Bonus prequel: The best night ever
“You know the way to my room, Barb,” said Dusk Shine to the smallish dragon that scampered beside him. No longer quite as smallish as she had been, admittedly. Barb had grown a bit over the past few years. But still shorter than Dusk. Of course Dusk had grown too. He'd put on a quite unusual growth spurt only a few years ago, in fact...
“Yep!” chirped Barb cheerfully.
“I might be late. I haven't had a chance to catch up with the Princes in a while.”
“I won't wait up, don't worry.” Barb grinned.
Dusk chuckled. “Oh good.”
He threaded his way through the mostly empty halls of Canterlot Palace, nodding now and then at the guardsponies who seemed to be the only ones still awake. Eventually he arrived at his destination. A touch of magic swung the door silently open and, as he had hoped, the room within was occupied.
It was a library, comfortably furnished and generously lined with bookshelves. It was not, however, the vast, grand, sweeping space of the Canterlot Public Library, nor the slightly more modest Royal Library with its collection of rare and ancient manuscripts. This was a smaller, cozier room, where ordinary novels sat next to encyclopedias, which rubbed shoulders with ancient personal journals on the shelves. It was Solaris' personal library.
Solaris was within it, as Dusk had expected.
He had not, however, expected his one-time mentor to be sprawled on the rug with a mug of cider in his hoof while his brother Artemis stretched out on his back beside him, trying balance en empty mug on his nose.
“Dusk!” Solaris called out cheerful as he stepped hesitantly inside. “Come join us!”
“Uhm. I'm not intruding, am I?”
“No, not at all. We were just reminiscing and enjoying some of this fine cider. Here, have a mug.” He levitated a full, foamy mug towards Dusk, who took it gingerly. He tried to think if he had ever seen Solaris drunk.
Dusk took a sip, just to have something to do while he sorted out his suddenly scattered thoughts. The sip only scattered them further though. “This tastes like Sweet Apple Acres Cider.”
“That,” said Solaris with a slightly wobbly nod, “is because it is.”
“Marvelous stuff,” said Artemis. “Marvelous. Nopony was making anything like this back in my day.”
“Yes indeed. Your friend Applejack is a miracle worker,” nodded Solaris, taking another hearty swig.
“He is. Though speaking of applejack, I wish I'd thought to bring my bottle of it down. A little of that would chase this cider most admirably.”
“Well just teleport it then, brother! Come now, are we not alicorns?”
“We are slightly drunk alicorns,” said Artemis firmly. “And it is very good applejack. I'd rather not risk accidentally putting the bottle through a wall.”
“Oh fine, be that way!” Solaris flopped back onto his back, discarding his now empty mug next to a pile of similar mugs. Dusk also noticed a second stack of empty mugs next to Artemis, and a few still filled standing on a side table nearby.
“You two seem to be, uh, enjoying yourselves,” said Dusk cautiously, taking another, larger, sip. He didn't know what to think. Solaris was usually so composed, so perfectly serene. This was a bit unsettling.
“Ah, my student, my oh so faithful student,” said Solaris, looking up at Dusk cheerfully. “Or I suppose I should say 'my former student.' You are wondering what possessed me to get smashed, when you've never seen me so much as have a sip of cider before, aren't you? Well, it's actually all your fault.” He started laughing suddenly. Dusk looked at him with bewilderment. “Tell him, Artemis.”
Artemis, who seemed a little bit buzzed but not nearly so drunk as Solaris, inclined his head regally. “Oh yes, it is definitely all your fault. But that's a good thing,” he hastily added as Dusk's expression shifted from confusion to dismay. “A very good thing!”
“For a thousand years. A thousand years I haven't had anyone to drink with!”
Artemis chuckled. “I somehow doubt you were dry and sober the entire time, brother.”
