//------------------------------// // 9 - A Shadow No More // Story: A Kingdom of Her Own // by Dizastrous //------------------------------// A Shadow No More "This place should do..." Eclipse mumbled as he looked around the cave system he had found his way into. The dimly lit cavern was bare save for the once king and the floating horn of Sombra. Eclipse closed his eyes as he focused his essence, and began to funnel it into his fellow immortal. The reaction was immediate, and bubbling oily black liquid began to pour from the base of the disembodied horn, as it began to expand and take form. A head was shaped first, its eyes closed as it floated there, then the liquid began to seep down and form more and more of Sombra's body. Before it had reached much past forming his chest, Sombra's eyes shot open. Glowing green and bloodshot, They locked onto the stallion who was concentrating as he fed Sombra the power necessary to revive. Eclipse cracked an eye open, and smiled at his brother from the other place. Sombra smiled back at him, and his gaze slowly turned more menacing as he smirked. Two black Crystals erupted from the ground on either side of Eclipse who jumped at their sudden appearance, and the once king ceased siphoning his essence into Sombra. Eclipse gave Sombra a questioning look before the crystals began to forcefully suck the essence from him. Eclipse attempted to cut off his flow of essence into Sombra, but to no avail as the flow of his life only increased as Sombra pulled on him. "What?!" Eclipse roared, eyes wide with disbelief and rage. "Hehehe..." Sombra chuckled as he began to form even faster than before, Growing strong off the stolen essence. Eclipse roared as he lashed out with his magic, shattering the crystals. He bared his teeth at Sombra, who merely kept laughing as more and more crystals sprouted from the ground and began sucking away at Eclipse's exposed essence. Eclipse's body shifted, and within seconds his horn was curved and his eyes released their black smoke. His black aura enveloped his horn, and he let loose several shock blasts to shatter the crystals that surrounded him. For every crystal that was destroyed two more sprouted as Sombra gained more and more power. "Fine then, if you are that consumed by hatred and your own madness I will show no mercy!" Eclipse screamed. Eclipse's magical aura abruptly changed. His horn looked like it had been set aflame, his magic danced like black fire as he channeled a spell. The ground around his hooves burst into flames that devoured light instead of letting it off. The fire spread out, and destroyed all the crystals. The now fully formed sombra snarled as his legs were left charred and blackened by the attack. "Give up, you are no match for me." Eclipse said in a warning tone. Sombra's face seemed to darken, before a vicious grin full of pointed teeth formed on his face. Sombra's body became a mass of writhing darkness, that launched itself at Eclipse who widened his eyes. Sombra sunk his teeth into Eclipse who was writhing in vain against Sombra's shadow body. With a burst of his black flames, Eclipse fended Sombra off, forcing him to unlatch himself from Eclipse's neck. Black blood dripped down Eclipse's neck, and Eclipse could feel himself weakening. Looking at the wound on the base of his neck, he could see that purple crystalline teeth were embedded there, and sinking their way deeper into his body. "What kind of damned magic is this?" Eclipse said in frustration as he decided it would be better to lop off a section of his neck to make sure the crystals were gone. Sombra readied to attack again, and Eclipse scowled as he prepared another spell. The two locked eyes, and both understood that the other had to die for them to live themselves. Eclipse let out a yell as he released his spell at Sombra who was once more diving at him. Twilight bid Heart of Gold farewell. She had had a long talk with the ancient stallion, and felt like she should heed some of the advice he had given her. She had always been afraid of letting anypony too close to her, more so when she learned that she would outlast any lover she would find. Friendship was as far as she had ever delved into love, and in recent years she had even been hesitant to allow herself too many of those, the pain of losing her five best friends was like a festering wound on her heart. But Heart of Gold implored her to reconsider her stance on this. He claimed that it did not matter if you outlived those you loved, as long as you remembered them always. It was with a small smile at the thought of how similar both she and Heart of Gold were. Though, he had experienced a lot more of the pain of loss than she had, and Twilight realized just how much like Celestia, Heart of Gold was. Both of them wore that calm parental look when dealing with anypony, and they had the same calm eyes. Twilight had seen Celestia show fury and hatred as well however, in times such as the changeling invasion. She wondered if Heart of Gold also could wear a fearsome look as that. Twilight