//------------------------------//
// Eclipse's note 
// Story: Lost History 
// by sniper567 
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	eclipse notes


I sit here writing, wondering where to start. I’ve been here since the start. I’ve spent more time sleeping then most have spent living, so I question what part of my story should we review first? What part is of the most interest, is it worth writing in the first place?

It’s been some time and what is time? Since alicorns supposedly live forever I've watched many close to me, and our princesses disappear. Time seems to marches forward unrelentingly. it can be hard even for the princes but it's what we must endure in order to achieve our goals. I’m not even sure if you will find this book among all the others in this library. You do have quite the collection! But I hope that these pages find you in time as to the question of where to start perhaps from the beginning.

I started as a simple, hard-working earth pony; my parents were historians of the earth pony clan that traveled far and settled down in a developing nation which would one day become known as Canterlot. They became founding members of the first library. They often went on trips to gather writings from all around. As such, I grew up learning from the very scrolls that my parents brought home.

I spent moons developing my skills and repertoire, but one day the scrolls stopped coming home. I was left in the care of the library my parents founded, moving from one to another and learning as I went and growing as I discovered. Even though I lacked magic, I became known as one of the best magic historians at the time.

I worked my way up in the world to Star Swirl the Bearded personal aid even if it was for only a short time. But the castle was not my home, so I found myself a cave. A petrified tree that used to encompass the mountain but has been ravaged by time and reduced to little more than a subterranean root system. But it was mine! A place I could carve out and make my own, a place to learn and developed away from the prying eyes of my former mentors.

With my position, few cared where I went or what I did, most just assumed I was off to run an errand for Star Swirl or the future princess. But some questions still needed answers to. But no book ever had the page. No scroll ever rolled out long enough, and no scrap of paper contained a scribbling of what I needed.

My research needed much, and with the relative ease of travel I got what I needed soon, few would notice books that went missing and relics replaced with copies. My cave grew in size and complexity. Large endless bookshelves filled to the brim, and walls of glass lab equipment capable of creating elixirs, poisons and everything in between. With ingredients like the flower from the ocean cliff and a feather from a rainbow crow, even I who could not use magic could make it. But still, my needs where unmeet.

I developed much in my time, everything from a large crystal telescope to amulets and spell books. I developed endlessly; I built what they would not! Things such as high-altitude oxygen systems for flying, advanced navigation systems to aid in flying when well above the cloud layer, even full body systems capable of surviving in a near vacuum environment.

I planned what they could not, would not, after all, alicorns live a long time, so I’m in it for the long game. But my answers were still unanswered. I knew what I needed to do. But it would be an uphill battle. Even Star Swirl rejected my questions saying they were foolish and impractical. It was unfortunate, but this would be the last time I saw him until recently, looking back I wish we could have left off on a more positive conversation. But he lacked ambition and foresight. But it did little to sway me after all my planes had already been set into motion.

For what I planned I would need magic and lots of it. I would also need a subject and a conduit. The magic was elementary but time-consuming, the distillation method was tedious but well worth it. But the means amplification and control would be tricky; my parents collected many scrolls of mystery and myth. One piqued my interest, an amulet used to move the city of Coltlantis from one location to another. The story's told that it was lost in the last migration and Coltlantis has been static since. It has since rotted away. But such an item leaves a trace if you know where to look.

It was not long after I had two of the four things needed to enact the beginning of my plan. The next would be a unicorn and another relic of days past, the memory stone. As time went on there were many who looked promising but few who had what was necessary. But one day a first-class unicorn, top of her class with an aptitude for magic, quietly walked by me at the library. The preparation was vital, all the elements were prepared and it was just a matter of opportunity. Luckily it was not long before such a night accrued.

It lasted but a second. The words were spoken, and the magic drained from the reservoirs. A new horn of crimson hue sat atop my head. However, I was not so careless to leave this new earth pony with nothing. Using the memory stone, it was but a matter of deception and timing. It would be moons before the crimson faded, and the horn took on my natural tone. But now there was no stopping my plan. It had to progress if I was going to learn what I needed to learn, but with magic on my side, the next step would take only a short time. That is of course after the many moons I required to control the horn and moons of studying and knowledge to have it work for real.

Once I was able to control the horn the search began for a set of wings. The EUP had just commissioned a new squadron of flyers separating the wheat from the chaff for me. It was habitual that a new flyer tried out and was kicked out long before they even got off the runway. Some of the best flyers had the worst attitudes. It was not long before I found a promising applicant, she was tremendous flyer with robust and sturdy wings. only her egregious attitude and self worth matched her talent.

This time I could prepare much faster. Having the amulet ready and the stone in waiting with the magic of my own, all that was left was to wait for the right moment. Later that night she was alone, wallowing in her self-pity. Her wings were an easy target. In a flash, a new pair of cerulean blue wings rested on my shoulders. Just as the horn they too faded to match my coat in time. Her memory was a breeze to alter, with few that cared for her she would be but a memory forgotten to the ages.

With a horn atop my head and wings on my back, the next part of my plan would be risky. If I were to be caught, now would be the time.

