Mark of the Sun
The sleepy little alicorn princess did the best she could to keep her eyes open. In her vision was an orange sky with dark blue sky surrounding it. The rest of the sky was still darkened. The stars were behind them for the night was just about finished and morning was on its way. The ocean waves were crashing down every few seconds just yards away from her as the wind flowed through her bright pink mane.
To her right was a tall, grey, bearded alicorn stallion with his face to the east waiting patiently by her side. His flank bore the symbol of balance, his wings large and majestic although tucked at his sides, his black mane cut straight and short like that of a royal guard’s helmet. His name was Accord. He showed no signs of weariness for he, the master of order and harmony, had been well prepared for this. But it was not his moment to prove himself. The daughter of the high king, Solmidas, was here for that. Princess Celestia was here to earn her symbol: her cutie mark.
She was so young and scared: this was her first time trying to raise the sun. She had practiced so many times using her magic to move even the heaviest of objects although the sun was even bigger than the planet they dwelled on. Before this day, her father, King Solmidas, was the sun-raiser. Now he was passing on that responsibility to his oldest daughter. Celestia was eager to find her special talent and achieve her mark, but she had to get up early to fly with Accord to the eastern shore before sunrise. She was very tired and weary. Her eyes tried closing themselves several times and she resisted the urge to fall asleep while standing. Finally her head dropped and all went dark for a brief moment until a voice broke the silence.
“Celestia?” Accord said sternly.
Celestia’s head shot back up and her eyes opened wide. They darted back and forth until she directed her attention to the stallion. “OH!! Accord, forgive me! I’m just so tired, I can’t help it!” She looked up to her friend with a face of sorrow.
Accord smiled and put his wing around her. “You are going to do just fine, Princess. And you will earn your cutie mark when you raise the sun too.”
“Are you sure, Accord? You say I will but what if I don’t do it the first time?” she asked him gloomily. “Or what if I do raise the sun but don’t earn my cutie mark?”
“If you don’t then there is always next time. I’d be more than willing to come with you down to the shore, I promised your father I would anyway.”
Celestia sighed and looked out at the horizon. She bowed her head and stared at the ground for a second.
“Celestia? What ails you child?”
“I want to please Mother and Father, Accord. I know I can always try again but I don’t want to disappoint them or even you.”
Accord reached down and put his left hoof under her chin and pointed her head towards him.
“Celestia, you have never disappointed me. You may be young but you have so much potential. I foresee you will become a very powerful and wise princess one day; you and your sister alike.”
Celestia’s thoughts then turned to her newborn sister, baby Luna. She thought of how one day she may be the one who would travel with her little sister to the edge of the shore to help her earn her cutie mark. Her sister would look up to her as she looked up to Accord. But this meant Celestia would have to earn her cutie mark first to show her the way. A sense of confidence came over her suddenly and determination filled her eyes.
“You’re right, I can do this. I just need to be brave like Starswirl says. I won’t let you down Accord, I won’t let anypony down!”
“That’s the spirit, Princess! Now the sun has just about reached the horizon so get ready.”
“Right…”
Celestia nodded and turned her head to the east. The sky was brighter than earlier, but the sun still hadn’t come up yet. She remembered what she had been taught by her father and her mentor, Starswirl the Bearded, and closed her eyes to concentrate for it was believed that true magic comes from the mind, not from the eyes. Besides, the light of the sun would blind her so she had to keep them closed until she was finished. She took one last look at the horizon and then darkness filled her vision and she put her head down directing her horn to where the sun would peek over the ocean. With a calm mind, her horn started to glow bright yellow.
Accord stayed by her side in case she needed him. He looked down at her and smiled. She was so small and innocent but still so capable. Seeing her do such a tremendous task like raising the sun was quite exciting. The firstborn of his old friend, King Solmidas, was finally taking up the job the king had for thousands of years. No one else had ever raised the sun besides the king and the unicorn mages of old before Solmidas was elected leader. This was a rare thing to see and Accord felt so proud for Celestia to be the first in so long. It would only be a matter of time until her sister would take over the moon for their mother.
Celestia’s horn glowed brighter in contrast to the slowly-fading darkness around them. Celestia gritted her teeth and closed her eyes even tighter. Her horn became so bright that little sparks started flying off of it and Accord had to squint his eyes from the brightness. She opened her wings ready to fly upward to move the sun and then started to flap them lifting her legs off the ground. She flapped them over and over again trying hard to not lose her concentration. Flying while using magic was not a difficult task but it was difficult when doing a very powerful spell like she was. She flapped her wings even faster till she was a couple feet above the ground but was suddenly scared. She thought she would lose her concentration on flying causing her to fall too hard so she opened her eyes briefly.
