Solar Eclipse

Chapter Two: A Ruined Celebration

Princess Luna

After getting her traditional collar, shoes, and crown, Luna looked half-heartedly into her vanity mirror. A servant was styling and brushing her mane, while another was adding eyeliner and mascara to the eyes of the Princess of the Moon. Yet, the more makeup that was added, the more Luna knew she could never hide or cover up the fact that she had used to be a Nightmare, and had put this wretched curse upon the sun and moon.

Could she undo it? After all, wasn’t it she that had lain it in the first place? She told the servants to stop, and they left the room obediently. Luna looked up at the crown that graced her head. It sparkled in the bright sunlight of the room, the crescent moon gleaming white upon the black background of the tiara. She wondered if she deserved such a thing of beauty.

Those days of torture when she was Nightmare Moon were... awful. She remembered bits and pieces of them, betraying her sister and terrorizing the ponies of Equestria. The memories were all recorded under a blanket of panic and hatred, pure hatred, something she had not ever experienced before. She had been polluted by something foreign. Something had taken control over her body, and poisoned her mind during those dark times... but what?

Luna shuddered as she remembered that voice... that frightful, evil voice. It had whispered lies into her mind that had helped it to take over by making her doubt herself and her sister.

Shivers ran through her body. This whole curse about the solar eclipse was NOT good, that was for sure. The way the reasoning behind it was shrouded from her made it even more maddening.

THUMP THUMP THUMP! A pounding on the door awoke Luna from her daydream... or more like daytime nightmare. Luna opened the door with her magic, and a pink Alicorn stepped through.

“Cadence. Why art thou here?” Luna asked.

Cadence smiled. “It’s time for the celebration! Everypony in Canterlot is waiting outside under the balcony!”

“We see. We will be out there in a minute,” Luna calmly replied, and Cadence nodded, stepped out of the room, and closed the door.

Luna took a deep breath. It was time to face her fears.

Princess Celestia

The Princess of the Sun stepped forward onto the grand balcony extending from one of the castle’s tallest and widest towers. As the ponies below saw her, they gave a resounding cheer, blocking out any other sound. Even more praise exploded from the audience when Celestia snapped her wings open, their massive span almost touching both ends of balcony.

Her heart warmed as she saw all of the mares and stallions looking up at her. She loved all of her adoring subjects, and a lump formed in her throat as she prayed that this eclipse would not harm any of them.

The princess of the moon trotted onto the balcony beside her sister, and also extended her wings. The crowd clapped their hooves in admiration, a few whistles sounded here and there. Luna smiled, and raised her head high.

Trumpets blew magestic-sounding notes as they announced the beginning of the solar eclipse celebration.

Celestia looked down at her smaller sibling. They exchanged a meaningful look, and then gazed at the sky. Their unicorn magic activated, but it was not actually doing anything. They had to make it appear as if everything was under control, so the city would not resolve to panic.

And it happened. The moon slipped slowly over the sun, sending the whole of Canterlot into shadow. Celestia had to admit it looked beautiful. But then she looked over at Luna and gasped. The moon princess collapsed, sending her tiara skittering across the balcony. Her pupils contracted, making them alarmingly miniscule. Giving a cry, the sun princess used her magic to carry her sister off of the balcony and into the castle before anypony had noticed, as the ponies were too busy gazing upon the eclipse to notice the newfound dilemma.

“Luna? Sister? Are you alright?!” Celestia cried, kneeling near her collapsed sibling.

Luna shakily stood up, and giving a blood-curdling scream, looked wildly at her sister, her blue eyes showing the level of intense pain she was experiencing. She looked down, and then skittered away from the sun princess, running as fast as she could down the castle hall. “NO! NOT ag-g-gain! STOP IT! STOOOP!”

Celestia followed her sister, frantically flapping her wings to try to catch up with the moon princess.

“LUNA!”

Princess Luna

The voice. It was there, scratching at her mind, telling her how nice it was to be back. It seeped into her thoughts, sending panic wracking through her body. The pain! The searing pain was the worst, the voice causing as much pain as it could inside Luna. It used sharp claws to fill her body with shudders and cries. She was burning, and then she was numb with cold.

And so she ran, her vision fogged with hallucination. She saw screaming spirits, crying ponies, and the sun blasting into pieces.

She saw Nightmare Moon.

Running into her room, Luna slammed the door behind her, and locked it. She knew what was happening, and had to protect her sister from it.

Princess Celestia

Celestia slammed against the door before she could stop her flying body. The tall door shuddered violently. Celestia growled as she tried to open it, but found it bolted shut.

“D-D-DON’T COME IN!!!” Luna sobbed from behind the mass of wood, “It-it’s happening again!” And she burst into pained tears.

Celestia pawed at the door, her pointed golden shoes leaving long gashes on the door. “SISTER! You MUST let me help you! Whatever is happening to you, I-I can help! I MUST help!” she screamed, and with that, she stabbed her horn into the hard wood of the door, cutting straight through. She did it over and over, weakening the door’s structure.

“No!” Luna gasped, “I can’t hurt you again!”

Celestia backed away from the door, and with a haggard breath, stampeded towards it. With her full force, she crashed into it, breaking the blockade into wooden splinters. She whipped her head back and forth, but Luna was nowhere to be found. Her balcony doors were open, the dark haze of the eclipse bringing day to night. Celestia cursed, and galloped to the balcony. Laying on it was a dark black tiara, with a crescent moon emblazoned on its crest.

Princess Luna

Luna flapped her wings in the dark of the eclipse, tears cooling her hot face as they dripped from her eyes. Groaning in agony, she looked down at her coat to find its color slowly changing from its normal blue/purple to a sickening shade of black. She could see her veins, even from under her coat. Her breath came out in even quicker gasps, her eyes darting from side to side to make sure her persistent yet loyal sister was not following her... it was too dangerous for Celestia to be there when... it happened. Holding back a cry, she landed clumsily into the dreary place her instincts had told her to go. The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.