The End... Was just the beginning
The dense smoke of the cooking in the royal kitchen could be smelt and correctly identified from the opposite side of the castle, and Eclipse had identified it. Spike's nachos, her favourite. She glided down the stairs, her wings beating rapidly, soon joined by Twilight Sparkle. "Good Morning!" She sang softly to her as they raced towards the source of the smell.
"Good morning." She repeated, her eyes prominent on her only wish, Spike's cuisine.
Finally, the plates were only two inches away. Twilight opened her mouth to protest, Nachos weren't a suitable breakfast, but Spike had already leaped onto the table and grabbed the plates.
"They're for Rarity, actually... But you can have them." He sighed in annoyance, and thrusted the plate onto the table. They rolled their eyes and began eating.
They were interrupted by a sorrowful cry from Eclipse, whose eyes were completely white. As it faded away and her usual red eyes returned, she muttered something under her breath and then repeated it for all to hear.
"Spike... Could you change that apron?" The apron was decorated with a single heart in the centre, much like Eclipse's- Darkness' amulet that held her cloak together once upon a time.
"But it's my lucky apron?" He moaned, tugging at the ribbon. She apologised as Twilight levitated it into the drawer. At that moment, the door was knocked, and it echoed through the halls. "I'll get it...Maybe it's Rarity..." Spike excitedly got up, his feet hopping up and down.
"Who is it, Spike?" Twilight called to him.
"It's... Discord. What are you doing here?" He answered.
"What? That wasn't a very kind way to greet a friend, Spike." Discord's voice sang through the corridors, making it sound ever so obnoxious than it could truly be. "I just heard that you have a new little friend, some say the fifth alicorn. I'd like to meet her and make a new friend." He chortled.
"Okay, but she can be sensitive... You know what she's been through. This way." As they entered, Eclipse hid her face in fear under the counter.
"So this is Eclipse! Pleasure to meet you, is she the one I've heard so much about? Lovely eyes, are they are natural?"
"Not really... They're magic. They changed colour from silver to red after I..." She hung her head in shame, a tear galloping down her cheek. "So, who are you?"
"I am Discord. FORMER Lord of chaos and so on. Heard of me?"
"Once, yes. Twilight mentioned you when she spoke of her story with Tirek."
"..." Discord smiled awkwardly, hissed at Twilight, then carried on smiling. The silence was torn by another knock on the door.
"I'll get it." Spike said as he walked, his finger crossed and muttering, "Please be Rarity." The door creaked, and instead of Spike answering it, a soothing, calm and yet rough voice called from the door. She entered the kitchen and Twilight curtsied.
"Princess Twilight, We must be on our way... Hast you received sister's letter? No? I will explain on the way."
"Twilight, Queen Chrysalis, Sombra and every villain you have faced have grown an army and joined forces... We need you to convince Eclipse to assist each of us in vanquishing the foes... You are our only hope. Sister, Cadence and I will meet you both at that mountain tomorrow at midnight. We will explain more then."
You've just felt the most terrible fear you have ever known go through your body, leaving you paralysed, and your expected to save the world, trembling.
Twilight bit her lip as she walked in, lifted a hoof and tried to speak but was interrupted by Discord. "Don't look so tense, Twilight. Loosen up!" He made an arrow appear pointing at Eclipse, and so Twilight gave a frustrated cry.
"Eclipse, would you like to go for a walk?" Then Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy darted through the door.
"Trouble! Come!" Rainbow Dash yelled, grabbing Eclipse by the arm and flying out with her.
"Um...if it's okay Twilight, can you come too?" Twilight nodded at her quiet friend, gave a sharp stare at Discord, and walked out.
They found themselves at Sweet apple acres, but the trees were bare and stone like. "Who could destroy an orchard," Applejack picked up a fully ripe fruit from the ground, "and eat the leaves and nothing else?"
"Fluttershy, do you know any creature that's capable of this?" She shook her head in reply.
"I...I do." Eclipse stammered as she walked towards a stone tree and touched it, "The Anthintikus. It's saliva destroys the vitamins and minerals a tree needs for survival and turns it into stone. It's a creature from the ever free forest, deep in the core of it. I can't imagine why it would come here."
"I'll go to the library of the castle at once and read of this abnormal creature." Princess Twilight said as she turned away, running and leaping to get airborne.
~~~
Twilight looked at the crystal grandfather clock in the front of the library, it read 9:00. "I still have time to convince Eclipse..." A flash of light appeared, and the draconequus leaned over her head and grinned to say,
"Good luck with that." Twilight, in an effort to shove him away, lost control of her magic and a book dropped near her hooves.
