His Heart's Roverby Celly Da PancakeChaptersPrologue: A Stupid BetA Proposed IdeologyI Want to Help YouPrologue: A Stupid Bet"The sky is beautiful tonight." Masculine, yet tepid, the voice washed over him like lukewarm water. Artemis felt his lips curl upwards. There was a pause in conversation. The fluttering of wings were twinned with the thumping of large feet. Small tendrils of dust swirled up in the mockery of a breeze caused by the miniature wing beats, the particles floating for a bit, before settling back onto the cold, stone road underfoot. "Even now, you insist on playing the role of the flatterer," Artemis replied. He felt a tug at the base of his throat; a giggling fit that he had been suppressing for the majority of the night swelled up, fighting to escape him. "Why stop? Messing with you is fun—not that what I said wasn’t true,” The man said with a shrug of his shoulders. His suit was in shades of indigo from bright to dark and resembled that of a bachelor, albeit far more ornate and decorative in that it looked worked by hoof. He was most certainly the source of conversation at every little shop and loitering place on the road to Canterlot Castle, if the blatant stares and the whispers of talk dancing along the breeze were of any indication, though Artemis wasn’t certain how much of that was him, or how much of it was him being held in his friend’s arms. Thinking about it made him blush and gasp softly. "You gonna be alright down there?" Tony’s hazel eyes strayed to his. Mirth and amusement danced merrily within them, and his mouth was quirked upwards in a lopsided grin. Artemis cleared his throat as he draped his head over his shoulder. "I am alright, Tony," he assured his companion. "Your brother would kill me, Arty, if anything happened to you. And your father would probably hunt me in the afterlife to kick me out so Sol could do it again." Artemis barked out a quick laugh. "You over-exaggerate." Tony thumbed his nose and sniffed as he looked down at the pony in his arms. "You only think I do. Sol is a force of nature, in his own right." Tony grinned. He wasn't that afraid of Arty’s brother. Still, he had an obligation to him to get his brother home say—preferably dropped as few times as possible, since he had lost that stupid bet, and had come into town carrying Arty, as per the terms of his defeat. Artemis had nearly turned in his arms, his wings skewed as he looked back the way they had come. "I do not see any… What was the word? Stalkers? I do not see any stalkers from the direction in which we came. It appears luck spared us of the most aggressive fanfare,” Artemis said as he turned back around, nestling himself into his companion’s arms—a quick glance upwards revealed that Tony made no notice of it; if did, he didn’t show it at. "I don't either—and fanfare? Maybe for you," Tony agreed with a light laugh, though he never turned around. Perhaps, he was telling the truth when he had told him that he had eyes on the back of his head. Or, he could have simply been lying about not seeing any stalkers, because when Artemis had inspected him, he had seen no eyes with which to see besides the two parallel to his nose. "We should be able to make it back before Solaris eats all the cake; I was keen on winning that bet so we could’ve had it all to ourselves!” "I suppose," Artemis sighed. “I still think we should have purchased more for this little game. He probably ate it all by now. He gets… peckish quite quickly, even after eating a ridiculous amount of food.” "Peckish. More like prickish." Tony laughed at his own joke. As they rounded a corner, Artemis shifted himself within his friend’s grasp, eyeing the rapidly approaching castle. So close, yet he almost felt a pang of disappointment at the thought of their arrival, because that meant that game was over; his friend would have to put him down. That thought made him ineffably sad, for reasons he couldn’t yet piece together. The road began to show little signs of wear and tear, the winding path leading up to the Castle being clear of everything; ponies, houses, and all. The only thing occupying his view now were the rows of perfectly aligned fauna, planted to supplement the Castle’s already significant majesty. Tony pulled a sip out of a water jug he had tied to his side, as they arrived at the entrance proper. “So, how much you willing to bet it’s all gone?” “My life.” “That’s a big bet.” “I’m confident,” Artemis responded, though internally, he dearly hoped he was wrong. That cake was too good to be wasted on his brother. And then, the castle was upon them, or rather, they were upon the castle; at the gates, to be more specific, though specificity wasn’t particularly important unless it was the kitchen, because that was where the cake was. The guards didn’t hassle them one bit, only sparing a glance to eye them up and down before returning to their vigilant, yet boring “let’s see who can look more like a statue,” charade. With brio, Tony bounded up the steps of the castle entrance, threading his way up towards the door, where he pushed it open with his shoulder. “And, we’re back!” Tony craned his neck downwards, directing his boring gaze into Artemis’ closed eyelids. He could practically hear his friend arch an eyebrow. “This is where you get off.” Popping an eye open, Artemis stared down the human for a moment before huffing and tossing himself down to the ground, landing perfectly on four hooves. “To the kitchens?” Though what he was really saying was, “to the cake.” “To the kitchens," Tony agreed. Artemis perched himself on the lip of one of the kitchen counters, his mouth suddenly insufficient to turn any thought into words. “He… I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky that he had the courtesy to spare us even only two slices.” Laughing, Tony tugged himself onto the counter alongside him. “I don’t know why you were expecting anything different. You said it yourself on the way back that he had probably eaten everything.” “W-well, I was clearly being facetious!” Artemis spluttered out, ruffling his wings in frustration. “That cake could have fed an entire family! My brother is- he is a pig!” “Hey,” Tony lightly hit him on the shoulder. “That’s a bit much—” he paused, grinning a bit “—however accurate it may be. And chin up Arty, we still have our two slices!” “Chin up,” Artemis said blandly, locking eyes with his friend. “You’re seriously going to tell me to chin up?” Tony shrugged playfully. “That’s what friends do.” “Be—what is it the ponies of this era call it? A pain in the flanks?” “Hey, you need to be a little bit of both if you want to sustain a healthy relationship,” Tony said before shoving him off the counter, precariously snatching the plate that held their cake, and dashing out of the door and down the corridor from which they came. “H-hey! Y-you fiend! Come back!” Artemis quickly recovered and hastily righted himself onto his hooves. Pumping his wings, he launched himself through the doorway in pursuit. Air pulsed wildly within his ears as he shot down the hallway at record speeds, eyes narrowing down on the rapidly approaching form of his human companion. The banners fluttered violently as he passed, the air singing with the beat of his wings. He locked eyes with Tony, who had taken a quick glance over his shoulder, almost dropping the cake in the process. Primaries tilted upwards, slowing him into a turn as Tony turned into an adjacent corridor. His positioning was true; Artemis opened his hooves to tackle the human, but at the last second, Tony pivoted, angling a muscular arm and parrying him into a banner. He could feel the fabric on his teeth, he could smell the expensive material through his nostrils, and he could hear the infuriating laughter tailing a swift departure on two, thundering feet. Growling, he untangled himself from the banner and after taking a moment to triangulate onto Tony via the now subtle whispers of mirth still left in the air, he shot off in pursuit. Down many corridors they went, all the while his friend eluded him utilizing the dirtiest of tricks and handfuls of luck at every turn, to the point that Artemis began pondering on the logistics of balancing a cake-laden plate in one hand, while artfully—or ridiculously, depending on how one looked at it—misdirecting him at every confrontation. Only once they turned into the hallway that lead to his chambers did the pursuit finally come to it’s artificial conclusion. Artemis barely had time to register the wall of white in front of him before he crashed into it, tumbling to the floor underneath—or rather, the Tony underneath. Landing with a soft “oof”, his wings flapped awkwardly in an attempt to correct himself, which in turn had him face to face with Tony. A glance into his eyes, and then a glance down; following Tony’s gaze, Artemis regarded the lanky hand grasping at a half-smashed slice of cake dumbly, only registering what was happening when the front bit was stuffed into his friend’s mouth. Gasping, he acted on pure instinct, shoving his snout downwards to capture the disappearing shaft of the cake, his eyes closing as his mouth exploded with flavor. Taking a moment to savor it as his teeth made quick work of the tasty morsel, his tongue shot out to reel in whatever remnants remained, but only when it met something warm of similar