The Wandering Soldier

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1: Return to Equestria
Chapter 2: An Audience with Her Majesty
Chapter 3: Sins of the Past
Chapter 4: The War of the Skies
Chapter 5: Reporting for duty

Prologue

Light showered over the battlefield. Dark clouds were visable in the distance. The terrain was made up of gravel and dirt. The dead grass that remained had been painted red with the blood of the dead or dying. War showed it's true colours.

It was a war between Ponies and Griffons. What caused the war was of little matter to the soldiers. Their sole purpose was to serve their beloved princesses. It seemed that for every soldier that was struck down the opposing side also took a casualty. However one pony in particular, a white pegasus pony with a yellow mane, stood out amongst his fellow soldiers. He glided through the battlefield cutting down his enemies where they stood. His fellow soldiers rallied to him as they would to their own princess. The battle swayed in favour of the ponies.

One griffon stood out in front of his comrades, gesturing a challenege to the white pegasus. He stood before him causing the other ponies to halt. It was not uncommon for the strongest soldier of each army to battle it out to decide the outcome of the battle. The pegasus stepped forward to show he accepted the challenge. A large roar came from both the ponies and griffons. They stared at each other for what seemed like hours. Eventually the griffon stepped forward. He immediately realised his mistake, for whoever made the first move always lost. The pegasus swept forward and with one flash of his balde the griffon fell to the ground. The ponies cheered while the griffons slowly backed away.

A gasp came from the ponies as a gap formed amid the ranks. Out from the gap stepped the princess. She sported her golden battle armour, her pink mane flowing through a hole in her helmet. She stepped forward to the pegasus and looked him in the eye. She spoke an unsaid congratulations. She then turned to face the griffons. Normally under these circumstances the griffons would lay down their arms and be allowed to leave with their lives. This was the mercy of a monarch. Today there was no sign of that mercy.

The princess bellowed at her soldiers to slaughter the remaing griffons. At first they hesitated but soon followed their order. The pegasus stared at his commander and princess. In her eyes he saw pure hatred. He looked down at his bloodsoaked armour. His purpose was to serve his princess. He felt his morals shattering down around him as the air filled with the scream of griffons. He took off his helmet and threw it on the ground. He looked at the princess one more time before walking in the opposite direction of death. He though about all the souls that would now perish. He blamed himself for this. He banished himself to wander in the wastelands until he could right these wrongs. He had no idea how long this would take but he promised himself he would live to see the day where he could find his purpose again.

The pegasus wandered through the wasteland for more than a thousand years. He did not know why he never died during this time, but he always remebered his promise. During this time he helped many poor souls who became lost in the harsh wastelands. He defeated many evil creatures that resided in the wastelands. Sometimes he wished he could leave the wastelands but could never find the way out. He was bound to reamin here until his time came. Little did he know that his time was soon at hoof.

One day as the soldier was wandering through the hospitable wasteland a large sandstorm rained down on him forcing him to take shelter in a nearby cave. He waitied out the storm. When he emerged from the cave he could see a small village in the distance. He knew what this meant. His time had finally come to fulfill his promise.

The pegasus approached the village. It was a small village styled in a way unfamiliar to him. The town was populated by mostly earth ponies and many buffalos. He walked over to a yellow coated stallion standing near the edge of town.

"Howdy" the stallion shouted as the pegasus approached."Welcome to Appaloosa, home of the best cider in all Equestria" he chanted with a big grin on his face. The pegasus stopped in his tracks.

"Equestria" he thought to himself."It has changed quite a lot since I have been gone".

"You alright there partner" the stallion asked trotting over to him.

"I am alright. I am just adjusting to my surroundings" the pegasus slurred. He then realised he had not spoken in a long time.

"You sound like you had a pretty crazy night. If your looking for a place to stay the inn is just over there" he said pointing a hoof at the largest building in the town.

"I appreciate the help" the pegasus said still rembering how to speak. He stared at the yellow stallion. This caused the stallion to tense up slightly.

"I'm Braeburn" he said extending a hoof to the pegasus. He shook it firmly."What's your name" he enquired.

The pegasus blinked." I don't quite remeber, it has been a long time since I used it" he mumbled.

