Family Issues
Spike grunted in surprise at the sudden attack from the large bipedal creature. The wolf faced thing stood before the dragon, back hunched as it crouched low to the ground, ready to spring into action again. Spike blinked his eyes a few times as if unable to believe what he saw. The stranger even wore a set of chainmail armor and gauntlets over its dark gray fur.
"A diamond dog?" Spike mumbled curiously as he worked his jaw where the large beast had slammed into him. It was surprisingly strong even despite being twice the size of any pony.
The creature snarled its disapproval as it drew a pair of axes from its belt. Spike's eyes shot open and he glanced over to young gray mare who had a startled look on her face.
"Woah there, why don't we calm down?" Spike said, not wanting to demolish the ballroom just to defend himself.
"You dare call me one of those mutts, and then you want to talk?!" The wolf faced stranger roared.
Spike shot a hopeful glance over to Shadow, whose ears were flat against her head as she frowned at the scene. The large dragon knew then that he was not going to be able to talk his way out of this one, and to make matters worse the bipedal stranger had just adorned a metal skullcap that was decorated with two curved horns, it was prepared for a fight. A frown adorned the dragon's face, he was unhappy about having to resort to violence like this, but with the way the thing was snarling he knew what was coming.
The wolf lunged forward, axe held high and ready to chop, but Spike was prepared and turned his body to slam his tail like a giant whip into his assailant. A high pitched yelp broke from the mouth of the wolf, but it rolled as it hit the ground and quickly found its feet before charging again. This time however, it was watching Spike's tail and slid across the smooth floor right under the tail as it swung by. Leaping onto Spike's back it prepared to begin hacking away at the spots that Spike had yet to grow scales back from his fight with the Wendigo, but Spike was swift with backhanding the thing off of him.
"You brought this on yourself!" Spike roared as he let out a torrent of green flames, intense enough to melt the stone of the floor and walls where they touched.
"Um, you might want to stop before somepony comes along. We aren't supposed to be fighting, and if either of you hurt each other it could be bad..." Shadow said in a worried tone.
Spike turned a disbelieving eye towards her, "You try to stop it now, after I roasted him?!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself lizard..." growled a response from the smoke that was given off by the melted floor.
The wolf stood, among the clearing smoke, a small circle around it untouched by the flames and still in perfect condition. Spike's eyes then caught onto several glowing runes along the wolf's armor. Shock was evident on the dragon's face as he realized that the runes that were glowing a dull red had somehow protected the wolf. Spike turned his attention once more to shadow looking for clarification to this fact, but the young mare simply shook her head.
"Spike, this is the ambassador's son Thorfinn. He came with the rest of the Dire Wolves' diplomatic envoy to meet the new ruler." Shadow said with a hint of sarcasm at the final word, "Thorfinn, this is Spike. Princess Twilight's pet dragon."
Anger was evident on Spike's face, "I am not her pet, I am her frien-"
"You did not stop me from attacking him?!" The wolf cut in with a panicked voice, "Do you know what my father will do if he finds out I-"
"Finds out what pup?" A deep voice rumbled from across the ballroom.
An imposing figure strode forth on its hind legs, nicked and tarnished chainmail armor decorated with dozens of runes and totems. The newcomer was clearly an older Dire Wolf, a long braided beard that swayed as he moved hung from his chin. Standing just under how tall Discord is, fully a head taller than the younger wolf, the newcomer had an air about him that demanded attention. An expecting look adorned his face, and his single eye darted between the three frozen sets of eyes before him. He scratched the scar on his left cheek, just under the eye patch that bore an emblem of two crossed axes.
"Well? I'm not getting any younger you haensa, tell me what ya' did wrong so I can know how bloody I have to make it." The older Dire Wolf said fixing his eye on his son.
Thorfinn gave a sheepish grin as he cast his eyes at the melted stone around him, "I don't know what you mean father..."
"Boy, you must think I am as dense as a glacier if you actually assume I'll believe a word out of your lying skull. Shadow, I know your daddy at least raised you better than I raise my kin, what's going on here?" The wolf said, his voice getting soft as he addressed the young mare.
"It was just a little scuffle Ulf, harmless playfight." Shadow said with a sweet smile.
Ulf cast his eye back to his son, noting the hue of red that the runes were glowing, "Youngsters seem to play rough these days... The runes nearly gave in, takes a lot of magical power to do that."
"Yes well, the big guy here doesn't know his own strength." Shadow said in a warning tone as she shot Spike a look.
Ulf raised his eye to stare directly at the dragon who had taken the hint and had a bashful look on his face as he spoke, "Sorry, guess I got a little carried away."
