//-------------------------------------------------------// Solaris The Map Maker -by Sir Pudgington- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Flight - Chapter 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Flight - Chapter 1 Solaris the Map Maker. Written by: Viktor Night Editor: Sir Pudgington This first part takes place during Princess Luna’s imprisonment on the moon. A few years before Twilight and her friends got their Cutie Marks. Chapter 1: Flight *CRASH!* as a chair broke above Solaris’s bed. “Dance freak!” Blueblood yelled as he flung another chair with magic. “Come on!” Solaris thought as he concentrated his magic. Just as his horn started to flicker with sparks another chair was thrown. This time it hit him in the side knocking him off his bed. What’s wrong, little freak Alicorn Can’t use magic yet? He laughed. Staggering to his hooves Solaris focused again. This time his horn sparked to life, as another chair levitated just above his head. Releasing he flung it at his older brother. Caught in mid-laugh the chair hit him just under the jaw and sent him in a back flip. “How was that?” Solaris teased back. “BOYS!” their mother called “Down here now!” With a grunt Blueblood got back up. “Now you’re in for it, mom never liked you I bet I can blame all of this on you and she’ll believe me.” He said, as he trotted past Solaris. “But you started it! I di-““Didn’t you hear me?” Blueblood asked cutting him off. “Mom NEVER liked you.” He giggled as he sped off down the hall. “That can't be true” Solaris thought. Following him down the hall his mind wandered. That would explain a lot. He entered the living room of the Blue Blood manor. Blueblood started his fake tears routine as his mother hugged him. “Shh shh shh, mommy will figure this out” she said, sweetly. As Solaris entered the room she glared at him. “What do excuse do you have for yourself?” “I was lying down and he threw a chair at me and started calling me a freak because I am an Alicorn. I didn’t do anything to him until he hit me with a chair.” “That’s not true mommy, I was practicing daddy’s light spell when he hit me in the mouth with my chair” Blueblood cried, more tears starting. He lifted his chin so his mom could see the little mark the chair arm made on him. “Sol, mind trying to lie your way out of this?” their mom began. “But he hit me first mom” Solaris said lifting a wing showing her a bruise that started to form obviously on his bright yellow body. His mom did a half glance “Doesn’t look like a chair made that. You know what? You have caused nothing but trouble for your brother. And the thought of him making fun of you for being an Alicorn is ridiculous! Go back to your room and clean that mess up. Don’t come back until morning we will see what your Father has to say about this.” Solaris just stood there wide eyed. She didn’t believe him. Why? “Well get moving!” his mom scolded. He put his head down and began his walk to his room when he heard. “Just make him leave, mom” Blueblood said “Hush!” their mom scolded. “But mom you said yourself you wished he was never born.” “Shut up child!” turning around with tears in his eyes, “M-mom?” looking down his mother closed her eyes. “Don’t believe that Sol.” A tear hit the floor. His mother didn’t want him. She wouldn’t deny it. Solaris’ eyes flicked to Blueblood, who sat wearing an evil smile, mouthing the words TOLD YOU SO. Solaris took a step back with a sniff as he tried to look brave. “Well wish granted!” he yelled as he galloped off to his room. When he made it to his room he grabbed the blanket off his bed and kicked open the window to his room. He was about two stories up quite a large fall for a young colt. Blanket in his mouth he stepped on the ledge there was a slight breeze. “I always wanted to do this” he thought. “Wait!” his mom called. Tears flowing down his face he stood there on the window ledge waiting for her. As she entered the room he locked eyes with her and he jumped. The wind rushed past him as a smile spread across his face. Snapping open his wings they slowed his decent and put him into a glide. Being an inexperienced flier he began to lose his balance. “Whoa!” he yelped and immediately began to regret it as his blanket was swept from his mouth. This returned his balance and he glided on, straight into the Everfree forest. //-------------------------------------------------------// Grove - Chapter 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Grove - Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Grove He broke the canopy and lost his balance as a wing caught a branch. This sent him sprawling he hit the ground hoof first then face as he rolled. “Ah!” he grunted staggering to his hooves. “That was awesome” he yelled a bright smile on his face. “I can't wait to try that agai-“he stopped. Then remembered why he jumped to begin with. “Mm-mom?” he sobbed falling down he buried his face in his hooves. “Why?” He thought. What had he done wrong? So many questions raced through his mind. Only tears were what he got. He laid there crying, eventually the tears stopped coming. Empty sobs were all he had left. Soon those died down. He lifted his head and looked around. It was eerily dark. In the dim moonlight he could make out some trees that surrounded him, the occasional wisps of fog. In