size, did his eyes shoot open. Hazel eyes stared back into his, all iris. A muffled, confused cry vibrated up his jaw through their now locked lips. His mind was frozen, as his tongue practically melded itself to Tony’s, only straying idly to perform the task it had previously been assigned. Reigning back control of his body, Artemis retracted his neck, leaving only a sticky strand of saliva containing bits of cake within it between them. “Woah,” Tony mumbled, rubbing the corner of his mouth. “You coulda just asked; I would've given you some...” Artemis remained silently, focusing on his friend’s face as his mouth continued to move. Hard-lined and bony, with a close crop of stubble spread along his chin. Fluffy eyebrows above almond-shaped eyes, lined by thin lashes. Brown hair, messily splayed every which way. A thick neck, leading down like a tree trunk, into a burly, yet athletic frame. Tony Iglacies: Local human and his best, and only real friend, since his return from banishment. Sole ambassador, from a home he could never return to. An estranged soul. Like me, he thoughtas he weakly made to say something relevant, but he slurred his words and lost it. Tony understood enough of it to look at him with playful understanding. “All good; I proba—” “Ahem.” Deep, and powerful; a voice that belonged to neither of them, rang clear in his ears. A voice that was familiar. Scrambling off his companion, Artemis eyed his brother up and down. The white wall from earlier, though he was of no need of reminding. Why would there have been a wall in the middle of a hallway anyway? He cursed himself internally. There he sat, several feet away from them, sat back on his haunches as he lazily munched on the other wayward slice of cake. “Your face is red, brother.” Using every bit of his willpower, Artemis wrested control of his mouth from the cooling, withered hooves of his now-deceased psyche. “It was an accident.” Solaris shrugged, finishing off the last bit of cake in his magical grasp. “I believe you. I would’ve done the same for a piece of that cake,” Sol finished, before shooting a wink at him. The color that had just been at the brink of fading, exploded back in full force, consuming the entirety of his face. Huffing in annoyance, Artemis scooped up his dazed friend from off the ground with his magic. “C’mon Tony, let’s go to the gardens.” “Art—” “Hush, we’re leaving.” Levitating Tony behind him, Artemis turned around and started walking back to the hallway intersection, each step ringing with a new, adversarial criticism and complaint, his entire face burning all the while. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, you hear my Artemis?” “Shut up!” Artemis awkwardly shifted himself on the bench, ruffling his wings nervously, his gaze fixed to the dark sky above. The cool metal below kissed his coat like ice, the breeze gently blowing into his face, though it did little to alleviate the burning remnants of embarrassment still left from his earlier encounter. Whatever adrenaline he had previously possessed was now gone, replaced by the empty clasp of tired confusion. Why did I do that? He would think, yet his brain couldn’t contextualize a single reality in which his actions would’ve been warranted and or appreciated by either party, regardless on if he was thinking straight at the time. “The sky is beautiful tonight,” Tony said, his tone warm. He turned to his left, eyeing the human who sat on the bench next to him. “You said that earlier,” he mumbled. Tony sighed and then chuckled, meeting his gaze. “Well, I thought it needed restating.” Artemis rolled his tongue in his mouth, casting his gaze back over the garden. Ranks of hedges divided tangled overgrowth into an orderly fashion; pleasing to the eye. Flowers of all kinds interspersed weeds and grass, providing an ample cushion of greenery all along the ground. It was beautiful, in a naturery kind of way. “C’mon bro. You’ve been silent ever since you dragged us to the gardens. What’s on your mind?” “What do you think?” “You said it yourself, it was an accident.” Looking back towards Tony, he met his gaze once more. “And if it wasn’t?” Tony was silent, his face devoid of any emotion for several long moments, in which Artemis felt his core chill, strangely. It was an accident, right? Then why am I asking these questions? Then, Tony smiled, snaking an arm around his shoulder and pulling him into his side. “I’m not sure, but I do know one thing with absolute certainty: I’ll be by your side, no matter what. I can promise you that.” Artemis felt a warmth fill his soul, as well as his cheeks—amazing as it was foreign. Hesitantly, he leaned his head onto Tony’s shoulder. He felt his companion’s breath graze the tip of his ear. “Already getting comfortable, are we?” “It’s cold,” he retorted. “Mmm. Whatever you say, bro.” Artemis snorted, a tiny smile adorning itself upon his face. “So,” he felt Tony’s eyes on him. “How’s life treating you? We haven’t really talked in like, a week, what with that new job Solaris helped me get; beyond this little excursion, but we didn’t really talk much—nervousness and all that. I’m sure we’ll be in the news tomorrow.” Artemis sighed. “I received several more ponies at my night court than usual, which is zero, so I suppose that is worthy of mentioning.” He could practically hear Tony smiling. “I mean, that’s a good thing, right? Why do you sound so glum about it—some ponies are better than no ponies.” “Because they’re just the overflow from my brother’s court, almost akin to refuse leaking out of a disposal bin. Those who did not have the privilege of talking to my brother, so they went to the lowly moon prince, for surely he would grant their wishes, so lonely and useless was he,” Artemis ended bitterly. “Hey, I don’t want to hear you talking like that, you hear? You don’t know why they came; maybe, just maybe, they came for you. You ever think of that?” Artemis snorted. “I appreciate your attempts at consolation, but they told me.” “Told you what?” He grunted in annoyance. “What do you think? They told me that they came because day court had adjourned before they had the chance to take whatever business they had up with my brother, so they went to me.” Like a wave, Tony’s shoulder moved his head upwards in a shrug. “So what? By things like this happening, maybe the general populace will see what I see.” “And what is it you see?” “I see a pony who has so much love in his heart, for his own subjects. I see a pony who is not what the legends make you out as—that you’re not some foal-theiving tyrant, who wants to kill ponies for his own enjoyment; maybe, they’ll see you for who you really are: A kind, loving prince, who is willing to give all that he has for them. They’ll see that they can start coming to you, not just because they couldn’t see your brother, but because you’re just as good of a ruler as him—if not better.” Artemis felt almost a bit choked up. “Y-you really believe that? That I’m a better ruler than Solaris? Do you think they’d believe that, if I-I showed them?” Tony rubbed his shoulder, his other hand mussing with his mane, almost akin to a child, though he paid it no mind. “I can’t tell you what they’d think, only what I do.” “And how is it that you think?” He felt like he knew, but he wanted to ask anyways. “I think that you’re a thousand times better than Sol, as a ruler and a pony—don’t tell him I said that though. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great pony. Wonderful guy, really. But you…” Tony rubbed his shoulder again and smiled. Artemis smiled alongside him; small, but real. “Anyways, what I’m trying to get at here is that you’re a good pony. Don’t let anyone tell you anything different—“ Tony paused, turning to look him in the eye “—because, you're so much better than that.” Then, silence settled, but this time, it was a silence Artemis found he could appreciate. Tony was here. Everything was alright. “I love you, Tony.” “I love you too, bro.” And he found, as he leaned his head back down on his human’s shoulders, that somewhere deep down, he desired to be loved, not as a bro or a friend, but as something more. But for the time being… It was enough. He closed his eyes. Author's Note An story I needed to write, liable to be dropped at any time, because I am me. A Proposed IdeologyArtemis awoke to the tight hug of bedsheets and blankets. Blearily, he blinked, raising his head from the pillow underneath and scanning around in search of his friend. Sitting up and ruffling his wings, he took note of the closed blinds. What time is it? Rising from his slumber, he slouched his way along the covers towards the bedside table, eyeing the folded note on its surface. Wrapping it in a coat of magic, he levitated it over towards himself and unfolded it. Hey Arty, you passed out on my shoulder, so I thought I’d do you a solid and bring you up to your room. Hope you rest well, and hey, I’m off at 4:00 PM tomorrow in case you want to hang out or something. I know you probably won’t have much time, what with being a prince and all, but I figured I’d put it out there. Anywho, it was a fun weekend, even though we lost the bet. Love you bro :) P.S, we can hit the town for some discount cake next week, yeah? Heard Joe’s trying to branch out, what with Sol loving that carrot cake from the Cake Factory. Artemis smiled