Author's Note
Firstly, First fanficion, so please give constructive criticism. Also, I obviously do not own MLP, Hasbro does.
Chapter 1 The Exiled
It was a quiet night in the dark forest, only broken by the occasional hoot of an owl. A sharp snap of a twig Shattered the silence, scaring the owl from its perch. A hooded figure cursed to himself as his quarry, which happened to be a small turkey, flew behind a tree, startled by the sound. The figure lowered his bow, letting the tension on the string dissipate.
“Looks like I’m going without a good meal again tonight.” he grumbled, pulling a small package from his pouch “Gods, I’m getting sick of these rations, probably just another part of my punishment.” he unwrapped the small bar of bread, dropping the leaf that had been used to preserve the food. He bit off a small chunk of it, gnawing at the dry bread. “One would think that an Draconian ranger could catch a mere animal.” He turned and walked back to his camp. He scanned the night sky. He shivered, despite being next to the small fire, then looked around. The air was filled with a magic energy that had not been there moments before, it was like a dark cloud, hovering over the small human town to the east. “My,my that’s interesting.” He chuckled as he gave a sharp whistle, a fiery red bird flew over and perched on his shoulder. He handed a small roll of paper to its beak, it snacthed it in its beak and flew off. “Well, better go check it out, hope my little report will keep the council off my back.” he chuckled, “Don’t know why they care about an exile so much, I mean, isn’t the whole point of exile is to not have any contact with where you’re exiled from?” the draconian smiled, shook his head and sprinted towards the disturbance. “Come to think of it, this would be the second time I’ve felt magic of such magnitude.” He thought as he lept into the branches, deftly running from branch to branch, almost gliding. “Albeit, this time seems more like a dark, twisted version of the first.” He shook his head, his mind racing almost as fast as his feet. He stopped, spinning around the trunk of the tree he had stopped at. “Well, here I go.” he said, leaping from the tree and towards the human town. He gave a small smirk as he wove through the shadows. He followed the magic, the power almost pulling him now. As he got closer, he felt the dark magic that he had sensed feed into his own ice magic. He had to stop several times to catch his breath, the waves of energy now hitting him with force. Then, just as he arrived at the source, the school that he had seen when he was first banished. What was its name again… ah yes Canterlot High. He thought, unable to keep a smile from his face, but that faded when he saw six young girls staring at, from what he could tell, was a fallen angel. He shook his head, knocked an arrow, and stepped into view.
“Ahem, look miss, I don’t know what is going on, but I would ask that you stand down.” he smirked as he felt their gazes drift to him.
“Are you crazy!?” one of the girls shouted, he gave a cold chuckle in reply, spinning the arrow back into his quiver and sliding his sword from its sheath.
Meanwhile, the phoenix had flown to a tall, clean shaven man, platinum hair and wise face framed by a crown resembling elegant curved thorns. The phoenix perched on his shoulder dropping the small scroll into his outstretched hand. He opened the scroll, and after reading the contents, clapped a few times. A robed councilor rushed to his king, bowing.
“Retrieve a quill and some parchment, chancellor, I believe a few invitations are needed to be sent. ” The king said, kindly smiling and waving to his side. “I am also revoking the banishment of Eclipse, it’s time our prince returned home.”
Back with Eclipse, he had been a little disappointed when the “dark angel” had turned out to be just another girl who was twisted by the dark magic. He panted heavily as he sheathed his sword, and checked for any serious injuries he might have caused.
“Now that I’m not avoiding getting blasted into oblivion, I can figure out whatever caused that corruption.” he thought to himself. Picking up the unconscious girl, and walking out of the dust cloud that was kicked up by the last few blows of the fight.
“That. was. Awesome!” One of the girls shouted, Eclipse eyed the girl, her rainbow striped hair only caused a slight pause from the ranger, after all, he had seen stranger things from the dryads around his old home. Her violet eyes were almost glowing with excitement. Another one of them jumped erratically.
“Yeah! She was like pew! Pew! Zap!” She shouted waving her wands as if firing blasts of magic. “Then you were like swish! Swing! Pow!” her voice was almost unintelligible with how fast she was speaking, and she was now was swinging a stick, that he was quite surprised, he didn’t see her pick it up, and her posture was perfect as she swung it lightly around like a blade.
“Well, I’ve had a lot of practice.” he chuckled, placing the girl he held in his arms on the ground. “Perks of living..” he continued, but was interrupted by the pink haired girl again.
“For a really, really long time, and you did something bad and you got kicked out because your dad is the one who does the punishing to prove he wasn’t picking favorites. You were put into the forest near here, and you can’t go home until they tell you.” She rambled. Eclipse blinked several times.
“How did you….” He started, his hand subconsciously floating towards his knife on his belt. She shrugged, stating that it was just a hunch. He pulled his hand away from his belt and he began to inspect the violet haired girl for injuries again, just to make sure. The one with light, flowing pink hair, stepped forward.
“I-is she okay?” she asked quietly, she seemed to shrink back when he looked her way. He silently thanked the stars that his sensitive hearing made him able to hear the quiet girl.
“She’ll be fine.. I’m actually impressed that she took as much of a beating as she did.” He replied, smiling. “You can relax, I’m not going to do anything to you six, and I want to make sure she’ll be okay before I go back to my camp.” He nodded, noting how tense the girls were. Just then, his stomach rumbled… causing him to chuckle. “I don’t suppose you have any places I could get a decent meal around here. All I’ve had for the past month or so is stale bread.” the Blonde rubbed the back of her neck.
