Sun's Fire

by Discordia5

A Trip Outside

A Trip Outside

It was the strangest thing yet. That word had been on Artemis’ lips and mind for the last few days, but seeing Solaris act the way he had, that was the crown on the prince’s head. He met every new day with such enthusiasm. He was always excited to tell him all about his new friend, the female draconneques, and her achievements or antics. This new development of teaching her how to read was a rather amusing event though. Solaris was trying to find easy reading material, but their library was usually stocked with scholarly scrolls, magic spells, and history. Nothing that a foal would find fun or even have the capacity to read. Besides that he had been asking for teaching lessons, not that Artemis would know anything about that, he didn’t much like foals or keeping their interest (or anyone with the mentality of one). When it came to teaching he had always been the one to be taught. Solaris was the older brother and had taught him almost everything he knew. He couldn’t remember how Solaris kept his interest. Maybe it was because he was his older brother that it just came easily. To the matter at hand though, it seemed that teaching Eris was becoming rather difficult considering Solaris’ mood of the moment. He was searching for a childhood book that had long ago been misplaced and he was making quite a mess of it. “Brother, please,” Artemis spoke up as he stepped carefully over the discarded books.

Of course, Solaris wasn’t listening, too engrossed in his search. “Please, Soly!” Artemis cried. “This is madness!”

Solaris turned to Artemis and sighed. “It’s just a little mess,” he said.

Now that wasn’t like Solaris at all! He despised any kind of mess! Artemis was more prone to let things go, but Solaris kept him in line. “Brother, I have a feeling that this Eris has taken up the forefront of your mind if not the entirety of it,” he said and sat next to his older brother. “You seem to be very intent on impressing her.”

Solaris sniffed and he could’ve just been seeing something, but Artemis could’ve sworn he saw a slight shade of pink splash across Soly’s cheeks. “I just really want her to know how great reading can be,” he explained.

“Mm-hm,” Artemis hummed with disbelief.

“Anyway, I did want to take a break from the lessons for a while,” Solaris said.

“Oh, that’s good,” Artemis said. “Now you’ll have a chance to get to know each other.”

“Well, that’s not exactly the plan.”

Artemis raised an eyebrow at him. “I was hoping that you would come with me this time,” Solaris said. “Eris needs to meet someone else. I feel like she doesn’t understand how important it is for her to have friends.”

Artemis listened with interest, but also felt like Solaris was being a little hypocritical. After all he didn’t have many friends either. However, actually meeting up with the mysterious Eris sounded interesting as well. It definitely sounded like an experience, for sure. He shrugged and stood back up. “Alright, I’ll meet her,” he said.

Solaris gave a pleased smile and nudged his younger brother’s shoulder playfully. “Alright, I’ll be leaving soon, so make yourself presentable,” he said and started flipping through the pages of another book.

Artemis sighed and decided to find some kind of welcoming gift for the draconneques…

The two brothers trudged up the mountain, gravel and sand slipped out from under their hooves and Artemis was having a hard time keeping up and keeping balanced with the flower in his mouth. “Almost there,” Solaris said.

They had flown the majority of the way, but Solaris thought it would be easier for Eris to be introduced to Artemis slowly. He would sit outside her cave until Solaris told him to come in. “Ssank goodnesh!” he said through his clenched teeth.

Finally they made it to the entrance of the cave and Solaris walked in first. “Hello?” he called, his voice echoing around the walls. “Hello, Eris?”

With a ‘poof’ and a gleeful cackle Eris appeared. “Ooo, yay!” she cried and hugged Solaris around his neck. “Shiny’s here!”

Shiny? Artemis thought as he waited patiently for them. The nickname sounded childish and endearing at the same time. It certainly suited him. “Yes, I’m here,” Solaris said with a cheerful smile.

Artemis could hear that he was running out of breath, Eris must’ve had a strong grip on his neck. “Tee-hee!” Eris giggled and started doing backflips in the air. “So what lesson are we going over today?”

“No lesson today, Eris,” Solaris said. “I have a surprise for you.”

“Ooo, a present for me?!” she asked excitedly. “You shouldn’t have, Shiny! It’s not even my birthday!”

Solaris smirked and walked back to the cave’s entrance. “Not that kind of surprise, but I think you’ll like it anyway,” he said and waved his hoof out in Artemis’ direction. “May I introduce the Prince of the Night, Co-ruler of Equestria, and my little brother Artemis!”

