PRiE
Sunrise smiled brightly to the cameras. She wore her hair in a ponytail. She hid her bangs and, most conveniently, her ears with a bandanna, a golden yellow color of the style maids wear while they're working. She wore a tacky kitchen apron that said 'You can't kiss the cook but you can buy her a drink.' She poured some soup into a homeless stallion's bowl and said, "Here you are, sir," in her cheeriest voice, trained by her time in customer service. The press was eating it up. I guess they've never seen a royal in a soup kitchen, let alone one willing to address a stallion, who apparently can't even afford to do his mane, as sir. Fine by me, it just makes me look better if the other nobles don't care about the poor.
She was relieved she wouldn't have to play antagonistically with the press, although a little disappointed. She, like everyone else, had watched the 2016 election cycle in rapt attention, and not just because she was ideologically committed to one side. She'd loved watching for the sheer entertainment value and ridiculousness that'd swept through modern politics. But she'd been mostly fascinated by watching two master games-people duel for the most powerful position in the world, using the best tactics available.
She'd wanted to try out some of the tactics she'd seen Trump use against the press but it seemed it wasn't to be. As a concession from the world she, at least, got to use some of the tactics she'd seen Hillary use on the press to keep them enraptured with her. Not as fun, of course, but much safer.
In her new life she'd stopped caring about what was the right system. It was freeing. After all, what did she know about what was the best way for ponies to live? And in any case, it wasn't really her world, why should she care? And what right did she have to change things?
Though, she found herself still caring about economics, which was more important than politics, anyway.
"Of course," she said to the fawning journalists, "it's not just the duty of the nobility and the rich to care for the impoverished. It's our duty to raise them up out of poverty. Every mare and stallion of high station and good character should seek to pull their fellow pony up with them so that all can experience the best that our fair country has to offer. I'm not just here to set an example in how we should show kindness and generosity to those less fortunate than ourselves. I'm also working on a series of economic reforms to allow everypony the opportunity to raise their station in life. I believe, wholeheartedly, that Equestria succeeds when each individual Equestrian is allowed to succeed." Particularly me, but hey, good luck to everypony else, she added in her mind. "My broad policy initiative is called Equestria Works and I'll be working with various figures in our government to implement it."
The press scribbled furiously at their notebooks.
The next stallion, this one with a wearing a ratty saddle bag, got his bowl of soup. "Thank ya kindly, Princess," he said.
"Oh, no need to thank me," she said with an 'oh, you' hoof gesture, "I know my apron says I can cook but I couldn't make something this tasty if my life depended on it!"
The stallion laughed and walked off.
"Okay, a question this time," she said. She got a roar of reporters raising their hooves high and shouting for her attention. She pointed at the most starry-eyed stallion.
"Thank you, Princess Sunrise--"
"You're welcome, Ink Mark," she interrupted with a smile. What'd impressed her the most about Hillary was that she seemed to know the name of every reporter she spoke to, and would consistently call them by their first names. She treated them like they were close, personal friends, and won them over handily. In reverent adherence to this tactic, Sunrise had memorized the names and faces of every journo that'd been sent to this event, and kept a cheat sheet attached to the back of the soup pot.
The stallion's eyes sparkled even more, "What do you, uh--" he cleared his throat with a light cough, "What do you think of Prince Blueblood?"
"Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to meet him. He's a very busy stallion, you see. Although... and I shouldn't say this," Sunrise leaned forward and glanced around the room in mock suspicion, "but you can keep a secret, right, Ink?" She waited half a beat. "I suspect that he's not busy with a what, but rather with a who..." She let her implication sink in for a moment before she added, "But you didn't hear that from me, okay?" Then she waved over the next stallion.
There was another line for soup, of course, because it'd take hours for Sunrise to deal with the press and serve the poor at the same time and she couldn't keep the hungry ponies waiting. Nevertheless, many of them were waiting in line just so they could have a few seconds with her.
When she finished with this one she pointed to another infatuated stallion. Unfortunately, the mare next to him jumped in before he could speak. She was a light gray unicorn with a sky blue mane, and had a cutie mark of a baseball bat crossed with a pen. She'd kept a steely reserve throughout the conference. While Sunrise had to admire her professionalism, she'd planned on avoiding her as much as possible during the event.
"Hard Hitter, Daily Sun--" she said.
"Hello, Hard Hitter," Sunrise said warmly.
"Er, yes," she said, put off.
Sunrise cheered internally that she'd thrown her off.
"Would you like to comment on the rumors that have been spreading about you?" Hard Hitter said after recovering.
Sunrise had prepared for this. In fact she'd spent hours preparing for how to handle this line of questions. She'd spent one of those hours practicing just one expression in the mirror. She widened her eyes and tilted her head to the side in confused naivety then she swooped one ear to the side. The ear position wouldn't be noticed under her bandanna, probably, but she wasn't about to risk it. "What rumors?" she said, mimicking the open curiosity of children.
"The rumors of--" the mare stumbled over her words, "You haven't heard about them?"
Sunrise tilted her head back to normal, furrowed her eyebrows, and scrunched her lips to the side slightly, "I'm much too busy to bother with silly gossip." She raised an eyebrow as she lifted up her ladle and poured some soup back into the pot.
"Well, what I mean is--"
"Look, Mrs. Hitter," Sunrise said in a miffed voice. She switched to a formal address to put distance between the mare and herself, as well as the journalists she'd charmed. The mare was unmarried, as she knew from her cheat sheet, so she used missus to hit at the common insecurity mares have about their age and about being single.
