Sunset Shimmer: Student of Magick

Part IV

Sunset Shimmer would have called her knowledge of High Speech 'decent.' She could converse in it and read and write it as naturally as she did her native language, simply by virtue of having Awakened. While it was the language of magick, it could be used to communicate anything except falsehoods. Like mundane languages, it had its intricacies that required study to master. She knew she had many years before her if she wanted to consider herself an expert.

While much of it was intuitive, the specifics required mentoring, practise, outright guesswork, and the ever-popular Mage pastime of associating one thing to another. When a language could not be used to deceive others, those wanting to keep secrets while using it found numerous ways around the limitations. Codes and cyphers were popular, as was the use of alternative symbols. A Time Arcanum rote could be written with references to growing flowers; not a lie, but easily misleading a reader into believing the rote was for Life-based casting unless one read between the lines.

The general information about the process of Awakening was easy to find, hardly buried like most magick was. Specifics about guiding others to it did not come so easily. Sunset already knew that Awakenings seemed to be very similar to gaining a Cutie Mark, if the process of discovering one's self was inverted and made into a personal horror. It took someone broken and 'fixed' whatever was causing the problem, usually at the cost of altering the individual. She needed more, and the best place to start was with the five Watchtowers. One of the few undisputed facts amongst the Awakened was that there was no Awakening without a Watchtower calling to someone; the great beacon had to shine through the Abyss to open a safe Path for a troubled soul.

General information for each of the five Paths was easily accessible, while theories and suppositions were obfuscated. Mages knew a great deal about the five Supernal Realms and their Watchtowers, but how they called to someone and what receiving that call required was a mystery. Short of summoning one of the entities native to one of the realms, Sunset would be unable to gain any deeper information. She considered the idea briefly, but she simply lacked the knowledge or power to accomplish such a feat alone. It was frustrating; she hated being unable to find answers.

Sunset took a few calming breaths. She settled for reviewing what information she could regarding each Path and hoped something would catch her eye. There was no other choice but to trust the generalisations. She debated with herself which Watchtower was most likely to open its Path to Sweetie Belle.

'Acanthus? Finding her own path from a life of rigid order could fit really well. They feel trapped, hopeless of ever getting out.'

'They have to be willing to jump off the cliff at some point to reach Arcadia. She had your backing, so she really never has. Remember the hopelessness when she first discovered she was pregnant? She was gung-ho about keeping it, but she never really made her decision with intent to see it through. Running away from home was not an option without us.'

'True. What about my Path? Mastigos is all about pain and crisis. See this line? "They're survivors with unstable coping mechanisms, headed for a reckoning." She's happier now, but those wounds haven't healed.'

'Pandemonium doesn't believe in asceticism; healing those wounds would only drive her away from it. Besides, you got her help already. Do you think she'd get herself knocked up again? Maybe if she started cutting herself or got into some other self-destructive behaviour, I could see it.'

Continuing down the alphabet, Sunset thought, 'Moros, then. She still has a lot of anger and fear in her. With the right push, she could hit an unavoidable change: Choose to let it go or be forever mired.'

'It's possible. Maybe she'd find her way to Stygia if we put her in a situation like from your dreams. Strap her parents down and push her to decide if she's going to let her anger control her or not.'

'That's ... not incorrect. I could see it being an appropriate "crisis." That doesn't mean I'm going to do it. I already know I'm going to Hell; I'm not going to damn myself more than I already have unless there's no other choice.'

'Do what you want. This is going to hurt her if you want to succeed. You are going to have to hurt her if you don't want our 'master' to.'

'I know that. Come on, let's look at the other two. Obrimos? They're structured people, but their desire to order the universe and make sense of it is what causes a melt-down.'

'Hell no. Twilight Sparkle would fit right into the Aether with her stupid lists of lists and following every damn step. That girl is about as far-removed as it gets. Throw something beyond her understanding in front of her and she'll just accept it. And probably try to be friends with it.'

Sunset chuckled. 'True. Again. Scratch that one out. Thyrsus could work, given how she's really taken to nature walks. Her connection to the invisible world makes a pretty strong case for it, too.'

'The Primal Wild doesn't just apply to nature walks. Think in terms of the people you know: Even the Apples wouldn't quite work. Of them all, Fluttershy would find her way to that Path. They are obsessed with natural laws. It's a possibility for the girl, but I'd call it a long shot.'

'So Moros Path is our best bet for the moment. Now I just have to figure out who to ask for help.'

