Golden Sun's Zenith, Part 3
Celestia woke up to the sound of Daring Do’s voice.
Well, no, actually. Not a sound, she realized. It was a message projected into her consciousness, skipping past her ears and entering directly into her mind. She groggily arose from her bed, pulling herself free from the world of dreams. She vaguely recalled hearing Luna’s giggling just before she awoke, and briefly wondered what embarrassing prank she’d been victim to in the dreamscape.
Hey, Princess? You awake? Come quickly, I found something!
Celestia let out a yawn, rubbing the last bits of sleep residue out her eyes. The room she was staying in was luxurious, if far from what she was used to, with the flora that permeated the rest of the palace forming a carpet-like covering of grass on the floor. Her bed was crafted from stone, with a mattress crafted from unknown material and a blanket woven from great colorful feathers. By the side of the bed was a stone bedside table, with a large yellow mushroom growing from a flowerpot whose biolumenescent glow could be switched on and off with a simple press of the cap.
As she lowered herself onto the ground, Celestia’s horn lit up with magic, and she grabbed her crown, necklace, and anklets from a nearby shelf and carefully placed them on. The amulet of telepathy she had worn to sleep, of course, and she could still feel its gentle magic as Daring Do prodded at her mind.
Come on, Princess, what are you waiting for? It’s important!
Celestia sighed, and tapped on the amulet’s gem. Miss Daring, I wore the amulet to sleep in the case it would be needed for a life-threatening emergency. You cannot hide your emotional tone in a telepathic message, and I can tell from your lack of panic that you are not in danger.
What? That’s... that’s ridiculous, you don’t know that.
Are you in danger, Miss Daring?
Well, no, but—
Then you understand why I am not in a hurry. My duty necessitates that I awake very early, and the length of my daily tasks ensures I have less time for sleep than most other ponies. Now that I’m no longer needed to raise the sun, I intend to get as much sleep as possible.
Yeah, well, it’s kind of about that, Daring Do replied. The sun, I mean. You know how it keeps moving across the sky in this hemisphere even though you’re not here to guide it? I think I may have found out why. Well, sort of. Come to the palace library and I’ll show you.
The last vestiges of drowsiness began to evaporate from Celestia’s mind. That did sound like something she wanted to know. I see. In that case, I’ll be there in a moment. Just give me some time for my morning preparations.
I’m pretty sure they don’t serve cake for breakfast here, Princess.
Celestia’s eyes went wide. What!? How did you— I mean, I don’t know what you’re talking about.
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The library was somewhat less covered in plants than the rest of the palace, though that didn’t mean that there weren’t plenty of bioluminescent fungi and flowers to provide proper illumination. Stone shelves lined the walls, each packed with codices that took the form of long, accordion-folded sheets. Stone signs with pictograms labeled the shelves, though what each pictogram symbolized, Celestia couldn’t quite recognize. In the central area of the library was a series of long tables, with potted lamp mushrooms serving as light sources. At such an early hour the library remained empty, save for a single cuetzpali sitting at a stone desk near the front, who eyed Celestia warily as she entered.
At one of the central tables sat Daring Do, who had an especially long codex unfolded and laid out on the table as she examined it with curious eyes. As Celestia approached, she looked up, sporting a large, excited grin.
“Glad you could make it,” Daring Do spoke softly. “Check out what I found!” With a motion of her hoof, she pushed the codex closer and pointed to its contents.
Celestia sat down across from Daring Do, and peered closer at the codex. What she saw was not anything resembling a book or scroll in Equestria, but a series of elaborate pictograms drawn in colored ink. She squinted, some part of her hoping that it would help her comprehend, but ultimately remained baffled by the unfamiliar method of recording information.
“...I see,” said Celestia. “Do you know what it means?”
Daring Do shook her head. “Not precisely. From what I’ve seen, the cuetzpali don’t seem to have a traditional written language. All of their recorded information takes the form of pictograms and ideograms. As you can imagine, it’s extremely difficult to translate. But take a look at this.” She pointed her hoof at a pictogram near the center-left of the page. “If what I’m seeing here is accurate, then Commander Tempest may not have been the first pony on the Western Continent.”
The pictogram was an elaborate drawing of an ovoid stone, engraved with a single, glowing green-blue eye. Another pictogram was beside it, that of a cuetzpali dressed in priestly garb holding the stone, and a second cuetzpali kneeling in supplication. A thin, green ribbon of light was depicted emerging from the kneeling cuetzpali’s head, vanishing into the stone.
Then, finally, there was a third pictogram, that of an earth pony mare with an ash-grey coat and black mane, and a cutie mark of a twisted, thorned miasma of magic that vaguely resembled a claw. The mare was depicted in a galloping pose, with the stone perched atop her back.
Celestia’s eyes widened at the sight. “Impossible. Sifa Grent?”
Daring Do raised an eyebrow. “You knew this pony?”
“Not personally, thank Epona,” Celestia replied. “My old mentor taught me of her. Sifa was an evil sorceress of unfathomable power, and the archnemesis of Clover the Clever. Seeing her here in a historical codex is... worrying, to say the least. If this artifact was truly stolen by her, there is no telling where it may be today.”
“I’ll add it to my list of relics to look for when we get back,” said Daring Do. “But that’s only the beginning of what I’ve found. Check this out.”
Daring Do motioned to another page. On it was a series of pictograms depicting four figures. The first was the same winged, feathered serpent as Quetzalcoatl, though the image depicted a much more focused glare beneath his eyes. The second was an image of an aven, a winged birdfolk with the beak and plumage of a hummingbird. He possessed bright red and green feathers and wore a pitch-black robe; in his left hand he brandished a staff in the shape of a serpent, the end of which was wreathed in blistering flames. The third was a jaguarfolk with black, green, and blue spots, with a large mirror embedded in his chest and a tree branch replacing his right leg. Finally, there was a massive beast with an elongated, canine snout, large goggled eyes, sabertoothed fangs, ape-like forelimbs, dog-like hind limbs, and a prehensile tail. His fur was pitch-black, with light blue fur on his stomach, jaws, and hands. Lime-green, fishlike fins grew out from his back, tail, elbows, and ankles.
