“Well…Shit” Was all Sol could say. What could really, he was on the Crystal mountain range. When the spot he was standing on suddenly caved in and he fell. He was in a Frozen cavern with icicles and stalagmites across the ceiling. The ice was glossy and clear yet it didn’t reflect anything. The light that shone from his horn was all he had to go off of since he was probably pretty far underground.

“How unlucky am I? Maybe I should have brought Twi with me” Sol thought. Then he shook his head. There was a reason he hadn’t brought anypony else and he wasn’t going to second guess himself now. Continuing down the cave’s tunnel, he was surprised to see the cave widened up. Exiting the smaller tunnel Sol found himself in a large icy room, at least the size of the castle's entrance.

“Man this would be cool, If I wasn’t lost!” Sol yelled. As he did so the room around him began to shake. Scolding himself for yelling in an ice cave he ran to get to the other side. The room began to fill with a pale blue light that blinded him. Sol felt as though he was lifted off of the ground for a moment. Then, as suddenly as he felt his hooves hit solid ground, the light faded. He looked around and found himself at the base of what looked to be a temple. It was made of sandstone and protruded skyward. It forked towards the top and split in 2 towers with a floating gem in the middle. The sky was distorted and purple, there were no clouds or even a sun or moon.

“Where the hell am I?” Sol asked aloud, not really expecting an answer. Yet when one came he jumped and yelped.

“Another Alicorn has come to the Fortress of Creation” A voice said behind him. Sol turned around to see a mass of magic and stone. The magic was shaped like man, but encased in rock on the outside.

“The hell are you?” Sol asked, scanning the creature up and down.

“I am the keeper of this fortress, Nothing more and nothing less” The keeper said.

“ Well that's fine and all but how do I get out of here? I have friends I need to save” Sol asked, looking around. The keeper walked past him and started up the stairs.

“You were summoned here to learn as all Alicorn who have gone astray before you have” The keeper said indifferently. It continued up the long stairway to the fortress. Sol, confused, followed after it, jogging beside him.

“What do you mean learn? And astray? Look I just need to be on my way to-” Sol tried to speak further but couldn’t. He felt nauseous, and his legs felt like jelly.

“Too many questions that I do not have answers to.” The keeper said. There was no change in his pace as he walked up the stairs to the fortress. Sol however was struggling to move up the steps.

“Fine damn… Why do I feel so heavy” Sol huffed in frustration. Sol swore that if the thing in front of him had a face it would have smiled.

“Correct question, Magic dense areas at high altitudes can cause nausea. There is a key to moving on. Find it” the keeper said. Keeping its stoic demeanor it walked ahead, leaving Sol to struggle behind. He didn’t know why he was even here.

“And he just walks the fuck off, UGH! Why am I here while every pony is suffering?!” Sol exclaimed, falling. He wasn’t even half way up the stairs to the fortress and he was already pissed.

“Jesus Christ keep, How long have I been here?” Sol whined to the custodian. He had learned a few things since coming to this place. The first was that this was one of a pair of temples. The Temple of Creation, the one he was at. The other was The Temple of Infinity, a couple oceans away. The second thing he’d learned is that the weather fluctuates at random intervals.

“A few moments longer than the last time you asked.” The keeper asked, walking down the stairs from the temple. The third thing Sol had learned from being trapped in this area. Was that the keeper moved around freely in all the wonky conditions. The final thing Sol learned was he could walk or fly down the stairs to the temple with ease, ascending was a whole other case. If he tried to fly up the stairs, the winds would pick up and blow him to the start.

“Find a key? I can’t use magic or fuckin fly, what am I even supposed to-”Sol paused for a moment. He had an idea that was worth a shot. He sat at the base of the stairs until he heard the familiar thuds of the keepers footsteps.

“Hey keep!” Sol said smiling at him, “Lend me a hand up the stairs will ya?” Maybe asking for help was they key, since he hated doing that. The keeper stopped on the first step and turned to look at Sol. Processing the request for a moment before walking up without him.

