//------------------------------// // Ascension - The Meek // Story: The Cost of a Sunrise // by No one is home //------------------------------// “Wait, is that an alicorn?  None of the students mentioned an alicorn in there reports,”  Twilight noted quizzically. “I had to take some pretty sharp turns to keep it ‘PG-13’ for young minds,” Discord tsked, Turning his head like an owl-like fashion as he drove, “And honestly that meant I had to take several detours through less unsavory incidents of murder-hobo to try to avoid as many references to her as possible.” “But, why?  Honestly she seems like the very model of friendship.  Wait,” Twilight's eyebrow twitched in curiosity, “So we can skip around to different parts in history?” “See,” Discord grinned, “I knew you’d like the Magic Schoolbus.  Just last chapter you were ready to pillory me after just one little circus massacre.  As if I’d just take a gaggle of young school creatures and show them something as heartbreaking as a slaughtered circus!  You wound me, Twilight Sparkle.” “So this isn’t what the students saw?” Twilight asked, as Thorax watched thoughtfully as the events played out in the Queen’s wagon, somehow just outside the window. “Of course not!” Discord scowled with hurt and genuine offense.  “The Magic School bus operates under a series of pre-programed conditions, you didn’t think I’d trust myself to drive with students in the bus did you?  I’m drunk right now, and this isn’t even the field trip, it’s the audit for the field trip. The Bus travels on a procedurally generated path, modified to the curiosity of the passengers.  For the field trip there were very strict parameters on where the bus would and would not go. I’ll have you know I faded a little just placing such strict ‘rules’.” “So you can show me where that alicorn princess came from?”  Twilight asked sharply. “Actually, she called herself a queen,”  Thorax ears pinned against his head as he spoke, “And I haven’t heard that many ‘your majesties’ thrown together in one conversation since Chitin asked Queen Chrysalis to use the little bugs room in formation.” “Remember later, Princess, you asked to see this…” Discord spun the wheel, throwing the bus into temporal tunnel. “It is time,”  a small filly with fur the color of yellow dirt, and a mane the color of red mud stepped boldly forward, “for new day in Everglow!” The small globe of light was almost depressingly dim, but it reflected the hope in the little earth pony’s eyes brilliantly.  “I-I did it! Daddy, I did it!” “You made light, Sunrise,”  The elder, greying stallion smiled. “And I’m proud of you.  Really I am… you’ve taken to magic remarkably well. I just… worry about you dear… You do realize that nopony can raise the sun and moon, don’t you?  That was just a silly little children's book.” “B-but, my name is Sunrise… my brand is the rising sun.”  The little filly shuffled her hooves. “Somepony HAS to make to sun come back one day!  Why can’t it be me?” “My little sunbeam,”  The old stallion laughed sadly, “the sun and the Sun Queen never really went away.  They’re both still in the sky, bringing light and watching us through the veil of ash.  And one day, we’re going to make the sky blue again, and our grand-foals will see that the sunrise isn’t just an old mare’s tail.  We… us… all creatures working together are going to clean up this mess we made of our world. I only want you to do your part in that… in making this world a better place just one little step at a time.  That’s how real miracles happen, little one.” “He was teaching her humility… or trying to.” Thorax observed sadly. “What makes you so sure he failed?” Discord corkscrewed himself around to face his friend, ignoring the very idea of steering the bus.  “After all, she’s an alicorn princess in the future, right?” “A queen,” Thorax corrected the Lord of Chaos, “she called herself a queen. And it didn’t look like it was a title she minded having thrown around!” “Discord, we’re headed into a black hole!” Twilight suddenly screamed. “Oh relax,” Discord rolled his eyes and chuckled, “That’s only a really dark grey hole…” And the Magic School bus kareened wildly into the future. The now adolescent filly stood proudly, dressed in a bright orange and gold wizard’s robe.  In front of her, a banner “The Miraculous Sunrise Daffodilly”. “And now, ladies and gentlecolts!  I, the truly Miraculous Sunrise Daffodilly, will perform my greatest miracle, perhaps the greatest miracle you shall ever witness!  It is time,” The filly strode forward, grinning with confidence. “For a new day in Everglow!” Behind the stage a bright glow rose up, and a fiery sphere rose into the sky, smiling brightly, before winking and bursting into a pyrotechnic display.  As the glare dimmed, the human circus owner watched, expression unreadable, as his assistant, a cheerful gnome dressed a red and black ringleaders suit clapped politely. “It was a talented display, Miss Daffodilly” The owner smiled thinly, but not unkindly.  “You are a talented wielder of the arcane arts, especially for your age. No one is going to deny that… then again your age is part of the problem.” “The Council of Elders said I’m old enough to leave the settlement if I want to!”  Sunrise pleaded, but the circus owner shook his head sadly. “I said it’s part of the problem,” He continued, “Having a filly as young as you, as a solo act?  People would talk. Young ones always talk about ‘running away to join the circus’... and we strongly discourage it.  Now like I said, you’ve got skills, and if we had a pony couple we might could play off that you were their kid. No one worries about carnie kids performing if they see the rest of their family right there in the same circus.  But the only pony we’ve got in the troup is Don Roseblood, and with his reputation… lets just say telling folks you were with him would make it worse, not better.” “Then there’s the issue of the act itself,” the owner sighed, “It’s too gimmicky.  Maybe if we were running some kind of side-show outfit, like Baylie’s… but raising the sun?  Keep studying girl, you have a real talent, but your act just lacks a certain... flare.” “You did a wonderful job on the sun, miss” The gnome grinned wildly. “It looked just like in the silly picture books!” “I’m sorry to have wasted your time, sirs,” Sunset galloped away before she could burst into tears. “Are you sure we did the right thing sir?” The gnome bowed his head sadly. “I know her father asked us to talk her out of it, but she has real talent.  It seems… wrong to crush her dreams like that.” “If she’s worth her weight in ash, Moggly,” the owner chuckled, “she’ll study twice as hard, and when we roll back through next year, if she’s got the gumption to try again, I’ll sign her on no matter what her dad says.  But if this is like the old stallion thinks, and she’s just a filly rebelling against her dad, then we just saved her a world of heartache.”