Whilst trying to sleep, nightmares swarmed my mind. I was standing inside a court room area where a stallion was perched on a throne and another with his head down respectfully.
"My lord, Kalacos lives," The stallion in front of the man on the throne said. I was shocked when I realised it was the same one from my dream the other day.
"How could you fail at such a simple task. Our mistress took his memory from him so YOU SHOULD OF KILLED HIM," The man on the throne said now at full height. He was pure green with a sort of lizard tongue and sharp eyes. If I was actually there standing in front of him, I would have been terrified.
"I'm sorry sir, I made the mistake of attacking Athena whilst he watched, he was blinded by anger and if it wasn't for our mistress, he would of killed me," the stallion on the ground explained.
"Well then, you're lucky I wasn't there because if I witnessed that I would have killed you myself," he shouted at him. The stallion on the ground cowered in fear, looking like he was going to run away. "Ok, where is he right now?"
"He wont be a problem, he is in a small town with no memory of even who he is," the cowering stallion stated. The pony on the throne began to rise off his throne and approach him. "Please your majesty, I tried my best to execute your orders, but he was better then we thought."
"Don't talk to me about skilful combat, I sent you because you claimed that you were the best. So before you bow down to me and beg for forgiveness, do your job correctly," the king replied. "Now, they call you Snakebite, but I want you to prove that. We begin are assault the day after the eclipse, you will be the with the guards around the dark heart and don't you dare disappoint me again." Snakebite straightened once again, he looked like he was ready to protest but the king obviously wasn't in the mood to put up with complaints. He simply bowed and ran out of the room.
"You are to harsh on him," a shrilling voice sounded in the room as Snakebite left.
"Sometimes you need to be so they can do what they need to do," the king replied as he approached his throne once again.
"He will play a vital part in the days to come and if you push him, he wont be prepared to do what he has to do," she said. The king was silent for a while until he took his place back in his throne and glared out the door.
"Well lets hope, when the time comes, he wont hesitate once again," the king stated. My dream started to fade until finally, everything went dark.
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I woke in a start and peered aroudn the room frantically to take in familair sorrundings.
"Kalacos, you alright" Applejack asked. Hearing her voice, I am almost jumped out of my skin from her sudden appearance.
"Applejack, how long have you been there?" I questioned her, attempting to control my breathing.
"I'm sorry, I just came to wake you up but it seemed like you were having a nightmare," she explained. I looked at her in fear, but saw she only appeared to be worried about me and she had no idea what I was dreaming about.
"Oh, Im fine, it was just a nightmare," I lied. "When are we leaving for Canterlot?" I asked.
"We are heading to the train station in an hour. We are brewing up some breakfast to have before we leave, but first, you will need to change the hay in your bed before it becomes weared out," she explained. I lifted the blanket a little and saw that some of the hay had turned a sickly black and started to lose all shape.
"Alright, I'll meet you up there in a bit, feel free to start without me," I explained. She nodded slightly and made her way out of the barn and towards the big house one more time, I began to grab bundles of hay in my mouth and threw it into the wheelbarrow in the corner. I then grabbed some new hay, laid it out accordingly, placed the blanket down and smiled at my work. Suddenly, the smell of cooked food flooded through the open window and invited me to follow the trail.
After a filling breakfast and excited chatter, we packed some drinks and food into a bag and headed out towards the train station. The station was completely packed with stallions and mares alike. All the young ponies were charging around chasing each other out of excitement and the older ones standing around, filling the air wi4th a buzz of chatter. I approached the girls with Applejack at my side, and when they saw us, they turned and smiled.
"Hey guys, you excited?" Twilight asked.
"Sure are, seems like a big turn out," Applejack explained looking around at everyone.
"Yeah, looks like everyone from Ponyville turned up," I stated. "What is happening in the town?"
"Everyone is here. People had only heard of eclipses in legends and now that one is happening, who would want to miss that?" Rarity explained.
