Sunset Shimmer: War Mage

The Saturday of Pixel Bit's birthday party was clear.  Though the calendar stated they were into autumn, the day was warm with a cool breeze and the perfect cloud coverage to keep it pleasantly mild.  Since the party was to be held outdoors, it was perfect weather.

Apple Bloom had offered an open section of her family's farm fit to host a gaggle of primary schoolers.  She had returned from her university just for the party, as she took her position as an honorary aunt seriously.  When they approved Apple Bloom's idea, each member of her family offered to help, refusing any pay for their work except the bare minimum to cover the cost of materials.  Thanks to their contract with the Consilium and several others spawned from it, they were in a better financial situation than they had been in years, if not well-off.

Applejack and Granny Smith were handling the food.  Apple Bloom would assist in patrolling the children to keep them within the accepted party zone.  Big Mac would be running a hayride later in the afternoon, but was otherwise not planning to be overly visible.  Trixie planned to give a magic show, Pinkie Pie had activities covered, and Rarity was set to offer simple arts and crafts.  Twilight had a schedule and a checklist to keep everything on track and organised.  Lemon Zest offered to DJ, swapping her harder music for that more enjoyable to children.  Button and Sunset were floaters, the latter due to her old leg injury.  They tried to convince Sweetie Belle to sing.  She agreed despite her stage fright, but Pixie was too good-natured to want anyone to do something that made them uncomfortable.  She had insisted that Sweetie Belle help Rarity instead.

Not including the birthday girl, nineteen of her classmates with at least one guardian each joined the festivities.  Pixie was well-loved in her class, which showed in the enthusiasm the guests demonstrated in congratulating her.  More than a few of the children used her tackle-hug against her, not that Pixie demonstrated any reluctance at being on the receiving end.  In addition to her classmates, there were a few younger siblings.  Two older siblings that were sufficiently close in age to be interested in having fun with the younger kids also joined them.  One big brother, having reached the ripe old age of eleven, preferred to stay with the mature individuals.  Then there was Pixie's immediate and extended family, as well as the friends of the family.  Scootaloo would not miss a niece's party, and even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were able to attend.  Spike and Karen were present, though they gave no sign of being anything other than normal - if remarkably well-trained - pets.

A table set in the shade of the barn held presents.  Food and drink occupied two more tables near the gifts, the food eventually spilling over to the drink table due to the turn-out.  Sunset joined the cooking team for a brief time as the ferry girl to place some of the last treats.  No birthday cake was visible yet, saved for the last event before present-opening.

According to the schedule and the invitations, the party started at ten o'clock.  Twilight Sparkle had never organised a party for young children, as previous years had been low-key affairs.  After they ended a ball tossing game early, she disappeared.  Sunset found her curled into a ball in the barn loft about one-half hour later, lovingly stroking her schedule and checklist as she murmured words of comfort.  The words may have been for the papers or for herself; Sunset was uncertain and chose not to ask.  A few minutes of commiseration and repeated promises that everything would be fine drew the young woman back into the yard in time for the final guests' arrival.

Ace parked his car near the end of the drive, somewhat distant to the other vehicles.  With him were Clash, Pearl, and Midnight.  All four carried individual presents, which they confessed had been due to a lack of communication during the preceding week.  They barely had time to lay their gifts with the rest before the birthday girl made her presence known to welcome them.

At least one of the children tailing Pixie was fascinated by Ace's criss-crossing tattoos, partially visible despite the long sleeves of his loose tee-shirt.  One of the nearby mothers gave him a disapproving look, which he pointedly ignored as he gave Pixie a hug.

"Congratulations, Pixie.  Did you know that eight is a magical number?  This will be a good year for you."

"Aunty Trixie told me that, too.  Hey, can Midnight come play with us?"

"She's right here, why don't you ask her?"

Pixie grabbed her hand.  "Do you wanna play, Midnight?"

It was not so much a question as a command.  Despite being eleven years the child's senior, Midnight found herself dragged into the middle of the activities without even a single word uttered.  She willingly followed the crowd, unashamed to play with them.  Unlike some people of any age, Pixie hated when others held back their advantages to allow her to win.  Midnight played fairly with the girl, always encouraging her adoptive sister with advise on how to improve when Pixie lost a game.