"I don't appreciate having unsubstantiated gossip brought up, especially when the mare bringing it up isn't even willing tell me what she's talking about. It's very rude, and coming from a reporter from a respectable outlet like the Daily Sun, it's unprofessional." The reframe and shame was a trumpian tactic. It was amazing how you could change the impressions of everyone in the room just by calling someone rude.
Sunrise had called the Daily Sun respectable because it wasn't. It was a tabloid rag, although it was the most popular its type. She'd done it so that Hard Hitter would either feel ashamed of working there or feel ashamed for not keeping up the paper's standards.
"Now I think that's quite enough of that," she said waving over the next stallion. "What's your name, sir?"
"It's Almond Harvest, Princess," he said hesitantly.
Hard Hitter had been momentarily overwhelmed by the harsh glares she was getting from her colleagues. Unfortunately for her, by the time she rallied Sunrise had already moved on. "But Princess--!"
"Mrs. Hitter," Sunrise interrupted firmly, mimicking the tone of a schoolmarm, "you've had your moment to speak with me. Are you going to deny this gentleman his opportunity to have the same?" she asked gesturing to the dirty stallion with her hoof facing upward and her elbow bent down.
"N-no, Princess," she said meekly.
Poor thing. I admire your integrity but you need to work on your game.
"Thank you," Sunrise said. She turned to address the stallion in front of her. "I'm sorry about that, Mr. Harvest. I'll give you some extra bits of the good stuff for your trouble."
"Thank you very much, Princess," he smiled widely and showed off his missing teeth.
Sunrise decided now would be a good time to take a risk, "She was asking me about some rumors but she wouldn't tell me what they were about," she said," say... you look like a stallion in the know. Have you heard anything about that?"
Almond Harvest stared deeply into the wide, sparkling eyes of the nicest mare he'd met in a long while. He could lose himself in eyes like that. He decided he didn't have the heart to crush her innocence. "No, Princess, the guys only say good things about a pretty mare like yourself... and well deserved I'd say."
Oh, he needs a reward for that one, Sunrise thought as she giggled girlishly, "Careful, flatterer, you could steal a few hearts with talk like that," she said.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Princess," he said with a chuckle.
"Tell you what, Mr. Harvest, I'm planning a venture that's likely to create quite a few jobs. Why don't you apply? Just tell them I offered you a job and they'll set you up," she said.
The stallion's eyes, which had held a dullness until now, lit up, he looked like a boy climbing down the stairs on Christmas morning. "Th-thank you, Princess! I'll do that!"
They exchanged pleasant goodbyes and the stallion walked off with a sense of pride and hope that he hadn't felt in years.
Sunrise smiled as she was filled with the warm glow of helping a pony so obviously in need. "Alright, next question," She said to the press, whose expressions ranged from infatuation to curiosity. Wrapped around my pinkie... my hoof, she said to herself.
Approximately the present, on Earth
The man sat on a kitchen chair. It'd been dragged into the middle of the living room. His family sat, close together, on a couch, facing him. Above them hung a banner. In bright, cheerful comic-sans it said, "Intervention!" It'd been picked up in the novelty joke section of a local mom & pop book store, which was unfortunately close to the self-help section.
"I just don't know what to do with you," the man's mother said in desperation, "just tell me how to help you!" she cried.
The man hated to see his mom in this state, though, he couldn't help but feel a proud glow in his chest. He didn't show it. He'd only been an alcoholic for a short time and he was already at his first intervention! There was even a banner! "I'm sorry, mom, but you can't help me. This is my life now," he said stoically.
She burst into tears, the man's father wrapped his arms around her and said, "Look what you've done, son! You made your mother cry!" he said. His face was set in a hard, accusing glare. The sort that every angry father in every melodramatic soap opera holds after the rebel son tells the vaguely too average family something that deeply disappoints them.
The man said nothing. He'd made his decisions. What kind of person would he be if he couldn't keep his commitments? He'd pursue his alcoholism in the same professional vigor he'd pursued everything else important in life. It was a matter of pride.
"Do you really not see a problem here?" the man's straitlaced, always responsible, but never particularly successful sister asked, "I mean, you threw up on our parent's lawn!"
What self-respecting alcoholic hasn't thrown up on their parent's lawn at two in the morning after a three day binge? he thought, but didn't say.
"Just... please, get help," she pleaded. "You can go to meetings, talk with people who get it. I know you're having a hard time after what happened but I want you to know that we love you and we want you to get better," she said.
"Well..." the man thought about it for a long moment, "I suppose it would be nice to find some people who know what they're doing," he said.
"Oh, thank God!" his sister half-yelled in relief.
Wow! A meeting of fellow professionals! And I've been asked to go by my family! They must really support me!
The man's family hugged him tightly. Warm feelings were shared and tears were shed.
The Equestrian present
Sunrise smiled warmly when she saw the next stallion in line, Thick Stew. She'd gone through the trouble of getting somepony to track him down for this event and she'd placed him in the crowd. He was properly compensated, of course. "Mr. Stew! It's good to see you again!" she said, waving him over enthusiastically.
"You too, Princess Sunrise," he said in his gruff voice.
"Princess! Do you know this stallion?" a reporter asked.
"I do, actually. We got to talking and I bought him a meal," Sunrise said.
The reporters immediately grabbed their notebooks and tried to capture every word.
"And a 40," Thick Stew added. "Of course, I didn't know she was a princess at the time. I was mighty surprised when I found out."
"And why would that be important when I was only trying to have a chat?" she said.
"Whatever you say, Princess," he said, "But could you do a stallion another favor?" He held up his bowl.