Braeburned smiled and laughed."Must of been one heck of a rodeo if ya can't remeber your name" he giggled."Follow me into town and I'll get ya some cider". The two ponies headed towards the inn. They reached the bar where Braeburned ordered two ciders. They sat down and drank in silence.

"So" Braeburn said trying to instigate a conversation."What brings ya to town".

The pegasus looked up from his drink."I was out wandering in the wastelands for many years. A storm hit and when I emerged from shelter I saw this town" he said taking another sip of his cider."I must journey to the castle of the two princesses to speak with her majesty Princess Celestia" he said firmly. Braeburned stared at the stallion slightly confused.

"You must have been in the wastelands for a long time. The Princesses no longer live in that castle, they now live in Canterlot" he said to the pegasus.

The pegasus thought about what the stallion said then finished his drink."Can you take me there" he asked.

Braeburned looked at him and smiled."I can't myself but I know somepony who can" he said as he also finished his drink.

Chapter 1: Return to Equestria

The two stallions walked from the inn in the direction of the town's train station. Braeburn led while the white pegasus followed closely behind. The train station was on the outskirts of the town. The two stallions walked in silence as they approached the station. Braeburn walked up to the office and handed over some bits to the conducter. He was handed a small golden ticket in return. Printed on the ticket in block capitals was the word Ponyville. Braeburn took the ticket and trotted back over to the pegasus. He gave it to him and smiled.

"Now do you remember what I told ya" he asked.The pegasus cleared his throat.

"I must head to the town of Ponyville. Once I arrive I must locate Sweet Apple Acres where your cousin works. Her name is Applejack. She is a friend of The Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle and will take me to see her. Once in the presence of her majesty I will ask her to bring me to Princess Celestia in Canterlot. From there I shall be able to carry out my duties" the pegasus responded firmly. Braeburn stared at the stallion one last time, memorising his features. Then a loud whistle sounded.

"That will be your train. Ya might wanna get on board" he said to the pegasus. The pegasus boarded the train and found a seat by the window and looked out at the stallion who had helped him so much. As the train started to depart he stuck his head out the window.

"Thank you very much for your help Braeburn, I shall not forget this" he shouted.

The stallion smiled and waved as the train quickly went out of view of the station.

The train moved quickly along the tracks. The Pegasus slowly felt himself falling asleep. He decided it would be best to get some rest before he arrived and closed his eyes. He awoke to the sight of a pink mare staring him right in the face. Out of instinct he lashed out scaring the pink pony. She let out a scream jumped back from the pegasus. She seemed to bounce around the carriage for a bit before coming to a stop. She walked back up to the pegasus with a smile on her face.

"Sorry for scaring you" she said."It's just that this is the last stop and I figured you might wanna get off here". She started to bounce on the spot. The pegasus looked out the window to see a sign in the station saying Ponyville. He turned back to face the mare.

"Thank you for waking me" he said meekly."I migth have missed the stop".

"My name is Pinkie Pie" the mare said outstreching a hoof. The pegasus shook it.

"Pleasure to meet you" he said.

The pink mare stared at him for a second, then frowned.

"Your usually ment to respond with your name when somepony introduces themselves" she said pouting.

"I apologise" he said. He then thought to himself "What is my name again". The pink mare stared at him waiting for an answer."Oh that's right" he thought. He stodd up infront of the mare and bowed."My name is Shadow Eclipse, but I am mostly referred to as Eclipse".

"That's a really cool name" the pink mare as her bouncing started to become more rapid."You know who would love that name. My friend Rainbow Dash. She can tell if ponies have awsome names and I think she would think it's awsome" she managed to say with one breath. As she continued to bounce around Eclipse noticed another mare standing beside her. She had a light yellow coat and a pink mane.

"This is my friend Fluttershy" the mare called Pinkie Pie said as if she could sense Eclipse was looking at her."We just returned from Appaloosa on a friendship mission. We're Elements of harmony you see" she said showing a golden necklace around her neck with a small balloon shaped jewel. The yellow mare stepped forward.

"It's a pleasure to meet you" she said in the most quiet tone Eclipse had ever heard somepony speak."I saw you asleep there and I asked Pinkie to wake you up quietly. I apologise if she was too loud" she said.