When all the food was available and Twilight had rejoined them, Sunset took the opportunity to rest in the shade with Button's family and Rarity.  She was a little disappointed to find Chip was helping Button, as she had been hoping to discuss one of her recent programming contracts with him.

Rarity was resting on one of the few lawn chairs, her gravid figure ensuring no one would object.  Most of the other adults were still young, so standing for a few hours would be harmless.  Love Tap was possibly one of the oldest people there, except for Pearl and Granny Smith.  Sunset was bemused to watch her former mentor masque her presence from the Apple matriarch.  Only Pixie could persuade the Mage to risk being in the same location as the one person capable of spilling her True Name.

When Sunset was satisfied that no one would need her for a few minutes, she accepted Love Tap's offered lawn chair.  "Don't mind me; I'll just be drinking cough syrup if anyone needs me."

"Now, now, darling, you would hardly be wearing that enormous grin were it really so terrible."

"Where are Flash and Water Sapphire?"

"Oh, Pixie dragged them away as soon as we arrived."

Sunset glanced about the yard again, finally spotting Flash Sentry at the arts and crafts table.  A few of the quieter children glued popsicle sticks together under his supervision, but most preferred active play.   Water Sapphire, not yet three, stayed with him.  The toddler did not care for loud noises, so every attempt Pixie made to get him into the games ended with him clinging to his father's leg.

Love Tap sipped her drink as she watched from Sunset's side.  "This reminds me of when my boys were young."

Rarity placed a hand over the large bulge in her stomach.  "Yes, I am curious to see how this one turns out.  I do hope he will be a little less ... enthusiastic than his cousin.  Perhaps a bit more like his brother, I hope?"

"So it is another boy?"

"My doctor is quite positive.  She tried to show me on the ultrasound, but even my eye for detail could not make sense of the image."  The mother-to-be winced.  "He certainly kicks like a boy."

"Sweetie Belle said almost the same thing both times, except she compared the kicking to Scootaloo."

"Somebody call my name?"  Scootaloo dropped onto the grass.  She was soaked in sweat, a few smudges on her skin.  "Me and Apple Bloom tried to set up a ramp for the kids, but then somebody said it wasn't safe.  After we gave up on the ramp, we set up an obstacle course.  That got axed when some kid skinned his knee."

Love Tap shook her head.  "More than a few of the women and men in our parenting club back in the day were terrified of anything that might give their precious babies an ouchy."

"My parents always thought I didn't do anything if I didn't come home without at least one new scratch.  Heck, they'd send me right back out."  She groaned in annoyance.  "I swear, if I have kids, I'm not going to coddle them."

Love Tap gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.  "Any plans on that front?"

"Not really.  Rumble and I have talked a bit about all that stuff, you know, marriage and kids and buying a house, but we're not in a hurry.  We're going to wait until his contract ends."

"Isn't he in the same unit with Flash?"

"Yeah, but they have different assignments."  Scootaloo hopped back to her feet to stretch her limbs.  Sunset could hear a few joints popping.  "At least we got to help Trixie set up her stage.  She tried to draft me as her assistant, but I backed out when I saw the outfit."

"I thought the birthday kid was usually the assistant for that kind of thing," Gibson commented.

"No, she's going to be in some of the tricks," Sunset explained.  She nodded toward the stage.  "Speaking of, I think she's starting."

Trixie ascended her platform at the edge of the party grounds.  She forsook the firecrackers and smoke, using her powerful showman's voice to alert the crowd.  "Gather 'round, one and all, to witness the Great and Powerful Trixie's special birthday party show.  For my assistant, we have the Funny and Friendly Pinkie Pie.  Is everyone ready?  Let us begin."

The children, even the 'too old' brother, were seated together to watch, most of the adults standing, kneeling, or sitting behind them.  Rarity stayed on the lawn chair in the shade, though she turned her seat to observe.  She had designed Trixie's stage costumes, but said nothing about it to leave the attention on the show.  If someone expressed interest in the designs, she would mention it later.