“Well... no. But it's not the same. I can't... I just...” he waved his hooves in the air, trying to shape some indescribable concept. “They're not you!” he finally arrived at. “They're leaning on me. They need me. I can't relax around them. The whole damn empire fell apart, the last time I let slip how fallible I actually am. And things come out, when you drink.”
“In vino, veritas,” intoned Artemis solemnly.
“Yes, damn it all,” said Solaris irately.
Dusk took another swig of his cider, having to repress the urge to revive the old “breathe in, breathe out” trick from his earliest days as Prince. Despite the explanation, Dusk was feeling just a little bit unnerved. He no longer quite thought that Solaris was infallible these days, but this was, perhaps, a bit too far in the other direction.
“I also think you'd forgotten how to relax, brother,” said Artemis gently.
Solaris stared up at the ceiling and sighed. “Probably.” Then he rolled to his feet and smiled beatifically at Artemis and Dusk. “But now it has finally sunk in that my fellow Princes don't need to be sheltered from the fact that I am, in fact, not entirely perfect in every way. And so I am going to have some fun at long last.” He let his gaze wander around the room. “Although I had better start small. Tonight we shall all simply get gloriously drunk together!”
“I see,” said Dusk as he took another swallow of cider. His mind was slowly starting to adjust to this new version of his old mentor.
“Yes. Now what was I... oh, the applejack! We're almost out of cider. And I am fairly tipsy already, but you two both need quite a lot more help along, I think,” said Solaris cheerfully. “So. Applejack sounds delightful.”
“Except that it happens to be in my room. In the tower. And we are here. Not in the tower.”
“We could be in the tower.” Solaris' horn lit, and Dusk and Artemis both yelped “No!” at the same time.
“Uh, Solaris,” said Dusk, a little appalled at needing to say it, “you really shouldn't teleport anything while drunk. Especially not living ponies. Please. 'Don't drink and wink' you know”
“Sorry. You're right. Though that was not a saying, four or five hundred years ago when I got drunk last... But how, then, do we get to the applejack?”
Artemis heaved a long-suffering sigh. “We have hooves. They work perfectly well. If you really are that determined, we are quite capable of walking up to my room.”
“Excellent! Capital! Let us set forth!”
Dusk went to take another swig of the cider, and found it had run out. He set the mug aside, rather wishing there was more of it. Well, there would shortly be apple brandy, apparently. This is going to be a very interesting night, he thought, with a certain amount of trepidation.
By the time they reached Artemis' chambers, Dusk was very glad that most of Canterlot was asleep. None of the guardsponies batted an eye at the trio, even though Solaris spent most of the trip singing slight off-color songs at the top of his lungs. Dusk once more had to admire their composure.
Thankfully the route from the library to Artemis' tower wasn't a long one, and once on the tower steps there was nopony at all to see them.
After climbing far too many flights of stairs they staggered through the doors into Artemis' rooms. Or rather Solaris staggered. Artemis was still mostly walking straight, and Dusk had only had one drink so far.
Dusk had been in Artemis' rooms before, of course. They were friends, after all. Artemis had several excellent telescopes, and his own small but fascinating library, so Dusk had frequently had reason to visit and spend a little time here.
Still, he always had to pause and admire the place each time he entered. There were always small changes in the décor. The general theme was the same, but Artemis constantly acquired and created new bits of art to adorn the comfortably crowded room. Bookshelves, tapestries and paintings warred for wall space. Furniture was wedged in here and there, sharing room with statuary and scientific gadgetry, and yet though it was cluttered it never looked messy. Every bit worked somehow with every other bit.
Artemis now went to an ebony cabinet and opened it to reveal a collection of bottles. He pulled out one filled with deep amber fluid, and followed it with three small crystal glasses. Solaris had sprawled across the entirety of a plushly-upholstered loveseat, while Dusk had seated himself gingerly on a matching couch. Artemis poured a generous measure into all three glasses and floated one in front of each of his guests. He looked quite proud that he managed this without spilling any.