"Thank you very much for being so kind" Eclipse said bowing to her also.

"So what brings you to Ponyville" Pinkie asked him as they departed the train.

"I'm looking for a mare named Applejack who lives in Sweet Apple Acres. Do you know her" he asked the mares.

"Well of course we know her silly" she said as if he should have known."She's one of our best friends and also another Element Of Harmony" Pinkie said as she hopped along."We can bring you to her if you want".

"That would be much appreciated" Eclipse said. The ponies set off in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. As they walked Pinkie questioned Eclipse about where he came from and why he was looking for Applejack.

"Well it is very hard to explain" Eclipse said looking away from the mares.

"Ooh let me guess" Pinkie said as she drew in a deep breath."You were a soldier for Equestria over a thousand years ago, but after seeing something happen during a battle you began to question whether what you did was wrong or right so you decided to wander the wastelands until you could find an answer to the question and that's why you are here now" she said as she deflated to the ground, running out of oxygen. The pegasus stared at the mare.

"Now Pinkie" Fluttershy said."That's quite a tall tale".

"It is actually all true" Eclipse responded. The two mares stared at him for a moment.

Fluttershy decided to speak."So why do you need to find Applejack then" she asked.

"Her cousin told me she could grant me an audience with Princess Twilight" he said to them.

"We could do that. We were heading there after to give Twilight our report" Fluttershy said."Why don't we get Applejack and all of us head to the castle".

"I do not mind what you choose to do" Eclipse said.

"Then it's settled" Fluttershy said."We will get Applejack and head for Twilight's castle". The ponies continued off down the dirt road towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Chapter 2: An Audience with Her Majesty

After a short walk the three ponies reached the farm. The pegasus found it a bit more of a familiar scene as it was closer to the style before he left Equestria. They continued along the path until they came to the front doors of the barn. Fluttershy knocked gently on the doors. There was no response in the first few seconds. A moment later Pinkie Pie jumped up and banged on the door.

"Applejack, it's Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy" she shouted at the top of her lungs. A few moments later the barn doors swung open. An orange mare stood at the doorframe. She tipped her hat at the visitors.

"Howdy y'all" she said in a southern accent. She noticed the white pegasus behind her two friends."Howdy partner. I'm Applejack, pleasure ta meet ya" she said outstreching a friendly hoof to the pegasus.

"Just like her cousin" Eclipse thought to himself. He shook her hoof and smiled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you miss Applejack" he responded. The orange mare stared at him like he had two heads.

"There's no need for the miss. Just Applejack is fine" she said.

"Of course" Eclipse responded.

"So how can I help y'all" she asked the trio. Eclipse stepped forward at this point.

"I seek an audience with Her Majesty Princess Twilight Sparkle. Your friends said they would take me to her. They said they would bring you along aslo" he said to the mare.

"We're goin ta see Twilight" she asked her two friends who simply nodded in unison."Sounds good to me. Let's get a move on" she said as she trotted past the three ponies. Now that there was an extra pony in the group the journey from the farm to the town seemed more short to the white pegasus. The three mares had their own little conversation going while Eclipse followed behind at a distance. They eventually reached the town centre. As they were walking Eclipse noticed something heading towards them at a very fast speed. He quickly ran towards the mares.

"Look out" he shouted as he tackled them out of harm's way. They ponies collapsed into a large pile. A blue object whizzed past them crashing into a nearby tree. The ponies all looked up at the tree to see a cyan mare hanging out of it.

"Hey girls" she said with a large grin on her face."You really outta watch where you are going" she said then burst into a fit of laughter. Eclipse stared at the pegasus confused while the mares just glared at her. As she regained control of herself she noticed the white pegasus beside her friends.

"Hey there, I'm Rainbow Dash. The fastest and most awsomest flier in all Equestria" she said hold up a triumphant hoof. The other mares shook their heads lightly. Applejack then walked over to Eclipse.

"Meet Rainbow Dash. The pony with the biggest ego in all Equestria" she said earning a laugh from all her friends and a scowl from Rainbow Dash.

"Don't hate me cause you ain't me" she simply said swishing her tail in Applejacks face."Where were you girls heading anyway" she asked them as they got to their hooves.