"Of course, Mr. Stew," she poured him a large helping then leaned forward, held a hoof to the side of her face, and whispered loudly, "Don't tell the press, but I snuck you an extra helping."
The stallion chuckled, "My lips are sealed, Princess."
"I'll see you later, Mr. Stew," Sunrise said as she waved him off.
He merely grunted in response.
The press corps raised their hooves and called her name, she pointed to one. "Go ahead, Story Teller."
"Thank you, Princess," the young mare in glasses said, "do you regularly interact with ponies outside the nobility?"
"Well, to be honest I haven't had much time to do so," she said. "Though, I must say, sometimes I do prefer the frank language of the common pony. The nobility can get a bit... flowery in their speech." If she was being honest with herself she'd have to admit that she was the sort of silly, rich person that romanticizes the poor, but at least she wasn't the sort who'd never met them.
Sunrise continued her press conference until every last pony in the shelter that wanted to meet her got the chance. It was exhausting but it made her feel warm to see so many ponies happy just to see her. She'd only planned to stay for an hour or two but the needy looks of the ponies kept her rooted in place and their grateful smiles filled her heart.
The journos peppered her with questions whenever they got the chance. There were plenty of substantive questions, but many more were inane. 'What's your favorite color?' they'd ask. 'What do you think?' she'd ask back while gesturing to her coat.
The apparent bewitching she was able to cast over the many of the reporters sent to cover her gave her satisfaction of a different sort. It gave her the will to not simply kick them out and finish up meeting the people. The poor newsponies didn't stand a chance against the tactics she'd seen used on Earth. Of course, she couldn't manipulate everypony. Quite a few retained their objectivity but it was easy to give them fewer questions, and they'd get weeded out of her press pool to make room for more agreeable voices.
She was certain Celestia wouldn't let her get away without having problems with the general media in the future. For now, all she could do was try to win them over, and hopefully get the public on her side, as well. The love of the people will be my fortress, she repeated to herself whenever she felt the fear of whatever the sun princess had planned.
When Sunrise stepped out of the shelter she immediately lit up a cigarette. She greedily consumed the smoke and let the stress bleed out of her. She'd stayed a little longer than the press, both so they wouldn't corner her on the street and so she could give one last goodbye to the homeless ponies. She hadn't realized a world built on harmony, in which every pony was assigned a purpose, could have so many who fell through the cracks. It worried her that most of them were earth ponies with farming or food related cutie marks. Something must be happening outside their control for the demographics to stack up like that. She felt for them, she knew what it was like to be useless.
As she was leaving something caught her eye. A pony was sitting across the street with her head in her hooves. "Is that... Hard Hitter?" she asked the night. She debated whether or not she should just leave, but in the end she decided to talk to her. She walked over and sat down next to her. The mare didn't look up. "Hey there, sugar. You want a one?" she said, holding out her pack.
"What are you doing here, Sunrise?" Hitter said it in an annoyed tone but she still took a cigarette.
"That's Princess Sunrise, actually," she said with a hopeful smile.
"It's not," Hitter said, "I looked it up."
"Oh, fine," Sunrise pouted, "I doubt a snazzy title would dazzle you anyway."
"Seemed to work on my colleagues," she griped.
"True enough. I admire that you didn't fall for any of my little tricks. It can be hard not to be taken in by a important pony who's being friendly to you."
"So you admit to using tricks?" Hitter accused.
Sunrise shrugged. "Off the record, of course. Anyway, it's not like I can manipulate anypony who doesn't want to be manipulated, or at least, anypony who does their due diligence. That's pretty hard to do, generally."
Hitter's eye twitched, "That's not how it works!"
"Sure it is," Sunrise held up her hooves as if to say, 'give me a break,' and said, "The ponies in there wanted to feel important and I made that happen. Now, hopefully, they'll sing my praises, and make me look good to the public."
Hitter stared at the mare sitting next to her in disbelief until she sighed, and set her head in her hooves. "Well, I still fell into your trap," she said morosely.
"You did. Sorry about that," Sunrise said sympathetically, "It wouldn't do to have 'Princess denies salacious rumors' as your headline."
"And you admit to knowing about the rumors too. Off the record, I'm sure," Hitter rolled her eyes.
"And if you repeat anything from this conversation I'll sue you," Sunrise winked.
"Yeah, yeah," Hitter sighed. "Why are you even talking to me?"
"Spreading the magic of friendship?"
"Bull," Hitter deadpanned.
"Honestly? Because you seem like a good pony. You were brave to ask a question like that. You just lacked follow through," Sunrise said as she mimicked hitting a ball with a baseball bat, "I'd be willing to bet that you could be great at what you do. You just need practice. I'd hate to see your talent go to waste because you got discouraged."
"Really?" Hitter said with a flat tone and a raised eyebrow.
"Sure," Sunrise shrugged, "I do my best to pursue my goals and I think everypony else should do the same. Is that so hard to believe?"
"Well, that's..." Hitter had to stop and think about it, "an unusual way to look at things."
The mares sat in silence for a bit.
"Why are being so frank with me?" Hitter asked.
"Well... I don't really mind if you were to think of me as dishonest, but I'd take exception to anypony saying I'm not on the level," Sunrise said with a half-smile.
"But," Hitter's eye began twitching again, "being 'on the level' literally means being honest."
"They're not the same thing. And hun? With you being a journalist and all, you're playing at a fairly high level in society's great game so you need to learn the difference," Sunrise said, trying not to sound condescending.
"Life's not a game, Sunrise," Hitter said, a bit put off.