“You remember how Quetzalcoatl said he was the Lord of Wind?” said Daring Do. “These are most likely the other Elemental Lords. And take a look below.”
Celestia’s eyes turned further towards the bottom of the page. Below each of the Elemental Lords was an image of another figure. Below Quetzalcoatl, there was an image of a single cuetzpali, and below the winged aven was an image of a smaller, wingless hummingbird aven. Below the jaguar was a catfolk not unlike the kind seen in the distant land of Abyssinia, though with far more pointed, lynx-like ears. Finally, below the goggle-eyed beast was a beast of similar shape, only it lacked the fins and sabretooth fangs, and had both a hand on the end of its tail and smaller, beadier eyes that were closer to its nose. Large arrows pointed from the Elemental Lords to each of the smaller figures, the interior of each arrow containing intricate patterns that Celestia recognized as alchemical markings.
“Now, this is just a hypothesis so far, and there are several other ways that this image might be interpreted,” said Daring Do. “But if I’m right, this is depicting the Elemental Lords teaching the practice of alchemy to each of their chosen peoples.”
“That sounds like a reasonable explanation,” Celestia replied. “Without magic of their own, the peoples of this continent would need another way to keep the cycles of nature flowing.”
“Exactly,” said Daring Do. “And I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit worried about Mr. Googly Eyes’s chosen here.”
Celestia took a look at the goggle-eyed Lord, and the similar, finless figure depicted below. Aside from the bizarre appearance, nothing about either especially struck her as notable compared to the other pictograms.
“Might I ask why that is, Miss Daring?”
Daring Do shot Celestia a disbelieving stare. “Um, hello? Did you look at either of them?”
“My eyes are as functional as yours,” said Celestia. “I simply don’t know what it is you’re expecting me to see.”
“Oh come on!” said Daring Do. With every breath, she noticeably struggled to keep her voice at an acceptable volume for a library. “There’s no way you couldn’t—” She paused, her words suddenly cutting off by an apparent moment of comprehension. Her eyelids narrowed as she glared at Celestia even more intensely than before. “Oh, I get it. This is one of your pranks, isn’t it? No offense, Princess, but this really isn’t the time.”
Celestia blinked. “Pranks? I assure you, Daring Do, I’m being completely serious. If there’s something about this image you understand that I don’t, I’d prefer if you were straightforward with me.”
“You really don’t see it?” said Daring Do. “How they both look like Ahuizotl?”
Celestia paused. Something in the back of her mind stirred, but she struggled to make it out beneath the fog of her vast centuries of memory. “Ahuizotl... I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before. Who is that, if I may ask?”
“Ahuizotl!” said Daring Do, now only just barely keeping herself from shouting. “You know, dastardly villain? Steals artifacts? Obsessed with power? Has come within a hair’s breadth of killing me at least a dozen separate times? How have you... you...” Her voice trailed off into nothing. Daring Do’s pupils visibly dilated beneath the fungal light as she came to a sudden understanding. “Oh dear Celestia, you’ve never actually read any of my books, have you?”
“I’m afraid not,” Celestia replied. Already, she could feel her lips curving upwards into a grin. “I’m a very busy pony, after all. And as much as I appreciate the thought, I’m not sure how you think praying to me will change that.”
“Praying?” said Daring Do. “What are you—”
Celestia’s grin widened even further. Then, in a single moment, Daring Do’s eyes bugged out so much that Celestia could hear the sound of glass shattering through their telepathic link.
“Ack, nonono! That’s not what I meant! It’s just a figure of speech, honest!”
It took all of the self control Celestia could muster to stop herself from bursting out into laughter on the spot. As it was, she managed to keep herself just quiet enough for a brief bout of muted snickering.
Daring Do brought a wing to her face, a prolonged groan escaping her throat. “Glad you’re having fun. Can I continue?”
“By all means.”
With one final roll of her eyes, Daring Do shifted the codex, bringing another page to the center of Celestia’s gaze. There, depicted on the parchment, was an image of the four Elemental Lords. Each of them looked to the sky as a massive winged being descended, with the body of a lion and the face of a pony with a great blue beard. Then, in another series of sequential pictograms, it bestowed upon the Lords a golden orb. As they received it, each of the Elemental Lords bowed before it, glowing streams of power erupting from their bodies and pooling into the artifact. Then, as the artifact shone with a bright new light, the winged being disappeared back into the sky.
“Is that... a sphinx?” said Celestia.
“Looks like it,” Daring Do replied. “Definitely not something native to this continent, from what I’ve gathered. And that’s no ordinary orb, either. Look at the next image.”
Daring Do motioned to another page. In its center was the very same golden orb, positioned within a glowing halo as it loomed over an elaborate landscape. Multiple rays of golden light shone outwards from the orb, and everywhere they touched the land had grown visibly more vibrant and fertile. Two more rays of light shone skyward, one enveloping the sun, and the other enveloping the moon.
“You’re seeing this, aren’t you?” said Daring Do. “You get what this means? That artifact has to be the Golden Sun. It’s the foundation of the Empire’s power, and the reason everything here is teeming with life. This thing regulates the entire continent’s natural cycles all by itself.”
“It would appear so,” said Celestia. As she looked up to face Daring Do, she noticed a subtle crease on the archaeologist's forehead. “But that’s not the last of what you wished to show me, is it?”
Daring Do shook her head. “No. There’s one more thing. Right here.”
