Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. This piece of work is non-profit and created purely for the enjoyment of, well.. Of anypony who's interested in reading this.

I… I was utterly speechless. The mare that stood in front of me was beautiful. She was tall, as tall as me if I was standing. Her coat was white, with maybe a slight pinkish tint to it, and unblemished. Her mane and tail, a rainbow of cerulean, light turquoise, a light blue, and pale pink, seemed to billow in a wind that nopony else was affected by. On her head sat a golden tiara with a purple gem set in the middle. Around her neck was a matching golden plate necklace. And her eyes. Her pale magenta eyes seemed to look deep into my own and judge every action that I had ever committed, even though I couldn't remember them, without any bias or prejudice. But I didn't feel judged, I felt warm and as if there weren't any problems that I needed to worry about.

"Uh… Um… I, um… Hi?" The words I wanted to say were a little less dumb sounding, but obviously, my mouth had other ideas. Something fluttered down in the pit of my stomach and gave me a happy feeling undertoned with extreme nervousness. Everything seemed just a little bit brighter than before.

She gave a soft chuckle in return to my poorly administrated hello. My cheeks started to heat up under my black fur. I was kind of embarrassed, but why was I blushing? The red tint wasn't visible due to my dark coat, thank goodness. "Here, allow me to help you back up." The white alicorn held a fore hoof to me, and I gladly accepted.

I chuckled nervously. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She replied. The mare turned and looked at a kneeling Twilight. "Twilight, you may get up now."

A suddenly excited Twilight jumped up and hugged the taller mare, who returned the hug warmly. "I'm so happy to see you again."

"As am I my faithful student." They broke the hug, and she turned towards me. "And I assume this is your new friend Eclipse."

"Yes Princess." My eyes widened. She's a princess? Of course she was , she was wearing a symbol of royalty of her head.

"I am Princess Celestia," she introduced herself.

I dipped my head lower to the ground, but I didn't kneel like Twilight. I felt like that was right, and bowing would've been a little much. "Well met, your majesty."

The princess did the same thing back, and Twilight was holding back a gasp. I guessed that the princess had never done something like that before. Our eyes made contact again as her head rose back. For a brief moment, sadness rimmed the soft magenta irises, until the original look returned. "Well met, Eclipse."

The princess asked for just a moment alone with her student, and I obliged them by going into the kitchen, where a bored-looking powdered-purple baby dragon sat at the kitchen table. "Hey Spike."

"Hey Eclipse." He replied. "Why are you in here?"

"The princess arrived." The dragon nodded. "She asked for a moment alone with Twilight, so I came in here."

He nodded again. I sat at the table with him and he asked me if I would like to play a game, something called Tic-Tac-Toe. I didn't know how to play, so he taught me. It was fairly simple, and I picked it up quickly enough. He won the first few, about four, but I won the rest.

I blamed my campaign of wins on beginners luck, and that seemed to lessen some of his frustration towards me. We continued to play for what seemed like forever before Twilight came into the kitchen and asked me to come back into the main room. I followed her and saw the princess was standing at the center table with a stout book open in front of her. She looked up from her intense reading at me with a soft grin. I smiled back.

I was about to ask a question when Celestia spoke first. "Thank you, Eclipse, for that time. Twilight and I were discussing where you could stay in the time you have here." She made it sound like I was going to leave or something. "Twilight agreed to house you here, in the library, until more suitable arrangements are made."

"Thank you Princess, and thank you, Twilight." Twilight replied me that it was no problem.

"We also," continued the princess, "discussed how we could figure out who you were. Twilight told me of your condition, and unfortunately, I do not have a spell that can restore memory." I became a little sad inside. "I do have a spell that might be able to tell us who your parents were, or even where you came from." She paused, then added "If we are lucky."

I thought about that for a second. Maybe if I had even a small remembrance of who I was, more might return. "If we are lucky? What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well," she started. "The spell doesn't always give us the results that we expect. In fact, the spell has never been used on an alicorn before and might even inflict small amounts of pain. I would like you to decide whether or not I should cast the spell." She looked at me for an answer.

I thought for only a second before making my decision. "Do it. There's a first time for everything, right?"

The Princess nodded and approached me. Her horn lit up a light blue color, almost matching the blue in her mane. She got right in front of me, she leaned forward, lowering her horn. I felt myself lowering my head.

The tip of her horn barely touched the fur below my horn when the warm flow of magic surrounded me. I felt a sharp pinch in my mind, not physical, but one that felt like somepony pinched my thoughts. Nothing occurred for the following few minutes, just me standing there with that evident pinching in my mind.

Shortly, the pinch began to soften. I thought the princess was about to finish with her spell, when suddenly, a dull throbbing began where the pinch had be located. That ache became a sharp pain, then a head splitting migraine. Lights and sounds made the pain worse, sometimes doubling the torture. I gritted my teeth, trying not to show the strain of the pain. Sweat started to bead under my fur. A look of concern crept into Twilight's expression. The Princess had her eyes closed in concentration and didn't see my struggle.

A harsh wave of agony struck me violently, causing me to stumble and collapse to my knees.

Twilight gasped and rushed forward. "Princess Celestia, stop the spell! Please!" Her shout brought the princess's eyes open. Her majesty suddenly was shocked, her spell nearing its finish but still with minutes of time left.

"I cannot stop the spell Twilight. He only needs to hold out for just a few minutes longer." Her look brought me a short burst of strength, for blackness was steadily seeping into my vision.

