Under the Moon and Sun

by Demarshmallow96

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure
Length: 11907

Set in the Reign of Discord, a pony named Solar Eclipse becomes Princess Luna's adopted son, and lives through events leading up to Nightmare Moon's Banishment

Many years after settling their differences, and forming Equestria, the ancient pony tribes lived in a great harmony, in a bond of which was thought to be inseparable.

One fateful day would have it; this very harmony would cease to exist, the day of which began the devastating rule of the one who is only known as Discord.

It was not, as some had predicted, the end. Pony kind pushed on, and the legendary duo Luna and Celestia were born. As foretold in legend, it would be these mares who would weald a power so great, it would take more than a millennia to even begin to understand it.

However, their conquest over Discord was not on their own, and was not without consequence. As a small colt would soon learn: some things are not what they seem.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-07-25 05:13:09 UTC

Chapter 1

    Have I done bad things? Yeah, you could say that. I've done good things too, but bad actions over-shadow all good deeds I will ever do. Don't believe me? Let me show you... My name is Solar Eclipse. I was as ordinary as anyone else until I met Princess Luna and became her son. She taught me everything I know, but now she's gone, and I'm stuck in this jail cell for all eternity. How? Well, it's an especially long tale, but I've got nothing but time, so I might as well start at the beginning;

Growing up was not easy, easy wasn't Discords style. He’s the definition of Chaos, after all. Under his reign, the ground itself looked like checkered tile, in a sequence of random colors. Tree’s morphed into cardboard, all water and liquids were turned into chocolate milk, making glass was the only drinkable thing available. Our houses managed wood, which we found on rare occasions. When the sky turned grey, instead of a refreshing downpour, we were met with an ill fate. Being the sadistic creature he was, the rain was explosive and composed of chocolate milk. We were forced to run into a caves so we didn’t blow up. Unfortunately, some ponies weren’t so lucky, and among those were my family.

We were inside of our house when the storm brewed.  My father told me to run for the cave, everyone else needed to pack important family necessities. I wanted to help, but my family forced me to leave, and there was little I could do to resist their will. I was nearing the cave when a something caught my attention; I turned to see the house I called home imploding and it released a bellow of shock that rippled across the land. I waited at the opening to the cave, with an empty hope that my family would appear over the horizon. Rain was standing by my side during this. She could just see in my eyes what had happened, I couldn’t hold it back, no one could. I sat there and my vision became obscured by the collection of tears forming. Every explosion I heard made it hurt even more. I didn’t let up until the rain stopped. We left the cave with nothing but the few remains of land we once called a town to greet us. No house was spared the devastation. My former home was gone, demolished by the rain. The ground was littered with charred pieces of wood and cardboard. Upon further inspection, there was no mistaking the mixed remains of my family. I became separate from reality for what felt like an eternity, my mind attempting to comprehend the situation. Why did he have to do this? Why? What did we ponies ever do to him to deserve this. In that moment, I swore vengeance on Discord, whether it was before or after my death, I would avenge my murdered family. Discord was a creature known for rubbing salt into the wound. He made our little town of Manehatten suffer by turning our food into rubber, and having our tools morph into chocolate as we attempted to rebuild.

One day, just as random as life had been, the torment stopped. No one knew why, he simply disappeared. Trees became wood once more, and our food supplies reverted to their edible state too. The harmony was short lived. The tree’s became useless cardboard once more, the ground regained Discord’s signature checkerboard pattern, and though the explosive rain was non-existent, it still rained chocolate. We rebuilt our town little by little, and were able to get a good supply of food to distribute to the populace. Everyone had to work together to help out, since a lot of the families who lived here didn’t make it. I was the sole survivor of my family. Rain was spared my fate, but others were but a smidge more fortunate. After months of hard work, we had rebuilt the majority of our town. We were able to construct a new school house, which was helpful since most of us were still young. I refused the offer to rebuild my house, for it would have reminded me of my family. I chose to sleep outside, letting my ceiling become the night sky.

I had formed an insatiable passion for the stars, and I always looked on with awe. The night was beautiful, every star twinkled like the rain water used to when it bounced off the rooftops. Among the stars, stands the moon, earning a respect in the sky. I became obsessed with astronomy, searching for every book on the subject and memorizing every constellation I could find. At this moment, a wonderful event occurred. My cutie mark appeared. It was a dark crescent moon arced around an red hour glass. I searched every book and was astonished to find nothing that could explain this perplexing symbol to me. Though, among the readings a mare called Princess Luna caught my eye, for she was responsible for raising the moon every night. I had her to thank for my new found comfort in the night. I even began disowning the day, sleeping until night fall. I would dream without end of the night sky, just as I saw it while I was awake. I dreamed of a sleigh that I would one day build. Though hazy in memory, since it was a dream, I always remembered that it would match the night sky in color. I would have stayed dreaming all my life if Rainstorm had not intervened and coaxed me into attending school regularly.

Rainstorm and I had clicked since day one. We were both born around the same time, I being only a bit older. Our families had always worked together, got along, and helped each other when chaos occurred.  Now with what had happened to my family, they were taking care of me. Even with Discord pouring chaos down upon us every once in a while, we tried to have a decent childhood. Whether it was playing Hide’n’Seek around town, or watching the stars at night, we had fun together. Unfortunately, she had one problem which subjected her to ridicule. She did not have a cutie mark, and at school, almost everyone picked on her for it, especially Emerald Crown, who was apart of the richest family in Manehatten. Shadow Night, and Birch Tree acted as our royal guard, should anyone try to make fun of us. There were two prominent groups at the school: our group, then Emerald’s makeshift “Goons”. One day, though, Emerald said something that changed us forever. At recess, Rain, and I, along with the others would hang out under a cardboard tree somewhat secluded from everyone else. As we talked about what we had learned earlier that day, Emerald walked right up to us and blurted out.

”You guys would have more friends if you didn’t hang out with this BLANK flank.” That statement immediately made Rain cry, and I was about to tell Emerald off, when all of a sudden a spiteful cloud appeared over Emerald and zapped him right on his flank. He ran away in pain and scared as the cloud followed him around the yard drenching him in regular rain and thundering, threatening to zap him again. Everyone pointed and laughed at him as he cowered. I looked at Rain, and she stood smiling, reared up like a wolf ready to attack, but then I noticed something on her side. She glanced at me, then made a confused face, wondering what I was looking at. She then looked down at her side and her mouth went agape. A grim cloud with dark rain drops materialized there. It was as if someone gave her a big present. She became giddy and jumped around with the widest smile I’d ever seen. Everyone in the yard, except of course for Emerald, crowded around her, admiring her new  mark.

