Sins of One's Pastby smirkerChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 1Three mares walked into Ponyville and the others looked at them strangely, the earth pony led them with the unicorn to her right and the Pegasus to her left, they kept walking and stopped when they heard a party cannon go off as soon as they entered the town, "Say hello to your 'Welcome to Pon...' huh?" Pinkie Pie said as she looked at the three, everypony looked at them strangely, the unicorn had a light blue coat just a little lighter than Trixie's, her mane and tail were long, dark yellow, and wavy, bangs across her forehead, and purple eyes, she was wearing a blue long-sleeve lace dress with flower patterns on it and a white long-sleeve dress under it, the dress was closed in front of her hind legs and went all the way down to her hoofs, and she had black high heel shoes on all four of her hoofs; the earth pony was as tall as Big Macintosh and wearing a dull gray suit of armor that covered her entire body and was covered in slashes, there were small holes in the helmet for her to see but too small for others to see her eyes, she had a sword sheathed on her left side and a kite shield on her back; the Pegasus had a bright green coat, a long straight light sky blue mane and tail, and yellow eyes, she was wearing a black leather tricorne with one corner facing forward and the other two corners in the back, she was also wearing a black leather waist-length coat with three gold buttons and gold trimmings around the button holes, the coat was open, she was also wearing a black vest with three black buttons to keep it closed, a white cravat that was tied to have three layers, a light brown leather belt with a gold buckle around her waist, white pants, and light brown mid-calf length leather boots on her hind legs, the earth pony was the tallest, the Pegasus was the shortest, and the unicorn was in between the two. Pinkie Pie just looked on at them while the three just stood and looked back, "Thank you, but we're here for Sunset Shimmer." the Pegasus said, "Sunset Shimmer? What do you three want her for?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I have a history with her." the unicorn replied, "Truth be told, Sunset Shimmer kind of shamed our home." the earth pony added, "As in?" Twilight Sparkle questioned, "She injured me before a competition." the unicorn replied, the others just looked on, "Okay, wait here, I'll go get her." Twilight Sparkle responded, and she trotted away. The three mares walked around Ponyville and looked at Pinkie Pie's party, "Aren't you all going to try anything?" Pinkie Pie asked, "We already had meals before we came here." the unicorn replied, "Yeah, we're on strict diets, too." the Pegasus added, "What do you mean you're on strict diets?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Exactly what they mean, we train at our home to be the best we can be in terms of fitness and combat." the earth pony explained, "A little junk food and soft drinks never hurt." Pinkie Pie stated, "Well, I guess I'll try a drink." the Pegasus said, and she took a ladle and tried the fruit punch, "Not bad, but I prefer pineapple flavor." the Pegasus remarked, "What about you two?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Watermelon." the earth pony replied, "Grape." the unicorn replied, "Sorry, but I don't have those flavors." Pinkie Pie stated, "It's alright." the unicorn replied, "Well, go on and meet the others, they're excited to have you here." Pinkie Pie said, and they walked away. The three mares walked around and looked at the citizens of Ponyville while they waited for Sunset Shimmer, they heard trotting and saw Rarity coming, "I really like that Pegasus' outfit, especially your hat, as for you, you really shouldn't wear a suit of armor in public, it is so unfashionable." Rarity stated, "All earth ponies wear a suit of armor where we're from." the earth pony replied, "What?!" Rarity exclaimed as she reeled up on her hind legs, "What about my outfit?" the unicorn asked, "Well, yours of kind of plain, I do like the flower patterns on your lace dress, though." Rarity responded, "We'll come by and visit later, we wish to learn our way through this town." the Pegasus said, "Of course, I'll be at my shop, I still really like your hat, though, darling." Rarity spoke, "It's called a tricorne." the Pegasus replied, "On my way now, enjoy Ponyville." Rarity said as she trotted away, the three mares continued walking. Twilight Sparkle wrote in her journal and sent a message to Sunset Shimmer, "Sunset Shimmer, There are three mares in Ponyville looking for you, one's a unicorn, one's a Pegasus, and one's an earth pony, the unicorn said she has history with you and she and her friends are waiting for you, please come as soon as possible." Twilight Sparkle wrote, she walked around the mirror and waited for Sunset Shimmer to arrive. Sunset Shimmer was at school and with her friends, she got a letter in journal and they read it, "People who have a history with me? I wonder who that could be." Sunset Shimmer said, "Any ideas, Sunset?" Applejack asked, "No." Sunset Shimmer answered, "I think it's best if you do go, Sunset." Twilight Sparkle stated, "I agree, I'll go see what it is, see you guys later." Sunset Shimmer responded, and she walked out of the school and went to Equestria. Twilight Sparkle continued walking around the mirror as she waited for Sunset Shimmer to arrive, the mirror flashed and Twilight Sparkle smiled as Sunset Shimmer came, "Twilight!" Sunset Shimmer shouted happily, and the two hugged one another, "Come on, the three mares here for you are outside." Twilight Sparkle said, and the two headed outside. The three mares continued walking and looking around, they stopped walking when they saw Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer coming, "Sorry I took a while, but here's Sunset Shimmer." Twilight Sparkle said, Sunset Shimmer walked forward and looked at the three, "Um..." Sunset Shimmer said as she tried to remember them, "You're supposed to focus on me, Sunset Shimmer." the unicorn said, Sunset Shimmer looked at her and tried to remember her, "I don't recall ever meeting you." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "You don't remember me?" the unicorn asked, "No, maybe you can jog my memory." Sunset Shimmer replied, "My name's Arcana." the unicorn stated, Sunset Shimmer tried to remember, "No, I still don't remember you." Sunset Shimmer spoke, "Eighteen years ago, Canterlot, competing to be Princess Celestia's pupil." Arcana added, "What?!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, Sunset Shimmer continued looking back, "No, I still don't remember you." Sunset Shimmer remarked, Arcana held her hoof out, "Touch my hoof, maybe you'll remember when you see my memories." Arcana stated, Sunset Shimmer touched her hoof and the memories entered her mind. Sunset Shimmer saw the inside of Canterlot Castle, there were a lot of unicorns there with her, Princess Celestia walked to them, "I am grateful you all came, but before I can choose my pupil, I need to see what you all can do." Princess Celestia stated, and the unicorns cheered. The vision changed and the unicorns all met one another and Sunset Shimmer introduced herself, "Sunset Shimmer, which you all probably know by now." Sunset Shimmer boasted, "Um, who?" Arcana asked while eating grapes, "Sunset Shimmer, best magic user in Equestria?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "No, never heard of you." Arcana answered, "Well, you all might as well give up now, because I know you all are going to lose to me." Sunset Shimmer bragged, Arcana just sat and listened to the others. The vision changed and everypony did magic competitions, everypony did something different, Sunset Shimmer fused a tiger and a lion together to create a liger while Arcana made fire, water, rocks, and wind float around herself, everypony looked at Arcana with surprise, her magic aura were four different colors, red, blue, yellow, and green, Arcana won the contest while Sunset Shimmer got second place, she growled at the fact that she lost. The vision changed and Sunset Shimmer and Arcana were the only two left before Princess Celestia would choose her pupil, the two had to do a project to impress her, Arcana was working late at night and working with unstable chemicals, Sunset Shimmer looked and saw Arcana was creating some kind of mixture, Sunset Shimmer smirked while she used her telekinesis to add a chemical to the bubbling chemical, it reacted violently and an explosion happened in Arcana's room and she screamed. Sunset Shimmer's vision changed and she saw Arcana being taken to the hospital the next morning, Princess Celestia was standing to her right, "I know what you did last night, Sunset Shimmer, you're disqualified." Princess Celestia said, "What?! Arcana wins?!" Sunset Shimmer bellowed, "No, I'm going to look into your backgrounds and decide which one of you two will be my pupil when she recovers." Princess Celestia answered, and Sunset Shimmer glared as she looked on. Sunset Shimmer's vision changed and she was standing to Princess Celestia's left, "I have decided, Sunset Shimmer will be my pupil." Princess Celestia said, "What... but, Princess Celestia..." Arcana begged, "I'm sorry, Arcana, but you're just not what I'm looking for, head on home now." Princess Celestia replied, and Arcana walked home with her head down while Sunset Shimmer smirked at her. The visions ended and Sunset Shimmer just looked on with bafflement at how she used to be, "Wow, I was actually a lot worse than I thought." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "What are you talking about?" Arcana questioned, "I learned friendship through Twilight and the humans in the other world, I have changed my ways." Sunset Shimmer answered, the unicorn and Pegasus glared, "Do you think that means we're going to forgive you?" Arcana asked, "Wait, we?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "You made our home's defenses a lot weaker when Arcana came back because of the injuries you inflicted on her." the Pegasus stated, "I don't even know where you three are from." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Dreaming Paradise, north of Canterlot." the earth pony replied, "Alright, so, what exactly did you three want to see me for?" Sunset Shimmer inquired, "I want a rematch with you, I haven't had the time because of how many threats we've had, but now that Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow have been stopped, I now have the chance to demand a rematch." Arcana replied, "Come on, Robin, let's stand back, this is Arcana's fight." the earth pony said, and she and Robin moved back. Sunset Shimmer and Arcana watched one another while the other ponies stood back, Sunset Shimmer sweated as she recalled the spells Arcana could cast. Sunset Shimmer shot a beam at her and Arcana put up a shield that deflected her beams back at her, "What in tarnation?" Applejack exclaimed, "What is it, AJ?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Look at Arcana's magic aura." Applejack replied, they did and the ponies gasped when they saw Arcana's magic aura was red, blue, yellow, and green, "Four magic auras?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Arcana put the shield down and cast another spell that made vines grow out of the ground and wrapped themselves around Sunset Shimmer. She grunted as she tried to break free, she saw Arcana cast another spell, it made two brown rocks come out of the ground at Sunset Shimmer's sides, they were about to collide into one another and smash her in between them, she cast a teleporting spell the two rocks hit her. Sunset Shimmer reappeared and shot a red beam out of her horn at Arcana, she shot a beam out of her horn and the two entered a deadlock, the ponies gasped when they saw Arcana's magic beam was four times bigger than an average unicorn's, Arcana overpowered Sunset Shimmer extremely easily and she screamed when she got hit by Arcana's magic beam, the red aura set her on fire and burned her, the blue aura filled her body with water, the yellow aura sent rocks flying into her, and the green aura sent gusts of wind that cut her. Sunset Shimmer fell onto the ground and panted, she quickly got back up and focused, Arcana cast another spell and water came out of the ground, it formed a sphere around Sunset Shimmer and she began to struggle for breath, "Arcana, stop!" Twilight Sparkle demanded, "This is between me and her." Arcana remarked coldly, Twilight Sparkle became speechless while Sunset Shimmer teleported out of the water and reappeared behind her. She shot a beam at Arcana and she grunted and fell when she was hit on the back of her head, she teleported away and Sunset Shimmer looked for her. Arcana appeared on a roof and Sunset Shimmer spotted her, Arcana made four rocks appear and float around her, she cast another spell on them to make the rocks catch on fire and turn into meteors, she shot them forward and the residents screamed as they moved and teleported away while the meteors left craters in the ground, Arcana cast another spell to make the meteors explode. Sunset Shimmer reappeared while panting, she saw Arcana cast another spell, vines wrapped around her again. She cast a spell and made a boulder appear above Sunset Shimmer, it fell and she grunted as she got smashed into the ground. Sunset Shimmer cast a spell weakly and teleported elsewhere, she panted as she recovered, she sighed as her energy came back, she teleported back to where Arcana was at. Arcana made the boulder disappear and the vines go back into the ground with her magic, she noticed Sunset Shimmer was not there, she looked around for her and she appeared behind her and bucked her, Arcana grunted loudly as she fell off the roof. Sunset Shimmer jumped down and walked to her, "Now, if I remember correctly, you never were good at physical activity, Arcana." Sunset Shimmer remarked, Arcana quickly shot a beam at her, Sunset Shimmer yelped as she just barely dodged it, the beam hit a tree and it turned orange, it compressed into nothingness and exploded. The ponies became speechless at seeing the spell while Arcana cast a healing spell on herself and stood up, she began to cast another spell and a purple haze appeared around her horn, her eyes glowed green with purple mists coming out of them. Dark crystals began to come out of the ground, "What?! She has dark magic, too?!" Rainbow Dash asked, Arcana made the dark crystals shatter and float around her, she shot them at Sunset Shimmer with her magic. The dark crystals homed on her while she teleported around to dodge them, the dark crystals shattered whenever they hit something, Sunset Shimmer kept teleporting until all of the dark crystal shards shattered. Sunset Shimmer teleported to Arcana and bucked her from behind, she grunted as she fell, she got back up and got ready to cast another spell while Sunset Shimmer was ready to block it. A yellow aura appeared on the two and their spells were canceled out, "Enough. Both of you." Princess Celestia said from the skies, she flew down and walked to them, "Arcana, I choose my pupil over their potential to learn friendship, not by raw power or the potential to have strong magic." Princess Celestia explained, "I just wanted a rematch after all of these years after Sunset Shimmer got me sent to the hospital." Arcana responded, "Is that the only reason why you're here?" Princess Celestia questioned, "Uh..." Arcana said, "Come on, Arcana, is there another reason why you're attacking Sunset Shimmer, if there is, spit it out." Princess Celestia requested, "*sigh* Revenge." Arcana replied, the ponies became speechless, "Arcana, I promise you Sunset Shimmer has changed her ways." Princess Celestia assured, "That doesn't mean me and my home town forgive her." Arcana responded as her glare sharpened and tried to keep herself calm and composed, "I'm ready to make amends if I have to prove it to you, Arcana." Sunset Shimmer stated, "Alright, I'll give you a chance, but if you're faking it, Paladin, Robin, and I will beat you up for wasting our time." Arcana declared, "I promise you she is sincere, Arcana. Sunset, you can start showing by helping others here in Ponyville." Princess Celestia said, and she flew away, "There's a house you three can stay at, I think you three will like it here in Ponyville." Twilight Sparkle said, "Um, Paladin, can you take your helmet off? Your armor's kind of scaring me." Fluttershy requested, Paladin did, everypony saw she had a bright red coat, a long straight orange mane, pink eyes, and two scars on her left eye, "Can you take us to the home? It's getting a little late." Robin said, "Sure, this way." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she led them. Twilight Sparkle went to the vacant house and Paladin, Arcana, and Robin entered it, "Here you three go, if you all need anything, let me know, and I'll make it appear with my magic." Twilight Sparkle stated, "It's alright, I can do it with my own magic." Arcana responded, "Oh, alright, I'll be going, then." Twilight Sparkle said, and she trotted back home while Arcana made things appear for herself and her two friends, she made books appear for herself, gym equipment for Paladin, and weapons for Robin, and an amulet for all three of themselves, they were silver with chains that were also silver, the only difference between them were the jewels in them, Paladin's amulet had a red ruby, Arcana's had a dark blue sapphire, and Robin's had a dark green jade, "Come on, you two, it's almost dark, we need to get ready for morning training." Paladin said, and the three went to sleep. Morning came and Paladin, Arcana, and Robin had breakfast, Paladin ate watermelons, Arcana ate grapes, and Robin ate pineapples, the three headed outside and began morning training. The citizens of Ponyville got on with their days but stopped when they saw the three, Paladin was doing clap push-ups while wearing her suit of armor, Arcana was meditating while floating in the air, and Robin was jumping on sticks while doing somersaults and flips in the air. Paladin and Robin stopped training while Arcana opened her eyes, they saw the ponies watching them, "Can we help you guys?" Robin asked, the ponies continued watching them, "I guess they're here to watch us." Paladin stated, "Well, won't do any harm, let's continue." Arcana replied, and they continued training. Paladin began doing one-hoofed push-ups while Arcana and Robin continued their training as before, Paladin soon began doing crunches and Rainbow Dash joined her, the two exercised together and Rainbow Dash panted and rested after doing the fifteenth crunch, Paladin chuckled and continued and finished after doing her fiftieth one. Paladin began doing pull-ups and Rainbow Dash went to go join her, "One hoof, Rainbow Dash." Paladin said, and Rainbow Dash could not do a one hoofed pull-up while Paladin did them effortlessly, she switched to her other front hoof after doing ten and jumped down after doing ten with that hoof, "Phew, alright, done." Paladin stated, and she walked into the house. Robin did more jumps and flips in the air and Applejack joined her, she fell off the sticks while Robin landed on them perfectly, "Not yet, Applejack, wait until I finish." Robin said, and she did more flips and acrobats and finished, Applejack tried and fell on the ground every time. Arcana meditated and she opened her eyes when she heard walking, she saw Sunset Shimmer in front of herself, "I didn't think you were an early bird, well, I'm ready to start." Sunset Shimmer said, "I'm not done with my training." Arcana spoke, "Can I join?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I remember you well, Sunset, you're not one to take in mental training." Arcana replied, "I just wanna try it for once." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Alright, sit beside me." Arcana said, and Sunset Shimmer did. Sunset Shimmer tried to meditate and did not float in the air, she opened her eyes after a few minutes, "Okay, this is boring." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "You never were one for mental pursuits." Arcana said, and Sunset Shimmer walked away. The three finished training and got ready to get on with their days, "Alright, Sunset, I'm ready to see if you've changed." Arcana spoke, "This way." Sunset Shimmer replied, and she led her. Fluttershy was tending to her animals and she heard walking, she looked and saw Sunset Shimmer and Arcana coming. She flew down and trotted to them, "Hello there, are you two looking for a pet?" Fluttershy asked, "Thanks, Fluttershy, but I already have a pet gecko back at home." Sunset Shimmer replied, "How about you, Arcana, would you like a pet?" Fluttershy asked, "I already have five pets." Arcana replied, "Five? It must be a lot of work taking care of them." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Not really, they're mystical animals, I summon them with my magic." Arcana responded, "Please, I would like to see them." Fluttershy stated, and Arcana floated up and her horn glowed, her five pets appeared. Fluttershy gasped when she looked at her pets, a yellow dragon appeared in front of Arcana, a white tiger appeared to her right, a blue-green dragon to her left, a black tortoise above her, and a red bird under her, they were all transparent. The two looked at Arcana with shock while she floated down and walked forward, the five animals followed her, "Their names are easy to remember, Yellow Dragon, White Tiger, Azure Dragon, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird." Arcana stated, "Which one is the leader?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Yellow Dragon." Arcana replied, "Um... hi." Fluttershy said while trembling, Yellow Dragon, Azure Dragon, and White Tiger roared at her while Black Tortoise growled and Vermilion Bird cawed angrily, Fluttershy whimpered and ran back while Sunset Shimmer put her behind herself, she looked and saw dirt, plants, and trees appear around Yellow Dragon, wind, leaves, and metal appeared around White Tiger, flowers and wood appeared around Azure Dragon, water and snow appeared around Black Tortoise, and fire and sun rays appeared around Vermilion Bird, "Sorry about that, they don't like weak willed people." Arcana stated; running was heard and Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack arrived, "We heard the noises all the way in Ponyville, is everything alright?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It's Arcana's pets, they don't like Fluttershy." Sunset Shimmer replied, they looked and saw them, "Are those pet dragons?" Rainbow Dash asked excitedly, "Yeah, why?" Arcana asked, "That is awesome!" Rainbow Dash claimed, "I can tell by just looking at them they're not ordinary animals, what are they?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "They are the rulers of the astral plane, they all control elements and seasons. Azure Dragon rules the eastern section of the astral plane, he controls the spring season and wood, Vermilion Bird rules the south, he controls the summer season and fire, White Tiger rules the west, he controls the autumn season and metal, Black Tortoise rules the north, she controls the winter season and water, and Yellow Dragon resides in the center of the astral plane, he makes the seasons change and controls the earth itself, he is the supreme ruler of the astral plane." Arcana explained, "So, why do you have control over 'em for?" Applejack asked, "I have proven myself powerful enough and worthy to wield their powers, they give me their powers when I summon them, but don't think it's completely cool, they are still more powerful than I am, if they don't like me or deem me no longer worthy, they will leave and I can no longer wield their powers." Arcana explained, "Why haven't they come to me for?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Have you ever been to or seen the astral plane?" Arcana asked, "No, I've never heard of it." Twilight Sparkle answered, "See, there you go, you need to let those five know that you know they exist before they come to you." Arcana stated, "I'm sure I have a spell to get into the astral plane." Twilight Sparkle remarked, "No, you can't enter that way, you have to meditate if you want to enter it." Arcana replied, "How long will that take?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It depends on how focused you are." Arcana responded, "Well, I’ll begin tending to the animals now." Sunset Shimmer said, and she walked around the sanctuary. Sunset Shimmer began cleaning and feeding the animals while Fluttershy helped her and taught her what the animals can and cannot eat, Arcana went over to help while her five pets disappeared, "Wow, Arcana, I didn't know you knew what to give animals without being told." Fluttershy stated, "I've always had a soft spot for animals, Paladin and Robin, too." Arcana responded, "Still, astral plane, that sounds familiar." Sunset Shimmer said, "You must be referring to the unicorn ruler of my home, his name is Astral Plane, I talked about him a few times when you and I were rivals." Arcana answered, Sunset Shimmer continued to look back, "Yeah, that sounds right." Sunset Shimmer said, and they finished taking care of the animals, "Thank you two so much, running the sanctuary on its own is a lot of work." Fluttershy said, "You're welcome." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Well, Sunset, I'm ready to see the next task for you to do." Arcana stated, and she led her. Sunset Shimmer led Arcana to Applejack's farm and they saw Paladin and Robin there, Paladin did not have her helmet with her, "You two been hanging out here the whole time?" Arcana asked, "No, we've been exploring Ponyville." Paladin replied, "Yeah, Paladin and I just got here, too." Robin added, "I just came from Fluttershy's sanctuary, where have you two been?" Arcana asked, "I was just walking around and looking for a royal guard base, there apparently isn't one in this town." Paladin answered, "I was at Pinkie's store to see if she had any fruits, she didn't." Robin said, "Before I start helping here, I've been wondering, is there a leader between you three?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I'm the leader." Paladin replied, "Is there a reason?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I'm the oldest." Paladin answered, "Oh, you three look to be around the same age." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "We are, Paladin's the oldest, Robin's the youngest, and I'm in the middle." Arcana replied, "It was just you that was going to come see me, right, Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Yes." Arcana replied, "Then, why did these two come along?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Backup, your arrogance and temper are well known throughout our home, we came along in case you would attack Arcana on sight." Robin replied, Sunset Shimmer blushed with embarrassment at remembering her past self, "I'm... going to help Applejack on her farm now." Sunset Shimmer said, and she trotted to the farm. Sunset Shimmer began plowing the field and moved slowly with the heavy plower on her back, she moved it with her magic when she ran out of breath, "What are you thinking of her so far, Arcana?" Robin asked, "Looks like she did have a change of heart, but I'm still keeping my guard up in case she's faking it." Arcana replied, "Don't forget that the damage she caused to you cannot be undone." Paladin remarked, "Yeah, I've kept that in mind, too." Arcana replied, and the three watched Sunset Shimmer plow the field. She grunted as she pulled the plower forward, she felt a push from the back, she looked and saw Paladin moving the plower forward, they finished while Arcana used her magic to plant the seeds and Robin watered the fields. The four stood and looked while Applejack walked to them, "Thank y'all, Ah can always use more help on the farm." Applejack said, "You're welcome." Robin replied, "Well, feel free to look around, be careful not to step on the plants." Applejack stated, and she walked away. Paladin walked around and examined the farm, "Hmm, this place could be made into a training ground." Paladin remarked, "What do ya have in mind, Paladin?" Apple Bloom asked as she walked over, "Well, this place is perfect for running, I can probably use some of this stuff as makeshift weights to lift, too." Paladin replied, "I can practice my flexibility and acrobats here." Robin added, "How about you, Arcana?" Apple Bloom asked, "I can practice my magic here." Arcana replied, "Wow, y'all three sound busy." Apple Bloom remarked, "We are, ponies of Dreaming Paradise start training at the age of four and train for life." Paladin replied, "Well, feel free and look around, I think y'all three will like Sweet Apple Acres." Apple Bloom said, and she began to walk away, Robin grabbed Apple Bloom's bow and pulled it out of her mane without her noticing. Paladin began moving objects on the field with her hoofs while Arcana made crops grow and changed animals into different animals, and Robin sneaked around the farm, she sneaked behind Applejack and reached for her hat gently and took it, she sneaked to a working Big Macintosh and touched the bottom of his collar, he moved his head around and the collar came off and Robin took it and flew around. Sunset Shimmer tended to the animals and saw Robin with Apple Bloom's bow, Applejack's hat, and Big Macintosh's collar, "Robin, what are you..." Sunset Shimmer questioned shortly before Robin shushed her, "Um, Big Mac, yer collar is gone." Apple Bloom said, Big Macintosh felt his own neck and noticed his collar was not there, "Same for you, Apple Bloom, yer bow's missin', too." Applejack added, "Huh?" Apple Bloom exclaimed, she felt the back of her own head, "Where is mah bow?" Apple Bloom asked, Big Macintosh pointed at Applejack and felt the back of his own head, "You sayin' mah hat is gone?" Applejack asked, "Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied, Applejack felt the back of her own head, "Where'd mah hat go?" Applejack questioned, Robin whistled to get their attention. The Apple family looked and saw Robin with their things, "Come back here!" Applejack demanded, and they chased Robin as she ran away. Robin ran through Sweet Apple Acres while the Apple family chased her, she saw a wooden fence up ahead, she jumped onto the fence and jumped into the air, she did a back flip and landed on the fence on the other side, she jumped off and ran again. The Apple family chased her while she continued to run away with their things, they ran through the cornfield and went to the back, Robin jumped and landed on the brim of a big bucket full of grapes, she jumped and landed on the other side of the brim, she jumped again and landed on the brim of a second bucket, she jumped again and landed on the other side of the brim. She looked down and saw the Apple family waiting for her, she jumped again and did a back flip while in midair and landed on the barn's roof, "Hey! We just cleaned that roof this mornin'!" Applejack shouted, Robin ran across the roof and jumped and landed on the roof of the chicken coop. Robin stopped and looked around, she got ready to jump onto the white fence in front of her when a lasso wrapped around her hind right hoof. Robin jumped and Applejack pulled her back, she dropped the bow, hat, and horse collar and landed on her front hoofs, she threw her own body forward, "Whoa!" Applejack yelled as she flew through the air and fell on the soil past the fence. The Apple family took their things back while Applejack took the lasso off of Robin's hoof, Apple Bloom put her bow back on, Applejack put her hat back on, and Big Macintosh put his collar back on, Granny Smith walked to Robin while she watched the three, "Now what were ya thinkin', takin' mah grandkids stuff like that." Granny Smith fumed, "Training, Dreaming Paradise teaches its Pegasi how to pickpocket and do parkour and freerunning." Robin replied, "Well, don't take our stuff, and be careful you don't knock anythin' down when you do them jumps and flips." Granny Smith said, and she walked away. The Apple family walked to her and glared at her, "What is with ya takin' our stuff like that?" Applejack questioned, "It's a part of my training." Robin replied, "Well, don't pickpocket others, this hat of mine is a remembrance to mah dad." Applejack said, "Really? That's a pretty plain looking hat, it's not exotic looking like mine." Robin stated, "It still means a lot to me." Applejack replied, "Alright, I get it, sorry." Robin said, and she went back to running and jumping around Sweet Apple Acres. Paladin walked forward and went to the Apple family, "Which one of you four is the strongest?" Paladin asked, "Why you ask?" Apple Bloom asked, "I want to test my own physical strength." Paladin replied, "Well, both Big Mac and I are strong." Applejack responded, "Really? I'd like to hoof-wrestle you two, then." Paladin said while smiling, "Yer on!" Applejack declared, and Big Macintosh set up the wrestling booth. Paladin and Applejack stood across from one another, "On yer marks." Granny Smith said, Paladin and Applejack put their front right hoofs on the wooden table, "Get set." Granny Smith said, the two grabbed one another's hoofs, "Go!" Granny Smith said, and the two wrestled, Applejack grunted as she tried to move Paladin's hoof, Paladin moved Applejack's hoof and won easily, "Whoa, you are strong." Applejack said, "We're not done, yet." Paladin replied, "What?" Applejack asked, Paladin put her front left hoof on the table, "Your other hoof." Paladin stated, "Um... mah front left hoof is weaker than mah front right hoof." Applejack remarked, "It's alright, there's always room for you to improve." Paladin replied, Applejack smiled and put her front left hoof on the table, "On yer marks." Granny Smith said, the two focused, "Get set." Granny Smith said, the two grabbed each other's hoofs, "Go!" Granny Smith said, and the two wrestled, Paladin won in a few seconds, "Hmm, it feels like you don't train with this hoof as you do with the other one." Paladin mentioned, "As Ah said, mah left hoof is weaker than mah right." Applejack replied, "Well, you didn't do too bad. Come on, big guy, your turn." Paladin said, and Big Macintosh went to her while Applejack walked back, "Are you the stronger one between you and your sister?" Paladin asked, "Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied, "Good, I hope you will provide me a worthy challenge." Paladin stated, Big Macintosh smiled, the two grabbed each other's front right hoofs, "On yer marks. Get set. Go!" Granny Smith declared, the two wrestled while Apple Bloom and Applejack cheered Big Macintosh on. The two were at a stalemate at the moment shortly before Paladin moved Big Macintosh's hoof a little, she began to move his hoof more as he ran out of energy and won, "Pretty good, your other hoof now." Paladin stated, and they grabbed each other's front left hoofs, "On yer marks. Get set. Go!" Granny Smith declared, the two wrestled and they were at a stalemate again, Big Macintosh ran out of energy faster with that hoof and Paladin won again, "Hmm, you have the strength, but you lack the stamina, maybe some proper training will be able to put you on equal grounds with me, good job, both you and your sister." Paladin responded, Applejack and Big Macintosh smiled, "Come on, Paladin, it's time for afternoon training, let's go back." Arcana said, "We're going to need a sparing partner." Robin stated, "I'll do it." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Really? You never agreed to help anyone back when we were rivals." Arcana reminded her, "Well, I am now." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Come on, then, let's go back to our temporary residence." Robin said, and Sunset Shimmer followed the three to where were staying. Chapter 2Sunset Shimmer arrived at where Arcana and her friends were staying and entered the home with them, they began eating fruits, Paladin ate watermelons, Arcana ate grapes, and Robin ate pineapples, the three gave some of them to Sunset Shimmer, "Here, you're going to need the calories for afternoon training." Robin said, "Thanks." Sunset Shimmer replied, and she ate the fruits, she looked at Arcana and had flashbacks of whenever she saw Arcana eating back at Canterlot, it was always grapes, she stopped remembering and ate the fruits and followed the three outside. Sunset Shimmer began stretching while the other three stood and watched her, "You ready?" Paladin asked, "Almost." Sunset Shimmer replied, and she stretched her hind legs and turned around, "Alright, I'm ready." Sunset Shimmer stated, "Okay, choose which one of us you want to spar with first." Robin stated, Sunset Shimmer looked and saw Paladin standing with her entire armor on in front of her with Arcana to Paladin’s right and Robin to Paladin’s left, "I'll start with Arcana." Sunset Shimmer remarked as she pointed at her, Arcana walked forward, "Alright, magic training, Sunset, prepare yourself." Arcana said, and the two got ready. Sunset Shimmer shot beams out of her horn and Arcana put up a shield that blocked and deflected the beams, Sunset Shimmer yelped as she dodged her own two beams, they changed trajectory and homed on her, she teleported around and the beams still homed on her. She decided to try something and teleported to Arcana and teleported away when the beams were about to hit her, she put up another shield and blocked them again, they continued to home on Sunset Shimmer and she shot beams at them and they canceled each other out. Sunset Shimmer faced Arcana and shot fire out of her horn, she made a shield of ice appear around her and the fire extinguished while the ice melted. Arcana cast a spell and Vermilion Bird appeared, her body became engulfed with red flames and sun rays came out, Sunset Shimmer yelled as she covered her own eyes. Arcana jumped and slammed her hoofs on the ground and sent out waves of fire. Sunset Shimmer shot beams at Arcana and she was unfazed by them, she growled and shot out a bigger beam, Arcana grunted as she slid back. Vermilion Bird appeared again and cawed as it absorbed sun rays into its body, it flapped its wings and sent out gusts of fire, Sunset Shimmer cast a magic spell to absorb the fire and shot it back, the two absorbed it. Arcana made Vermilion Bird disappear and she changed back to normal, Black Tortoise appeared and Arcana's body changed to blue water while snow and ice floated around her. She shot water out of her horn while controlling the snow and ice with her front hoofs, Sunset Shimmer shot fire out of her horn and canceled out Arcana's current spells, she realized it was not going to work and she changed back to normal while making Black Tortoise disappear. Arcana made White Tiger appear next and her body became made out of dull gray metal while flowers grew around her. She made trees grow around Sunset Shimmer and she shot fire at them to burn them down, Arcana swung her front hoofs forward to make vines come out and wrapped them around her. Sunset Shimmer burned them with her fire magic while White Tiger appeared and tried to slash her with his claws while he roared, she jumped away and Arcana cast a spell to make metal wrap itself around Sunset Shimmer, she cast fire on the metal, it heated up and turned red, she panted and sweated and teleported out. Sunset Shimmer appeared and shot fire at Arcana, she shrieked as her metal body heated up and turned red, she quickly dismissed White Tiger and changed back to normal, she panted while she had black marks on herself and her clothes. Arcana summoned Azure Dragon and her body became made out of brown wood while gusts of wind and leaves surrounded her, she shot the gusts of wind and leaves at Sunset Shimmer while Azure Dragon tried to constrict her, Sunset Shimmer smirked and shot fire at Arcana, but the gusts of wind blew it away, she teleported to behind her and shot fire again. Arcana caught on fire and screamed, she quickly dismissed Azure Dragon and cast a water spell on herself to douse the flames. Arcana turned around and glared while Sunset Shimmer restrained herself from laughing at seeing black stains on her body and her clothes, she summoned Yellow Dragon and her body became made out of dirt, rocks, and plants, flowers grew around her, sun rays shined out of her body, gusts of wind and leaves flew around her, and snow surrounded her. Arcana shot fire and water out of her horn while Sunset Shimmer shot fire at her, her beam and the water beam extinguished themselves while Sunset Shimmer cast another spell to absorb the fire into herself, tree roots wrapped around her and restrained her while metal appeared around her and entrapped her. Sunset Shimmer grunted as she tried to free herself, she cast a teleporting spell and teleported out, Arcana quickly teleported her back in, she growled and shot fire at the tree roots to burn them, she thought about how to escape and decided to teleport again, she appeared behind Arcana and shot a zap at her, she put up a shield that deflected the zap and it began to home on Sunset Shimmer again. She shot another zap and they cancelled each other out, she sighed in relief and Arcana teleported her back into the metal encasement, she growled and shot a big beam that destroyed the metal encasement. Sunset Shimmer got ready to fight Arcana but Yellow Dragon roared and the ground began to shift. Sunset Shimmer exclaimed as the ground broke apart while Yellow Dragon created earthquakes with his mind, Sunset Shimmer shot fire at Arcana but the fire around her absorbed it while the snow canceled it out. Sunset Shimmer tried shooting a zap at Yellow Dragon but it went through him and did nothing, Sunset Shimmer growled again and she shot out a big beam of fire while she channeled her anger, Arcana screamed while she saw her fire took out the snow and it was too much for her absorb, Arcana dismissed Yellow Dragon and the ground returned to normal alongside her body. Sunset Shimmer panted while Arcana cast another spell and twenty two cards floated in front of her, "Huh?" Sunset Shimmer asked as the cards floated, one card came forward and it turned upside-down, Sunset Shimmer suddenly felt no desire to do anything, "What the?!" Sunset Shimmer asked, Arcana turned another card upside-down and Sunset Shimmer began shooting random spells in random directions, "What's going on?!" Sunset Shimmer exclaimed, Arcana turned another card upside-down and Sunset Shimmer began to wonder if she should fire a beam at Arcana or not, Arcana then turned another card upside-down and Sunset Shimmer began blasting beams at Arcana on impulse, she made a shield appear to deflect them all. Sunset Shimmer shot a fire blast at the cards on impulse and burned them, they exploded and Arcana grunted as she fell. Sunset Shimmer regained control of herself and sighed with relief, "What were those?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Tarot cards, I can use them to change how my opponents behave." Arcana replied, Sunset Shimmer just froze in place and thought about what Arcana just said, "That is scary." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "I usually only use them as a last resort, so you won't see them often." Arcana replied, "What cards did you turn upside-down to change my behavior?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I took away your confidence and desire to fight by reversing the Strength card, I took away your sense of direction on where to fight by reversing the Magician card, I made you stall for time and unable to decide if you should attack me or not by reversing the Hanged Man card, and I made you impatient and try to find quick solutions to problems by reversing the Wheel of Fortune card, that one also brings bad luck." Arcana explained, "Wow, I'm confused, what are the cards called anyway?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Fool, Magician, High Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Strength, Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judgement, and The World." Arcana answered, "Well, I won't ask what they represent, I was never good at memorizing stuff like that." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Well, we're done training for now, go choose Paladin or Robin as your next opponent now." Arcana replied, and Sunset Shimmer looked at the two and thought about who she should choose as her next sparring partner, "I'd like to spar with Robin next." Sunset Shimmer said as she pointed at her, Robin walked forward while Paladin and Arcana stepped back, "Hope you'll be able to keep up." Robin said, and Sunset Shimmer focused. Robin reeled up on her hind legs and took two daggers out of her coat, she swung them around while showing off what she could do, "I assume you're the martial artist of the group." Sunset Shimmer stated, "Stealth member, Paladin's the combat oriented one." Robin replied, and she flew to Sunset Shimmer at high speeds and swung her daggers at high speeds. Sunset Shimmer shrieked while she blocked Robin with her front legs and Robin cut them, she shot her away with a beam from her horn and Robin grunted as she got shot back, she did a flip in the air and landed on all four of her legs. Sunset Shimmer shot zaps at Robin and she dodged them by simply moving to her sides, she reeled up on her hind legs again and aimed one of her dagger's handles at Sunset Shimmer and pushed up a small trigger on the handle, a loud bang was heard and Sunset Shimmer yelped as she dodged the projectile, she looked on with disbelief at the fact that Robin's daggers had guns in their handles. She smirked and aimed the handle of her other dagger and pushed up a small trigger on the handle to fire another bullet, Sunset Shimmer quickly moved to her side to dodge it. Robin flipped her daggers over and flew to Sunset Shimmer, she tried to slash Sunset Shimmer again but she grabbed Robin and threw her over herself, Robin landed on Sunset Shimmer's back and rolled off, she stood up and touched her sides with the tip of her daggers and Sunset Shimmer screamed as she got electrocuted. She quickly threw Robin over herself with telekinesis and Robin landed perfectly again, she saw blue electricity on her dagger blades that were activated by pushing a button right under the guards, she glared and used her telekinesis to snatch the daggers out of Robin's front hoofs and threw them away. Robin flew at high speeds and Sunset Shimmer got ready to zap her, but she flew over her and then flew down. Sunset Shimmer felt something on her neck a few seconds later and began to gag and gasp for air, she felt her own neck and felt a garrotte, she cast a spell to teleport away. Sunset Shimmer reappeared and gasped for air, "So you're not fast enough to keep up with me after all, better luck next time." Robin remarked as she flew to get her daggers while Sunset Shimmer growled, "Well, Sunset, it's just you and me now." Paladin said as she walked forward, "Hold on, I need to catch my breath." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Very well." Paladin responded, and she caught her breath and stood up, "I'm ready." Sunset Shimmer stated, and Paladin walked forward. Paladin walked to Sunset Shimmer and was about to punch her with her front right hoof, Sunset Shimmer ducked and dodged it easily because Paladin moved very slowly, she continued throwing punches and Sunset Shimmer dodged them with minimal effort. She watched Paladin continuing to throw punches and she waited for an opening, she shot a zap at her and Paladin grunted as she staggered a little. Sunset Shimmer noticed that zaps staggered her, she began shooting more zaps from her horn at her, Paladin took out her shield and blocked the zaps, they bounced off and went elsewhere, "How did you...?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "My shield's magic resistant." Paladin answered, Sunset Shimmer focused while Paladin got ready to punch her again, she did the punch while Sunset Shimmer ducked under it and then turned around and bucked her, she grunted and staggered since Paladin's armor was too hard. She hit Sunset Shimmer with her shield and she screamed as she flew through the air and landed on the ground and slid. Sunset Shimmer groaned while Paladin walked to her, "I may be slow, but I can defeat most of my opponents in one hit." Paladin stated as she walked to her, "So strong." Sunset Shimmer groaned, she panted and recovered, she quickly looked back and shot a beam out of her horn, Paladin jumped over it was about to land on Sunset Shimmer. She quickly got up and moved back while Paladin landed and put four craters in the ground, she got ready to push Sunset Shimmer in the ground and she quickly pushed her front hoofs on Paladin's and the two wrestled, "You're really slow, you know." Sunset Shimmer remarked while grunting, "That's because my armor's heavy, I'm a lot faster without it." Paladin replied, and she pushed Sunset Shimmer back easily, she exclaimed and quickly shot a zap at her abdomen, it did not faze her, "Please, you're not fighting Robin, fight fair." Paladin spoke, she shot a zap at her helmet, Paladin turned her head from the zap but quickly refocused, she threw Sunset Shimmer in the air and turned around and bucked her. Sunset Shimmer screamed as she flew through the air and landed with the front half of her body buried in the ground, "You still have a long way to go before you're ready to face me, Sunset Shimmer, come see me again when you think you're ready." Paladin stated as she walked away. Sunset Shimmer got herself out of the ground and panted while Arcana walked to her, she slammed her front left hoof on the ground, "Still don't like losing, I see." Arcana stated, "I hate losing." Sunset Shimmer grumbled, "Well, if you're going to continue showing me how much you've changed, I'm waiting." Arcana said, "Just let me catch my breath." Sunset Shimmer replied, and she did and stood up, "Alright, this way." Sunset Shimmer stated, and she trotted while Arcana followed her. Princess Celestia was flying up in the sky in Canterlot and watching Sunset Shimmer and Arcana, she flew down and went into her throne room and sat, she heard knocking at her door, "Princess Celestia, I have something I'd like to ask." Twilight Sparkle spoke through the door, "You may enter." Princess Celestia replied, and the doors opened and Twilight Sparkle walked to her, "What is it, Twilight?" Princess Celestia asked, "Is it true that Sunset Shimmer had other rivals to compete with before she became your pupil?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yes." Princess Celestia replied, "Why didn't you ever mention them?" Twilight Sparkle questioned, "I didn't think one of them would show up again after all of these years seeking her." Princess Celestia answered, "How many rivals did she have?