"Well, no harm no fowl I guess. Though I warn you lads to be more careful. This is my heir after all, pig headed as he may be." Ulf said with a grimace towards his son, "And lass, didn't I tell ya to call me uncle?"
Shadow giggled and leapt off the stage and down to where she could give the old wolf a hug, the elderly warrior getting down on one knee and spreading his arms to embrace the young mare. After a moment, Ulf broke the embrace and patted Shadow on the head as he stood up, grunting as he strained his old knees.
"Now, normally I would just deal with your father about business. But I hear they finally found a replacement for him, so what say you lead me to her?" Ulf asked in a polite tone that seemed offsetting from his grizzled frame.
"Well, I kind of don't know where she is... The council is still running the day to day stuff from what I understand." Shadow said with a frown.
"Huh, well then..." Ulf said with a thoughtful look adorning his face.
"Can you sniff her out father?" Thorfinn inquired.
"How am I supposed to sniff out a pony I've never met before?" Ulf asked as he rolled his eyes.
"She might be with my dad, she has been sticking her nose into his business recently." Shadow said with a scoff.
"Hrmm... Worth a try." Ulf said scratching his beard as he took a whiff of the air.
The giant bipedal wolf lifted his nose into the air as he took a few deeper sniffs to attempt to catch the trail of Eclipse's scent. He smiled and beckoned a finger for the rest to follow him as he lumbered off towards the door. Shadow and Thorfinn followed closely on his trail, but Spike merely sighed and made his way over to his horde that he sat himself upon and began idly snacking in a vain attempt to calm his nerves.
"What happened here?" A stern voice asked from in front of Spike.
The dragon glanced up and saw Steel Hoof standing there with a large frown plastered onto his face. The stallion was staring at the melted patch of the ground, until he looked up and locked eyes with the dragon.
"Two big wolf like things named Ulf and Thorfinn were here, I tried roasting Thorfinn but it didn't work..." Spike said with an exasperated sigh.
Steel Hoof grunted in recognition of the names, but then shook his head as he turned to leave, "Clean this place up, its unbecoming of the palace to be in this state, even if this room is unused."
Spike's jaw dropped at this, "How do you expect me to fix this? I don't have any skills with fixing melted stone!"
"Then I guess you better hire somepony, you seem to have a fair amount of gems there, that should easily be able to cover it." Steel Hoof said with a shrug.
"Ugh, those wolves are nothing but trouble..." Spike grumbled as he set his head down on his gem horde as if allowing himself one last moment with it before it was spent.
"You have no idea..." Steel Hoof's voice was cold as he left.
"So wait, the northern allies I have been hearing about used to be bitter allies before you came into power?" Twilight asked in a confused voice.
"Yeah, was that part not in the history books you were reading?" Eclipse asked.
"No, it just mentioned that a pact was formed between the two countries. I had no idea that you were directly involved there..." Twilight mumbled.
"Yeah, the Dire Wolves are a strange race. They value strength and victory above all else, and when they could not beat me, they gave up and joined me. Something about a prophecy or something, I honestly just tuned them out and accepted the peace and quiet that came with not having to fight them. I tell you though, they were tough to figure out how to effectively deal with..." Eclipse explained.
"Oh? how so?" Twilight asked out of curiosity as she levitated another tart off the tea tray that sat on the table between them.
"Well, they wear anti magic runes on their armor that negates magic from touching them. This disabled many of the unicorns that had the advantage of range on them with their magic. And up close in melee, the Dire Wolves obviously had the advantage of strength. Only the most powerful unicorns could overload the magical runes, and even then it was not a very efficient way to fight them, so I came up with a new idea. I would handle everything myself..." Eclipse went on as he stirred a few lumps of sugar into his tea before taking a sip and continuing.
"I crushed the first few attempts they threw at me by myself, but it took more effort that I particularly cared to use, so I thought of something easier. If they were immune to magic and well versed in close quarters combat, then all I had to do was make something natural that was intangible to fight them. So I created a special elemental being and released it among their third attempt to invade." Eclipse went on, only to pause at the shocked look on Twilight's face.
"You... can create life?" Twilight asked in wonderment.
"To an extent, nothing too complex, but I did manage to create a whole new kind of elemental to combat them." Eclipse said with a shrug.
"What element did you use?" Twilight asked, her full attention on the once king, her tea and tart forgotten.
"I made a chlorine elemental." Eclipse said with a wry grin.
"A... Chlorine elemental?" Twilight said, unsure she had heard right.
