionally glanced back at Nightfall, and would catch sight of her frowning. The sight scared her, but she needed to be brave, for herself, for Nightfall, for Eclipse, and for Twilight. Eventually she realized Nightfall wasn't paying attention to her, and she slowed her pace, allowing Nightfall to catch up to her, and then she walked beside her. Nightfall seemed lost in thought, having not noticed Fluttershy's presence. "Um... Nightfall?"

Nightfall's eyes shot towards her, "What?"

Fluttershy had been prepared for Nightfall to glare at her. She had been prepared for Nightfall to mock her. She had been prepared for Nightfall's cold, scary voice to chill her to the bone. She was not prepared for Nightfall's voice to sound so much like Twilight's. For the first time since she had met Nightfall, she could hear Twilight's voice in her voice. She felt her heart flutter, and she smiled. "Are you um... Doing okay?"

Nightfall seemed to pause briefly, before continuing more slowly, an action mirrored by Fluttershy. She pursed her lips. She could lie, or she could tell the truth. It really didn't matter either way. She thought about her predicament, surprised she even thought of it as such. She knew she had just chastised Applejack about being truthful... And for some reason, she felt compelled to be honest. "No... I am not okay. I haven't been okay for centuries." Fluttershy shrunk back slightly, and Nightfall sighed.

"If um... You uh... Ever want to... Talk about it..." Fluttershy stammered, hiding behind her mane as she was unable to find her courage to offer to listen to Nightfall talk about what was bothering her. She knew she should, she wanted to also, but she knew it would be painful to hear...

Nightfall snorted, "You don't want to hear about what happened. It would only cause you pain and distress." she stated. As she spoke, her voice slowly became softer. "I don't want that." she admitted. It wasn't entirely true, but it was true enough. It surprised her how easily she was able to tell her that. And as much as she wanted them to pay... They weren't the ones who did it to her, rather they were imitations. At least that's what she told herself.

Fluttershy found her courage, and replied, weakly at first, but with growing strength, "Maybe so... But it would be good for you to talk about it. It would help you... I think." her courage faltered briefly at the end, but it got the message across. For a brief second, she thought she saw Nightfall smile, but the second was fleeting.

Nightfall picked up her pace, and walked passed Fluttershy. She ran her tongue across her sharp teeth, and found herself frowning.

Eclipse's eyes trailed over the Cutie Map, taking in each detail of the magic representation of the world. The map was currently centered on Ponyville, and the Castle of Friendship. The surrounding area was less detailed, and became more obscure as it grew farther away from the center. The map had been useful, and had served her well before, and she knew it would continue to serve them well, it was, after all, linked to the Elements of Harmony. That being said, she was aware that Nightfall had the Elements, thus there was a slight chance it might not work as it should have.

She shifted her gaze towards Rainbow Dash, who was sitting in her throne, laying back and relaxing. She had a pretty good idea why Rainbow was with her, rather than with Twilight. Which was fine, she enjoyed her company. And it made her feel a little better about herself too, knowing that despite what Rainbow knew of her, which, granted was rather... Limited... She would still choose to hang out with her rather than be around Nightfall. Despite her desire for her friends to all give Nightfall a chance, something she was betting could help, she didn't particularly like them being alone with her...

Which was to say without herself present, such as now. She looked back to the map, pushing the thought aside. Nightfall wouldn't hurt them... At least for now. After they dealt with Starlight... She wasn't sure. She needed to use her time wisely, but she couldn't push too much. A slight suggestions here, a subtle comment there... Nightfall might still see through her manipulations... But maybe she wouldn't be completely opposed to changing.

Nightfall was still her opposite... If the spell was to be believed... But maybe that didn't mean she couldn't be saved? Maybe if she shared her new plan regarding the others she would consider helping... She glanced back at Rainbow, the mare was now lying on her back looking up at the ceiling. Her plan for them was... Selfish. She grimaced, neither Celestia nor Luna told her their reasoning for denying her pleas... Maybe there was something she was missing, something she didn't know or realize... Or maybe they really did just make a mistake...

Regardless, she needed to figure out a way to ascend them, preferably before Starlight was dealt with. Starlight would have to be dealt with before she could bring her plan to completion, but if Nightfall could be convinced to help her with them... She grimaced, knowing that Nightfall would either have to choose to help her, or she would have to fight her for the Elements...

Rainbow rolled over onto her side to look at Eclipse, "So why exactly are we here?"

"I'm checking on the map and thinking." Eclipse replied, "I told you it'd be boring."

Rainbow groaned, "Ugh, can't you think while we're actually doing something? I don't like sitting around..."

Eclipse sighed internally, realizing that was the end of Rainbow's silence. She shook her head, the map seemed to be fine, so she really had no other reason to be here. "I-" Then again, she could use the magic map to show Rainbow one of her memories. The stray thought gave her pause, she was unsure where it came from. She pursed her lips as she thought about it. She could show Rainbow one of her memories... Should she though, and if so, which one? Then again... It wouldn't be fair to the others, and she had promised to tell them everything after fixing things. The thought of telling them everything... It wasn't as terrifying a it had been now, which surprised her.

Which, as she thought about it, was a good thing. They deserved to know. Maybe they didn't need to know, and she had no idea what effect on the timeline telling them what happened would have... But they deserved to know. At least as far as she was concerned. 'How were things supposed to turn out in the first place?' the thought struck her like a rock. When she looked back on how things had happened, she knew it was wrong, she could just feel that it wasn't supposed to happen that way... But that didn't tell her how things were meant to be, only that what had happened wasn't correct. And while she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that what had happened was wrong, she also knew she could be wrong, and that maybe things were meant to turn out that badly.

And that was a scary thought...

Rainbow sat up straighter, Eclipse had spaced out, and as time went on, her frown deepened. "Uh, Twilight?" Rainbow's voice broke Eclipse from her musings, "You alright? You uh... Kinda spaced out there for a minute."

Eclipse nodded her head, "Uh yeah sorry... Was distracted..." she trailed off, still occupied with the rogue thought.

Rainbow slid off her throne, "Thinking?" she asked, to which Eclipse nodded her head in confirmation, "Ugh... What... What is so distracting that we can't do something while you think?"

"The past... How things were... How things were meant to be..." Eclipse answered at length.

Rainbow's mood fell at that, Eclipse sounded distressed over being reminded about what happened by her. "Oh... Sorry..." she sheepishly apologized.

Eclipse looked to Rainbow and smiled lightly, "Don't be... It's... It's fine. It doesn't... Bother me as much as it used to."

Rainbow perked up, "Oh, that's good!"

Eclipse nodded. "It is... It will make telling you all everything easier... And I do owe it to tell you all about what happened..." She shook her head sadly, "I... I would not be able to do justice by what happened in all of your lives... But I will try. They were all wonderful... Even until the end..." Rainbow fidgeted on her hooves as Eclipse seemed to grow sad. Eclipse looked towards the ground sadly, and with guilt, "I suppose towards the end I squandered our time... And I will never get that time back with my best friends..." She looked towards Rainbow, "You... You are them, but at the same time, you're not... Nightfall is right about that... I... I will never get the time back I had with them... But I suppose I can make new time, can't I? I have a second chance after all, and not everypony gets one..."

"Uh, Twilight, not that I don't mind this but um... I'm not the best pony to talk to about that sort of thing." Rainbow ruffled her wings, punctuating her statement. "I'm a mare of action, not... Thinking..."

Eclipse smiled, "It just feels good to get that out..."

"Cadance!" Twilight exclaimed as both her sister-in-law and brother entered her vision. She immediately set off in a gallop to greet them, though her friends followed her at a more leisurely pace. Both Cadance and Shining Armor smiled brightly at Twilight, who didn't hesitate to return their smile.

"Twiley!" Shining greeted as he pulled his sister into a hug, one which Twilight eagerly returned.

Cadance smiled at the sight, "We missed you at the wedding... I hope that..." she frowned, thinking about what she was saying as she said it, "Bug... Bear..." the words sounded strange to her, "Didn't give you too many problems."

Twilight pulled away from her brother and went over to hug Cadance, "It wasn't that bad... I had help." She pulled back and waved a hoof around at her friends and Nightfall. "I didn't expect to see you until tonight?"

"You think I could pass up an opportunity to see my little sis sooner?" Shining answered with a smile. Twilight giggled lightly.

Cadance stepped over towards the others present, "It's good to see you all again... Hi Spike."

Spike smiled and waved, "Hey Cadance!"

Cadance looked to each mare present, ending with Nightfall. She eyed her wearily, "And you're..." She didn't want to say the name. She still didn't want to believe that it was possible for Twilight to turn into... Her... Being the Princess of Love was generally a fun thing, but it also meant she could more easily grasp emotions, whether they be friendly, or less than friendly. Nightfall... She was hard to read, so many conflicting emotions radiated off of her.

"I am Nightfall." she answered coldly. "Cadance." she nodded towards her, then looked to Shining Armor, "Shining Armor." she acknowledged with a nod of her head. Silence filled the air for several seconds after Nightfall spoke.

Everypony present shifted uncomfortably on their hooves, waiting for somepony to speak up and break the silence. "Eclipse and Rainbow are off checking something. Eclipse didn't say what, but they should meet back up with us shortly."

"I look forward to meeting her." Cadance smiled. "Though my correspondence with her has been limited..." She bobbled her head and grimaced, "Mostly to what has been going on..." she shook her head, "But I do look forwards to seeing her in person."

"And I'm sure she looks forwards to getting back to us and making sure I haven't done anything." Nightfall commented, drawing nervous glances from everypony present.

Shining Armor shook his head, "So how're you doing, Twiley? Staying out of trouble I hope?" he glanced to Nightfall as he finished. Nightfall rolled her eyes.

"I'm doing okay..." Twilight briefly frowned, then pushed it aside and continued, "But what about you two? I haven't heard from you in a while, how've you been?"

"We've been good..." Cadance answered with a chuckle, laying a wing around Shining as she did so. She frowned, "Although the letter from Eclipse about Celestia and Luna was... Something..."

Shining Armor took this time to glare at Nightfall, who stared back at him, unaffected by his condemning gaze. Cadance could feel her husband's dislike for Nightfall, and it hurt. She didn't exactly like or trust Nightfall, but... She could feel her pain, but she could also feel a spark of some kind, a flame of hope within the vast sea of darkness filling her heart. She leaned over to Shining's ear, and whispered, "That's enough... She's still your sister..." she pleaded.

Shining waited a few seconds before breaking off his glare, yet Nightfall's gaze remained on him. She continued to look at him dispassionately until he looked back at Twilight. "Are you sure you're safe around her?" he asked. Cadance winced, but had to admit she was worried about that too.

Twilight's expression fell, and her muzzle drew into a line. "I-"

Nightfall stepped forwards, "I am older than all of you combined. Even in my weakened state, I can still beat all of you..." she turned to Cadance, "If you were not in your current state... That might not be true..." she mused, then shook her head. "Regardless, Eclipse would stop me before I got that far."

Shining glared at her, "And what does that matter to you? I thought you were her opposite, that you wanted to hurt them all."

Nightfall snorted, "If I were to break my promise, Eclipse would stop me, even if it killed her. If I beat her I would be too weakened to fight Starlight Glimmer, and she would win. If she wins, then she will enslave the entire world. That is something I cannot, and will not abide."

"What about after Starlight is dealt with?" Shining asked in a low voice.

"I do believe Eclipse has been rather... Forthcoming... About my goals here." Nightfall answered.

Fluttershy looked between the two, seeing them fight was scary, and painful. Shining Armor was Twilight's brother, they shouldn't be fighting like that! "Please stop..." she quietly asked. Immediately Shining Armor turned to Fluttershy and his expression became regretful. Nightfall looked at Fluttershy indifferently, but took a step back. Applejack put a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder and smiled reassuringly, she smiled back lightly.

A few seconds later, there was a flash of light, and Eclipse and Rainbow appeared at the end of the path. Eclipse looked around briefly before catching the sight of the others. She smiled, then frowned when she realized Cadance and Shining Armor were there. A second later, both Eclipse and Rainbow disappeared, then appeared, this time much closer to the group.

"Eclipse." Nightfall acknowledged.

"Nightfall." Eclipse acknowledged.

Nightfall glanced around at everypony present, "As you can see... We are fine." As if making sure, Eclipse glanced around at everypony present, then nodded.

"Cadance... Shiney..." Eclipse greeted with a half smile. It had been even longer since she had seen either of them, and she had missed them too, but their memories were tainted by those last few years before everything went so... So painfully wrong. She sighed internally, remembering... "It's... It's good to see you again."

"It's the first time either of us have really seen you... You've really grown in... What was it again, a thousand years?"

"I think it was closer to one thousand four hundred years." Eclipse mused, then shook her head. "I have looked this way for... Since about... One hundred and fifty years after this, I think is what it was. I've not grown much-" 'At all.' she mentally corrected, "-in the past millennium."

Cadance frowned, something with that was wrong. Celestia and Luna had discussed at length Twilight's potential, even before she became an alicorn. She was capable of a lot now, and she would grow in time into more magic, and a more powerful body. Something must have stunted her growth along the way... 'Maybe Celestia and Luna have a better idea about what happened...' She shook her head a grimaced, 'Too bad they're not here...'

Duality

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Eclipse gazed out into the vast expanse of the starry night sky. The moon was at its apex, earlier than normal, as usual since Starlight took control of both sun and moon. The night was calm and peaceful, the only sound coming from the gentle night breeze, which held a cold edge to it that most ponies would only find discomforting if they had been standing outside for a long time. To her, it was nothing. The cool air was relaxing, and the peacefulness comforted her.

The night was so unlike what she was used to, but it was as she remembered from centuries prior. Before she returned to the present, a time filled with peace and harmony, despite the occasional disruption, things had been getting bad. Very, very bad. The nights were long and fraught with danger, the days were short, and dark. Where the day which at present was warm, almost to an oppressive level, before it had been only a brief reprieve from the icy chill of night, but even that did little to stop the cold winds which howled across the barren wastes.

She looked down from the moon, at the planet for a thousand years. One thousand years of absolute solitude, in an environment hostile to life. A thousand years locked away, displaced from time, and away from anypony who she could have befriended. She hadn't even been in contact with Discord during that period. It was so long, so, so very long. It was most of her life, over two thirds of her life she had spent locked away. It was horrible, and she knew what Luna must have went through... But unlike Luna and Nightfall, during those thousand years, instead of becoming lost even further to her anger, it had left her.

One thousand years is a long time for anything, even an alicorn. She sat by, idly, unable to do anything except watch as the world below her shifted and changed under the winds of time. She watched as the results of her crime, her mistake, played out on the world below. She couldn't even begin to imagine how many lives she had cost, how many lives she had cut short, all because of her foolish action. Her foolish mistake, her refusal to move on.

'Celestia... I am so sorry...' Words could not express how she felt. In her absence, the world had changed. The language had changed, as it had with Luna, but unlike with Luna, she had nopony to turn to. Nopony to guide her back into society... Nopony who did not despise her, at least a little bit. Some who had grown acquainted with her knew how much she regretted, but none of them were ever her friends.

She found friendship where she least expected it, Discord. He had experienced far worse than she had... In comparison, she should have had his punishment, and him hers. Discord never injured anypony. At least not physically... their pride on the other hoof... She smiled lightly, then frowned. She had killed her... Her own mentor, in a fit of rage, one which had been brewing for centuries, perhaps from the start of her time as an alicorn.

'Where did I go wrong?' she asked herself. She knew where the mistake happened, and she knew how to fix it. But where, and when, was the cause of it. Her friends passed, and she lived on, unable to find friendship because of her crown and wings. She clenched her jaw. It was hard, it still was, but it was getting easier. Her friends... She smiled, her friends were being there for her. They may not be them, but they were still her friends. And that made her happy.

While she could look back on what happened and fall into depression, she could also see a silver lining, a bright side, her actions led her to a point where she could prevent it from happening again. That silver lining had not been there a year prior, and she had her friends to thank for it. She could not fail them. Not again, once was too much, and doing so again... If she had to witness their deaths here... She shivered, feeling a familiar cold presence in the back of her mind.

"I thought I would find you here."

Eclipse glanced to her left and watched as Nightfall strode out onto the balcony, gazing at the starry sky as she did so. Nightfall inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly. Eclipse turned her head towards Nightfall, and looked over her. It was fascinating... At least to her, how similar they looked. Where her coat was only slightly darker than Twilight's, Nightfall's coast was a dark purple, the lack of light did not help its appearance any. Their muzzles were identical, save for color and teeth, both looking more akin to Celestia or Luna than Twilight. Eclipse's eyes were different from Nightfall's, it was easy to observe they were different, but it you spent enough time looking at their eyes, you would notice more differences than where apparent. Eclipse's eyes were soft, pained, and filled with regret, while Nightfall's cold, sharp, serpentine slit eyes were predatory. Their manes were different, in color but not style, both looking similar to Twilight's, save for length.

"So I deduce you talked to Fluttershy sometime." Nightfall stated, breaking Eclipse's thoughts.

Eclipse felt a brief flurry of hope, but it faded when she saw Nightfall's scowl. She sighed, "Yes... I did."

Nightfall nodded, "So you told her to be nice to me, is that it? Thinking it held any potential to change things?"

"Does it?" Eclipse asked genuinely.

Nightfall's scowl briefly faltered. She turned to face Eclipse, "We both know this ends in one of two ways for us, Eclipse."

Eclipse looked to her hooves, seeing Nightfall so pessimistic hurt. "Maybe... But it doesn't have to be." she stated with a nod and returned her gaze to Nightfall.

Nightfall snorted, "There is no storybook happy ending for us, Eclipse. We both know what we did. There is no point in denying what happened, nor what we did to get here."

"Why not? Don't you want that happy ending?" Eclipse asked softly.

Nightfall faltered, and hesitated several seconds before answering, "It doesn't mater..."

Eclipse looked over Nightfall's face, searching for anything to give her a clue as to what to say, "Why not?" she asked.

"Surely you have not forgot what we have done?"

Eclipse looked back to the stars, "No... I was just thinking about that before you came here..."

"You..." Nightfall snorted. "We... We took our vengeance, Eclipse. For how she wronged us, we took her life. A fitting exchange... What happened after that... Not so much."

Eclipse looked at Nightfall sharply, "We didn't even deserve the mercy of surviving the Elements' wrath. We should have died when we fought Luna."

Nightfall raised an eyebrow, "That can still be arranged, you know."

Eclipse ruffled her wings, "You would threaten me while we still need each other?"

"Consider it a... Reminder, of how things are, Eclipse." Nightfall smiled, showing her fangs. The sight unnerved Eclipse, as it had all those centuries ago when her name was Twilight Sparkle, and she faced Nightmare Moon.

"I can, and will still beat you if it comes down to that, Nightfall. I am willing to sacrifice myself to stop you." Eclipse stated.

"I have no doubts about that... But what would they think of that, knowing you could have avoided it? What would she think, Eclipse?" Nightfall smiled smugly as Eclipse winced.

"I could ask you the same." Eclipse retorted immediately after recovering.

Nightfall glared at Eclipse, "I shall refrain from putting my horn through your throat, for now." she stated bitterly. She stood up a little straighter and looked to the moon, "I am curious, though, as to how our grand battle will go. One one hoof, you're incompetent, and I'm not. On the other hoof, you're foolish enough to use that spell to gain the strength to kill me, while I'm not. And, as you have said, you are willing to die to stop me."

"If I don't stop you, you'll kill everything, even yourself. I may not know what your plan is for doing it, but I know that's what you will do."

"And so you see why this can only end with one of us alive." Nightfall smiled.

Eclipse shook her head, "Not true. If I defeat you, you will die a pointless death, and will have failed your promises." Nightfall's eyes narrowed, an action that went unseen by Eclipse. "If you win... Everypony, everything really, including yourself, dies a pointless death, and for what?"

"An end of misery." Nightfall stated softly, in a voice akin to Fluttershy's, as if the wind whispered it, yet the voice was unmistakable as Twilight's voice.

Eclipse's eyes trailed over Nightfall's face, "There would be no more joy too, Nightfall. You can't just eliminate the bad, with nothing to compare the good to, it loses its specialness."

"You will not convince me to stop." Nightfall looked up, "They are not my friends, and your attempts to use them to sway my opinion hold no edge."

"Is that what you tell yourself?" Eclipse shook her head, "Then why do you delay? We both know the spell that would give us the strength to defeat Starlight, and defeat each other. It would be so simple, yet you delay, waiting, for what?"

"I am not foolish enough to use that spell." Nightfall retorted.

"But does that matter? With it you can end everything, but you don't." Eclipse smiled.

"The same holds true for you, Eclipse. You could use that spell, and defeat Starlight. But then you would have to deal with me, and we both know how that would go. If either of us strike without the other, we would be at a disadvantage." Nightfall shook her head, "Even if you beat me when this is over, how many years do you have left? How much of your life have you sacrificed, just to get here?" she asked mockingly.

"But in truth, neither of us really know, do we?" Nightfall asked after several seconds of silence.

"Do you really want to kill them?" Eclipse asked sadly. "You say they are not your friends, that they are not the ones from before... They aren't, but yet you still hate them for abandoning us, something that wasn't their choice. If they had been given a choice, don't you think they would have chosen to stay with us?"

"We took our revenge on Celestia." Nightfall stated.

"And what did that do for us? We lost a thousand years, and doomed our own realities. If we had not done that, maybe we would have found friends again."

"Perhaps it served no purpose, but... Making her pay..."

"When exactly did our timelines diverge? Because if I'm right, you remember the feeling immediately after killing her. That brief second when we regained control, even if it was fleeting, I remember that feeling. The cold despair, realizing just how bad of a mistake I had made, knowing that whatever happened, nothing would be right, and that it could never go back to the way it was before. And remembering her pleas, during that brief second, all of her pleas to us, all of the times we shared. We threw it all away."

"Celestia was responsible for her own death. She denied our pleas, so we returned the favor in kind."

Eclipse shook her head, "What about this time? If you succeed, you will be directly responsible for killing them all. What would they say if they could see you now? At least I know they could see I was trying to fix my mistakes."

Nightfall looked down at the floor. In her heart, she knew they would not forgive her actions should she follow through with her plan. She had another chance, she knew it, but she didn't want to think of it as such. Her friends were gone, Celestia had said they would live in her heart and mind as long as she lived. The memories of them that she had, their time spent together, the adventures they went on together, the successes and the failures.

Nightfall turned around, briefly stopping to look at Eclipse, then walked back inside the castle without saying a word.

Eclipse sighed as she watched Nightfall walk back inside, then returned her gaze to the stars. There was a flash of white light from her right, and she felt a familiar chaotic presence. "A beautiful night, isn't it Discord?"

Discord stroked his goatee, "Hmm... Yes I suppose it is, isn't it." He slithered through the air and curled around Eclipse, and looked at her eyes, "So that was the infamous Nightfall... She sure is something."

"How much did you hear?" Eclipse asked curiously.

Discord smiled, "Now now, what would be the fun in just telling you?" Eclipse rolled her eyes. Discord slithered off of her and stood beside her, "The more I hear of your past, the more fascinated I find myself with you, Eclipse. I never, never would have thought it possible for you to do something like that..." he said with an awed look.

"If she kills me, would you intervene and stop her from killing everything?" Eclipse asked.

Discord leaned back and lifted his paw to his chin, "Hmm... That is a very interesting question. It might be fun to just cause her trouble..."

Eclipse spoke seriously, "Discord, if she kills me, and you don't stop her, she will kill Fluttershy. I know you don't want that. You have to stop her if I fail."

Discord stood up straight, "Hmm... Yes well, very well. If she kills you, I will try to stop her." he snapped his fingers, Eclipse blinked from the flash of white light, and stared blankly at Discord. He was wearing a white shirt, with a black tie, and had a black suit on over it, he had dark sunglasses and a curled wire sticking out of his ear. "Of course I might not let her get that far... But of course, I might not be able to stop her anyway."

Eclipse nodded solemnly, "If she does kill me, and you stop her, be there for them."

Discord bowed, "Of course." he spoke with genuineness. He rose from his bow, and snapped a talon, sending his outfit away.

"There is another problem too, Starlight Glimmer."

"Eclipse, I'm not going to take care of all your problems. It could rob you of a valuable experience, a lesson, or perhaps a chance to bond closer to your friends!" Discord spoke in mock shock. "Besides, she could prove quite fun..." he mused.

Eclipse nodded, "Fair enough..." She knew Discord, and figured he probably wouldn't pass up an opportunity to see the chaos Starlight would cause, that said, she had hoped he would help. "Oh hey uh... Question..." 'It couldn't hurt to ask... He probably can't help though.' "Do you know how I would go about... Ascending my friends?"

Discord pulled back slowly, smiling a devilish smile, "Oh hoho, Eclipse... Somepony's looking to move up in the world it seems..."

Eclipse sighed, "Discord, please..." she pleaded.

Discord sighed, "I am sorry, Eclipse. There are some things even I can't help you with, this being one of them. I am not privy to knowledge about alicorns, nor the secrets of immortality. I cannot gift it to others..." he sighed, "Immortals... The few, the powerful, the lonely..." he stroked his beard while he mused.

Eclipse nodded sadly, "I kind of figured that... After all, if you could, why wouldn't you have done it before..."

Nightfall sat on a bed in a dark room, the only light coming from the dark glow of the magic surrounding her horn. She stared at the object she held in place with her hoof. A picture. She inhaled, then exhaled, and looked away, towards the closed window. She couldn't look at the picture for any period of time, it only brought pain and anger. Each and every single one of them left her, one by one, until she was alone. She felt broiling rage growing within her as she thought about each one of them, and knowing she could take her revenge. It would be easy, she could kill them all before Eclipse could stop her. She could kill Cadance, Shining Armor, and Twilight before they even realized what was happening, and they wouldn't be able to stop her. She could kill them for... For leaving her...

The rage faded away almost immediately, realizing that killing them was contrary to what she actually wanted... Even looking away, she could still see it in her mind's eye. The graying fur and manes of her friends, how she had draped her wings over all of them, how they each smiled, even if hers was pained. It was the last picture she had of them all together. She almost felt shame for wanting to kill their versions in this reality.

She raised a hoof to her eye and wiped away a tear, and glanced back to the picture. Her eyes lingered on it for a second, then she teleported it back into her pocket dimension. They left her... But Eclipse was right for once, they wouldn't have chosen to leave her if it was up to them. And if they knew what leaving would bring... 'Killing them here... It serves no purpose, they will die when I...'

A flash of light, and she held the Elements of Harmony in her magic. She slowly looked up to the Element of Magic, and viewed it indifferently. The gem glowed with a faint pink inner light. She shifted her gaze to the Element of Kindness, which also glowed with a faint pink inner light. She looked towards the Element of Loyalty, which seemed to glow with a faint red light. Her eyes narrowed. She glanced to each of the other three gems, each glance confirming that the Elements were reacting to her presence. She shivered, knowing what the Elements were capable of, and having felt their power first hoof, both on the sending side and the receiving side.

She sighed, and stared blankly at the Element of Magic.

"And so the protege rose up against her mentor, and student surpassed teacher. The mentor's young sister felt it happen, and grieved the loss of her sister, but vowed to bring justice to the usurper. The younger sister confronted the protege with the Elements of Harmony, knowing that alone she could not restore her, but also knowing that she could banish her for one thousand years. In such time she hoped to find new bearers to wield the Elements, and restore her friend."

"The young sister successfully defeated her friend, and banished her to the moon for a thousand years, the same fate which she herself had once experienced. During those thousand years of absence, the sister mourned, and did her best to maintain harmony, but her attempts were not enough. The world slowly died, and as years turned into centuries, she realized the end was coming. The damage that had been done was too severe, even if she could find bearers for the Elements and restore her friend, it would already be too late."

"As the thousand year displacement approached its end, the sister had not found bearers, and knew she could not wield the Elements again, and that if she delayed for another thousand years, there would be nothing left to save. Steeling herself, the young sister awaited her friend's return, intending to kill her to preserve what little remained."

"The student returned, the sister and she engaged in battle, for a time it appeared either could win, but as night gave way to dawn, it was apparent that the student had the upper hoof. The sister could not hold forever, and eventually the student felled her former friend, in the same way she had her teacher."

"Out of the ashes of that battle, the student emerged victorious, but what she saw... The world was dying, and the misery of life had stolen all joy. The student searched for decades, looking for a way to take her vengeance on the ones who had left her, and a way to end the suffering everypony felt, including hers. In her travels she encountered one of her former friends..."

"In the end, the student... Convinced... Him to help her... He gave her a spell to travel back in time, and when combined with a artifact she controlled, she could enter an alternate reality, one which would have turned out nearly identical to what had happened, and end misery, and life, in one single action..."