“Well there’s a restaurant” She said in a southern drawl, before she continued her statement, he stood up.
“I don’t have any money.” he deadpanned. The pale girl with curled, purple hair about past her shoulder, stepped forward, placing her hands on her hips.
“That, Dear, is obvious. The state of your clothing is simply dreadful.” She said, she placed her hand on her forehead, faking a swoon. The draconian rolled his eyes, giving a quiet scoff.
“Well, when you get literally get pulled from your home and thrown into a forest with nothing but the clothes on your back and a few assorted tools, let me know if you’re still worried about how fancy your clothes are.” he retorted, it looked like he struck a nerve. “I’m sorry, that was out of line.” he hung his head, then hit it, as if he had remembered something important. “Again, I apologize, I forgot my manners.” He said, bowing “My name is Eclipse Nightstar.” he added, looking up slightly. He let his voice take a more noble tone, his straight face and piercing, icy blue eyes locking on each of the girls. When nothing happened, he straightened up, frowning in annoyance. “I believe it’s your turn.” he growled. Pink lept into the air, landing within arm’s reach, she shook his hand with such enthusiasm that he was afraid that his arm would fall off.
“Hi! I’m Pinkie! Pinkie Pie.” she said, in the enthusiastic manner he guessed was her normal way of speaking. Although, he did wonder if she had ingested a little too much sugar or some other substance. He forced a smile and nodded.
“Charmed.” he said dully. Rainbow smiled, gave him a thumbs up and winked.
“Rainbow Dash.” she said, her posture visibly straightening up. Prideful Eclipse thought, nodding in acknowledgement.
Inwardly chuckling at how accurate his nickname was. Curly Purple did a small curtsy.
“Call me Rarity dear.” she said, almost echoing the tone of his own introduction, albeit slightly less authoritative, and more kind. He smiled, bowing in reply. Blondie walked up to Eclipse, eyeing him carefully.
“Apple Jack.” she said bluntly, he let his smile fade, she didn’t trust him…. And for good reason.
“A pleasure.” he could have spat the words, but he held himself back. Wouldn’t do to lose self control now, not after that fight. Little Pink shuffled towards him a little, and with each little step, she seemed to try to shrink back.
“Ummm I’m Fluttershy” She squeaked, obviously terrified. Quiet little one isn’t she. Eclipse thought.
“Hello Fluttershy.” He smiled softly, she shied away, although he couldn’t complain, shy was in her name after all.The last girl, who had striped yellow and red hair, her face told him all he needed to know. She was angry, the anger almost shining in her eyes. Her posture seemed to scream I’m not going to give you anything. “My, my, aren’t we hostile.” he said, giving her a slight smirk. She gave him an annoyed sigh, throwing her hands up into the air. The tense silence that followed was broken by the one that he had fought stirring. “Well, someone's awake.” Eclipse said quietly, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He knelt down, offering his hand to help her up. When the girl did nothing, he shrugged, If she didn’t want his help, he wouldn’t blame her, after all, he did beat her within an inch of her life. He felt a hand firmly grab his shoulder, too big and the nails too sharp for his new acquaintances. Eclipse took a deep breath and turned around, keeping a calm expression. He looked at the thin, angry woman with plum colored hair and a suit that matched the shade. “How can I help you?” Eclipse asked kindly, his eyes locking with hers.
“How dare you!” she shouted, Eclipse wanted to wince, but that would show weakness, and this faculty member felt like someone that he needed to meet even with her authoritative posture. He blinked, using his magic to subtly look through her mind. “You not only interrupt this competition, but you attack one of the competitors!” She said, not lowering her voice.
That was when something snapped in Eclipse, he gave a mild chuckle, which grew into a maniacal laugh. The Headmaster let go, obviously surprised by his reaction.
“Well, I didn’t see anything that looked like a competition, and I’m not aware of any display that requires you to rip holes between dimensions.” He said, giving her a venomous smirk. “If I may, Headmaster Chinch, what about this little feud will force Canterlot to close it’s doors?” he asked, his smirk becoming a full grin. Chinch raised her eyebrow, her posture visibly shook, she took a step back. Give me an inch, I’ll take a mile, witch….. Heh, rhyme. He thought, sighing in frustration and satisfaction. “Your school, it’s won several of these beforehand. Yes?” After a moment, she nodded, the fear growing in her eyes. “So, what about you using magic to cheat changes this situation?” He growled, his eyes were now practically glowing with his wrath. They were in fact, glowing slightly, it took all he had to not tear her apart with a frigid wind right then and there.
“C-Cheating!” she gasped, Eclipse chuckled, raising his arm. A thin mist that had clustered and floated just below his hand. Sharp, splintering crack tore through the air. In just a few moments small, crystalline orb shone in his hand.
