Solaris stirred awake, squinting his eyes as he groaned, his muscles sore and tired. What was strange to him was that he woke up in a white room, not outside the castle where he passed out. Slowly sitting up, ignoring his body's protests to remain still, he observed his surroundings. He was in a hospital room from the clean and sterile room, one of his forelegs hooked up to an IV that slowly infusing some pain medication through his veins, which had explained the slightly numb feeling he had upon waking up. He found his gauntlets resting on the side table next to the bed, thankful to know the hospital staff didn't confiscate them.

"What happened?" He looked down at himself, most of his body covered in bandages. At least he wasn't wrapped up like a mummy and rendered immobile, not wanting to lay in a bed all day when he's awake. "I wonder where I am."

The door to his room opened, one of the nurses coming in to check up on him. She was a white earth pony with a red mane, wearing a nurse's cap, her cutie mark a big red plus, a similar sign showing the building was a hospital in the area. She looked up from her clipboard, having all the medical reports on him, surprised to see him awake.

"Your highness," she said, approaching the bed. "I'm quite shocked to see you up after the injuries you had sustained in Canterlot."

"But I'm not a prince yet." The nurse began to check his vitals, along with checking underneath his bandages to see if his many wounds have healed. "Where am I, exactly?"

"You're in Ponyville General Hospital," she said, checking his heart rate. "I was afraid we would have been invaded by those changelings when they appeared a few days ago, but they didn't. I think all of Equestria heard that big explosion come from Canterlot, and just from being miles away, we saw how badly damaged the city was."

"A few days!?" Solaris nearly leapt out of the mattress, only to wince as he felt the IV tug at his foreleg.

"Relax, your highness." Seeing how mobile the young alicorn was, she eased Solaris back down before he could injure himself further. She gently pulled out the IV since he didn't seem to be in much pain. "You've actually recovered pretty well. After viewing the causes for your injuries...I expected broken limbs or internal injuries. But...is it really true you actually defeated Lucifer?"

"...Well, kind of...I mean, he is dead, but I didn't-" He was silenced as a thermometer was forced in his mouth, the nurse relieved to hear the good news but not what had happened.

"Oh thank goodness. Because of that lowlife tyrant sending a bunch of untrained and brutish soldiers, many ponies kept getting hurt all across Equestria, always getting badly beaten by those brats! I mean, honestly, asserting one's authority, stealing from those who don't have anything, and beating them up if they have nothing!? Our bills keep wracking up because nopony can pay for their medical bills, and supplies are always scarce when we can't afford them!" The nurse quickly calmed down, chuckling sheepishly as she acted unprofessionally around Solaris. "Sorry. Had to let that out."

She finished going through the routine checkup, noting down his improvements and began to head back to the reception desk. As soon as she opened the door, a small red blur zoomed past the surprised nurse and leapt up on the bed.

"Solly!" Cherry shouted, bouncing on the alicorn's stomach, somehow knowing he would have woken up.

"AH! C-Cherry!" Solaris quickly grabbed the filly before she could land on him again. "Easy! You aren't supposed to jump on patients when they're injured!"

Soon, the rest of the foals of the young CMC stormed in, nearly tripping the nurse as they barged in. Unfortunately, the only one not among them was Apple Seed. Prism flapped up on the bed excitedly, ready to join Cherry to bounce on him to hear what happened.

"We heard you dealt with Lucifer! How did you do it!? Did you pull off some super alicorn move that made his brain explode!?" Solaris had to keep the two ecstatic fillies from hurting him or else risk getting them in trouble with the nurse.

"Will you two please calm down? I just got up after a few days being unconscious." The two obeyed, sitting on the bed with him as they awaited eagerly to hear everything. "I'm sore enough after being smashed into several buildings in Canterlot." Solaris counted only four of his non-related cousins, unable to find Apple Seed. "...Where's Apple Seed?"

"Uhh," Cherry stammered. "...He's a bit...sick?"

"...He still hates me, doesn't he?" He was answered with silence, none of the fillies or colt speaking up. Solaris sighed, leaning back into the somewhat comfortable pillow. "I don't blame him..."

"...I'm sure he'll get over it after a while," Prism said. "...Maybe?"

"Have you all gotten over what happened to your moms?" Again, he was met with silence and depressed faces. When Solaris looked at Cherry, she had tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to overflow down her cheeks. "Cherry..."

The filly's mane instantly deflated and buried her face in his chest, her sobs muffled as she held him tightly. Solaris gently rubbed Cherry's back, letting her cry against him as she let out her sorrow. Butterscotch and Gemstone climbed up on the bed with the other two fillies as they and Prism joined Cherry, all of them wrapped around his hooves and wings.

