1 - Benedictine
Long, long ago - before Princesses and almost before Equestria - the daily paths of the sun and moon were the responsibility of the unicorns. Each morning, those with the strongest magic set themselves to continue rotating the wheels of heaven and provide another day for the world.
This left them exhausted and taxed to their utmost, for the sun and the moon resisted the unicorns' foreign touch. Sometimes the exhaustion was too great - the strain would blow out a unicorn's magic permanently, leaving them forever without the use of their horn.
Golden Rays knew the risk - it was worth it. For newborn Equestria to see another day, he was willing to shoulder his share of the burden. It was part of his destiny, he knew that with certainty. The cutie mark on his flank - of gleaming rays shining down through the clouds - made it clear.
He waited with the others, cool air of the autumn night ruffling his teal coat. The Raising Circle gave no protection from the elements for fear that even the slightest obstacle might make a difference in their task: instead it was a wide and open rocky expanse across the flattened top of a hill. The six of them stood in their designated places - ones impossible to miss from the well-worn grooves in the stone, left by the hooves of hundreds of their predecessors. To Golden's left was Scarlet Song; to his right, Lucky Wish. As always, Starswirl stood on the far side: in the west-most position and looking east so he could ensure the sun's rising angle was perfect.
The running (if quiet) joke among the others was wondering which would burn out first - Starswirl's magic or his eyes from staring at the sun each morning.
One of the attendants rang the first chime - a single D-sharp. It was their signal to gather their magic and prepare themselves for the Raising.
Golden closed his eyes as he always did, trying to shut out everything but the feel of his magic. The only sense he didn't try to pull inwards was his hearing to listen for the next chime.
It came a minute later - a B note. As one, the six unicorns reached their magic out into the heavens.
They had lasted a long time as a group, not needing a replacement for almost three months. Most cadres needed to have somepony rotated out after only two - they had held strong far past that. It gave their sextet a level of coordination that was usually missing: they knew their roles and their places and their timings. Golden's magic was a little slower than the rest to cross the great distance between ground and sky, but when he grasped his quadrant - the lower right - he did so with greater strength than the others. That's why he shared the base with Starswirl - they were the ones that directed the push and kept the sun's path steady.
Sweat prickled Golden's coat even through the season's chill. It always did. The sun was heat personified, after all. Even merely touching it with his magic was enough to carry the sweltering feel of a blast furnace down to the Raising Circle - heat driven home as a dry leaf that had blown onto the stone began smoldering.
The first of the finishing chimes - F-sharp - rang out. That meant the edge of the sun had broken the horizon, and they were halfway there. Only halfway? Golden felt a tiny sliver of doubt embed itself into him. Lifting the sun was tiring, but today it was more so than usual. At the halfway mark he was usually still going strong - Scarlet had likened it to the moment in a long gallop when you catch your second wind. But Golden didn't feel that today. There was no second surge of energy to keep him going. Only a growing ache, as if he'd been pulling three wagons at once for most of a day.
A tiny voice that sounded like Starswirl came from the back of Golden's mind - the reminder that it was better to step away than to burn out. That there was no shame in a unicorn having done their duty and taking time to recover rather than destroying themselves. And he knew Starswirl was right. Three months was a good run, but the signs were there. Golden would speak to the great sage - after this raising. They'd come so far. He wasn't going to falter now.
One more raise.
The second F-sharp chime rang, signaling that the solar disc had finished clearing the horizon. One more to ensure the sun was on the way for the day ahead, and they'd be done. Just a last push.
Golden focused on his horn and the magic flowing between it and the sun. Even with his eyes closed and facing west, the brightness burned his eyelids.
Too hot. It was too hot.
Lucky Wish's magic pushed against Golden's, trying to take some of the weight. He didn't let it. He could handle a few more seconds.
They made the last push, shoving the sun the rest of the way into the sky.
There was a sound like dry wood snapping.
There was the smell of burning hair.
There was the third F-sharp.
Golden Rays released the sun from his magic.
Suddenly, everything shifted from searing heat to bitter cold. Every muscle in his body cramped up at once and his legs gave out. One of the attendants threw water on him to put out the embers in his mane, but Golden barely noticed it. All he could feel was pain, cold... and the silence of the ether.
The other five gathered around Golden, looking down at his panting, prone form. At his exhaustion - and at the hairline crack that ran along his horn from tip to base.