“Also, I believe something such as blackmail is illegal.” He smirked, holding up a small piece of paper he had procured from the headmaster’s pocket when she turned him around. “I, however, will be turning this over to the authorities regardless.” he gave a snicker, throwing the letter into the air before catching it again between his index and middle finger. “But before someone misjudges my character, I’m no knight in shining armor.” He sneered again, throwing the orb into the air and snapping his fingers. The orb shattered in midair, the shards floating back down just above his hand and hovered threateningly. One shot forward, flying past The headmaster’s ear, the sharp edge barely missing, it in fact, had made a small cut on her cheek, but it wasn’t deep enough to break the skin, she gave a small yelp in surprise as the shard circled back and flew past on the other side, avoiding causing damage. “I certainly hope I don’t have to say anything else.” Chinch sneered, giving him a sharp slap across the cheek. What little control he had left snapped, Eclipse chuckled darkly as he let energy course through him. He felt himself grow a few feet, biting his lip in pain as a tail forcibly sprouted, though it was hidden by his cloak. “THAT’S ENOUGH!” He shouted clutching his head, trying to wrestle control back from the monster that threatened to take over and tear the self-entitled headmaster in front of him to ribbons. Suddenly a blast of energy exploded around him, throwing Chinch backwards for a few feet, unharmed, though definitely shaken from the ordeal. The blinding light died down, leaving him collapsed in an unconscious heap upon the ground.
When he awoke, he found himself in a very different place than where he remembered. Eclipse shook his head, trying to clear the hazy thoughts from his mind. When he had succeeded, he looked over his surroundings. He wasn’t in the school’s front lawn, that’s for sure, and to his surprise, he wasn’t in a prison either. Instead, He found himself in a expensively decorated room, lying on a lounge sofa with red velvet cushions. The windows had their laced curtains drawn closed, making the room a good deal darker than it should have been. The draconian whirled around, his eyes looking through the darkness as well as if it were noonday, as he heard the a creaking sound, most likely originating from the fluffy staircase on his right. A girl, not over ten years old, stood frozen with fear. If he had to guess, this was a younger sister of one of the girls he had met what he hoped was only a night before. Eclipse stood up, noting his cloak hanging on the coat rack next to the door, along with his bow, arrows, and his sword tucked neatly in a far corner.
“Sweetiebelle! Don’t be rude!” Came a familiar voice from further up the stairs. Inwardly, he groaned, he wasn’t an indoor person, and being holed up in a house of a person that he hardly knew wasn’t helping. “Say hello to our guest.” Rarity insisted, walking down the rest of the stairs, pushing her younger sister along.
“H-hello.” the little girl stammered. Eclipse smiled, he let a cheerful grin spread across his face.
“Hello Sweetie Belle.” He happily replied, giving a short, polite nod. He walked over to a window, examining the curtains. “I suppose that we can let a little light in, yes?” He asked, placing his right hand on the silk curtains. Rarity looked unsure, but after a moment, she nodded. He pulled back the fabric, but he froze, his hand was covered in dull grey scales, tipped with sharp, curved claws the color of a fresh snowfall. He pulled it back, cursing to himself. I lost control of my magic again , did I…. He knew that the rest of him was human in appearance, but despite the slight relief of tension, the nagging feeling that he had repeat of the incident that had caused his banishment. “Did I … hurt anyone?” He asked, his voice visibly shaking.
“Goodness, no.” Rarity smiled. She waved her hand dismissively. Eclipse let the news wash over him, he let out a relieved sigh.
“Thank the Gods!” He chuckled, “ For a moment there, I thought… I thought I had-” He said, his voice cracking even more as he fell to his knees, he felt a single tear roll down his cheek. With one look at the sympathetic face of Rarity and her sister, he broke down, full on sobbing. He paused for a moment, as there was a knock at the door, but he soon resumed his sobs, moving to a counter that was still in shadow.
“Oh, Fluttershy!” Came the grateful voice of Rarity, a few other words were exchanged, but he couldn’t hear over his sobs. “Quite frankly, Dear, I’m not sure what to do, he woke up, opened the curtains, and then reduced himself to this poor mess.” Eclipse felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, he looked up, finding himself looking into the sapphire eyes of Fluttershy. His eyes watered, He looked away, he couldn’t look her in the eyes, not while the shadow of his past actions loomed in his mind.
“Are you okay?” Came her quiet voice, he blinked away a few tears, wiping a few away with his arm. She immediately pulled him into a hug. He took a deep breath, tapping her shoulder when he had calmed down. “All better?” She asked, pulling away. He nodded, pushing himself back to his feet.
“Just one question,” he said, raising one finger. “What exactly changed from when I passed out and now that changed how much you trust me.” He crossed his arms, his eyes now back to the normal, icy gaze.
“Well, you have Twilight and Sunset for that, Dear.” Rarity replied, mimicking his posture. There was another knock at the door, Sweetie Belle was the one who answered it. “I offered to give you a place to stay, one one condition.” Eclipse nodded, rolling his eyes.
“There’s always a catch.” He chuckled, gesturing for her to go on.
“You must let me make you a decent change of clothes.” Rarity said, turning towards a sewing machine over in a neighboring room. He raised his eyebrows, taken back slightly.
“That’s it? No other strings attached?” He asked, half expecting something else to come up. She shook her head, he felt for something, anything he could use as payment. Her sister hadn’t said anything, and he had heard the door open and close, so he had supposed the young girl had gone outside to play.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about paying me, Dear, after all, It’s not as if I run a business.” she said happily, giving a satisfied smile. Eclipse rolled his eyes, he had forgotten that Human culture had a different view on being an adult and owning property.
“My apologies, where I’m from, you could very well do so, we’re considered adults when we leave our profession master.” Eclipse said, glancing at the door as another loud series of knocks grabbed his attention. Rarity’s eyes visibly darting to it.
“Hey, Rarity!” Came Applejack’s voice. “Mind if I come in?”