Artemis stepped out from around the corner and looked at Eris who gently floated back down to the ground. She looked at him curiously as if not really knowing what to make of him. For a better way to speak, Artemis gently set the flower down on the ground and looked at her with determination and pride. “Greetings, lovely Eris,” he said. “It is an honor and a privilege to meet one of my brother’s dear friends.”

With that he gave an elegant bow and gripped the flower stem between his teeth again. He walked up to Eris who only kept watching him. “For oo,” he said and offered the flower to her.

The flower was actually something very special to Artemis, the night lily that only bloomed when the sun went down and it would give off its own beautiful golden glow. At the moment it was just a bud, but she would definitely see its beauty soon enough. Eris plucked it gently from Artemis’ mouth and examined it closely. So far she hadn’t said a thing and this unnerved both of the pony brothers. She looked at Artemis then at Solaris and then back at Artemis. Her look was almost unreadable, more thoughtful than anything else. Suddenly she pounced and wrapped her arms around Artemis’ neck! “Oh, Shiny he’s absolutely adorable!” she cried and squeezed him hard. “Can I keep him?!”

Solaris tried to choke back his laughter as Artemis choked for more air. Finally she let him go and hovered back into mid-air. “Hello, Artemis,” she said. “Your brother has said so much about you, he never said how handsome and how dashing you are.”

Artemis blushed deep red. He knew what his brother had told him about her brash personality, but he hadn’t expected her to be so forward. “And the flower is so pretty, well, at least I think it is,” she continued and examined the flower again.

Artemis smiled at her confusion. “It’s a night lily, it only blooms when the sun is down,” he explained.

“Oh, wonderful!” she said and twirled around in the air.

Eris snapped her fingers and a vase full of water appeared on the table. She placed the flower delicately into the vase and smiled at her work. “There, perfect,” she said and turned back to the brothers. “So, Prince of the Night, huh?”

Artemis smiled shyly and scratched his neck with a hoof. “Well, yes,” he said. “Solaris makes the sun rise and set and I make the moon rise and fall.”

While Eris floated she also looked like she was sitting in some invisible seat. Her legs were crossed and she rested her hands on one knee. The pose was so casual and also so jarring to Artemis. He had never seen anypony flaunt their magic the way she did. “How interesting,” she said. “I always liked the night, easier for sneaking.”

Artemis smirked at that. At least someone appreciated his beautiful night, if not in the way he expected someone to. “The stars are also really pretty, I’ve studied them for a while, you really do have an eye for patterns, Arty,” Eris continued, lapsing into his nickname.

“Well, uummm, thank you,” Artemis said and bowed his head in thanks.

Eris couldn’t help her girlish giggle. “He’s just too much!” she said to Solaris who only shook his head in defeat.

Needless to say, Artemis wasn’t used to this kind of attention. Eris was very curious and very bold. He had never met anyone like her. During his visit he had told her how he arranged the stars, how he raised the moon and what it felt like. Eris was never empty of questions. She in turn showed him what she could do with her own powers. She showed him the chocolate rain, cotton candy clouds, soapy floors, and even how she seemed to defy the laws of nature by switching certain traits on him and Solaris around all with just a snap of her fingers. She even summoned up a lunch for them, salad for them and rabbit for her. That was also a little disturbing to him too, he knew that other creatures ate meat, but he never met one that was more intelligent than a dragon. “Solaris has told me about your past, I must say it’s very rare for anyone to be orphaned at such a young age,” he pointed out. “If I can and if you would let me I would like to know what happened to your family.”

Eris frowned and started to poke at her lunch. “If the subject is too hard for you-,” he started again.

“No, I mean,” she also started. “I’d like to know as well, I can’t remember anything beyond the first time I came down to Canterlot and as far as I know, I didn’t have a family.”

It sounded horribly sad. Artemis at least remembered his own father and he still had his brother. How lonely she must be. “But I’d rather not know,” she continued.

The two brothers looked at her in surprise they thought that she would want to know just as badly as they did, but it seemed that they were mistaken. “I don’t really care about what happened before, I am who I am because of it and that’s good enough for me.”

With that she popped a piece of rabbit in her mouth and let the subject drop.