softly, folding the note back up as a small shadowing of red cast itself over his cheeks. So casual, his friend was, but Artemis considered it one of Tony’s most endearing traits. While he spared the due courtesy one typically afforded royalty when in public (excluding a select few recent circumstances), when they were back in the safety of privacy, his mask came off and he was the fun, loving ‘bro’ he so adored. Shaking his head, he flipped himself off the bed, landing with a quiet flutter of his wings. Brushing his mane out of his face with a hoof, he stretched and trotted over to the bathroom, pushing the door open to meet a squeaky-clean mirror and his less than adequate reflection. His mane was a mess, each scraggly strand haphazardly twinned in the next, almost inextricably so. A red tinge covered his eyes, and his coat and wings were messy as they were blue. His visage was straight out of a mugshot sans the prisoner’s attire and a placard with his information. Stretching his cheeks out into a facsimile of a smile only made it worse. It brought forth a real grin, and outforth erupted a series of giggles. What am I doing? He was almost tempted to start making silly faces to himself, but duty called. Or did it? He still didn’t know what time it was. Quickly levitated a brush to himself, he began the arduous process of untangling his mane and tidying it up the way he liked it. It only took a few moments, so practiced was he, and once he was done, he moved onto the rest of his body. Several minutes and a speed shower later, Artemis was trotting back out into his bedroom. Shifting the drapes to the side, he let the early morning light illuminate his room. Morning. Grunting, he shut the blinds once more. Whatever remnants of fatigue left within him were thoroughly quashed at the sight, along with any hopes he had harbored of having a regular sleep schedule to start the week. On weekdays, he would be up at dusk to raise the moon, as his responsibilities as the moon prince demanded, and he would only return to his room in the late of the morning, to sleep and repeat the cycle once more. Only on the weekends did he flip his schedule to spend time with both Solaris and Tony (and other friends he promised his brother he was making) as possible. Rinse and repeat. Only, that was now disrupted; he was supposed to sleep until late afternoon. He sighed. Oh well. Turning around, he made his bed and donned his crown and torc with a flare of his horn. He glanced around to make sure everything was tidy before trotting out of the door, enroute to the kitchen to hopefully catch his brother for breakfast. “So, Tony, huh?” Artemis continued slicing the piece of toast on his plate, as though oblivious to the question asked. Internally however, he was a mess—or rather, in a whole load of shit, as perhaps Tony would have dubbed it. Tony, he thought. Yes, Tony, the one responsible for throwing his emotions into a tizzy, and the worst thing was, it wasn’t even his fault. All Tony had done was be an amazing friend to him, and apparently enough, that was grounds for Artemis to develop the strangest feelings towards him. He wasn’t in the slightest place to be piecing them together. “Whatever do you mean, brother?” The response he got from Sol was what he perceived as a knowing chuckle, through an ample bite of food and teeth. “You like him, don’t you?” “Of course, I do.” Artemis gently scooped another bite of his egg omelette into his maw, lazily chewing it down. “He’s a good friend of mine—dare I say, my best friend. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t?” “You know I didn’t mean it like that.” “How did you mean it then?” Finishing his food, he pushed his plate forward to the middle of the table, and fixing his gaze on his brother, who was sipping down the last bits of a cup of tea. Once done, Sol let it find its place softly on the table, locking eyes with him. “I believe you desire relations within him.” If Artemis had had any food in his mouth, it would’ve been on the table. He stared at his brother with the utmost incredulousness in his eyes. “How could you possibly have come to that conclusion?” Sol laughed. “The incident with the cake last night, the way I catch you looking at him when he’s not looking, and even—” he paused, his eyes lighting up with mirth as he folded his hooves on the table “—you falling asleep on his shoulder! C’mon brother, do not joke with yourself. You are head over hooves for him.” “T-that is preposterous! These events do not in any way correlate with wanting relations with him! And I made it clear that that ‘incident’ was an accident!” “Mhmm, whatever you say. It’s not as though that ‘incident’, as you mentioned, is the only evidence in this case. I hear you two professing your love for one another all the time; do not think me deaf, brother.” “It’s not like that!—” Sol interrupted him. “Then what is it like, brother? Please, explain to me where the disconnect is.” “It is a platonic gesture. Tony was the one who eased me into it…” Artemis slowly edged forward on the coach, as to lay directly over the pillow as he let his head lower down onto it, his human companion falling into a chair directly across from him. Taking a moment to get settled, he asked a question that had been tumbling around in his head for quite some time. “Dearest friend, why art thou so whole-hearted in thine affections toward us? It is most strange.” He heard a little chuckle, and a small clearing of the throat. “It’s the love one friend has for another; nothing wrong with that, is there? Also, because you asked me to remind you—” and Artemis could practically hear the wink within that statement “—, it’s ‘why are you so whole-hearted in your affections towards me?’ to which my response is: why not?” Gulping and repositioning his wings into a more comfortable position, Artemis replied. “Of course, there is nothing wrong with it, but it is most different from what we—I am used to. Such exclamations were only used when professing one’s love for a mare; when professing one’s love for a mate.” More chuckling. “Yeah, I understand. It’s a bit like that where I come from as well. Earth, I mean. Home.” And then there was a pause and shuffling, causing Artemis to pop an eye open. He spied the human standing up, with a whilom smile creasing his face, before he plodded over towards him. “Do you mind if I lay here with you?” Artemis continued to stare at him in slight confusion before he slid over slightly, gesturing towards the sliver of space between himself and the edge. “I am not opposed to it, but there is little room.” Tony gently lay himself down next to him, surprisingly not crushing him against the backboard, but leaving them snuggly pressed against each other. It made Artemis feel strange, but not in a bad way. There they lay, for a moment, and then two, and then three, until enough moments had passed that Artemis didn’t bother to continue counting them. The only sound was the twinned push of their breathing. It was soothing to him, but it didn’t sate his questions, so after a moment more, he broke the silence. “...Would you mind continuing?” he tentatively pressed. “Hum…? Oh, yeah! Home.” Tony lifted an arm, letting it rest gently on the backboard, and Artemis could feel the minuscule sliver of cotton lining on his sleeve brushing up against his mane. “Well, like I was saying, most people back on Earth are the same; they only say, ‘I love you’, to certain people, like their husbands or wives, or only during special occasions, like family reunions and gatherings.” “Are those not the appropriate people and times to give life to such feelings?” “Of course! But, what I’m getting at, is that most people don’t say it enough, nor do they say it to those who might need it the most. You see, your husband or wife; they know, hopefully, that you love them, and while that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t say that you love them, they might not need it as much as a friend, or even that uncle you haven’t seen in a blue moon.” “...What is a blue moon?” He felt Tony chuckle next to him. “That’s what you focus on? It means a long time.” Artemis nodded slowly. “I suppose I see what you are saying. The type of love is much different, however.” “Of course there is! Love doesn’t always have to be romance.” With that, Tony fell silent. Artemis almost felt as though he had been lectured on the subject, like a foal, but somehow, it didn’t bother him in the slightest. “So, your proposed ideology is…?” “Saying, ‘I love you’, to the people that you love.” Tony finished. He heard shifting and he felt the man’s gaze on him. “I love you, bro.” The strangest feeling overtook him, and he gulped before responding. “I love you too, Tony.” Tony’s arm came to rest around his neck, and Artemis shakily closed his eyes as the moment passed on to the next. This one, however, harbored the next question on his mind. “How did you come to this?” A sigh. “I had a brother.” “Had?” “Had.” Artemis gulped. “I am sorry.” And he left it at that, for what more was there to be said? “It was a long time ago, you don’t need to apologize,” Tony assured him, rubbing his shoulder with a hand. The man paused for a few moments, wherein Artemis could’ve sworn he heard a sniffle, before continuing. “He told me that there was absolutely nothing wrong with being open