Cherry had calmed down after a while, snuggling against the alicorn's chest as they all laid together in silence. Without Apple Seed, the gang didn't feel complete to Solaris. He was going to have to make it up to the young apple farmer to drag him out of his depression. A moment later, the door opened again as Trill stepped in, glad to see Solaris awake.

"Get enough sleep, Solly?" She asked, though surprising the alicorn as she wasn't disguised around his cousins.

"Trill!? Why aren't you in disguise!?" he shouted.

"There's no need," Trill nonchalantly said, approaching the bed. "Most of Equestria had heard the news about us helping them by now, and we needed to get you and Shining to the closest hospital, which just so happened to be Ponyville. Besides, most of the fugitives from Canterlot had already alerted the town about us, and we aren't hurting anypony. And your little 'cousins' weren't quick to judge after they heard my voice."

"Yeah," Prism agreed. "And 'Evergreen Forrest'? That's something a two-year-old foal would make up."

The others giggled, making Trill pout in annoyance. "Hey, I was put on the spot! I'm not good at making up names, anyways."

"And it's weird you and Solly are going out with each other," Cherry said, surprising the rest of her friends as they stared at her, then Solaris, then Trill, then back to Cherry in shock. "...What? You guys seriously didn't notice? I thought it was obvious."

"Wait, you and her are actually...dating!?" Gemstone asked. "Why!?"

"Well...It's a pretty complicated story, but some good came out of it," Solaris said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. He could see the 'crushing' impact of Gem's crush on him breaking her hopes, feeling sorry for the unicorn filly. "I don't know how much you guys know about changelings, but they can feed off love. Ironically enough, them falling for another from another species gives them more love to consume than stealing it by impersonating somepony else. It was considered wrong for them to do so, and by whatever reasons Trill's ancestors thought of the act, it only led them further to starvation."

"So...does that mean if you kiss her, she actually eats?" Prism asked, sticking her tongue out in disgust when Solaris nodded his head. "Eww! That just sounds gross!"

Gemstone pouted, leering at Trill. "Well, I won't allow that at all." She got closer to Solaris, her nose touching the teen's. "Solly, I love you! Kiss me and love me more than her!"

"W-What!?" He backed his head away as Gemstone puckered her lips to try and kiss him. He figured she was somewhat desperate to vie for his affection, but where she wanted their relationship to go up several levels, it only made the thought more awkward to him. Solaris held the filly away from him as she tried to grab his neck with her forelegs, the others laughing at his flushed cheeks. "Gem, cut it out! I see you as a little sister!"

"But I love you a lot!" she whined, giving him the pouty face that easily crumbled his resolve years ago.

"I love you too, but as family, not as a lover. It's bad enough to have a special somepony when that pony is Trill," he said, earning a playful glare from the changeling princess. Though he was letting Gemstone down gently, he couldn't help but break under that face she kept making. "...Maybe in a few years, I'll let you...kiss me...on the lips."

"Really!?" the filly squealed in excitement, her tail wagging in joy.

"I said maybe. Don't get your hopes up." Solaris looked at Trill, practically begging for her to save him, but it was a lost cause as she relished in his misery.

"Pinkie Promise it?" Gem begged, resorting to the cute pout that was his heart's weakness.

"...Pinkie Promise..." Solaris went through the motions, intending to keep his promise, hoping she would forget before the first of the few years promised.

He let Gemstone go, letting her hug him tightly. Soon, the foals had to leave, getting back on track with their crusading, and maybe convincing Apple Seed to visit Solaris in the hospital. With the two teens alone together, Trill nuzzled her lover.

"You are a sucker for that filly," she said. "Maybe I should do that pout thing to make you give in to my demands."

Trill leaned into Solaris to give him a kiss, only to feel his hoof gently pull her head back. He glowered at her, confusing the changeling at his change in attitude.

"We need to talk about the promise you broke the other day," he said.

"Solly, it was just one little promise. We're all fine, thanks to you. What's the big deal?" she asked, oblivious to how serious Solaris was.

"A Pinkie Promise is something you should never break," he explained. "Aunt Pinkie made it up, but it's not a foalish gesture because of its silliness. It is a special promise one intends to fully keep, or else they'll lose the trust of the friend, or lover, you make it to."

FOREVER! Both Solaris and Trill jumped in surprise, somehow hearing Pinkie Pie's voice echo in the room.

"...D-Did I just hear that, or am I going crazy?" the alicorn asked.

"No. I heard it." Trill looked under the bed out of suspicion, even though Pinkie was dead. "She terrifies me sometimes, even in the afterlife."