Eclipse nodded at this and explained further, "You see, chlorine gas is deadly if inhaled, and they all rushed in to fight it, never making it close enough to find out their weapons would pass straight through without causing any harm whatsoever."
"But if their runes protected them from magic, why would an elemental work on them?" Twilight asked, thinking about how Elementals were highly magical beings.
"Well, Elementals have both magical and natural portions of their elements about them. Sure a fire elemental can chuck magical balls of fire, but the fire it is composed of is completely natural and will bypass the runes the wolves wear. Ergo, the chlorine gasses that my elemental was composed of were one hundred percent natural." Eclipse said with a proud smile.
"What happened to the elemental after you were done using it though? That sounds kinda dangerous to just keep around..." Twilight commented with a worried look.
"I keep it in a mason jar in the cupboard in case of emergencies actually..." Eclipse said before taking a sip of tea.
Twilight blinked a few times before shaking her head, "Honestly, I am starting to not be surprised..."
Eclipse looked as if he was about to make a rebuttal, but he suddenly froze just as he opened his mouth. The once king held a look of concentration for a moment before a smile adorned his face, the one that a father would use to welcome home a child. Twilight noticing this was about to ask what he was doing, but was interrupted as the sound of a door opening echoed through the house. Twilight peered out into the hall and watched as the young mare that Eclipse had adopted, trotted in with a smile on her face.
"Dad, we have company!" Shadow called.
"Yes, I wondered what reeked of wet dog..." Eclipse said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Wet dog? what are you talking ab-" was all Twilight got out before she saw the towering creature that stooped as it walked through the hallway into the study.
It resembled a Diamond Dog from back in equestria, but its fur was longer, and held a more feral look to it. It was also armed, this fact causing the princess of magic to immediately ready herself to attack if she was threatened. The newcomer however paid her no mind as it bowed deeply to Eclipse. Twilight shared a look with the once king who held an apologetic look on his face before he cleared his throat.
"I am not king anymore and you know that quite well Ulf..." Eclipse said in a flat tone.
"True, but this is merely the respect I show for the superior warrior." Ulf said as his single eye glanced over towards Twilight, "And this must be the princess that now rules over this land..."
"Careful there, she is the Alicorn of Magic, and I suspect she could shred through a rune faster than even old Frost Horn." Eclipse said with a sly smile.
Ulf looked impressed for a moment before beaming, "Then she indeed is worthy to be our ally if she is stronger than that beast!" Ulf bowed now to Twilight.
"Excuse me, Eclipse... Who is this?" Twilight asked with a frown.
"This Twilight, is the ambassador from our allies to the north. He leads one of the largest packs among the Dire Wolves, and was chosen as their diplomat by proving himself in both combat and intelligence. Though I sometimes question how hard his competition was for the latter." Eclipse said making a playful jab at the large wolf.
"Hey now, we aren't all that dumb..." Ulf said in a defensive tone, "Sometimes we just lose ourselves to some of our more... 'Primal' instincts."
Eclipse raised an eyebrow at this before shaking his head, "I assume your presence means you are here to discuss business though..."
"Well, actually there's that and one other thing." Ulf said glancing at shadow.
"Ah, right. I had almost forgotten how well you and my daughter got along. Remind me again why you have to pester my child when you have pups of your own to dote over?" Eclipse commented dryly.
"Well, I have nothing but sons... And most little girls are afraid of me just because of my appearance, but not little Shadow. When she first saw me eight years ago, she showed no fear. When I asked her why that was, she said I was 'nowhere near as scary as her daddy could be'." Ulf said with a triumphant smile.
"Bah, she just likes you because you spoil her..." Eclipse said waving a hoof to shoo away the notion that Shadow liked Ulf.
"Hah! Coming from the stallion who offered to travel to tartarus just to get cerberus if she wanted a pet dog." Ulf laughed.
Twilight finding that she had been forgotten completely glanced away from the two males and shared a glance with Shadow. The young mare looked embarrassed by the display the two were making. Twilight offered a kind smile that was returned with a small frown. Twilight looked over to the two who were still arguing over who was better with children, even though it was obvious neither of them had very good parenting skills. She turned her attention back towards Shadow as she stood up and made for the kitchen, before making it to the doorway, she beckoned for Shadow to follow her. The two mares made their way into the kitchen where the arguing in the other room was less overpowering.
Twilight decided to break the ice a little bit, "Those two seem like they know each other pretty well..."
Shadow merely shrugged as she seemed lost in thought for a moment before looking up at Twilight, the frown still adorning her face, "Are you really not going to do anything to my dad?"