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Several, Arcana was her biggest one." Princess Celestia replied, "What happened between those two?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Sunset Shimmer messed with Arcana's potions and created an explosion that sent her to the hospital, I chose Sunset over her in hopes of being able to teach Sunset friendship, not only that, Arcana was more concerned about improving her already powerful magic, that is not the reason why I was looking for a pupil." Princess Celestia replied, "I'm still surprised because I didn't have any rivals to compete with to be your pupil." Twilight Sparkle stated, "That's because of how bad some of the rivalries got, I mean, Sunset injured Arcana in hopes of succeeding." Princess Celestia explained, "I still don't understand Arcana's magic, her magic aura is four different colors." Twilight Sparkle said, "That's because Arcana's teacher trained her in using the Elements of Nature." Princess Celestia replied, "Wait, Elements of Nature?" Twilight Sparkle questioned, "There are more elements in this world than the Elements of Harmony, Twilight, the Elements of Nature can be learned by any unicorn, there are four elements: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air, Fire is red, Water is blue, Earth is yellow, and Air is green." Princess Celestia replied, "What about the astral plane?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Anycreature can enter, you need to meditate since its five rulers used their powers to seal off any magic from opening it, those five rulers give their powers to those who impress them with their magic, and just to let you know, Twilight, I used to have Vermilion Bird's powers when I was younger." Princess Celestia explained, "Really?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Hmm-mm." Princess Celestia replied while nodding, "Why did he leave you?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Discord took him away with his powers and I never got him back." Princess Celestia answered, "Wow, well, that's all I wanted to know." Twilight Sparkle stated, "Very well, Twilight, you may take your leave." Princess Celestia replied, and she left and flew back to Ponyville. Sunset Shimmer was helping Scootaloo fix her scooter while Arcana watched and gave the tools over with her magic, "Here you go, Scootaloo, try it now." Sunset Shimmer said, and she did, "It works, thanks, Sunset." Scootaloo rejoiced, and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle got into the wagon and Scootaloo drove away while they cheered, "So you really have changed, I still can't forgive you, though." Arcana said, "Is something the matter?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Even if you have changed your ways, that still will not undo the damage you've done." Arcana replied, "Come on, Arcana, if you wish, I can heal your wounds and finish whatever project you were working on before that incident." Sunset Shimmer spoke, "I'm still stuck with the memories of that incident." Arcana replied, "Oh, um..., there might be a memory erasing spell somewhere." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "No, I'm not doing that, it won't undo what transpired, you still have to answer to what you did." Arcana responded, "*sigh*, I understand, Princess Celestia still remembers what I did, too, but she forgave me." Sunset Shimmer stated, "On the surface, but deep down inside, she probably still resents you." Arcana replied, "What? Why do you think that way?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Think about it, Princess Celestia is the most powerful ruler in the world, she forgives most people so it will not escalate the problem, same with those who do get forgiven, they change their ways not out of a change of heart, but out of fear of suffering Princess Celestia's wrath." Arcana explained, Sunset Shimmer began to remember the many arguments she had with Princess Celestia, "Now that you mention it, Princess Celestia was kind of strict and had no sense of humor." Sunset Shimmer said, "See, there you go, don't forget she also had a pretty short temper when we were competing to be her pupil." Arcana replied, "I did come back here once when my friends in the other world lost their memories of me, Princess Celestia kind of mellowed out." Sunset Shimmer stated, "I find that hard to believe, it's possible she just got better at hiding her true self." Arcana responded, "I doubt it, her changes looked genuine." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Be careful, some of them can be very convincing." Arcana replied, "How about you, are you convinced I changed for the better?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Somewhat, but I'm still keeping my guard up, you also still have to apologize to my hometown for what you did to me." Arcana replied, "Yeah, I figured that would pop up eventually." Sunset Shimmer said, "Well, if you're done helping the townsponies, you can start helping me." Arcana spoke, "Sure, what do you need?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I can use some help arranging a clock, I'll give you the details at where I'm staying, let's go." Arcana replied, and they walked away. Sunset Shimmer went to where Arcana was staying and she made a chart appear for her and several white ceramic statues and stickers of constellations, she lined up the twelve animal statues in a circle, the statues started at the twelve o'clock position and went clockwise, the order was rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. She put up the stickers above the statues and on the ceiling, they also started at the twelve o'clock position and went clockwise, the order was Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius. Arcana floated in the air and meditated while fire, water, a rock, wood, and metal floated around her, "What is this?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "A clock, Dreaming Paradise uses this to look back in time, record history, and travel to the past, it is also a device we meditate at to improve having control over our own magic and enter the astral plane." Arcana replied with her voice echoing, "So, how does this work?" Sunset Shimmer questioned, "When the Zodiac and the Horoscope are together, the entrance to the astral plane becomes more open, I also record history in this with my magic, see the five elements around me, they are fire, water, earth, wood, and metal, those five elements are used to determine what year we wish to look at." Arcana responded, "I'm still lost." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Well, to put it into basics, the Zodiac and Horoscope are time tellers, the Zodiac tells the year, and the Horoscope tells specific days and months, fire, water, earth, wood, and metal are used to determine what type of zodiac animal it is, the animal itself is used every twelve years, but if it was only one type of animal, it would be harder to tell what year that event took place." Arcana explained, "Oh, I get it now, the five elements narrow down what years you have to look at so your search on historical events will be shorter." Sunset Shimmer said, "Exactly, because going through each animal every time will take forever." Arcana replied, "Still, I gotta admit, seeing you unicorns get to do something like this is pretty cool." Sunset Shimmer stated, "Not just unicorns, Sunset, the Pegasi and earth ponies of Dreaming Paradise have to meditate at this, too." Arcana responded, "Wait, them too?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Yes, Pegasi and earth ponies have to remain calm in battle, it is when you get mad that you start to make mistakes." Arcana replied, Sunset Shimmer thought about her own temper and the times she got mad, she trotted into the circle and began meditating, "Good, I'm glad you want to learn patience." Arcana said, and the two meditated, the door opened and Paladin and Robin returned, they trotted into the circle and meditated as well. The four meditated and the elements around Arcana disappeared while she opened her eyes and stopped floating, "Come on, you three, the sun's setting, it's time for dinner and then evening training." Arcana stated while her voice did not echo anymore, the three stopped meditating and she put the statues away and took the stickers down. The four had dinner and Sunset Shimmer noticed the three mares eating the same fruits as before while they shared them with her, "Tell me, Sunset, what was it that made you change your ways?" Arcana asked, "I took Twilight's crown, put it on, but turned into a she-demon for not understanding friendship, I changed back, and Twilight offered me her friendship." Sunset Shimmer explained, "That's it? That's all that happened to make you change your ways?" Arcana asked, "Well, that's the main one, another reason is because she kind of won over my boyfriend, too." Sunset Shimmer answered, the three mares' eyes' widened, "Wait a minute, you, of all people, managed to get a boyfriend?" Arcana asked, "Yeah, don't tell me you're jealous." Sunset Shimmer replied, "It's not that, I find it hard to visualize someone as arrogant and selfish as you having a boyfriend." Arcana stated, "I did date him just to get more popular, I kind of regret it now." Sunset Shimmer responded, "Him being abusive didn't change you?" Arcana asked, "No, Flash Sentry was a really nice and friendly guy, he didn't abuse me at all." Sunset Shimmer replied, "I assume you two still get along." Paladin spoke, "Yeah, he and I are on good terms, he has feelings for Twilight now." Sunset Shimmer answered, "Who knows, maybe she will forget him when she gets older." Robin said, "We'll just have to wait and see." Arcana replied; knocking was heard at the door, "Arcana? You there?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Arcana opened the door with her magic and she came in, "Sorry I didn't arrive earlier, I had a busy day, I was hoping you would teach me some of your magic." Twilight Sparkle stated, "Which ones?" Arcana asked, "I was hoping you could teach me how to control fire, water, earth, and air, and how to enter the astral plane." Twilight Sparkle answered, "Sure, I can teach you the basics." Arcana stated, "Thank you, I'd like to be the sparing partner for you three this time." Twilight Sparkle said, "Sure." Robin chirped, "Alright." Paladin replied, "Come on, let's get started." Twilight Sparkle said, and the five headed outside. The five went outside and saw Twilight Sparkle's friends alongside Spike and Starlight Glimmer, "What are they doing here?" Robin asked, "Oh, they just want to watch." Twilight Sparkle answered, "Alright, so, which one of us do you want to spar with first?" Paladin asked, "Isn't it obvious? Arcana." Twilight Sparkle replied, and the others stepped back. Twilight Sparkle faced Arcana and she quickly cast a spell and shot a zap at her, Arcana simply cast a shield that blocked and deflected it back, Twilight Sparkle moved to her right to dodge it and the zap homed on her, she quickly shot another zap to cancel it out, "A shield that blocks and deflects and makes the spell home on you? That's a very advanced spell." Twilight Sparkle stated, Arcana cast another spell and it made a white flash appear, Twilight Sparkle yelled as she covered her eyes, "My eyes! I can't see!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, Arcana cast another spell and made vines with thorns grow out of the ground and tangle around her. She regained her sight and she teleported out of the vines, she shot a zap at Arcana and she shot out red, blue, yellow, and green zaps at once, the red zaps turned into streams of fire, the blue zaps turned into streams of water, the yellow zaps turned into small gray rocks, and the green zaps turned into gusts of wind, Twilight Sparkle used her magic and turned the fire and rocks into sponge balls, "There, I don't think the water and wind are going to do any harm." Twilight Sparkle said, she shrieked when the gusts of wind cut her, she cast a spell to redirect them while the streams of water flew into her eyes and nostrils, she screamed and cast a spell to make them disappear. She rubbed her eyes and snout to regain her composure, she looked and saw Arcana summon Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Yellow Dragon, her body became covered with dirt, plants, wood, metal, fire, and water, flowers grew around her, sun rays shined out of her body, gusts of wind, leaves, and snow floated around her. Arcana threw her front hoofs forward and waves of fire and water shot out, Twilight Sparkle cast a spell to mix the two and cancel each other out, she then got entrapped by metal and wood grew out of the ground to restrain her, she shot a big blast out and destroyed all of the wood and metal, Arcana saw the shards coming and put up a shield around herself. Vermilion Bird flew and picked up Twilight Sparkle from behind, she screamed while her friends gasped, he flew and took her to White Tiger, he began to slash her with his claws, she shot a beam at him and it went through him without harming him, "This isn't fair, Arcana!" Twilight Sparkle fumed, "Well, they are my pets, so you have to deal with them, too." Arcana replied, Twilight Sparkle pouted and groaned angrily, she teleported away and Black Tortoise jumped and tried to land on her, Twilight Sparkle flew away from her and Azure Dragon wrapped himself around her to restrain her, Yellow Dragon made the ground open and Azure Dragon let her go, Twilight Sparkle screamed as she fell in while Yellow Dragon closed the ground. Sunset Shimmer looked on with shock alongside Twilight Sparkle's friends, Arcana waited and she did not teleport back up, so she made her five pets disappear and changed back to normal. Twilight Sparkle reappeared, she huffed at her, "You make mistakes when you get angry, Twilight." Arcana said, she shot a big blast at her, she stopped and she was gone, she reappeared behind her. Twilight Sparkle panted heavily and began to calm down, she sighed and turned around and saw Arcana was ready to shoot a beam at her if she did not calm down, she sighed and began to cast another spell. Twilight Sparkle made Arcana freeze in ice but it melted quickly, she saw Arcana cast heat while frozen, she then made her twenty two cards appear, "Are those...?" Twilight Sparkle asked, she looked more carefully, "*gasp* Tarot cards!" Twilight Sparkle hollered, and she quickly shot them away, "So you do know what they are and what they do, I still have more spells." Arcana said, and Twilight Sparkle got defensive, "Azarath metrion zinthos." Arcana chanted while her voice echoed, black shadows appeared and engulfed Twilight Sparkle while she screamed, "Twilight!" Spike cried out, she shot beams at the shadows but they got blocked, she teleported out and saw Arcana had black arms come out of her horn, she shot light magic at her horn and disabled the live shadows, "Klaatu barada nikto." Arcana chanted, her voice echoed again and Twilight Sparkle tried to cast a spell but could not, "What?! I can't cast any spells? I can't cast any spells!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, "Rin pyo toh sha kai jin retsu zai zen." Arcana chanted, and her eyes glowed white alongside Twilight Sparkle's. Light blue flames appeared in the sky and they went into Twilight Sparkle's body, she began to grow bigger alongside claws and sharp teeth, Arcana got pushed back by Twilight Sparkle resisting her spell and flew off while casting a spell, she came back a few minutes later, "Anymore spells you have besides cards and chanting?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Arcana's eyes glowed green with purple mist coming out of them and a purple haze on her horn, she made dark crystals appear out of the ground, "Wow, she has dark magic, too." Applejack said, "Yeah, thinking that she could've been Princess Celestia's student is kind of scaring me." Starlight Glimmer added, Twilight Sparkle shot beams at the crystals to destroy them, Arcana cast another dark magic spell and skeletons rose out of the ground, "What the?!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, "I practice necromancy, too." Arcana explained, and the skeleton ponies and animals went to go attack her. Twilight Sparkle shot the bones apart with one beam and Arcana cast another spell, her magic aura was back to its regular colors, "What is she doing now?" Twilight Sparkle asked, light blue ghosts and light blue flames appeared in the sky while the skeletons reformed, the ghosts and flames went into them and their bodies grew back. The others except for Paladin and Robin moved back a little, "I can see you all have never learned or seen magic that bends the souls of the dead to your will before." Arcana said, they went to go attack Twilight Sparkle and she cast a shield around herself. She watched the revived ponies and animals trying to break through her shield shortly before a yellow light appeared and made them all turn back into skeletons and fall apart. Princess Celestia flew down and walked forward, "We've been through this, Arcana, no magic or spells that involve reviving or controlling the dead, they are to rest." Princess Celestia remarked, "Yes, Princess Celestia." Arcana replied, "Good, you two may get back to practicing, I'm having a joy watching you two train." Princess Celestia said, and she flew away. Twilight Sparkle shot a big beam at Arcana and she teleported behind her and shot her with her blast, Twilight Sparkle screamed as she got burned, filled with water, pelted by rocks, and cut by gusts of wind all at once, the water came out of her mouth and nose and she coughed, she cast another spell and turned Twilight Sparkle into stone, her friends gasped while Starlight Glimmer cast a spell to undo it, she gasped for air, "That's all of my basic spells, I'll show you my more advanced ones later." Arcana said as she walked back. Twilight Sparkle panted as she caught her breath, "Well? Who do you want to spar with next, me or Robin?" Paladin asked, Twilight Sparkle went back and forth while looking at the two, "Robin." Twilight Sparkle responded as she pointed to her, she walked forward, "Twilight, wait." Sunset Shimmer spoke as she ran to her, "Be careful, she has weapons hidden in plain sight." Sunset Shimmer warned, the two looked and saw Robin carrying lipstick, "Um, Robin, you shouldn't have something like that right now." Twilight Sparkle remarked, Robin opened the container and began to put it on, "Robin, darling, I personally think you look better without the lipstick." Rarity said, Robin stopped applying it and looked at them, "Put it aside, Robin, we have to practice." Twilight Sparkle said, Robin grabbed the lipstick with her right wing slowly, "Toss it aside, you can apply your makeup when we're done." Twilight Sparkle added, Robin got ready to toss it aside but quickly aimed the lipstick at Twilight Sparkle and used her digits to turn the tube's bottom to the right and a loud noise was heard. Twilight Sparkle yelped as she jumped to her right and a hole appeared in the tree, everypony and Spike looked and saw smoke coming out of the tube, Sunset Shimmer became shocked and speechless at seeing that Robin's lipstick holder was a gun, "Alright, let's begin." Robin said, and she tossed her lipstick aside and flew forward. Twilight Sparkle shot a beam at her and she flew over it and went behind her, she reached into her coat and took out a garrote and wrapped it around her neck. Twilight Sparkle gagged as Robin choked her, she teleported out of it and reappeared and shot a zap at her, Robin turned her body to her left and dodged it, she threw the garrote and it wrapped itself around Twilight Sparkle's neck. She screamed as it wrapped itself and began gagging, she used her telekinesis to get it off and threw it behind herself while Robin took her two daggers out. She flew forward again and did vertical slashes while Twilight Sparkle stepped back to avoid getting cut, she flew back and Robin aimed the handle of one of her daggers, "Twilight, look out!" Sunset Shimmer hollered, Robin pulled a small trigger on the handle upwards and shot a bullet, Twilight Sparkle screamed as she flinched to her right, she panted as she saw smoke coming out of the dagger's handle. Robin flipped the dagger back over and flew to her and tried slashing her again, Twilight Sparkle teleported behind her and shot a beam at her while her ears ringed. Robin quickly flew up and turned around, she aimed her other dagger's handle at her and pulled the trigger upwards to shoot the bullet, she fired it and Twilight Sparkle flinched to her left and her ears ringed again, she flipped the dagger over and flew to her while pushing a button just below the guards and the blades became electrified, she got ready to put the tips on Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle used her telekinesis and flung the daggers out of Robin's hoofs, she shot a zap at her and Robin flew over it, she teleported to behind her and shot another zap that Robin dodged by flying to her right, she kept coming and let out a grunt when she hugged her with her wings. Twilight Sparkle screamed while the others became confused as they watched, Robin let go and they saw she stabbed Twilight Sparkle, they looked and saw spiked rings on each digit of her wings, they were painted to be the exact same color as her body. Twilight Sparkle growled and used her telekinesis to take the rings off of Robin's wings and tossed them away, Robin flew around while dodging beams shot by Twilight Sparkle and lifted up the bottom of her vest, she had a white belly band under it, she reached into a hidden pocket and took out a pistol. Robin began shooting and Twilight Sparkle shrieked as she covered her ears since the pistol's gunshots were a lot louder than the guns in the daggers, "My ears!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, Robin aimed her pistol at her head, "If this was a real fight, I would've won right here." Robin said, and she flew away while putting the pistol back in the belly band under her vest. Twilight Sparkle panted and Paladin walked over to her, "We'll start when you catch your breath." Paladin spoke, "You're not going to attack me now?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "You're thinking of the Pegasi of Dreaming Paradise, unicorns and earth ponies are trained to have a sense of honor." Paladin replied, "Really?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We only try to win fights by any means necessary in life or death situations, but when it comes to training and challenges, we have to fight fair so everybody can have a chance." Arcana explained, "What about the Pegasi?" Twilight Sparkle questioned, "Mostly, they still have to let their opponents catch their breath in training." Paladin replied, "She's pretty slow, Twilight, but still be careful, one hit from her, and it's over." Sunset Shimmer warned, Twilight Sparkle nodded and she stood up, "I'm ready." Twilight Sparkle declared, and Paladin began walking to her. Paladin walked to her slowly and Twilight Sparkle became unamused, she shot a beam from her horn and Paladin staggered a little but kept walking to her, she shot another beam and hit her front left hoof, Paladin staggered just a little bit but still kept coming forward, she shot another beam and Paladin took out her shield and the beam bounced off of it, "Okay, a magic resistant shield, so you do have a defense against magic." Twilight Sparkle remarked, and she shot more beams but Paladin moved her shield around and blocked all of them. Twilight Sparkle tried casting a transmutation spell on the shield but she fell back as the shield deflected the spell, "I guess the shield resists all spells." Twilight Sparkle said, "You have to use your physical abilities on her, Twilight." Sunset Shimmer stated, "Well, in that case." Twilight Sparkle remarked, and she stood up and flew to her, she turned around and grunted as she bucked her, it did nothing, she flew back and got ready to hit Paladin's helmet, but she lifted up her front right hoof and punched her in her jaw. Twilight Sparkle screamed as she flew through the air and the others watched while speechless, she saw a tree up ahead and she flew into it with the front half of her body coming out the other side, "Twilight!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as the others ran to her, Twilight Sparkle groaned and did not move, her friends pulled her out and put her on the ground, she fell immediately, "So strong." Twilight Sparkle said weakly, they looked and saw she flew about sixty yards away from where they originally were, "How are ya feelin'?" Applejack asked, "My body's numb." Twilight Sparkle replied weakly, Paladin, Arcana, and Robin arrived at the scene, "I'm disappointed, princess, I thought you would be more durable." Paladin stated, "How are you so strong?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I'm an earth pony for one, and I've been doing strength training ever since I was four." Paladin replied, "Come on, y'all, it's almost dark, we need to sleep." Applejack stated, and they all left while Spike and Starlight Glimmer carried Twilight Sparkle home and got ready for bed, Sunset Shimmer saw Arcana taking medication, "You sick or something, Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "No, sleeping medicine, I have insomnia." Arcana replied, Sunset Shimmer had flashbacks and remembered that Arcana was always up late at night when she and her were rivals, they laid down on the floor and slept. Chapter 3Morning came and Sunset Shimmer woke up, she saw Arcana was already awake and reading a book, "Couldn't sleep?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Not really." Arcana replied, "Well, I have school today, so I have to get going, I'll be back this afternoon." Sunset Shimmer stated, "You're still in school?" Robin questioned, "What's wrong with that? High school's fun." Sunset Shimmer answered, "I think you would have a job by now." Paladin remarked, "I do, I work at a restaurant." Sunset Shimmer replied, "School and work, sounds tough." Robin said, "It's not too bad. What about you three, what do you three do for a living?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I sell grape juice and wine." Arcana replied, "Bodyguard work for anybody who has enough money to hire me." Paladin stated, "I appraise old antiques." Robin added, "So, you three are busy, too." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "I'm only open on Sundays." Arcana replied, "Me too." Robin added, "What about you Paladin?" Sunset Shimmer questioned, "I'm always available, most ponies don't hire me, though." Paladin replied, "Is there a reason?" Sunset Shimmer inquired, "They hire royal guards and Wonderbolts instead, I'm called in when they fail." Paladin answered, "Oh, I guess that does make sense." Sunset Shimmer remarked, knocking was heard at the door, "Are you guys awake?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Come in." Paladin responded, and she entered and walked to Sunset Shimmer and Arcana while staggering and limping, "I've been wondering, how did you two become rivals?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Is there a reason why you want to know?" Arcana asked, "It's just that... when I was training to be Princess Celestia's student, I was by myself, I didn't have any rivals." Twilight Sparkle answered, "Wait, you didn't have to compete with anypony?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "No." Twilight Sparkle replied, Sunset Shimmer and Arcana looked at one another and then back at her, "Back then, Princess Celestia searched all of Equestria for powerful magic users, she sent us letters inviting us to Canterlot, we arrived, and we began doing magic spells in hopes that we will impress her and become her personal student." Arcana explained, "Really? She just came to me personally and took me in." Twilight Sparkle stated, "I think I know why she only took you in, some of the rivalries got violent." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Really?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yes, there was a lot of fighting and brawls, alongside magic battles, I wasn't the only one sent to the hospital." Arcana replied, "Wow, I never knew." Twilight Sparkle remarked, "Well, I have to get to class, I'll be going now." Sunset Shimmer said, and she left, "Don't you have stuff to do, too, your highness?" Robin asked, "Actually, yes, I have to run the School of Friendship, thanks for reminding me." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she left. Sunset Shimmer was trotting through Ponyville and making her way to the mirror, "Sunset, wait." Twilight Sparkle said as she tried to trot but staggered and limped, Sunset Shimmer turned around and faced her, "Why didn't you ever mention Arcana or having a rival to be Princess Celestia's student?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I completely forgot until she showed up yesterday." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Oh, right, you didn't remember her." Twilight Sparkle stated, "Yeah, I forgot I had rivals, too." Sunset Shimmer added, "Okay, just wanted to know, I'll see you this afternoon." Twilight Sparkle said, and the two went their separate ways. Paladin, Arcana, and Robin had breakfast and meditated, knocking was heard at the door and they walked to it, Paladin opened the door and saw Apple Bloom with Scootaloo to her right and Sweetie Belle to her left, "How can we help you guys?" Arcana asked, "Can you teach us your moves?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Hold on, how old are you three?" Paladin asked, "Ten." Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle replied together, "Eleven." Apple Bloom added, "Sorry, but you three are too old." Robin stated, "What? Oh, come on, please?" Apple Bloom asked, "Pretty, pretty please?" Sweetie Belle asked, "You three are almost teenagers, ponies in our home begin training when they're four." Robin explained, the Cutie Mark Crusaders groaned, "Well, can y'all three teach us the basics?" Apple Bloom asked, "You three have a client that involves the things we do?" Arcana questioned, "Wait, you know about us?" Scootaloo asked, "Of course, you guys are known throughout all of Equestria." Robin replied, "Well, we do get a few clients that do involve joining the royal guard and making potions sometimes." Apple Bloom said, "Sure, I can teach you about poison, but we're divided up by pony type in Dreaming Paradise, so Scootaloo, you come with me, Apple Bloom, you're with Paladin, and Sweetie Belle, you'll be with Arcana." Robin remarked, "Great! Can we start now?" Apple Bloom asked, "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to teach you three a few things." Paladin replied, "Yay!" the Cutie Mark Crusaders cheered, "Well, let's get started." Arcana said, and they did. Paladin got her sword and shield while Apple Bloom watched, "Alright, earth pony training in Dreaming Paradise is the most basic of the three trainings, that doesn't mean it's the easiest, though, we start with hoof-to-hoof combat." Paladin stated, "Ah think Ah get that, just punches, kicks, and bucks." Apple Bloom responded, "No, there's more, you have to learn grabs, grapples, and throws, too." Paladin added, "Can you please not hit me?" Apple Bloom shuddered, "Don't worry, hitting foals isn't my thing." Paladin responded, Apple Bloom sighed with relief, "You scared the entire town yesterday when you sent Princess Twilight flyin' with one hit yesterday." Apple Bloom said, "Yeah, that happens to almost all of my opponents." Paladin replied, "Actually, Ah was here hopin' to see ya use yer sword." Apple Bloom stated, "Oh, sure, I use it a bit in real battle." Paladin replied, and she unsheathed it, it was a double-edged broadsword with a straight blade, the blade was silver while the entire handle and guards were black, "Is yer sword enchanted?" Apple Bloom asked, "No." Paladin replied, "Then how do you deal with magical opponents?" Apple Bloom asked, "Believe me, I have my ways, now then." Paladin replied, and she swung her sword down, she left a big line in the ground, she did horizontal and diagonal slashes afterwards, "It's pretty basic." Apple Bloom said, "It's a part of our training, earth ponies are trained to overpower our enemies and smash through their guards with our strength." Paladin replied, "How do you build strength?" Apple Bloom asked, "Well, first off, you're going to need a suit of armor." Paladin replied, and it appeared, "Thanks, Arcana." Paladin responded, Arcana smiled, Paladin focused on Apple Bloom, "Alright, let's get you suited up." Paladin stated, and she put the armor on Apple Bloom, she grunted from its weight and fell over, "That's common for first timers, the entire suit of armor's sixty pounds, it's going to take a while before your body gets used to it." Paladin stated, Apple Bloom grunted as she struggled to get up, she fell again, "This thing's heavy." Apple Bloom stated, and she stood up after a while, "There, first part of our training, moving in the armor and getting used to it, we'll start with walking." Paladin said, and the two walked while Apple Bloom could barely move, she walked slowly while Paladin watched and waited for her to catch up, she did after about a minute and panted, "Can you still move?" Paladin asked, "A little bit." Apple Bloom replied, "Alright, you have to run now." Paladin stated, Apple Bloom's eyes widened, Paladin ran just fine while Apple Bloom tried running and ran out of breath after a few seconds, "This is only the basics, true strength training begins after you get used to the armor." Paladin said, "How?" Apple Bloom asked, Arcana made another suit of armor appear on her back, Apple Bloom grunted as she struggled not to fall, "You'll have to walk, run, and jump with another suit of armor on your back, after that, you carry weapons." Paladin explained, "Ya mean yer sword and shield, right?" Apple Bloom asked, "Not just a sword and a shield, you'll be carrying daggers, spears, battleaxes, war hammers, maces, a quiver full of arrows, a bow, and crossbows, too." Paladin replied, "Wait, so it's not just sword and shield?" Apple Bloom asked, "Nope, I've been trained in many weapons." Paladin replied, "Can Ah watch ya?" Apple Bloom asked, "Sure." Paladin replied, Apple Bloom smiled while Arcana made another sword, another shield, two daggers, two spears, two battleaxes, two war hammers, two maces, a quiver, arrows, a bow, and two crossbows appear. Paladin did a few swings and stabs with her sword while holding her shield in front of her, she threw her shield forward, "Why'd ya do that for, Paladin?" Apple Bloom asked, "Distraction, my shield's hard enough to be used as a weapon, throwing it can stun your enemies, the corners are sharp, too." Paladin replied, and she unsheathed the other sword, "Wait, ya can use two of each weapon?" Apple Bloom asked, "Yup, we're trained to dual wield, too." Paladin responded, and she swung her swords back and forth, she blocked with one sword and stabbed forward with the other one, she spun around and did a horizontal slash with her two swords, she put them down and got her shield and picked up the other shield, she blocked with both of them and charged forward, she also pretended to bash her opponent with them. Paladin put down one shield and got a spear, she blocked with the shield and stabbed the spear forward, she put down the shield and got a sword, she did vertical slashes with the spear and horizontal slashes with the sword, she put it down and got her other spear, she spun them around to her sides and then began stabbing forward with both spears. She put them down while Apple Bloom clapped, she got a sword and a dagger and began swinging them diagonally, she put the sword down and got a shield, she did a bash and then stabbed her dagger forward, she put the shield down and got a spear, she slid the dagger's handle onto the bottom of the spear and they connected, she spun it around in front of herself and over her own head, "Ah wanna see ya do that with two of 'em." Apple Bloom stated, "That's not possible, they'll end up hitting one another." Paladin responded, "Oh." Apple Bloom said, Paladin took the two apart and replaced the spear with another dagger, she swung them around and stabbed them forward, she put them down and picked up a battleaxe, she did slow swings but she heard the wind go past it, she picked up a sword and did diagonal slashes, "I would show you a move, but I need a volunteer for it." Paladin said, "What is it?" Apple Bloom asked, "If I dual wield a sword or dagger with my axe, I can use my axe to pull them forward and stab them with the sword or dagger." Paladin replied, "What about the spear?" Apple Bloom asked, "The spear's longer than the axe." Paladin explained, "Oh." Apple Bloom said, "Well, back to showing what I can do." Paladin stated, and she replaced the dagger with a spear, she did a vertical slash with the axe and diagonal slashes with the spear, she exhaled since swinging the battleaxe with one hoof took a lot of energy, she replaced the spear with a shield, "This is the same with the sword or dagger, Apple Bloom, I can use my axe to drag my opponent towards me and bash them with my shield." Paladin spoke, and she threw the shield and proceeded to do a vertical slash with her axe. She picked up the other battleaxe and swung the two down at the same time, she swung the two in the same directions at the same time, she did a spin and a horizontal slash with the two. Paladin put the two down and picked up a war hammer, she swung it down and did horizontal and vertical slashes, "Dual wielding other weapons with the war hammer do the same moves as the axe, Apple Bloom, so we'll skip it. The war hammer is the bane of many ponies' existences because the flat end here can break and smash shields and armor into pieces, and the tooth on the other end can be used to grab and pull opponents like the battleaxe." Paladin explained, she picked up the other war hammer and swung the two around, she did the same moves that she did when she dual wielded the battleaxes. She put them down and picked up a mace, she swung it down and horizontally, "This also scares people, Apple Bloom, like the hammer, the mace can also shatter shields and armor." Paladin said, and she picked up a sword, she did a quick hit with the mace and a horizontal slash with the sword, "What was that supposed to be?" Apple Bloom asked, "One of its moves, I hit the opponent on the head with the mace to stun them, and then a horizontal slash with the sword to cut their head off." Paladin replied, she put the sword down and picked up the second mace, "What about the other weapons?" Apple Bloom questioned, "Same moves as the axe and hammer." Paladin answered, and she began stabbing the maces forward, Apple Bloom looked and saw the maces had spikes on their tops. Paladin picked up the bow and began firing the arrows, "We don't dual wield when using the bow for obvious reasons." Paladin stated, she fired at the trees and put it down, she picked up a crossbow and aimed it, she shot it and hit a tree, she reloaded it and picked up a shield, she fired it while blocking, she put the shield down and picked up a war hammer, she held the war hammer out and acted like she was pulling someone forward with the tooth, "What are ya doin', Paladin?" Apple Bloom asked, "Another move, I can use the axe and hammer to pull my opponent forward and stab them with the arrow on the crossbow." Paladin replied, she put the war hammer down and got the other crossbow, she proceeded to stab with them and fired the arrows. She finished showing off what she could do and Apple Bloom clapped, "Thank you." Paladin spoke, "Ya must be tired after all of that." Apple Bloom replied, "Actually, no, I can do more, I had a lot of fun doing that, come on, Apple Bloom, let's train you a little more." Paladin responded, and they began walking together. Robin stood with Scootaloo and they faced each other, "Can I see your daggers?" Scootaloo asked, Robin took them out of her coat, "Here." Robin said, and Scootaloo looked at them, they were double-edged, "How did you make that thing come out of the handle?" Scootaloo asked, "The bullet? The handle's a gun, you should feel a trigger on one of the sides." Robin replied, "I do." Scootaloo stated, "That fires it, the handles have motion and touch sensors in them so the wielder doesn't end up shooting themselves, just do what I did, point the bottom of the handle to where you wanna fire and pull the trigger up with your hoof." Robin explained, Scootaloo pointed the flat pommel and pulled the trigger up, it did not fire, "Huh?" Scootaloo exclaimed, "Oh, sorry, I forgot to reload them, it fires one bullet at a time." Robin explained, and she took them, she took two small bullets out of her trouser pockets and put them into the pommels, she handed them back, "There, go ahead and try it now." Robin said, and Scootaloo fired the bullets, she jumped back, blinked, and bit her own teeth down hard from the loudness of the gunshot, "Yeah, the gunshot will take some time to get used to, some of my other weapons are even louder, though." Robin said, "How did you electrify the blades?" Scootaloo asked, "There's a button near the guards under the blade, push it to activate it, it makes this battery built into the handle transfer its voltage into the blade, I mainly use it to stun people, but you can also stab it into your opponent to fry them from the inside." Robin explained, Scootaloo cringed at the thought, she pushed the two buttons and blue electricity appeared on the blades, she looked on with awe and handed the daggers back to Robin, "You used something on Twilight's neck yesterday, too." Scootaoo said, Robin took the garotte out of her coat, "This is a garotte, it is used to strangle people." Robin said, "Do you have hidden weapons in that?" Scootaloo asked, "No." Robin replied, and she put it back in her coat, "Can I see your rings?" Scootaloo asked, Robin unfolded her wings and Scootaloo could not see them, she looked from the side and saw the spikes, "Okay, I see them now." Scootaloo stated, "They have been painted to be the exact same color as my body to camouflage them, Princess Twilight was really caught off-guard yesterday when I got her with them." Robin explained, "Yeah, I saw that." Scootaloo replied, "I have many different colors of these, they're for my disguises." Robin said, "Wait, disguises?" Scootaloo asked, "Uh-huh, the Pegasi of Dreaming Paradise are trained in stealth, our training is the hardest one." Robin replied, "Can I see your lipstick?" Scootaloo asked, Robin reached into her pants and took it out, "Uh..." Scootaloo said, "Relax, I have pockets on the inside of my pants, see." Robin replied as she unfolded part of her pants down and showed Scootaloo the pocket on the inside. Scootaloo took the lipstick and opened the capsule, she saw the hole in the center of it, she remembered how Robin used it and aimed it. She turned the tube at the bottom and it fired, the bullet went into a tree, "Like my daggers, that's a single bullet gun, too." Robin said, and Scootaloo returned it to her and she put it back in her inner trouser pocket, "What about your last weapon?" Scootaloo asked, "Which one?" Robin asked, "Um... I don't know what it's called, but you took something out from your stomach region." Scootaloo replied, "You mean this?" Robin asked as she lifted her vest up and showed the white belly band, "Yeah." Scootaloo replied, "This is a belly band, it also acts as a holster for me to carry more things." Robin explained, "I still wanna see that last weapon you used yesterday." Scootaloo stated, Robin took out her pistol, "This is a pistol, I usually don't use this because of how loud it is, it'll attract enemies." Robin explained, "Then why do you carry it?" Scootaloo asked, "Last resort, it can also be used to let my friends know where I'm at." Robin replied, "Oh. What else do you have?" Scootaloo asked, "I can't do that, it won't be a secret if I tell you what other weapons I have." Robin replied, Scootaloo looked and saw something on the left side of her abdomen, "I see something there on the left side of the belly band there." Scootaloo spoke, Robin reached in and took out a knife, "That doesn't look like a normal knife." Scootaloo said, "It isn't, this is a ballistic knife." Robin replied, "What's it do?" Scootaloo asked, Robin put it back in the pouch and put her vest down, "You'll just have to wait and see me use it in battle." Robin replied, "Okay." Scootaloo lamented, "Well, aside from that, I'm willing to share what us Pegasi have to do for training." Robin stated, "What were you doing yesterday morning?" Scootaloo asked, "Flips, all Pegasi of Dreaming Paradise have to be flexible, agile, and acrobatic, and if you saw me at the farm yesterday, that is also a part of our training, we have to be able to take things from others without them noticing, alongside being pickpockets, we also have to learn freerunning and parkour." Robin replied, "Wow, that's a lot." Scootaloo said, "It is, but there's still more." Robin responded, "I wanna learn those later, I wanna learn how you got all flexible and acrobatic." Scootaloo said, "Alright, first training for the Pegasus, we start with stretches." Robin replied, and they stretched. Robin stretched her legs as far as they could stretch while Scootaloo copied her, she reeled up on her hind legs while she grabbed her own head with her front hoofs and stretched her back to the sides, she then stretched her upper body back and touched her own hind hoofs with her front hoofs, she looked and saw Scootaloo grunting while trying to reach her hind hoofs, "Whoa!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she fell over, "Keep trying, your body will adjust eventually." Robin said, "How does your hat not fall off?" Scootaloo asked, "It's on tight." Robin replied, "What about your weapons?" Scootaloo asked, "I have straps and holsters to secure them." Robin replied, "Oh." Scootaloo said, and she tried bending her upper body back again, she grunted as she tried to touch her own hind hoofs, she could not reach and fell again, "Yeah, keep working on that, you need to be flexible before you can start doing acrobats." Robin stated, and she bent back forward and sighed, "What's the agility test?" Scootaloo asked, "Obstacle courses, that involves acrobats sometimes, too." Robin replied, "Can I see?" Scootaloo asked, "Of course." Robin replied, and she ran while Scootaloo followed her. Robin walked around and looked for an area to train while Scootaloo followed her, "Here's a good starting spot." Robin stated, and Scootaloo saw a bunch of trees. Robin began running and went around the trees and came back, "Wow, I can do that." Scootaloo said, and she did the same thing, "Good job, but you've still got some work to do before you're at my level." Robin stated, "What's the next test?" Scootaloo asked, "Actually, there are several ways to do this, I'll show you what it looks like when I do freerunning and parkour." Robin replied, and she ran and jumped and placed her hind left leg on the first tree, she sprung herself up with her leg and grabbed a tree branch on the second tree, she swung above it and let go, she did a back flip while in mid air and landed on a tree branch on the third tree, she jumped and did another back flip and landed on a tree branch on the fourth tree, she jumped to her right and grabbed another tree branch, she swung herself to the right and was on the other side of the tree, she landed on another tree branch and then did a somersault and landed on a tree branch of the third tree, she jumped and landed on a branch on the second tree, she dropped down and hung off, she swung forward and jumped, she grabbed a branch on the first tree and then did a back flip while jumping down. Scootaloo clapped while Robin walked back to her, "That was amazing!" Scootaloo cheered, "Thank you." Robin replied, "What else does Pegasi training include?" Scootaloo asked, "Lock picking, you have a lock?" Robin asked, "You can try my house, let's go." Scootaloo replied, and they ran. Robin arrived at Scootaloo's house and she locked the door from the inside. Robin took two lock picks out of her vest pockets and picked the lock, she opened the door, "Wow, you got the door open." Scootaloo stated, "Yes, but I have a faster way, you need to be outside to see it." Robin responded, and Scootaloo walked outside. Robin locked the door and closed it, she took out her ballistic knife and placed it in the gap between the door and the wall, she moved the latch back with the knife's blade and then opened the door, "Whoa!" Scootaloo exclaimed, "Anything else you wanna know?" Robin asked, "What else can you do?" Scootaloo asked, "Voice mimicry." Robin replied in Scootaloo's voice, Scootaloo's jaw dropped, "How about this voice?" Robin asked in Twilight Sparkle's voice, "I can do this one, too, partner." Robin spoke in Apple Bloom's voice, "This one too, darling." Robin said in Rarity's voice, "Pretty awesome, isn't it?" Robin asked in Rainbow Dash's voice, "Yeah, but that's kind of scary." Scootaloo replied, "It has a drawback, though, since I'm female, I can only mimic female voices." Robin explained in her regular voice, "Can you do Spike's voice?" Scootaloo asked, Robin warmed up her vocal chords and tried but she sounded nothing like him, "Nope." Robin replied, "Well, that was cool to know, Robin, but I need to take a break." Scootaloo remarked, "When you get better, I can teach you the training we learn in flight." Robin replied, "Um... about that, my wings are stunted, I can't fly." Scootaloo said, "That's fine, there are some acrobats that don't require flying, let's go back now." Robin replied, and the two walked back. Arcana was sitting with her hind legs crossed and her front hoofs pressed against each other with Sweetie Belle watching her, "Unicorn training in Dreaming Paradise is mostly mental, but mental training can be overwhelming and exhaust those who are unprepared, the first thing we learn in our training is controlling the four elements of nature." Arcana explained, "How do I do that?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Simple, meditate like me, you need to imagine yourself as the element itself to control it." Arcana replied, and Sweetie Belle did. She meditated and closed her eyes as tightly as she could, "Now imagine yourself as one of the four elements you wish to control." Arcana said, and Sweetie Belle imagined herself as the ground, "You choose your element?" Arcana asked, "Earth." Sweetie Belle replied, "Alright, now feel like you are the earth itself, and cast a spell when you are ready." Arcana said, and Sweetie Belle focused while trying to imagine herself as part of the earth, she tried casting a spell and her magic aura turned yellow, she made a piece of the ground erupt. She opened her eyes and looked, she became awestruck when she saw what she did, "Once when you get to my level, you'll be able to control the four elements without needing to meditate, you meditate because it disconnects your soul from your body, and lets you float into other things, by letting your soul go into the elements, you become the element itself." Arcana explained, "What about the wood and metal I see you use?" Sweetie Belle asked, "That's for a completely different set of elements." Arcana replied, "Wait, there's more?" Sweetie Belle asked, "There's a total of seven elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Wood, Metal, and Void." Arcana explained, "What's void?