"Plus it's an excuse to take a day off work and visit Canterlot," Twilight added. The others nodded in reply and ended up rambling away.
After a few minutes, a faint sound was heard in the distance and a smoke trail shot up from the tunnel. A glamorous train arrived in the station and every pony began to shuffle towards the doors in excitement. But the real attraction was the inside of the carriages. The roof was emerald incrusted and tables had lined the walls. White chairs were dotted around the carriage but left enough space for breathing room. All in all, the carriages were perfectly designed to make the journey as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. I took a seat at the end of the cabin whilst the girls carried on walking up. The moment I hit the soft surface, my eyes began to feel heavy.
"Oh and Kalacos, I will try to get you a talk with Princess Celestia before the eclipse, but I wouldn't count on it. She has a busy day today so we will be very lucky if we manage to. But don't worry, will we get a talk with her either way," Twilight explained. I nodded in reply and gave her a appreciative smile before peering out the window as the train set out from the station and revealed the journey ahead.
Upon arrival in Canterlot, I saw how amazing the city was compared to Ponyville. The city itself was massive with cottages, Shops and Bakery's down almost every street. The train stopped at a station just a bit outside of the city and I got a good view of the castle, towering above all of the other buildings in the middle. It has golden spires which seemed to reflect the sunlight giving it a glowing mirage. But another building caught my eye. A giant golden dome with a huge telescope sticking out the top.
"That building is the library," Twilight explained.
"Its impressive," I pointed out as we made our way out of the station and into a busy crowd of people. "Is Canterlot always this busy?" I asked.
"No, the eclipse is a big event. Every pony in Equestria has heard about it, and since it is an open event, almost every pony will take the opportunity to visit Canterlot," Twilight replied.
"Who wouldn't want to come here, this place is amazing," I pointed out. The girls giggled and stormed passed me up the steps to join the rest of the ponies at the gates. When the soldiers opened them, a swarm rushed through and separated into different directions. Young ponies ordered their parents to buy them sweets and elderly pony were dining at some of the nearby cafes. We followed the main path leading towards the castle with a group of others, but we mainly left alone when we reached the gate.
"I'm sorry, no one is allowed in until... oh hi Twi, I am sorry, I didn't know it was you," A stallion in golden armour said, smiling at twilight. She approached and embraced the pony.
"Hey Shining, I am sorry to be abrupt but we need to talk to Celestia," Twilight explained. The pony in armour turned and looked at the giant doors warily.
"I would love to help you twilight, I could send a messenger up to Celestia but she is busy right now. Her and Luna have a lot of preparing to do, and with the flood of ponies in Equestria, the royal guards are on full alert just in case the Changlings attempt to take advantage of the situation. And we don't want that again," the stallion explained. The girls behind me began to smile, but with a mixture of worry like it brought back mixed memories.
"No we do not," Twilight replied nodding slightly. "How is Cadence?"
"She is good, you should visit the Crystal Empire soon, Skyla's birthday is coming up and we holding events for the occasion," the stallion stated. He then moved to one of the guards next to him and ordered him to do something. The soldier saluted and entered through the gates. The stallion then turned around once again, he studied the group and when his eyes landed on me, he began to frown.
"Oh right, how rude of me. Shining, this is Kalacos. Kalacos, this is Shining armour, captain of the Canterlot Royal guards, prince of the crystal empire and best of all, my big brother," Twilight explained.
"Quite a title," I replied and nodded respectfully towards him. He returned the gesture but he was still looking at me in concern.
"I'm sorry, It's just I feel like I have seen you somewhere before," Shining armour said. I turned to Twilight to explain but she was looking at me in confusion also.
"Erm... Kalacos has lost his memory, and that's one of the reasons we need Princess Celestia to see if she can help him recover them," Rainbow Dash pointed out. Shining armour slowly nodded whilst still staring at me, but he shook his head and smiled back at twilight once again when the soldier who entered the castle remerged and whispered something in Shining Armours ear.