“Alright, don’t suffocate her!” I yelled, pushing people back because Rain was starting to get overwhelmed with attention. Days after the incident, Rain and our group of friends became a bit bigger. A few ponies from Emerald’s group became friends with us, and apologized for making fun of her. News of what happened spread all across Equestria, which caught the attention of our leaders, Luna and Celestia. They decided to pay our town a visit one day.

    The day started out fairly normal. The night previous I stayed up all night star-gazing, all the way up until sunrise. As I headed toward school, having got no sleep, I was tired and exhausted, so when I got to the school, I sat down and immediately fell asleep. That’s when my dreams began once more. The dark, eternally star filled skies watched over me. Every time I had this dream, the sleigh would become built more and more. I was tightening one side of the skis when I sensed a presence. It was as if someone were watching me. In my silence, I looked around and searched my surroundings, there was no one. I returned to tightening the skis when that something that had caught my attention appeared in the corner of my eye. I turned to see what was stalking me.

“Who’s there?” I said, in a gruff tone. I won’t lie, I was startled, but not necessarily scared. I moved towards the direction I thought the presence bolted, only to find nothing. As I returned to the sleigh, I went to tighten the bolt when I found it had been already tightened. In disbelief, I dropped the wrench, then someone giggled behind me. At this point, saying I was scared is a understatement, I jumped and bolted to the nearest bush that looked safe enough to hide in.

“Oops, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” said a mysterious voice, “Come out, do not be afraid.” I stayed where I was. Then the bush gained a shade of blue, then levitated a few feet in the air. Standing in front of me, was Princess Luna. At first I couldn’t believe it was her, I had heard stories about her and Celestia, but I never would have thought I would ever meet her, let alone meet her in my dream.

       “This is too real.” I said.

       “Indeed, but you are still dreaming. I have taken notice of your sleeping habits. Why do you sleep during the day, but lay awake at night?” As I was about to answer, she took a look around, and I think she figured out why I was sleeping.

       “Do you find solace in my night?” she asked. Still digesting the situation, I answered,

       “Yes” I said.

       “It must be stressful, for during the day, you have chores to do around your town. Doesn’t that make you tired and drowsy during the night, like everyone else?” she said.

       “No” I answered, “I just, enjoy the night as it is. Ever since my family was killed by Discord, I stay up all night because it helps calm my sorrow, and it makes me feel comfortable.”

       “I am sorry, Solar.” Luna said. She then took interest into the sleigh I was building. “This looks nice,” she said, “How long have you been working on this?”

       “Since I’ve taken interest in the night.” I said.

       “Impressive, perhaps one day, you could build this in real life.” Luna said, sending a wink my way. “You should wake up now, things will change sooner than you think.”

I awoke to see Luna standing to my left and Celestia to my right.

“Hello Solar Eclipse, I’m Princess Celestia. I see you have attracted the attention of my sister, Princess Luna.” Luna smiled, and then said,

       “Yes, we share similar interests when it comes to the night.”

       “Really?” Celestia said, “That’s an odd statement.” Celestia must not have met someone with a night interest as me, with the exception of her sister of course. Luna then whispered something to Celestia, I think I knew what she said, because Celestia’s eyes became apologetic.They turned away for a moment, then began murmuring between themselves.

       “It was nice meeting you, Solar.” Celestia lifted her head and turned toward our teacher. “We are here to speak with a filly that lives in this town, Rainstorm is her name.” Celestia said.

       “Me?” Rain responded. She looked surprised, I guess she didn’t expect that they were here to speak to her. They must have heard about what had happened with the that storm cloud Rain conjured up. Our teacher walked them outside, and pointed them toward the raincloud.

       “Ah, yes, you,” Luna said. “We have heard about your arcane abilities, and we found it best that we meet you in person.”

       “Oh, about what I did to uh, you know, Emerald” Rain looked toward Emerald, and he stuttered back from where he was standing.

       “Exactly, you have a special gift, which we believe can be mastered. We would have great use for your talents, and we are the ponies to help you control them. We would like you to join us in our efforts against tyranny.” Celestia told her. At first, Rain looked at her with confusion. She glanced between the two sisters, then glanced to me, who had a smile gleaming through on his face. She sent a smile back and turned to the sisters. She hopped up into a proud stance, her nuzzle raised high, and said.

        ”I would love to assist you, Princess!”

       “Good, now, we must go, there are better protected areas we may go to, to properly discuss this matter.” Celestia said. Celestia urged her through the opening of the door. Rain attempted to look back toward me, but she was cut off by Celestia’s body.

       Luna waved off her sister. “Solar, I too would like to speak with you, but I feel as if we should discuss this matter in a more private setting.” She raised her horn into the air, and a veil of magic surrounded us, and began to glow bright. A burst of magic light emitted from the both of us, and seemed to re-appear in a completely different setting. It was too dark to make out the environment. “ I want to ask you something.”

       “Sure.” I said.

       “How did your family die?” Luna asked. My heart hurt, I didn’t like talking about what happened, even to Rain, but I couldn’t ignore her.

       “One of Discord’s storms hit, and  we were in the house. I was told to run to our fallout cave as they needed to pack family things. I just got outside when a droplet hit the house and exploded. They were either in pieces when the raindrop exploded, or crushed when the house collapsed. I was helpless, the rain just kept coming...” I started to tear up.

        “It’s alright, little one,” Luna replied. “Would you mind taking me to where they are buried?”

       I hesitated a little,

       “Sure, follow me.” I started walking to the cemetery.

       The cemetery was quiet, that kind of quiet that sorrow thrives on. All the graves held ponies who didn’t deserve what had happened to them. Whether it was from old age or Discord’s tyranny, death isn’t fair, but then again, death is the only way out sometimes. We walked by grave after grave, as we passed them, you could almost make out the cries of the ponies, screaming for help and justice from premature death, although it was my imagination . The Manehatten Cemetery wasn’t a fun place to be, never. We finally arrived at the tombstone which had the following inscribed on it, “HERE LIES THE ECLIPSE FAMILY” My heart sunk, and I couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. I just stood there and cried. I was unsure of what Luna was doing. She stood strong, without emotion, or so it seemed.

        “I understand what you are feeling Solar,” Luna said, breaking the heavy silence around us. “You have lost your entire family, and I'm sure they miss you, but you need to let them go, they would have wanted it that way.”

“How can I? They’re gone, how will I remember them?” I said.

“Remember them in your heart.” She paused, then looked toward me. “I will take care of you now” Luna said. I turned and looked at her, my shoulders relieved of their pressure. I ran and hugged her, tightly. I had stopped crying, I felt calm and happy, not because now I have a princess for a mother, but to have her as a family. She put me down and he started walking back towards town. I stopped and took one long look back at my family’s tombstone, I felt as if all four of them were looking at me, I know they would have wanted it this way.

“Quickly, little one, we don’t have much time.” Luna called out to me. I sped up to meet her.

