The Days of the Eclipse

Prologue

By Star Origin

I was scared! So many emotions filled my being all at once but amongst them all, fear was the strongest one. I could feel my pupils dilating. Well, it was more like the slight blur that I felt when it happened. I didn’t know what to do. Fear paralyzed me and no matter how much I was telling my body to move, it did none of it.

In front on me stood Nightmare Moon in her glorious form. Her face adorned a devilish grin and her eyes—those dragon-like eyes that sent chills down my spine—were locked onto me. She was looking at me with a mischievous expression and she took pleasure in doing so. My vision started to return to me and as I brushed the area with my eyes, I saw the bodies of six mares. They didn’t move and all of them had their eyes closed.

No! This can’t be right. This isn’t happening! I said in my mind. It wasn’t registering what had happened and everything was thrown at me brutally.

“Why? Why are you doing this to me?!” I asked Nightmare Moon, my voice filled with despair.

“Oh? I thought my reasons were simple,” Nightmare Moon snickered, her eyes still locked in mine. “I want you to suffer. I want all of ponykind to suffer and what’s more fun than leaving a poor little pony such as yourself deal with the fact that you got six mares killed. And it was all for nothing! Nothing has changed and nothing will ever change! Just remember that whatever happens from now on, you are the one responsible for these mares’ deaths. You will be a murderer, a monster! That’s the only thing the world will see when they will look at you!

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a kingdom to conquer.”

Right before my eyes, Nightmare Moon turned into a purple mist and just disappeared. That only left me all alone. I was surrounded by the lifeless bodies of the six mares that tried to stop Nightmare Moon. I hadn’t known them for a very long time but their names were already graved onto my memory.

Applejack, a pony whose honesty made her the trustworthy Earth pony always there to help her friends with their problems.

Fluttershy, a Pegasus whose kindness is unrivaled. Her kindness makes it so she’s a pony you could lean on during hard times.

Rarity, a unicorn that is flashy and generous. She’s always trying to please her friends before pleasing her own needs.

Rainbow Dash, a reckless Pegasus that lives for the competition in life. She’s, however, very loyal with her friends and a dependable asset.

Pinkie Pie, an Earth pony whose main goal is to make everypony happy and laugh with her. She is always there to cheer her friends up in a jam.

And finally, Twilight Sparkle. A unicorn that excels in magic but that seems to lack social skills.

My breaths began to change into sobs and I could feel the tears collecting in my eyes. I looked all around me and the only things I saw were the wall of the ancient castle I had confronted Nightmare Moon in and the bodies of those six ponies. Nightmare Moon was right; none of this would have had happened if I had not incited them to help me.

————

“The last known location of the Elements of Harmony is now in what is known as the Everfree Forest,” Twilight said.

The five other mares repeated the name of the forest and they seemed to be afraid. I didn’t know what was wrong with that. Apart from the deadly creatures that only came out at night, the Everfree Forest wasn’t all that frightening Of course, it was night so the fear of those ponies was kind of normal.

While listening to the five mares impose themselves upon the sole unicorn that seemed to know what was going on, my hind legs were beginning to feel numb so I moved them a bit to help with that but at the same time, one of my hooves fell on a rather large branch. It broke with a loud noise that completely blew my cover. Before long, a cyan Pegasus had me pinned to the ground.

“Hey, guys! I found Nightmare Moon!” exclaimed the Pegasus.

“I am not... Nightmare Moon... and you are crushing my throat!” I replied with a low-pitched voice. Needless to say, I was annoyed by that Pegasus and yet I had just met her.

“Oh yeah? What’s your proof?” inquired the same Pegasus.

“Nightmare Moon’s mane is ethereal while mine is silver. Also, my eyes are normal while hers have dragon-like pupils.”

“So, if yer not Nightmare Moon, who’re ya?” asked the orange Earth pony.