stopped in her tracks, her train of thought momentarily lost. She had been strolling through the town, feeling around with her magic for any sign of more Zebras, but something else caught her attention. There was a Unicorn of immense power in the mansion a ways down the road. The building was walled off by weathered gray stones that had been mortered together, eight feet high. Trotting near the gate Twilight noticed that there was an emblem that decorated the center of the golden barred gate. The emblem itself did not look familiar to Twilight. But beneath the depiction of a starry sky on the emblem, was the engraving of the word Caelus. "That was Celestia's family name..." Twilight said raising an eyebrow and glancing through the bars at the mansion. A set of eyes stared back at her, causing Twilight to jump slightly at the stallion who she had failed to notice before now. "Anything I can do for you princess Twilight?" The stallion asked with a low sweeping bow. From the way he spoke, and the way he held himself, Twilight knew he was a noble. Not surprising from whose house she was apparently at. The stallion who looked to be in his forties was a light blue color with a combed back pink mane. His eyes were turquoise, the same color as his magical aura that opened the gate as he motioned for Twilight to enter. "You are here to see the Patriarch I assume?" The stallion asked with a smile as he lead Twilight towards the double doors that lead into the entryway. "Umm... Actually I was just strolling by when I stumbled upon your home." Twilight said with a light chuckle. "Ahh, then it is merely fate that has brought you to us. My mother may like to see you then, she is a firm believer in such things." The stallion chuckled. Twilight gave the stallion an apologetic look as he opened the door for her, "I am not going to be interrupting anything am I? I don't want you to go out of your way just because I am the princess..." "Nonsense, the Patriarch is done with work for the day, and mother is retired." The stallion said with a warm hearted chuckle, "I am Lumen by the way." "Well then, I shall accept your offer to meet your mother then Lumen." Twilight said as she entered the mansion. The interior decor was ancient in style, but well kept and most likely restored when the need arose. Twilight suspected this may have been the style that it had originally been built in. The curious thought of whether or not Celestia had lived here crossed her mind. Lumen then lead her up the flight of stairs the sat at the middle of the entryway, and wrapped along either side of the back wall as it split into the second floor. From here Twilight could better see the majestic chandelier that hung above the entryway. It was a work of both gold and silver that were formed into suns and moons. Gold and dark blue crystals decorated the piece, and represented night and day, the silver moons and blue crystals on one side, with the golden suns and golden crystals on the other half. The entire piece turned ever so slowly , and if Twilight guessed correctly, the enchantment that held the chandelier up also kept track of the time of day, and rotated it accordingly to face the double doors of the entryway. "That is an old piece that has been in this house since the royal sisters rule." Lumen explained as he opened a door for Twilight. "It's beautiful, I will be sure to tell Celestia and Luna about it next time I write them." Twilight said with a nod as she entered the room Lumen opened to her. Lumen frowned as he quirked an eyebrow, but then shrugged and smiled as he followed her. Twilight could see a Unicorn Mare with a pink coat and a light blue mane. She looked the inverse of her son, but had the same turquoise eyes. She sat, sipping a cup of tea as she used her magic to knit something. Twilight cast her gaze around the room and noticed that there were different books strewn about, over half of which were spell books. Somepony was studying something, and Twilight felt a slight pang of nostalgia as she thought of how often she left her home looking like this. "Pardon the mess, the Patriarch has been trying to locate something." Lumen said apologetically. "Lumen dear, who is it that you have brought in? I can't see that far without my glasses..." The mare called. "Mother, the princess was strolling by and I invited her inside." Lumen said warmly. The mare seemed to jump slightly from shock, as she hurriedly dug into the pocket of her bathrobe and retrieved a pair of glasses. With the spectacles on her nose, she blinked a few times as he eyes adjusted and Twilight became clearer for her. "Your highness! what an honor for you to come here." She greated warmly. Twilight approached the mare with a smile, and took closer note of her appearance. she looked to be in her late seventies, leading her to believe that Lumen was not the first of her children. "Thank you, I was just strolling by when I noticed a powerful Unicorn nearby. Following that I came upon your home, and recognized the family name on the gate." Twilight said as she