“Come in, Applejack darling!” Rarity called over her shoulder, grabbing a measuring tape from the table nearby.
“Rarity,” AppleJack said, glancing at Eclipse and nodding. “I came to see if y’all needed anythin.”
“Okay, seriously, what in the name of Alexzandria is going on? When I first met you, you didn’t even look me in the eye.” Eclipse growled, throwing his hands into the air. “Now two of your friends say some little speech and you are ready to trust me.” Applejack crossed the room and glared at him.
“Now see here mister, I still don’t trust ya, but Sunset and Twilight want me to give ya a chance. Despite my better judgement.” She said, glaring at Eclipse and folding her arms over her chest.
“Glad to have that cleared up.” he replied, slowly clapping. “I don’t suppose that it’s unreasonable for me to talk to them.” quietly slipping his clawed hand back under his sleeve. He could feel it slowly reverting back to normal, but he didn’t want to give out the fact he wasn’t human just yet. Fluttershy let out a small squeak as another urgent knock shook the room. Rarity rushed over to the door and opened it. The girl that he had fought before, whom he guessed was Twilight rushed in, her breath ragged. “Speak of the devil.” he mumbled to himself.
“Apple Bloom, Sw-sweetie belle, Scootaloo, in trouble.” Twilight panted, Eclipse took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh.
“Where are they?” He demanded, crossing the room and tying his sword onto his belt.
“I-in the woods, Sunset and Rainbow went to help, they sent me for help.” Twilight explained, looking out the window.
“Let me guess, it’s about a five minute run to where you heard the forest. Then a who knows how long of a trek through the woods.” Eclipse said, cracking his knuckles,his mouth in a frown. “And I don’t want to be the one to spoil this, but if they are in trouble, we just don’t have any time.” He opened the door, but barely had taken a step before he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m not leavin’ you to do this by yerself, too risky.” Came Applejack’s voice. Eclipse looked over his shoulder and gave a smirk.
“I wouldn’t worry about me, and if your friends are anything to go by, they’ll have enough common sense to stay out of a situation that is over their heads.” He chuckled, grabbing his bow and arrows and holding them out to her. “But if you insist, I must ask that you use these, I will not have you hurt because of your stubbornness.”
“But don’t you…” She asked, grabbing them hesitantly.
“Relax, I’m better with a good blade anyways.” Eclipse shrugged, turning back towards the yard. He looked around nervously, as if he was nervous that someone was watching when he was satisfied, he snapped his fingers. A small cyclone of frigid wind and snow swirled around him, obscuring him from view. When it cleared, the Draconian bore a pair of Dragon’s wings, the scales matching those on his hand, the webbing was a dark teal blue. The girls gasped behind him. “ I don’t see what the surprise is, after all, your magic, seems to do something similar. I just have a little more control over what mine does.”
“It’s just a little unsettling that’s all, dear.”
“Well, let’s stop wasting valuable time and get going.” Eclipse lept into the air, Applejack ran out after him. He looped back around, picking up Applejack by the arms.
“Sorry, but we won’t make it in time if we run, and to add to that, we would be exhausted, which is no way to enter combat, if that does happen.” He said over the roaring wind. He closed his eyes,letting his ability to sense the unique magical imprint of an object of interest, in this case, it happened to be three little girls. He found their trail easy enough, he cursed under his breath.
“What was that!?” Applejack shouted over the wind.
“I’ve got good and bad news, I found them.” Eclipse replied, diving below the canopy of the forest. “But they’ve seemed to have angered a rather large bear.” He scanned the forest floor, searching for a safe place to set Applejack down. “Doesn’t look like we can get any closer, the trees are too close together to carry you the rest of the way.” He slowed and dropped his passenger on the ground. “Stay here, I don’t want you getting caught between a dragon and it’s hoard.” Applejack took a deep breath to protest, but Eclipse had lept out of sight and was heading towards the bear with a thin trail of frost glazing the grass and ferns on the forest floor as he flew over them.
“Somebody! HELP!” a voice shouted, Eclipse made a mental note that it sounded like a younger Applejack as he shot forwards even faster. He entered the small clearing in a grey blur, his right boot smashing into the large furred side of the bear. His speed alone was enough to throw the animal off balance enough that it had to stop its attack and steady itself. As he continued on his trajectory, he dug his claws into the soft ground, righting himself with his wings. He looked over his shoulder, Sweetie Belle and two other girls her age were cowering at the base of the tree, trying to make themselves as small as possible. The sound of two motors tore through the short silence. Moments later, Rainbow and the girl with the red and yellow striped hair, whom he had supposed that she was the Sunset Applejack mentioned, skidded to a stop, their vehicles humming idly as the girls ran to them.
“Get them out of here!” Eclipse commanded, gripping his sword’s hilt and drawing the blade. He slid it so he was holding it by the tip and holding it out to Sunset. “Follow the trail of frost, Applejack is likely somewhere along the path.” he growled, turning back to the bear. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.” The bear roared angrily, Eclipse crouched, ready for an attack. The two had driven off, the younger children seated further back on the motorcycles.