"We are taking this stallion to see Twilight" Fluttershy said to the rainbow mare.

"Mind if I tag along" she asked.

"Sure. The more the merrier" Eclipse said with a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice. The ponies continued through the town until they reached the large crystal palace which belng to Twilight.

"Here we are" Pinkie Pie said bouncing up and down."I'm pretty sure Twilight will be in her library reading some book" she said as they walked up to the doors. Two guards saw the ponies approaching and opened the doors. Eclipse took in every bit of detail he could before they entered the castle. They walked in the direction of the library. The corridors seemed endless to Eclipse.

"It looks like it would be easy to get lost in here" he said alound earning a nod from all the other ponies. They eventually stopped at a door that seemed identical to the rest and knocked. After a moment passed a purple aura covered the doors as they opened. Inside was one of the largest libraries Eclipse had ever seen. It was also one of the few libraries he had been in. Sitting at a table in the centre of the room was a white unircorn with a purple mane and a purple alicorn. Both of them were drinking tea.

"Darlings" the white unicorn said getting up."How nice to see you all here. What brings you to the castle" she asked.

"Well Pinkie and I are here to tell Twilight the mission in Appaloosa went great" she said beaming. Pinkie Pie nodded in agreement.

"Me and Rainbow Dash just kinda tagged along with them. They brought somepony that wanted ta meet Twilight" Applejack said to the unicorn.

"Of course darlings, and who is it that wants to meet Twilight" she asked.

"That would be me" Eclipse said as he stepped forward from behind all the mares."My name is Shadow Eclipse and I have come to request an audience with Her Majesty Princess Twilight Sparkle" he spoke loudly. The purple alicorn got up from the table and walked over to the pegasus.

"I am Twilight Sparkle" the alicorn said. Eclipse immediately bowed before the alicorn. Twilight took a step back in suprise."Please don't bow. I'm not very comfortable with all the formalities" she said blushing.

"Of course your majesty. I apologise for my actions" Eclipse said in the most humble tone he could muster.

"And please just call me Twilight. None of the your majesty stuff" she said. Eclipse stood up to face the alicorn."So why have you come to see me" she questioned him.

"I seek an audience with Princess Celestia" he said. The mares all gasped at his response."I have an urgent matter that I must discuss with her" he said.

"I see but I can't just grant you an audience with Princess Celestia. She is the ruler of Equestria. She has to look after the country. Why do you deserve to get an audience with her" she questioned the stallion again.

"I am a soldier for her majesty. I have not reported in for a long time. I must let her know I have returned" he said to the alicorn.

"Soldiers do not report to the princess. They report to the captain of the guard" she said staring at the stallion. The pegasus looked back at the princess with confusion.

"I have never heard of such a rank" he said."There must be some mistake".

"How could you not know the rank. It has been the highest rank in the Equestrian military for the past thousand years" she said firmly."There is no mistake to it".

"That might make some sense" Eclipse said to himself. Twilight heard him mutter this and pounced.

"How would that make any sense" she asked completely confused.

"I mentioned that I had not reported in for a long time".

"Yes but I still don't see how it makes sense" Twilight interrupted him.

"I never knew exactly how long I was gone for. I must have been gone for over a thousand years" he said earning another gasp from the ponies.

"That's impossible" Twilight shouted."You can't be over a thousand years old. There is no possible explanation" she said running about the place flicking through books. Her friends stared at the purple alicorn. They had never seen her this frantic before. The princess continued to flick through books until she suddenly stopped and turned to face the white pegasus. She went right up in his face and stared into his eyes.

"You said you are a soldier, correct" she asked him not breaking eye contact.

"Yes" Eclipse responded.

"What rank of soldier are you" she asked.

The pegasus looked at the other ponies in the room before answering."I'm an Eclipse Soldier" he said. The princess immediately stepped back after this. She stared at him for a long time before turning around to look for a book. She search through hundreds of books before finding the one she was looking for. She came back to the stallion with the book and shoved it in his face.

"That's impossible. It says right here the last Eclipse soldier died 1200 years ago. His name was Divine Light and..." she said but was cut off by Eclipse.