The Guide To Explain Unexplainable And Powerful Creatures
Twilight shrugged, tilting the book cover open and levitating the page an inch near her face. "A... A... A... Ah ha! The Anthintikus." She began to read, "This creature represents a snake the size of an average cloud. It's skin is made of pure stone for defensive reasons, stressing them in the process of shedding their skin and renewing it. It is an omnivore, though it does not eat ponies. It will only attack pony kind if it feels threatened. Be cautious when approaching, it has been known to destroy cities as large as an empire." Twilight shook her head. She wasn't scared, she was terrified! She continued to scan through the sentences, "Their diets consist of trees, leaves and meat. This is met in such disgust from pony kind as they must hunt for it and will usually hunt bunnies or bears in the care of ponies. They eat the leaves of trees and thrust their fangs into the bark, sucking in all the vitamins it wants. It's saliva makes the bark slowly turn to stone, and it serves as a venom when dealing with larger or more intelligent beings." She grabbed the book, sheltering it between her wings and stomach, and ran as fast as she could. She made herself disappear and reappear infront of her friends.
"Find anything, Suga' cube?" AppleJack asked, noticing the mare panting.
"This..."
"The Guide To Explain Unexplainable And Powerful Creatures? What in sweet celestia's name is that?" Rarity questioned herself, puffing her mane with her hoof. There was a moment of silence after the book had been read, that was before the ponies anxiously trotted about.
"M'ah Orchards... They'll be destroyed!"
"Now, darling do not speak of the worst. It shall not be pleasant and many hoof-acures will go to waste but-"
"I do know a spell that can fix-" they lunged at her, all except for Twilight.
"And you didn't mention it because?"
"I thought you knew-"
"Darling, speak up like a proper lady, stop being dramatic."
"I don't speak up, does that mean I'm not a proper lady, Rarity?"
"Fluttershy, dear, I didn't say that and I didn't mean that. You know it."
"Girls..."
"Well Eclipse is sure gettin' on ma nerves. I mean, we give 'er a home and a family, and yet she scares us like that!"
"GIRLS! Give her a break, look at...her? Where is she?" Twilight's lilac eyes darted around both frantically and fearfully.
"She was just here? She couldn't have gone far on hoof, probably in the skies. Even so, Pinkie, Rarity and Applejack spread out and look
for her on the ground. Twilight, Fluttershy and the Awesomest Pegasus In Equestria, that's me, will look in the air. Go!" Rainbow spread her wings and instantly vanished, leaving a cloud of puff in her place.
~~~
Eclipse sat silently at the top of the hill, the cold, thin air entering her lungs made no difference to not breathing at all, and she was suffocating silently. But being an alicorn, it didn't harm her in any sort. She sniffed, laying her head on the ground. FLASH, there was a bright light, and Discord sat on the rock. "Greetings."
"Gosh... You startled me. How did you know I was here?"
"I didn't. This is my hill. Look on the side." Eclipse moved to the left, noticing the large marking. It read;
DISCORDS HILL
"Oh... Sorry. I'll leave at once."
"No. You can stay. Your sad, why is that?"
"I... Don't belong here." There was a large pause as Eclipse removed the tears from her bright red eyes, and it was interrupted by Discord.
"And I do? I am a Draconequus. I have a head of a horse, horn of a goat, antler of a deer, a goat beard, a snake tongue, dare I go on? I possess the power of chaos and the image of a freak. Yet I deserve friendship as much as any other. I know that you are upset... But you do. If a villain like me can be forgiven, Luna too, I think you can as well."
"But, Discord, I didn't think they wouldn't know of such a basic spell... For an alicorn, I'm so stupid!"
"Yes, I guess you are, but right now you should be the greatest pony you can be."
"You're right..."
"Course I am! Now, come Eclipse. I believe somebody is looking for you." He pointed at Twilight Sparkle, who was calling to her student, though unaware she was on the hill. Eclipse nodded, hugged her newly found friend, and leaped off the peak. Her wings spread out as she gracefully glided down.
"Eclipse! Please don't be upset..."
"I'm not. Come on, we have an orchard to save." Twilight smiled at Eclipse, then galloped to the orchard.
~~~
Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were gathered around a picnic table. Eclipse hopped onto the table and let her horn be enveloped with a glowing red aura, and soon, beams of light were shot at each tree. Every tree that was hit soon had been frosted with a deep red colour, than a natural brown colour. Soon, all the trees had their leaves and bark on them.
"That was wonderful, dear. I'm sorry... I'll make it up to you though. I promise."
"Yeah, me too." Rainbow added to Rarity's apology.
"That was vague." Rarity stated, turning to Rainbow Dash.
"Girls!" Fluttershy yelled, pulling them to each other. "Apologise! Is that a way to talk to a friend?"
"Sorry..."
"Well, apology not accepted."
"What!" Eclipse stared, wide eyed at the two friends fighting. Her horn illuminated once more, and both girls were teleported to Discord's hill. She teleported a quick letter to it too.