“To Dusk, for a great many things. And to Artemis, for even more, including this wonderful beverage,” said Solaris, and raised his glass in a toast. He downed the contents in nearly a single gulp. Artemis and Dusk both sipped a bit more slowly.
Dusk nearly coughed at the first sip. He wasn't used to anything quite that strong. It was really quite good though, once he got used to the way it burned. He also seemed to be getting used to the drunken Solaris. Of course it probably helped that he was beginning to feel a faint, pleasant humming between his ears. He knew he was something of a lightweight, so a full glass of cider was enough to give him the beginnings of a buzz. Especially now that the applejack was helping it along.
He smiled and drank more. “This is very good.”
“I'm glad you like it.” Artemis smiled warmly at him. He swayed just a little bit. He didn't seem quite as drunk as Solaris, but he was evidently feeling it.
“Fill 'er up again, brother,” said Solaris, floating his empty glass over to Artemis. The glass wobbled quite a bit. Artemis took it in his own magic and poured a somewhat smaller portion of applejack into it.
“You should slow down a bit, and let us catch up,” said Artemis.
“Good idea!” Solaris got to his hooves and went over to Artemis, wobbling slightly. He threw a hoof over his brother's shoulders and hugged him. “Ah I've missed this! It is a delight to just let it all hang out.”
Artemis chuckled and nuzzled his brother. “So it is.”
Dusk felt a little flicker of jealousy go through him as he watched them together. They were so easily affectionate, so physically close. Of course Solaris had hugged him as well, on many an occasion. But there was always a certain reserve in it, on Dusk's part if not on Solaris'. He couldn't let himself get too close, much as he might occasionally daydream about it.
He looked down and noticed that his glass was empty. His head certainly felt like he'd finished it, that hum was stronger now. He got up, feeling a faint waver in the world as he did so. Tipsy, definitely tipsy. But not drunk. Not quite.
“Shall I freshen that for you?” asked Artemis. Dusk hesitated. It was tempting. But... “No thank you.”
“Oh come now, Dusk,” said Solaris gayly. “Our goal tonight is to get gloriously drunk!”
“I don't really like being that drunk. And I don't like the hangovers the next morning either,” said Dusk.
“Ah true, true. I do forget about that. I've never had one.”
Dusk blinked at him. “What, never?”
“Never,” confirmed Artemis. “I haven't either. And we've had some rather... epic benders in the past. We used to think it was simply because we were alicorns, but that theory was disproved quite some time ago. Now, well...” Artemis shrugged. “Perhaps it has something to do with the sun and the moon. We're not sure.”
“Poor Dusk, having to suffer if you're to have any fun,” said Solaris, plopping onto the couch next to Dusk.
“There are other ways of having fun besides getting drunk, my brother dearest,” said Artemis, dropping onto the couch on Dusk's other side. He was suddenly sandwiched between them. He felt his heart jump. A few of his wilder daydreams had started off not unlike this. He suddenly felt that even being a little tipsy might be a bad idea. He would have to be quite careful to not say anything he might regret later.
“Such as?” asked Solaris.
“Oh come now. Good food, enjoying time with friends, hobbies. And tea. I know about you and tea.”
Solaris laughed. “Oh yes. Tea. Tea is definitely a pleasure, and I will admit it doesn't give one a hangover. And it fits my oh so perfect image better than cider does. Still...”
Artemis leaned over and poked Solaris in the ribs, which left him half draped over Dusk. Dusk flushed, trying to hold perfectly still lest he somehow commit some sort of indecency on the alicorn in his lap. “There are more, shall I keep listing them?”
“I know, I know.” Solaris waved a hoof. “But there are so many of them that I miss out on. They take time, or they simply are not possible. Family and children. Hobbies of the sort that can't be fit into a spare hour here or there. Long-term lovers. Many things.”
“Well if it's a lover you need, things could be arranged,” said Artemis, grinning. Though thankfully he also straightened so he was no longer stretched across Dusk's lap.