took a seat on a chair and accepted a cup of tea that Lumen poured for her. "Ahh, did one of the royal sisters tell you their family name?" The mare asked. "Actually, they have no memory of their lives here. They have been magically suppressed." Twilight explained. "Hmm, that would explain a few things then..." The mare said with a frown, "But it is so nice to meet you. I am Stella, and I believe the Unicorn you sensed was my grandfather the patriarch. He is practicing right now in the back garden." "Your grandfather? He must be quite old then... No offense." Twilight added in, a small blush on her face for her blunder. "No offense taken, I know well that I am old, but more so is he." Stella laughed. "Lumen looks like he is very well versed in magic as well however. He has extremely well controlled magic." Twilight complimented the stallion who blushed slightly at this. "But of course, the Cealus family is host to some of the strongest Unicorns in Concordia. Only one other family can compete." Stella said with pride. "The Heart family?" Twilight inquired. Stella cringed slightly at this, "Yes, unfortunately they are just as promising a family as ours. But their family is currently in ruins after a small dispute for power broke out among their main branch." "I heard that Heart of Ice is the current matriarch, despite being so young." Twilight offered as she took a sip. "Truly an unfortunate mare she is. Killed her own parents to take the title of matriarch." Stella said shaking her head in disgust. Twilight was slightly taken aback by this, but she was getting more and more used to things working this way in this land, "I assume then that your family chooses a different method to decide who holds authority in the family?" "The same principal of the strong leading for us, but we decide it with tests and challenges to show your strength, not mortal kombat between family members." Stella said with a weary sigh. "Have they always been like that?" Twilight asked, not sure if she believed that Heart of Gold became the heir to the throne in that manner. "Actually, it all started with King Lion Heart. Heart of Gold's father. He believed that the only way to prove you were better at protecting the ponies of this land was to best the current defender. Heart of Gold killed him and then immediately ended a war we had been having. Ever since then the Heart family has followed in his hoof steps and dealt with disputes in such a manner." Stella explained. A surge of magic swept through the mansion, causing Twilight to tense slightly. She felt as if whoever cast that spell could have easily destroyed the entire manor with a single spell with that kind of raw power. "Oh my, he fears that he is getting rusty with his age so every now and then he pushes himself to his fullest." Stella said shaking her head. "Mind if I go meet with him?" Twilight asked, her curiosity piqued. "By all means, don't let me keep you your highness." The mare said waving a hoof as Twilight left, following Lumen. Twilight took note of a few peculiar art pieces as she followed Lumen back down the stairway and towards the back of the mansion. Portraits of hundreds of ponies, most likely past patriarchs and matriarchs decorated the hallway she was being lead through now. As she drew closer to the door at the end of the hallway that she suspected lead out into the back garden, Twilight felt a chill pierce the air. It was like she was approaching a frigid tundra, and as Lumen opened the door, Twilight was greeted with the sight of crystalline flowers, and intricate crystalline arches and sculptures. The ground had a fine powdering of snow, that stood in defiance to the fact that it was towards the end of the summer season. In the middle of the massive walled garden was a swirling tempest of ice and snow, that occasionally shot out a light blue beam of magic from within that would form more crystalline structures. As Twilight drew closer to the pony who was in the middle of the tempest, she saw just how detailed the ice flowers were, seemingly perfect icy duplicates. The tempest of ice magic suddenly halted as a surprised stallion gazed at Twilight from within. "Twilight? What are you doing here, did something urgent happen?" Frost Horn asked in a surprised tone. "F-Frost Horn? You are related to Celestia and Luna?" Twilight asked in a surprised tone that she had not been told by him yet. "Well, no... I married into the family." Frost Horn said with a shrug. "Why didn't you tell me?" Twilight asked, as she continued to gaze at the different ice sculptures. "I don't like to brag about my family status. Besides, it's not like it was that important really." Frost Horn said with a chuckle as he drew closer to Twilight. "Your spells were beautiful." Twilight commented as she walked beneath a crystalline archway. "Thank you, I practice daily to make sure I do not lose my touch. I find it helps keep me spry." Frost Horn said with a chuckle. "Sir, I shall be taking my leave then." Lumen said with a bow to his great grandfather. "Call me grandpa