Twilight seemed taken aback by this, but composed herself in mere seconds, "No, I have decided that he is a good pony deep down. Even if he has done some terrible things, he always had a reason for them."
"What about Celestia and Luna? Will they forgive him just because you have?" Shadow said in an imploring tone.
"Wha-... Well, I have known them all my life... And they have always seemed as if they were the forgiving type." Twilight offered.
"But has anypony ever done anything as horrible as my dad did to them? He told me that he nearly killed them, and then to insure that they never returned, he tampered with their memories, and made sure that they would have nightmares about him every night." Shadow said with her ears now flat against her skull.
Twilight was about to offer more comforting words for the young mare when the last part hit her. Eclipse had not mentioned that part. Had Celestia and Luna really had nightmares all this time about Eclipse, did they remember the terror of almost dying every night because of a spell he put on them? It would explain why when Twilight on the rare occasion had seen Celestia just as she had awoken, the princess of the sun had a terrified expression. How would Celestia feel if she found out that Twilight had befriended the stallion that had caused her so much fear for thousands of years. Twilight then realized why Celestia had not responded back to her, and she feared for the worst.
"Twilight?" Shadow asked, having seen the princess of magic freeze in place.
"I- uh... Listen, Shadow... I don't know the entire story between them. But for me, that is all in the past. And Celestia and Luna are very far away, and have a country of their own to run. They will not be able to come over here anyways..." Twilight offered with a reassuring smile, one that clashed with the things she was currently thinking of. Twilight dreaded what would happen if Celestia and Luna actually came here. From what she had seen, they did not have the combat experience to deal with Eclipse. Twilight doubted even herself could defeat Eclipse one on one, he simply had too much experience with combat and killing from the stories he had told her of. She wondered briefly if he maybe even had a plan to defeat the Elements of Harmony if he truly wished to.
"There you are, sorry about getting side tracked when I have business with you your majesty..." Ulf said, bowing his head in apology as he entered the kitchen.
Twilight broken from her train of thought put on a smile for the wolf, "No problem, Shadow and I were just having a little conversation."
"Well, I came here to introduce myself and reestablish the fact that the Dire Wolves still have interest in being allies with this land. But I also come with a warning that there is a stray pack that we have not been able to come into contact with. Now, this happens time to time when we have fights among ourselves, but on the off chance that they have split from the rest of us, they may attack your land." Ulf said in a grave tone, his lone eye locked onto Twilight's
"If they do attack, is there any way to identify their pack from yours in case we have to fight back? I would hate to be chasing them and attack another pack by mistake." Twilight said with a frown.
"Yes, their warriors will all carry symbols of their pack. As you can see from my armor, I bear the mark of two crossed axes, that is my pack, the Steel Fang. The rogue clan however, bears the mark of a war hammer, they are the Thundering Howl pack." Ulf explained.
"Aren't they the ones led by your doppelganger?" Eclipse chimed in.
"Yes, they are led by Olaf One Eye... We don't look that much alike do we?" Ulf added in.
Eclipse raised a hoof and shook it in the 'sorta' manner, "To be honest I find it difficult to tell you Dire Wolves apart sometimes. Any similarities and I can hardly tell the differences."
"Bah, well. I need to get going then..." Ulf said as he turned to leave but then a look of realization struck his face.
The old wolf began fishing through a pouch he carried at his belt, and retrieved a golden necklace. The craftsmanship was remarkable, stylized with golden ivy that wrapped around it, and set in the middle was a black onyx gem, cut into a rune. Ulf allowed himself one last appreciative glance at the necklace, before he held it out to Shadow who gasped in shock when she saw it presented to her.
"Uncle Ulf... Its beautiful..." Shadow said in awe.
"It may be a day early, but happy birthday to the only female aside from my wife that is not afraid of me." Ulf said with a smile as he put the necklace on the young mare.
"What does that rune stand for?" Twilight asked out of curiosity.
Ulf tore his eye away from the beaming young mare and set it onto the princess, "That one there holds the meaning of a shield, or to protect. I had it blessed by my packs shaman, it will protect her just as any of my warrior's protects them."
"I have an idea... Ulf you have to leave soon right?" Eclipse asked with a smile brimming on his face.
"Yes, now that my business is done I must return to my pack..." Ulf said unsettled by the grin on the once king's face.
"Why don't we have Shadow's birthday celebration now, while you are here. Seeing as she does like you a lot, not to mention my present to her would be perfect right now." Eclipse's eyes landed on his daughter, silently asking if the idea was acceptable to her.
