• Published 12th May 2013
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Lunar Eclipse: The Rock Opera - CrowMagnon



Set in the same universe as "Snowblind". Discover the history of Celestia, Luna and Eclipse presented through the medium of rock opera, with music by The Protomen.

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Part 2 - A Shadow Falls

Lunar Eclipse: The Rock-Opera
by CrowMagnon

While the stagehooves busily worked beyond the curtains to change the set, Pinkamena slowly walked across the stage. The spotlight tracked her as she went, and she turned her head to speak to the audience.

"And so the younger sister rejected the whispers from the shadows, but her thoughts lingered upon what it had said. She tried to take her mind off of the words which were already playing themselves over and over again in her heart, so she decided to hold court. This did not last long, as there were almost no ponies seeking an audience with the Princess of the Night.

"As the night went on, the younger sister's doubts took root deeper and deeper in her thoughts. Like weeds, these doubts drained the strength of conviction with which she had rebuked Eclipse. By the time she saw her elder sister again for their morning meal, it was not the shadow's voice that she heard in her mind, but her own."

As Pinkamena passed the center of the stage, the curtains began to part once more to reveal the actresses playing Luna and Celestia seated at opposite ends of a large banquet table. Luna's expression was downcast while Celestia studied her from across the table.

"You have not yet touched your meal, sister," Celestia observed. "What troubles you this morning?"

Luna glanced up bashfully before looking away, but she made herself hold her sister's gaze, shoulders hunched. "I... I held court last night."

"Oh dear, and it didn't go well? I hope that it wasn't too overwhelming."

Luna's eared flattened as she cast a glare across the table. "How could it be, sister? There was scarcely anypony there."

Trying to make the best of it, Celestia smiled and replied, "Really? Well, that is good, isn't it? During the day, the Court is so overfull that I can scarcely breathe."

"Yes..." Luna muttered. "Every supplicant I met made mention of how overburdened by admirers you were, dear sister. To a pony, they desired an audience with you, but you were so busy that you did not have time to hear them."

Celestia tilted her head, confused by the bitterness in Luna's voice. "Why should that surprise you, dear sister? It is only natural, considering..." The solar princess trailed off into silence.

After several awkward seconds, Luna lifted herself up with her front hooves on the table as she asked, "Considering what, sister? What do you mean by that?"

Celestia glanced off-stage and lowered a hoof beneath the table to hide it from most of the audience when she beckoned somepony over, though some were at the proper angle to see it. "I only meant..." Suddenly, a white, gold-maned unicorn in Guard armor stumbled on-stage as forcefully as if she had been shoved. Adopting a louder and more formal tone, Celestia looked to the unicorn and demanded, "Dame Sungleam! We are breaking fast with Our sister! For what purpose does thou barge in as though thine flank is aflame?"

'Sungleam' swallowed and bowed her head. Her voice stammered slightly as she replied, "My deepest apologies, your highness, but there has been an altercation between the ambassador of the Griffon Empire and Cardinal Minos of the Church of Aurox. A clerical error scheduled them both to meet with you at the same time, and they are about to come to blows over which one shall receive an audience."

Hearing this, Luna offered, "Perhaps I could assist in this matter?" Celestia simply shook her head with a weary sigh, however.

"Nay, sister, there is no need. Allow me to handle this, and do not worry yourself about such things. I will return as soon as I can so that we may continue our conversation, that much I promise you."

Luna pursed her lips before replying, "As you say, sister..." With that, she left the table and sullenly plodded away. As she did, the stage began to rotate so that she stayed in the center while Celestia and Sungleam fell out of sight. In moments, she passed through a curtain into a section painted in deep blue and indigo. A large four-poster bed was waiting for her.

Once alone, Luna let out a pained wail and threw herself onto the bed.

"Why? Why do I allow that pony's words to slither across my heart? And why, Celestia, why would you turn down my offer of help?"

Looking to the side, Luna focused her gaze upon a small box sitting on an end table beside the bed. As she rubbed her weary eyes, the princess reached out to pick it up with her magic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Shadow Falls
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Based on "Father of Death" by The Protomen)

After carefully moving the box and setting it down on the mattress in front of her, Luna gingerly opened it with her hooves. Once she did, a tinkling melody began to play.

While it played, a cone of light shone upwards from the open box, projecting an image in the air of two alicorns, one dark and one light, circling one another in a joyful chase.

"It was a simple tune. An ancient lullaby passed down from the days of the bygone Unicorn Kingdom," Pinkamena narrated, watching the scene. "The box had been a gift to Luna from her sister. 'We were meant to rule together,' she had said.

"Nevertheless, it was Celestia who took the reins of leadership, tending to her little ponies while Luna herself was cloistered away, devoted to crafting a starscape which few ponies would take the time to appreciate.

"The whispers of Eclipse echoing in her heart, Luna thought back to the years since their coronation and realized that not only had Celestia been growing ever more busy in managing their growing kingdom, but Luna's past offers of assistance had been gently refused by her elder sister. Even as Celestia became a greater part of their subjects' lives, Luna was set aside to fade from their thoughts."

