Prince Eclipse

The three of them made their way through the streets of Ponyville with surprising ease. Nopony even stopped to look at the odd trio who continued to progress towards the tree castle, palace...thingy that stood high above the other buildings in Ponyville. The pegasus was starting to feel some discomfort due to being in close proximity to sapient life that didn't want to wear his pelt as a jacket oddly enough. And considering just how long he had been a soldier in that particular war, he was doing rather well...until an extremely rude griffoness tried to shove him that is. Luna and Celestia both stopped dead and turned when they heard it happen.

As she touched him, he dropped down and swept her legs out from underneath her and started spinning. He kept his momentum up, and spun and kicked her six times. This was especially frightening because he was much larger and stronger than your average pegasus. For the griffoness it went like this.

"Hey dweeb in the cloak! Get outta my waAAAAAHHHHH! AH! OH! OOF! OW! GAH!" *whack* *thud*......"Ohhhhhhhh..." The griffoness groaned softly in pain as she curled up into a ball, and folded her arms across her stomach.

Luna ran up to her pegasus companion and asked him in a loud whisper, "What did you do that for?" He gave her a very sheepish look before answering. "To ensure she would stay down and couldn't make much noise." As soon as he saw the look on Luna's face he regretted his actions even more than he already did.

"I thought she was a threat!" he slumped his shoulders slightly and he looked down at his feet "I'm still getting used to not having to look everywhere for them." He looked to where the griffoness had landed. She was just laying there...and sobbing. "I must make this right." "Go on ahead. I'll be fine."

"Very well, we will meet you there, just do so quickly we are already rather late." Luna responded before returning to her sister and resuming their trek to the palace.

The pegasus felt as though he was being watched which was the real reason for his response to the overly aggressive griffoness. And while she had been rude, he didn't think she deserved what he had given her. He approached her slowly as everypony returned to their business with comments like "got what she deserved" and "hope she dies next time." These mean spirited offhand comments about a fellow sapient being served only to ignite his anger. So he blocked them out and continued to approach the sniffling griffoness. Unsure how to approach the situation, he went with the first idea in his head.

"Are you hurt?"

"..."

"Look, I'm sorry for, well assaulting you." he said as he very gently laid his hand on her upper arm. "You startled me, and I've had this feeling that someone is watching me for a while. It's no excuse for what I've done and I am truly sorry."

"Where did you learn to do that?"

The pegasus was momentarily stunned because she had talked to him and her question had caught him off guard. "What?" He was completely dumbfounded. Until he took a closer look at her. She was clearly a fighter. Her body was very well toned, not an ounce of fat in the wrong places. Her eyes held a distinct spark that said she was intelligent, ruthless, and relentless. They also held something softer, a sense of loss and sadness, as well as a broken heart and a bruised ego that had yet to be mended. He saw her hands were calloused and rough in a way that was clearly indicative of fighting and had a few scars. As he looked her over he stole a glance at her wings,and they were beautiful, well preened, and powerful. Her rear end was toned and shapely and her breasts were- 'No! Bad. You just met her.' *ahem* "Well since you asked my parents taught me how to fight now I need to be going miss so if you'll excuse me."

She rose to her feet unsteadily wincing with the pain and said, "My name isn't 'miss' it's Gilda."

"Well Gilda I do need to get going so if you if you don't mind."

"Not at all, but when we get to the tree castle palace thingy I have to go inside."

The pegasus sighed, "So do I. I am going to be living there actually."

"What?" Gilda was completely shocked. This stallion she had just been attacked by was on his way to Princess Twilight Sparkle's tree castle palace thingy to live there. "I'm gonna need to know why now."

All he did was shrug and say "Okay just tag along then I don't mind."

Gilda seemed hesitant, "I don't know if I should."

"There will be a lot of food and booze."

Gilda had to admit it, she was beginning to like this pegasus.

I always thought it was funny nopony had asked for my name yet...

Luna and Celstia stood in the entrance hall of the (at this point I no longer care, so from this day forth Twilight's new residence shall be called The Treeastlace! Yeah...) Treeastlace waiting for that particular pegasus to show up. As they waited they looked around admiring the structure that currently housed their lavender alicorn friend and wondered if the guest of honor would ever show up.

Finally Celestia spoke her concern palpable in her voice, " It has been far too long for a simple apology." She rose from where she had seated herself and began to walk towards the door before being stopped cold by Luna's offhand comment.

"You are starting to notice how alike they are aren't you?"

Celestia turned around and glowered at her younger sister before adopting a look of tiredness mixed with infinite patience and heartbreak. "Yes they are nearly the same. From their behavior to their mannerisms. Their morals, work ethic, intelligence, possibly even the power they wield. She took a deep breath and steeled herself for what needed to come next. "But he is gone Lulu, he died, and doing this, placing everything our big brother was onto this stallion... well that isn't fair to either of them.

Celestia could feel her voice begin to hitch in her throat her breath came slowly in shudders, as she watched her little sister begin to cry. "I know how much you loved him believe me I did too, when that pegasus told us he was the sole survivor and our brother had died completing the mission he set out to do... It felt like my heart had stopped, like somepony was in there ripping it apart and it would never get better... Do you remember what he said to us when he gave us our crowns?"