As her eyes drew towards the end of Daring Do’s hoof, Celestia leaned back in surprise. The final set of pictograms, on the farthest end of the codex, showed the images of all four Elemental Lords, each leading a vast army across a charred, burning battlefield. Corpses of all kinds littered the landscape, and dozens of soldiers were shown mutilating each other in horrific, brutal ways. Above them all, the Golden Sun shone brightly, its bright golden radiance turned into a deep, bloody crimson.
Daring Do looked Celestia straight in the eye, her lips pressed into a thin frown. “You understand why I called you here now, right? This is what the Golden Sun brought to this continent. The Elemental Lords were gifted with a power beyond imagination so that their lands could prosper, but instead they committed horrible atrocities to claim it for themselves. ” As she continued, her voice became increasingly agitated. “There’s no telling how much of this is true and how much is embellished, but several of these codices show entire civilizations being eradicated. It looks like only reason the Cuetzpali Empire exists at all is that they simply outlasted all of their rivals.”
Comprehension began to crawl its way into Celestia’s awareness. Her wings twitched subtly by her sides as the weight of understanding pressed upon her. “And now they hold exclusive claim to the Golden Sun’s power.”
Daring Do looked Celestia straight in the eyes. For the first time since they arrived, the quiet determination that had always shone through them had begun to falter. “Princess, I... I’ll admit, I’m a little bit scared to think of what this could mean for us. Based on its depictions, the Golden Sun is easily the most powerful artifact I’ve ever come across in my travels. If it were turned against Equestria, the Elements of Harmony would probably be the only thing strong enough to stop it. And that’s not even considering how much damage it could do before the Elements were properly assembled.”
Celestia took in a deep breath. “You are right that it’s powerful enough to pose a significant danger. That said, if the Golden Sun is used to keep the continent’s natural cycles flowing, the Cuetzpali Empire would have no good reason to bring it outside of their established territory.”
Daring Do’s mouth opened briefly, then closed again. After a slight pause, she spoke. “You’re not worried at all?”
“I am always worried,” Celestia responded. “That is part and parcel of my duty to Equestria. I am worried about the Empire, but if they were to choose to make enemies of us, they would much more likely turn to raw military strength. I am far more worried that the Golden Sun will be taken by an outsider who doesn’t care for the fate of this continent.”
“Do you really think that could happen, though?” said Daring Do. “It would have to be the single most closely guarded item in the Empire, if not the entire world.”
“Tell me, Miss Daring,” said Celestia, “how many villains have nearly brought Equestria to ruin in the past five years alone? Would you feel safe assuming none of them are capable of infiltrating the Empire’s strongholds?”
“I...” Daring Do bit her lower lip, and her eyes trailed off to the side. “...no. But what exactly are we going to do about all of this?”
“I’ll figure that out when the time comes to establish proper diplomatic relations,” said Celestia. “For now, I believe we should get some rest. There is much to done today.”
Daring Do exhaled sharply. “...Yeah, you’re probably right. I haven’t gotten a whole lot of sleep.” In a single smooth motion, she folded the codex up and tucked it beneath her wing. As she trotted towards a nearby shelf, she gave Celestia a nod. “I’ll see you later today, Princess.”
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After a breakfast that required multiple clarifications on the appropriate diet for a pony, Celestia’s group met with Xochitli in the courtyard just before the palace, joined by the two other generals and their own escort of soldiers. As Celestia approached, Xochitli’s expression changed. Though it was still hard to gauge his reptilian features, she’d already begun to recognize his body language, and she could tell that the elderly general was smiling.
“Good morning to you, Princess,” said Xochitli. “Did you rest well? We’ll be doing quite the extensive tour today, so you’ll want to make sure you have the energy.”
Celestia smiled back. She wasn’t entirely certain how sincere it was. “It couldn’t be any more exhausting than dealing with Equestrian nobles all day. I look forward to seeing more of your capital city.”
“Don’t worry, it’ll be great!” said Tecoli. “I can’t wait to show you what we have have in our stables!”
Celestia and Daring Do exchanged a glance at one another. The Royal Guards that were gathered behind them seemed no less baffled.
“Stables?” said Daring Do. “You mean like... a place to rent?”
“What do you mean?” said Tecoli. “Why would a dinosaur rent a stable? That’s just where we keep them.”
“Huh,” said Daring Do. “That’s... weird. Maybe I just got the wrong idea for a second there.”
Before anyone else could speak, Ihhuitl loudly cleared her throat. “If it’s not too much trouble, father, I would also like to catch the ōllamaliztli match before the end of the day.” For a moment, it almost looked like she was blushing, however impossible that might have seemed for a reptile. “It... it could be a good opportunity to introduce our guests to our customs, that’s all.”
Xochitli chuckled lightly. “There’s no need to be embarrassed, child. We all know how fond you are of sports. We’ll visit the stables, then we’ll see if we can catch your ball game before we visit the Sun Temple. Sound good?”
“Yay!” Tecoli cheered.
“Yes!” said Ihhuitl, closing her eyes and pumping her fist in the air. Almost immediately after, she froze in place, her pupils dilating as she opened her eyes to see the watchful crowd. With a very conspicuous cough, she straightened herself out. “I-I mean, thank you, father.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” said Xochitli. He glanced across Celestia’s group, his eyes scanning across the assembled ponies and minotaur. “Well, we’d best be getting a move on. There’s a lot we’re going to do before the end of the day.”
Xochitli turned around, motioning with his hand. At his gesture, the entire gathering of soldiers began following after him, and Celestia led her own group to follow as well. Before long, they were exiting the palace courtyard and making their way through the city.
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The stables were a compound in the city’s eastern quadrant, greatly removed from most of the other buildings. Stone streets and archways eventually gave way to a large, enclosed field that bristled with grass and weedy flowers, and a single enormous tree that stood dozens of feet tall. Beyond the field was a truly massive building, many times as tall as any stable that Celestia had seen in her life.