Starswirl doffed his jingling hat, and the others bowed their heads in reverence. "So we continue to pay the price."
Golden managed to open one eye and shift his head enough to look at the old wizard. "Gladly," he croaked.
"Regretfully," Starswirl corrected. Then he turned to the attendants. "Golden Rays has given all he can to Equestria. I bid that you bear him with honor from the Rising Circle so that another may take his place and that he may have his well-earned rest."
As the attendant unicorns gathered around to lift Golden Rays in their magic and help him away, Starswirl completed his command. His voice was thick with regret, as it always was when he spoke the fateful words. "Carry this hero of Equestria to the Temple that he may find peace, glory and rest under the aegis of the Rising Sun."
Horse Of The Rising Sun
Written & Directed by TCC56
Original Idea by PingZing
Cover Art by RayneTheSkunk
Starring:
Starswirl The Bearded
Princess Celestia
Director Azure Haze
Rufus of Abyssinia
Captain Bit Bridle
Brother Luminous Script
Sister 'Scribble'
Prioress Reliquary Heart
Rye Kaiser
and
Fizzlepop Berrytwist as Commander Tempest Shadow
With Special Thanks to:
The Irrepressible Mrs. TCC
Dave Bryant
I-A-M
Milk & Honey
"The unicorn Tempest Shadow to see Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia."
Celestia nodded at her herald's announcement. "Let her approach the Throne."
She did so with the reverence of the guilty before their judge. Tempest - clad in the black frock she'd chosen to replace her armor - supplicated herself before the dais. Eyes downcast and her muzzle brushing the red carpet, she presented herself before the Eternal Sun. "If it please your Highness, I come bearing word of my travels and my penance."
The alicorn monarch paused for just a moment at that phrasing before she continued. "You may speak, Commander."
A scowl crossed the bowing unicorn's lips. "My apologies, your Highness, but I have no such rank. The only army that could claim me as an officer is one I wish nothing to do with."
"Curious." Celestia lit her horn, pulling a single sheet of parchment out of the pile Raven had stacked for her earlier. She hovered it in front of herself, feigning reading what she already knew was there. "So you wish nothing to do with the EUP Guard?"
Tempest's head popped up in surprise, meeting Celestia's kind eyes. Then she slammed herself back down again, averting her gaze once more. "I--I have no idea what it is you speak of, your Highness."
The parchment floated across the gap between them and a wisp of golden magic nudged Tempest's head up to read it. "Your journey was doing the work of Harmony across the land," Celestia noted with a gentle smile. "I ensured you would not be unprotected during it. As you can see by the date, you have been officially commissioned as an officer in the Solar Guard since the day after the Storm King's fall." Mirth tickled her grin. "Though your haste to begin your journey outpaced the notice."
"I am unworthy of this gift." Tempest actually managed to bow lower, pushing her muzzle into the carpet.
Celestia sighed and stood. "Walk with me, Commander."
The Alicorn of the Sun turned and exited the throne room, the orchid mare trotting rapidly to catch up. Tempest fell into place at Celestia's back-right side, assuming the same position she had kept under the Storm King. Both were silent as they wound through the hallways of the castle before emerging into the gardens. It was there that Celestia finally spoke even as they continued ahead.
"Do you prefer I call you Tempest Shadow or by your birth name? And no saying it's whatever I please to call you - that isn't what I asked."
The unicorn hesitated for a moment - for deferring was her instinctual answer - before she found the words. "Tempest, if you please. I'm not sure I can ever call myself Fizzlepop again - who she was and who I am are too different."
"Who I was yesterday and who I am today are different ponies, yet I still call myself Celestia," came the smiling counter. "But I accept your preference, Tempest."
"Your Highness flatters and spoils me once more."
Celestia sighed. Loudly. Much more loudly than she needed to. "I was hoping that bringing this to a walk in the garden would communicate things, but I suppose I was being too subtle." She stopped, swinging her head around to meet her purple eyes to Tempest's ocean blues. "I'm trying to have a conversation with you as a pony rather than as a princess. Should I order you to be more informal, or will saying it suffice?"
"S--saying will suffice, Princess." Tempest took a shuddering breath. "I apologize for being more formal than you wanted. The last few months have been..." She considered her choice of words carefully. "Taxing."
