Sun-raiser

by Bad Dragon

Rating: everyone
Tags: Drama, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 1403

A pony sacrificed her magic in order to raise the sun and is adjusting to a life devoid of her arcane devotion.

What kind of mind frame must a pony have to forgo her one devotion in order to stand against litteral darkness?

A foal gets a first-hoof lesson on sacrifice and determination at the Sun Celebration fair, shattering his idealism.

This story participates in the Dialogue only writing competition.

Published 2024-06-01 20:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2024-06-01 20:10:01 UTC

Post-sacrifice

“Sunrise Gloom‽”

“Hm?”

“Is it really you?”

“Yes, I am—”

“I’m your biggest fan!”

“Ugh, not another one of you foals…”

““Umm… I’m Skygazer Pureheart. We’re both Unicorns, isn’t that great?

“I’m just an Earth pony with a horn now.”

“When I grow up, I want to be just like you!”

“Why don’t you go bother somepony else, Skygrazer Porage?”

“My friends call me Sky. Maybe that’s easier to remember.”

“You know what, Scribe? There’s even one of the active sun-raisers here at the Sun celebration fair. Why don’t you go bother him instead?”

“But you’re a legend, Sunrise Gloom! Of all the sun-raisers, you lasted the longest. I dragged my parents all the way from Shade Valley just because I hoped to see you, the hero of light.”

“If it was up to me, I wouldn’t even be here, but participation in the Sun celebration fair is in my contract. I have no choice in the matter, just as I had no choice but to lose my magic raising the sun. But you, on the other hoof, are not in my contract yet, Skyblazer.”

“Sky is fine…”

“Whatever. You’re not special enough for me to remember, Skyglow.

“My mom says I’m special”

“Does your mom tell you that you’re gonna die, Skybeam?”

“Wha…”

“There’s a difference between being told something you want to hear and the truth.”

“I don’t even care. At least you’re special, and that’s why I’m here!”

“Pha! I’m not special; nopony is. A special pony has not yet been born.”

“But you raised the sun, Sunrise Gloom. You sacrificed your magic to save us all!”

“Sure, I helped save the world with my sacrifice, but that doesn’t even make me good enough as is evident from my shattered mana pool.”

“But you were the best!”

“There is a legend of the tribe of Alicorns. Beings that are more than just Unicorns. If Alicorns are real, perhaps they could withstand the sun’s drain.”

“Never heard of those. I don’t care about them, either. You’re my heroine; the best of the sun-raisers! Not many would be willing to do what you did.”

“Did I throw all of my golden years into a study of magic which was then forcefully and painfully snuffed out of me? Yes.”

“See?”

“But I didn’t do it for you, Skybloom.”

“For all of us!”

“No.”

“Why then?”

“It’s quite simple, really. Somepony had to do it. There was no alternative. Without the sacrifice of us sun-raisers, all life on Equus would cease.”

“I knew you cared! Just like in the song about you.”

“We all have to make do with the cards we are dealt, Skyflare. Living in a world where every sunset might be our last may sound like a bad deal, and it is, but that’s just how things are. All we can do is accept reality and make the best we can with what we have. The good ponies help the community, the bad ones help themselves. It’s that simple.”

“You’re the good one!”

“The way I see it, there are those who think they’re the center of the world and those who don’t. Personally, I don’t want to have my head stuck up my own behind. I’m just one piece of the puzzle that is the universe.”

“
In the dawn's hush, a lone mare stands,
Her magic wanes, but her will commands.
With heart ablaze and mane like fire,
She lifts the sun, ever higher.
”

“I hate that song!”

“But it’s about you, the sun-raiser. It took me days to memorize it because some words are hard…”

“How do you intend to learn a library worth of magical theories if you struggle with one short song?”

“I don’t know, but memorizing the song was the least I could do in return for saving me.”

“I don’t think you deserved to be saved.”

“Whaa…”

“The sacrifice I underwent for you is probably much greater than what you’d be willing to do. I pity you, wasting your life on self-serving desires. Still, I saved you. I saved you because an undeserving life is still better than no life at all.”

“
For the good of all, she bears the cost!
A silent keeper of the light that's lost!
Her sacrifice, a tale to enthrall!
The sun-raiser stands, for one and for all!
“

“You blindly sing of us as heroes. Saviors of the world. And sure, we are all that, but your praise is wasted on us, Skyshade.”

“I came here to let you know how grateful I am.”

“Your admiration doesn’t serve us. It serves your own ego. It serves the voice in your head that keeps telling you that you’re so special that we sacrificed our magic and lives for you.”

“Every time I see the sun, I think of you, Sunrise Gloom!”

“If better beings than you came along, I would be willing to undergo the same kind of sacrifices, not to save you, but to destroy you. I am a hero, just not your hero, Skydrift.”

“I don’t understand. You’re so much different in person than you are in the bedtime stories.”

“For your own sake, I hope I shattered all your fluffy aspirations you had coming to this cursed place. It’s important that you understand that the role model, you decided to visit, hates your guts. What I did was glorious, but you’re not part of that glory. You’re nothing. You didn’t deserve to be saved, Skythorn.”

“Why are you saying all these things? Is it something I said?”

“It’s not what you did, Skywhisper; it’s what you are. You were born deformed. We all were.”

“If we’re all so horrible, why did you even bother saving us then?”

“There was simply no alternative to you, Skystuck. That’s the only reason why you survived. Oh, but how I wish there was an alternative and that you would be dead. I would be dancing on your grave right now, singing my own songs about progress at the top of my voice.”

“Whaa…”

“I don’t know you, Skyfart, but I know enough about your inferiority to hate your existence. You corrupt this world. You are the corruption. I would cut you out like the tumor you are, but when everything is cancer, there’s nowhere to cut.”

“You’re scaring me!”

“It pains me to no end that I sacrificed myself for a shit like you. I lost my magic. All the knowledge I wasted the majority of my life to learn is useless to me now. I can’t even light my horn anymore, and it’s all because of you, Skydie!”

“I’m sorry, Sunrise Gloom.”

“You are grateful and respectful toward me, but the feeling is not mutual. While you sing your praises of me and the sunrise I brought to you and your kind, I picture you dying in my mind. And that image alone is what allows me to return the smile that you have given me.”

“All I wanted was to see you. But now I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“You have two choices, foal. Bound by my contract, I have to accept any pupil willing to follow my hoofsteps. I’m unable to deny you if you willingly apply for my tutelage. Your other and better choice is to run to your mommy.”

“This is so horrible… You’re horrible… I think I... hate you!”

“My contract dictates that I have to offer you the option to register in the school for future sun-raisers. So, what say you, little pony? Want to let me drink your tears before your magic gets permanently destroyed?”

“No! Never!”

“Are you sure, Sky?”

“Don’t you dare say my name, monster! Mum, I don’t want to be here anymore! I want to go home! Mummy! Mummy! Mummy…”

“Phew, another foal saved... Nopony ever bothered to save me, but at least I can spare some of the naive ones. My reputation shall serve as a sacrifice for your well-being. I wish that your existence is filled with magic, sweet Skygazer Pureheart. Live your life to the fullest and make my sacrifice worth it…”

“Are you Sunrise Gloom? And were you just talking to yourself?”

“Err…”

“That’s weird but whatever. I learned about you at school. I’m Sage Spark by the way. I think I have what it takes to someday—”

“Oh, for the flock’s sake!”

Author's Note

Gdoc