One biting winter, Sol and Titan came upon a village where they were forced to pause their journey. It was only by sheer luck that they found it and freed themselves of the cruel wind and the seemingly-endless snow: Sol, little as she wanted to, knew it would be impossible to continue their trek for at least a few days, while the storms settled in the valley.
The village welcomed them nervously: many stories had been passed on about the Celestial Unicorn, who was known to treat anyone who got in her way ruthlessly. Titan, however, greeted them kindly and roused the spirits of the ponies that he met, making the entire village gradually warm to their presence.
The first night Sol spent upstairs in the inn, locked in her own room and doing her best to ignore the sounds of partying and happiness from down below. Titan kept the villagers awake almost the entire night, singing and chanting and making merry, and it frustrated Sol immensely. Why did he have to act like a foal everywhere he went? Why couldn't he just be a proper warrior for once?
In the morning, Sol was determined to at least make use of her time here in the village. She immediately headed for the sole temple in the village, where she demanded access to whatever books and archives they had. The single, lonely monk who kept the temple running submitted with fear, and gave her access to the few treasured books and maps that the village possessed.
Sol wasn't able to learn much from either the texts or the maps: they clearly had not been updated in many years, and she knew for a fact that several of the landmarks illustrated on the map had worn away with the passage of time. There seemed to be no routes through the valley that would let them bypass the blowing blizzard, or surmount the enormous drifts that had built up through the fields: all they could do was sit and wait until the storms subsided.
She wondered why the village was safe, though: the walls that guarded it were not great nor tall, and yet there were few large drifts and little wind inside this tiny hamlet. She guessed that it likely had to do with some kind of weather magic: it was perhaps the one useful thing she could try and investigate while here.
Titan, she found with a lack of surprise and more irritation than she wanted to admit, was out having fun with the villagers. He was wasting his time, telling tall tales to the foals and adults while he carried lumber and supplies back and forth for them, acting like he was some common carthorse or slave hoof. She thought he was above that station, if only because of his stature, but she also knew better than to try and lecture him into behaving a bit more like a proper warrior.
Instead, she ignored him, spending her day interrogating the important ponies around the village: she was determined to know the workings of the village, and exactly why it was that it seemed to have a strange kind of protection. After all, it didn't seem to just be the elements that it was safe from, but dangers ranging from animals to raiders.
Of course, whatever protected the village hadn't kept them out... but at the same time, Titan had led them into the village more by luck than anything else. And as much as she downplayed him and his abilities, Sol was very well aware that Titan's tracking skills were next to none: he was a peerless hunter and tracker, and could find his way through the deepest, darkest forest or the most empty, endless desert with equal ease.
She was unsuccessful in finding any explanation for the village's protection, however: no matter who she intimidated or interrogated, either no one knew the answer or they only gave fumbling statements that really didn't tell her anything helpful.
For the next two days, Sol's results were all the same: frustration and annoyance, with no one able to tell her anything worthwhile. And Titan, meanwhile, enjoyed himself, relaxing and having fun with the villagers while they were forced to sojourn here, which only added to Sol's frustrations.
Eventually, she confronted him and demanded that he help her discover the source of the village's protection. But with a smile, Titan replied: "But haven't you figured it out yet, my sister? Why, it's very clear, isn't it? Nature protects everyone here, on this sacred land. The foals I spoke to have heard her voice, and so have all the old ponies I have helped, for the very young and very old are both closer to nature than those in the middle. In the midst of our life, we lose ourselves to the workings of our own minds and civilizations. When we begin life, we are not far enough from home that we no longer hear our great mother's voice: and at the end of life, she calls to us clearly."
Sol was not pleased with this explanation: at the same time, however, she knew her brother would not lie to her. So therefore, she decided to test his theory that night, with a simple piece of nature magic she still knew.
She expected one of two things would happen: either the spell would function normally, or if there really was a great amount of nature magic, there would be a great surge of power. So she was greatly surprised when instead, nothing at all happened.
She could not understand it, or explain it! She tried again, then other spells she knew; and while some of her magic would function perfectly well, none of her nature magic would grow so much as a single leaf! Finally, her frustrations attracted Titan, who came down to see what was wrong.
Sol demonstrated, angrily, then was surprised when Titan only smiled at her with sadness. She looked at him, and he looked back at her before he said gently: "Sister, you act with violence and command. You do not weave your magic to help others or out of need, but to prove a point. You speak to nature like she is nothing but a servant, when we all serve her. You may knock all you like, but she will not answer the door. You must learn to ask, not demand. Had you asked even once instead of making your demands and threatening these poor people, you would have found your answer within the hour."
Titan smiled at her and wished her goodnight as Sol scowled at him... but inside, part of her felt ashamed. After he left, she tried one last time to make nature do her bidding, but it would not.
When morning came, Sol and Titan left the village, and when Sol looked back at where it had been, she only saw snow. But when Titan looked back, he saw a warm and happy and prosperous little settlement, full of good and fortunate ponies. And he knew that one day, Sol would find her roots and see the world for what it was too, instead of blinding herself with hate and rage.
But for now, they would leave this place behind and continue on their journey, side-by-side.
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