please Lumen. How many times must I remind you." Frost Horn said with a frown. "You will need to remind me more often than mother reminds me to address you as sir for me to get away with that." Lumen said with a chuckle as he left. "Confound Stella and her sense of tradition..." Frost Horn said shaking his head with a scowl. Twilight couldn't help but laugh at how Frost Horn now acted like a crotchety old stallion. He always seemed so full of vigor and power when he was with the other council members. But here at home, Twilight could see that he was still a very old stallion. "You may be powerful, but please don't push yourself too far Frost Horn. There are always others who can take your place if you are risking your health to do your duties for the council." Twilight said, her voice full of concern as Frost Horn grumbled about his family. "Nonsense, I may be as old as dirt but I still have at least another decade in me. My magic keeps me healthy, and I know a few spells to elongate ones life." Frost Horn said with pride. "Well, as long as you don't keel over on me in the middle of a tax meeting we should be fine then." Twilight said teasingly. "Don't tempt me." Frost Horn said, before smiling and shaking his head. "Stella seemed to be very cross with the Heart family by the way... Is there something I should know about that?" Twilight asked as she took a more serious tone. "No, that is simply the old feud the Caelus family has with the Heart family. My granddaughter is just as much a traditionalist as her late mother and my wife was. I fear it is something that most of the family shares in however. The only thing keeping the streets safe from our feud is my stance on keeping it non violent." Frost Horn said bitterly. "Would it really be so violent? How much hatred could there actually be between two families over a feud so old?" Twilight inquired as she tried not to slip on the ice bridge she was on. "You would be surprised how willing some ponies are to drawing blood when they feel like they are the best, and another claims to be better. Luckily however nopony is near my magical strength. So while my family dare not disregard my word, the Heart Family also fears me should they provoke a fight." Frost Horn explained. "Were things like that before you married into the family?" Twilight inquired as she finally decided on sitting on a bench made of ice instead of continuing her tour of the ancient stallion's work. "Yes, in fact my wife was arranged to marry me in hopes that I could bring about peace." Frost Horn said with a sigh, "I remember being reluctant to marry somepony I did not know, but I came to love her so much..." "I am sorry for your loss then." Twilight said, giving her condolences. "It is alright, we had many happy years together, and I will remember and cherish her always..." Frost Horn said sagely. Something struck a chord with Twilight, and she tilted her head questioningly towards Frost Horn, "Did you hear that from Eclipse?" "Yes actually, he taught me that long ago." Frost Horn said with a smile. Twilight doubted it was Eclipse that had said that. Eclipse only recently started learning the deeper meaning of love from what Heart of Gold told her. That meant that even back then Heart of Gold used to manifest and take Eclipse's place to deal with some things. Twilight would have to remember that, because it may actually explain a few things. "Princess... may I confide something in you?" Frost Horn asked suddenly. Twilight was broken from her train of thoughts by the somber tone Frost Horn now had, "Sure, what is it?" "I do not know when I will pass. With the war we are now engaged in, I daresay my life is in danger constantly. I will not abandon my post as a council member, but I would like to have you look over my family when I die. Stella is the next in line to be the leader of our family. She is very strong, but believes too firmly that our family has been cheated out of many honors by the Heart family. Please, make sure that no civil war breaks out if she decides to instigate Heart of Ice." Frost Horn said, a sad look on his face. Twilight frowned as she thought for a second, but then smiled at the old stalloin, "I will do my best... But would it really result in a civil war?" "The ties of our two families go further than you may think. All the unicorns either stand or will be pulled to one side from family or business obligations, and at least half the other ponies will be involved as well if the feud gets violent." Frost Horn explained, "I want you to know, if it is for the sake of peace... I want you to show no mercy to any instigators, even if they are related to me." Twilight cast her eyes down at the thought of how hard it had to be for him to ask her to kill his family members if it meant keeping peace, "I promise I will do my best to keep the peace between my ponies." Frost Horn stared into her eyes for a moment, "Thank you..." Heart of Gold yawned as he watched the mare before him practice her new found power. Heart of Ice's horn seemed to be ablaze with a pale