Shining Bright (Slight edit due to Yang back story issue)

The first two weeks had been simple prep work, apparently unlocking an aura required a partner and the instructors wanted everyone to have a compatible one, or as close as they could get. So far her best match seemed to be a fellow student who's name Sunset had, for the moment, forgotten. There wasn't much to say about her, nothing really stood out appearance wise and Sunset had only known her a few days. Doing these tests... It makes sense I suppose... I just wish they'd get on with it. She complained internally, her mind on the end result alone and making her her impatient as she went through the exercise one more time, with yet another mismatched partner.

For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, Infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul and by my shoulder protect thee. She mentally recited the prayer they had all been forced to memorize, as she felt a faint tug on her  mind. Huh. Even Yang's not compatible? How is it there's only one person here 'similar in spirit', is it a faunus thing? She thought as she broke the connection and opened her eyes. Not that said connection actually did anything.

"Hey... Sunset?" Yang started asking, But Sunset's mind was elsewhere.

Without either having an unlocked aura they would need a dust crystal to jump-start things, just as the first huntsmen and huntresses had. Personally Sunset thought it was a goofy and pointless tradition. Especially considering she had found out that someone who's aura was already active could just unlock it for her, way easier and without the prep work. Just BAM, aura on.

"Every time you say you 'deserve' to get something without effort just proves to me you're not ready." The memory of Celestia's words on that night in Canterlot had her gritting her teeth in anger. Shut up. SHUT UP! I WAS working to earn that, even if you were too blind to see it. And I've earned this *now. I've spent **months preparing why do I still have to wait?!* Her mind raged against the memory, blurring the images of the professor and Celestia together. She tried calming herself down by reminding herself that the professor didn't have one student he had dozens, he wasn't holding her back the way Celestia was. Still the anger wouldn't completely fade.

"Helloooo, remnant to Sunset?"

"What?!" She shouted, much more harshly than she intended, noticing too late that for the first time since arriving, she had failed to mask the hatred that thoughts of her old mentor often brought up, and Yang had borne the brunt of it.

"Geez, meltdown much?" Yang commented flippantly before walking away.

Sunset just watched her go, unsure how to straighten out the problem her outburst had revived. While a part of her wanted to try and mend things, she simply pushed it from her mind as a distraction once more. Besides it's not like she knew how to fix it, she knew how to manipulate others, not be their friends... It's not like there was a book on-

Wait, is there? I never considered... Think about it later. I'm sidetracking myself. With that she set her mind back to the task the instructors had given them, finding potential partners.

About damn time. They had wasted the first month of the class preparing, now it was finally the day. Sunset couldn't help but smile, Soon she would have her magic back, soon her classmates would see what a true master of magic was capable of. No more being the barely average screw-up.

Standing across from one of her classmates, crystal in hand, she went through everything exactly as instructed. She had been told it might be disorienting, but as she continued through, it was... different. Unlike any past experience of hers. She knew her eyes were closed, yet somehow she could see herself and her partner standing alone in... somewhere. Nothing beyond the two of them was distinct. A burning orange glow coming from herself that felt warm like a sunny day, a soft brown from the other student that seemed to break off and drift like blowing sand, everything else blurred together by a smoky blackness. Despite neither speaking the words aloud she could hear both herself and her partner saying the prayer in unison. More than that she could feel something. A presence. Confidence, cunning, ambition. not coming from her, but... the other girl perhaps?

As the words ended she opened her eyes, the glow was still present, though fainter and more of just a generic luminescence.

