//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Brotherhood // by SPark //------------------------------// “What changed, then?” “The fact that we were not alone in the world,” said Artemis wryly. “Ponies do not rule this planet. There are many other races who share it with us, we rule only a small portion of it. And there have been times when even that was by no means certain.” “The gryphon wars, you mean?” Artemis chuckled softly. “Oh no. Long before that. We fought dragons in those days.” Dusk's eyes went even wider. “The dragon war? You... you mean Haymer's Solarliad, and his Long Voyage are true?!” Artemis grinned and shook his head. “They are not entirely fiction, but they are not much like what actually happened.” Dusk nodded, then flushed. “And I suppose none of the other myths of that era, with you, and Solaris, and all the turning-into-swans and carrying on with mortal ponies probably aren't true either...?” Dusk trailed off, looking incredibly flustered. “They are not entirely fiction either, but also not entirely truth,” said Artemis. His smiled turned teasing and he added, “You know, you turn a very fetching color when you blush. Though after what happened last night, I wouldn't think that the mere thought of Solaris and myself, how did you put it? 'carrying on' would make you turn quite that red.” “I... uh...” Dusk blushed even brighter at that. “You... uhm... you were telling me about how the dragon wars made you two stop being enemies?” “So I was. Well, it took quite some time afterward for us to become what you might call friends but we did definitely become allies during those years. And that wasn't the only thing that changed...” “Here, catch.” Solaris' magic tossed the helmet through the air, and Artemis caught it with his. It was a graceful thing, silvered bronze ornamented on top with bristles dyed a deep, vivid blue. He settled it on his head, fitting it carefully over his horn. “Thank you,” he said. “My earth ponies have become quite expert armorers these days.” “Aye. And it's well that they have. I remember last time the dragons bothered us. This time I hope we'll have fewer casualties.” “We've both trained our unicorns well, I think, so the fire-shields should hold.” “Yes.” Artemis' smile was suddenly fierce, eager. “And you know what that means.” Solaris' grin matched his. “Oh yes. This time we'll give them a battle they'll remember for centuries. This time, without the need for us to hold back and bolster the defenses, you and I can join the fight. Not with our full strength--" he added hurriedly, "Our vow still binds us.” He looked at Artemis, who nodded. “But with power enough to chastise the dragons well, I think. And we couldn't have done it without your mariners and their star charts. Our army is on dragon soil now. This time we carry the fight to them!” Artemis nodded gracefully. “But it is your armorers who provide the weapons that can pierce dragon's hide.” “With those weapons we'll make them regret the day they ever decided to invade pony lands.” “Indeed. And hopefully that means that once this battle is over, peace will lie before us, and our ponies will have no more need to fight.” “Growing soft, are you?” A little bit of the old smirk was in Solaris' voice, but just a little. “As are you,” replied Artemis, his brow creased and his mouth set in a thin line. “Or was that just a bit of sea spray in your eye when the dragons sank the Golden Fawn with all hooves?” Solaris stiffened, a sharp retort on his lips, but then suddenly sighed. “Yes. There were many fine warriors I admired on that ship. You know... When they used to fight against you, when I could not join the battles with them, it was easy enough to remain aloof. But now that I fight beside them I cannot help but see their courage and admire it. Admire them, even. They are not like you and I, but that doesn't make them lesser beings. Only different.” Artemis nodded. “I feel much the same. I never even lived among my ponies as you did, in those olden days. I always stayed at a distance, the better to awe them. But now...” “Yes.” There was a long silence between them. But it was no longer the charged silence of a pause during battle. It was something else, something warmer and more comfortable. Finally Solaris shook himself. He caught up his spear with his magic. “Time to go. The scouts should be reporting in any minute now.” Artemis took up his own spear, his silvery magic gripping the bronze-headed weapon. “Let us go then.” Solaris stepped out through the door of the tent, into the hot noonday sun. His golden mane, cropped shorter now than it had once been, was half hidden under his helmet, but his tail still waved magnificently. His beard was golden too, and as carefully groomed as the rest of him. With his bronze-gold armor and his crimson crested helm he looked every inch the god his people thought him. Artemis followed. His own mane had been cropped short as well. In the brilliant sun the star-flecks that sparkled in it were hardly visible. Almost immediately, they were beset by Solaris' ponies, eager for the coming battle. They swarmed around their alicorn, cheering and jostling, and Solaris was drawn steadily away by the crowd. Artemis' soldiers were here as well, of course, but he had poured his attention and planning into building the ships and training the mariners for this expedition, leaving the planning of the battle itself to Solaris. That meant that all the generals were Solaris's ponies, not his. So were the most important scouts, and the runners that coordinated the various groups of soldiers. Only the commanders of Artemis' own companies were of his choosing, everyone else in any sort of leadership position in the great army was one of Solaris's followers. Artemis tried to dismiss that train of thought. Solaris hadn't chosen from his own people in order to deny Artemis power. Of course not. It was simply that he didn't know Artemis' ponies the way he knew his own. He didn't know which of them would be the best leaders, that was all. Still as Solaris rose into the sky and a cheer erupted from a thousand throats below, Artemis couldn't shake the feeling that somehow, in some way, Solaris had beaten him again.