"Of course not, but society is. It's a big competition where we all throw our life philosophies in and fight to win. Being in news, you've got an important role in deciding who wins," Sunrise leaned forward and smiled. "Even if you don't want me to win I hope you pick my vision to support."
Hitter leaned away grimacing slightly and changed the topic, "It's a shame I can't publish any of this..." she sighed. "An exclusive interview with you would sell a paper or two."
Sunrise let out a small laugh, "Like I'd ever let you corner me like that," she said. "I mean, unless you've got a recorder hidden away, in which case, I'm screwed."
Hard Hitter smiled for the first time since she'd planted herself on the curb, "I wish... Unfortunately, they're too pricey for my outlet."
"What's with that anyway?" Sunrise asked while she used her smoldering cigarette to make a circle, "Why are you working at a tabloid?"
"Oh, that..." Hitter said morosely, "Well, I asked a tough question to the wrong pony and quote 'nearly ruined the paper's special relationship' with him," she grumbled as she made air quotes. "They sacked me to appease him. I ended up at the Daily Sun just to keep a roof over my head."
"Harsh," Sunrise said as she blew out a plume of smoke, "It's ironic, isn't it? That the higher you are in certain fields, the worse a pony you have to be."
"I think that's a load of horse apples," Hitter huffed, "Ponies just say things like that so they have an excuse to give up their integrity."
"Maybe," Sunrise shrugged, "but you're the one working at a tabloid."
Hitter growled but she didn't have a response.
"Look, hun, if you wanted to be good you should've become a craftspony or a farmer. You got into journalism because you wanted to do good, right? There's a difference."
"Oh, and that's what you are?" she asked sarcastically, "A do-gooder?"
"Well..." Sunrise said as she put out her cigarette, "I don't know about all that." She lit a new one. "All I really want is to matter."
"And that's why you're doing... whatever it is you're planning?"
"Sure. I mean, I must be here for a reason, right? There's no way I just popped into existence without a purpose," Sunrise said before she took a drag. "If I'm not here because Harmony needs me then this would all just be some cruel joke. It's pretty stressful, you know?" Dying. Being brought back in a foreign land. Body. Gender. Everything. "Just suddenly existing. I'm here for a reason. I don't know what it is, or even if I'm supposed to do something good or bad. Honestly, I don't care. I just don't want to fail."
"Do you really not care if you have to do something bad?" Hitter asked in disbelief.
"Well... I don't want to be hated," Sunrise sighed, "But what do I matter compared to what Harmony needs? What does it matter if I'm happy, or loved, or good? I'm here, the way I am, because I'm supposed to do something important and until I figure out what it is, I'm going to prepare the only way I know how. And that's by doing what I was created to want to do."
"Bleak..." Hitter said as she ashed her cigarette. Sunrise, ever conscientious, offered her another one. "You know? I haven't had one of these since high school."
"You must've been quite the rebel."
"Don't tell anyone," she said. The mares lapsed into silence until Hitter asked, "What's it like not having a childhood?"
"Er..." Sunrise thought for a moment. "I guess it sort of leaves you without context. Like, I've had to do a lot of research on Equestrian society to understand what things mean... and sometimes I screw up."
"Is that what happened with... I mean, is that why you... have those rumors about you?" Hitter asked, genuinely curious.
Sunrise watched the magical glow of the streetlights across from them, "That would be a likely explanation," she said.
"But they are true, aren't they? At least in a general sense?" Hitter asked.
"Of course not," Sunrise lied.
"Well... I've done a few interviews with ponies who say otherwise so..." she trailed off.
"You know, when I came over here to give you some encouragement I was hoping I could also find some mercy for a lost mare who's still figuring out her place in the world," Sunrise said, a bit irked.
Hitter sighed, "I go where my boss points me."
"I see..." Sunrise kept her eyes on the lamp lights for a while. "You know what? I'm still assembling my team. I could use a media consultant. It'd be a significant raise and you do seem under utilized. And did you see the ponies in there? They need good work and I want to get our economy going to the point where we can compete with the rest of the world." Sunrise sighed, "We may have an idyllic paradise in Equestria but we're lagging behind the rest of the world."
"No offense, Sunrise, but I know your type," Hitter said stoically, "You may think you're doing good but in the end you're going to hurt more ponies than you help."
Sunrise frowned, "I know your type, as well. Life is going to chew you up and spit you out. In the end you'll have done nothing for anypony and you'll have meant nothing to the world."
"I guess we'll just have to see then," Hitter said, peeved.
"I guess we will," Sunrise said. She stood up and walked off. "Have a nice night, Hard Hitter."
"You too, Sunrise Sparkle," she said. She flicked the last of her butt into the gutter and went home, chastising herself for falling off the wagon.
"Thank you for meeting me here, doctor. And I'm sorry it's so late," Sunrise said. It was time to learn about what was happening in her brain. She'd sent somepony from the team that had handled her press conference to reschedule once it became obvious that it'd take all day. The doctor had insisted that they meet today so he'd come to her room in the castle. After her day she just wasn't up to going out. "Please, take a seat," she said, gesturing at her little, round tea table, not that she used it for tea.
"Of course, Princess," he said as he sat down, "it's no trouble. And I know how exhausting the media can be. I've had the unfortunate opportunity to do a press conference myself."
The light brown unicorn was on the skinny side and he had a yellow mane. His name was Mender.
"Alright," Sunrise said, "give it to me straight. I know you wouldn't have asked for such quick appointment if it was good news."