"But it became apparent to the student that she was not alone, for an alternate version of herself, with opposite goals went there also. And as time went on, events unfolded. The student defeated her mentor and her sister once more, and took their power, intending to add it to her own. But another had differing ideas, and used their power to bolster hers. The student fought the other, and lost, she was forced to flee, and seek out her opposite. They forged an alliance to stop the other, and the student intended to fulfill her original mission after they defeated their mutual enemy, while the opposite hoped to change the student's heart."

"But you already know this, Harmony." she spat bitterly as she glared at the faintly glowing gem which had abandoned her. "Even if I wanted to change, even if I wanted to... To live... This can only end with my death, we both know this." she finished slowly, a pained expression appearing on her face as she did so. She looked to the red gem, the Element of Loyalty, "I've made my choices, and it's just a matter of time before they take their share of my blood."

"But of course you're not going to reply. You never do." she exhaled sharply, and teleported the gems away. In their wake, she called forth six pictures, one of each of her former friends, and Spike and his family.

Light

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Nightfall indifferently gazed into the mirror, at her reflection, scrutinizing every detail of the face that stared back at her, as she had for the passed half hour. She was lost in her memories. Days and nights gone by, the ones worth remembering, when she wasn't alone like the reflection in the mirror. Alone... Celestia said her friends would never truly leave her, that they would live on in her heart. She snorted, the notion was a foolish one. Celestia had been wrong, so very wrong. She was alone, what was the Princess of Friendship without friends? What was her identity if she couldn't be what she was meant to be?

She sighed, and looked towards the top of her head, to her horn. She could almost picture the crown she once wore, the one with the Element of magic set in it, not the tiara that had been made to replace it after having to give the Element of Magic back... But that was centuries ago... After she had slain Luna, she looked for the Elements, but alas, they were lost to the centuries. The knowledge of where they were hidden died with Luna, and the secret of their power died far before then.

She looked off to the side of her reflection, she could almost picture her friends standing beside her, reassuring her that it would be alright, telling her that it would be okay. She missed them. She was glad they were gone, and not here, so they could not see what happened. She loved them, and she hated them for leaving her. Each and every one of them had a hoof in making her who she was... And had become. It was wrong, so very, very wrong, and she knew it. Eclipse knew it was wrong too, the way things turned out. But of course it didn't matter, they couldn't change what happened. What had happened prevented everything from being right, it could never be right. They could both search a thousand years, moving from reality to reality, not a one of them would be right. Their existence had corrupted reality itself, nothing would change that. Perhaps there was a chance that one reality would go as it was meant to, but she did not know.

She should have acted sooner, she could have saved them... She had wondered if it was a test. If it was, she failed, completely. She lit her horn, and teleported the Elements of Harmony to her. She gazed into each gem, each one representative of an aspect of friendship, and of harmony. Each one a reminder of her friends. Even if her friends had never held their corresponding Element of this reality, they still had a link to them, like it or not. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Each gem glowed faintly with an inner light that resisted her magic, but allowed her to hold them, as if remembering that she was at one time their friend, despite how things had changed.

There was a knock on the door, followed immediately by the sound of said door opening. Her eyes glanced towards the intruder, "Eclipse." she venomously acknowledged, giving her pause. She glared at her for a second, before returning her gaze to the Elements, which seemed to glow brighter at her arrival.

"They're glowing..." Eclipse pursed her lips and walked further into the room, coming to a stop beside Nightfall's bed.

Nightfall snorted, "Yes they are."

Eclipse looked between Nightfall and the glowing Elements of Harmony. The Elements, which would give her the power to fix everything, if they let her, were so close... Yet so far out of reach, being held in Nightfall's magic. She looked back to Nightfall, who for the most part was ignoring her, not paying any attention to her. She... She could fight her. Right now, Nightfall was vulnerable, lying on the bed, her head facing the Elements... She wouldn't see any attack coming from her, and not just because she wasn't looking at her.

'It would be easy... I could end this right now...' She looked back to the Elements, and felt like they were watching her, as if they had heard her thoughts. She shifted her weight on her hooves, and returned her gaze to Nightfall. She closed her eyes and clenched her jaw, 'No, that's not who I am.' She wouldn't attack Nightfall, at least not now. She wouldn't throw away a chance to save her without at least trying. She spoke softly, "You should give the Elements to me, Nightfall."

Nightfall snorted, "Hah! As if I would ever do something as stupid as that. I do that, you get them all, and then you kill me, then use them against Starlight Glimmer. Maybe not in that order, but we know it would come to that."

"Not if you change, Nightfall." Eclipse stated firmly.

Nightfall teleported the Elements back into her pocket dimension, and stood up on her bed, Eclipse backed up to give her room to get down, then she stepped off the bed. "Why should I change? Our friends are all dead and gone, our mentor? Dead at our own hooves. Our family? They died long ago. Our niece? We haven't seen her, nor heard anything from her in over twelve hundred years, Eclipse. The aren't here, you may be able to fool yourself, but you, and they, will not fool me."

Eclipse waited patiently for Nightfall to finish, not once interrupting until she finished. "If you don't change, you will die. Your own plan involves your death, and once that happens, who will remember them?" She took a step forwards, "Who will remember all the good times we shared with our friends? With our mentor? All the sleepless nights we spent with them? Who will be left to remember the heroines of Equestria, how they defeated Nightmare Moon and countless others? If we die, who will keep their memories alive?" She paused to take a breath, "Yes, they are gone. We can't change that. But we can remember, and we can change what will happen here."

"And do tell, what point would that serve? Delaying their inevitable ends? It's still inevitable. We will both die one day, Eclipse, and then those memories will die with us, so that doesn't matter."

"We can save them, Nightfall. Together. And we can tell them about us, about our friends." Eclipse paused to look over Nightfall's expression. It was unreadable, so she continued, "Maybe it will only delay it... But the thousands of years they would have... They would outlive us, yes, but we wouldn't have to watch them die again. We wouldn't have to be responsible for their deaths."

Nightfall didn't immediately reject the idea. She maintained her gaze on Eclipse while she thought it over for several seconds. The idea was tempting. Very tempting, if she was honest. Or it would have been if they were her friends. "No. They are not my friends."

"What if they were?" Eclipse asked.

"Irrelevant." Nightfall stated sharply. "Now unless there is something you wanted, leave."

Eclipse turned around and made her way to the door. "Rainbow and I are going for a flight. The rest of them decided to have a picnic and wanted you to join them." she said as she walked out the door, leaving Nightfall alone once more.

As Eclipse walked through the hallways, her muzzle slowly twisted into a frown.

By the time Eclipse met up with Rainbow Dash just outside of the castle, she was practically scowling, paying no mind to the curious glances she was receiving from her friends, though it let up when she caught sight of her friend. Rainbow turned towards Eclipse as she approached, smiling, but then she saw Eclipse frowning, and the smile faded. "Change of plans." Eclipse stated as she came to a stop before her.

"So.. We're not going flying then?" Rainbow asked, disappointment prevailing in her response.

Eclipse pursed her lips, then glanced behind her to make sure nopony was watching her. She hesitated briefly, watching Nightfall stride out of the castle and joining the others, before turning around and taking a step closer to Rainbow Dash. She lowered her head and lit her horn. There was a bright flash of light signaling their departure as she cast her teleportation spell.

A second later, the pair appeared at their destination, the edge of Ponyville, along the path heading to the Everfree forest. Rainbow's wings shot out in surprise at the unexpectedness of it, something that normally would have made Eclipse smile, at least slightly. This time she didn't. She looked around once more, making sure they were alone on the path, away from any prying eyes and ears. After she was confident they had privacy, she spoke, "We're going to pay a visit to the Tree of Harmony."

Rainbow ruffled her wings. "Is that really a good idea?"

Eclipse shook her head, "Not in the slightest, but I need to see the Tree of Harmony. Something is happening with the Elements... I believe they are reacting to Nightfall's presence, or her magic, but to what ends, I do not know."

Rainbow nodded her head, but shifted her weight on her hooves. "Alright... But with the Castle of the Two Sisters being so near, Starlight could find us..."

"You're worried." Eclipse smiled, "If you don't want to come with me, I completely-"

Rainbow shook her head vigorously, "No-no, it's fine. Just... Wouldn't it be safer if we brought the others with us?"

"Ah, yes and no. While there is something to be said for safety in numbers, a larger group is more easily detectable. Besides, there's nopony else I trust as much as you to watch my back, and I promised I'd fly with you today." She hesitated slightly before continuing, "I would rather keep this between just us, anyway. I don't want to put the others in danger."

Rainbow raised a hoof to her chest in mock shock, "And you want to put me in danger!?" she said exaggeratedly.

Eclipse raised an eyebrow, "I thought you trusted me to keep you safe?" She sighed exaggeratedly, "But I suppose I was wrong." She raised a hoof to her head, in mimicry of Rarity, "Oh whatever shall I do now, a lost princess, left alone in a cold, cold world, unable to complete her quest, because her knight had no courage! Woe, woe to me."

"Hey!" Rainbow shouted dejectedly. She beat her wings and hovered in the air, folding her front hooves, puffing out her chest, and looking away from Eclipse.

Eclipse giggled, "Sorry." She sighed happily, letting herself relax. "I kind of needed that." Rainbow returned her gaze to her and smiled softly, then landed. After a few seconds, she looked away from Rainbow, and gazed at the Everfree Forest. "Let's go... I'll lead the way." She spoke and started walking towards the dark, unforgiving forest.

Rainbow rushed in front of her, turned around to face her, and raised a hoof, motioning for her to stop, "Wait... Maybe I should go first. You know, because it's dangerous."

"Rainbow... One day, you will be able to beat me in a sparring match, if I didn't use magic." She smiled sadly, remembering those fond times when they did things like that. Now that she thought about that, it surprised her how much things changed for each of them over the course of their lifetimes. It brought a tear to her eye. She smiled again, and wiped away the tear with a hoof. "But... That's a few years down the road."

Rainbow smiled boldly, "So... You're telling me... That I was able to best an alicorn?"

Eclipse realized her mistake as soon as she saw Rainbow's smile. She laughed, "Yes, Rainbow Dash, you beat me on several occasions. Even as I grew, I was still me, and you were still you. I could have easily beaten you with my magic..." she smiled, "But that would have ruined the point of it. But you're not there yet."

"Fine," Rainbow relented, "lead the way." Eclipse smiled at her and walked passed her. "But you owe me a match later!" Rainbow quickly added as she walked towards the forest.

"Deal." Eclipse chirped. After a slight hesitation, Rainbow flew to her side, and the pair made their way into the Everfree Forest.

Nightfall levitated her sandwich to her mouth, then took another bite of it, and chewed it. As much as she hated to admit it, Cadance could make really good sandwiches. She pulled the sandwich back, and replaced it with her glass of tea. She took a short drink, then swallowed, and pulled the glass away. She glanced around the table, briefly looking over everypony present. To her immediate left sat Applejack and Rarity, to her right, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Across the table sat Cadance, Shining Armor, Twilight, and Spike. Everypony was content with eating, and enjoying the peace and quiet.

Cadance swallowed and levitated a napkin to her mouth, then wiped her lips off. She turned to Nightfall, smiling in a way which made her uncomfortable. "So... Nightfall... Since you're a few centuries older than Twilight here," she flashed Twilight a smile, Twilight looked back at her cautiously, but continued to take a drink, "perhaps you could tell us about anypony you met, hmm? You couldn't have stayed single that entire time, who was the lucky pony?"

Twilight pulled her drink away and fell into a fit of coughs, which Cadance ignored. Twilight raised a hoof to her chest as she continued to cough, and Spike gently rubbed her side. Nightfall took a short drink, then sat the glass down before answering coldly, "Maybe there was, and maybe there wasn't. We are not telling that, but we will say that if somepony existed, that pony is now dead."

Cadance's smile faded. "Who was it?" she asked.

Nightfall snorted. "You assume that there was somepony, but let us tell you, nopony we met after we became more active as a princess could really see passed my crown. They saw us as a symbol, rather than a pony." She paused to take another drink. "We believe you are somewhat familiar with that yourself, Cadance."

Twilight, having recovered from her fit of coughing, spoke up, "We could have tried harder then." She didn't like the idea of being looked at in the same light as Princess Celestia or Princess Luna. "We could have tried to be their friends-"

Nightfall turned to Twilight, "We did. We were friendly, but alas, they took advantage of it. We had to learn politics, we did, and we played the game. We were still Twilight, at the time, but after a while... Things happened, things changed. We never did like politics."

"That doesn't sound like you were very honest then, Nightfall." Applejack cut in.

"And it doesn't sound very fun." Pinkie added.

"It wasn't." Nightfall stated. "Fortunately, for the most part Celestia guided and protected us from a lot of things... But, our relationship became very..." She paused, looking for the right word. "Distant."

Cadance shook her head sadly, "I just can't picture you and Celestia ever being distant..."

"It became more than distant..." Nightfall mumbled, and smiled slightly. Despite the happiness the memory gave her, it also hurt, not that she would ever admit that, even to save her life. "She denied... Certain requests of ours. Important ones." She paused. "Really, she brought it upon herself." she mused.

"What did she deny you?" Cadance asked, "She had to have a good reason for it too."

"Her denial... Her reason we do not know, or even if she had a good reason." She exhaled sharply. "Her denial was one which she also denied to you." Cadance stared at Nightfall blankly, not understanding. "Her denials were her mistakes. The 'oh so perfect princess,' hah!" Her face quickly twisted into a scowl, "Her mistake set events in motion which brought us here today. You figure it out for yourselves, for we will not explain it to you." she finished coldly.

Eclipse and Rainbow paused at the edge of the treeline, and looked across the clearing, towards the castle. Rainbow's wings bristled in anticipation, and Eclipse lit her horn, preparing a spell. "I'll teleport us directly to the cave... Just give me a second."

Rainbow frowned and looked to Eclipse, "Why didn't you just teleport us the entire way there?"

"Long distance Teleports are very draining." Eclipse replied. She ruffled her wings, then cast her teleportation spell. Immediately, her horn went dark as the pulse of magic was released, causing a flare of light, and teleporting them to the mouth of the cave. As soon as the flash of light died down, they could see a strong glow emanating from the Tree of Harmony, it was glowing brighter than normal. Eclipse frowned and started walking inside.

Rainbow hesitated briefly, she always felt awed by the Tree, but this time... It was stronger than the other times, the feeling of awe was almost overwhelming. Almost, but yet nowhere near strong enough to stop Rainbow Dash. She closed her mouth and flew to Eclipse's side, and they continued towards the tree.

Eclipse could feel the magic in the air, it was more palpable than she had ever felt magic before. The Tree of Harmony was glowing so bright she had to squint her eyes just to be able to see. As they came to a stop in front of the tree, Eclipse felt fear. Fear of the unknown, she had never seen the Tree of Harmony glowing like that before. 'What is going on...'

"Why is it glowing so bright?" Rainbow asked.

Eclipse's eyes trailed over the tree, searching for any clues to the source, only to find nothing. "I don't know... I've never seen it like this before."

Rainbow averted her gaze from the tree, and looked to Eclipse, "Any guesses?"

The only idea that came to Eclipse's mind was something involving Nightfall, but to what purpose, she had no clue. "It might have something to do with Nightfall... It doesn't seem to be dangerous..."

"That's good..." Rainbow nodded her head. "Right?" she asked tentatively.

"I..." Eclipse trailed off. 'The tree will be fine... It's not malicious, it would never do anything bad...' "We'll just have to wait and see I guess." She turned to Rainbow, "Let's-" she paused, a sense of unease washing over her. She pursed her lips, and shifted her weight on her hooves. She felt like she was being watched, like something was looking into her soul.

Rainbow shifted, she felt it too. "Twilight?"

"Let's... Go..." Eclipse said slowly. She motioned Rainbow to start leaving, and turned back to the tree, eyeing it cautiously. 'We're linked to you... You wouldn't hurt us right?' She glanced back to Rainbow, then back to the tree, and started walking after her friend. 'They're linked to you... But I'm...' She shifted her wings uncomfortably. 'I still am linked to you though, aren't I? You let me take the Elements from you... But they didn't work for me and Twilight...' she pursed her lips at the thought, unsure of what it meant.

"Twilight, you coming?" Rainbow called from the mouth of the cave.

Eclipse's gaze remained on the tree for a few seconds, then she turned back towards Rainbow and quickened her pace. She turned around to look at the Tree one last time before they started their journey. She frowned, having a lot to think about.

Rainbow nudged Eclipse with a wing, breaking her thoughts. Eclipse looked at Rainbow expectantly. Rainbow fluttered her wings. "You still owe me a flight, so let's fly back."

Eclipse paused and bobbled her head, "I... Suppose that would be safe enough, with us leaving anyway."

Rainbow spread her wings, and lowered herself to the ground, readying to jump into the air. She turned to Eclipse and smiled with determination. "Race?"

Eclipse sighed, knowing there was no way for her to get out of it. She could tell Rainbow was going to make it a race whether she wanted it or not, so she didn't really have a choice. She lowered her body closer to the ground, and spread her wings.

One Last Peaceful Moment

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Nightfall awoke to a strange sensation. A cold chill running down her spine, and a tingling sensation at the base of her horn, accompanied by a numbness in her mouth. Her pupils narrowed as she slid out of bed, and the chilly night air hit her coat. She briefly fluttered her wings, then held them firmly against herself. She glanced around the dark room, the only light source coming from the moon, yet even that was diluted by the crystalline window which blocked some of the light.

She lit her horn, casting a dark glow around the room which managed to illuminate it better than the moon did. She tentatively stepped forwards. After she was sure nothing was immediately wrong, she made her way over to the mirror in her room, then stood in front of it. She looked at her reflection blankly.

It did not take her long to find her mouth dry. She licked her lips in an attempt to moisten them along with her mouth, then paused. Something felt wrong. Very, very wrong. She tilted her head to the left, then parted her lips and looked at her teeth. She blinked her eyes several times, then ran her tongue over her teeth. She ruffled her wings, then turned around and looked over the room more carefully, looking for something, anything, out of place, despite knowing nothing was.

After the second pass, and not finding anything out of place, she returned her gaze to the mirror, and herself. She starred at her reflection for several minutes, each one seemed like an eternity. Each second was spent going over every detail of the face that starred back at her. The longer she stood there, the drier her mouth became. She took a deep breath, then exhaled. She glanced at the reflection's chest, then shook her head and turned away from the mirror and made her way into the bathroom. As soon as she entered the bathroom, she shut the door and locked it, then stood in front of the mirror inside the room, and turned on the sink.

She let the water run for a few minutes, then put her mouth below it and drank. After she had her fill, she pulled back and wiped the remaining water off her muzzle with a hoof. She looked at her reflection and ran her tongue over her teeth, then over her lips. She kept looking at her reflection for several minutes, constantly scrutinizing it, then pulled away and left the bathroom.

She looked towards her balcony as she entered her room. She had always found it strange that every single bedroom had a balcony, but it was a castle fit for a princess, so she never gave it much thought. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand beside her bed, then walked over to the balcony door, opened it, and stepped outside, into the cool night air.

She gazed into the sky, enjoying the silence. A gust of wind sent her mane and tail billowing, if only briefly. She watched her mane as the breeze blew through it. She wondered what she would look like with a mane like Princess Celestia or Princess Luna... Even Princess Cadance's mane had become like theirs, yet hers never did. She longingly looked at her mane, and after a few minutes brushed the though aside. What she looked like was... Irrelevant. Though... She thought it would have been nice to be half as beautiful as Celestia had been... She smiled sadly to herself then looked up to the sky, at the stars. The tiny, insignificant specks of light, which in reality were bodies just as massive, if not more massive than the sun. She paused to think about it, how each insignificant speck was so much more than just a speck...

The smile left her face and she shifted her weight. There was a flash of light coming from behind her. She tilted her head to the right and glanced back at Discord.

"You know, a decade ago, I never would have imagined myself having friends, Nightfall." Discord said. "And look at me now." Nightfall remained silent. "If the Spirit of Chaos can be... Reformed... By friendship, surely you can too."

Nightfall looked back at the stars. "You are not omnipotent, Discord. You could not have known what I was thinking about. What do you want and why are you here?"

Discord slithered through the air, then curled around Nightfall's neck, like a snake, then he pressed his head against hers. "You're forgetting just how sensitive I am to magic, Twilight."

Nightfall clenched her teeth, and her expression hardened. "Twilight Sparkle is dead." She channeled magic into her horn, then teleported Discord off of her, and turned to face him.

Discord smiled slyly. "Are you trying to convince me, or convince yourself?"

"Irrelevant." Nightfall stated sharply. "You will die along with the rest of them."

Discord smiled gleefully. "So will you, Twilight. And then you will be confronted by your friends... How ever will the fallen Princess of Friendship explain that she-" Discord's expression darkened, "was directly responsible for billions of deaths."

Nightfall turned away from him. "I do not need to explain myself, or even justify it to them, if I see them again."

Discord stroked his beard. "Mmm... Yes, with the way things are going for you, you won't." Nightfall shifted her weight. "But of course, that's irrelevant, isn't it?" Discord stood to his full height, and tilted his head back. "After all, you don't even care about them here, why should you care about the ones who can remember you?"

Nightfall turned to Discord. "They are not them."

Discord eyed her for a second before answering. "You're forgetting that I was the one who designed that spell, Twilight. I believe I would understand it a bit better than you."

"You're bluffing." Nightfall accused. "I've gone over that spell hundreds of times, I understand what it is. You weren't even the same Discord who designed it."

"I may not have been the one to design it, but it did come from my mind." Discord shook his head.

Nightfall looked away from him. "It doesn't matter... This can only end with my death. We both know that, Discord." Nightfall turned back to Discord, looked him over for a second, then returned inside, shut the door, and laid down in her bed again.

Rarity and Eclipse walked side by side, making their way through Ponyville, towards the destination they had in mind. Ponies that they passed smiled at them and waved, or bowed respectfully to Eclipse. The sight made her uncomfortable, and once again she reaffirmed that she would have to talk to Princess Celestia after this was all over.

"Why are you scowling?" Rarity asked. Eclipse paused mid stride and turned to her. "If you don't want to help me, I completely understand, but you weren't scowling a minute ago."

"I don't like them bowing to me." Eclipse stated simply. "I don't deserve it, and when I find out who told them that-"

Rarity laughed nervously. "Princess Celestia left you in charge, not anypony else, but you Eclipse." She jerked her head to the side, and tilted it upwards. "I for one trust her judgement in this matter."

Eclipse shook her head. "She has made mistakes before. More so in my lifetime than yours, but the point still stands. She should have left Cadance or Twilight in charge, not me."

"Eclipse, I was under the impression that you had a lot more experience with being a leader than Twilight and Cadance combined." Rarity replied.

"That's true, but-"

"No buts darling! She left you in charge, and you yourself admit that you have more experience than them. I for one trust you, and know Equestria is in capable hooves." Rarity turned back and started walking.

"Honestly I shouldn't even be here in Ponyville, I should be in Canterlot... I can still get things done, but..." Eclipse mused. She waited a second to see if Rarity would reply, she didn't, then she started walking again.

After a few minutes, Rarity's Boutique came into sight, and Rarity quickened her pace ever so slightly, though still maintaining her ladylike approach. Being courteous, Rarity opened the door and let Eclipse enter first, then stepped inside herself and closed the door. Eclipse looked around. "I still don't know why you want to do this, you don't even like her."

"She can be rather... Blunt, so to say... Although she has... Um, how should I say... Improved... Some since... Well... At least she doesn't threaten us as much as she used to?" Rarity frowned at that as she made her way over to her selection of fabrics. "I want to do something nice for her, darling..." She looked through the rack of fabrics, and pulled one out with her magic to look over. She tapped her hoof on her chin, then shook her head and returned it to it's place.

"I don't think she will care at all even if you make the most beautiful dress you've ever made, Rarity." Eclipse replied flatly, then sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't be so negative. If you want to do this, I will help you."

Rarity's eyes lit up, she levitated a dark purple silk off from the rack, then made her way over to Eclipse. "Good. I would use Twilight's measurements, but well, obviously that wouldn't work. You're both more akin to Luna's size, and while she is a little bigger than you, I believe I can make it work." Rarity's smile became devilish as she levitated her roll of measuring tape in the air, then unrolled it with her magic. "Now, just hold still... This will only take a minute."

Nightfall glanced at Applejack as she bucked an apple tree. Even with as... Inefficient... As earth ponies were, though granted they were still better at growing food than unicorns, just not harvesting it... They still packed a punch in their kicks. She eyed the tree wryly as it shook, and then apples fell down from it, landing in the baskets set around for the most part. Yes, earth pony kicks packed a punch. She knew from experience, and depending on the pony, it could rival a kick from an alicorn.

She watched from the sidelines as Applejack made her way to another tree, then kicked it. The tree shook and shook, but no fruit came down. After a second kick, the apples rained down on her, once again landing mostly in the baskets that had been setup before she started bucking, "You do know how much more efficient it would be to have a unicorn harvest your trees, correct?"

Applejack looked at her cautiously, even as sweet rolled down her face. "That's not how we do it around here, unless something's going on that's not normal." she answered. "You should know that. If we were friends."

Nightfall's eyes narrowed, and she stood up.

Fluttershy stood up beside her, and put a hoof on her shoulder. Nightfall jerked her head to Fluttershy. The look she gave her all but said how she felt about Applejack's comment. After Fluttershy gave Nightfall a soft smile, she turned to Applejack. "That wasn't very nice Applejack! Apologize to her."

Applejack raised an eyebrow at Fluttershy. "She admitted to killing Princess Luna, and you want me to apologize to her for stating my mind?"

"I do not want your apologies." she sharply spat. "They mean nothing to me, Honesty." she said in a voice more akin to Twilight's.

"And as honesty, I can honestly say that-"

"Applejack! Eclipse wanted us to give her a chance, not condemn her."

Nightfall turned to Fluttershy and gave her a sharp look. She opened her mouth to rebuke her, but thought otherwise and closed her mouth. After a few seconds, her expression shifted to something more normal. At least for her. Nightfall's expression turned questioning. "You would..." she tilted her head to the right, "Give me a chance, on her word alone, despite what I- what we- have done?"

Applejack swallowed her pride. "I guess you're right... Sorry Fluttershy... Sorry Nightfall..."

"Even knowing what I would do in a heartbeat?" Nightfall ignored Applejack and continued.

Fluttershy nodded vigorously. "Y-yes..." she squeaked out. She showed surprising courage with what she said next. "And even if you... If you kill us, we would still forgive you! You may not be Twilight now, but you... You were at one time."

"That does not matter, what I have done is beyond forgiveness." Nightfall replied in a voice almost exactly like Twilight's.

Applejack raised an eyebrow at that. "What's with your voice? You're starting to sound normal again sugarcube."

Nightfall scoffed at that. "Your hopes that I..." she trailed off without finishing the sentence.

"You're hurting. Nightfall. We can all see that, some of us more than others..." Fluttershy shot Applejack a stern glare, then softened her gaze as she looked back at Nightfall. "You're hurt, and lashing out, as any animal would... It's because of us, isn't it? We hurt you when we left you."

"Hah! You did not leave me. You are not one of my friends." Nightfall replied bitterly.

"You're wrong. I may not be your Fluttershy, but I am your friend." Fluttershy countered. Applejack took that as her cue to leave.

Nightfall didn't have a comeback for that as soon as she hoped. After a few seconds, she abandoned the idea of a clever comeback, since none were forthcoming. "What then would you have me do? Just stop, and believe that the magic of friendship will fix everything?" she said sarcastically.

Fluttershy shook her head sadly. "If you just give it a chance, it will fix everything."

Nightfall's expression became strained. "It doesn't work that way, Fluttershy." Her voice sounded like Twilight's once again. "I am old enough to know better than to believe in that."

"What about Princess Celestia? She's how many thousands of years older than you? And she still believes in it!" Fluttershy spoke with determination.

Nightfall grimaced, then her expression hardened. "My Celestia is dead." she said simply. She looked away from Fluttershy, almost spacing out. "It did not work for her in the end. In fact, it betrayed her, and sentenced her to death..."

Fluttershy didn't know what to say to comfort her, so instead, she wrapped her arms around her, and held her there. Nightfall was taken by surprise. She wasn't sure how she felt about the hug. And she wasn't sure how she felt about not knowing how she felt. After a few seconds, her thoughts shifted to the previous night.