“Oh no, I'm fine,” said Solaris dismissively. “Entirely fine.”
Artemis heaved a sigh. “If you say so.”
“What about you, hmmm? Any particular flank catch your eye since you've been back?” asked Solaris.
Dusk started to wish he could unobtrusively teleport away somehow. They would quite certainly notice if he suddenly vanished from between them though.
“Ah. Well... Er... No, of course not.”
Solaris snorted. “That was an even worse lie than mine. So who is it?”
“Nopony.”
“Tell, brother.”
Artemis looked over at Dusk, flushed bright red, and clamped his lips together. He shook his head.
Dusk frowned. “Uhm. Should I go so you can talk, or something?”
Solaris peered over at them both. “Ah, so that's the way it is!” he said. “So. Soooooooooooo.”
Dusk blinked at him, suddenly very confused. “Solaris?”
Solaris lurched to his feet. “I know you far too well, Artemis. The only question, then, is what Dusk thinks about it.”
Artemis made as if to get up, his eyes going a bit wild, then suddenly sank back down into the couch. “Solaris... now may not be the best time...”
“If not now, then when? You haven't said a word.”
“It... I... I don't... uh... I'm not very.... I mean other than you there have hardly been any...” Artemis stopped babbling and shifted uneasily.
Dusk went to scoot away from him now that there was more room on the couch, but he found that for some reason Solaris had pinned them both in place with his magic. “Uh... Solaris? What are you two talking about?”
“The fact that Artemis apparently has a thing for you,” said Solaris with a smirk.
Artemis blushed even more brightly. Dusk suddenly went beet red as well. “Oh. Oh. Uhm.”
“So the question is, do you have a thing for Artemis in return?”
“I...” Dusk gulped. He thought again about certain of his fantasies. “I... uh... might...”
“Capital!” Solaris beamed at them. There was something oddly strained in his expression, but Dusk couldn't tell what. Dusk wasn't used to reading him when he was relaxed like this. All the tiny, subtle bits of body language Dusk had grown used to had changed. Still his smile seemed quite genuine.
Then Dusk felt himself gripped once again by Solaris' magic. It was pushing him around to face Artemis, who was similarly being pushed to face him. “There. Now kiss,” said Solaris, still grinning.
Artemis looked at Dusk.
Dusk looked at Artemis.
Neither was sure who had moved first, but suddenly they were wrapped in each other's arms, kissing deeply, with all the fervor of long-repressed passion.
Solaris smiled at them still, but now that they weren't looking at him it was a somewhat sadder smile. “Delightful,” he said softly. “I'll just go then.” He turned and headed for the door.
He opened it, but it immediately shut in his face. “Oh no you don't,” said Artemis. He was panting just a bit, as was Dusk, but his eyes were fixed on Solaris. “You don't get out of this so easily. I know you too, brother. I told you who had captured my attention. But you haven't told me yet who has captured yours.”
Solaris shook his head. “It doesn't matter.”
“It does,” said Artemis.
“Some things aren't possible...”
“Nonsense. Now tell.”
Solaris' eyes flicked to Dusk, then away. That was all Artemis needed. And Dusk too picked up on the subtle signal this time. He felt his mouth going dry. Solaris? And him? That was the other half of those daydreams he'd tried so hard to put out of his mind. His gaze flipped rapidly from one alicorn to the other.
“I see,” said Artemis. “Well. You and Dusk have a history that goes back much further than any small affections I may have. I shall...” He started to rise, but Solaris' magic shoved him back down onto the couch.
“You and he will be happy together,” said Solaris. “You deserve to be happy together.”
“And you don't?” countered Artemis. “You were just saying how you earned tonight's little vacation. You've more than earned a chance at happiness, brother. Please.”
“No, I can't. You...”
“I have never needed other ponies quite like you, brother,” interrupted Artemis.
“I have plenty of friends, Artemis. I'll hardly pine away.”
“Yes but...”