and forthcoming in one’s love; in fact, he deemed it absolutely necessary, because one day, the person or persons you are voicing them to will be gone, whether, family, friends, or a lover, and you never want to live in regret that you didn’t say it enough.” He heard his brother hum once more, before continuing. “If that were true, why are you so frantically against the idea?” “Because it is not true,” Artemis retorted, before pausing. “Besides, how could it be?” He finished, his tone low. Now it was his brother’s turn to ask; “What do you mean?” “Stallions do not love each other that way.” Silence, and then Solaris began to laugh. It was gentle, yet loud at the same time. While not terribly edifying, it did leave him with the hope that context would be provided. Solaris folded his hooves on the table, staring him straight in the eye, mirth still dancing in his eyes. “Artemis, times have changed. Such things are simply not true anymore.” “You mean…?” He started softly. “You can love whomever you want, brother.” Solaris finished for him. Curiously, his brain was quick to digest this information. He was all questions as they excused themselves from the table, both on their way to start the day. If this is true... Nay, I shan't get ahead of myself. Author's Note Because Enonnnyous said please. If you see a mistake, let me know. I Want to Help You“So, you have a plan?” “If that is what you want to call it,” Artemis muttered past the quill in his mouth. He lounged effortlessly upon a silk pillow, head hunched over a desk as his writing implement zipped back and forth across a scroll. “...And why are you writing that with your mouth?” Artemis turned around and looked at his brother as if he were stupid before turning back towards his desk. With a burst of magic from his horn, the quill took its place by the scroll, continuing to scribble on it. A moment of silence pervaded the room before Solaris spoke once more, this time with a swaggering lilt. “Nervous, are we?” He sauntered over towards Artemis, looking over his shoulder. “I suppose the question now is, why?” Solaris didn’t have to imagine the withering glare that he surely would’ve received had his target of annoyance not been so engrossed within his writings—no, that was made clear by the magic-driven slap he received to the back of his head. He rubbed it with a hoof, a sore look etched on his face. “Now you’ve really gone and done it, brother.” “...Done what?” Artemis mumbled after a moment, though without pause to his labors. “Piqued my interest, of course!” Solaris rumbled jovially, plopping himself down next to Artemis. “What has you so coiled up that’d you assault me so? Over a simple question, no less!—Well, I suppose you needn’t answer that. I have my suspicions.” With a grumble, Artemis finally turned around, the quill pausing mid-stroke. “Did you come here merely to annoy me, Solaris? Or was there some purpose to your intrusion?” Solaris’ face adopted a dumb look before he spluttered out his response with a wicked smile now adorned. “Of course there was a purpose! I wanted to see how your preparations were panning out! ...They are panning out, yes?” “...I suppose, yes.” Artemis concurred. “No thanks to you, might I add, with your roundabout questions. You know what I am doing.” His smile never slacked. “Care to enlighten me?” “You have your suspicions, do you not?” “And suspicions, they shall remain, until you decide to change that.” Artemis ground out a small chuckle. “I won’t be deciding anything. Go pester somepony else,” he replied, returning to his work. “Oh, and next time? Use the daffodil spray. My brother likes that more.” Solaris eyed his brother’s back for a moment before melting into the ground, only to reappear at the head of the desk, tapping leaning herself on the backboard. “So, how did I do?” Pausing, Artemis eyed the miniature draconneques in front of him curiously. “You could’ve done with a bit less sass,” He ventured. “...And?” Eris asked, now laying on her stomach with her head held upright by her arms. Artemis rolled his eyes with a tiny grin. “And nothing.” Eris practically squeed. “I’m that good~?” “No,” he replied. “I just don’t have anything more to say about it.” “Because you know I’m that good,” Eris said with a wink. “Don’t worry, I know what you wanted to say.” Artemis didn’t respond, his eyes narrowing back towards the parchment dominating the table. He scooped up the quill with his magic, fully intending to put it back to the task of writing, but it never quite made touchdown. “What, not even a goodbye? Not even a ‘wow, you’re such a good friend for bringing me food, Eris, thank you so much!’? Just right back to the paper, huh? Yeahhh, I don’t think so.” And then, the quill was condensed into a french fry and popped into a tiny maw. As though taking a moment to comprehend her words, Artemis’ eyes contracted and dilated slightly before zeroing in on Eris, full of confusion and perhaps a pissant little shard of anger, but fully conscious and indicative of an incoming tongue-lashing. Eris cut him off before he could make a full pass and indubitably say something mean. “I left it by the door, in case you’re wondering. Buttered toast with a serving of sunflower on eggs, cooked just the way you like it.” She barely succeeded. Artemis seemed to briefly ponder her words, sparing a fleeting glance over his shoulder at the plate of food, before turning back towards her with a curious glint in his eye. “Where’s my quill?” was the first thing out of his mouth however, not a thank you, much to her chagrin. “It’s in the shadow realm,” Eris replied, flashing him a cheeky smile. He rolled his eyes again. “Well… can I have it back?” “Not unless you let me help you.” Artemis stared at her hard and long for the enth time. “...Help me?” He finally replied, and Eris almost wanted to spare him a moment of pity for how pathetic it sounded. “Yes. Help you. I want to help you.” If he noticed the snark in her voice, he didn’t show it. “Help me? With what?” Now it was her turn to stare. “Are you dim?” she asked after a moment. “I’m not dim,” Artemis returned with a fledgling spark of ire. “I just… suppose I’d never imagined hearing those words leave your mouth. But still… you can’t be thinking of helping me with that.” Eris leaped up onto her ambulatory appendages, taking care to step around the scroll in front of her as she made her way directly in front of Artemis’ snout. “Oh, but I do want to help you with that, my dim-witted friend. It was, after all, the entire purpose of this little expedition into your lonely chambers. Beyond bringing you food, for you haven’t been down the entire day.” He snorted. “Niceties aside, I am curious as to what has you so vested in the consolidation of my relationship with my dearest?” “Oooh, your dearest, now is he? That’s a bit bold—in fact, it’s almost contradictory! I was under the impression that you were still trying to figure this whole thing out?” Grunting, Artemis replied. “I’ve had ample time to come to my own conclusions.” “It’s only been two days since your brother told you the thing. You come to your conclusions fast.” “Why must you always speak in tongues? My brother has told me many things in the last two days.” “That you could love whoever you wanted,” Eris said softly. Artemis met her eyes once more and was met with a surprisingly mellow expression. A moment passed and he became more aware of his environment. The candle sitting perpendicular to him that had lit his room with candor had burned itself to its base, now only emanating a little glow. He could hear the wind picking up outside, howling lowly against his balcony. He could feel the lukewarm air brushing up to his coat. He could see her eyes. They were yellow. “Let me help you.” They were glowing. His silence was profound, if only for a moment. “Okay.” “S—” Artemis interrupted her before she could say a thing. “But only if you tell me why you care.” Eris smiled, and if he looked hard enough, it even seemed to be a bit sour. “What’s it to you?” she shot back. “The same that my situation is to yourself,” he countered gently, relaxing back into the pillow. “You couldn’t know that.” “I can think it.” Eris’ claw tapped gently on the table. One. Two. Three times. And then she responded. “I’ll tell you after we pull this off, okay?” Artemis grinned softly at her. “After we pull this off? That’s a bit bold, wouldn’t you say?” Eris returned it. “Methinks you’re rubbing off on me.” And then they returned to silence, but this time it was less charged and lighter. Lighter than Artemis ever thought it could be considering the individual. It was only after she stood back up did Eris break it. “We need a plan.” “I already have a plan…?” “We need a better plan.” “Wait, is that to imply that my plan is—” She snapped a finger and a quill appeared in her hand, though a bit oversized. “Listen,” she uttered simply. Surprisingly, Artemis complied. He looked at her expectantly as though to say, ‘okay, let’s hear this grand idea of yours’, but he was listening, and that’s what counted. “Alright, so…” And in the next few hours, a simple, yet chaotic plan saw its conception. It was daring. It was crazy. It was perfect. Or so Eris proclaimed. Artemis didn’t feel quite the same, but it was more of one than his previous, however much he was sore to admit. He was just happy to have food. She was a surprisingly good cook.