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Spiritual feelings, it's mostly known as Aether, but we call it Void, they are things beyond our control in everyday experiences, when you master Void, you can sense your surroundings without thinking or feeling." Arcana explained, "I've never seen you use it." Sweetie Belle said, "Actually, I did use it yesterday, void magic involves magic that controls the dead, that includes soul magic and necromancy." Arcana explained, "I wanna see wood and metal magic." Sweetie Belle stated, "They fall under earth magic when using the four elements." Arcana replied, "What else can you cast?" Sweetie Belle asked, Arcana did a spell and the grass turned into knife blades, she changed them back and cast a spell on Sweetie Belle, "*scream* I can't see!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, she moved around a bit, "I can't feel anything, either!" Sweetie Belle shouted, she then felt a tingling in her head, "I am contacting you telepathically, I don't use this spell often, the spell I cast on you takes away your senses." Arcana explained, Sweetie Belle stood still in shock and Arcana returned them to her, "That's a scary spell." Sweetie Belle remarked, "If you're scared, I have Tarot cards that I can use to change your behavior." Arcana replied, "No, I'm fine." Sweetie Belle said, "Alright, I'll go ahead and show you the astral plane, meditate now." Arcana stated, and the two did. Arcana floated in the air while Sweetie Belle sat on the ground, "Disconnect your soul from your body, enter a dreamlike state, when you do, you will enter the astral plane." Arcana explained with her voice echoing, and Sweetie Belle focused. She meditated and felt like she was about to fall asleep after about twenty minutes, her vision became light blue and she felt herself flying into a portal, she looked and saw twelve animals in a circle around her, they were a rat, an ox, a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a goat, a monkey, a rooster, a dog, and a pig, they all spun in a clockwise direction around her. She looked and saw the constellations Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius form under the twelve animals, they spun in a clockwise formation as well, a stream of fire, a stream of water, a mound of dirt, a gust of wind, a log, a piece of metal, and a light blue flame formed under the constellations and spun as well, Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and White Tiger under the elements with Black Tortoise in the north, Azure Dragon in the east, Vermilion Bird in the south, and White Tiger in the west, they did not spin around, Yellow Dragon appeared in the center of Sweetie Belle's vision, his eyes glowed and he growled and she flew past the things that appeared before her. Sweetie Belle flew forward and entered the astral plane, she saw a light blue aura everywhere alongside constellations floating around, she saw land up ahead and landed on it, "Wow, this is a unique place." Sweetie Belle remarked, "You there, what brings you here to my realm?" Yellow Dragon asked with a deep and booming voice, "Um, Arcana was just showing me what the place looks like." Sweetie Belle replied, "The astral plane is not a place to play, this is a place for creatures to strengthen their mental abilities." Yellow Dragon explained, "How?" Sweetie Belle asked, "It is quiet in here, we can meditate with no distractions." Arcana replied, "Can I see the rest of the place?" Sweetie Belle asked, "You may, but if you cause trouble, I will throw you out." Yellow Dragon replied, "I promise, Yellow Dragon, she won't, come on, Sweetie Belle." Arcana assured, and they used telekinesis on themselves. Arcana and Sweetie Belle flew up and looked on in awe at the astral plane, "This is the very center of the astral plane, there's more if you travel out." Arcana stated, Sweetie Belle looked and saw the north was covered in snow and there was a blizzard blowing with water floating in the sky, the east had flowers blooming and leaves growing, there was wood growing out of some of the flowers, the west had leaves on the ground with more blowing through the air, the dead trees had metal growing out of their branches, and the south was a beach environment with palm trees, a bright sun, and fire as its ocean. Sweetie Belle looked around more and saw the outer astral plane had water floating above the ground and the sky and clouds below it, the avian animals were flying in the water and the marine animals were swimming in the sky, "Can I see the rest?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Sorry, but I'm just showing you what the place looks like, let's go back now." Arcana replied, and they did. Sweetie Belle and Arcana arrived back in Ponyville and opened their eyes', "What did you think?" Arcana asked, "That place was beautiful." Sweetie Belle replied, Arcana smiled, "Anything else you want to know?" Arcana questioned, "I wanna learn how to make potions." Sweetie Belle answered, "Sorry, but alchemy and potion making is Pegasi training, I did some self studying when I was Sunset's rival, but the potion I can make is very unstable." Arcana explained, "Still, the thought of you being a princess and an alicorn is kind of scary." Sweetie Belle said, "I only wanted to become Princess Celestia's student so I could improve my magic, I couldn't care less about being an alicorn or princess even if I wanted to." Arcana replied, "Still, though." Sweetie Belle remarked, "Anything else you want to know?" Arcana asked, "What other types of magic do you have?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Black magic and white magic, my healing spell is white magic, my four element magic falls under black magic." Arcana explained, "Wow, I never knew." Sweetie Belle remarked, "Well, now you do." Arcana answered, "Well, that's all we have to teach you three, go on now." Paladin said, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders left and waved bye at them, the three waved back while Arcana and Robin smiled, Paladin's helmet concealed her face, "You know word's gonna spread, right?" Robin asked, "I don't think any harm will be done." Arcana replied, "Yeah, plus, foals might develop an interest in our trainings, come on now, let's get ready for Sunset Shimmer's return." Paladin responded, and they went back into the house. Sunset Shimmer was having lunch with her friends in the school, "Did you see who wanted to see you, Sunset?" Fluttershy asked, "Yeah, I did." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Who was it?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "A unicorn named Arcana." Sunset Shimmer answered, "Judging by yer voice, she don't sound like a friend of yers" Applejack stated, "Actually, I had rivals before I became Princess Celestia's student and had to compete with them, she was my biggest rival." Sunset Shimmer explained, her friends gasped, "You never mentioned you had a rival." Rarity said, "That's because I completely forgot about her until she showed up yesterday." Sunset Shimmer replied, "So, what's the history between you two?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Um..." Sunset Shimmer said as she remembered, "You wanted to be Princess Celestia's student, but Arcana's magic far surpassed yours, so when you two were about to do a contest to impress Princess Celestia, you messed with chemicals that caused an explosion and sent her to the hospital, and now she's back to see you so she can get back at you." Pinkie Pie explained, she smiled while Sunset Shimmer's jaw dropped, "How did you know?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Just a hunch." Pinkie Pie replied, "How have things been so far?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Alright, I've been proving to Arcana that I've changed my ways, I'm going to head back to Ponyville after school." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Well, finish your lunch, I'm guessing you forgot to do yesterday's homework." Twilight Sparkle remarked, "Oh, shoot, I did, thanks for reminding me." Sunset Shimmer replied, and she finished lunch and worked on her homework, the school day finished and she went into the mirror and headed back to Ponyville. Sunset Shimmer arrived in Ponyville and trotted outside, she saw Twilight Sparkle and her friends were still teaching at the School of Friendship, "Huh. I guess the school day is longer here." Sunset Shimmer remarked, and she trotted more. She trotted to where Arcana was staying while the ponies got on with their days, "Sunset!" Scootaloo hollered as she ran to her, "I learned that Robin's belly band also contains a knife, she can use it to open locked doors." Scootaloo informed, "I thought I noticed something else in that thing on her stomach." Sunset Shimmer replied, "She also said that the thing she used to choke Twilight doesn't have any hidden weapons in it." Scootaloo said, "I see, anything else?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Well, that's all I know of her weapons." Scootaloo replied, "It's alright, thanks, Scootaloo." Sunset Shimmer said, and the two went their separate ways. Sunset Shimmer walked more and saw Apple Bloom up ahead, "Sunset, Ah learned that Paladin can use more than just swords and shields, she also uses spears, axes, hammers, maces, bow and arrows, and crossbows." Apple Bloom informed, "Anything else?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "She can dual wield and knows hoof-to-hoof combat, too." Apple Bloom replied, "Alright, I'll keep that in mind, thanks, Apple Bloom." Sunset Shimmer said, and she walked past her and saw Sweetie Belle up ahead, "Sunset, Arcana taught me how to control nature." Sweetie Belle said as she ran to her, "Really? How?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "She said you have to meditate and imagine yourself as that element, she talked about how it involves disconnecting your soul from your body and transferring it into other stuff." Sweetie Belle replied, "Oh, well, I'm not very good at stuff like that." Sunset Shimmer responded, "She also showed me the astral plane, it was a beautiful place." Sweetie Belle said, "That's good to hear, I'll try it later, thanks for telling me how her magic works." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Wait, there's more, there's actually seven elements, Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Wood, Metal, and Void, her healing spell is white magic, and her combat spells are black magic." Sweetie Belle explained, "Alright, thanks, you and your two friends, I'll be going to see them now." Sunset Shimmer replied, and she trotted to them. Chapter 4Sunset Shimmer trotted to where Arcana and her two friends were staying and was remembering she was never good at physical activities when she and her were rivals, she walked to her and saw the three mares, "We thought you'd show up around now, you ready to help us with afternoon training?" Robin asked, "Sure." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Well, choose your opponent." Paladin said, "Sorry, Arcana, but I'm going to have to skip you this time, I kind of remembered your main weakness." Sunset Shimmer stated, "What?" Arcana asked, "You're very weak physically." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Us unicorns of Dreaming Paradise are not trained in strength." Arcana remarked, "No, not that, you're physically weak in general." Sunset Shimmer replied, "If you think what you're saying is true, then prove it." Paladin stated, and Arcana walked forward. Arcana got ready to cast a spell and Sunset Shimmer teleported to her right side and bucked her with her hind legs, she grunted loudly as she flew through the air and landed on the ground, she began to get back up and Sunset Shimmer teleported to her and bucked her on her left side, she grunted again as she flew through the air, she fell on the ground and rolled a bit this time, Sunset Shimmer quickly teleported to her while Arcana was about to cast a healing spell, she bucked her on her right side again and Arcana grunted loudly as she rolled on the ground several times and went up in the air on the last roll and fell. Arcana groaned in pain and could not move or cast magic, "What? You go down after only three hits? You're a lot weaker than I thought." Sunset Shimmer remarked, a hoof tugged her head on its left and she came face-to-face with Paladin with Robin standing to her left, "Then why don't you try facing one of us instead?" Paladin asked, "I'll try Robin again." Sunset Shimmer replied as she pointed at her, Paladin walked back while Robin to her. Robin aimed her lipstick case at her and turned the bottom to fire a bullet, Sunset Shimmer flinched to her right to dodge it, Robin threw it away and reached into her coat with both of her front hoofs and took out two crossbows, "Really?" Sunset Shimmer asked in an unamused tone, Robin pulled the trigger up on one crossbow and fired the bolt, Sunset Shimmer grabbed it with her telekinesis and threw it back, Robin caught it with her right wing and reloaded it back into the crossbow, Sunset Shimmer's eyes widened and Robin fired the bolt again, Sunset Shimmer grabbed the bolt with her telekinesis and Robin fired the other bolt, she grabbed it with her telekinesis, she snapped both bolts in half and threw them behind herself. Robin put her crossbows back in her coat and jumped to her right when she saw a beam coming at her, she lifted up her vest and took the ballistic knife out, she flew forward and did slashes while Sunset Shimmer stepped back to dodge the slashes, she ducked to dodge one slash and kicked her with her hind right leg, Robin grunted as she slid back a little. She flew forward and tried to cut Sunset Shimmer with her knife while she teleported around with her magic, she teleported away from her and Robin aimed the knife at her, she pushed the red button on the handle and the blade shot out like a bullet, Sunset Shimmer yelped as she jumped to her right and the knife blade hit a tree. Robin reached into her boots with her front hoofs and took a knife out of both of them, she flew forward and tried to slash Sunset Shimmer while she dodged them, "Those bladed weapons of yours are getting old, Robin." Sunset Shimmer remarked as she dodged the knives, she continued dodging until she snatched them out of Robin's grip with her telekinesis and threw them behind herself. Robin reeled up on her hind legs and grabbed her own belt buckle, she detached it and revealed a knife blade under the buckle, Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes while Robin flew to her and tried to slash her again, she flung it away with her telekinesis and kicked her again, Robin slid back a little and reeled up on her hind legs again and took off her belt and swung it around, Sunset Shimmer's eyes widened she saw her belt was actually a whip. She swung it around and broke the ground twice, she tried to hit Sunset Shimmer with it and she ducked, Robin then aimed for her hoofs and she yelped as she reeled up to avoid the whip, she made the whip go up and hit Sunset Shimmer on abdomen and chest, she yelled and moved back and panted since the whip hurt a lot. Robin spun around and then hit her whip on the ground, it flew forward while breaking it, Sunset Shimmer teleported and reappeared to Robin's right, she tried to buck her but Robin grabbed her hind legs with her right wing and threw her over herself, Sunset Shimmer screamed and fell into the ground. Sunset Shimmer got back up and saw the whip coming down, she teleported away and the whip could not reach her, Robin flew to her and tried to hit her, Sunset Shimmer just teleported far away from it. Robin put her whip in her other front hoof and lifted up her belly band, she took out the pistol and aimed it at her, she ducked when she saw a beam coming, she aimed and Sunset Shimmer was not there, she appeared behind her and bucked her, she grunted as she slid forward a little, she bucked Sunset Shimmer and she staggered a little. Robin turned around while swinging her whip and Sunset Shimmer focused, she bent her back and grabbed the whip with her front hoofs, Robin aimed her pistol and she kicked it out of her hoof with hind right hoof and then snatched the whip with her telekinesis and threw it elsewhere. Robin flew forward while putting her front legs in her coat and tried to hug Sunset Shimmer with her wings, she jumped back to dodge the spiked rings, she opened her wings and revealed two double-bladed knives on her front hoofs, "How many do you have?!" Sunset Shimmer fumed, Robin held her front hoofs up and threw her front right leg forward and the double-bladed knife flew forward, Sunset Shimmer moved to her right to dodge it and the double-bladed knife went back to her hoof. Sunset Shimmer looked and saw Twilight Sparkle and her friends have arrived and were watching, she quickly moved her head back when she saw a double-bladed knife coming. Robin swung them around and the double-bladed knifes looked like they were floating around her, she threw them both forward and Sunset Shimmer tried to grab them, but they flew past her hoofs and they got cut, she screamed and saw her blood soak something, Twilight Sparkle and her friends gasped at seeing the double-bladed knives were connected to razor-sharp wires that were so thin, they were invisible to the naked eye. Sunset Shimmer growled while Robin spun around and made the wires spin with her, she ducked while the double-bladed knives went back to Robin, she threw them forward again and Sunset Shimmer grabbed the thin wires with her telekinesis, she tried to pull them apart but they did not break, "Wow, those wires sure are strong." Applejack said, "They must have a very high tensile strength then." Twilight Sparkle added, Sunset Shimmer continued to try to break the wires but could not, so she took them off of Robin's hoofs and she yelled as the wires cut her, Sunset Shimmer ran to her and bucked her, she grunted and fell on the ground this time. Sunset Shimmer growled and jumped to Robin to tackle her, but Robin turned herself around on the ground and held her hind legs up, she clicked her heels and knife blades came out of the front of her boot soles. Twilight Sparkle and her friends gasped at what they saw, "Sunset! Look out!" Twilight Sparkle hollered, Sunset Shimmer quickly cast telekinesis on herself and moved back while Robin got up and flew to her. She began doing kicks with her hind legs and tried to cut Sunset Shimmer with the knifes in her boots, she glared and removed the knifes with her telekinesis. Robin flew back and reached into her boots again and took out more guns, they looked strange, she shot one and Sunset Shimmer ducked, Robin threw the gun at her and missed, she fired her other gun and Sunset Shimmer teleported, Robin threw the gun at her, she then reeled up on her hind legs and flicked her front legs outwards and more guns came out of her sleeves, she shot one and Sunset Shimmer ducked, Robin shot it again and Sunset Shimmer cast a shield around herself and saw her throw the gun at her, she fired two bullets from her other gun and threw it at her, they bounced off of the shield. Sunset Shimmer put her shield down, "I guess you're out of weapons." Sunset Shimmer remarked, Robin reached into her coat with her wings and took out shuriken, Sunset Shimmer's jaw dropped, Robin began throwing them and Sunset Shimmer ran behind a tree and the shuriken got stuck in them, "Wow, what are those?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "I have no clue, Starlight." Twilight Sparkle replied, Robin stopped throwing and Sunset Shimmer looked, she held her front right hoof out and something came, she went back behind the tree and whatever Robin threw hit the tree, Sunset Shimmer looked and saw it was a kunai, she ran out from behind the tree and Robin began moving her front legs back and forth and threw kunai at her, she jumped over them and kicked Robin with her hind legs, she grunted as she fell over. Sunset Shimmer panted and held Robin down, she stopped when she felt something sharp on her neck, she looked and saw a kunai at her throat, "I still won." Robin said, Sunset Shimmer growled as she stepped off of her and slammed her front right leg on the ground while Robin got her weapons back. Twilight Sparkle and her friends went to them, "You only won because you cheated." Rainbow Dash said, "What do you mean I cheated?" Robin asked, "Honestly, Robin, all of these hidden weapons of yers is kinda unfair." Applejack replied, "Well, it is how I was trained to fight." Robin replied, "I bet you would lose in a fair fight." Rainbow Dash declared, "Try me." Robin challenged, and Rainbow Dash flew forward and tried to punch her with her front hoofs, Robin grabbed it and spun around while she threw Rainbow Dash away, she screamed as she fell, she growled as she got up and flew to her, she tried punching her several times but Robin blocked each punch and eventually jumped and kicked Rainbow Dash in her chin, she yelled as she fell back, she growled and flew to Robin, she aimed her hind right hoof down and was about to hit Robin, she turned to her right and punched Rainbow Dash in her chin, she grunted as she fell over, "Alright, we get it, Robin, you can win in a fair fight, too." Applejack said, and they watched Sunset Shimmer. Sunset Shimmer walked over to Paladin as she watched her, "I'm ready." Sunset Shimmer stated, "Alright." Paladin replied, and they got ready. Paladin took a crossbow off of her left hind leg and aimed it, she shot a bolt and Sunset Shimmer caught it with telekinesis and broke it, she took out a second one and aimed it with her other front hoof, she fired it and Sunset Shimmer broke the bolt with her telekinesis and took the crossbows out of Paladin's hoofs. Paladin took out a spear and swung it down, and Sunset Shimmer jumped back, Paladin lifted up the handle and jumped down while the spear came out of the ground and she swung it down again. Sunset Shimmer stepped to her right and Paladin began swinging the spear around, she eventually began spinning it while walking forward and Sunset Shimmer stepped back, she shot a beam at Paladin's armor and she grunted as she staggered a little but kept coming, she shot more beams but they only staggered Paladin and she kept walking forward while spinning her spear around, she stopped when the blade touched Sunset Shimmer's head, "I would've won now if this was a real fight." Paladin said, "Magic beams don't do much to you, do they?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Nope, they just stagger me, my armor's magic resistant, too." Paladin replied, "I see, I'm ready to see what else you can do." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "No, it's over, I got you." Paladin replied, "That kind of isn't fair." Sunset Shimmer stated, "Well, I need every advantage I can get in a real battle, discarding my weapons and armor for a fair fight would be a stupid move on my part." Paladin replied, they heard groaning and Arcana got up slowly, "When is our next match?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "This evening." Paladin replied, and she took her weapons off and carried only her sword and shield. Rainbow Dash saw a sword and got an idea, she picked it up in her mouth and flew to Paladin, "Sure, I can use another workout." Paladin stated, and she took off her shield and helmet, she unsheathed her sword and held it in her mouth. The two clanged the swords and Paladin almost knocked Rainbow Dash down with the first hit, she stood her ground and clanged the sword against Paladin's, her teeth soon began to hurt from the force Paladin was putting into her strikes, she did one more strike and knocked the sword out of Rainbow Dash's mouth, she screamed as she fell over, "You need to work on your jaw strength, come challenge me when you get stronger." Paladin said, and she put her helmet back on and walked away. Rainbow Dash got back up and held the sword in her mouth again and flew to Arcana, "Sorry, but I don't do direct combat." Arcana said, "Never hurts to try, Arcana." Rainbow Dash responded, and she flew to her and Arcana shot a blast out of her horn, "Whoa!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as her beam shot her away, "I am willing to do target practice, though." Arcana stated, and she shot beams at the sword while Rainbow Dash flew around to dodge them, she got hit by one and she flew away, "Hmm, impressive, looks like the rumors about you being the fastest flier in Equestria were true after all." Arcana remarked while smiling, Rainbow Dash picked up the sword and flew to Robin, she landed and got ready to fight her. Robin smirked as reeled up on her hind legs and put her front right hoof behind herself and under her coat, she hid whatever she took out with her wing, she opened her digits and a loud noise was heard. Rainbow Dash yelled as something hit the sword's pommel and knocked the sword out of her mouth as she fell, she looked and saw Robin holding a revolver in her front right hoof, she blew the smoke out of the muzzle, "You still have more weapons?!" Rainbow Dash snapped, Robin reached into the back of her pants with her other front hoof and took out a second revolver, "I demand a rematch!" Rainbow Dash demanded, "Nope, you already lost." Robin replied, Rainbow Dash growled, "Rainbow Dash, if you demand a fair fight with other Pegasi in Dreaming Paradise, you will lose quickly." Robin explained, Rainbow Dash growled even more, "Wait, now that I know your weaknesses, maybe can help you three improve on them." Sunset Shimmer stated as she ran to them, "You would actually do that for us?" Paladin asked, "Sure, I know your weaknesses, Paladin, you're slow, so maybe some training can make you move faster, Arcana, you're weak physically, so maybe we can improve your strength and endurance, and Robin, uh... I don't know if she has any weaknesses." Sunset Shimmer said, "She's physically weak, too." Paladin replied, she looked and saw Robin getting her weapons in place, "Alright, well, let's see what you three can do, let's go to Sweet Apple Acres." Sunset Shimmer said, and they followed her. Sunset Shimmer and the others arrived at Sweet Apple Acres and she stood across from the three visitors, "Alright, first, take your clothes off, they're going to get dirty if you wear them for what I have in mind." Sunset Shimmer said, and they did. Paladin took off her armor piece by piece, starting with her hoofs and working her way to her body, Arcana took her shoes off first, and then her lace dress, then her white dress, Robin took her boots off first and then her coat, she took off her cravat next, she then took off her vest and her belly band, she was wearing a white long-sleeve button-up dress shirt with the collar buttoned down, she took her shirt out of her pants and unbuttoned it and took it off, she then took her two guns out of the back of her pants and then took it off, the three laid their clothes behind themselves and everybody looked at their cutie marks, Paladin's cutie mark was a double-edged broadsword and a kite shield, Arcana's cutie mark was a black pentagram with a black tome in the center of it, and Robin's cutie mark a dagger and a light blue jewel, "Alright, first, warm up, let's do some stretching." Sunset Shimmer decided, and they did. Sunset Shimmer stretched while the three mares copied her, Paladin stretched about the same length as Sunset Shimmer did, Arcana could not stretch far, and Robin stretched the farthest, "What are you three doing going through my clothes?" Robin asked, they looked and saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders at her clothes, "Um... we were wondering what other weapons you had." Sweetie Belle replied, "Then don't go through my clothes, some of my stuff are sharp and will cut you by just touching them." Robin responded, and they stopped, "Okay, let's continue." Sunset Shimmer stated, and they stretched a little more, the four balanced themselves on one of their hind legs' and stretched their other hind leg behind themselves and tried to grab it with a front hoof, "Whoa!" Arcana exclaimed as she wobbled and fell on the ground after about two seconds, Paladin grunted as she balanced herself and grunted when she fell, Robin stretched her hing leg over her own head, "Wow. Well, let's try cardio first, push-ups, do as much as you can, I'll be doing them with you." Sunset Shimmer spoke, and they did. The four mares began doing push-ups but they went at different speeds, Sunset Shimmer and Robin did them at average speed, Arcana was very slow and struggling already, and Paladin was going faster than everypony else, Arcana went down on her first push-up while grunting loudly, she tried to go back up but fell, Robin fell after doing fifteen push-ups, Sunset Shimmer fell after doing twenty five push-ups, Paladin chuckled and kept going, "Alright, Paladin, that's enough." Sunset Shimmer said after Paladin did her hundredth one, and she stopped, "Alright, let's try sit-ups next." Sunset Shimmer decided, and they did. The four mares did them and Arcana was out of breath after her tenth one, Sunset Shimmer and Robin were out of breath after their thirtieth one, and Paladin stopped after her fiftieth one and was ready to do more training, "What's next?" Paladin asked, "Weight lifting, I'll need four barbells." Sunset Shimmer replied, and Arcana made them appear, "How many weights do you all want?" Arcana asked, "I'll take ten pounds." Sunset Shimmer said, "Twenty." Robin stated, "Fifty." Paladin added, and Arcana made them appear, "What about yourself, Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "No weights for me." Arcana replied, "The barbells weigh fifty pounds on their own." Paladin informed, "Oh, that is kinda heavy, well, let's begin." Sunset Shimmer declared, and they put the barbells on their backs and laid down, "Lift." Sunset Shimmer said, and they did. The four grunted as they tried to lift the barbells up, Arcana stopped when she was halfway up and fell back down, the other three stood and went back down, Robin tried to stand again but fell, Sunset Shimmer fell after her third rep, and Paladin took the barbell off of herself after her fifth rep, "Next." Paladin said, "Hold on." Sunset Shimmer replied, and they caught their breath and stood up, "Let's try running next." Sunset Shimmer stated, and they walked out to in front of the barn. Sunset Shimmer and the other three began running around the open ground, Robin was the fastest runner, Sunset Shimmer was behind her, Paladin was behind her, and Arcana was the slowest, she was out of breath and fell after twenty seconds, she got up and walked to the center while the other three kept running, "Are ya startin' to feel irritated that ya can't keep up with yer friends, Arcana?" Apple Bloom asked, "Nope, physical activity was never my strong suite." Arcana replied, "I'd be irritated if Ah was you." Apple Bloom said, "Well, you are an earth pony, so that's understandable." Arcana replied, "No, it's because Ah'd feel useless compared to mah friends, Ah have to work on the farm, too." Apple Bloom remarked, "True, I'll watch the others now." Arcana replied, and they did. Sunset Shimmer ran out of breath and panted after about seven minutes, she panted and went to Arcana and the others, Robin stopped and panted after running for ten minutes and walked back while Paladin continued to run, "Alright, so Robin's faster, but Paladin can run longer." Applejack said, and Paladin ran to them, "How much more do you have in mind, Sunset Shimmer?" Arcana asked, "Four more, pull-ups, chin-ups, pulling a wagon, and enduring how many hits you can take, we'll do the pull-ups and chin-ups at the same time." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Let's get stated." Paladin said, and Sunset Shimmer made four pull-up bars appear with her magic. The three mares walked to the pull-up bars and Sunset Shimmer stood across from them, "Let try chin-ups first, ready, go." Sunset Shimmer announced, and she began alongside Arcana and Robin. Arcana could not go up and went off of the bar while Sunset Shimmer managed to do one and jumped off while grunting, she rubbed her own back, she looked and saw Robin do three before jumping down. Paladin just stood and watched, she began doing chin-ups with one hoof after the other three fell, she did twenty five with her front right hoof and then switched to her other front hoof and did twenty five more and jumped down, "Okay, let's try pull-ups now." Sunset Shimmer said, and she began alongside Arcana and Robin. Arcana could not pull herself up and fell, Sunset Shimmer could only go up halfway and fell back down, "So you can't do them, either." Arcana remarked, "Yeah, I'm still trying in my free time." Sunset Shimmer replied, they heard Robin grunting and she managed to do one and fell while panting. Paladin began after the three finished and did pull-ups with one hoof, "Wow, I didn't know one-hoofed pull-ups were possible." Starlight Glimmer remarked, "They are, Starlight, but even though I'm an alicorn, I still can't do them." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I'm working on them, too." Rainbow Dash said, "You and Applejack don't look surprised." Sweetie Belle stated, "She and I seen 'em several times." Apple Bloom replied, "Really?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, Big Mac can do one-hoofed pull-ups, too." Applejack replied, "Eeyup." Big Macintosh assured, Paladin did ten pull-ups and switched to her other front hoof and did ten more and jumped down, "Good job, Paladin, let's try pulling some wagons now." Sunset Shimmer stated, and she made the pull-up bars disappear and wagons appear with her magic. she made a small empty wagon appear for Arcana, an average sized one with fruits for Robin, and a big one with weapons and armor in it for Paladin, "Alright, go ahead and start." Sunset Shimmer remarked, and Arcana could not pull the small wagon and fell over, "What? Seriously, Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Only Pegasi and earth ponies use wagons in Dreaming Paradise, I carry my things with telekinesis." Arcana replied, "Still, though." Sunset Shimmer stated, she looked and saw Paladin and Robin pulling them with no problems, "That's kind of sad, Arcana, even I'm physically stronger than you." Sweetie Belle stated, "I assume you don't use your magic for everything, then." Arcana replied, "Actually, my magic's been very weak for most of my life, it just started blooming recently." Sweetie Belle said, "Oh, so you had to do everything by hoof, I wasn't like that, my magic was powerful ever since I was born." Arcana replied, "Yeah, I had powerful magic, too, but I still had to do a lot of things by hoof before I could channel my magic properly." Sunset Shimmer stated, "That's what meditation is for." Arcana replied, "Speaking of meditation, Sweetie Belle told me what the astral plane looks like." Twilight Sparkle stated, "How does the place sound to you?" Arcana asked, "Pretty interesting, actually." Twilight Sparkle replied, they looked and saw the two were done, they went to them, "Alright, last one, endurance, I'm going to buck you three and see how many hits you can endure." Sunset Shimmer explained, she looked and saw Arcana glaring at her, "Um, on second thought, maybe somepony else should do this." Sunset Shimmer stated, "I'll do this, darling." Rarity said as she trotted to them, "Alright, then." Sunset Shimmer replied, and Rarity went to them, "Okay, this may hurt a little." Rarity warned, and she got ready. She bucked Arcana first and she grunted as she flew through the air and landed on the ground, Rarity teleported to her and bucked her again, she grunted again as she flew through the air again, Rarity teleported to her again and bucked Arcana one more time, she screamed and laid on the ground groaning in pain, "Wow, that's not very good." Twilight Sparkle said, "I'd thought she'd be stronger, too." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Alright, Robin, your turn." Rarity stated as she walked to her. Rarity bucked Robin and she grunted a little as she slid on the ground a little, she walked to her and bucked her again, Robin slid again, she got bucked again and slid farther, Rarity bucked her again and she grunted louder as she almost fell, Rarity bucked her again and Robin fell but got back up, Rarity bucked her again and Robin flew through the air a little and she did a back flip to land on her feet, "Ooh, what a magnificent display, but let's continue." Rarity said, and she bucked one more time, Robin grunted loudly as she flew through the air a little and fell on the ground and groaned with Arcana, "Seven hits, not bad." Twilight Sparkle said, "Alright, Paladin, you're the only one left." Rarity stated as she walked to her and got ready. She began to buck Paladin but she did not flinch as Rarity kicked her several times, "You're not feeling anything, are you, darling?" Rarity asked, "Nope." Paladin replied, Big Macintosh walked to her and bucked her, Paladin grunted under her breath and slid back a few centimeters, Big Macintosh bucked her again and she slid back a little, "Wow, Paladin sure is strong." Starlight Glimmer said, "Yeah, even Big Mac is havin' trouble takin' her down." Applejack replied, Robin got back up when Big Macintosh bucked her for the tenth time, she watched and Paladin fell to her knees after the thirty fifth buck, he wiped sweat off of his forehead when she was down, but she got back up after thirty seconds. Arcana recovered and got back up shortly afterwards, "I didn't think someone would actually manage to get Paladin down a little." Arcana stated, "Well, that's all of the training I had in mind for you three, and sorry, Paladin and Robin, but I would teach you two magic if you two could cast it." Sunset Shimmer said, and they put their outfits back on. The three mares walked to them and they saw Starlight Glimmer and Trixie, "This is Trixie, Arcana, she's been wanting to see you for sometime." Starlight Glimmer said, "Arcana, the Great and Powerful Trixie would like to have you as a partner for my show." Trixie requested, "I'm afraid I must say no." Arcana replied, "Do you have any reason in particular?" Trixie asked, "My magic is meant to be used for combat and warfare, not entertainment." Arcana replied, "What? Really, Arcana, magic can be used for more than just battle." Twilight Sparkle stated, "Like what?" Arcana asked, "How about doing day-to-day chores?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I do, but that's considered secondary to me." Arcana answered, "Magic can be used for fun, too."Starlight Glimmer said, "Yeah, just like this one time when they gave me a mustache." Spike answered, "I guess that could be useful for disguising yourself." Arcana replied, "No, that was used to make me look more handsome." Spike said, "You all would actually use your spells on trivial stuff like that?" Arcana asked, "It's not trivial, I need magic to personally groom myself." Rarity replied, Arcana and her two friends glared, "You must be really lazy then." Robin responded, "*gasp* I am not, I have my hoofs full on working days, I use magic to get things done faster." Rarity retorted, "That, I can excuse, I work in customer service, too." Arcana replied, Rarity smiled, "Can I join your show?" Robin asked, "What? No! You having hidden weapons scares me! Especially that shooting knife of yours." Trixie replied, "Wait, shooting knife?" Scootaloo asked, "Her knife has this trigger on the handle that shoots the knife out." Sunset Shimmer explained, "Can I see it?" Scootaloo asked, Robin took her ballistic knife out of her belly band and aimed it, she pressed down the red trigger on the guard and the knife blade shot out, the ponies screamed, "That does it! Come with us, Robin! I've had enough of these hidden weapons of yours!" Twilight Sparkle snapped, and she carried her with her telekinesis while the others followed. Sunset Shimmer and her friends arrived at Carousel Boutique and Rarity took off Robin's clothes and went through her things, "You have a lot of things in your coat." Twilight Sparkle remarked as she looked and saw pockets for her weapons, they saw two daggers, spiked rings, kunai, shuriken, two crossbows, extra bolts, and her two double-bladed knives connected by wire in her coat, they found her derringers and more kunai in the sleeves, they checked her pants and found only the lipstick gun and the two revolvers she had tucked in the back of her pants, "What is this?!" Rarity exclaimed as she looked at Robin's belt and saw it was a whip and the buckle had a knife blade on the back of it, "How dare you! You should be ashamed of yourself!" Rarity fumed, "For what?" Robin asked, "This!" Rarity replied as she held her front hoofs out at Robin's belt and its buckle, "I can't believe you would disguise weapons as fashion! This is the worst possible thing one can do! The! Worst! Possible! Thing!" Rarity thundered, Robin and her friends just looked at her with confused expressions. Rainbow Dash looked into Robin's boots and found her knives and derringers, "What are these small things anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Derringers, the ones in my boots are one-shot, and the ones in my sleeves are two-shot." Robin explained, "How do you make the knife blades come out of your boots?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "There is a trigger built inside the heels, when I click my heels together, it activates a spring built inside that releases the blades." Robin replied, "Oh." Twilight Sparkle stated, and she used her telekinesis to hit them against one another to make the knife blades come out, she and her friends gathered her weapons together and Scootaloo noticed a third pouch in the belly band that was between the pistol and ballistic knife, she reached in and took out a stack of cards, "Be careful with those, the corners and edges are razor-sharp." Robin warned, "What are they used for?" Apple Bloom asked, "More throwing weapons." Robin replied, and they were put with the rest of her weapons, "Do you have anymore hidden weapons?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "One more." Robin replied, "Where?" Rarity asked, "Between my hind legs, inside my lady parts." Robin replied, the others looked at one another and Twilight Sparkle used her telekinesis on her and took out another kunai, she laid it with Robin's other weapons, "Is this all of your weapons?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "For that outfit." Robin replied, "WHAT?!" Twilight Sparkle screamed, "I carry and conceal different weapons for each outfit I wear." Robin explained, Twilight Sparkle's left eye twitched, "I heard you can teach me how to make potions, too." Sweetie Belle stated, "Sorry, but I've only been trained in making medicine and poison." Robin responded, "What is this silver thing you and your friends have here, Robin?" Scootaloo asked, "Oh, those, they're amulets from our home." Robin replied, Twilight Sparkle sensed them with her magic, "They're not ordinary amulets, they're enchanted." Twilight Sparkle said, "Alright, you got us, those amulets are given to those who perform best in training, the amulets enhance their powers and capabilities." Arcana explained, "What?!" Sunset Shimmer and her friends exclaimed, "You mean you three can get even stronger?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, we've actually been kind of holding back in training." Robin replied, "What do they do?" Apple Bloom asked, "Well, my amulet is the Amulet of Magic, Paladin's is the Amulet of Combat, and Robin's is the Amulet of Stealth, I think you all can figure out what they do by just their names." Arcana replied, the others agreed, "Do ya have anythin' else besides weapons hidden on yerself, Robin?" Apple Bloom asked, Robin reached into her eyes and revealed she was wearing contact lenses, "Why do you have those?" Fluttershy asked, "Wait a minute." Twilight Sparkle said as she got a closer look at them with her telekinesis, "*gasp* They're cameras!" Twilight Sparkle shouted, "Cameras?!" Rarity exclaimed, "I use them for gathering information." Robin explained, "I wanna see what's on them!" Pinkie Pie blurted, "They're off right now, I never turned them on." Robin replied, Twilight Sparkle checked and saw they were off and she returned them. Robin put her clothes back on and took her weapons back, "We're still tired from earlier, we're going to have to skip evening training today." Paladin said, "I was thinking about trying to help you three get better at the things you're not good at." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Sunset, I appreciate you trying to help me overcome my weaknesses, but we have schedules of our own to keep." Arcana replied, "Well, do you believe I changed for the better?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Yes, I do." Arcana replied, Sunset Shimmer and her friends smiled, "But you still have to come to Dreaming Paradise and take and endure whatever punishment the people of my home give you." Arcana stated, "I'll do it." Sunset Shimmer replied boldly, "Alright, we'll leave tomorrow, we'll be waiting for you." Paladin said, and she, Arcana, and Robin left. Sunset Shimmer just looked on and tried to remember if Arcana ever used the amulet when she and her were rivals, "You okay, Sunset?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she walked to her, "Yeah, I'm trying to remember if Arcana ever used that amulet when she and I competed to be Princess Celestia's pupil, I actually don't recall her ever having it with her." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Did she have it when you looked into her memories?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No, she didn't." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Maybe she didn't earn it, yet." Twilight Sparkle assumed, "Probably, that's what I was thinking, too." Sunset Shimmer answered, "Are you really going, Sunset?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I have to, I have to get ready, I got homework to do today, too, I'll see you and your friends later." Sunset Shimmer replied, and she trotted outside. Sunset Shimmer arrived in the Castle of Friendship and was about to go through the mirror, "Sunset?" Princess Celestia asked, she turned around and saw Princess Celestia walking to her, "Are you really going to Dreaming Paradise tomorrow?" Princess Celestia questioned, "Yes, Princess Celestia." Sunset Shimmer replied, "I guess there is no stopping you, I'm going to let you know now, Dreaming Paradise is run by a caste system, unicorns are called Magicians, earth ponies are called Soldiers, and Pegasi are called Assassins, each one is highly trained in battle like Arcana and her two friends, so be careful not to cause trouble, I will also be watching from Canterlot to make sure whatever punishment they have in mind for you is not too cruel, remember that you are still my pupil, and like a daughter to me, so I will protect you if they try to inflict a disproportionate punishment or serious harm on you." Princess Celestia explained, "Thank you, Princess Celestia." Sunset Shimmer chimed while smiling, "Good luck, I'll always be watching you." Princess Celestia said, and they hugged one another and she walked away while Sunset Shimmer went through the mirror. Sunset Shimmer went home and began doing her homework, she finished and went through her belongings to see if she had any pictures of Arcana from her past, she did not find any, the day made her tired and she yawned, she walked up to her bed and fell on it and slept immediately. Sunset Shimmer woke up the next morning and almost overslept for school, she skipped breakfast and went to school, she almost fell asleep in class but managed to stay awake, she soon had lunch with her friends, "You look tired, Sunset." Twilight Sparkle remarked, "I am, I did a lot of physical activity yesterday." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Are you leaving again today?" Fluttershy asked, "Yeah, I have to go to Dreaming Paradise today, I have to take whatever punishment they give me." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Well, good luck to ya, bell's about to ring, y'all." Applejack said, and they had lunch. Sunset Shimmer waited for the school day to end and she went through the mirror when it did. Sunset Shimmer arrived in Ponyville and went to go see Arcana and her friends, "Good, you're early, let's go." Arcana said, and they got ready to go, "Wait!" Twilight Sparkle hollered, they looked and saw her with her friends coming to them, "We're going with you." Twilight Sparkle said, "You don't need to, Twilight, this is my problem." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "No, I want to see Dreaming Paradise, I've never seen it before." Twilight Sparkle responded, Paladin's, Arcana's, and Robin's eyes' widened, "Really? It's literally just north of Canterlot." Robin stated, "Well, I've never seen it, let's go now." Twilight Sparkle replied, "This way." Paladin said, and they all went to Dreaming Paradise. Chapter 5Sunset Shimmer and her friends wandered past Canterlot and went into a forest, "No wonder why I've never seen Dreaming Paradise, it's completely hidden by forest." Twilight Sparkle said, "Keep following us, we're almost there." Arcana replied, and they walked more and arrived in Dreaming Paradise, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle looked on with awe, the place was divided into three places, the left side had tall blue towers with unicorns practicing fire, water, earth, and air magic and incantations while some of them meditated, the right side had green huts with Pegasi being trained in stealth, how to conceal weapons, voice mimicry, freerunning, parkour, lock picking, how to disguise oneself as another pony, how to make medicine and poison, how to use and fix technology, and meditating, and the center had red fortresses with earth ponies marching while carrying weapons and suits of armor on their backs while others were training in hoof-to-hoof combat, alongside using swords, shields, spears, battleaxes, war hammers, maces, bows, and crossbows, they were also doing clap push-ups, hoof-stand push-ups, lunges, crunches, inverted sit-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, inverted squats, running, jumping with another armored pony on their backs, lifting weights, wrestling, and meditating, "Wow, y'all sure are busy." Applejack said, "We are, but a lot of us enjoy the training." Robin responded, "I can't say I like the outfits you all are wearing, they all look so dull, especially the earth pony suits of armor." Rarity said, "Truth be told, fashion is one of the last things on our minds." Paladin replied, "*gasp* You all don't care for fashion?" Rarity questioned, "Rarity, that is not going to help us in battle." Arcana replied, "Well, us Pegasi do stay up to date with fashion, it does help us blend in better when doing spy missions." Robin stated, "What?! You use fashion as a way to hide yourselves?!" Rarity exclaimed, "I didn't say 'hide', I said 'blend in'." Robin replied, "That's still hiding to me." Rarity remarked, "Ooh, I know, how about we throw them a party?" Pinkie Pie asked, "You can't do that here." Arcana replied, "What?! No parties?!" Pinkie Pie shrieked, "We're on strict schedules and diets, Pinkie Pie, you can't just throw a party and expect us all to participate." Paladin explained, "Hmm." Pinkie Pie said as she thought about when to throw one and what to have, "Um... do you guys have any animals?" Fluttershy questioned, "Sure, they're over there with the earth ponies." Paladin replied as she pointed to them, she looked and saw the earth ponies learning how to take care of many different animals alongside growing fruits and vegetables, "Let's go, Sunset, we've wasted enough time." Arcana stated, and she and her friends followed her, "Say, Arcana, what is yer and yer friends' role in this place?" Applejack asked, "I am the unicorn ruler's personal bodyguard and last line of defense, I also act as a teacher to the younger unicorns, Paladin and Robin have the same roles in their respective areas." Arcana explained, "So, where are we going?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "To see the unicorn ruler." Arcana replied, and they kept walking. Twilight Sparkle looked at the towers and saw they resembled her old home in Canterlot, just completely blue, "Over here." Arcana stated, and they all arrived at a tower in the center of the area and they all entered. The ponies and Spike entered the tower and walked up to the top, they walked up the stairs and saw the interior was blue with dark blue stairs, they walked until they arrived at the top, they saw an elderly unicorn meditating in the middle of the room, he had a dark blue coat, a long white mane and tail, and a long full beard, he was wearing a blue wizard's hat, a long blue robe, brown knee-length gloves on his front legs, black mid-calf length boots on his hind hoofs, and a blue cape; statues of the twelve zodiac animals were lined up around him in a circle with stickers of the twelve constellations of the horoscope on the wall above the statues, there was a picture of Arcana's five pets below him on the floor, Black Tortoise was at the top, Vermilion Bird was at the bottom, White Tiger was to the left, Azure Dragon was to the right, and Yellow Dragon was in the center, "Archmage Astral Plane, Sunset Shimmer is here." Arcana spoke, he opened his eyes and revealed them to be purple, "So, you have finally come, Sunset Shimmer, we have been waiting for you." Archmage Astral Plane said, "I'll take whatever punishment you wish to give me." Sunset Shimmer responded as she bowed to him, "It will be this evening after we all finish our days." Archmage Astral Plane replied, and she stopped bowing, "Why did you bring them here? You only needed to come alone." Archmage Astral Plane said, "Sorry, but they wanted to come along and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer." Sunset Shimmer replied, "I see." Archmage Astral Plane said, he looked at Twilight Sparkle for a brief second, "So, Twilight Sparkle has come with you as well, Princess Celestia must have a good reason to send you here." Archmage Astral Plane stated, "Actually, I'm here on my own accord." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Very well, you'll have to wait for your punishment, Sunset Shimmer, feel free to explore, but don't cause any trouble." Archmage Astral Plane stated, and Sunset Shimmer walked back, "Arcana, Archmage Astral Plane, I was hoping you two would take me in as a student and teach me your magics." Twilight Sparkle said, "What do you wish to learn?" Archmage Astral Plane asked, "Well, mainly the Elements of Nature and see the astral plane." Twilight Sparkle answered, their attentions were caught, "Princess Celestia never taught you about the astral plane?" Arcana asked, "No." Twilight Sparkle replied, "We can do it now if you wish." Arcana said, "Sure, but one question before we start, is he your father, Arcana?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No, my parents passed years ago." Arcana replied, "Oh, well, I'd like to get started now." Twilight Sparkle stated, "Sit and meditate in the circle then." Archmage Astral Plane replied, and they all did and entered the astral plane. Twilight Sparkle and her friends entered the astral plane the zodiac animals, the horoscope constellations, the elements, and the five rulers appeared in their visions, everybody except for Arcana, Archmage Astral Plane, and Sweetie Belle let out noises of awe, they entered the astral plane and landed in the center of it, "Twilight Sparkle, what brings you here to my realm?" Yellow Dragon asked, "Just here to explore." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Very well, but do not cause any trouble." Yellow Dragon warned, "I promise you, I won't." Twilight Sparkle assured, and they looked around, "This place is kind of scary." Fluttershy quaked, "Really? I think it looks cool." Rainbow Dash responded, and she flew up and looked around, "Wow, this place is awesome!" Rainbow Dash boasted, the animals soon disappeared, "My, just marine and avian animals reversed alongside the sea and sky, you have no creativity." Discord said, they all looked and saw him standing by Fluttershy, "Begone, spirit of chaos, this is not your realm to control." Yellow Dragon said, "But it is so dull, I can't believe you haven't changed anything in centuries." Discord replied, "What are you doing here, Discord?" Pinkie Pie asked, "I wouldn't leave my friend in danger now, would I?" Discord asked as he touched Fluttershy's shoulders, "You all can explore, but don't cause any trouble, especially you, Discord." Yellow Dragon stated, "Oh, I promise you, Yellow Dragon, I have changed since my last visit." Discord replied, "We shall see, go on now." Yellow Dragon said, and they all walked together. Archmage Astral Plane led the others and they went north first, "Archmage Astral Plane, good to see one of my previous users in good health, how have you been?" Black Tortoise asked, "Alright, mostly old, though." Archmage Astral Plane answered, Black Tortoise laughed, "I see you have brought some new visitors, nice to see young ponies are still interested in learning about the astral plane." Black Tortoise stated, "It's a pleasure, I would like to learn how to obtain your powers." Twilight Sparkle replied, "We only do one person at a time, we don't just give our powers to anyone, the person we deem worthy to wield us must be fearless, brave, knowledgeable, hard working, diligent, and stoic." Black Tortoise explained, "Wait, stoic?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yes, you must be calm and not show feelings in order to be worthy to wield their powers, you have to control your feelings, especially anger." Arcana replied, "I see, well, I'm still working on not freaking out over things not going according to plan." Twilight Sparkle said, "It's too late now, you are not worthy to wield our powers then." Black Tortoise responded, Twilight Sparkle looked down, "What about me?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Your temper is a bit short as well, and you're too prideful, so no." Black Tortoise replied, "Am I worthy?" Applejack asked, "You have pride as well, you're not worthy, either." Black Tortoise replied, "Am I worthy?" Fluttershy asked, "You're too timid, so no." Black Tortoise replied, "How about me, darling?" Rarity asked, "No, you have a bad temper, too, alongside being too prideful in your appearance." Black Tortoise replied, "Can I wield your powers?" Pinkie Pie asked, "My powers are not meant to be used for parties." Black Tortoise replied, "What about me?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Maybe if you focus on using your magic for battle, you could be worthy." Black Tortoise replied, "How about me?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "You are too short tempered, you also hurt my current bearer." Black Tortoise replied, "Oh, right." Sunset Shimmer stated, "Am I worthy?" Spike asked, "If you were like your kind, then you could have potential, but you have to be calm and not cry easily." Black Tortoise replied, "What about me and my friends?" Sweetie Belle asked, "You and Scootaloo aren't worthy, you're too sensitive, and Scootaloo has a pretty bad temper, but Apple Bloom might be worthy if she focuses on honing her strength and skills for fighting." Black Tortoise asked, "Does everythin' have to be related to fightin'?" Apple Bloom asked, "For us, yes, we don't wish to use our powers for mundane and simple tasks." Black Tortoise replied, "Okay, that, I understand." Scootaloo stated, "Let's go, we have stuff to do today." Arcana stated, and they all walked away. Archmage Astral Plane led the others again and they went to the south, it was hot and everybody sweated, "Hello, Archmage Astral Plane, Arcana, I assume you two are here to teach more people about this place." Vermilion Bird said, "We are, young people are still interested in this place." Archmage Astral Plane replied, "Good, I guess we won't be forgotten for a while." Vermilion Bird stated, "How do you do, Vermilion Bird, you remember me, don't you?" Discord asked, "How can I ever forget you, you somehow nullified my powers from one of my users and she couldn't call me back." Vermilion Bird answered, "Ooh, a sea, let's go swimming!" Pinkie Pie declared as she hopped in it, "Pinkie! Wait!" Twilight Sparkle hollered as Pinkie Pie jumped into the river of fire, she jumped out while screaming, "HOT!!" Pinkie Pie screamed, "Curious one, I see, but perhaps a bit too curious." Vermilion Bird stated, "Let's go to the next area." Archmage Astral Plane said, "Wait, we can't stay here and view the scenery?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "There's not much here, and much of the astral plane beyond this area has no land, let's go." Archmage Astral Plane replied, and they walked with him. The ponies and Spike traveled to the east next and Fluttershy began admiring the flowers and animals around the area, "I see you have already taken an interest, this area of the astral plane has the most animals." Azure Dragon remarked, "You and the other dragon don't look like any dragon I've ever seen." Spike stated, the others looked and saw Azure Dragon and Yellow Dragon had serpentine bodies, "Before you ask, no, Yellow Dragon and I are not native to the Dragon Lands." Azure Dragon said, "This place does have a lot of plants and flowers blooming." Twilight Sparkle said, "It is because it's currently spring in the real world, so my powers are stronger than usual, when summer comes, my powers will go back down to normal while Vermilion Bird will be stronger." Azure Dragon replied, Fluttershy continued looking at the animals around the area while the others watched her, "Come on, Fluttershy, we have one more area." Arcana said, "I'll see you all later, bye now." Fluttershy said to the animals, and she left. The ponies and Spike arrived at the west and saw the leaves blowing, "Welcome to my domain, hope you enjoy." White Tiger said, "I will admit, it is strange to see metal growing on trees." Twilight Sparkle replied, they all looked and Rainbow Dash began flying around with the wind, "Taken an interest already, I see, perhaps me and the other four rulers are still well known throughout the world after all." White Tiger spoke, "You are, Dreaming Paradise loves meeting you all." Archmage Astral Plane responded, "*chuckle* Good, at least we won't be forgotten for a while." White Tiger spoke, "Well, that's all, it's time to go back, open your eyes' in the real world." Archmage Astral Plane instructed, and they did. Everybody arrived back into Dreaming Paradise and looked around, "Wow, a pretty unique place." Twilight Sparkle stated, "Go on now, we have to get ready for this afternoon." Archmage Astral Plane said, "Come on, y'all, let's explore." Applejack stated, and they all walked out. Twilight Sparkle and her friends walked outside and looked around the area of Dreaming Paradise they were in, they also watched the unicorns practicing magic and meditating, they stopped when they saw one building that looked different, it was called 'Arcana's Winery', "Arcana did talk about making wine for a living." Sunset Shimmer said, "Ooh, maybe I can get some fantastic flavors." Rarity remarked as she clapped her front hoofs together, "I'm only open on Sundays." Arcana replied as she walked to them from behind, "Where's your home, Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "This way." Arcana replied, and she led them. Everybody arrived at Arcana's home and she lived in a tower, they went to the top and saw many books, "*gasp* So many books." Twilight Sparkle said, she squealed and soon flew to them to began reading, "I forgot to mention Twilight's a bookworm." Sunset Shimmer said, "I know, she's known for that throughout Equestria." Arcana replied, "What subjects do you have?" Spike asked, "Well, I mostly keep books on magic, history, and social etiquette, stuff she probably already has at home." Arcana replied, "What? This is all on magic, Equestrian history, holidays, constellations, and social etiquette, I already have books on all of this!" Twilight Sparkle hollered, "See, told you." Arcana stated as she smirked, and she walked back to them, "Anythin' you wanna show us?" Applejack asked, "Nope, this is all there is to my home." Arcana replied, "Well, I guess we'll go see the others then." Sunset Shimmer stated, and they headed outside. Sunset Shimmer and her friends arrived outside and looked at the areas with the Pegasi and earth ponies, "Where do you guys want to go?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "It doesn't matter, we have to see them all anyway." Twilight Sparkle responded, "I'm hoping Robin can teach me more things." Scootaloo said, "Well, Ah guess the Pegasi, it is, then." Applejack replied, and they went there. The group went to where the Pegasi were at, "Robin, you around here?" Scootaloo called out, "Over here." Robin hollered, and they trotted while Rainbow Dash and Spike flew, they saw her with a stallion, he had a dark green coat, white shoulder-length mane and a short tail, and yellow eyes, he was wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, black pants, black knee-length gloves on his front legs, black knee-length boots on his hind legs, and a green cape, "Hi, Robin, I was hoping you could teach me more stuff." Scootaloo said, "Sure." Robin chirped, "Who is that?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I am Master Nocturne, ruler of this place's Pegasus tribe." the stallion replied, "Is the 'Master' a part of your name or a title?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Title." Master Nocturne replied, "Well, come on, my house is this way." Robin stated, and they followed her to a hut, "You don't live in a mansion?" Rarity asked, "No. Why?" Robin questioned, "Honestly, Robin, I thought you were going to be one of those nouveau riche types." Rarity replied, "Oh, I see, well, I'm not, come on now." Robin answered, and they entered her home. Robin led Sunset Shimmer and her friends into her hut and they saw she had many utensils, "I'll make a meal for you all." Robin said, and she got stone slabs and made a meal for them, "Here." Robin remarked and she gave it to them, the meal was mushrooms and a cactus with water in it, "Mushrooms and cactus water? I don't think we should have this." Twilight Sparkle said, "I prefer to call it cactus juice." Robin replied, they heard munching and saw Pinkie Pie and Discord stuffing their mouths with the mushrooms, "Pinkie." Twilight Sparkle reprimanded, "Hmm, these are delicious." Pinkie Pie remarked, and she drank the cactus water, "Hmm, best thirst quenching drink ever!" Pinkie Pie said as she threw her front hoofs up in the her, her and Discord's pupils dilated, they spun their heads around, "Ooh, since when did you all become goats?" Pinkie Pie asked as she heard her voice echo, "Wait a minute." Twilight Sparkle said as she examined the mushrooms, "These are samba mushrooms." Twilight Sparkle commented, "Which means...?" Rainbow Dash asked, "You'll start seeing and hearing things weirdly when you eat them." Twilight Sparkle replied, Pinkie Pie dashed to Fluttershy and held her shoulders while she whimpered, "Hey, block pony, sure, I wanna dance, let's start." Pinkie Pie said, and she spinning and twirling Fluttershy around and she shrieked as Pinkie Pie danced with her, "What are we doing here on a stairway?" Discord asked, Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes and looked at the cactus, "Wait a minute, I know this cactus, its water has hallucinogenic agents in it, too." Twilight Sparkle said, "That's a first, most just eat and drink them on impulse." Robin replied, "Well, nice try, Robin, but I'm not falling for it." Twilight Sparkle announced, "A little help here?" Fluttershy asked while groaning, and Starlight Glimmer separated her and Pinkie Pie; they heard walking and saw Discord walking in place, "What are ya doin', Discord?" Applejack asked, Discord did not respond and kept walking, "Discord." Fluttershy called out, Discord ignored her, "Maybe his hallucination is making him unable to hear us." Twilight Sparkle said, "Who made Discord turn into a walking pile of fruits?" Pinkie Pie asked, "That's enough, let's go explore the place." Sweetie Belle stated, and they went outside while Robin pushed Pinkie Pie and Discord out. Sunset Shimmer looked around the Pegasi area of Dreaming Paradise and saw the natives doing many different types of training, their attentions were caught at a Pegasus mare who was jumping in the air to dodge spears and broke their tips off by kicking them, "*gasp* Look, it's the flying leaf god, blessing us with his metal leaves. Over here, leaf god, I'm here to pay tribute to you." Pinkie Pie said as she rocked side-to-side and threw her front legs around, the Pegasi almost laughed while Discord swam like a fish in midair, he soon appeared to other side of the place and ran across it while letting out a battle cry and was holding a portable toilet over his head, "That's enough, you two." Twilight Sparkle scolded as she brought the two over to herself with her magic and cast a spell to make the mushroom and cactus water effects wear off, Pinkie Pie returned to normal and she got ready to cast the spell on Discord, "Wait a minute." Twilight Sparkle stated as she looked into his eyes and realized he was actually immune to the mushroom and cactus water effects, "You're not even affected." Twilight Sparkle scolded, "Oh-ho-ho, but it was fun to pretend to be." Discord replied, Twilight Sparkle glared at him, "Relax, Discord is a frequent visitor here, he makes us laugh in our free time." Master Nocturne said, "See, there you go, I come here quite often." Discord added, "Well, let's just look around and see what's here." Sunset Shimmer responded, and they did. She and her friends looked at the Pegasus area and saw the Pegasi with many weapons, Robin was holding a black umbrella that she aimed, she pushed a trigger down and it shot a dart out of its tip, one Pegasus flew to her and began fighting her with daggers, she pulled the handle of the umbrella and unsheathed a sword and fought the Pegasus, he threw an eggshell in her eyes and she exclaimed as she was blinded for a second and her opponent ran away, they looked and became uncomfortable at seeing the eggshell had sand, salt, and metal scraps inside of it, Robin regained her senses and threw a kunai at her target, the Pegasus caught it with his wing and threw it back, "I've seen enough, let's go." Twilight Sparkle remarked, and they walked away. Sunset Shimmer and her friends went to the center of Dreaming Paradise and saw the earth ponies training, "This is them right here." Paladin said as she walked to them with another stallion, he had a dark red coat, short white mane and tail, and orange eyes, he was wearing a dull gray and battered suit of armor that covered his entire body except his head, his helmet was behind him, he had a sword sheathed on his left side, a shield on his back, and was wearing a red cape, "I assume you're the earth pony ruler." Twilight Sparkle stated, "Yes, I am Commander Lionheart." the stallion replied, "Aren't you a bit old to be out fighting?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Actually, I'm still in good shape for my age, I have to train the younger ponies, too." Commander Lionheart replied, "This is the one I mentioned earlier, Commander." Paladin said as she walked to Apple Bloom, "So you're the farm pony, really a shame you didn't come here earlier, you probably had potential to grow up into a strong pony." Commander Lionheart stated, "It's alright, Ah don't wanna spend mah entire life fightin' either." Apple Bloom responded, "We do more than just fighting, Apple Bloom, we also study math, literature, history, and we're taught how to grow crops and deal with animals." Paladin said, "Where's your house, Paladin?" Fluttershy asked, "This way." Paladin replied, and she led them. Everybody arrived at her home and saw she lived in a fortress, they entered and saw she had many weapons and books, Twilight Sparkle looked at the books and saw they were on cultures and customs around the world, "You don't have any other subjects?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Not at the moment, no." Paladin answered, she looked and saw Rainbow Dash looking at her dumbbells and barbells, "Wow, I've always wanted a gym in my own home." Rainbow Dash stated, "I assume you live in the clouds, then." Paladin replied, "I do, and gym equipment would just fall through my home." Rainbow Dash said, "Um... where are the books on animals and growing crops?" Fluttershy questioned, "We don't have those, we have to memorize what animals like and how to take care of them, alongside how to grow crops and what soil is best to grow them in." Paladin replied, "Ooh, can I pick your fruits to use for my pies?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Sure." Paladin replied, "Yay!" Pinkie Pie yelled while jumping around, a loud bell rung outside, "Oh, it's time for training, follow me." Paladin said, and they did. Everybody went to the very center of Dreaming Paradise and all of the citizens gathered together, "Alright, everyone, time for your daily spar, let's see how much your abilities have grown." Commander Lionheart said, and the ponies were divided into groups of three with each one consisting of a unicorn, a Pegasus, and an earth pony, "How does this work?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "We do these to see how much we have learned and grown from training, we do them by age, we start with the youngest ponies and go up to the oldest ponies." Arcana explained, and they watched them and Sunset Shimmer and her friends cheered them on, they all stopped and looked at them, "Sorry, they're outsiders." Arcana said, they all looked at Twilight Sparkle and bowed to her, "Thank you, but I don't want special treatment." Twilight Sparkle stated, "Well, let's continue." Archmage Astral Plane said, "Don't cheer them on, the loud noise can distract them." Arcana stated, "Alright." Sunset Shimmer replied, and they all trained, those who lost walked back while the winning group fought more ponies, "Wow, so far, it's been pony type against their own type." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Common young pony mistake, the goal is not to beat your own kind, it is to switch around and exploit your opponent's weaknesses to win, they'll learn it as they get older." Arcana replied, the foals finished and the ones who lost and felt their angers rising left to go meditate. The teenage ponies began and they switched around to fight different pony types, the unicorns cast fire, water, earth, and air magic at once, the Pegasi fought using acrobats and concealed weapons, and the earth ponies endured hits and sent their opponents flying with one hit, the unicorns hit by them flew away and fell onto the ground while the Pegasi did back flips and landed on their feet, they all fought and the one who was standing won, the fights went on for longer as the older ponies fought. The ponies went back and the young adults were ready to train, "Excuse me." Twilight Sparkle stated as she trotted into the fighting ring, "I would like to fight Paladin, Arcana, and Robin." Twilight Sparkle said, the others murmured as the three walked to her, "What is this about?" Paladin asked, "I want to see what your amulets can do." Twilight Sparkle replied, the three became uneasy, "You do know your chances of winning against all three amulets are very slim, right?" Robin asked, "I just wanna see what they can do." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Okay, but don't say we didn't warn you." Arcana said, and the sapphire in her amulet’s sapphire glowed dark blue. Arcana's body changed to a plant and she fused with the ground, and vines grew out around her and tangled around Twilight Sparkle, she yelled out and shot spells at the vines to make them disappear, more vines grew out and continued to wrap around her and left her tangled. Twilight Sparkle screamed and teleported out of the vines, they flew up and went after her as they grew longer. She began shooting spells at Arcana's body, her amulet glowed again and it made trees appear around her and they blocked her spells, "Ugh!" Twilight Sparkle groaned, and she cast a spell to make the trees disappear and shot Arcana's body with her magic, the plants that made up her body grew back instantly, "Hmm, I wonder." Twilight Sparkle spoke, and more vines and trees appeared, she flew around them and shot a zap at Arcana's amulet, she grunted as she got shot back and changed back to normal while her magic became undone. Arcana cast a spell and her amulet glowed again and her body became made out of dark crystals, Twilight Sparkle's friends gasped at the sight, Arcana began shooting dark crystals out of her horn while they also grew around her, "What? How are you...?!" Twilight Sparkle questioned, "The Amulet of Magic lets me cast spells that should be impossible to cast." Arcana explained, and she made more dark crystals shoot out of her horn while they also grew around her. Twilight Sparkle shot her amulet and she grunted as she changed back to normal and the crystals disappeared, the amulet glowed again and her body became made out of ice, she shot ice out and froze everything she touched. Twilight Sparkle shot fire out of her horn but it extinguished itself when it got near her, "Hmm." Twilight Sparkle let out as she thought, she teleported to Arcana and shot the amulet when she appeared right in front of it, she changed back to normal and the amulet glowed again, she made volcanoes erupt while she changed to lava. Twilight Sparkle shrieked as she flew around to dodge the lava, she cast telekinesis to prevent the lava from splashing onto her, she shot another zap at the amulet and Arcana changed back to normal. She cast another spell while her amulet glowed and she became a blob made out of storm clouds with electricity coming out of her. Twilight Sparkle tried to find her amulet but could not, she shot zaps into the clouds but they went through her and did not harm her, a lightning bolt shot out of her and Twilight Sparkle flew to her left to dodge it. She flew to the clouds and tried to pull one apart, she got electrocuted and screamed as soon as she touched it, she got shot back and fell onto the ground, "Twilight!" her friends called out, she groaned and laid on the ground paralyzed. Arcana changed back and looked at her, she groaned as electricity appeared on her, "I guess she's done for." Paladin stated, Twilight Sparkle got up while groaning, "Is that all of your magic?" Twilight Sparkle asked weakly, "No." Arcana replied, "What?! There's more?!" Rainbow Dash blurted, "What else can you do?" Twilight Sparkle questioned, the amulet glowed again and three Arcanas appeared, one was a unicorn, one was a Pegasus, and one was an earth pony, unicorn Arcana cast spells while Pegasus Arcana flew and earth pony Arcana ran. Twilight Sparkle shot the three and the Pegasus and earth pony Arcanas went into unicorn Arcana and she grew wings, she and her friends gasped. Arcana flew and shot zaps at her, "Wait, she's flying at the speed of a beginner flier." Rainbow Dash remarked, she flew down and bucked Twilight Sparkle, she exhaled as she staggered a little, "She has the strength of an average earth pony, too, Ah guess those two forms of hers ain't that strong." Applejack said, Twilight Sparkle shot the amulet and Arcana grunted as she changed back to normal. She cast another spell with the amulet and four of her appeared, one was made of red, orange, and yellow fire, one was made of blue water, one was made of yellow rocks, and one was made of green wind. The four began shooting beams at Twilight Sparkle, Fire Arcana shot fire with a red aura, Water Arcana shot water with a blue aura, Earth Arcana shot a beam with gray rocks in it with a yellow aura, and Air Arcana shot gusts of wind with a green aura. Twilight Sparkle put up a shield to block the four beams, they stopped shooting beams and began to shapeshift, they circled around Twilight Sparkle and she thought about what to do, "I wonder." Twilight Sparkle remarked, and she used telekinesis to mix them together, Fire Arcana and Water Arcana canceled out each other while Earth Arcana and Air Arcana canceled out each other. Arcana reappeared in front of her, "How many more spells does your amulet have?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Five more." Arcana replied, and her amulet glowed again and Twilight Sparkle shrieked as she got hit by a zap and fell forward, she looked and saw her own shadow stand on the ground, Arcana's shadow came up as well. Arcana shot beams at her alongside her own shadow and Twilight Sparkle's shadow, she cast a shield and shot Arcana's amulet, she grunted as their shadows returned to normal. The amulet glowed again and Arcana changed to a dragon, "Wha?! How did you...?!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, "The amulet allows me to use the magic abilities of other creatures as well." Arcana replied, Twilight Sparkle's and her friends' jaws dropped; Arcana breathed fire out while Twilight Sparkle ducked, she cast a spell to change her back. The amulet glowed again and Arcana cast a spell to make Twilight Sparkle turn into an elderly, she grunted as she tried to walk, "I can't move." Twilight Sparkle said in a raspy voice, Arcana chuckled a little and shot a beam at her, she screamed as she fell, Twilight Sparkle grunted loudly as she cast a spell and hit the amulet, Arcana grunted as she got pushed back and Twilight Sparkle changed back to her actual age. The amulet glowed and Arcana cast a spell that made her light blue and transparent, "Uh... what is that spell?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It allows me to turn into a ghost." Arcana explained, and she shot more spells out of her horn. Twilight Sparkle shot zaps at her but they went through her, she shot the amulet and changed back to normal, "So you can change into a ghost, I'll need to see if I have any spells on that. Well, I'm ready for the last spell." Twilight Sparkle stated, the amulet glowed and her and Arcana's eyes' glowed purple and it soon stopped, "I see, quite some interesting spells you have." Arcana said, "What was that?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "A mind reading spell, I can use it to see what spells you know and replicate them." Arcana explained, Twilight Sparkle's jaw dropped, "WHAT?! You mean you can just read minds and copy other ponies' magic and spells and don't need to study or practice casting them?!" Twilight Sparkle questioned, Arcana nodded, "That's not fair!" Twilight Sparkle thundered, "Well, too bad, I can do that, you can probably learn some spells from me, too." Arcana replied, "Like what?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Arcana cast a spell and Twilight Sparkle lost her senses, "I can't see!" Twilight Sparkle blurted, she ran around and did not feel the ground, "*scream* I can't feel my hoofs, either, I've lost my senses!" Twilight Sparkle shouted, and she ran around more while screaming, Arcana cast a spell and gave her senses back, "Well, that's all my amulet grants, Paladin's and Robin's don't grant them as many powers as mine does." Arcana said, "Why didn't you two use your amulets with her?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Trust me, I think you will be thankful we didn't once when you see what we can do." Robin replied, "Alright, let's get this over with." Twilight Sparkle said, and Robin walked forward. Her amulet’s jade glowed dark green and she became black and featureless like a shadow, she jumped in the air and doppelgangers of herself began to come out of her and circle Twilight Sparkle, she gasped and shot zaps at them while the Robins jumped into other ponies' shadows and disappeared. Twilight Sparkle cast a light spell to make the shadows disappear, kunais flew out of the ponies' shadows and she yelped as she quickly put up a shield, she felt something stab the left side of her neck and she yelled and looked, she saw one of Robin's shadows coming out of her shadow and had a kunai, she screamed as she shot a zap on the shadow on impulse and it disappeared, another one of Robin's shadows came out of her shadow and wrapped its front legs around her neck from behind, Twilight Sparkle grunted and shot a zap at the shadow to make it disappear while she made the shield disappear. Robin's shadows emerged from the shadows of other ponies and buildings and aimed guns at her, she cast a spell that made all of the shadows disappear, only one remained and Robin changed back, she flew to Twilight Sparkle and jabbed her front right leg with the tip of her wings, "Huh?" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed as she realized she could not move her leg, Robin did a few light jabs to her other front leg and paralyzed it, she got ready to cast a spell and Robin hit her horn with her right wing and disabled it, she tried to cast a spell but could not, "*scream* I can't use my magic anymore!" Twilight Sparkle shouted, "You never knew? There are pressure points in the body that can be pressed to disable that specific body part, there's one in your horn that can disable your magic when it's pressed.” Robin explained, Twilight Sparkle's jaw dropped, “Don’t worry, I pressed them lightly, your legs and horn will work again soon.” Robin added, Twilight Sparkle focused and tried to fly, Robin flew up and did light jabs onto her wings, she fell and grunted when she landed, she stood up and panted while Robin watched her, she shrieked when she felt nauseous, "You lost when I stabbed you." Robin stated, Twilight Sparkle's eyes widened, "Poison!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, and she began to feel weak, "Relax, it's non-lethal, you'll likely pass out at worst." Robin stated, and Twilight Sparkle began to pant and nearly fall to the ground, she was able to use her horn again and cast a spell to make one of her books appear, she flipped through the pages weakly as she looked for a curing spell, she panted as she looked and found one, she cast it and sighed with relief when she was cured and made her book disappear, "Well, that's all there is to my amulet." Robin stated, and she walked back. Paladin walked forward and took her armor off, "Why are you taking your armor off for?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I won't need it when I activate my amulet." Paladin replied, "Oh." Twilight Sparkle said, and her amulet’s ruby glowed red and her body turned into gray stone. She ran forward while she left deep hoof-prints in the ground, Twilight Sparkle shot zaps at her and they just extinguished when they touched her, "What the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "My amulet grants magic defense as well." Paladin explained as she ran to her, she arrived and Twilight Sparkle tried to buck her, but her eyes widened and she screamed and fell while holding onto her hind hoofs in pain, Paladin slapped her away and Twilight Sparkle screamed as she flew away, she flew back and hit a tree in the woods, she put a big crater on it as she bounced off of it and flew up into the sky and over the sun, she continued to scream as she fell down and landed in front of Paladin, a bunch of debris flew up and the smoke cleared, everybody saw Twilight Sparkle buried in the ground with only her hind hoofs and tail sticking out, Paladin changed back to normal and walked away while Twilight Sparkle groaned. Sunset Shimmer and her friends ran to her and pulled out of the ground and carried her, "You okay, Twilight?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I can't move." Twilight Sparkle replied weakly, "How are you feeling?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Numb." Twilight Sparkle replied weakly, "Lay her down, y'all, Ah'll see what Ah can do." Applejack stated, and they did. She and Apple Bloom went to the crops in the earth pony region of Dreaming Paradise and got a few vegetables, they went back and saw Princess Celestia casting a healing spell on Twilight Sparkle, "It's alright, Applejack, I can heal her a bit, but Twilight will still have to rest." Princess Celestia informed, Twilight Sparkle sighed with relief and Princess Celestia flew away, "Come on, I can give her medicine to heal her wounds." Robin stated, and they all followed her. Chapter 6Sunset Shimmer and her friends stayed in Robin's home while she made a medicine potion with plants and made Twilight Sparkle drink it, "She'll be fine soon, the medicine should start working in a few minutes." Robin stated, "What are those amulets?" Rainbow Dash asked, "They are sacred treasures of Dreaming Paradise, one for each pony type, they are given to the best combatants of our home for each generation, no random person can be chosen, the pony has to be highly trained as well, since the power of the amulets can destroy someone who has no training or experience if they try to use it." Robin explained, "Who were the previous users?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Our rulers, Master Nocturne used my amulet last generation, he, Commander Lionheart, and Archmage Astral Plane don't use them anymore because they've grown too old." Robin replied, "I must say, Robin, these amulets don't look very valuable." Rarity remarked as she examined them, "They're not, they're made from cheap low-quality silver and jewelry, you won't get much money if you try to sell them." Robin replied, "I assume you all have a reason." Discord remarked, "We do, it's because Dreaming Paradise doesn't value money or bits, we value weapons, armor, or an artifact's power, we only take money so we can use it outside of this place." Robin replied, the others became speechless and Twilight Sparkle groaned and stood up, "Ya alright, Twilight?" Applejack asked, "Yeah, I feel much better." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she stretched her legs a bit, "I still can't believe I didn't remember Arcana, she was my biggest rival when I tried to be Princess Celestia's student." Sunset Shimmer said, "Hey, it happens, I can't remember all of my rivals, either." Robin replied, "What about your friends?" Sunset Shimmer asked, Robin shrugged, "Well, I guess we'll head on out now." Sunset Shimmer stated, “Wait, before we go, one question, what if somebody tries to use all three amulets at once, what will happen?” Twilight Sparkle questioned, “The amulets will kill them, wielding all three at once is too powerful for anyone to handle.” Robin explained, “Alright, that’s all I wanted to ask, let’s go, everypony.” Twilight Sparkle said, and she and her friends left. Sunset Shimmer and her friends headed outside and saw the ponies getting ready to relax for the evening, "Ooh, now's my chance." Pinkie Pie stated, and she dashed away, her party cannon was heard and confetti fell, everybody looked and saw her throw a party, "Time for your 'Equestria and Dreaming Paradise Become Friends' party! Whoo-hoo!" Pinkie Pie hollered, the residents shrugged and just walked over. The ponies and Spike partied and they all looked and saw all of the food were fruits and vegetables, they all tried them and saw Pinkie Pie had weapons to use for games and target practice for unicorns, they tried and smiled at what they did, "I didn't think you'd actually pull off a party here, you really outdone yourself, Pinkie." Twilight Sparkle said, "Ah, don't mention it, it was easy." Pinkie Pie replied, and they partied. Sunset Shimmer tried the fruits and did target practice with her magic, she stopped for a brief minute and wondered what her punishment was going to be since the end of the day was near, she resumed doing target practice and celebrated by jumping up and down when she won the round. Starlight Glimmer trotted around and looked for Arcana, she looked and saw her standing around and watching, "Excuse me, Arcana." Starlight Glimmer stated as she trotted to her, Arcana faced her, "I was wondering, did you have any future plans after becoming Princess Celestia's pupil if you did?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Not really, I was just going to learn more magic and keep practicing to make my own stronger." Arcana replied, "Oh, so, what did you think about Princess Celestia sending Twilight to Ponyville to make friends to defeat Nightmare Moon?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "I'll admit that I did not foresee her making that decision, it did make me wonder if I wasn't suited to become her pupil after all." Arcana answered, "Yeah, maybe not, knowing you, you probably would've tried to obliterate her." Starlight Glimmer stated, "I would, even though Princess Celestia would have been upset if I did do that." Arcana replied, "You would try to destroy Nightmare Moon even though she was Princess Celestia's sister?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Still an enemy, family or not." Arcana shot back, Starlight Glimmer became speechless, "Yeah, you definitely wouldn't qualify to be Princess Celestia's pupil with that way of thinking." Starlight Glimmer said, "Princess Celestia was different back then, too, she was a bit irritable and had no patience with jokes." Arcana replied, "Wow, Princess Celestia jokes all the time now." Starlight Glimmer remarked, "I heard, but tell me, is Twilight Sparkle just like Princess Celestia in being a teacher?" Arcana questioned, "Well, Twilight has me mostly read books and she goes off to solve friendship problems, so a bit of yes and no." Starlight Glimmer replied, "I see, I've also been wondering, do you still hold a grudge against her and her friends from before you joined her?" Arcana asked, "Well, I do a bit, it's mostly behind us, but deep down, I still do feel a bit of anger at them for destroying my old town where everypony was equal." Starlight Glimmer replied, "That's normal, I'm sure if you ask Princess Celestia about Sunset Shimmer demanding to be an alicorn and running off, she might still be mad about it." Arcana stated, "Well, we never talked about that, but who knows, you could be right." Starlight Glimmer replied, "Well, it's just a suggestion, I'll be here if you wish to see me again, try to enjoy the party while it lasts." Arcana said, "Alright, you too." Starlight Glimmer replied, and she trotted away. Rarity was designing new armor for the earth ponies and used her magic to shape the metal, she made a shiny light pink suit of armor with light blue jewels embedded in it, the helmet had a blue plume on it, and pictures of flowers and animals carved on the armor. She finished and trotted to the earth ponies, "Here you go, darlings, a new suit of armor idea for you all." Rarity said, Paladin walked forward and looked at it, "What is this supposed to be?" Paladin asked, "Why, your new armor, darling." Rarity replied, "We can't wear that in battle." Paladin responded, "What? But it is all shiny and glamorous." Rarity remarked, "Rarity, shining armor is too thin and gets penetrated easily, the feathers on the helmet are unnecessary, those jewels embedded in the armor adds unnecessary weight, and those art carvings only make the armor weaker in certain areas." Paladin explained, "I bet you're only saying that because you never bothered to test it." Rarity retorted, Paladin took out her sword and slashed right through the helmet easily, Rarity's jaw dropped, "See, there you go, you want weapons to bounce off of your armor, not go through it." Paladin explained, "But your armor is all covered in scratches and slash marks, and it looks so dull." Rarity replied, "If you want to make armor, then I suggest you make the dull armor like mine and then paint it if you want it to look pretty." Paladin said, "Paint it, you say? I think I can do that." Rarity replied, and she trotted away while carrying the armor she made. The party ended and Sunset Shimmer saw the sun setting, she walked around and saw everybody going back into their homes, "Sunset Shimmer." Arcana said from behind, she turned around and saw her, "It's time for your punishment." Arcana said, and they walked together. She arrived into the unicorn area of Dreaming Paradise, magic restraints were put on her hoofs and horn, "Now then, let us begin." Archmage Astral Plane said as he walked to her, and he connected her to a gauge, "What is that?" Sunset Shimmer questioned, "A pain meter." Arcana replied, "Pain meter?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "This is your punishment, Sunset Shimmer, you really hurt Arcana when you messed with her experiment, you will now experience the exact same amount of pain you inflicted on her." Archmage Astral Plane announced, and he and the unicorns shot beams at her and she screamed, the meter on the gauge went up, "Stop this!" Twilight Sparkle hollered as she ran to them, "It's alright, Twilight, I have to do this." Sunset Shimmer replied, and the unicorns shot more beams at her and she screamed while the gauge went up more, "Please stop!" Twilight Sparkle begged, Arcana moved her aside with her telekinesis and she yelled as she was put aside, "Stay out of this, Twilight, this is between us and her.” Arcana said, and she and the others shot more big beams at her and Sunset Shimmer screamed, "Please! Stop!" Twilight Sparkle begged, the unicorns shot Sunset Shimmer again and she screamed, she panted while the pain meter went up more, "A little more." Arcana said, and she and the other unicorns shot more beams at her while Sunset Shimmer screamed louder, she fell to her knees and the unicorns shot more beams at her, she screamed more and panted, they shot more beams and Sunset Shimmer screamed and fainted, they looked at the pain meter, "Well, Arcana?" Archmage Astral Plane asked, "One more." Arcana replied, and they shot more beams at her and she screamed and nearly lost consciousness. Sunset Shimmer panted while Princess Celestia flew and landed to check on her, "You now feel the exact same amount of pain you inflicted on me when you sent me to the hospital, I hope you now understand how I felt." Arcana said, she continued to pant and Princess Celestia walked to her, "Are you happy with yourself, Arcana?" Princess Celestia asked, "Kind of." Arcana replied, "Well, I'm disappointed in you, you were unable to let go of your anger and truly forgive Sunset." Princess Celestia stated, "Sending me to the hospital and nearly killing me is something I can't forgive so easily, Princess Celestia." Arcana replied, "I understand, Arcana, but you not forgiving Sunset has made you unqualified to be my pupil, along with wanting to make your magic stronger instead of making friends." Princess Celestia responded, "Even though I could've obliterated most of the threats in Equestria?" Arcana asked, "That is not the point, we have to be friendly and welcoming so other creatures can trust us and won't fear us, it comes with us being the most powerful nation in the world." Princess Celestia explained, "Try telling that to Queen Chrysalis." Arcana retorted, "I already turned her to stone." Princess Celestia replied, "Stone's not enough, you should've killed her." Arcana retorted, Princess Celestia exclaimed while her jaw dropped, "You shouldn't mention something like that, Arcana, doing so will lower Equestria's defenses." Princess Celestia said, "Really? I still think it's best we kill her in case she or her loyalists break her out of the stone." Arcana replied, "No, I am not going through with it, plus, doing that will make other creatures lose their trust in us." Princess Celestia said, Arcana exhaled a little sharply, "Anyway, I want you to think about your actions and how you hurt Sunset." Princess Celestia said, "And she gets off scot-free for nearly killing me?" Arcana asked, "Sunset Shimmer already had her punishment, she lost her chance to become a princess, alongside her friends when she was in the other world, she was humiliated, too." Princess Celestia answered, "Wait, you mean she already went through all of that?" Arcana asked, Princess Celestia nodded, "I was not informed of that." Arcana stated, "Well, this place is mostly cut off from the rest of the world, people don't come here often, but yes, Sunset Shimmer already did her punishment." Princess Celestia replied, "I'm also battling magic threats in the world I'm staying at, as well." Sunset Shimmer added weakly, "Hmm, I see, well, your punishment's done, Sunset, you and your friends may take their leaves." Arcana said, and Princess Celestia flew away, "What are you going to do?