the distance little lights danced flashing different colors. “Light!” he thought. “How did Dad’s light spell go?” He remembered lessons his dad gave him in magic. He wasn’t allowed to go to school like Blueblood. Focusing he remembered what his dad said. “To create lights you must focus on how you want it, a very common spell is a floating light orb. This will hover next to your horn because it’s the source of magic it was created from.” His dad would lock him in a dark closet until he got it right. Shaking that memory from his head he focused. His horn flickered to life as he conjured a little orb of yellow light. It grew dim immediately as he opened his eyes snapping them shut he tried to pour more magic into the orb. Through his shut eyelids he noticed the change in lighting. He opened his eyes once again to look around; he was inside a little flower patch just feet away from a rather large tree. “I guess I am lucky to have not hit that” he proclaimed to the dark. Continuing his search he saw mushrooms, frogs, more flowers and he looked to a patch of bushes. The bushes began to rustle and three large timber wolves sprang from their cover. Their glowing green eyes focused on him. “Ah!” he screamed and turned to run. The larger of the timber wolves grunted at the other two before they could make pursuit, as if saying to wait because it wanted to have fun with his food. It waited until the little pony was almost out of sight. *Click Click* it snapped its jaws and they took off after him. Without his light Solaris would have been even more helpless than he already was. Dodging trees and jumping small shrubs he tried to gallop at top speed. Brambles snapped and bushes swayed as his pursuers closed the distance. “My wings!” he thought trying to figure out a way to escape. He opened his wings and began flapping them trying to gain some altitude. Just as he began to lift he ran straight into a bush and crashed right through it. On the other side he was in a very clear and flat area. Before he could take much of the surroundings in, the timber wolves broke through and began to surround him. The leader broke through last and approached him. A low growl could be heard from within its wooden core. Solaris knew this was the end. He sat and wrapped his wings around him and buried his face and began to cry again. His journey was over…. *RAAAOOOR* an ear splitting roar broke him from his horror he looked up and a serpent like body towered above him. *RAAAOOOR* it loosed again spreading its large feathered wings. YIPE the timber wolves yelped as they lept the bushes. Solaris turned to face his new threat. The serpent lowered its head at the frightened Alicorn. Solaris sat wide eyed as the serpent’s tail slithered out of the darkness just inches away from his face. Solaris flinched as the tail stabbed into the ground just in front of him. The tail wiggled then stopped abruptly the serpent looked at Solaris and motioned him to look down. HELLO LITTLE ONE was etched into the soil. //-------------------------------------------------------// Safe? - Chapter 3 //-------------------------------------------------------// Safe? - Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Safe? Solaris read the message again in the dim light. HELLO LITTLE ONE. Solaris looked up at the large eyes that were focused on him. “Uh hello?” he said. One of the Serpents wings drifted closer to Solaris and he pulled his wings around him again. The serpent’s eyes widened then went gentle. The tail began to write again. LITTLE ONE I WILL NOT HARM YOU. THIS IS The serpent motioned for Solaris to read the message. When he finished, he looked up at the serpent and it began to write again. MY GROVE . MY NAME IS SELENYA, AND YOURS? “Uh my name is Solaris” he took a hoof and scratched it in the dirt. Selenya gazed at the name for a long time. Then she began to write, CAN YOU COME WITH ME PLEASE. Solaris began to back away. One of Selenya’s wings blocked his retreat. She edged him closer to the center of the grove. She stopped him than began to write again. THE STARRED ONE IS WAITING FOR YOU. With that she spread her wings and with a mighty push she ascended like a hop into the distance. “The starred one?” “yes little one” a female voice emanated from the sky Solaris looked up and saw hues of orange and pink, with stars in an ever swirling pattern of an Alicorn. Beside the brighter one, much harder to see was a dark blue and black Alicorn also made from stars that seemed to be drifting randomly along its body. The pink one said. “I am Galexia and this is Cosmosis.” Cosmosis nodded at the mentioning of his name. Speechless Solaris sat wide eyed at what he saw. “This has got to be a dream.” he thought. “I guarantee you, it’s not a dream” Cosmosis said. “You can read my mind?” Solaris asked. “Yes we can” Galexia started, “as of now I’m sure you have many questions, for starters this is a Windwyrm grove. Selenya is a windwyrm and like she wrote she is not to harm you. She is a forest guardian and when she wishes to protect something it will be protected.” “I apologize that you had to start your life so harshly” Cosmosis said. ”what lies ahead is unknown and we cannot stay long but we have a favor to ask of you Solaris. Stay with Selenya for a while, She will take care of you until it’s your