“You know,” said Dusk, sounding more than a little annoyed, “You could try asking me about this.”
Both alicorns fell silent and looked at him, chagrined.
“I'm sorry Dusk,” said Solaris. “What... what do you want?”
Dusk blushed even more brightly. “I... well...” He looked between them again. He knew what he wanted. But how could he say it? If he didn't, though, he would be forced to chose between them, and whichever one he chose, it would hurt the other one. However much they'd both instantly tried to fob him off on the other, he was sure that they both did care for him. As stunning, amazing, and impossible as that was. Part of his brain didn't believe it. But his logical mind knew that neither one could have been lying. Neither was the sort of pony who could lie about something like that. So. They both wanted him.
And he wanted both of them. The only other options were to lie, and hurt one of them, or say nothing and let them fight it out in a ridiculous battle to see who could martyr himself for the sake of the other.
So finally, feeling that he could not possibly blush any redder, but unable to take any other option, he blurted, “I want you both.”
Two pairs of eyes, one warm lavender, one cool turquoise, blinked at him in surprise. Then two nearly identical grins followed. “Really?” said Artemis, with the tone of a child offered the key to a candy shop, filled with longing and possible wonder, but also not quite certain that such a thing could be true.
“Really.”
“Well then,” said Solaris, and he too sounded full of sudden wonder. “Well then...” He dropped back down onto the couch, and pulled Dusk's head around with a gentle hoof. Then he kissed Dusk with a passion that easily matched Artemis'.
It was everything that Dusk had ever dreamed it could be. He had wanted this moment so many times over the years. At first it had been nothing more than a childhood infatuation with his teacher, but the more he matured, and the more he came to know Solaris, the more he wanted to be with him. Infatuation had combined with admiration and understanding to form a hopeless love. For how could the eternal, immortal Envoy of the Sun, the god who had ruled for all of recorded history, ever want to be with him? He'd occasionally had the thought, over the last few years, that perhaps he stood more of a chance, now that he was an alicorn too. But he wasn't going to delude himself into thinking that he could possibly be Solaris' peer.
Yet this very night Solaris had more or less said he was. And now... now Dusk had all that he had ever dreamed of.
All of it, including that thing reserved only for his most wild and improbable fantasies, for even as Solaris kissed him deeply, Artemis wrapped his hooves around him and began to nuzzle the back of his neck.
Artemis too had been the subject of many a fond daydream. But he too was a god, and thus Dusk had never dared to confess how he felt until tonight. Even dreaming of them had seemed presumptuous. Sacrilegious, even. It hadn't stopped him though.
Solaris broke off the kiss to slide his muzzle against Dusk's cheek. His head tipped as he did so and his horn brushed against Dusk's, which wrung a soft, startled gasp from the young alicorn. He had not expected that. He'd never been with a unicorn—or alicorn, his distracted brain interjected—so he hadn't expected the intense thrill that went through him as Solaris' unshielded horn met his own. Solaris began to run his horn slowly up and down Dusk's. Dusk moaned softly.
Artemis nibbled gently at the back of Dusk's neck while his hooves wandered over Dusk's body. One of them dipped a little lower and Dusk gasped again. “Oh Solaris,” he said without thinking.
Solaris chuckled. “Yes?” Dusk let out a short, breathless laugh that was immediately interrupted by another moan as Artemis's hoof started to do very interesting and distracting things.
After a few extremely pleasant moments Artemis paused what he was doing and said, “Why don't we move this party to the bed?”
“Capital notion,” said Solaris, and Dusk nodded his enthusiastic assent.
When they had piled into Artemis' large, luxurious, canopied bed Dusk found himself still in the middle. With Solaris' large white form pressed against him one side and Artemis' only slightly smaller body on the other he felt a mixture of heart-pounding elation and stomach-knotting trepidation. He had wanted them both. Now it seemed that they both had him. What were they going to do with him? His rather meager experience with other ponies flashed through his mind. He'd never been with a unicorn before. He'd certainly never been with an alicorn. And he'd most certainly never been with two immortal alicorn gods before. What was he even going to do?!
