The Legend of Sol, Titan, and Morgan: Titan's Question

While there were many things Titan was known for, his sharpness of mind was not one of them. But sharp of wit he was, and in more way than one: although never could he be called cunning, with his candor and near-naivety, but he was able to learn of ponies and know them inside and out even before many ponies had the chance to know themselves.

Titan had studied Veliuona and her consorts, and Veliuona's interactions with both of his siblings. And now, after seeing how they had worked together to fight off the ambushing Wyrm, he thought it was as good a time as any to have a chat with the Goddess of the Cursed Shades, and take his own personal assessment of their new ally.

Titan walked fearlessly through the ranks of Veliuona's undead: even if they were creatures compelled by magicks that were not of nature, he knew that he had nothing to fear from them. Many of them still acted as ponies did: some were fearful, some were zealous, some were rude and some were welcoming, but in all of them he saw their own spirit and their own soul, even if the flesh had long departed from their bones. He thought it was a good sign for the meeting that was to come.

Veliuona greeted him pleasantly enough when he found her: she did not seem to be surprised by his presence, but Titan knew there were many things that moved unseen through the air, for as many physical beasts prowled along the ground. But she was very interested in him, he thought, and he welcomed her curiosity, gladly allowing her to begin the conversation and answering her questions truthfully and honestly. Morgan may have lied to save face at some, and Sol surely would have argued simply to spite the goddess with others, but Titan was jovial and pleasant, and did not want conflict. He simply wanted to know the measure of the mare he was speaking with.

They spoke for quite some time together, and across a broad range of subjects: although she told him little of her past, Titan learned much about Veliuona from what she found interesting, from when her voice became impassioned, from how she held herself so high and mighty... and yet at the same time, she extended such honest concern over even the smallest subject of her vast, deathless empire. And in the way she spoke of things, how she phrased things, Titan learned that even if Veliuona was a goddess now, she had not always been one: it became all too clear, as they broached the subject of cultures and homelands, that the strange place Veliuona spoke of with such honest love was, without a doubt, the homeland of the zebra kin.

When they parted ways, Titan thought they parted as friends, and he felt that she would be someone he could trust in the days ahead. He recognized full well they might end up as enemies afterwards, but he saw an honest love in the empress for her deathless citizens, and knew she would not risk putting her people into great peril by placing them at odds with both the Wyrms and Sol's army.

And for now, Titan was satisfied with this answer: until they were enemies, he would treat her as the best of friends, as he thought was only right to do.

The Legend of Sol, Titan and Morgan: Kiss Of Promise

Amid all the violence, the clamor, the philosophizing and the preparation for war, Morgan continued to find herself being drawn back to one thing, again and again: the fact that her lover, her charger, her faithful paladin had promised again and again to be by her side... and yet when they had faced the Wyrm, he had been nowhere in sight.

In spite of everything the paladin said, and all his promises and kindness and affection during the moments of peace, or when they were alone, the young paladin was... well, she did not want to think he was a coward, but the truth was there, all the same. And it was growing harder and harder for her to blind herself to the fact that the stallion would not stay beside her, and ran every time the chance was given to him. Nor was she fond of the fact that he seemed to be growing haughty, if not arrogant, and was all too glad to push his work onto the hooves of others. Both Titan and Sol had taught Morgan the value of hard work for its own sake, and it was a lesson that Morgan would never forget.

But the paladin was not like them, and not like her. In some things, Morgan loved that about him. He could be gentle, and he would listen to her and obey her, and there was such nobility in his struggle to overcome his own weaknesses, and, as a mortal stallion, to fight alongside heroes like they were. But at the same time, he was not willing to push himself, and he seized on what gave him the greatest reward for the least amount of work, and he could be.. pedantic, she thought. She had no problem with when he was rude or they argued, but how she loathed when he whined and whimpered to her like a colt instead of the rugged stallion in paladin's armor he was supposed to be...

Morgan went to see him, when they made camp after destroying the Wyrm. She was unsurprised to find he had taken refuge the furthest he could from the undead, while still remaining in the light of the camp's fires. He smiled when she approached, and leapt to her like a puppy... but she caught him, steadied him, stopped him. And his smile faded at the look upon her face.