'You know at least one Alchemist, Sunny. That Daisy girl, Amber Wish. She'll probably be at the flower store today.'

With something that counted as a starting point and guests that deserved attention, Sunset returned to her flat. The girls were all awake, Sweetie Belle holding Pixie - who was enjoying her breakfast - making the reason for their early rise obvious.

Midnight was reading her cards at the kitchen table. She nodded at Sunset, who began rummaging in the refrigerator, without looking up.

"Good morning, Midnight. Did you sleep okay? Sweetie Belle has a tendency to use sleepover guests as hug pillows."

"I think we both slept just fine. It's not like I mind being hugged, just that I don't really have a lot of people I can trust to let hug me. By the way, your plan will probably work."

Sunset nearly dropped the egg carton. She placed it gently on the counter before turning to face the girl. Midnight was still looking at her cards.

"How long have you known?"

"Not too long. I brought extra decks since I knew I'd be here a while and I've been doing readings. Sweetie Belle got Death, The Hanged Man, and The Sun along with Swords all over the place. Those come up a lot for that."

Pausing to retrieve the bacon, Sunset asked, "What will I need to do this?"

Midnight looked at the current spread. Her body, small as it was, hid the cards. She was silent for a couple minutes before finally shaking her head.

"I'm not sure."

"Do you know Amber Wish? I was planning to ask her today, since she's an Alchemist."

"I think she'd fit the Moros Path, too, but we can't pick what it'll be even if this works out. Make sure you tell Sweetie Belle first."

Sunset found her second frying pan. For some reason, it had been in the cupboard with the glasses. She made a mental note to put labels on the shelves.

"That's my plan."

When she had first attempted to cook eggs in bacon grease, Sunset had placed them directly into the pan as soon as the bacon had finished cooking. The resulting grease-coated, deep-fried eggs had been terrible and she had never made that mistake again. Once the first round of bacon was finished, she began spooning the grease into another pan. It made for nice flavouring without being overpowering.

Sunset scrambled the eggs, as she did not want to be bothered with cooking several different styles to accommodate each person. Toast and juice completed breakfast.

After eating, all four girls went for a walk with Pixie. Karen stayed with Sunset, as the Fae cat wanted a cup of tea. She liked catnip tea, but did not respond to the herb as most normal cats did. She said it was invigorating but not intoxicating. Immediately after her drink, she proved her statement by settling onto a cushion on the couch for a nap.

The girls returned only a couple hours later because Apple Bloom had to be home by lunch. Sunset decided to return them both to their respective homes in one trip.

She stopped at the flower shop where the Trois Fleurs worked and was relieved not to see Rose or Lily, but found that Daisy was also not present. Sunset told the employee who was there that she wanted to place an order with Daisy, as they were classmates. He had no problem telling her that she would be closing. Sunset made sure to leave him a decent tip as thanks before returning to her home.

Sweetie Belle and Midnight were playing peek-a-boo with Pixie when Sunset returned. Midnight pushed herself from the floor.

"I think we should talk about that thing."

"What thing? Is everything okay?"

"Let's sit down," Sunset replied. "It's not bad, just something we wanted to talk about."

Karen perked when Sweetie Belle sat next to her. As the teen was holding Pixie, the cat decided to move to Midnight's lap. With Midnight being a Witch, there was something appropriate about her holding a black cat. Sunset briefly pictured the girl in stereotypical robes as she stirred a cauldron, Karen at her side. She made a mental note for Halloween.

Sunset cleared the amusing thought from her head as she took a seat. "Sweetie Belle, have you thought about what you'd like to do with being a Sleepwalker?"

"What do you mean?"

Midnight replied, "Sleepwalkers are usually helpers for Mages. We don't trust each other that much, so having a Sleepwalker helps a lot. Most of the staff at last year's Congressus Peculiaris were Sleepwalkers working for the Consilium."

"I guess I thought I'd just be Sunset's research assistant once she's ready."

"I'd be okay with that, but is there anything you really want since you know about magick?"

Sweetie Belle rubbed her chin as she thought. She blushed as she replied, "Well, there is one thing."

"What is it?"

"I'd like to be a Mage, too." Her voice was soft. In a slightly louder tone, she added, "Someday, I mean. You know, probably once Pixie grows up."

Midnight gave her a big, comforting smile. "Why would you have to wait for that?"

"I wouldn't want to neglect her because of studying magick. Me and Rarity were basically trophies for our parents; they left us alone a lot so they could do what they wanted. I don't ever want Pixie to think that she's not important to me."