Dearest Discord,
Your assistance and advice was appreciated. Please talk these two out of their strange fighting behaviour. Thanks.
Eclipse
"Where'd they go? I could'a sworn Rares was right 'ere?" Applejack gaped.
"Uh... They'll return, right?" Twilight whispered to Eclipse quietly, who nodded.
Eclipse stepped into the Carrousel Boutique, watching Rarity gallop towards her. She smiled... She couldn't help it. The white pony shoved her into the fitting room. "I'm sorry darling, but you can't see it! It's not complete!"
"What's not complete, Rarity?"
"Your dress!"
"You made a dress for me?"
"But of course! It's your birthday in two days. You must wear it for the whole day."
"I don't have a birthday... Or rather I don't know about one. I did make one up though. Eighteen Of March. The reason was because I lived in between two houses when was homeless. I knew the family very well that lived on the left. Even though they didn't know me. I used to watch them celebrate their son's birthday. I made that day my own, because I felt lonely that I didn't. Every year on that day, I would take the most sorrowful, depressed and sick homeless foal I could find, take them under my wing for the whole day until I found a pony who would take them in. I always made sure I put the foal on the doorstep, rang it and flew away, watching from afar."
"That... Is so sweet, darling. Listen, after you see the dress, I will take you to the Spa. I insist."
"Are you sure?"
"But of course! Just a few minutes and your dress will be complete. How old are you exactly?"
" I'm not sure, but since I started my 'tradition', fourteen million, seven hundred and eighty-three thousand, and fourteen hundred. Today's a century more than last hundred years." Rarity's jaw fell open, and she fell to the floor, gaping. Eclipse, not realising her friend was flabbergasted, beamed, then sat carefully onto the chair in the fitting room. It was rather small for one, and had a coat hanger and mirror. It was empty other than those three objects, nevertheless, it was a suitable fitting room. Eclipse stared at her reflection, and placed her hoof on the mirror.
"Is... That really me?" She whispered, staring at the golden colour of her soft fur. All of a sudden, the colour in the reflection melted, and it soon was a puddle in the mirror. There, looking back at her tearfully, was a grey mare with no Cutiemark and no pride. Eclipse gave a cry of fright, lifting a hoof to see if she too had transformed. Fortunately, her colour was not of the mirrors. A dark mist enshrouded the mirror, and instead of the now grey pony, Darkness stared back. Her malicious grin stretched across her familiar face.
"You thought you could escape my wrath... You fool. I am a part of you, you cannot change that."
"Stop! Your a loathsome, villainous, vile creature! Go back to Tartarus! Rot there!"
"I shall repeat. I am a part of you. If you wish, we will both go to Tartarus and will both rot there." Eclipse backed away, before screaming and thrusting her horn into the mirror. She darted out of the fitting room curtains, stumbling in dizziness. "Never underestimate me, Eclipse... No pony can separate you from me. Nopony." A voice echoed deep in her head, and she dashed through the doors. Those last words continuously sang in her head, she couldn't survive like that. She finally rested of her running, leaning into the lake to drink. Pulling off of the water, she stared in awe at Darkness in her own reflection. "You can run... But you can't hide!" She screamed violently, and the deep red colour of Eclipse's horn came to life, and the water disappeared. "I won't leave you, dear." Once again the aura of her horn burst, but this time Eclipse had no power over it, hence she couldn't stop. Beads of sweat dropped from her forehead. It was boiling, she could still feel the magic pouring out of her horn. When she opened her tearful eyes, she wanted to close it so badly. It was horrifying, for the terror in her nightmares had come to life.
Ponyville was burning. Their was fire on the houses, and the smell of ash thrusted itself In her lungs. She coughed, her ears twitching in response to the screams and cries. She galloped breathlessly towards the source of sound, noticing a young colt crying and throwing himself on his mother's bedroom door. She broke open the door of the bedroom, pulling the injured and unconscious pony out and resting her on her back. She grabbed the colt with her mouth and cantered out. The fire threatened her with it's dance, and yet she dived through it. She tried to find a safe place to place them, and ran to the castle of her mentor.
"Your safe here... Stay while I save the others."
"Your a Heroine! Thank you!" She shook her head to the little colt who idolised her. She slung open the doors, flapping her wings to gets to the second screams. She wished she could stop the fire with her horn... But Darkness had taken it and was using it to keep the burning going.
"Please... Stop! You are not inhumane..."
"As you wish. Only if you never assist Celestia, Luna, Cadence Or Twilight in a journey that may lead to the end of your life... Okay?"
"Alright... Just please stop this madness!" And suddenly, her horn stopped glowing, and the flames died down. She gaped at what was left of Ponyville. Ruins.