This was not the first time they would speak of his failings, and nor would it be the last. And in spite of how Morgan could look upon even the most pitiable pony with a cruel eye if it was required, or her mood was dark as her eyes, this paladin somehow always seemed like a foal to her, and her words, however well-intentioned or better-earned by him, too wicked for the wretched fool.

In the end, as always, the paladin promised her with a vow and a kiss, that he would do better for her. That he would be stronger for her. That he would not let her down in the future, nor ever betray her. Morgan was unsatisfied, but let it be enough for now, and she left the matter alone to listen instead to his sweet nothings and feel his gentle affections.

But after she slept, the paladin slipped away from her. On trembling legs, he made his way to the camp of the living dead, and searched until he found the Goddess of Cursed Shades. There, they met, and he asked of her what gifts she had to give. He began to tell her his story, that he was born of ignoble cast, that he had fought all his life to reach where he was today, but the Goddess was uninterested in such tales.

Veliuona had no use for the paladin's past. But she had every use for him in the future.

The Legend of Sol, Titan, and Morgan: Suppression Of Tyranny

Sol thought that they would be able to meet the Wyrms near Central Equestria. But one of the Wyrms, it seemed, was more eager to meet with them than she had expected, and retraced its own path of destruction to intercept the army emerging from the mountain cliffs.

Titan was the first to feel the Wyrm's approach, and he was barely able to shout a warning before the creature attacked, without warning or hesitation. The terrible beast plowed its way into the front of their army, smashing both the living and the dead scattering like toys as it forced their marching column back into the chasm they had just begun to emerge from. But there was no meaningful strategy, no thought-out tactics in its attack: it was only by cruel coincidence that this laughing, murderous Wyrm had caught them at the last possible moment in time it could most effectively ambush them.

The creature tore forwards through their ranks, and soldiers panicked even as Sol roared orders; the living dead of Veliuona, however, were quick to move into position at only a single whistle from their goddess, forging forwards against the brutal strength of the Wyrm, refusing to relent even beneath its hellish breath and its fearsome claws and jaws.

But as Sol withdrew her forces and moved forwards with her siblings, the monster began to chant its terrible Black Verses, and not even their loyalty to their cursed mistress could stop Veliuona's hordes from breaking and bolting in fear and terror. But now, with their protective helms upon their heads and their wills focused against their foe, Sol was able to lead an attack directly against the mocking creature, using magic and stone to strike with ferocity into its throat and silence its miserable melody.

While the Tyrant Wyrm was far from slain, even as its head was almost severed from its shoulders, the Black Verses were halted, and the creature itself became almost confused for a moment, as if it could not comprehend that its terrible singing had been stopped. A second later, it began to rage... but Titan's strength and Morgan's magic propelled another great stone into the beast, smashing it with such force that its heavy breast was cracked like an egg to reveal its strange and pulsating core, and the Tyrant Wyrm gave a strangled sound that was furious around the shale buried through its throat... and not afraid, no, but as if the creature had realized that it had underestimated its foes.

Veliuona and her dark magicians dealt the fatal blow, before Sol could summon up her magic: although the creature was of black scale, with its hideous, heart-eye revealed, their dark magic was able to pierce the core of the beast, burning away its very spirit as it destroyed the heart of the monster. The Tyrant Wyrm howled, vomiting one last burst of hate from its jaws before it collapsed beneath the weight of its own, already-rotting corpse.

So went the first battle: rough and fast and unexpected, with errors and foolishness on both sides, neither prepared for the bloodshed that came. The skirmish was nothing but five minutes of hell and fatal errors, that forced both darkness and light to fight side-by-unwilling-side against a creature of the deepest abyss. And it was nothing more than a taste of what was yet to come.

The Legend of Sol, Titan, and Morgan: The Dying

It was strange, Morgan thought, the way that Veliuona and Sol darkly reflected each other. And what she found strangest of all was that, after watching them together for so long, Morgan began to forget which of them was the savior, and which was the tyrant.

Sol pushed their march hard, and was more tireless than the droves of undead that walked with them. Sol had a schedule to keep, and was willing to do so at the expense of every other pony, be it the living dead, her own soldiers, or even the innocent who happened to get in their way.