A shining white hoof reached out from one side and smoothed down the wayward strands of mane that had begun curling, as they always did when Dusk started to work himself up into a state.
A midnight dark hoof from the other side caressed his cheek lovingly. Dusk relaxed a little. These two knew him. They had never before demanded anything of him that he couldn't give.
So when Artemis urged him to turn towards him Dusk responded willingly; his muzzle met the dark alicorn's with ready eagerness. And when Solaris pressed against him from behind and he could feel that his former mentor had not been lying about wanting him, his heart jumped with a bliss both mental and physical at once. He knew then that he'd done the right thing by telling them how he felt.
“I think,” said Solaris, wicked amusement in his voice as he spoke softly in Dusk's ear, “that tonight is going to be a very good night.”
Atremis broke off the kiss, and his somewhat breathless voice was just as amused. “I think you're right.”
“It's going to be the best night ever,” said Dusk in fervent agreement.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- SPark · 3.4k words · 53 4 · 1.4k views
- Sindal · 7.6k words · 15 21 · 1.6k views
- SPark · 2.6k words · 35 4 · 1.7k views
- Brasta Septim · 20k words · 41 4 · 986 views
- Spooky · 18k words · 28 3 · 726 views
- Scooty Dash · 1.5k words · 11 4 · 579 views
- Fimbulvinter · 5.3k words · 32 2 · 1.3k views
- CrackedInkWell · 4.1k words · 19 3 · 671 views
Stats
Page generated in 0.093 seconds
Total duration
912 users online
552,970 hits today, 2,139,894 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
3999859 Thanks again! Also fixed.
Think you accidentally put a comma where a period should go between these two sentences.
3999966 And thanks again. Also fixed again. Even with an editor, it seems like something always goes unnoticed.
Alright, read the whole story. And I have to say, my thoughts went like this.
To be honest, the M/M threw me off since I kinda had a hint of it from chapter 1, but it still was like a slow realization. Not going to lie, it made it challenging for me to read. Not because the story was bad or anything, but just because the concept of that makes me a little squeamish. I have nothing against it. It's just reading about it with a imagination that likes to create scenes in detail makes it well... yeah.
Onto my thoughts on the story however, I really really liked it
The whole concept you have for the two alicorns is just great and not something I have seen. Then again, there is still so much that I need to read so it may already exist. But nonetheless I loved it. I really enjoyed watching the mentality of the two changing throughout the ages, constantly shifting their views on the worlds as they begin to discover and explore themselves and each other, along with their place in the world and its ponies. Their lives slowly became humbled as they learned. And I thought the brief flash backs on these various moments that always held the hint undertone of Artemis always on the short end was absolutely great. I just wish there was more because I liked it so much
And this line,
To me, that is just absolute gold. Loved it.
4000022 I think this is the best comment I've ever gotten. (OMG somebody who has noticed and appreciated all the little details, yay!) I do see your point about Dusk as an alicorn. I have it tagged with alicorn Twilight, but not everyone looks at the tags, of course. I might tweak it a little to make that more clear early on.
Thanks again, for the lovely feedback and for the editing.
I loved this story for how right it felt. Amazing work and I loved all the scenes.
4263415 Thank you!
It's always delightful when somebody likes one of my less-appreciated works.
4263949 No problem. I feel that it could easily be the same story of Luna and Celestia, which is why I find it works so right. And of course, I couldn't help but love all the sweet scenes as the two brothers tease Dusk.
I hate to sound like an idiot, but what does NSFW stand for?
8921828
Not Safe For Work. It means something with adult/sexual content of some kind, which most people would be unable to view at their workplace.
8922008
OK. I used to work at a company that watched for stuff like that. You would think the "M" rating would be a dead give-away to readers, though.