"I-I'll be f-fine," I assured them through gritted teeth. But I wasn't fine, because the void of unconsciousness swallowed me whole.

I was standing. Wind swept my mane into a wild, whipping frenzy. The smell of a distant pine forest carried on the gust. Dust scattered around and stuck in my fur. A grassy plains laid in front of me and stretched to the far horizon. The forest I smelt seemed miles away to my right. Feathers on my wings ruffled and caught the air.

I should be unconscious. I pondered. But I wasn't in the library. In fact, I didn't know where I was at all. The gust became a breeze. I closed my eyes and smiled. This place felt right to me. But something was off with me.

I looked down at my fore hooves. They seemed smaller, but only by a little. I wasn't as grown. There couldn't have been anyway for me to become younger. Unless Celestia's spell did more than give me a splitting migraine, which wasn't gone. I looked at my hooves again. I was also wearing armor. Dull, heavy metal greaves, cuisses, and low paladins on my shoulders. My barrel was cover in the same type of armor. In fact, only my joints, wings, and head weren't. Dull wing blades were strapped front edge of my wings. The weight was manageable. I wonder why I was wearing something so bulky.

"Eclipse!" A baritone voice shouted. The words were commanding, authoritative, and coming from behind me. "Turn around and pay attention!"

I did just that, then took a few steps forward. I wouldn't have moved forward, but my hooves moved on their own accord. My gaze went from my hooves to the being in front of me. An Alicorn stallion, taller than I. He was a black in color; his mane a mix of shades of red, orange, and yellow. It followed, much like the princess's, but his seemed like slow-burning fire. His eyes were a striking gold. Armor much like mine dawned his body. He wore no helmet, but a circlet encompassed his head. The small amber-colored band gleamed in the clear daylight.

"What has gotten into you?" The stallion said with a light-hearted chuckle. "Did my last strike hit you too hard?"

"No, father." I said. Questions flooded my head. Where am I? How did I get here? I don't understand. "I was just... thinking."

The stallion chuckled again wholeheartedly. He came forward and stood by my side. Putting a forehoof over my shoulder he said, "I think that is enough training for today. Why don't we head back home and get this gear off?"

"Well then, has your distance teleportation spell gotten any better?" I nodded. "Good, why don't you try then?"

"Yes Father." The black stallion chuckled quietly, then his horn began to glow. With a flash, my father was gone. I stood there for a moment longer. My white aura surrounded my horn, I felt myself focus. Wind continued to blow the grass around me as I thought of the seemingly familiar foyer. The next moment was filled with blackness.

Pain. Dull throbbing achiness. Blackness was all I could see, until I opened my eyes. The light was lower than before, and the library ceiling was what I first saw. Rolling over, I realized I was on a sofa, covered by a warm, wool blanket. Hoof steps, light ones, came to my ears. Turning to see who it was, my eyes met with the princess's, relief showing in those magenta orbs.

My first reaction was of relief, then one of sadness, then that awkward feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Wha… What happened?" I asked. I looked again and also saw Twilight, a smile on her weary face. The purple unicorn had obviously been distressed. Her mane was frazzled and she looked utterly exhausted.

Celestia answered me. "The spell did.. something to you. I honestly cannot figure out what went so wrong." She paused, looked at Twilight, and then back to me. "You seemed completely normal as I began the spell, but as the magic progressed, you became worse, you know that. When you fell into unconsciousness, Twilight here did not panic in the slightest." The white alicorn turned to her student with a small smile. "She immediately levitated you to this lounge and soothed your struggling."

"I.. I what?" I stuttered. "How did that happen? The last thing that I remember is…" The vision. Was it a memory of my past? "I had a vision."

The princess' expression remained calm, but I saw the small muscles briefly twitch. "Really? The detection spell must have triggered something within your subconscious, but that doesn't explain your collapse." She turned away for a moment, walked towards one of the windows, and continued. "Can you tell me what you remembered, Eclipse?"

And so I told her what happend while I was out. I gave great detail, I felt that I didn't have to hide anything from her. "...And then I woke up." I finished.

"Eclipse, I know not who that was that you saw, but I could look in the Royal Archives when I can to see if I have any records that relate to the ponies you described." Celestia turned her head to look at me as if for an answer.

Twilight spoke up after Celestia finished. "Princess, could I come with you? I could help look while you do your royal duties."

"No, my faithful student," Celestia replied with a small smile. "I need you here, Just in case Eclipse remembers anything else from his clouded past. All right?"

"Yes Princess, I understand." Twilight said.

"Unfortunately, I still have royal duties that need attended to before the day is over. I can pass everything onto Luna." The princess walked over to Twilight and wrapped one wing around the purple unicorn in what I assumed was a hug. The two shared the warm embrace for a moment longer before Celestia released Twilight. "Farewell Twilight Sparkle, and too you Eclipse. Meeting you was pleasant despite the event that transpired." I felt the weird feeling again as she looked into my eyes.

"Goodbye Princess." Twilight said.

As the Celestia's horn began to glow with a yellow aura, something stirred within me. Almost as if upon instinct, I said something that caused her eyes to widen.

"Vale, solis rector."

And with a flash, she was gone from the library.

And... I'm back. It's been, well... A long time since I've put anything up on this story. I apologize to those few people who are actually following Eclipse's story. I also thank those people for patiently waiting for me to put another chapter up. I'll try to get onto a (loosely) regular schedule and start working on this story again. Anyways, R&R and leave me comments that make me happeh. Constructive criticism is well appreciated. PhoenixFire out.