"...Ok. Let's get back on topic." Solaris took in a deep breath while Trill feared the worst, possibly breaking up with him, thrown in a dungeon, or broken up while being thrown in a dungeon. "You broke your promise to stay in the forest, away from Canterlot and the dangerous stuff that could have happened. I thought you would have known better after tricking me, stealing our traveling money, nearly freezing to death in the Crystal Empire, and getting in the way when I fought Nova. You keep getting yourself in trouble, whether it involved the sake of your life or my feelings."

Trill's ears drooped, lowering her gaze to the ground to avoid the disappointment in Solaris's eyes. "...I'm sorry..."

"...But if you did listen, I would have lost my uncle." She looked up in confusion, only to be pulled into a tight embrace. Solaris nuzzled her, only confusing her more. "If you didn't intervene, I would have lost another member of my family."

"...I-I don't get it," Trill said. "I thought you were going to yell at me. You were mad back in Canterlot...Why not now?"

Solaris pulled away, looking in her teary, fear-stricken eyes. "I was afraid of losing you. That was why I blew up on you...I forgive you for breaking your promise. You saved Uncle Shining when I was just standing there, too scared to move with him held hostage. What you did was dumb, but it was dumb enough to work."

"...So, you're not gonna break up with me?" Trill asked, their relationship not ending after all.

"Yeah...but that doesn't mean you aren't being punished." Trill's eyes widened, not liking what sort of punishment Solaris had planned for her. "For disregarding my pleas to stay safe and putting yourself in danger...You are not to receive any love from me for a month."

"What!? No!" Trill leapt onto the bed, practically begging for some other form of punishment. "I spent five whole days without your love when you were unconscious! I'll do anything else! I'll listen to you from now on! I'll dress up as a maid and do whatever you ask! Just please anything but no love! It's torture!"

"There's always that love substitute you're addicted to. Sugarcube Corner seems to make a lot of chocolaty pastries." She began to pout, only to have an idea to maybe help change his mind. Trill transformed into a filly version of herself, giving Solaris the same puppy dog eyes Gemstone gave to him. Unfortunately, the results she got were not what she expected; he poked her muzzle, unfazed by the face. "Nice try. Gem works that face a lot better than you do."

"Oh come on!" She plopped her head on Solaris's chest, turning back to her normal size. "No fair..."

After resting for another day, Solaris was able to finally leave the hospital. He found out Shining Armor was also admitted into the hospital as well after being imprisoned by Lucifer for over a week and visited him when he could. Unfortunately, Cadence must have found out about what happened to him while he was out, so she must have flown from the empire to Ponyville, sealed off his room, and every member of the medical staff could hear her yelling at her husband for being so stupid, then bawling as she voiced her concerns, and then yelled some more. He would have to try and visit tomorrow while his aunt verbally berated his uncle.

As he wandered around Ponyville, with Trill trudging behind him, having suffered through one whole day without given any love from her alicorn coltfriend, Solaris looked in the distance toward Canterlot. Just from viewing the mountain city many miles away, he could see how much damage was dealt during his fight with Lucifer. Many of the buildings were destroyed or barely standing, and the castle was not faring well either, the windows still shattered and several broken sections of the wall were barely visible from where Solaris stood.

It would take months to rebuild the city back to its former glory. But the good news was that Lucifer is gone and his tyranny has ended after fifteen long years of suffering. The bad news right now was that many of the nobles he had saved had to take up temporary residence in Ponyville, or other cities throughout Equestria until Canterlot rebuilt. And one of those unfortunate nobles he had to meet was Blueblood, both teens overhearing the stallion's complaints.

"Are you mad!?" Blueblood shouted, yelling at Apple Bloom as she worked the stand to sell her family's apples. "I would rather consume grass than eat any of this garbage you peasants call food!"

"Well, it's a lot better than them pointless meals ya kept yappin' on about! Either ya eat, or starve!" Apple Bloom argued back at the pompous unicorn. "Ah swear, all ya snooty nobles are picky, yet ya have fifteen course meals, where every plate is barely filled with food, and they taste like cardboard!"

"How dare you!" Blueblood shoved the fresh apples off the stand, quickly being caught by Solaris's magic as he placed them back on the wooden stand. "You have no sense of cultured taste, you filthy, mud pushing pig!"

"Hey!" Solaris caught the rude stallion's attention, setting his hoof on fire. "Don't you dare talk to her like that! Either you buy something from her farm's orchard, or leave!"

"...You..." Ignoring the dangerous green fire blazing on the alicorn's hoof like the ignorant prince he was, Blueblood leered at Solaris. "So, you happened to be this 'hero' Equestria had waited for after over fifteen years. You sure took your sweet time. And it is all your fault Canterlot is in shambles! My manor is burned down no thanks to you, meaning I have to stay here in this dirt-poor town for who knows how long until Canterlot is repaired!"