"It doesn't look good," Mender said. He went on to explain, both in great technical detail and in broad, simple terms, that many areas in her brain were missing connections to the other parts, or weren't as communicative as they should be. He pulled out a series of scans and highlighted problem areas. "The interesting part, and the reason you're still functioning is because your brain is rerouting the connection through other areas, as well as healing in general. I suspect that's the reason for your coma. Now, don't get too worried. I expect you to continue healing, even without medical assistance. At this point we mainly need to monitor the problem, but we have options. I'd recommend a general magical infusion to assist the natural process. If you stall in your recovery, or if we see decay, then the infusion will be a necessity and we may have to pursue more extreme treatments."
"What. Um," Sunrise swallowed. "What sort of extreme treatments?"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Princess," Mender said. "It's likely we won't even need to consider them."
"Very well, doctor," she said slowly. "What's our next step?"
"I'd like you to come in to start your treatment as soon as possible," he said.
"Alright, let me grab my schedule," Sunrise said as she levitated over a small, black book from her vanity table. "Let's see... I'm going to Ponyville tomorrow but I can fit you in before I leave. Nine o'clock okay?"
"We'll make room," Mender said with a kind smile. "Have you considered getting a secretary? I know you're a busy mare. Before I got mine I was completely overwhelmed but she's made everything quite manageable."
"Oh, I've considered it," Sunrise said, "but I find doing my own scheduling to be soothing."
"To each their own, I suppose," Mender said. He glanced over at the bottle of whiskey on the vanity table. "I'd also recommend you avoid drinking and any other vices you may have. And you should try to eat as healthy as you can."
"Thank you, doctor," Sunrise said with a sigh, "I trust this is all confidential? Even from Princesses Celestia and Luna?"
"Of course. It's all sealed unless you want to tell them," he said in a sympathetic tone.
After they'd said their goodbyes Sunrise walked over to her her vanity and poured a glass for herself. She stared at it for a long moment. The clock ticked slowly, counting the seconds. She picked up her drink and chugged it all in one go. She threw the glass at the wall, shattering it, and shouted, "Motherfucker!"
She sipped from the deceased cup's sibling while her room was cleaned by the maid she'd fetched, who gave her the stink-eye. "I'll need that replaced," Sunrise said.
"Yes, Princess," the maid said curtly.
Sunrise set her elbow on the vanity and rested her head on her hoof. She stared at her new face. I shouldn't keep this a secret... should I? I could tell Twilight but it'd just worry her... I can't let Celestia know about this. God knows what she'd do with this tidbit.* She might use it to keep me from being a princess.** I should... I should just keep it to myself. I mean... I'm getting better. No need to worry anyone. Anypony, she corrected herself.
*She'd be exceptionally sympathetic.
**She wouldn't.
After the maid was long gone Sunrise's eye was caught by her black book. She pulled it over with her levitation. "I used to hate doing my schedule." She flipped through it for a bit. Seeing the even lines and order it represented in her life was comforting. She closed it and set it on the table. A thought occurred to her. A horrible thought. "Oh, no. God, no. Not that. Please, anything but that." She set her head on the table and covered it with her hooves. "I can't be losing myself... I'm the most important thing I have... I-I know I've already changed but I don't want to change more. And I don't want to be like Twilight!" she yelled. "Dammit!"
Sunrise started her day with a nasty hangover, which she popped some pills for. She took her first cup of coffee during a long shower. She took her second cup while going through the many newspapers and magazines she'd requested. They helped her mood, as did the shot of whiskey in each cup.
Celestia was not enjoying her morning. She was sipping her tea while she perused her usual set of varied news sources.
A New Star Rising?
"The mare's made quite the splash," she said to herself.
"Ooh, this one looks nice," Sunrise said cheerfully.
The Princess of Charm
"Ink Mark, huh? Looks like he's keeping his spot in the press pool."
Celestia glared at the headline she was reading. She skimmed through the article before throwing the paper in the trash. She picked through the pedantic and flattering papers until she found one that seemed objective, The Economist.
Equestria Works: What It Is And What It Means For You
After glancing at the article inside she crumbled up the paper and chucked it.
"Hmm, The Economist," Sunrise said, "Wait. This article is by the journo that asked me about my favorite color," she giggled as she grabbed a random magazine.
The New Queen of The Canterlot Social Scene
"Celestia must be having a conniption," she said and laughed.
Celestia incinerated the paper she was holding. This sort of behavior wasn't uncommon for her while reading disagreeable news. In fact, it was a favorite past-time, which is why she read the news in private. "That mare..." she said to herself. "She's doing remarkably well but it won't last long. As soon as one paper talks about those rumors the press will turn on her like a pack of hungry dogs."
Before Sunrise headed out, in a ponytail and new aviators, she got her luggage sent to the train station for her but brought her carry-on with her to the doctor's office. It was stuffed with newspapers and magazines for detailed reading on the train ride. When she met with the doctor she consented to the brain scan but tried to refuse the magic infusion. She was dreading mentally integrating with the bits she got from Twilight and was half-convinced she should try to halt the process. Doctor Mender wasn't happy with her and after a long conversation he talked her into taking the magical infusion.
Although she was worried about her medical state she managed to keep a good mood and hummed to herself on the way to the station. On the ride she dug through her collection of articles. She studies every word, no matter how vapid or shallow, and used the information to better craft her next step. When she arrived in Ponyville she hopped off the train feeling giddy to see Twilight and Spike again, as well as meet the girls she'd heard so much about. On a day like today, it'd be easy to ignore her anxieties.
In which the author moves a character establishing scene with Hard Hitter a few chapters forward due to reader feedback.