Solar Eclipse

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Ten ponies sat in one of Twilight's castle's many living rooms, lying about on chairs our couches, enjoying a peaceful evening free from worry. Princess Cadance sat beside Shining Armor, laying against him. Twilight sat alone on a couch while Spike went to get snacks. Fluttershy and Rarity sat beside Nightfall, one on each side of her, all the while Nightfall eyed both of them with a strange mixture of annoyance and curiosity, but she remained silent. Eclipse, Rainbow, and Pinkie sat on the other couch, and Pinkie way lying against Eclipse, who didn't seem to mind it. And Applejack sat in a lone chair.

Eclipse fidgeted slightly as Spike walked back into the room, carrying a tray easily as large as herself. Fortunately for everypony, he was using both his claws to carry it, and he had no trouble setting it on the table in the center of the room. Twilight slid out of her chair, then picked up the folding tabled sitting next to the table with her magic, and then distributed them, allowing each group of ponies to have one. Both Nightfall and Eclipse took their groups' own with their magic from Twilight and set them up themselves. As soon as the tables were set up, Twilight and Spike started distributing the snacks: chips, cupcakes, more chips, popcorn, and shards of emerald. Pinkie shot up as her cupcakes arrived, then picked one up and started devouring it.

After snacks and drinks were distributed to everypony present, Twilight sat back down and Spike sat down beside her. Princess Cadance looked around, everypony was here, with the exception of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. She sighed at that thought, she missed her adoptive aunts. There was nothing anypony could do right now, they needed Starlight to make the first move. Discord wasn't there either. She was sure, he was hard to miss after all. "So when is Di-"

Princess Cadance was cut off by a flash of white light and the appearance of the almost mentioned spirit of chaos, Discord. Discord smiled and looked around, jubilant. He looked to Eclipse. "Story time! I didn't miss it did I?" Discord frowned and raised his paw to his head and leaned backwards. "Oh woe to me, I did miss it, I did, didn't I!"

"Um... Discord... It... Isn't story night..." Fluttershy said slowly. Everypony looked to her, including Discord. She looked around at everypony looking at her and shrunk back ever so slightly. "Um..."

"Story night is so much better though..." Discord pouted. He folded his arms and leaned his head passed them in annoyance. He blinked, then a second passed and he snapped his talons and a bowl of popcorn appeared in his paw. He grasped some of the popcorn with his talons, then popped it into his mouth and chewed, then snapped his talons again and appeared beside Twilight on the couch, startling her enough that her wings shot out. After Twilight recovered, she glared at him, which Discord perfectly and completely ignored as he leaned back.

"Right well..." Eclipse started. She glanced around, everypony was just getting started eating their snacks. "I guess we have time for one story before we start..."

Discord sat up straighter and smiled slyly. "Oh yes! Do tell us a good one, Eclipse! I am sure you have many interesting stories to tell..."

Eclipse shifted her weight and sat back. She had a sneaking suspicion that Discord had ulterior motives. She had seen that smiled before, and it meant he had a plan that nopony else knew about. "Well, what would..." she trailed off, seeing Discord's lips twitch slightly. She tilted her head away from Discord, towards Rainbow. Discord was hoping she would ask that question. "How about... When I defeated Starlight Glimmer, preventing her from destroying time?"

"Mmm no. I had something else in mind." Discord said. "What about the time where you returned from that thousand year banishment you never talk about?" Eclipse shifted her weight as all eyes fell on her. "Or perhaps," Discord added, "what you did to bring that upon yourself."

Eclipse met Discord's eyes. They held no malice, but she could see he was up to something... She had no idea what. She looked to Twilight, who kept opening and closing her mouth, failing to comprehend what Discord had said and formulate a response. Cadance and Shining Armor wore deep frowns, but said nothing. Nightfall looked at her blankly, Fluttershy looked at Discord with a slight hint of anger, and Rarity looked deep in thought. Pinkie looked confused, and Rainbow was frowning.

Rainbow broke the silence first. "What..." she said in confusion. She directed her full attention to Eclipse. "Eclipse?"

Eclipse shifted her weight again and ruffled her wings. She opened her mouth to speak, but Twilight cut her off. "Discord... I... No, no. This... I would never do anything that... No." she shook her head the entire time.

"Discord! That isn't very nice accusing Eclipse of something like that!" Fluttershy said forcefully.

Nightfall turned to Fluttershy. "He is correct, however." Fluttershy pulled back into her mane and her face paled slightly.

Nightfall lifted her head slightly, and focused on Eclipse. "This is... A story for another time..." Eclipse said carefully. "After we defeat Starlight..." she added.

"Mmm..." Discord stroked his beard with his claw. "They deserve to know, don't they? You shouldn't keep something like this from them."

"And I will tell them everything, after this is all over." Eclipse stated.

"You don't trust them enough to tell them now? Or is it that you know they won't trust you after hearing what we did?" Nightfall said bitterly.

Eclipse looked at Nightfall and pursed her lips. 'Is Discord trying to... Help me with her?' She wasn't sure. She needed her friends to trust her... If she didn't tell them, they wouldn't. If she did... They would. She trusted them. She took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Very well." she said. "I shall tell you the tale of the night where I ruined everything." Her heart pounded in her chest. She knew her friends would forgive her, but it didn't make telling the story any easier. She looked at Twilight. She was sitting still, very still. Twilight knew something had happened, that she did something in the future... But she did not know what. She wasn't sure she wanted to know now. Eclipse looked down to her hooves. "There is not a single day that goes by where I don't regret what I did..." she said sadly.

Rainbow shifted her wight. She watched Eclipse intently. She had promised to never abandon Twilight and Eclipse, no matter what. She would keep that promise. They needed it. Eclipse needed it. "Twilight... What did you do?"

Eclipse took a deep breath. She knew this moment would come. She had known since before she had come back. Even with all her preparation for it... It didn't make it easier. But, she trusted them. And they did deserve to know. She knew they would forgive her... But, if they did not... She would deserve it. "I... Killed Princess Celestia."

The nighttime sky was dark, the moon was barely visible above the tall trees and decaying stone ruins. As it was, the moon barely fought back the unnatural darkness of the Everfree Forest. Off in the distance, a flash of lightning, strong enough to briefly fully illuminate the castle. One pony, one alicorn stood with her head hung low. She ignored any and all sounds coming from around her, she didn't even pay attention to the crack of thunder. It wouldn't phase her. The forest wouldn't phase her. Nothing in the forest, not hydra nor dragon, would phase her.

She took a deep breath, but kept her gaze on the cracked stones that made up the floor of the former Castle of the Two Pony Sisters. Celestia and Luna's old castle. It had been over two hundred years since she last set hoof in the structure, and time had not been kind to the crumbling, moss filled structure. If one would look carefully, they would realize not all the damage to the castle had been from time, but that a great battle was fought in the ruins. If one knew history like she did, they would know that it wasn't just a battle, that it wasn't just a fairy tale told to little foals at night to scare them...

She found it fitting, that Luna turned into Nightmare Moon mere feet away from where she stood. And it was a fitting place to kill Celestia and finish what Luna started well over a thousand years ago. She clenched her jaw as her thoughts turned to her former mentor. The betrayal... The pain... Celestia would understand just a small fraction of what she felt before she ended her life. Luna, on the other hoof... She held no grudge against the younger sister to her mentor.

She took another deep breath, she could sense the aftermath of a strong teleportation spell in the distance. She could feel Celestia's approach. The sensation filled her with anger. She lit her horn with magic, and prepared several spells. Only one of them would survive tonight, and then tomorrow, Luna would kill her.

She could not help but think of the irony, that her friends had betrayed her, and that betrayal on their part and Celestia's brought them here... Celestia put her faith in the magic of friendship. She had seen it work so many times... But it would betray Celestia as it had herself.

She briefly looked up to the sky, and her thoughts shifted back to her only living friend... Spike... he would wake up to quite the surprise... But she hadn't seen him in over a century, nor his family. Her own family... She hadn't seen her niece for nearly two-hundred years. Her parents? Dead. Her mate? Dead. Everypony she knew, save for Celestia and Luna? Dead. Her sister in law? Dead by Celestia's hoof. Her... So called friends? Dead, they left her so long ago... And she hated them for it. She took a deep breath as the raw anger she felt intensified. Celestia was nearing. Of course that did not stop her mind from wandering.

The only thing she had left was herself. She hated the pony that was once her mentor... She had been distant with Luna for a century... Politics... Oh how many ponies she knew from it she would relish the opportunity to kill them one by one, slowly watching as the life drained from their eyes.

Her own life? She had failed, oh so miserably. Her friends were gone, and her attempts to make new friends were total failures. She was the Princess of Friendship, and she was a complete failure. She couldn't even save her friends... Her eyes narrowed. She mentally berated herself very intensely for listening to Celestia. She could have saved them, but she obeyed Celestia. She had been a fool. Worse than a fool... Killing her wouldn't bring them back... And even if it did, she wouldn't have kept them alive very long. Killing her would make her feel a little better, however.

Hatred and despair filled her eyes, and soon she heard the telltale hoofsteps of Celestia approaching. Her stride was calm, despite knowing what was happening. 'Of course she isn't worried...' Idiot. Celestia didn't think her a threat. She would try to talk her down. Twi... Eclipse would show her just how wrong she was. She would make her realize her mistakes.

The hoofsteps slowed as a tall white figure reached the doorway. She looked like she had been crying, and Eclipse relished in her enemy's pain. Celestia's mane was ever so slightly less vibrant, and her coat looked a little more grey than she had ever seen before. Her expression was grim. Both alicorns stood completely still as they locked eyes. They could both see pain in each other's eyes, but Celestia saw so much more than just pain. So much... Hatred.

Celestia lowered her head then stepped forwards. She paused as she entered the room, then raised her head slightly. She looked over Twilight, and her heart felt broken. She could feel the dark magic in the spell Twilight had prepared. She had felt something like it before, more than one thousand years ago. It wasn't the same, but there was no doubt in her mind what the spell was for. "Twilight," her voice broke up ever so slightly, "please don't do this..."

Twilight looked over the taller alicorn, and felt her rage growing at the sight. She was so weak and foolish. Celestia always made others do her dirty work for her. Evil Spirit of Chaos gets released? Throw Twilight and her friends at it. Evil king who enslaved an entire kingdom and then banished it for a thousand years? Throw Twilight and her friends at it. Eclipse would enjoy this.

"No!" Eclipse shouted in response, using the Royal Canterlot Voice. A menacing smile grew on her face. "You did this. This is your fault. You killed them."

Celestia flinched at the verbal assault. "Twilight-"

"Think again you foal. A thousand years ago, Luna blocked out the sun when she transformed into Nightmare Moon, intending to bring eternal night. I find it fitting, that we are here tonight, where that fateful battle took place so long ago... Well guess what, Celestia. Twilight Sparkle is dead! She has been dead for well over a century. Eclipse, is all the remains." Eclipse said with bitterness easily capable of rivaling Nightmare Moon.

"Ec-Eclipse..." Celestia stuttered, she hadn't realized it was that bad. She should have paid better attention... "You don't have to do this... I know Twilight Sparkle is still in there somewhere!"

Eclipse raised an eyebrow. "No, I don't have to do this. Yes, Twilight Sparkle is dead. We're both responsible for her death. So are the other Bearers of Harmony." Celestia felt a stab of pain and guilt strike her heart. "But I will do this. I will kill you, and then Equestria will suffer as badly as I have."

"Eclipse, taking it out on-"

"Don't even try it, Celestia." Eclipse cut her off. "If there is one thing you taught me, one thing that I have learned from you, one thing that you did not wish me to learn." She exhaled sharply. "Betrayal." Eclipse smiled gleefully, almost maniacally, as she cast her spell. Celestia took a step back in fear as Eclipse was surrounded by an impenetrable black orb of dark magic. Celestia could feel the raw hatred radiating off of it, and it's power.

After a few seconds, the black orb started to shift, swirls of red appeared in it, and the whole thing pulsed with dark magic. After a few more seconds, the black and red orb exploded outwards, and Celestia fell to her knees from the release of magic that nearly overwhelmed her. She stayed on her knees for a few seconds, only breathing, before rising back to her hooves and looking upon Eclipse.

Her heart broke at the sight. The closest thing she had ever had to a daughter was Twilight. And now Twilight was gone. She clenched her eyes tightly, then opened them. Eclipse stood at the same height Twilight had, but her coat, mane, and feathers were a darker shade. Her once beautiful eyes were now the all too familiar serpentine eyes she had seen twice before. Her mane and tail still did not flow, which caused her further discomfort. She should have had that two centuries ago... Celestia forced the thought away. She knew she could not run from this fight, and she knew she could never bring herself to hurt Twilight, even like this, let alone kill her. She did not have the Elements either. The outcome of the battle had already been decided centuries ago.

"You were a foal, Celestia. And now the magic of friendship will be your death." Eclipse stated, then powered up her horn. Her magic aura was significantly darker than before, and it barely cast any light across the dark room. A bolt of dark magic shot out of Eclipse's horn, and Celestia stepped back and protected herself with a yellow barrier. The dark magic struck the shield and caused an audible cracking sound, similar to thunder, but not as intense.

"Twilight... Please stop this, this will only end with more suffering!" Celestia shouted back as her barrier was struck with another bolt of dark magic. Eclipse hissed at her, then started moving in a circle around her, releasing a bolt of dark magic every few seconds, almost at random.

"It's all on you, Celestia!" Eclipse retorted, then shot multiple spells at her. "Fight me you foal!" she shouted in frustration.

Celestia grunted as another spell hit her barrier. "I will not fight you, Eclipse! You are like a daughter to me, Twilight! Stop this!"

"Hah!" Eclipse shot back. "You're just trying to get me off guard! It won't work you foal!"

Celestia clenched her eyes as another bolt of magic struck her barrier. She flared her wings, dispelled her barrier and teleported beside Eclipse. Eclipse jumped away from Celestia and fired another bolt of magic at her, striking Celestia's new barrier. "Twilight, please! I know you're hurting, but-"

"Hurting?" Eclipse repeated. "You know nothing about the pain I am in, Celestia. I will kill you, and then Luna will kill me. I will enjoy the nothingness after that. You took me from my friends, my family. Everypony I ever cared about. But guess what, now if I saw them again, I would kill them. Slowly. They left me here like this, all alone."

"Do you believe they wanted to leave you?" Celestia countered.

"Funny you should bring that up." Eclipse replied. "Since you were the one who prevented me from saving them."

Celestia winced. "It wasn't meant to be, Twilight..."

"I will never believe that." Eclipse said coldly. Eclipse shot another bolt of dark magic at Celestia. She was beginning to realize that her plan wasn't working when the barrier once again blocked the spell with next to no effort. "Why won't you just DIE." she shouted, and poured all her anger into the next spell, then released it. The spell shot forth and impacted Celestia's barrier, and she barely staggered from the impact. Eclipse clenched her jaw.

"Harmony will always prevail over disharmony, Twilight." Celestia said calmly.

Eclipse pursed her lips. "You cannot defeat me without fighting me." she countered. "Which you refuse to do."

Celestia nodded. "My sister is gathering the Elements of Harmony, Twilight. Unlike with Cadance, they will work now."

Eclipse's eyes narrowed. "Then the Elements, like their bearers, have betrayed me." she stated bitterly.

Celestia shook her head. "You are the one who is the betrayer. In truth, I do not know how they will affect you, Twilight. They very well may just kill you. I certainly pray that is not the case."

"Perhaps if you had been there for me, as a friend, Celestia, we would not be in this position." Eclipse said carefully.

Celestia sighed. "I do regret that, Twilight. If you will stop this, then I promise I will make the time for you."

Eclipse pursed her lips. "Why should I believe you?"

Celestia swallowed, hoping that she was getting through to Eclipse. "Because I love you like a daughter, Twilight. I do not want you to be in pain, and I do not want to hurt you."

Eclipse's expression hardened. "It is too late for me, Celestia."

Celestia shook her head. "It is never too late, Twilight. You always have a choice, and you can always change the future, even if you cannot change the past."

Eclipse sighed. "I miss them. I miss the way things were before..." She lowered her head slightly and looked at the stone floor.

Celestia took a cautious step forwards, and Eclipse did not react. "One day, you may see them again, Twilight." she said in her calm, motherly tone she was known for.

Eclipse clenched her jaw and looked up to Celestia. "I would... Like that." she said slowly. After a few seconds, Eclipse tentatively took a step over to Celestia, and then another. Celestia lowered her barrier as Eclipse reached her, then both of them met halfway and embraced in a hug. Celestia closed her eyes as she held Twilight close, blissfully unaware of her deception.

Eclipse's eyes narrowed, and after a few seconds, the hug broke. Celestia opened her eyes, and in one swift motion, Eclipse buried her horn in Celestia's throat, catching the elder alicorn by surprise. Celestia cried out in surprise as the horn pierced her neck, and then coughed up blood as Eclipse pulled back. Celestia looked down at Eclipse in surprise, shock, fear, and regret.

Eclipse smiled menacingly. Blood trailed down her horn and onto her mane, then rolled down her face and dripped onto the floor. "You foal. How does it feel, knowing that the magic of friendship has betrayed you, as it had myself?" she taunted. Celestia reached up to her neck with a hoof, and it was quickly tinted crimson. She took a step back as Eclipse powered up her horn. Celestia tried to create a barrier around herself, but she was too slow, and the spell shot forth from Eclipse's blood covered horn, and hit her in the chest.

Celestia stumbled back as another blast hit her in the chest, and she closed her eyes tightly. She stumbled backwards, wincing the whole way, until she was back against the wall. She clutched her chest with her hoof and closed her eyes. She ignored the pain and listened as Eclipse's hoofsteps drew closer. "Don't do this, Twilight..." she pleaded.

"You brought this upon yourself, you foal." Eclipse said bitterly. She looked over Celestia, and her blood stained chest and arms. Her crimson soaked coat was a sharp contract to her normally pristine body. "Goodbye, Celestia." Eclipse said as she channeled more magic into her horn.

Eclipse kept her eyes clenched shut the whole time. She couldn't bear to look at anypony as she went over the story of the night she... She took a deep breath as she finished. She waited several seconds for a bolt of magic to strike her, but none came. She waited in silence for what seemed like an eternity, then she tentatively opened her eyes. The only ponies who didn't look like they had seen a ghost were Discord and Nightfall, the former was still eating popcorn, and the latter was looking at her with disinterest.

She looked to Twilight. Her mouth was once more opening and closing, reminding her of a fish. Twilight was unable to process what she had just heard. She, a future version of herself, had murdered Princess Celestia, her mentor. And not just murdered her, but in cold blood. She had tricked Celestia, and then killed her. Twilight swallowed and then kept her jaw shut tightly. She shifted her weight.

After another second, Eclipse felt a pair of hooves wrapping around her. She didn't need to look to know it was Rainbow Dash. They were closely followed by Pinkie Pie doing the same. Eclipse hung her head low, ashamed of what she had done over a thousand years ago.

Nightfall eyed the trio wryly. She was not surprised Rainbow and Pinkie were supporting Eclipse. She was, however, surprised when Fluttershy and Rarity slid out of their seats and rushed over to Eclipse and joined the group hug. She felt her mouth fall open as Applejack walked over and joined. She quickly suppressed her shock and closed her jaw. She looked between the group hug and Twilight. Spike was rubbing Twilight's side, and Twilight's mane was fraying...

"Well... That was quite the story, Eclipse." Discord said after a few seconds. He slid out of the cough then walked over to join the group hug, leaving Twilight and Spike alone.

Shining Armor opened his mouth, but said nothing. "Eclipse..." Cadance said softly, unsure of how to continue, or even what to say.

Eclipse felt a shudder run through her body. "I'm s-sorry..." she said quietly as tears formed in her eyes.

"Shh..." Fluttershy comforted as she ran a hoof through Eclipse's mane. "It's okay... We forgive you..."

Nightfall opened her mouth as Fluttershy finished, but closed it. It would not do to show her surprise.

"Yeah... We all forgive you, Eclipse." Applejack added.

"I'm s-sorry..." Eclipse repeated. She took comfort in the embrace of her friends, but it was still hard. That night was a subject she never wanted to bring up, ever again. They deserved to know, but it was a painful memory now that she wasn't consumed by hatred.

Rainbow squeezed her tighter. "Hey. It's alright, okay? We all do dumb things every once in a while..." she paused, then said "Even me..." both quickly and quietly.

"Eclipse, darling... While I have to admit that I am shocked by... This... I do not hate you. You have been nothing but good to all of us, and Princess Celestia trusted you enough to leave you in charge."

"Ev-even though I-I k-" Eclipse stuttered out between sobs.

"Yeah, Eclipse! It might not have been very nice to do that to Celestia, but you've tried to make up for it! Besides, it's not like you're all evil and mean now!" Pinkie chirped.

Eclipse smiled slightly at Pinkie. A few seconds later, Twilight channeled magic into her horn. slid out of her seat, and immediately teleported away in a flash of lavender magic. Cadance glanced at Shining, who glanced back at her. Both of them shared worried looks. Both of them knew Twilight, and how she could react very badly during stressful situations. Nightfall looked evenly at Spike who was looking around in confusion.

After a few more seconds, the group hug broke apart, but Eclipse still did not look up. She had seen Twilight teleport out of the corner of her eye, however, and she was worried. "W-we..." Eclipse swallowed, "We need to find... Twilight..." she said. "I don't know how she will react to this..." The five ponies who had held her in a group hug looked between themselves, and the general sentiment was somber and worried.

Nightfall pursed her lips. They had all forgiven Eclipse much more easily than she had imagined possible. She shifted her weight and glanced to Discord. The Spirit of Chaos smiled, but didn't break his gaze from Eclipse. She slid out of her seat, drawing the attention of everypony to herself. She looked over everypony, then met Eclipse's gaze. "I will find her." she said, then made her way to the doorway. She hesitated slightly when she reached it, then made her way out of the room.

Twilight

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Nightfall strode down the hallway from the living room she had previously occupied. She did not know how Twilight would be reacting to the revelation, though she could make an educated guess, considering that she was an older version of Twilight and she remembered how she was when she was that age. Each time she passed a doorway she would turn her head and gaze into the room after opening the door with her magic. She would leave the door open and continue on after a brief glance to see if the room was occupied by the pony she was looking for.

She had not expected Twilight to be anywhere near them, but she checked the rooms anyway, and was rewarded with exactly what she expected. Once she reached the end of the hallway, she channeled more magic into her horn and cast a spell. She mentally berated herself for not casting the spell first, but pushed the thought aside as she confirmed that the only ponies in the castle were the ones in the room she had just came from.

She took a deep breath, then prepared a teleportation spell. She disappeared in a flash of purple magic, and a second later she appeared outside of the castle. She briefly looked up at the sky, and the moon filled her vision. She stared evenly at the body for several seconds, her mind filling with memories, good and bad, then she averted her gaze and returned her attention to the task at hoof.

She wasn't entirely sure where to start looking for her younger self. If she had fled the castle via teleportation, she could be very far away by now. All of her closest friends were in the castle. She wanted to be alone, and she likely wouldn't have gone to one of her friends' houses. Nightfall tilted her head and parted her lips as she thought about her conundrum. She wouldn't be going to Canterlot, it was too far for her to teleport, and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna weren't there, though if they were there she would likely avoid it too.

A thought struck her. She scowled and charged up another teleportation spell, then teleported to the Everfree Forest, along the path to the old castle, and the Tree of Harmony. As soon as she appeared, she prepared her magic to defend herself against any threats, but none were forthcoming. She listened intently to the sounds of the dark forest, birds, bugs, and other creatures less mundane. She carefully looked around, then turned to face the path leading to the castle.

She took a deep breath, then exhaled, and set out on her journey. She moved with intent, despite the danger of running into Starlight Glimmer. It took her several minutes to reach the ravine separating the castle from the rest of the forest, even having never stopped nor slowed. As she stood, looking at the castle from the edge of the forest, she found herself feeling unease and anxiety. She brushed the thoughts aside, then made her way over to the stairs leading to the bottom of the ravine.

She kept alert as she descended, if Starlight attacked her there was only so much she could do. She would still be able to do more than Twilight could. After making it halfway down, she powered up another teleportation spell and teleported to the bottom of the stairs. She immediately looked at the top of the cliffs, making sure she had not been seen. She saw nothing, nor anypony. She took that as a good sign, then cautiously made her way to the cave which protected the Tree of Harmony.

She slowed as she reached the cave and peered inside. Her younger self stood completely still in front of the tree. She pursed her lips and casually walked inside. Her hooves barely made any sound as she made her way inside the cave. Twilight was unaware of her approach until Nightfall was about halfway through the cave. Twilight glanced behind her, expecting the hoofsteps to belong to Eclipse. When she realized it was Nightfall who was approaching, her face paled, then her expression hardened. "Ni-Nightfall..."

Nightfall said nothing as she continued to approach. Twilight turned around to face her and lit her horn with magic. The lavender aura glowed brightly, but Nightfall did not slow her pace. Nightfall came to a stop two pony lengths from Twilight, and turned her attention to the tree. She looked over the tree, and found her gaze drawn to the eight cutie marks... The one at the center, in particular. After looking at the tree dispassionately for a few seconds, she turned her gaze back to Twilight.

"Why are you here?" Twilight asked quickly. She stepped back slightly with her left leg, as if preparing for... Something.

Nightfall tilted her head. "The others are worried about you. I said I would find you."

Twilight kept her gaze focused on Nightfall, and her face betrayed no emotion. "Why would you want to find me?" she asked harshly. "You're a monster."

For some reason Nightfall couldn't place, her younger self's remark stung a little. "I am you." she firmly retorted. "You are young and naive." she chided. "Coming here was stupid. What would have happened if Starlight had seen you? I can't match her on my own, any hope you had of doing so was foalish."

"It didn't stop you from coming after me." Twilight acknowledged.

"Contrary to your beliefs, I do not wish you to suffer." Nightfall snapped.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at that. "Isn't that what you're all about? Suffering, pain, death and destruction." she did not even try to mask her disgust. "You're a monster." she said strongly.

"Then by your definition, so is Eclipse." Nightfall retorted. Twilight flinched slightly.

"She regrets what she did." Twilight countered. "You don't. You killed Princess Celestia, my mentor. Our mentor. And you don't feel any remorse." She lowered her head slightly and pointed her horn at Nightfall. Nightfall regarded her dispassionately. "You murdered her in cold blood, tricked her and then killed her. You committed genocide not once, but twice! You came back for simple revenge on the ponies I love!"

"You have not experienced a percent of what I have you foal." Nightfall rebuked Twilight with as much force as she could while keeping her voice from carrying out of the cave. Twilight didn't even flinch. "Talk to me after losing everypony you care about. Talk to me after outliving everypony you love." she continued bitterly.

"You're a cold blooded murderer!" Twilight spat with hatred. "I am not you, and Eclipse is not you! I would never hurt my friends, while you would kill them the second the opportunity presented itself!" she shouted. "I don't care what you wen't through! It's not an excuse for you to kill everypony I love!" Nightfall's eyes narrowed. "You say that they were your friends. You have the nerve to say they were your friends! And you would kill them just for revenge on them for dying! They did not have a choice in that matter!"

"I cared deeply for my friends." Nightfall said firmly. "Do not doubt that for a second." she hissed.

"I don't care what you say, you're a monster and you killed Princess Celestia!" Twilight took another step back. She swallowed as Nightfall glared at her. "You d-deserve to die..." she said softly as the realization struck her. The aura surrounding her horn seemed to grow darker. Nightfall clenched her jaw. "I-I won't let you hurt m-my friends..."

Nightfall wasn't sure how to reply. She did not want to fight her younger self, despite how foolish she was acting. Fighting her would be... Detrimental. Regardless of how it went, Eclipse would not be happy. She knew that if they fought, Starlight would win. She could not allow that. Nightfall's horn flared to life and a barrier formed around her as a bolt of magic shot forth from Twilight's horn. She staggered and grunted as the bolt of purple magic impacted her barrier. "If we fight, Starlight will win, Twilight."

"I don't care!" Twilight shouted.

"You would be sentencing your friends to their deaths." Nightfall stated. Twilight clenched her jaw and swallowed. "You wouldn't be able to stop her."

"Yes we would!" Twilight retorted. "We always find a way to defeat the evil! Once you're dead I will take the Elements from you and we will kill her!"

Nightfall broke out into laughter. The laughter struck Twilight to her core, and she shrunk back from the evil alicorn she stood against. She took a step back as the laughter echoed around the cave. After a few seconds the laugh died down into a chuckle, and then ended. Nightfall's barrier collapsed and she stepped forwards. "You are such a foal compared to me... You do not know the slightest thing about the Elements compared to me... Even Celestia's knowledge of the Elements pales compared to my knowledge of them." She smiled, not caring that Twilight would see her lack of sharp teeth. "Already you stand on the verge of being unable to wield a single Element of Harmony. Did you even pause to think about how I was able to defeat you and Eclipse while both of you wielded the Elements?" she chided. "Or why the oh so perfect Princess Celestia did not use the Elements on me the first time?"