"Hey! You have no right to talk to Solly like that when he risked his life to save all of you!" Trill yelled. "You're lucky he saved you when you're acting like the biggest jerk in the world!"

"Don't you speak to me like that, you mutated arthropod!" Trill hissed, all three greatly despising him the longer he spoke. "I have more bits than any of you could ever imagine having! I could buy this filthy town and turn it into a new city. In fact, now that Lucifer has finally been slain, I can take over Equestria in place of my dear Aunt Celestia, and fix the problems lowlifes such as yourselves create for us rich ponies."

Apple Bloom, Solaris, and Trill looked at each other, then back at the unicorn stallion, who immediately believed he was automatically given the role of Equestria's new ruler. "...You're not next for the throne. I am," Solaris said, snapping Blueblood out of his daydream. "I was destined to save everypony and continue following Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's benevolent rule, and I intend on doing that."

"You? Take over!?" Blueblood shouted in disbelief. "You're just a child! You don't have any idea how politics even work!"

"I can learn." Despite wanting to beat this ungrateful stallion with a worse attitude than Lucifer, Solaris composed himself. "Just watching you insult somepony I knew growing up, her family working harder than anypony else to help others in their time of need, and somepony I consider my family, along with your selfish actions to destroy a historical landmark in Equestria's land to create a city on top of it, you're far too incompetent to even be considered a king, let along a prince."

"...What? Historic landmark?" Blueblood asked.

"Ponyville was founded by the Apple Family over a century ago. Traveling far and wide, they needed a place to settle down and call home. Princess Celestia, which I highly doubt is actually your aunt, actually gave them the land we stand upon now. No amount of money will buy the Apples out of their home, or rid all of Equestria their biggest supplier of delicious apples from their hundreds of acres of apple trees." Solaris grabbed a slightly bruised apple, one that Blueblood had smacked hard enough to injure the fruit. "That'll probably face some serious consequences if you destroy something more valuable than bits.

"And one other thing, sir..." The alicorn swiftly smashed the apple over Blueblood's head, spearing it right through the unicorn's horn. He shrieked at the sudden attack, the apple's juices seeping down onto his face and mane. "You should get a doctor to check your taste buds. You have no idea how good Sweet Apple Acres are in ANYTHING baked or cooked."

"Y-You little ingrate!" The stallion's eye twitched as he glared at Solaris, charging into the teen in rage.

Solaris flipped Blueblood on his back, the stallion immediately looking up at him in terror. "By the way, I got a little question for you; when you eat your specially made, first class meals, where exactly does all the food and spices used to flavor your meal come from?" He grabbed a fresh apple, Apple Bloom not minding him taking any, relishing in the stunned silence Blueblood as in as the alicorn took a bite out of the delectable fruit. "Them filthy peasants ya'll hate in them there dirt-poor towns ya wanna destroy like the no good hoity-toity cheapskate ya are." Trill and Apple Bloom snickered as Solaris mimicked the farm ponies' accent, finishing his small snack as tossed the core on the unicorn's face. "Don't ever mess with my family, or you might find yourself stuck in a dirt-poor town. Permanently."

Blueblood whimpered, crawling away and ran from Solaris as soon as he was far enough away, the trio watching him disappear down a corner. "Glad ya dealt with him before Ah did, Solaris. Ah would have done more than crush an apple on his face," Apple Bloom said. "Don't worry about the apples. It's on me. Been pretty slow today, anyway."

"Who was that dunce?" Trill asked, still peeved at how rude he was.

"Ah think his name's Blueblood," the farm mare explained. "Applejack told me about him when she and her friends went off to the Grand Gallopin' Gala a long while ago. She said Rarity tried to go out with him, thinkin' he was the perfect prince charmin', but lo and behold, he's a selfish foal in an adult's body."

"Oh. So he's a gigantic baby who complains about everything, and thinks he can solve everything by buying the solution." Trill huffed, watching as many of the other nobles "stranded" in Ponyville didn't even bother trying any of the other establishments. "The nobles are a bunch of morons, not knowing a good thing if it bit them in the plot."

"Every one of them's been like that since they all got off the train a few days ago," Apple Bloom said begrudgingly. "It's gonna be a long while until Canterlot's back, which means Ah'm gonna be dealin' with picky snobs who hate stomach fillin' and delicious food we sell in Ponyville."

"I Canterlot being reconstructed right now?" Solaris asked.