Prologue: A Stupid Bet"The sky is beautiful tonight." Masculine, yet tepid, the voice washed over him like lukewarm water. Artemis felt his lips curl upwards. There was a pause in conversation. The fluttering of wings were twinned with the thumping of large feet. Small tendrils of dust swirled up in the mockery of a breeze caused by the miniature wing beats, the particles floating for a bit, before settling back onto the cold, stone road underfoot. "Even now, you insist on playing the role of the flatterer," Artemis replied. He felt a tug at the base of his throat; a giggling fit that he had been suppressing for the majority of the night swelled up, fighting to escape him. "Why stop? Messing with you is fun—not that what I said wasn’t true,” The man said with a shrug of his shoulders. His suit was in shades of indigo from bright to dark and resembled that of a bachelor, albeit far more ornate and decorative in that it looked worked by hoof. He was most certainly the source of conversation at every little shop and loitering place on the road to Canterlot Castle, if the blatant stares and the whispers of talk dancing along the breeze were of any indication, though Artemis wasn’t certain how much of that was him, or how much of it was him being held in his friend’s arms. Thinking about it made him blush and gasp softly. "You gonna be alright down there?" Tony’s hazel eyes strayed to his. Mirth and amusement danced merrily within them, and his mouth was quirked upwards in a lopsided grin. Artemis cleared his throat as he draped his head over his shoulder. "I am alright, Tony," he assured his companion. "Your brother would kill me, Arty, if anything happened to you. And your father would probably hunt me in the afterlife to kick me out so Sol could do it again." Artemis barked out a quick laugh. "You over-exaggerate." Tony thumbed his nose and sniffed as he looked down at the pony in his arms. "You only think I do. Sol is a force of nature, in his own right." Tony grinned. He wasn't that afraid of Arty’s brother. Still, he had an obligation to him to get his brother home say—preferably dropped as few times as possible, since he had lost that stupid bet, and had come into town carrying Arty, as per the terms of his defeat. Artemis had nearly turned in his arms, his wings skewed as he looked back the way they had come. "I do not see any… What was the word? Stalkers? I do not see any stalkers from the direction in which we came. It appears luck spared us of the most aggressive fanfare,” Artemis said as he turned back around, nestling himself into his companion’s arms—a quick glance upwards revealed that Tony made no notice of it; if did, he didn’t show it at. "I don't either—and fanfare? Maybe for you," Tony agreed with a light laugh, though he never turned around. Perhaps, he was telling the truth when he had told him that he had eyes on the back of his head. Or, he could have simply been lying about not seeing any stalkers, because when Artemis had inspected him, he had seen no eyes with which to see besides the two parallel to his nose. "We should be able to make it back before Solaris eats all the cake; I was keen on winning that bet so we could’ve had it all to ourselves!” "I suppose," Artemis sighed. “I still think we should have purchased more for this little game. He probably ate it all by now. He gets… peckish quite quickly, even after eating a ridiculous amount of food.” "Peckish. More like prickish." Tony laughed at his own joke. As they rounded a corner, Artemis shifted himself within his friend’s grasp, eyeing the rapidly approaching castle. So close, yet he almost felt a pang of disappointment at the thought of their arrival, because that meant that game was over; his friend would have to put him down. That thought made him ineffably sad, for reasons he couldn’t yet piece together. The road began to show little signs of wear and tear, the winding path leading up to the Castle being clear of everything; ponies, houses, and all. The only thing occupying his view now were the rows of perfectly aligned fauna, planted to supplement the Castle’s already significant majesty. Tony pulled a sip out of a water jug he had tied to his side, as they arrived at the entrance proper. “So, how much you willing to bet it’s all gone?” “My life.” “That’s a big bet.” “I’m confident,” Artemis responded, though internally, he dearly hoped he was wrong. That cake was too good to be wasted on his brother. And then, the castle was upon them, or rather, they were upon the castle; at the gates, to be more specific, though specificity wasn’t particularly important unless it was the kitchen, because that was where the cake was. The guards didn’t hassle them one bit, only sparing a glance to eye them up and down before returning to their vigilant, yet boring “let’s see who can look more like a statue,” charade. With brio, Tony bounded up the steps of the castle entrance, threading his way up towards the door, where he pushed it open with his shoulder. “And, we’re back!” Tony craned his neck downwards, directing his boring gaze into Artemis’ closed eyelids. He could practically hear his friend arch an eyebrow. “This is where you get off.” Popping an eye open, Artemis stared down the human for a moment before huffing and tossing himself down to the ground, landing perfectly on four hooves. “To the kitchens?” Though what he was really saying was, “to the cake.” “To the kitchens," Tony agreed. Artemis perched himself on the lip of one of the kitchen counters, his mouth suddenly insufficient to turn any thought into words. “He… I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky that he had the courtesy to spare us even only two slices.” Laughing, Tony tugged himself onto the counter alongside him. “I don’t know why you were expecting anything different. You said it yourself on the way back that he had probably eaten everything.” “W-well, I was clearly being facetious!” Artemis spluttered out, ruffling his wings in frustration. “That cake could have fed an entire family! My brother is- he is a pig!” “Hey,” Tony lightly hit him on the shoulder. “That’s a bit much—” he paused, grinning a bit “—however accurate it may be. And chin up Arty, we still have our two slices!” “Chin up,” Artemis said blandly, locking eyes with his friend. “You’re seriously going to tell me to chin up?” Tony shrugged playfully. “That’s what friends do.” “Be—what is it the ponies of this era call it? A pain in the flanks?” “Hey, you need to be a little bit of both if you want to sustain a healthy relationship,” Tony said before shoving him off the counter, precariously snatching the plate that held their cake, and dashing out of the door and down the corridor from which they came. “H-hey! Y-you fiend! Come back!” Artemis quickly recovered and hastily righted himself onto his hooves. Pumping his wings, he launched himself through the doorway in pursuit. Air pulsed wildly within his ears as he shot down the hallway at record speeds, eyes narrowing down on the rapidly approaching form of his human companion. The banners fluttered violently as he passed, the air singing with the beat of his wings. He locked eyes with Tony, who had taken a quick glance over his shoulder, almost dropping the cake in the process. Primaries tilted upwards, slowing him into a turn as Tony turned into an adjacent corridor. His positioning was true; Artemis opened his hooves to tackle the human, but at the last second, Tony pivoted, angling a muscular arm and parrying him into a banner. He could feel the fabric on his teeth, he could smell the expensive material through his nostrils, and he could hear the infuriating laughter tailing a swift departure on two, thundering feet. Growling, he untangled himself from the banner and after taking a moment to triangulate onto Tony via the now subtle whispers of mirth still left in the air, he shot off in pursuit. Down many corridors they went, all the while his friend eluded him utilizing the dirtiest of tricks and handfuls of luck at every turn, to the point that Artemis began pondering on the logistics of balancing a cake-laden plate in one hand, while artfully—or ridiculously, depending on how one looked at it—misdirecting him at every confrontation. Only once they turned into the hallway that lead to his chambers did the pursuit finally come to it’s artificial conclusion. Artemis barely had time to register the wall of white in front of him before he crashed into it, tumbling to the floor underneath—or rather, the Tony underneath. Landing with a soft “oof”, his wings flapped awkwardly in an attempt to correct himself, which in turn had him face to face with Tony. A glance into his eyes, and then a glance down; following Tony’s gaze, Artemis regarded the lanky hand grasping at a half-smashed slice of cake dumbly, only registering what was happening when the front bit was stuffed into his friend’s mouth. Gasping, he acted on pure instinct, shoving his snout downwards to capture the disappearing shaft of the cake, his eyes closing as his mouth exploded with flavor. Taking a moment to savor it as his teeth made quick work of the tasty morsel, his tongue shot out to reel in whatever remnants remained, but only when it met something warm of similar size, did his eyes shoot open. Hazel eyes stared back