"Sh-she didn't have the Elements!" Twilight shot back.

Nightfall's eyes narrowed. "True, but there is more to it than that..." Twilight shifted her weight, curious as to what more there could have been. "But that is a story for another day. I came after you to bring you back, not to fight you or tell you stories. They are all worried about you." Nightfall took a step forwards.

"S-stay back you monster!" Twilight shouted, fearful of the alicorn's intentions.

"You call me a monster, yet you don't bat an eye at Eclipse, or Princess Luna, who turned into Nightmare Moon..." Nightfall mused.

"You're evil..." Twilight replied. She didn't need to know that if she took many more steps backwards she would be cornered, and she did not want that. It would end badly if Nightfall cornered her.

"You call me evil, when you yourself know that you would become me if we had not returned." Nightfall chastised her. Twilight shrunk back further and took another step backwards. "To say nothing of the fact you are only but a single step away from crossing that line yourself."

"I am not evil!" Twilight shot back.

Nightfall's expression darkened and she took a step forwards, causing Twilight to take another step backwards. "You would say you're not evil, I would have said the same thing a millennia and a half ago. Even Eclipse was like me once, you cannot deny that we both killed our Celestias. I fought Luna and brought her to her knees, and then slew her with the same ease of which I killed Celestia. You are capable of so much more than you realize."

"I will never kill the princesses! They are like family to me!" Twilight firmly retorted.

"They were like family to me also." Nightfall stated.

Twilight swallowed. "Y-you killed them... Even if they were l-like your own family..."

Nightfall nodded her head. "Time... Has a way of changing things, so much quicker than you realize. Twenty years ago, Princess Celestia was the only alicorn. In a few months from now there will be five. You'll be an aunt."

"C-Cadance is pregnant?" Twilight asked. Despite being afraid of Nightfall, her curiosity showed through in her question. Nightfall nodded. "How... How can you want to destroy everything, and kill everypony when... When Cadance and my brother are going to ha-have a f-foal... W-why?"

Nightfall felt a pang of guilt strike her chest as she looked at her younger self on the verge of tears. "Even that ended in pain and suffering..." she said quietly. She shook her head. "You are in pain right now." Twilight swallowed. "Come back with me and be with your friends."

Twilight lowered her head and pointed her horn at Nightfall again. "I-I'm not going anywhere with a monster li-like you."

Nightfall scowled at her. "Answer me this, in the time that I have been around all of you, have I once broken my promise to not hurt any of them until after Starlight is dealt with?"

Twilight shifted her weight. "N-no..." she answered. "But that doesn't mean you won't break it! Besides, it's null after we beat her! Why should I trust you if you're just going to kill us all after we defeat Starlight!?"

"Because I am not attacking you." Nightfall answered sharply. "I could easily defeat you right here, right now. You're nothing but a foal to me." Twilight swallowed and grimaced, realizing Nightfall probably could beat her without much effort. "But, as you should have noticed by now, I have not."

"H-how am I su-supposed t-to face them... After... After this... After hearing wh-what I... Did?" Twilight asked. She looked up to Nightfall, not caring that she would see tears forming in her eyes.

Nightfall did her best to ignore the tears starting to fall from Twilight's eyes. "They care about you." she answered. "Talk to them about it."

Twilight snorted and looked back to the ground. "Why would you care..."

Nightfall pursed her lips. "Unlike the others, I do care about you. You are me, just younger." she answered. Nightfall tilted her head to the side, debating what else to add. After a few seconds, she spoke again, "Take comfort in your friends, they will not live forever."

Twilight nodded her head, but said nothing. She found her vision blurring from the tears forming in her eyes, and clenched her eyes shut, not caring that it would leave her vulnerable to Nightfall. She took a deep breath, then broke down into sobs as she exhaled. Her body shook with each cry of pain, and tears ran down her muzzle. Nightfall ruffled her wings and turned around. While she could not comfort her the way Eclipse or her friends could, she could at least make sure nopony was going to attack them.

Eclipse stood alone on the balcony of her room, gazing off into space, staring at the moon. It had only taken a few minutes for almost everypony present to scatter, heading off to search for Twilight. Which left her alone. All alone, in a massive, empty castle. She traced over the moon with her eyes, comparing it to the moon from her memory. From before she crossed universes and traveled back in time. It was so similar... And yet, so different. She lowered her head and sighed.

She had dreaded this day from the moment she had decided to try to fix everything. She knew that inevitably, something bad would come of it, though she did not know what it would be. Of course initially she hadn't planned to tell them before everything was fixed, but it hadn't turned out as badly as it could have... They had forgiven her, despite having so much blood on her hooves.

Twilight, on the other hoof... Eclipse knew she should have went after her instead of letting Nightfall go after her... She mentally added another mistake to her list, and wondered what this one would end up costing her. She had known Twilight would react poorly... And yet she told her story, while Twilight was present. Another mistake. 'Maybe coming back was the real mistake... Things could have turned out differently here... I'll never know now though...' She sighed.

She sat in silence for several minutes before the sound of wings broke through the still night air. She didn't need to look up to know who it was. She remained silent as the pony landed and walked closer to her.

"Are you doing okay Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked. Eclipse did not immediately respond, and Rainbow looked over her with concern and worry. "Twi?" she asked.

A memory stirred in Eclipse's mind, and she briefly smiled, then frowned as the memory faded. "I am fine, you should be looking for her." she said casually.

Rainbow shifted her weight and walked over so that she was beside Eclipse. "I know..." she trailed off guiltily. "But I also know you. I wanted to make sure you were doing okay." She sat down on her haunches.

"Thank you." Eclipse said absently.

Rainbow shifted her weight. "Talking about that must have been hard..." she trailed off.

"Yes, it was." Eclipse agreed. She looked down to her hooves guiltily. "It is painful... But it is my punishment for..." She shook her head. "And then all of you forgave me like it was nothing. I don't deserve that..."

"Well, I made a promise and I intend to keep it." Rainbow said, eliciting a smile from Eclipse. "As far as the others, well... You know we could never hate you Twilight!"

Eclipse nodded slowly. She chose to ignore the fact about them hating Nightfall. "Thank you, but you should get back to looking for Twilight."

Rainbow stood back up and looked at Eclipse. "You're coming with me then."

Eclipse turned towards Rainbow and regarded her evenly. "I would like to be alone right now, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow beat her wings and hovered in the air so that Eclipse had to look up at her. She folded her arms and smiled at Eclipse. "Yeah, not happening. Either you're coming with me or I am staying here."

Eclipse swallowed. "I'm not going to try to hurt myself if that's what you're worried about."

"You promised you wouldn't. I know you will keep that promise." Rainbow stated seriously. A few seconds passed, and her expression softened slightly. "You can help us find her quicker."

Eclipse sighed and turned away from Rainbow. "I'm the last pony she would want to see right now."

"She looks up to you." Rainbow stated. "Maybe you have destroyed that pedestal." Eclipse grimaced. "And maybe she will never forgive you." Eclipse looked to her hooves in shame. "But," Rainbow started, "if something happens to her, you would never forgive yourself."

"There's already so many things I haven't forgiven myself for..." Eclipse said softly. She looked up and gazed back at the moon. " I suppose I do owe it to her..."

"Well then what are you waiting for! Come on, let's go get her!" Rainbow said as Eclipse spread her wings.

Eclipse hesitated a moment. "Twilight may want to be alone right now... But I guess we'll just have to remind her that she has friends who care about her." She beat her wings and hovered in the air momentarily. "But I don't know where she would have gone. I was never in her position..."

"You don't have any idea?" Rainbow asked.

"Not really... But maybe somepony else has had better luck than us... Nightfall started first, maybe she found her."

Rainbow's face paled. "I... Hope not..."

Eclipse tilted her head to the side. "I do not believe Nightfall would attack her..." Eclipse's face paled. "Twilight... On the other hoof... I shouldn't have let Nightfall go after her..."

Rainbow looked at Eclipse cautiously. "What are you thinking?" she asked, half afraid of the answer.

"What do you think I would have done fourteen hundred years ago if I was in Twilight's position?" Eclipse asked. Rainbow grimaced. "I should have thought it through more before telling her what I did... She was already under a lot of stress... And now..."

"We need to find her. Now." Rainbow stated firmly.

It took what seemed like an hour, but eventually Twilight's sobs had turned into sniffles. The whole time she was crying, Nightfall had kept an eye on the entrance to the cave, prepared to defend both herself and her younger self should the need arise, even if her defense ended up being futile. The need never arose, Starlight never showed her face, and she was beginning to believe Starlight was no longer occupying the castle. The thought that Starlight had left and was making her move made her anxious. She tried to think about something else, but with little else to distract her, that though became her focus.

"W-why?" Twilight quietly asked. "Why did th-this happen?" Twilight swallowed. "Wh-why did... I..."

Nightfall tilted her head to the side and glanced back to Twilight. Tears had stained her fur, and her eyes were puffy. She still looked despairing. "We wanted to ascend our friends. Celestia denied our requests countless times." she stated. "She always said it was not meant to be. I never believed her, nor do I believe her now. Not that I care whether it was meant to be or not."

Twilight was about to ask what she meant by ascend, but before she could, it clicked. "Y-you didn't want to be alone..."

"No I did not." Nightfall replied bitterly.

"Y-you c-can have th-them back..." Twilight stuttered out between sniffles.

Nightfall turned around to face Twilight. "Your friends are not the ones who I knew." she stated.

"That doesn't mean you c-can't be friends with them!" Twilight retorted.

Nightfall turned back around to face the cave opening and looked down ever so slightly. "Fluttershy calls herself my friend." she stated. She looked back up. "But it does not matter."

Twilight stood up on shaky hooves, then took a step towards Nightfall. "Why not?"

Nightfall opened her mouth to chide her, only to be cut off when she sensed a nearby teleportation. "Eclipse draws near." she stated.

Twilight swallowed. "Eclipse..." She had conflicting feelings. On one hoof, she was happy Eclipse was looking for her. On the other hoof, Eclipse had killed Princess Celestia. On one hoof, Eclipse had promised to protect them all and to tell them everything. On the other hoof, Eclipse had killed Princess Celestia. And to top it all off, both Eclipse and Nightfall had killed Princess Celestia. Both of them were future versions of herself. She clenched her eyes shut from the pain she felt.

Nightfall ignored Twilight and made her way to the mouth of the cave, then looked around searching for Eclipse. She spotted Rainbow Dash first, and she clenched her jaw. Even in the dark of night, it was hard to miss the rainbow manned pegasus. She watched her land, followed by Eclipse. The pair landed facing the cave, and paused as they caught sight of Nightfall. After a few seconds of silence, Eclipse took the lead and stepped forwards. Nightfall eyed her evenly as she approached, then glanced to Rainbow who started following her a few seconds later.

Eclipse paused a pony's length away from Nightfall and looked her over. "Is... She safe?" Eclipse tentatively asked.

Nightfall's expression darkened, causing Rainbow to take a step back. "She is safe, yes. But telling her what we did... That was stupid." Eclipse met her gaze and did not back down from it.

"Ec-Eclipse..." Twilight called from inside the cave. Eclipse continued to glare at Nightfall for a few seconds, then broke contact and looked passed her. Nightfall sidestepped, allowing Eclipse access passed her. Eclipse eyed her evenly as she walked passed her, Rainbow watched Nightfall carefully as she walked passed her, and Nightfall met her gaze. After Rainbow had passed her, Nightfall turned then walked into the cave, trailing behind the other two.

Eclipse paused about halfway into the cave. She looked over her younger self and felt pity, shame, and guilt. "Twilight!" Rainbow shouted as she ran passed Eclipse, worried about her friend. Twilight looked at Rainbow but didn't quite smiled, she wasn't sure how she could face her friends again. It came as a surprise to her when Rainbow grabbed her and hugged her. After a second to overcome the shock, she wrapped her arms around Rainbow.

Nightfall came to a stop beside Eclipse and both alicorns watched in silence. Twilight was sniffling again, and Eclipse lowered her head in shame. She had hurt her younger self, something she had not wanted to do. Nightfall watched the scene and felt a longing sensation in her heart. As much as she hated her old friends, she could not deny she missed them. "We should leave as soon as possible." Nightfall stated. "If Starlight had not detected our presence yet, then your teleport will have alerted her."

Eclipse lifted her head and looked towards Nightfall. "You..." she shook her head and sighed. "Right." She looked at Twilight and Rainbow. "I'm going to teleport us all back to the castle..." she said. Rainbow and Twilight glanced at her and both nodded. Eclipse nodded to herself then powered up her horn and prepared the teleportation spell to bring all of them back to the castle. She took a deep breath and then cast her spell. The four mares disappeared, leaving the cave in the subtle glow coming from the tree of harmony.

Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor slowed their pace as they neared Eclipse, who stood guard at the door to Twilight's room. Shining and Cadance shared a glance, and paused in front of her. Eclipse looked between them and felt guilt as they gazed at her, despite neither showing any signs of disdain. She tentatively stepped to the side, allowing them access to the room. Shining Armor opened the door with his magic, and let Cadance in first, then followed her and closed the door behind her.

Twilight lay on her bed, surrounded by her friends. Cadance felt a pang of sadness in her heart when she realized Twilight was crying. She looked at her husband, and he looked at her. Even Shining was saddened by the sight, but both of them were relieved she was safe. They slowly walked over to her bed, and six sets of eyes fell on them. Spike looked pleadingly at them as he rubbed Twilight's shoulder. Cadance looked over Twilight, her eyes were screwed shut and her mane and coat were a mess. She knew she wasn't Celestia, but she had to at least try to help her. "Twilight..." Cadance said sweetly in an attempt to mimic Princess Celestia. She knew she couldn't quite pull it off, but it would have to do. "I know it's hard... I know you're hurting... But you aren't responsible for what they did. You aren't either of them."

"Y-yes I am!" Twilight replied. "Th-they are me, j-just older!"

"Twilight..." Cadance's heart felt heavy for her sister-in-law. She was taking it badly. She hadn't done anything to deserve this... "Listen to me, you're a good pony. Everypony in this room loves you, Twilight. None of us think badly of you based on what Eclipse and Nightfall have done." She knew she didn't, and she knew that everypony in the room was worried about Twilight. Twilight said nothing in reply, instead only sniffling.

The Beginning of the End

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Nightfall lay on her bed in darkness, the only light coming from pale moonlight seeping into the room from the open window, and the faint glow of her horn. She held the Elements of Harmony in her magic, and slowly rotated them around the Element of Magic, which she held in the center. Each gem was inert and darkened. Each Element felt Twilight's pain, and the pain of her friends, and sympathized with them.

Her gaze was slowly drawn away from the Element of magic, and she looked beside her at the dress Rarity had made for her. Rarity had given it to her before the whole fiasco had started, and she had teleported it to her room, laying it on her bed, and had left it there after only briefly looking it over. She hadn't tried it on yet, trying it on wouldn't serve a purpose. It was as useful as the Elements were right now. Which was to say not at all useful, though she found a curious desire to try it on.

Her eyes trailed over the outline of the dress, even in the darkness she could remember what it looked like when Rarity had presented it to her, and it was very fine work from her, but it still did not compare to the work of her Rarity. Her pupils contracted further into slits as the thought entered her mind. She eyed over the dress again more carefully, and she could not deny that Rarity had made it, even if it wasn't comparable to her later work.

She slowly looked away from the dress and at the inert Element of Generosity. She slowly traced over the sharp outline of the gem, then moved on to the Element of Kindness. As she looked over the softer outline, her thoughts were drawn to Fluttershy. Both her own and the one who said she was her friend here. She slowly levitated the Element of Loyalty closer to the Element of Kindness, then looked over the red, lightning bolt shaped gem.

She felt a dull ache in her heart and an emptiness as she looked over both crystals and remembered her own friends. Her own friends who bore the Elements with her. Her friends who stood with her against countless evils, and who stood by her side for decades. She tilted her head to the right and levitated her former element closer to the other two. She never knew when the Elements abandoned her. She never felt any change. She didn't know if it was before or after her friends died. She did want to know, however, she knew she never would find out.

She pursed her lips and channeled more magic into her horn, then attempted to access the Element of Magic. After a few seconds, the Element flared pink, glowing brightly enough to put the light from her horn to shame, and she felt a sharp pain in her head. She grunted and clenched her jaw. Immediately, her magic failed and she lost her hold of the Elements and brought a hoof to massage her temple. After a second, each of the six Elements landed on her bed, and she eyed them carefully, then closed her eyes and brought her other hoof to her temple.

She sat in silence, welcoming the lack of stimuli, fearing that any would cause an inordinate amount of discomfort. After what seemed like an eternity, she felt something warm and wet roll down her nose. She tentatively opened and eye and wiped it away with a hoof. She was about to fling it away when she caught sight of the fluid and stopped. She clenched her jaw tighter and felt disappointment. She pushed the feeling away and quickly cast a spell to stop the bleeding, then tentatively slid off the bed and walked into the bathroom.

She shut the door behind her and looked into the mirror. She looked blankly at the crimson streak running from her nose to her upper lip, then turned on the faucet. After she let the water run for a bit, allowing it to warm up. She stuck her muzzle underneath it and rubbed the blood out of her coat with a hoof, then she rubbed the blood off of her hoof. She pulled back and levitated a towel over to herself to dry off with. She carefully ran the towel over her muzzle and nose, then threw it aside and looked at her reflection.

The face that stared back at her was her own and not her own at the same time. Over the next few minutes, a scowl slowly grew across her muzzle until she turned away and walked back into her bedroom. She walked over to her bed, then laid down. She carefully picked the Element of Magic up with her magic and stared at it. There was not a single shred of doubt in her mind as to what would happen if the Elements were used against her, or if she tried to use them. She swallowed. She wouldn't let them be used against herself.

Princess Cadance sighed as she stepped outside Twilight's room, followed by Shining Armor, who closed the door behind him. Cadance winced, as the door shut and Eclipse turned to them. But at least Twilight had finally fallen asleep. Cadance was about to say something, but before she could, Shining Armor spoke. "Why?" he asked, drawing Cadance's attention. Both Eclipse and Cadance looked at him. His voice held a slight edge to it, but if you didn't know him you wouldn't be able to tell. "Why did you have to tell her that?"

Eclipse swallowed, despite finding her mouth dry. "I..." She didn't know how to answer that. Discord may have prodded her into telling, but he wasn't the one to blame. She was the one who chose to tell her tale, despite Twilight being present. She knew she shouldn't have told Twilight... But she couldn't have kept it from her forever, she would have found out eventually. The question was just as much a condemnation as a question, and it hurt, even more coming from her brother. Eclipse looked to the floor, unable to meet his gaze.

"Shining..." Cadance said softly. "Taking it out on Eclipse won't fix anything... She's hurting as much as we are... Maybe even more."

Shining Armor sighed, and his gaze softened a little. Eclipse still didn't look up from the floor. "I know... It's just... I can't do anything for her, and it's..."

"I know... Maybe there's something you can do, Eclipse?" Cadance asked lightly.

Eclipse merely shook her head. "I don't know what it would be... And... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told her..."

Cadance shook her head. "She would have found out what you did sooner or later... It's better than she heard it from you rather than from... Nightfall..." Cadance comforted.

"She was already under so much stress, though." Eclipse countered. She tentatively lifted her head and met Cadance's eyes. "Finding out what she ended up doing in the future... That I killed Princess Celestia..." Eclipse averted her gaze again.

"Why did you kill her?" Shining asked. Eclipse winced, and Cadance shot him a disapproving glare. He ignored it and continued, "There's no way what you told us was the whole story."

"No. It's not... But it is a story for another time." Eclipse stated firmly. She slowly looked to the floor. "Regardless, it doesn't excuse what I did."

"Eclipse... None of us hate you for what you did." Cadance stated as she glanced over at her husband. Shining Armor remained silent and did not meet her gaze. After a second, she looked back to Eclipse. "You've been nothing but a good pony since you've come back, Eclipse." Eclipse shook her head and remained looking at the floor, but said nothing. Cadance saw that her attempts to comfort Eclipse were failing, and she frowned. "Eclipse..." She didn't react at her name being called. "Twilight..." she directed at Eclipse, earning a wince from her. Eclipse acted like she had hurt her, and Cadance sighed. "Maybe you should go spend some time with-"

Eclipse cut Cadance off. "I'm not leaving her alone," she said firmly. She lifted her head and met Cadance's gaze. "She's vulnerable right now, and I would never forgive myself if something bad happened to her because of what I did."

"Still hoping to play the valiant heroine?" Nightfall chastised as she silently approached them from behind Eclipse. Everypony was startled by her appearance, nopony had detected her approach. Eclipse slowly turned around to face her. She had not expected to see Fluttershy standing beside Nightfall, but only spared the pegasus a glance before meeting Nightfall's gaze. "Despite being solely responsible for this mess we're in," she said harshly. Fluttershy glared at Nightfall, but she paid it no mind.

"Nightfall, that isn't helping. Can't you see she's sorry for what she did?" Cadance said softly, but with an unmistakable firmness.

Eclipse tilted her head back to Cadance and glanced at her, "Cadance..." she said softly, but with a clear message. Cadance sighed but nodded. Eclipse slowly turned back to Nightfall. "What do you want?" she asked somewhat harshly.

Nightfall lifted her muzzle up and jerked at Cadance and Shining Armor. "They are not alone in feeling that you need a break from this, Eclipse." Cadance and Shining Armor exchanged a glance, then returned to looking at Nightfall. "Go," she said softly. "I will protect Twilight. You need a break."

"Hah!" Eclipse scoffed. "Like I would leave her alone with you," she said in a voice that caused everypony present who was younger than her to shiver.

Nightfall inhaled deeply, then sighed contentedly as she exhaled. "Aaah hypocrisy," she said with sarcastic joy. Her expression darkened. "I went to find her, and I found her while you were too busy moping. If Starlight had attacked us, I would have defended her until we could have escaped," she said quickly. "It is in my best interest to keep her alive," she said preemptively. She tilted her head to the right at the look the trio gave her. "For now," she added. "But that does not mean I wish her to suffer."

"It's that for now part that I am worried about," Eclipse said harshly. "After everything that's happened, after seeing them forgive me, you still want to kill them all." Eclipse couldn't resist the urge to look Fluttershy in the eye as she finished her statement. She clenched her jaw as Fluttershy swallowed and turned to look at Nightfall.

Nightfall snorted. "We made our choices centuries ago," she said simply. "Besides, I would not be alone with her. Kindness has offered to stay to keep an eye on me." Eclipse felt a little better at hearing that. Both knowing that Fluttershy was going out of her way to try to be friends with Nightfall, and that Nightfall still wasn't actively pushing her away. Even if she was beginning to doubt anything good would come from it, it was still worth a try. Eclipse glanced at Fluttershy, who weakly smiled at her in response, then she looked back to Nightfall.

"I'll stay too." Shining Armor said.

Eclipse and Cadance both looked at him. Eclipse bobbled her head, realizing she wasn't going to win this. She turned back to Nightfall. "Why do you even care about protecting her?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"We would not wish the suffering we have experienced upon our younger self," she said in a voice reminiscent of Twilight's voice. "We would not wish it upon anypony..." she said cautiously. She tilted her head. "With the possible exception of Celestia," she said with a bit more eagerness.

"Our Princess Celestia isn't the same one that... That..." Fluttershy trailed off as both Nightfall and Eclipse looked at her.

Nightfall sighed and shook her head, then turned back to Eclipse. "Go take a break," she said in Twilight's voice. Eclipse opened her mouth to protest, but Nightfall cut her off. "You being exhausted is not in our best interests. Rest. Relax. Stop acting like a foal and get over it." she said harshly.

Eclipse huffed. "You say I'm acting like the foal when you're the one still throwing a tantrum from having her friends taken away from her."

Nightfall tilted her head. "Well then, at least I am in good company." she hissed. "You are not so innocent as you would like to be, foal."

"Unlike you, I am trying to make up for my guilt, and I'm willing to pay the price for it." Eclipse shot back. "You still have more blood on your hooves than me."

Nightfall snorted. "At this point, Eclipse, that point is moot. The difference between the number of deaths we are responsible for is so relatively little that it doesn't matter in the slightest. You are just as guilty as me." Eclipse swallowed at that statement, seeing the truth of it.

"Girls... Please... That's enough." Fluttershy interjected. She cautiously rested a hoof on Nightfall's shoulder, drawing the alicorn's attention. "This isn't helping anything, Nightfall."

Nightfall nodded her head once. "You are correct," she said, then turned to Eclipse. "Us fighting right now is not in our best interest. We will settle this after this is over," she said. "Now, go rest," she said firmly. "Talk to somepony you care about," she suggested. "I do not care what you do, only that you take a break."

Eclipse looked over Nightfall for a few seconds, then powered up a teleportation spell. She cast her spell and left without saying another word.

Cadance shook her head. "Play nice you three," she said as she turned to leave.

Fluttershy watched Cadance leave, then turned to face Nightfall after Cadance disappeared around a corner. "You should apologize to Eclipse," she said with a firmness that took Nightfall by surprise.

Nightfall turned to her. "Why should I do that? Why would I do that?" she hissed.

Fluttershy held her ground and didn't back down from Nightfall's verbal attack. "Because it's not right. You're making her feel worse than she already does! Even you should see that she's in pain because of what she told Twilight!"

Nightfall tilted her muzzle up. "I do see that she is hurting," she said calmly. "And I do not care. She should have known better. What she did was foalish."

"She wouldn't have told her story if Discord hadn't-"

Nightfall raised an eyebrow. "Are you honestly suggesting we shift the blame from her to Discord?" she asked fiercely. She snorted. "Of course you are... You will never fault her, all the while you view me with hatred and despise me, never once giving a buck about how I feel about all of this." She bared her teeth in disgust as Fluttershy shrunk back from her.

"I-I don't... Nightfall... I... I don't hate you..." Fluttershy said weakly. Neither Nightfall nor Shining Armor paid attention to what she said. Fluttershy swallowed back growing pain, she needed to be strong.

"Nightfall, that is enough!" Shining cut in, immediately drawing the alicorn's ire. "Taking it out on Fluttershy isn't going to change anything. And she actually cares about you! Even despite you being so despicable!" Shining glanced at Fluttershy, and his expression softened. "Look at her," he said firmly and quietly. Nightfall hesitantly obliged him and looked at Fluttershy. She clenched her jaw as he continued, "If you can't tell that she cares about you, then you are truly a lost cause."

Nightfall took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled in an attempt to calm down. She blinked and glanced to her hooves briefly, then looked back at Shining Armor. She met his glare with an even gaze of her own, then turned to Fluttershy. Her expression softened as she took in the pegasus's fallen expression. "I am sorry, Fluttershy," she said softly, causing the timid pegasus to look back up at her. Nightfall tilted her head slightly and extended a wing, then tentatively draped a wing around Fluttershy. It felt so very awkward to her, and it showed on her face. Fluttershy shied away from her wing slightly but didn't attempt to escape. Nightfall felt a slight pang of guilt as Fluttershy tensed up as her wing fell over her back. If she had done that all those hundreds of years ago to her own Fluttershy, and she had shied away like that... Nightfall pushed the thought aside and took a deep breath. Shining Armor just blinked and chose not to say anything more.

Eclipse shifted her weight as Rainbow opened the door for her. She could tell Rainbow had been sleeping, just from how her mane was, being even messier than normal. She immediately felt another pang of guilt for waking the pegasus. "I um... I hope I didn't wake you," Eclipse greeted awkwardly.

Rainbow stifled a yawn and shook her head. "What's up?" Exhaustion made itself known in her voice, and Eclipse felt even worse: like she couldn't do anything right.

"If I woke you I can just go..." Eclipse trailed off and looked away. She had wanted to, well she wasn't completely sure what she had wanted to do. She wanted to have company, but she didn't want Rainbow to suffer from it.

Rainbow shook her head. "No, it's fine."

"Can I... Come in?" Eclipse asked.

"Yeah, sure," Rainbow nodded as she opened the door further and stepped to the side, allowing Eclipse to enter the room. Eclipse tried to avoid being nosey by not looking around the room, though she could see how spartan it was despite the darkness. "What's wrong?" Rainbow asked as she closed the door behind Eclipse.

"Nightfall said some things that... Well..." she sighed and hung her head low. "It's my fault Twilight's in the state she is in. I came back to fix everything and so far it's just making things worse..."

