Eclipsed Truth

Title: Eclipsed Truth
Chapter 76: The Question of Ascension

One Week Later…

A week had passed since Silver Tart’s miraculous return as an alicorn. The news had shaken Equestria—a once-mortal stallion ascending through selfless sacrifice and love. Many scholars, including Twilight, were studying his transformation, but no definitive answers had been found.

In the meantime, life had somewhat returned to normal.

Or, as normal as things could be when one’s best friend and their newlywed wife were casually discussing turning into an alicorn.

Eclipse’s Loving Joke

Eclipse lay comfortably on the couch in her shared chambers, her head resting on Vinyl’s lap. The two had spent the afternoon listening to music, enjoying some much-needed peace after all the chaos of recent events.

Vinyl absentmindedly ran her hooves through Eclipse’s mane, her sunglasses resting on the table nearby.

“You’re purring,” Vinyl teased.

Eclipse chuckled lazily. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Vinyl smirked, flicking her on the ear. “Definitely.”

After a moment, Eclipse grinned mischievously. “Y’know, if you ever became an alicorn, I bet you’d make a pretty sick DJ. Imagine—DJ Alicorn-Scratch! You’d be the most legendary party princess ever.”

Vinyl laughed, dramatically throwing her hooves in the air. “Oh, heck yeah! I’d turn Canterlot into one giant music festival! Forget boring diplomacy—every city gets a bass cannon.”

Eclipse giggled. “Princess of Beats and Bass. Has a nice ring to it.”

But as they laughed, a small thought crept into Vinyl’s mind.

“…Hey, Eclipse?”

“Yeah?”

Vinyl hesitated before asking, “How did Twilight even become an alicorn in the first place? Like, who gave her the potion?”

Eclipse blinked. “Huh. You know, I never actually asked.”

Vinyl sat up straighter, curiosity sparking in her eyes. “I mean, if we’re talking alicorn ascension, there’s gotta be a way to control it, right? Silver just happened to ascend because of some crazy sacrifice magic, but Twilight? Somepony gave her that chance.”

Eclipse frowned thoughtfully.

“…That’s actually a really good question.”

Asking Twilight

The next morning, Eclipse and Vinyl found Twilight Sparkle in the royal library, buried under a mountain of books (as usual).

“Twilight,” Eclipse greeted. “I need to ask you something important.”

Twilight looked up, adjusting her glasses. “Of course. What’s on your mind?”

Eclipse glanced at Vinyl before getting straight to the point.

“Who gave you the potion that turned you into an alicorn?”

Twilight blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected question.

“…Celestia never told me exactly where it came from,” Twilight admitted. “She only said it was an ancient ritual—one designed to test a pony’s worthiness for ascension.”

“But somepony had to make it,” Vinyl pointed out. “And if it worked once, why haven’t we heard of it being used again?”

Twilight frowned. “That’s the part I don’t know. Alicorn ascension isn’t something that happens often. And as far as I know, there’s no written record of any other potions like the one I drank.”

Eclipse and Vinyl exchanged a look.

“So… what if we find out where it came from?” Eclipse suggested. “I mean, if Silver ascended by accident, and you ascended through a potion, then maybe there’s another way to help ponies ascend.”

Twilight bit her lip. “…You’re asking if there’s a way to turn Vinyl into an alicorn, aren’t you?”

Vinyl smirked. “Maybe.”

Eclipse sighed. “Look, it’s not just about that. I need to know if there’s a choice. I need to know if ponies can control their fate—because if Vinyl is stuck aging while I don’t, I don’t know if I can live with that.”

Twilight softened, nodding in understanding. “Alright. If you really want answers… I’ll help.”

She stood, her horn glowing as she pulled out an ancient scroll from the archives.

“But first, we need to start where all alicorn knowledge comes from…” Twilight unrolled the parchment, revealing an old map.

“…We need to go to the Evergold Ruins.”

To Be Continued…

Eclipse and Vinyl have started a search for the origins of alicorn ascension.
Where did Twilight’s potion come from?
Is there truly a way for Vinyl to ascend?
And what mysteries lie in the Evergold Ruins?