That itself couldn’t compare to the sight of the field itself, or rather what was in the field. A large variety of dinosaurs, massive beasts with bright, colorful plumage, were roaming across the enclosed space. A herd of multi-horned ceratops were happily grazing on the carpet of long grass, and a smaller number of fearsome carnosaurs were present. Strangely, the carnosaurs didn’t seem to be interested in the herbivorous dinosaurs at all. Overhead, several feathered pterodons circled the enclosure, with several of them roosting on the branches of the tree.
“Hey, how come those bigger dinosaurs are getting along with the smaller ones?” said Iron Will. “In Iron Will’s experience, if something’s bigger than you and has lots of teeth, it’ll probably try to eat you at some point.”
“Oh, that’s easy!” Tecoli eagerly replied. “We raise them together when they’re born. They won’t eat anything that lives in the stable ‘cause they all share a bond with each other. Come on, let me show you my special mount!”
Eagerly running forward, Tecoli opened the gates to the field and ran through, leaving the cuetzpali soldiers stationed at the gate as the others followed in her hurried footsteps towards the stable proper. The dinosaurs in the pasture eyed Celestia’s group warily as she led them through, and the hungry gazes of the carnosaurs in particular set them visibly on edge. By the time they reached the stable, Tecoli had already rushed in, through a smaller door that was built into the board of second door that was at least a dozen times as large. As Celestia approached the immense stable doors, Xochitli held out an arm, stopping her in her tracks.
“You folks might want to stand back for a moment,” he said.
Celestia blinked. “Oh?”
Whump. Whump. WHUMP.
Before Celestia could even ask for any further clarification, she was preemptively answered by a thunderous stomping, intensifying and drawing closer with each subsequent step. Her wings straightened by her sides as the powerful vibrations in the ground shot through her hooves and pierced the very core of her being. The sense was magnified tenfold by her innate connection to the earth, and though she’d held that connection for even longer than she was an alicorn, she found herself briefly wishing she could live without it.
And then the larger doors of the stable swung open. In the doorframe stood a truly gargantuan carnosaur, with teeth that were each as large as one of Celestia’s legs. Bright crimson plumage was sprayed intermittently across its green scales, patterned in a manner that resembled splatters of blood. Perched atop its back was Tecoli, who in proportion to the dinosaur’s body looked almost comically small. The fearsome carnosaur leaned forward, and gave a roar so intense that it left her momentarily deafened.
When her ears finally stopped ringing, Celestia took a moment to wipe the flecks of spittle off her face, and re-adjust her crown, which had been spun around one-eighty degrees by the force of the sound. Her eyes glanced backwards to her own group, and saw her guards huddled together in a mass, their bodies still shivering uncontrollably.
“Iron Will is suddenly glad he already went to the bathroom this morning,” said Iron Will.
Daring Do shot the minotaur a glare. “Did you really need to share that with us?”
“Iron Will doesn’t hide his feelings.”
Tecoli broke out into a light, airy giggle. “Gotcha, didn’t I? There’s no need to be afraid, though. Xeltua won’t eat anyone unless I tell her to.”
Daring Do stared agape at the massive dinosaur’s jaws, drops of saliva dripping between its enormous teeth. “Um... have you told her to?”
“Huh?” Tecoli blinked. She looked Daring Do in the eye from atop her mount, her eyes wide as though she’d just been struck. After a moment’s hesitation, her posture noticeably began to slump. “W-well... no. I, um, haven’t been a general very long. But you’ll see! When I turn two hundred, I’ll be the most fearsome military leader the Empire has ever seen!”
Through the corner of her eye, Celestia could see Daring Do’s pupils dilate. “Two... two hundred? Just how old are you?”
“One hundred and twenty seven,” Tecoli grumbled. “But it doesn’t matter what anyone else says!” she quickly added. “Just because I’m still a kid doesn’t mean I can’t be a good general! You’ll see!” Baring her teeth in a reptilian grin, she reached down patted her dinosaur mount on the side. “Come on, Xeltua, let’s show them what we can do! We’ll race around the pasture and beat our old record! Sound good?”
Daring Do’s jaw hung loose. “W-what? One hundred and... Just a kid? What?”
“You all might want to step aside,” said Xochitli.
As though on cue, Xeltua leaned forward, and began pawing at the ground with a leg. The massive carnosaur’s tail twitched eagerly as its entire body became poised for sudden motion.
“Incoming!” Iron Will shouted out.
The ground rumbled with the force of a miniature earthquake. Before she could even form a coherent thought, Celestia had already dived to the side. Her eyes screwed shut of their own accord as her entire body was enveloped in a cloud of dust kicked up by the massive footsteps, forcing her into an extended coughing fit. When she finally regained her composure, she stood to find everyone else in a similar position, save Ihhuitl and Xochitli, who had both retreated a much further distance to the side.
With a quick spell, Celestia brushed off the thin coat of dirt that had made its way into her hair and feathers. “Is everypony alright?”
Daring Do coughed gently, and gave the group a cursory glance. Thankfully, there were no injuries to be seen, apart from a few ruffled manes. “Looks like it,” she said.
Celestia and the others then turned their attention towards the pasture, where Tecoli and her mount were already circling around the outer bounds at a breakneck pace, kicking up further clouds of dirt as the force of the massive dinosaur footsteps uprooted patches of grass in their wake. As she ran, Xeltua let out another roar, one that was joined by Tecoli’s own joyful whooping and cheering.
A smile gradually crept its way onto Celestia’s muzzle. “I will admit, it is quite the spectacle.”
Daring Do rolled her eyes. “So’s almost getting your scalp sliced off in a death trap, but you don’t see me wanting to do that again anytime soon.”