“Incorrect solution.” Was all the keeper said walking back up to the fortress. Sol’s smile faded and he grunted in frustration.

“Great, and here I thought I was a genius,” Sol sarcastically said to himself. Sol resumed thinking and testing out how to get to the temple. He decided to roam the surrounding area a bit more. He usually didn’t move too far from the stairs due to his fascination with getting up them. Searching the surrounding area, Sol wandered about taking in the scenery. The orange, and yellow trees that he associated with fall were normal here it seemed. There was more dirt than grass, which was odd to him.

“Where does tall bright and rocky stalk off to each day” Sol thought aloud. Walking in the general direction that the keeper did Sol found a trail. Following the trail he was led to a fork in the road. One trail leading left with the sounds of water, the trail on the right with sounds of birds and other wildlife. Debating where he should go, Sol heard a voice he was unfamiliar with in his head.

“Come to the water my child…” The male voice called out. It was low and husky yet inviting. Sol felt compelled to listen to the voice and yet something was off. He couldn’t put a hand or hoof to it but he felt he should ignore the voice.

“I don’t do well with disembodied voices sooo…”Sol trailed off as he turned to walk down the path on the right. The voice laughed, its husky voice booming through his ears making him flinch and stop moving.

“You would ignore ME?!” The voice exclaimed. “I OWN THIS PLACE!” the voice boomed louder than before. The sound felt like it was splitting Sol’s head in 2.

“E-Even if you are…I will do what I want to. I was pulled here against my will anyway” Sol said indignantly. There was a long silence between the two now as the voice contemplated his words.

“Most interesting indeed, Find your own way young one. I will see you, IF you make it up that is” The voice said dissipating from Sol’s head. Sol just stood there trying to figure out what that interaction was about. Deciding to care about the Owner of this place was a problem for future Sol. Venturing down the forest path he found himself in a clearing, surrounded by trees that matched his mane. The purple, pink, reds, and yellow of the setting sun were bright and inviting. The aroma of pine sap, apples, and cherries filled the clearing making him feel at home. It was like he traveled back home to his Opa’s orchard.

“Sheesh, it almost feels like home. If only ma coulda seen this place-”Sol said whistling in amazement. He walked to the center of the clearing and sat down. He wasn’t sure why but he felt compelled to do so. As he sat down he blinked rapidly a few times, and then…

“S-Sol?!” A voice called from behind him. Sol looked around him to see he was home, in the very park he disappeared. Turning around he saw a familiar face.

“M-Ma?” Sol stammered out. “Is that you? Like really?” The woman approached him as he sat in the grass. His hands were back, his hair was in face and not multi-colored.

“My Son, Where have you been? I've been so worried about you!” His mother exclaimed, kneeling down and holding him. Sol felt the weight of his emotions come down on him, hard. He grabbed his mother, returning her embrace.

“I don’t even know where to begin, It’s been a journey for sure” Sol said, tears falling down his cheeks. He laughed as he held his mother, the scent of apples and bread filling his nose. She had to have left her job at the bakery not too long ago.

“Your father and I have been worried sick about you! You’ve been gone for 3 years!” She said to him, the pain and longing apparent in her voice.

“3 years huh? It certainly didn’t feel like that long” Sol replied, releasing his mother from the hug. He wiped his eyes and looked down at his hands flexing them. The smell of the bakery reminded him of Butter Cream, it made him sad.

“Let's go home, I’ll make your favorite and-” His mother said getting up. She started walking but stopped when she noticed Sol hadn’t moved.

“I-I can’t go yet. Butter Cream, Cinnamon, Candy, and Luna. They need me…”Sol said quietly.

“What do you mean you can’t go yet? You have finally come home after 3 years and you say you can’t?” His mother asked, anger rising in her voice.

“There are people who need me mom, You know me better than anyone I have to do this…”Sol persisted not moving.