"He was the second in command of the Eclipse Centuria. He had a cutie mark of a sword of light, but he preferred to use an axe as a choice of weapon" the white pegasus said. Twilight looked up from the book and stared at him.

"How did you know that" she said.

"Because I fought alongside him" the pegasus declared. There was a long silence in the room. Twilight continued to read through the book she was levitating. She then looked up again.

"It says here there was three commanders of the Eclipse Centuria. Each of these was granted an elongated life span so that they may serve Equestria where others would be prevented from doing so by death" she read."That would explain how you could live for so long" she said still flicking through the book."The book also states that you were the highest ranking unit in Equestrian history until you all passed away. The last thing it mentions is that the highest ranking commander disappeared after the last battle of the first griffon war" she said closing the book. She looked up at the pegasus infront of her."What happened" she asked him.

Eclipse was taken back by the question. He wasn't quite sure how to answer it. He looked the alicorn in the eyes. The words he spoke shocked everypony.

"Celestia betrayed her duty" he said.

Chapter 3: Sins of the Past

The ponies gasped after hearing these words come from the stallion's mouth. Twilight felt her heart slowly breaking. How could this be true. Her teacher and mentor would never betray her duties. Especially not one that invloved ponies lives. Twilight looked back at the pegasus.

"And just how did she betray her duties" Twilight asked not really wanting to hear the response.

"She ordered her soldiers to take the lives of unarmed griffons. Griffons who had surrendered after I defeated their best soldier in one on one combat. She was supposed to let them live. Instead she had them slaughtered. I stood there and did nothing. I then banished myself to wander the wastlelands until I could atone for all the lives that were lost because I did not dare to speak against the princess" Eclipse said. The ponies stared at him once more unable to believe what they had heard. Tears had started to flow down Twilight's cheeks now.

"I don't believe you" she cried at the pegasus."It's all lies". Her friends ran over to console her."Celestia would never do that. She is a merciful ruler who loves all" she said between sobs. The pegasus scoffed at her last statement. After Twilight had calmed down the stallion looked her dead in the eye.

"Do you know how many" he spoke softly.

Twilight looked at him puzzled."How many what" she asked rubbing the last of the tears away.

"How many lives were lost that day" he said. The ponies just stared at him."Ten thousand. Ten thousand lives gone in just one day. And that was only pony casualties. The griffons losses were horrendous" Eclipse said.

"I'm sorry" Twilight said."I didn't know".

"The worst part is" Eclipse said, now it being his turn to hold back tears."I can still hear the screams off every single soul lost that day" he said crumbling to the floor."So now you know why I seek an audience with Celestia. I must atone for the sins of the past. The first sin being not speaking out against my princess when she failed to uphold her duty" he said getting back to his hooves.

"I see now why you must go to Celestia. You wish to call her out on her crimes and the all the wrongs she has commited. After thinking about it with a calm head I might have thought of a reason why Celestia did what she did" Twilight said as she went to grab a book off a nearby shelf. "It says here that Celestia's parents were killed in a war against the draconequii. They lost their lives as the griffons were meant to send reinforcements, but they never came" she said closing the book."That could explain her hatred for the griffons" she said.

"Even if that is the true cause behind her actions she should have known better than to take her anger out on innocent lives" Eclipse said with a stern face."A princess should never put personal feelings above her duty" he said.

"That's strange you say that" Twilight said to the pegasus."The first thing Celestia taught me about being a princess was to never let my personal feelings get the better of me" the alicorn said. The ponies sat in silence for a moment. Then Rarity spoke.

"Well I do suppose we should all get ready for a trip to Canterlot" she said. The others looked at her and nodded.

"Meet back outside the castle in fifteen minutes and then we shall head for Canterlot" Twilight said to her friends. They all left the library leaving Twilight alone with Eclipse. They stood in silence." I should probably go get ready" Twilight said breaking the silence. She left the library now leaving Eclipse all alone. He trotted over to the books on the table. He looked at the one that had mentioned his unit. In the book he saw a picture of an old friend of his. Divine Light. A pure black stallion with a white mane. A sword of light as his cutie mark. Eclipse smiled at the memories he had of them together as youths. He turned the page to see another familiar face. The third in command of the Eclipse Centuria. Boulder Smash, or as he was more commonly know as, Earthquake. He had a brown coat and dark green mane. His cutie mark was a large boulder with cracks in it. He thought about the two stallions he had known so long ago. Eclipse was interuppted from his thoughts by Twilight.

