"Brightly, we Shine"

The words of House Solaris. And of all the family mottos spoken in our nation, few have ever been so apt. The royal family of the Green Lands, House Solaris has ruled fairly and well for many centuries, guiding their people through many ages, both prosperous and tumultuous. The Kings and Queens of this family have each earned their rightful place in the annals of our histories, and doubtless, will continue to do so for many generations to come.

But the origins of this ancient family are, like many, shrouded in mystery. Many tales and legends are abound as to how the House first began, and while this chronicle will often do it's part to separate fact from myth, it is nevertheless worth noting those myths where facts elude us.

In this case, the legends of House Solaris stretch all the way back to the earliest times of our people, to the era known as the "Dawn Age". This time of great deeds and powerful heroes has long been immortalised in story and song, and has excited children of all the subsequent generations of our world. Those tales speak first and foremost of a "dark time", a period when, for reasons unknown, a great darkness spread over the world, threatening every man woman and child who lived. If the stories are to be believed, there were those who were born, grew old, and even died without ever knowing what it was like to look upon light.

Into this dark era came the one known only as the "sun-maker". This man, or perhaps woman, as the storytellers often dispute such points, rose up to challenge the darkness and the forces behind it, claiming that they could push them back and save their people. How was this accomplished? Well, as the name would suggest, this figure created the sun. Using their great magical power, they created a ball of flame, so vast and unprecedented, that it's light shone all across the word, driving the darkness back forever. Thus, the sun was born into the heavens, and this legendary figure, from that time forward, took the sun as their emblem, passed down throughout the generations.

A fine story, to be sure, but, like so many of that time, we can never be sure of what is true and what was merely embellishment. What we do know, however, is that house Solaris was born in those early times, gaining fame and renown for themselves for their exceptional magical prowess. During the times of the many kingdoms, they had established a mighty seat for themselves, Brightblaze, which had been carved out of the enormous mountain ranges that span the central regions of our lands. This ancient keep, named as such for the flaming beacon atop it's highest tower, served as the home of House Solaris for many generations, where they lived and ruled their modest domains in peace.

However, as in many cases, that peace did not last, and the House came to true prominence at what, undoubtedly will go down in history as the birth of our nation; the first Gryff war. The Gryffs, having finally unified as a single nation for the first time, set upon the Green Lands of the south, attacking and pillaging at will. In this chaos, the disparate kingdoms of the south unified, and banded their forces together to push the invaders back. House Solaris, along with many others, assembled their armies to meet the enemy in open battle. And here is when the real history of the House truly begins.

The then-head of House Solaris at the time, King Solaris the Fifth, had a small force compared to his fellow monarchs, but, amongst his army were some of the finest mages in the land. When the struggle known as the "Battle of the Border" commenced, those mages unleashed furious powers the likes of which had not been seen since the Dawn Age. Solaris himself, ever brave, was right in the thick of it, and though defeat loomed perilously close at times, he led his people to victory, smashing the Gryff army and sending their people fleeing back to their cold and mountainous homeland.

But the victory, while decisive, was far from bloodless. Many had died in that conflict, and among them were many of the Kings that had joined Solaris in the fight. The sun King soon found himself as the only true monarch remaining, as many of the other Kings had been without heirs at the time. Those heirs who did exist, soon found themselves in difficult positions, as the loss of so many of their forces, coupled with their inexperience at ruling, left their respective realms at serious risk of revolt. Solaris was approached by many, and he, in turn, aided them in keeping order.

And his reward was what most would expect. Those surviving young Kings, impressed with his abilities, and recognising their own shortcomings in this post-war era, gave up their own crowns, submitting to Solaris' rule as the one and only King of the Green Lands. This new era brought about a peace like the realm had never known, and it was not long after when new changes came along with it. Roads, new laws, new systems of administration. All of these things and more were introduced to tie the nation together after centuries of former fragmentation. But, most importantly of all, was the birth of the city of Canterlot. This bustling metropolis, springing forth form the lands immediately surrounding Brightblaze, survives to this day, a testament to the prosperous rule of the Solaris family.

King Solaris has gone down as a near-legendary figure because of his achievements, being heralded as "Solaris the Great", or simply "Solaris the First", though this latter title is an often-false one, given that he was the fifth of his family to bear the name. But, as with all things, we must sometimes bow to common usage of names like this, however irksome it may be. His character has frequently remained a mystery to us, despite many chronicles of the time. Kind, wise, unrivalled in battle. He appeared to be all things to all people. But, given the time he reigned, some thousand years ago, we will never know for sure if such remarks were true, or simply propaganda of the time.

The heirs of Solaris have since ruled for many generations, with most being fair and even-handed in their dealings. However, this is not to say that their thousand-year rule has been entirely without incident. There have, as with all families, been a few bad apples to spoil the bunch. When the grandson of Solaris the Great, Brazen, came to the throne, his first edict was to "finish what his Grandfather had started", with the intention of marching north once more, with the intent of wiping out the Gryffs entirely, down to the last child. Many lords of the realm furiously disagreed with such a decision, leaving only him and his own personal followers to accomplish this task.

As one would expect, the campaign was a disaster. Outnumbered, surrounded, exhausted from the march, and far from home, all these things and more conspired to bring the new King down into a defeat that, expectedly, even claimed his own life. His younger sister, Shiner, took the crown next, and immediately set about declaring an end to the war, something that, for once, both the Greenlanders and the Gryffs could agree was a good idea. The late king Blazer would, sadly, leave a stain on House Solaris' reputation that would take nearly a whole generation to wipe away, and even today, he is remembered as the darkest chapter in that family's history; Blazer the Hateful.

Thankfully, no Solaris King or Queen since those dark days have ever been as despised or as ill-suited to the throne as he was, and in the centuries that followed, most Greenlanders would, with the exception of a few sporadic resurgences of the Gryffs, know nothing but peace in their time. And for this, House Solaris continues to experience nothing more than love and devotion from it's followers, high-born and commoner alike.

And, to this day, the House remains strong, with Queen Celestia now heading the family. The latest monarch, described by the people as being "as beautiful as she is benevolent", came to power after the unfortunate death of her Father, Solaris the Tenth, who died peacefully in his sleep at the age of eighty-nine. Ruling beside her is her sister, Luna, a more forceful hand, but nevertheless Celestia's staunchest ally. Not long after her coronation, some five years hence, Celestia bore a daughter, Princess Mi'Amore, which was a day that brought rejoicing across the realm, with the line of succession secure for the future.

"Brightly, we Shine". True words indeed, for House Solaris was, is, and forever shall be the shining light to which all the peoples of the Green Lands look to, for guidance, and for inspiration.