"Sort of. The city and the castle just began repairs today. Along with the carpenters bein' hired to build everythin' back up, some of the old Royal Guard thought a good punishment for the ex-Shadow Knights for makin' Equestria a mess with Lucifer would be hard labor. Ah heard they're gonna be worked to the bone, with barely any time for breaks, if only to see if any of them actually want to be real soldiers and protect Equestria." Apple Bloom chuckled, imagining the youthful delinquents heavily exhausted while being yelled at by the willing veterans who become their drill instructors. "Ah'd pay plenty of bits to see them crumble under the pressure. Serves them right for thinkin' they can do whatever they want without karma comin' around to get them."

Solaris looked back up at the ruined city. Eventually, once Canterlot has been reconstructed, the castle and the city will be his new home, and he would rule over it after his coronation is planned out and known throughout Equestria. He's already feeling homesick before he even sat on the throne, knowing he would have to live far away from his extended family in Ponyville, and maybe never have the time to visit the ponies he knew growing up. He was terrified, unsure if the kingdom will accept him as a prince and if he can follow in the princesses hoofsteps.

One month had passed by, news being spread far and wide across the world about Solaris's victory against Lucifer as the other kingdoms praised the brave alicorn teenager for his triumph. Canterlot was just starting to show some of its buildings have been rebuilt or almost fully repaired, with the castle close to being back to its pristine condition from when it stood nearly a millennium ago. In no time at all, the mountain city and capital of Equestria would be completely reconstructed.

However, during the time spent in Ponyville, Solaris had wandered off on his own, out of sight from anypony else, but only during the day. He would come back late in the night, him and Trill staying in his Aunt Rarity's Carousel Boutique, Gemstone practically begging Sweetie Belle to let him stay so she could try to continue gaining Solaris's affection. He always came back tired and dirty, bringing his gauntlets and wearing them every day, none of them having any clue where he's been and what he's doing.

By the next morning, Trill decided to figure out where Solaris was going, along with the young CMC. Even Apple Seed came along, only because his aunt, uncle, and father forced him to get out of the house and have fun with his friends and alicorn cousin. As they met before the sun rose, Trill, Cherry, Prism, Butterscotch, and Gemstone poked their heads out from a large shrub, Cherry wearing camouflage face paint and a pith helmet with branches attached to it to make only her head blend in with the foliage.

"So, he hasn't told you where he went or why he's been acting funny?" Prism asked Trill.

"No. I tried to ask him last night after he took a shower from all the dirt on him, but he just said he was doing some sort of project. And last night was the last day of my punishment, and I wanna taste his love again." Prism gagged while Gemstone scrunched her face in jealousy. "I love eating chocolate, but after a month, I'm kind of getting sick of it...He is ruining my love for chocolate!"

"Hide! I see him coming!" Cherry alerted, somehow holding binoculars out of nowhere.

The foals and changeling princess hid back in their hiding place as Solaris headed out of the boutique and off to where he disappears to. As soon as he walked past their bush, they picked it up and snuck after him, but Apple Seed didn't join them. He trudged along after them, not wanting to get in any trouble with his aunt and uncle, his angered gaze toward the alicorn hidden underneath his mother's stetson hat that he now wore along with his bandanna. They continued tailing Solaris until he wound up walking out to an empty field outside of Ponyville, quickly pulling the miserable colt inside the shrub before the alicorn spotted him.

"This is stupid," Apple Seed mumbled.

"Seed, quit being mad at Solaris," Prism said. "What happened to our moms wasn't his fault. They were just accidents."

"He got them killed. Ah ain't gonna forgive him, never." The pegasus filly growled, wanting to smack Apple Seed upside the head.

"SHHH! He'll hear us!" Cherry whispered, keeping the two friends' bickering from getting them all caught.

Solaris looked around, finding no sign of anypony else. He took in a deep breath and shrouded himself in green flames, teleporting himself elsewhere. Trill groaned, having forgotten about him being able to do that, while the others gasped in shock, even Apple Seed.

"What just happened!?" Prism shouted.

"HE BURNED HIMSELF!" Cherry cried, her tears washing off her face paint. "HE KILLED HIMSELF!"

"No, he's not dead. I completely forgot he was able to teleport using that fire of his," Trill explained, easing their worries.

"But...that fire," Gemstone said, finding those flames peculiar. "That looked like Uncle Spikey's dragon fire..."

"That is awesome!" Prism exclaimed, shooting up from the bush in excitement. "When was he able to do that!?"

"For a while." The filly's eyes widened, turning around to see her cousin standing behind the bush they were all hiding in. The others poked their heads out, their position compromised as the tired teen caught them. "Hi, guys."

"...Did you know we were following you?" Trill asked.

"Well, no, until I realized a bush I saw earlier in town was somehow moved in the middle of an empty field, with no other form of foliage for a quarter mile." Solaris pointed his hoof out to the field, which as he stated, the only vegetation around was the grass. "I don't think you guys will get cutie marks for espionage, not even you, Trill."

