The Cost of a Sunrise

by No one is home

Ascension - The Deserving

“That poor filly!” Twilight protested sadly. “She only wants to follow her dreams!”

“All they wanted her to do was just wait one more year,” Thorax watched suspiciously.

“Oh come now,” Discord smiled happily, “What’s the worst that can come from a little filly following her dreams?”

The Magic School Bus turned sharply to answer that very question.

“Mr. Sunshine always said, if I just kept going, if I just paid enough, you’d come back one day,” The Miraculous Queen Sunrise Flare sneered from the mouldy and bloodstained couch she reclined languidly upon, “and he was right. You were always my brightside, big guy. All of this, all that I left of every town, village, and settlement you tracked me through… all of it was for you. And still, after all this time… all the love, all the anger, all depression, the sacrifice, the blood, the murder… after everything I did for you… I. Still. Don’t. Know. Your. Name.”

The growled words were an accusation. The hulking mass of scar tissue and blue fur opened his bisected mouth wide and a single serpent emerged out of a mass of writhing snakes. “I’m sorry,Sunrise… your majesty. I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry I didn’t speak to you first. I’m sorry I never told you how beautiful you were. And I’m sorry we left you this abyss of a planet,” the serpent whispered in her ear, “But mostly I’m sorry I couldn’t be the pony you wanted me to be. You wanted to save me from the nameless monster I had become… and now, we’re here.”

“We can’t go back from this,” Sunrise leered like the Sun itself, “you know I’ll never stop. I changed my mind about the doll though… I want to make her...Just... Like...M--ehk!”

“I’m sorry Sunrise, I wish you could could have saved me from this, I really needed one of your miracles.” The beast collapsed into wordless sobs as he dropped the lifeless mare to the floor.

“He killed her…” A tiny light went out in Twilight’s eye. “That monster just killed her…”

“She practically begged him to…” Thorax swallowed hard. “What happened to her, how did she end there, from waiting one more year to join the circus?”

“Questions, questions,” Discord laughed, “And that’s why we have a Magic School Bus, because I promise there are answers… somewhere… out there… I’m not going to just do the whole song by myself…”

“You like my act?!?!” Sunrise smiled brightly.

“What you see as an ‘act’, we see as a manifestation of your destiny,” the sickly grey priest wheezed, “if you but join our cause we will give you the power to make that destiny manifest. With our help, you can be the Queen who brings back the sun.”

“I don’t like these ponies.” Dawn Labor, a massive earth pony farm hand glared at the assembled newcomers. “They come in here, making these big promises. Saying how they’ll give all this help to your dad’s farm? How do we know they ain’t gonna just just drag you across the waste to the markets in Murrage.”

“I apologize for our farm hand,” Sunrise blushed fiercely, “He’s kinda got a crush and he doesn’t want me to leave.”

“I’ve got a…” Dawn sputtered, “Of all the… I’m trying to look out for you, here!”

“It’s a traveling magic act, I told you I was signing on with the first troupe that would take me. Okay… they’re a little weird and culty, but it’s a way away from here.” Sunrise glared at the young stallion. “Look, I like you a lot, but I’m not going to settle down and spend my life trying to tend a couple of acres of ashes. You're a good stallion, and we’ve had good times, but I’m just not going to be the mare my father wants me to be… not for him, and not for you. Tell my dad I said I’m sorry… and goodbye. Those are the only two things left to say right now. Good bye Dawn Labor. I’m sorry..”

“Your a fool, Sunrise Daffodilly,” Dawn shook his head slowly, “I hope whatever you find out there is good to ya.”

“What are you gonna do?” Sunrise paused a moment.

“I’m gonna go tell your dad that you left.” The stallion heaved his heavy, auburn shoulders. “And then I’m going to get drunk. Good Luck, Miss Daffodilly.”

“It’s Flare from now on,” the mare said with a sad smile, “I’m going to call myself The Miraculous Sunrise Flare.”

“Goodbye miss,” Dawn just walked away sullenly.

Thorax quickly covered his mouth with his whooves as the bus lurched through space time.

“I’m sorry, we’re moving through some temporal turbulence, please keep your safety belts fastened,” a pleasant recorded mare’s voice droned.

“We don’t have any safety belts!” Twilight screamed.

“I’m sorry,” the voice replied sadly.

The Miraculous Queen, Sunrise Flare arose from the slag and ash of what once seemed a small dragon’s hoard of riches and flared her wings. Even as still burning cables hung from the crown perched atop her head, she stood forth regally, horn thrust skyward. It was as if the magic had washed her coat of it’s lifetime of ash and dirt, leaving it a pristine white like the bleached bones of the ash. Her mane and tail had been set ablaze with all the beautiful colors when the light hits a oil slick just the right way. Her sweet smile was truly awe inspiring and terrible to behold. And on her flank, the filly’s-book-smiling sun was now wreathed in flames, leering with confidence.

“Am I pretty?” Sunrise batted her eyes innocently. “Please… tell me I’m pretty…”

“Damn it to the nine pits! It’s one of those again,” a fat priest huffed with rolled eyes.

“Well, at least she came out with the right number of heads, this time,” a gangly young unicorn replied, lowering his pipe gun, “I don’t think I can take putting too many more down.”

“Put her with the other… disappointments,” the sickly grey priest wheezed, “See to it that she’s taken care of. Let her entertain the foals with her tricks.”

“B-but I’m the Queen! I am your Queen!” Sunrise screached. “Tell me I’m pretty!”

“There, there, your majesty,” I kindly old mare in priest’s robes whisper in her ear. “Of course your the most beautiful pony in the world. You truly are.”

“It is time,” Sunrise sobbed suddenly as she strode forward, “for a new day in Everglow!”

“This way dear.” The kindly seeming mare lead the sobbing young newborn queen into the night.

Comments

[David Silver]

Your a good -- You're a good

You have two of those.

[No one is home]

8992143
Typo rejected from the story.

[AliCentaur Br0ny]

The Miraculous Queen, Sunrise flare arose from the slag and ash of what once seemed a small dragon’s hoard

Should be Flare.

[No one is home]

9374214
Annddd.... fixed. Thanks.