"We can get lost to our Obsessions, but that's something that happens to Sleepers, too," Sunset replied. "Besides, she's already a Sleepwalker thanks to Ted's curse. She'll grow up around magick whether you Awaken or not."

"But what if she wanted to Awaken, too? Then it'd be the same thing. Could she do it, if she ever wanted?"

Midnight shrugged. "We can't even be sure you would. There's no way to make someone Awaken, at least for us. Maybe an Imperial Master could, but even they might not have that power. I'm pretty sure only the Oracles and Exarchs can make it happen."

"The main thing is what you want. Even if it's not a sure thing, I'll do whatever I can to help you. I'd do the same for Pixie if she decides she wants to Awaken someday. If you want to be a Mage, don't hold back.

"Let me put it like this: If you had already Awakened before she was born, would that have changed anything? Would you have given her up to make sure she wouldn't grow up to be jealous or feel left out?"

"Well, no."

"Answer me honestly: Do you really want to be a Mage?"

For some reason, Sweetie Belle was embarrassed. She began playing with her hair as she answered. "I've seen a lot of weird stuff as long as I can remember. It always scared me. I feel a lot better since I know not everything is bad, but I don't want to make other people have to take care of me. If I could have magick, I'd use it to protect Pixie from the bad things."

"So you want to protect yourself and your kids from monsters?" Midnight asked.

"Yep. I mean, I know Awakening can be really bad," she gave Sunset a sympathetic look, "but being able to do impossible things is cool, right? It's not like I haven't had to go through bad times before, so I know I could do it."

"I'd like to add something," Karen said. "I don't really know what it's like for Mortals, since I'm magickal by my very nature, but it's not all sunshine and rainbows. It's good you understand that. I know what you Awakened have to go through to reach the Supernal Realms, but you're not the only magick-users. Pinkie Pie has my type of magick, earned after years of slavery. The Kindred have to die and then drink the blood of the living to support their unlives. Even the Uratha suffer to gain and use magick.

"Once you have it, you'd have to maintain it. I need Glamour from emotions. Sunset and Midnight are bound to their Mysteries. The Uratha can't avoid spirits. Kindred are never allowed to see the sun again. Magick always has a cost, and it's easy to pass that off to other people."

"I understand that. It's not something to take for granted. I'd have to be careful not to abuse it. I think - no, I believe I can do that."

Sunset looked to Midnight, who nodded. "If this is something you want, then I'll do everything I can to help."

Only Pixie's presence kept Sweetie Belle from tackle-hugging Sunset. Her voice rose as she said, "Really? You'd do that for me?"

"We'll both do the best we can, but remember what I said: It might not work," Midnight said. "And it'll be hard for all of us."

"What do you mean?"

Sunset replied in Midnight's place. "From what I read, the Watchtowers only call people when they match the place it is, like how I ended up in Pandemonium. It's the place for sinners ... sort of. Even though I was dying, I was in that position because of the terrible things I had done. Those spirits wouldn't have made me the target if I hadn't made it possible because of what I did. I don't think you'd have to be stabbed or anything, but it's most likely going to be ... uncomfortable."

"It always is. Even with all the study we Guardians and the Silver Ladder do, we've learned that there has to be a crisis. There's no other way."

Sweetie Belle closed her eyes for a moment as she thought over their replies. She looked at them all as she said, "If it has to hurt first, I'm okay with that. It can't hurt more than having Pixie did, whether you mean the birth or the stuff that happened before. I think I'm only afraid I'd lose my friends, since I'd have to keep so much secret from them, but it's always been that way. As much as I love them, I can't ever tell them about the things I see."

Sunset responded to Sweetie Belle's concern. "I didn't lose any my friends because of Awakening. Did that have anything to do with why Rarity and I stopped being friends for a while?"

"That was my fault."

Sunset put an arm around her. "No, it wasn't. If you hadn't told me what was going on, I would have gone on being friends with her ... but that friendship would have been a lie. It hurt, but I'm glad you told me. Besides, I got to be an aunt."

"I think you'd be a great Mage. Sunset's going to talk to someone from the Path we think is probably the best. I'll do some research in our archives and ask Marble and a few Théarchs I know. Even when we have a plan, it might take a long time or never work. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes. I want to Awaken if I can."

They had a light lunch followed by Sunset completing her homework while the girls again played with Pixie. As she was only taking four sophomore-level classes, accelerated for summer or not, her studies rarely took long. They whiled away the rest of the afternoon on a board game.

Sunset revelled in the simple fun as she could not shake the fear that the coming change would ruin their happy lives.