An Alternate History

The brothers stood before the fortress, uncertain. The last months had been strange for them. 13-year-olds blessed with power, knowledge, wisdom, and bodies beyond that of many others.

The vacuum left by the Fae had been filled swiftly, worship of the otherworldly had changed to the worship of them. Then they had learned to shift the sun and craft the night, and worship had turned to admiration, to need.

The populace left without guidance had latched onto them to lead them in these uncertain times. The Fae were truly gone, all knew that now, and in that gap... they had left one thing. Their home, Oberons' fortress on the mountain.

The two stood at its door, left ajar, webbed and dusty as no pony had had the nerve to enter its hallowed halls since the fall. Behind the pair was a great host, some two hundred 'followers'. Ones they had at first insisted they were not worthy of, but had grown to accept.

Among them mostly, were unicorns, the newer race who had been raised with them. Dozens across the realm who had been born with the same magical gifts as the brothers now wielded, if weaker.

Solaris had taken to his role, he'd always been strong of will but given a new power, new wisdom, and purpose. He'd truly stepped into it, Lunaris was still unsure, following his brother, measured and reserved. testing his powers more, careful and cautious.

He turned, back to the gate, a single wing out, using it as a backdrop for his arm. He wordlessly called for quiet with the simple motion, and the crowd of their loyal gave it quickly. "You all know this structure, the house of the late Oberon, King of the once Fae. Within is housed their knowledge, and their seat of power, their throne. It is the center of what was once their kingdom. If we are to survive, to thrive, and to hold this world as they once did, we must know what they never taught us. You are all in your teams, some of you will track to their libraries, others still, their smithy, their armoury, the treasury. An untold wealth remains here that none have dared to take for their own for fear of the Fae's return. We know not such fear. Walk in their halls with us, and you will know courage." he called, half-shouting his words, which echoed effortlessly across the crowd. His new might carrying to his voice as much as the rest of his body.

A few scattered cheers and hollers mixed with the peaceful nods and prayers to him. Prayers... Prayers to Lunaris and Solaris for guidance, as if they were not mere teenagers wielding a power so far beyond their understanding.

Still, Solaris made good on his word, turning and pushing the great doors to the castle open, letting daylight spill into the dark, unlit halls. Magical lamps that had once glowed brightly now lay, resting uselessly on the floor.

The only light came from the soft flicker of torches held by disciples as the pair wandered in. Solaris took point, as he often did. Lunaris simply followed, the dark stallion very much his brothers' shadow. He seemed ill at ease, not having taken to his new place as Solaris had. The Halls were beautiful. None here had seen them before, but soft gasps of awe echoed out from many.

Within the hour, the crowd outside had dispersed, taking torches and chalk into the halls to map out the paths, a small group had set up in the main hall just inside the gate, drawing out maps as teams came back and forth to give information, measurements and other reports. Solaris and Lunaris had moved off alone, and found the throne room.

It had not taken them long to find, something had guided them, spirit... memories not their own, magic? They couldn't name it. But it did guide them well. They stood at the foot of a small staircase, beset before a pair of thrones, Titania and Oberons' thrones.

Solaris turned suddenly, eyes fixing on Lunaris, who held the torch for the pair. "What...?" The moon stallion asked, as his brother fixed him with a glower. "You spoke, but I could not hear you." Solaris said, which caused Lunaris to frown. "I didn't say anything... are you hearing echoes from the others?" he asked, Solaris peering back the way they came. "No no, it..." he said, before Lunaris heard it too. "My throne, beset with dust, useless." Said the voice, without body, without gender or purpose, as if nothing but words, written into their minds. Both brothers started to look around, searching for the source of those words.

When they came again, the pair stopped, looking at each other, the words came from within. "I once called this hall home, from here I directed the world, unconcerned with the lives of those so far below, you workers... ponies." it said, lifeless. Emotionless.

"It is Oberon, his memory gives our power agency its own." Solaris said, with such certainty that Lunaris simply... believed him. It was hard to dissuade the force of will his brother had become.

