The Legend of Sol, Titan, and Morgan: Little Sister

It was not hard for Sol and Titan to find where the sister they had yet to meet had been taken: she was in a place where no pony would travel: not for the great difficulty they had in reaching it, but because of the evil and sinister forces that loomed about this dark and wretched place: a great black temple, fortified with enormous dark bricks and iron and blood and bone.
Moving carefully, the two slipped as close as they dared, studying their opposition. There were living dead and evil mages known as Blood Seers, who used dark and diabolical magic given to them by the blood of demons that ran through their veins. It would be a dangerous fight: if but a single drop of their blood was taken by those nefarious ponies, they could very well be enslaved by their dark magic.
Sol was surprised by how cold and serious Titan had become: but if anything, it told her the extent to which her brother valued family, even the family he had never laid his eyes upon. Sol herself was not sure how to feel: even if there had been an innocent pony's life at stake, she normally would have had no problem in turning away from this evil and leaving the ill-fated pony to their doom. But unfortunately, this time it was different... and Sol thought that perhaps, her ways had begun to change.
So instead, they made a careful plan, and it was cunningly executed: Titan slipped in first, silently dispatching what guards he could, but leaving their bodies in plain view. Soon enough, an alert was raised, and minions of evil swarmed out of the fortress and discovered Titan as he dispatched another guard. They immediately converged upon him, and there was a great battle before Titan allowed himself to be driven down and taken prisoner.
Sol followed quickly as the overconfident evils dropped their guard, thinking they had captured their only foe. But no sooner had they opened the doors to a great sacrifice chamber than did Titan yell for Sol, as he saw his younger sibling for the first time: a mare of dark coat, already strapped to an altar as some dark offering for a darker-still god.
Sol leapt into action: she moved first not to free her brother, but instead kill what Blood Seers she could. But thanks to his great strength, Titan was able to tear free of most of his bonds, and defend himself until Sol finally joined him and smashed through his bonds.
Together they fought, tearing apart the evil forces of darkness that had captured their sibling, until none were left standing but for them. It was a fierce battle, though, over the course of which they both were wounded... and yet a worthwhile fight, for all the pain they suffered. Because their sister was not taken from them, but saved, and in her heart, Sol felt a strange warmth, unlike much of what she had experienced over the course of her life. She felt compassion, and a need to protect this strange mare, even as she looked up at them with confusion as she opened her eyes.
She didn't know who they were or what they wanted, but they were able to quickly pacify her, calling her by the name of Morgan. But rejoicing and happiness would have to wait for now: both Titan and Sol could already feel evil on the move, and all three of them were weak with exhaustion and pain. Sol and Titan knew that they could not survive a second battle with fiercer forces than they had already dispatched, and Morgan was confused, weaponless, and suffered greatly from the tortures the evil creatures had put her through.
So quickly, the three made their way from that place... but even if there was no time for cheer, Sol all the same felt a great happiness in her heart, and Titan smiled at his younger sibling, knowing that this was truly the beginning of what would be a long and wonderful journey together.

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

For once, it was Titan who was pushing Sol, and the mare soon came to wonder if she had not been underestimating him even after the many years they had spent together. For in spite of lacking horns or wings, Titan was still outracing her over even the most dangerous and difficult terrain, forcing Sol to every so often call him back as she used both magic and flight just to keep track of him.
For the first time, it made Sol realize just how important the idea of this 'little family' was to her so-called 'brother:' even though he'd never met her, even though all logic railed against the idea of a 'sister' being born to them from the stars, and Titan somehow discovering this from the wind and the trees and the grasses, Titan was still throwing himself into the idea of finding her... and more, his enthusiasm, belief, and determination were all drawing her along with him.
But she couldn't help but trust him, and believe in him, all the same. And part of her, perhaps, had even started to want it to be true, to want another member to join their strange little family. Titan, whether she liked it or not, gave her something she had never truly had before, beyond existing solely for the sake of discovering the truth behind her identity. And she liked having meaning, and feeling like there could be more to her than just blood and metal; she liked the idea that there was hope in her future, not just a discovery waiting in her past that she knew, all too well, could lead to nothing but more disappointment and heartache.
So she followed Titan, willingly. Even when it seemed like they would run forever, she followed:  Titan, however, always seemed to know when she was honestly tired, as if he had learned her limits better than she herself knew them. And this, considering Sol's thought-unmatched control of herself, left Sol both embarrassed... and wondering just how much the silly-seeming stallion actually knew about her. She had never thought that there was any truth to the idea that you could know someone better than you knew yourself, unless you were a fool... but maybe the only fool here wasn't Titan after all, no matter how often he played that role.
The journey took them into a desolate land, that was cold and harsh: rocky tundra lay all around, and there was evil in the air, thrumming through the night. This whole world felt like a place of pain and suffering and darkness, and yet Titan led her on through it, saying that their sister would be born here... but worried now, that they would be too late to catch her. Her fall would be harder and rougher, he said, and it made Sol feel uneasy.
In the broken lands, they came to a place where the rock was bloody and smashed: here, Titan stopped, then said quietly they were too late, and she had been taken away by the evil things of this evil place. And Sol felt a strange pain in her breast for the sister she had never known, before it flared up: and before she knew what she was doing, it was not Titan, but her who took charge, the mare saying sharply: "Then we find her."
And Titan smiled at his sister, before he simply nodded: and in that moment, they were finally united as siblings, and ready to find and rescue their never-met and yet already-loved sister from the clutches of the evil things that had swept her away.