        We arrived back at town to find Celestia and Rain waiting for us. Rain’s family was there, saying goodbye to Rain. They also said goodbye to me, since they had cared for me for since that terrible day.

“Hello there Solar, I thought Luna’s idea of her taking care of you was a great idea, Im glad to have you apart of our family.” Celestia said.

       “Thank you, Princess Celestia.” I  replied

       “Ah ha, that’s Aunt Celestia to you.” she said back, winking at me. I smiled back. After saying goodbye to everyone, we left Manehatten with our destination being their camp where Celestia and Luna are preparing their plans for Discord.

Chapter 2

I heard a small chuckle from Luna as we trekked on.  After many hours of travel, a sight for sore eyes laid over the horizon. Spanning for what seemed to be miles was a massive array of tents, each accompanied by a large flow of ponies, shifting between the tarps, as if they were all being tugged along by fast moving ropes. The air was stale with the scent of molten metal, and was cluttered with the cacophony of abrupt chatter, and iron works. Only one voice managed to stand out from the crowd.

“The Princesses approach!” Blared a loud stallion, suited in armor. Suddenly, the network of ponies stopped. Horns raised to the sky, and sang out. Knights gathered into a pathway to greet our group. “Long live the Princesses!” He cheered. The crowd exploded in unison, cheering those words. Luna and Celestia bowed before the crowd, then they led us into a tent decorated with maps, and drawings of pathways. In the center of the room, stood a massive table, cluttered with figures of ponies.

        “For a long while,” Luna began, ”Discord has become too much to cope with, so we are planning to overthrow him and his reign of Chaos.”

        “Cool.” Me and Rain said in symphony.

        “But before we march in on his throne, we need soldiers to be trained for combat. Eclipse, I will teach you my personal form of swordplay, consider it an honor.” Luna said.

        “I can’t wait to learn.” I replied. Luna grew a smile.

        Celestia turned to Rain, ” I trust that you will be better suited for archery; it is a fine skill.”

       “Let’s do it.” Rain replied.

        “Good, lets get started.” Celestia said.

For the following years, Luna taught me everything she could. Luna first taught me her personal form of sword fighting, which was dual wield katanas. She also showed me some hoof to hoof combat in case I was disarmed. Next came the academics: arithmetic, geography, history, and the best subject, science and astronomy. Luna knew every star in the sky, and what constellation it was connected to. Unknown to her, I already knew everything about astronomy, our education on astronomy was on par with each other. After Luna finished teaching me basic school knowledge, she enrolled me in Celestia’s Magic Academy. Often times, I would skip the school altogether because I found the uniform didn’t suit me. Luna, who saw eye to eye on my desire to not wear the suit, decided to teach me her magic instead.

The best part of being Luna’s student was we only had class at night, under the moon and night sky. After sunset, Luna showed me her types of magic moves and attacks. I became an expert at the art of stealth, turning the night into a formidable ally, using it to slaughter my targets before they even know they’re dead. Celestia and Luna had me become an assassin for them, assassinating high value targets that were attempting to dispose of our uprising. One of the things that made me such a good assassin was a power that only me and Luna had found out about when she was teaching me. I have an inborn ability to slow things down with my horn. Anything I pointed at, it would slow down to a speed I manipulated. This became useful when assassinating targets if the situation required it. After successfully murdering 5 targets, I became know as the Shadow Prowler, only following targets at night, swallowing them into the darkness of the night and killing them in total silence. I decimated their command network, and induced fear in them to lengths they have never had.

Now would be a good time to explain that Discord was not alone in his rule. The army was led by ponies who were loyal to him. These “Loyalists” which we called them waged war with our Resistance, trying to destroy us at every moment they could. Although not trained as well as we were, their army consisted of regiments of mutated animals, made by Discord himself. It disgusted me knowing that the animals were being forced to fight us. Ponies who were captured by us in raids were not given a choice, we were forced to execute them. We couldn’t any take risks by allowing them to fight for us, as spies were a common occurrence. It didn’t matter who these ponies were, even if they were friends or family. There were some who opposed this rule, but they knew not to oppose leadership, especially if the order came from Celestia. Me, i was more scared of Luna’s discipline voice than any consequence Celestia could dish out. Then again, I only took orders from Luna. If Celestia gave me one, i made sure it was ok though Luna...behind Celestia’s back of course.

As i carried out orders for the two princess, Rainstorm never approved of my job. She said it would turn me into someone i wasn’t. Being an assassin did change me. I was now more aware of my surroundings, i was much tougher, and it gave me satisfaction. Assassination after assassination satisfied my longing for vengeance on the monster that took my family from me. I found pleasure in trumping Discord as much as i could. I had changed, like Rainstorm said, but not into something i didn’t want to be. I became the most skilled and powerful soldier our army had, but never forgot who i was, or who i cared about. Rainstorm knew this, but still wanted me to stop being a assassin. I did, after one assassination attempt went sour. I guess they caught on to me and my ways of stealth. Luna wouldn’t let me do anymore either, even if Celestia need me to, Luna didn’t want to lose me. They promoted me as a leader of a reconnaissance team instead.

The team was made up of four of us. Smaller teams were better for recon, since we could move quicker, and hide much easier.  My second in command was Birchtree, who had joined when he got older, and the only person i trusted other than Luna and Rainstorm. Then there was Elideon and Red Nova. I never trusted Elideon, because he had this weird thing for Celestia. She used this to her advantage, making him her mole in the camp. Red Nova is a pony i never got to know too well, he didn’t talk too much. Our only mission was to scour behind enemy lines for structures or camps that belongs to Discord. Once we reported encounters, a small detachment was sent to destroy it.

6 long years, countless losses and victories against Discord were behind us. Many close friends and allies sacrificed their lives to get us this far. We had decimated his army to a breaking point, and it was time for the final assault on his rule. We met in front of Celestia and Luna’s tent, everyone gearing up for a blood-soaked battle. I had donned my midnight black armor, with dual katanas at my side. Rainstorm had done the same with her sun gold armor, but instead of swords, she equiped an elegant white bow, with the deadliest looking arrows in her white, gold striped quiver. We were ready. Celestia came out of her tent to address the army.

       “Hello everyone, we all know why we are all here. It is time to make a assault on Discord. I know that there are some of you who do not want to fight them, those who want to avoid confrontation. I must say that this is necessary, for if we stop do not stop him, future generations will go through what we have lived through. We are going to overthrow Discord, and reclaim Equestria for the ponies! One final effort is all that remains! Fight hard! Fight resiliently! Trust your comrades, as they will do the same! We will prevail!

        A explosion of cheers erupted from our camp. After, everypony returned to gearing up and preparing while Rainstorm and I met with Luna and Celestia to discuss our strategy, since they appointed us as their generals to take their place in leading, as they were not participating in combat.

