Sunset Shimmer: Student of Magick

The evening was fully upon them when Sunset went back to the flower store. She knew she could trust Sweetie Belle and Midnight to be fine without her for an hour, so she left them home. There might have been a little pride in Sunset's decision to go alone. It was hard to guess what the Trois Fleurs' reactions would be if she had Midnight Radiance in tow. Even if having the girl at her side would help, Sunset wanted to be able to stand on her own. Age had nothing to do with it; Sunset's own past actions had caused the animosity Daisy and her friends held toward her and it was Sunset's responsibility to fix it.

The lot was nearly empty when she arrived, but it was one-half hour before closing. The glass storefront allowed her to see that Daisy was at the register, bobbing her head in time with whatever music was playing. Sunset realised then that she should have enquired after all three, as both of the others were present.

There was no point to returning later; Daisy would likely have a shift alone - or at least without her friends - at some point, but Sunset had no way of knowing when that would be. She entered the store, ignoring the glare from Lily and the cringe from the other two. The flowers' perfume was strong but not overwhelming, at least for Sunset. She counted herself fortunate for not having much of a pollen allergy, though the scent made her hungry even after years as a human. Princess Twilight once admitted to what she called an 'unhealthy love' for hayburgers and an affection for daisy sandwiches, but Sunset had always preferred tulips and roses. Of course her two favourite flowers were in a prominent display at the front, but she would not allow them to distract her.

She had expected quiet music, perhaps classical, to accompany visitors. Soft jazz had been playing during her first visit. Instead, a deep male voice angrily sang about breaking his chains and a monster being loosed. The juxtaposition of the music against the setting combined with flowers that made her a little homesick caused her to stop for a moment.

Daisy tried to offer a welcoming smile that wilted immediately when she looked at Sunset again. She adjusted the music volume, blushing as her friends sighed in relief. It had not been loud, but it it was clear Rose and Lily only tolerated it rather than enjoyed it.

"Rose, Lily, nice to see you again. I'd like to get a couple small bouquets, please. One for Sweetie Belle and one for Midnight Radiance. I trust your judgment."

Rose began surveying the coolers as she mumbled to herself. Lily continued to glare at Sunset for a moment before crossing her arms and stepping into Sunset's path.

"Add the baby and maybe we won't throw you out of here."

"Fair enough. Do you want a picture of her?"

Lily took Sunset's mobile and then proceeded to arrange a selection of flowers for Pixel Bit. Sunset waited patiently by the register. She found that she liked whatever music Daisy was playing. The next song featured the same singer; it was much gentler, something about waiting for Heaven.

"What band is this?" she asked while Rose and Lily bickered over which purplish-blue flowers to place in Midnight's bouquet. "I like it. This remind me a bit of Green Day."

Daisy opened her mouth to reply, but Lily cut her off. "Oh, god, now we get to listen to another fangirl rant."

"Sorry, Lily. I won't play my music here anymore."

Lily appeared genuinely remorseful over Daisy's doleful tone. "I'm sorry, Daisy. I shouldn't be snapping at you."

Though she looked mollified, Daisy did not answer Sunset's question. They both stood in awkward silence until the bouquets were complete. Sunset had no problem differentiating them, even without the tags Rose attached. The girls' nickname of "Flower Trio" - which Sunset only realised at that moment was their cabal name - was perfect, as were the bouquets.

She was not surprised when Lily took the register and charged her triple what any other customer would pay. Sunset only smiled as she presented her bank card, collecting the bundles before turning to Daisy and Rose.

"I really don't want to fight with you. I came here because I need some help and wanted to ask a couple questions. Will you please let me talk to Daisy privately for just a few minutes?"

"If you'll owe us another favour," Lily said, stepping in front of Daisy. She had her arms crossed.

Rose grabbed her and pulled her to the side. "No, Lily. She just wants to talk, and she didn't complain about your stunt at the register."

"Fine. Daisy, you can go with her if you want. If she tries to do anything to you, we'll report her to the Sentinel."