Sorry if you didn't like the last chapter. I think what happened is that I had to remove a certain scene. It was going to set Sunrise on the track of becoming a Mary Sue and achieving an easy victory. I only realized this while writing the later chapters. In removing it I lost some of the lighter tone as well as the chance to display some of Sunrise's better traits. It also pulled the story away from a more absurdist tone and into a more serious one, which I didn't realize until publishing it. In replacing it I wrote about Sunrise's ambitions, Celestia's resistance to them, and set the conflict between them, but I didn't write about why she's wants what she wants, so that she looked to be purely selfish, and without insecurities. I think the last chapter was the first time we got a real look inside Sunrise's head and without the scene I had in mind we missed some important context. I wanted to have a slower reveal of what Sunrise is all about, e.g. each chapter we've seen more of her thoughts, culminating in a chapter which explains her actions Frank Underwood style (just to reassure you, this isn't going to turn into House of Cards, I just like the narration style) but I may bump up the timeline of her character arc. If ever she seems inconsistent, well, that's not her fault, that's just a commentary on my skill as a writer.
Sorry about the long A/N. My love of writing long, rambling A/Ns is only matched by my hatred of reading them.
Thanks to my proofreaders
CitrusFizz
sadron
^I know so much about brain science!
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Well, aside from the unneeded political references at the beginning, this chapter came out pretty good.
What's the deal with that Rarity tag. That's the only thing on my mind right now. Are you foreshadowing something
Celestia feels this strongly about making sure Sunrise isn't named a princess?
Well she's actually a little sad when you think about it for a little bit, just think about what she's went through. And now when she's actually trying to do something with her life, she's getting stumped by her own insecurity and an overprotective princess.
Politics are a perilous and bumpy road to travel
7999031
I think you got your footnotes mixed up.
The impression I got is more in line with what Slayerseba said:
7999113
This just means that she won't use underhanded tactics.
I was referring to this.
The one she incinerated was "The New Queen of The Canterlot Social Scene"
Celestia is upset that she in gaining ground.
Celestia wants her to fail? At least that's what I get from that.
It all makes sense now Hillary is actually a pony in a human body and her pneumonia was her brain "healing".
Those who read my comments know that I seldom leave negative comments, for the simple reason that I want to encourage Authors to write even more stories.
However I have to say something about this story because the Author has made a massive mistake.
OK, I did like the first chapter or two, however the Author has made the mistake of making the Main character completely unlikeable. A good good guy or villain is only good when they are likable. Every good villain should be someone you could root for. This guy has devolved into a complete asshat with no redeeming qualities what so ever. The last few chapters has had me loose any interest in the story what so ever because of the devolution of the main character. Not only do I no longer like him, I no longer care what happens to him. He has become repugnant in a way that kills interest in stories.
I advise the Author research famous villains in fiction and identify the ways that they are written with positive and strong aspects, to make them likable, so that the reader secretly wishes for them to succeed.
The Monk
Sadly, you have lost me several chapters ago.
7999127
...or she could be coming at it more like a mother who's frustrated at the actions of a teenage daughter whose inexperience is setting her up for a fall but she's too rebellious to be advised.
Dude, I've gotta be honest with you. This chapter felt needlessly political and edgy. And what was with the whole random AA intervention thing inserted in the middle? Was that supposed to be a joke? If so, it only left me confused after I finished reading it. I've also noticed that as this story progresses, the MC becomes more of a self-centered douchebag with every passing day. At this point, any interest in how he's going to live in Equestria is really starting to wane for me. I liked the first few chapters, but I'm not sure I like the direction this is going.
7999217
I personally thoroughly enjoyed all parts of this that you seem to dislike, I suppose this totally personal- but I prefer characters I dislike
7999141 I think you're taking him way too seriously. Remember that this is a comedy. If I were to meet this person and see the behavior they've displayed here IRL, would I like him? Hell no! However, in the context of a comedy, I find him quite amusing.
I also haven't passed judgment on him, because we have imperfect information about what has formed his character. Let me ask, is Walter White from Breaking Bad a likeable character? He did increasing horrible things, but that show was a huge success. Sure, he had his reasons, but if you take him out of the context of those reasons, would anyone like him at all? Probably not, and maybe that's the situation here. I'm thinking that the author is trying to slowly reveal what forms Sunrise's character because it's fun, as a reader, to try to tease out the motivations of characters from the bread crumbs, but I suppose some people just don't have the patience for that. If we had more context for what makes Sunrise the way she is so that we could sympathize with her way of thinking, if not condone her behavior, I guarantee many fewer people would be complaining.
7999008
I don't want to debate but I enjoyed politics so it amuses me
The title of this chapter, does it mean Political Relations in Equestria? Or Pony Relations in Equestria?
Celestia certainly isn't acting as wise as ponies thinks she is. She certainly is missing her opportunities to guide Sunrise. I mean, she knows that Sunrise is obviously manipulative, but being a tad hostile towards her because of it of course doesn't solve the situation. And yes, I read the part about Celestia being worried if she knows about her medical issues, but that doesn't change her behavior. She wants Sunrise to be ruined. That much is obvious. And if she reaches this goal I hope she realizes this as wrongdoing. As destroying someone. It might sound a bit harsh, but it would destroy Sunrise. It's all she is working for. It is honestly a good conflict for this story and opens opportunities. It actually got me quite curious which way the Author is going to take here!
7999402
That's exactly why I'm having a difficult time taking her seriously as a character. The author hasn't provided enough backstory to explain why Sunrise does the things she does without making her look like a complete asshat.