An Interlude About Hearts And Hooves

So for today I'm going to talk about a date that Luna and I went on.
It ended badly and it was stupid to begin with. Because, you know, Luna and I just don't really do romantic dates and dinner and stuff. But we wanted to try it and we wanted to feel more 'normal,' so to speak and... well, that was all stupid. The moral of the story is that you should do what makes you happy. Especially if it makes the people you care about happy too. And with other common sense restrictions stop twisting my words around Luna.
Great, so I have now started with the end of the story. Well, what the hell, let's just keep going, shall we? I mean. I'm not going to continue to talk about what happened afterwards, I'm just... okay, I'll just. Tell the damn story already.
So Luna and I decided to go out on a date. She put her hair up. And like, have you seen Luna's mane? It went way up. It was like a glowing beehive. And I had to make mine all... pretty. I really didn't like it. Did you know my mane is apparently curly? Well, neither did I. It was awful.
I also had to wear a suit. I don't like suits. The only suits I have make me look extra douchey because they have those patches on the elbow that just scream 'look at me and give me attention I'm so cultured.' But Luna had to wear a dress. I mean a real dress. Black, long, flowing, all sparkly. Like her mane, sort of, but without the see-throughness and the starlight. Although Luna would have preferred both. Anyway, it was fantastic and yet also very horrible. Fantastic because, you know, she kept tripping over it and cursing and complaining. Horrible because she kept hitting me with things and blaming me and swearing she was going to choke me with it later.
But. We got ourselves together all the same, looked nice and went out to a nice little restaurant. We tried to order normal pony food, which meant greens and salad first, candy and pie and stuff afterwards. Luna doesn't usually eat a lot of normal pony food to begin with, so she. Picked and poked at things, and we stumbled over attempting to make normal conversation. I mean, I'm sure it was supposed to be romantic, but there were a dozen tables crammed into a small dining area, all lit by candles... and well. A lot of candles in one little place really takes the mood from 'romantic' to 'cult' pretty quickly.
And well. Luna and I... are not. Our discussion topics are not usually appreciated by other ponies, let's leave it at that. Likewise, we were a little... annoyed at the romantic jibber-jabber going on all around us and... well, you get the idea. Every time we started talking or laughing about something, we got weird looks. But all the cutesy talk around us... started to kind of get to us after a while, too. And yet we'd get the horrible looks whenever they caught Luna or me - usually Luna, I swear - staring. Because, you know, it's not like they were listening in on our conversations or anything.
Anyway. Well. By dessert, we were tired of the place. I've never seen Luna eat a dessert so fast without enjoying it. And, well, we almost made it out, you know? We just about made it out without anything horrible happening.
And then that poor, dumb idiot said on the way out: "You really didn't have to come in here and ruin the mood for the rest of us."
Now, normally Luna would just. Glare someone dumb enough to think that they're entitled to having everything around them absolutely perfect and within the sphere of their total control into the ground, or mock them into tears. I would probably help because I'm a follower and a big wimp. But with her mood and everything well...
A long story short, he ended up on the ground outside. He did not exit through the door. He also did not leave through the window.
Some walls are surprisingly thin.
Anyway, after that we had to run away because, you know. That's frowned upon in some establishments and Luna has this thing about refusing to pay for structural damages. All I can say is that I'm very glad so many ponies in Ponyville have insurance. On the other hoof, they probably do because of Luna so that's kind of a vicious cycle. I hear there's even "Night Insurance," specifically for helping deal with the damages caused by a certain little hurricane on four hooves.
Luna says she is not little and would like me to point out that sometimes she flies places, too. So she's not always on four hooves. As always I am soundly defeated by her logic.
So we ran to the library. Most ponies won't chase Luna more than a few blocks and won't bother chasing us into other ponies' homes. Twilight was surprised to see us, and scolded us both for being idiots. But after that, she helped us get rid of those stupid fancy clothes and we de-prettied Luna and then she gave us this adorable little card she made herself and a box of chocolates. Luna ate them all herself, of course, but the card is around here someplace.
And then we stayed up the whole night together. The three of us, talking and laughing... and I don't talk about it much, but... Twilight is very close to me and Luna. It's just... very natural between us, though. It's not something we think about or stress over - well, Twilight does - and we just... try and enjoy it when it comes, when the time is right for it.
We ended up spending a much nicer Hearts and Hooves inside the library with her, eating candy and making fun of each other and  going over old stories, than Luna and I ever could have trying to do normal things, like normal couples. Luna wrestled me at one point and nearly broke one of my forelegs, and I harassed Twilight until she threw a dictionary at me, and generally we all acted like children, treated it like it was... any other day of the year. And yet someone it was still special, because it was the three of us together. It was special because we didn't have to do anything special for each other, apart from a silly little gift from Twilight and a poem they harassed me into reading.
And that's what Hearts and Hooves day is all about. The end.
No, Luna, it's not about sex. Not everything is, dearest.

~Scrivener Blooms

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

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.

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

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.