into his, all iris. A muffled, confused cry vibrated up his jaw through their now locked lips. His mind was frozen, as his tongue practically melded itself to Tony’s, only straying idly to perform the task it had previously been assigned. Reigning back control of his body, Artemis retracted his neck, leaving only a sticky strand of saliva containing bits of cake within it between them. “Woah,” Tony mumbled, rubbing the corner of his mouth. “You coulda just asked; I would've given you some...” Artemis remained silently, focusing on his friend’s face as his mouth continued to move. Hard-lined and bony, with a close crop of stubble spread along his chin. Fluffy eyebrows above almond-shaped eyes, lined by thin lashes. Brown hair, messily splayed every which way. A thick neck, leading down like a tree trunk, into a burly, yet athletic frame. Tony Iglacies: Local human and his best, and only real friend, since his return from banishment. Sole ambassador, from a home he could never return to. An estranged soul. Like me, he thoughtas he weakly made to say something relevant, but he slurred his words and lost it. Tony understood enough of it to look at him with playful understanding. “All good; I proba—” “Ahem.” Deep, and powerful; a voice that belonged to neither of them, rang clear in his ears. A voice that was familiar. Scrambling off his companion, Artemis eyed his brother up and down. The white wall from earlier, though he was of no need of reminding. Why would there have been a wall in the middle of a hallway anyway? He cursed himself internally. There he sat, several feet away from them, sat back on his haunches as he lazily munched on the other wayward slice of cake. “Your face is red, brother.” Using every bit of his willpower, Artemis wrested control of his mouth from the cooling, withered hooves of his now-deceased psyche. “It was an accident.” Solaris shrugged, finishing off the last bit of cake in his magical grasp. “I believe you. I would’ve done the same for a piece of that cake,” Sol finished, before shooting a wink at him. The color that had just been at the brink of fading, exploded back in full force, consuming the entirety of his face. Huffing in annoyance, Artemis scooped up his dazed friend from off the ground with his magic. “C’mon Tony, let’s go to the gardens.” “Art—” “Hush, we’re leaving.” Levitating Tony behind him, Artemis turned around and started walking back to the hallway intersection, each step ringing with a new, adversarial criticism and complaint, his entire face burning all the while. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, you hear my Artemis?” “Shut up!” Artemis awkwardly shifted himself on the bench, ruffling his wings nervously, his gaze fixed to the dark sky above. The cool metal below kissed his coat like ice, the breeze gently blowing into his face, though it did little to alleviate the burning remnants of embarrassment still left from his earlier encounter. Whatever adrenaline he had previously possessed was now gone, replaced by the empty clasp of tired confusion. Why did I do that? He would think, yet his brain couldn’t contextualize a single reality in which his actions would’ve been warranted and or appreciated by either party, regardless on if he was thinking straight at the time. “The sky is beautiful tonight,” Tony said, his tone warm. He turned to his left, eyeing the human who sat on the bench next to him. “You said that earlier,” he mumbled. Tony sighed and then chuckled, meeting his gaze. “Well, I thought it needed restating.” Artemis rolled his tongue in his mouth, casting his gaze back over the garden. Ranks of hedges divided tangled overgrowth into an orderly fashion; pleasing to the eye. Flowers of all kinds interspersed weeds and grass, providing an ample cushion of greenery all along the ground. It was beautiful, in a naturery kind of way. “C’mon bro. You’ve been silent ever since you dragged us to the gardens. What’s on your mind?” “What do you think?” “You said it yourself, it was an accident.” Looking back towards Tony, he met his gaze once more. “And if it wasn’t?” Tony was silent, his face devoid of any emotion for several long moments, in which Artemis felt his core chill, strangely. It was an accident, right? Then why am I asking these questions? Then, Tony smiled, snaking an arm around his shoulder and pulling him into his side. “I’m not sure, but I do know one thing with absolute certainty: I’ll be by your side, no matter what. I can promise you that.” Artemis felt a warmth fill his soul, as well as his cheeks—amazing as it was foreign. Hesitantly, he leaned his head onto Tony’s shoulder. He felt his companion’s breath graze the tip of his ear. “Already getting comfortable, are we?” “It’s cold,” he retorted. “Mmm. Whatever you say, bro.” Artemis snorted, a tiny smile adorning itself upon his face. “So,” he felt Tony’s eyes on him. “How’s life treating you? We haven’t really talked in like, a week, what with that new job Solaris helped me get; beyond this little excursion, but we didn’t really talk much—nervousness and all that. I’m sure we’ll be in the news tomorrow.” Artemis sighed. “I received several more ponies at my night court than usual, which is zero, so I suppose that is worthy of mentioning.” He could practically hear Tony smiling. “I mean, that’s a good thing, right? Why do you sound so glum about it—some ponies are better than no ponies.” “Because they’re just the overflow from my brother’s court, almost akin to refuse leaking out of a disposal bin. Those who did not have the privilege of talking to my brother, so they went to the lowly moon prince, for surely he would grant their wishes, so lonely and useless was he,” Artemis ended bitterly. “Hey, I don’t want to hear you talking like that, you hear? You don’t know why they came; maybe, just maybe, they came for you. You ever think of that?” Artemis snorted. “I appreciate your attempts at consolation, but they told me.” “Told you what?” He grunted in annoyance. “What do you think? They told me that they came because day court had adjourned before they had the chance to take whatever business they had up with my brother, so they went to me.” Like a wave, Tony’s shoulder moved his head upwards in a shrug. “So what? By things like this happening, maybe the general populace will see what I see.” “And what is it you see?” “I see a pony who has so much love in his heart, for his own subjects. I see a pony who is not what the legends make you out as—that you’re not some foal-theiving tyrant, who wants to kill ponies for his own enjoyment; maybe, they’ll see you for who you really are: A kind, loving prince, who is willing to give all that he has for them. They’ll see that they can start coming to you, not just because they couldn’t see your brother, but because you’re just as good of a ruler as him—if not better.” Artemis felt almost a bit choked up. “Y-you really believe that? That I’m a better ruler than Solaris? Do you think they’d believe that, if I-I showed them?” Tony rubbed his shoulder, his other hand mussing with his mane, almost akin to a child, though he paid it no mind. “I can’t tell you what they’d think, only what I do.” “And how is it that you think?” He felt like he knew, but he wanted to ask anyways. “I think that you’re a thousand times better than Sol, as a ruler and a pony—don’t tell him I said that though. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great pony. Wonderful guy, really. But you…” Tony rubbed his shoulder again and smiled. Artemis smiled alongside him; small, but real. “Anyways, what I’m trying to get at here is that you’re a good pony. Don’t let anyone tell you anything different—“ Tony paused, turning to look him in the eye “—because, you're so much better than that.” Then, silence settled, but this time, it was a silence Artemis found he could appreciate. Tony was here. Everything was alright. “I love you, Tony.” “I love you too, bro.” And he found, as he leaned his head back down on his human’s shoulders, that somewhere deep down, he desired to be loved, not as a bro or a friend, but as something more. But for the time being… It was enough. He closed his eyes. Author's Note An story I needed to write, liable to be dropped at any time, because I am me.
