Eclipse stared at the slip of paper he was holding, jaw hanging open and eyes wide with disbelief. The paper contained information pertaining to his recently discovered checking account. In the background of the bank, several ponies were respectfully giving him and the two next to him a wide berth, mostly due to Princes Luna being one of Eclipse’s two companions.

Across the help desk, the mare who had been assisting the group access the account was taking advantage of the lapse in activity to reorganize her workspace and swallow a lump that had been forming in her throat from having a large alicorn staring her down.

In reality, Luna had paid the mare little mind, but still. Royalty sitting within a few feet of you on an otherwise normal day was a surefire way to cause stress to go through the roof.

Luna raised an eyebrow. “I grant that even military pay stacks up over a period of months without a drain from the account, but even that does not explain the state you are in.”

Still in his pegasus disguise, Thorn -- who had been inadvertently dragged along to the bank when Luna and Eclipse had barreled into him while trying to find the palace exit -- stretched his wings and eyed the paper. “Perhaps you should imagine this from his point of view, Princess. How much money did he have before today?”

The princess scoffed, still wrapping her head around the fact that Eclipse had no idea he was being paid. “He believed he had none.”

Thorn chuckled. “And now?”

Nodding, Luna managed to work out that completely missing information like this was exactly how Eclipse’s mind worked. But no doubt that he knew how many times you could fold the average piece of paper before it would not fold anymore. “Considering that absolutely broke wouldn’t have done his situation justice, it does seem like this development is actually rather tame compared to what could have been.”

The two glanced at Eclipse, who was still frozen in place.

Thorn waved a hoof in front of the pony’s face. “He does seem to be completely broken, as if his mind snapped. Has this happened before?”

Luna rubbed her chin with a hoof.

“Why do I have to go? These ‘parties’ are boring!”

“You’ll go because you won’t go to a nightclub either!” Celestia chastised as Luna watched, using Eclipse’s lack of social engagement against him.

Eclipse rolled his eyes. “Oh, great. I need to choose between hot and stuffy clubs filled with sweat, drugs and drunks where absolutely no one will leave me the hell alone, or primpy, equally stuffy snoozefests with a bunch of snobby nobles that’ll almost surely cause my brain to completely deactivate. Fantastic.” He huffed, tugging at his cloak where it was fastened together. “I really need to get into drinking cider or something, that way I can make you happy by going out and still be left alone by being that mysterious guy in the corner you see in every other bar.”

Celestia chuckled. “Oh, come now, Eclipse. It won’t be that bad.”

Five minutes later, all three of them were in a chariot heading back to the royal palace. Eclipse’s eyes were completely blue, with white lines of letters and numbers running across them every so often.

Luna was doubled over laughing while Celestia was doing her best to make the comatose Eclipse comfortable, not that it mattered much.

“If only I had known that Blueblood was going to make the opening speech.” Celestia moaned. “Eclipse, I am so sorry for this.”

“I’m sure he will be fine.” Luna said, waving Thorn’s comment away.

“This coming from the mare who did nothing but laugh when my mind melted at that party.” Eclipse muttered, forelegs crossed over his chest.

“Eclipse!” Luna jumped, having not realized that he had come to. “You’re back!” Looking around, she realized that she, Thorn and Eclipse had moved towards the bank’s waiting area, giving the next group in line the chance to work with the mare that was still having trouble breathing after being so close to a princess.

“Yeah, for a while now, actually.”

Thorn nodded a confirmation. “You were lost in thought for almost seven minutes.”

Luna’s head dropped slightly, letting her mane fall over her eyes as she laughed nervously.

“Okay…” Eclipse turned to Thorn. “So as I was saying, possible name changes, go!”

“Dragoon?”

Eclipse stuck his tongue out. “Too military.”

“Nova? Burst? Some combination thereof?”

“Too likely to be mistaken for a fighter.”

“You are a fighter.” Thorn muttered.

“So?”

“Horizon?”

Eclipse mulled it over. “Eh. I’ll put it under ‘maybe.’ Just as along as it seems slightly more original than ‘Eclipse.’”

This time, Luna stepped in. “You named yourself after a solar phenomenon that’s not even possible in Equestria unless control of the sun and moon is taken from my sister and I. That seems original enough.”

Eclipse waved his hoof. “No, no. It’s not anyone in Equestria that I’m… you know what, forget it. We’ll come back to this later.”

The trio left the back, Eclipse still holding the paper with his account information on it.

Thorn gave Eclipse a sideways look. “What is wrong with your name?”

“I had all of three seconds to come up with it. I could do much better if I actually tried.”

“Oh?” Thorn said, smirking. “In a world filed with countless inhabitants and countless names, you think you can come up with something not already taken?”

“Shut up, Thorn.”

As the trio meandered along the street back to the palace, Luna had a thought enter her head. “Eclipse, with your powers, could you not simply will your desires into being? You could still have almost anything you want, within reason.” She stopped, considering how far chaos magic could bend the rules, provided it didn’t outright break them. “Or even not. That’s where you got your astronomical clock from.”

Thorn frowned. “Why do you have an astronomical clock?”

“It’s more the principle of the matter.” Eclipse said, answering Luna first. “With actual money, I can actually be greedy by refusing to give for a reason other than ‘no cash.’ Or I could actually be generous. Or I could actually buy something.”