“We need you, Your father needs you. I need you. I need my son back” She said desperation replacing her anger. Sol shook his head, and against his better judgment and feelings, he stayed put.

“You know I love you more than anything, but I put people in harm's way. I need to see them safe. I feel better knowing you and dad are ok. So please wait a little while longer.” Sol asked, smiling at his mother. He took in her features as he did so. Her short black hair, honey gold eyes, caramel brown skin. She scrunched up her nose at his request and frowned at him.

“You would give up coming home?” She asked him. Sol shrugged his shoulders and held out his left hand. A small whirlwind of magic flowed from it as he did so.

“I was raised to do the right thing, I would give up my former home, magic, and privileges if need be. I will be my own man.” Sol said, closing his hand. After a brief silence his mother laughed. It was a tender, yet hysterical laugh. Then a voice that wasn’t hers came from her mouth. The deep husky voice from before erupted forth.

“You are better than the previous Alicorn's young one, I’ll give you that much. Interesting past, and upbringing. I could almost cry~” The voice rang in Sol’s ears mocking him, but he held the gaze of the figure pretending to be his mother. The previous honey golden eyes of his mother were now the same pale blue color that transported him to the temple.

“Jesus, and here I thought I could come back later to go home. Who are you anyway?” Sol asked, annoyed. The voice just laughed at him as the surroundings faded away. Bringing him back to the clearing he sat in the middle of. His hands slowly morphing back into hooves. The hair that fell in his face returned to its multi-colored mop once again.

“I am Eses, and you said you would give up your right to go home, your magic, and more correct?” The voice asked amused.

“I would yes but what does that have to do with-” Sol was cut off from his sentence as he felt a familiar pain. The stinging and burning on his sides and back from when he became an Alicorn. He fell over and screamed in pain and passed out as he felt the bones in his back twist and reform.

“Then enjoy,~!” Eses said to him in Sol's last moments of consciousness. Upon waking up, Sol sat up and rubbed his eyes and yawned. He felt sore all over and went to stretch himself out. His legs first, neck, wings and wait.

“The hell, I could have-” Sol went wide eyed when he turned to look at his back. There were fresh scars in place of the joints where his wings used to be. Sol shook his head and ran back to the stairs to the temple. Seeing the keeper walking down the stairs Sol ran past him up them. As he ran up the stairs, he made it further and further up until…

“I had to lose my wings to get here? What was the point I already couldn’t fly?!” Sol screamed in confusion. He was angry, and confused that he was shown his mother and his home. He was filled with familiar scents and images only for them to be ripped away from him.

“Loss. Loss was the lesson to be learned. You could still fly just not to the top .You hadn’t learned Loss.” The keeper said standing behind him.

“LOSS? What don’t I know of loss? My original home, gone. My best friends are gone! My parents? Oh THEY'RE FUCKIN GONE! A whole world or dimension away!” Sol roared with his whole being. If the keeper wasn’t made of stone and magic it’s eardrums very well could have blown.

“Hence why you could take the steps in the first place. Many spend longer than 50 to 100 years here. You have only spent 12” The keeper said turning around.

“I’ve been here for how long?!” Sol asked, his face going pale. The keeper didn’t turn around or answer him and continued back down the stairs. Sol couldn’t believe it, he had been stuck trying to move on from this place for 12 years. How was that even possible, and how did it only feel like a few days. A week a max really but 12 years had gone by.

“Damn you Eses. I need to get every pony back and you're wasting my time here” Sol said as he trudged into The Temple of Creation. His heart sank, and he dragged his heavy hooves, as he continued into the unknown.

Author's Note

And his wings are gone!? Eh what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger...Right? Right?! Wonder what the situation on the outside this area is?

Sorry for shorter chapters, Finals and deadlines are kickin my butt. I'm trying to stay consistent.
Thank you for reading I hope you're enjoying Sol's journey, however unfortunate it is rn...

ON A SIDE NOTE THANK YOU FOR 100 LIKES! I'm stoked and happy that who ever is reading this story follows it and likes it!