Solstice in an Eclipse

by -Brutus

For Fate Never Waited for Anypony

*Patter patter patter patter*

“Ugh, my cigarette,” a voice echoed a little bit in the streets of Manehattan. Tipping his black Gatsby cap before looking up at the sky, the pony raised his voice with a mixture of annoyance and sarcasm, sarcasm taking up major part of it. “Damn you weather pegasi, you just ruined my last cigarette.” Flicking it away, he resumed his trotter, yawning. It was pouring heavily outside. Grey clouds brewed around above in the sky, depleting their contents. Street lights flickered on and off, and most of apartment’s lights were off, signifying ponies sleeping. As he trotted, he finally came into view under the flickering street light. Briefly showing him, his features became clear. He was a lonely white pegasus with a streaked red mane, standing there briefly. Most ponies were scared of him; it wasn't because he was a stranger. What was off-putting about him were his crimson eyes. He was adorned with scars on all four legs, and some were visible on his chest, though they were faint. Major scars that he had were hidden on his lower chest and belly.

Little fillies would say to their parents: “He scares me.” Such a simple statement, while their parents would freeze in their spots, scared that he could look at the real you, not just you. Your soul was open to him. Instantly imaging that he was a violent pegasus due to his scars, which were always last to be noticed. When he arrived in this city about a year ago, after wandering town to town just scrapping by, sometimes he would have to eat and run so he could have food in his stomach. He would steal sometimes to acquire bits for the next few weeks; he was outcast to all but himself. Orphaned at a very young age, his parents died - he didn’t even know them that well, either. All he remembered about them were the white coat and a warm smile, though his memories were very fuzzy. He had no role model to teach him about life. Risk himself had to learn what was wrong from right from scratch, from trial and error - his scars were a testament of his experiences throughout his life. His family wasn't exactly warm and welcoming, either: they just threw him out, casting him out because he was different from all pegasi and ponies in general. Not to mention that he was also a blank flank at an age where ponies should already have theirs.

Risk didn't mind it... very much. Stretching his wings, he saw some light prodding out at the end of the street. It was a coffee shop; he dryly chuckled. He peeked his head in after opening the door a little bit, only to be greeted by the sound of a door bell, followed by a voice. “Welcome to Koffee Kat! What service can I-”

Risk walked up to the counter, rummaging through his pocket before the pegasus and threw some bits on it, smiling while taking a napkin out of its dispenser, then proceeded to start drying himself off with it. Still in motion, he swiftly took his cap off and set it on an empty seat next to him.

“Risk- I should have known it was you. Why don't you just come in during the day?”

Shrugging and resting his eyes on the coffee-maker, he responded, “You should know by now: I'm... not much of pony-pony. The only reason I come in to talk with you and pay for your service, as well as your good-to-goddess coffee, is that you don't attempt to pry into my business.” He clapped his hoof, subtly changing the subject before the other could reply. “So, have any new coffee recipe that is brewing back there that has the potential to kill me? Affogato…?” The brown-coated earth colt with an even darker brown mane – and, not so surprisingly, brown eyes, with a coffee brewing cutie mark - snapped his head toward Risk, glaring at him hard before guffawing, “In fact...”

“Eeep!” Risk rebutted, becoming a little nervous with the bad vibe that Affogato was giving off. That earth pony made some of best damn coffee in this city, but his eccentric personality toward coffee was something to talk about. He experimented with coffee, trying out some new and crazy recipes. Some were very good, and those were added to the menu. But some tasted god-awful. Risk grimaced, thinking it wouldn't be possible to describe some of them at all. The last recipe that he created was good to taste, but to his stomach, it was like being stabbed and then having the knife twisted around. Spent about half a day of his life inside a bathroom. He shuddered as that memory resurfaced inside his head. Again, that train of thought was deterred by the sound of a cup clunking on the counter with the announcement, “If you can drink this and be satisfied with it – or, as you put it, have it ‘nearly kill you’ –” he waved his forelegs in and air-quote before continuing – “you don't have to pay for it.” The colt paused before continuing on. “However, if you don't want to - I’ll take your bits and brew up the usual.”