“Well, it’s just me and you.” He laughed darkly. Letting magic envelop his other arm, he relished at the felling of the dull, gray scales sprouting from under his skin. When it was intentional, the feeling of the change felt something similar to stretching a stiff limb, otherwise, it could be extremely painful. The bear lunged at him, he blocked its claw with his wing, returning with his own swipe. He’d felt his claws dig into the paw, but compared to the size of the bear, the gashes were only small cuts. He ducked another swipe from the bear, driving his knee into the lower jaw. Another swipe came, he lept over the angry beast, but the bear fell ontop of him, the full weight of the animal smashed him into the ground. The bear swung its claw again, and Eclipse threw his wing up as a shield. Then he screamed, his voice scaring off a few birds from their nest. The bear, instead of it hitting the hard scales, its claws tore through the membrane. Eclipse couldn’t focus, the pain causing his vision to blur. He threw the beast off of him, throwing it aside as if it were merely a stuffed toy. It lunged at him again, this time, aiming to tear out his throat with its teeth. What it got however, was a scaled arm braced across the inside of its jaw. He twisted his arm sideways, snapping the neck of his opponent. He brushed the dirt and hair off of his cloak, now growing stained with his own blood, seeping from the tear on his wing. He sank to his knees, undoing the clasp on his cloak and draping it over the wounded wing. The blood loss was making him lightheaded, his thoughts melded together, unintelligibly. Then he fell over and let darkness overtake him.
When he came to, he found himself in a small room, the sparse decor told him he wasn’t in Rarity’s home. He looked over his surroundings, finding nothing, he inspected his injured wing. To his surprise, he could see the careful, deliberate stitches sealing the tear. He moved to touch it, but his arm jolted with pain. He scrutinized it, and despite the armor like scales covering his form, the bear’s teeth had bruised him, it had been rather vicious at one point, but it had died down. He shifted to a sitting position, looking around the small room.
“Oh my, you’re up already?” he heard Fluttershy’s voice. Eclipse looked over the windows and doors to find the shy girl, he found her peeking around the corner of the doorway.
“Sorry, I’ll attempt to not make a habit of it.” He smirked, rubbing the back of his head. He glanced at his stitched wing. “I take it that I have you to thank for patching me up.”
“Oh, you’re welcome! But Sunset did most of it.” Fluttershy said, smiling quietly.
“Don’t be modest, I know that she doesn’t have the skill.” Eclipse paused, shaking his head. “I don’t doubt she helped, my wing was too damaged to repair by yourself.” He looked over his wing again, then looking back to Fluttershy. A knock at the door surprised both of them, though Eclipse hid it a little better than the timid girl.
“Fluttershy? Is something wrong?” A voice that he didn’t recognize asked.
“Oh, no nothing’s wrong, I’ll be right there.” Fluttershy called back, he could tell she meant to be loud enough to be heard, but her voice went even quieter than when she had introduced herself. She left to answer the door, whispering something that he didn’t here.
“He’s up already?!?” The voice asked, and, now he had a moment to himself, he closed his eyes, letting the magic of his surroundings flow over him. He reached into the next room, where Fluttershy was talking to her visitor. He gave a quiet chuckle, he recognised the aura, it was the girl he had given his sword to. He gave a sigh, he swore that girl, who he had guessed was Sunset when he had seen her in the forest, was following him around. To his surprise, the second he thought of her, a warm pressure flooded through his chest, he had not felt warmth since he had chosen to specialize in cryomancy.
“Could she have… I have been unconscious twice around her, and I did get injured the most recent incident.” He mumbled to himself, standing and walking quietly into the room. Fluttershy gasped quietly, noticing him standing awkwardly, his outstretched wing throwing off his balance.
“Oh my, are you sure that you should be moving around?” She asked, rushing up to him and grabbing his arm to steady him.
“I’ll be fine, I thank you for your concern.” He replied, giving a weak smile. He glanced over to Sunset, giving a slight bow. “Sunset, I assume?” He asked bowing stiffly, not wanting to fall over. He noted that she was blushing slightly.
“Yes. I’m Sunset Shimmer” She replied, shaking his hand. He smiled and took a seat on the couch. He shifted his weight, careful not tear open his repaired wing. After a few moments, when both Fluttershy and Sunset had taken seats, he cleared his throat.
“ To get down to business, I’m in your dept for picking me up after that fight with the bear, and aiding in my recovery.” He said, bowing slightly.
“Don’t mention it, it was the least I could do.” Sunset said, her face blushing slightly.
“I do have a few questions, Firstly, do you have any open wounds.” He asked, looking at Sunset, she nodded. “ And did your wound at any point come into contact mine?” He demanded. His eyes gleaming. After thinking for a few moments, Sunset nodded. “I was afraid of that.” He scowled. When the girls gave him a questioning look, he sighed and shook his head. “You see, my people have something called a blood bond, it’s a draconian way to… mark potential mates.” He grumbled quietly, his face blushing in embarrassment. Sunset lept back, Surprised, and understandably taken back.
“WHAT!?” Sunset screamed, waving her arms frantically. He chuckled a little darkly, causing Fluttershy to shrink back.
“Relax, I won’t force you into anything. And I will let you know I figure anything out.” He replied. “A bond like this hasn’t happened for at least a thousand years.” He looked around for a moment, then stood. “I’ll be back, I need to procure a few things from my camp.”
“Wait.” Fluttershy said quietly. Eclipse turned, eyeing the girl questioningly. “I found your things in the woods and had them brought here while you were sleeping.” She smiled. “Applejack was a big help.” she added, suddenly leaping up after a few moments. “Oh dear, they asked me to let them know when you woke up. I just got so caught up in-” She started, but she was cut off by Eclipse raising his hand.
“No, worries. I’m sure they’ll understand. I apologize for any inconvenience that my equipment caused.” He said, flourishing his bow by spinning his wrist.
