Sunpraiser 64

by Broken Starlight

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe
Length: 1417

For the cause of maintaining an empire, a pony is forced to make difficult decisions.

Meet Sunpraiser! She's energetic, near perfectly law-abiding, and not even a little ambitious. Today we'll be following her through one day of her life. She's going to have to make some difficult decisions to but she'll do anything for her Princess. Just as she should. After all, the Princess knows what's best for Equestria.
And she would never even think about overthrowing the empire, right?

Please don't take this to be indicative of my overall writing skill.
I apologize in advance for this fic.

Published 2015-04-04 23:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-04-04 23:30:02 UTC

Another Day

I. Pianissimo

Here a pony was, a pegasus was she. She existed, and alone she did exist not. At all times, somepony was there, at most a leg-and-a-hoof's length away. The city. Gleaming sat a white castle, which dominated keeping everything else dominated, and it was always busy, unavoidably so, performing actions the Princess deemed necessary. One more worker was all she was in the hive of a glistening empire. By the Princess the sun was raised, and upon its repositioning began the day.

Awoke Sunpraiser as began the day did, the fragments of a dissipating dream disappearing from her mind, pretty it had been, and not did she wish to forget it, but such was the way of dreams, a fate inescapable. A dream of what, she no longer knew, lost was it already. Fixate on it, she must not, herself reminded she. Out of her bed climb she did, taking care to disturb not the bunk below hers and the reclining pony that within it could be found. Started later was the day for that pony; her job was during the night. Her friend that pony was, she was of the name Twilight, her repetition was counted at 127. It was a popular name, fit for a princess it was and dream near everypony did of a princess being, stifled by reality though those dreams were.

The private bedroom shared by these two was departed from by her, but not without affixing her saddlebags to her flank, covering her proof of talent, a symbol of the sun which she must praise, trust, and possessing the importance of the highest degree, obey; her compliance the fragile peace was kept alive by. Into the residential dwelling's common room went she. A trio of other duos lived here, and they all shared this room. Awake none of the others were. Alone was she always in the morning. Stark was the room, just like every other room in the residential district, just five doors, one on each of the walls, each distinguished by a symbol, except in the case of the unadorned door to the outside, a table at which she was sitting, and a mechanical cold cabinet in which food was stored. A mandatory meal she quickly ate, despite feeling no hunger. It was mandatory, and disobey her Princess' word dare to she did not -- Citizens fuel the empire, and food fuels the citizens.

II. Piano

Beyond the walls of her house she soon went, heading onwards towards her workplace. It was the management of the Bureau of Acceptance in which she was employed, despite her age being one of relative youth. All the rules did she follow, except one, and her secret being found out she did forever dread. It was a break unseen, unsensed, as act upon it did she not. She had seen the cost of action and kept it instead purely to the dominion of dreams. Interloped upon her mind was not, of a fear of disrupting its desirable eccentricities. She had a talent, though her "special" one was it not, of finding those who foolishly engorged themselves with worldly pleasures instead of helping the empire. Matter not did it the vice, find it she could always manage to. Nonreproductive sex -- Fornication is not recreation! Smoking -- Pointless poisoning of the person! These were her domains frequent-most. Although with the material also produced by her Bureau, based on the Princess' words, these desires had been well-suppressed increasingly well as of late. Possessing nearly noponies to punish pleased the Princess.

Arrive she did at the building that housed the Bureau; the gleaming, ancient castle where once had lived ancient princesses, dominating over an empire of far less significance. Housed it did her sole temptation as well. A fellow worker, a desired lover, but an unattainable one. For there was no viability of offspring. A close friendship she did settle for instead. Once inside the building, she wandered through the old-fashioned, pointlessly elaborate corridors until her office she did reach. Today there was quite the mountain of paperwork, reports of much possible illegal activity to investigate. She called for her assistant, the dear friend aforementioned to work here, and gazed her assistant almost, but not quite affectionately. Good mornings and other pleasantries were exchanged before remembering her intent with the call. It was not one of friendship; it was one of necessity. Coffee was needed to start her workday properly: a common vice, but one not of significant importance for a proclamation prohibiting it by the Princess.

III. Forte

Newly-delivered hot coffee in hoof, she started to read. The first case: a charge of adultery. It was rare, and tended to break a community's harmony. She understood as to why her opinion was required, tricky this case was. While the law that it did break was clear, unclear was its actual existence. Bringing the charge to court formally, as the standard procedure was, could ruin the life of an innocent if not handled well. Proceeded she did anyway, having the case sent to court. At this time, this early in the morning, care she did not of the lives she might ruin. It was not immoral -- All's fair in love and pursuit of Harmony. (That slogan was admittedly among the least catchy, and was an eternal disappointment to the Bureau.) Authorize many difficult cases she did, her available legal staff was decimated within hours. Eventually, it was time for a lunch break. She went to the archaically styled dining-hall, ate a bland meal quickly, out of hunger this time, and slept. The coffee had not been of much help; her tolerance had grown greater.

Did she dream? Not even she could tell. But the better it was that way.

Upon the conclusion of her break, and her rest, she returned to work. The mountain of paperwork she had had she had whittled down to just a handful of cases before the break. Her leave could prematurely be embarked upon if she managed to deal with these.

IV. Fortissimo

Case the first was an erroneous conviction. Easily was it resolved by her. Her efficiency was admirable. It was decided that the conviction would not be overturned, or rather that no attempt to overturn it would be made, a difference on a purely technical level. A pony would be punished for crimes they did not commit , but...

...It didn't really matter, did it? An attempt to overturn was a pointless artifact of the ancient days where "Friendship" ruled; justice was not important these days. Her available lawyers were down to two, after all.

Case the second was a murder, something rare, a perverted execution of purely one sided desires. Inharmonious it was. A plea of guilt it was as well, she felt no need to waste any time on this. She had the case bypass the courts (an action that required much additional paperwork); the punishment would be the same this way as it would be if a real trial had been had.

Case the final was one she had expected not! It was alarming, and in truth, not a case in the least! A case against herself, laced not to evaluate, but to gloat. A betrayal! Of her own assistant! A case of ill intent towards the Princess, a crime otherwise known as attempted conspiracy. A false case, but how close her betrayer was would skew the court towards the claim's truth. It had already been approved, directly by the Princess herself -- At the end of the day, you will be discharged and taken into custody.

Her career was at an end! It was over for her, taken down by an unknown internal rivalry. She did not regret this, she knew that something of this sort was inevitable; she only thought about how much paperwork it would be for her successor.

Waited she did for the end of the day. When it came, she was prepared. Everything was in order, prepared for her successor. Arriving in her office were two guards, who took her away without a struggle.

V. Decrescendo --> Pianissimo

Here was not a pony, not any longer. The castle gleamed in the fading sunset, as the Princess began to raise the moon, the symbol of the day's conclusion. Away from the city, in the town, in the house of crystal, sat the Princess. She smiled to herself and uttered a few final words.

Another perfect day.