The New Line

by Prince Aeon

Chapter 7: Eclipse

Emma/Aeon

Eclipse... My dear Eclipse, the Stallion that I've met this particular day, was all this time... Aeon? He gave his life to protect me.
"You are right Emma, Eclipse choice was clear, he wanted to get rid of Corr and Paradoxus, for him, there was no other solution"
The voice was in my head, it was neither a Stallion's nor Mare's. But it sounded like millions of voices together.
"Who... who are you."
"It's me Emma, it's Aeon... You are my host now."
I stayed silent... I couldn't know what to say.
"You doesn't need to talk Emma, we are one now, I can read you taught as you can read mine. The knowledge of ten thousand years of living rest in your head."
"Aeon, I need to know, why did neither Wit or Aera came to help... you?"
"Eclipse knew that he had to bring Corr to blind himself with power, he managed to make Corr to reveal who helped him and find a way to destroy him. Sadly, he had to make the sacrifice in the process."
"But now that I am the spirit of Time... What's going to happen to Sarah, my sister?"
There was a short silence.
"Back home, I will take control of your body for a short time, when you'll be back... you'll see."
I heard a noise behind me. I turned around to see Pisces standing back up.
"Pisces, are you alright?"
She shook her head.
"Yeah... I'm fine... I..."
She paused when she saw me.
"You... you look different."
I didn't understood first, I didn't felt anything different in my body.
"Your eyes... There are just like..."
"...Aeon?"
I understood what she meant, I had eyes like Wit, Aera, Aeon... her... I had the eyes of the titans. She looked down on his body.
She went closer.
"Is that... Aeon?"
I thought for a moment...
"Yes... and no... he is Eclipse, third host of Aeon, as he sacrificed himself to save me and Equestria, he had to transfer the spirit of Aeon... to me."
"I can remember what happened with Corr, it was like if I was him, but I couldn't control... I saw what happened to him, how much he suffered. I was scared...and I still am."
"Pisces, do you know where is Raven?"
She pointed behind me, Raven was lying on the ground.
"Raven!!"
I flew directly over her and held her in my hooves. Her eyes opened slowly.
"...M...Mom...?"
"It's over Raven... It's over..."
"Where's dad?"
I froze... what to answer to a three years old filly? She saw Eclipse's corpse.
"...oh..."
"You too remember what happened?"
Tears came out of her eyes as she slowly nod. She looked at Pisces in fear.
"It's okay Raven, she is your big sister..."
I looked at Pisces that finally had the family she wanted.
I went close of Eclipse's body and lifted it with magic.
"We must give him proper funerals."

Flare

I couldn't believe my ears. Aeon's third host, Eclipse, the one that raised me as his own child... died?
I cannot cry, but if I could, I would. He saved me from the flames as a filly, he protected me, he fought her own daughter to guard me.
His body was on a cubic stone, in the temple of Time, surrounded by all the Alicorns. Celestia, Luna, Emma, Nucleus, Pisces, Gleam, Raven, Tide, Draft, their daughter Mist and Glaze, Cadance, Aera, Wit and Me.

There was the coldest silence I've ever saw.

Wit stood up.
"We are gather here to send Eclipse Nightfall in the afterworld by releasing his soul directly in my hooves so he wont need to find his way to heaven. His sacrifice, to save Equestria, shall never be forgotten by us, Alicorns, that keep memories alive and true. Third host of the time spirit Aeon, he protected during five thousand years the ponies of Equestria, he cared more about the life of the others than his own. Yes, like everypony, he did mistakes, but the faith of death shall forgive al his sins."
As she said that, I used my magic to slowly make a trail of fire float around the circle, around Eclipse, to finally, slowly make the corpse take on fire.
Everypony stayed quiet as looking at the flames purifying the body.
Tide came close to me.
"Did you ever know about his name?"
"No, he never mentionned it, ever. He is the savior nopony knoes but everypony owes."
Wit looked at the body, she looked a bit frightened, she whispered to her brother. Aera looked a bit shocked, then he whispered back.
Wit stood back again.
"There is something wrong, Eclipse's soul is not in this body, actually, it's not even in the after life."
Everypony were whispering, stunned.
"Indeed, apparently, Eclipse's soul is still somewhere and we need to recover it to release him."
Emma looked scared, what happened?
In all the quarrels around us, I could hear her whisper....

"Eclipse..."

Pisces

I couldn't go with Emma, Aeon... I don't know anymore... My other self, my sister... Gemini was too dangerous to go in a crowded place such as Ponyville...
What was going to happen to me now? I found my answers, I lost everything and I can't keep in cities...
I walked during days, weeks, months... then suddently, the decor seemed familiar, oldly familiar... I entered the village I looked at the sign, it said "Galloponia". It was my home.
The streets were crowded with ponies, as far as I can remember, it felt like I could recognise each one of them. Suddently, one of them saw the Alicorn I was and he soon was followed by the others. Fastly there was a giant silence and everypony was looking at me, scared, confused, sad or happy? I slowly walked in the crowd that moved out of the way as I was approaching. A voice came out of the crowd.
"Pisces?"
I turned around to meet his eyes, Lige... Last thing I remembered of him was that he revealed to me that everypony lied to me.
Hate was growing in me...
"Lige... I tought you died five thousand years ago?"
"I what? Five thousa... Pisces, I woke up this morning and I was still here yesterday... You dissapeared months ago!"
It seems like they don't remember the events with Corr... Like if the fact that all the souls were released from him... Made things back to normal...
back to normal...

Back to normal...

Emma/Aeon

What happened to Eclipse? I couldn't understand... he died in front of me. His soul should have been released...
"I can't understand either Emma, Wit said that he wasn't in the afterlife. He have to still be in Equestria."
"I know Aeon, there is nothing we can do for the moment, my priority now is my daughters, we have to take care of them."
"Wit and Aera are already looking for him. Indeed, we shall take care of Gleam and Raven. Oh! I almost forgot..."
My eyes closed by their own when I opened them, Sarah was hugging me.
"Woah! Where did you came from?"
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you Aeon!"
"I missed something! What happened!"
"Aeon spoke to me Emma! Since you are both the same person and you had to take care of Time, he gave me something!"
She showed me her flank, she had the cutie mark of Hope... Aeon gave her what she always wished for... Aeon made her the pony she wanted to be.
"Oh my! Sarah! This is wonderful!"
She was crying of joy.
"This is the best thing that could happen to me Emma!"
"I know Sarah... I know..."
"What's wrong?"
"I already miss him..."
"Aeon? But I thought you..."
"No... Eclipse..."
"We will find him Emma."

We will find him.

The End?