7999537 Now that's a valid constructive criticism. For me, it's fine, because I'm not judging her as an "asshat" yet. Given enough time though, even my patience will wane.
(Edit: Because the amusement I get from her antics will only go so far, but that's a matter of taste.) This is the kind of feedback the author needs, IMHO.
7999008
7999462 Considering that there hasn't been an open ended flame war in the comments, I'll call it a victory and quit while I'm ahead.
7999141
7999402 Yup, the slow reveal is what I'm doing. I understand if some of the readers don't like that. I can't really drop that idea and just add in all the context because that'd ruin the point of the fic. I have meant to make Sunrise more sympathetic though... I really do like her despite and even because of her flaws. I've seen a lot of characters in this style portrayed sympathetically but I've desperately underestimated how difficult that actually is to pull off. Remember, I'm a total noob at this and this fic has gotten far more attention than I ever expected. I'm sort of swimming outside of my depth here.
I've been trying to figure out what it is I actually like about this character and I'm rewriting the future chapters to try to portray that.
7999537
7999583 Yeah, I'm going to speed up her character arc and try to get across what I actually like about her. I appreciate the criticism.
7999481 Public Relations in Equestria, I shortened it because I thought it looked better.
7999644 Thank you very much. Please don't hate me in the later chapters, I'm working on it
Hmm the plot thickens. I'm rather curious to see how will Twilight react when she finds out the truth about Sunrise. And Celestia, for that matter. Will she consider her a scheming & weird mare when she finds out it's an alien forced in a strange body/species/gender? How will Luna react? Does Pinkie know?
Well, I'd like more soon, please!
Oh, and nice to know she has some good motivations in her. Makes for someone more humane. Also curious about what scene did you cut.
For what it's worth, I enjoyed the political bits. You managed to integrate them into the story without sounding like any form of agenda with being pushed. Some people, I think are just exhausted after the past year, which makes sense.
Also, the fact that she's acting like Frank Underwood fills me with joy. Then again, I love Frank Underwood even if he's a magnificent bastard.
Holy hell this is amazing. Better than most fics I've read here, and there are a number which I absolutely love. The main character is perfect in a number of ways, and yet she(sunrise) feels nothing like a Mary Sue. We see she's far from perfect, and is rather a model politician that we can't help but like. and when I say that, I mean that she's a very skilled liar and manipulator with an excellent grasp on comedy, and yet faces problems like her mental state. She's far from perfect, and yet, a lack of perfection whilst being very good in manners one would enjoy is what makes characters perfection. A truly great character must have that fundamental paradox, something that can't be but is.
Not only that, but you have very good grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure. I haven't found a thing to complain about, or as I like to put it, "correct an err in the wording of the statement." I am a bit of a madman, and a Grammar Nazi as well, despite how I've made many an err myself. Nice to meet you, and just so you know, I like to find parts of fics which could have been typed better and correct them, and if it's a reoccurring err, I proceed to bash them over the head with a word wall. Hope I don't have to do that to you.
your authors notes made me extremely excited for this story. It's clear you have a plan and are considering many angles. I've no doubt that this story will be enjoyable for as long as it goes on.
Sunrise used Earth charm against the press! It's super effective!
Also, I couldn't help it, but the moment I read the name Hitter, I have immediately thought of a different, more genocidal, name. And I had to mentally correct myself each time I read the name afterwards
Anyway, a good chapter! Celestia certainly has her work cut out for her.
This is your own story and i appreciate that you take the time to write this, I'm just upset that its not going to be funny anymore like it was
Wow, At first I was just interested with the initial premise, and thought this story was just going to be one of those silly none nonsensical ones where the new addition just floods Equestria with silly havoc and some how wins everyone's hearts. Instead, this is really well written and extremely intriguing!
I can't believe she's deliberately choosing to play chess with Celestia!
I can't wait for more!
Thank you for writing this.
I liked this chapter. Not that I didn't like the last two or so. But this one made her relatable again.
Your story's actually really good. It isn't what I expected though. I was expecting a standard comedic HiE, and I got a political thriller.
I think I now see what you were hinting at here though:
But it's a little too subtle and generic. And, with the first few chapters the way they are, you now have a bait and switch, which people tend not to like. I recommend hinting at some of the politics and other deranged antics that Sunrise gets into a few chapters in.
7999217
It was the skydiving instructor, I think. Granted, the cutaway did seem kind of out of place to me as well. But maybe that clears up who those four people were?
THIS CHAPTER GAVE ME CONNIPTIONS
7999668
How into pop culture would you say the main character is? Would the main character be familiar with other MLP fandom thingies like The count of monte cristo adapted by ink potts, or simmilar musicals like Celestia's lullaby for a princess? And, could it be used as blacmail material?
EDIT: added becasue I like the supernatural theme song.
8001454
From what we've seen of her inner thoughts I think that she doesnt see a choice here, she feels that she was brought here on purpose to do -something- but doesnt know what. At the moment she's trying to build a social/political power base so that she can perform her "mission" once she finds out what it is, but due to her current mental health she's maybe not making the best choices...
Honestly her current idea of helping those who have "fallen through the cracks" may well be her actual purpose (the emotial feed back she's getting could be a hint) and if she'd tell Tia/Luna about her thoughts and her problems then they would likely help in any way they could.
But that would be an entirely different story.
I been sure that Sunrise not a good person more or less from beginning. And further into fanfic and less and less sympathetic she become...
At this point I'm ready to drop this fic and continue to read it only because I hope that I see Sunrise crash and burn.
