//------------------------------// // The Stranger // Story: Eclipse // by Golden Hoof //------------------------------// Chapter one: The Stranger It was another beautiful day in Ponyville, and the air was buzzing with excitement. Everyone was preparing for Princess Celestia’s birthday party, which was being held in the town on account of Twilight, who had insisted that the princess come to celebrate the event with the townsfolk rather than in Canterlot. Surprisingly enough to everypony, she happily agreed, and now preparations had to be made all over town for her imminent arrival the next day. Twilight, of course was overseeing the preparations for the event, and decided to stop by Sugar Cane Corner with Spike to check up on the food situation with Pinkie Pie. The lavender pony slowly trotted through the town, looking left and right to watch and record everypony’s progress. “Spike, what’s the status of the party preparations so far?” Twilight asked, turning around to look at her small purple assistant as she continued on through the busy streets. “Well,” Spike began, taking out an overly long sheet of paper, letting it fall loosely to the ground as he followed behind Twilight. “Rarity says that the décor is looking fabulous, and that she’ll have the whole town decorated for Celestia’s arrival by tonight. Fluttershy has all the birds preparing for her special musical number at her house as we speak, and Rainbow Dash reports that the skies will be all clear…” He paused for a moment, looking upwards. “…Now” Twilight turned her head upwards just in time to see the light blue pony streak past in the sky at lightning speed, clearing the last of the clouds from the sky. “Excellent," she added excitedly. "what about AppleJack and the main course?” “AppleJack and Big Macintosh said the food will be some of the best stuff Celestia has ever tasted.” Spike quoted enthusiastically. “Great! Now all we have to do is check up on Pinkie and the deserts, and the preparations will be finished just in time for Celestia’s arrival!” She turned away from Spike and began galloping away, quickly leaving her assistant behind. “Come on Spike, to Sugar Cane Corner!” “Hey wait up!” Spike yelled picking up his speed and quickly wrapping up the list, tucking it under his arm. Twilight felt the wind flow through her mane as she dashed through the crowded streets, shortly arrived at Sugar Cane Corner and spotting AppleJack and Rainbow Dash talking outside. “Hey Sugar Cube, how are things goin’?” Applejack yelled as the lavender mare approached. “Yeah, is everything gonna be ready on time? I mean, not that "I" won’t be ready, or anything.” Rainbow added boldly. “Yep, it should be,” Twilight said as she moved over to the group. “As long as Pinkie Pie did her part, everything will be ready for the party right on schedule.” She moved over to the entrance of bakery, using her magic to turn the knob. “I’m confident Pinkie Pie is-“ she began turning back to her friends as a large explosion of batter flew from the doorway, covering the her from head to toe in the gooey substance. The two other ponies immediately began laughing hysterically as Twilight stood, completely frozen from shock, just as a familiar happy-go-lucky pony bounded out of the door behind her. “Hey Twilight, you can’t eat that! It’s for the party!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, seemingly oblivious to the situation she had just created. “I figured as much.” She grumbled in reply, shaking herself in an attempt to get the batter off of her coat, which still remained slightly discolored even after it was all removed. “I’m going to go out on a ledge and assume that you’ve finished with the deserts?” “Well duh! I finished them like, forever ago!” The Pink pony said, rolling her eyes back in an annoyed look. “You really need to get with the times Twilight!” “How did I know you were going to say that.” She said rolling her eyes. “Now where is Spike? I need him to finish the checklist!” As soon as she spoke, a very disgruntled and tired looking dragon pushed between Applejack and Rainbow Dash and collapsed next to her, still carrying the now battered checklist under his arm. "I'm here!" he panted loudly. "I'm here!" “Ah excellent timing Spike, I need you to take a note…” Spike groaned, taking a deep breath of air and pushing himself from the ground to unravel the list, only to be thrust back down as a yellow and pink blob tackled into him. Dust swirled up around the group, obscuring Spike from view. However through the screen of dust, they could just make out the silhouette of a Pegasus. It was a very distraught Fluttershy, rubbing her head as she recovered from the recent tumble. “Whoa... Fluttershy? Is that you?” asked Rainbow as the dust settled around them. Fluttershy finished massaging her head, suddenly looking up