"As I would expect," Celestia quipped as they resumed their walk, pulling Tempest along by weight of presence alone. "You took it upon yourself to do something very difficult. Not only was it an ambitious amount of travel, but it involved you facing your personal demons and the anger of those you wronged. I admire that, Tempest. There are few ponies who would have taken up that kind of burden without hesitation as you did."
"I did what I had to do. I made the mistakes - it's my duty to correct them." Tempest didn't flinch away from the memory of those errors. "I can't undo the past, but I can make up for it."
Celestia guided them around a corner, past the entrance to the hedge maze. "Mm. The past and making up for it. Yes - I can see that's a significant part of who you are. And," she added, "Quite relevant to where we are going now."
Tempest froze, falling a half-step backwards before she regained her self-control. "To a prison?"
"To a friend," Celestia corrected fondly. "Twilight told me your story in greater detail after you left. You made quite an impression on her, you know."
A blush darkened Tempest's already dark cheeks. "She made a big one on me, too."
Celestia laughed merrily at that. "She usually does. Twilight is a very special pony like that." She turned them down another pathway - one that seemed to lead to a dead end of greenery. "But today is not about her. It's about you, Tempest. Both your past and your future. Which is why I want to introduce you to a pony from my past. Starswirl the Bearded."
A pause. And then Tempest started snickering.
The Princess raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry! I'm sorry." Tempest fought to suppress her laughter down to a grin. "I guess a joke's one way to make sure I stop being so formal."
The Princess raised her other eyebrow.
Still widely smiling, Tempest shook her head. "I mean, Starswirl's been dead for more than a thousand years - if he was even real in the first place."
"If he was even real," Celestia repeated questioningly.
"Well, yes?" Tempest's mirth started to sap away. "I mean, everypony knows Starswirl wasn't real. He's just a myth like Clover the Clever or Mage Meadowbrook. The things history claims happened were done by a bunch of different ponies that merged together over time into a single figure. No pony could live through so many eras and have so much happen to them."
Celestia said nothing back. She merely lit her horn, lifting the curtain of ivy out of the way and transforming the dead end path into a concealed stone arch.
Through it and inside the secluded arbor stood the grey form of Starswirl the Bearded. His own horn was lit, dipping his paintbrush to pick up just a trace more of blue. As Celestia entered, the old sage didn't look away from his work. "I will admit being called a myth is new," he dryly noted as he glided his brush across the canvas, adding another swath of sky to the landscape he'd made. "I shall have to remember that - Meadowbrook will find it most unnerving that she's not real at our next tea."
To Tempest's credit, she only stood in the archway staring at Starswirl for half a minute. "Well," she admitted as the ivy fell back behind her, "I suppose I should be glad that the universe has moved on to laughing at me instead of bucking me in the teeth."
"I suppose I'm the universe then," Celestia quipped amidst her giggling.
Starswirl set his paintbrush in the wash-water before leaving his current work. "Apologies for my former student, Miss Shadow. I fear that even after a millennium, she remains an incorrigible prankster and rapscallion." He bowed with a jingle. "It is a great pleasure to meet you. Both Princesses Celestia and Twilight have spoken well of you. They compliment your courage and your steadfast character."
Tempest bowed her head in return. "They're liars. I'm a monster who's only saving grace is a willingness to fix what she broke."
"Broke is once more an interesting choice of words." Celestia laid down on a nearby stone bench as the two unicorns conversed.
"Indeed. Miss Shadow - anecdotes of my mythology aside, are you at all good at history? Particularly the Pre-Equestrian Era?" Starswirl waited patiently for the hesitant shake of her head. "Before there was a Princess to move the sun, we unicorns raised it ourselves each day. It was taxing, however. It took six of us to do so, and even the strongest could only carry the burden for a handful of weeks before taking time to recuperate from the magical exhaustion. Some..." He pinched his eyes shut as ancient memories came flooding back. "Some paid a far higher price. Permanent incapacitation of their magic was more common than we wanted to admit."
The sorcerer ground to a halt under the weight of those memories.
Tempest shifted uneasily on her hooves, unsure of where this was headed.