Most of the tricks were standard sleight-of-hand or smoke-and-mirrors traditions.  As it progressed, Sunset felt a bit of real magick a few times in the show, but her friend knew exactly how to play the crowd so that even the more obviously reality-defying tricks easily passed through the Sleepers' Disbelief.  Pixie was excellent in her role as the volunteer, despite not having been allowed to practise any of her segments first.

When they reached the finalé, Trixie and Pinkie moved the first box into the crowd, allowing the children to see that there were no secret compartments.  Once the audience was satisfied, they shut Pixie into it.  Sunset opened the conjoined space, feeling the girl pass between them.  Trixie would have felt it as well; she opened the door to show that her assistant was gone.  The kids were suitably impressed, as were several of the adults.  When Pinkie called for her, Pixie jumped from the second box that had been left on the stage.

They received applause from everyone as the three took a bow.  The magic show was clearly a success.  A few of the parents asked to hire Trixie for their own children's parties in the upcoming months.  That she had only used a small portion of her repertoire of tricks meant her show would not get stale, even if all of the same audience attended each party.  Despite the relatively small commission, she would make a good amount of money to supplement her other work.

They went back to more free play time.  Pinkie Pie and her never-ending supply of balloons provided so many colourful animals that several of the children started a zoo.  It was going well until some of the boys decided that the coolest animals escaped and began eating the others before getting into a battle for supremacy.  Were it not for Pixie and Midnight convincing the girls to participate, the battle royale may have been the end of the party.  A tiger belonging to a boy was the victor, Pixel Bit's dinosaur the second place champion.  She would have won if her legs had been a little longer, but the boy was able to stomp her balloon when she tripped on her own feet trying to get past his.

She stood with a smile and a promise to win the next time.

After the hayride, they moved to the presents.  Though Pixie was excited for them, she was willing to wait.  Many of the other children were not, wanting to see what she had received.  Button Mash and Sweetie Belle handed them to her while her friends sat around to watch.  The many gifts ran the gamut from purely fun to practical.  Between stuffed animals and toys, she also opened a beautiful set of day wear hand-crafted by her Aunt Rarity.  Twilight had included a complete set of children's encyclopaedias.  Clash added a large stuffed wolf that was only a little smaller than the child.  Sunset's offering was "Kitchen Witchcraft:  A Child's Guide to Cooking and Baking".  Pixie gladly received everything and thanked each individual.

After the cake, guests began leaving until only family and close friends remained to clean the party grounds.  Despite her high energy level, Pixie was on the edge of crashing, so they set her to the task of organising her gifts and loading them into the minivan.  While Trixie deconstructed her stage with Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Midnight, Sunset walked the path of the hayride with Applejack to check for candy wrappers or any other litter.  There was little to be found, but they both knew it was best to avoid leaving anything that one of the animals - farm or wild - might eat.  Some of her friends tried to stop her because of her bad knee, but she ignored them.  It helped that there was no rush and that the path was flat.

"That was a right good party.  Ah'm glad the little ones had a good time."

"Thank you again for hosting.  I think it worked much better than if we'd had it in our backyard."

"T'weren't nothin'.  Ya shoulda seen some of the parties we had fer Apple Bloom back in the day.  Ah'm sure me 'n Big Mac made more'n our share of messes, too."

A cat-like smile on her face, Sunset decided to prod her friend a bit.  "Any chance you'll be hosting another Apple birthday party in the near future?"

Applejack blushed as she replied, "Maybe, maybe not.  T'ain't like me or Mac have our eyes on anybody right now.  AB's of age ta be lookin', but she ain't never said anythin'."

"None of you have a special someone?"

"Nah.  Ah've looked 'n dated a bit.  Ah'd like ta find mah soulmate, but Ah guess the Lord ain't got it in the cards fer me right now.  Much as Ah'd like ta keep the farm in the family, it is gettin' harder fer family farms ta survive, even with all the caterin' commissions."

Seeing Applejack's saddened look, Sunset gave her a hug.  "I'm sure things will work out.  I refuse to believe that all of the love and hard work your family has put into Sweet Apple Acres is just going to disappear."

"Yeah, Ah guess."  She perked as she grinned.  "Ya see Rarity's baby bump?  Ah thought that girl would be all over her weight 'n stretch marks."