"Hey! I fooled your family...until Cadence found me out," Trill argued. "I can't get a cutie mark anyway. Not a pony."

"I know." As the wannabe spies crawled out of the bush, Solaris noticed Apple Seed along with them. His head was obscured by the ruined hat he recognized that belonged to Applejack. "...Hey, Apple Seed. How are you doing?" He didn't answer, the teen able to tell the colt was scowling underneath the hat. "...Your mom's hat suits you..."

Again he was met with silence. Solaris reached his hoof out to move Apple Seed's hat away from his face for the two to look at each other, but the farm colt smacked his hoof away. His heart stung, moving his hoof back down.

"Seriously, Apple Seed!?" Prism yelled. "Quit giving him the cold shoulder!"

"I-It's fine, Prism," Solaris said, not wanting to have the filly beat up Apple Seed. "I think he...still needs some time."

"Or he needs a hoof in the jaw." Solaris dragged Prism away from Apple Seed before she could try to lunge at the colt.

"Ok, getting away from all of the miserable stuff, mind explaining what you were doing, Solly?" Trill asked, steering the topic away from the six ponies losses.

"...Well, I'm actually almost done with what I've been making this past month...I was going to find you after I put on the final touches, but I think I can show you." The CMC, aside from Apple Seed, were immediately pulled in to what Solaris had been doing that he kept a secret. "Huddle close. I'm gonna transport all of us to where I've been headed."

Everypony, even the scowling farm colt, gathered around Solaris as he took in a deep breath. He spewed out green flames around them, transporting them from Ponyville up to the mountain which the alicorn had lived in most of his life. As soon as they arrived, the flames fading to embers, the foals felt a bit delirious, never having experienced teleportation through dragon fire.

"Whoa. That was so weird." Prism shook her head, clearing the dizziness away. "Huh? Why are we at the mountain you lived in?"

"It's actually in the base level of the mountain. Follow me." Solaris lead the way as Trill and the fillies and colts followed. Instead of climbing up the mountain, they went around it until they found a recently carved out cave not too far from the path. As they walked through the entrance, the foals were able to see further in as torches lit up the cavern, but the fire was white instead of green or orange-red. "It's not too far into the mountain, and it's not too big for a dragon to make a nest or stash their hoard of treasures."

"Solaris, what exactly have you been up to?" Trill got her answer as they reached the end of the cavern, her and the young CMC gasping at what lied inside.

All around the large room were statues carved out of stone with one large slab in the center, the statues exact images of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, a different colored flame lit above them that matched their coats using different gems to reflect the light inside the fire. Each statue stood in different poses that matched their personality, standing on podiums that had carved inscriptions etched into them, detailing who these ponies were and what they should be remembered for. The statues of the deceased mares were all carefully crafted, almost seeming alive with how lifelike they appeared.

"I...made a memorial...for the princesses and my family." Solaris approached one of the darker corners of the room, where a secret passage was hidden out of sight. Using his magic, he pulled one more statue out and placed it next to Rarity's, a nearly finished sculpture of Spike standing tall on his podium. The only thing that needed for the dragon's stone statue to be complete was the detail of his spines and scales. "I don't think I could handle a funeral after everything that happened...so, I thought making this to honor their memory was better, no depressing speeches that'll make me choke and break down."

"Inside of a mountain?" Trill asked, completely skeptical.

"Well, maybe in time, I'll think about turning this part of the mountain into a shrine," Solaris said. "I also needed something to occupy me, clear my mind for my future home in Canterlot Castle...and to make sure your punishment goes through without you bugging me."

"...Ok, but you could have at least told me instead of making me worry every single day! I would have understood!" Solaris stared blankly at Trill, pausing his work on smoothing out Spike's stone spines with sculpting tools he borrowed. "...Or I could have ignored you completely and pestered you further..."

"Exactly." Solaris continued his work, wanting his final statue to be perfect and last forever.

The foals were utterly speechless as they stared at the lifelike statues of their mothers. Trill hovered over them and approached the memorial slab in the center of the room.

"'This place is dedicated to those whose lives were lost during the reign of the dark magic wielding unicorn tyrant, Lucifer. Along with the brave soldiers who fought for their kingdoms and those unfortunate to cross him and his followers, eight brave mares who struggled to maintain peace in Equestria will forever be known as the greatest heroines in history: the princesses of the sun and moon, and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.'" After reading the inscription, Trill looked around at the other statues, seeing the young CMC slowly approaching the ones depicting their mothers. She looked at Solaris, still hard at work with Spike's statue, completely focused on the details of his uncle's scales. "Solly..."