time.” “What are you talking about?” Solaris asked “Solaris there will be many trails ahead of you. Though we do not know what is coming we can feel it growing. We do know that you will be able to stand when others cannot.” Becoming frustrated Solaris stood. “I still don’t know what’s going on.” “ease your mind Solaris” Cosmosis said. “Think about our words you will know what to do when the time comes. I must ask one more request of you. You are an alicorn and though that fact has made your life miserable in your old house hold. It is not a bad thing. You are a leader of Equestria and someday Equestria will need you. We ask that you hide your wings when you can. Not in shame but in security. If you trust somepony, reveal only if you deem it necessary for your life. Under the guise of a unicorn it can be your protection.” Both of the celestial alicorns began to fade into the stars. “Wait! I still don’t understand!” Solaris yelled into the sky. “You will in time little one” they both echoed as they faded. The wind began to pick up as Selenya returned to Solaris. ARE YOU OK? I HEARD YELLING She wrote “I’m fine, just confused. I uh- I have something I wanna ask you.” She erased her earlier writing. WHAT IS IT LITTLE ONE “Can I stay with you?” fearing she would say “no” Solaris closed his eyes and waited till he heard her tail stop. - she waited for him to signal he was done reading. MORE WHEN THE SUN RISES. She guided him to the center of the grove next to a large rock she coiled her body around it. She rested her head on the ground and draped a wing over Solaris. Solaris lay down next to her and shivered. Selenya noticed this and she stretched her long body into the trees. She returned with a blanket with a few sticks and leaves tangled in it. “How did you get this?” Solaris asked realizing it was his blanket. She began to write. THE WIND CARRIES MANY THINGS. With that she rested her head and closed her eyes. Solaris did the same but couldn’t sleep with his light still hovering near his horn. Solaris tried to focus and dispel his orb of light. With a grunt he gave up when the light wouldn’t go out. Selenya opened her eyes at the noise. SOMETHING WRONG? she wrote. “My magic light won’t go out.” SLEEP WELL she wrote. Then a rumbling could be heard from her serpentine body she took a breath and a light green fog loosed from her mouth enveloping his light. It flickered then went out. “Cool trick.” Solaris said in the darkness. A light thrumming noise emanated from Selenya as a response, with that Solaris drifted to sleep. //-------------------------------------------------------// Siblings? - Chapter 4 //-------------------------------------------------------// Siblings? - Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Siblings? Solaris awoke with the feeling of being nudged awake. “Mmh-I wanna sleep more mommy. Please?” he mumbled. The nudging stopped and thrumming could be heard. Solaris’ ears perked at the sound. He rolled over and two sets of serpent eyes were staring back at him. Both looked exactly like Selenya but much smaller. One had green eyes like its mother and the other had blue eyes the blue eyed one edged closer to Solaris. He backed up only to back in to Selenya’s wing that was draped over top of him. Almost as soon as he touched it the wing lifted to show Selenya’s gentle eyes looking down on him. Her tail began to write THESE ARE MY HATCHLINGS. She turned to the two little wind wyrms and thrummed at them. The two separated and she wrote their names next to them. The green eyed one had SPRITE written next to it. The other had SHAKKEN next to it. He looked at the two names; “Hello, I’m Solaris” Both looked at him and thrummed. Instead of a low tone these were high pitched almost like a chirp. *rumble rumble* this new noise came from Solaris. He tucked his wings in tighter and lowered his head. He could feel his face getting red with embarrassment. *tick tick tick tick* he looked up at Selenya and the clicking started again. “Was she laughing?” Solaris thought. She stretched out her body and her wings and slithered away to the edge of the clearing. Selenya tucked her wings in front of her almost like a bowl and she latched on to a branch with her mouth. Her muscles coiled and relaxed and began to shake the tree. She came back and dumped a small pile of a pinkish colored fruit on the ground Shakken and Sprite both came to the pile and selected a fruit and started eating Solaris looked up at Selenya almost asking for permission. She looked back and nodded, Solaris also chose a fruit, leaving 7 more. He took his first bite. It was very sour at first but quickly turned sweet by the time he had finished the fruit he was feeling full. Selenya scooped the remaining in her mouth and munched away. Some of the fruit was splattered on her face Solaris looked up and giggled at her. She looked odd at him then she realized what he was laughing about. She licked the fruit off her face and the clicking sounded from her, even the two hatchlings joined in. Solaris spent many days there in the grove. Selenya treated him as her own son and Solaris and the hatchlings quickly grew close. Shakken and Solaris were inseparable. For the first time in his life Solaris could smile and it wasn’t a fake one. However all moments of happiness must come to an end.