They both giggled.  "Maybe she does in private, but Rarity doesn't mind showing off the baby.  She does make pregnancy look fabulous, after all."

That set both of them to full laughter.  "We probably shouldn't be makin' fun of her, funny as it is."

Sunset nodded.  "A little friendly poking is fine.  I'd never say something behind someone's back that I wouldn't say to them, and gods know I've already teased her about it.  So, what's coming up for you?"

Applejack began telling Sunset of an upcoming farmer's conference she and her brother would both attend.  With Apple Bloom still in university, it was rare for both to have the freedom to travel to conventions.  As they both approached farming from different perspectives, they always felt they missed something when only one attended.  This year, Apple Bloom would have a long weekend of vacation, and both of her Crusader friends had agreed to help her with the farm.

"Apple Bloom's studying Mechanical Engineering, right?"

"That she is.  She's only got a year left.  She's been on the President's List every semester since she started."  There was some pride in Applejack's voice as she revealed that detail.

"That's incredible, especially for something that challenging.  I'm sure that kind of achievement will help her find a great job."

Applejack's expression turned glum again.  "She wants ta work on the farm.  With the farm scholarships 'n everythin', she don't owe a pug nickel, so she don't exactly need a high-payin' job."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"That girl's got a bright future, but she ain't willin' ta leave our traditions ta chase it.  Ah appreciate her loyalty ta family 'n tradition, mind, but Ah don't wanna be the 'cause of her not goin' as far as she can.  Ah want her ta use her God-given gifts, not waste 'em."

"Has she considered moving into the professional world and then using the money to help?  She'd be able to take care of Granny Smith and the farm."

"We've thrown the idea out ta her.  Gotta see what direction she goes.  She has ta make her own choices or she'll be miserable."

They each had a handful of rubbish when they returned to the house.  The rest of the gang had finished their own jobs and were enjoying leftover cake with apple juice.  Pixie was snoring on the couch despite the quantity of sugar she had inhaled, Karen curled against her.  Sweetie Belle was sitting on Scootaloo, the latter having joked about drawing on the girl's face.  It may have been a threat; Sunset heard two different stories.  The athlete freed herself by tickling her friend into submission.

They finally called it a day after finishing the cake, even Rarity indulging for two slices under the excuse of two people eating it.  Though she stirred when he lifted her, Pixie was content to hug her father's neck as he carried her to the van.  Despite nearly everyone being able to do it, Button Mash enjoyed carrying either of his sleeping daughters while they were still sufficiently small to allow for it.  No one wanted to steal that small parental pleasure from him.

When she was home, Sunset pulled her latest communication journal from her shelf.  It was the third, only one-fourth of the pages used for conversations that often took weeks and mostly related mundane adventures.  She began writing as soon as she was settled at her desk.

Dear Princess Twilight,

We just got back from Pixie's birthday party.  I wish you could have seen it.  I made sure to include the gift you sent her.  She really loved it.

Not a whole lot else to report here.  Trixie's magic show was a hit.  A lot of the other families want to hire her.  Give her another year and she'll be performing across the country.  I have a couple contracts for programming work that I'll be doing from home, as usual.

I do have a question for you, though:  Have you ever had a long time where everything's normal and nothing major happens, yet you spend the whole time waiting for the other hoof to drop?  That's how I've been feeling.  It might be superstition, but I've had this weird ache in my bad knee that doesn't get better no matter what I do, and I can't help but think it's like when people in this world claim achy joints mean certain types of weather (like how you've described Pinkie Sense, in a way).  It feels like it's signaling something is going to happen soon.

Do you think I'm just going a little crazy, jumping at nothing?

Hope things are going well for you.  Thank you for always being my friend, no matter how busy you get.

Sunset Shimmer

She placed the journal on her nightstand and rolled into bed.  Like Twilight, Sunset had times where she felt she existed only to be challenged, as though normal days were merely an unmentionable bridge between excitement.  Her last thoughts as she went to sleep were hopes that Twilight would reply soon to tell her that she could stop waiting for something to happen.  She had been honest when she told her friends that she wanted a boring life, yet she could not shake the feeling that the last few years were merely an extended period of calm.