with a fearful expression. She quickly began waving her hands manically in the air and pointing in the direction she had flown in from. “Fluttershy? Oh good, I need a full report about the entertainment situation!” Twilight exclaimed, clapping her hooves together. Fluttershy continued her rapid arm waving, seemingly unable to speak, pausing only when Spike pushed her off of himself, gasping for breath. She hovered a few feet and began doing a series of strange moves and flips, babbling incoherently. “Is something wrong Fluttershy?” Rainbow finally started noticing her friend's distraught, only to be interrupted by a loud voice from behind. “What is all this racket!? Don’t you people know how strenuous it is trying to match all of these colors to maximize their fabulousness! I demand to know everypony involved in this !” A rather frustrated Rarity exclaimed loudly as she approached her friends. “Somethings wrong with Flutteryshy.” Explained Applejack. “She keeps waving her hands around and pointing, but she ain’t said anything.” Fluttershy continued waving her hands pointing off in a seemingly random direction, adding a few occasional meeps to her game of charades. “Fluttershy, stop it with the games. I really need your report as soon as possible!" Twilight stated firmly, her patience wearing thin as was apparent from the tone her voice began to take. "Man Twi, why are you being so harsh to Fluttershy?" Rainbow interjected, almost stunned at Twilight. She turned back to Fluttershy, fluttering up next to her and wrapping her hand around her shoulder. "Come on Fluttershy, whats going on? Just take a deep breath and tell us slowly." The yellow pony paused in mid-air, taking in a deep breath of air trying to relax herself. "Ugh, we don’t have time for this! Fluttershy, if you won’t give me your report, I’ll just go check on your progress myself.” She stated angrily as she strided past her friends. “Look Twi, she’s really scared right now. If ya would just simmer down and wait here for a few more-“ Applejack began then suddenly stopped abruptly. “A few more what, Applejack? We can’t stay here and play guessing games with Fluttershy all day when there is still hours of work left to do for the Princess's arrival in case you forgot! As much as i'd love to help Fluttershy, I have plenty of other things left to do today, so if you'll-” She stated as she continued walking, interrupted as she collided head first into something or somepony. She fell onto her back, her world upside down. She saw her friends, their mouths agape and staring at whatever she had just run into. “Oh my gosh I’m terribly sorry!” Twilight began to apologize as she rubbed her head where it had collided with the ground. She began to twist herself upright when she suddenly felt her body being lifted up by an unseen force, flipping her forward to face whoever she had bumped into. Her eyes grew wide with fear as she finally caught a glimpse of the figure she had run into. The pony, or whatever it was that stood before her was several feet taller than Twilight herself, and was covered from head to hoof in a dark brown cloak the dragged along the ground several feet behind it. She was ready to shout for help when she heard a friendly female voice from beneath the shroud. “You should pay more attention my little pony, or you could really hurt yourself!” the voice happily exclaimed. She tried to say something, but her voice fell short as she was set safely to the ground, the magic barrier that had suspended her fading away. She looked up, her face sharing the same startled look as her friends. For a moment, she thought it was Celestia wearing some sort of trench coat, “She has to be at least the same size as Celestia.” Thankfully, the awkward silence was broken by none other than Pinkie, who bounced up and down happily. “Oh goodie, a new visitor!” She said jubilantly as the hooded figure turned to leave. “Wait!” Twilight called out at the figure as it began to disappear into the distance. She shook her head, bolting off after the figure while the rest of her friends stood and stared. Pinkie Pie, unlike the rest of her friends however, began hopping off right after Twilight, disappearing with her. “H-hey Twilight wait up!” Rainbow shouted as she took off after Twilight and Pinkie. “Yeah don’t forget about us Sugar cube!” Applejack yelled as Rainbow blew off. "Oh this isn't going to end well I can just feel it!" Rarity stated matter-of-factly, whipping her mane around her neck as she broke out into a sprint behind her friends. "Oh dear..." Fluttershy finally chocked out, charging after the group. Now alone, Spike finally had collected himself to become aware again, sighing as he realized there was more running to be done. "You guys!" He yelled after the group to no avail. Sighing heavily to himself, he grabbed