“You could ‘actually’ do all of that by spawning a pile of bits whenever you needed it.” Luna replied.

“Yeah, but then I feel like I used a hack or something.” Eclipse frowned. “It gives me this weird ‘you should feel bad’ sensation and makes me hate seafood. And I have an astronomical clock because it looks badass. Makes my room feel all sciency.”

Eclipse dug his hooves into the ground, coming to an abrupt halt. Thorn ran into him shortly afterward.

“How many times will you have us collide before the day is over?” Thorn asked, scowling at his companion.

“Science… Oh, crap.”

Luna shared a glance with Thorn. “What’s wrong?”

Patting his head to make sure he wasn’t wrong, Eclipse turned and grabbed Thorn. “Those glasses I was wearing. When we first met. Where are they?”

Thorn blinked. “You lost them sometime between your capture by Nexus hive and your return. I see no great loss. They were hideous, anyway.”

Eclipse fell to his haunches. “Those scientists are going to kill me.”

Thorn frowned, not understanding, but Luna quickly clarified. “They were an experimental HUD unit. Eclipse was supposed to be giving them a live test. Instead, it seems he, ah, ‘misplaced’ them.”

Luna nudged Eclipse a smile curling her lips upward. “Come now, we don’t have time to waste. Twilight is being brought to Canterlot as we speak. Tomorrow, there will be a celebration, complete with parade. More than that, it shall all be concluded with a display of the new Princess taking to the skies and soaring, before a grand night of drinking and feasting at the palace.” Stopping, Luna blushed as she continued. “There's but one, small detail my sister and I were hoping you could help with.”

Eclipse chuckled. “I’d think that it was the fact that just getting wings would be a problem for the ‘taking to the skies and soaring’ bit, but if that was it you’d probably just get one of your guards or, honestly, anyone who was a pegasus to help her.”

“Actually, you were spot on.” Luna confessed, happy that he had caught on quickly.

“Hubaduhwah?” Eclipse sputtered.

Thorn cocked his head to the side. “Forgive me, but that makes absolutely no sense, Princess.”

“Which is why we came to him.” Luna said, nodding towards Eclipse. Before either of the other two could further object Luna silenced them with a raised hoof. “There is nowhere near enough time for Twilight to learn flight before tomorrow, normal magic is too detectable, and being carried is not an option. Whenever Eclipse uses his magic, there is the glow around his eyes and the effect of the magic itself. Nothing more. We need him to magically carry her through her flight.”

“Why not get Discord to do it?” It took little more than Luna’s stare for him to realize how utterly stupid that would be. Hilarious, but stupid. “Okay, fine, but why not just have, oh, I don’t know, a normal party? You know, balloons, streamers, possibly thrown by she made up of bubblegum and cotton candy? That seems fairly obvious.”

Thorn snorted. “This is a coronation. If any stops are left unpulled, the press would take to it like a swarm of rabid piranha to a bloody carcass. I can see why the princesses are concerned.”

Eclipse was quick to give Thorn a death glare. “Pain lies in your future.”

Luna nodded. “Besides. Pinkie Pie is an honored guest. She will not have any participation in the coronation proper, unless she wishes to liven up the party at the palace.”

Eclipse sighed in defeat. “Okay, fine. Just sit on the sidelines and make her float. I can do that. Maybe.”

“Excellent!” Luna declared, frightening some of the surrounding ponies. One poor stallion choked on his drink. “My sister will be most pleased upon her return later today. Once Twilight is in Canterlot, we’ll go over the specifics with her and--“

“Hold on, I don’t need to meet Twilight, do I?”

Thorn let out a short chirrup which could only have been some changeling expression of shock. “Do you honestly expect her to trust someone enough to let them float her through the air without at least meeting them first? Frankly, I wouldn't let you do that to me, and we’ve fought together.”

Luna sighed. “Honestly, you must get over this phobia of meeting Twilight and her friends. It is completely ridiculous, and not in the way that can be waved away with a simple declaration of chaos magic.”

"I have a very valid reason to fear meeting them!" Eclipse said, defensively.

“Such as?”

Eclipse froze, clearly not expecting such a thorough questioning.

Thorn sighed, an exasperated look on his face. “Truly, he is a wealth of logic and forethought.” He muttered.

Luna picked up the sarcasm, but forwent laughing to quickly bite Eclipse’s tail and begin dragging him towards the palace.

“Youff wiff mmph Twilimph.” She said with a determined look on her face.

“What?” Eclipse asked, not understanding.

“She said ‘You will meet Twilight.’” Thorn answered. He was very fluent in the languages of mouthful, gagged and mumbling.

Eclipse snarled. “Not a chance.” With this, he twisted his body, attempting to reach around and pull his tail from Luna’s mouth. Luna’s left hoof came up and sent him spinning. Luna released his tail and brought her hoof back down, slamming Eclipse into the ground and cracking the pavement.

The lunar princess leaned down. “You will meet Twilight and this will be the end of it. Be glad I did not mistake your attempt at pulling your tail free as you trying to punch me in the jaw.”

“Yes, princess.” Eclipse responded, though it was through a daze and a flock of small birds. His eyes were rolling around randomly and a grin adorned his face.

Thorn raised his eyebrows, but showed no other signs of shock or surprise. “Very impressive.”