         "Good, you two are here, lets gets this discussion over, we don't have much time" said Celestia, as we walked into the tent. Luna was looking at the map they had laid out on the table. She turned to see who had entered, then smiled at us. Celestia joined her at the far end of the table, as Rain and I stood opposite them.

       "Here is our plan." Celestia said. "Your forces are going to create a diversion, loring out whatever is left of Discord's army, while we deal with Discord." I chuckled, there was nothing left except for a few rookies. “Don’t laugh Solar.” Celestia replied, “They may be inexperienced, but they are unparalleled in loyalty.”

       “I understand.” I said.

       "You have but one order." Luna said with a serious face. "Obliterate them, leave nothing.”

       "Understood." Rain said. I could hear displeasure in her voice, but she knew it had to be done.

        "Very well." Celestia said. "Get everyone ready, it's time." Rain and I started towards the tent's opening.

       "Be careful Solar." Luna said, concerned. I turned and looked towards her.

       "Always." I responded. She saw right through me, I was the biggest risk taker out here.

       Our army moved out towards the location where we had planned to attract the rest of Discord's army.  The target was a reserve where they kept most of their supplies. On the way, everyone was talking about what to expect and what they hoped to gain from this war. Some wanted fame and glory, others just wanted to survive. I noticed one young soldier looking pale and faint, i walked over to him.

       “Breath out kid, you’ll go purple if you keep that up.” I said.

       “Sorry commander, I’m scared is all.” he replied.

       “Everyone is kid, anyone who says they are not is a liar.” i said. Two other soldiers approached us.

       “Have you fought yet commander?” One of them asked.

       “Yes, i was a lone assassin for the princess' for many years.” i said

       “Was it always this bad?” one asked.

       “Yes, it always was for me, for all of us” i said.

       “Will this be bad?” asked one.

        “The worst you will ever see, but you stick by your comrades and the comrade next to you, and he will stick by you.” i said

       “Some of the others aren’t very friendly, commander.” replied one.

       “We have all lost friends throughout this war, they think if they don’t get to know you, they won’t have to grieve for you if you die.” i said. “Don’t worry, it will never work that way, no soldier in this army will let you down.” As soon as i said that, a arrow flew by my face and hit one of them. He fell in a thud as i realised what was happening.

       “AMBUSH!!!”  I yelled as we were rushed by the remnants of Discord’s army. Everyone drew their weapons and plunged into the fighting. I ran to observe what was going on. It was our whole army against what was left of his. This wouldn’t work, we needed to get to the designated area. “GO! Move towards the location, we need to draw them there! Go! I will cover you.” Our forces started running towards the location as i stayed behind. With most of their forces in front of me, I was ready for the end.

       “Give up, or we will kill you!” one threatened.

       I laughed at them. “You must not know who you’re talking to, put down your weapons or i will do the same.

       “Never.” they replied.

       I drew my two katana’s and turned on my magic lightning, their expressions changed. I smiled and gave them the most evil looking face i could make.

        “The night will devour your souls this day!” I said. I rushed the four of them weapons ready, 3 readied theirs. The first one attack me mid-level, i zapped his weapons out of his hoof, then stabbed him in the foot with one sword, he screamed, but stopped as I slit his throat. The next one tried to attack my side, i jumped up, stepping on his weapon. I then sliced his chest, making a decent gash. He fell gasping as his comrade tried a sneak attack.

       “Nice Try” I said. I used my slow motion ability on him, I turned around and then deactivated it. I hit his weapons out of his hand, and in one big swipe, his head became a geyser of blood. One after another, I took down whoever stood in my way. Some of the forces went after our army, but not many. It got quiet around me, so i looked around. It was finished. 100s lay dead, and I looked down in disbelief. I walked over to the pony who was still gasping for breath, he looked at me looking for pity.

       “You made your decision a long time ago, and so have I.” I said. He knew what was coming. He screamed with the most blood-curdling sound possible, but it all stopped as my sword went through his heart. Was this wrong? I asked myself. No, orders are orders, it didn’t matter what the cost or who the target is, all enemies must die. For as long I live though, I will never forget that scream.

       I made my way toward the location. On the way there, the road was littered with bodies of both sides. It hurt to see this, but I couldn't stop, there was nothing that could be done. I reached the point to find the battle still in action. From my point of view, we were barely winning. I had to find Birch Tree. I ran into the middle of the mess, disposing of anyone who stood in my way, or helping teammates in trouble. I found him swiftly avoiding an animal’s violent claw swipes. He flew above the animal and in a corkscrew fashion, drilled his sword right through the beast.

       “Birch Tree! Over here!” I yelled. He noticed me and flew over.

       “Hey there Solar, having fun down there?.” he said. My armor must have been soaked in blood.

       “The hell, it’s crazy out here, are we winning?” I said

       “I don’t think so, we’ve lost many, but we’ve also put a dent in them. It looks like we’re going to experience a pyrrhic victory here.”

        “Affirmative, keep up the push, I need to find Rainstorm, have you seen her?”

       “She’s holding her ground with whatever is left of the archery regiment, they haven’t had it well so far.”

       “I’ll go help them, you’re in charge here.” He nodded to me, and a smirk grew on his face.

       “Stay frosty, Solar” He flew away and plunged into the fight once more. I faced toward where Rain was supposed to be. I made way over there to find a losing struggle. They were only a few of them left, Rain included. I whipped out my weapons and made a bloodbath of the enemies attacking them.

       “Thanks for the assist, Solar, you saved us.” Rain yelled, exhausted from combat.

       “You should start skirmishing, there is no need for archers this close to the action, find a good vantage point in those cliffs over there.” I pointed toward the closest cliffs I could see.

        “Got it, move out!” she said, raising her signal. The few remaining of her group ran for the cliffs. She ran a bit and turned around, “Be careful Solar.” her face slackened.

        “Don’t worry Rain, I am the very soul of caution.” I replied. She gave me her classic, “I don’t believe you” face, the kind that had an eyebrow cocked, and a smirk peeking through beneath her nuzzle. She continued on her path up the cliffside. Then it happened, an instant of which would knock me off my hooves. A loud clang was ringing through my ears as my helmet was ripped from my head, and I was slashed across the side of my face. The agony pulled a yelp from deep within my lungs. I looked toward my helmet, now ripped apart like some old tin can, and tried opening my eye. It painfully opened but I was blinded, with little except the feeling of warm liquid running from my face. Adrenaline took hold, and the pain, along with my restriction, ceased.

        “Now you’ve done it!” I screamed. I drew my swords and rushed the animal. The poor thing never stood a chance. It made a puddle of blood underneath my feet. I wasn’t satisfied, I destroyed any and all soldiers still left of Discord’s dwindling army. Before I knew what had happened, it was over, his army was either killed or captured. The battlefield was doused in the blood and guts of those who fought. Our Crimson Day was finished, but the job was far from being completed.

