Author's Note

Solaris has never known defeat. He is Sol Invictus, the unconquered sun. But now that Dusk and Artemis share a public relationship that excludes him, he begins to learn what jealousy really is. Meanwhile Dusk's research has led him to a discovery that may change everything, even the trust he has in Solaris...

This one is a straight-up sequel to Brotherhood, exploring what might happen if Dusk, Solaris, and Artemis try to make this threesome thing work. Two chapters were written before other projects distracted me.

Unconquered 1

"Is that all I am then, your shadow?"

"Brother..."

"Do not call me brother!"

"Artemis. Please. Calm down. If you'll just explain..."

"Explain? Explain what, Solaris? Explain how it is that they all bask in your light, and ignore mine? Explain why you are the Emperor they all love and I only matter to them when youaren't available? Why don't you try explaining that to me!"

Solaris' mouth fell open, a look of stunned pain crossing his face.

Artemis, facing him in the deserted noonday throne room, only laughed to see it. "It's clear to me that there's only room for one beloved ruler here, and that ruler is going to be me!" His eyes suddenly glowed with light as he reached for the moon's power.

"No! Artemis, you vowed...!"

"I vowed to lay down the moon's power for the sake of the ponies. But they don't care for me, so why should I care for them?"

"Please, don't do this!"

The lunar power engulfed Artemis, while outside the noonday light suddenly dimmed, then vanished as the moon itself eclipsed the sun.

"No!" Artemis bolted upright with a scream of negation. For an instant he thought that the dream had become reality, that he was somehow trapped more than a thousand years ago, on that day-become-night, for all around him echoed shockwaves of lunar power, while the room was dark, and outside there were cries of alarm from startled ponies.

Then he recognized his bedroom in one of the Canterlot Palace towers. He recognized also the gaping hole that his magic had blown in the bedroom wall. Shudders of terror washed through him. The dream had been so real. And the fading traces of magic that echoed around him told him that what he'd unleashed in the grip of his dream had been something other than ordinary magic.

He let out a low moan of pure terror curled up in his bed as if he could somehow escape his fears by doing so.

In the halls of the palace two sets of hooves clattered frantically on marble floors, headed towards the source of the sudden explosion. One belonged to Dusk Shine, who had been awake when the explosion had taken place. He had, in fact, been looking right at the tower. So he'd raced towards it immediately. If he hadn't been worried about the structural integrity of the balcony after such a blast he would have winked directly there.

The other set belonged to Solaris, who had been woken from sleep by the sound. He hadn't seen the explosion, but he could sense the ripples of magic from it. His heart had turned to ice as he recognized pure lunar power. Spurred on by fear, he ran even faster than Dusk, so they both nearly collided in the corridor outside the tower's base.

Solaris' magic threw the doors open and he raced up the stairs, Dusk hard on his heels. Dusk hesitated when they reached the top, worried about structural damage and the possible consequences of rushing in, but Solaris didn't pause, he flung the bedroom door open just as swiftly, heedless of the noise it made, and dashed into the room.

His eyes went to the bed, where Artemis was curled up, shaking. Some of the ice in his heart melted at the sight. Dusk followed slightly more sedately, a little puzzled too at why Solaris had been acting so rashly. Seeing the obviously distressed Artemis, Dusk immediately climbed into the bed and started stroking him with a reassuring hoof. "It's okay," he said. "We're here."

Artemis looked up at him, his eyes for a moment unseeing, still caught in memory. Then they focused on Dusk's face and he flung himself at Dusk, wrapping his forelegs around him and clinging tightly.

A moment later Solaris was there too, embracing Dusk and Artemis both.

"It was a nightmare" said Artemis, his voice shaky and full of fear. "The nightmare."

"It's long over, brother," said Solaris gently. He kissed Artemis' brow, just below his horn. "Over and done with."

"But it's not! The moon, my vow..."

"Using a bit of lunar power in your sleep to blow out a bedroom wall hardly counts as breaking your vow, Artemis. You haven't upset the order of night and day, or the seasons, or turned the earth back into molten chaos. All you've done is reduce a few stones to very small pieces. Easily enough repaired come morning." He smiled and held Artemis tighter.

"But it could happen again. What if I do something worse?"

Solaris sighed a bit at that. "I will not lie to you, I have no easy answer for that, Artemis. And I am sorry for not being here to help. I should be here with you, so that you can walk in my dreams, and not be trapped in your own."

Artemis rested his head on Solaris' shoulder, while Dusk softly stroked his mane with one hoof. "I wish you could, but it's not possible."

"Perhaps it could be possible."

"No. We agreed..."

Solaris cut him off. "We agreed that our image as siblings complicates things, and that public scandal isn't something the principality needs just now. But if you need..."

Now Artemis interrupted, frowning. "My dreams are hardly a reason to throw Equestria into a political crisis. You can't start sharing a bed with me every night."

"I can hardly just leave you when you need me, Artemis." Solaris' voice was rising just a little now and his ears were back. "I won't abandon you again."

Artemis sat back, still frowning, and waved a hoof dismissively. "Don't be absurd, you never abandoned me, you were there, I just got too caught up in jealousy to see it."

"No, I..."

Dusk cleared his throat, and the other two alicorns turned to look at him, both suddenly chagrined. Dusk smiled. "There is another option, you know. Artemis could come stay with me."

Solaris' face lit up. "Excellent! You and Artemis are not brothers, so there will be no crisis-causing scandal."

Artemis chuckled. "Just a lot of gossip, but there's, ah, some of that around already."

"I think somepony in the guard has been telling stories about that night you two got drunk," said Dusk.

"You were drunk too," said Solaris teasingly.

"I only had two drinks, and was still almost entirely sober, thank you very much," replied Dusk sternly. Then he grinned. "Which is why I still have no idea what possessed me to take up with you two. But I suppose I'm stuck with you now."

Artemis' smile faded a bit and he said. "You aren't really stuck with us. You don't have to stay if you don't want to."

Dusk chuckled softly. "I do want to. Very much so. More than that though, as you said, you need me. You need somepony between you."

"Lest we wound each other again and again with the shards of our past," said Artemis softly.

Dusk could only nod.

Solaris hugged them both tightly again. "You're right. And you're right about the solution to the nightmares as well. Artemis can sleep with you." He grinned suddenly and brushed his horn against Dusk's, making Dusk blush. "I might sneak in and join you every now and then, even if I can't stay the night."