Rainbow frowned and shook her head, "You're not making anything worse... That's Nightfall's doing, not yours."

"Both Nightfall and I are responsible for countless deaths. Perhaps millions or more..." Eclipse said softly, almost as a whisper caused by the wind. It sent a chill down Rainbow's spine. "And she's right, I don't deserve any of this. Any of you. Seeing you again. I ruined things in my own reality, and you all forgave me so easily, despite me being a monster..."

"You're not a monster, Twilight," Rainbow shook her head and sighed sadly. She was too tired to think, and she never really could think as good as Twilight could, but she had to try. "You're not a monster," she repeated. "You never could be. You just made a mistake, that's all. It happens to the best of us."

Eclipse met Rainbow's gaze. "There was a point in time where I was Nightfall, Rainbow. When I fought Celestia, before I killed her... I would have done the same things Nightfall has done," she looked down to the floor and her ears folded back in shame, "I already am a monster..." Eclipse looked back at Rainbow, "You should all hate me for what I did," she said softly. "I know you don't, but-"

Rainbow put her hoof on Eclipse's mouth and groaned. "Twilight, seriously. You're starting to worry me. You're not a monster, why can't you believe that?" She slowly lowered her hoof from Eclipse's mouth, awaiting her to reply.

"You know why" Eclipse replied at length, barely able to contain her emotion. "I'm responsible for s-so many deaths. I k-killed Celestia, and because of my lack of action, you a-all di-died, along with Ca-Cadance and my brother," she stuttered out, feeling on the verge of tears.

"Twilight..." Rainbow said sadly. Rainbow could see she blamed herself for so much. If she was in her position, she might too, but she didn't know. Instead, she just stepped closer to her and wrapped her arms around her and squeezed tightly. After a second, Eclipse returned the hug and rested her head against her shoulder. "You aren't responsible for our deaths..." Rainbow said softly, feeling it was the right thing to say to comfort the still-grieving alicorn.

Eclipse felt weak. She fell to her haunches as a sob of pain escaped her body. "I-I couldn't s-save you."

"Shh... It's okay..." Rainbow mumbled as she calmly ran a hoof through Eclipse's mane, hoping to comfort her. "You're a good pony..." Rainbow said sweetly, feeling awkward as she did so. Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie were the better choices for comforting Eclipse. Not herself, but for whatever reason, Eclipse preferred her over them, perhaps because she was stronger than them. As she spoke, Eclipse's grip on her tightened, almost to the point of hurting. After a few seconds, her grip weakened, but she still held on tight as she sobbed into her shoulder.

There was a flash of lightning far off in the sky. Soon, it was followed by a clap of thunder, which rolled through the city like a gentle wave. Starlight eyed the sky carefully. The storm would hopefully prevent anypony from flying, thus giving her an advantage. If the storm didn't ground them, she had a few spells that should help with that. She smiled as another flash of lightning briefly illuminated the alleyway. After the roll of thunder passed, she sauntered out of the alleyway, channeling magic into her horn as she did. Trailing behind her were two alicorns, a tall white one, and a shorter dark blue one. Both had waves of dark magic flowing away from their eyes, almost giving their eyes the appearance of glowing.

As soon as Starlight exited the alleyway, she looked around, searching for anypony foolish enough to be out in the middle of the night when a storm was brewing. The street was deserted, and the only light came from the street lamps which were spaced evenly apart but did little to illuminate the city anywhere near what the sun could do. And since she could move both the sun and the moon now, she could create the perfect backdrop. Nothing like a little bad weather on a dark night to cause fear, plus if it slowed down Twilight, Nightfall, and Eclipse, all the better.

Her smile widened as she walked across the street and made her way to Cental Park. It was a perfect place to test out some of those spells she found in that old castle. She turned towards her two alicorn slaves as she reminisced on one of the spells. She had been able to modify her spell and give them some power but managed to retain most of it. They retained most of their physical attributes, and some magical attributes, but for the most part, Starlight had their magic and abilities. And she used them.

She made her way to the center of the park, then came to a stop and sat down on the concrete pathway away from any trees which would obstruct her vision of the sky, and bowed her head. Her horn glowed brighter as she prepared a large scale spell, one which would encompass the whole city of Manehatton. Lightning flashed in an almost unnatural fashion as she poured more and more magic into the spell, briefly illuminating the dark park and casting menacing shadows, capable of intimidating even the most fearless of ponies.

The glow from her horn grew brighter as she channeled alicorn levels of magic into her spell. Truly, no unicorn before her had wielded such power, and she doubted there would ever be another unicorn to wield a fraction of her power. Not that she intended to find out.

Tonight, she would neither set the moon nor raise the sun. She would need her power for the coming battle. She could feel that battle in her very veins, almost like the battle cried out for her to seize it. She eagerly awaited it. The darkness and the storm raging overhead also gave her advantages, and a few aces up her sleeve should the need arise.

As the magic she channeled into her horn reached its apex, she felt a drop of rain fall on her from the sky. With speed rivaling lightning, she threw her head up and released the spell. The entire city was briefly lit brighter than if it had been during the day, and just as quickly, the light dissipated, leaving the city in darkness, broken only by the dull glow of street lamps and the occasional flash of light. Starlight smiled, then frowned at a strange popping sound coming from behind her.

She turned around and faced down a creature of myth and legend, silhouetted by another flash of lightning.

Star Fall

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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.

Supremacy

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The ten ponies appeared in the wake of the flash of light that signaled their arrival, and immediately they were buffeted by wind and rain. They were jarred by the unexpected weather, but most of them managed to keep their composure. After a few seconds to recover from the shock of the storm, they all turned around while maintaining the circle, as if they shared a connection and understood what to do without it being said. For a few seconds, everypony held their breath as they searched their surroundings for any sign of their enemy. Nightfall was the first to relax, and Fluttershy was the last to relax. The group slowly spread apart and lingered around the spot of their arrival, allowing the four alicorns to make a quick assessment.

"She is not here, but I can sense her nearby," Nightfall commented as she glared in the direction of the thorn in her side known as Starlight Glimmer. She hated the unicorn with a passion, her betrayal and the subsequent actions she had to take left a bitter taste in her mouth. She would relish ending the unicorn's life.

"This weather is simply dreadful!" Rarity whined as she fiddled with her mane in a futile attempt to save it from the relentless storm.

Applejack gave her a stern look, "Now Rarity, you know we have bigger problems than the weather..." she trailed off as she rested her hoof reassuringly on her shoulder. Rarity looked at her and smiled, but Applejack could tell her heart really wasn't in it.

Eclipse ignored them as she walked over to stand beside Nightfall and Fluttershy. "We have to do this together," she said evenly. She turned to meet Nightfall's gaze, and her eyes bored into her. For a few seconds, neither of them said anything. Nightfall eventually nodded and turned her gaze back to the direction Starlight was in. Eclipse continued to stare at Nightfall.

Applejack and Rarity walked over beside Nightfall and Eclipse, and they stopped beside Rainbow Dash. "Uh, Rainbow, is it supposed to be raining this hard?" Applejack asked as she lifted her stetson from her head and shook the floppy, water-drenched hat.

Rainbow stared blankly at her, "How the heck am I supposed to know?" she asked incredulously. "It's not like I'm the manager of Manehatton's weather."

"This isn't right," Cadance stated with worry. "This storm... It almost feels unnatural." Everypony turned their head towards the Princess of Love at that but said nothing. "And... the buildings," she pointed a hoof at a nearby apartment building. Not a single light was on inside the building, and even the nearby street lamps were dead. After a few seconds, fear and worry crept down her spine as she tried to locate anypony outside of their group. "I... can't sense anypony... nearby..." she said in near panic.

The rest of the ponies, save for Eclipse and Nightfall, all shared worried glances. "She likely put them in stasis and then teleported them into a pocket dimension," Nightfall said simply.

"That... would take a lot of magic..." Twilight trailed off as her mind raced through all the possible consequences of Starlight's actions, and what it would mean if she had done that. It wasn't long before she was struggling to control her breathing.

"She was a very strong unicorn," Eclipse grimaced, "and she has the power of two alicorns..."

Applejack stepped beside Twilight and rested a hoof on Twilight's shoulder reassuringly. It took a second for Twilight to register the gesture, and when she did she looked up and back at Applejack and smiled her thanks.

Rainbow Dash tentatively spread her wings, only for a gust of the wind to set her off balance. It was only Eclipse's fast reaction that kept her from falling down. The action drew the attention of everypony, and Rainbow smiled sheepishly. "I'm awesome... but I don't think I'm awesome enough to fly in this..." she said sheepishly, her voice crackling more than normal in embarrassment.

"We should split up and-"

Shining Armor's suggestion was cut off by a scoffing Nightfall, "That is the absolute worst idea we could act on in this situation."

Eclipse glanced at Nightfall, "We should keep that option in reserve... If we can't take her down head on..." Nightfall's eyes narrowed at Eclipse's suggestion that they might fail.

After a few seconds, Nightfall tilted her head and looked at Eclipse quizzically. "I thought you were determined to stop Starlight and myself?"

Eclipse nodded, "I am," she said calmly.

Nightfall examined Eclipse's facial expression, and the concern she felt only grew. It took her a few seconds to piece it together, and when she did, she clenched her jaw. 'Neither one of us will survive this,' she mused. 'We will defeat Starlight together, and then we will die fighting each other... How fitting.' To her surprise, she felt her anxiety slowly rising at that realization. She slowly turned her head away from Eclipse.

"Shouldn't we get going, darling?" Rarity said as she lifted a hoof from the wet concrete and shook it. A look of disgust crossed her face as droplets of water flew from her hoof. "The sooner we defeated her, the sooner this will all be... uh..." she glanced nervously at Nightfall, who was looking away from everypony, "over," she quickly finished.

"I reckon you're right," Applejack replied.

"Indeed she is," Nightfall said beneath her breath. Her words were further drowned out by the rain, the wind, and lightning. The only pony with the barest hint of what she said was Eclipse, who briefly glanced at her.

Eclipse looked to her left and then right. Everypony was either looking in the same direction she and Nightfall had been or looking at her to lead them. 'I can do this. I have to do this. They're all counting on you to succeed, to stop Starlight and then stop Nightfall.' She took a step forwards and mentally prepared herself for the coming battles. Another step, she steeled her resolve. Another step, she thought back to all the spells she knew that she could use at the right time to win the battle. Another step, the spell she swore never to use again. And another, the memory of killing Starlight zoomed through her mind. She hesitated at that thought.

"You have a plan, right?" Rainbow Dash asked from beside Eclipse.

"Stick together but don't make yourselves targets. Cover each other's weaknesses, attack her when she's busy with somepony else." Eclipse started walking again. "And do not let her take you down." she said firmly. Nightfall felt a smile tug at her lip, hearing Eclipse's resolve strengthen.

Eclipse slowed as their destination became clear. 'A stage...' she realized as she walked out from the blind spot of a tree. She could barely make it out through the darkness and rain, but every flash of lightning illuminated the platform well enough for her to spot the long unicorn standing center stage. It reminded her of Trixie, and she hadn't thought about her for a very long time. They were still too far away to make out her expression and body language, but from what Eclipse could tell, she was prepared. She slowed her pace and cautiously walked forward. The hoofsteps of her and her group walking across the concrete were muffled by the wind and rain.

Nightfall kept an eye open. She glanced at Eclipse who was focused intently on Starlight before scanning the surroundings. Each flash of lightning briefly lit up the park, casting shadows in every direction. Each shadow could hide a threat, but she made sure they didn't.

"You're all working together?" Starlight yelled over the rain. The anger in her voice was impossible to miss, and Twilight winced at the sheer rawness of it. She had never encountered anypony with as much raw hatred as Starlight, except perhaps Nightfall or Nightmare Moon. "How cute!" Starlight venomously added.

Eclipse stepped forwards. "Starlight Glimmer! I told you before not to get involved in this!" she yelled her warning, though she knew it would change nothing. She breathed deeply as she waited for a reply from the unicorn and felt drops of rain rolling down her muzzle. After a few seconds of not receiving an answer, she spoke again, "We don't have to fight, you can surrender now and-!"

"Surrender!?" Starlight shouted furiously. "Now why would I do that!?"

Nightfall bared her teeth in disgust, stepped forwards and ignited her horn, an action Starlight mimicked, followed closely behind by every alicorn and unicorn present. Nightfall stared down Starlight and she met her gaze. Nightfall twisted her head to the right and then to the left, getting several satisfying pops from her neck. "You are severely outnumbered and outmatched. Eclipse and I have killed alicorns before. You're nothing but an insect compared to us!" Nightfall shouted.

"Oh is that so?" Starlight asked in a calm voice, which sent warning flags through the more tactically inclined of Eclipse's group.

"Don't antagonize her!" Eclipse quipped at Nightfall without breaking eye contact with Starlight Glimmer.

Nightfall slowly looked away from Starlight and met Eclipse's gaze, "The more angry she is the more likely she will make a mistake we can capitalize on," she explained just loud enough for it to carry to Eclipse. Eclipse's strained smile calmed at that, and she reluctantly nodded. Nightfall held her gaze for a few seconds before looking back at Starlight. "Challenge us at your own peril," Nightfall taunted.

"U-um... girls... we're not actually going to... to kill her... R-right?" Fluttershy squeaked out. She shrunk down when nopony gave any indication of even hearing her: her quiet voice was drowned out by the rain.

"Yeah! We can take you any day!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she rallied beside Eclipse. She fought hard against the urge to jump into the air. Knowing her only reward for trying to fly would be getting forced back to the ground helped her suppress the urge. Eclipse quickly glanced at her absently before looking back at Starlight.

"If it means I get to show you just how wrong you are and get revenge on you for ruining all I had built, I'M GAME!" she shouted. Everypony immediately tensed up as Starlight threw her head towards the sky. She let out a blood-curdling scream and released a pulse of light into the sky.

Nightfall reacted on instinct and threw a barrier up around herself. The barrier barely had time to form before a dark blue flash of light signaled the arrival of Princess Luna- who immediately attempted to skew her upon her horn. As it was, Nightfall grunted in effort as Luna's horn collided with her barrier, and she was pushed to the right because of bad traction.

Eclipse froze up as Princess Celestia appeared in front of her in a flash of pale yellow light and she saw the dark magic rolling off of her eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and her resolve was immediately shattered, like a glass pane trying to stop an anvil falling from the sky. It was only Rainbow's quick reaction that prevented her from being skewed upon Celestia's horn. Rainbow jumped at Celestia and awkwardly impacted her, throwing her head off trajectory and causing them both to crash into the ground.

"P-Princess Celestia! What are you-!?" Twilight was cut off by Starlight teleporting in front of her, blocking her from reaching Princess Celestia. Starlight smiled menacingly, and Twilight immediately felt fear, confusion, doubt, and pain. Fear of the unknown, confusion of not knowing what was happening, doubt that they would win this time, and pain at how much hate Starlight's expression showed.

Starlight swung her head down and released a spell at her. Cadance's magic flared to life and met Starlight's spell, protecting Twilight. "Starlight corrupted Princess Celestia and Luna with dark magic!" Cadance yelled, her voice almost breaking up from the pain of knowing what she did to them.

"Twilight!" Shining Armor shouted as he ran from Cadance's side and stood beside his sister, who was still in shock. Twilight's mouth kept shaking as she held it open. Starlight's next attack was focused on Shining Armor, who defended them both with his barrier. The impact made him dizzy, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

Nightfall swiveled and jumped forwards as Princess Luna charged her horn with magic. Luna tracked Nightfall's maneuver and followed her with her horn, and released her spell when Nightfall came to a stop. Nightfall crouched down to the ground in response to the spell hitting her barrier, reacting in an almost primal manner. Luna's attack was immediately followed by a second spell and a third. The barrage was relentless, but Nightfall held until Applejack collided with Luna, throwing her off balance and forcing them both to the ground. Luna recovered first and jumped back up and pressed her hoof into Applejack's ribs, holding her down as she lowered her horn to the base of her neck.

Luna was thrown off of her by a single spell from Nightfall, who then calmly strode forwards with a maniacal smile plastered on her face. Applejack looked up at Nightfall who barely spared her a glance as she walked by. The way the light from Nightfall's magic illuminated her expression sent a shiver down her spine. After Nightfall left her vision, she forced herself up and took stock of the situation.

Rainbow Dash's cry of pain drew her immediate attention, and more importantly, broke Eclipse's trance. Eclipse's eyes immediately darted to Rainbow Dash, who was being crushed by Princess Celestia. Her heart skipped a beat as Celestia pressed her hoof into Rainbow's back at the base of her wing and lowered her horn to the base of her neck, where her shoulder blades met her backbone. She flared her wings out and re-ignited her horn. The aura surrounding her horn glowed brightly and violently, a result of her rage, tamed only by knowing it was Princess Celestia she was about to fight. She didn't want to fight her, but she had no choice, so she would. To protect her friends, but not for revenge, unlike last time.

Twilight's gaze was drawn to Princess Celestia, protected by a yellow barrier, being thrown aside. She finally closed her mouth at the sight and refocused on the task at hoof. She glanced to her brother and took in his expression. He was strained against the unicorn, but he was on the defensive and defending his family. He was at his best. A bolt of light blue magic slammed into Starlight, causing her to stumble. Twilight looked at Rarity, who had a very unladylike glare plastered on her face. Shining Armor dropped his barrier and pushed his head beneath Twilight and forced her onto his back. "Shining!" Twilight exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing?!"

"You're in no condition to face her, Twilight!" he said in reply without stopping as he ran back to Cadance, who had been calmly making her way to the back of the group with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie to protect them.

"What's going on!?" Applejack shouted amidst the chaos. "What's wrong with the princesses!?"

"Starlight is-" Nightfall grunted as one of Luna's spells collided with her barrier "-controlling them with dark magic!" she shouted in response. "We need to-" she paused to lower her barrier and sidestep an incoming spell before retaliating with a spell of her own and reforming her barrier around herself. "-free them from Starlight's control either by disabling them or-" she smiled as her bolt of magic collided with Princess Luna "-disabling Starlight Glimmer."

Eclipse levitated Rainbow Dash off the ground, and she clutched her side in pain as Eclipse carefully put her on her back so that Rainbow's head rested on her shoulder. Rainbow wrapped her hooves around Eclipse and held on firmly. Eclipse quickly glanced around to see just how bad their situation was. Starlight was facing down Rarity, and much to her surprise, Rarity was doing a decent job at defending herself. She watched Rarity for a second before she moved on to Nightfall, who was engaged with Princess Luna.

Luna and Nightfall were trading blows with magic, but both of them were holding back, or at least Nightfall was. She was surprised by that but pushed it aside and looked around for Princess Celestia. She felt panic grip her entire being when she couldn't find her. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and tilted her head back to look at Rainbow, "You doing okay?" she asked. Rainbow grunted in response, and she felt a sharp stab of pain. Not physical, but emotional. She was solely responsible for Rainbow's pain because she hesitated.

Eclipse felt a disturbance in the air to her right and created a barrier around herself just in time to block Celestia's spell from blowing them away like paper in the wind. She turned to face Celestia and lowered her horn to face her. She channeled magic into a spell to strike out at Celestia, who teleported out of the path of the spell before it reached her. The spell impacted a nearby tree and chips of wood joined the rain that fell from the sky.

Eclipse swiveled around and jumped backward, narrowly avoiding a spell which landed where her hooves had been. Rainbow grunted in pain at the action and she made a note not to do that again.

"I'm going to help Rarity!" Shining yelled as he ran towards Rarity and Starlight Glimmer. "Keep them safe!" he commanded. Twilight and Cadance exchanged a worried glance.

Twilight looked at Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, both shaking behind Cadance. She felt pain and confusion. 'They shouldn't be this afraid...' she frowned. She couldn't place their fear, but whatever it was, even Pinkie Pie was shaking all over her entire body. But it wasn't constant, and she wasn't sure fear was the right way to describe her expression. "We need to get them out of here..." she said softly.

Applejack slid to a stop just out of reach from Celestia and then spun around and bucked out with her hind legs. Celestia was prepared for this, and jumped to the side, firing a spell at Applejack in the process. Applejack jumped out of the way and grunted as she landed hard on the concrete and slid to a stop. 'That'll bruise worse than when...' Her thought was cut off by Celestia charging at her horn first.

"Eclipse... Get her..." said Rainbow in a quiet, yet firm voice.

Eclipse took a deep breath and lowered her horn and released another spell at Princess Celestia. It hit her in her shoulder and punctured her skin, causing crimson to briefly flow from the wound before it was healed. Celestia looked at Eclipse with hatred and channeled more magic into her horn, then exploded a shockwave outwards from herself. Rainbow was thrown off of Eclipse's back and Eclipse was thrown to the ground. Celestia smiled as she calmly walked over to Eclipse. Rainbow Dash cried out in pain as she landed on her injured side, protected only by her wing.

"You know," Nightfall started as she rolled out of the way of Luna's spell, "If it wasn't for this storm, we could be trading much more powerful blows in the sky than what we are on the ground. I know what you're capable of. And this? This is pathetic." She launched a spell at Luna, who teleported out of the way, causing the spell to impact a tree and explode. The tree promptly fell down, but Nightfall had already reacquired Luna and launched another spell. "Though, granted. I am holding back for a reason. More than one, actually."

Luna teleported again, and appeared behind the bolt, in front of Nightfall. Nightfall took a step back, startled by Luna's unexpected appearance. Luna spread her wings and lowered her head before jumping forwards. Nightfall took another step back and to the side and met Luna's horn with her own horn, parrying the blow and pressing her head firmly against Luna's. It became a tug of war as to who would push the other back, both of them held their ground, and shook from the forces they exerted on each other.

"Scatter!" Eclipse shouted out as she defended Rainbow Dash with her barrier, blocking an attack from Starlight and Celestia at the same time. She was thankful it was storming and night, nopony could see just how much effort it was taking her to hold her ground and not breakdown.

Shining Armor and Rarity redoubled their efforts to contain Starlight, but it wasn't enough, and Starlight was able to slip another spell passed them. The spell barely missed Applejack by a hair's width. Rarity and Shining Armor shared a glance before going on the offensive in sync, forcing Starlight to defend herself with her magic, sending bolts of magic to intercept their magic in a display of skill, accuracy, and power.

Starlight formed a barrier around herself and jumped back. Her jump was aided by the impact of spells, and she was pushed back even more. Her horn grew brighter and twin flashes of light appeared on both sides of Shining Armor and Rarity. Four earth ponies of varying builds, each with dark magic rolling off of their eyes like with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna immediately charged at them, forcing them both back on the defensive.

A lavender wall formed between the two groups. Everypony looked around in confusion before settling on Twilight. After a few seconds, Starlight, Celestia, and Luna started bombarding the barrier with all their might, having failed teleporting inside of it. Twilight grunted in the effort it took to keep the barrier up under the bombardment and keep Starlight out, buying time for Cadance to grab each of her allies and teleport them the short distance to Twilight and herself. Twilight took a deep breath and grunted in effort from protecting her friends and preventing the alicorns from teleporting inside the barrier. "I... can't hold them out for long..."

"We need to scatter. Now," Eclipse commanded. "Break into groups, we need to separate them and defeat them alone." She watched as Twilight slowly contracted her barrier until it just surrounded the ten ponies. The smaller area would make the barrier stronger and put her under less strain, but Twilight was breathing short, rapid breaths, and didn't look too well. Eclipse frowned.

"Separating is a bad idea, remember?" Nightfall chided as she wiped a mixture of blood and rain from her arm. She eyed the fresh gash on her arm dispassionately before lifting her gaze back to Eclipse.

"I don't know if we can take all three of them at once, and if Starlight realizes our weakness..." Eclipse trailed off and swallowed. Nightfall's eyes narrowed in fear for a brief second before she stomped it out and recovered. Eclipse looked around her group and realized just how bad a shape they were in. They weren't expecting to have to fight Celestia and Luna too, just Starlight. She couldn't help but feel a little pride in each of them at how well they were holding their own against the two alicorns and unicorn, even if at the moment it wasn't enough. She looked at Fluttershy and felt a pit form in her stomach at how afraid she was. "Take Fluttershy and go, I will-"

Twilight grunted in pain and fell to her knees, immediately drawing fearful looks from the ponies surrounding her. The aura surrounding her horn and the barrier keeping Starlight and the princesses out failed. Celestia and Luna immediately teleported on top of them, horns charged and prepared to deliver killing blows. Shining Armor and Eclipse ran over to Twilight and checked her over, both concerned and worried that she wasn't able to keep her barrier up for longer than what she did. Even under the intense bombardment, she should have been able to last longer than she did. Eclipse found her mouth dry, 'This is my fault...'

Nightfall's barrier flared to life, forming a semi-sphere around the ponies, blocking the dual death strikes of Luna and Celestia. She grunted in the effort it took to hold it back and prepared two spells in the back of her mind in case she failed. One of them was the teleportation spell she was sure she was going to need, and the other one was the spell she did not want to use. "Run!" Nightfall commanded.

Cadance, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Applejack wasted no time before taking off heading away from the twin corrupted alicorns. Shining Armor hesitated, worried for his sister. Eclipse met his gaze and nodded. He clenched his jaw and nodded in reply, knowing what Eclipse meant, even if it went unsaid. He reluctantly stood up and looked her over for a few seconds before he turned around and ran off after his wife and three of his sister's friends.

Nightfall stepped back as another spell struck her barrier. As soon as it was safe, she collapsed the barrier and made a quick assessment of the situation. Her attention was drawn to Fluttershy, paralyzed in fear and unable to move, standing back and to the right of Nightfall. She felt her heart skip a beat at seeing her still near her, frozen in fear, with her legs and arms shaking like an earthquake. She glanced back to Celestia and Luna before grabbing Fluttershy in her magic. She looked at Eclipse who had started to stand up. Their eyes briefly met, "Good luck," Nightfall said calmly. Eclipse nodded at her and Nightfall teleported away, leaving Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and herself behind.

Eclipse channeled more magic into her horn in preparation to defend against Celestia and Luna and to teleport what remained of her group away.

Twilight rose back to her hooves, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed of deep, primal rage that had built up over months of powerful emotions. Her horn flared to life with dark magic, and Celestia and Luna were thrown away violently. They collided with a stunned Starlight Glimmer but quickly righted themselves and stood up.

"T-Twi?" Rainbow said in fear as waves of dark magic seemed to roll out of her entire being. She tried to sit up, but the pain coming from her side wouldn't let her. "Twilight!?" Twilight ignored her and flared her wings out to their full extent. The sight of the roiling dark magic surrounding her horn was both mesmerizing and terrifying. After a few seconds, Twilight's breathing became labored once more and she staggered forwards before she fell to the concrete.

The dark aura surrounding Twilight's horn faded and Eclipse felt a cold chill run down her spine. She turned to face a stunned Rainbow Dash and then lifted her up onto her back with magic before grabbing Twilight in her magic. The glow surrounding Twilight's horn immediately returned and she fought off Eclipse's magic before looking at her fiercely and teleporting away in a flash of dark magic. Eclipse swallowed in fear. She glanced at Starlight for a split second before teleporting away to safety.

The low rumble of lightning and the darkness were broken by a popping sound and a flash of light, respectively. Fluttershy immediately latched onto Nightfall's legs for dear life, hoping that the alicorn would protect her. Nightfall stood completely still as Fluttershy held onto her, she felt every single shake of her body from fear and the damp cold that was starting to affect them both. Nightfall listened intently to the sounds of her surroundings, the rain pummeling the concrete and brick buildings, the almost constant rumble of thunder, broken occasionally by a sharp crack of a nearby discharge.

Every time there was a flash of lightning, Fluttershy held onto Nightfall a little tighter. Nightfall reached out with her magic to check their immediate surroundings for any sign of danger. "We are safe for the moment," Nightfall said evenly but kept her horn lit just in case.

Fluttershy's grip on her slowly loosened as she relaxed. Eventually, she pulled away, still shaking from fear and cold, but a little more confident. She looked around and panic set in again, "Wh-where are the others!?"

"We were separated from them. It is just you and me, now," Nightfall said evenly.

"J-just y-you a-and m-me?" Fluttershy stuttered out as she backed up against the brick wall of the alleyway. When she felt the cold brick impair her movement she shrank back further and hid her face behind her mane.

Nightfall turned her head to get a better look at Fluttershy. It was difficult to tell in the darkness, but the light from her horn and the occasionally flash of lightning lit up the alley enough for her to get a good look at Fluttershy. Her entire body was soaked with rain, from her mane to her tail, her wings to her hooves. The sight caused a grimace to tug at her lips and she felt pity for her friend, but there wasn't much she could do about it with it still raining. She could also see the fear in her eyes and more than just a little bit of it was directed at her.