I had been forgotten by most. Star Swirl disappeared, Luna was banished, and Celestia ruled alone. There was little to stand in my way, so I made my moves swift. First, the spell, even though I had magic, I would need to do more than wave my horn around. A spell to constrain and channel the magic would be necessary. I have been studying the amulet for many moons, a simple spell but very useful. With a few little changes, it would work wonders for my plan.

Instead of giving and taking, it would stop after just the take. Instead of objects it now takes life. But pilfering one life was too little and taking all was too much. Instead, stealing a few moons from all not only keeps things under the radar but it meant I would have many future crops. Generation after generation would be mine for the taking.

The first time the spell was cast it was small but powerful, taking moons from a single village. As time went on the spell grow with my power. No longer did I accumulate life from a town, but I took from the world. Only the smallest of a portion from each, but billions add up fast. It was said alicorns lived forever, but I was not a natural one. I did not know if I was granted time like the sisters, so I collected my own just in case. Perhaps a test in the moons to come to find out but even should alicorns life be limited mine wouldn’t be.

But there were problems, unforeseen circumstances. As the spell absorbed life, it also absorbed life in the form of traits. As my power grew so did the side effects of the spell. Among the long list of oddities a few stood out. My mane now flows like the alicorn’s from the long forgotten alicorn empire. I’ve started to take up baking and playing musical instruments even though I have never studied them as well as many other interests that I also never considered before.

As my power expanded, I even took on a hint of fireproofing to my coat and gained a few scales. Even my wings took on traces of the bat pony wings. As time went on, I gained an ability to change my appearance like the stories of the changeling empire that my mother brought me. I have yet to control it; it may be useful to travel in the future as my appearance becomes harder to hide. But this was not the last time a trait would be surprising.

I noticed when angered or frustrated I would catch fire, and my appearance would change much like the stories of the kirin my father bought back. The latest development was slightly shocking but usefully. At times I would take the form of a gaseous smoke or shadow, usually at night. It was useful for slipping in an out of a building. Even small horns have started to grow on my head though my mane covers them for now.

As time goes on, I suspect it will be even more challenging to travel. But it does further my goal, with each addition I seem to understand more. And with time I would come to control the traits just as I did with the horn and the wings. It was a rare group I was now a part of even if the means of how we're alike are a little smudged. You a true alicorn now knows just how much responsibility rests on our shoulders.

I still needed one more item to ensure my work. Before Star Swirl disappeared, him and his friend spoke of a gem, they had planted it in the event they should fail to make it home in the hopes that it would protect the land in their stead. It’s been some time since then, so it was probably a good idea.

I too believe it will be good to leave a similar thing in the event my plans are discovered. I did at first think of seeking out the gem of power they had hidden. But it is rather difficult to find a small gem in all Equestria. And since the battle with the pony of shadows, there were few clues I could follow to acquire it. So, I decided to make my own.

A single gem of the highest quality and purity, a flawless black diamond forged in the early days of the earth in the crushing pressures and temperature of the mantel. From the few clues left behind, Star Swirl and his friends imbued the crystal with a bit of themselves. I would do the same, but my being would not be the same energy cast into Star Swirl gem. So different would the gems be with their powers it was almost as if I was making the exact opposite of what Star Swirl and his friends produced.

It was often said that a rainbow could not form without the help of the rain, while Star Swirl gem would be filled with light mine would be filled with darkness. But what is light without a shadow and what is a candle without the dark?

Perfectly balanced as all things should be, a gem of purity to protect that land and a gem of discord to nurture it. All that was left to do was plant the gem in a place where it could absorb all that nurtured it. What better place than my cave devoid of light with stone roots that starched across Equestria given new purpose.

Now it was but a waiting game, as time moved forward so did the land modernizing and changing. But here I sat and studied and watched from high above. Viewing as the land and my gem changed. It started just below the ground and soon to my surprise, it rooted. Before long I had but a sapling. Before the eight hundredth moon without our princes Luna what had started as a single gem in the ground was now a magnificent tree holding seven unique gems.

I often reflected on what these meant or why they grew as if they were apples on a tree. Why seven. Why a tree. But I knew the gem planted by Star Swirl must have been in a similar state. However, I believe they are more symbolic than direct. Much like an amulet it directly channels and magnifies magic. I think the power is within each pony, but only a pony that resonates with the gems can use them. Since the gems were given life from me, they should respond to me?

Star Swirls gem would be much more difficult to control. If each of the pillars had cast magic upon the gem, each gem likely responds to a specific attribute. The gems themselves are likely only a conduit to help amplify and focus meaning you would have to be very skilled to use all at once as it would be difficult to match each attribute.

One night as I was flying high to meet the children of the night for a drop-off, I flew over the castle and noticed a rather particular stained-glass window. Since Celestia banished her sister to the moon, I rarely came to see my old stomping ground. But there it was, proof positive Star Swirl had succeeded just as I did.

The rumored elements of harmony that were used to banish the sister were none-other than the fruit that Star Swirl tree had produced. I often checked back with these windows to see essential updates. I wondered if the windows would have downsides; after all, they tell great stories. The stories you might not want others to know.