the flattened list, tucking it back underneath his arm and sulking after his friends, now little dots in the background of ponies now flooding the once empty streets. Twilight eventually caught up with the figure, jumping in front of her path to stop her. “Who are you?” she began asking as curiously and quickly as possible before the figure even had time to realize she had jumped in the way. “Why are you so big, and why haven’t I seen you before?” The figure chuckled lightly lowering herself down to eye-level with Twilight. “Patience, friend. I’ll happily answer all your questions to the best of my ability.” She started slowly, suddenly surrounding the hood covering her face with magic and sliding it back behind her. She was a unicorn, with a beautiful white coat and a long, bright red mane that flowed in the wind similar to the way Celestia’s did. Despite her looks however, she had a gaunt look about her expression, as though she hadn't slept in a long time, or had just recently been through a traumatic experience. “My name…” she paused, “…Is Cherry, I’m so big because… Well I just am I guess. And to answer your final question, you haven’t seen me before because I just arrived back in Equestria.” She bent down further, now eye to eye with Twilight. “And just who are you, miss “pony-who-asks-so-many-questions?” she finished grinning happily. Twilight twisted her head to the side curiously. Twilight Sparkle, but you can just call me Twilight.” She said blushing bright red with the realization of her excitement. This quickly faded as she thought of another question. "But if you just arrived in Equestria, where have you been all this time?" "Oh, you could almost call it an extended vacation. I was off exploring the outer territories of Equestria, on an adventure!" "So you're like an explorer?" Twilight interrupted beginning to shake with excitement. "You have to share some stories of your adventures with me!" "Perhaps some other time little pony. I actually have some business in Canterlot to attend to." "Oh my gosh are you in the Royal Exploration Committee?!" "Well not exactly... But I really have to get going now." "No don't leave yet! You gotta think of something to get her to stay!" Twilight began thinking quickly to herself. "Aw don't leave just yet! You could at least stay for the party..." she started, trailing off to entice Cherry to say the correct phrase." “Party?" she began, and just as Twilight had predicted, Pinkie Pie, as if on cue, suddenly popped in between the two grinning from ear to ear. “It’s a birthday party for Princess Celestia!" Pinkie began in her usual voice for when it came to discussing parties. "She’s going to come down tomorrow, its going to be so much fun! There’s going to be all kinds of food and party hats! Oh oh oh! And don’t forget about the games!” Pinkie Pie began droning on about the different events and ponies that would be at the party as she normally did. Twilight smiled as her Pink friend continued on about different flavors of cake, then stopped nervously as she turned and saw Cherry’s face change from a friendly grin to a dark stare. The large equine apparently noticed it, because she redirected it to somewhere off in the distance. “Uh… Is everything alright, Cherry?” Twilight inquired wondering if it was the wrong idea to use Pinkie Pie in the delicate negotiations that were going on. Cherry blinked twice, nodding her head as if she were in a trance previously. “Oh, I’m sorry Twilight, its just… I haven’t heard Celestia’s name in a long time.” “Wait a minute, you know the Princess, like personally?” Twilight interrupted, growing more curious by the second. Before Cherry could answer however, the remaining ponies finally caught up, panting from the long run. Cherry scanned the group, who now watched her carefully with tired eyes, shifting in place nervously. She smiled brightly at the group, looking back to Twilight. "Will you be introducing me to your friends miss Sparkle?" "Oh of course!" Twilight said turning to the group. "Everyone, i'd like you to meet Cherry! She's an explorer who's passing through and may be staying for the party tomorrow!" She turned back to Cherry, pointing to each of her friends, listing their names as she scanned over them with her hoof. "This is Rainbow Dash, thats Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and I believe you and Pinkie Pie over here have already been acquainted!" She finished grinning in as a friendly manner as possible. "Well, i'm so happy to meet each one of you!" Rainbow Dash hovered forward, her head hanging low. "Yeah, sorry for getting so freaked out at you back there..." She choked out, apologizing. "Yeah, we did freak out a bit back there..." Fluttershy added quietly, blushing to herself. "We all did act a bit... Hasty and the like. Hope you can forgive us