Not all the years that Sol and Titan spent together were filled with war and violence, nor with great quests and wild searches. As Sol found herself beginning to respect and perhaps even care for her self-proclaimed brother, she also began to believe his strange prophecies: how he said things like nature told him they still had a sister yet to find, who would lead them to the truth. How he believed that one day, the baronies would all be united, and the land would be peaceful and strong.
He was always so positive. Ready to help, ready to lend a hoof to anyone in need, going out of his way to protect any ponies that might be in danger. He was a good person, a better person than she had ever been... and more than that, he somehow managed to not only be good, but be effective and strong at the same time. She honestly, truly envied that.
So, when they ran out of leads to follow on their journey, when there were no great quests to pursue and nothing to do but wait and plan, Sol finally agreed to Titan's idea to set up a small farm for themselves, where Sol could do her research and they could wait the long years out. Titan said that all they could do was wait for their sister to arrive: Sol scoffed at him, but at the same time, she decided that he was right. She had everything she needed, and for once, that included the time to settle down and research.
And that was what she did. They returned to a parcel of land that had been promised to them long ago in the southern barony, where they built a comfortable home and established a small farm. Sol left Titan to do most of the work, which he did with gusto, never losing his joy and enthusiasm.
They were happy, for a time, in that strange little home they made together. And Sol came to know peace, her weapons and armor both laid down, and often cajoled into providing elixirs and remedies for the few ponies who lived nearby when they were ailing and in need.
It was funny. Sol had never expected to find such joy in this simple, quiet life. Reading by the fire, working the fields when she felt like it, cutting wood and attending to these little chores, with a bed she was able to become accustomed to and a home to call her own... it was all a very foreign experience to her. At the same time, never did she allow her skills to rust or to grow indolent and lazy... but she did become kinder, finding excuses to practice her skills in ways that often helped the little community around them. Their crops and the surrounding lands never wanted for water, nor longed for sunlight: they got plenty of both in good measure, just as their community was always kept safe from any invaders.
Sol saw generations pass, in her many years in this little farm: it was something she watched with interest, and it was perhaps the first time she came to understand that all these ponies really were people. That they all had their own thoughts, their own wishes and dreams: that left alone, they were perfectly capable of governing themselves. They were all so weak, and yet they found ways to unite, to make themselves strong, to take care of each other, and it came to fascinate her.
She wondered on words she had been told long ago, by a guardian of their world, who lived in the sky city that even now had almost been forgotten. He had said that the three tribes of pony would unite under one banner one day, form a bond that could never be broken, and she wondered if these humble beginnings were the start of that. Unity, she knew, was a powerful force... but she did not know if it was powerful enough to make a place as dangerous as Equestria still was into a safe haven.
Still, it was one of the many things she pondered, in this period of happiness and prosperity... until the day finally came when Titan told her they had to begin their journey once more, as their sister was coming closer now. And Sol found it strange that now he was excited, and joyous, and she was the one who was so sad to leave this quaint and quiet life behind: the only years of peace she had ever really known.
But the road called to her, and she knew well that in spite of all the years she had lived, her journey had really only just begun.
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