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Thankfully, the remainder of their stay at the stables didn’t involve any more instances of nearly getting trampled by a dinosaur. It did involve a particularly nasty case of gingivitis, but that wasn’t something that couldn’t be solved by a quick theropod dental procedure, which apparently Iron Will was qualified to do somehow. Celestia decided it wasn’t worth the trouble questioning it.
Afterwards, their tour of Atlazan took them further into the city. The armed escort of soldiers had given them a wide berth as they passed, but as they reached closer and closer to their destination even they had increasing difficulty parting through the crowds.
It wasn’t hard to see why once they got close. The escort brought them into the neighborhood of a massive outdoor stadium, built from carved stone, which they could see clearly from several blocks away. Already from a distance they could hear the roaring crowd. By the time they reached the stadium proper, the roadway was so packed with pedestrians that the group was all nearly squished together, and the sound of cheering so intense that it rumbled like an earthquake.
As they approached the ticket counter, Xochitli cleared his throat. “Well, looks like we’ve all made it here. I’ll see you all after the game is over.”
“Huh?” said Tecoli. “Grandpa, you’re not going to watch it with us?”
“Well, I’m sure you know my old bones aren’t quite what they used to be,” Xochitli replied. “I don’t think I could handle being part of such a excitable crowd. I’ll leave the rest of the group to you, Ihhuitl, then we can meet each other at the Sun Temple.”
Ihhuitl nodded. “Yes, father.”
With a wave of his claw, Xochitli bid farewell to the others, turning around and disappearing back into the crowd.
Admission into the stadium proper went smoothly, though it had taken a considerable amount of time just to even get past the ticket counter. There were additional complications when it turned out there weren’t enough seats available for the full escort of soldiers, and after a brief argument with the ticket counter, Xochitli was able to procure additional seats from cuetzpali who had yet to show up, with the promise that those whose seats were taken would be given a full refund.
As they took their seats, Celestia couldn’t help but notice how the interior of the stadium was remarkably similar to those back on Equestria, and as they took their seats Celestia marveled at just how closely it mirrored the hoofball arenas that had been built over the past half-century. The sport that was being played, however, was something fairly different. The playing field was arranged into a distinct “I” shape, with a single narrow field flanked by two walls with sloping faces.
Within the field, two teams of six players, each dressed in elaborate, color-coded uniforms consisting of a leather tail guard, hip guards, a thick wooden girdle, kneepads, and protective helmets. For one team, the uniforms were dyed green wearing red and the other they were dyed green. The sport itself appeared to play like a netless version of volleyball, with each team hitting a large rubber ball back and forth with their tails across thick white lines that were drawn onto the grass. A stone ring, barely larger than the ball itself, hung from the center of the wall at mid-field, though the players only seldom made an effort to pass the ball through the ring, none of which succeeded.
Though Celestia had initially only watched the sport with a careful eye, in time she found herself growing increasingly captivated by the performance. The ball-players demonstrated an impressive combination of strength, agility, and athleticism, jumping and running with great acrobatic prowess. Every time the red team scored, the crowd erupted into a cacophony of cheers, and soon enough Daring Do, Iron Will, and the guardsponies found themselves caught in the same fervor. Even Celestia found herself eventually joining in; after a particularly impressive score by the red team, she noticed she was stomping her front hooves in applause against the stadium floor, without even having realized she had started.
“Come on, everyone!” said Iron Will, “Do the wave!”
“Oh! Sounds fun!” said Tecoli. “You heard him! Three, two, one, wave!”
Tecoli stood up from her seat reached into the air with her arms, a motion that was subsequently mimicked by the guards to her left. Before long, Celestia found herself caught within the motion as well, eagerly standing onto her hind legs and waving her front legs in time with the surrounding crowds. The wave spread across the stadium, traveling clockwise from the motion of the spectators, until it reached all the way back to where it had started.
As the wave of the crowd faded, Celestia couldn’t help but giggle. She could hardly even remember the last time she had the chance to show that much of her lighter side. Here, despite the oddity of her presence, nobody was interested in judging her for acting in a manner less than regal.
In the corner of her eye, however, she saw something odd. There, sitting to the right of her, was Ihhuitl. Despite the cheering crowd, her expression remained utterly blank, and she sat unmoving on her chair. Her entire body was tense enough that it seemed like any moment she could snap like a rubber band.
“Is something wrong, General?”
“Hm?” Ihhuitl’s attention was pulled away from herself, and she turned to face Celestia. “What do you mean?”
“You’re the one who suggested we come to this game,” Celestia replied. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
Ihhuitl’s eyes drifted away. For several moments, she remained silent, until she finally spoke. “...Yes.”
“Well, I don’t presume to judge,” said Celestia, “but you don’t look very happy right now.”
“I would have thought that you of all creatures would understand,” Ihhuitl replied, her voice barely audible above the crowd. “You are here to represent your entire people, yet you engage in these... these crude festivities. Are you not worried your behavior will reflect poorly on those you speak for?”
Celestia smiled gently. “Perhaps. But everyone here seems to enjoy this sport. I’d hate for you to think that ponies are incapable of having fun.”
“I suppose. It’s just...” Ihhuitl gave out a sigh. “I’m sure you have noticed by now, but my niece can be rather... enthusiastic. She is young, and has yet to learn the decorum that is expected of her position. I was much like her, once.”
“I see,” said Celestia. “So you fear that others won’t respect you if you show your true feelings.”
Ihhuitl remained silent. Her head turned downward slightly, and she stared at the floor.
“If I may offer some advice?” Iron Will chimed in.
“Gah!” Ihhuitl cried out suddenly, nearly jumping out of her seat. “You! Were you eavesdropping?”