         Our forces rallied, or rather what remained. We slopped along in utter silence, speechless at our losses. I helped drag those who were wounded and limping as best I could, pairing those who had not sustained injuries with those who did to assist them in returning home. As we stumbled into the camp, we were greeted with half-hearted welcomes. Tents were already prepared for those who were wounded, and from them only came grave news and agonizing cries. The price of freedom was easily measured within the few square hooves of each tent.  I wished it wasn’t so. Shadow Knight patched up my eye, I was told I would keep my eyesight, but it would remain scarred and less effective. I entered my tent and just sat down. I took off my armor as Rain entered the room. I stared into my armor, how it was covered in the blood of the innocent.

       "Hey, are you ok?" She asked. I didn't even try to mask my eye.

       "I'm fine, you?" I replied. She tried a smile. Her hair was soaked with sweat and some blood as she showed a small smile.

       "Yeah, it's over, we should be glad." She said.

       "I'm glad that it is over, but I wish what we did wasn’t necessary." I said.

       "We didn't have a choice, it was them or us. We survived, let's be grateful about that." She said. She walked over to me and hugged me. I hugged back.

       "I'm glad we did... I can't think what I would do if you were gone..." I said

       "Me neither.” She paused a bit. “I love you, Solar..." She said.

       "I love you too, Rain..." I said back. Exhausted, we laid down and fell asleep together.

Chapter 3

I had a horrible dream. I was amidst the battle, standing there taking everything in. It appeared we were winning, until I turned to my left. There was Rainstorm, fighting her hardest against an enemy soldier. It looked like she was winning, but suddenly she started losing ground. Her eyes pleaded with the need of assistance. I started running towards her, but it felt as if I was in a slow moving trance. The soldier disarmed her, and she fell down looking up for pity. He went for the kill, and as his blade thrusted towards her I screamed her name. Sitting up in my bed, I looked around. It was still daytime, and Rainstorm was still next to me, eyes full of concern.

        "Solar! What's wrong? What happened?" She asked. She looked scared.

       "I had this dream. We were back in the battle, and I saw you fighting an enemy soldier, and he disarmed you. He then went for the kill so I tried to get to you, but I couldn't move. I felt so helpless" I explained.

       "It was a dream Solar, it's ok. I'm here." She said soothingly. As she hugged me I calmed down, we then left the tent to find a surprise. Equestria had turned back to normal. Ponies were celebrating a little with cheerful chatter and cider. I looked at Rain.

       "It's finally over, we've won." I said. Relief overwhelmed me and Rain smiled a bit.

       "Yes it is, we did it." She replied. We hugged then walked through the camp, congratulating everyone. Birchtree was helping others as we approached him.  I high-hoofed him and we congratulated him. We had started talking as a voice from behind made itself known.

       "Congratulations you two for achieving your mission, you did well." Celestia said. We turned around to greet her and Luna. Luna immediately became concerned about my eye and me.

       "Solar, what happened, are you ok?" Luna said. She walked over and looked over my eye.

       "I'm fine, my eye will survive with some damage." I said. I neglected to tell her about the dream I had, thinking it would never happen again.

       "There isn’t a lot time, we have a new mission. Come to our tent, we'll discuss it there." Celestia said. I looked at Luna with a confused face. New mission? Why so soon? We just finished this one. What did she want us to do now? She only looked away and followed her sister. Me and Rain followed suit. We arrived at the tent with news I was not in the mood to hear.

       "I have a new mission. We need to liberate the Crystal Empire from King Sombra. " Celestia said. Me, as was Rain, was in total disbelief from hearing this.

       "Why? Don't you realize what we just did. We do not have the resources for it! They need to help themselves, we can't fight everyone's fight!" I replied.

      "They need our help, Solar, Sombra's dictatorship is ruthless and has gone on long enough. It's time to end it." Celestia said.

       "They may need our help, but we don't have anything to help them with. Very little of our resources are left, and there isn't that many recruits coming in." Rain said.

       "It does not matter. I must free the Crystal Empire just as I freed Equestria from Discord, it is my titles duty, and you will help me." Celestia said. I became confused about that statement.

       "What do you mean you? You weren't the only one who freed Equestria! What about our army? What about Luna? Hmmm? That's a bit selficious." I barked. She looked annoyed.

       "How would you know Solar? You didn't face Discord." Celestia responded.

       "But I did, and I say you are wrong sister." Luna said. "Everyone who fought today helped free Equestria, not just you."

       "Regardless, we are going to free the Crystal Empire. Tell everyone left to get ready, we move as soon as possible. Which means tomorrow, go!" Celestia ordered. Rain and I moved outside the tent.

       "We just finished one war, now we have to fight another? This is a bad omen, Solar." Rain said.

       "I know, I have a bad feeling about this as well. Unfortunately, we must help them. We must go..." I said, sadly, but I looked up and smiled. "Don't worry, I won't let anything break us apart, nothing." Rain hugged me and we went to get ready.

       This was the worst decision we ever made. It was bad, and I'm not getting into everything that happened; I would be here forever. Sombra had been prepared for us, and it wasn't pretty. His strategy was to lewer us in by allowing us victories for some time. Then we hit a hornets nest. Horrible doesn't even begin to describe how bad things became for us. Loss and loss decimated our forces to almost nothing. We weren't prepared for his magick, so it overwhelmed us. Having to fall back, it led to retreating numerous times. Finally, we were at a last stand right near the border of the empire and Equestria and a hard decision was at hand.

       "What!? Why does one of us need to stay here? We all need leave this place!" I pleaded. A group of us needed to stay behind and make sure Sombra and his forces don't invade Equestria. It made no sense to me, we could just have a group guard the border in Equestria, not have to stay here.

       "This isn't a discussion, Solar, either you or Rainstorm must stay to help lead these ponies. There is no other way." Celestia said. I look at Rainstorm, she looked at me. I promised to protect her since the beginning; I wasn't going to stop now.

        "Your leaving Rain, go with them, you've done enough. I’ll take over." I said. She didn't like that.

       "No, I'm not leaving, I'm staying here. You would be a better help to everyone if you left with them." She replied. I became a bit teary eyed when she said that, she almost said exactly what my dad said before my family was killed.

       "I'm staying and that's it, no discussion." I said. I guess she figured it wasn't worth fighting me. As we walked towards the chariots to help prepare them to leave, she did the unexpected. As we got to the chariot, she shoved me into the chariot and Celestia locked me in with magic. I realized what was going on and started struggling.

       "No! This can't be! Let me go!" I yelled. I tried my hardest, but Celestia's magic is too hard to resist.

      "This is the way it has to be Solar, stop struggling." Celestia said.

