The full Moon shined brightly overhead, dimly illuminating the lone figure of a midnight blue night pony near the edge of the river. Joshua, now known as Silver Eclipse sat in the entrance of a cave a fair distance from the coastal town of Crystal Cove, reflecting on the past few months, the eerily calm two weeks spent transforming from a human into something entirely different, and the resulting wedge that it drove between everything and everyone that he had known.

Ever since the transformation, his life had seemed to take a turn for the worse. The West Coast had been hit by the ETS pandemic especially hard, and as a result the remaining humans who hadn't been transformed grew to have a very harsh anti pony sentiment. Human/Pony relations, while growing a little, were still far from being perfect, with many still harboring a hatred for them.

Silver had been among the very first in his town who had shown symptoms of the transformation, and as such his peers increasingly grew to shun him, finally cutting off all contact by the time he had been fully transformed. As much as it stung him, in a weird way he could understood their fears. His understanding did little to help his own struggles however, and he continued to dwell on his memories day after day.

So much had changed in such a short amount of time, with many ponies now behaving entirely different to when they were humans, their fears and resentments were only natural. Transformations had started relatively late in California, but there was still a sizable population of fully transformed ponies, and even more partials for the humans to be afraid of. Silver had been on the brink of a major life change... and change did occur, just not the change he was hoping for.

Joshua sat alone at his desk, contemplating the change that was about to occur in his life. A single airplane ticket sat in front of him, "Flight 496 from LA to Denver" displayed across the top. The change of course was a new direction for him... college, moving, higher pursuits and all that. He had never been a big one for change, unsure of the unknown world of possibilities that could lie ahead. Joshua chose to live his life firmly rooted in the past, finding comfort in researching history and literature. He didn't necessarily fear the unknown, but he cautiously took hold of it, preferring to stay connected to the past in order to avoid making the same mistakes again.

Silver thought back to that fateful day, around three months ago. The pandemic had started innocently enough, seemingly just another bad case of the flu. However as time went on it had become very clear that this was not the case when the first signs of the transformation began to show. Those who had shown symptoms generally stuck together for comfort and safety, before eventually being moved into quarantine camps set up around town. Tensions had grown very strong at this point, and Silver knew that once the quarantine was up it would be a wise idea to find shelter somewhere away from the remaining humans.

He had initially thought about rehumanization when it had been made available, but had earned his cutie mark shortly after, meaning that it was no longer possible. He would be stuck this way forever with no hope of changing back. He looked back to his mark, reflecting on the image of the moon caught in an eclipse that now dictated who he was, though he felt a bitter peace with it. He could remember the day he earned it and cemented his fate forever, it seemed like it was just yesterday.

It was a bright evening, shortly after the spread of ETS had been stopped, and as he sat idly on the outskirts of the town he had called home for most of his life, he gazed up at the stars above him. They reminded him of the dream realm, a realm accessible by sleeping night ponies and suddenly a connection had been made. The dream realm had fascinated him ever since he first learned how to dreamwalk, appearing as an endless void filled with bright stars. While Silver had always been cautiously interested in the great unknown, he also realizing it was an inevitability, and despite his transformation he was determined to keep his interests close to him, resolving to cautiously move forward into the unknown path that his life had taken.

"I can't let this get in my way, my life may have changed in a big way, but that doesn't necessarily mean that this has to be the end of it right? If I quit now and don't try to do anything meaningful then what have I been working towards all this time?" He calmly said to himself.

As he sat there looking at the stars in the night sky, everything seemed so much more clear to him, he could use his new abilities to continue researching the unknown, collaborating, learning from, and discovering new and fantastic things with his fellow night ponies. There was a brand new world of possibilities that had been opened to him, and he was eager to explore it! His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a bright light, illuminating the shore around him, quickly dimming to reveal the image of a silver moon eclipsed by a shining star resting on his flank, sealing his fate.

"Well I guess that settles it then" he said to himself softly.

Filled with a new found purpose, he was no longer Joshua, but rather Silver Eclipse. His human identity served him no purpose now, but yet he was hesitant to simply cast it aside. His dreams, plans… everything that he had worked towards up to this point were far too important for him to simply give up on.

While some of the other transformed might have been overjoyed at this, Silver still felt a brief feeling of uncertainty, knowing that he could never return to his old life. He thought about his life up until this point, how he would pursue researching the many things that had interested him, visiting colleges that he had hoped to apply to, pursuing a career in history, and even the friends and family that he was now cut off from.

After some time spent reflecting on this, he came to accept that he would have to move on regardless of what had happened, and in the months that followed he continued his reserved lifestyle, preferring to spend time studying and researching what he still could while planning out his future, weary of those around him and uncertain of what lied ahead.

While Silver reflected on his predicament, a lone figure sat amongst the breathtaking starry backdrop that was the dream realm, pondering what they were about to do. The change that had occurred to them had thrown a rather significant wrench into the gears of their plans. However, their predicament offered up a new world of possibilities, the chance to finally help those who needed help the most.