“You were kind of talking to each other while we’re right here,” said Tecoli. “And what’s this stuff about ‘decorum,’ anyway?”
Iron Will snorted audibly. “Oh, that? That’s just a fancy way of saying ‘pretending to be something you aren’t.’ Iron Will doesn’t believe in such things. If there’s one thing that other folks can always recognize, it’s a phony. That’s why Iron Will always stays true to himself, and ponies from all across Equestria flock to his entrepreneurial ventures. Nothing in the world of business is more refreshing than sincerity.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “And does that sincerity include fine print contracts?”
Iron Will grinned, letting the sunlight glint off his pearly whites. “Did Iron Will lie about his contract?”
“Strictly speaking, no,” said Celestia. “But I’d hardly call—”
“Then Iron Will rests his case.”
“Yes. Well. I would hardly compare a being an entrepreneur to being in a position of leadership,” Ihhuitl remarked. “I have had great expectations placed on my shoulders for as long as I can remember. I... I want to be able to embrace my own passions, but my responsibilities aren’t about what I want.”
“I dunno, I kinda think he’s onto something,” said Tecoli. “I mean, sure, people probably think because you’re part of the Council, you’ll probably have be some stuffy old codger like grandpa. But why not just prove them wrong? If you’re really great, won’t people like you anyway?”
“Greatness doesn’t mean following every impulse I have, Tecoli,” Ihhuitl chided. “My words and actions do not exist in a vacuum. By the nature of my station, everything I do can leave a profound impact on the Empire. That is the responsibility of leadership, and that is something you must understand.”
Celestia stared at Ihhuitl. Even in the unfamiliar wrappings of a reptilian face, she could see the inner conflict etched into her frown, a feeling that she had known centuries ago. “If I may ask, Ihhutil, what makes you believe you have to choose between serving your duties and following your own desires?”
Ihhuitl turned to face Celestia. Her eyes sparkled brightly underneath the afternoon sun, reflecting an emotion that Celestia had seen many times within the mirror. “I... I don’t understand. What are you trying to say? Of course I have to choose, I can’t afford to be reckless with the power I wield.”
Celestia smiled warmly. “But I never said anything about recklessness, did I? Trust me, I understand exactly how you feel. I was known to be quite the stick in the mud when I was younger. Ponies would always treat me with utmost seriousness, and because of that, I believed that I could only ever act in utmost seriousness.” Her smile widened into a grin, amusement bubbling just beneath the surface of her emotions. “If you’d told me then that I’d gain a reputation as something of a prankster, I wouldn’t have believed you.”
Ihhuitl’s mouth briefly opened, then closed again. “You... play pranks?”
“Mild ones,” Celestia replied. “I would never hurt anypony, but I do like to remind them that I do have a sense of humor.”
“But why?” said Ihhuitl. “You are clearly not... not eccentric the way the Emperor is. The way you’ve handled yourself so far, the way your guards are always at ease... if you do not rule through fear, how do you ensure they respect you if you don’t meet their expectations?”
“Ponies always have great expectations of those in my position,” Celestia replied. “And much of the time, I will have no choice but to meet them. But that doesn’t mean I can’t help shape those expectations in turn. Once I learned to lighten up just a little, I found that others would treat me more often as a pony, rather than a mere symbol of authority.”
Ihhuitl went silent once more. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply as her brow wrinkled. When she opened her eyes again, there was a new lightness to them, like a great weight had been lifted. “I will try to keep that in mind. Thank you, Princess.”
“You’re quite welcome,” replied Celestia.
“GOAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL!”
The cry came from Tecoli, and subsequently the entire crowd erupted into a thunderous chorus of whistles, cheers, and excited cries, every single cuetzpali in view standing up out of their seats to join in the festivities. The noise itself was so overwhelming that Celestia was nearly blown off her feet, but a single look at the field below gave her an answer. There, sitting just a few feet beyond the stone ring, was the rubber ball that the players had previously been hitting back and forth. While they were conversing, one of the players had miraculously managed to hit it through the goal ring.
“Yes!” This time, it was Ihhuitl who cried out. She stood up out of her seat, arms raised into the air as she joined in the crowd’s cheers. “Red teams wins! Red team wins!”
Despite still not knowing the rules of the game, Celestia couldn’t help but smile at the sight of it. “I’ll be. So they have.”
————————
The sun was already well into western half of the sky by the time the game ended. As the crowds of cuetzpali left the stadium and gradually dispersed, Ihhutl led the group through the streets, towards the city’s westernmost point. It was impossible to miss their destination, as the absolutely enormous stepped pyramid towered over all of the other buildings, its golden cap and silver linings gleaming off the sun’s rays.
The entrance to the Sun Temple grounds was closed off by a massive set of golden gates, guarded by two additional soldiers. There, standing in front of the entrance, was Xochitli.
“Glad you could make it on time. I’ve gone ahead and notified the temple guards in advance of our visit. Shall we?”
“Gladly,” said Celestia.
Xochitli waved his hand towards the guards, and they turned and grabbed the handles of the gateway doors. Slowly, the gates pulled open, and right away Celestia could feel an intense magic radiating from the Temple itself. It was a power so intense that she could feel it reverberating throughout her entire being, from the way it carried into the air, to the magic that seeped from the ground into her hooves, to the swirling, invisible currents of magical power in their raw form.
You can feel that too, right? Daring Do spoke telepathically. In the air around us? I don’t think I’ve ever felt a power like it before.
You know I have as much an aeroceptive sense as any pegasus, Celestia replied. But I don’t just feel the power in the air. I can feel it in the earth, and the raw magic surrounding us. I have only felt magic like this once before, from the Crystal Heart. But even then, it wasn’t this powerful.