blue fire, but everything her magic touched froze on contact. She was slowly learning better how to utilize it, and was even capable of blocking and consuming magic with her icy flames. "Hey Eclipse, have any other tips? This is impressive, but I feel like it could do so much more." "Try making a shield or a sword, just envision the object and let the magic do the rest. The magic of your heart is different than normal magic, you don't need to pour so much focus into it." Heart of Ice squinted as she focused, but the rippling blue flames only managed to form a billowing wall, not the tower shield she had envisioned in her mind. With an angry huff she let go of her magic and turned her attention towards the ancient stallion. "Can I get a demonstration?" The mare asked with frustration lacing her voice. "Sure, fire a bolt of magic at me." Heart of Gold said with a smile. Heart of Ice gave him a scrutinizing glance before shrugging and firing a bolt of blue magic at him. Instantaneously a kite shield made of golden flames broke into existence and devoured the magic. Where a normal magical shield would have caused the icy bolt to burst upon the shield, no explosion happened as it was destroyed by the golden flames. Heart of Ice gasped at the golden shield as her eyes widened in realization. "Heart of Gold?!" The mare exclaimed, realizing that Eclipse was not the one teaching her. "The one and only my dear niece." Heart of Gold said with a warm tone. "I... I had my hunches, but to know you still live within Eclipse..." The mare stammered. "Oh? We both thought you knew. You sure did a good job acting like it." Heart of Gold said with a shrug. "What's with the disapproving look?" Heart of Ice said defensively. "The family magic is supposed to show your truest inner feelings, and reveal what kind of a pony you are." The ancient stallion said with a sigh. "Your point?" Heart of Ice asked with a frown. "My father, Lion Heart, utilized his undaunted courage. My sister utilized her righteous anger, and I use my love to power the magic." Heart of Gold said as if lecturing a child. "Get to the point..." Heart of Ice groaned. "You utilize contempt, a poisonous feeling." Heart of Gold explained, "I do not like seeing a family member using such a tragic emotion." "Hmph, I thought you just said it shows our true selves. So how can you hate me fore that? According to you, it is merely who I am." The mare said with an icy tone. "I do not hate you for it, I feel sorry for you. Because despite thousands of years separating us, you are still my family and because of that I love you. It pains me to see you use it, but I will not stop you from being who you are. I would be a hypocrite if I did." Heart of Gold said with a sigh. "Oh... Well..." Heart of Ice mumbled. She had never actually had a pony say that they loved her before. Not even her parents had said such a thing. Whether they knew that she was such a cold mare even when she was born, or if they were merely too stuck up in their ways to give her the attention she wanted, Heart of Ice had never heard them say it. Though she could not claim to remember if they had ever said it during her foal hood. They had definitely never said it when she was old enough to speak. "Thank you..." Heart of Ice said quietly. "You are welcome. I understand your parents were rough on you, but do not let their lack of love cause you to live a life without it. You are still young but you should look to marry to carry on the family." Heart of Gold said in a teasing tone. "Wha-" Heart of Ice said in surprise that the conversation had taken such a sudden direction. "Oh come now, you are a very competent Unicorn. In time you could be one of the most powerful Unicorns in Concordia. It would be good for the family if you had offspring just as competent to keep the family safe." Heart of Gold said as he stood up from where he was sitting and stretched his back. Heart of Ice frowned in thought as she watched Heart of Gold stretch his limbs. She wondered if she should give him the reward now. She was basically done with learning how to use the magic, now it just came down to fine tuning it. If she kept progressing the way she had been, it would be a matter of weeks before she had all but mastered the magic. It took her only a few moments to decide however, and she lit up her horn and teleported away from the park the two were in. Heart of Gold gave a questioning look to the spot where she once stood, but he then shrugged and decided to wait for her. She looked like she wanted to get something. Though he was more of doing Eclipse a favor right now in tutoring the mare, he felt that Eclipse's magic may be getting taxed too much with the distance the doppelganger spell was currently being utilized. From the way he felt his own magic being drained by the spell, Heart of Gold had to guess Eclipse was half way across the continent. A flash of light and a crack in the air disrupted his musings, and Heart of Gold raised an eyebrow as Heart of Ice now stood before him, a small mahogany chest levitating