It would be some time before I figured out where Star Swirl planted the tree, but it was easy now knowing how the gems worked. Knowing Star Swirl, he would not travel far if he was going to hide something. So, I took wing to the castle of the two sisters and searched the grounds. A cavern just out of sight was the location of a considerable gem shaped tree with roots that stretched far. It was no doubt the structure that held the gems that were now gone from its sight. The tree still retained much of the magic the gems stored as it was visibly still influencing the land.

I had yet to remove the fruit from my tree, but should the time come I believe it can be done. In time the tree grew and would take on a personality of its own. Perhaps our trees can have a playdate; mine has become quite talkative over the years. However, now was not the time as the day spoken by many was approaching. On the thousandth moon of peace, the stars will align and help the princess escape.

I was there that night watching from up high. Little did I know you would be the center of attention. I waited in the shadows as you struck down the darkness and brought back the sister. It was only later when I saw the stained-glass window that I knew that you would be the one to teach me what no book could teach, what no scroll had to offer. But it was still far too early.

The book had to be written before it could be read. I helped from the background, invited situations and created opportunities. Even left the door open to Tartarus once, and made sure a statue curse was a little weak just in time for a field trip with a secret organization’s help. All in the name of research.

I had much time to travel both in my days before and after your arrival. I have seen the apple kingdom, the Pinkie clone village, the sea ponies of Coltlantis, the hills of the hippogriffs. I have journeyed so far as Tireks land’s, Abyssinia and Ornithia, even other dimensions and worlds. Including the dream factories where I learned from the nyx. The birth pool of Chrysalis where the very ground seemed evil. I've studied under the zebras, reindeer and the deer of the forest. The witch doctor giraffes. Even the rhinoceros of plains whose magic was pure and powerful.

Observing back to my travels the alicorn empire used to be vast. The legend said that the very ground they walked on was left better then it started, but the day I found the empire it was little more than scorched earth.

Based on the stories, alicorns live a long time but they can still succumb to war. It was said long ago the outcasts of the alicorn empire became the tribes of ponies that wandered the land. In the empire, all would start out as a pony with one particular attribute of wings, magic, or strength. As time went on some would learn what they needed to; others would fail and become outcasts.

These outcasts numbers soon outnumbered the alicorns. But a few of the alicorn no longer wished that they had to send their friends away. And so, the war began. One faction was holding to the ways they knew and the other hoped to include all those that did not succeed in ascending.

Two of their commanding leaders were the parents of the two sisters were of the group who wanted to include were thin in numbers. Before the last battle, the commander had a vision of things to come; this battle would consume all that fought in it. With this battle, the empire would cease to exist.

He knew what he had to do. With the help of his mate, they transported the two sisters to a traveling wizard of the unicorn tribe. For they knew they must go back and finish what they started.

Just as the vision the commander saw there was naught but dust left, no more was the ground blest with magic but scarred with the stains of war. Buildings lay demolished under layers of sand and armor lay empty. Their battle was fierce. Their weapons and armor made of a material so hard I could not dent it even as I was now. But continuously I found helmets with holes and gaping gashes. Armor that had been bent and contorted in all directions. Their weapons splintered and melted. The force used to damage them must have been extreme. I can only imagine the hide of an alicorn must have been equally strong.

One of my favored objects I brought back was a suit of armor, very different from the knights armor of pony's, covering much more than just the face, it subverts the idea of war and turns it cold and unethical when you can't see the eyes of your enemy. I don't know what the alicorn empire did to cause their downfall but it must have been catastrophic for them to send only two to keep teaching their ways. Even though it fit me like a glove being quite flexible and protective, it was made of the most durable material; I have yet to even scratch it for a sample to study even now.

But by far the Pinkie clone village was a most exciting place I have had the pleasure to visit. I happened upon it while flying and saw a giant pink blob on the ground and have since taken a liking to visit now and then. They told me every generation of Pinkies that came from the lake changed slightly from the previous generation. But by the 40th generation, the Pinkies had a mind of their own and did not want to party.

They left the village without having fun and settled down developing their systems and their laws. It is a small village but a nice one. They all have their interest, wants and needs but all look similar to the original. Some changed their hair others walked the land in search of something, but here they live in harmony and are happy living together.

I’ve spent all my life traveling and learning from all far and wide. I have even spent time in trot and even the Draconequus dimension. I’ve collected countless artifacts from snowdrops gift to the clouds used as the foundations of Timbucktu. Also a golden apple and changeling amulet. Many of mage Meadowbrook’s and Star Swirl’s own projects, including a sliver of mirror that seems to lead to other dimensions. Even a fragment of Amore’s tail, perhaps one day I will hunt down the rest.

I've been around so long one of the few hobbies that don't get old with age is a good scavenger hunt.

I have books dating back so far some are still written in Poniform scratched into stone. But what does it all mean I wonder? I have attained so much and learned so much. It is still just shy of what I needed to learn.

I won’t lie, I’ve twisted myself in so many ways I’m not sure I’m even a pony at this point. I believe there’s still something left to learn if you’re willing to teach. I know how much you love books so I'll leave this one here for you to find on your own time. When and if you're ready to teach you to need but a quill and ink to write your reply in this book.

Yours,

Eclipse