'Spose I should introduce myself before anything else, huh? Okay, my name's Eclipse, and I'm known throughout Equestria as a great daredevil flier.
It all started in Cloudsdale. As we all know, most pegasi in Ponyville come from Cloudsdale, and our crowning glories are the Wonderbolts and Rainbow Dash, only pony to ever achieve a sonic rainboom. And she did it TWICE. It's no secret that Rainbow is looked up to by almost everypony, and pretty much every pegasus in Equestria, including me, of course. I'm only a few years younger than she is, so I got to Ponyville a couple years later as well.
I was a huge fan of Rainbow Dash. Why wouldn't I be? I saw her perform the first sonic rainboom firsthoof in Cloudsdale. Since that day, I've wanted to be like her, but since I'm not the fastest flier in Equestria (there's actually nothing special about my flying at all, really), I learned that I would have to impress her.
That wasn't the simplest of goals.
I was in Ponyville when The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well came along. After seeing that the new hero could fly AND do magic, I knew she had to be multiple ponies (since there are few alicorns in Equestria, and all of them spend their time with royal duties). Even got an autographed photo of Rainbow. This was a while after I got my cutie mark, but shortly before I left to train as a daredevil pony.
Speaking of my cutie mark, it's a silver crescent moon (the open end is facing me), with a solar flare along the arc, also colored silver. It goes well with my sheer black coat and white and silver streaked mane. That's my picture up there; I'm also wearing my goggles in that picture.
So, the story of how I got my cutie mark.
When I was younger, I used to take joyflights. Sometimes for hours at a time. It wasn't unusual for me to fly for hours, sleep on a cloud for the night, and continue flying the next morning. Sometimes I imagined I was flying alongside Rainbow Dash. I even had conversations with my imaginary flying buddy.
It was actually one of these "conversations" that contributed to my cutie mark. I confessed to "her" that I didn't think I'd ever compare to her, and she responded by saying, "Why do you need to compare yourself to me? Flying fast isn't the only thing pegasi are capable of." I wondered what she meant and realized that there were times during my flights that I've had close calls. A LOT of close calls. My ears have had their share from my parents due to my recklessness.
Maybe I just had a really good sense of timing.
I wanted to test that theory, so I flew high above the clouds and once I reached what I felt was a good height, I closed my eyes and stopped flapping my wings. In the moment of suspension, I took a deep breath of the crisp air and began to free fall. I tucked my wings as tight as I could as I plummeted toward the ground.
About halfway down, I opened my eyes again. Not the best idea, really. The wind from my speed made my eyes water, but I had to know when to open my wings back up.
I'd done similar tricks before, but never from that height, and never at that speed. I'd have to open my wings earlier to compensate for each.
I was maybe a hundred feet above the ground when I opened my wings. It strained the joints and muscles, but I held out, adjusting their position as I neared the ground.
I swooped along the ground, about seven feet up I think it was, pulled myself up, whooping in joy as I did a loop. My smile never left my muzzle as I dropped my speed and landed on the edge of a forest. I looked to my flank and somehow my wide grin got even bigger when I saw my cutie mark had appeared.
From here on out, I figure a summary will do, since I'll explain in detail each story on its own.
After the Mare-Do-Well incident, I left to train with the Wonderbolts, where I was kicked out for being too reckless, then to Baltimare to improve my stunt flying. After that, I began touring Equestria, putting on shows for all the mares and stallions, colts and fillies. I even started taking some requests after a while.
More recently, Princesses Celestia and Luna invited me to perform a show in Canterlot. Princess Celestia mentioned she would invite Twilight Sparkle and her friends.
I wonder if she knew I almost idolized one of them?