“Oh no, I’m happy to help, I’m just glad everyone’s okay.” She replied, running out the door after a slight pause. Eclipse turned to Sunset, who immediately turned a deep red with blush. Eclipse was about to say something, but Fluttershy walked back inside, looking at the two.
“Oh my, am I interrupting?” she asked, he shook his head. “The others will be coming soon, I hope it won’t be trouble.” She added, moving to sit back down.
“No trouble at all, I’m sure they’ll have their own questions.” Eclipse waved, stretching his arms. “In the meantime, I suppose I owe you two some answers. Ask anything you want, and I’ll tell you what I know.” He sat back down, crossing his arms. The two girls looked at him for a moment, He rolled his eyes, annoyed. “I would think that beating a corrupted being into the ground and killing a bear with my bear hands would raise a few questions.”
“I think we should wait for the others.” Sunset replied, Eclipse complied, leaning back in his seat.
“Very well.” He agreed, pulling the knife from his boot and spinning it between his fingers. “While we do that, I’d best write my report.” He said, looking at Fluttershy, who left the room and returned with his bag. Eclipse procured a blank scroll, a raven black quill, and an ink well. The three sat in awkward silence, the only noises were the ticking of the clock and his quill scratching the paper. After a few moments, he stood up, opened the window and called his phoenix, Sunset looked surprised, as if she recognized the bird and didn’t expect to see it. Eclipse gave the scroll to the bird and nodded, closing the window as it flew back to where it came. Just as he closed it again, Rainbow dash burst through the door.
“Oh hello again.” Eclipse smiled, holding the knife by the blade in a throwing position. He lowered his arm, slipping the knife back into his boot. “Sorry, old habits die hard I’m not usually that jumpy.” He smiled, taking a deep breath. “I think I should keep this in its sheath.” He looked at Rainbow apologetically for a moment, then looked back at Sunset and Fluttershy.
“Ummm, Rainbow how did you get here so fast?” Fluttershy asked, shrinking away when Eclipse looked at her. “You were at your house when I called a few minutes ago.” Rainbow shrugged.
“I took a shortcut, Passed AJ on the way.” She said, dismissively, then turning to Eclipse. “You got guts, standing up to a bear like that.”
“It wasn’t all that special, someone needed my help and I did the best I could.” Eclipse said, glancing at his repaired wing, which still throbbed with a dull pain. I still can’t believe that beast was able to hit me like that, I should’ve seen that, I should've been more prepared. He thought to himself sourly.
“Sorry what was that?” Sunset asked, standing up.
“I did the best I could.” He replied, looking at her in slight surprise.
“No, after that.” She demanded, earning a strange look from her friends.
“Sunset, he didn’t say anything after that, are you sure you're okay?” Rainbow asked, “I mean, you hit your head pretty hard yesterday.”
“What happened?” Eclipse asked, genuinely concerned.
“I fell down some stairs when I missed a step.” Sunset replied, looking at Rainbow who was trying her hardest to hold back a laugh.
“Sounds painful,” He said, thinking for a moment. “But I don’t think that has anything to do with what just happened, I may have not said anything, but I did express my annoyance at the lucky hit that bear got.”
“Lucky!” Sunset shouted, pointing at his wing. “You passed out from blood loss! If I hadn’t wanted to go back and make sure you were okay, would would be dead right now!” she crossed her arms. “ That wing was so torn up, I could've crawled through it.”
“Well, that bear was bigger than is usual for this realm.” He stated matter of factly. “In fact, the only place that I know of where things are that big is….” He paused, his eyes snapping wider. “Home.” Instantly, he stood up, racing to the corner and picking up his sword. “The quickest way to the forest.” He demanded, throwing a cloak over his shoulders. He strapped the sword to his belt, then turning towards the door. “The portal wouldn’t be that open unless something happened.” He reached to open it, but it flew against the wall before he had touched it. Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie stood in the door. He glanced over the three before placing a hand on Applejack and Pinkie shoulders, and pushing them aside gently.
“Somthin’ wrong?” Applejack asked, immediately picking up on Eclipse’s distress. He let out a quiet sigh.
“I don’t know, but something doesn’t seem right.” He glanced past them, his eyes looking past them and into the sky. He sighed quietly, “I can’t fly with the state of my wing, and there’s no other way to get to the sanctuary from here, unless...” He droned, his mind running at thousands of miles a minute. “There might be.. No, too dangerous. There’s got to be another option.” He rubbed his chin quietly, then he snapped his fingers, a smile lighting his face. “Of course!” he shouted, looking to his right, then to his left. He pushed them aside gently and took off running towards the woods. A small roar of an engine flared to life behind him, he kept going, his muscles pulsing with magic. He let himself relax, letting the magic increase his already inhuman speed, all the while, the engine kept at a reasonable distance. He closed his eyes, then he turned to the right in a wide arc into the woods.
After a few moments, he slid to stop. Looking around and drawing his sword. The small rubble that had followed him grew louder. Eclipse tightened his grip on his sword, pulsing his magic around him. In a moment, he glanced over his shoulder, seeing Sunset riding her motorcycle towards him. He rolled his eyes, and smirked.
“Hello again.” He said, nodding when she finally had stopped the engine and taken off her helmet. He spun the blade for a few moments before placing it in his sheath.
“I’m coming with you, if only to drag your sorry body back when you pass out.” She added glumly. Eclipse laughed, eyeing the green bushes around the clearing.