“Celestia, remember to keep your eyes closed or they may deceive you!” Accord called to her.
“Right, right, eyes closed! Eyes closed…”
She closed her eyes again and went back to flying higher. She was still scared about flying and performing such powerful magic simultaneously but she swallowed hard thinking about the importance of gaining her cutie mark and making her family proud. Her horn kept glowing that it finally produced so much light like a distant explosion.
Accord closed his eyes and looked away from the brightness. The light from her horn was so bright it lit up the entire shore and forest around them like a campfire. Suddenly Accord saw another light in his peripheral vision; a light coming from the east. A small orange crescent started to creep up over the ocean, getting bigger and bigger as it went. It was the sun!
“That’s it Celestia, you’re doing it! Don’t stop now!!” Accord called out with exuberance.
Celestia spoke not a word but kept flying even higher. She accended and put her front hooves skyward. The sun rose slowly but efficiently and Celestia moved upward faster almost as if at the same speed as the sun. She went so fast and so high that she might go a bit too high. Accord opened his wings and flew up near to her just in case he would need to catch her, but he didn’t dare go close enough, for she was emitting so much magic and she needed her concentration.
Celestia started groaning and sweating not just from the heat of the light but because she was using so much magic it was almost painful. But the pain was good; it was the kind of pain to keep one going. In her mind she knew she was doing it. She knew the sun was moving but she didn’t have the time to get all excited right now; she had work to do. She continued flying and using her magic and concentrating, thinking about nothing but that great fiery star in the sky. With enough concentration, she was able to determine how far she had gotten. She already had half of the sun, now she needed to finish it off. With one last strain of effort, she stopped flapping her wings and pointed them straight out and the light of her horn blasted light so bright that it shone everywhere. Even the ponies back at the Everfree Palace could probably see it hundreds of miles away as the sun was rising. The light was so bright that Accord had to cover his eyes with his hooves. The sun had risen completely and was now in full orbit and the king would keep it moving the remainder of the day for his now-weary daughter.
Finally, the light from Celestia’s horn stopped shining and her front legs dropped down to the side of her body along with her arms and she plummeted towards the earth. She was far too tired to even notice she was falling and her wings needed resting. Accord immediately flew to her, caught her in midair on his back, and took her to the ground to set her down. After landing he put his wing out and let her slide down it gently onto the sandy shore. She was still in a stupor from having used so much magic, but she would awaken soon. Accord then remembered the cutie mark and looked to her flank sadly to find that it was not there. His ears lowered in disappointment. She had performed admirably but still had no mark. But then it happened.
A small beam of light shone on top of both of Celestia’s flanks and grew brighter and brighter until it burst with radiance and revealed the mark: A solar emblem; a mark very similar to the king’s but with curved rays and a pastel coloring. It was perfect for her. It was the mark of the princess of the sun. Now Celestia had found her calling and earned the mark a true princess deserved at this age.
The royal filly’s eyes began to flicker and she opened her eyes to see the land around her was much brighter than before. She put her head up and looked around and saw something to her side that was too bright to look into. It was the sun and she did manage to bring it up after all. She had raised the sun, but did she get her mark? She turned her head slowly to check her flank and see. At first she thought she was looking at her father’s cutie mark, but the shape was slightly different making it a unique mark. It was a cutie mark like no other and she had finally earned it. At first she just stared in amazement with her mouth hanging open and then looked up to Accord.
“I knew you would do it Celestia.” he told her with a grin on his face.
“My……MY CUTIE MARK!! ACCORD, I DID IT! I EARNED MY CUTIE MARK!!!”
She jumped up in the air continuously bouncing and bouncing on the sand in circles around Accord shouting in joy.
“I DID IT, I DID IT, I DID IT, I DID IT, I DID IT!!!”
Accord nearly began to cry in happiness when he was met by Celestia who leaped forward hugging him by his neck.
“I’m so proud of you Celestia!!” he said hugging her back. “Your parents will be proud of you as well!”
“I know, I can’t wait to show it to them! And Starswirl too!”
“So do you think you can do that every morning and at sunset from now on?”
“It’s so hard to do, but now that I have my cutie mark I feel a lot more confident!”
“You see Celestia? I told you that you would raise the sun and get your cutie mark. There’s nothing to it at all you know.”
Celestia got up and walked out to look at the ocean glistening with sunlight while talking.
“You were right Accord, It really wasn’t so bad. And one day Luna will have her cutie mark also!”
“I look forward to the day when Luna will receive her mark as well. But I think it should be you who leads her to the shore next time.”