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I'm going to stay here and keep living my life." Arcana replied, "Can we visit?" Apple Bloom asked, "Of course, this place is open to outsiders." Arcana replied, and they all began to go home, "Wait, Arcana." Sunset Shimmer spoke as she got up and ran to her, "I would like to see what you were making for your experiment before I sent you to the hospital." Sunset Shimmer said, "Why?" Arcana asked, "I wanna see what you were making, I'll help you complete it." Sunset Shimmer replied, Arcana thought about it, "Alright, let's go to Canterlot." Arcana said, and they teleported there. Sunset Shimmer and Arcana arrived in Canterlot and Arcana walked to where she did her magic while Sunset Shimmer followed her, she began to have flashbacks of when she was competing with other unicorns, she remembered the fights that broke out and other unicorns sabotaging their rivals' projects, "It's all coming back to me now." Sunset Shimmer said, "I'm not surprised, a lot has happened in our time here." Arcana replied, and they kept walking. The two arrived in Arcana's former dormitory and she saw everything was gone, "Hold on a minute, I'll get the supplies." Arcana stated, "No, I wanna do it with you." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Alright, I'll write down what we need." Arcana responded, and she got a paper and pencil and wrote down the supplies she needed with her telekinesis and gave it to Sunset Shimmer, "Here, I'll get the ingredients." Arcana said, and the two went their separate ways. Sunset Shimmer looked at the list and got several flasks, beakers, and test tubes, she carried them with her telekinesis and went back to Arcana's room, she arrived back with a match, a beaker full of water, a gray rock, a fan, a log, a sheet of metal, and an urn, "Good, you've brought more than enough, let's begin." Arcana said, and she put her seven ingredients in the beakers and she lit the match with her magic, she cast a spell and they all melted into liquids, the match became red liquid, the beaker with water became blue liquid, the rock became yellow liquid, the fan became green liquid, the log became brown liquid, the sheet of metal became silver liquid, and the urn became light blue liquid, she then put them all in test tubes with her telekinesis and thick white smoke came out of each liquid, "There, it's ready, we have to be careful, the experiment is to put them all together into one liquid and activate them with a spell, the amount has to be just right, being off by just one milliliter will create an unintended effect, too little, the chemicals won't react, too much, they will explode, that goes for every single one, that's how unstable they are." Arcana explained, "You need help with it?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "No, I think it's best you let me do this part, since I know what I'm doing." Arcana replied, and she added the seven chemicals into an empty test tube very carefully, she finished and a lot of white smoke came out of it. Sunset Shimmer gagged from the smell, "It stinks!" Sunset Shimmer hollered, "It'll be gone soon." Arcana responded, and it disappeared while Sunset Shimmer sighed with relief, "Well, let's go." Arcana said, and they trotted while Arcana carried the test tube with her magic. Princess Celestia was in her throne room and standing while she waited for the day to end, the doors opened and she saw Sunset Shimmer and Arcana walk forward, "Good evening, Princess Celestia, I hope you're not too upset with me." Arcana said, "Not at all, Arcana, I was just explaining how things work in the country. What brings you here?" Princess Celestia asked, "Sunset Shimmer helped me with the project I was going to show you before she sent me to the hospital." Arcana replied, "Oh, go ahead and perform it, I have wondered for years what you were making." Princess Celestia responded, "Stand back, Sunset, this is going to be pretty big." Arcana said, and she did. Arcana cast her magic to draw a big pentagram around herself, she laid the test tube in the center, "Rin pyo toh sha kai jin retsu zai zen." Arcana chanted as her voice echoed, and she shot a zap at the test tube and shattered it. The seven liquids flowed around the outline of the pentagram and fire, water, earth, air, wood, and metal floated around her while light blue flames and ghosts floated above her. The seven elements combined and Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Yellow Dragon appeared above her, trees grew out of the floor and they changed forms, going from cherry blossoms to trees with falling leaves to palm trees to dead trees and then back to cherry blossoms, flowers also grew on the floor and moved around in a counterclockwise circle with everything else, wildfire, a tsunami, shifting rocks, and a tornado formed around Arcana and moved around with everything else while wood and metal formed around them, the ghosts floated around the wood and metal afterwards. The five animals moved around in counterclockwise circles and used their powers to move everything, they finished and Princess Celestia's jaw dropped at what she saw, fire, water, rocks, and a tornado were around Arcana, wood and metal were around them, light blue flames floated around the wood and metal, dead trees and snow were in front of Arcana, palm trees and beach sand were behind her, cherry blossoms and flowers were to her right, and trees with falling leaves and leaves getting blown by the wind were to her left, and Yellow Dragon floated above Arcana while the other four went to their respective domains, "Very impressive, Arcana, but again, you failed, no necromancy or spiritual magic." Princess Celestia said, "I know, I just wanted to show you the full power, I wasn't going to use the void element in the actual competition." Arcana replied, "Now that you mention it, I only saw six liquids in your memories." Sunset Shimmer added, "See, there you go, just fire, water, earth, air, wood, and metal, I didn't have void at that time." Arcana explained, "Well, I will admit, Arcana, you have some of the most impressive and powerful magic I've ever seen in a unicorn, maybe more powerful than even Twilight herself, if you did use this at the competition before Sunset sent you to the hospital, you definitely would've won." Princess Celestia replied, "Wait, she can use those five animals of hers?" Sunset Shimmer questioned, "No, she would've been disqualified for that, too." Princess Celestia replied, "Wow, I guess I do have a lot to learn." Sunset Shimmer said, "Go on and show me what you were going to do, Sunset, well, if you remember what you were planning to show me, I am very interested in what you spell you were going to cast as well." Princess Celestia replied, "Um..." Sunset Shimmer said as she tried to remember the spell she was going to cast, she remembered it and cast a spell, a big circle of fire appeared around her and it went up to the ceiling, "Not bad, Sunset, you always did have an affinity for fire magic, it's not as good as Arcana's, but still impressive." Princess Celestia stated, "Would have I won overall, Princess Celestia?" Arcana asked, "Sorry, Arcana, but Sunset Shimmer still would've became my student at the end, since you didn't care about learning friendship and Sunset didn't know anything about it, and I was going to teach her, you may have powerful magic, but there is no magic stronger than friendship." Princess Celestia replied, "In this country, in other countries, friendship is not magic." Arcana responded, "Hmm, true, but it is still very valuable." Princess Celestia stated, "If you two are done we should get ready for bed." Sunset Shimmer said, "You're right, Sunset, it is getting late, you two should head on home." Princess Celestia replied, and the two teleported back to Dreaming Paradise. Sunset Shimmer and Arcana arrived back in Dreaming Paradise and saw Rarity giving out clothes and armor to the ponies, her armor was painted various bright colors, they saw Paladin and Commander Lionheart examining the armor and they tested them, they looked and saw Robin and Master Nocturne examining the outfits as well, "Typical Rarity." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "We probably won't wear her outfits." Arcana stated, "Why not? That's rude." Sunset Shimmer said, "They're impractical." Arcana replied, "What about the lace dress and white dress you're wearing?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I just wear them because I like them, I don't need it, same with my shoes." Arcana replied, "So are you going to try some of Rarity's outfits?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Probably." Arcana replied, "Well, aside from that, I am very sorry for what I did, do you forgive me?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Yes, but remember what I said, I wasn't the only one sent to the hospital." Arcana replied, "Oh, right." Sunset Shimmer commented, "Well, I think your friends are going to end up changing Dreaming Paradise, we'll try to adjust." Arcana said, "I hope you can." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Well, you and your friends should head home, it's getting late." Arcana said, and Sunset Shimmer gathered with her friends and they began to walk home while the residents of Dreaming Paradise waved bye at them, "Well, that was a pretty strange place." Apple Bloom stated, "Tell me about it, it's not like any place we've been to." Scootaloo replied, "Yeah, the other places don't have a caste system." Sweetie Belle said, "I hope they get rid of it, I don't like them being divided by pony type." Twilight Sparkle responded, "But they said they're all equal in rank." Spike replied, "I still don't like it, though." Twilight Sparkle said, "I thought it was a pretty interesting place, how about the rest of you guys?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "It's pretty cool, but each pony type has weaknesses." Rainbow Dash replied, "Yeah, the unicorns are physically weak, the Pegasi are just as weak, and the earth ponies are slow." Applejack added, "They could honestly use some more outfits, there is almost no fashion there." Rarity stated, "They need to have more parties." Pinkie Pie suggested as she hopped, "I thought the animals were nice." Fluttershy said, "Indeed, I say Pinkie Pie and I go back there one day and spice things up." Discord stated, Pinkie Pie nodded in agreement, "Well, let's save those thoughts for later, let's go home now." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they all headed home. Sunset Shimmer went to her home and did her homework late at night, she put on her pajamas and fell onto her bed and passed out while yawning. The sun rose and Sunset Shimmer's clock went off and she hit it but continued to lay in bed, she opened her eyes several minutes later and saw she overslept, she quickly got out of bed and headed to school with bed hair, she fixed it in the girls' bathroom and headed to class. She worked in class and thought about her feud with Arcana and wondered about her other rivals on how they were doing and if they would come see her as well, she wondered all day while working in class and at lunch, "What's on your mind?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It's just I've been wondering about my other rivals, what if they come looking for me, too?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Were you able to patch things up with Arcana?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, but I almost got sent to the hospital, the punishment I had to do in her home was feel the exact same amount of pain I inflicted on her when I sent her to the hospital." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Ouch." Rainbow Dash remarked, "Yeah, it did hurt, a lot." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Well, it's done now." Fluttershy spoke, "It is, but I've been thinking a lot about my own actions." Sunset Shimmer responded, "How are you feeling about it, darling?" Rarity asked, "I regret what I did." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Let it go, Sunset, it's done." Pinkie Pie remarked, "It is, but something Arcana said had me thinking, while we do forgive and befriend those who hurt us, she said they don't change their ways out of really having a change of heart, they do it out of fear of suffering our wrath." Sunset Shimmer responded, her friends looked on with surprise, "I've... never thought of that." Twilight Sparkle spoke, "But then again, we do have Equestrian magic and they don't, so she might actually be right." Applejack replied, "I sure hope not." Twilight Sparkle remarked, "Anyway, I'm going to go back again today and see how things are, Dreaming Paradise might change because of Twilight." Sunset Shimmer stated, and they finished lunch and she went back to Ponyville. Sunset Shimmer arrived in Ponyville and headed outside, she heard loud cheering and teleported to where she heard it, she arrived in Dreaming Paradise and saw many ponies and creatures, they were cheering on a fight and they all cheered when one team won, she saw Arcana walking to her, "Princess Twilight told the other countries and areas of Ponyville of this place, we've been getting many visitors ever since." Arcana said, "How's it been so far?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Well, they're loud and a bit distracting, but they've been friendly and respectful of our ways." Arcana replied, "Tell me, Arcana, when you came looking for me in Ponyville, did Archmage Astral Plane send you to find me?" Sunset Shimmer questioned, "No, that was done by my own accord, Paladin and Robin came by their own free wills, too." Arcana replied, "How did you find me, though?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "When you came to steal Twilight Sparkle's crown, word quickly spread that you returned, that was when me and the others of Dreaming Paradise began to gather news on you from the outside world, we were also informed of Twilight Sparkle going to the world to help you against the sirens, alongside asking her in her journal to come help you when that world's version of her began messing with magic, there was also you talking about the geodes you and your friends found, after that was Starlight Glimmer talking about meeting you, and then there was you coming back here again to meet with Princess Celestia, after that was you telling Twilight about the theme park, and then you coming here from the cruise ship and talking about the Storm King's magic, and lastly, you asking Twilight about what to do when you were stuck in that time loop." Arcana explained, Sunset Shimmer was speechless, "You mean you guys have been keeping tabs on me?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Hmm-mm, everything Princess Twilight does is displayed and reported publicly, the Pegasi of our home were the ones who gathered the information, we were just merely waiting for the right time to confront you since Equestria had a lot of threats as well." Arcana replied, "What were you doing before you decided to confront me?" Sunset Shimmer questioned, "Me and the others were helping the ponies in Equestria with whatever threats that were happening, we evacuated ponies when the Storm King invaded, we also helped evacuate ponies when Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow attacked together." Arcana replied, "Why didn't you and the others fight them?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "We would have, but we would've killed them instead of turning them to stone, and that would've made everycreature furious." Arcana answered, "Yeah, good point, you guys probably would've been at war for that." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Anyway, feel free to look around, maybe you'll find something you like." Arcana said, and she walked away. Sunset Shimmer walked around and saw the natives of Dreaming Paradise trying on new outfits, the earth ponies did not try on the dresses, she looked and saw more ponies cheering and saw Robin and Discord having a sparring match, she did light jabs on him but he continued to move perfectly, "What the?" Robin asked, "That's right, Robin, I don't have pressure points." Discord boasted, she took out one of her revolvers and shot it, Discord caught the bullet between his fingers, he threw it and it went the speed it went when shot and hit a fortress in the earth pony section, Robin bowed to him, "You've won this round." Robin stated, "Oh please, I wasn't even trying." Discord responded, the others cheered while the next opponent went up to face Discord. Sunset Shimmer kept walking around and saw Paladin making new armor while the other earth ponies took off the ornaments on their new weapons and armor and practiced with them, "Ooh, Rarity's going to be upset." Sunset Shimmer said to herself, she watched the earth ponies practice and the new weapons broke easily, they went back to using their old weapons, "See, everybody, that is why we don't put ornamental decorations on our weapons, they get in the way of battle and make the weapon useless." Paladin explained, the ponies took notes while Sunset Shimmer walked over to them, "What are you guys doing now?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "We're still adjusting to the outsiders coming in, they just started today, ever since Princess Twilight has informed Equestria of this place, it has basically become a tourist sight, a lot of us are not happy, though." Paladin replied, "What about me, am I still welcome in this area after what I did to Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "You are, it's probably the unicorn area that'll be most unhappy to see you." Paladin responded, "Yeah, probably." Sunset Shimmer said, "Ever since the outsiders came here, we can't meditate, they're too loud for us to focus." Paladin stated, "Well, you can always try to have them adjust to your way of living." Sunset Shimmer replied, "I'm not sure about that, most of these outsiders are not trained in combat or controlling their anger at a young age like how we are." Paladin spoke, "What did Twilight say about revealing this place to the public?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Commander Lionheart, Master Nocturne, and Archmage Astral Plane voiced their opinions against it, but Twilight was against what they said and revealed this place to the public saying that it has to be revealed so we can be on the map and so friendship can spread here. I can understand being on the map, since a lost person won't know where they're at, as for the friendship thing, I think we already have enough from the people who come here on weekends to hire me as a bodyguard, seek appraisal on jewels and treasures from Robin, and buy wine from Arcana." Paladin explained, "Well, try to explain to Twilight why you wanted the area mostly unknown, I'm sure she'll listen." Sunset Shimmer responded, "I hope so, I'll be going now, I got some young foals to train." Paladin said, and she walked away and began instructing earth pony foals on hoof-to-hoof combat and how to use weapons, Sunset Shimmer watched and she smiled as she saw Paladin train the foals and they began play fighting with wooden weapons while Paladin watched them. Sunset Shimmer walked to the unicorn area and saw they were examining the foods and drinks the outsiders brought, she saw Arcana shaking her head as she walked to the outsiders and spoke to them, she was too far away to hear her, so she walked closer, "We can't eat and drink these, we are on very strict diets and have to be in peak condition." Arcana said, "But one time won't hurt." a stallion replied, "Sorry, but they are the rules of our home, we can't eat or drink unhealthy stuff period." Arcana explained, "Wow, Pinkie Pie wasn't joking when she said throwing a welcoming party is strict here." the stallion remarked, "Well, go see her for advice, she got it right yesterday." Arcana responded, and the ponies walked away. Sunset Shimmer walked to her while Arcana sighed, "Is everything alright?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Yeah, I'm fine, it's just that ever since these outsiders started coming in, things have been changing quickly." Arcana replied, "How do you feel about it?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I have mixed feelings, I'm glad they're coming since I can sell my wine more, but their loudness leaves me and the others unable to meditate properly." Arcana replied, "Well, you can make soundproof shields, can't you?" Sunset Shimmer questioned, "No." Arcana replied, Sunset Shimmer thought about it, "Now that you mention it, I've never seen a soundproof shield before, either." Sunset Shimmer stated, "I'll be going now, I have to explain how things work to the outsiders." Arcana replied, "I'll be here if you need me." Sunset Shimmer said, Arcana smiled and walked away. Sunset Shimmer watched the unicorns of Dreaming Paradise explaining things to the outsiders and also explained they only used magic for combat while the outsiders argued about using magic for everyday life, she sighed and walked around as she looked and saw not much has changed since yesterday. She saw a big line at Arcana's Winery and entered and saw Arcana selling wine to the outsiders, a stallion left and Rarity was her next customer, "Hello again, Rarity." Arcana said, "Hello, Arcana, darling, I would like your finest bottle." Rarity replied as she put bits on the counter, "Red wine or white wine?" Arcana asked, "Why red, of course, darling." Rarity replied, and she got one of her bottles and got ready to give it to her but moved it back, "Hold on, before I do, are you actually going to drink this or just use it for your photo shoots?" Arcana asked, "Both, actually, we're going to take pictures of it in a glass and then drink it after we're finished." Rarity responded, "Oh, okay, that's fine, here you go." Arcana stated as she gave her the bottle, "Thank you, darling." Rarity said, and she trotted outside happily. The next pony went up to her, "Are you hiring?" the mare asked, "Sorry, but no." Arcana replied, and the mare left, she sold her wine bottles to those who paid and the customers were all soon gone, "You going to buy something, Sunset?" Arcana asked, "No, I don't drink wine, I was just wondering what a typical day for you looks like." Sunset Shimmer responded, "This is a typical day for me, but I'll have to be open everyday now, it may take longer, but that also means shorter lines each day than being open only one day a week." Arcana stated, "True, but you still shouldn't push yourself too hard." Sunset Shimmer replied, "I'll try not to." Arcana stated, "Good, and remember, if you're exhausted, you can ask me and my friends to fill in for you." Sunset Shimmer said, "Thanks, but Twilight and her friends already offered to do it for me." Arcana replied, "Have you already decided who's going to do it?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Rarity, she's the only one of Twilight's group who knows how to make wine and how to tell if it's good or bad quality, she has a lot of experience in customer service, too." Arcana replied, "Yeah, I probably would've chose Rarity to be my substitute too if I were you." Sunset Shimmer responded, "Well, it is first day for outsiders to visit this place, I'm sure it'll die down a bit after a while." Arcana said, "Probably, try not to be overwhelmed, Arcana, there are other outsiders here to help you guys if you all get exhausted." Sunset Shimmer replied, "I know, and speaking of outsiders, you're welcome here now, since you really did change and didn't fake it, your punishment's done, and if you wish, I can teach you some of my magic." Arcana stated, "Really?" Sunset Shimmer asked, Arcana nodded while smiling, "Thank you, but I can't use those five spirits or the four elements like how you can." Sunset Shimmer said, "Sure you can, you got fire magic, that's one right there, if you wish, I can either teach you how to use the other three or help you improve your fire magic so you can also gather fire from the sun or use lava magic as well." Arcana replied, "I'll think about it." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Alright, I have more customers coming in, you should go." Arcana replied, and she left as more customers came in. She trotted outside and looked at Dreaming Paradise, she smiled and headed back home. Sunset Shimmer returned to Ponyville every day to see how Dreaming Paradise was doing, outsiders coming in slowed down after two weeks, she went to go see Arcana the next day, "Sorry, Arcana, but I'm going to have to refuse your offer since where I'm staying, I can't use unicorn magic." Sunset Shimmer spoke, "It's alright, your reasons are understandable." Arcana replied, Sunset Shimmer smiled and she went back home. Arcana went into her home and meditated with the statues of the twelve zodiac animals and constellations of the horoscope taped on the wall around her in a circle, she heard walking while she focused, "Arcana?" Twilight Sparkle asked, she opened her eyes and saw her, "Are you taking in new students?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Of course, training other unicorns of Dreaming Paradise is one of my duties." Arcana replied, "Great, I was hoping you would teach me some of your magic, you have taught me that I still have a lot to learn." Twilight Sparkle responded, "What's in it for me?" Arcana asked, "I was thinking about welcoming you as a friend and naming you and Sunset Shimmer honorary pupils of Princess Celestia since you both were highly qualified." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Thank you, but fame means nothing to me, I would settle on making friends, though." Arcana spoke, "That's great, you can start by befriending me." Twilight Sparkle replied, "*chuckle* Very well, let's begin your training, you can start by meditating in the circle with me." Arcana said, and Twilight Sparkle began meditating with her and Arcana began to teach her some of her magic.
Chapter 1Three mares walked into Ponyville and the others looked at them strangely, the earth pony led them with the unicorn to her right and the Pegasus to her left, they kept walking and stopped when they heard a party cannon go off as soon as they entered the town, "Say hello to your 'Welcome to Pon...' huh?" Pinkie Pie said as she looked at the three, everypony looked at them strangely, the unicorn had a light blue coat just a little lighter than Trixie's, her mane and tail were long, dark yellow, and wavy, bangs across her forehead, and purple eyes, she was wearing a blue long-sleeve lace dress with flower patterns on it and a white long-sleeve dress under it, the dress was closed in front of her hind legs and went all the way down to her hoofs, and she had black high heel shoes on all four of her hoofs; the earth pony was as tall as Big Macintosh and wearing a dull gray suit of armor that covered her entire body and was covered in slashes, there were small holes in the helmet for her to see but too small for others to see her eyes, she had a sword sheathed on her left side and a kite shield on her back; the Pegasus had a bright green coat, a long straight light sky blue mane and tail, and yellow eyes, she was wearing a black leather tricorne with one corner facing forward and the other two corners in the back, she was also wearing a black leather waist-length coat with three gold buttons and gold trimmings around the button holes, the coat was open, she was also wearing a black vest with three black buttons to keep it closed, a white cravat that was tied to have three layers, a light brown leather belt with a gold buckle around her waist, white pants, and light brown mid-calf length leather boots on her hind legs, the earth pony was the tallest, the Pegasus was the shortest, and the unicorn was in between the two. Pinkie Pie just looked on at them while the three just stood and looked back, "Thank you, but we're here for Sunset Shimmer." the Pegasus said, "Sunset Shimmer? What do you three want her for?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I have a history with her." the unicorn replied, "Truth be told, Sunset Shimmer kind of shamed our home." the earth pony added, "As in?" Twilight Sparkle questioned, "She injured me before a competition." the unicorn replied, the others just looked on, "Okay, wait here, I'll go get her." Twilight Sparkle responded, and she trotted away. The three mares walked around Ponyville and looked at Pinkie Pie's party, "Aren't you all going to try anything?" Pinkie Pie asked, "We already had meals before we came here." the unicorn replied, "Yeah, we're on strict diets, too." the Pegasus added, "What do you mean you're on strict diets?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Exactly what they mean, we train at our home to be the best we can be in terms of fitness and combat." the earth pony explained, "A little junk food and soft drinks never hurt." Pinkie Pie stated, "Well, I guess I'll try a drink." the Pegasus said, and she took a ladle and tried the fruit punch, "Not bad, but I prefer pineapple flavor." the Pegasus remarked, "What about you two?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Watermelon." the earth pony replied, "Grape." the unicorn replied, "Sorry, but I don't have those flavors." Pinkie Pie stated, "It's alright." the unicorn replied, "Well, go on and meet the others, they're excited to have you here." Pinkie Pie said, and they walked away. The three mares walked around and looked at the citizens of Ponyville while they waited for Sunset Shimmer, they heard trotting and saw Rarity coming, "I really like that Pegasus' outfit, especially your hat, as for you, you really shouldn't wear a suit of armor in public, it is so unfashionable." Rarity stated, "All earth ponies wear a suit of armor where we're from." the earth pony replied, "What?!" Rarity exclaimed as she reeled up on her hind legs, "What about my outfit?" the unicorn asked, "Well, yours of kind of plain, I do like the flower patterns on your lace dress, though." Rarity responded, "We'll come by and visit later, we wish to learn our way through this town." the Pegasus said, "Of course, I'll be at my shop, I still really like your hat, though, darling." Rarity spoke, "It's called a tricorne." the Pegasus replied, "On my way now, enjoy Ponyville." Rarity said as she trotted away, the three mares continued walking. Twilight Sparkle wrote in her journal and sent a message to Sunset Shimmer, "Sunset Shimmer, There are three mares in Ponyville looking for you, one's a unicorn, one's a Pegasus, and one's an earth pony, the unicorn said she has history with you and she and her friends are waiting for you, please come as soon as possible." Twilight Sparkle wrote, she walked around the mirror and waited for Sunset Shimmer to arrive. Sunset Shimmer was at school and with her friends, she got a letter in journal and they read it, "People who have a history with me? I wonder who that could be." Sunset Shimmer said, "Any ideas, Sunset?" Applejack asked, "No." Sunset Shimmer answered, "I think it's best if you do go, Sunset." Twilight Sparkle stated, "I agree, I'll go see what it is, see you guys later." Sunset Shimmer responded, and she walked out of the school and went to Equestria. Twilight Sparkle continued walking around the mirror as she waited for Sunset Shimmer to arrive, the mirror flashed and Twilight Sparkle smiled as Sunset Shimmer came, "Twilight!" Sunset Shimmer shouted happily, and the two hugged one another, "Come on, the three mares here for you are outside." Twilight Sparkle said, and the two headed outside. The three mares continued walking and looking around, they stopped walking when they saw Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer coming, "Sorry I took a while, but here's Sunset Shimmer." Twilight Sparkle said, Sunset Shimmer walked forward and looked at the three, "Um..." Sunset Shimmer said as she tried to remember them, "You're supposed to focus on me, Sunset Shimmer." the unicorn said, Sunset Shimmer looked at her and tried to remember her, "I don't recall ever meeting you." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "You don't remember me?" the unicorn asked, "No, maybe you can jog my memory." Sunset Shimmer replied, "My name's Arcana." the unicorn stated, Sunset Shimmer tried to remember, "No, I still don't remember you." Sunset Shimmer spoke, "Eighteen years ago, Canterlot, competing to be Princess Celestia's pupil." Arcana added, "What?!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, Sunset Shimmer continued looking back, "No, I still don't remember you." Sunset Shimmer remarked, Arcana held her hoof out, "Touch my hoof, maybe you'll remember when you see my memories." Arcana stated, Sunset Shimmer touched her hoof and the memories entered her mind. Sunset Shimmer saw the inside of Canterlot Castle, there were a lot of unicorns there with her, Princess Celestia walked to them, "I am grateful you all came, but before I can choose my pupil, I need to see what you all can do." Princess Celestia stated, and the unicorns cheered. The vision changed and the unicorns all met one another and Sunset Shimmer introduced herself, "Sunset Shimmer, which you all probably know by now." Sunset Shimmer boasted, "Um, who?" Arcana asked while eating grapes, "Sunset Shimmer, best magic user in Equestria?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "No, never heard of you." Arcana answered, "Well, you all might as well give up now, because I know you all are going to lose to me." Sunset Shimmer bragged, Arcana just sat and listened to the others. The vision changed and everypony did magic competitions, everypony did something different, Sunset Shimmer fused a tiger and a lion together to create a liger while Arcana made fire, water, rocks, and wind float around herself, everypony looked at Arcana with surprise, her magic aura were four different colors, red, blue, yellow, and green, Arcana won the contest while Sunset Shimmer got second place, she growled at the fact that she lost. The vision changed and Sunset Shimmer and Arcana were the only two left before Princess Celestia would choose her pupil, the two had to do a project to impress her, Arcana was working late at night and working with unstable chemicals, Sunset Shimmer looked and saw Arcana was creating some kind of mixture, Sunset Shimmer smirked while she used her telekinesis to add a chemical to the bubbling chemical, it reacted violently and an explosion happened in Arcana's room and she screamed. Sunset Shimmer's vision changed and she saw Arcana being taken to the hospital the next morning, Princess Celestia was standing to her right, "I know what you did last night, Sunset Shimmer, you're disqualified." Princess Celestia said, "What?! Arcana wins?!" Sunset Shimmer bellowed, "No, I'm going to look into your backgrounds and decide which one of you two will be my pupil when she recovers." Princess Celestia answered, and Sunset Shimmer glared as she looked on. Sunset Shimmer's vision changed and she was standing to Princess Celestia's left, "I have decided, Sunset Shimmer will be my pupil." Princess Celestia said, "What... but, Princess Celestia..." Arcana begged, "I'm sorry, Arcana, but you're just not what I'm looking for, head on home now." Princess Celestia replied, and Arcana walked home with her head down while Sunset Shimmer smirked at her. The visions ended and Sunset Shimmer just looked on with bafflement at how she used to be, "Wow, I was actually a lot worse than I thought." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "What are you talking about?" Arcana questioned, "I learned friendship through Twilight and the humans in the other world, I have changed my ways." Sunset Shimmer answered, the unicorn and Pegasus glared, "Do you think that means we're going to forgive you?" Arcana asked, "Wait, we?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "You made our home's defenses a lot weaker when Arcana came back because of the injuries you inflicted on her." the Pegasus stated, "I don't even know where you three are from." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Dreaming Paradise, north of Canterlot." the earth pony replied, "Alright, so, what exactly did you three want to see me for?" Sunset Shimmer inquired, "I want a rematch with you, I haven't had the time because of how many threats we've had, but now that Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow have been stopped, I now have the chance to demand a rematch." Arcana replied, "Come on, Robin, let's stand back, this is Arcana's fight." the earth pony said, and she and Robin moved back. Sunset Shimmer and Arcana watched one another while the other ponies stood back, Sunset Shimmer sweated as she recalled the spells Arcana could cast. Sunset Shimmer shot a beam at her and Arcana put up a shield that deflected her beams back at her, "What in tarnation?" Applejack exclaimed, "What is it, AJ?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Look at Arcana's magic aura." Applejack replied, they did and the ponies gasped when they saw Arcana's magic aura was red, blue, yellow, and green, "Four magic auras?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Arcana put the shield down and cast another spell that made vines grow out of the ground and wrapped themselves around Sunset Shimmer. She grunted as she tried to break free, she saw Arcana cast another spell, it made two brown rocks come out of the ground at Sunset Shimmer's sides, they were about to collide into one another and smash her in between them, she cast a teleporting spell the two rocks hit her. Sunset Shimmer reappeared and shot a red beam out of her horn at Arcana, she shot a beam out of her horn and the two entered a deadlock, the ponies gasped when they saw Arcana's magic beam was four times bigger than an average unicorn's, Arcana overpowered Sunset Shimmer extremely easily and she screamed when she got hit by Arcana's magic beam, the red aura set her on fire and burned her, the blue aura filled her body with water, the yellow aura sent rocks flying into her, and the green aura sent gusts of wind that cut her. Sunset Shimmer fell onto the ground and panted, she quickly got back up and focused, Arcana cast another spell and water came out of the ground, it formed a sphere around Sunset Shimmer and she began to struggle for breath, "Arcana, stop!" Twilight Sparkle demanded, "This is between me and her." Arcana remarked coldly, Twilight Sparkle became speechless while Sunset Shimmer teleported out of the water and reappeared behind her. She shot a beam at Arcana and she grunted and fell when she was hit on the back of her head, she teleported away and Sunset Shimmer looked for her. Arcana appeared on a roof and Sunset Shimmer spotted her, Arcana made four rocks appear and float around her, she cast another spell on them to make the rocks catch on fire and turn into meteors, she shot them forward and the residents screamed as they moved and teleported away while the meteors left craters in the ground, Arcana cast another spell to make the meteors explode. Sunset Shimmer reappeared while panting, she saw Arcana cast another spell, vines wrapped around her again. She cast a spell and made a boulder appear above Sunset Shimmer, it fell and she grunted as she got smashed into the ground. Sunset Shimmer cast a spell weakly and teleported elsewhere, she panted as she recovered, she sighed as her energy came back, she teleported back to where Arcana was at. Arcana made the boulder disappear and the vines go back into the ground with her magic, she noticed Sunset Shimmer was not there, she looked around for her and she appeared behind her and bucked her, Arcana grunted loudly as she fell off the roof. Sunset Shimmer jumped down and walked to her, "Now, if I remember correctly, you never were good at physical activity, Arcana." Sunset Shimmer remarked, Arcana quickly shot a beam at her, Sunset Shimmer yelped as she just barely dodged it, the beam hit a tree and it turned orange, it compressed into nothingness and exploded. The ponies became speechless at seeing the spell while Arcana cast a healing spell on herself and stood up, she began to cast another spell and a purple haze appeared around her horn, her eyes glowed green with purple mists coming out of them. Dark crystals began to come out of the ground, "What?! She has dark magic, too?!" Rainbow Dash asked, Arcana made the dark crystals shatter and float around her, she shot them at Sunset Shimmer with her magic. The dark crystals homed on her while she teleported around to dodge them, the dark crystals shattered whenever they hit something, Sunset Shimmer kept teleporting until all of the dark crystal shards shattered. Sunset Shimmer teleported to Arcana and bucked her from behind, she grunted as she fell, she got back up and got ready to cast another spell while Sunset Shimmer was ready to block it. A yellow aura appeared on the two and their spells were canceled out, "Enough. Both of you." Princess Celestia said from the skies, she flew down and walked to them, "Arcana, I choose my pupil over their potential to learn friendship, not by raw power or the potential to have strong magic." Princess Celestia explained, "I just wanted a rematch after all of these years after Sunset Shimmer got me sent to the hospital." Arcana responded, "Is that the only reason why you're here?" Princess Celestia questioned, "Uh..." Arcana said, "Come on, Arcana, is there another reason why you're attacking Sunset Shimmer, if there is, spit it out." Princess Celestia requested, "*sigh* Revenge." Arcana replied, the ponies became speechless, "Arcana, I promise you Sunset Shimmer has changed her ways." Princess Celestia assured, "That doesn't mean me and my home town forgive her." Arcana responded as her glare sharpened and tried to keep herself calm and composed, "I'm ready to make amends if I have to prove it to you, Arcana." Sunset Shimmer stated, "Alright, I'll give you a chance, but if you're faking it, Paladin, Robin, and I will beat you up for wasting our time." Arcana declared, "I promise you she is sincere, Arcana. Sunset, you can start showing by helping others here in Ponyville." Princess Celestia said, and she flew away, "There's a house you three can stay at, I think you three will like it here in Ponyville." Twilight Sparkle said, "Um, Paladin, can you take your helmet off? Your armor's kind of scaring me." Fluttershy requested, Paladin did, everypony saw she had a bright red coat, a long straight orange mane, pink eyes, and two scars on her left eye, "Can you take us to the home? It's getting a little late." Robin said, "Sure, this way." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she led them. Twilight Sparkle went to the vacant house and Paladin, Arcana, and Robin entered it, "Here you three go, if you all need anything, let me know, and I'll make it appear with my magic." Twilight Sparkle stated, "It's alright, I can do it with my own magic." Arcana responded, "Oh, alright, I'll be going, then." Twilight Sparkle said, and she trotted back home while Arcana made things appear for herself and her two friends, she made books appear for herself, gym equipment for Paladin, and weapons for Robin, and an amulet for all three of themselves, they were silver with chains that were also silver, the only difference between them were the jewels in them, Paladin's amulet had a red ruby, Arcana's had a dark blue sapphire, and Robin's had a dark green jade, "Come on, you two, it's almost dark, we need to get ready for morning training." Paladin said, and the three went to sleep. Morning came and Paladin, Arcana, and Robin had breakfast, Paladin ate watermelons, Arcana ate grapes, and Robin ate pineapples, the three headed outside and began morning training. The citizens of Ponyville got on with their days but stopped when they saw the three, Paladin was doing clap push-ups while wearing her suit of armor, Arcana was meditating while floating in the air, and Robin was jumping on sticks while doing somersaults and flips in the air. Paladin and Robin stopped training while Arcana opened her eyes, they saw the ponies watching them, "Can we help you guys?" Robin asked, the ponies continued watching them, "I guess they're here to watch us." Paladin stated, "Well, won't do any harm, let's continue." Arcana replied, and they continued training. Paladin began doing one-hoofed push-ups while Arcana and Robin continued their training as before, Paladin soon began doing crunches and Rainbow Dash joined her, the two exercised together and Rainbow Dash panted and rested after doing the fifteenth crunch, Paladin chuckled and continued and finished after doing her fiftieth one. Paladin began doing pull-ups and Rainbow Dash went to go join her, "One hoof, Rainbow Dash." Paladin said, and Rainbow Dash could not do a one hoofed pull-up while Paladin did them effortlessly, she switched to her other front hoof after doing ten and jumped down after doing ten with that hoof, "Phew, alright, done." Paladin stated, and she walked into the house. Robin did more jumps and flips in the air and Applejack joined her, she fell off the sticks while Robin landed on them perfectly, "Not yet, Applejack, wait until I finish." Robin said, and she did more flips and acrobats and finished, Applejack tried and fell on the ground every time. Arcana meditated and she opened her eyes when she heard walking, she saw Sunset Shimmer in front of herself, "I didn't think you were an early bird, well, I'm ready to start." Sunset Shimmer said, "I'm not done with my training." Arcana spoke, "Can I join?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I remember you well, Sunset, you're not one to take in mental training." Arcana replied, "I just wanna try it for once." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Alright, sit beside me." Arcana said, and Sunset Shimmer did. Sunset Shimmer tried to meditate and did not float in the air, she opened her eyes after a few minutes, "Okay, this is boring." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "You never were one for mental pursuits." Arcana said, and Sunset Shimmer walked away. The three finished training and got ready to get on with their days, "Alright, Sunset, I'm ready to see if you've changed." Arcana spoke, "This way." Sunset Shimmer replied, and she led her. Fluttershy was tending to her animals and she heard walking, she looked and saw Sunset Shimmer and Arcana coming. She flew down and trotted to them, "Hello there, are you two looking for a pet?" Fluttershy asked, "Thanks, Fluttershy, but I already have a pet gecko back at home." Sunset Shimmer replied, "How about you, Arcana, would you like a pet?" Fluttershy asked, "I already have five pets." Arcana replied, "Five? It must be a lot of work taking care of them." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Not really, they're mystical animals, I summon them with my magic." Arcana responded, "Please, I would like to see them." Fluttershy stated, and Arcana floated up and her horn glowed, her five pets appeared. Fluttershy gasped when she looked at her pets, a yellow dragon appeared in front of Arcana, a white tiger appeared to her right, a blue-green dragon to her left, a black tortoise above her, and a red bird under her, they were all transparent. The two looked at Arcana with shock while she floated down and walked forward, the five animals followed her, "Their names are easy to remember, Yellow Dragon, White Tiger, Azure Dragon, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird." Arcana stated, "Which one is the leader?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Yellow Dragon." Arcana replied, "Um... hi." Fluttershy said while trembling, Yellow Dragon, Azure Dragon, and White Tiger roared at her while Black Tortoise growled and Vermilion Bird cawed angrily, Fluttershy whimpered and ran back while Sunset Shimmer put her behind herself, she looked and saw dirt, plants, and trees appear around Yellow Dragon, wind, leaves, and metal appeared around White Tiger, flowers and wood appeared around Azure Dragon, water and snow appeared around Black Tortoise, and fire and sun rays appeared around Vermilion Bird, "Sorry about that, they don't like weak willed people." Arcana stated; running was heard and Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack arrived, "We heard the noises all the way in Ponyville, is everything alright?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It's Arcana's pets, they don't like Fluttershy." Sunset Shimmer replied, they looked and saw them, "Are those pet dragons?" Rainbow Dash asked excitedly, "Yeah, why?" Arcana asked, "That is awesome!" Rainbow Dash claimed, "I can tell by just looking at them they're not ordinary animals, what are they?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "They are the rulers of the astral plane, they all control elements and seasons. Azure Dragon rules the eastern section of the astral plane, he controls the spring season and wood, Vermilion Bird rules the south, he controls the summer season and fire, White Tiger rules the west, he controls the autumn season and metal, Black Tortoise rules the north, she controls the winter season and water, and Yellow Dragon resides in the center of the astral plane, he makes the seasons change and controls the earth itself, he is the supreme ruler of the astral plane." Arcana explained, "So, why do you have control over 'em for?" Applejack asked, "I have proven myself powerful enough and worthy to wield their powers, they give me their powers when I summon them, but don't think it's completely cool, they are still more powerful than I am, if they don't like me or deem me no longer worthy, they will leave and I can no longer wield their powers." Arcana explained, "Why haven't they come to me for?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Have you ever been to or seen the astral plane?" Arcana asked, "No, I've never heard of it." Twilight Sparkle answered, "See, there you go, you need to let those five know that you know they exist before they come to you." Arcana stated, "I'm sure I have a spell to get into the astral plane." Twilight Sparkle remarked, "No, you can't enter that way, you have to meditate if you want to enter it." Arcana replied, "How long will that take?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It depends on how focused you are." Arcana responded, "Well, I’ll begin tending to the animals now." Sunset Shimmer said, and she walked around the sanctuary. Sunset Shimmer began cleaning and feeding the animals while Fluttershy helped her and taught her what the animals can and cannot eat, Arcana went over to help while her five pets disappeared, "Wow, Arcana, I didn't know you knew what to give animals without being told." Fluttershy stated, "I've always had a soft spot for animals, Paladin and Robin, too." Arcana responded, "Still, astral plane, that sounds familiar." Sunset Shimmer said, "You must be referring to the unicorn ruler of my home, his name is Astral Plane, I talked about him a few times when you and I were rivals." Arcana answered, Sunset Shimmer continued to look back, "Yeah, that sounds right." Sunset Shimmer said, and they finished taking care of the animals, "Thank you two so much, running the sanctuary on its own is a lot of work." Fluttershy said, "You're welcome." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Well, Sunset, I'm ready to see the next task for you to do." Arcana stated, and she led her. Sunset Shimmer led Arcana to Applejack's farm and they saw Paladin and Robin there, Paladin did not have her helmet with her, "You two been hanging out here the whole time?" Arcana asked, "No, we've been exploring Ponyville." Paladin replied, "Yeah, Paladin and I just got here, too." Robin added, "I just came from Fluttershy's sanctuary, where have you two been?" Arcana asked, "I was just walking around and looking for a royal guard base, there apparently isn't one in this town." Paladin answered, "I was at Pinkie's store to see if she had any fruits, she didn't." Robin said, "Before I start helping here, I've been wondering, is there a leader between you three?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I'm the leader." Paladin replied, "Is there a reason?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I'm the oldest." Paladin answered, "Oh, you three look to be around the same age." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "We are, Paladin's the oldest, Robin's the youngest, and I'm in the middle." Arcana replied, "It was just you that was going to come see me, right, Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Yes." Arcana replied, "Then, why did these two come along?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Backup, your arrogance and temper are well known throughout our home, we came along in case you would attack Arcana on sight." Robin replied, Sunset Shimmer blushed with embarrassment at remembering her past self, "I'm... going to help Applejack on her farm now." Sunset Shimmer said, and she trotted to the farm. Sunset Shimmer began plowing the field and moved slowly with the heavy plower on her back, she moved it with her magic when she ran out of breath, "What are you thinking of her so far, Arcana?" Robin asked, "Looks like she did have a change of heart, but I'm still keeping my guard up in case she's faking it." Arcana replied, "Don't forget that the damage she caused to you cannot be undone." Paladin remarked, "Yeah, I've kept that in mind, too." Arcana replied, and the three watched Sunset Shimmer plow the field. She grunted as she pulled the plower forward, she felt a push from the back, she looked and saw Paladin moving the plower forward, they finished while Arcana used her magic to plant the seeds and Robin watered the fields. The four stood and looked while Applejack walked to them, "Thank y'all, Ah can always use more help on the farm." Applejack said, "You're welcome." Robin replied, "Well, feel free to look around, be careful not to step on the plants." Applejack stated, and she walked away. Paladin walked around and examined the farm, "Hmm, this place could be made into a training ground." Paladin remarked, "What do ya have in mind, Paladin?" Apple Bloom asked as she walked over, "Well, this place is perfect for running, I can probably use some of this stuff as makeshift weights to lift, too." Paladin replied, "I can practice my flexibility and acrobats here." Robin added, "How about you, Arcana?" Apple Bloom asked, "I can practice my magic here." Arcana replied, "Wow, y'all three sound busy." Apple Bloom remarked, "We are, ponies of Dreaming Paradise start training at the age of four and train for life." Paladin replied, "Well, feel free and look around, I think y'all three will like Sweet Apple Acres." Apple Bloom said, and she began to walk away, Robin grabbed Apple Bloom's bow and pulled it out of her mane without her noticing. Paladin began moving objects on the field with her hoofs while Arcana made crops grow and changed animals into different animals, and Robin sneaked around the farm, she sneaked behind Applejack and reached for her hat gently and took it, she sneaked to a working Big Macintosh and touched the bottom of his collar, he moved his head around and the collar came off and Robin took it and flew around. Sunset Shimmer tended to the animals and saw Robin with Apple Bloom's bow, Applejack's hat, and Big Macintosh's collar, "Robin, what are you..." Sunset Shimmer questioned shortly before Robin shushed her, "Um, Big Mac, yer collar is gone." Apple Bloom said, Big Macintosh felt his own neck and noticed his collar was not there, "Same for you, Apple Bloom, yer bow's missin', too." Applejack added, "Huh?" Apple Bloom exclaimed, she felt the back of her own head, "Where is mah bow?" Apple Bloom asked, Big Macintosh pointed at Applejack and felt the back of his own head, "You sayin' mah hat is gone?" Applejack asked, "Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied, Applejack felt the back of her own head, "Where'd mah hat go?" Applejack questioned, Robin whistled to get their attention. The Apple family looked and saw Robin with their things, "Come back here!" Applejack demanded, and they chased Robin as she ran away. Robin ran through Sweet Apple Acres while the Apple family chased her, she saw a wooden fence up ahead, she jumped onto the fence and jumped into the air, she did a back flip and landed on the fence on the other side, she jumped off and ran again. The Apple family chased her while she continued to run away with their things, they ran through the cornfield and went to the back, Robin jumped and landed on the brim of a big bucket full of grapes, she jumped and landed on the other side of the brim, she jumped again and landed on the brim of a second bucket, she jumped again and landed on the other side of the brim. She looked down and saw the Apple family waiting for her, she jumped again and did a back flip while in midair and landed on the barn's roof, "Hey! We just cleaned that roof this mornin'!" Applejack shouted, Robin ran across the roof and jumped and landed on the roof of the chicken coop. Robin stopped and looked around, she got ready to jump onto the white fence in front of her when a lasso wrapped around her hind right hoof. Robin jumped and Applejack pulled her back, she dropped the bow, hat, and horse collar and landed on her front hoofs, she threw her own body forward, "Whoa!" Applejack yelled as she flew through the air and fell on the soil past the fence. The Apple family took their things back while Applejack took the lasso off of Robin's hoof, Apple Bloom put her bow back on, Applejack put her hat back on, and Big Macintosh put his collar back on, Granny Smith walked to Robin while she watched the three, "Now what were ya thinkin', takin' mah grandkids stuff like that." Granny Smith fumed, "Training, Dreaming Paradise teaches its Pegasi how to pickpocket and do parkour and freerunning." Robin replied, "Well, don't take our stuff, and be careful you don't knock anythin' down when you do them jumps and flips." Granny Smith said, and she walked away. The Apple family walked to her and glared at her, "What is with ya takin' our stuff like that?" Applejack questioned, "It's a part of my training." Robin replied, "Well, don't pickpocket others, this hat of mine is a remembrance to mah dad." Applejack said, "Really? That's a pretty plain looking hat, it's not exotic looking like mine." Robin stated, "It still means a lot to me." Applejack replied, "Alright, I get it, sorry." Robin said, and she went back to running and jumping around Sweet Apple Acres. Paladin walked forward and went to the Apple family, "Which one of you four is the strongest?" Paladin asked, "Why you ask?" Apple Bloom asked, "I want to test my own physical strength." Paladin replied, "Well, both Big Mac and I are strong." Applejack responded, "Really? I'd like to hoof-wrestle you two, then." Paladin said while smiling, "Yer on!" Applejack declared, and Big Macintosh set up the wrestling booth. Paladin and Applejack stood across from one another, "On yer marks." Granny Smith said, Paladin and Applejack put their front right hoofs on the wooden table, "Get set." Granny Smith said, the two grabbed one another's hoofs, "Go!" Granny Smith said, and the two wrestled, Applejack grunted as she tried to move Paladin's hoof, Paladin moved Applejack's hoof and won easily, "Whoa, you are strong." Applejack said, "We're not done, yet." Paladin replied, "What?" Applejack asked, Paladin put her front left hoof on the table, "Your other hoof." Paladin stated, "Um... mah front left hoof is weaker than mah front right hoof." Applejack remarked, "It's alright, there's always room for you to improve." Paladin replied, Applejack smiled and put her front left hoof on the table, "On yer marks." Granny Smith said, the two focused, "Get set." Granny Smith said, the two grabbed each other's hoofs, "Go!" Granny Smith said, and the two wrestled, Paladin won in a few seconds, "Hmm, it feels like you don't train with this hoof as you do with the other one." Paladin mentioned, "As Ah said, mah left hoof is weaker than mah right." Applejack replied, "Well, you didn't do too bad. Come on, big guy, your turn." Paladin said, and Big Macintosh went to her while Applejack walked back, "Are you the stronger one between you and your sister?" Paladin asked, "Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied, "Good, I hope you will provide me a worthy challenge." Paladin stated, Big Macintosh smiled, the two grabbed each other's front right hoofs, "On yer marks. Get set. Go!" Granny Smith declared, the two wrestled while Apple Bloom and Applejack cheered Big Macintosh on. The two were at a stalemate at the moment shortly before Paladin moved Big Macintosh's hoof a little, she began to move his hoof more as he ran out of energy and won, "Pretty good, your other hoof now." Paladin stated, and they grabbed each other's front left hoofs, "On yer marks. Get set. Go!" Granny Smith declared, the two wrestled and they were at a stalemate again, Big Macintosh ran out of energy faster with that hoof and Paladin won again, "Hmm, you have the strength, but you lack the stamina, maybe some proper training will be able to put you on equal grounds with me, good job, both you and your sister." Paladin responded, Applejack and Big Macintosh smiled, "Come on, Paladin, it's time for afternoon training, let's go back." Arcana said, "We're going to need a sparing partner." Robin stated, "I'll do it." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Really? You never agreed to help anyone back when we were rivals." Arcana reminded her, "Well, I am now." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Come on, then, let's go back to our temporary residence." Robin said, and Sunset Shimmer followed the three to where were staying.
Chapter 2Sunset Shimmer arrived at where Arcana and her friends were staying and entered the home with them, they began eating fruits, Paladin ate watermelons, Arcana ate grapes, and Robin ate pineapples, the three gave some of them to Sunset Shimmer, "Here, you're going to need the calories for afternoon training." Robin said, "Thanks." Sunset Shimmer replied, and she ate the fruits, she looked at Arcana and had flashbacks of whenever she saw Arcana eating back at Canterlot, it was always grapes, she stopped remembering and ate the fruits and followed the three outside. Sunset Shimmer began stretching while the other three stood and watched her, "You ready?" Paladin asked, "Almost." Sunset Shimmer replied, and she stretched her hind legs and turned around, "Alright, I'm ready." Sunset Shimmer stated, "Okay, choose which one of us you want to spar with first." Robin stated, Sunset Shimmer looked and saw Paladin standing with her entire armor on in front of her with Arcana to Paladin’s right and Robin to Paladin’s left, "I'll start with Arcana." Sunset Shimmer remarked as she pointed at her, Arcana walked forward, "Alright, magic training, Sunset, prepare yourself." Arcana said, and the two got ready. Sunset Shimmer shot beams out of her horn and Arcana put up a shield that blocked and deflected the beams, Sunset Shimmer yelped as she dodged her own two beams, they changed trajectory and homed on her, she teleported around and the beams still homed on her. She decided to try something and teleported to Arcana and teleported away when the beams were about to hit her, she put up another shield and blocked them again, they continued to home on Sunset Shimmer and she shot beams at them and they canceled each other out. Sunset Shimmer faced Arcana and shot fire out of her horn, she made a shield of ice appear around her and the fire extinguished while the ice melted. Arcana cast a spell and Vermilion Bird appeared, her body became engulfed with red flames and sun rays came out, Sunset Shimmer yelled as she covered her own eyes. Arcana jumped and slammed her hoofs on the ground and sent out waves of fire. Sunset Shimmer shot beams at Arcana and she was unfazed by them, she growled and shot out a bigger beam, Arcana grunted as she slid back. Vermilion Bird appeared again and cawed as it absorbed sun rays into its body, it flapped its wings and sent out gusts of fire, Sunset Shimmer cast a magic spell to absorb the fire and shot it back, the two absorbed it. Arcana made Vermilion Bird disappear and she changed back to normal, Black Tortoise appeared and Arcana's body changed to blue water while snow and ice floated around her. She shot water out of her horn while controlling the snow and ice with her front hoofs, Sunset Shimmer shot fire out of her horn and canceled out Arcana's current spells, she realized it was not going to work and she changed back to normal while making Black Tortoise disappear. Arcana made White Tiger appear next and her body became made out of dull gray metal while flowers grew around her. She made trees grow around Sunset Shimmer and she shot fire at them to burn them down, Arcana swung her front hoofs forward to make vines come out and wrapped them around her. Sunset Shimmer burned them with her fire magic while White Tiger appeared and tried to slash her with his claws while he roared, she jumped away and Arcana cast a spell to make metal wrap itself around Sunset Shimmer, she cast fire on the metal, it heated up and turned red, she panted and sweated and teleported out. Sunset Shimmer appeared and shot fire at Arcana, she shrieked as her metal body heated up and turned red, she quickly dismissed White Tiger and changed back to normal, she panted while she had black marks on herself and her clothes. Arcana summoned Azure Dragon and her body became made out of brown wood while gusts of wind and leaves surrounded her, she shot the gusts of wind and leaves at Sunset Shimmer while Azure Dragon tried to constrict her, Sunset Shimmer smirked and shot fire at Arcana, but the gusts of wind blew it away, she teleported to behind her and shot fire again. Arcana caught on fire and screamed, she quickly dismissed Azure Dragon and cast a water spell on herself to douse the flames. Arcana turned around and glared while Sunset Shimmer restrained herself from laughing at seeing black stains on her body and her clothes, she summoned Yellow Dragon and her body became made out of dirt, rocks, and plants, flowers grew around her, sun rays shined out of her body, gusts of wind and leaves flew around her, and snow surrounded her. Arcana shot fire and water out of her horn while Sunset Shimmer shot fire at her, her beam and the water beam extinguished themselves while Sunset Shimmer cast another spell to absorb the fire into herself, tree roots wrapped around her and restrained her while metal appeared around her and entrapped her. Sunset Shimmer grunted as she tried to free herself, she cast a teleporting spell and teleported out, Arcana quickly teleported her back in, she growled and shot fire at the tree roots to burn them, she thought about how to escape and decided to teleport again, she appeared behind Arcana and shot a zap at her, she put up a shield that deflected the zap and it began to home on Sunset Shimmer again. She shot another zap and they cancelled each other out, she sighed in relief and Arcana teleported her back into the metal encasement, she growled and shot a big beam that destroyed the metal encasement. Sunset Shimmer got ready to fight Arcana but Yellow Dragon roared and the ground began to shift. Sunset Shimmer exclaimed as the ground broke apart while Yellow Dragon created earthquakes with his mind, Sunset Shimmer shot fire at Arcana but the fire around her absorbed it while the snow canceled it out. Sunset Shimmer tried shooting a zap at Yellow Dragon but it went through him and did nothing, Sunset Shimmer growled again and she shot out a big beam of fire while she channeled her anger, Arcana screamed while she saw her fire took out the snow and it was too much for her absorb, Arcana dismissed Yellow Dragon and the ground returned to normal alongside her body. Sunset Shimmer panted while Arcana cast another spell and twenty two cards floated in front of her, "Huh?" Sunset Shimmer asked as the cards floated, one card came forward and it turned upside-down, Sunset Shimmer suddenly felt no desire to do anything, "What the?!" Sunset Shimmer asked, Arcana turned another card upside-down and Sunset Shimmer began shooting random spells in random directions, "What's going on?!" Sunset Shimmer exclaimed, Arcana turned another card upside-down and Sunset Shimmer began to wonder if she should fire a beam at Arcana or not, Arcana then turned another card upside-down and Sunset Shimmer began blasting beams at Arcana on impulse, she made a shield appear to deflect them all. Sunset Shimmer shot a fire blast at the cards on impulse and burned them, they exploded and Arcana grunted as she fell. Sunset Shimmer regained control of herself and sighed with relief, "What were those?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Tarot cards, I can use them to change how my opponents behave." Arcana replied, Sunset Shimmer just froze in place and thought about what Arcana just said, "That is scary." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "I usually only use them as a last resort, so you won't see them often." Arcana replied, "What cards did you turn upside-down to change my behavior?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I took away your confidence and desire to fight by reversing the Strength card, I took away your sense of direction on where to fight by reversing the Magician card, I made you stall for time and unable to decide if you should attack me or not by reversing the Hanged Man card, and I made you impatient and try to find quick solutions to problems by reversing the Wheel of Fortune card, that one also brings bad luck." Arcana explained, "Wow, I'm confused, what are the cards called anyway?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Fool, Magician, High Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Strength, Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judgement, and The World." Arcana answered, "Well, I won't ask what they represent, I was never good at memorizing stuff like that." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Well, we're done training for now, go choose Paladin or Robin as your next opponent now." Arcana replied, and Sunset Shimmer looked at the two and thought about who she should choose as her next sparring partner, "I'd like to spar with Robin next." Sunset Shimmer said as she pointed at her, Robin walked forward while Paladin and Arcana stepped back, "Hope you'll be able to keep up." Robin said, and Sunset Shimmer focused. Robin reeled up on her hind legs and took two daggers out of her coat, she swung them around while showing off what she could do, "I assume you're the martial artist of the group." Sunset Shimmer stated, "Stealth member, Paladin's the combat oriented one." Robin replied, and she flew to Sunset Shimmer at high speeds and swung her daggers at high speeds. Sunset Shimmer shrieked while she blocked Robin with her front legs and Robin cut them, she shot her away with a beam from her horn and Robin grunted as she got shot back, she did a flip in the air and landed on all four of her legs. Sunset Shimmer shot zaps at Robin and she dodged them by simply moving to her sides, she reeled up on her hind legs again and aimed one of her dagger's handles at Sunset Shimmer and pushed up a small trigger on the handle, a loud bang was heard and Sunset Shimmer yelped as she dodged the projectile, she looked on with disbelief at the fact that Robin's daggers had guns in their handles. She smirked and aimed the handle of her other dagger and pushed up a small trigger on the handle to fire another bullet, Sunset Shimmer quickly moved to her side to dodge it. Robin flipped her daggers over and flew to Sunset Shimmer, she tried to slash Sunset Shimmer again but she grabbed Robin and threw her over herself, Robin landed on Sunset Shimmer's back and rolled off, she stood up and touched her sides with the tip of her daggers and Sunset Shimmer screamed as she got electrocuted. She quickly threw Robin over herself with telekinesis and Robin landed perfectly again, she saw blue electricity on her dagger blades that were activated by pushing a button right under the guards, she glared and used her telekinesis to snatch the daggers out of Robin's front hoofs and threw them away. Robin flew at high speeds and Sunset Shimmer got ready to zap her, but she flew over her and then flew down. Sunset Shimmer felt something on her neck a few seconds later and began to gag and gasp for air, she felt her own neck and felt a garrotte, she cast a spell to teleport away. Sunset Shimmer reappeared and gasped for air, "So you're not fast enough to keep up with me after all, better luck next time." Robin remarked as she flew to get her daggers while Sunset Shimmer growled, "Well, Sunset, it's just you and me now." Paladin said as she walked forward, "Hold on, I need to catch my breath." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Very well." Paladin responded, and she caught her breath and stood up, "I'm ready." Sunset Shimmer stated, and Paladin walked forward. Paladin walked to Sunset Shimmer and was about to punch her with her front right hoof, Sunset Shimmer ducked and dodged it easily because Paladin moved very slowly, she continued throwing punches and Sunset Shimmer dodged them with minimal effort. She watched Paladin continuing to throw punches and she waited for an opening, she shot a zap at her and Paladin grunted as she staggered a little. Sunset Shimmer noticed that zaps staggered her, she began shooting more zaps from her horn at her, Paladin took out her shield and blocked the zaps, they bounced off and went elsewhere, "How did you...?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "My shield's magic resistant." Paladin answered, Sunset Shimmer focused while Paladin got ready to punch her again, she did the punch while Sunset Shimmer ducked under it and then turned around and bucked her, she grunted and staggered since Paladin's armor was too hard. She hit Sunset Shimmer with her shield and she screamed as she flew through the air and landed on the ground and slid. Sunset Shimmer groaned while Paladin walked to her, "I may be slow, but I can defeat most of my opponents in one hit." Paladin stated as she walked to her, "So strong." Sunset Shimmer groaned, she panted and recovered, she quickly looked back and shot a beam out of her horn, Paladin jumped over it was about to land on Sunset Shimmer. She quickly got up and moved back while Paladin landed and put four craters in the ground, she got ready to push Sunset Shimmer in the ground and she quickly pushed her front hoofs on Paladin's and the two wrestled, "You're really slow, you know." Sunset Shimmer remarked while grunting, "That's because my armor's heavy, I'm a lot faster without it." Paladin replied, and she pushed Sunset Shimmer back easily, she exclaimed and quickly shot a zap at her abdomen, it did not faze her, "Please, you're not fighting Robin, fight fair." Paladin spoke, she shot a zap at her helmet, Paladin turned her head from the zap but quickly refocused, she threw Sunset Shimmer in the air and turned around and bucked her. Sunset Shimmer screamed as she flew through the air and landed with the front half of her body buried in the ground, "You still have a long way to go before you're ready to face me, Sunset Shimmer, come see me again when you think you're ready." Paladin stated as she walked away. Sunset Shimmer got herself out of the ground and panted while Arcana walked to her, she slammed her front left hoof on the ground, "Still don't like losing, I see." Arcana stated, "I hate losing." Sunset Shimmer grumbled, "Well, if you're going to continue showing me how much you've changed, I'm waiting." Arcana said, "Just let me catch my breath." Sunset Shimmer replied, and she did and stood up, "Alright, this way." Sunset Shimmer stated, and she trotted while Arcana followed her. Princess Celestia was flying up in the sky in Canterlot and watching Sunset Shimmer and Arcana, she flew down and went into her throne room and sat, she heard knocking at her door, "Princess Celestia, I have something I'd like to ask." Twilight Sparkle spoke through the door, "You may enter." Princess Celestia replied, and the doors opened and Twilight Sparkle walked to her, "What is it, Twilight?" Princess Celestia asked, "Is it true that Sunset Shimmer had other rivals to compete with before she became your pupil?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yes." Princess Celestia replied, "Why didn't you ever mention them?" Twilight Sparkle questioned, "I didn't think one of them would show up again after all of these years seeking her." Princess Celestia answered, "How many rivals did she have?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Several, Arcana was her biggest one." Princess Celestia replied, "What happened between those two?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Sunset Shimmer messed with Arcana's potions and created an explosion that sent her to the hospital, I chose Sunset over her in hopes of being able to teach Sunset friendship, not only that, Arcana was more concerned about improving her already powerful magic, that is not the reason why I was looking for a pupil." Princess Celestia replied, "I'm still surprised because I didn't have any rivals to compete with to be your pupil." Twilight Sparkle stated, "That's because of how bad some of the rivalries got, I mean, Sunset injured Arcana in hopes of succeeding." Princess Celestia explained, "I still don't understand Arcana's magic, her magic aura is four different colors." Twilight Sparkle said, "That's because Arcana's teacher trained her in using the Elements of Nature." Princess Celestia replied, "Wait, Elements of Nature?" Twilight Sparkle questioned, "There are more elements in this world than the Elements of Harmony, Twilight, the Elements of Nature can be learned by any unicorn, there are four elements: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air, Fire is red, Water is blue, Earth is yellow, and Air is green." Princess Celestia replied, "What about the astral plane?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Anycreature can enter, you need to meditate since its five rulers used their powers to seal off any magic from opening it, those five rulers give their powers to those who impress them with their magic, and just to let you know, Twilight, I used to have Vermilion Bird's powers when I was younger." Princess Celestia explained, "Really?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Hmm-mm." Princess Celestia replied while nodding, "Why did he leave you?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Discord took him away with his powers and I never got him back." Princess Celestia answered, "Wow, well, that's all I wanted to know." Twilight Sparkle stated, "Very well, Twilight, you may take your leave." Princess Celestia replied, and she left and flew back to Ponyville. Sunset Shimmer was helping Scootaloo fix her scooter while Arcana watched and gave the tools over with her magic, "Here you go, Scootaloo, try it now." Sunset Shimmer said, and she did, "It works, thanks, Sunset." Scootaloo rejoiced, and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle got into the wagon and Scootaloo drove away while they cheered, "So you really have changed, I still can't forgive you, though." Arcana said, "Is something the matter?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Even if you have changed your ways, that still will not undo the damage you've done." Arcana replied, "Come on, Arcana, if you wish, I can heal your wounds and finish whatever project you were working on before that incident." Sunset Shimmer spoke, "I'm still stuck with the memories of that incident." Arcana replied, "Oh, um..., there might be a memory erasing spell somewhere." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "No, I'm not doing that, it won't undo what transpired, you still have to answer to what you did." Arcana responded, "*sigh*, I understand, Princess Celestia still remembers what I did, too, but she forgave me." Sunset Shimmer stated, "On the surface, but deep down inside, she probably still resents you." Arcana replied, "What? Why do you think that way?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Think about it, Princess Celestia is the most powerful ruler in the world, she forgives most people so it will not escalate the problem, same with those who do get forgiven, they change their ways not out of a change of heart, but out of fear of suffering Princess Celestia's wrath." Arcana explained, Sunset Shimmer began to remember the many arguments she had with Princess Celestia, "Now that you mention it, Princess Celestia was kind of strict and had no sense of humor." Sunset Shimmer said, "See, there you go, don't forget she also had a pretty short temper when we were competing to be her pupil." Arcana replied, "I did come back here once when my friends in the other world lost their memories of me, Princess Celestia kind of mellowed out." Sunset Shimmer stated, "I find that hard to believe, it's possible she just got better at hiding her true self." Arcana responded, "I doubt it, her changes looked genuine." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Be careful, some of them can be very convincing." Arcana replied, "How about you, are you convinced I changed for the better?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Somewhat, but I'm still keeping my guard up, you also still have to apologize to my hometown for what you did to me." Arcana replied, "Yeah, I figured that would pop up eventually." Sunset Shimmer said, "Well, if you're done helping the townsponies, you can start helping me." Arcana spoke, "Sure, what do you need?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I can use some help arranging a clock, I'll give you the details at where I'm staying, let's go." Arcana replied, and they walked away. Sunset Shimmer went to where Arcana was staying and she made a chart appear for her and several white ceramic statues and stickers of constellations, she lined up the twelve animal statues in a circle, the statues started at the twelve o'clock position and went clockwise, the order was rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. She put up the stickers above the statues and on the ceiling, they also started at the twelve o'clock position and went clockwise, the order was Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius. Arcana floated in the air and meditated while fire, water, a rock, wood, and metal floated around her, "What is this?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "A clock, Dreaming Paradise uses this to look back in time, record history, and travel to the past, it is also a device we meditate at to improve having control over our own magic and enter the astral plane." Arcana replied with her voice echoing, "So, how does this work?" Sunset Shimmer questioned, "When the Zodiac and the Horoscope are together, the entrance to the astral plane becomes more open, I also record history in this with my magic, see the five elements around me, they are fire, water, earth, wood, and metal, those five elements are used to determine what year we wish to look at." Arcana responded, "I'm still lost." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Well, to put it into basics, the Zodiac and Horoscope are time tellers, the Zodiac tells the year, and the Horoscope tells specific days and months, fire, water, earth, wood, and metal are used to determine what type of zodiac animal it is, the animal itself is used every twelve years, but if it was only one type of animal, it would be harder to tell what year that event took place." Arcana explained, "Oh, I get it now, the five elements narrow down what years you have to look at so your search on historical events will be shorter." Sunset Shimmer said, "Exactly, because going through each animal every time will take forever." Arcana replied, "Still, I gotta admit, seeing you unicorns get to do something like this is pretty cool." Sunset Shimmer stated, "Not just unicorns, Sunset, the Pegasi and earth ponies of Dreaming Paradise have to meditate at this, too." Arcana responded, "Wait, them too?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Yes, Pegasi and earth ponies have to remain calm in battle, it is when you get mad that you start to make mistakes." Arcana replied, Sunset Shimmer thought about her own temper and the times she got mad, she trotted into the circle and began meditating, "Good, I'm glad you want to learn patience." Arcana said, and the two meditated, the door opened and Paladin and Robin returned, they trotted into the circle and meditated as well. The four meditated and the elements around Arcana disappeared while she opened her eyes and stopped floating, "Come on, you three, the sun's setting, it's time for dinner and then evening training." Arcana stated while her voice did not echo anymore, the three stopped meditating and she put the statues away and took the stickers down. The four had dinner and Sunset Shimmer noticed the three mares eating the same fruits as before while they shared them with her, "Tell me, Sunset, what was it that made you change your ways?" Arcana asked, "I took Twilight's crown, put it on, but turned into a she-demon for not understanding friendship, I changed back, and Twilight offered me her friendship." Sunset Shimmer explained, "That's it? That's all that happened to make you change your ways?" Arcana asked, "Well, that's the main one, another reason is because she kind of won over my boyfriend, too." Sunset Shimmer answered, the three mares' eyes' widened, "Wait a minute, you, of all people, managed to get a boyfriend?" Arcana asked, "Yeah, don't tell me you're jealous." Sunset Shimmer replied, "It's not that, I find it hard to visualize someone as arrogant and selfish as you having a boyfriend." Arcana stated, "I did date him just to get more popular, I kind of regret it now." Sunset Shimmer responded, "Him being abusive didn't change you?" Arcana asked, "No, Flash Sentry was a really nice and friendly guy, he didn't abuse me at all." Sunset Shimmer replied, "I assume you two still get along." Paladin spoke, "Yeah, he and I are on good terms, he has feelings for Twilight now." Sunset Shimmer answered, "Who knows, maybe she will forget him when she gets older." Robin said, "We'll just have to wait and see." Arcana replied; knocking was heard at the door, "Arcana? You there?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Arcana opened the door with her magic and she came in, "Sorry I didn't arrive earlier, I had a busy day, I was hoping you would teach me some of your magic." Twilight Sparkle stated, "Which ones?" Arcana asked, "I was hoping you could teach me how to control fire, water, earth, and air, and how to enter the astral plane." Twilight Sparkle answered, "Sure, I can teach you the basics." Arcana stated, "Thank you, I'd like to be the sparing partner for you three this time." Twilight Sparkle said, "Sure." Robin chirped, "Alright." Paladin replied, "Come on, let's get started." Twilight Sparkle said, and the five headed outside. The five went outside and saw Twilight Sparkle's friends alongside Spike and Starlight Glimmer, "What are they doing here?" Robin asked, "Oh, they just want to watch." Twilight Sparkle answered, "Alright, so, which one of us do you want to spar with first?" Paladin asked, "Isn't it obvious? Arcana." Twilight Sparkle replied, and the others stepped back. Twilight Sparkle faced Arcana and she quickly cast a spell and shot a zap at her, Arcana simply cast a shield that blocked and deflected it back, Twilight Sparkle moved to her right to dodge it and the zap homed on her, she quickly shot another zap to cancel it out, "A shield that blocks and deflects and makes the spell home on you? That's a very advanced spell." Twilight Sparkle stated, Arcana cast another spell and it made a white flash appear, Twilight Sparkle yelled as she covered her eyes, "My eyes! I can't see!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, Arcana cast another spell and made vines with thorns grow out of the ground and tangle around her. She regained her sight and she teleported out of the vines, she shot a zap at Arcana and she shot out red, blue, yellow, and green zaps at once, the red zaps turned into streams of fire, the blue zaps turned into streams of water, the yellow zaps turned into small gray rocks, and the green zaps turned into gusts of wind, Twilight Sparkle used her magic and turned the fire and rocks into sponge balls, "There, I don't think the water and wind are going to do any harm." Twilight Sparkle said, she shrieked when the gusts of wind cut her, she cast a spell to redirect them while the streams of water flew into her eyes and nostrils, she screamed and cast a spell to make them disappear. She rubbed her eyes and snout to regain her composure, she looked and saw Arcana summon Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Yellow Dragon, her body became covered with dirt, plants, wood, metal, fire, and water, flowers grew around her, sun rays shined out of her body, gusts of wind, leaves, and snow floated around her. Arcana threw her front hoofs forward and waves of fire and water shot out, Twilight Sparkle cast a spell to mix the two and cancel each other out, she then got entrapped by metal and wood grew out of the ground to restrain her, she shot a big blast out and destroyed all of the wood and metal, Arcana saw the shards coming and put up a shield around herself. Vermilion Bird flew and picked up Twilight Sparkle from behind, she screamed while her friends gasped, he flew and took her to White Tiger, he began to slash her with his claws, she shot a beam at him and it went through him without harming him, "This isn't fair, Arcana!" Twilight Sparkle fumed, "Well, they are my pets, so you have to deal with them, too." Arcana replied, Twilight Sparkle pouted and groaned angrily, she teleported away and Black Tortoise jumped and tried to land on her, Twilight Sparkle flew away from her and Azure Dragon wrapped himself around her to restrain her, Yellow Dragon made the ground open and Azure Dragon let her go, Twilight Sparkle screamed as she fell in while Yellow Dragon closed the ground. Sunset Shimmer looked on with shock alongside Twilight Sparkle's friends, Arcana waited and she did not teleport back up, so she made her five pets disappear and changed back to normal. Twilight Sparkle reappeared, she huffed at her, "You make mistakes when you get angry, Twilight." Arcana said, she shot a big blast at her, she stopped and she was gone, she reappeared behind her. Twilight Sparkle panted heavily and began to calm down, she sighed and turned around and saw Arcana was ready to shoot a beam at her if she did not calm down, she sighed and began to cast another spell. Twilight Sparkle made Arcana freeze in ice but it melted quickly, she saw Arcana cast heat while frozen, she then made her twenty two cards appear, "Are those...?" Twilight Sparkle asked, she looked more carefully, "*gasp* Tarot cards!" Twilight Sparkle hollered, and she quickly shot them away, "So you do know what they are and what they do, I still have more spells." Arcana said, and Twilight Sparkle got defensive, "Azarath metrion zinthos." Arcana chanted while her voice echoed, black shadows appeared and engulfed Twilight Sparkle while she screamed, "Twilight!" Spike cried out, she shot beams at the shadows but they got blocked, she teleported out and saw Arcana had black arms come out of her horn, she shot light magic at her horn and disabled the live shadows, "Klaatu barada nikto." Arcana chanted, her voice echoed again and Twilight Sparkle tried to cast a spell but could not, "What?! I can't cast any spells? I can't cast any spells!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, "Rin pyo toh sha kai jin retsu zai zen." Arcana chanted, and her eyes glowed white alongside Twilight Sparkle's. Light blue flames appeared in the sky and they went into Twilight Sparkle's body, she began to grow bigger alongside claws and sharp teeth, Arcana got pushed back by Twilight Sparkle resisting her spell and flew off while casting a spell, she came back a few minutes later, "Anymore spells you have besides cards and chanting?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Arcana's eyes glowed green with purple mist coming out of them and a purple haze on her horn, she made dark crystals appear out of the ground, "Wow, she has dark magic, too." Applejack said, "Yeah, thinking that she could've been Princess Celestia's student is kind of scaring me." Starlight Glimmer added, Twilight Sparkle shot beams at the crystals to destroy them, Arcana cast another dark magic spell and skeletons rose out of the ground, "What the?!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, "I practice necromancy, too." Arcana explained, and the skeleton ponies and animals went to go attack her. Twilight Sparkle shot the bones apart with one beam and Arcana cast another spell, her magic aura was back to its regular colors, "What is she doing now?" Twilight Sparkle asked, light blue ghosts and light blue flames appeared in the sky while the skeletons reformed, the ghosts and flames went into them and their bodies grew back. The others except for Paladin and Robin moved back a little, "I can see you all have never learned or seen magic that bends the souls of the dead to your will before." Arcana said, they went to go attack Twilight Sparkle and she cast a shield around herself. She watched the revived ponies and animals trying to break through her shield shortly before a yellow light appeared and made them all turn back into skeletons and fall apart. Princess Celestia flew down and walked forward, "We've been through this, Arcana, no magic or spells that involve reviving or controlling the dead, they are to rest." Princess Celestia remarked, "Yes, Princess Celestia." Arcana replied, "Good, you two may get back to practicing, I'm having a joy watching you two train." Princess Celestia said, and she flew away. Twilight Sparkle shot a big beam at Arcana and she teleported behind her and shot her with her blast, Twilight Sparkle screamed as she got burned, filled with water, pelted by rocks, and cut by gusts of wind all at once, the water came out of her mouth and nose and she coughed, she cast another spell and turned Twilight Sparkle into stone, her friends gasped while Starlight Glimmer cast a spell to undo it, she gasped for air, "That's all of my basic spells, I'll show you my more advanced ones later." Arcana said as she walked back. Twilight Sparkle panted as she caught her breath, "Well? Who do you want to spar with next, me or Robin?" Paladin asked, Twilight Sparkle went back and forth while looking at the two, "Robin." Twilight Sparkle responded as she pointed to her, she walked forward, "Twilight, wait." Sunset Shimmer spoke as she ran to her, "Be careful, she has weapons hidden in plain sight." Sunset Shimmer warned, the two looked and saw Robin carrying lipstick, "Um, Robin, you shouldn't have something like that right now." Twilight Sparkle remarked, Robin opened the container and began to put it on, "Robin, darling, I personally think you look better without the lipstick." Rarity said, Robin stopped applying it and looked at them, "Put it aside, Robin, we have to practice." Twilight Sparkle said, Robin grabbed the lipstick with her right wing slowly, "Toss it aside, you can apply your makeup when we're done." Twilight Sparkle added, Robin got ready to toss it aside but quickly aimed the lipstick at Twilight Sparkle and used her digits to turn the tube's bottom to the right and a loud noise was heard. Twilight Sparkle yelped as she jumped to her right and a hole appeared in the tree, everypony and Spike looked and saw smoke coming out of the tube, Sunset Shimmer became shocked and speechless at seeing that Robin's lipstick holder was a gun, "Alright, let's begin." Robin said, and she tossed her lipstick aside and flew forward. Twilight Sparkle shot a beam at her and she flew over it and went behind her, she reached into her coat and took out a garrote and wrapped it around her neck. Twilight Sparkle gagged as Robin choked her, she teleported out of it and reappeared and shot a zap at her, Robin turned her body to her left and dodged it, she threw the garrote and it wrapped itself around Twilight Sparkle's neck. She screamed as it wrapped itself and began gagging, she used her telekinesis to get it off and threw it behind herself while Robin took her two daggers out. She flew forward again and did vertical slashes while Twilight Sparkle stepped back to avoid getting cut, she flew back and Robin aimed the handle of one of her daggers, "Twilight, look out!" Sunset Shimmer hollered, Robin pulled a small trigger on the handle upwards and shot a bullet, Twilight Sparkle screamed as she flinched to her right, she panted as she saw smoke coming out of the dagger's handle. Robin flipped the dagger back over and flew to her and tried slashing her again, Twilight Sparkle teleported behind her and shot a beam at her while her ears ringed. Robin quickly flew up and turned around, she aimed her other dagger's handle at her and pulled the trigger upwards to shoot the bullet, she fired it and Twilight Sparkle flinched to her left and her ears ringed again, she flipped the dagger over and flew to her while pushing a button just below the guards and the blades became electrified, she got ready to put the tips on Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle used her telekinesis and flung the daggers out of Robin's hoofs, she shot a zap at her and Robin flew over it, she teleported to behind her and shot another zap that Robin dodged by flying to her right, she kept coming and let out a grunt when she hugged her with her wings. Twilight Sparkle screamed while the others became confused as they watched, Robin let go and they saw she stabbed Twilight Sparkle, they looked and saw spiked rings on each digit of her wings, they were painted to be the exact same color as her body. Twilight Sparkle growled and used her telekinesis to take the rings off of Robin's wings and tossed them away, Robin flew around while dodging beams shot by Twilight Sparkle and lifted up the bottom of her vest, she had a white belly band under it, she reached into a hidden pocket and took out a pistol. Robin began shooting and Twilight Sparkle shrieked as she covered her ears since the pistol's gunshots were a lot louder than the guns in the daggers, "My ears!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, Robin aimed her pistol at her head, "If this was a real fight, I would've won right here." Robin said, and she flew away while putting the pistol back in the belly band under her vest. Twilight Sparkle panted and Paladin walked over to her, "We'll start when you catch your breath." Paladin spoke, "You're not going to attack me now?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "You're thinking of the Pegasi of Dreaming Paradise, unicorns and earth ponies are trained to have a sense of honor." Paladin replied, "Really?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We only try to win fights by any means necessary in life or death situations, but when it comes to training and challenges, we have to fight fair so everybody can have a chance." Arcana explained, "What about the Pegasi?" Twilight Sparkle questioned, "Mostly, they still have to let their opponents catch their breath in training." Paladin replied, "She's pretty slow, Twilight, but still be careful, one hit from her, and it's over." Sunset Shimmer warned, Twilight Sparkle nodded and she stood up, "I'm ready." Twilight Sparkle declared, and Paladin began walking to her. Paladin walked to her slowly and Twilight Sparkle became unamused, she shot a beam from her horn and Paladin staggered a little but kept walking to her, she shot another beam and hit her front left hoof, Paladin staggered just a little bit but still kept coming forward, she shot another beam and Paladin took out her shield and the beam bounced off of it, "Okay, a magic resistant shield, so you do have a defense against magic." Twilight Sparkle remarked, and she shot more beams but Paladin moved her shield around and blocked all of them. Twilight Sparkle tried casting a transmutation spell on the shield but she fell back as the shield deflected the spell, "I guess the shield resists all spells." Twilight Sparkle said, "You have to use your physical abilities on her, Twilight." Sunset Shimmer stated, "Well, in that case." Twilight Sparkle remarked, and she stood up and flew to her, she turned around and grunted as she bucked her, it did nothing, she flew back and got ready to hit Paladin's helmet, but she lifted up her front right hoof and punched her in her jaw. Twilight Sparkle screamed as she flew through the air and the others watched while speechless, she saw a tree up ahead and she flew into it with the front half of her body coming out the other side, "Twilight!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as the others ran to her, Twilight Sparkle groaned and did not move, her friends pulled her out and put her on the ground, she fell immediately, "So strong." Twilight Sparkle said weakly, they looked and saw she flew about sixty yards away from where they originally were, "How are ya feelin'?" Applejack asked, "My body's numb." Twilight Sparkle replied weakly, Paladin, Arcana, and Robin arrived at the scene, "I'm disappointed, princess, I thought you would be more durable." Paladin stated, "How are you so strong?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I'm an earth pony for one, and I've been doing strength training ever since I was four." Paladin replied, "Come on, y'all, it's almost dark, we need to sleep." Applejack stated, and they all left while Spike and Starlight Glimmer carried Twilight Sparkle home and got ready for bed, Sunset Shimmer saw Arcana taking medication, "You sick or something, Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "No, sleeping medicine, I have insomnia." Arcana replied, Sunset Shimmer had flashbacks and remembered that Arcana was always up late at night when she and her were rivals, they laid down on the floor and slept.