"You're afraid..." Nightfall trailed off. Fluttershy quickly nodded her head and looked away from Nightfall. Nightfall looked at the water standing on the concrete. A flash of lightning offered just enough illumination for her to see her reflection. She looked at the face that stared back at her while the illumination lasted. She looked back up at Fluttershy's dark silhouette, "Come here," she said softly. Fluttershy tentatively crossed the distance between them and stood beside Nightfall.

Nightfall extended a wing and covered Fluttershy's back with it, then pulled her closer to herself. She knew it would provide her with some protection from the storm, even if it was at her own expense, and she thought Fluttershy might find it comforting. She felt Fluttershy's shakes slowly calm down as the pair stood there for a few seconds. They never completely left, but they became more manageable. She looked out into the street and scanned the darkness for any sign of another pony. Eventually, she sighed and "Stay close. I will protect you," she said firmly. She looked at Fluttershy and hesitated briefly before stepping forwards. It only took a second for Fluttershy to fall in sync with her, and together they walked out of the alley and into the dark, empty street.

"W-what are we going t-to do now?" Fluttershy asked. She shouldn't have come with them, she knew she was just a liability. She was afraid. She had thought that she had the courage to help them, but she didn't. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a menacing flash of lightning and pressed herself closer to Nightfall. She knew Nightfall might betray them at a moment's notice, but she also knew Nightfall was the only protection she had. Nightfall was still evil, but she didn't believe Nightfall was evil enough to do something to her. Despite being no drier than her own wings, she found Nightfall's wing slightly comforting, if only because it blocked some of the rain from hitting her coat. She knew Twilight would do anything to protect her friends, and Nightfall was another version of her friend.

Nightfall looked to her right across the empty street. Her eyes trailed over each minuscule detail and each dark silhouette as she spoke, "We need to either take down Starlight or Celestia and Luna. I doubt we can take all three of them on at once in our... condition." Nightfall grimaced and looked to her left, down the street and analyzed their situation. "I would imagine if we attempt to engage Starlight and start to win, Celestia and Luna would come to her aid. If we beat Starlight before Celestia and Luna could intervene, the spell would collapse and they would be free." She looked back to her right and started turning towards her left. She kept her gaze focused on the dark street behind her as she started walking forwards. "Defeating Celestia and Luna first is our primary objective," she said.

"D-def-defeating them?" Fluttershy shivered as she pondered what Nightfall meant by her choice of words. "Y-you don't me-mean k-kill th-them?"

"No, I do not," Nightfall said quietly. "With that being said, it will likely have a better outcome if I engage Luna rather than Celestia."

"We're go-going after Princess Luna?" Fluttershy said a bit more relaxed, calmed by Nightfall's assurance, though still afraid.

Nightfall nodded. "I am the best candidate for facing her. Eclipse..." she felt a bitter taste in her mouth, "I honestly don't know if she has it in her to defeat Celestia. If it comes down to it... she can. After they're both free, we will assault Starlight Glimmer..."

"M-maybe you should f-fight Princess Celestia instead of Princess Luna?" Fluttershy suggested softly.

Nightfall slowed her pace, "I don't know if Celestia would... I do not know if I could prevent myself from killing her if I were to engage her in combat. It is better if we don't put my self-restraint to the test." Fluttershy shivered. After a few seconds of letting the words linger, Nightfall once more quickened her pace.

"What are we going to do?" Rarity asked, hoping that speaking would distract her from the blood-chilling scream each of them had heard before they escaped the park. It had been Twilight screaming. None of them knew what happened, and only Princess Cadance managed to convince them to not go back for her. 'She's safe with Eclipse...' Princess Cadance's words echoed in her mind.

"We need to defeat Starlight Glimmer..." Princess Cadance trailed off. She peaked her head around the corner of the building she was pressed against and scanned the street for anypony they were looking for or running from. The occasional flashes of lightning offered just enough illumination for her to clearly see there was nopony in sight. "Let's go..." she said as she jumped around the corner and quickly walked down the sidewalk.

"And how do you plan on doing that now?" Applejack asked as she walked beside Pinkie Pie who was still occasionally shaking all over. "With the princesses all corrupted and such, and without Eclipse and Nightfall, I don't know if we can do it by ourselves..."

"This isn't right..." Pinkie Pie trailed off sadly. "It's not supposed to be this way!"

Everypony stopped and looked at Pinkie. They could clearly see the tears flowing from her eyes despite the poor lighting. "Pinkie..." Applejack said softly. She stepped closer to her and wrapped her arms around her neck and hugged her tightly. "No, it's not right... But we have to fix this..." Pinkie nuzzled Applejack and sniffled.

Shining Armor looked away from Pinkie Pie and kept his eyes open for any danger. He scanned their surroundings and the tops of the buildings methodically. He wasn't about to let any of them get hurt on his watch, and he wasn't about to let Starlight Glimmer get through him, not now, nor ever. The group stood still for a few minutes until Pinkie finally pulled away. "We should keep moving..." he said after a few more seconds as his gaze was drawn to a shadow cast from a flash of lightning.

"I reckon you're right..." Applejack sighed.

"Stay close," Cadance said as she looked up and down the street. After she was sure the coast was clear, she dashed out into the street and crossed to the other side, followed closely behind by the other four members of her group. When she reached the other side of the street, she pressed her body against the wall and peeked in through the glass door of the building. She tentatively grasped the handle of the door with her magic and silently opened it, then Shining Armor rushed out from behind her and ran inside.

Shining Armor quickly swept his head from right to left and back to the right. He kept his horn at the ready and pointed where he was looking, prepared to defend himself against any threat. He let himself relax, the building, though dark, was empty. "Clear..." he said as he stood up taller and looked around again. He heard the four other ponies walk in and felt Cadance press up against his side. Normally, the gesture was reassuring. It didn't reassure him much now, he was too preoccupied, his guard training, desire and duty to protect his loved ones, and fear for his sister all at the forefront of his mind.

They slowly spread out through the room- the ground floor of an apartment complex, they discovered, following Rarity, Shining Armor, and Princess Cadance. The glow of the trio of horns aided by the flashes of lightning allowed the ponies to navigate deeper into the structure until they reached a dark hallway. Shining Armor stepped into the hallway first, he cautiously walked forwards, the thought that it was the perfect spot for an ambush was kept in the back of his mind. He slowed as he approached a T in the hallway. He glanced back at Cadance and motioned her to stay close behind him. He peered around the corner to the left, and then to the right.

To the left, he could see a flickering glow, faint light from flashes of lightning coming through a window or door. He slid around the corner and quietly made his way over to the door and looked out across the street. The rain continued to come down in sheets, but it looked like the wind was letting up some, perhaps blocked by the tall structures. He subtly raised a hoof and pressed against the bar of the door and pushed it open, then slid out into the street. "Stay close to the building," Shining commanded as the mares followed him out into the street. They all obeyed his command and stayed on the concrete sidewalk, close to the buildings.

They walked calmly and quietly until they reached the end of the block. They all hesitated when they reached an intersection, each corner had a tall building right at the edge of the sidewalk. They couldn't make out what the buildings were through the storm and darkness, but they offered a good vantage point. Shining Armor grimaced at that. If Starlight, Luna or Celestia were on one of the roofs, they would easily spot his group. If they were looking in the right direction, that was.

Shining Armor carefully scanned the rooftops for any sign of the three ponies they had to fight. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the silhouette of a pony standing atop the roof of the building immediately to their left. His head shot over to the building and he quickly locked on to the small unicorn. He turned to Cadance and Rarity, "Go left, dim your horns!" he said in a hoarse whisper. Both mares immediately complied and the glow from their horns died, followed shortly by his own aura dying. As soon as the four mares were passed him, he turned around and ran, thankful Starlight Glimmer hadn't spotted them.

Eclipse grunted as she appeared in the middle of a deserted street. She quickly scanned her immediate surroundings before running over to the nearest building. Carrying the weight of Rainbow Dash slowed her down noticeably, but she said nothing, though she winced with each step as Rainbow grunted in pain, although each grunt sounded less painful than the last. She slowed as she approached the door, and then pulled it open and quickly ran inside.

She angled her head down and looked over the room before quickly walking over to the nearby couch. She looked over the couch briefly before deciding it was acceptable and levitating Rainbow Dash off her back. She gently laid her down on the couch, and Rainbow grunted as she tried to force herself to sit up. Eclipse lightly set a hoof on her shoulder to keep her down. Rainbow glared at her as she gently pushed her back into a lying position.

Eclipse swallowed as she looked at Rainbow's chest. She went over her body with her magic and identified the source of her pain, a fractured rib. She bit her lip but breathed a sigh of relief that it hadn't been anything worse, like a broken leg, although it was still dangerous to both of them and painful for her. "How are you holding up?" she asked.

Rainbow looked up at her somewhat harshly, "Just... fine..." she said evenly. As much as she tried to hide her pain, Eclipse could still hear it.

"You have a fractured rib..." Rainbow groaned at that and tried to push herself up again, but Eclipse's hoof held firm. Eclipse sighed and shook her head, "I don't know healing magic so I can't help you..."

Rainbow looked at her incredulously, "What? You're Twilight Sparkle, what do you mean you don't know healing magic?"

Eclipse smiled sheepishly, "Sorry... I never got around to it. Never had a use for it before becoming an alicorn, and once I became an alicorn... I just... didn't have the time..." She looked down at the floor in shame at being unable to help her friend, knowing it could end up costing her dearly. 'Another mistake...' She tentatively lifted her hoof from Rainbow's shoulder. When she was sure she wouldn't try to sit up, she removed it fully.

Rainbow's expression softened, "Hey... it's okay, alright? You're trying your best..." Eclipse looked back at her and met her gaze. "Leave me here, go get Starlight and kick her flank for me, alright?"

Eclipse smiled and snorted, "I'm not leaving you here alone." She shook her head at the notion, there was no way she was going to leave her in such a vulnerable state. Her injury would slow her down and make her an easy target for anypony after her, not to mention she knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate if Rainbow wasn't safe.

Rainbow frowned at her. "Hey. I'm fine, alright? Just a-" she grunted in pain as she forced herself up before Eclipse could hold her down with her hoof, much to her displeasure, "little mishap, no biggie." Eclipse looked at her absently. She smiled confidently, "I can totally take any of them on if they come after me."

Eclipse shook her head. "No."

Rainbow met her gaze for a few seconds before laying back down. "Then what? You can't take them on while carrying me, you'll get yourself killed!"

Eclipse clenched her jaw and looked towards the door. She grimaced as she looked out into the storm-ravaged street. They weren't safe that close to the entrance. Anypony looking in at the right time could spot them. "I'll... figure something out." She looked back at Rainbow to see her sliding off the couch and standing up. She looked at her confused and worried, "You shouldn't be standing up! You shouldn't even be..."

Rainbow winced as she turned to look deeper into the hotel lobby, towards the hallway leading to the rooms. "Adrenaline rush?" she said with false assurance, hoping to mask the lie.

"That's a very delayed adrenaline rush..." Eclipse trailed off in thought. It took all of Rainbow's effort not to cry out in pain as she stepped forwards while taking a breath. Eclipse watched her movement and could tell she was in pain. "You... Rainbow Dash, don't lie to me. You're not fine. You're not hiding it very well."

Rainbow paused and hesitantly tilted her head to look back at Eclipse. "Would you forgive yourself if something happened to one of us because you were keeping an eye on me instead of helping them fight Starlight?"

Eclipse swallowed. She was afraid Rainbow would ask that question. She knew the answer even before she asked. She steeled her mask of determination and courage before it faltered, and walked over to her, doing her best to suppress the shakiness of her hooves. "Then I will carry you."

Rainbow turned around to face her. "You are not carrying me."

Eclipse came to a stop in front of her and met her fierce gaze with calmness. "I will not let you get hurt again. I promise." Eclipse picked Rainbow Dash up in her magic, much to Rainbow's displeasure, and carefully levitated her over onto her back, despite the pegasus's resistance. "And I will protect all of you."

"You'll get yourself killed, Twilight!" Rainbow shouted in protest, fuming at the alicorn's stubbornness. She felt Eclipse's muscles relax at that, and she was puzzled by it.

"No, I won't... I have that promise to keep. The one where I don't get killed." She looked back at Rainbow and forced a soft smile. She turned around and walked over to the door before stopping and looking out at the storm-ravaged street. She didn't particularly want to go back out into it, but she would because she was needed. Eclipse lifted a hoof to the glass door. She felt a shiver run down her spine as the cold seeped into her hoof.

"You don't actually intend to keep that promise, do you?"

Eclipse swallowed and then sighed. "I want to keep that promise, Rainbow Dash. I really do... If only to..." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "We can beat Starlight. That I know for a fact. With Nightfall, Cadance, myself and... Twilight... we can defeat her, Celestia, and Luna. After that is over... on the other hoof... I will be forced to fight Nightfall." she trailed off and took a deep breath. "In any fight between myself and her, I can force her into a stalemate. Neither of us would win, and I would make sure of that, even if it cost my life. But it won't be a one on one battle. Nightfall knows how that if she targets any of you, she wins immediately. I would be forced on the defensive and..." she trailed off and clenched her eyes shut. "My entire plan is a failure."

"No. It's not." Rainbow said as she shifted her weight and wrapped a hoof around Eclipse's neck in an awkward hug.

"If I hadn't come back-"

"Don't," Rainbow Dash said firmly as she released her grip on Eclipse's neck. "If you hadn't come back, sure things might be better right now, or maybe Nightfall would be here without anypony to stop her. If you hadn't come back, things might have played out the same way, and Twilight... could still end up killing Princess Celestia."

Eclipse clenched her jaw and nodded. "You're right," she said at length.

Rainbow bit her lip as she contemplated her next question, a question she was afraid to ask. A question whose answer she feared, but needed to know, "What happened to her... with the dark magic?"

Eclipse felt a pang of guilt and sighed. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it, and her ears fell back to her head. "It's all my fault," she said. "But I'll fix this, I promise." After a few seconds of silence, she pushed open the door and walked back out into the storm, followed by a perfectly timed flash of lightning and crack of thunder as the door shut. Both of them shivered as Eclipse once more stepped back into the downpour of rain.

Unending

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Nightfall cautiously stepped out from the corner. She double checked both directions of the street, making sure it was still safe, then she strode forwards. She continually scanned the street and the tops of the buildings for threats even as she stood in the center of the intersection. She bit her lip and growled in frustration, "I swear this forsaken city is a maze."

"Y-you don't know where w-we are?" Fluttershy asked timidly.

Nightfall redirected her attention to the pegasus she was sheltering beneath her wing. She could still feel her shaking, almost violently, and the cold was starting to get to even her. It was demoralizing, and she knew that was at least one of its purposes. As to how Starlight pulled it off, she didn't know. "You have to remember, I've not been in Manehatton for over twelve hundred years, so you will have to forgive my lack of..." she tilted her head to the side, searching for the right word, "navigational skills." She turned her head back to the right, away from Fluttershy.

She looked over the tops of the buildings and checked the shadows cast by the flashes of lightning. Though the storm was still raging, she felt like it was starting to let up. It didn't stop it from being miserable, though. Fluttershy whimpered. She turned back to the right, searching for threats. When she was sure nothing was lying in wait for them, she started going straight through the intersection. "I am searching for Luna, Eclipse, and Cadance, however." She was also curious about the darkness she felt nearby. It felt familiar, yet different. It was definitely dark magic, but it wasn't coming from either of the princesses or Starlight Glimmer.

She looked back behind her as she entered the shelter provided by the two tall buildings on either side of the street. Still no sign of anypony. She looked ahead, scanning the top of the buildings as she glanced down the street. If she didn't know any better, she would think she had teleported in the wrong direction. She paused mid-stride, wondering if she had gone in the wrong direction. She quickly glanced at Fluttershy before looking around again, she would never tell anypony if she actually went the wrong direction. She powered up a spell and released it, then growled under her breath. She lifted Fluttershy off the ground with her wing, surprising the pegasus, and darted across the street to a building. She stopped at the entrance of the building. The door was set into the structure, so they were protected from the rain for the moment.

She let Fluttershy drop the short distance to the ground. "She is near," Nightfall said under her breath.

"P-Princess Luna?" Fluttershy stuttered.

Nightfall nodded and tentatively removed her wing from around Fluttershy. Immediately, the pegasus backed up against the glass window of the building. Nightfall carefully scanned the street for any signs of the alicorn. No signs were forthcoming. She tentatively turned back to Fluttershy, "Stay here," she commanded. Fluttershy nodded her head quickly before shrinking back from her. Nightfall squinted at her before turning back around and scanning the street again.

"I will be back," she promised. A second later, she darted back out into the middle of the street before Fluttershy could protest, leaving her all alone. She stayed in sight of Fluttershy as she walked around in a circle, scanning the rooftops and streets, occasionally sparing a glance at Fluttershy to make sure she was still there.

Something felt wrong. She came to an immediate stop. A dark blue bolt of magic whizzed through the air. It impacted the street just ahead of her. She turned in the direction the bolt came from. Princess Luna jumped off the structure and flared her wings as she fell. The uneven winds battered her, affecting her course.

Nightfall fell into a defensive stance. She glanced at Fluttershy. She was hiding behind her mane and curled up in a ball. She looked back at Luna. The alicorn hit the ground a few feet away from her. She prepared a spell to strike out at Luna. Luna's horn glowed brightly. A barrier formed around her. Nightfall released her spell. The beam of magic flew towards Luna and impacted her barrier. Luna shrugged off the attack. The barrier collapsed inwards. Luna flared out her wings.

Luna's barrier exploded outwards. Nightfall braced herself for the impact. She grunted as the pressure wave hit her and threw her away. Her ears rang from the crack that accompanied the spell. Her vision was hazy. She blinked her eyes rapidly. She flared her wings as she flew through the air.

A second bolt of magic flew towards her. She formed a barrier around herself just in time to block the bolt. She followed the bolt's path and locked onto Luna before releasing an attack of her own. She hit the hard street awkwardly, landing on her side. She winced, her wing softening the fall. She jumped to her hooves. Luna teleported out of the path of the bolt. The bolt impacted a brick wall. Bits of rock joined the rain falling from the sky.

Luna charged Nightfall. Nightfall stepped back. Luna threw her horn at Nightfall. Nightfall met Luna's horn with her own. Their horns locked. Nightfall charged another spell. Luna was thrown back. Luna fired a spell at her. She sidestepped. Luna hit the ground and teleported. Nightfall stepped to the side and extended her left wing. Her wing hit Luna. Luna stumbled to the side.

Nightfall turned to face her. Luna fired a beam at her. She gracefully sidestepped. Luna followed up with a barrage of bolts. Nightfall formed a barrier around herself. The bolts hit the barrier. Nightfall took a step back. Luna stepped forwards and fired another beam.

Eclipse stopped and turned her head to the left. She would have sworn she heard something. She waited and listened intently. Nothing. She bit her lip and slowly started walking again. "How are you holding up?" she asked.

Rainbow tightened her grip around Eclipse's neck, "If you don't stop asking that I'm going to strangle you."

Eclipse slowed as she approached the end of the block. She walked a little closer to the building and looked to her left, looking for threats. "Rainbow... I am just..." she trailed off with a sigh. She slid forwards and peaked around the corner of the brick building, looking down the street to the right. She tentatively stepped out from the building and went to the right, looking to her left and then behind her as she turned. "I've been thinking..." she trailed off as she looked inside a building through a window as she slowly walked passed it. From what she could tell, it was a jewelry store. Nothing caught her sight. She looked back forwards.

"And..?" Rainbow prodded.

Eclipse slowed as she reached an alleyway. She peeked around the corner to make sure it hid no threats and walked passed it. "And... I don't know," she said at length. She continued walking and scanning for threats. "Are you doing okay?" she asked.

"Ugh," Rainbow groaned. "I'm fine, just a little... cold."

Eclipse grimaced. "If you need a break, I can find a spot to stay and warm up a little..."

"You should just leave me there and go kick Starlight's flank. The others need you more than I do. It's not like I have a broken leg," Rainbow replied.

Eclipse kept walking until she came to another alleyway. A quick glance inside and a look around the street later she stepped into the alley and walked to the middle. The alley didn't completely block out the rain, but it sheltered them from the wind, making the storm a little more bearable. She stopped and levitated Rainbow Dash off of her back and held her so that she was directly in front of her with her magic. "I am not leaving you alone, Rainbow Dash. In your condition, you will be an easy target." She tentatively lowered Rainbow Dash and set her on the ground.

Rainbow glared at her, "I am Rainbow Dash, Twilight. I can handle myself."

Eclipse pulled back and stood up a little straighter, "You didn't stand up after Celestia nearly crushed you to death. You limp when walking. None of us can fly because of the storm. Do you honestly think you could hold your own right now?"

"That doesn't matter, you have to stop Starlight and save the princesses!" Rainbow answered sharply.

Eclipse looked at her incredulously, "Do you honestly think I could do that if I'm worried about your safety? Do you think that if I'm fighting Starlight, or Luna, or Celestia, or Nightfall, and I don't know where you are, and if I don't know you're okay, that I could honestly focus on that fight? You promised to stand by my side and Twilight's side, no matter what. I promised I would protect all of you, no matter what."

"How do you intend to do that if you're dead?" Rainbow asked seriously.

Eclipse took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She held that posture for several seconds before she opened her eyes. "Rainbow Dash. You five were the entire reason I came back in time. Not because my brother died. Not because Cadance went insane and Celestia killed her. Not because Discord went insane again. Not because I killed Celestia. Not because I spent one thousand years trapped on the moon." She clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath, "You."

"Are."

"The."

"Reason."

"I."

"Came."

"Back."

She opened her eyes and looked at Rainbow solemnly, "I love you all, even after having not seen you for centuries. I remembered what each one of you looked like, even as the pictures of you faded." Eclipse was finally thankful it was storming, nopony would be able to tell that she was crying. Rainbow's expression was unreadable. "If I have to die to protect all of you, then I will die willingly. I will face whatever consequences there are to my actions willingly, but I will protect you all, and I will save you."

For several seconds, both mares just looked at each other without saying anything. The only sound came from the storm. The wind rushing through the streets, carrying blankets of rain hammering the city, and the cracks of thunder caused by the violent discharges of lightning which illuminated the otherwise dark streets. "Why?" Rainbow asked.

Eclipse pulled Rainbow Dash into her and wrapped her arms around her. "You're worth it," she said simply. Eclipse hugged her firmly but was careful not to injure her or squeeze her too tightly. "Even if I die five minutes from now in the most painful way physically possible, it has been worth it to spend this time with all of you again."

Rainbow returned the embrace, "Twilight, don't sacrifice yourself just to save us," she said firmly. "Pinkie promise me. Because you seem to be forgetting who each of us is. We're not helpless, Twilight. You know better than we do what we went through together. What we stood up against." She nuzzled Eclipse's neck.

Eclipse sat down on her haunches and ran a hoof through Rainbow's soaked mane. She shivered at how cold it was. She tightened her grip on Rainbow briefly before relaxing it and smiling down at her, "I already promised that, Rainbow Dash, and I will keep it." Rainbow sat back from Eclipse, and Eclipse moved her hoof across her heart, "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," she said while performing the actions.

Rainbow smiled and laid back into Eclipse and hugged her again. "Thank you," she said simply.

Nightfall and Luna stood apart from each other, circling and mirroring each other's movements. Nightfall intently watched Luna. Luna intently watched Nightfall. Nightfall's horn pointed at Luna. Luna's horn pointed at Nightfall. Both of them had more than a few cuts, scrapes, and bruises. Both of their expressions were firm.

Luna attacked first.

Nightfall sidestepped and retaliated. Luna's magic sundered a nearby brick wall. Her barrier blocked Nightfall's counter attack. Nightfall charged at Luna. Luna lowered her horn and braced herself. Their horns met. Nightfall forced Luna's head away. She kicked out with a hoof and pushed Luna back. Luna spun around and kicked out with her hind legs. Nightfall grunted from the impact. She used her wings to propel herself away from Luna. Luna fired a beam at Nightfall. Nightfall met her beam head on with her own beam. Their beams were evenly matched. Both of them were breathing heavily from the strain and concentration required.

Luna teleported. Nightfall's beam lurched forwards. Luna appeared beside Nightfall and lowered her horn. Nightfall raised a barrier around herself. Luna cast her spell. Twin explosions rocketed the block. Nightfall collapsed her barrier then exploded it outwards. Luna teleported out of the way. A sharp crack filled the air. Nightfall sensed Luna reappearing behind her. She spun around. Luna's spell collided with her chest. She grunted in pain.

Nightfall released a volley of spells towards Luna. Luna sidestepped while retaliating. Nightfall teleported into Luna's path. Luna turned to her. Nightfall jumped at her. She impacted Luna's barrier and grunted as her horn was deflected. Luna exploded her barrier outwards. Nightfall protected herself with her own barrier.

They resumed walking in a circle, mirroring each other's movements, once more sizing each other up. They were matching each other blow for blow. Both of them had advantages and disadvantages. Luna had more advantages than Nightfall, but Nightfall had the advantage of knowing how to kill alicorns, and Nightfall was holding back for the true battle.

Step by step, they walked in a circle, as if chasing each other in slow motion. Both of them kept their horn and body primed for an immediate counter-strike against the other. The rain continued to fall in blankets, and their silhouettes betrayed no emotions. Nightfall glanced where Fluttershy had been. She had since hidden inside the building where it was drier. Whether it was safer or not, she wasn't sure.

Both of them breathed deeply, recovering from the physical exertion of battling each other during their brief lulls in battle. Eventually, they switched positions, and the building Fluttershy hid in was in Luna's sight. Nightfall knew Fluttershy wouldn't do something stupid, like let Luna see her. She wasn't worried in the slightest, especially since if Fluttershy did distract Luna she could capitalize on it.

Their gazes remained focused on each other, not once breaking, and barely blinking. The slightest distraction would open an opportunity for the other to attack. Nightfall saw Luna's muscles tense. She jumped forwards and fired a spell. Luna propelled herself backward with her wings. Luna fired a barrage of spells. Nightfall teleported right beside Luna and immediately brought her horn to bear against her. Luna's reflexes still surprised her.

Somehow, Nightfall ended up flying through the air. All she could remember was Luna's horn pointed at her, the wind rushing past her hooves, and hitting a glass window. The last part was particularly unpleasant. She bit back a string of obscenities and stood to her hooves, wincing every time a muscle that had glass embedded in it moved. Luna casually sauntered over to the storefront she broke, prepared to deliver a final death blow.

Nightfall quickly glanced her body over before locating the glass and pulling it out. She bit her tongue from the pain and then condensed the glass into a single ball and heated it up until it fused together. She accelerated the glass projectile at Luna, who protected herself with a barrier. The glass exploded against her barrier. Nightfall barred her teeth in disgust.

Luna jumped through the window and picked up shards of glass in her magic and then rotated them vertically in front of her as she strode towards Nightfall. Nightfall narrowed her eyes and dropped into a defensive stance. Luna released her barrage of glass, and Nightfall rushed into it, protected by her barrier. The shards of glass shattered against her barrier, and she impacted Luna with enough force to daze the alicorn. As soon as she saw her opening, she released her barrier and leaped forwards, horn first.

Luna managed to protect herself with a barrier, and Nightfall grunted from the impact as she recoiled. Luna pressed her temporary advantage and fired a trio of spells at Nightfall. Nightfall sidestepped all the spells and retaliated with her own spells. One of the spells created a large, thick cloud of smoke, impairing both alicorn's vision.

Nightfall teleported beside Luna and slammed into her. Both of them were forced back out into the street. They struggled on the ground. Luna put Nightfall beneath and both of them pointed their charged horns at each other. The explosion threw both of them apart. Nightfall took the roll in stride and bounced back up. Luna slowed her descent with her wings and landed on her hooves.

Nightfall quickly wiped blood away from her eye with a hoof. She pursed her lips as Luna took her time to heal herself. Nightfall strode forwards and charged her horn with dark magic. She fired a spell at Luna. Then another. Both spells struck Luna and staggered her. Luna's magic formed a protective barrier around her and she teleported.

Nightfall remembered the crack in the air as Luna teleported beside her and exploded her barrier. While flying through the air, she caught the wind and used it to her advantage. She landed like a leaf on the water-covered street. She tilted her head to the left and then to the right. She strode forwards, ignoring the dull aches all throughout her body, "You insolent foal," she taunted the Princess of the Night. She ignited her horn with more dark magic than she had used in centuries, "Thinking you can defeat me at my own game?"