The brothers trotted over to the entrance of the cave and looked back at their new friend. Eris smiled and hugged Artemis again this time more gently. Artemis returned the hug and smiled sweetly for her. She turned to Solaris and did the same. Their hug lasted a bit longer, but soon they parted. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Eris,” Artemis said and bowed elegantly to her.

“And you too, Prince Artemis,” Eris said and gave her own bow.

Artemis nodded and shifted nervously before nudging Solaris. “Well, aren’t you going to ask her?” he asked.

Solaris shook his head nervously and nudged him back. “Ask me what?” Eris asked.

Solaris scratched his neck with a hoof, but didn’t say anything. Artemis rolled his eyes and turned to Eris. “Apparently there’s going to be a get-together in one of the fields near Canterlot, Solaris was wondering if you would be interested in going?” he said.

Eris blushed as well and twiddled her thumbs nervously. “Well, I mean, umm,” she started. “I’ve rarely ever been outside of my cave and I’ve always been hidden and stuff.”

“So you’ll think about it,” Artemis replied for her.

Eris’ eyes widened, but didn’t object. “Again a pleasure, good-by Eris,” Artemis said and took off. Solaris, however, turned back to her and looked at her curiously. Eris shifted around nervously. “I know what you’re going to say and it’s not going to change my mind,” she said.

Solaris nodded. “I know, but I wanted to say that I think you’re right,” he said.

Eris tilted her head at him. “You are the way you are, because of what happened to you,” he continued. “And I think the you now is pretty great.”

Eris smiled and blushed a slight shade of pink. “Goodnight, Eris,” he said and took off into the sky.

It wasn’t like she didn’t know that. She knew she was great, amazing even. Not being seen by other ponies or having many friends didn’t really matter to her. What mattered to her was, well, her and she wanted to prove something that night. It was probably stupid considering she was using most of her magic to float around and dodge trees, but she had to do it, she had to prove herself. Eris yawned widely as she turned around another tree and kept floating along. After the colts had left a thought crossed Eris’ mind, about the last time that Solaris was there and when she had told him about the time she had talked to a manticore. The memory stung and the feeling of remembering it stung even more. Sure she had laughed at it at first, but that’s what she did. She tried to laugh it off and forget about it afterward. Now that the memory resurfaced she could feel that feeling of helplessness and humiliation. So there she was in the Everfree Forest just wandering around, trying to find the stupid manticore and show him what a wonder she was now. However, it was becoming more of a wild goose chase. “Come on, you weren’t so hard to find before,” she grumbled.

Eris’ eyes started to drift downward and she wasn’t paying attention anymore to where she was going or what she was doing and then felt herself bounce against something. However, she didn’t notice until the fourth bounce against the thing before she looked up and saw the growling maw of a manticore. “Ah, there you are,” she mumbled sleepily. “Do you know what I have been going through to find you?”

The manticore only kept growling at her, even as she started to poke him in the middle of his chest. “I’m really tired and have been floating around for hours,” she said and kept poking him. “So let’s get this over with so that I can go to bed.”

The manticore, of course, got annoyed by her actions and roared mightily in her face. Her hair was blown back and her fur puffed up from the moisture. “You need to do something about that breath,” she said and snapped her fingers.

Something fizzled for a second, but then nothing. Eris looked nervously at her fingers and the manticore waited patiently for her to do something. Eris laughed nervously and snapped her fingers again, still nothing happened. She started to snap them repeatedly and even did it with the other hand before turning back to the manticore and smiling sheepishly. “Heh, heh,” she chuckled. “Well, looks like I’m all out of juice, maybe we should continue this some other time?”

The manticore growled and roared once again. Eris screamed and took off away from the vicious beast. She ran back to the mountain with the manticore right on her tail. Tears were starting to leak through her lashes. It was happening again! Nothing had changed at all, she was just a scared little draconneques running away from something that was too big for her to swallow! Then came something much unexpected, a cliff. Eris skittered to stop and looked up at it. It was steep sure, almost a straight up if not almost less than a ninety degree angle climb. She had to try! Her paw and claw gripped at the stones and she started to scrabble her way up. The manticore was closing in, she could hear it huff and roar as it ran full tilt at her. Eris tried, she tried so hard even with tears streaming down her face and fear making her heart pound harder against her ribs. Suddenly a stone gave and she slipped all the way back down the cliff side. “No!” she cried and landed back on the ground.