Twilight noted that the young mare seemed to have forgotten about her earlier worries, now her attention was fully on the prospect of having her celebration. Twilight smiled as she found herself once again forgotten by the three. They all made her feel as if she were just a regular pony again, though that may be because they were all just as different from regular ponies as herself.
Ulf raised his one good brow in a questioning look, "What kind of present did you get her? I would hate to be shown up on my gift so soon..."
"It is not a matter of getting, more of showing her something. Something that the world has not seen in thousands of years..." Eclipse said with a laid back grin.
Three eyes lit up in eager anticipation, but Twilight's own held a look of shock, "You can't mean to... Celestia and Luna would never allow it..."
"Who said I was asking their permission?" Eclipse said with his grin still plastered to his face.
"But, they are specially talented in moving the sun and moon... I know you are powerful but you should not be able to wrench them from their grips!" Twilight argued, hoping that she was correct.
"Perhaps not by normal magic means, but didn't Celestia warn you that I am not confined to using only those means." Eclipse said as his eyes grew pitch black.
Twilight took a reflexive step back as she bit back a gasp as black smoke began to trail from the corners of Eclipse's eyes. Then then sound of bone rearranging filled the room as Eclipse's horn ignited in a pitch black aura, blocking it from view with its solid tar like hue, unlike the translucent aura that normally would engulf a horn. When the aura dissipated, Eclipse's horn was now curved and smooth, its normal white color blending into black as it went higher, reaching a shade at the tip that seemed as if it was absorbing the light. If Twilight wasn't seeing things his teeth were even growing sharper.
"You look like..." Twilight mumbled to herself.
Twilight blinked and nearly had a heart attack, she found herself standing atop one of the castle's towers, looking over the city. The sun still hung in the sky as she gazed over the scenery. Turning around Twilight found that Eclipse, Shadow, and Ulf were up on the tower with her. Ulf however had a worried expression and seemed to be checking his runes, tapping one with a claw with a frown on his face.
"They are fine, they just don't work against eldritch magic." Eclipse explained.
"Eldritch magic? Celestia mentioned that, but she didn't explain about it... Does it draw off of some sort of alternative power source?" Twilight wondered aloud, wondering if it was infact the same type of magic that King Sombra used.
"Well, you could say that. But its power source is unnatural to this world, and thus does not have to follow the rules of magic here. That is why I can sustain my life, and why I can do this..." Eclipse said as he turned his head up towards the sun. The once king's horn then was sheathed in its tar black aura that bubbled and boiled as black sparks flew in all directions around it.
Twilight suspected he was staring directly at the heavenly globe, but it was hard to tell without being able to see a pupil in his pitch black eyes. Twilight glanced up to where the sun sat in the sky, a feeling of unease creeping into her gut as she watched the sky she could hear the giddiness of Shadow, the young mare was fidgeting on her hooves, giddy with excitement at seeing something that nopony had seen in thousands of years, and having it dedicated to her.
"Are you ready Shadow?" Eclipse asked in a fatherly tone.
"Yes!" Shadow said excitedly as she moved up next to Eclipse and nuzzled his side.
Twilight marveled at how odd the two looked together, when a shadow then fell over her. Twilight whipped her head back up towards where the sun hung in the sky, and she noticed that the moon was now moving in front of the sun, casting its shadow across the land. Twilight found herself holding her breath, a deep part of her fearing what ill omen this meant that the sun was being blocked by the moon.
Finally the moon stopped moving as it stood completely before the sun as day turned into night, only a ring of gold light escaped from around the edges of the moon, the only thing keeping the land from being completely engulfed in darkness. Twilight stood there motionless, staring into the sky, unease and fear taking hold of her. She had grown up looking up to the sun's warmth and majesty, knowing how safe she was with her mentor. But now, her world felt upside down. What she once knew as something strong and safe enough to fall back on was now being toyed with by a stallion she had only known for a short time. Twilight finally, not wanting to gaze on it any more tore her eyes from the eclipse, and looked at the company she now held. The large bipedal wolf was transfixed, his one eye gleamed in the shadow of the moon. The young mare stared wide eyed at her father's namesake, in awe of what he had caused for her as she leaned up lovingly against him. Then there was Eclipse, who looked all the part of a monster with his eyes now holding a golden ring where his iris should be, identical to the light that leaked from behind the moon.
Twilight looked back up into the starry sky, and then again to Eclipse. They were completely identical, and now they were focused upon her. Twilight felt frozen in place as the eerie eyes bore into her own. Twilight knew that her magic was strong, most likely stronger than any other ponies. But in the face of Eclipse, in the face of the unknown, she felt uncertain of herself. A feeling she had not felt in decades.