And Veliuona showed a strange and almost alien compassion: her deathless forces inspired great fear in the ponies that they came across, and yet she was strangely tender with the wounded, the weak, the diseased and the dying. She would approach them... and even if she was vision of terror, escorted at all times by her Vizier and her other deathless lords, and her words at first seemed cruel and heartless... Morgan began to see a kindness in her that she had not expected. Perhaps, even compassion and love.

Veliuona made the same offer to all those they came across who were badly injured, or elsewise nearing the end of their mortal coil. She would offer to help them die peacefully, and then to resurrect them, free of any cost, as a Velite who would be permitted to complete any unfinished business, or stay with their families and friends.

Not even Titan thought such a gift could be without cost, but Veliuona only smiled, and said that she was not foolish enough to put a price on life. But she was surprisingly honest, as well, as they continued down the road: those who accepted her gifts, and clung to life, would likely find it difficult to accept the passage of the lives of their family and friends. They would bring others to her... and so would her empire grow.

Sol said with disgust that she was a parasite: Veliuona only laughed, and said she wished to do no harm. She would passively, peacefully grow her empire... and as the ponies so loved the day, her people would rule during the night. This way, they could share Equestria... and she thought it was far better that they somehow find a way to stay united rather than put both their peoples at risk with a senseless war, when there was plenty of land for them to realize their visions of a nation together.

Sol said coldly and simply there was no way that they could live side-by-side: Veliuona only replied calmly that there was no way to know unless they set aside their differences and tried... and further chastened Sol for her lack of tact, pointing out that for now, at least, they had no choice but to work together. That a great threat had invaded Equestria, one that would require both of their wiles and strengths to defeat... but Sol was undeterred, saying with disgust that if she had the choice, she would gladly eradicate Veliuona, and all of her kind for existence. That Veliuona only continued to exist because she was right: that for now, she was necessary. But, Sol said, when the moment came, she would not hesitate to turn on her, just as she knew Veliuona would do the same.

But Veliuona only smiled, and turned knowing eyes to Morgan, speaking to her as much to Sol as she said softly that she expected nothing less from her: that Sol would never stop until every last piece of darkness was erased from Equestria. No matter who it was, no matter what they had done for her, Sol would never stop... until her light had burned away every last inch of shadow across the nation... and perhaps beyond.

The Legend of Sol, Titan, and Morgan: The Uneasy Journey

Morgan learned much from Veliuona, and Sol was able to strategize and create a grand army, which Titan outfitted and trained to their very best. For weeks, they worked, rallying their forces, as the Tyrant Wyrms ravaged the north of Equestria, and worked their way slowly down the far western seaboard: yet all the same, they knew they could not rush. That they would have to choose their battleground wisely, and prepare their forces well before they marched into battle with these terrible beasts.

Sol chose Central Equestria as the site of their first battle with the Wyrms: the beasts there seemed to be the most hostile, and the most aggressive, for even if the Wyrms along the seaboard were moving quickly, they were destroying only what happened to be along the coast and beaches. In time, they would reach one of Equestria's great port cities, but for now, they had only attacked a few fishing villages and smaller towns. And reaching them was out of the question, anyway: not even Veliuona's army of the dead could march so tirelessly and so quickly across the entirety of Equestria.

What worried Sol was that there had to be less than a hundred wyrms scattered across Equestria... yet each one was doing the damage of an army. An army that burned everything in its wake, that carried with it a fetid disease that rotted the very earth beneath their claws. And Sol could not understand what the end game of these Wyrms was: if they were intent on killing, why were they zigzagging throughout the nation, going around some of the largest, most crowded settlements? They seemed to follow wandering courses, never staying on a straight path: for a few days, they would move with brutal fury and direction, but then they would slow, or stop, or seem to lose interest: there had even been reports of Wyrms breaking off from engagements with Equestrian forces to simply wander away... although all too often, they left hideous, deathless corpses in their wake, more corrupt and monstrous than the worst of Veliuona's revenants.

So now they marched, an army led by three siblings and their unlikely ally, who had chosen - at least for the moment - to follow in Sol's lead. Perhaps this was part of her cunning, however: should they fail,Veliuona could say it was no fault of hers. But Sol knew that failure was not an option at this point: the enemy they faced was monstrous and terrible, and they had no choice but to fight with all their strength and hope to destroy it, utterly and entirely.

Because if they did not, then their enemy would doubtlessly eradicate this entire nation... and that was likely only the beginning of their cruel conquest.