"You were our tools, fit to craft the land and sky for us and little more." the voice continued, as Solaris moved to step up towards the throne, ascending the stairs that, as far as they knew, no pony had ever ascended before.

"To see you taking what we made, it wounds me. Yet this was my own creation, my mistake. I am without power." The impression echoed in their minds. Lunaris watched as Solaris circled the great golden seat, beset and engraved with jewels, stones, crystal, and precious metals... a handful of that seat would be worth more than their tiny village had and would have ever known.

"The stone hungers, I can feel its need..." Solaris said, fingers tracing a vein of diamond beset into the throne, converging on a gem set into the headrest. "Hungers for what?" Lunaris asked, peering up at the throne, and his brother, whose fingers had stopped on that gem, gently pressing against it.

"I don't know, but it pulls on me, on something in me. As if asking me to..." he started, before pausing, furrowing his brow and focussing. His horn came alight, soft white-pink magic enveloping it before it flowed down, across his head, into his neck, shoulder... along his arm, and then into the diamond. Solaris grunted lightly, as if pushing against something, and then the room came alight.

The diamond veins in the seat lit with white light, which flowed into the floor. A moment later, the dusty crystalline lamps that adorned the floor, having fallen from their casings, were given life. One by one they burst with steady cool white light, lifting into the air, and floating back into the small pointed white cases they once occupied, a few cries of fear echoed from outside the halls as fearful ponies, Lunaris assumed, saw the impending return of the Fae in the sudden life breathed into the palace.

Lunaris cursed and ran from the room, dropping the torch to the marbled floor, leaving it to snuff itself out. Solaris remained, watching his brother go to console and calm the ponies in the halls, assuring them that it was their doing, not the Fae.

The solar stallion sighed, the small effort to infuse life into this castle having needed a push. He had no idea what he had done. Nor if he should have done it, it simply felt right. He simply knew what to do. His mind sorting an ancient Fae's memory to guide him.

His thoughts turned inward, trying to address the power, the memories as he had on occasion done in the past few months. "What do I do with this strength, this power. Am I to raise and lower the sun and little else?" he asked of it. For a moment, no response. He persisted, trying to feel for it, listening.

"You rule... as we did." it eventually answered, as if reluctant, unwilling to admit that it was the turn of Ponykind to run the world. Solaris nodded, looking to the throne, the beautiful hall of marble, tapestry, and magic.

Within it all, he found peace. Purpose in mind. Yes, he was given this to guide the world, and guide it he would. He smiled, a soft half-smile as he stepped around, and sat in that throne, feeling the soft cushion beneath himself.

"My throne... gone." Oberons image echoed in his mind. Solaris frowned a little, not able to hear Lunaris elsewhere in the halls. So he sat back, and focussed, trying to coalesce his essence, the magic that flowed, to re-assemble the cognition of Oberon. He felt it take form, scattered memories collection to thoughts, to feelings.

"I... why? Why do you..." Oberon spoke, with more emotion than ever. Only to be cut off as Solaris used his mind to swipe a great wave of magic across that collection of cognizance. Like a great wind across a delicate house of cards, shattering the connections freshly made, scattering cognition, to thoughts, to feelings... to nothing. He destroyed what tiny fragment was left of the Fae, destroyed the memories, wiped magic clean. Then sat back on his throne, and smiled.

Lunaris felt the soft guidance in his mind simply stop suddenly. He had been helping a unicorn back to his hooves after he had fallen in surprise at the lunar stallions' appearance. He shook himself and helped the young man up, then bade farewell and made his way back to the throne room, where he found Solaris sitting in a throne, lost in thought.

"Did you feel the memories fade?" Lunaris asked, stepping up the foot of the stairs. Solaris nodded, grimacing slightly. "I did, we are alone with what we have now. No greater power left to guide us..." he said. Lunaris nodded, taking a slightly shaky sigh. "So the world now rests on the shoulders of two malformed teenagers. I pray we are up to the task." he said, before looking at his brother, lounging on a throne.

"The disciples could use some guidance... your help would be welcome if you are quite done resting." he joked, flashing a rare smile and wink up at Solaris before turning to go and help with the exploration.