Not even listening to the instructor's words she immediately began cycling through her spells. Levitate... not working? What in tartars? illuminate... yes. She thought to herself as she watched the ball of light floating above her palm. Not the best start, but one out of two wasn't too bad, as long as that trend could hold. She didn't even notice a few of her classmates staring at her. Sending flame... I need something combustible to cast that on. Find an oil lamp or something later. Messenger... 'hey yang your hair's on fire.' ...lack of shouting says no.  Solar flare, Suddenly the ball of light she had made earlier exploded blinding everyone looking at it, including Sunset. Should have closed my eyes first. Ow. At least the spell that earned me my cutie mark still works. Next... Masterfull moustache maker, nope. Wind melody, nope. Mend, no, sleeve is still badly patched. Shield, sereously? That's not working? Compass, no. Find me, oh come on, foals can cast that! Teleport, no. Rodeo rope, rrgh, no. Shocking surprise... no... Calm down Sunset, you just tried to throw a lightning bolt in doors...

By this point her vision had returned somewhat. Armor... feels kinda weird... might be working. Tangle vines... no. Mare in the mirror... and now there was a second eerily silent sunset standing in front of her, only to dissipate when she waved her hand through the illusion. Somehow she was oblivious to the number of eyes on her, which now included the whole class. yes, that works... Starting to see a pattern here. Okay, skip ahead to dancing lights.

As the trio of coloured glowing globes bounced around randomly in front of her, reinforcing her growing suspicion that only spells that based on manipulating light were working, a voice behind her snapped her attention back to reality.

"How are you doing that?" they asked, causing Sunset to dispel the lights. Crap. What did the Yang call these powers? Think... Think... Um...

"I dunno, I just can." She answered with what she hoped was a natural seeming shrug, meanwhile still wracking her tired brain for the proper term to use.

"Well now." The professor's voice came from yet another direction, followed by a chuckle. Some of the students chattering in the background quieting down as he spoke. "It seems you're quite a natural at tapping into your semblance. Light, I would guess from the penchant for silent mirages. Still you should probably focus on-"

His advice was cut short by the ringing of the day's final bell. None of her classmates sticking around.

"Oh well, I guess the rest of the lesson can wait for tomorrow. May as well run along and join your friends my dear." The professor said as he turned to leave himself.

Friends...

It didn't take long to find a bookstore, it actually wasn't that far from Signal's campus. If there was any place to find a self help book, this might be a good start.

"Any book under the sun?" Sunset mused, reading the slogan on the window. "Wonder if it actually lives up to that?"

Stepping inside there didn't seem to be anyone there, so she started browsing. There were shelves and stacks of books everywhere. If their was a book on things like social interaction, it would probably be in with the self help books, though she was having a hard time finding a section for that. Browsing through one shelf all she found were a mixture of comics and related stories. The next shelf after that more fiction, mainly set in fantastical alternate pasts One novel in particular, titled 'The war of the roses' seemingly about a civil war in a fictional nation momentarily catching her eye. It was just a distraction, but it was also a book she hadn't read... no, a shelf full of books she hadn't read. And possibly more... It was hard to resist the temptation, but, maybe she could spare an hour or two to look through a few of them? She had all day...

"Looking for something?" a friendly voice asked, interrupting her brief diversion from the search, and drawing her gaze to the desk in front of the back room doors. She was about to put the novel back and ask about the books she had come for, before a brief flash of recognition struck her.

"Wait a minute..." Sunset commented, snapping the book shut and focusing intently on the owner. trying to picture him in the outfit she had seen that night and finding it actually quite easy. "I know that voice. You're the faunas from the crane."

"You're more perceptive than I thought, Sunset. Assuming that name is any more real than the rest of your history. That's right, that was me. Still waiting for your answer by the way,  the offer still stands." he responded with a smile of his own.

"Of course it's my real-... Wait... How did you know about any of that?"

"The question shouldn't be how we know your past is fake, but rather, how everyone else doesn't. Your cover was, quite frankly, sloppy. But as I said, we look out for our own kind." He explained, shrugging, before starting on sorting a stack of books.

This was confusing to say the least.  All this time she had assumed the lack of scrutiny into her origin was the result of the mirror... Why would complete strangers help her? What did they stand to gain? "Why? Why help me?"

"I told you last time, you're-"

"One of you, yes, I know. But why does that matter so much?"

"Why shouldn't it?"