A Proposed IdeologyArtemis awoke to the tight hug of bedsheets and blankets. Blearily, he blinked, raising his head from the pillow underneath and scanning around in search of his friend. Sitting up and ruffling his wings, he took note of the closed blinds. What time is it? Rising from his slumber, he slouched his way along the covers towards the bedside table, eyeing the folded note on its surface. Wrapping it in a coat of magic, he levitated it over towards himself and unfolded it. Hey Arty, you passed out on my shoulder, so I thought I’d do you a solid and bring you up to your room. Hope you rest well, and hey, I’m off at 4:00 PM tomorrow in case you want to hang out or something. I know you probably won’t have much time, what with being a prince and all, but I figured I’d put it out there. Anywho, it was a fun weekend, even though we lost the bet. Love you bro :) P.S, we can hit the town for some discount cake next week, yeah? Heard Joe’s trying to branch out, what with Sol loving that carrot cake from the Cake Factory. Artemis smiled softly, folding the note back up as a small shadowing of red cast itself over his cheeks. So casual, his friend was, but Artemis considered it one of Tony’s most endearing traits. While he spared the due courtesy one typically afforded royalty when in public (excluding a select few recent circumstances), when they were back in the safety of privacy, his mask came off and he was the fun, loving ‘bro’ he so adored. Shaking his head, he flipped himself off the bed, landing with a quiet flutter of his wings. Brushing his mane out of his face with a hoof, he stretched and trotted over to the bathroom, pushing the door open to meet a squeaky-clean mirror and his less than adequate reflection. His mane was a mess, each scraggly strand haphazardly twinned in the next, almost inextricably so. A red tinge covered his eyes, and his coat and wings were messy as they were blue. His visage was straight out of a mugshot sans the prisoner’s attire and a placard with his information. Stretching his cheeks out into a facsimile of a smile only made it worse. It brought forth a real grin, and outforth erupted a series of giggles. What am I doing? He was almost tempted to start making silly faces to himself, but duty called. Or did it? He still didn’t know what time it was. Quickly levitated a brush to himself, he began the arduous process of untangling his mane and tidying it up the way he liked it. It only took a few moments, so practiced was he, and once he was done, he moved onto the rest of his body. Several minutes and a speed shower later, Artemis was trotting back out into his bedroom. Shifting the drapes to the side, he let the early morning light illuminate his room. Morning. Grunting, he shut the blinds once more. Whatever remnants of fatigue left within him were thoroughly quashed at the sight, along with any hopes he had harbored of having a regular sleep schedule to start the week. On weekdays, he would be up at dusk to raise the moon, as his responsibilities as the moon prince demanded, and he would only return to his room in the late of the morning, to sleep and repeat the cycle once more. Only on the weekends did he flip his schedule to spend time with both Solaris and Tony (and other friends he promised his brother he was making) as possible. Rinse and repeat. Only, that was now disrupted; he was supposed to sleep until late afternoon. He sighed. Oh well. Turning around, he made his bed and donned his crown and torc with a flare of his horn. He glanced around to make sure everything was tidy before trotting out of the door, enroute to the kitchen to hopefully catch his brother for breakfast. “So, Tony, huh?” Artemis continued slicing the piece of toast on his plate, as though oblivious to the question asked. Internally however, he was a mess—or rather, in a whole load of shit, as perhaps Tony would have dubbed it. Tony, he thought. Yes, Tony, the one responsible for throwing his emotions into a tizzy, and the worst thing was, it wasn’t even his fault. All Tony had done was be an amazing friend to him, and apparently enough, that was grounds for Artemis to develop the strangest feelings towards him. He wasn’t in the slightest place to be piecing them together. “Whatever do you mean, brother?” The response he got from Sol was what he perceived as a knowing chuckle, through an ample bite of food and teeth. “You like him, don’t you?” “Of course, I do.” Artemis gently scooped another bite of his egg omelette into his maw, lazily chewing it down. “He’s a good friend of mine—dare I say, my best friend. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t?” “You know I didn’t mean it like that.” “How did you mean it then?” Finishing his food, he pushed his plate forward to the middle of the table, and fixing his gaze on his brother, who was sipping down the last bits of a cup of tea. Once done, Sol let it find its place softly on the table, locking eyes with him. “I believe you desire relations within him.” If Artemis had had any food in his mouth, it would’ve been on the table. He stared at his brother with the utmost incredulousness in his eyes. “How could you possibly have come to that conclusion?” Sol laughed. “The incident with the cake last night, the way I catch you looking at him when he’s not looking, and even—” he paused, his eyes lighting up with mirth as he folded his hooves on the table “—you falling asleep on his shoulder! C’mon brother, do not joke with yourself. You are head over hooves for him.” “T-that is preposterous! These events do not in any way correlate with wanting relations with him! And I made it clear that that ‘incident’ was an accident!” “Mhmm, whatever you say. It’s not as though that ‘incident’, as you mentioned, is the only evidence in this case. I hear you two professing your love for one another all the time; do not think me deaf, brother.” “It’s not like that!—” Sol interrupted him. “Then what is it like, brother? Please, explain to me where the disconnect is.” “It is a platonic gesture. Tony was the one who eased me into it…” Artemis slowly edged forward on the coach, as to lay directly over the pillow as he let his head lower down onto it, his human companion falling into a chair directly across from him. Taking a moment to get settled, he asked a question that had been tumbling around in his head for quite some time. “Dearest friend, why art thou so whole-hearted in thine affections toward us? It is most strange.” He heard a little chuckle, and a small clearing of the throat. “It’s the love one friend has for another; nothing wrong with that, is there? Also, because you asked me to remind you—” and Artemis could practically hear the wink within that statement “—, it’s ‘why are you so whole-hearted in your affections towards me?’ to which my response is: why not?” Gulping and repositioning his wings into a more comfortable position, Artemis replied. “Of course, there is nothing wrong with it, but it is most different from what we—I am used to. Such exclamations were only used when professing one’s love for a mare; when professing one’s love for a mate.” More chuckling. “Yeah, I understand. It’s a bit like that where I come from as well. Earth, I mean. Home.” And then there was a pause and shuffling, causing Artemis to pop an eye open. He spied the human standing up, with a whilom smile creasing his face, before he plodded over towards him. “Do you mind if I lay here with you?” Artemis continued to stare at him in slight confusion before he slid over slightly, gesturing towards the sliver of space between himself and the edge. “I am not opposed to it, but there is little room.” Tony gently lay himself down next to him, surprisingly not crushing him against the backboard, but leaving them snuggly pressed against each other. It made Artemis feel strange, but not in a bad way. There they lay, for a moment, and then two, and then three, until enough moments had passed that Artemis didn’t bother to continue counting them. The only sound was the twinned push of their breathing. It was soothing to him, but it didn’t sate his questions, so after a moment more, he broke the silence. “...Would you mind continuing?” he tentatively pressed. “Hum…? Oh, yeah! Home.” Tony lifted an arm, letting it rest gently on the backboard, and Artemis could feel the minuscule sliver of cotton lining on his sleeve brushing up against his mane. “Well, like I was saying, most people back on Earth are the same; they only say, ‘I love you’, to certain people, like their husbands or wives, or only during special occasions, like family reunions and gatherings.” “Are those not the appropriate people and times to give life to such feelings?” “Of course! But, what I’m getting at, is that most people don’t say it enough, nor do they say it to those who might need it the most. You see, your husband or wife; they know, hopefully, that you love them, and while that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t say that you love them, they might not need it as much as a friend, or even that uncle you haven’t seen in a blue moon.” “...What is a blue moon?” He felt Tony chuckle next to him. “That’s what you focus on? It means a long time.” Artemis nodded slowly. “I suppose I see what you are saying. The type of love is much different, however.” “Of course there is! Love doesn’t always have to be romance.” With that, Tony fell silent. Artemis almost felt as though he had been lectured on the subject, like a foal, but somehow, it didn’t bother him in the slightest. “So, your proposed ideology is…?” “Saying, ‘I love you’, to the people that you love.” Tony finished. He heard shifting and he felt the man’s gaze on him. “I love you, bro.” The strangest feeling overtook him, and he gulped before responding. “I love you too, Tony.” Tony’s arm came to rest around his neck, and Artemis shakily closed his eyes as the moment passed on to the next. This one, however, harbored the next question on his mind. “How did you come to this?” A sigh. “I had a brother.” “Had?” “Had.” Artemis gulped. “I am sorry.” And he left it at that, for what more was there to be said? “It was a long time ago, you don’t need to apologize,” Tony assured him, rubbing his shoulder with a hand. The man paused for a few moments, wherein Artemis could’ve sworn he heard a sniffle, before continuing. “He told me that there was absolutely nothing wrong with being open and forthcoming in one’s love; in fact, he deemed it absolutely necessary, because one day, the person or persons you are voicing them to will be gone, whether, family, friends, or a lover, and you never want to live in regret that you didn’t say it enough.” He heard his brother hum once more, before continuing. “If that were true, why are you so frantically against the idea?” “Because it is not true,” Artemis retorted, before pausing. “Besides, how could it be?” He finished, his tone low. Now it was his brother’s turn to ask; “What do you mean?” “Stallions do not love each other that way.” Silence, and then Solaris began to laugh. It was gentle, yet loud at the same time. While not terribly edifying, it did leave him with the hope that context would be provided. Solaris folded his hooves on the table, staring him straight in the eye, mirth still dancing in his eyes. “Artemis, times have changed. Such things are simply not true anymore.” “You mean…?” He started softly. “You can love whomever you want, brother.” Solaris finished for him. Curiously, his brain was quick to digest this information. He was all questions as they excused themselves from the table, both on their way to start the day. If this is true... Nay, I shan't get ahead of myself. Author's Note Because Enonnnyous said please. If you see a mistake, let me know.