"Ok. Celestia will see you before the eclipse, but she is busy right now so please come back to the castle in around... 2 hours," Shining Armour explained. He then averted his gaze to twilight. "Cadence and Skyla have arrived so if you would like to come with me and see them whilst the others explore the city, I am sure they would love to see you."
"I would love to. Do you guys mind?" Twilight asked turning back around to us.
"Oh not at all, I think I am going to go into the centre and do some shopping," Rarity said. The others nodded along with her and Pinkie began to bounce excitedly.
"You guys can go ahead into the town. I think I am going to check out the library for a bit," I explained. Rainbow Dash scoffed.
"Oh god, the last thing we need is another Twilight," she joked. Twilight gave her a death glare, said her goodbyes and began following Shining Armour up a separate path. I followed the others into town, but we split paths after a while and I followed a solo road towards the giant building in front of me.
I thought the outside of the Library was impressive, but the inside was even more breath taking then the exterior. The walls were lined with shelves which were filled with books. At least a hundred ponies were strolling around the library, but (due to the size) I could hardly tell. For some reason, I felt a strong urge to go over to a secluded part of the library where a single shelf of books were out of the way. I walked over and pulled out one of the book labelled "History Of Equestria." I thought it would be a good way to learn about my new home so I brought it to a near by table and began reading.
After what felt like forever, the girls walked into the library and approached the table I was sitting at.
"Hey Kalacos, we better head back to the castle soon, Princess Celestia may be waiting for us," Applejack explained. I looked up in a slight daze.
"Er... yeah, sorry, I kind of lost lack of time," I said, approaching the shelf and putting the book back. I turned around, shook my head and smiled at them. "Let's go find out who I am."
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A guard guided us through the castle. The halls were lined with giant windows which were painted with images.
"Isn't that King Sombra being defeated by Princess Celestia and Lune," I explained. "And that's discord... And that's Luna turning into nightmare moon," I said whilst walking down the corridor nodding towards each window. The girls looked at me in shock.
"How do you know all that?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"The stories were all in the book I read. I didn't realise how important this princess truly was," I replied, looking around the room in awe once more. We walked up a set of stairs and a tall throne appeared in front of us were a white pony with flowing rainbow hair stood talking to a dark pony with purple flowing hair. They didn't here us approaching at first, until the guard knelt in front of us.
"Princess Celestia, the visitors are here to see you," the guard said. The two ponies turned and smiled at the girls, they returned the smile and walked further up the steps towards her.
"Girls, I am glad you could make it. I am sorry I couldn't see you sooner, there has been a lot o do preparing for today. Forgive me for being rude but I must ask, why did you come to see me," Princess Celestia said politely. As if on cue, Twilight emerged from one of the doors on the side of the room.
"I'm sorry I am late guys," Twilight explained. She approached Applejack who was standing in front of the others and nodded her head respectfully. "Princess Celestia."
"Hello Twilight. And as I was saying to the girls, I must ask why you have come to see me so abruptly?" She asked Twilight.
"I am sorry Celestia, but we wanted help with a situation that happened. I will let Kalacos explain though," Twilight said.
"Kalacos?" She asked. Was it just me or did she glance nervously at Luna. Twilight smiled at me and I emerged from behind the other ponies.
"Hello your majesty," I said, bowing. When I looked up, she had a strange look on her face. The respectful smile that she was giving me was obviously forced, and her eyes grew darker.
"Hello Kalacos, and what seems to be the problem," she asked. I looked her in the eyes, but they drifted else where.
"Erm... well, It's sort of a long story," I said. I then proceeded to explain waking up in the infirmary with no memory, the back flashes that I have had and how I could cast magic (Twilight seemed to of thought it was important.) When I was done, Princess Celestia didn't seem shocked, in fact, she seemed quite relieved.
"So, you say you have no memory," Celestia asked.