ma'am." Applejack added. "I believe I was more afraid of that absolutely dreadful thing she has wrapped around her!" Rarity finished in the only way she knew how, garnering angry looks from most of the group, except Pinkie Pie, who was still going on about the party, despite having started the discussion at least a few minutes ago. “So… Will you be staying?" Twilight inquired as Cherry lifted herself from the ground, towering once again far above the rest of the ponies. "I mean, if you don't have a house or anything, you could always stay at the library with me for the night. It could be like a sleep-over!" Cherry moved her hoof to her chin, looking up pondering the idea. "Well, I was supposed to be in Canterlot by Friday, and today is... Wednesday I think? I mean, I guess I could stay if-" she was quickly interrupted by a gleeful cheer by Twilight, who quickly turned bright red at her sudden outburst. "I mean... Excellent!" Twilight corrected herself, her face still bright scarlet. "Now if you will all just follow me... Oh, wait... Where is Spike?" she said finally noticing the absence of her assistant. She squinted, looking off in the distance, eventually spotting a small purple dot against the horizon. "There he is! Everypony follow me!" she began as she began trotting off in the direction of Spike. As she passed by him, Twilight snatched him up and set the very tired dragon on her back, where he quickly dozed off, using the now torn checklist as a small pillow. The group, now complete, ventured on to the library. Cherry followed close behind the little lavender pony as she led her and the rest of the group to the library where she would stay for the night. She ensured she kept the same carefree smile she had plastered over her face during he first encounter the whole way as to not draw any more attention to herself than need be. “Not that anyone will even recognize me.” She thought to herself. “Strange that fate would have me meet Tia again so soon, on her birthday of all times. Oooh if only she knew who would be making a surprise visit." She snapped back to reality for a brief second, feeling her face twisted up in the same look she had made when the pink pony had spoken of Celstia. She corrected it as quickly, returning back to her thoughts. “But what kind of surprise will we give her?” Suddenly, another voice appeared in her head quietly hissing at Cherry from the back of her mind. “After almost two-thousand years and your memory is still as sharp as ever I see. Completely forgotten about the entire plan again, haven't you? You would never have gotten this far if it hadn't been for me.” “Yes of course Eclipse I know…" she thought slowly to herself. "We’ll just have to go over the plan again tonight, I suppose?” “Apparently so, because you’re too incompetent to remember the simplest of schemes. Yes, we will review tonight, and you /will/ remember it this time. Is that simple enough for you? "Y-yes Eclipse." "Also, hide your emotions better! They will suspect something and it will endanger the whole plan if you keep losing control like you did earlier! We absolutely cannot miss out on this golden opportunity!” “Yes… Sorry…” “Don’t be. Fix it or you’ll never get what you want.” “Alright… Don’t be so mean to me…” "Don't forget your place, Cherry. You are mine, and if you don't follow my directions correctly, all of the choices you did made in the past will have been a massive waste of both your time and mine, and you don't want to know what happens to ponies who waste my time. Especially those who waste two thousand years of it." The voice added coldly. Cherry felt it echo around her brain several times before the voice disappear. "I-I said ok! Stop talking to me like this, I won't fail you! she thought fearfully, snapping back to reality again as she nearly tripped over Twilight who was standing before a giant tree that she assumed was the library. “Alright, we’re here!” Twilight said anxiously. “It’s looks magnificent! You live here?" Cherry stated putting on the familiar cut-and-paste grin she had stored in her memory, struggling to push Eclipse's recent outburst from memory. "Yeah I guess." Twilight said blushing, turning her attention to everypony else. "Alright girls, go finish up your jobs, and i'll be out to make the final preparations as soon as i've gotten Cherry settled in." waving them off. The group finally separated without much talk, each pony going off her own specified duty for the party. “Yep, come on inside. The sooner we find you a place to sleep, the sooner we can finish up with the party preparations! Its gonna be a big day tomorrow." Twilight finished as she entered through the front door. "Indeed it will" Cherry heard Eclipse add sinisterly in her head. She shivered as she followed the pony inside, shutting the door behind her with her magic.