In the days before Equestria was even a dream and mares are second-class citizens, a pony with a solar cutie mark, Sunny Daze, decides to help her brother become a mage. She doesn't realize that she and the sun have an appointment with destiny.
Sequel novelette: https://www.fimfiction.net/story/430769/to-keep-light-in-eternal-darkness
Accepted for an Equestria Daily Story post on September 24, 2017.
Shelved in the Royal Canterlot Library on August 12, 2019.
The Teen rating is for 10th century AD gender issues faced by a mare that are no longer experienced by the characters in modern (show canon) MLP.
Thanks to DoContra for pre-reading, plenty of suggestions, and copy-editing assistance. Thanks to Equestria Daily submission editors for a lot of stuff I fixed after they pointed out I missed it!
Isn't the implication in the show that sexism went the other way? (See Rainbow's comment to big mac in the sisterhooves social)
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Yes, but somepony had to make that happen. This is an historical drama.
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I'm rather sure that that this remark are one of these things that get discarded in the process. After this episode no one ever again mentioned anything like this and show itself at this point have zero sexism of any kind.
Very interesting start to this. I love Celestia backstory fics, and this is taking it a direction I'm not sure I've seen.
This really is quite the story. It has a certain elegance to it that I seldomly see anywhere else. It also is very interesting to see such a unique take on Celestia's origin story. These three chapters have been by far one of the best works I've had the pleasure of reading on this site, I can't wait for the rest. Keep up the amazing work!
"We shared a long horn of eight turns"
Oooooh, I love the little bit of cultural education this line provides. The use of unfamiliar terminology in a context where its meaning is clear cements it in the mind so much more firmly than if it were merely told to me. This is merely one example of the lush worldbuilding of this story. I'm not sure how I feel about the supposition that the Equestria of Queen Platinum was so misogynistic, though it does present some very interesting narrative opportunities. I look forward to seeing where this story goes.
Still attempting to understand parts of this. Understand Magic Strong do not understand how marrying as if you can call it marriage gets Umbra the Magic Strong
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To honor and obey until death do you part. Traditional society mentality anyway, until you learn a better way.
The collegium is going to have a hard time repeating that success if they leave Sunny here locked up in her hometown. Here's hoping one of the masters at the gathering noticed what was actually going on magically.
I hope that if and when this guy's comeuppance comes, it comes at the hooves of Celestia the Unconquered Sun.
They need to be paying more attention to Summer's repeated statement that Umbra is dangerous.
Given how the mages were behaving towards Sunny, it seems likely that at the very least they have different views towards mares. It may well be a better place to live in general, regardless of how things turn out with Summer and the collegium.
Destiny is calling
Take the test, Sunny!
Oooo, hopefully this will do it.
This story should be higher up. Looking forward to more of it!
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You have made me smile. Thank you.
Indeed looking forward to more of this
Success! Alright Celestia, it's time to update your expectations about your future based on your new abilities and accomplishments. There is so much more in front of you now, as opposed to being the second wife of someone who's probably going to be abusive given his behavior patterns.
I'm curious to see how this one plays out, and how Luna ties in. Will read further.
I think I know who Umbra might be...
While I have enjoyed the story to this point. I am rather sick of Umbra and fact he can say whatever he wants without question
Well, crap.
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That doesn't make any sense. If somepony had to make society biased against stallions then doesn't that imply that somepony had to make society biased against mares as it is in this story? It's not like being being biased against mares is the default state anymore than being biased against stallions is.
Never!
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Yep, that was a bit more ironic than I intended, considering who Sunny Daze is. But I'm not changing it. Thanks for giving me a smile.
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I can neither confirm nor deny that assertion.
Good job Summer!
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I'd say that's entirely up to interpretation and conjecture anyway. This universe truly doesn't know anything of sexual biases and such, so if someone wishes to tackle a more mature and "realistic" approach to My Little Pony, it is entirely up to the discretion of the author to do as he pleases, as long as it makes sense. Once again, these biases don't even really make sense within the universe in the first place, so it's a moot point to argue about what should or shouldn't come first to be prejudiced towards. This is the direction the author wants to go, so I would say it is wrong to assume that this is attempting to convey the idea that females are basely oppressed in all societies; this is merely the author's interpretation of how Equestrian history could have gone, using a more mature and relatable-to-human-history route.