With a despondent frown, Luna ripped her gaze away from the box's projection and shut its lid to stop the melody.

With the music box silenced, however, the jangling sound of guitar strings suddenly erupted from the stage, and Luna leaped up from the bed to angrily pace across the room.

Luna:

What do I say?

Is it true that my own sister just wants for me to keep out of the way?

Is there no place in even Celestia's heart for the warden of night?

No, I just cannot believe the fiend's whispers are true.

I do not want to be all alone.

"Only natural?" With all the friends we have lost, I thought I meant more.

I just wanted to help you.

What good am I here? Do I really just linger

alone in this room nopony ever sees?

I only cared about my night skies

and now nopony cares for me.

A princess in a tower alone!

"Not alone, Princess," said the voice of Eclipse as the music took on a more sinister tone. "You will never need to be alone again, because I am with you."

Luna's ears pricked up as she looked from side to side. "Thou again! Why does thou taunt me from the shadows, spectre? Show thyself!"

"Gladly your highness," Eclipse replied with a dark laugh a mass of inky blackness flowed out from the shadows beneath the bed.

Luna, facing away from the bed, failed to see it as Eclipse rose up, blood-red eyes burning like coals as tendrils of deepest shadow snaked out toward the Princess of the Night. Just as a high, foalish voice from the front row screamed, "Look out behind you," Luna turned to face the dark entity stalking her and reflexively reared back in horror.

"What?! No, this cannot be!" Luna tried to run away, but Eclipse's tendrils wrapped around her body, holding her in place while the monster stalked toward her. She tried to use her magic, but the instant that her horn began to glow, it was snuffed out, wrapped in shadow. She could do nothing but struggle ineffectually as Eclipse walked in a slow circle around her.

Luna: What sorcery is this?! (Eclipse: I shall prove my love now.)

We know not what thou are, (I will be a better you than you are.)

But this attack will not go unpunished

No matter what thou think!

Whatever thou seeks to gain... Thou shan't have it!

Whatever power thou hopes for... Thou shan't have it!

Whatever pain thou wishes to inflict... Thou shan't have it!

No matter what thou does to me... Thou shan't have...

Before Luna could finish, Eclipse spread its shadowy body like a pair of black wings, and enveloped Luna completely in a black embrace. A trumpet wailed as Luna struggled against her captor. The Princess fought in vain just to move, but only succeeded in throwing herself against the side of the bed.

This knocked the music box off to the floor, where it popped open and began to play its melody. The magical image of Celestia and Luna circling each other in balance and harmony shone in the air as Luna's thrashing slowed, eventually ceasing entirely. The audience could only watch in horror as the Princess of the Night became still, wrapped from horn to hoof in Eclipse's darkness.

And then, as one, they gasped when Luna suddenly moved again, pushing herself up to her hooves. As the dark alicorn stood tall, however, they could see that it was not actually Luna... or at least, not as they knew her.

Where Luna's coat was dark, the alicorn standing before the audience now had a coat as black as pitch. Instead of either the lovely blue mane of her youth or the flowing starscape that Luna now possessed, the black mare's mane and tail were inky, writhing mass of primordial darkness. And yet, despite this, the cutie mark which adorned the alicorn's flank was unmistakeably Luna's crescent moon.

Raising up a hoof, the black alicorn brought it down upon the music box, destroying the projection as it was smashed to pieces. She began to laugh loudly enough to be heard over the darkly triumphant blaring of the trumpet as it began anew. It was a cruel, sadistic laughter that bubbled up from the creature. Worst of all, was how it was composed of two clearly recognizable and distinct voices overlaid over one another.

"I shan't, Princess? Oh, but I shall," gloated the voice of Princess Luna, her sweet voice twisted into an evil, sneering tone as it was mixed with the villainous rasp of Eclipse. "From this moment on, it is Eclipse who rules the night!" With that declaration, the black alicorn threw her head back and laughed uncontrollably until the curtains closed.

Author's Note:

I'd like to thank a friend of mine who is an even bigger fan of the Protomen than me, for his advice on this section. I'd been torn between using this song as you see it presented here, or showing Luna's fall in a longer, pure-prose section and having this song attached to a scene which will be coming up soon. I hope you like how it turned out, and get ready for a party, because the next song on the playlist is "The Hounds." Granted, it's an EVIL party, but trust me, it's catchy as hell.

I'd also like to take the opportunity to make a few shout-outs. The "Church of Aurox" mentioned during the breakfast scene is loosely based on the Moomons from the ridiculously awesome (and awesomely ridiculous) Cowboy Fantasy webcomic,
The Dreadful.

The character of Sungleam is brazenly borrowed from the mind of FiMfiction author "thatguyvex" and his story, Fate/Lunaverse. Go check his stories out, especially the Lunaverse-canon "The Hero of Oaton"!