“Why me?” Celestia questioned tilting her head.
“Because you are the oldest child and don’t forget that your sister will lead alongside you one day. She will need your guidance and there is so much you can show her.”
“I understand. I can’t wait until she’s old enough and I can teach her. She’ll get her cutie mark just as easily as I did and she’ll be great with magic, I just know it.”
Accord put his wing around Celestia and sat down next to her and she curled up by his side.
“Accord?” she said tiredly.
“Yes, Princess?”
“Tell me how you got your cutie mark.”
“I never told you how I got my cutie mark?”
“You might have, but I think I was young, I don’t remember much…”
“Well……my cutie mark?”
Accord looked to the sky thoughtfully and paused for a moment wondering how to put it.
“Well……you see Celestia; I’ve always been the keeper of order as others say: the pony who keeps order and balance. Order is something I have always felt a need for but it wasn’t just order and balance I’ve wanted, but also harmony.”
He bowed his head and looked at the sand while talking and spoke with such wisdom in his voice.
“I could never stand to see ponies fight and quarrel all the time, it bothered me. I was named Accord to remind those close to me how we must remain together in unity and peace. But I also felt obligated to help other ponies see that harmony is what we need. And Equestria was anything but harmonious back in the old age, but even today, there is discord everywhere. So I began speaking to all the villagers and inhabitants who fought so much to get them to listen to me but for a while nothing happened…”
Accord looked back to the sky and closed his eyes trying to remember.
“My cutie mark came very unexpectedly. One day the measuring scales appeared on my flank when I woke up and the mages told me that it was a symbol of balance and order that I had earned for the ponies were beginning to see truth in my words. From this day forth I’ve kept speaking to ponies for encouragement and have used my voice to give others hope for a better world. And in the mean time, my special abilities have allowed me to put things together easily. Anything I see that can be fixed will be fixed and I’m always good at fixing things and solving problems. Without order, all is chaos. Chaos is imbalance and without balance in this world, we can never make sense of things. Nopony wants to live in such a world and there should never be a world full of hatred and discord. Do you understand now Celestia? My duty is to........Celestia?”
He looked under his wing and the princess had fallen fast asleep. He had forgotten how tired she would be after raising the sun but he dared not wake her up. He sat looking at her as she slept peacefully under his wing. She was so precious, beautiful and full of potential. Accord knew she would one day make a fine leader and he felt happy for her. But inside, he couldn’t feel happiness for himself; only grief.
“I don’t understand.” he said to himself. “When I think of her, when I think of how gifted she is and how wonderful of a leader she will be along with her sister, I feel so happy for them. But why don’t I feel happy for myself? Why do I want more than what I have? Is harmony not enough for me? Is it too much for me? I feel like I’m living a lie…”
He bowed his head in despair.
“I have so much. I have such great power and great wisdom, but what more could I possibly need than that? We are at peace and I love peace, yet I don’t feel satisfied with it……… Why do I feel this way? Was I really meant to be the keeper of order and harmony? It’s just not the same as it used to be, it doesn’t feel right anymore like it should. I know it is right, but why does it feel so…………wrong? Harmony is good, I know this…”
Lately Accord had been doubting himself and his abilities. Things were not the same as they once were for him and he felt emptiness inside his heart that couldn’t be filled. But he looked back to Celestia and smiled knowing that she was still a great joy in his life and Luna would be the same one day. It seemed the Royal family and his people were the only joy he had left. Although thousands of years old, Equestria was still young and there was much left to be learned. Celestia and Luna would both bring the country into an age of prosperity and peace. And there was much good in store for the royal sisters and much that he could teach them in their youth. With this in mind, he knew that in time his spirits would be lifted and he would regain confidence. For now, the lord of harmony could only wait patiently for such a day to come.
He bent his neck down to the side and rested his head against Celestia and cuddled up next to her. They had time to rest before making their journey back to the Everfree Palace where the king and queen and their newborn foal, Luna, would await their return.
“All will change in time Accord………for the better. All for the better…”
The keeper of harmony and the princess of the sun drifted off into a deep sleep on the warm sandy beach of the Eastern shore.
Meanwhile, back in the heart of Equestria in the Everfree Palace, Solmidas, the king of all the land, looked out at the beautiful sunrise. A divine morning had been brought forth that was even more beautiful than he had ever seen, but it was not his doing. For the first time in ages, someone else had brought the day: his own daughter, Princess Celestia. The king smiled warmly looking at the great star in the eastern sky. Wherever she was right now, he was very proud of her.
“Well done, my daughter.”
THE END