“My... name is Raine Moon... and like you, I... want to get rid of Nightmare Moon,” I told the Earth pony.

“I’ve got one question for you, though,” announced the lavender unicorn. “Why do you have a horn and wings?”

Why had I never thought of a back story for myself in case I would get interrogated like in this situation? That question had not been one I had been expecting in all honesty and now I was caught in a bind; one that I had to get out of.

“Uhh, well... my mom was a Pegasus and my dad was a unicorn and I guess I got both when I was born,” I answered, sweating like crazy. My stammering did not help either.

“Strange. I thought that the only beings with a horn and wings were royalty.”

“Well, I obviously don’t look like I’m part of the royal family,” I replied, trying to get them off my back as quickly as possible.

“Not exactly but you bear uncanny resemblance with Nightmare Moon, dear,” noted the white unicorn.

“It’s a rather long story and I don’t really have time to tell it. You know, the fate of Equestria is kind of on the balance here.”

“Fine, but I’m keeping my eyes on you. If you end up being a spy after all, I’m going to kick your flank,” the cyan Pegasus told me, locking her eyes in mine.

“Ooh, ooh! Remind me that I have to throw you a party when we come back!” exclaimed the pink pony, giggling and bouncing around everypony.

“Umm, I-I’m not so sure this is the time to be talking about this, Pinkie. This is kind of the Everfree Forest and the creatures here are dangerous, you know,” said the yellow Pegasus. She seemed very shy and she didn’t talk very loudly.

“I’m guessing you know where the Elements of Harmony are?” I asked the group of ponies.

The lavender unicorn nodded and then trailed inside the forest.

————

They would still be alive if I had just stayed out of this... I thought.

Eventually, my guilt proved to be too much and I just started to cry my eyes out. I cursed myself! For both being unable to help them and for letting them die. They had a life ahead of them... I had nothing left. At least, not anymore. And most importantly, I cursed Nightmare Moon for her cruelty and her lack of mercy!

“Mark my words, Nightmare Moon! You will fall and I will be your downfall! Letting me live was your worst mistake!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

I was still incredibly sad but my rage was consuming me. I wanted revenge! I wanted to see her die! I needed to see her die! And I would stop at nothing to do it!

That was a good course of actions... if only I had the will to do it. I had nothing left. Nightmare Moon had killed the last hope ponykind had. Alone, I wouldn’t be able to make a difference. I didn’t know what to do so I did the only thing that I thought was the best option: do nothing.

Resigned to my fate, I weakly got back up on my legs even if I had nearly no energy left. My head pounded and everything was blurred. I slowly managed to get near the doorway but I was stopped in my tracks by guards.

I ignored their presence at first but I eventually abandoned the thought of leaving the castle ruins when I saw that they weren’t going to move. I just stopped myself there and simply waited for what would eventually come.

“Nightmare Moon! By order of Princess Celestia, you are hereby placed under arrest! Two choices offer themselves to you: you can either resist and make it harder on yourself or you comply and follow us back to Canterlot so Princess Celestia can pass judgment on you. Decide quickly because we will use the hard way if you stay unresponsive for too long!”

I wasn’t surprised to be mistaken for Nightmare Moon. I did look like her, which was an unfortunate luck. Our eye colours were the same but her pupils were dragon-like. Even the bearers of the Elements of Harmony did that mistake so I wasn’t really surprised to be compared to Nightmare Moon, let alone be mistaken for her.

“Your time is up! Guards, restrain he–” began one of the guards, one that seemed to hold more authority in the group.

“No wait! I’ll peacefully come with you.”

“Well, well. Your judgment is actually far better than what I had expected,” commented the guard. “Very well! Restrain her!”

I didn’t even resist. I wanted Nightmare Moon to pay for her actions but I couldn’t do anything. Not anymore. I just let the guards apply some sort of strong piece of cloth around my body, covering my wings at the same time. By glancing at that piece of cloth, I concluded that ripping it apart wouldn’t be an easy task, unless one used magic to do so.