       "Thank you for your help Celestia." Rain said. She then looked at me with tears. "This is the way it has to be my love, hold me close, and never let me go." I started struggling even harder while tearing up. I was fighting a losing battle and I didn't want to lose her. Finally I stopped exhausted and just looked at her.

       "I promise..." I said. As the chariot pulled away we never broke eye contact. She mouthed a "good bye" silently.

       Once our chariot had left the view of the group, Luna hugged me and hummed a tune that calmed me down. Soon I fell asleep, either from exhaustion, or Luna put me asleep, i don't know. No dream ensued, only a empty abyss.

       I woke up in a unknown place. The room was squared with black walls, and a black rug covered in stars, although the lights were off anyway. I got up and looked around a bit more. Other than my bed, the room was filled with a writing desk and a bookshelf lined with books. I walked to a telescope looking outside towards a window. I looked out the window to find a view of a savannah. It was night, and view of the moon was next to spectacular. I decided to find anyone who could tell me where I was. As I turned to go towards the door it opened, and Luna walked into the room.

      "Hello, little one, are you ok?" She asked. She always called me that, it made me feel happy and comfortable whenever she said it.

       "I'm fine, where are we?" I asked. She walked in a bit more towards me.

       "We are in my sister and I's castle. This is your room, we will live here now." She said. I felt happy to have a room again. We lived in tents for so many years i forgot what it felt like.

       "How long has it been since..." I said. I couldn't finish it. I missed Rainstorm so much already, maybe she returned when I was asleep.

       "A day, you were out for quite awhile. Solar, I don't want you to be upset but, she didn't return, no one did. They're gone. The Crystal Empire disappeared." Hearing this hurt. Emotion flooded my body. "While you were asleep, We were going to wait for them just inside Equestria, but Celestia moved us forward and we came back here. Now don't be hasty with-" I bolted out my door and ran towards Celestia with my anger showing me where to go. She was in the library when I ran right up to her and got in her face. She knew what I was there for.

       "Solar there was nothing I could do, she disappeared with the empire." She said, trying to get me to leave her alone I'm guessing. I didn't take it, I was done with her act.

       "Why did you force us to leave!?  We could have waited for her!” I yelled. Celestia became annoyed and upset. It felt good to see her cringe.

       "I waited long enough, we sent a small team to find them, but the empire had disappeared. There was nothing left to do." Celestia said. I couldn't hold my emotions in anymore.

       "I knew we should have left the Crystal Empire alone, now, because you had to help them, Rainstorm is gone!” I screamed and pointed at her. She grew angrier.

       "She was a sacrifice for our cause. Sacrifices are necessary to win wars Solar, you of all know that.” Celestia said. This one comment infuriated me to levels I've never been to. I basically exploded at her with rage.

       "Sacrifices!? Rainstorm was a sacrifice!? Were all of us sacrifices? It sounds as if that's the case! Sacrifices so you could claim all the glory!” I said. Luna must have heard enough, because she stepped in.

       "Sister, without them, Equestria wouldn’t have gained independence from Discord in the first place. Give them more credit than that." she said. Luna always thought more logically than Celestia did. Celestia became surprised and let her intentions slip.

       "They didn’t free Equestria! I did, they were only recruited to execute the mission to distract Discords army, nothing more!” She said. Without shame, she looked at us like we were to accept this as is. I looked at her disgusted. Everyone who fought, who died, were recruited only to give this monster prestige. I lost it.

       "Do you realize that there are those who have died for your glory, gave their lives to protect Equestria only to be used for a reference. If only they knew they were cannon fodder, their attitudes may have been different. Had they known, you wouldn’t have all your prestige, you selficious monster.” I said. She became very angry at me and walked towards me with eyes of hatred.

       "Don’t you dare talk to me that way cur, or i will discipline you” she said. She was about to hit me when Luna stood in her way.

       "You will not touch him Celestia!"  Luna said. She wasn't happy, even more than Celestia. "You should rethink your views on who did what to free Equestria from Discord. Yes, only we imprisoned him, but without Solar, Rain, and everyone who fought that day, we couldn’t even have gotten that chance, now leave! Or this will get ugly between us.” Celestia stood back and just looked at me, then her. She backed off.

      "Very well, I will expect an apology before tomorrow from Solar, he knows better than to talk to me that way.” Celestia said. She walked out of the room. I didn't care about her stupid apology, Rainstorm was now gone forever. All I could do is cry, it seemed at this point in my life all I have ever done is cry. Happiness would be short-lived while sorrow always infected my life for long periods of sadness. Luna walked over to me and hugged me. She then hummed my favorite tune to calm me down. First my family, now my friends and love. Luna is all I have left.

       "Don't worry Solar, I'll protect you from anything that will hurt you, like I always have." She said. She looked at me and smiled. I looked up at her and smiled a bit. We walked to my room and I layed down. Luna sat down next to me and covered me with her wing. Soon I fell asleep and she met me in the dream.

       "What would you like to do Solar?" She asked. I noticed a ball over near some stuff, I walked over to it and picked it up.

       "Let's play some catch, me and Rain used to play to get things off our mind." I said. I hit it over to her. She picked it up and threw it back.

       "I want you to know understand that Celestia doesn't mean to act like she is. She is just stressed over all that has happened. Please give her some time to relax, she will turn back to normal." Luna said. I didn't believe her.

       "She has acted that way since after Discord, she was the reason Rainstorm is gone, and we need to give her time to relax? She doesn't deserve anything!" I said. Luna frowned a bit.

       "Solar! There is no need for that, she has done a lot for us in the past." I just looked away and kept playing catch. We dropped the subject and spent time together. After some more catch and teachings about the moon. It was time to wake up.

       After waking up, I went straight to building the chariot. As I built it, Luna would help me with it. I usually worked on it a night under the stars, because I started hating the day. Everytime I saw sunlight it reminded me of losing Rainstorm. Celestia could keep her stupid Day, it was nothing compared to Luna's Night. After many nights of hard work, the chariot was finished. So I decided to surprise Luna.

        "Come on! It's this way!" I said happily. Luna followed behind me, excited, she always likes surprises.

      "I'm coming, little one, what is it you got me?" She said. Smiling, she walked into the room I had the chariot in. I had covered it with some blankets I found lying around.

      "I present-" I said as I took off the covers with magic. "-your chariot!" The chariot looked amazing. She gasped and grew an even bigger smile.

       "Solar, I do not know what to say, thank you!" She said. She gave me a big hug. "Tomorrow night, we will take a trip around Equestria, sound alright?"

       "Yes, that sounds wonderful!" I replied. I always loved trips, and this one was spectacular.

       That night, we went everywhere, taking in Equestria's amazing landscape. Occasionally, we stopped in a town. Although we didn't stay long as everyone was asleep. After the second town, I noticed Luna had become a bit depressed.