Daring Do didn’t respond. Her brow wrinkled, and a deep frown crossed her face. She and Celestia both followed Xochitli up the main stairway to the Sun Temple, a massive set of steps that seemed at times as though it would never end. After more than a minute of walking, they came to the top of the stairway, which led directly into the golden-plated chamber that was placed on the pyramid’s very top. Another pair of guards was stationed at the archway leading into the room, who stepped aside as Xochitli nodded to them.
The interior of the Sun Temple, was even more breathtaking. There, the entire room was made from the purest polished gold, the floors, walls, and ceiling engraved with reliefs that painted vast, elaborate murals. Four statues, each resembling the Elemental Lords Daring Do had shown Celestia before, stood positioned in the center of the room. Instinctively, Celestia realized that they were each placed in positions that represented the four cardinal directions. They facing inwards, towards a golden circular plate that was embedded into the floor.
As they stood in the room, nearly all of Celestia’s group stood frozen in silent awe. Xochitli turned around to look at them, and chuckled softly to himself.
“Impressive, isn’t it? And we haven’t even reached the inner sanctum yet.”
Iron Will whistled softly, quite apparently impressed. “No wonder this place is guarded. Look at all of this gold!” His eyes drifted across the room, until it rested upon the easternmost statue, an image of a goggle-eyed beast. “Hey, that one looks kind of like—”
Celestia glared fiercely at Iron Will. He flinched slightly, and made a buttoning gesture over his lips.
“Those are the four Elemental Lords,” said Tecoli. “They poured their energy into the Golden Sun to make its magic work. It’s the most powerful force of alchemy in the whole world!”
“I figured they might be something like that,” said Daring Do. “There’s something I’m a bit curious about, though.” She pointed a hoof again towards the goggled statue. “What’s he supposed to be, anyway? Quetzalcoatl’s a serpent, one’s a jaguar, one’s a hummingbird... but I’m not sure what his deal is.”
“Oh, that?” said Tecoli. “That’s Tlaloc, the Lord of Water. The ahuizotl were his chosen people, so he’s kind of like them but fishier.”
Daring Do blinked. She paused for a moment, and rubbed a hoof against her ear. “I... I’m sorry, did I just hear you right? Did you say the ahuizotl? As in, plural?”
“Yeah, the ahuizotl,” said Tecoli. “You know, river beasts? They pretty much controlled the whole city, ‘till grandpa and the Emperor came in and kicked them all out... well, okay, maybe not all of them. The Nameless One decided he wanted to be on our side.”
“That is enough, Tecoli,” Ihhuitl cut in harshly. “We do not speak of him, remember?”
“Oh,” said Tecoli. Her eyes turned toward the ground. “Right, sorry.”
“I’m sure you’ll have plenty more opportunities to learn the history of our Empire,” said Xochitli. “For now, I suggest we get our last stop on the tour out of the way. No offense intended, but I don’t see the value in letting foreigners loiter on sacred ground.”
Xochitli stepped forward, standing himself on the of the golden plate. As he positioned himself on its center, he cleared his throat. “Now, the elevator isn’t large enough to hold everyone, Princess, so I’m afraid you’ll have to leave your guards behind.” His eyes glanced over to the contingent of soldiers that had followed along as well. “And that goes for you as well. I’ll take the other Council members to see the Golden Sun our guests. You are to stay here and wait until we return. Is that clear?”
The soldiers nodded in unison with one another, a chorus of ‘yes sirs’ echoing through the chamber.
“Good. Now then, shall we?”
Celestia gave her guardsponies one last nod. She followed Xochitli onto the platform, joined at her sides by Daring Do, Iron Will, and the two remaining generals. When all were positioned on the golden circle, Xochitli reached out with a hand, and a pulse of psionic energy flowed through his body.
A low grinding noise came from beneath them, and the platform slowly began its descent further into the pyramid. The elevator itself was a tube of stone construction, devoid of any of the golden flourishes seen in the rest of the temple. Down they descended, further and further, until they had no doubt passed the pyramid’s base and descended even deeper into the earth itself.
When the platform reached the end of its descent, the group found themselves in a domed chamber, though to call it a mere chamber would not have adequately described what they saw. Though the floors were carved from simple stone, the ceiling and walls appeared to be made from the very essence of the night sky itself, a dark, inky mass that flowed with the dotted lights of hundreds of stars and constellations. And here, the power that she had felt from the temple was stronger than it had ever been before.
As Xochitli stepped forward, a trail of light flashed into existence across the floor, formed from the luminous specks of the stars from a distant galaxy. The pathway of start extended forward, deeper into the unknown catacombs. Xochitli then led the group across the path, within short time they had come across a large, the large golden orb atop it gleaming with an intense, radiant light.
Celestia’s mouth hung open, her very breath taken away from her by the sight, and waves the overwhelming power that lapped against every single one of her magical senses. There, sitting atop the pedestal, was the Golden Sun itself.
————————
The Golden Sun 9
Legendary Artifact
Other permanents you control have hexproof.
Spells you control can’t be countered by spells or abilities.
Damage from sources you control can’t be prevented.
Whenever you tap a permanent for mana, add one mana to your mana pool of any type that permanent produced.
————————
Xochitli grinned as he turned to face Celestia and her no-less-awestruck companions. “Impressive, isn’t it? This artifact single-handedly keeps west of the rising sun in its eternal balance. Under its light, the earth bears fruit, the skies bear wind and rain, and the sun and moon are forever kept in motion above our skies.”
“Wow,” said Iron Will. “So it’s just like Princess Celestia!”
Celestia’s entire body tensed. The three Council members stared with piercing eyes, and she found muttering several profane cursing beneath her breath.
“Interesting,” said Xochitli. “And what do you mean by that, if I might ask?”
“Well, that’s easy,” said Iron Will, “you see—”
“Be silent,” Celestia growled. “I have more than enough to worry about without you jeopardizing our mission every time you open your mouth.”