“That will not be necessary.” A kind, distant voice said behind them. Eclipse turned on his heels, to find a gleaming white draconian, standing on its hind legs. The wings extended out, the bright, icy blue of the webbing like a crisp, blue, cloudless sky. As it was, the dragon looked over them, taller than the pair by a foot or two. Eclipse bowed, flourishing his sword before sliding it into its sheath.
“Father, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
Chapter 4:
Reunion
Eclipse shifted the shoulder pads of his formal attire, it had been two days since he had returned to Ral-sai, the capital city of the Draconians, and the Equestrian representatives would be arriving any minute. Luckily, the healers were able to repair his wing a few hours prior. He had spent most of his spare time going over the terms of the treaty and researching cross-species blood bonds. He took a deep breath, collecting his composure as the Councilor rushed into the conference room.
“They have arrived, your highness.” The draconian gasped. “They wait you in the throne room.” Eclipse stood, waving the councilor forward.
“Lead the way.” he replied with a begrudging sigh, following closely. He let his thoughts wander as he walked down the walls. “Out of curiosity, chancellor, how many ambassadors are visiting?”
“Three, now my prince, mayhaps we can save our breath for our meeting.” the politician replied, grumbling over the lack of manners from his prince. Eclipse paused as they came to the door. He pulled himself back together, then walked through to the doors.
“Luna, I’m honored to welcome you and your friends to our capital.” he nodded, looking over her companions. A white unicorn with a dark blue mane and tail, and a Pink alicorn with light yellow, a darker shade of pink than her coat, and purple stripes in hers. “Pardon my manners, I am Eclipse Nightstar, I will be negotiating on behalf of my people.” He added, bowing slightly. Luna and her companions returned the gesture, Eclipse noting the small smile that Luna was giving him, I only need to keep these appearances for a while longer, gods this is tiring. Eclipse thought to himself. “May I ask who your friends are Luna.”
“Shining Armor, captain of the Royal Guard of Equestria.” the unicorn said bowing low. Eclipse waved him back to his feet.
“I welcome you captain, and I hope our cautious welcome does not affect our discussion today.” Eclipse said, looking to the alicorn.
“I’m Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, it is an honor to finally meet you. My Aunts speak very highly of you.” She said, nodding to Luna. Eclipse shook himself, sending a cascade of shimmering frost to the floor.
“It is a pleasure.” He said, nodding quietly “Now that pleasantries are out of the way, I ask that you follow me to the room that we’ve prepared.” he added, turning around and walking back to the room that he had been retrieved from. The sounds of hooves behind him affirmed that they had followed him. He took his seat in front of the single window in the room. “Make yourselves comfortable, You are guests here.” he said, waving his hand around the room. He turned to the chancellor and the guards. “You may leave us, I will not need the assistance or protection.” the other draconians looked at each other, then left with a bow. He closed the door behind him, and after a few moments, he took a deep breath, letting it out with a sigh. “Now that we have the formalities out of the way, I ask that we speak plainly. It tires me to continue like this.” he said, looking over his guests, who nodded slightly. “Alright then, let’s get the important things out of the way first.” He said, clapping his hands, as if they were covered in dust or some other offending material. He looked around the table, the two alicorns were giving him warm smiles. Eclipse held up three scrolls, procured from the stack of them sitting in the bookshelf to his right. He casually tossed one of the scrolls at Luna, who caught it in an aura of her magic. He repeated this with Cadenza, and then with Shining, each catching it with their magic. “I’ll do my best to answer any questions you have.” He said, earning a impish smile from Luna, who shifted her wing slightly. Eclipse smiled as he caught a glimpse of a hilt. “I’ll spar with you later.” he chuckled, returning her smile. Shining looked between them both, a worried expression on his face. Before the situation could escalate, Cadenza put down her scroll.
“Do you have any requirements for this... Sanctuary?” She asked, looking at the Draconian.
“Ah, well, I was hoping to be able to use our hunters to the full advantage, which means we’d need a place not to far from a town, but not within its borders.” He answered, rubbing the back of his head. “And, this is a bit embarrassing, but we don’t exactly have the materials necessary to fortify any sort of position we’d take. Stone,, wood those sorts of things.” He thought for a moment, then nodded. “I suppose a ruin would do for starters. But we’d still need raw materials to renovate or rebuild, depending on the state of it.” He paused, looking over his guests. “I don’t suppose that rings any bells.” He was answered with a few moments of silence. Shining produced another small scroll, unrolling it in front of Eclipse.
“You’d still be short materials, but there is an old castle in the Everfree Forest.” He nodded. Almost instantly, a rapier blade embedding itself in the table, skewering the paper in the process. Eclipse looked over to Luna, her horn glowing with magic.
“I suppose you would like to say something.” Eclipse said, grasping the hilt of the blade and pulling it out of the wood. He calmly tossed the weapon, catching the blade and holding it out hilt first towards Luna. “You’d think it would’ve been easier to just speak your mind.” He looked at the map again, “Wait, is that..” he said, squinting at the letters. “So it is! That explains that outburst.” he chuckled, looking over the torn paper. There, just under where the rapiers tip had cut through the paper, was a picture of a ruined castle. One he recognized as the one that he had visited when his father had taken him when they had gone to begin negotiations all those years ago. He gave an understanding nod. “I’m afraid, Shining, that I’m going to need a bit more than just your permission to settle those particular ruins.” He looked over the map again… then gave a sigh of exasperation. “Unfortunately, I do not see many other options that won't require leveling an area of forest, and that would take manpower we don’t have available.” Eclipse rubbed the back of his head, attempting to think of another option. Luna lifted her hoof to get his attention, he looked up, silently pleading she had a plan.