"What is the matter?" Eclipse asked in a concerned tone.
Twilight stared blankly at him, the soft caring voice not matching what she saw before her. She had been expecting a harsher voice, something closer to a growl than actual speech, just like Sombra had. But Eclipse retained his normal voice despite his current display of power. It was so unfitting, she had to actually stop herself from laughing like a madmare.
"What, is there something on my face?" Eclipse asked, glancing down at Shadow.
"Woah, dad! Your eyes!" Shadow exclaimed as she looked up at her father.
"Oh... Right, forgot about that. It has been a while since I have taken off the masking spell..." Eclipse said in an almost apologetic tone as he looked back at Twilight, "Thing is, when I use this power, it blocks out the magic that is natural to this world and any spells I am maintaining shatter.
'He said it again...' Thought Twilight, catching something Eclipse said, "Why do you say from this world? Have you actually managed to come in contact with another world?"
Eclipse's face looked worried at this, "Twilight I want you to know that as long as you treat the ponies of this nation well, and uphold the laws of the land as you rule, I will always be on your side. But do not follow in Celestia's hoof steps when it comes to that question. For if you do, I will be forced to take drastic measures."
Eclipse's words sounded sincere, and his face looked somber, but Twilight felt an edge in the meaning of his words. Ulf clearly caught it too, for he had pried his eyes from the Eclipse to cast a wary look on the once king. Ulf now gripped the head of his axe that hung at his belt, he made no further move to draw it however, just held it as if he expected it to offer him some form of comfort.
Twilight knew she had to look into something now, and she readied her teleportation spell in her horn to move herself into her personal chambers where she could study in privacy. Twilight stood there for several awkward seconds before she attempted once more to teleport away. But the spell never went off.
"Why leave so soon? You are the guest of honor Twilight! Besides, it's not good for your health to sit in your chamber and bury your nose in your studies." Eclipse said in an upbeat tone, the seriousness that was once there was gone as if blown away by the wind.
Twilight then realized the significance of what Eclipse had said, his eldritch magic could jam not only his own, but all other magic that unicorns could use. His power was just like Sombra's, the difference being that Eclipse was older, and obviously stronger. Sombra had embeded dark crystals that emanated his power to stop Shining Armor's magic. Eclipse apparently could just reach out with his own magic and snuff out another pony's.
"Come on, don't be shy. A party is a good way to spend time with your friends." Eclipse said with a carefree smile.
"Wait, you consider us friends?" Twilight asked in a disbelieving voice.
Eclipse frowned slightly, "Aren't we? I wasn't sure to be honest but I thought that we were with the frequent visits you keep making..."
Twilight stared for a moment at Eclipse's face. His eyes were impossible to read with their unearthly glow, but his facial features gave the impression that he had just been slapped across the face. He looked as if he had overstepped a boundary and regretted it, causing Twilight to mirror his emotions. She felt ashamed of herself for saying what she had. Had she not already learned how friendship could be found in the oddest of places?
"Eclipse, I'm sorry for how I said that, of course were friends..." Twilight said with a reassuring smile as she glanced at the Element of Harmony around her neck.
The gem that sat in the center of the legendary piece of jewelry lit up in response and surrounded Twilight in a transparent bubble that shone in every color of the rainbow, lighting up the darkened tower top as the magic surrounded her. As the light touched Eclipse he hissed and then roared in pain as his form seemed to burn in the light. His horn ignited as he screwed his eyes shut and his form shifted back into that of a regular pony, his horn straightening out and losing its black, smooth look. Eclipse gasped in a breath of air as he opened his eyes, their normal blue color once more there.
"Dad?!" Shadow screamed as she checked him over with wide eyes.
"Oh my gosh, Eclipse I'm so sorry! I don't know what set the Element of Harmony off, I didn't try to use it." Twilight babbled in apology.
Eclipse raised a hoof as took a moment to compose himself, "It's alright... They simply reacted to me being so close to them. At least now I can tell for sure that we are friends... Your feeling of friendship awakened their power enough to protect you from me."
Twilight was about to continue to apologize when she noticed the fact that the sun once more shone upon her, looking up into the sky she noted that the sun and moon seemed to once more be in control of the princesses. The two heavenly globes rushed apart, faster than they normally ever moved. Twilight looked back apologetically at Eclipse and even to Shadow for ruining her birthday surprise. The young mare clearly had a confused look on her face, no doubt torn up inside because of the fact that Twilight had just hurt her father, but then Eclipse said it meant that they were friends. Twilight's eyes then drifted over to the bipedal wolf who was stroking his beard in thought as he stared back at her.