It only took a few moments for Starswirl to regain himself. "To honor those who sacrificed and help them in their lives afterward, the ancient lords of Unicornia created a place - a monastery where the exhausted could recover and the crippled could find solace." His horn lit, drawing an emblem in the air above his head - a half-circle of a golden sun on the horizon, shooting six rays upwards. "It was originally called the Temple of Solar Healing, but it quickly gained a different moniker from the unicorns who were brought there. They named it the House of the Rising Sun."
There, Celestia cut in. "Once I took up the duty of raising and lowering the sun, there was no more need for unicorns to risk and sacrifice themselves for that. The monastery reshaped itself - they spread from helping only those unicorns crippled from raising the sun to all unicorns in need. The monks became experts on afflictions of the horn and of magic."
Both paused, watching Tempest for her reaction.
She had none.
She didn't dare move. Even her heart only reluctantly beat as realization of what they were saying dawned on her. Tempest finally spoke when the silence stretched too far and it was obvious they were waiting. "Of... of the horn," she croaked out, her throat bone-dry.
Princess Celestia simply smiled back.
"I'm told the order still exists." Starswirl stepped forward to put a hoof on Tempest's shoulder. "I am eager to see what has become of the legacy of my time. Would you care to accompany me, Miss Shadow?"
Tears pricked the mare's eyes. "Thank you."
Mischief sparkled in the old stallion's gaze. "We'll see how long you say that for - you're carrying my bags, young mare."
And off we go!
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Nice introduction—the "cold open" was well-executed, and the dialogue between Celestia and Tempest was enjoyable to read through.
Looking forward to seeing this continue!
What a neat idea, PingZing! And TCC56's execution, as always, is nothing to sneeze at. This is a unique take on Tempest's character as well. I wonder, what exactly is the House like today?
Interesting. Tempest and Starswirl? Currently a unique pair of ponies.
This is visually captivating, the way the words flow off the page, it shall be interesting indeed to see where this goes...
Interesting...I'll be keeping an eye on this one.
Oh, this should be most fascinating... though, thinking about it, why do we never hear about unicorns who burnt themselves out while raising the moon? Would they need a monastery or a sanitarium? Hmm. Something to consider in and of itself, but outside the scope of this story. Definitely looking forward to more. And to Meadowbrook's reaction to learning she's a syncretism.
Ok, I need this in my life.
Annnnd just like that, I'm sold.
Possible adventure with Starswirl and Tempest? I'm so in for that.
...And just because no one's done it...
~Skeeter The Lurker
10629332
Given that the sun's mass is several hundred-million times the moon's, I reckon that lifting the latter would be a comparatively easier feat.
10629332
THANK YOU. I knew there had to be a dang word for the myth-blending but for the life of me I couldn't find what it was.
10629362
No one tell Luna...
10629373
Happy to help! I can't help but think that the modern day heroes might meet a similar fate in a thousand years if Twilight doesn't work to improve Equestria's historical literacy. (Pinkie Pie in particular may be viewed as a wholly fictional parable delivery device for impressionable young ponies.)
10629357
While the proper song has only minimal link to the story's content, it was the inspiration-song I listened to while writing and needed a kickstart.
Though I will say I picked up this version as my go-to. (I find I write worse when there's lyrics playing - my brain keeps jumping to those words instead of the ones I want to write.)
10629400
Key word being comparatively. It'd still be excruciatingly arduous for a non-alicorn; just... somewhat less painful than lifting the sun.
Luna's job is/was secure.
Tempest and Starswirl? Oh, this is gonna be good!
10629400
That shouldn't be a problem - there's a reason the fandom keeps calling her "book horse". It's quite likely that at some point, she'd make it a priority to improve education in general in Equestria.
She also seems like the type who'd work to improve scientific literacy as well, encouraging innovation in science, magic, and technology - perhaps in the near future, unicorns such as Tempest would be able to be properly treated at the local hospital instead of trekking out to some monastery in the middle of nowhere.
The original purpose of the monastery agrees with my own fanon. In fact I go by the letter of the show (I think) and one of the books (I'm sure) that even doing it ONCE permanently blew-out 5 unicorns every dawn and every dusk.
I will be reading this. Upvote not guaranteed*, but I'm going to be adding this to my "Research" folder and am unlikely to remove it from there.
*I have some pretty strict moral standards that go against the norm for the fandom.
Post reading edit:
Unsurprisingly this brought a few tears to my eyes.
They came well after Golden Rays, but... he was just a BIT too brave. Just the tiniest bit.
