Solar Eclipse

Chapter One: Breakfast and Books

Princess Luna

“Luna, where are you?” asked the elegant Princess Celestia as she stood near the table she dined at.

“We are coming!” said the Princess of the Night as she flew into the cavernous dining room, and sat on a gilded chair.

The dining room was a large hall with huge gleaming windows from celing to floor, looking out upon all of Canterlot. A long table was threaded across the expanse of the room, beautifully baked breakfast treats lain on silver and gold plates. On one end sat the Princess of the Sun, her colorful flowing mane giving a glowing aura. Luna sat at the other end, smiling softly as she looked down through one of the windows and saw some foals playing with a ball as they pranced through the streets of the capital city.

“How are you doing today, sister?” Celestia asked, looking at her sister with dark pink eyes.

“We-we are fine,” said Luna, looking away from the foals and at her sibling all the way at the other end of the table.  “We have been reading a few books on the subject of Equestrian history.”

Celestia’s eyes widened a bit, almost unnoticeably. “Oh. Have you enjoyed it thus far?”

Luna looked down on her plate, using her magic to grab several breakfast items from the buffet in front of her. “We are most displeased with the unfactual historians who have written this set of stories,” she commented, taking a small bite from a muffin.

“I see,” said Celestia, also looking downward. She sipped a cup of Canterlotian tea.

Luna sighed and raised her head after a minute or so. “Dear sister, thou must know that it twas’ not really us that became the horrid monster of nightmares. Somepony else hath controlled us,” the Alicorn explained, setting her muffin down.

Celestia’s eyes were still downcast, but Luna still saw a small number of tears dripping from them, moistening the silk tablecloth.

Luna sighed again. Things always seemed to lead to this conversation someway or another. What had happened to her was going to scar her and her sister for the rest of their seemingly everlasting life.

“We are sorry for bringing it up,” she calmly stated.

“It is... forgiven, sister,” the Sun Princess said, giving a weak smile.

Another silence followed.

“That twas’ quite a wedding a week ago, wasn’t it?” Luna said, again looking outside as flashes of memory from Princess Cadence’s wedding appeared before her eyes. Unfortunately, she had been away while most of the events had occured.

Princess Celestia nodded in agreement, her mane rippling in waves as her head bobbed up and down. “It is most fortunate that the bride and groom had my student and her friends there to help.”

“Speaking of which, what is the latest letter sent from thou’s own student?” Luna asked, wiping her mouth with a laced napkin.

The two princesses talked more about how Twilight and her friends were doing, about the manticore found roaming around Manehattan, and Luna particularly enjoyed talking about the DJ pony Vinyl Scratch and her new songs that she had played at the wedding.

But something dark and abnormal was brewing in the back of the moon princesses’ mind, something she could only just barely sense, which she just passed off as tiredness.

Princess Celestia

Reading in the castle library was one of Celestia’s favorite things to do. Even though her age surpassed any other pony in Equestria, she still was learning new things every time she cracked open an unread book.

This time she had decided to read the history text that Luna had commented on reading earlier. Celestia took a deep breath as she used her magic to open to the first page. Vivid illustrations drew her into the book, captivating her mind with the stories they told. Stories of the birth of Equestria, which was created by a white Alicorn with a golden mane, who didn’t have a specific name, except the First. Stories about Celestia’s and Luna’s ancestors, all of which who harnessed the sun and moon and controlled them with power given by the First. Even Celestia’s and Luna’s Mother and Father were in the text, and how they created the capital of Canterlot and built it with their bare hooves and horns. Then came stories of how Luna and Celestia came to power, how their Mother and Father went to live with the First in the stars, creating new worlds with her and their ancestors.

Luna’s Fall. That’s what the historians called it. Celestia’s eyebrows knit together as she read about her sister transforming into the hideous beast of Nightmare Moon. The historians said it was all her fault, and that her jealousy had consumed her and made her what she became.

“No,” the princess of Equestria declared, closing the large volume loudly. “That’s not what happened.” The princess tried to stop the tears, but they came anyway. She was silent as they watered her eyes and continued to moisten her cheeks. The historians were wrong. It couldn’t have been Luna’s fault. They were sisters.

Putting the book back into its proper place, Celestia remembered something. Today was the annual solar eclipse. Blinking back amazement, Celestia wondered how she had forgotten. She hoped Luna would be pleased... and yet, she dreaded solar eclipses. Luna most likely did not remember this, but the night Nightmare Moon had been banished to the moon, the evil mare  had lain a curse. A curse on both the sun and the moon. She had done it with the last remaining power she had gathered before the Elements of Harmony were unleashed. The curse prevented Celestia or Luna from interfearing with solar eclipses no matter how much magic they used. So as a result, the eclipses regularly ocurred, and lasted longer than they had before. A solid half-hour.

Celetia was afraid what could happen when the sun was not under her control. She had no idea why Nightmare Moon had done that particular spell, it seemed to have no particular purpose except to give anxiety to Celestia.

“Sister?” a voice called from the first floor of the library.

Celestia looked down from her perch on a stack of pillows on a library balcony. Luna was staring up at the Sun Princess, a small smile on her lips.

“Dear sister, the solar eclipse is today. All of Equestria will be waiting for you and us to make it happen,” Luna said, “We must get ready! We have been looking forward to this most joyous occasion ever since being turned back.”

“I...” the blood ran out of Celestia’s face. She had not told her sister about the control of the sun and moon that was not hers or her sister’s on this fateful day. “Luna... There is something I must-”

“Come along! We only have a scant half-hour before the celebration begins!” And with that, Luna trotted out of the room, expecting Celestia to follow her.

Celestia spread her white wings and glided down towards the colossal doors of the royal library. She landed softly, her hooves clopping against the tiled floor. “Luna.”

“Yes?” Luna asked, turning her head around.

Celestia took a deep breath. If she didn’t tell Luna now, she would find out when she tried to control the moon later, in front of all of Canterlot. “Sister, we won’t be controlling them,” Celestia stated flatly, and then she told Luna of the curse.

Luna’s eyes widened to big black pools. “But... why would we do that?”

Celestia winced. “I don’t know.”