"Well come on, the night is still young, and we have a party to throw." Eclipse said, righting himself fully, seemingly already healed from what the Elements of Harmony had done to him.
Celestia caught her breath as sweat dripped down her brow. She had just spent ten of the most strenuous minutes of her life pulling her magic on the heavenly globe that was hers to control by birthright. No doubt Luna was in a similar state as well, but right now Celestia did not want to share this moment with her sister. She did not want her younger sibling seeing her so weak, so tired, so afraid.
"Was it some sort of declaration? Or was he simply giving me a reminder that he is still able to defeat me?" Celestia whispered to herself as she sat down on the large cushion in her study.
The princess of the sun glanced over to where the large cabinet she kept the hundreds of reports Twilight had ever written her. They were a constant reminder to Celestia that she had done right in choosing that young purple filly as her apprentice. And now, the mare that she raised with so much love and attention was in the grasp of the one who banished her and her sister from their home. Though Equestria was now her new home, she had suffered greatly as a result of being sent here. She sometimes even suspected that her sister's rebellion was a result of Luna's contact with the eldritch magic that Sombra wielded, magic that was so similar to the one she hated more than any other.
The thought of the mad unicorn king who had been sealed for a thousand years before brought with it a pang of regret. Celestia had managed to uncover some of her memories a little over a thousand years ago, a spell in particular. One that she could not for the life of her manage to successfully cast. When she shared it with her friend who was the ruling noble of the crystal empire, in hopes of him helping to solve the riddle. She thought at the time if she managed to cast the spell she might uncover more of her missing memories, but she had not anticipated the consequences. Her friend had indeed managed to solve the spell, and had successfully cast it. But when he did, something happened. Celestia never found out the truth of what the spell did, but the results were clear. Her friend was gone, the scene of the spells casting was nothing more than a scorched mess, it looked like the scene of a battle between two very powerful unicorns. But no body was ever found, because there was not one to find. Sombra had stolen the body of her friend, and proclaimed himself king of the crystal empire. The strange dark unicorn brandished powers that were unmatched by other unicorns, and had proved to be a difficult fight for Celestia and Luna, but they still sealed him away nonetheless.
The entire endeavor reminded her too much of the foggy memories she had. But it had managed to knock loose bits and pieces of her true memories. She remembered the spell being cast before, and that the one called Eclipse, as Twilight had recently enlightened her with her letter, ushered forth after the casting of the spell. She could not remember his face, but she knew who the victim of the spell was back then. A tear slid down her cheek as she remembered the wedding band around her horn. The bastard had removed all traces of what he had looked like, Eclipse had hidden himself, and then either inadvertently or purposefully the face of her husband. The only glimpse of Eclipse Celestia could muster was the one that plagued her dreams every night. A pair of jet black eyes, that held a thin golden ring that glowed with power, twin eclipses that stared down upon her broken and beaten form. Sometimes the pain would come back to her, other times the terror was so overwhelming that the pain was forgotten, regardless she always felt how close to death she was. The sight of the shadowy figure with the luminescent eyes staring down on her was all she ever dreamed of, those eyes, not holding contempt or bloodlust, but pity. The eyes looked down on her as if she was no more than an animal that had gotten in the way of a carriage, crushed under a force so greater than herself that she could not even fight back.
That would change however, if she had to take matters into her own hooves for justice, then she would do so. All she needed was more help than she currently had. Discord outright refused to leave Equestria, saying that he did not want to meddle in the affairs of another's home. That left Celestia only to rely on Luna and Cadence for help with this. She would need to extend a plea to other places, call in favors from unlikely sources. All she needed was more time, something that she did not know if she still had judging by the recent events. She only hoped that this Eclipse would not harm Twilight, and merely stick to fooling her for now.
"Stay safe Twilight, I will do all that is in my power to protect you..." Celestia mumbled as she watched her sun finally break over the horizon.
Thorfinn drummed his claws on the cobblestone ground as he sat guard before the house that the legendary king, and killer of countless lived in. He sat guard as his father went in to greet the once king, and the new princess, it was a punishment. One his father knew well would drive him to near insanity, the boredom was already taking its toll on Thorfinn. The young warrior had feared what his father would do to him as punishment, but he was hoping for something a little less cruel. It did not help matters that moments before the entire sky turned from day to night as the sun found itself blocked by the moon. Even after the sun and moon parted, the young warrior could not help but feel that he had been left out of something. Regardless he knew better than to leave until he was told to, his punishment for doing so would be tenfold.
