//------------------------------// // Ascension - The Captive and the Captivating // Story: The Cost of a Sunrise // by No one is home //------------------------------// “The other disappointments?  I thought I was the queen?”  Sunrise pleaded to the old mare, trying to bargain against every conclusion that became truer by the moment. “You ARE the the queen dear,” the elder said in soothing tones, “You are the queen of… Sunlight and… Positive Thinking!  Yes The Queen of Sunlight and Positive Thinking, and you are the prettiest queen…” “I’m not… pretty!” What remained of Sunrise Daffodilly denied, suspiciously, even as the word sent pleasant shivers down her spine.  “Even Dawn Labor never said I was ‘pretty’, because he cared to much about if I respected him to tell a lie that big… I really have changed… haven't I?  I need a mirror...” “Of course you do dear,” The mare crooned saddy.  “A queen like you, such a pretty queen, will obviously need a mirror.  And don’t worry, your faithful followers will always tell you how how pretty you are.” “Who… am I the Queen of...exactly?” Sunrise stammered helplessly. “We have a group of misfit foals, not much younger than you really.  They need a pretty queen to teach them our ways.” The mare smiled brightly. “I’m the queen of the school-yard… forever?”  The note of loss in the newborn alicorn’s voice was lost on the elder mare. “That’s a wonderful way to look at.it,”  The oblivious mare beamed. “You will always be the tallest prettiest filly in school, you will be their queen.” “The Council of Elders proclaimed  me legally an adult,” The young queen growled angrily. “Of course, your majesty, and that is why they will look up to you,” the older mare smiled, “You get six subjects of your very own, just like all the queens.” “Wait… six subjects?” Sunrise’s eye twitched.  “You want me to perform for an audience of six school foals?” “Of course not dear,” The mare chuckled.  “Six of them will be your personal subjects, entrusted into our care alone.  But after the elders have made some adjustment to your little magic show, you’ll be performing for all the foals.  Teaching them our glorious history and noble purpose.” “Alter my act… how, exactly?” Sunrise asked suspiciously. “Well for starters, we need to make it clear we mean a metaphorical ‘new day’, not an actual pony queen raising the sun.  It’s a lovely routine, but don’t worry, the elders will make it even better,” the mare crooned, “And you will look so pretty up on the stage, I’ll bet some of the older colts will even have crushes on you.” A strange wave of nausea and eager anticipation raced the the young queens very soul.  Each praise sending burst through-out her being, and an almost sickly realization that she was already addicted.  A quiet rage began to build as the older mare just kept on talking as if Sunrise Flare wouldn’t see what the stupid nag was doing just because the words felt good, “It such a lovely, very pretty magic act, but the High Priest himself said you would be even more magnificent if you just change one little thing?” “One. Little. Thing…”  The new alicorn growled sensually under the conflicted stimuli. “Yes, your majesty,” The old mare practically beamed, pleased with her progres with the new queen, she had heard so many sad things about the queens that displayed these features.  “Just imagine how much more beautiful you will be with a clean, pure sun rising behind you, without that creepy smile. The real sun above the ash doesn’t have a face dear.” “You petty little tyrannical bitch!”  Sunrise advanced on her suddenly cowering prey.  “You DARE to try to make a mockery of ME?!?!?! You can call me your ‘queen’ because I allow it, but never forget… I! Am! A! Miracle!” The newborn alicorn stalked her prey like a cat.  “Do you know what I saw when you put that crown on me?  Do you even have the first itty, bitty, little clue?” The queen chuckled as the mare huddled back, staring wordlessly at a spot just over the queen’s shoulder, at horrors unseen by the Miraculous Queen. “I have seen the face of the true sun, not that sick little ball of light that moves beyond ashen sky.  I have seen the smiling face of the sun, and he’s closer than you think.” “Your majesty… I think you’re confused,” the mare stammered,  “the transformation is painful, and confusing I know… I can’t imagine what you saw…” “The Sun once lived beneath the clouds, in a blue sky.  He has a thousand eyes that form constellations unseen that hide in the daylit sky.  Eleven of them watch over me.” The young mare sneered. “Eleven stars in the daylit sky.  And you offer me a class of foals? I’m leaving.” “We won’t go out to look for you.”  The Old Grey Priest spoke plainly from the shadows..  “ I AM sorry… I had high hopes for you.. Far better than this... but if you go and leave us as you are you will only come crawling back or you will die.  We don’t WANT to ignore you, and we know how much that hurts you, but you leave us no choice…” Sunrise shook off the praise induced euphoria, “I’m leaving… You should have tried to stop me.  I… wanted you to try to stop me…” The queen suddenly glanced around desperately while a voice not quite her own chuckled, “You can’t though, can you?  You thought for a moment I was your dog, but you can’t even hold my leash.” A flaming ball of light rose out of the earth itself, and the elder mare lost all sense of composure and sobbed as it leered down at her. “It’s only one of her phantasms, Greater Purpose,”  The priest smirked at the cowering old mare, completely ignoring the retreating queen.  “Honestly, I expected better of you than that.” “It’s been so long…” The phantasmal sun lingered behind as it’s mistress departed.  “And I only want to have a little fun… but it’s early in the game yet. And I really do like the work you're doing here, always remember to look on the bright side, every failure is another step to your final destiny.”  The sun faded from existence. “You see, just simple parlor tricks,” priest laughed, “I had such high hopes for that one, too.  I should have known a would-be show-mare would lead to a vanity flaw…” “My… eyes…” The old mare blinked in horror, her pupils unresponsive. “I can’t see!  I’m blind!”