       "What's wrong Luna?" I asked.

       "Every night, I make the Night as beautiful as possible, but every pony sleeps through it and never sees its majesty. They all prefer my sisters daytime magic." She said.

       "What if you didn't lower the moon when you should, then everyone could see it." I blurted. Luna looked at me sternly.

       "Solar, that sounds ludicrous. Celestia and I cannot break that balance. We would be powerless separate. Don't speak of that again." She said. I grew bold a bit.

       "She's a hog, why should she get all the praise? What does she have that you don't? The night is definitely better than the day, why can't anyone see she is a monster?"

       "Solar, enough!" She said. I just sat there, upset that Celestia was causing trouble and not even present at this moment. Luna calmed down and realized my motive. "Solar, I know you will be upset about Rainstorm for many nights, but it wasn't Celestia's fault fully. Rainstorm sacrificed herself knowing full well she might not return. She also knew there was no way I wanted to lose you, as I had given her the idea to trick you into the chariot in the first place. Losing you would have been catastrophic to me." She said. I didn't realize that until now. "She may be gone, but there exist ways to wait for her, as the Empire will return one day, knowing Sombra. You'll need to figure that out yourself. You must not be so judging of Celestia either. She may take credit and want praise often, but remember, she cares about you as much as I do. Also remember, if anything were to ever happen to me, and I am not able to care for you, she is your guardian." This took me by surprise. Celestia? My guardian? Heh, that sounded impossible as Luna would never be able not to take care of me.

       Arriving home, I decided to become a bit more patient with Celestia. I slept a bit before I put together a little gift for her. She was in Her and Luna's private room in the library when I found her.

       "Hey, Celestia..." I said. She looked up from her book.

       "Hello Solar, come in, what is it?" She said. I was a bit taken back, she was calm and happy to see me, what happened?

       "I wanted to give you this, as a small apology for my behavior a while back." I said. It was a bouquet of sunflowers. She smiled so I relaxed a bit.

       "Awww, thank you, apology accepted, Solar." She said. I figured she was doing a act, but again she surprised me. "I also would like to apologize, for my attitude recently." She said apologetically. Shocked is a good way to describe me at that moment. She stood up and walked up to me. "I know losing Rainstorm was difficult for you, it was all of us. I hope we can still be friends even after our disagreements. Please forgive me." I couldn't speak, I stood there, fighting myself whether or not she was being serious or not. I just went with it.

       "She is gone, and I really miss her. I can try to forgive you, but it might take awhile, she meant a lot to me." I said. It was a bold statement, but she smiled. Surprisingly, she hugged me. I flinched a bit, but I relaxed. She felt as warm as the sun itself. My hatred seemed to flush out of me by the second.

       "Thank you, Solar, that means a lot to me. You remind me so much of my sister, she's done a great job raising you." She said. She let go and looked at me. "If you would like to learn about the sun and daytime, ask me, I'll gladly teach you about it."

       "Ok, I'll think about it, thank you." I said. I turned around and walked away.

       I hurried to find Luna and tell her about Celestia's abnormal behavior. I found her in her room.

       "Hello Solar, what is wrong? It appears as if you have seen a ghost." She said, laughing a bit.

       "I went to apologize to Celestia, and she is acting so differently." I said. Luna raised a eyebrow.

       "Differently? What do you mean?" She said. "Was she being mean again, but more aggressive?"

       "No, she was composed and nice to me. She actually apologized for her behavior as well. She even hugged me." I said.

       "Well, it would appear she has turned back to normal. After all we went through with Discord and Sombra, her normal self is back. This is great news." She said.

       "She also offered me lessons on the sun and day." I said. "I don't know if I want to go though."

       "Why not? I've taught everything I know about moon magic I could have." She said. A question popped in my head. "It would be a advantage to know about the whole day cycle. Go ahead, you'll find out the day and night operate much the same."

       "What about all the other moon magic you do? Why can I not learn that?" I said. She walked over to me.

       "You are not ready yet. As you have read, me and my sister are what scholars call Alicorns. We are able to posses much more powerful magic than unicorns or any other race. The magic I have not taught you can only be done by Alicorns. Also, most of what I do only I can do. It is my job, you could say, and cannot be done by anyone else. It is up to the Elements of Harmony, the force that gave me and my sister our gift, to deem you worthy." She said. I've always wanted to be a Alicorn, not because of their powers,

but it would relate me and Luna even more.

       "The elements? The rocks you used to make Discord a statue? What do they want from me?" I said.

       "Solar, they are more than just rocks. Me and my sister have a connection to the Elements. Ever since me and my sister met you, we have felt you represent a powerful magic that does not want its presence know yet. I am not talking about you time ability, it is a more powerful magic than just time manipulation. We have put the elements near you and around you when you have slept. They react oddly to you. They seem disappointed at you, and they become non-responsive near you. Due to this, they will not help you as of right now. They seem to be waiting for you to forgive something. Your past is full of many tragic events, that is quite clear, but what event do they want you to forgive? That is what we cannot answer, you must answer it." All these questions appear in my head at once, my mind exploded. Luna chuckled knowing I was lost in questions and thoughts. "No need to rush Solar, this takes time. While you learn more about the day from my sister, ask her about, she knows a bit more about this than I do." I figured that was a good place to start. The next day, Celestia started teaching me about the Day and the Sun.

       I walked into the observatory, light bursting from the sun. I walked down the stair to meet Celestia. She had set some books down on a table and was adjusting a huge telescope.

       "Hello Solar, glad you could make it. You look tired, are you alright?" She said, turning to look at me. I should have went to bed earlier.

       "I guess I'm not used to getting up this early, I'm more of a night pony." I said. Celestia chuckled a bit.

      "I'm sure you are, give some time for your body to adjust to your new sleep schedule. You'll be fine. Now, are you ready to learn?" She said.

       "Yes, I am." I replied. I sat down and we started. She quizzed me about what I knew, which wasn't much. She decided to start at the basics. I never realized why the sun was so important to this world. I've always disowned the sun, thinking it was only created to block the Night's majesty. The Sun is practically a light watch for the farmers who grow the food, and for ponies to know when to start working. The Moon and the Night are equally as important, since ponies need rest to keep working their hardest. On nights when they do not need to work, that is when they honor the Night for its beauty. Something bothered me, so I spoke up.

       "If this is true, then why does Luna think no one likes the night?" I asked. Celestia looked confused.

       "Solar, what do you mean? I'm sure she is aware this country respects and acknowledges the Night, where did you get such a crazy idea.?" She said. I assumed it was ok to tell her.

       "When we went on our Night trip, she was sad that no one was enjoying her Night, all the towns were fast asleep." I said. This was new to Celestia, for sure.

       "Solar, thank you for informing me. This is important to know, so If anything else comes up, tell me immediately." She said. I shook my head yes and she smiled. For the first time, I actually trusted her completely. It felt wonderful.