He finally finished, looking over his work. Satisfied, he moved around to the front of the finished monument for his uncle, he placed a miniature fire pit down at the dragon statue's feet, similar to the ones already lit with the others. Lighting his hoof, the alicorn lit the small, mobile pit with green fire, the same flames Spike breathed. He had already made the inscription about him the other day after fully completing Spike's statue sans the physical details of his scaly skin.

"Done..."Solaris looked around at his creations, watching the young CMC looking at the other statues.

Cherry and Prism looked up at the statue of Princess Celestia, the size of it exactly to scale with how tall the sun princess was when she was alive. "Wow. Princess Celestia was huge," Prism said.

"How does she get through doorways?" Cherry asked. "No wonder the castle looks big. It's the only place she could live in without crouching all the time."

"Maybe she knew a shrinking spell," the pegasus filly pondered. "Imagine how hilarious that would be to sneak up on somepony when they talk about you, and then grow to normal size to surprise them."

Cherry gasped as she turned her head to her friend. "That gives me a perfect idea for a prank!" Prism immediately grew excited, both of them turning to Solaris, who shook his head after hearing them. "Aww. Darn it. Solly, you lost your fun years ago."

"That's what I said," Trill said, popping up between the fillies as a filly herself. "I may not be able to shrink to the size of an ant, but I have some other good ideas we can pull off on somepony. Now, are there any bullies in need of some payback?"

The changeling squeaked as she was dragged away from the young prankster duo, held upside down in Solaris's magic. "Don't encourage them. They're just like their moms," he said, receiving a toothy grin from Trill.

While the others continued viewing the statues and reading the inscriptions Solaris wrote, Apple Seed sat in front of Applejack's statue, having remained stationary for the longest while, his eyes glued to the memorial to his mother. His face was obscured by his hat, but Solaris could tell that he misses his mother a lot. He walked up to the mourning colt, sitting down next to him.

Apple Seed didn't pay attention, too lost staring at the statue of his mother. Solaris wanted to speak, but he had no idea what to say. He really wanted the colt to forgive him and reconcile with him, wanting him and his cousins to be the family they used to be again.

"Apple Seed?" The colt didn't turn to face him, but Solaris knew he heard him, seeing his ear twitch under the hat. "...I know you don't want to be around me, and you hate me for what happened to your mom...I know exactly how you feel. But you at least had her around to take care of you...My mom died when I was still a foal." The teen looked over at Twilight's memorial, the lavender flames calmly burning by the statue. "I didn't know anything about her, only by what Uncle Spike and your moms had told me about her. I wanted to see her personally as I was kept away from the dangers the outside world had with Lucifer around...and with each year, I began to hate her.

"I had family, but they weren't my real relatives. I don't even know who my father is. None of them knew..." Solaris began to tear up, looking back at Applejack's statue. "Aunt Applejack was the closest out of the others to being a mother figure, and Uncle Spike was like a father, but they weren't really my parents. As soon as I was found out, when I was in the Everfree Forest, I finally met my mother after my first test. It was only for a while, but it was enough for me to find closure with her. I wished she was able to stay longer..."

"...Ya don't know how Ah feel..." Solaris looked down at Apple Seed, the colt's head lowered slightly as he glowered at the ground. "Ah saw mah ma, and mah family lied to me...Ya got her killed, cause you're supposed to save all of us..." He looked up at the alicorn, tears streaming down his cheeks as he glared at Solaris in hatred. "If ya'll are supposed to be some kind of hero, why didn't ya save ma!? Why did ya let her die!?"

"I-I'm sorry." The others heard Apple Seed yell at Solaris, the alicorn's tears running down his cheeks. "There wasn't anything I could do."

"You're an alicorn! Ya could have saved her and the others, but ya didn't!" The colt threw his mother's hat at Solaris, gently floating to the ground in front of him as it hit him. "If ya think doin' this will make me forgive you, you're wrong! Ah'll never forgive you! AH HATE YOU!"

Apple Seed ran into Solaris and began to beat his chest with his forehooves, repeatedly shouting "I hate you" as he let his anger out. Solaris just sat there, letting the colt vent his frustration on him, his hooves not causing him physical pain, but it still hurt him emotionally just from the depressed colt wanting to hurt him out of spite toward him. Eventually, Apple Seed's hits slowed down and grew lighter, his words muttered until he began sobbing. He then buried his face in his alicorn cousin's chest, his muffled cries echoing in the memorial cavern as Solaris pulled him closer as he let out his pent up sorrow.

"I'm so sorry," Solaris said, his voice breaking as he held his cousin tighter. Prism, Butterscotch, Cherry, and Gemstone approached them and joined in the hug, Solaris wrapping all of them in his wings as they all mourned and comforted each other. "I'm so, so sorry, everypony..."