Risk's brain had an internal battle. Ultimately, getting free stuff overpowered his common sense, so he picked up the cup and drank it – slowly, I might add.

Moments passed before the realization came to him that nothing happened! The same words echoed in his head repeatedly. Risk sighed slowly, letting relief wash over his body as realization that he wouldn’t face “death” this time came about. He chuckled briefly, as it was still echoing inside his head, before finally speaking up. “This is a good cup. Not bad. Tastes like the café mocha that you created about a month ago.” Oddly enough, that brown colt sighed as his own relief washed over him. “Thank Celestia,” the brown colt laughed. “Thanks for your help. At least you didn't die this time.” Risk stared at him briefly before joining him for a laugh. It was small load off his shoulder; they kept talking throughout the night, about boring stuff that Risk didn't even remember. He mentioned that there was the Summer Sun Celebration that was coming up, but Risk just waved it off.

Another day, another routine. This went on for a couple of weeks, just wandering in the “The Big Apple,” sleeping throughout the day and visiting his “friend” once in a while at Koffee Kat. He did return to some not-so-approving activities that he did to support himself. He scored a gem in a caper and sold it for about two hundred bits, which wasn't too bad, since that was plenty to support himself for three weeks at most if he stretched the “budget.” The first thing that he purchased was a new pack of black clove cigarettes; he was moderately happy, even if he was fooling himself. Unwrapping the plastic wrapper off the cardboard container, he took out one cigarette. He finally kicked the nicotine he needed to the curb as he took a long drag. Grey smoke filled the air around the pegasus, without a care about Equestria or the rest of the world.

One day, that routine was broken forever. On the day of Summer Sun Celebration.

When the bright sky turned into night and never changed back into morning.

Fate had something planned for him.
For fate never waited for anypony.

What tipped Risk off that there was something wrong was the general panic on street: organized chaos with hundreds of ponies in all sizes, age and three races looked up to the sky where Celestia's sun was supposed to be. Everypony kept asking same stupid question over and over: “Where is the sun?” Then it lead to “Where's Princess Celestia? What's wrong with Princess Celestia?” It was the “day” after the Summer Sun Celebration, and Risk just wrote it off to Celestia being sick, or something along those lines. Exhaling as he lit up his drag, he looked up silently to the moon. It was too cold, yet beautiful, just staying up in the sky.

However...he was wrong. Dead wrong.

As the story goes, it was the day of Summer Sun Celebration in some small town – Ponyville, it was – where Princess Celestia was supposed to go to greet her subjects and her personal student that she took in when she was filly. The other powerful alicorn, sister of their sun-goddess, was known as “Mare in the Moon” Princess Luna, but better known by her moniker name, Nightmare Moon, escaped her thousand year imprisonment. Princess Celestia had fought Nightmare Moon but failed miserably, as she couldn't wield the Elements of Harmony herself. Their duel ended with Nightmare Moon banishing her to her own sun.

Six of the Elements of Harmony had fought, but failed. As time passed, more information came out that five of those elements were alive as well, but the sixth was taken prisoner by Nightmare Moon. Rumors went around like that for while; nopony was sure what exactly had happened. Nothing was out of place for a few days after that supposed event; it was still bit of routine for Risk. He didn't care, as long it didn't affect his life. But one day, everything got shaken and turned upside-down when Nightmare Moon finally claimed her throne and began her terrible rule of Equestria. Darkness crept all across Equestria, as more and more ponies became scared and angry about recent events. Rumors that were believed to be untrue and fabricated turned out to be accurate to the T. Tons of rebellions and branches of them, from lower-class ponies to higher-class, and even some royalty, taking up the cause of bringing back Princess Celestia, spawned all across Equestria as well, bringing about the beginning of total war. He learned soon after that he would not meet his “friend” for while, as he joined a rebellion and was going to fight against Nightmare Moon and her dreaded rule. Somewhat disappointed that he wouldn't get to drink his coffee for a long time, they shook hoofs as a good-bye. Affogato turned around and left Risk in front of his coffee shop, heading off to fight Nightmare Moon and her army. It was permanently closed, but as a token of his friendship, the brown colt “loaned” the place over to Risk, so that he could take care of it in his absence. The great city of Manehattan literally got silent: nopony dared to wander around or do business. It was eerie; the city that never sleeps had just entered into a coma.