I Want to Help You“So, you have a plan?” “If that is what you want to call it,” Artemis muttered past the quill in his mouth. He lounged effortlessly upon a silk pillow, head hunched over a desk as his writing implement zipped back and forth across a scroll. “...And why are you writing that with your mouth?” Artemis turned around and looked at his brother as if he were stupid before turning back towards his desk. With a burst of magic from his horn, the quill took its place by the scroll, continuing to scribble on it. A moment of silence pervaded the room before Solaris spoke once more, this time with a swaggering lilt. “Nervous, are we?” He sauntered over towards Artemis, looking over his shoulder. “I suppose the question now is, why?” Solaris didn’t have to imagine the withering glare that he surely would’ve received had his target of annoyance not been so engrossed within his writings—no, that was made clear by the magic-driven slap he received to the back of his head. He rubbed it with a hoof, a sore look etched on his face. “Now you’ve really gone and done it, brother.” “...Done what?” Artemis mumbled after a moment, though without pause to his labors. “Piqued my interest, of course!” Solaris rumbled jovially, plopping himself down next to Artemis. “What has you so coiled up that’d you assault me so? Over a simple question, no less!—Well, I suppose you needn’t answer that. I have my suspicions.” With a grumble, Artemis finally turned around, the quill pausing mid-stroke. “Did you come here merely to annoy me, Solaris? Or was there some purpose to your intrusion?” Solaris’ face adopted a dumb look before he spluttered out his response with a wicked smile now adorned. “Of course there was a purpose! I wanted to see how your preparations were panning out! ...They are panning out, yes?” “...I suppose, yes.” Artemis concurred. “No thanks to you, might I add, with your roundabout questions. You know what I am doing.” His smile never slacked. “Care to enlighten me?” “You have your suspicions, do you not?” “And suspicions, they shall remain, until you decide to change that.” Artemis ground out a small chuckle. “I won’t be deciding anything. Go pester somepony else,” he replied, returning to his work. “Oh, and next time? Use the daffodil spray. My brother likes that more.” Solaris eyed his brother’s back for a moment before melting into the ground, only to reappear at the head of the desk, tapping leaning herself on the backboard. “So, how did I do?” Pausing, Artemis eyed the miniature draconneques in front of him curiously. “You could’ve done with a bit less sass,” He ventured. “...And?” Eris asked, now laying on her stomach with her head held upright by her arms. Artemis rolled his eyes with a tiny grin. “And nothing.” Eris practically squeed. “I’m that good~?” “No,” he replied. “I just don’t have anything more to say about it.” “Because you know I’m that good,” Eris said with a wink. “Don’t worry, I know what you wanted to say.” Artemis didn’t respond, his eyes narrowing back towards the parchment dominating the table. He scooped up the quill with his magic, fully intending to put it back to the task of writing, but it never quite made touchdown. “What, not even a goodbye? Not even a ‘wow, you’re such a good friend for bringing me food, Eris, thank you so much!’? Just right back to the paper, huh? Yeahhh, I don’t think so.” And then, the quill was condensed into a french fry and popped into a tiny maw. As though taking a moment to comprehend her words, Artemis’ eyes contracted and dilated slightly before zeroing in on Eris, full of confusion and perhaps a pissant little shard of anger, but fully conscious and indicative of an incoming tongue-lashing. Eris cut him off before he could make a full pass and indubitably say something mean. “I left it by the door, in case you’re wondering. Buttered toast with a serving of sunflower on eggs, cooked just the way you like it.” She barely succeeded. Artemis seemed to briefly ponder her words, sparing a fleeting glance over his shoulder at the plate of food, before turning back towards her with a curious glint in his eye. “Where’s my quill?” was the first thing out of his mouth however, not a thank you, much to her chagrin. “It’s in the shadow realm,” Eris replied, flashing him a cheeky smile. He rolled his eyes again. “Well… can I have it back?” “Not unless you let me help you.” Artemis stared at her hard and long for the enth time. “...Help me?” He finally replied, and Eris almost wanted to spare him a moment of pity for how pathetic it sounded. “Yes. Help you. I want to help you.” If he noticed the snark in her voice, he didn’t show it. “Help me? With what?” Now it was her turn to stare. “Are you dim?” she asked after a moment. “I’m not dim,” Artemis returned with a fledgling spark of ire. “I just… suppose I’d never imagined hearing those words leave your mouth. But still… you can’t be thinking of helping me with that.” Eris leaped up onto her ambulatory appendages, taking care to step around the scroll in front of her as she made her way directly in front of Artemis’ snout. “Oh, but I do want to help you with that, my dim-witted friend. It was, after all, the entire purpose of this little expedition into your lonely chambers. Beyond bringing you food, for you haven’t been down the entire day.” He snorted. “Niceties aside, I am curious as to what has you so vested in the consolidation of my relationship with my dearest?” “Oooh, your dearest, now is he? That’s a bit bold—in fact, it’s almost contradictory! I was under the impression that you were still trying to figure this whole thing out?” Grunting, Artemis replied. “I’ve had ample time to come to my own conclusions.” “It’s only been two days since your brother told you the thing. You come to your conclusions fast.” “Why must you always speak in tongues? My brother has told me many things in the last two days.” “That you could love whoever you wanted,” Eris said softly. Artemis met her eyes once more and was met with a surprisingly mellow expression. A moment passed and he became more aware of his environment. The candle sitting perpendicular to him that had lit his room with candor had burned itself to its base, now only emanating a little glow. He could hear the wind picking up outside, howling lowly against his balcony. He could feel the lukewarm air brushing up to his coat. He could see her eyes. They were yellow. “Let me help you.” They were glowing. His silence was profound, if only for a moment. “Okay.” “S—” Artemis interrupted her before she could say a thing. “But only if you tell me why you care.” Eris smiled, and if he looked hard enough, it even seemed to be a bit sour. “What’s it to you?” she shot back. “The same that my situation is to yourself,” he countered gently, relaxing back into the pillow. “You couldn’t know that.” “I can think it.” Eris’ claw tapped gently on the table. One. Two. Three times. And then she responded. “I’ll tell you after we pull this off, okay?” Artemis grinned softly at her. “After we pull this off? That’s a bit bold, wouldn’t you say?” Eris returned it. “Methinks you’re rubbing off on me.” And then they returned to silence, but this time it was less charged and lighter. Lighter than Artemis ever thought it could be considering the individual. It was only after she stood back up did Eris break it. “We need a plan.” “I already have a plan…?” “We need a better plan.” “Wait, is that to imply that my plan is—” She snapped a finger and a quill appeared in her hand, though a bit oversized. “Listen,” she uttered simply. Surprisingly, Artemis complied. He looked at her expectantly as though to say, ‘okay, let’s hear this grand idea of yours’, but he was listening, and that’s what counted. “Alright, so…” And in the next few hours, a simple, yet chaotic plan saw its conception. It was daring. It was crazy. It was perfect. Or so Eris proclaimed. Artemis didn’t feel quite the same, but it was more of one than his previous, however much he was sore to admit. He was just happy to have food. She was a surprisingly good cook.