Sunset was certain that Rose was the official leader of the cabal, though she was starting to suspect the young woman was more of a figurehead than anything else. She made a mental note to continue working to resolve the lingering hostilities Lily felt, no matter the cost. She would be entering the Consilium already having an enemy, but she hoped their relationship would could improve.

Daisy was hesitant, but she eventually decided to follow Sunset out of the store. Sunset gently placed the flowers into her dashboard before inviting Daisy into the passenger's seat. The flower-scented girl acted like she was going to refuse. Sunset had almost resolved to talk in the middle of the lot before Daisy finally climbed into the seat.

"Can you and the girls keep a secret?"

"Yes." Daisy's agreement sounded more like she expected to be punished for violating confidence than because she had a strong sense of obligation.

Sunset groaned and looked at her companion. "I know you're still scared of me. I know it'll take me a long time to prove I've changed. Still, this is getting old. Please, Daisy, just try to relax. Look, you can see Rose and Lily are watching us, and I know they have the Sentinel's number on a hair-trigger. You're about as safe as you can be."

Though she gave no audible sign, Daisy did gradually loosen her tense muscles. She did not seem to be quite as much a hare before a fox, which was as good as it was going to get.

"Okay, here's the secret: We're trying to help Sweetie Belle Awaken and we're pretty sure she'd match up with the Watchtower of the Leaden Coin."

"Oh. I thought, um, maybe you...."

"What?"

Daisy blushed. "Never mind. What did you want to ask?"

"Anything you're willing to tell me about your Awakening. Before you get the wrong idea, this is not me expecting 'repayment' for my telling you about mine. If you're not comfortable sharing anything, that's fine."

"I am willing to talk about it, but I can't tell you much. All three of us Awakened at the same time, so you'd have to get Rose and Lily to agree."

"I'm not surprised," Sunset replied with a grin. "You three always did seem to do everything together. Still, I doubt Lily's going to be okay with that, so tell me what you're willing to without breaking their confidence."

"I can say this much: We were all in a Cryptopoly. After we Awakened, Solar Helm told us the Truth about the Silver Ladder and their cults, which is why we joined them. If it hadn't been for the mystery cults, we never would have Awakened. You should ask her about how to guide Sweetie Belle. The Ladder always wants to help spread enlightenment."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

"Before I Awakened, I wasn't in a good place. There were ... issues in my life. It didn't really have anything to do with you; you picked on us sometimes, but we were never really your targets the way your friends used to be. My problems came from other places, and they just kept weighing on me. They just got heavier and heavier over the years, no matter what I did.

"One day, we ... well, I can't go into detail, but we each started our own Waking World Dreams. I had no idea what was happening. I spent days seeing things in a new way, getting the Spectres and Apeirons of Stygia to let me go by throwing away the weights that were holding me back. When I finally got rid of the last of them, I got to the Leaden Coin. There were flowers like I'd never seen growing all around it, so I gathered a few and placed a bouquet inside. That was when the dream ended; I Awakened, and I was a lot better. My problems didn't go away then and there, but I knew how to deal with them."

Sunset took a moment to process Daisy's story. "I definitely understand that you don't want to talk about what was happening to you, but is there anything you can tell me that will give me a hint about ... I don't know, anything that might have caused that Watchtower to call you? I know Stygia demands change, but that can mean anything."

With a sigh, Daisy replied, "I was ... seriously thinking about killing myself. There were so many things, and I just couldn't figure out what to do about them. I couldn't get myself to talk about it at all, not even with Rose and Lily. They knew I wasn't okay, but I did everything I could to convince them I was. If it hadn't been for them, I think I actually would have done it long before I ever could have Awakened.

"The more I pretended to be fine, the worse it got. I just wanted out, no matter what. When I started my Waking World Dream, I saw all the things that were making me want to die. It was like these things had become physical; they kept playing like nightmares over and over and over until they were almost literally crushing me. The Spectres would whisper to me about how I was going to be turned into paste and they'd eat me; the Apeirons kept adding more weights and shackles until I couldn't move anymore. When I thought I really was going to die, I called for Rose and Lily to help me.