A black sphere formed around Nightfall. In the span of a few seconds, Nightfall felt invigorated. She knew the cost, however. She needed to end it soon. And soon, it would all end. In the grand scheme of things, the price was low. She looked the same, but she radiated renewed strength and hatred. "I think not."

Luna fired a beam at Nightfall.

Nightfall countered with her own beam.

The beams met.

A sharp crack filled the air.

Luna teleported beside Nightfall. Nightfall struck out with a wing. Luna somersaulted through the air and fired another beam at her. Nightfall slid out of the way and retaliated with a spell. Luna teleported beside Nightfall and fired a spell into her wing. Nightfall grunted and turned to face her. Both of them released a barrage of spells at the other.

Many explosions rang out through the streets.

Eclipse scanned the intersection. It looked safe. She scanned the tops of the buildings. They looked safe. She looked down the street she came from. It was empty and safe. Something still felt wrong. She bit her lip and stepped out into the street. She carefully scanned the shadows for any hidden threats. She wasn't about to let harm come to herself or her passenger because she didn't check something.

She cautiously stepped forwards and started heading through the intersection. She felt a shiver run down her spine and turned to the right. Princess Celestia appeared in a flash of magic directly in front of her. Eclipse froze. For a few seconds, nopony moved or even blinked. It was as if time stood still. Celestia recovered first and lowered her horn to point at Eclipse. It was a slow motion, almost like she was preparing to execute them, rather than fight them and kill them that way. It was almost ceremonial. It would have been fitting if it had been, in Eclipse's mind.

"Eclipse..." Rainbow whispered into her ear and tightened her hold around Eclipse's neck.

Eclipse blinked and stepped back before falling into a defensive stance. Both Eclipse's and Celestia's horns flared to life in sync. Celestia's attack met Eclipse's barrier. Eclipse wasn't phased by the attack in the slightest. She felt like she could stand there all day. She briefly wondered if Celestia was resisting Starlight's efforts to control her and was trying to give them an opportunity to escape.

She didn't know, and she didn't want to put it to the test. Celestia fired another spell at her. The spell once more impacted her barrier and did nothing. The attack had more power behind it than the first, though, Eclipse was sure of that. Celestia prepared another spell. Eclipse took off in a run to her left, heading through the intersection. Celestia's spell exploded the street just in front of her. Eclipse jumped over the hole and used her wings to glide before landing. The wind was starting to let up, but she didn't want to try flying while carrying Rainbow Dash.

Celestia took off in a dead run after her. Eclipse protected both Rainbow Dash and herself with a barrier as they ran down the street. She kept looking for an alley but saw none. She grunted as spells impacted her barrier, and took a deep breath every time a spell flew passed her. She slid to a stop when they reached an alleyway. She bolted inside it and lowered her barrier then blasted a hole in the brick wall before reforming her barrier. She ran through the hole in the wall and quickly looked around without stopping. Two bolts of magic flew passed her and exploded when they came in contact with the drywall inside the building.

She turned to the right and kept running. Celestia followed close behind. She went to the left and saw a window looking out onto the street. She did a quick calculation and teleported both of them out into the street. Immediately she reformed her barrier and kept running. Celestia teleported outside of the building. She ignored Rainbow's grunts of pain as she galloped away from Celestia.

Celestia teleported in front of them and fired a spell at them. Eclipse teleported out of the way. Celestia teleported into their path. Eclipse and Celestia collided. Eclipse lost her balance and teleported Rainbow Dash off to prevent her from being injured from the fall. Eclipse winced as she landed on top of Celestia, who immediately brought her horn to bear against her. Eclipse started to turn to run away when Celestia threw her to the ground and pressed a hoof against her chest and lowered her horn to her own horn.

Eclipse stared at Celestia as she charged a spell. She ignored the fear she felt and teleported herself away from Celestia and then teleported Rainbow Dash back onto her back. She didn't spare a glance back at Celestia as she took off galloping again.

Starlight Glimmer moved quickly through the streets, never hesitating before moving on to the next one. She was searching, and with a purpose. Her eyes spoke volumes about how she felt, and the way she carried herself displayed her confidence. Another intersection. She looked left and then right while walking through it and continuing forwards. They were good at running from her. Very good. But it wasn't enough. She would find them, and they would-

The brick wall to her right exploded outwards. She jumped to her left and angled her horn downwards. Whoever attempted to take her by surprise had another thing coming for them. The dust quickly cleared from the wind sweeping through the street and rain falling from the sky. A flash of lightning silhouetted a pony about her size. An alicorn. Twilight Sparkle extended her wings outwards. Starlight smiled, she was looking forwards to this.

She stepped back. She charged up a death blow. Twilight stepped forwards. She released her spell. A black sphere formed around Twilight. She barred her teeth in disgust, the barrier was unscathed. The barrier exploded outwards. She teleported through the blast wave. She appeared beside Twilight. Twilight's wing hit her jaw. Starlight pulled back and lowered her horn. Twilight was faster.

Starlight was thrown back into a wall. The impact knocked the air out of her lungs. She was dazed. She gasped for air. She coughed and felt something warm run down her muzzle. She teleported away. A streetlamp landed where she had been. It stuck out of the sidewalk. Starlight refocused on Twilight. Twilight teleported close to her. Starlight brought her horn to bear. Their spells collided. The blast knocked both of them apart.

Starlight grunted as she stood to her hooves. Twilight teleported beside her. Her back legs collided with her chest. A sharp cracking sound filled the air. Starlight gasped for air again. She clutched her chest with a hoof. It felt like something had broken. She hit the ground hard and grunted. Twilight took a deep breath and sauntered over to her. "You."

Another step. Starlight cast a quick spell to heal the broken bone. "Don't."

Starlight grunted as she stood to her hooves. She forced herself to ignore the pain of the mending bone. "Hurt."

Starlight readied herself and glared at Twilight. "My." Twilight's horn glowed brighter.

Starlight quickly wiped the blood from her face and prepared a spell. "FRIENDS!" Twilight screamed.

Starlight teleported out of the way. The spell soared passed her and hit the building. The building groaned.

She reappeared beside Twilight. She lowered her horn before the alicorn could react.

The spell hit her directly where her wing connected to her body. Twilight grunted and spun around to face Starlight. Another spell hit her, this time in the chest. Starlight smiled. Twilight lurched forwards, horn first. Starlight stepped to the side. Another spell hit Twilight. Twilight flared her left wing. Starlight grunted from the impact.

The sound of metal groaning and bending to the breaking point filled the air. Starlight glanced behind her. The first floor of the four-story building gave out. The building started to fall upon itself. She looked back to Twilight. She came face to horn with her. Searing pain. Blindness. She clenched her eyes shut as her body hit something. She grunted and opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry. Twilight was standing with her wings flared. She looked at her triumphantly.

Sound. Twisting metal. Starlight looked up.

Twilight lost sight of Starlight beneath the collapsing structure. A crack of magic drew her attention away from the building. Starlight impacted her. Her horn wasn't sharp enough to pierce her side. She fell down. Starlight stepped back and lowered her horn towards Twilight. Twilight clutched her side with her injured wing. She angled her horn at Starlight. Starlight fired her spell. The spells collided.

Both of them were thrown away from the epicenter. Starlight landed on her hooves. Twilight rolled across the street. She slowly stood to her hooves. Her body was battered and bruised. She was not deterred. They glared at each other. Starlight turned her horn towards the remains of the collapsed building. Twilight fired a spell. A bent steel girder flew towards Twilight. Starlight stepped to the side of Twilight's spell. Twilight fired another spell. The girder was cut cleanly in two. It glowed where the spell bisected it. The pieces tumbled to the ground.

Starlight threw another girder at her. Followed by a third. Twilight walked towards her. Two spells, one for each girder. Both girders were bisected. Twilight took a deep breath.

Twilight turned to the building to her right. The building was enveloped in her aura. Twilight grunted in effort and lifted the building from its foundation. She threw the structure at Starlight. Starlight watched the structure fall towards her with a blank expression. She teleported out of the way at the last second. A thunderous roar filled the air as the brick building shattered against the street.

Twilight immediately locked onto Starlight and grabbed her firmly with her dark magic. She took a deep breath and turned to face the unicorn standing a few feet away from her, "It's over, Starlight Glimmer," she said calmly.

"OH, I DON'T THINK SO!" Starlight shouted. Both of them struggled with their magic over the next few seconds. Starlight was fighting a losing battle, but she wasn't about to give up. Eventually, she saw her opening. She took it. Twilight yelped as the beam of magic hit her, and immediately released Starlight from her magic. "Now, do you see-"

Starlight was cut off by a wave of force throwing her into a wall. The impact stunned her. Twilight followed up with another spell. Starlight grunted as she tried to stand to her hooves. She found her eyes too heavy to even think about trying to open them. The last thing she remembered was the sound of hoofsteps splashing in the water, approaching her, as she lost consciousness.

"Sweet dreams, Starlight Glimmer..."

Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she sat down on her haunches beside Starlight's sleeping form. She felt like she was going to vomit as the dark magic left her, but she resisted the urge. It was a relief when the oppressive darkness was gone, but then the aches and pains all over her body caught up with her. She shivered. From cold, pain, and fear, remembering what she just did and what she almost did. She had attempted to kill her with more than one of her spells. She swallowed at that realization. She did have it in her to kill. 'I'm not so different from Nightfall after all...' The thought was haunting.

She looked at Starlight. She was still alive, but if she wanted to, she could kill her. Nopony would know, nopony would care or blame her. She could lie about what happened. There would be no consequences, she was a princess, and there were no witnesses. She wanted to kill the unicorn. She knew it was wrong, but she wanted to kill her. It made her sick to her stomach.

She shivered again.

Nightfall panted as she landed on her hooves facing away from Luna. She tilted her head back and to her right, looking at Luna. She was facing her and had the same blank expression that she always had. Her lack of reaction was beginning to irk her. Nightfall touched her cheek and looked at her hoof as she pulled it away. She smiled and laughed dryly as she washed her hoof off in the puddle of water. She stood to her full height and turned around to face Luna. Once more, both of their bodies were battered and bruised.

"You are more competent now that you don't have free will than when you did," Nightfall stated evenly. "One goal, one focus, one all-consuming desire... I should know quite a bit about that. I killed you before, after all. I can certainly do it again, but let's face it." She sidestepped a barrage of spells from Luna's horn. "You have the power disadvantage. I have the focus disadvantage. It's always easier to kill an alicorn when they aren't focused... I know from experience."

She fired a barrage of her own spells at Luna. The Princess of the Night teleported beside Nightfall. "I killed two alicorns before," Nightfall said while turning to face Luna and releasing her own barrage of spells once more. "Your sister and yourself." She met Luna's beam with her own beam. "Our battle lasted nearly an entire day..." she smiled fondly at the memory before it turned bitter. "But, my goal isn't to kill you. Yet."

Luna teleported beside her. Nightfall swung her horn towards Luna, but she was too slow. Luna released her spell. Nightfall grunted as she flew through the air. She righted herself and teleported. Luna turned towards her. Nightfall's barrier exploded outwards in a single direction. "You could prove a useful distraction," Nightfall said with a smile. Luna teleported behind Nightfall and spun around. Nightfall fell to the ground as Luna kicked her hind legs out from under her. Nightfall rolled over onto her back and sent a spell at Luna. Luna stepped back, dazed by the impact.

Nightfall jumped to her hooves and crouched down before jumping at Luna. Luna met Nightfall's horn with her own. This time, Luna had the advantage and threw Nightfall aside. Nightfall took it in stride and used her magic to teleport behind Luna. She hit the alicorn with a barrage of spells, each impact knocked Luna forwards until she protected herself with a barrier. While Luna turned to face Nightfall, Nightfall fired a beam of magic at her. It hit her barrier, and Luna grunted under the bombardment.

It turned into a battle of power. Nightfall smiled as she slowly increased the amount of magic she was using. She could practically smell Luna's growing fear as she realized she was losing. It brought back fond memories. She was curious that Luna could still feel fear, but pushed it aside. She relished that fear she felt, but breaking her would be far more delicious. She relented momentarily, allowing the alicorn a sense of safety. Letting her think that was all she had and that she was more tired than she let show. Nightfall saw the shift in her expression. She doubled the magic in her attack. Luna's barrier shattered. She smiled as Luna panted and fell to her knees.

She stepped forwards. Sure, killing Luna wasn't part of her current goal, but disabling and weakening her would go a long way for helping her succeed. She lowered her horn and pointed it at Luna's chest. "Oh Luna, I do wonder how they will react to Nightmare Moon's return..." She smiled as she prepared her spell. Luna screamed in pain and fell to the ground. Nightfall lost her focus at the scream and took a step back. She kept her horn pointed at Luna while she laid there. She frowned as a flash of light blinded her. When she regained her sight, Luna's cutie mark was back on her flank.

Nightfall mulled over the development and eventually concluded one thing: Starlight had been dealt with. She looked up and suppressed a smile, "Fluttershy, Princess Luna is disabled. It is safe now," she called out.

Fluttershy peeked her head into the window and fearfully looked out across the ravaged street. She looked afraid, and rightfully so. Battles between alicorns were very fierce, and she had a front row seat. Fluttershy cautiously moved to the door, opened it, and stepped outside. She looked left and right across the street, surveying the damage as she walked back to Nightfall. The damage was frightening, and it would take months for Manehatton to recover, of that much she was sure.

She found her gaze drawn to Princess Luna, lying in the street in a puddle of water. She was breathing weakly, but she was alive. Perhaps Nightmare Moon could wait, or perhaps there was a better choice to be made. Nightfall slowly lifted her gaze to Fluttershy, who came to a stop in front of Princess Luna. She smiled and walked over to Fluttershy and then wrapped a wing around her, sheltering her from the light rain which fell from the sky. She squeezed her reassuringly, letting her know that it was okay, then looked back at Luna. The fake smile left her face as she eyed the defeated alicorn. Both their eyes looked up, watching as the sky lightened. Celestia had been released too. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

She looked back at Princess Luna and frowned in thought. The alicorn was unconscious. She would wait for her to wake up. She needed the time to think.

Eclipse rounded the corner and slid to a stop. She smiled as she looked over some familiar faces. She frowned as she remembered why she was running. "Celestia's right behind me..."

Cadance and Shining Armor glanced at each other and stepped forwards in sync. Eclipse teleported behind them and turned to face the same direction. Rarity crouched to the ground, and Applejack lifted Rainbow Dash off of Eclipse's back. Eclipse glanced back to make sure she was okay. Applejack met her gaze and she nodded her thanks. Eclipse quickly stepped forwards and stood with Cadance and Shining Armor.

Rainbow Dash grunted as Applejack set her down against the concrete wall. Applejack and Rainbow exchanged a glance but neither of them said anything.

Pinkie Pie sat down beside Rainbow Dash and hugged her tightly, "We were so worried about all of you..."

Rainbow Dash returned the hug, "We're fine... Have you seen Twilight or Nightfall and Fluttershy?"

Pinkie shook her head, Rainbow grimaced.

The ponies heard a sharp gasp from around the corner. They exchanged a look and waited, half expecting the alicorn to jump around the corner and kill all of them. Seconds passed. "Eclipse?" Princess Celestia tentatively called out. Her voice sounded shaky and unsure. Eclipse and Cadance exchanged an uneasy look. After a few seconds, the sky started shifting from blackness, broken only by lightning, to a dull gray. The sun had risen, but the clouds still blocked out most of the light, but they could see better than in the pitch black darkness.

Eclipse tentatively stepped forwards and paused at the edge of the building. She swallowed, "Celestia?" she replied. She listened intently as hoofsteps drew close. She tensed up as Celestia rounded the corner, then breathed a sigh of relief. The dark magic flowing from her eyes was gone. Celestia was fine. Eclipse shut her eyes and sat down. "Celestia..."

"Eclipse... What... happened?" Celestia looked at Cadance and the rest of her group before looking at Rainbow Dash. She felt a pang of guilt when she looked at her. She was glad the pegasus was alright and that she didn't do more damage than what she had done. "Rainbow Dash... I am so sorry..."

Rainbow met her gaze, "It's fine, Princess... Nothing major." She stood to her hooves with the help of Applejack and all of them gathered around Celestia and Eclipse, the latter of which was still sitting on the ground with her eyes shut.

"Are you okay?" Cadance asked.

Celestia nodded slowly, "Yes... I believe I am." She shivered as she remembered the cold feeling that had engulfed her entire being. Dark magic was nothing to play with, it was dangerous even for her. What had happened proved as much.

"How did Starlight even manage to do this to you?" Cadance asked as she looked over Celestia's body.

Celestia sighed and let her head hang, "She searched the library in the old castle and found several spells that I thought had been destroyed..." she shook her head sadly and looked back up. Looking over the group again, she could tell some ponies were missing. "Where is... Where are Twilight, Fluttershy, and Nightfall?"

"We don't know," Shining Armor stated. "We've been looking for them since we got split up, but we've seen no sign of them."

"The storm is letting up," Eclipse stated. Everypony looked at her. She still had her eyes closed. "I think it should be safe to fly soon..."

"Er... forgive me for putting this so bluntly, but uh... why aren't you still evil?" Rarity asked. Her expression said she hated asking the question, but it also said she knew it needed to be answered.

"I... do not know. I believe Starlight Glimmer..." she shivered at the name, "has been disabled..."

Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash, "You think Nightfall managed to take on both Princess Luna and Starlight Glimmer?"

"Fluttershy was with her," Eclipse stated as she opened her eyes and stood up. "I don't doubt Nightfall could have, but if she did, Fluttershy wasn't with her. She wouldn't put herself in such a vulnerable position... Unless she didn't ever actually care about Fluttershy, used her as bait, or did something to her..."

An uneasy silence fell upon the group. "You don't think... Nightfall hurt her, do you?" Pinkie asked.

Eclipse grimaced and looked at Pinkie Pie. She walked over to her and hugged her, "I don't know. I don't think she would have, but that doesn't mean Luna or Starlight didn't hurt her..."

"Where's Twilight?" Shining Armor asked.

Eclipse pulled back from Pinkie and met the eyes of each pony in turn before answering. "I don't know. I was going to bring her with me when I teleported, but... She used... dark magic..." Most of the ponies' faces paled. Princess Celestia closed her eyes, the memory replayed itself in her mind. Seeing Twilight consumed by dark magic... At one point in time, she had shown her dark magic. She knew Twilight used it before, and she had been able to control it. At least until King Sombra interfered. "I don't know if she's okay. I don't know if she's..." Eclipse trailed off. She needed to handle one problem at a time, if she tried to take them all on at once, she would fail, and each of her friends would perish because of it.

"The dark magic infection... Nightfall..." Celestia said softly. Eclipse met her gaze and nodded. "If it hadn't been for that..."

"What are you saying?" Rainbow Dash asked. She pushed herself away from Applejack and limped over to Eclipse.

Eclipse met her gaze briefly before looking away and answering. She couldn't meet her gaze as she spoke, but it didn't stop her from feeling guilty, "Twilight may be corrupted by dark magic now, like King Sombra."

"What? No. You're wrong. Twilight wouldn't-"

Eclipse shook her head, "I'm sorry, Rainbow, but we both saw her use dark magic-"

"You and Nightfall use dark magic all the time and both of you are-"

"Nightfall is still a corrupted alicorn, Rainbow Dash. As for me..." she trailed off softly. She purposefully didn't answer the question and moved on. She could control the dark magic she used, but she certainly wasn't uncorrupted by it. "Twilight... At this point in time, she doesn't have enough experience with it to prevent it from corrupting herself. I don't know if she will be able to fight it off or not... With all the stress she's under, and the intense emotions she feels... If it wasn't for the stress she's been under in these past months, she could do it, but now... We need to find her."

"Agreed," Princess Celestia said. She wasn't about to let the closest pony she had to a daughter suffer any more pain. Everypony turned to look at Celestia, looking for guidance. Celestia met Eclipse's gaze. Eclipse felt her blood drain from her face. "What is the plan, Eclipse?"

Everypony looked at Eclipse, and Eclipse found herself slack-jawed for a few seconds. Once she recomposed herself, she took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. "Celestia... I'm not the pony who should be leading us. You should, not me."

Celestia shook her head, "I disagree, Eclipse. You are very capable, and from what I have seen, you care deeply for all of us."

Eclipse mulled over what she could do or say to convince Celestia that she wasn't the right pony for the job. She had led them as far as she had, but it was time to let Celestia take the reigns of power back. She didn't deserve to hold those reigns for even the briefest second, and yet Celestia chose her. But, Celestia didn't know what she had done. She clenched her jaw, closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "Celestia. I killed you before..." she said softly. "I don't deserve this. You should lead, not me."

Celestia grimaced but nodded. "Luna... told me, Eclipse. I know, and I do not care. You have more than proven yourself a leader and somepony who is not evil."

Eclipse stared at Celestia in disbelief. For a few seconds, the only sound was the drizzle of rain and rumbling of thunder. The only movement came from the wind and rain falling from the sky. Eclipse took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and let her ears fall to the sides of her head. "Celestia, you-"

"Eclipse, I forgive you. I... never expected that losing them would..." Celestia trailed off, letting the words hang in the air. She still didn't like it. Try as she did, she still couldn't convince herself that Luna was wrong. She felt that what happened to Eclipse, and presumably, Nightfall was her own doing. She hadn't wanted that, nor expected that. Twilight wasn't supposed to be corrupted like her sister was, and yet, both Eclipse and Nightfall were proof she had been. It stung, knowing that her plan failed in the end.

Unfortunately, she didn't know if she could fix or prevent history from repeating itself. She knew they might not have time to find out. They had more pressing matters to attend to. "Eclipse, I am not doing well. Considering what I just went through, it would be wiser for you to remain in charge for the time being..."

"Uh, I hate to be the one to break up this... reunion..." Applejack trailed off, drawing attention to herself. "But uh... since you're free now, doesn't that mean that Princess Luna will be too, and if Nightfall knows that, or defeated Starlight Glimmer..."

Eclipse felt a shiver run down her spine. "I... think it's time we find out if we convinced her not to kill us all..."

Author's Notes:

This chapter was hard to write. I would go so far as to say It was exhausting to write. The first take of this felt wrong. Basically, I had Twilight get beat by Starlight and then Celestia showed up and... I didn't like that. I changed some scene positions and changed that scene, bringing us to this, which I like better.

New test of writing action. I'd appreciate feedback on the action scenes... which is basically the entire chapter... which is why It was so tiring to write... I didn't realize writing action sequences could be so exhausting, it's almost as bad as if you were the one doing the fighting! Okay, maybe not, but still! It is tiring.

What's with the large author's notes, you ask? Well, I'm glad you asked that. Or read it at least. This is the chapter before the final chapter which will conclude this story. One more chapter, and it's over. Of course, the story never truly ends with the final period, but you get the picture.

Depending on things, I may add an alternate ending as a bonus chapter.

Who will live? Who will die? What choice will Nightfall make? What will happen to Starlight Glimmer? What will happen to Twilight Sparkle? What will happen to Eclipse? What will happen to the mane six? What will happen to Celestia? What will happen to Luna? What will happen to Manehatton? Will there be an epic final battle? Will Discord show up? What will happen to Fluttershy? Will Discord stop Nightfall? Will Eclipse stop Nightfall? Will Eclipse sacrifice herself to stop Nightfall? Did you ask any of these questions? If so, did I do a good job? Am I asking too many questions? Are you going to tell me if I am? Did I do a good job with this list of questions?

Sorry I couldn't help it

Revisions Part 1

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Princess Luna groaned and shifted her hooves, immediately drawing Nightfall's attention back to her. Nightfall smiled at the weakened alicorn and anxiously awaited her complete awakening. She briefly glanced at Fluttershy beneath her wing, then slowly inhaled and exhaled. 'Well now... you will wake soon... Perhaps I should wait...'

"Is-is she okay?" Fluttershy finally asked.

Nightfall let herself chuckle at the pegasus's question. "She... will be fine," she answered. She looked away from Luna, gazing off down the street. 'It would prove useful to disable her, corrupt her, or have her on my own side...' She ran her tongue over her teeth, then slowed her motion down as she ran her tongue over her front teeth. They were so dull compared to what she was used it. She calmly inhaled, then exhaled and looked down at a water puddle she was standing in. Fluttershy also had a hoof standing in the puddle of water, and her hoof was very close to her own. She venomously glared at the yellow hoof, then took a second to regain her composure.

Luna groaned again, drawing Nightfall's attention back to her. Fluttershy stepped forwards and lowered herself closer to the injured princess. Nightfall absently folded her wing back to her side. 'She's so... so weak right now. It would be easy to eliminate her now, and I wouldn't have to deal with her later...' Nightfall tilted her head to the side as she considered it. 'I need to do something about her... If I don't, I will have to fight five alicorns and potentially Discord...' She grimaced at the thought. 'I... don't have the power to take them all on...' The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth, and a knot in her throat. She bared her teeth in disgust at the feelings.

'This is beneath me! These insolent... foals think... Eclipse, you insolent foal...' She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. 'I need a plan... Think... I cannot match them in terms of power, and they have a clear numerical advantage. I may have the experience in fighting alicorns but even if I use that strategy, I'll still be fighting them head on... Which is suicide...' She turned and walked down the street. 'Maybe it isn't... I have no idea what condition any of them are in... Discord, however, will be a problem...' She snorted in disgust. 'What will I have to do to get you off my back, Discord?' She turned around and looked at Fluttershy.

She squinted at her, pondering her options. 'You love her... she would prove a valuable asset... But I would be taking a very big risk...' She clenched her jaw. 'Too big of a risk, in fact... You didn't intervene in this fight to our knowledge...' The thought was deeply agitating for her. If Discord didn't partake in any of the battles that happened the previous night, he would have all of his power, and she knew she couldn't face him in a one on one battle in her current state.

She groaned under her breath as she exhaled, then walked back over to Fluttershy and Princess Luna. 'What about us?' she wondered. 'What state is... Twilight... in..? What state is Eclipse in?' If they were weak enough, she could potentially act fast enough to eliminate both of them in one fell swoop. That idea gave her pause. 'Unless I can kill all of them at once, and instantly, they will... feel... my pain...' She grimaced at that thought. She steeled her resolve, 'They abandoned me... Celestia made me into this...' She looked at Fluttershy and felt that resolve waver. 'She was... she tried to be there for me...'

Princess Luna's eyes parted open. The alicorn immediately winced and closed her eyes, then slowly opened them again. Her entire body hurt, every inch felt like she had been trampled by a herd of earth ponies. She groaned again and took a shallow breath, not feeling up to expanding her chest as much as she could. "Pr-Princess Luna?" Fluttershy called. Luna tilted her head towards the source of the sound and smiled at the timid pegasus.

Fluttershy stepped back as Princess Luna slowly forced herself onto her stomach and then pushed herself up. She stood on shaky hooves, squinting at the ground as her memories slowly came back to her. "Are you alright?" Fluttershy asked.

Luna absently nodded, then slowly looked up and met her gaze. "I... believe I am, yes... I will be fine," she answered. She blinked, then took in her surroundings. The shattered buildings brought back memories of her battle and her attempt to slay Nightfall. She looked to her right and felt a cold shiver run down her spine, seeing the alicorn she had fought standing completely still, watching her unblinkingly. For a few seconds, both of the alicorns looked at each other, their expressions were neutral. Luna finally broke the standoff by stepping forwards and falling into a defensive posture. She flared her wings out and gently coaxed Fluttershy behind her, then lit her horn and pointed it at Nightfall. "Wretched creature," she spat.

Nightfall regarded Luna dismissively, not bothering to ignite her own horn or prepare her own defenses. "You won't attack me first. You have neither the strength nor the will to," she taunted. Luna's expression of hate and her posture remained unyielding.

"S-stop!" Fluttershy called out, finally breaking out of her trance and forcing her way passed Luna's wing. Luna lifted her head up in surprise and reached out with a hoof in an attempt to call the mare back to her, to no avail. Fluttershy stopped midway between the two, then looked at both of them, mustering as much courage as she could. "It-it's over! Starlight has been defeated, you're not enemies anymore!" she pleaded on the verge of tears.

Luna could almost feel her heart breaking, seeing Fluttershy's innocence on display through her actions. She took a deep breath and refocused her attention on Nightfall. "I am sorry, Fluttershy, but you do not know what this vile monster has done!" she cried out.

Nightfall's face scrunched up in disgust at Luna's display. "Hypocrisy," she snorted. "You have the audacity to call me a monster for what I have done." She tilted her head and looked at Luna mockingly, "Have you perchance looked in a mirror, lately?" Luna glared at her. Nightfall pulled her head back in mock surprise, "Oh. I suppose you haven't had the opportunity, have you, considering that I brought you and your sister to your knees." Luna's nostrils flared at the insult. Nightfall stepped forwards, ignoring the look of shock on Fluttershy's face. "You defeated Discord once with your sister. CONGRATULATIONS!" she said in mockery. She waved it off with a hoof. "I did more for Equestria than you and your sister combined," she spat.