She turned around to find the manticore staring down at her, its dripping white teeth glistening in the moonlight. It growled deeply and moved its face in closer to get a good whiff of her, its teeth inches from her neck. It reared back, but before it could strike a flash of light exploded above them, distracting the manticore and blinding both of them. “Back foul creature or we shall vanquish thee!” a deep voice commanded.

The light didn’t fade until the source landed on the ground and Eris could see that it was pony shaped. The pony pawed at the ground and pushed the manticore back before the beast took off in the other direction. The light then faded out and Eris could now see that her savior was Solaris...

It had been a very beautiful day and it was going to be a very peaceful night. For some reason Artemis said he didn’t want to patrol over the Everfree forest. He said it unnerved him a bit and tonight it felt as if something was a bit more off about it. Solaris agreed that he would briefly check it over before he would turn in and took off over the trees. The Everfree Forest had always been an enigma to the ponies. It had stood for many years and was wild, untamed. Things grew and thrived there without any help from ponies and that was what disturbed them the most. Solaris thought that Eris would’ve liked the place a lot. The brothers had tried to tame the forest by building their castle in the center of it, but no amount of magic or love or nurturing would keep the woods down. He flew up over the tall trees and looked down at the ground between the branches. It seemed fairly quiet. He thought that maybe Artemis was just being paranoid until he heard a roar from deep within the forest. He looked down and saw a manticore barreling through the trees. It was obviously after something. Solaris flew down to see what it pursued. A lithe and quick form flickered between the trees ahead of the manticore, it slithered, hopped, and ran from its attacker before it stopped and started to climb. It wasn’t long before Solaris realized that the form was Eris! “Eris!” Solaris called, but she didn’t hear him.

She was trying to climb up the cliff away from the beast and she slipped right back down. Solaris growled and horn glowed bright. “Back foul beast or we shall vanquish thee!” he shouted in his Canterlot voice.

The manticore fled within seconds of him appearing and then he turned back to Eris who was whimpering and crying at the base of the cliff. “Eris, what in the name of Equestria were you thinking?!

he asked and stomped towards her.

He was partially angry and partially relieved that he had found her, but angry at why saving her was necessary. “Do you have any idea of what would’ve happened if I hadn’t-!”

Eris’ arms came up and wrapped around him tightly. She started to cry into his chest. Solaris blushed, very surprised that Eris was behaving in such way, but seeing how she was distraught he tried his best to comfort her. “Hey, Eris,” he whispered. “Eris?”

She didn’t respond beyond more sniffling. “It’s ok, you’re ok,” he said and nuzzled her gently.

Eris sniffed and stopped crying but didn’t let go of him. “Can you fly?” he asked.

Eris shook her head. “Alright, climb on, I’ll give you a ride back,” Solaris said and spread his wings so that she could get on his back without difficulty.

She clumsily got onto his back and held onto his neck as they flew back to her cave. It was a short ride, but it didn’t matter, Eris was out cold by the time Solaris landed. “Eris?” he whispered.

He looked back and saw that her eyes were closed gently and she was breathing evenly. Her grip had slackened significantly as well. “Oh Eris,” he grumbled and started to walk her over to her bed.

He gently set her down on the mattress and clumsily tried to tuck her in, before looking at his work. Solaris had never seen Eris sleep before. She looked so peaceful, so unlike her. It was beautiful anyway. Solaris smiled and nuzzled her again. “Sleep well, Eris,” he said. “I’ll scold you in the morning.”

She must’ve heard on some level, because she groaned and rolled over. Solaris chuckled softly and walked back to the entrance of the cave. Looking back one more time he watched her sleeping form for a few more seconds before taking off. He did want to know what she had been doing that night and he wasn’t going to let it go that easily. However, Eris falling asleep on his back almost made him forget about that entirely.

Author's Note:

So, you're all probably wondering why I decided to use Canterlot voice here now... Well, I always had a feeling that Celestia/Solaris would only use it in times when it was mostly needed to get a meaning across or when "resonance" was needed and not as excessively as Luna/Artemis would use it... Or maybe I'm just lazily and don't want to put in all the fancy wording and "thee"s and "thou"s in. Oh well, enjoy!

Comments

[Evilhumour]

Have an editor look at this as it feels rough. Otherwise, it is good

[Moongaze14]

The chapter was very sweet.