“I suppose the value I place on the old castle is mostly sentimental.” She relented, giving a coy smile. “I’ll allow it if my old student can beat me in combat.” she added, Eclipse shrugged and smiled.
“Alright, I suppose I should arrange for the dueling ring to be prepared.” He composed himself, once again placing a regal facade, and clapping his hands. A guard entered the room. “Private, go and tell the Keepers to prepare a ring for combat.” he waved his hand, the guard left. He returned a few moments later, two other draconians, covered head to toe in plates of armor behind him. “ Lead the way.” he nodded, taking the rear of the precession, the Ponies between him and the two Keepers. They came out into a small arena, a small wooden fence bordering it, and bits of armor littered the outside of it. Eclipse walked past the first gate, gripping the hilt of his sword. He turned around, bowing. “I have accepted the challenge of Luna, Princess of Equestria. It shall be to either one party yields or until first blood.” He announced, drawing his blade. Luna walked into the ring, flourishing her rapier into a ready position.
“Let the duel be watched by Chral’ kri, and may the best warrior be victorious.” one of the keepers shouted, raising a claymore into the air. Eclipse got into his stance, his blade kept close to his body. He twitched, feigning an opening. Luna took the opportunity, as he had hoped, launching her rapier at him. He spun his sword, blocking the thrust and taking a step forward, only to be pressed back by another strike from the edged rapier. Eclipse cursed to himself. At this rate, I won’t be able to get close enough to land a hit. Think, there’s got to be another way around this. He sidestepped a thrust, Luna’s weapon sailing a foot or two past him. He sprinted forwards, reaching out into the arena with his mind. As the rapier flipped around and flew at him again, he felt the magic around it shift, he spun under it, holding out his empty hand, an icy mist gathered under it, exploding into a second blade made out of ice. He parried a slash with it, the rapier stopping halfway through the conjured weapon. He closed the distance again, Luna attempted to dislodge her weapon, the rapier shaking furiously in its prison. Eclipse pressed his advantage, bringing his metal blade up to luna’s neck and throwing his frost blade aside in the same motion.
“Do you yield?” he asked, both hands on his sword’s hilt. Luna gave a small smile, and Eclipse felt the cold steel of her rapier against the back of his neck. He gave her a questioning look. “So is this a draw?” both combatants lowered their weapons Eclipse flourishing his blade as he did so. The Keepers looked at each other, then to the combatants. “Well, I didn’t win, so I suppose We’ll have to scout the forest and decide on a place to found the sanctuary.” Eclipse said, bowing to his old teacher. “ I’ll make preparations to leave for Equestria as soon as possible.”
The following week was, to Eclipse’s irritation, filled with meetings. Shining and Cadeza had returned to Equestria to arrange for things for the expedition. Eclipse’s moments of respite were either filled with reading what he could find on cross-species bonds or caring for the hatchling, whom he had decided to call her Stardust. At one point he actually had to re-read over a page when what he read didn’t seem right.
“Okay, I didn’t misread it.” He said to himself “Must be the protection link, Whatever was bothering Sunset, it certainly didn’t stay a threat very long.” he nodded, shaking the lingering feeling away. He continued reading, bouncing Stardust gently in his free arm.
“I was not aware you had taken a mate.” Luna said as she walked into the open room and noticing the child.
“No, she’s not mine, her father was a good friend of mine.” he replied quietly. Placing the book off to the side as the babe stirred in his arms. Luna gave him a raised eyebrow.
“Was?” she asked. Eclipse nodded.
“I’m afraid so, he died not a month ago.” he replied quietly, hanging his head. Luna nodded understandingly.
“You have my sympathies.” Luna said, Eclipse noticing the tears in her eyes.
“I didn’t mean to bring up any unhappy memories.” Eclipse looked down to the child in his arms and smiled. “I had hoped to find a more fitting family for her. She deserves better than me. I can’t compare to the man her father was. I could never stand next to him and say I am worthy to call my Captain my equal.” He felt his smile fade into a frown, he felt a tear start to slide down
“I merely sympathize, my old student.” Luna gave him a sideways glance, as if she was hiding something.
“Alright, what is it?” he asked, letting out a sigh. “It has something to do with you and your sister ceasing negotiation, doesn’t it.” Luna nodded quietly.
“I’m afraid it does, I let my jealousy twist my mind, and for my transgressions, Tia was forced to banish me to the moon for a thousand years.” She affirmed. Eclipse blinked, he couldn’t quite believe it, they had seemed to get along well enough during their visits.
“Okay, wow… that’s overdoing it a bit.” Eclipse blinked, his voice raising. He gave a slight sigh as Stardust started crying. Luna gave an amused chuckle as Eclipse rocked her, desperately trying to get the child to fall back asleep. She excused herself from the room, stopping just before the door, as if she had just remembered something.
“I cannot linger here any longer than I have, I told Tia that I would return a day before you are to arrive in Canterlot.” She said, hanging her head. Eclipse nodded, and she left. He looked back down at the child in his arms, who had just calmed down enough to stop crying. He gave a little chuckle.
“What am I going to do with you?”