Not completely sure what happened there at the end, but I kind of get the feeling that Umbra is now in an immense amount of trouble with his wife. Excellent, if true.
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You are assuming that Gilt and Umbra have a modern-day marriage where the husband treats the wife as an equal. In the past like this story is based on, the husband's word in a household was law and the wife had little to no recourse against an abusive husband. I suspect that Umbra treats Gilt only slightly better than he would treat Sunny Daze after a forced marriage.
We're not done yet.
Hell yeah, nice job Sunny.
It remains to be seen whether the townspeople are helping or hindering the propoli at this point, but I have my doubts about the former. Someone who can raise the sun is what the entire world has been looking for, it wouldn't make much sense to see someone who can and then stone her to death anyway.
Mixed feelings on this story. I understand teh Queen allowing the high desert people to keep their customs historically speaking that tends to pacify a conquered people the Romans did it while showing them the benefits of being a part of the empire.. Yet they defied the Queen not letting all with magic take part in the testing them. Then Umbra left the desert to kidnap Celestia and bring her back by force his area of authority something generally not allowed if you were allowed to keep your customs you had accept outside your area they did not apply
Now that's a seemingly unique take on Equestrian celestial mechanics.
And quite the story for how it came to be, too. No wonder they're so concerned about keeping it secret.
Join the Collegiate, Sunny. They've already fought for you, and have a lot of magic to teach you. Plus your brother will probably follow you in or out. Join them, and over time make them yours.
Interesting additions but will Umbra and the rest of the High Desert people let go of them so easily. Actually from the way this has been playing out more like Umbra pushing others into not letting them go
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Loving your analysis. There’ll be a new chapter next week, so stay tuned!
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Read the first chapter of Sunset Shimmer Goes to Hell. You may recognize a millennia-old institution....
I tend to write a full universe of stories. Some of the events in this story arc are mentioned in Celestia and the Battle for Sunset, and it all started with The Enforcer and Her Blackmailers. (if you’re interested, of course. )
Maybe in the epilogue but unless he's dead can't imagine Umbra just accepting this. They are in his territory and high desert rules apply.. he is determined to get his way and a mare can't raise the sun
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I think you will like the epilogue. Beyond that, I can neither confirm nor deny anything that you are commenting about.
8625300. We will see and I'm betting Umbra knows outside the high desert he will lose his authority over Sunny dazy
Teaching Sunny the full details about how Equestria's heavens work was a really good idea, she appears to have a better grasp on the mechanics of what is going on up there.
Just accept it Sunny, your calling is to be naked in addition to raising the sun. Either that or you need something fireproof.
So, Luna?
It's almost over?! But this story feels like it was just getting started! There's actually much that is still confusing. Surely, there will be a sequel?
Nicely done could wish Umbra had gotten more of his just deserts but not badly done
Cool story. See you in the sequel.
Well, it still feels like it just started, but, eh, I'll bite.
I really suggest adding more character tags though, the story feels misleading without them, as well as updating the description to match the current status.
Hurricane is pretty clever, and I'm amused that Buster happens to be her ex.
Really looking forward to that sequel.
Jeez this is a brutally religious story. That whole setting is a real shitshow as well. It swings between early classical era and late Victorian era.
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Is that so? I would be interested in learning what specifically in the story made you come to your “brutal” conclusion. Feel free to PM me. Please do me the favor of giving me the chapter name and quote some text. If I slipped up, I want to know so I do better next time. I try not to comment upon the content of my stories, leaving it to the readers to glean or not glean my message, however I must reply to your comment because I fear it will mislead perspective readers.
I wrote no explicit or implicit religiosity into the story,, nor any indictment of religion. The milieu does have parallels in our world, as is discussed in the Author’s Note at the end of the story. This story is about the abuse of power that is relevant to our world as it is to Sunny Daze. The protagonist would be perfectly happy living in her traditional society—despite the limits that our evident to our modern perspective or to what we see in MLP—were her antagonists willing to leave her alone.
It looks to me like there are a number of times Sunny's name is switched with Summer's and vice versa.
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This could well be true! Fiction writing 101 demands you give all your characters names that start with a different letter. Did I do this? No. Of course not. I liked the Sunny/Summer “daze”–”days” homonym too much, or their mother did. So... If you could point any transpositions out, I guarantee you I’d be very thankful. I’d even award you a virtual gold star. PM me if you want.