"It's more then that. I attempted to use a spell to see if I could retrieve any, but... well, I believe they have been stolen," Twilight then explained. Celestia looked at Twilight with new found interest.
"Stolen? Why do you think that?" Princess Celestia replied.
"Well, when I was casting the memory, I could feel myself pushing through. But then, something forced me out. Something dark and alive," Twilight told her. Celestia was quite for a second. I turned to look at Princess Luna and saw her looking at me in shock. Both of them seemed to share a secret that they were not willing to talk about. It seemed like Celestia was about to say something when a guard opened the door.
"Sorry to disturb your highnesses, but it is time to get ready," he said. Princess Celestia seemed in some sort of trance, but she looked up at him and nodded.
"I am sorry girls. We will talk again later, but I must prepare now," she said. She then turned to me. She gave me a strange look at first, but she smiled at me respectfully. "Nice to meet you Kalacos." Luna and Celestia then turned and 3walked through a door behind the throne and up a set of stairs.
"Is it just me or was she acting strange?" Rainbow Dash asked. The other girls nodded slightly.
"I am sure it is just because she is stressed about tonight," Fluttershy pointed out, The other agreed with no other explanation, but I couldn't shake the feeling that they had met me before. I turned and forced a smile.
"So, should we go watch the eclipse then?" I asked. They returned the smile and walked out of the gate to the viewing point on the other side of the city
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Back In The Castle
"We should not go on with this event Celestia," Luna explained. Celestia was standing on the balcony looking over at her subjecyts crowd around, waiting for the Eclipse to appear.
"You know we have to di it now Luna. This world has gone for too long without replenishment, his appearance does not change anything," Celestia replied.
"It changes everything and you know it," Luna pointed out. Celestia gave her a scorning look.
"I know it could be dangerous Luna, but you know as well as anyone we need to combine our powers. If we do not, the consequences could be even worse," Celestia explained. Luna was getting ready to argue, but she knew how stubborn Celestia could be. She stayed quite and approached her side.
"Look at all of them," Luna said. Her sisters face was dark as she studied her subjects. "Equestria will be fine one more year without are light and darkness. If we carry on, not only could that be a danger for us, that could be a danger for all of them," Luna explained. Celestia looked down, she had tears in her eyes, but after a while she looked back up and turned to her sister.
"Luna, this world cannot wait any longer. The reason why so much evil has risen is because it has waited long enough. It has to happen now Luna, or else we could lose once and for all," Celestia explained. Luan then turned once more to look at the city. Inside, she wanted to leave and prevent the Eclipse from happening, but she knew there was no other way.
"Well then, we better get on with it before it gets to late," Luna stated, Celestia turned and smiled.
"Thank you for understanding sister," she replied. They faced it each other, and crossed there horns. Both began to glow, one was surrounded in light, the other was surrounded in darkness. The sky followed there command, the moon began to rise, but the sun stayed put. As the moon began to cover the soon, dark mist filled the fields outside the city. Suddenly, something inside Luna started churning, and the moon completely covered the sun. Luna suddenly shot back and Celestia looked at her in shock.
"Luna what are you doing?" Celestia asked her.
"I knew we shouldn't have done this Celestia," Luna shouted at her sister. Suddenly...
BOOM!!!
An explosion of darkness shot up from the crowd of ponies and Celestia looked down in horror.
"Luna, quick. We have to finish or else..." Celestia turned. She looked at her sister in horror as she was doubled over in pain. The darkness seemed to be attracted towards her skin, making her morph into a monstrosity. "LUNA!" Celestia charged over to her and rested her horn on her flank. The darkness was forced away with the light from the princesses horn, but Luna laid there unconscious. Celestia dragged her inside and opened a door to a different room shrouded with light, forcing the darkness to retreat.
"Rest easy sister," Celestia said. She then turned to the balcony once again and saw the mass of ponies dispersing in a wave of panic.
"It's going to be a long night!"