       "That's all about the Sun, any questions?" She said.

       "Why don't the elements react to me?" I said.

       "Ah, Luna must have told you about them and you. They're not happy with you, Solar. They seem to think you live in the past too much, especially the element of magic. Forgive your past, and a specific event from your past, and they may help you unlock the magic your represent that is unknown to us at this time." She said. My past? That would be fine, but what event needed another forgiving? Why must I need to figure this out?

       "I have no clue what event the elements are talking about, do you have any idea what they mean?" I said. She looked as perplexed as I was.

       "No, that is for you to find out, we cannot help you. Do not think that we know and are having you discover it yourself, even me and my sister do not know." She said. I figured I would find out sooner or later. That ended that lesson, so I went to my room and fell asleep.

       "Rainstorm! Where are you?!" I yelled. I was sprinting towards a infinite abyss looking for Rainstorm, Sombra had taken her and I had to find them to rescue her. After a few more minutes of running, I had enough of his hiding.

       "Sombra! Show yourself! I want Rainstorm back! Fight me!" I screamed. As if he was waiting for it, he appeared in front of me, a limp Rainstorm next to him. My anger flared significantly.

       "You're gonna pay for this, you monster!" I said. He laughed as if a child had threatened him. I drew my swords, he only laughed harder.

       "You are not worthy of fighting me, a child could best you in a fight." Sombra said. He picked up Rainstorm and turned around, a big mistake. I ran and swung my sword right at his neck. His laughter echoed in my head as he turned and struck with tremendous force. I flew and hit a unwelcoming wall. It felt so real and painful. Wincing, I looked up to see him hovering above me, evil smile in full effect. I felt true fear for the first time in awhile.

       "Until you die, your dreams will be the worst nightmares you will ever experience, unless you find the wedge between you and your regular dreams, simpleton." He said. I wanted to obliterate him, he smiled and turned around. He passed through the wall of the abyss and I was left alone. Slowly, I got up and ran over to where they disappeared, there was nothing left.

       "Rainstorm!!! Nooooo!" I screamed. He looked left and right trying to find anyway to break through.

        "Solar!" I heard. It was Rainstorm, I looked to where she was calling from.

       "Rain!? Where are you?!" I yelled. She responded.

       "Solar!" Rain said. I turned to face where she was coming from. I was forced to take action. I fired magic lightning towards the direction. It went a small distance before exploding. Everything started shaking as a voice shuddered through. I began awaking.

       "Solar! Solar! Wake up! What in Equestria is wrong!?" Luna said, concerned. I awoke to her and Celestia next to my bed. I was soaked in sweat with my pillow drenched as well.

       "Are you ok? What happened? I wasn't able to go into your dream, what was going on in there?" Luna said. I couldn't speak, i was in shock.

       "Solar, you fired magic in your sleep, please, you must tell us what happened, this is very serious." Celestia said. I looked, my desk was a smoldering mess on the floor. I finally was able to speak.

       "Sombra was torturing me, he said I'm going to have terrible dreams unless I found the wedge blocking my regular dreams. I dont know what he meant." I said. Luna walked closer to me and hugged me. Her presence comforted me a bit so I calmed down.

       "Do you think these are dreams from his mind?" Celestia asked. Luna shook her head.

       "No, it's Sombra alright. Curse him! He's either toying with him, or he has one of his crystals somewhere on him." She said. She looked at me. "To be sure, you need to sleep again. I know it will be hard, but be strong, we will wake you as soon as something happens, ok?" I decided if it must be done, it must be done.

       "I'll be fine, go ahead and make me sleep." I layed down and waited. Luna activated her magic and I felt myself falling asleep. Finally asleep, my nightmare started.

       I appeared in Manehattan. Little had changed, but it was now completely deserted. I walked around to see if I could find signs of any life. As moments passed, a faint view of a figure was in the distance. The fog started fading around it, allowing me to make out what it was. It was Rainstorm, she was walking away, so I ran over to her. She didn't notice me run up, but I wasn't aware.

      "Rainstorm, are you alright? Where are you going?" I said. She walked passed me and kept going. "Rainstorm?" I asked again. She kept walking, I caught up with her, she didn't even bat an eye. "Rainstorm! What's the matter? What's wrong?" I said. I was pleading for an answer. Again, she kept walking, a sad emotion was fixed on her face. The environment morphed around us, but I was not in control of my actions, so I didn't notice. She walked up to a stone. The stone was surrounded by fog, she walked up to it and sat down, weeping. I stood next to her, wondering what was going on. I looked at the rock, it had something inscribed on it. It read "HERE LIES SOLAR ECLIPSE." I became engulfed in tears. I looked at Rain.

      "Rain, I'm right here! I'm fine!" I said. She only kept looking down, crying. "Why won't you answer me, I'm right here! Please, look at me!" I screamed. I grabbed her, she was as cold as winter. I shook her to no avail, I no longer existed in her world, she was gone. Defeated, I rested my head on her shoulder and wept. It was my fault she's gone, and I can't do anything to help her. "I'm so sorry." I said. Everything faded as I woke up. My face was dripping with tears. Luna hugged me again, i turned and cried into her.

      "It's ok Solar, I'm here, it's ok, what happened?" She said.

       "Sombra, he's torturing me with nightmares about Rainstorm, make it stop!" I screamed. Luna looked at Celestia and shook her head.

       "Solar, Celestia is going to look you over, stay still." Luna said. I did, and Celestia scanned over me, she didn't stop until she looked at my horn. She poked at something, it felt as if there was something stuck at the base of it. Painfully, I twitched.

       "Ah, here it is, you were right, sister." Celestia said. It felt as if she pulled a splinter out. Once gone, she showed me what is was. It was a small crystal. "This is a piece of his crystal, this is how he is messing with you. Those dreams should be over now, but you may have some residual dreams occasionally. Luna will be able to assist you with those." Luna hugged me tighter, I felt comfort, but exhaustion was taking over, so I layed down and passed out with no dream ensuing.

       Waking, I walked around to find Celestia, since she took the crystal. As I walked I was wondering what that crystal was. She was in the library when I found her.

      "Hello Solar, feeling better?" She said as I walked up to her. She gave me a warm smile, I smiled back.

       "Much better, what is that Crystal? Is some sort of magical carrier?" I asked. She picked it up and held it infront of me.

       "Kinda, it was designed by Sombra to bring out ones worst nightmares. While we were in the empire, you must have gotten it stuck on you." She explained. I looked at it with hatred, but was intrigued by it.

       "Does it hold any magical power?" I asked.

      "Very much so, this little shard is too powerful for one to possess. I've ordered for it to be placed-." Someone spoke up behind us, vivid I might add

      "No, I wish to have it."