The figure had nothing to gain from their plan, other than the knowledge that they were making a difference. The dream that sat before them was an intriguing one. The dreamer that it belonged to was an enigmatic night pony that seemed heavily conflicted on the world around them. This pony needed their help more than anypony else, and rarely, if ever, left their own dream.

They had been watching different dreams for some time now, determining who was the most in need of their assistance. In their past, they had been well equipped for this task in the waking world, but now the very essence of what constituted the very nature of the self had changed. Ponies and Humans were very much alike, but also radically different at the same time.

Still though, it would be a detriment to their very own morals if they didn’t make an attempt to change somepony else’s life for the better. Now more than ever their life’s work could be of use to them. With this thought they dove into the dream, coming across the solitary figure in a grand prison of his own creation.

Silver sat in silence for a long while, enjoying the calm serenity radiating from the scene in front of him, reflecting on all of these things and thinking towards the future, his new future.

Perhaps with time old relationships could be mended, that was still near the top of his list, however he was also determined to pursue his research no matter what species he was and regardless of what others thought of him. Though he figured that his college plans were now out of the question. Ever the optimist though, he was determined to give it his all no matter how uncertain or impossible it might be.

In the months following that fateful day, he had quickly learned that the world around him, the world he thought he knew, was no longer interested in such pursuits, with most of the fully transformed and even some sympathetic partials opting to form their own communities away from what remained of humanity, leaving the larger cities for the humans.

Most of the ponies that he knew took hold of the vision they had all received shortly after transforming, seemingly no longer caring for the world that they had left behind. Perhaps there were more like minded individuals elsewhere? He knew that he couldn't spend all of his time dwelling on the past, but he still couldn’t stop himself from wondering “what if?”. What if his life had taken a different turn, what if he hadn’t transformed? What if ETS was just all a bad dream?

Silver was determined to venture out into the new world before him, but he knew it wouldn’t be easy. So much had changed around him and he was uncertain on who he could trust. His own self imposed isolation didn’t do much to help, the bitter feelings of loneliness only acting as a constant reminder of his past.

He began to plan out his new course, taking note of everything that he needed before embarking on his grand journey. As the morning sun rose Silver reflected on one final thought before falling into a deep sleep: It would be a new dawn for him, and he wouldn't need to worry about anything or anypony else to ensure that his dreams would become a reality.

There was much to do in order to meet his goals, and Silver honestly had no real idea of where to go. His hobby as of late had been creating a dream that he could summon time and time again. A daunting task for the detail oriented night pony, but one that he was determined to perfect.

Silver was still wary to dream walk, the experience bringing back too many memories that he had hoped to move past… but still, even now, he continued to dwell on them in this place. For the last few months Silver had more or less used his own dream as an escape of sorts, distracting him from the uneasy feelings that he felt.

Here, in his own sanctuary, he could feel at relative peace. Silver didn’t know where to begin, so he started as he always did, with a large room, adding in the detail as he imagined it. He had always found that visualizing a floor plan made the experience a lot easier to tackle, and so he did.

Each night he focused on a different room, adding it to his master plan when he awoke. The creative outlet at least gave him something to do that would help suppress that nagging feeling of exploration that he often felt. As he continued to toil away, an unseen figure approached him.

“You’re a rather unique pony aren’t you?” Came a lone voice from the far side of the room.

“Hello? Who’s there?!”

“My apologies if I’ve frightened you. I’ll take it you don’t get very many visitors, I’d rather not go into detail, but consider me an ally, a sympathetic soul if you will.”

Silver brought his cold facade back up, cautious of the mysterious intruder who had found their way into his dream.

“An ally with no name? How can I know that you’re trustworthy?”

“Because you and I are very much alike… I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“A name for a name. It doesn’t feel very proper to give a one sided introduction.”

The intruder chuckled to themselves, “You and I really aren’t so different it seems. If it pleases you, you may refer to me as “The Traveler”. I haven’t quite picked out a new name for myself yet, and my old name has no meaning to me now.”

“You just cast aside your name to take up some title?”, Silver pondered this for a moment, realizing that the intruder really wasn’t all that different from himself. This… Intruder seemed innocent enough, he supposed that there was no real harm in giving him a name.

“A title that I feel is the perfect epitome of who I am now. You could call it compassion, sympathy, or any number of things, but I prefer to travel from dream to dream helping those who need it.”

“Silver Eclipse…”

“That’s a fine name you know, it suits you well. Optimistic and on the verge of a new dawn, but also shrouded in doubt and mystery.”

The remark caught Silver slightly off guard. “How do you know I’m shrouded in doubt? I revealed no such information to you”

“Are you forgetting who you are? Who we are? Night Ponies have a premonition for this kind of stuff. I’ve seen your dreams, the unsettling feelings of doubt and regret drew me in like a moth to a flame. I can tell that you haven’t come to terms with everything yet, and it’s only natural. Your life has taken quite the turn after all.”