"Are you ready to go see Princess Celestia" she asked him.

"Yes, I am ready" he said. He grabbed the book."Is it alright if I bring this" he asked the alicorn.

"Of course, just as long as you return it" she smiled."And if you don't return it there will be dire consequences" she said turning very serious. The stallion nodded to show he understood and the two ponies left the library. When they arrived outside eveypony was waiting for them. The two guards accompanied the princess to the station then returned to the castle. The ponies boarded the train which then took off in the direction of Canterlot. Eclipse took out the book he brought and began to read it. Twilight noticed him reading and sat down beside him.

"So what was it like, all those years ago" she asked him, curiosity getting the better of her.

The stallion looked at her and smiled."Where to begin" he said.

"How about when you first joined the Eclispe soldiers and how you became first commander" Twilight suggested to the stallion.

"Very well. It all started over 1500 years ago" he said as the rest of the ponies gathered around.

Chapter 4: The War of the Skies

A white pegasus stood guard to the to war room. He had a brilliant white coat and yellow mane and tail. His eyes were a bright sapphire blue. His cutie mark was a half moon and half sun joined together. He wore a black set of armour. He awaited eagerly for the ponies inside to emerge with news of the negotiations. He was approached by a black unicorn with a white mane sporting the same black armour as himself. They saluted to one another.

"Any movement from the commanders" the unicorn asked the pegasus on guard.

"None so far, but I doubt they will remain inside much longer" the white pegasus responded to his equal.

"I hate all this bloody waiting around" the unicorn said knocking a hoof against the ground. The pegasus grinned at him.

"It is not all that bad Divine. The longer the wait the less likely there will be a war" the pegasus said.

"I know Eclipse. I just wish they would decide if we are at war or not" he said groaning. He started pacing around in a circle.

"It is not that easy Divine. One can not simply decide to go to war. Steps must be taken to prepare before fully engaging in conflict" Eclipse said to his friend. The unicorn looked at his comrade. They stood in silence until a third party came along. The new comer was an earth pony. He had a brown coat and dark green mane. He looked at the two ponies present with an eager look.

"Anything" he asked them both. The two shook their heads in response. The earth pony rolled his eyes."I swear they take this long to decide everything" he mumbled.

"You would be wise to not flap your gums in matters you know little of Boulder. It is not up to the commanders to decide what happens. They simply follow the orders of the princesses" Eclipse said glaring at the earth pony. He responded with a snort.

"Last time I checked we were of equal rank Eclipse. Don't go getting all high and mighty on me. Your not a commander yet. And for the last time I told you to call me Earthquake" the earth pony growled. The two then got right up in each others face, muzzle to muzzle. Divine being sick of their constant bickering seperated them with his magic.

"You two need to grow up. You are both Sergeants in the Eclipse Centuria. We are on the brink of war and here you two are fighting like little foals" he said giving each stallion a harsh look. They both just mumbled in response. Suddenly the doors to the war room opened. Three ponies emerged. They were all quite old, but they were once the best soldiers Equestria had to offer. The three sergeants lined up before their commanders and saluted. The eldest of the three stepped forward.

"I am not pleased to bring such grave news. As of now we are at war with the griffon empire. Our messenger came back with the declaration two hours ago. We have been discussing our strategy with the princesses. They have decided to discharge us. Instead you are to lead the Eclipse Centuria into battle" the eldery pony said. The three sergeants looked at one another. They were in complete shock. The second commander stepped forward.

"Each of you was hoof picked to be a sergeant as one day we knew you would replace us. Now that time has come. We three have decided that Shadow Eclipse shall take the role of first commander, Divine Light shall take the role of second commander and Boulder Smash shall take the role of third commander" he said. The ponies looked at one another again.

The third commander stepped forward."This decision is final and shall not be changed unless said so by the princesses for each Eclipse Soldier is picked by the princesses" he said. The three commanders stood infront of the sergeants. Each looked at their commanders and saluted to show that they understood. The elsest then spoke again.