In a few weeks, Equestria was plunged into chaos. Risk had to adapt and fall into a new routine when new laws that were made up by Nightmare Moon were implemented. It outlined the absolute obedience to the new queen, and if anyone was caught rebelling against it, they were captured, imprisoned or killed. The new “keeper” of the coffee shop was a witness to the laws in question; he watched with his own eyes as some ponies were ushered away into a wagon and carried off. Some were killed on the spot when they attempted to reduce Nightmare Moon's military might, even if it was one lowly peon soldier. While this was going on, the crime rate went up exponentially- robberies, muggings, and similar types of crime were common as ponies had to fall back to those methods to survive. He was one of the lucky ones - he could survive off the stock that Affogato had for his shop.

Sitting there silently in the darkness, no lights were on in Koffee Kat. The scent of cigarettes lingering, Risk rested his head on his crossed forelegs on the counter. Suddenly, a loud explosion shook the earth, causing Risk to snap his head up. It was in the distance, and he could see purple smoke turning black; everypony in Manehattan was watching from a distance. In high towers, on the street, in the air. The air was filled with the wrenching sound of a battlefield.

He threw the door open and left, but not before locking it up. Flapping his wings, he took off into the air toward the battlefield. He wasn't sure why he was doing this, but it seemed that something was calling out for him. Taking a breath as he landed on the outskirts of the fighting, he saw thousand of spears, swords, halberds, and magic spells filling up the air - arcing upward then downward. What stood out was...

This smell.
This is was the scent of death.
This was the goddamned fragrance of war.

The sandwich and coffee that he had for lunch that day decided to go out another way than usual. He held his stomach, keeping a keen eye on the gruesome scene of thousands of dead ponies. Pegasi missing their wings, apparently cut by swords; unicorns burnt to ashes from magic spells; and earth ponies disemboweled. Guts, blood and parts were spread about. Dragons and various other miscellaneous species on both sides fought, their roars filling the air. Groans, moaning, and yelling took place, but what struck him the most was the crying. Death was inevitable for some ponies: they couldn't avoid it, even if they had the will to do so. Slowly, he scanned the field. Fate clicked into place once again as he saw Nightmare Moon smirking with a victorious face. Thinking that she had unnatural beauty for such a dark alicorn, he shook his head.

Ignoring her, slowly a smaller unicorn came into his field of view. She was a dark purple unicorn with a few fresh, red scars slashed across her body. Slowly, he took in her features: the straightened but darkened mane. Her eyes seemed dead: there was no remorse, sadness, anger, or any form of emotion in them.

For some reason that struck an chord for Risk: his heart hurt like never before. It felt like there was something just twisting his heart. His eyes started to water and become glassy with tears, because he knew those eyes. In the past, he used to have those eyes. Breathing heavily, all kinds of emotion recoiled around his body as his repressed memories flipped through his head. At that moment, he learned more about himself than in past 16 years altogether. He collapsed into the ground, crying; he used to hate himself, until that moment. Emotion that was bottled up all those years spilled out just like that, because of those eyes. After a few minutes had passed, he got up slowly from his position, with his mind and emotions resolved - he could not allow another pony to be like him, ever again.

White ears perked up, he listened, but there was nothing- silence. Slowly raising his head, he peeked carefully over the hill.

The same sight met him, but that purple unicorn had vanished, along with that damned alicorn. It got deathly quiet; too quiet. A lump in his throat developed, and he couldn't shallow it. Breathing became slow and heavy as he slumped on his flank.

“I have to meet her… but how?”

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Proof-read and edits by Doom_Pie. Thank you!