“And if I still don’t trust you?...”

“You can politely ask me to leave, and I’ll gladly oblige, however I can tell that you need help, and I’d hate to see you squander your potential by doubting yourself and dwelling on the past until you lose all hope.”

“You can remain if you’d like… for now. But please try and stay out of my way.”

Silver could sense no ill intent from the strange intruder, but he was still weary of trusting him entirely. Seeing no further reason to cast him out, he resumed his work.

The labyrinthian construct that he had fashioned for himself was inspired by the great literary works that he so often indulged in. The very heart of this place was even inspired by the great Grand Salon of the Nautilus, a fitting comfort for him. Silver had felt as though he was in a sense very much like Captain Nemo, solitarily pursuing his own goals and research, casting aside the world around him, both gaining something new from an unexpected intruder.

It was harsh to say that Silver had cast humanity out, but humanity had certainly cast him out with no regard to his thoughts on the matter. To say that he was now ignoring a fundamental part of the very essence of who he was would be an understatement. Silver’s instincts drove him to seek out others and protect them, explore the countless dreams around him, keeping the dreamers within safe, but to him those were distractions, bitter reminders of the life that he could no longer live.

“If you don’t mind me asking... what did you pursue in life before this all happened?”

“I pursued many things, but let’s not focus on the details. I’m here to help you after all, and my life story isn’t very relevant for that.”

“You’re dodging the question.”

“As is my right to, just as you’ve dodged my own questions.”

“I suppose that that’s a fair compromise then. Perhaps in time we can both learn more from each other.”

“Maybe, but let’s worry about that later.”

“Why do you dodge around this so much?”

“I could ask you the same thing, but I think I already know the answer to that.”

Silver felt another twinge of longing pulling at him once more. Wanting to go out and embrace the world, but his bitter resentment at his own fate wouldn’t let him move on so easily.

“The others… they don’t see things the same way, they choose to forget who they were, almost as if it didn’t happen.”

“Are you sure that that’s not your rather narrow world view obscuring the reality from you? Do you talk to others like this in the waking world?”

“I don’t… I prefer to keep to myself. There isn’t a place for science and research in their world, so why bother keeping them in mine if it’s only going to bring up bad memories?”

In a strange twist of events it was now the intruder who was caught off guard.

“Silver, why do you do that to yourself? It has to be an absolute torture.”

They were of course right, Silver felt crushed by the loneliness that he had often felt, wishing to fit in with the others so he didn’t have to pursue his own solitary goals. The call to just move on and join the rest was a constant, but Silver was too concerned about not casting aside who he truly was.

In a moment of true emotion, Silver dropped his cold facade.

“It is. The others… they’re unconcerned with the world that they left behind, just wanting to move on. This whole change... it just derailed my life and I’m trying to hold onto whatever I can and work with it. Out there, we can do so much more… but they don’t see that. In here, I can find true perfection, a world of limitless possibilities that I alone can grasp.”

“You can do that out there now more than ever Silver. The transformations weren’t the end of everything, but rather a new beginning. A clean slate, a new dawn if you will... If you want to see a change in the world then why not work towards making it yourself? You’re a bright pony with dreams of change, but keeping to yourself won’t make those dreams a reality. In fact they’ll only make it worse.”

“Do you really think that they’ll change?”

“I believe they could, but they need someone to help them make that change. Not just one pony, but ponies that can all work together to make that dream a reality. That should be where your priorities lie, not in dwelling on your past or trying to desperately hold onto what no longer exists. You’re stuck as a night pony forever, but that doesn’t mean that your life is over. You have so many talents and abilities that you can use to your advantage to help make this dream a reality, and sitting in here alone is just wasting them.”

“Maybe you have a point, but I still need time to accept that for myself.”

“Please, just consider it?”

“I will.”

And with that, Silver Eclipse pondered the world of change that he could now be a part of, seeing the countless possibilities that his research could take. He would need dreamers, dreamers with a knack for creativity, optimism, hope, and a drive to help make the world a better place. Perhaps the mysterious intruder was right, and Silver was really just wasting his potential here, it would take time for him to move past his own reservations, but hopefully in time he would.

The world was certainly changing, but he couldn’t let these roadblocks get in the way of his dreams. Silver was still hesitant to fully trust this intruder, but he had to commend them on their ability to really get through to him. They had been the first pony to do so up to now, and Silver had a feeling that this wouldn’t be their only encounter. They were right, this wasn’t the end, but rather the beginning. The beginning of a bright new tomorrow that lied ahead.

Author's Note

This is the first of hopefully many chapters in a new story. Silver's story will be expanded upon later, but this serves as a general introduction to him and a little view of his personal history up to this point. I have so much more planned for him and I'm excited to delve into it!

This is my first actual story so please let me know if there are any issues at all. It's been a while since I've written out a story in detail and as a result my writing skills might be a little rusty, Thanks!

Once again, a special thanks to both ASGeek2012 and Halira for offering some explanations and information that helped with the general writing of this story.