"After the war is over you will be tasked with finding your own sergeants to train. They will then take your place when the time comes. We wish you luck in your new ranks" he said. The six ponies then walked in the direction of the barracks.

***

The six ponies stared at the pegasus in disbelief. There was looks of wonder and awe on their faces. He could only form a small smile as a response.

"I never knew that was how the first griffon war started" Twilight said absolutely intrigued.

"It was not know as the first griffons war to us as we did not know there would be more wars to come" Eclipse said to them."To us it was know as the war of the skies as our army was mostly made up of pegasi and the griffons being creatures that could fly" he said. Twilight was fasinated by all the details Eclipse was telling her. She had many questions for the pegasus.

"What happened to the three commanders" she asked him.

"They were killed in the first few years of the war. They died noble deaths that brought them great honour" he said a tear almost forming at the thought of his dead mentors.

"And what about your friends Divine Light and Boulder Smash. What happened to them" the alicorn asked.

"They fought many great battles during the war. We were spread quite thin. I do not know what became of them after the war" Eclipse answered.

"How did Boulder Smash earn the name Earthquake" Rainbow Dash butted in. Eclipse's face lit up.

"Now that is a great story. It actually happened in the first year of the war. He had always called himself Earthquake claiming he could create one. Of course nopony ever believed him. Then during a patrol his unit was ambushed. Only 5 ponies survived. All they could tell us was that Boulder created an earthquake that killed all the griffons aswell as all the ponies" he said.

"But that's impossible" Twilight said."Earth ponies can't just make an earthquake happen" she said.

"Indeed. I have no idea how he managed to pull it off, but he did. And that is why we started to call him Commander Earthquake" Eclipse said. Just as he finished his story the train whistle blew telling the ponies that they had arrived in Canterlot. The ponies got up and departed the train. Eclipse looked at the grand city before him. It was very familair to him.

"The castle is at the centre of the city" Twilight said."We'll arrive there shortly. Are you ready to see Celestia".

"Lead on" Eclipse said to the alicorn. They moved forward in the direction of the castle.

Chapter 5: Reporting for duty

The seven ponies arrived at Canterlot castle. The castle appeared to be glowing in the sunlight. There was guards everywhere they looked. Security had been raised around Equestria due to rogue dragon attacks in the west and a zebra uprising in the east. The guards seemed to follow every movement the ponies made as they approached the main gate.

"Who goes there" a voice bellowed out as the ponies arrived at the gate.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends" Twilight shouted back in response to the guard's question. There was a small pause before the large iron gate was raised, allowing the ponies access to the castle. Once all seven of them passed through the gate it slammed shut behind them causing some of them to jump. There was twice the amount of guards on the inside as their was outside. The group continued to walk towards the main doors. A stallion in purple and gold armour came out to greet them. He went out to Twilight and gave her a hug.

"Twily" the stallion said."It's great to see you again. I didn't know you had business in the castle" he said releasing her from his grasp.

"It's great to see you too BBBFF" Twilight said, smiling at the stallion."I'm not actually here on official business. A new friend of mine has come to talk to princess Celestia" she said. She received a troubling look from the stallion.

"That might be an issue" the stallion said."Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have been in the war room all day. Cadence has been taking over Celestia's duties in the royal court" he said."But I'm sure she won't mind an interruption from her dearest student" he said."Follow me".

The ponies followed the stallion through the large golden gates. Eclipse noticed that this castle was much larger than the one in Ponyville. They walked through the long corridors which had a guard every hundred metres. Twilight and the stallion were at the front of the group. They were deep in a discussion that Eclipse couldn't hear as he was at the back. He walked over to Applejack and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Who is that stallion" he asked point a hoof at the unicorn talking to Twilight.

"That's Twilight's brother, Shining Armour" Applejack responded."He's the captain of the guard here in Equestria. He's also married to Princess Cadence" the orange pony said. Eclipse looked at the stallion. He seemed familiar to the pegasus. The ponies continued to walked through the corridors until they came to a set of large iron doors.

"Go on in whenever you're ready" Shining Armour said to his sister and her friends."I have to get back to work. Don't forget to stop by my quarters later. You can see Cadence and Flurry Heart" he said. He then turned around and walked back up the corridor which they had come down. Twilight walked over to Eclipse.