Chapter 3Morning came and Sunset Shimmer woke up, she saw Arcana was already awake and reading a book, "Couldn't sleep?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Not really." Arcana replied, "Well, I have school today, so I have to get going, I'll be back this afternoon." Sunset Shimmer stated, "You're still in school?" Robin questioned, "What's wrong with that? High school's fun." Sunset Shimmer answered, "I think you would have a job by now." Paladin remarked, "I do, I work at a restaurant." Sunset Shimmer replied, "School and work, sounds tough." Robin said, "It's not too bad. What about you three, what do you three do for a living?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I sell grape juice and wine." Arcana replied, "Bodyguard work for anybody who has enough money to hire me." Paladin stated, "I appraise old antiques." Robin added, "So, you three are busy, too." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "I'm only open on Sundays." Arcana replied, "Me too." Robin added, "What about you Paladin?" Sunset Shimmer questioned, "I'm always available, most ponies don't hire me, though." Paladin replied, "Is there a reason?" Sunset Shimmer inquired, "They hire royal guards and Wonderbolts instead, I'm called in when they fail." Paladin answered, "Oh, I guess that does make sense." Sunset Shimmer remarked, knocking was heard at the door, "Are you guys awake?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Come in." Paladin responded, and she entered and walked to Sunset Shimmer and Arcana while staggering and limping, "I've been wondering, how did you two become rivals?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Is there a reason why you want to know?" Arcana asked, "It's just that... when I was training to be Princess Celestia's student, I was by myself, I didn't have any rivals." Twilight Sparkle answered, "Wait, you didn't have to compete with anypony?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "No." Twilight Sparkle replied, Sunset Shimmer and Arcana looked at one another and then back at her, "Back then, Princess Celestia searched all of Equestria for powerful magic users, she sent us letters inviting us to Canterlot, we arrived, and we began doing magic spells in hopes that we will impress her and become her personal student." Arcana explained, "Really? She just came to me personally and took me in." Twilight Sparkle stated, "I think I know why she only took you in, some of the rivalries got violent." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Really?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yes, there was a lot of fighting and brawls, alongside magic battles, I wasn't the only one sent to the hospital." Arcana replied, "Wow, I never knew." Twilight Sparkle remarked, "Well, I have to get to class, I'll be going now." Sunset Shimmer said, and she left, "Don't you have stuff to do, too, your highness?" Robin asked, "Actually, yes, I have to run the School of Friendship, thanks for reminding me." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she left. Sunset Shimmer was trotting through Ponyville and making her way to the mirror, "Sunset, wait." Twilight Sparkle said as she tried to trot but staggered and limped, Sunset Shimmer turned around and faced her, "Why didn't you ever mention Arcana or having a rival to be Princess Celestia's student?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I completely forgot until she showed up yesterday." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Oh, right, you didn't remember her." Twilight Sparkle stated, "Yeah, I forgot I had rivals, too." Sunset Shimmer added, "Okay, just wanted to know, I'll see you this afternoon." Twilight Sparkle said, and the two went their separate ways. Paladin, Arcana, and Robin had breakfast and meditated, knocking was heard at the door and they walked to it, Paladin opened the door and saw Apple Bloom with Scootaloo to her right and Sweetie Belle to her left, "How can we help you guys?" Arcana asked, "Can you teach us your moves?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Hold on, how old are you three?" Paladin asked, "Ten." Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle replied together, "Eleven." Apple Bloom added, "Sorry, but you three are too old." Robin stated, "What? Oh, come on, please?" Apple Bloom asked, "Pretty, pretty please?" Sweetie Belle asked, "You three are almost teenagers, ponies in our home begin training when they're four." Robin explained, the Cutie Mark Crusaders groaned, "Well, can y'all three teach us the basics?" Apple Bloom asked, "You three have a client that involves the things we do?" Arcana questioned, "Wait, you know about us?" Scootaloo asked, "Of course, you guys are known throughout all of Equestria." Robin replied, "Well, we do get a few clients that do involve joining the royal guard and making potions sometimes." Apple Bloom said, "Sure, I can teach you about poison, but we're divided up by pony type in Dreaming Paradise, so Scootaloo, you come with me, Apple Bloom, you're with Paladin, and Sweetie Belle, you'll be with Arcana." Robin remarked, "Great! Can we start now?" Apple Bloom asked, "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to teach you three a few things." Paladin replied, "Yay!" the Cutie Mark Crusaders cheered, "Well, let's get started." Arcana said, and they did. Paladin got her sword and shield while Apple Bloom watched, "Alright, earth pony training in Dreaming Paradise is the most basic of the three trainings, that doesn't mean it's the easiest, though, we start with hoof-to-hoof combat." Paladin stated, "Ah think Ah get that, just punches, kicks, and bucks." Apple Bloom responded, "No, there's more, you have to learn grabs, grapples, and throws, too." Paladin added, "Can you please not hit me?" Apple Bloom shuddered, "Don't worry, hitting foals isn't my thing." Paladin responded, Apple Bloom sighed with relief, "You scared the entire town yesterday when you sent Princess Twilight flyin' with one hit yesterday." Apple Bloom said, "Yeah, that happens to almost all of my opponents." Paladin replied, "Actually, Ah was here hopin' to see ya use yer sword." Apple Bloom stated, "Oh, sure, I use it a bit in real battle." Paladin replied, and she unsheathed it, it was a double-edged broadsword with a straight blade, the blade was silver while the entire handle and guards were black, "Is yer sword enchanted?" Apple Bloom asked, "No." Paladin replied, "Then how do you deal with magical opponents?" Apple Bloom asked, "Believe me, I have my ways, now then." Paladin replied, and she swung her sword down, she left a big line in the ground, she did horizontal and diagonal slashes afterwards, "It's pretty basic." Apple Bloom said, "It's a part of our training, earth ponies are trained to overpower our enemies and smash through their guards with our strength." Paladin replied, "How do you build strength?" Apple Bloom asked, "Well, first off, you're going to need a suit of armor." Paladin replied, and it appeared, "Thanks, Arcana." Paladin responded, Arcana smiled, Paladin focused on Apple Bloom, "Alright, let's get you suited up." Paladin stated, and she put the armor on Apple Bloom, she grunted from its weight and fell over, "That's common for first timers, the entire suit of armor's sixty pounds, it's going to take a while before your body gets used to it." Paladin stated, Apple Bloom grunted as she struggled to get up, she fell again, "This thing's heavy." Apple Bloom stated, and she stood up after a while, "There, first part of our training, moving in the armor and getting used to it, we'll start with walking." Paladin said, and the two walked while Apple Bloom could barely move, she walked slowly while Paladin watched and waited for her to catch up, she did after about a minute and panted, "Can you still move?" Paladin asked, "A little bit." Apple Bloom replied, "Alright, you have to run now." Paladin stated, Apple Bloom's eyes widened, Paladin ran just fine while Apple Bloom tried running and ran out of breath after a few seconds, "This is only the basics, true strength training begins after you get used to the armor." Paladin said, "How?" Apple Bloom asked, Arcana made another suit of armor appear on her back, Apple Bloom grunted as she struggled not to fall, "You'll have to walk, run, and jump with another suit of armor on your back, after that, you carry weapons." Paladin explained, "Ya mean yer sword and shield, right?" Apple Bloom asked, "Not just a sword and a shield, you'll be carrying daggers, spears, battleaxes, war hammers, maces, a quiver full of arrows, a bow, and crossbows, too." Paladin replied, "Wait, so it's not just sword and shield?" Apple Bloom asked, "Nope, I've been trained in many weapons." Paladin replied, "Can Ah watch ya?" Apple Bloom asked, "Sure." Paladin replied, Apple Bloom smiled while Arcana made another sword, another shield, two daggers, two spears, two battleaxes, two war hammers, two maces, a quiver, arrows, a bow, and two crossbows appear. Paladin did a few swings and stabs with her sword while holding her shield in front of her, she threw her shield forward, "Why'd ya do that for, Paladin?" Apple Bloom asked, "Distraction, my shield's hard enough to be used as a weapon, throwing it can stun your enemies, the corners are sharp, too." Paladin replied, and she unsheathed the other sword, "Wait, ya can use two of each weapon?" Apple Bloom asked, "Yup, we're trained to dual wield, too." Paladin responded, and she swung her swords back and forth, she blocked with one sword and stabbed forward with the other one, she spun around and did a horizontal slash with her two swords, she put them down and got her shield and picked up the other shield, she blocked with both of them and charged forward, she also pretended to bash her opponent with them. Paladin put down one shield and got a spear, she blocked with the shield and stabbed the spear forward, she put down the shield and got a sword, she did vertical slashes with the spear and horizontal slashes with the sword, she put it down and got her other spear, she spun them around to her sides and then began stabbing forward with both spears. She put them down while Apple Bloom clapped, she got a sword and a dagger and began swinging them diagonally, she put the sword down and got a shield, she did a bash and then stabbed her dagger forward, she put the shield down and got a spear, she slid the dagger's handle onto the bottom of the spear and they connected, she spun it around in front of herself and over her own head, "Ah wanna see ya do that with two of 'em." Apple Bloom stated, "That's not possible, they'll end up hitting one another." Paladin responded, "Oh." Apple Bloom said, Paladin took the two apart and replaced the spear with another dagger, she swung them around and stabbed them forward, she put them down and picked up a battleaxe, she did slow swings but she heard the wind go past it, she picked up a sword and did diagonal slashes, "I would show you a move, but I need a volunteer for it." Paladin said, "What is it?" Apple Bloom asked, "If I dual wield a sword or dagger with my axe, I can use my axe to pull them forward and stab them with the sword or dagger." Paladin replied, "What about the spear?" Apple Bloom asked, "The spear's longer than the axe." Paladin explained, "Oh." Apple Bloom said, "Well, back to showing what I can do." Paladin stated, and she replaced the dagger with a spear, she did a vertical slash with the axe and diagonal slashes with the spear, she exhaled since swinging the battleaxe with one hoof took a lot of energy, she replaced the spear with a shield, "This is the same with the sword or dagger, Apple Bloom, I can use my axe to drag my opponent towards me and bash them with my shield." Paladin spoke, and she threw the shield and proceeded to do a vertical slash with her axe. She picked up the other battleaxe and swung the two down at the same time, she swung the two in the same directions at the same time, she did a spin and a horizontal slash with the two. Paladin put the two down and picked up a war hammer, she swung it down and did horizontal and vertical slashes, "Dual wielding other weapons with the war hammer do the same moves as the axe, Apple Bloom, so we'll skip it. The war hammer is the bane of many ponies' existences because the flat end here can break and smash shields and armor into pieces, and the tooth on the other end can be used to grab and pull opponents like the battleaxe." Paladin explained, she picked up the other war hammer and swung the two around, she did the same moves that she did when she dual wielded the battleaxes. She put them down and picked up a mace, she swung it down and horizontally, "This also scares people, Apple Bloom, like the hammer, the mace can also shatter shields and armor." Paladin said, and she picked up a sword, she did a quick hit with the mace and a horizontal slash with the sword, "What was that supposed to be?" Apple Bloom asked, "One of its moves, I hit the opponent on the head with the mace to stun them, and then a horizontal slash with the sword to cut their head off." Paladin replied, she put the sword down and picked up the second mace, "What about the other weapons?" Apple Bloom questioned, "Same moves as the axe and hammer." Paladin answered, and she began stabbing the maces forward, Apple Bloom looked and saw the maces had spikes on their tops. Paladin picked up the bow and began firing the arrows, "We don't dual wield when using the bow for obvious reasons." Paladin stated, she fired at the trees and put it down, she picked up a crossbow and aimed it, she shot it and hit a tree, she reloaded it and picked up a shield, she fired it while blocking, she put the shield down and picked up a war hammer, she held the war hammer out and acted like she was pulling someone forward with the tooth, "What are ya doin', Paladin?" Apple Bloom asked, "Another move, I can use the axe and hammer to pull my opponent forward and stab them with the arrow on the crossbow." Paladin replied, she put the war hammer down and got the other crossbow, she proceeded to stab with them and fired the arrows. She finished showing off what she could do and Apple Bloom clapped, "Thank you." Paladin spoke, "Ya must be tired after all of that." Apple Bloom replied, "Actually, no, I can do more, I had a lot of fun doing that, come on, Apple Bloom, let's train you a little more." Paladin responded, and they began walking together. Robin stood with Scootaloo and they faced each other, "Can I see your daggers?" Scootaloo asked, Robin took them out of her coat, "Here." Robin said, and Scootaloo looked at them, they were double-edged, "How did you make that thing come out of the handle?" Scootaloo asked, "The bullet? The handle's a gun, you should feel a trigger on one of the sides." Robin replied, "I do." Scootaloo stated, "That fires it, the handles have motion and touch sensors in them so the wielder doesn't end up shooting themselves, just do what I did, point the bottom of the handle to where you wanna fire and pull the trigger up with your hoof." Robin explained, Scootaloo pointed the flat pommel and pulled the trigger up, it did not fire, "Huh?" Scootaloo exclaimed, "Oh, sorry, I forgot to reload them, it fires one bullet at a time." Robin explained, and she took them, she took two small bullets out of her trouser pockets and put them into the pommels, she handed them back, "There, go ahead and try it now." Robin said, and Scootaloo fired the bullets, she jumped back, blinked, and bit her own teeth down hard from the loudness of the gunshot, "Yeah, the gunshot will take some time to get used to, some of my other weapons are even louder, though." Robin said, "How did you electrify the blades?" Scootaloo asked, "There's a button near the guards under the blade, push it to activate it, it makes this battery built into the handle transfer its voltage into the blade, I mainly use it to stun people, but you can also stab it into your opponent to fry them from the inside." Robin explained, Scootaloo cringed at the thought, she pushed the two buttons and blue electricity appeared on the blades, she looked on with awe and handed the daggers back to Robin, "You used something on Twilight's neck yesterday, too." Scootaoo said, Robin took the garotte out of her coat, "This is a garotte, it is used to strangle people." Robin said, "Do you have hidden weapons in that?" Scootaloo asked, "No." Robin replied, and she put it back in her coat, "Can I see your rings?" Scootaloo asked, Robin unfolded her wings and Scootaloo could not see them, she looked from the side and saw the spikes, "Okay, I see them now." Scootaloo stated, "They have been painted to be the exact same color as my body to camouflage them, Princess Twilight was really caught off-guard yesterday when I got her with them." Robin explained, "Yeah, I saw that." Scootaloo replied, "I have many different colors of these, they're for my disguises." Robin said, "Wait, disguises?" Scootaloo asked, "Uh-huh, the Pegasi of Dreaming Paradise are trained in stealth, our training is the hardest one." Robin replied, "Can I see your lipstick?" Scootaloo asked, Robin reached into her pants and took it out, "Uh..." Scootaloo said, "Relax, I have pockets on the inside of my pants, see." Robin replied as she unfolded part of her pants down and showed Scootaloo the pocket on the inside. Scootaloo took the lipstick and opened the capsule, she saw the hole in the center of it, she remembered how Robin used it and aimed it. She turned the tube at the bottom and it fired, the bullet went into a tree, "Like my daggers, that's a single bullet gun, too." Robin said, and Scootaloo returned it to her and she put it back in her inner trouser pocket, "What about your last weapon?" Scootaloo asked, "Which one?" Robin asked, "Um... I don't know what it's called, but you took something out from your stomach region." Scootaloo replied, "You mean this?" Robin asked as she lifted her vest up and showed the white belly band, "Yeah." Scootaloo replied, "This is a belly band, it also acts as a holster for me to carry more things." Robin explained, "I still wanna see that last weapon you used yesterday." Scootaloo stated, Robin took out her pistol, "This is a pistol, I usually don't use this because of how loud it is, it'll attract enemies." Robin explained, "Then why do you carry it?" Scootaloo asked, "Last resort, it can also be used to let my friends know where I'm at." Robin replied, "Oh. What else do you have?" Scootaloo asked, "I can't do that, it won't be a secret if I tell you what other weapons I have." Robin replied, Scootaloo looked and saw something on the left side of her abdomen, "I see something there on the left side of the belly band there." Scootaloo spoke, Robin reached in and took out a knife, "That doesn't look like a normal knife." Scootaloo said, "It isn't, this is a ballistic knife." Robin replied, "What's it do?" Scootaloo asked, Robin put it back in the pouch and put her vest down, "You'll just have to wait and see me use it in battle." Robin replied, "Okay." Scootaloo lamented, "Well, aside from that, I'm willing to share what us Pegasi have to do for training." Robin stated, "What were you doing yesterday morning?" Scootaloo asked, "Flips, all Pegasi of Dreaming Paradise have to be flexible, agile, and acrobatic, and if you saw me at the farm yesterday, that is also a part of our training, we have to be able to take things from others without them noticing, alongside being pickpockets, we also have to learn freerunning and parkour." Robin replied, "Wow, that's a lot." Scootaloo said, "It is, but there's still more." Robin responded, "I wanna learn those later, I wanna learn how you got all flexible and acrobatic." Scootaloo said, "Alright, first training for the Pegasus, we start with stretches." Robin replied, and they stretched. Robin stretched her legs as far as they could stretch while Scootaloo copied her, she reeled up on her hind legs while she grabbed her own head with her front hoofs and stretched her back to the sides, she then stretched her upper body back and touched her own hind hoofs with her front hoofs, she looked and saw Scootaloo grunting while trying to reach her hind hoofs, "Whoa!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she fell over, "Keep trying, your body will adjust eventually." Robin said, "How does your hat not fall off?" Scootaloo asked, "It's on tight." Robin replied, "What about your weapons?" Scootaloo asked, "I have straps and holsters to secure them." Robin replied, "Oh." Scootaloo said, and she tried bending her upper body back again, she grunted as she tried to touch her own hind hoofs, she could not reach and fell again, "Yeah, keep working on that, you need to be flexible before you can start doing acrobats." Robin stated, and she bent back forward and sighed, "What's the agility test?" Scootaloo asked, "Obstacle courses, that involves acrobats sometimes, too." Robin replied, "Can I see?" Scootaloo asked, "Of course." Robin replied, and she ran while Scootaloo followed her. Robin walked around and looked for an area to train while Scootaloo followed her, "Here's a good starting spot." Robin stated, and Scootaloo saw a bunch of trees. Robin began running and went around the trees and came back, "Wow, I can do that." Scootaloo said, and she did the same thing, "Good job, but you've still got some work to do before you're at my level." Robin stated, "What's the next test?" Scootaloo asked, "Actually, there are several ways to do this, I'll show you what it looks like when I do freerunning and parkour." Robin replied, and she ran and jumped and placed her hind left leg on the first tree, she sprung herself up with her leg and grabbed a tree branch on the second tree, she swung above it and let go, she did a back flip while in mid air and landed on a tree branch on the third tree, she jumped and did another back flip and landed on a tree branch on the fourth tree, she jumped to her right and grabbed another tree branch, she swung herself to the right and was on the other side of the tree, she landed on another tree branch and then did a somersault and landed on a tree branch of the third tree, she jumped and landed on a branch on the second tree, she dropped down and hung off, she swung forward and jumped, she grabbed a branch on the first tree and then did a back flip while jumping down. Scootaloo clapped while Robin walked back to her, "That was amazing!" Scootaloo cheered, "Thank you." Robin replied, "What else does Pegasi training include?" Scootaloo asked, "Lock picking, you have a lock?" Robin asked, "You can try my house, let's go." Scootaloo replied, and they ran. Robin arrived at Scootaloo's house and she locked the door from the inside. Robin took two lock picks out of her vest pockets and picked the lock, she opened the door, "Wow, you got the door open." Scootaloo stated, "Yes, but I have a faster way, you need to be outside to see it." Robin responded, and Scootaloo walked outside. Robin locked the door and closed it, she took out her ballistic knife and placed it in the gap between the door and the wall, she moved the latch back with the knife's blade and then opened the door, "Whoa!" Scootaloo exclaimed, "Anything else you wanna know?" Robin asked, "What else can you do?" Scootaloo asked, "Voice mimicry." Robin replied in Scootaloo's voice, Scootaloo's jaw dropped, "How about this voice?" Robin asked in Twilight Sparkle's voice, "I can do this one, too, partner." Robin spoke in Apple Bloom's voice, "This one too, darling." Robin said in Rarity's voice, "Pretty awesome, isn't it?" Robin asked in Rainbow Dash's voice, "Yeah, but that's kind of scary." Scootaloo replied, "It has a drawback, though, since I'm female, I can only mimic female voices." Robin explained in her regular voice, "Can you do Spike's voice?" Scootaloo asked, Robin warmed up her vocal chords and tried but she sounded nothing like him, "Nope." Robin replied, "Well, that was cool to know, Robin, but I need to take a break." Scootaloo remarked, "When you get better, I can teach you the training we learn in flight." Robin replied, "Um... about that, my wings are stunted, I can't fly." Scootaloo said, "That's fine, there are some acrobats that don't require flying, let's go back now." Robin replied, and the two walked back. Arcana was sitting with her hind legs crossed and her front hoofs pressed against each other with Sweetie Belle watching her, "Unicorn training in Dreaming Paradise is mostly mental, but mental training can be overwhelming and exhaust those who are unprepared, the first thing we learn in our training is controlling the four elements of nature." Arcana explained, "How do I do that?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Simple, meditate like me, you need to imagine yourself as the element itself to control it." Arcana replied, and Sweetie Belle did. She meditated and closed her eyes as tightly as she could, "Now imagine yourself as one of the four elements you wish to control." Arcana said, and Sweetie Belle imagined herself as the ground, "You choose your element?" Arcana asked, "Earth." Sweetie Belle replied, "Alright, now feel like you are the earth itself, and cast a spell when you are ready." Arcana said, and Sweetie Belle focused while trying to imagine herself as part of the earth, she tried casting a spell and her magic aura turned yellow, she made a piece of the ground erupt. She opened her eyes and looked, she became awestruck when she saw what she did, "Once when you get to my level, you'll be able to control the four elements without needing to meditate, you meditate because it disconnects your soul from your body, and lets you float into other things, by letting your soul go into the elements, you become the element itself." Arcana explained, "What about the wood and metal I see you use?" Sweetie Belle asked, "That's for a completely different set of elements." Arcana replied, "Wait, there's more?" Sweetie Belle asked, "There's a total of seven elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Wood, Metal, and Void." Arcana explained, "What's void?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Spiritual feelings, it's mostly known as Aether, but we call it Void, they are things beyond our control in everyday experiences, when you master Void, you can sense your surroundings without thinking or feeling." Arcana explained, "I've never seen you use it." Sweetie Belle said, "Actually, I did use it yesterday, void magic involves magic that controls the dead, that includes soul magic and necromancy." Arcana explained, "I wanna see wood and metal magic." Sweetie Belle stated, "They fall under earth magic when using the four elements." Arcana replied, "What else can you cast?" Sweetie Belle asked, Arcana did a spell and the grass turned into knife blades, she changed them back and cast a spell on Sweetie Belle, "*scream* I can't see!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, she moved around a bit, "I can't feel anything, either!" Sweetie Belle shouted, she then felt a tingling in her head, "I am contacting you telepathically, I don't use this spell often, the spell I cast on you takes away your senses." Arcana explained, Sweetie Belle stood still in shock and Arcana returned them to her, "That's a scary spell." Sweetie Belle remarked, "If you're scared, I have Tarot cards that I can use to change your behavior." Arcana replied, "No, I'm fine." Sweetie Belle said, "Alright, I'll go ahead and show you the astral plane, meditate now." Arcana stated, and the two did. Arcana floated in the air while Sweetie Belle sat on the ground, "Disconnect your soul from your body, enter a dreamlike state, when you do, you will enter the astral plane." Arcana explained with her voice echoing, and Sweetie Belle focused. She meditated and felt like she was about to fall asleep after about twenty minutes, her vision became light blue and she felt herself flying into a portal, she looked and saw twelve animals in a circle around her, they were a rat, an ox, a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a goat, a monkey, a rooster, a dog, and a pig, they all spun in a clockwise direction around her. She looked and saw the constellations Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius form under the twelve animals, they spun in a clockwise formation as well, a stream of fire, a stream of water, a mound of dirt, a gust of wind, a log, a piece of metal, and a light blue flame formed under the constellations and spun as well, Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and White Tiger under the elements with Black Tortoise in the north, Azure Dragon in the east, Vermilion Bird in the south, and White Tiger in the west, they did not spin around, Yellow Dragon appeared in the center of Sweetie Belle's vision, his eyes glowed and he growled and she flew past the things that appeared before her. Sweetie Belle flew forward and entered the astral plane, she saw a light blue aura everywhere alongside constellations floating around, she saw land up ahead and landed on it, "Wow, this is a unique place." Sweetie Belle remarked, "You there, what brings you here to my realm?" Yellow Dragon asked with a deep and booming voice, "Um, Arcana was just showing me what the place looks like." Sweetie Belle replied, "The astral plane is not a place to play, this is a place for creatures to strengthen their mental abilities." Yellow Dragon explained, "How?" Sweetie Belle asked, "It is quiet in here, we can meditate with no distractions." Arcana replied, "Can I see the rest of the place?" Sweetie Belle asked, "You may, but if you cause trouble, I will throw you out." Yellow Dragon replied, "I promise, Yellow Dragon, she won't, come on, Sweetie Belle." Arcana assured, and they used telekinesis on themselves. Arcana and Sweetie Belle flew up and looked on in awe at the astral plane, "This is the very center of the astral plane, there's more if you travel out." Arcana stated, Sweetie Belle looked and saw the north was covered in snow and there was a blizzard blowing with water floating in the sky, the east had flowers blooming and leaves growing, there was wood growing out of some of the flowers, the west had leaves on the ground with more blowing through the air, the dead trees had metal growing out of their branches, and the south was a beach environment with palm trees, a bright sun, and fire as its ocean. Sweetie Belle looked around more and saw the outer astral plane had water floating above the ground and the sky and clouds below it, the avian animals were flying in the water and the marine animals were swimming in the sky, "Can I see the rest?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Sorry, but I'm just showing you what the place looks like, let's go back now." Arcana replied, and they did. Sweetie Belle and Arcana arrived back in Ponyville and opened their eyes', "What did you think?" Arcana asked, "That place was beautiful." Sweetie Belle replied, Arcana smiled, "Anything else you want to know?" Arcana questioned, "I wanna learn how to make potions." Sweetie Belle answered, "Sorry, but alchemy and potion making is Pegasi training, I did some self studying when I was Sunset's rival, but the potion I can make is very unstable." Arcana explained, "Still, the thought of you being a princess and an alicorn is kind of scary." Sweetie Belle said, "I only wanted to become Princess Celestia's student so I could improve my magic, I couldn't care less about being an alicorn or princess even if I wanted to." Arcana replied, "Still, though." Sweetie Belle remarked, "Anything else you want to know?" Arcana asked, "What other types of magic do you have?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Black magic and white magic, my healing spell is white magic, my four element magic falls under black magic." Arcana explained, "Wow, I never knew." Sweetie Belle remarked, "Well, now you do." Arcana answered, "Well, that's all we have to teach you three, go on now." Paladin said, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders left and waved bye at them, the three waved back while Arcana and Robin smiled, Paladin's helmet concealed her face, "You know word's gonna spread, right?" Robin asked, "I don't think any harm will be done." Arcana replied, "Yeah, plus, foals might develop an interest in our trainings, come on now, let's get ready for Sunset Shimmer's return." Paladin responded, and they went back into the house. Sunset Shimmer was having lunch with her friends in the school, "Did you see who wanted to see you, Sunset?" Fluttershy asked, "Yeah, I did." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Who was it?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "A unicorn named Arcana." Sunset Shimmer answered, "Judging by yer voice, she don't sound like a friend of yers" Applejack stated, "Actually, I had rivals before I became Princess Celestia's student and had to compete with them, she was my biggest rival." Sunset Shimmer explained, her friends gasped, "You never mentioned you had a rival." Rarity said, "That's because I completely forgot about her until she showed up yesterday." Sunset Shimmer replied, "So, what's the history between you two?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Um..." Sunset Shimmer said as she remembered, "You wanted to be Princess Celestia's student, but Arcana's magic far surpassed yours, so when you two were about to do a contest to impress Princess Celestia, you messed with chemicals that caused an explosion and sent her to the hospital, and now she's back to see you so she can get back at you." Pinkie Pie explained, she smiled while Sunset Shimmer's jaw dropped, "How did you know?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Just a hunch." Pinkie Pie replied, "How have things been so far?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Alright, I've been proving to Arcana that I've changed my ways, I'm going to head back to Ponyville after school." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Well, finish your lunch, I'm guessing you forgot to do yesterday's homework." Twilight Sparkle remarked, "Oh, shoot, I did, thanks for reminding me." Sunset Shimmer replied, and she finished lunch and worked on her homework, the school day finished and she went into the mirror and headed back to Ponyville. Sunset Shimmer arrived in Ponyville and trotted outside, she saw Twilight Sparkle and her friends were still teaching at the School of Friendship, "Huh. I guess the school day is longer here." Sunset Shimmer remarked, and she trotted more. She trotted to where Arcana was staying while the ponies got on with their days, "Sunset!" Scootaloo hollered as she ran to her, "I learned that Robin's belly band also contains a knife, she can use it to open locked doors." Scootaloo informed, "I thought I noticed something else in that thing on her stomach." Sunset Shimmer replied, "She also said that the thing she used to choke Twilight doesn't have any hidden weapons in it." Scootaloo said, "I see, anything else?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Well, that's all I know of her weapons." Scootaloo replied, "It's alright, thanks, Scootaloo." Sunset Shimmer said, and the two went their separate ways. Sunset Shimmer walked more and saw Apple Bloom up ahead, "Sunset, Ah learned that Paladin can use more than just swords and shields, she also uses spears, axes, hammers, maces, bow and arrows, and crossbows." Apple Bloom informed, "Anything else?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "She can dual wield and knows hoof-to-hoof combat, too." Apple Bloom replied, "Alright, I'll keep that in mind, thanks, Apple Bloom." Sunset Shimmer said, and she walked past her and saw Sweetie Belle up ahead, "Sunset, Arcana taught me how to control nature." Sweetie Belle said as she ran to her, "Really? How?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "She said you have to meditate and imagine yourself as that element, she talked about how it involves disconnecting your soul from your body and transferring it into other stuff." Sweetie Belle replied, "Oh, well, I'm not very good at stuff like that." Sunset Shimmer responded, "She also showed me the astral plane, it was a beautiful place." Sweetie Belle said, "That's good to hear, I'll try it later, thanks for telling me how her magic works." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Wait, there's more, there's actually seven elements, Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Wood, Metal, and Void, her healing spell is white magic, and her combat spells are black magic." Sweetie Belle explained, "Alright, thanks, you and your two friends, I'll be going to see them now." Sunset Shimmer replied, and she trotted to them.
Chapter 4Sunset Shimmer trotted to where Arcana and her two friends were staying and was remembering she was never good at physical activities when she and her were rivals, she walked to her and saw the three mares, "We thought you'd show up around now, you ready to help us with afternoon training?" Robin asked, "Sure." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Well, choose your opponent." Paladin said, "Sorry, Arcana, but I'm going to have to skip you this time, I kind of remembered your main weakness." Sunset Shimmer stated, "What?" Arcana asked, "You're very weak physically." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Us unicorns of Dreaming Paradise are not trained in strength." Arcana remarked, "No, not that, you're physically weak in general." Sunset Shimmer replied, "If you think what you're saying is true, then prove it." Paladin stated, and Arcana walked forward. Arcana got ready to cast a spell and Sunset Shimmer teleported to her right side and bucked her with her hind legs, she grunted loudly as she flew through the air and landed on the ground, she began to get back up and Sunset Shimmer teleported to her and bucked her on her left side, she grunted again as she flew through the air, she fell on the ground and rolled a bit this time, Sunset Shimmer quickly teleported to her while Arcana was about to cast a healing spell, she bucked her on her right side again and Arcana grunted loudly as she rolled on the ground several times and went up in the air on the last roll and fell. Arcana groaned in pain and could not move or cast magic, "What? You go down after only three hits? You're a lot weaker than I thought." Sunset Shimmer remarked, a hoof tugged her head on its left and she came face-to-face with Paladin with Robin standing to her left, "Then why don't you try facing one of us instead?" Paladin asked, "I'll try Robin again." Sunset Shimmer replied as she pointed at her, Paladin walked back while Robin to her. Robin aimed her lipstick case at her and turned the bottom to fire a bullet, Sunset Shimmer flinched to her right to dodge it, Robin threw it away and reached into her coat with both of her front hoofs and took out two crossbows, "Really?" Sunset Shimmer asked in an unamused tone, Robin pulled the trigger up on one crossbow and fired the bolt, Sunset Shimmer grabbed it with her telekinesis and threw it back, Robin caught it with her right wing and reloaded it back into the crossbow, Sunset Shimmer's eyes widened and Robin fired the bolt again, Sunset Shimmer grabbed the bolt with her telekinesis and Robin fired the other bolt, she grabbed it with her telekinesis, she snapped both bolts in half and threw them behind herself. Robin put her crossbows back in her coat and jumped to her right when she saw a beam coming at her, she lifted up her vest and took the ballistic knife out, she flew forward and did slashes while Sunset Shimmer stepped back to dodge the slashes, she ducked to dodge one slash and kicked her with her hind right leg, Robin grunted as she slid back a little. She flew forward and tried to cut Sunset Shimmer with her knife while she teleported around with her magic, she teleported away from her and Robin aimed the knife at her, she pushed the red button on the handle and the blade shot out like a bullet, Sunset Shimmer yelped as she jumped to her right and the knife blade hit a tree. Robin reached into her boots with her front hoofs and took a knife out of both of them, she flew forward and tried to slash Sunset Shimmer while she dodged them, "Those bladed weapons of yours are getting old, Robin." Sunset Shimmer remarked as she dodged the knives, she continued dodging until she snatched them out of Robin's grip with her telekinesis and threw them behind herself. Robin reeled up on her hind legs and grabbed her own belt buckle, she detached it and revealed a knife blade under the buckle, Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes while Robin flew to her and tried to slash her again, she flung it away with her telekinesis and kicked her again, Robin slid back a little and reeled up on her hind legs again and took off her belt and swung it around, Sunset Shimmer's eyes widened she saw her belt was actually a whip. She swung it around and broke the ground twice, she tried to hit Sunset Shimmer with it and she ducked, Robin then aimed for her hoofs and she yelped as she reeled up to avoid the whip, she made the whip go up and hit Sunset Shimmer on abdomen and chest, she yelled and moved back and panted since the whip hurt a lot. Robin spun around and then hit her whip on the ground, it flew forward while breaking it, Sunset Shimmer teleported and reappeared to Robin's right, she tried to buck her but Robin grabbed her hind legs with her right wing and threw her over herself, Sunset Shimmer screamed and fell into the ground. Sunset Shimmer got back up and saw the whip coming down, she teleported away and the whip could not reach her, Robin flew to her and tried to hit her, Sunset Shimmer just teleported far away from it. Robin put her whip in her other front hoof and lifted up her belly band, she took out the pistol and aimed it at her, she ducked when she saw a beam coming, she aimed and Sunset Shimmer was not there, she appeared behind her and bucked her, she grunted as she slid forward a little, she bucked Sunset Shimmer and she staggered a little. Robin turned around while swinging her whip and Sunset Shimmer focused, she bent her back and grabbed the whip with her front hoofs, Robin aimed her pistol and she kicked it out of her hoof with hind right hoof and then snatched the whip with her telekinesis and threw it elsewhere. Robin flew forward while putting her front legs in her coat and tried to hug Sunset Shimmer with her wings, she jumped back to dodge the spiked rings, she opened her wings and revealed two double-bladed knives on her front hoofs, "How many do you have?!" Sunset Shimmer fumed, Robin held her front hoofs up and threw her front right leg forward and the double-bladed knife flew forward, Sunset Shimmer moved to her right to dodge it and the double-bladed knife went back to her hoof. Sunset Shimmer looked and saw Twilight Sparkle and her friends have arrived and were watching, she quickly moved her head back when she saw a double-bladed knife coming. Robin swung them around and the double-bladed knifes looked like they were floating around her, she threw them both forward and Sunset Shimmer tried to grab them, but they flew past her hoofs and they got cut, she screamed and saw her blood soak something, Twilight Sparkle and her friends gasped at seeing the double-bladed knives were connected to razor-sharp wires that were so thin, they were invisible to the naked eye. Sunset Shimmer growled while Robin spun around and made the wires spin with her, she ducked while the double-bladed knives went back to Robin, she threw them forward again and Sunset Shimmer grabbed the thin wires with her telekinesis, she tried to pull them apart but they did not break, "Wow, those wires sure are strong." Applejack said, "They must have a very high tensile strength then." Twilight Sparkle added, Sunset Shimmer continued to try to break the wires but could not, so she took them off of Robin's hoofs and she yelled as the wires cut her, Sunset Shimmer ran to her and bucked her, she grunted and fell on the ground this time. Sunset Shimmer growled and jumped to Robin to tackle her, but Robin turned herself around on the ground and held her hind legs up, she clicked her heels and knife blades came out of the front of her boot soles. Twilight Sparkle and her friends gasped at what they saw, "Sunset! Look out!" Twilight Sparkle hollered, Sunset Shimmer quickly cast telekinesis on herself and moved back while Robin got up and flew to her. She began doing kicks with her hind legs and tried to cut Sunset Shimmer with the knifes in her boots, she glared and removed the knifes with her telekinesis. Robin flew back and reached into her boots again and took out more guns, they looked strange, she shot one and Sunset Shimmer ducked, Robin threw the gun at her and missed, she fired her other gun and Sunset Shimmer teleported, Robin threw the gun at her, she then reeled up on her hind legs and flicked her front legs outwards and more guns came out of her sleeves, she shot one and Sunset Shimmer ducked, Robin shot it again and Sunset Shimmer cast a shield around herself and saw her throw the gun at her, she fired two bullets from her other gun and threw it at her, they bounced off of the shield. Sunset Shimmer put her shield down, "I guess you're out of weapons." Sunset Shimmer remarked, Robin reached into her coat with her wings and took out shuriken, Sunset Shimmer's jaw dropped, Robin began throwing them and Sunset Shimmer ran behind a tree and the shuriken got stuck in them, "Wow, what are those?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "I have no clue, Starlight." Twilight Sparkle replied, Robin stopped throwing and Sunset Shimmer looked, she held her front right hoof out and something came, she went back behind the tree and whatever Robin threw hit the tree, Sunset Shimmer looked and saw it was a kunai, she ran out from behind the tree and Robin began moving her front legs back and forth and threw kunai at her, she jumped over them and kicked Robin with her hind legs, she grunted as she fell over. Sunset Shimmer panted and held Robin down, she stopped when she felt something sharp on her neck, she looked and saw a kunai at her throat, "I still won." Robin said, Sunset Shimmer growled as she stepped off of her and slammed her front right leg on the ground while Robin got her weapons back. Twilight Sparkle and her friends went to them, "You only won because you cheated." Rainbow Dash said, "What do you mean I cheated?" Robin asked, "Honestly, Robin, all of these hidden weapons of yers is kinda unfair." Applejack replied, "Well, it is how I was trained to fight." Robin replied, "I bet you would lose in a fair fight." Rainbow Dash declared, "Try me." Robin challenged, and Rainbow Dash flew forward and tried to punch her with her front hoofs, Robin grabbed it and spun around while she threw Rainbow Dash away, she screamed as she fell, she growled as she got up and flew to her, she tried punching her several times but Robin blocked each punch and eventually jumped and kicked Rainbow Dash in her chin, she yelled as she fell back, she growled and flew to Robin, she aimed her hind right hoof down and was about to hit Robin, she turned to her right and punched Rainbow Dash in her chin, she grunted as she fell over, "Alright, we get it, Robin, you can win in a fair fight, too." Applejack said, and they watched Sunset Shimmer. Sunset Shimmer walked over to Paladin as she watched her, "I'm ready." Sunset Shimmer stated, "Alright." Paladin replied, and they got ready. Paladin took a crossbow off of her left hind leg and aimed it, she shot a bolt and Sunset Shimmer caught it with telekinesis and broke it, she took out a second one and aimed it with her other front hoof, she fired it and Sunset Shimmer broke the bolt with her telekinesis and took the crossbows out of Paladin's hoofs. Paladin took out a spear and swung it down, and Sunset Shimmer jumped back, Paladin lifted up the handle and jumped down while the spear came out of the ground and she swung it down again. Sunset Shimmer stepped to her right and Paladin began swinging the spear around, she eventually began spinning it while walking forward and Sunset Shimmer stepped back, she shot a beam at Paladin's armor and she grunted as she staggered a little but kept coming, she shot more beams but they only staggered Paladin and she kept walking forward while spinning her spear around, she stopped when the blade touched Sunset Shimmer's head, "I would've won now if this was a real fight." Paladin said, "Magic beams don't do much to you, do they?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Nope, they just stagger me, my armor's magic resistant, too." Paladin replied, "I see, I'm ready to see what else you can do." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "No, it's over, I got you." Paladin replied, "That kind of isn't fair." Sunset Shimmer stated, "Well, I need every advantage I can get in a real battle, discarding my weapons and armor for a fair fight would be a stupid move on my part." Paladin replied, they heard groaning and Arcana got up slowly, "When is our next match?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "This evening." Paladin replied, and she took her weapons off and carried only her sword and shield. Rainbow Dash saw a sword and got an idea, she picked it up in her mouth and flew to Paladin, "Sure, I can use another workout." Paladin stated, and she took off her shield and helmet, she unsheathed her sword and held it in her mouth. The two clanged the swords and Paladin almost knocked Rainbow Dash down with the first hit, she stood her ground and clanged the sword against Paladin's, her teeth soon began to hurt from the force Paladin was putting into her strikes, she did one more strike and knocked the sword out of Rainbow Dash's mouth, she screamed as she fell over, "You need to work on your jaw strength, come challenge me when you get stronger." Paladin said, and she put her helmet back on and walked away. Rainbow Dash got back up and held the sword in her mouth again and flew to Arcana, "Sorry, but I don't do direct combat." Arcana said, "Never hurts to try, Arcana." Rainbow Dash responded, and she flew to her and Arcana shot a blast out of her horn, "Whoa!