Luna felt her resolve weaken at that, and she looked away from the corrupted alicorn. For a split second, her gaze was directed at the broken street beneath her. The worn street had minuscule cracks in it, and it was shattered from her battle with Nightfall. She wanted to destroy Nightfall for her actions and insults, but she had a point. Luna looked back up at Nightfall and met her gaze. "So you did," she admitted, taking the alicorn by surprise. "You have done more for Equestria than we may ever know," she continued. "But you have also committed great transgressions against her and her ponies," she finished with finality, stomping her hoof into a puddle of water. She was careful with the stomp so that no water would splash.

Nightfall broke out into a chuckle. For a few seconds she laughed, and each second found the laugh emptier than the last until eventually nothing remained. She directed her intense gaze on Luna, and she almost felt like Nightfall was staring into her soul, the sensation was unnerving. "Eclipse has committed no lesser crimes than I, Luna." 'Perhaps this is the opportunity I need...' she mused. She thought about her options carefully for a few seconds. "You nearly destroyed the world, and you would have if you weren't stopped," she nodded. "Eclipse and I both succeeded. If we had not used our magic to come here, Twilight would have as well."

"You can't know that," Luna retorted.

Nightfall waited for a few seconds before nodding in agreement. "In the grand scheme of things, this is completely true. None of us can know for a fact how things would have turned out here, but I do know for a fact how they turned out for Eclipse and myself, which makes it a one hundred percent chance that Twilight would ultimately be responsible for the destruction of the world."

"Eclipse is nothing like you," Luna said evenly.

Nightfall bobbed her head. "No, she isn't..." She looked off at a broken building, 'She really is different from me...' "We are... almost complete opposites, and yet at the same time, we are the same..." she trailed off, pondering what she said. 'She and I are similar...' She snorted and shook her head, then looked back at Luna. "Regardless. My agreement with Eclipse is completed if Starlight is dealt with," she smiled at Luna. Luna's aura grew stronger and she pointed her horn at Nightfall, aiming at her chest. Nightfall snorted, "So quick to judgment..." She shook her head, then glared at Luna. "I will only say this once, Luna. I am not your enemy."

Luna looked at her in confusion for a few seconds, but she still kept her spell prepared in the back of her mind. She did not trust Nightfall as far as she could throw her. The alicorn had done things that were unforgivable, but so had Eclipse. She gritted her teeth, then slowly lifted her head so that her horn wasn't pointing at Nightfall. Nightfall smiled at her. "Then what are you?" she asked.

Nightfall pursed her lips. She raked her mind for an answer but found none. She squinted at Luna, then turned her back to her. "We should locate the others," she said quickly.

Eclipse peeked around the corner of the building. Seeing the scene from the ground was completely different from seeing it from the air. The rubble of collapsed buildings caused her to shiver. 'Did... Starlight do that or did... Twilight do that?' she wondered. She swallowed and looked at the ponies behind her, each one counting on her to lead them and protect them. She flashed them a smile, then peeked around the corner and looked at the two ponies lying against a damaged but still standing building.

Starlight laid slumped back against the building, she was clearly incapacitated. Eclipse felt her heart shake at the sight, she felt pity and remorse for the unicorn. In the end, it had really been her fault what happened to her before, and then it was her fault again now. She suppressed a sigh, then turned her attention to the alicorn sitting calmly beside her.

When she had spotted the two of them from the sky, she was surprised to see that Twilight was sitting still and that her horn wasn't surrounded by dark magic. At first, she feared the worst, but upon closer inspection, she realized that Twilight was indeed alive. She was relieved to find out that Twilight was alive, but she was worried what the cost of that would be. Twilight's battle with Starlight had obviously taken its toll on both of them, and the city.

She was glad that her friends were with her. If they weren't, she knew she wouldn't have had the courage to keep going. She felt exhausted, but she had to keep going. She turned back to her friends. She looked over each of them in turn and smiled. "Wait here," she said. They all looked at her uneasily, but nopony said anything. They all trusted her. She slowly looked back around the corner, then tentatively stepped out passed the building.

She was unsurprised by the lack of reaction from either of the two mares. She glanced down at the concrete, then strode forwards. She carried herself with authority and regality, trying to mimic Princess Celestia as best she could. She knew she wasn't worthy of their trust, especially not Celestia's trust. She had killed her in her own timeline, in cold blood. The thought made each step feel much heavier than it should have been.

She slowed as she reached the other side of the street. Twilight still didn't look up from the ground, nor make any attempt to acknowledge her presence. She came to a stop before the sidewalk. She could feel that Twilight wasn't corrupted, which relieved her, but she could see by how Twilight held her head that she was in emotional duress. "Twilight?" she said gently, attempting to coax the mare into looking at her.

Twilight jolted slightly at Eclipse's voice. The motion almost went unnoticed by her older self. Twilight opened her eyes and stared at the wet concrete. For a few seconds, she just sat there, then she swallowed and took all of her remaining courage and looked up. She met Eclipse's gaze, and although no words passed between them, Eclipse felt the same weight that Twilight did. Eclipse closed her eyes and felt her heart tear in two. For several seconds, she felt the entire weight of her sins come crashing down on her, and she felt like she was drowning, lost in an ocean with no end, and that there was nopony there to help her.

Every word of anger or hatred she had said played through her mind again, accompanied by the reaction of the pony she hurt.

The faces of each pony she hurt and the look of pain they held haunted her memory.

Everything she should have said, but never did say. Everything she shouldn't have said but did.

She finally opened her eyes, then slowly walked over to Twilight and pulled her into a reassuring hug. She wasn't sure if it was for herself or Twilight, both of them needed it. Twilight returned the hug and clung to Eclipse like she was the only thing preventing her from her own death. Eclipse sat down on her haunches, ignoring the water, and pulled Twilight closer, then nuzzled her neck. The pair sat like that for a few minutes, then the remainder of Eclipse's group made their way over to them.

Twilight eventually pulled away, but her movement was sluggish. Eclipse let her go, then watched her walk over to Princess Celestia, who warmly embraced her. She looked away from the scene and looked at her hooves. 'I threw that away,' she said to herself. She looked up and took a deep breath. 'I will fix this...' she reaffirmed.

Eclipse slowly stood to her hooves, despite the added weight of her leadership and memories weighing her down. She slowly walked over to Starlight and looked at her sadly. The unconscious unicorn was a victim. "She was my student, for a time..." she said aloud to nopony in particular, but anypony who would listen, though she doubted that anypony was listening to her or cared about the unicorn. She sighed at that thought but knew they were comforting Twilight for a reason. "I failed her. I blamed myself. Then when... I changed... I blamed her for what happened between us, and I hated her... I came back here, and I still hated her..." she trailed off guiltily. She sighed, then looked up towards the dawn sky.

Eclipse looked back at Starlight and pondered what to do. She turned her head and looked back at her friends. She clenched her jaw. All of them were gathered together in a group hug, with Twilight at its center. The sight warmed her heart, yet also felt condemning. Twilight's soft sobs made her feel her age. She wasn't a fraction as innocent as Twilight was, and neither was Nightfall. The years hadn't treated either of them well. 'Maybe I can still fix this for her...' She swallowed. 'If... If Nightfall helps me, we still might be able to ascend them... Will... Will she help me?' The thought was oppressive. 'Did we do enough..?' she wondered. The growing fear in the back of her mind answered her question. 'We... We didn't do enough, did we...'

'I will fix this,' she repeated. 'Even if it means I have to die...' She shivered at the thought. She didn't want to die, but she would if she had to. She held her composure in check and looked at each pony in her group. She lingered on each face a little longer than the last one. Each face brought with it a wave of memories, and the tide was almost overwhelming. Each memory felt like a lifetime ago, and like another pony had been there instead of her. She smiled fondly at the memories, realizing that they were lifetimes ago, lived by another pony, a much more innocent pony.

A good pony named Twilight Sparkle.

Her smile wavered, but recovered. The memories were her own memories, but they were lived by a different pony several centuries prior. Each laugh, each smile, each tear, and each hug, were her own. But the bad memories were her own too. Each mistake she made and every pony that she hurt.

Pinkie's crestfallen expression. It brought painful memories. She had pushed her away, and Pinkie stopped smiling because of her actions.

Applejack's solemn and forlorn look. Her argument with her and the lasts words she ever spoke to Applejack before she died echoed through her mind. "I hate you!"

Eclipse looked over them indifferently. She steeled her resolve, then lifted her head towards the sky. "I will stop you," she mumbled under her breath.

Nightfall, Luna, and Fluttershy walked in silence. All three of them knew their destination without having to speak it. Nightfall and Luna were at the head of the group, with Fluttershy walking between them, separating them while they protected her: the unspoken agreement between Nightfall and Luna.

'If we can reach Twilight and Starlight before Eclipse does, I can further increase our chances of success...' Nightfall mused, still pondering her plan. 'Disabling Eclipse...' she frowned, going over her own memories along with what she knew of Eclipse. 'Perhaps... it will prove simpler than we anticipated... Targeting Rainbow would likely... No...' she nearly stopped walking. As it was, Luna glanced at her curiously. She shot a glare at Luna, then refocused on walking. 'Are they or aren't they the same ones who betrayed me..?' She still wasn't actually sure about it. She ground her teeth at her indecision. 'I'm Nightfall... I am the alicorn who brought the world to its knees... I killed Princess Luna! Why do I...' she once more slowed, and once more Luna looked at her curiously. She ignored the stray look from Luna.

Over a few seconds, she returned to her previous pace and directed her attention to her thoughts. Her mind went into overdrive. 'Okay... I need to figure this out... Why do I hate them..?' she asked herself. 'They betrayed me. They left me behind, and they abandoned me,' she answered. 'Why is this bothering me?' she asked. 'I loved them, I cared about them, then they betrayed me,' she answered. 'Why did they betray me?' she licked her lips. She tasted a hint of blood but pushed the taste aside. She frowned, not finding a clear cut answer to her question.

'I betrayed them, didn't I? That is why they betrayed me... I am at fault...' She scowled at the ground and came to a stop. 'I was the first betrayal...' Luna and Fluttershy slowed and looked at her curiously. 'No... Celestia betrayed us first. This is her doing,' she argued. 'Regardless, I betrayed them and they betrayed me. The order of betrayal is irrelevant, if they were actually my friends, then...' She frowned. 'They were my friends, though... I cared about them, I loved them... They cared about me and loved me... We were friends...' She licked her lips and noticed Luna and Fluttershy looking at her. She lifted her head and glared at Luna. 'Irrelevant... It's too late to alter course... Is it... though? They forgave you, Eclipse...' She redirected her gaze to Fluttershy and let the scowl leave her face. 'She forgave me and tried to be my friend.'

She shook her head, 'This is your plan, isn't it Eclipse? You seek to stop me from killing them... Killing them.' She snorted, then resumed walking. For a few seconds, the only hoofsteps she heard were her own, but eventually, Fluttershy's light hoofsteps and Luna's heavier hoofsteps joined in. 'This is a lie. My entire purpose is a lie...' She squinted and turned down a street to her right. She didn't need to look back to know Luna and Fluttershy were following her. 'That doesn't matter. I will be sparing them so much pain and suffering. I will be sparing everypony so much pain and suffering. Is... that just an excuse?' She pursed her lips and scanned the tops of the buildings for any threats, despite knowing there would be none.

'Why am I even thinking about this? It's irrelevant. My fate is sealed.' She stomped the divergent thoughts out with an iron hoof, then refocused her mind. 'The primary threat to me now is Discord, followed by the five alicorns I will fight,' she mused, once more walking with her air of superiority. 'Each of them is likely just as weakened as I am, if not more... Of those alicorns, Eclipse is the primary threat. She will do whatever it takes to protect them... Discord will do whatever it takes to protect Fluttershy... Twilight... She is not a threat. Cadance... is just a nuisance. Luna...' She glanced back at the alicorn and looked at her evenly. Luna met her gaze with firm determination. She turned her head back and looked down the street. 'She is weakened and vulnerable. Celestia... no available information. Worst case scenario, she's...' She tilted her head to the side and did a quick calculation. 'Still not much of a threat... Although all of them together can likely beat me...'

Nightfall pursed her lips. 'The Elements of Harmony aren't a threat... neither they nor their bearers... Discord... how shall I disable you?' She glanced back at Fluttershy. The timid mare looked up at her with a hopeful gaze. Nightfall regarded her expressionlessly, then returned to her thoughts. 'You know my goal... If I don't... Which has a better outcome, threatening Fluttershy or leaving her alone? You know my goal... Even if I leave Fluttershy alone, it will likely just delay your involvement. Killing Fluttershy might be traumatizing enough to incapacitate you... Although it could cause the exact same thing that happened before...' She felt a cold chill run down her spine but she paid it no mind. 'Discord is my primary threat.... Eclipse is the second greatest threat to me... Tentative opening move?' She swallowed. 'Kill Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash... Discord and Eclipse will be disabled.'

She ran through the general idea in her mind, looking for flaws and potential problems. 'That still leaves the question of how I am going to destroy the sun... I cannot use Starlight... The Elements could do it, but they...' She felt a smile pull on her lips. 'That... would be oh so sweet... Can I do that, though? That's risking everything on the assumption that I can redirect the magic of Elements of Harmony... If I did manage to redirect the Element's power...' She grunted. 'I have the Elements... how do I.... I cannot just give them the Elements, Eclipse wouldn't buy it... Or would she? She would seek to use them against me immediately...' She grimaced, 'I still would have to explain it... Would she even buy a sudden change of heart?'

She came to a stop at the intersection. She looked down each street and pondered the direction of the others. The back of her mind said to keep going straight. She hesitated until Luna and Fluttershy were at her side, then proceeded to walk straight through the intersection. 'I still have the option of attempting to corrupt Luna... that might prove enough of... Oh... Oh yes... that might work...' She smiled. 'If I can corrupt Luna, then I would have a reason to give them the Elements of Harmony... That is still somewhat convenient, and Fluttershy might figure it out... Discord might realize what I am planning... Eclipse would suspect something. And I would still have to redirect the Element's power...' The thought was troubling. While she knew how to direct the Element's power, she wasn't going to be in control of it. It could backfire on her, or she might be completely unable to redirect it for the sun. She wasn't even sure what effect it would have on the sun, but she was sure what effect the Elements would have on her. She shivered as she remembered the pain.

'Do I even want to do this?' she asked. 'No, I don't,' she immediately responded. The thought gave her pause. 'How... curious... Why is that?'

"Nightfall?" Fluttershy asked.

Nightfall blinked and looked at the small pegasus standing beside her. "What?" she demanded. Fluttershy, to her surprise, didn't back down from the forcefulness of her voice.

"Are you doing okay? You look... distant," Fluttershy said softly.

Nightfall snorted. "Distant," she repeated. "I am preoccupied with my thoughts," she sharply corrected. For a few seconds, she stared at Fluttershy and Fluttershy stared back at her, then she started walking again.

Fluttershy's gaze followed Nightfall as she walked forwards. Luna stood beside her, watching Nightfall with a mixture of curiosity and distaste. "Do you want to talk about it?" Fluttershy asked.

Nightfall stopped, then methodically turned around and faced Fluttershy. "You know that if Starlight is disabled, my agreement with Eclipse is completed, and you know what I will do." She paused to let it sink in, then she looked off at a building and continued, "And yet you still offer to... be my friend," she mused. For a few seconds, silence reigned, then she shook her head. "Why?" she implored. "You know what Eclipse and I have done, and yet you, kindness, Fluttershy, you extended a hoof of friendship to me, and you are Eclipse's friend." She tilted her head and looked at Fluttershy with curiosity, "Why?"

Fluttershy took a deep breath and summoned her courage, then stepped forwards. Luna watched her silently, choosing to stay on the sidelines. "Because you're hurting. You were hurt. You lost your friends, and you felt alone. You said so before, that we were your friends. I want to be your friend. We will be your friends again if you just-"

Nightfall shook her head and sighed. "You are so naive... It's..." She shook her head again and looked at the wet pavement. She looked up thoughtfully at Fluttershy, "If our positions were reversed, I would kill you." Fluttershy didn't back down. "You are a better pony than me, Fluttershy." Her gaze lingered on the pegasus for a few seconds, then she turned around, putting her back to her and Luna. "So naive and foalish... You would be wise to kill me now, but you won't. You can't, because you are the good ponies..." she shook her head and bared her teeth in disgust. She lowered her gaze in thought, "You keep offering me opportunities to accept your friendship, opportunities to change..." She looked up from the pavement. "Nopony else did. They avoided me whenever they could," she said as she turned around.

Nightfall smiled and snorted. "Irrelevant..." she said softly while shaking her head. "Perhaps Eclipse does deserve the title of Princess of Friendship..." she mused. "In a different time, we were friends. And... If things were different, perhaps we could have been friends again," she said with regretful finality.

"Why can't we be friends again?" Fluttershy asked innocently.

Nightfall swiveled around on a hoof and looked Fluttershy in the eye. "Do you really want to be friends with somepony who is responsible for millions of... deaths..." she trailed off and looked away from Fluttershy's gaze. "You... are friends with Eclipse..." she mused, realizing that Fluttershy knew what Eclipse was responsible, and still chose to be her friend. She shook her head and sighed. "Do you really think that if I say I'm sorry, that it would fix anything?" she asked. Fluttershy's expression was strained at that. Nightfall's expression sharpened. "It doesn't. That belief is naive and... so... innocent. It is archaic to me, considering what has happened over the course of my life. You? You're but a foal compared to me." She looked at Luna thoughtfully. "We were similar, you know. Nightmare Moon and I... But where you failed, I succeeded..." she tilted her head and narrowed her gaze. "Though, I suppose you wouldn't want to succeed now, would you?"

Silence. Luna looked at her evenly.

Luna eventually nodded. "You remind me of myself," she said. "Though, you are still Twilight. I can see her qualities in you, and you have something that I lacked."

Nightfall raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh?" she asked. "And what might that be?"

Luna remained silent for several seconds, much to Nightfall's annoyance. "You really don't see it, do you?" she finally asked.

"If you are attempting to make me beg for an answer, it won't work," Nightfall snapped.

Luna looked at the street and shook her head sadly. After a few seconds, she looked back up and met Nightfall's gaze. "You were bound with your friends," she answered. Nightfall looked at her with disgust. "Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom," she said. The mention of Rainbow's name drew Nightfall's muzzle into a blank line, and her expression became unreadable. "The six of you standing against me, then using the Elements of Harmony against me in order to purify me," she continued. "You six had a bond that I had never had with anypony, not even my sister."

Nightfall looked at her evenly, and unblinkingly. "That bond was broken," she stated firmly. "Even if it wasn't... They. Are. Dead."

"And you're still alive," Luna noted. "You remember them, don't you?"

Nightfall looked at Luna like she had said something stupid. "Of course I do," she answered.

"Do you miss them?" Luna asked.

Nightfall sighed and nodded. "At times, I do, yes."

Luna nodded at Fluttershy. "You can have them back," she said simply.

Nightfall snorted and shook her head. "Perhaps," she answered. "But it's irrelevant."

"Why?" Luna questioned.

"I made my decisions a millennium ago," Nightfall answered quickly.

"Eclipse would detest that," Luna responded.

"She made her decision a millennium ago too," Nightfall said.

"It is not set in stone. You can decide something different now," Luna said carefully.

Nightfall said nothing.

"What would they say, if they saw you now?" Luna asked.

Nightfall's neutral expression slipped for a brief second, and in that second, she looked a thousand years older than she did. Her mane looked dull, her coat looked pale, and her eyes weren't as vivid. "We both know the answer to that," she said at length.

"So change that," Luna commanded.

Nightfall looked at her questioningly.

"You miss them. That means you must still care about them, which means you don't actually hate them, do you?" Luna questioned.

Nightfall snorted. "I hate them for leaving me," she replied simply. "And even if I chose to be with them again, they will leave me again."

"You would have an opportunity to make up for the time you lost with them," Luna said with a reassuring smile.

"It would end the same way," Nightfall countered.

"Would it?" Luna questioned. "That is up to you to decide," she added.

Nightfall snorted and looked at her derisively. "Even if I did choose to be with them again, and they didn't leave me, they aren't my friends. They are not the ones who left me, Luna. You know this."

Luna sighed and looked at the street sadly as she nodded her head. "They are not them, and they can never be them now," she replied softly.

Nightfall nodded melancholically. "My friends are dead," she stated emotionlessly. "I have no way to return to my own timeline, even if I did, I cannot change anything, nor is there anything to return to. Even if there was, I cannot bring them back." She looked at Fluttershy, who looked on the verge of tears. "I don't even know if I would see them again when I die, and... honestly, I do not know if I want to. As much as I want to see them again, I would have to answer so many questions, and... answer for so many crimes. I cannot simply say 'sorry' and fix all of this." She averted her gaze from Fluttershy and looked up at the morning sky. It felt almost mocking, the day had a new start, and she couldn't, even if she didn't care. "I made my choices," she said bitterly.

Luna stepped towards her. "Then make a new one! Choose something other than the path you are on now!" Nightfall met Luna's gaze. "You know that the path you are on leads only to your own destruction," Luna chided. "Change it."

Nightfall's gaze became serious. "I can't."

"Why not?" Luna asked.

Nightfall grunted. "My success is my own undoing. Unlike you when you became Nightmare Moon, there is literally nothing standing between me and my victory. You had the Elements of Harmony to purify and restore you, I don't have that luxury. You are still haunted by what you did," she said forcefully. "Compare that to me," she commanded. "I am responsible for the deaths of countless hundreds of thousands, if not millions. You know who I once was, but Twilight is dead. Some scars are permanent, Luna. You know this. The Elements purified you, but your crimes are orders of magnitudes lesser than mine. If you used the Elements against me, I would die."

"Nightfall, you cannot know that," Luna retorted.

Nightfall chuckled. "But I do, Luna. Surely you remember what it felt like when you were hit by the Elements the first time?" Luna felt a shiver run down her spine as the burning sensation replayed itself in her mind.

Luna mustered her strength, "The second time was not... like the first." Nightfall looked at her curiously. "It was... pleasant," she added.

Nightfall snorted and shook her head at that. "Perhaps... But even if it did purify me, I would die. I would no longer be Nightfall, but I could not be Twilight either. You would be left with... a mess of a pony, nothing more than a shadow of some semblance of a pony who died so long ago. A pony who wouldn't be able to function," she spat.

"You're afraid, aren't you?" Luna inquired, feeling her jaw go slack at the realization.

Nightfall shook her head and snorted. "Regardless, we still have to find the others." She turned around a second later and started walking again.

"You did not answer my question, Nightfall," Luna stated.

Nightfall paused and turned around again. She met Luna's gaze and raised an eyebrow. "Which question?" she quipped.

"Why can't you change?" Luna asked.

"I do not need to explain myself to you," Nightfall retorted.

"W-what about m-me?" Fluttershy asked.

Nightfall opened her mouth to answer her, then stopped and closed it. Her lips drew into a neutral line as she watched Fluttershy silently crying.

"Well, here we are again, Eclipse," Nightfall called out as she and the two mares following her rounded the corner and surveyed the street before them. Their attention was immediately directed towards the collapsed building blocking the other entrance to the block. Nightfall found it symbolic, she had them cornered. Fluttershy almost immediately burst out into a dead gallop over to her friends, all sitting around Twilight, who hung her head low in shame. Nightfall watched Fluttershy run from her side and narrowed her gaze at the pegasus. She was unsurprised by the act, but it still stung.

Nightfall turned her gaze to Eclipse, who sat against a brick wall, watching her. Luna looked at Nightfall and hesitated, then walked across the street and met her sister. Celestia pulled Luna into a big hug, and Nightfall bared her teeth in disgust at the display. Eclipse closed her eyes and sighed in sorrow and regret, a sound that nopony heard. She opened her eyes and glanced at Starlight and grimaced.

Cadance and Shining Armor looked at Nightfall with a mixture of disdain, curiosity, and worry. The remaining four mares looked at her cautiously. Nightfall turned her gaze to Eclipse as she slowly stood up and revealed Starlight's unconscious form lying against the building. Nightfall felt her heartbeat rise rapidly as Eclipse purposefully walked into the middle of the street, then stand beside Luna and Celestia, matching height with the former.

Twilight still didn't look up from the ground. Nightfall turned her attention to her younger self. Her ears were pinned against her head, and her mane sagged, weighed down by water, knowing what she had done, what she had almost done, and the knowledge of what had happened in her future. Fluttershy pulled Twilight into a hug and rested her head against her shoulder, but the young alicorn didn't react. The four other young mares turned their attention away from Nightfall and settled on Twilight. Each of them wore pained expressions, sharing Twilight's own pain. Rainbow pulled both Fluttershy and Twilight into a hug, then the others quickly joined in.

Nightfall tore her eyes away and met the gazes of the four princesses standing against her. None of them looked as regal as they normally did, their coats were damp and their faces were heavy with exhaustion, both physical and mental. Neither Luna nor Celestia's manes flowed as quickly as normal, either. Each of them was tired and drained. Cadance looked the most vibrant of them, but even she looked drained, to say nothing of her inexperience with actual fighting.

Nightfall looked around the block, at the damaged and destroyed buildings. She was surprised that the destruction wasn't more extensive, but she didn't care either way, it didn't matter. She saw no sign of Discord as she looked around. 'What are you up to?' she wondered as she directed her gaze back to her opposite. She frowned at Eclipse, she looked older than the last time she had seen the mare, and they hadn't been separated but a few hours.

Eclipse still wore the same resigned but determined expression that all but said she would stop Nightfall at any cost. If anything, her older appearance made her resignation even more pronounced. It made Nightfall pause in thought, 'Do they... not see the resignation in your eyes? Or do they see it and not care..? Or do they not realize what you will do? That you will sacrifice yourself to stop me...' She tightened her jaw at that thought, then scrutinized each one of them in turn. None of them looked like they were in any shape to be destroying any cities, but she knew her own magic was severely drained too. She mentally cursed at herself for using her magic to regenerate her physical body.

"We don't have to do this, Nightfall," Eclipse stated with a somber voice.

Nightfall formulated a retort, but before she could say it, Luna joined Eclipse. "Choose a different path," she coaxed.

"Come back to me, Twilight," Celestia pleaded, immediately drawing Nightfall's attention to her. Nightfall locked eyes with Celestia. Both of them could see the pain and in the other's eyes, but where Celestia's eyes held despair, Nightfall's eyes held vengeance.

"What you're doing is wrong," Cadance gently added.

Fluttershy tore her head from Twilight's shoulder and smiled at Nightfall gently through her tear stained eyes, "We're your friends," she said weakly. After a few seconds, Fluttershy looked back at Twilight, who was still unresponsive.

Nightfall groaned in disgust and looked at them dispassionately, then she raised an eyebrow and looked at them in mock shock. "Is that the best you can do?" she asked. She snorted and shook her head. She met Celestia's gaze. "Pathetic," she stated harshly, cutting Celestia's heart to shreds. The mares surrounding Twilight looked up at her. She looked at Luna indifferently. "Weak," she chided. Then she looked at Fluttershy. "Naive," she stated softer. She briefly met Rainbow's gaze and sighed internally, then moved on to her double. "And all together, foalish," she nodded to herself, then ignited her horn. "You all know what I am going to do." She looked over each one of them. "Yet you all delay," she surmised. "Because you're good," she mocked.

Eclipse closed her eyes and sighed, then nodded and stepped forwards. She ignited her horn and met Nightfall's gaze. "You don't have to do this, Nightfall. None of us want this."

Nightfall nodded. "I know." She looked at the ground and let her mind wander for a few seconds. "But we both made our choices," she added as she looked back up with a cold and hard expression.

Revisions Part 2

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"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 Notes:

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.

Revisions of Past Mistakes

by SC_Orion

Back to the Past

Arrival

For Every Action...

Outing

Half Truths

Meanwhile, In Griffonstone...

Power and Corruption

Make New Friends but Keep an Eye on Discord

Point of Contention

Dreams and Devastation

Warning Signs

Questions and Concerns

Keep your Friends Close... And your enemies closer

Missing

Nightfall

Close

Fragments

The Moon Rises

Shattered

Battle Royal

Harbinger

Of Change

You Had ONE Job, Bonbon!

Path

Duality

Light

One Last Peaceful Moment

Solar Eclipse

Twilight

The Beginning of the End

Star Fall

Supremacy

Unending

Revisions Part 1

Revisions Part 2