in her magic. "I feel like you deserve to have this now, despite my training not being quite complete yet. Though I know not why he seeks it so badly. He has no use to raise an army." Heart of Gold said as she floated the box over the the ancient stallion. "You couldn't possibly mean that..." Heart of Gold started as he opened the box, but as he gazed at the ornate treasure within the box, "Oh my, you did..." "So what does he want with that any way?" Heart of Ice asked, "Is he planning to raise an army with it and finally crush the zebras?" "No, he only wants to make one pony with this..." Heart of Gold said softly as he raised the treasure from its box. The Heart of Gaea was shaped like an egg, but as large as that of an ostrich. It was encased decoratively in gold, with the green magical gem sparkling between the golden designs it was encased in. Heart of Gold could not see magic as Eclipse could, but he knew that if he could he would most likely be blinded by the magical aura this artifact undoubtedly gave off. Heart of Gold half expected Heart of Ice to have been bluffing, or to have acquired a fake, but this was undoubtedly the real deal, he could feel the power coming off it. "Why haven't you used it?" Heart of Gold asked in surprise. "I have no need for an army. Only a coward would rely on the strength of another to win their battles." Heart of Ice said as if she had been insulted. "Then it is good for the world as a whole that it was you who found it..." Heart of Gold said with a smile as he trotted forward and gave his niece a hug. "Wha-Hey!" Heart of Ice said, unused to such direct displays of emotion. "Heh, sorry. I am just too happy." Heart of Gold said as he rubbed the mares head playfully. "So what are you two planning with that?" Heart of Ice asked as she collected herself. "With this I will be able to live again." Heart of Gold said as he set the Heart of Gaea before him. "What do you mean, live again?" The mare asked as she eyed him suspiciously. "I am nothing but a soul within Eclipse who took over my body. While like this, I am merely a shadow. I can not feel, nor taste, nor smell. But with this..." Heart of Gold began. Magical energy leapt forth, and covered the Heart of Gaea. Immediately a stallion was brought into existence in a matter of seconds. The skeleton was the first to form, then muscle, sinew, and finally flesh. The fur took only a single second to grow in, and the mane and tail formed then after. The stallion stood motionless, a mirror image of Heart of Gold, though it lacked a cutie mark at all. The ancient stallion smiled as he walked toward the newly formed stallion, and he touched his horn to the copy's horn. Immediately a cutie mark of a golden heart formed on the flank of the copy, and the shadow of Eclipse turned back into merely a shadow as it shot away. The stallion opened its eyes, and breathed in a refreshing breath. "I am once more alive." Heart of Gold said with a smile that seemed all the brighter than it had before. "So... you..." Heart of Ice stammered at the implications. "I am once more able to live my own life." Heart of Gold said simply. "This is what Eclipse wanted with the most powerful and dangerous artifact to exist?" Heart of Ice said in a deflated tone. "The power to create life, may be a dangerous and wonderful thing. But it is not the most powerful. That title still lies in the absolute power of the Elements of Harmony." Heart of Gold said as he put the Heart of Gaea back in its box before tucking it into his own personal pocket dimension. "So... Does this mean you will be leading the family?" Heart of Ice asked warily. "Heavens no, I am finally free of all that dreaded politics... I am older than anypony else in the world, don't you think I deserve to retire?" Heart of Gold asked as he laughed merrily. "What do you plan to do then?" The mare asked as she watched the stallion closely. "I plan on helping those I love. Twilight will undoubtedly need a helping hoof with this whole war business. And you need to get the family straightened out... After all that is done and over with, I want to go see my wife..." Heart of Gold said with a sad smile at the end. "You seem... More lively." Heart of Ice decided to say, in hopes of leading the conversation away from the state of disorder the family was in after her hostile takeover. "I was getting burned out within Eclipse, I do not know how much longer my mind would have lasted. Mortal ponies aren't meant to live so long. But now, I feel full of life. I feel young again." Heart of Gold said as he took a deep breath and for the first time in more than a thousand of year, smelled the world around him. Twilight sat down upon her throne, and let out a sigh. It had been a long and eventful day, and she had learned a lot of things. She smiled sadly as she thought of how in her youth she would have been able to write multiple letters on the things she had learned. She now only needed to figure out where Spike was. She had hired a few ponies to gather some information, and to do some scouting