Despite his massive size, the minotaur flinched away in a manner that made him look very, very small. “Right. Sorry.”
Turning back to face the three generals, a deep, heavy sigh passed Celestia’s lips. “Iron Will is correct, in a sense. For well over a thousand years, it has been my duty as Equestria’s ruler to raise the sun every morning, and lower it every evening. But what most do not know is that I lack the ability to control the sun’s path once it passes the horizon. I have long suspected that there was some other force keeping it moving over the world’s other side, though until today, I could only guess what it was.”
Xochitli’s expression remained unreadable as he regarded Celestia. “A fascinating story, but there is one thing I’m curious about. Who, might I ask, is raising the sun in your homeland, now that you are away?”
“That would be my younger sister,” Celestia replied. “Her duty is to raise and lower the moon. She has taken over my responsibilities for the time being, until I return.”
Xochitli paused, gently stroking his own chin. “Hmm... I suppose that would explain things.”
“Father, you don’t actually believe her, do you?” said Ihhuitl.
“Well, I will admit that I’m not entirely credulous,” Xochitli replied. “But her claim isn’t far-fetched either. There was a time before the great wars ravaged our land, when Quetzalcoatl himself used his winds to push the sun and moon across the sky. I imagine a similar responsibility would also exist on the world’s underside. Perhaps one day I’ll visit her kingdom and see it for myself.”
Celestia exhaled, forcibly letting the tension out of her lungs. “We’ll get there when we get there, General. For now, I’m honored to have gotten the chance to see the crown jewel of your Empire.”
Xochitli managed to crack a smile. “I’m certainly glad you recognize the glory of our Golden Sun. Now then, since we’ve all seen what we came here to see, why don’t we—”
The elderly general never had a chance to finish his sentence. Out of nowhere, a thick cloud of smoke burst into existence, choking the air and blotting out all vision. Celestia coughed furiously as the smoke forced itself into her lungs, her eyes watering from the sudden irritation.
When the smoke at last began to clear, she looked around the room towards the others. Already she could sense something was off, as the alchemical energies that radiated from the Golden Sun were already growing weaker.
“Is everyone alright?” Celestia called out.
“I think so,” Daring Do replied. “What was that, some kind of smoke bomb? Just who—”
“Grandpa, look!” Tecoli shrieked. She pointed with the claw towards the central pedestal. Celestia’s heart skipped a beat as her eyes followed to the pedestal, and she noticed what was there. Or rather, what wasn’t.
Celestia gasped. “The Golden Sun! It’s gone!”
So it looks like I’m actually going to have to split this off into a four-part side-story, since I’m an idiot who doesn’t know how to not make things ridiculously overcomplex. Whoops. 
Either way, you can look forward to seeing how this plays out soon enough, the difficult part was getting all the worldbuilding and characterization out of the way first.
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The epona reference lol
Epona Celtic goddess of horses, and of course ponies.
I don’t think ever felt a power
raise the sun every morning., and lower
1. I don't think I've ever felt a power.
2. Extra full stop.
Artifact is secure for thousands of years. Artifact disappears the moment ponies appear in empire.
I will be very disappointed in these people if they don't lock Celestia and her party up. And especially if they try and are talked out of it, or if the ponies overpower or elude them. In the first scenario, they're chumps, and the second scenario just doesn't jive with their obvious overwhelming might.
8774952
The only way the ponies could talk their way out is Celestia volunteering to manage the sun while they track down the Golden Sun. And even then they might demand she do it at swordpoint.
Dammit, Azor. Bad kitty.
Huh. We have an ascended earth pony Celestia here. Good to know.
I can only imagine how old Xochitli is. I wonder if he's ever lost track.
Don't think I didn't notice the color symbolism in the game. Nice touch.
Ah. That glimpse of history raises some interesting questions. Is Ahuizotl trying to reclaim his ancestors' legacy, or did he betray them in the hopes of claiming the Sun for himself?
Speaking of, the Golden Sun is impressive... but honestly pales in comparison to the Immortal Sun. Two of the abilities are niche and another is barely relevant when you can already produce nine mana. In terms of actual impact, it'll often just serve as a colorless Privileged Position, which raises some color pie questions. For the most part, its effects are reactive rather than proactive, preemptively negating the opponent's countermeasures rather than threatening them with the incredible gas boost provided by its sibling.
And as for the ending... yeah, this could've worked out better diplomatically. Let's just hope Ahuizotl actually has to carry the darn thing; I can't imagine that's easy.
How convenient.
Love the story, especially your Celestia. It's very well written.
I prefer to think that the dinosaur honked loudly, in accordance with recent evidence.
8777358
From what I understand, colorless permanents are designed so that they can do basically anything the other colors can do, with the added caveat that they’re generally much more expensive and less efficient.
I was originally planning to have it be eight mana, but I figured that a Mirari’s Wake + Privileged Position in one would likely just be the standard green/white. I also made it so that the Golden Sun increases the amount of mana gained from all mana abilities that tap as part of their activation cost, rather than just lands, in order to further up its power ever so slightly.
8777382
I think you replied to the wrong comment.
8776933
Ascended earth pony? How did you come to that conclusion?
8777382
Fair enough on that end.
8777462
Emphasis mine.
8777428
Yup, meant to reply to FoME there. I think he caught on though.
8777532
You’ll also notice that Celestia’s card lists her creature types as “Horse Advisor,” despite her Alicorn ability granting her the creature types Horse, Pegasus, and Unicorn simultaneously. When Cadance gets a card of her own, she’ll have “Pegasus Shaman” on her creature type line.
8777532
Wow. How'd I miss that detail?
Imagine that. Azor mucked about here, too.
Out of curiosity, what's Iron Will's card?
9709837
I haven’t really made one for him, unfortunately. Maybe someday, though.