The young wolf's ear perked up to the sound of hooves echoing down the alley. Thorfinn's amber eyes fell upon a lone mare who slowly made her way towards him, her head held high in a dignified pose. Thorfinn already did not like her, even before she made it up to him. The look on her spoke for her as she made her long strides up to him before stopping several feet away. She stood there for a full minute before clearing her throat and motioning a hoof for him to step aside.
"No." Thorfinn said, a frown plastered on his face.
"It is not a request you insolent welp." The mare said in a callous voice.
The dire wolf was standing up, towering above the mare within seconds, "Watch it, I am in no mood for insults."
"Then go chew on a bone and be a good boy." The mare said, venom dripping off her words.
Thorfinn's eyes widened as his pupils shrank to pinpricks. This mare clearly wanted to die, and if she pushed one more time he would be happy to grant her wishes. Drawing his axes, Thorfinn let out a low throaty growl in warning as his hackles raised. Saliva dripped from his mouth in an intimidating display that would normally leave all but the most seasoned foes backing away in fear, this mare however did not even blink at the display.
"Please, make my day mutt. Your kind does not scare me..." The mare said in a low threatening voice.
Thorfinn raised the axe in his right paw high above his head, but that was as far as it got. Within a second of him moving to strike, the mare had unleashed a torrent of icy magic that froze all that it touched. Thorfinn's runes of protection buckled nearly instantly under the immense magical force that hit him square in the chest. He struggled fiercely, but in vain against a thick layer of ice that had formed over his chest, legs, and arms.
"Stay..." The mare said in a mocking tone, "Good boy"
Thorfinn snapped his teeth at her as she trotted around him and entered the house. She paid him no further mind as she closed the door behind her. The young warrior's barks and curses in his native tongue died off minutes after she had disappeared inside the house. The rage clearing from his head Thorfinn now had time to think over what had just happened. The runes were weak from his fight with the dragon earlier, having not had a shaman around to repair them they were still only at half capacity, but they still should not have gone down that fast. As he thought of how strong the mare was a shiver ran down his spine, and it was not from the ice that now coated him. At least he had his thick fur to keep him warm, the ice would melt long before he froze.
"This has been an unlucky day for me..." Thorfinn sighed as he hung his head in shame.
Eclipse waved to Twilight as he departed the party. The two mares were still sharing stories with the old wolf, who loved the opportunity to gloat his life's achievements. The dragon seemed especially interested in the stories Ulf told, but Eclipse felt it was time for him to turn in for the night. It had been a long day, for he had today alone interacted more with Twilight than he had with anypony aside from shadow for weeks.
"She is... Different than I expected..." Eclipse said with a smile as he stared ahead of himself down the street.
From seemingly nowhere strode a stallion who trotted up beside Eclipse and then trotted with him, "She does seem like a very nice mare. Celestia did good raising her it would seem."
"Did you see her dance though? She could really use some lessons there." Eclipse said, trying his best not to laugh, and failing to stop a his smile from growing larger as he remembered the odd movements the princess of magic had made.
"True, though you have to hoof it to her, for a mare who has spent the majority of her life studying she knows how to unwind with friends." The stallion pointed out.
"Yeah... Hey, why don't we do this anymore?" Eclipse asked suddenly.
"Lurk through the streets like a pair of stallions out to get into trouble?" The stallion said in a joking voice.
"No, I mean spend time together and talk like friends should. Until recently you only ever show up to warn me of something big. What happened?" Eclipse asked, stopping in his tracks.
Like a shadow the stallion halted in perfect unison with Eclipse and turned to meet his gaze in perfect sync, "Because you need other friends, I won't be around forever. Twilight is a good start, but you cannot go on with only one friend. You need to allow other ponies to get close to you, open up your heart a little."
"Perhaps, but we both know how dangerous that could be..." Eclipse said with a sad smile now on his face.
"Uh oh..." The stallion said as he looked away form Eclipse.
Seeing the concerned look on his friend's face Eclipse followed his gaze directly down the street. His eyes adjusted to see farther down the street that lead to his house, and noticed that there was a wolf shaped ice sculpture in front of his house. 'No wait, his head is free, he's still alive...' Eclipse thought to himself.
"Okay, maybe not as dangerous as her..." Eclipse jokes as he looked next to him, but his face fell as he noticed he was once again alone.
"Oh sure, make me deal with your family issues...." Eclipse grumbled as he stomped over to his home.