After that, I let them attach some kind of metallic ring around my neck and once it was all installed, I felt like I was drained of my remaining energy. I looked around me again and saw that some guards had already begun to examine what Nightmare Moon had done.

Once those guards were out of my sight, the remaining guards prompted me to advance and I did. They escorted me through the Everfree Forest and fortunately, no dangerous creatures were encountered. Of course, they travelled through the safest path they knew.

Then came the hardest part yet: passing through Ponyville. It was hard on me, even if I was resigned to my fate. The stares, the glares, the grieving faces, I saw it all. I had never asked for any of those. It was too hard for me and I eventually closed my eyes to avoid seeing all of those things.

Soon enough, we were on board a train heading to Canterlot. I had a beautiful scenery in front of me but it had lost all its colours and beauty to my eyes. Time went by quickly and Canterlot was getting more and more in sight. Once the train stopped at the station, I knew that there was no turning back at this point.

They brought me into the castle and to a room in particular. In that room stood Princess Celestia and several other ponies.

“I’ve brought her in, Princess,” said the guard that had escorted me.

“Thank you, Captain Shining Armor. You can return to your usual duties.”

Along with Princess Celestia were a few other ponies and most of them looked like they were high ranked in social status. The princess’ personal counsellors also seemed to be by her side. Their presence alone was able to make me wince. I knew what to expect and I was still prepared for it, however strange that sounded.

I was still the one to blame the most. If I hadn’t done anything at all, no ponies would have had to die and I wouldn’t be standing in front of Princess Celestia. For the mistakes I had committed, I was ready to receive whatever punishment they would give me.

“My, my. It seems you’ve grown weak over the last millenium, Nightmare Moon. To think that my guards alone were enough to capture you.”

Princess Celestia giggled at that fact, as if she was mocking me. And it felt humiliating. I was being shamed in front of Canterlot’s aristocracy. On top of that, Princess Celestia even compared her own might to mine, two factors that could not be compared. I didn’t reply to her. I just met her gaze with mine.

“Then, I can conclude that you know why my guards brought you here?”

Again, I said nothing. I just remained silent but this time, I nodded to tell the princess that I understood the reasons.

“Good. This will make things easier for all of us,” Celestia added.

Maybe I should add now that for the whole duration of the time I was in front of Celestia, I just kept on looking at the ground so I could avoid the princess’ gaze. I wasn’t able to face the princess’s gaze. I couldn’t! And even if I did lie to all those ponies, it wouldn’t erase the fact that I was responsible for the death of six innocent ponies.

“I’ll make things quick for both of us,” Celestia began; her voice powerful enough to send shivers down my spine. “Nightmare Moon! For your crimes against Equestria, you are condemned by execution this afternoon in the public square of Canterlot. Spend your time well because your life ends soon!”

After my judgment was passed, a pair of guards came to escort me to the castle dungeons. I was thrown in a cell and told that the cell and its bars would be the last thing I would see before my execution.

“Well, well. I never thought I’d meet Nightmare Moon in the flesh. So, what brings you to this lovely part of Canterlot?” asked a prisoner in a cell right next to mine.

“I do not wish to discuss about my story,” I answered. I was going to die... and I knew that there was no escaping it.

“If ya look at me, fer example, I ended up here ‘cause I was caught stealing various precious artifacts if y’all can call them that way,” the prisoner said.

“Please! I just want to be alone...” I pleaded, my voice weak and wavering.

The prisoner called me a mood ruiner but granted my wishes anyway. I was grateful for his respect but I was still not very fit for social activities... not that I was ever good at those before. The following hours slowly passed and it was painful to wait for my time to come. Every passing minute felt like an eternity to me.

Please... just let me die already... I can’t bear up with my guilt anymore!

Finally, after several hours, two other guards stopped in front of my cell. “Nightmare Moon, your time has come!”