Alpinisms

Breakfast was essential. Sunset lodged that phrase in her head as she groggily poured herself a cup of coffee. The smell of burnt bean water wafted from her tall ceramic mug and did a little to help invigorate her. She sipped from it once, then again, and one final time before setting it down to turn her attention to breakfast proper. One, two, three eggs found themselves cracked into a plain white bowl. Ground black pepper and a healthy helping of chili powder followed shortly afterwards. A short bit of whisking later and she had her scrambled eggs ready to go.

Ritual dominated a vast swathe of Sunsets’ life. From the magic to the mundane, repetition kept her moving forward as evenly as she could. It was an anchor in trying times and a source of comfort in her daily life. Breakfast was one of those rituals she hadn’t had a chance to establish until recently. Before making the move back to Equestria and even in the years of her youth she was far too concerned with the pursuit of power to let herself dwell on simple pleasures. Like spreading apple jam on a piece of toast and watching the sunrise from your small cottage or smelling butter melt across a pan, ripe for cooking. She let a smile cross her face as images of a plain life drifted through her head.

By now the pan was hot enough to cook with so she poured the egg mix in, delighting in the sizzle that met her ears. She agitated the bubbling egg mess with a spatula, fluffing the whole deal up with ease. Cooking eggs was a delicate art and one Sunset thought herself rather gifted at. Perhaps she should’ve been a breakfast chef at some inn rather than… Whoever she was now. Life certainly would’ve been league's less complex.

~~~

Not that Sunset could complain, really. She reflected on the fate of the stable of villains that came before her as she transferred her eggs from pan to plate. Many had been banished to here or there or frozen in stone. Some had been destroyed in their entirety. Not her. No, she was given a second chance by the Princess of Friendship. She spread a helping of butter across two pieces of bread and laid them on the skillet. Toast was essential.

Why the second chance? It wasn’t like she didn’t do something evil. It’s not like she didn’t try to kill her. Still she was given the opportunity to learn and grow beyond what she was. Maybe ponyfolk got a softer punishment for evil plans; the magical equivalent to a slap on the wrist. Even with all these questions, an undeniable fact of Sunsets life is how much she owes Twilight. It was weird owing another pony your life. Did all of Twilights friends feel like this?

Toast was done. She snatched it up off the skillet, snuffed the flame out, and ambled her way to the table. The slight amount of work she put into breakfast each morning only made it more rewarding. She settled into her chair to enjoy her handiwork, closing her eyes for just a moment to enjoy the early morning. Satisfied with her brief reverie she began to eat.

She wasn't even halfway  through her eggs when the tranquility of the morning was disrupted by the sudden arrival of a letter, appearing on her table in a puff of ash and flame. She drifted it towards her, unravelling it as it went. The letter was from Twilight and judging by the script was written with a degree of haste. Curious. Wasn’t often she received letters from Twilight.

Dear Sunset,

I have received a very frightening portent. A sign of things to come. There is dangerous magic on its way. Please visit when possible.

Well. That certainly wasn’t how she was expecting her morning to go. She finished her breakfast and grabbed her saddlebag before concentrating on a teleportation spell. With a few moments of focus she moved her body across space, arriving at the doors of Twilights’ gleaming crystal castle. No matter how often she visited it was always a strange sight to see.

Before she could knock on the door it swung open, Twilight standing there wide-eyed.

~~~

“Sunset! It’s good to see you. I detected your teleport. Starlight and the princesses are already here. Please, come inside. We have much to discuss.”

The princesses were here? It must be pretty serious if they’re not in Canterlot. What could be threatening Equestria now? What ancient evil has dredged itself up from the past to terrorize the lands? She kept these questions to herself as she followed a swiftly-moving Twilight up flight after flight of stairs. They swept into a large meeting room, the center dominated by a round oak table. Sat at the table were Luna, Celestia, and Starlight. The princesses had contemplative looks on their faces, while Starlight looked just as lost as Sunset felt.

“So. Celestia and Luna already know why I called you two here so I owe you an explanation. When I woke today I felt. Something. A powerful force is moving across this land and in my experience that’s never a good sign. That kind of magic is usually a sign of something very nasty setting up shop. Luna and Celestia have reported the same feeling. We’ve been trying to locate the source but it’s been eluding us. You two wouldn’t happen to have felt anything, would you have?”

“Well… I have experienced something, I suppose.”

“Really? What was it, Sunset?”

“It was a dream. I- I dreamt I was a princess. I could feel my wings. I don’t know-”

“No way. You had that dream too? Was yours as… scary as mine?”

“Scary? I don’t think so. More… revealing, than anything else. What happened in yours, Starlight?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. I did become a princess, though. Wings and all. Could that have something to do with it?”

“That could be it. You didn't have a hoof in any of that, did you Luna?”

“Absolutely not, unfortunately. I did notice that your dreams were especially… Hard to reach last night. I like to check in, make sure everything is going well. Something stopped me, however. That happens with very, VERY rarely. So as you can imagine I’m very worried. We’re all worried.”

Celestia looked to be deep in thought, with the ethereal breeze that usually fluttered her hair having slowed considerably. Her eyes were narrowed and she hadn’t spoken much at all since the meeting had started. Slowly the table grew hushed as if anticipating her speech. “I do not believe Equestria is in any danger, if these dreams speak the truth. I can say with utmost certainty, however, that the days ahead of you two will be the most trying they have ever been. If you do not master your magic, you will be destroyed.”

That stunned the entire table. Nopony really wanted to dispute what she just said. How could you, after all? It was Celestia! If there was anyone who know what they were talking about it was her, especially when it came to being a princess. Sunset and Starlight both looked horrified, but Starlight was the first to speak. “D-Destroyed? I’d… I’d really rather not. I’ve taken to really enjoy being alive.”

“Then you must be prepared to fight against the darkness in your heart, Starlight Glimmer. That is the only advice I can give you, for each princesses challenges are her own. May you walk safely down your path.” With a flash of light Celestia was gone, signalling an end to the meeting as abruptly as it began. Twilight looked concerned.

“I promise she’s usually less… Aloof and difficult to understand. I think. At least to me she is.”

“It’s alright Twilight.” Sunset put a reaffirming hoof on her friends shoulder. “I’m sure everything will be just fine!”