"Are you ready to go in" she asked him.

"I am ready. May I enter last" he asked the alicorn. She smiled at him.

"Of course" she said. Twilight then turned and faced her friends."I think it would be better if you girls stayed out here" she said to them. They nodded in unison to show they understood. Twilight opened the door and went inside. Eclipse followed her inside.

Inside the war room was hectic. Ponies were running around with sheets of paper. Other in deep discusion, completely oblivious to anypony else. A large table dominated the centre of the room. It was in the shape of a pentagon, with a chair at each side. Three of the seats were currently occupied. In one seat was a dark blue alicorn, in another a white alicorn and in the third seat was a yellow pegasus. The three were having a discussion. The pegasus said something which caused Celestia to look down at the table with a worried look. When she looked back up she noticed Twilight and beckoned her over. Twilight walked over to the three ponies. The pegasus got out of her seat and saluted.

"Your majesty" she boomed.

"There is no need for that captain Spitfire" Twilight responded. Spitfire continued to salute for a moment longer before lowering her hoof. Celestia and Luna both stood up to greet the younger alicorn.

"We are pleased to see you again Twilight" Luna said to her.

"Indeed, it is a pleasant suprise to have you here. Why have you come" she asked eying the alicorn.

"I have come here with a new friend I made. He wishes to speak with you" Twilight said to the princess.

"And where is this friend" she asked her dearest student. Twilight called Eclipse over to the table. As soon as Celestia saw him she gasped. She looked into the Eclipse's eyes for a long time. Eventually she sat down without saying anything. Twilight and Luna stared at the alicorn slightly confused. Eclipse cleared his throat. Without looking up Celestia spoke, catching them off guard.

"Why have you returned" she said. Eclipse looked at the princess.

"I am a soldier of Equestria. And as a soldier I am reporting for duty" he said firmly.

"Why would you return now, after abandoning your post so many years ago" she asked. The pegasus retracted in shock. The question offended him. Keeping a firm composure he responded to the princess.

"How are you still ruler of Equestria after betraying your duties" he said. Luna gasped while everypony in the war room stopped what they were doing immediately. They all stared at the white pegasus, who had just spoken against their princess. Celestia still didn't lift her head.

"You would dare to make such an accusation against me" she said, an anger developing in her tone.

"You would dare to claim it as false" the pegasus shot back. There was complete silence in the room.

"You are a brave stallion to think you can defy me" she said, the anger, much more noticable now.

"You are a foolish pony if you think you can hide from your betrayal" Eclipse responded, keeping a calm tone. Celestia's face shot up. There was a flash and a giant cloud of smoke appeared. All the ponies went into a state of panic. They started running around like headless chickens, bumping onto one another. Luna then stepped forward.

"Everypony stop" she shouted, her voice filling the room. Everypony immediately stopped. Luna looked at her sister."What spell did you cast on him" she asked.

"The ultimate destruction spell" she responded, a dark grin on her face. Luna wore a grave look.

"Why would thou do something of such a horrible magnitude. Nopony could survive such a spell" she said. She was cut off by a loud cough. The grin vanished from Celestia's face. As the smoke was clearing a silhouette could be seen. Eclipse stepped out of the smoke.

"Impossible" Celestia screamed."No mortal could survive such a spell". Eclipse was now the one smiling.

"Did you forget that I am not a mortal. I was made immortal by your own hoof" he said."I accept that spell as a punishment for my actions. I was wrong to abandon Equestria, but now it is time for you to face the consequences of your actions" he said to the princess. He lifted a hoof and a small ball of enegry started to form. Immediately Luna stepped infront of her sister.

"Thou shall not harm my sister" she shouted. Eclipse lowered his hoof. Luna remained infron of her sister.

"Do you not recognise me Luna" Eclipse asked."It was not by Celestia's hoof alone that I was made immortal". The blue alicorn looked at the pegasus. She studied the stallion before realising who he was. Tears formed in her eyes.

"But this is impossible. You vanished" she said."How can you be here".

"I am here because of a promise I made to myself" Eclipse said."To show Celestia that she must face the consequences for her actions all those years ago" he said.