It was late in the evening, Solaris and Trill carrying back the emotionally exhausted CMC on their backs, taking them back home to their families. Their relatives understood why they had gone off and didn't come back to check in with them as long as Solaris was with them once they dropped the sleeping foals off. It was hard for the alicorn to know if Apple Seed forgave him or not as he stayed silent when they all calmed down, but it brought some hope back to him since he didn't push himself away from his older cousin.

After dropping off the others, Solaris carried Gemstone as he and Trill walked back to the Carousel Boutique. As soon as they entered the home/boutique, Solaris laid Gemstone down in her bed, tucking the unicorn filly under her comforter. He quietly exited her bedroom and headed for the guest room he and Trill shared. His marefriend sat on the bed, waiting for him patiently. He sat down next to her, feeling just as drained as his cousins.

"I don't think Apple Seed's mad at you anymore," she said, nuzzling his cheek. "You kinda acted the same way he did back in Saddle Arabia, though you nearly destroyed a large hill of sand and didn't beat anypony up...Well, unless you include smacking me back up north when you-"

Solaris pressed his hoof against her lips, silencing her from reminding him of that moment. "Don't remind me..." He laid his head down on the soft pillow, looking up at the ceiling. "I've had enough emotional drama in my life. I do not want to remember anymore horrible memories for an eternity."

Trill crawled over to him, resting her body on top of his. "So, you don't want to remember every dumb thing I've done too? Can't say I blame you." She gently rubbed her nose against his, slowly easing her stressed coltfriend's nerves. "Remember every stupid plan I had, and you might be as dumb as me."

"Hmm...Maybe. You do love to destroy brain cells, primarily your own." Trill giggled, sticking her tongue out at him. She was caught off guard when Solaris pressed his lips against hers, the changeling's horn instantly sparking to life as she fed off the kiss. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, moaning in bliss, her body shuddering as she felt his hooves sensually running down her sides. Her wings shivered as his strong, gentle hooves brushed against them, making her pull away and gasp as her back arched in pleasure. "That might be why I'm dumb enough to love somepony like you..."

"...You're a big tease," Trill said, letting out a chirp as she felt his hooves slowly move further down. "A whole month of no love from you, and now you wanna play this game."

"Yup." He changed the direction his hooves were moving, running them along the changeling's spine, teasing her even more.

"Mrf. You suck." She managed to roll herself off Solaris, the stallion letting go of her as she laid on her side. "Why don't you just take me already?"

"Well, for one, foreplay does pay off after working each other up. Second, we're living in somepony else's house, and you seem to make a lot of noise," Solaris said, poking her snout with his hoof.

"Hmm...Well, I know how we can fix the noise complaints." Trill crawled over to the side of the bed, reaching underneath it to find something. To tease him back, she slowly sway her hips with her tall raised all the way up, giving him a good look at her rump. She grabbed what she had hidden, sitting back up and holding a spellbook. Trill opened it up to a certain page, laying it out in front of her aroused stallion. "Page 126. Learn it, use it, then rut me."

Solaris lifted the book up, seeing a spell that soundproofs the walls inside of a room, preventing any noise or sound from being heard on the outside. "Trill, where did you get this-" The instant he looked up to face her, Trill had grabbed one of the pillows, resting her head on it as she lifted her rump up in his direction, wriggling her hips to entice him. "-...book?"

"At the library around here," she said. "I was hoping you would have at least gotten in the mood one day, but because I was being punished and you were too busy making those statues and got too tired, I had to wait impatiently for us to finally have some fun." She turned her head to look at him, licking her lips, but she received a blank stare from Solaris. "...I'll return the book tomorrow. Now hurry and buck me already! I'm hungry and I wanna reward my hero."

Solaris just sighed, shaking his head as he looked back down at the book. Quickly learning how the spell works, his horn lit up and he cast it, the walls of the room shimmering a faint golden glow before it disappeared, the soundproofing spell set in place. He gently closed the book and set it on the nearby side table, making sure not to make too much movement or noise as he wanted Trill to wait anxiously. She didn't even notice the spell had been cast, her tail twitching impatiently.

"You are so incorrigible." Solaris crawled closer, and when Trill was about to whine, he gave her chitin flank a hard smack, making her yelp loudly, quickly covering her mouth with her hooves. Fearing she was too loud, or the slap echoed all over the house, nopony came to check on what was wrong. She soon felt his weight on top of her, her ear twitching as his lips brushed past the sensitive appendage. "Hope you're ready for a long night, Trill. Nopony's gonna hear us for a few hours, and I'm going to teach you a lesson about stealing from a library."

"...Oh boy," she uttered, suddenly losing her confidence as the alicorn huskily whispered in her flicking ear was going to give her another punishment, unsure if she would love it or not.