I think I may add the post-Celestia (and in my case, Luna) purpose of the House to my own fanon.
Also, a link to a semi-related picture: Celestia's Eternal Burden.
I do hope that in future chapters you will be providing an explanation for why a young filly Fizzlepop Berrytwist never heard about this place.
Favorited and upvoted, at least for now, since I don't FORESEE this going in any directions I might find objectionable.
10629550
As I recall, exactly that was stated in "Horse Play". Not only that, it had gotten to the point where they were running out of unicorns before Celestia showed up. As such, one would expect that the wizard community would have made it top priority to find a cure for unicorns burned out from sun duty (just as the COVID-19 pandemic forced the medical community to redirect as much of their resources as humanly possible towards vaccines and treatments).
10629400
Not to sure 'bout that as Twi will be there keeping it in line, now after the second or third millennium ...
I love this bit. Too often we forget that, in the pilot episode, the ponies—including Twilight—were shocked to learn Luna was Celestia's sister. Apparently the fact that their solar princess and the solar princess of the legend were one and the same wasn't common knowledge.
10629400
We've actually seen her doing this, to her credit. The class she taught at the Friendship School was about Equestrian history, and the curriculum included several seemingly mythic but actually historical people and events.
10629332
A moonastery, or a lunitarium, you mean.
Oh, this looks good. I'm not much of a Tempest fan, regretfully, but this seems bound towards an interesting journey (both literally and metaphorically speaking) for her. Looking forward to reading more!
This idea is so dope, I can’t wait to see where this leads. Also a Tempest and Starswirl team up, I gotta get behind this. Can’t wait for more
10629794
And despite that this probably continued for MILLENIA... unless Discord "broke the sky" during his reign and the burning only happened between the Diarch's defeating him and them coming into their full power. Then again maybe DURING his reign he usually didn't mess with the sky too much after he broke it, but just enjoyed watching the most powerful of Unicorns destroy themselves.
Also, in case anyone got the wrong idea, I have NO problem with this story NOT going by the "10 Unicorns burned out per day" of canon!
Re-read.
The part that made me tear up this time was this:
It reminds me of this quote from near the end of Season 1, Episode 2.
"We were meant to rule together little sister."
The section surrounding that quote always makes me think of The Bible, when the Prodigal Son returns home... except instead of the Father greeting him and the elder son later griping about how celebratory the Father is, in this case the elder sibling could be argued to have beaten the Father to the punch*.
*A bit off the mark since NOBODY beats God in a race, and the Father represents God in that parable.
In other words, you got Celestia exactly right in what I consider the most universally meaningful ways.
An excellent idea, with a formidable author. Yes! Aboulatly brilliant!
This team-up of Starswirl and Tempest is too rare. Thank you TCC56 for putting it into words for our consumption.
10629550
It's quite possible that a small-town ER doctor (such as the one who would have patched up young Fizzlepop) might not have known about the place and simply told her "Sorry, there's nothing that can be done". It's also possible that at the time. she might have been so desperate (having thought that her friends had written her off as broken) that she didn't think to ask around Equestria's medical/magical community before running off to parts unknown (also at that time, she likely wouldn't have even given a damn about "support and care" if it didn't mean getting a new horn).
So what’s Starswirl been doing all this time? Hiding out in this little room as he fades into legend over the centuries?! Is he immortal like the Princesses, without being an alicorn himself? Liking the setup and the writing so far, definitely following, but just didn’t get this point.
10634324
You should probably watch Season 7, since that's kind of the plot of the season finale.
Interesting start, I'm looking forward to seeing where you go with this, but then I've already said that elsewhere.
10634324
Stuck in magical limbo FOR THE LAST THOUSAND YEARS (Well, more than that, but MLP chronology is dubious at best.) I'd rather not spoil the episode TCC56 mentioned in case you (or someone else reading this) wants to watch it.
10633930
Her medical insurance didn't cover Acts of Ursa.
10637544
And as a result, Equestria was nearly conquered.
This is why healthcare reform is so important, people!
I am very ready for this monk-y business.
as a matter of principle, i must do this
There is, a horse
in New Orleans
they caaaaall the rising sun
Oh, that's a nice hook you've written here. On to another journey then.
...is a brilliant turn of phrase. ;)
10630353
I am gonna read this
Also HEY!
Didn't expect to see you