"You know that cliché about someone saying they want to die, but then they fight back when someone tries to 'help' them do it? I can't say if it is for anyone else, but that was true for me.

"That was when I figured out that I could change things, but I'd have to tell them first. That was my big change: Learning to tell my friends when I needed help instead of hiding things. It's not easy to change who you are and how you view things, but that's what Stygia will help you do. It's like The Hanged Man of the tarot. Spend enough time there and you'll either learn a new way to see things or get lost forever.

"I don't know if it'll help, but I've heard some of the other Alchemists say that we don't have to change completely before we can get to the Watchtower of the Leaden Coin. We just have to be open to change when we feel like something is going to crush us. Once we start to think that there's no other way and our souls are crying out, the Watchtower tries to open its Path and calls us. We have to be willing to accept it and throw away what holds us down, but it gives us that chance."

Sunset pulled Daisy into a hug. She had not realised she was crying, but she felt a few tears escaping her eyes as she inhaled the scent of flowers.

"I'm so sorry, Daisy, whether I had anything to do with it or not. No one should ever have to feel like that's the only way out."

"It's okay now." Daisy returned the hug. "Thanks to Stygia, I've learnt how to deal with my problems. I won't let anybody else hurt me so badly again. My life might have been bad leading up to it, but those same things got me to where I am now."

They released each other, Sunset feeling a bit lighter. Based on how relaxed Daisy had become, it seemed their heart-to-heart was helping to overcome the lingering fear she had of the reformed bully.

"That makes me think of one other thing my mentor taught me: Our pasts are behind us, but they're never removed. Every experience helps shape us, but our ability to reason allows us take the control to shape our own lives. I can't control my friends, but I can choose not to have toxic people around me. I couldn't stop you from being a bully, but I didn't have to take what you did or said to heart.

"Despite everything, I'm happy being a Mage and being in a cabal with my two best friends. As weird as it might sound, I can be thankful for the bad times. Without them, I wouldn't be who I am now, and I like who and where I am."

Sunset leaned into her seat. "A friend of mine said that we have to be broken before we can Awaken. I agree with that and with you. Still, as amazing as being a Mage can be, I'm worried about Sweetie Belle going through what it takes to reach a Watchtower. I don't want her to have to be hurt again."

"The Silver Ladder calls Awakening 'Enlightenment.' I've come to agree with that. There is no enlightenment - or transcendence, if you want to think of it that way - without some kind of pain first. Some of us will say that the Ladder to Ascension is full of barbs. You stop when the pain gets to you. We each have to decide for ourselves where that point is."

"I know. She's a strong young woman who can stand up for herself, but that doesn't mean I don't want to protect her."

Daisy giggled. "You sound like a parent. I'm sure this will be hard for both of you, but you can always come talk to me if you need support. I'm going to trust you, Sunset, and I want to try to be friends."

Sunset would not have been able to stop herself hugging Daisy again even had she been so inclined. They shared a mutual embrace for a moment before parting.

"Did you have any other questions?"

"You never told me the name of the band you were listening to."

"He's a singer, not a band. His stage name is Meat Loaf. I haven't met any other girls our age who like his music, so I thought you were just trying to be friendly or something."

"I'll look him up."

Daisy glanced at the store, where her friends were still watching them. Sunset noticed that they looked surprised, likely shocked to see her hugging Daisy and receiving one in return.

"I should go back. Did you have anything else to ask me?"

"Not right now, but I do want to drop by sometimes. If I like those albums, it'd be fun to talk about them."

"I'm okay with that, but you'd need to get Lily to forgive you first. This store belongs to her family and it's our sanctum since they let us live above it. At least you can come as a customer for now. Rose and I will make sure she doesn't pull a stunt at the register like that again."

"I think I'll avoid antagonising her more for now, but I'll definitely be back. Thanks for talking to me. Have a good night."

Daisy waved as Sunset backed her vehicle from the lot. During the drive home, Sunset replayed and examined their conversation. She was glad Daisy was happier; it gave some hope for Sweetie Belle's Awakening, no matter what was to happen.