to find him, but it would take some time. A strong surge of magic came to her senses, and Twilight quirked an eyebrow as she started to scan the city with her own magic. She found the source to be the now familiar Heart of Gold's magic. He seemed to have used a powerful artifact, nearby was Heart of Ice as well. "I wonder what those two are up to..." Twilight said to herself as she contemplated what Heart of Ice was planning. The mare had apparently made a deal with Eclipse, who was teaching her a very powerful magic that only the Heart family could use. While normally Twilight would highly encourage the betterment of ones self in terms of their magical ability, she had heard that mare was nothing but trouble. "I guess I should go check on th--" Twilight began before a crack filled the air and a large mass of blood and flesh formed within her throne room and landed with a wet, sickly sound on the stone floor. Twilight's eyes widened in horror as she took in the writhing mass of flesh before her. It was easily as large as three ponies, and its bloody, skinless flesh was covered in gnashing mouths and darting eyes. Tentacle appendages slammed upon the floor and began turning the monstrosity where it sat. As it turned, Twilight could see several dark purple crystals embedded into its flesh, the flesh around them covered in black oozing liquid. Twilight then nearly fainted as she noticed a partially formed pony face pressing its way from within the mass of flesh. It was Eclipse's face. "Twi...Light..." The amalgamation of flesh spoke in the voice of many ponies overlapping each other. Twilight wanted to scream, but the pained look on Eclipse's face within the monstrosity caused her to steel her nerves, "E-Eclipse? What happened to you?" The face pushed harder, and a wet ripping sound filled the throne room as it tore partially from the rest of the flesh, "I was cocky... Sombra had such strange... Magic..." Twilight then remembered where she had seen crystals like that before, and though she did not think it possible a moment before, she felt even more sick now, "Eclipse, where is Sombra?" "He escaped me... He ran away... After putting these in me..." The voices spoke in unison. "What is... Wrong with you?" Twilight asked, her concern apparent on her face. "Dying..." Some voices sighed, while the others spoke. "What?! How?" Twilight said, hearing something she thought she had been assured she would never hear. "These... Crystals..." The voices wheezed, "Tear at my essence... I have lost... Ability to control form..." Twilight then glanced back to where the crystals were embedded into Eclipse's flesh. The black ooze that was seeping into the floor and mixing with the blood there had to be what he was talking about. Twilight wanted to try to remove the crystals, but it looked like they were holding back a great flow of the ooze. Twilight then took note that any of the liquid that dripped away from him, dissolved immediately. "I will... Scatter into the wind... Like my essence... Losing... Memories..." Eclipse's voices said in a pleading tone, "End me... While I am still... Me... While I can still... Think... Feel... Love..." Twilight's expression was grim, "Eclipse, hold on now. Maybe we can figure somethi--" "Let me die as a pony!" The voices roared. Twilight sat there for a moment, as her eyes brimmed with tears, "O-okay..." Twilight stood, and descended from her throne. She stood before the gnashing mound of mouths, eyes, and blood, and she gave it a hug. Her fur became matted with the black ooze and red blood, but she bore through it to see off her friend. A tentacle patted her on the back of the head, as Eclipse's face turned towards her, eliciting more ripping so it could do so. "Learn... From... This..." Eclipse said solemnly, "Just Because... You love... Somepony... Doesn't mean... They wont... Hurt you..." Twilight wiped a hoof across her eyes to clear her vision, "What about Heart of Gold? If you die won't he as well?" The face of Eclipse smiled, "He... is... Free..." Twilight smiled at this, and once again hugged what was now Eclipse as she readied the Elements of Harmony. "Watch... Over... My... Little... Shadow..." Eclipse managed out. Twilight nodded as she bit her lower lip, "Goodbye..." "Bye..." The voices whispered as the Elements of Harmony shot out their power, destroying Eclipse's body. Twilight had never seen the elements do something like this before, it was as if they could sense that something did not belong in this world as they cleansed every last scrap of Eclipse's essence. From within the mound of flesh, the body of a pony was now visible. Eclipse smiled at her, and Twilight sobbed as a large hole opened up in his chest. The same wound that Celestia had inflicted upon Heart of Gold all those years ago. "Thank you." Eclipse said in his own voice, a feat that could only have been done with his last scrap of magic before he collapsed upon the floor lifelessly. Twilight scooped the cooling body up with her hooves, and held the first friend she had made in over a decade.