8022491
Problem is that from my point of view Sunrise are rather unsympathetic person. She maybe not so "bad", but in same time also she not "good" and because she unsympathetic I'm kinda don't care what her plans is. Also because of it in conflict between Sunrise and Celestia I'm on the side of Celestia.
My another problem with Sunrise... She actually don't have any leverage over Luna and Celestia and she only win because author play on her side. All Sunrise threats are empty and she cant do anything. Court? Surprise! Princesses are highest possible court. PR? Yeah, in conflict between nobody like Sunrise and princesses who have entire might of Equestrian PR-machine at the tips of their hooves Sunrise have as much chance as snowball in hell.
Well this took a turn for the House of Cards... Me likey
I have to say, i really like Sunrise. She Schmoozes, but knows when to be serious. She's generous with herself and her assets, but at the same time will pull the rug out from under you. She essentially offers friendship with one hoof, but arms the other. She's snobbish, but can be respectful to those that deserve it. She's charismatic, but is quick to make herself seem humble. She trolls, but knows when to stop.
More scenes like this and i say, Long Life to Princess Sunrise!
That's your first bonus point!
Should be fell
7999616
Like I said, I encourage writers, because it isn't an easy task to write good stories. Also, writers grow by writing and by making mistakes in writing. Mark Twain for example wrote the great American classics, however he also wrote some of the worst crap ever penned on paper. In other words, if you consider the Great Mark Twain as if he were an archer, he either hit the bullseye with 100 percent accuracy, or his aim was so bad that he killed members of his audience.
I will give you the benefit of the doubt and will follow the story a bit longer. Your response shows me that you intend to be a writer and are trying to improve your craft. I look forward to reading many more stories from you on this site. We all grow by writing.
The Monk
I can say this is a vary fun story and I am enjoying it immensely.
I'm genuinely intrigued about Sunrise's fate in all this. This story actually reminds me of [Frank] not just in Sunrise's drinking and carousing, but in her creative solutions and long term thinking that genuinely surprises me when it works out so well. I love savvy stuff like that. Like I imagine if Sunrise gets cornered about the whole sex thing, she could say her naivete was taken advantage of, because it was. She wasn't naive about how tab A fits into slot B, but I'm pretty sure before going to town on her, the guards didn't warn her how in Equestria it would ruin her reputation, strip her of her title, and leave her a penniless mare out on the streets (and possibly a pregnant one, to boot). If you keep someone ignorant to deceive them into consenting, it's still pretty much rape, and as a week old blank slate, Sunrise is in the perfect position to put that spin on her story. She could also shift the blame onto Celestia, by letting ponies know about how Celestia is trying to use it as an excuse to ruin her out of spite. Imagine how Princess Celestia must look right now: first she publically threatens the new princess, if she ever falls in love with a lowly commoner, and now mysterious rumors start surfacing that the princess has gone and done exactly that? Seeing Sunrise doing stuff like that is just heartwarming, in a twisted way.
Also the brain problems.
Very freaky. I hope Sunrise is gonna be okay. Though TBH I don't think it would hurt her to become a little bit more Twilighty.
Am I to assume that the endgame is going to involve Sunrise's health?
Once her extreme paranoia towards everything becomes too hard to hide, I'd absolutely love to see the established characters reactions to her obviously twisted mind and how it's perhaps so much worse than they may have initially suspected.
Especially Celestia.
I'm not gonna lie: this is one of the best Transformation stories I've read on this site! The simple, obvious, yet subtle, endgame in this chess s/he plays with Equestria; the "character interactions" (manipulations) by the main character; the fact that only a handful of players seem to even picked up on it; the fact that we're hardly even close to 20% through the rising action of this beautiful tale! Let's not even get started on the fun tangents with the skydiving instructor turned alcoholic!
Overall, I've just been having a grand ol' time reading this; it hits (pretty much) all of my interests in interesting ways!
7999141 I agree with your part about
and while I do agree, this character is rather rude, I enjoy the drive behind him. Smoking, drinking, cursing, rudeness, so often do I read a story about this saint Anon or that Vegan getting sent to Equestria and I just bail out. This character's main aspects are he isn't going to roll over and give up, even against a millennia old politician that raises the sun. He has flaws, but also a very powerful drive. He knows what he wants, and isn't afraid to reach out just a bit too far in order to get it. And, if this happened to me, I could see a few similarities between this story and my personality. Get drunk, get fucked and use hangover to avoid freaking out about gender crisis. To me, that's kinda genius. Of course, I'm no where nearly as political or manipulative, but I'd probably put the newly minted alcoholic to shame. Perhaps that would be my cutie mark...
A old brown jug with XXX on it.
...sorry, rambled. What I'm saying is, I guess I enjoy this because I'd rather read about a disliked character who isn't some health freak that doesn't mind going without meat and sex, then someone that everyone loves because he's just so nice and accommodating, surrenders all belongings and weapons at the behest of incompetent guards who'd got their asses kicked by insects in front of him, faints because talking ponies (The horror, the horror!) [This guy literally just fell from 15,000 feet and had extreme magic beat him into a pony, so he gets a pass.] and their only immediate and long term plan is kissing pony plot and going home {Only to find love or fate and stay/die but not permentaly because fucking magic?!}.
I don't want a likeable character, I want a character with low character who I can relate to.
Fics prob dead
So what about the bar? We've haven't seen her do anything in the bar?
Is she dying or is she becoming more of a clone of Twilight?
It does make things interesting that her health is at high risk and maybe it's because since the body is adult and she is reborn it's probably because there wasn't time for her to develop like a normal pony.
I really love that idea.
Fun! Fun! Fun!