"Of course sister, he said 'All you need to do is speak my name and if I'm alive, no matter how far I am from you, they will glow.'

"And for the last five hundred years I have tried it once a month and it hasn't." Celestia explained, tears now streaming from both her eyes and Luna's. "I have checked the spell, nothing is wrong with it. He is gone Lulu, as much as it pains me to say it, our big brother is dead."

Luna looked at her big sister, saw the tears in her eyes and whispered "I refuse to believe that our brother, the pony who drove that 'thing' that killed our mother and father from this world, is dead." She wiped her eyes as she continued, " He raised us, even after Hurricane and the others found us, and he was only twelve at the time! He protected us, taught us, told us how much mother and father loved us and how much they loved everypony. He protected us the night that mom and dad died and lost one of his wings and was given a scar that ran across his face from above his right eye to the area beneath his left in the process. He wouldn't die without seeing us one last time."

Celestia sighed, "Maybe he didn't have a choice Lulu."

Luna put herself into a defiant stance and crossed her arms, "Maybe you are right Tia and maybe I am, and maybe we will never find out. But I refuse to believe otherwise."

Celestia smiled, "Very well we will agree to disagree." she said as she walked forward and hugged her sister close. And as they parted the door opened revealing none other than the pegasus and the griffoness from earlier.

"Hello everypony" he said, "I brought a friend. That I told you I was capable of making."

"Yes you just had to beat her into the ground first."

Celestia rolled her eyes and looked the griffoness, who seemed very frightened and awed. "Calm down young one, we will be seeing Rainbow Dash and the others soon."

The griffoness' eyes went wide with shock and she spoke in a small voice "How did you know that I was here to see Rainbow Dash?"

Before Celestia could tell her of the very accurate description Twilight had included in the report, the sounds of a large commotion reached their ears.

Celsetia growled under her breath as the group headed towards the commotion which was coming from the library. As they neared the source of the noises Gilda spoke "Umm I just remembered that I need to go and check on my living arrangements, sooo... bye!!

"Well considering how horrible these sounds are, she lasted longer than I thought she would." the pegasus said.

Everypony nodded their heads in silent agreement. This was by far the single most horrifying collection of noises they had ever heard. And it was about to get worse. When they reached the library Celestia steeled herself for what may lay beyond those doors. She opened the doors to find the most curious thing.

It was Twilight and her friends, but several things were very wrong. The apple family was green, Rarity had a brush, several twigs and what appeared to be some sort of live animal in her mane. Fluttershy was chasing a small randomly assorted pack of animal pleading with them to go back to her cottage, Pinkie Pie had attemped to eat one of the dishes with meat in it from the kitchen, and was throwing up in a corner that was no where near a garbage can. And Twilight was flitting about in the middle of the chaos with a manic look in her eye, and her T-shirt and jeans both of which said Best Princess were on backwards and was throwing books around while screaming at the top of her voice "I know it's hear somewhere, I can find it don't worry everypony I just have to erase time and space and then everything will be better heeheehee." Spike was in a corner curled up in the fetal position with toilet paper wads in his nose, rocking back and forth saying "I am a rock, I am a rock, I am a rock," with varying levels of intensity.

"What in the name of Creation is going on here?" Celestia hollered above the noise successfully quieting everything but Spike who despite everything continued his creepy chanting.

"I am a rock."

"Twilight come here, now."

"I am a rock!"

Twilight walked forward as though she had just been condemned to wash Discords privates and armpits with her toothbrush for the rest of her eternal life.

*whispering*"i am a rock..."

As Twilight reached her former mentor, Celestia enveloped her in a massive hug and said, "Twilight we both know this isn't your fault, these things happen from time to time."

"I AM A ROCK!!!"

"Though poor Spike might need therapy at this point..."

"I. AM. A. ROCK."

All else was put on hold as Rainbow Dash walked in through the other door, her shoes squelching with each step, water dripping from her and her clothes, forming puddles as she went. Her tank top clung to her breasts showing there how perfectly round and perky they were, they weren't the biggest in the room, but they weren't small either. The pegasus could see her nipples through the fabric. No! Bad!...Screw it.

"I am a ROCK."

Her head hung in defeat, she spoke rather demurely, "Hey, Twi...can I use a towel? And maybe borrow some clothes?"

"I AM A ROOOOOOOCCCKKK!!!!

Laughter. True, happy, contented, long and loud laughter rang throughout the room as everyone looked for the source. The place it came from was perhaps the most unexpected. Their guest the pegasus whom had born witness to events too horrifying to describe, whom had spent the grand majority of his life watching people die in the most horrible ways possible, while trying to stop it, was laughing. Tears were streaming from his eyes as he doubled over clutching his sides as though they might burst apart.

And then as everyone looked around and saw the sight that he had seen, the laughter slowly grew as everyone realized just what had transpired. Everyone except Rainbow Dash who promptly tackled him and sent both of them outside the library and into the hallway while shouting "YOU COLOSSAL DICK!!!"

Over the laughter still present in the room they heard his reply to Rainbows accusation. "No I'm not! I have one. There is a difference.

Luna stood aghast at everything that had transpired.And yet hope had taken root in her heart. This was the first time the pegasus had laughed, and this was something her brother would have found very amusing. They are so very similar...

Looking back I can easily see why we all became such good friends...if only I hadn't failed them...