Come to me, my darling, and rest your body.
Night has fallen; Luna has painted bright stars,
Guiding ponies home by the constellations
Dotting the heavens.
See? Orion, standing so proud, points northwards.
Sailors used to find their way home by tracing
‘Cross the sky a line from his saddle’s three stars
Straight to Polaris.
I remember, Twilight; it’s called the North Star.
How could I forget all those wondrous stories?
May I have another before I slumber?
Darling, I’m tired.
Have you heard the tale of the foolish Phaethon?
There—he stands by Gemini, long forgotten.
Ponies gave new names to his stars, his story
Lost and discarded.
(You know it though, don’t you?
Yes, Fluttershy. Would you like to hear it?
Mmm… Yes please.)
Once, it’s said, Celestia foaled twin colts:
Cycnus gave his people a home in Cloudsdale;
Phaethon studied till he was Starswirl’s equal,
Forging new magics.
Phaethon disbelieved that his mother’s power
Was enough to raise up the sun each morning.
Wanting proof, he begged her to let him try it,
Thirsting for knowledge.
Pleading him to leave it to her, the Princess
Knew her son would forfeit his life by failing.
Phaethon, though, would not leave the matter be, and
Tried it regardless.
(Surely he wasn’t that foolish?
It’s easy to be swayed by curiosity.
You would know.
I would.)
Dawn did not come quietly. Burning sunlight
Poured across the country like scalding water.
When his strength was starting to falter, Phaethon
Called for his mother.
Up above them, over the clouds, the sun fell.
Streaking downwards, plummeting through the cirri,
All the lands below it were scorched; it threatened
Total destruction.
(Couldn’t Celestia have caught it?
Phaethon was still trying to hold it. She couldn’t grasp it while his magic held.
Oh. I see. Could he not let go?
He was in too much pain.
Is… is the sun really that hot?
… yes.
Oh.)
Luna saw what had to be done. So long as
Phaethon lived—
Stop, please.
Fluttershy?
I’m sorry. I… I’m not sure I want to hear how this story ends.
That’s alright, darling. It’s not the happiest ending.
I don’t like unhappy endings, Twilight.
I’m sorry.
Are you going to bed?
Yes. It’s been a long day. Thank you for the nice, quiet evening, though.
No problem. Fluttershy?
What’s the matter?
Can I get a goodnight kiss?
Of course.
Goodnight, Twilight.
x
Until I saw Fluttershy I was convinced this took place during "Suited for Success," with Twilight teaching Rarity about the stars she wanted on her dress.
I love the word 'darling,' but the problem with it is that it makes me think everyone is Rarity.
Lovely. The format reminds me of a strophe and antistrophe in a Greek chorus.
I love all of this so much. So, so much. Take my favorite. Take my like. Take my follow. Take my pants
6057092
All the sapphic stanzas probably don't help. Also maybe the mythology. I don't even know, this took far too long to write per word Glad you're enjoying it!
Oh, a redo of the Combinatorics? I loved that story.
I loved this take on a classic myth.
One of my favorite myths too, poor Daedalus.
6057201 Combinatorics was actually the first MLP fic I ever read. While this story is meant as a homage to Joyce, in a lot of ways it's also a little bit of a thank you to Ringcaat.
6058497 It was among the first for me, so I'm there with you.