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as her beam shot her away, "I am willing to do target practice, though." Arcana stated, and she shot beams at the sword while Rainbow Dash flew around to dodge them, she got hit by one and she flew away, "Hmm, impressive, looks like the rumors about you being the fastest flier in Equestria were true after all." Arcana remarked while smiling, Rainbow Dash picked up the sword and flew to Robin, she landed and got ready to fight her. Robin smirked as reeled up on her hind legs and put her front right hoof behind herself and under her coat, she hid whatever she took out with her wing, she opened her digits and a loud noise was heard. Rainbow Dash yelled as something hit the sword's pommel and knocked the sword out of her mouth as she fell, she looked and saw Robin holding a revolver in her front right hoof, she blew the smoke out of the muzzle, "You still have more weapons?!" Rainbow Dash snapped, Robin reached into the back of her pants with her other front hoof and took out a second revolver, "I demand a rematch!" Rainbow Dash demanded, "Nope, you already lost." Robin replied, Rainbow Dash growled, "Rainbow Dash, if you demand a fair fight with other Pegasi in Dreaming Paradise, you will lose quickly." Robin explained, Rainbow Dash growled even more, "Wait, now that I know your weaknesses, maybe can help you three improve on them." Sunset Shimmer stated as she ran to them, "You would actually do that for us?" Paladin asked, "Sure, I know your weaknesses, Paladin, you're slow, so maybe some training can make you move faster, Arcana, you're weak physically, so maybe we can improve your strength and endurance, and Robin, uh... I don't know if she has any weaknesses." Sunset Shimmer said, "She's physically weak, too." Paladin replied, she looked and saw Robin getting her weapons in place, "Alright, well, let's see what you three can do, let's go to Sweet Apple Acres." Sunset Shimmer said, and they followed her. Sunset Shimmer and the others arrived at Sweet Apple Acres and she stood across from the three visitors, "Alright, first, take your clothes off, they're going to get dirty if you wear them for what I have in mind." Sunset Shimmer said, and they did. Paladin took off her armor piece by piece, starting with her hoofs and working her way to her body, Arcana took her shoes off first, and then her lace dress, then her white dress, Robin took her boots off first and then her coat, she took off her cravat next, she then took off her vest and her belly band, she was wearing a white long-sleeve button-up dress shirt with the collar buttoned down, she took her shirt out of her pants and unbuttoned it and took it off, she then took her two guns out of the back of her pants and then took it off, the three laid their clothes behind themselves and everybody looked at their cutie marks, Paladin's cutie mark was a double-edged broadsword and a kite shield, Arcana's cutie mark was a black pentagram with a black tome in the center of it, and Robin's cutie mark a dagger and a light blue jewel, "Alright, first, warm up, let's do some stretching." Sunset Shimmer decided, and they did. Sunset Shimmer stretched while the three mares copied her, Paladin stretched about the same length as Sunset Shimmer did, Arcana could not stretch far, and Robin stretched the farthest, "What are you three doing going through my clothes?" Robin asked, they looked and saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders at her clothes, "Um... we were wondering what other weapons you had." Sweetie Belle replied, "Then don't go through my clothes, some of my stuff are sharp and will cut you by just touching them." Robin responded, and they stopped, "Okay, let's continue." Sunset Shimmer stated, and they stretched a little more, the four balanced themselves on one of their hind legs' and stretched their other hind leg behind themselves and tried to grab it with a front hoof, "Whoa!" Arcana exclaimed as she wobbled and fell on the ground after about two seconds, Paladin grunted as she balanced herself and grunted when she fell, Robin stretched her hing leg over her own head, "Wow. Well, let's try cardio first, push-ups, do as much as you can, I'll be doing them with you." Sunset Shimmer spoke, and they did. The four mares began doing push-ups but they went at different speeds, Sunset Shimmer and Robin did them at average speed, Arcana was very slow and struggling already, and Paladin was going faster than everypony else, Arcana went down on her first push-up while grunting loudly, she tried to go back up but fell, Robin fell after doing fifteen push-ups, Sunset Shimmer fell after doing twenty five push-ups, Paladin chuckled and kept going, "Alright, Paladin, that's enough." Sunset Shimmer said after Paladin did her hundredth one, and she stopped, "Alright, let's try sit-ups next." Sunset Shimmer decided, and they did. The four mares did them and Arcana was out of breath after her tenth one, Sunset Shimmer and Robin were out of breath after their thirtieth one, and Paladin stopped after her fiftieth one and was ready to do more training, "What's next?" Paladin asked, "Weight lifting, I'll need four barbells." Sunset Shimmer replied, and Arcana made them appear, "How many weights do you all want?" Arcana asked, "I'll take ten pounds." Sunset Shimmer said, "Twenty." Robin stated, "Fifty." Paladin added, and Arcana made them appear, "What about yourself, Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "No weights for me." Arcana replied, "The barbells weigh fifty pounds on their own." Paladin informed, "Oh, that is kinda heavy, well, let's begin." Sunset Shimmer declared, and they put the barbells on their backs and laid down, "Lift." Sunset Shimmer said, and they did. The four grunted as they tried to lift the barbells up, Arcana stopped when she was halfway up and fell back down, the other three stood and went back down, Robin tried to stand again but fell, Sunset Shimmer fell after her third rep, and Paladin took the barbell off of herself after her fifth rep, "Next." Paladin said, "Hold on." Sunset Shimmer replied, and they caught their breath and stood up, "Let's try running next." Sunset Shimmer stated, and they walked out to in front of the barn. Sunset Shimmer and the other three began running around the open ground, Robin was the fastest runner, Sunset Shimmer was behind her, Paladin was behind her, and Arcana was the slowest, she was out of breath and fell after twenty seconds, she got up and walked to the center while the other three kept running, "Are ya startin' to feel irritated that ya can't keep up with yer friends, Arcana?" Apple Bloom asked, "Nope, physical activity was never my strong suite." Arcana replied, "I'd be irritated if Ah was you." Apple Bloom said, "Well, you are an earth pony, so that's understandable." Arcana replied, "No, it's because Ah'd feel useless compared to mah friends, Ah have to work on the farm, too." Apple Bloom remarked, "True, I'll watch the others now." Arcana replied, and they did. Sunset Shimmer ran out of breath and panted after about seven minutes, she panted and went to Arcana and the others, Robin stopped and panted after running for ten minutes and walked back while Paladin continued to run, "Alright, so Robin's faster, but Paladin can run longer." Applejack said, and Paladin ran to them, "How much more do you have in mind, Sunset Shimmer?" Arcana asked, "Four more, pull-ups, chin-ups, pulling a wagon, and enduring how many hits you can take, we'll do the pull-ups and chin-ups at the same time." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Let's get stated." Paladin said, and Sunset Shimmer made four pull-up bars appear with her magic. The three mares walked to the pull-up bars and Sunset Shimmer stood across from them, "Let try chin-ups first, ready, go." Sunset Shimmer announced, and she began alongside Arcana and Robin. Arcana could not go up and went off of the bar while Sunset Shimmer managed to do one and jumped off while grunting, she rubbed her own back, she looked and saw Robin do three before jumping down. Paladin just stood and watched, she began doing chin-ups with one hoof after the other three fell, she did twenty five with her front right hoof and then switched to her other front hoof and did twenty five more and jumped down, "Okay, let's try pull-ups now." Sunset Shimmer said, and she began alongside Arcana and Robin. Arcana could not pull herself up and fell, Sunset Shimmer could only go up halfway and fell back down, "So you can't do them, either." Arcana remarked, "Yeah, I'm still trying in my free time." Sunset Shimmer replied, they heard Robin grunting and she managed to do one and fell while panting. Paladin began after the three finished and did pull-ups with one hoof, "Wow, I didn't know one-hoofed pull-ups were possible." Starlight Glimmer remarked, "They are, Starlight, but even though I'm an alicorn, I still can't do them." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I'm working on them, too." Rainbow Dash said, "You and Applejack don't look surprised." Sweetie Belle stated, "She and I seen 'em several times." Apple Bloom replied, "Really?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, Big Mac can do one-hoofed pull-ups, too." Applejack replied, "Eeyup." Big Macintosh assured, Paladin did ten pull-ups and switched to her other front hoof and did ten more and jumped down, "Good job, Paladin, let's try pulling some wagons now." Sunset Shimmer stated, and she made the pull-up bars disappear and wagons appear with her magic. she made a small empty wagon appear for Arcana, an average sized one with fruits for Robin, and a big one with weapons and armor in it for Paladin, "Alright, go ahead and start." Sunset Shimmer remarked, and Arcana could not pull the small wagon and fell over, "What? Seriously, Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Only Pegasi and earth ponies use wagons in Dreaming Paradise, I carry my things with telekinesis." Arcana replied, "Still, though." Sunset Shimmer stated, she looked and saw Paladin and Robin pulling them with no problems, "That's kind of sad, Arcana, even I'm physically stronger than you." Sweetie Belle stated, "I assume you don't use your magic for everything, then." Arcana replied, "Actually, my magic's been very weak for most of my life, it just started blooming recently." Sweetie Belle said, "Oh, so you had to do everything by hoof, I wasn't like that, my magic was powerful ever since I was born." Arcana replied, "Yeah, I had powerful magic, too, but I still had to do a lot of things by hoof before I could channel my magic properly." Sunset Shimmer stated, "That's what meditation is for." Arcana replied, "Speaking of meditation, Sweetie Belle told me what the astral plane looks like." Twilight Sparkle stated, "How does the place sound to you?" Arcana asked, "Pretty interesting, actually." Twilight Sparkle replied, they looked and saw the two were done, they went to them, "Alright, last one, endurance, I'm going to buck you three and see how many hits you can endure." Sunset Shimmer explained, she looked and saw Arcana glaring at her, "Um, on second thought, maybe somepony else should do this." Sunset Shimmer stated, "I'll do this, darling." Rarity said as she trotted to them, "Alright, then." Sunset Shimmer replied, and Rarity went to them, "Okay, this may hurt a little." Rarity warned, and she got ready. She bucked Arcana first and she grunted as she flew through the air and landed on the ground, Rarity teleported to her and bucked her again, she grunted again as she flew through the air again, Rarity teleported to her again and bucked Arcana one more time, she screamed and laid on the ground groaning in pain, "Wow, that's not very good." Twilight Sparkle said, "I'd thought she'd be stronger, too." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Alright, Robin, your turn." Rarity stated as she walked to her. Rarity bucked Robin and she grunted a little as she slid on the ground a little, she walked to her and bucked her again, Robin slid again, she got bucked again and slid farther, Rarity bucked her again and she grunted louder as she almost fell, Rarity bucked her again and Robin fell but got back up, Rarity bucked her again and Robin flew through the air a little and she did a back flip to land on her feet, "Ooh, what a magnificent display, but let's continue." Rarity said, and she bucked one more time, Robin grunted loudly as she flew through the air a little and fell on the ground and groaned with Arcana, "Seven hits, not bad." Twilight Sparkle said, "Alright, Paladin, you're the only one left." Rarity stated as she walked to her and got ready. She began to buck Paladin but she did not flinch as Rarity kicked her several times, "You're not feeling anything, are you, darling?" Rarity asked, "Nope." Paladin replied, Big Macintosh walked to her and bucked her, Paladin grunted under her breath and slid back a few centimeters, Big Macintosh bucked her again and she slid back a little, "Wow, Paladin sure is strong." Starlight Glimmer said, "Yeah, even Big Mac is havin' trouble takin' her down." Applejack replied, Robin got back up when Big Macintosh bucked her for the tenth time, she watched and Paladin fell to her knees after the thirty fifth buck, he wiped sweat off of his forehead when she was down, but she got back up after thirty seconds. Arcana recovered and got back up shortly afterwards, "I didn't think someone would actually manage to get Paladin down a little." Arcana stated, "Well, that's all of the training I had in mind for you three, and sorry, Paladin and Robin, but I would teach you two magic if you two could cast it." Sunset Shimmer said, and they put their outfits back on. The three mares walked to them and they saw Starlight Glimmer and Trixie, "This is Trixie, Arcana, she's been wanting to see you for sometime." Starlight Glimmer said, "Arcana, the Great and Powerful Trixie would like to have you as a partner for my show." Trixie requested, "I'm afraid I must say no." Arcana replied, "Do you have any reason in particular?" Trixie asked, "My magic is meant to be used for combat and warfare, not entertainment." Arcana replied, "What? Really, Arcana, magic can be used for more than just battle." Twilight Sparkle stated, "Like what?" Arcana asked, "How about doing day-to-day chores?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I do, but that's considered secondary to me." Arcana answered, "Magic can be used for fun, too."Starlight Glimmer said, "Yeah, just like this one time when they gave me a mustache." Spike answered, "I guess that could be useful for disguising yourself." Arcana replied, "No, that was used to make me look more handsome." Spike said, "You all would actually use your spells on trivial stuff like that?" Arcana asked, "It's not trivial, I need magic to personally groom myself." Rarity replied, Arcana and her two friends glared, "You must be really lazy then." Robin responded, "*gasp* I am not, I have my hoofs full on working days, I use magic to get things done faster." Rarity retorted, "That, I can excuse, I work in customer service, too." Arcana replied, Rarity smiled, "Can I join your show?" Robin asked, "What? No! You having hidden weapons scares me! Especially that shooting knife of yours." Trixie replied, "Wait, shooting knife?" Scootaloo asked, "Her knife has this trigger on the handle that shoots the knife out." Sunset Shimmer explained, "Can I see it?" Scootaloo asked, Robin took her ballistic knife out of her belly band and aimed it, she pressed down the red trigger on the guard and the knife blade shot out, the ponies screamed, "That does it! Come with us, Robin! I've had enough of these hidden weapons of yours!" Twilight Sparkle snapped, and she carried her with her telekinesis while the others followed. Sunset Shimmer and her friends arrived at Carousel Boutique and Rarity took off Robin's clothes and went through her things, "You have a lot of things in your coat." Twilight Sparkle remarked as she looked and saw pockets for her weapons, they saw two daggers, spiked rings, kunai, shuriken, two crossbows, extra bolts, and her two double-bladed knives connected by wire in her coat, they found her derringers and more kunai in the sleeves, they checked her pants and found only the lipstick gun and the two revolvers she had tucked in the back of her pants, "What is this?!" Rarity exclaimed as she looked at Robin's belt and saw it was a whip and the buckle had a knife blade on the back of it, "How dare you! You should be ashamed of yourself!" Rarity fumed, "For what?" Robin asked, "This!" Rarity replied as she held her front hoofs out at Robin's belt and its buckle, "I can't believe you would disguise weapons as fashion! This is the worst possible thing one can do! The! Worst! Possible! Thing!" Rarity thundered, Robin and her friends just looked at her with confused expressions. Rainbow Dash looked into Robin's boots and found her knives and derringers, "What are these small things anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Derringers, the ones in my boots are one-shot, and the ones in my sleeves are two-shot." Robin explained, "How do you make the knife blades come out of your boots?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "There is a trigger built inside the heels, when I click my heels together, it activates a spring built inside that releases the blades." Robin replied, "Oh." Twilight Sparkle stated, and she used her telekinesis to hit them against one another to make the knife blades come out, she and her friends gathered her weapons together and Scootaloo noticed a third pouch in the belly band that was between the pistol and ballistic knife, she reached in and took out a stack of cards, "Be careful with those, the corners and edges are razor-sharp." Robin warned, "What are they used for?" Apple Bloom asked, "More throwing weapons." Robin replied, and they were put with the rest of her weapons, "Do you have anymore hidden weapons?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "One more." Robin replied, "Where?" Rarity asked, "Between my hind legs, inside my lady parts." Robin replied, the others looked at one another and Twilight Sparkle used her telekinesis on her and took out another kunai, she laid it with Robin's other weapons, "Is this all of your weapons?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "For that outfit." Robin replied, "WHAT?!" Twilight Sparkle screamed, "I carry and conceal different weapons for each outfit I wear." Robin explained, Twilight Sparkle's left eye twitched, "I heard you can teach me how to make potions, too." Sweetie Belle stated, "Sorry, but I've only been trained in making medicine and poison." Robin responded, "What is this silver thing you and your friends have here, Robin?" Scootaloo asked, "Oh, those, they're amulets from our home." Robin replied, Twilight Sparkle sensed them with her magic, "They're not ordinary amulets, they're enchanted." Twilight Sparkle said, "Alright, you got us, those amulets are given to those who perform best in training, the amulets enhance their powers and capabilities." Arcana explained, "What?!" Sunset Shimmer and her friends exclaimed, "You mean you three can get even stronger?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, we've actually been kind of holding back in training." Robin replied, "What do they do?" Apple Bloom asked, "Well, my amulet is the Amulet of Magic, Paladin's is the Amulet of Combat, and Robin's is the Amulet of Stealth, I think you all can figure out what they do by just their names." Arcana replied, the others agreed, "Do ya have anythin' else besides weapons hidden on yerself, Robin?" Apple Bloom asked, Robin reached into her eyes and revealed she was wearing contact lenses, "Why do you have those?" Fluttershy asked, "Wait a minute." Twilight Sparkle said as she got a closer look at them with her telekinesis, "*gasp* They're cameras!" Twilight Sparkle shouted, "Cameras?!" Rarity exclaimed, "I use them for gathering information." Robin explained, "I wanna see what's on them!" Pinkie Pie blurted, "They're off right now, I never turned them on." Robin replied, Twilight Sparkle checked and saw they were off and she returned them. Robin put her clothes back on and took her weapons back, "We're still tired from earlier, we're going to have to skip evening training today." Paladin said, "I was thinking about trying to help you three get better at the things you're not good at." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Sunset, I appreciate you trying to help me overcome my weaknesses, but we have schedules of our own to keep." Arcana replied, "Well, do you believe I changed for the better?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Yes, I do." Arcana replied, Sunset Shimmer and her friends smiled, "But you still have to come to Dreaming Paradise and take and endure whatever punishment the people of my home give you." Arcana stated, "I'll do it." Sunset Shimmer replied boldly, "Alright, we'll leave tomorrow, we'll be waiting for you." Paladin said, and she, Arcana, and Robin left. Sunset Shimmer just looked on and tried to remember if Arcana ever used the amulet when she and her were rivals, "You okay, Sunset?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she walked to her, "Yeah, I'm trying to remember if Arcana ever used that amulet when she and I competed to be Princess Celestia's pupil, I actually don't recall her ever having it with her." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Did she have it when you looked into her memories?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No, she didn't." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Maybe she didn't earn it, yet." Twilight Sparkle assumed, "Probably, that's what I was thinking, too." Sunset Shimmer answered, "Are you really going, Sunset?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I have to, I have to get ready, I got homework to do today, too, I'll see you and your friends later." Sunset Shimmer replied, and she trotted outside. Sunset Shimmer arrived in the Castle of Friendship and was about to go through the mirror, "Sunset?" Princess Celestia asked, she turned around and saw Princess Celestia walking to her, "Are you really going to Dreaming Paradise tomorrow?" Princess Celestia questioned, "Yes, Princess Celestia." Sunset Shimmer replied, "I guess there is no stopping you, I'm going to let you know now, Dreaming Paradise is run by a caste system, unicorns are called Magicians, earth ponies are called Soldiers, and Pegasi are called Assassins, each one is highly trained in battle like Arcana and her two friends, so be careful not to cause trouble, I will also be watching from Canterlot to make sure whatever punishment they have in mind for you is not too cruel, remember that you are still my pupil, and like a daughter to me, so I will protect you if they try to inflict a disproportionate punishment or serious harm on you." Princess Celestia explained, "Thank you, Princess Celestia." Sunset Shimmer chimed while smiling, "Good luck, I'll always be watching you." Princess Celestia said, and they hugged one another and she walked away while Sunset Shimmer went through the mirror. Sunset Shimmer went home and began doing her homework, she finished and went through her belongings to see if she had any pictures of Arcana from her past, she did not find any, the day made her tired and she yawned, she walked up to her bed and fell on it and slept immediately. Sunset Shimmer woke up the next morning and almost overslept for school, she skipped breakfast and went to school, she almost fell asleep in class but managed to stay awake, she soon had lunch with her friends, "You look tired, Sunset." Twilight Sparkle remarked, "I am, I did a lot of physical activity yesterday." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Are you leaving again today?" Fluttershy asked, "Yeah, I have to go to Dreaming Paradise today, I have to take whatever punishment they give me." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Well, good luck to ya, bell's about to ring, y'all." Applejack said, and they had lunch. Sunset Shimmer waited for the school day to end and she went through the mirror when it did. Sunset Shimmer arrived in Ponyville and went to go see Arcana and her friends, "Good, you're early, let's go." Arcana said, and they got ready to go, "Wait!" Twilight Sparkle hollered, they looked and saw her with her friends coming to them, "We're going with you." Twilight Sparkle said, "You don't need to, Twilight, this is my problem." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "No, I want to see Dreaming Paradise, I've never seen it before." Twilight Sparkle responded, Paladin's, Arcana's, and Robin's eyes' widened, "Really? It's literally just north of Canterlot." Robin stated, "Well, I've never seen it, let's go now." Twilight Sparkle replied, "This way." Paladin said, and they all went to Dreaming Paradise.
Chapter 5Sunset Shimmer and her friends wandered past Canterlot and went into a forest, "No wonder why I've never seen Dreaming Paradise, it's completely hidden by forest." Twilight Sparkle said, "Keep following us, we're almost there." Arcana replied, and they walked more and arrived in Dreaming Paradise, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle looked on with awe, the place was divided into three places, the left side had tall blue towers with unicorns practicing fire, water, earth, and air magic and incantations while some of them meditated, the right side had green huts with Pegasi being trained in stealth, how to conceal weapons, voice mimicry, freerunning, parkour, lock picking, how to disguise oneself as another pony, how to make medicine and poison, how to use and fix technology, and meditating, and the center had red fortresses with earth ponies marching while carrying weapons and suits of armor on their backs while others were training in hoof-to-hoof combat, alongside using swords, shields, spears, battleaxes, war hammers, maces, bows, and crossbows, they were also doing clap push-ups, hoof-stand push-ups, lunges, crunches, inverted sit-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, inverted squats, running, jumping with another armored pony on their backs, lifting weights, wrestling, and meditating, "Wow, y'all sure are busy." Applejack said, "We are, but a lot of us enjoy the training." Robin responded, "I can't say I like the outfits you all are wearing, they all look so dull, especially the earth pony suits of armor." Rarity said, "Truth be told, fashion is one of the last things on our minds." Paladin replied, "*gasp* You all don't care for fashion?" Rarity questioned, "Rarity, that is not going to help us in battle." Arcana replied, "Well, us Pegasi do stay up to date with fashion, it does help us blend in better when doing spy missions." Robin stated, "What?! You use fashion as a way to hide yourselves?!" Rarity exclaimed, "I didn't say 'hide', I said 'blend in'." Robin replied, "That's still hiding to me." Rarity remarked, "Ooh, I know, how about we throw them a party?" Pinkie Pie asked, "You can't do that here." Arcana replied, "What?! No parties?!" Pinkie Pie shrieked, "We're on strict schedules and diets, Pinkie Pie, you can't just throw a party and expect us all to participate." Paladin explained, "Hmm." Pinkie Pie said as she thought about when to throw one and what to have, "Um... do you guys have any animals?" Fluttershy questioned, "Sure, they're over there with the earth ponies." Paladin replied as she pointed to them, she looked and saw the earth ponies learning how to take care of many different animals alongside growing fruits and vegetables, "Let's go, Sunset, we've wasted enough time." Arcana stated, and she and her friends followed her, "Say, Arcana, what is yer and yer friends' role in this place?" Applejack asked, "I am the unicorn ruler's personal bodyguard and last line of defense, I also act as a teacher to the younger unicorns, Paladin and Robin have the same roles in their respective areas." Arcana explained, "So, where are we going?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "To see the unicorn ruler." Arcana replied, and they kept walking. Twilight Sparkle looked at the towers and saw they resembled her old home in Canterlot, just completely blue, "Over here." Arcana stated, and they all arrived at a tower in the center of the area and they all entered. The ponies and Spike entered the tower and walked up to the top, they walked up the stairs and saw the interior was blue with dark blue stairs, they walked until they arrived at the top, they saw an elderly unicorn meditating in the middle of the room, he had a dark blue coat, a long white mane and tail, and a long full beard, he was wearing a blue wizard's hat, a long blue robe, brown knee-length gloves on his front legs, black mid-calf length boots on his hind hoofs, and a blue cape; statues of the twelve zodiac animals were lined up around him in a circle with stickers of the twelve constellations of the horoscope on the wall above the statues, there was a picture of Arcana's five pets below him on the floor, Black Tortoise was at the top, Vermilion Bird was at the bottom, White Tiger was to the left, Azure Dragon was to the right, and Yellow Dragon was in the center, "Archmage Astral Plane, Sunset Shimmer is here." Arcana spoke, he opened his eyes and revealed them to be purple, "So, you have finally come, Sunset Shimmer, we have been waiting for you." Archmage Astral Plane said, "I'll take whatever punishment you wish to give me." Sunset Shimmer responded as she bowed to him, "It will be this evening after we all finish our days." Archmage Astral Plane replied, and she stopped bowing, "Why did you bring them here? You only needed to come alone." Archmage Astral Plane said, "Sorry, but they wanted to come along and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer." Sunset Shimmer replied, "I see." Archmage Astral Plane said, he looked at Twilight Sparkle for a brief second, "So, Twilight Sparkle has come with you as well, Princess Celestia must have a good reason to send you here." Archmage Astral Plane stated, "Actually, I'm here on my own accord." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Very well, you'll have to wait for your punishment, Sunset Shimmer, feel free to explore, but don't cause any trouble." Archmage Astral Plane stated, and Sunset Shimmer walked back, "Arcana, Archmage Astral Plane, I was hoping you two would take me in as a student and teach me your magics." Twilight Sparkle said, "What do you wish to learn?" Archmage Astral Plane asked, "Well, mainly the Elements of Nature and see the astral plane." Twilight Sparkle answered, their attentions were caught, "Princess Celestia never taught you about the astral plane?" Arcana asked, "No." Twilight Sparkle replied, "We can do it now if you wish." Arcana said, "Sure, but one question before we start, is he your father, Arcana?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No, my parents passed years ago." Arcana replied, "Oh, well, I'd like to get started now." Twilight Sparkle stated, "Sit and meditate in the circle then." Archmage Astral Plane replied, and they all did and entered the astral plane. Twilight Sparkle and her friends entered the astral plane the zodiac animals, the horoscope constellations, the elements, and the five rulers appeared in their visions, everybody except for Arcana, Archmage Astral Plane, and Sweetie Belle let out noises of awe, they entered the astral plane and landed in the center of it, "Twilight Sparkle, what brings you here to my realm?" Yellow Dragon asked, "Just here to explore." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Very well, but do not cause any trouble." Yellow Dragon warned, "I promise you, I won't." Twilight Sparkle assured, and they looked around, "This place is kind of scary." Fluttershy quaked, "Really? I think it looks cool." Rainbow Dash responded, and she flew up and looked around, "Wow, this place is awesome!" Rainbow Dash boasted, the animals soon disappeared, "My, just marine and avian animals reversed alongside the sea and sky, you have no creativity." Discord said, they all looked and saw him standing by Fluttershy, "Begone, spirit of chaos, this is not your realm to control." Yellow Dragon said, "But it is so dull, I can't believe you haven't changed anything in centuries." Discord replied, "What are you doing here, Discord?" Pinkie Pie asked, "I wouldn't leave my friend in danger now, would I?" Discord asked as he touched Fluttershy's shoulders, "You all can explore, but don't cause any trouble, especially you, Discord." Yellow Dragon stated, "Oh, I promise you, Yellow Dragon, I have changed since my last visit." Discord replied, "We shall see, go on now." Yellow Dragon said, and they all walked together. Archmage Astral Plane led the others and they went north first, "Archmage Astral Plane, good to see one of my previous users in good health, how have you been?" Black Tortoise asked, "Alright, mostly old, though." Archmage Astral Plane answered, Black Tortoise laughed, "I see you have brought some new visitors, nice to see young ponies are still interested in learning about the astral plane." Black Tortoise stated, "It's a pleasure, I would like to learn how to obtain your powers." Twilight Sparkle replied, "We only do one person at a time, we don't just give our powers to anyone, the person we deem worthy to wield us must be fearless, brave, knowledgeable, hard working, diligent, and stoic." Black Tortoise explained, "Wait, stoic?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yes, you must be calm and not show feelings in order to be worthy to wield their powers, you have to control your feelings, especially anger." Arcana replied, "I see, well, I'm still working on not freaking out over things not going according to plan." Twilight Sparkle said, "It's too late now, you are not worthy to wield our powers then." Black Tortoise responded, Twilight Sparkle looked down, "What about me?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Your temper is a bit short as well, and you're too prideful, so no." Black Tortoise replied, "Am I worthy?" Applejack asked, "You have pride as well, you're not worthy, either." Black Tortoise replied, "Am I worthy?" Fluttershy asked, "You're too timid, so no." Black Tortoise replied, "How about me, darling?" Rarity asked, "No, you have a bad temper, too, alongside being too prideful in your appearance." Black Tortoise replied, "Can I wield your powers?" Pinkie Pie asked, "My powers are not meant to be used for parties." Black Tortoise replied, "What about me?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Maybe if you focus on using your magic for battle, you could be worthy." Black Tortoise replied, "How about me?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "You are too short tempered, you also hurt my current bearer." Black Tortoise replied, "Oh, right." Sunset Shimmer stated, "Am I worthy?" Spike asked, "If you were like your kind, then you could have potential, but you have to be calm and not cry easily." Black Tortoise replied, "What about me and my friends?" Sweetie Belle asked, "You and Scootaloo aren't worthy, you're too sensitive, and Scootaloo has a pretty bad temper, but Apple Bloom might be worthy if she focuses on honing her strength and skills for fighting." Black Tortoise asked, "Does everythin' have to be related to fightin'?" Apple Bloom asked, "For us, yes, we don't wish to use our powers for mundane and simple tasks." Black Tortoise replied, "Okay, that, I understand." Scootaloo stated, "Let's go, we have stuff to do today." Arcana stated, and they all walked away. Archmage Astral Plane led the others again and they went to the south, it was hot and everybody sweated, "Hello, Archmage Astral Plane, Arcana, I assume you two are here to teach more people about this place." Vermilion Bird said, "We are, young people are still interested in this place." Archmage Astral Plane replied, "Good, I guess we won't be forgotten for a while." Vermilion Bird stated, "How do you do, Vermilion Bird, you remember me, don't you?" Discord asked, "How can I ever forget you, you somehow nullified my powers from one of my users and she couldn't call me back." Vermilion Bird answered, "Ooh, a sea, let's go swimming!" Pinkie Pie declared as she hopped in it, "Pinkie! Wait!" Twilight Sparkle hollered as Pinkie Pie jumped into the river of fire, she jumped out while screaming, "HOT!!" Pinkie Pie screamed, "Curious one, I see, but perhaps a bit too curious." Vermilion Bird stated, "Let's go to the next area." Archmage Astral Plane said, "Wait, we can't stay here and view the scenery?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "There's not much here, and much of the astral plane beyond this area has no land, let's go." Archmage Astral Plane replied, and they walked with him. The ponies and Spike traveled to the east next and Fluttershy began admiring the flowers and animals around the area, "I see you have already taken an interest, this area of the astral plane has the most animals." Azure Dragon remarked, "You and the other dragon don't look like any dragon I've ever seen." Spike stated, the others looked and saw Azure Dragon and Yellow Dragon had serpentine bodies, "Before you ask, no, Yellow Dragon and I are not native to the Dragon Lands." Azure Dragon said, "This place does have a lot of plants and flowers blooming." Twilight Sparkle said, "It is because it's currently spring in the real world, so my powers are stronger than usual, when summer comes, my powers will go back down to normal while Vermilion Bird will be stronger." Azure Dragon replied, Fluttershy continued looking at the animals around the area while the others watched her, "Come on, Fluttershy, we have one more area." Arcana said, "I'll see you all later, bye now." Fluttershy said to the animals, and she left. The ponies and Spike arrived at the west and saw the leaves blowing, "Welcome to my domain, hope you enjoy." White Tiger said, "I will admit, it is strange to see metal growing on trees." Twilight Sparkle replied, they all looked and Rainbow Dash began flying around with the wind, "Taken an interest already, I see, perhaps me and the other four rulers are still well known throughout the world after all." White Tiger spoke, "You are, Dreaming Paradise loves meeting you all." Archmage Astral Plane responded, "*chuckle* Good, at least we won't be forgotten for a while." White Tiger spoke, "Well, that's all, it's time to go back, open your eyes' in the real world." Archmage Astral Plane instructed, and they did. Everybody arrived back into Dreaming Paradise and looked around, "Wow, a pretty unique place." Twilight Sparkle stated, "Go on now, we have to get ready for this afternoon." Archmage Astral Plane said, "Come on, y'all, let's explore." Applejack stated, and they all walked out. Twilight Sparkle and her friends walked outside and looked around the area of Dreaming Paradise they were in, they also watched the unicorns practicing magic and meditating, they stopped when they saw one building that looked different, it was called 'Arcana's Winery', "Arcana did talk about making wine for a living." Sunset Shimmer said, "Ooh, maybe I can get some fantastic flavors." Rarity remarked as she clapped her front hoofs together, "I'm only open on Sundays." Arcana replied as she walked to them from behind, "Where's your home, Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "This way." Arcana replied, and she led them. Everybody arrived at Arcana's home and she lived in a tower, they went to the top and saw many books, "*gasp* So many books." Twilight Sparkle said, she squealed and soon flew to them to began reading, "I forgot to mention Twilight's a bookworm." Sunset Shimmer said, "I know, she's known for that throughout Equestria." Arcana replied, "What subjects do you have?" Spike asked, "Well, I mostly keep books on magic, history, and social etiquette, stuff she probably already has at home." Arcana replied, "What? This is all on magic, Equestrian history, holidays, constellations, and social etiquette, I already have books on all of this!" Twilight Sparkle hollered, "See, told you." Arcana stated as she smirked, and she walked back to them, "Anythin' you wanna show us?" Applejack asked, "Nope, this is all there is to my home." Arcana replied, "Well, I guess we'll go see the others then." Sunset Shimmer stated, and they headed outside. Sunset Shimmer and her friends arrived outside and looked at the areas with the Pegasi and earth ponies, "Where do you guys want to go?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "It doesn't matter, we have to see them all anyway." Twilight Sparkle responded, "I'm hoping Robin can teach me more things." Scootaloo said, "Well, Ah guess the Pegasi, it is, then." Applejack replied, and they went there. The group went to where the Pegasi were at, "Robin, you around here?" Scootaloo called out, "Over here." Robin hollered, and they trotted while Rainbow Dash and Spike flew, they saw her with a stallion, he had a dark green coat, white shoulder-length mane and a short tail, and yellow eyes, he was wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, black pants, black knee-length gloves on his front legs, black knee-length boots on his hind legs, and a green cape, "Hi, Robin, I was hoping you could teach me more stuff." Scootaloo said, "Sure." Robin chirped, "Who is that?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I am Master Nocturne, ruler of this place's Pegasus tribe." the stallion replied, "Is the 'Master' a part of your name or a title?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Title." Master Nocturne replied, "Well, come on, my house is this way." Robin stated, and they followed her to a hut, "You don't live in a mansion?" Rarity asked, "No. Why?" Robin questioned, "Honestly, Robin, I thought you were going to be one of those nouveau riche types." Rarity replied, "Oh, I see, well, I'm not, come on now." Robin answered, and they entered her home. Robin led Sunset Shimmer and her friends into her hut and they saw she had many utensils, "I'll make a meal for you all." Robin said, and she got stone slabs and made a meal for them, "Here." Robin remarked and she gave it to them, the meal was mushrooms and a cactus with water in it, "Mushrooms and cactus water? I don't think we should have this." Twilight Sparkle said, "I prefer to call it cactus juice." Robin replied, they heard munching and saw Pinkie Pie and Discord stuffing their mouths with the mushrooms, "Pinkie." Twilight Sparkle reprimanded, "Hmm, these are delicious." Pinkie Pie remarked, and she drank the cactus water, "Hmm, best thirst quenching drink ever!" Pinkie Pie said as she threw her front hoofs up in the her, her and Discord's pupils dilated, they spun their heads around, "Ooh, since when did you all become goats?" Pinkie Pie asked as she heard her voice echo, "Wait a minute." Twilight Sparkle said as she examined the mushrooms, "These are samba mushrooms." Twilight Sparkle commented, "Which means...?" Rainbow Dash asked, "You'll start seeing and hearing things weirdly when you eat them." Twilight Sparkle replied, Pinkie Pie dashed to Fluttershy and held her shoulders while she whimpered, "Hey, block pony, sure, I wanna dance, let's start." Pinkie Pie said, and she spinning and twirling Fluttershy around and she shrieked as Pinkie Pie danced with her, "What are we doing here on a stairway?" Discord asked, Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes and looked at the cactus, "Wait a minute, I know this cactus, its water has hallucinogenic agents in it, too." Twilight Sparkle said, "That's a first, most just eat and drink them on impulse." Robin replied, "Well, nice try, Robin, but I'm not falling for it." Twilight Sparkle announced, "A little help here?" Fluttershy asked while groaning, and Starlight Glimmer separated her and Pinkie Pie; they heard walking and saw Discord walking in place, "What are ya doin', Discord?" Applejack asked, Discord did not respond and kept walking, "Discord." Fluttershy called out, Discord ignored her, "Maybe his hallucination is making him unable to hear us." Twilight Sparkle said, "Who made Discord turn into a walking pile of fruits?" Pinkie Pie asked, "That's enough, let's go explore the place." Sweetie Belle stated, and they went outside while Robin pushed Pinkie Pie and Discord out. Sunset Shimmer looked around the Pegasi area of Dreaming Paradise and saw the natives doing many different types of training, their attentions were caught at a Pegasus mare who was jumping in the air to dodge spears and broke their tips off by kicking them, "*gasp* Look, it's the flying leaf god, blessing us with his metal leaves. Over here, leaf god, I'm here to pay tribute to you." Pinkie Pie said as she rocked side-to-side and threw her front legs around, the Pegasi almost laughed while Discord swam like a fish in midair, he soon appeared to other side of the place and ran across it while letting out a battle cry and was holding a portable toilet over his head, "That's enough, you two." Twilight Sparkle scolded as she brought the two over to herself with her magic and cast a spell to make the mushroom and cactus water effects wear off, Pinkie Pie returned to normal and she got ready to cast the spell on Discord, "Wait a minute." Twilight Sparkle stated as she looked into his eyes and realized he was actually immune to the mushroom and cactus water effects, "You're not even affected." Twilight Sparkle scolded, "Oh-ho-ho, but it was fun to pretend to be." Discord replied, Twilight Sparkle glared at him, "Relax, Discord is a frequent visitor here, he makes us laugh in our free time." Master Nocturne said, "See, there you go, I come here quite often." Discord added, "Well, let's just look around and see what's here." Sunset Shimmer responded, and they did. She and her friends looked at the Pegasus area and saw the Pegasi with many weapons, Robin was holding a black umbrella that she aimed, she pushed a trigger down and it shot a dart out of its tip, one Pegasus flew to her and began fighting her with daggers, she pulled the handle of the umbrella and unsheathed a sword and fought the Pegasus, he threw an eggshell in her eyes and she exclaimed as she was blinded for a second and her opponent ran away, they looked and became uncomfortable at seeing the eggshell had sand, salt, and metal scraps inside of it, Robin regained her senses and threw a kunai at her target, the Pegasus caught it with his wing and threw it back, "I've seen enough, let's go." Twilight Sparkle remarked, and they walked away. Sunset Shimmer and her friends went to the center of Dreaming Paradise and saw the earth ponies training, "This is them right here." Paladin said as she walked to them with another stallion, he had a dark red coat, short white mane and tail, and orange eyes, he was wearing a dull gray and battered suit of armor that covered his entire body except his head, his helmet was behind him, he had a sword sheathed on his left side, a shield on his back, and was wearing a red cape, "I assume you're the earth pony ruler." Twilight Sparkle stated, "Yes, I am Commander Lionheart." the stallion replied, "Aren't you a bit old to be out fighting?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Actually, I'm still in good shape for my age, I have to train the younger ponies, too." Commander Lionheart replied, "This is the one I mentioned earlier, Commander." Paladin said as she walked to Apple Bloom, "So you're the farm pony, really a shame you didn't come here earlier, you probably had potential to grow up into a strong pony." Commander Lionheart stated, "It's alright, Ah don't wanna spend mah entire life fightin' either." Apple Bloom responded, "We do more than just fighting, Apple Bloom, we also study math, literature, history, and we're taught how to grow crops and deal with animals." Paladin said, "Where's your house, Paladin?" Fluttershy asked, "This way." Paladin replied, and she led them. Everybody arrived at her home and saw she lived in a fortress, they entered and saw she had many weapons and books, Twilight Sparkle looked at the books and saw they were on cultures and customs around the world, "You don't have any other subjects?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Not at the moment, no." Paladin answered, she looked and saw Rainbow Dash looking at her dumbbells and barbells, "Wow, I've always wanted a gym in my own home." Rainbow Dash stated, "I assume you live in the clouds, then." Paladin replied, "I do, and gym equipment would just fall through my home." Rainbow Dash said, "Um... where are the books on animals and growing crops?" Fluttershy questioned, "We don't have those, we have to memorize what animals like and how to take care of them, alongside how to grow crops and what soil is best to grow them in." Paladin replied, "Ooh, can I pick your fruits to use for my pies?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Sure." Paladin replied, "Yay!" Pinkie Pie yelled while jumping around, a loud bell rung outside, "Oh, it's time for training, follow me." Paladin said, and they did. Everybody went to the very center of Dreaming Paradise and all of the citizens gathered together, "Alright, everyone, time for your daily spar, let's see how much your abilities have grown." Commander Lionheart said, and the ponies were divided into groups of three with each one consisting of a unicorn, a Pegasus, and an earth pony, "How does this work?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "We do these to see how much we have learned and grown from training, we do them by age, we start with the youngest ponies and go up to the oldest ponies." Arcana explained, and they watched them and Sunset Shimmer and her friends cheered them on, they all stopped and looked at them, "Sorry, they're outsiders." Arcana said, they all looked at Twilight Sparkle and bowed to her, "Thank you, but I don't want special treatment." Twilight Sparkle stated, "Well, let's continue." Archmage Astral Plane said, "Don't cheer them on, the loud noise can distract them." Arcana stated, "Alright." Sunset Shimmer replied, and they all trained, those who lost walked back while the winning group fought more ponies, "Wow, so far, it's been pony type against their own type." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Common young pony mistake, the goal is not to beat your own kind, it is to switch around and exploit your opponent's weaknesses to win, they'll learn it as they get older." Arcana replied, the foals finished and the ones who lost and felt their angers rising left to go meditate. The teenage ponies began and they switched around to fight different pony types, the unicorns cast fire, water, earth, and air magic at once, the Pegasi fought using acrobats and concealed weapons, and the earth ponies endured hits and sent their opponents flying with one hit, the unicorns hit by them flew away and fell onto the ground while the Pegasi did back flips and landed on their feet, they all fought and the one who was standing won, the fights went on for longer as the older ponies fought. The ponies went back and the young adults were ready to train, "Excuse me." Twilight Sparkle stated as she trotted into the fighting ring, "I would like to fight Paladin, Arcana, and Robin." Twilight Sparkle said, the others murmured as the three walked to her, "What is this about?" Paladin asked, "I want to see what your amulets can do." Twilight Sparkle replied, the three became uneasy, "You do know your chances of winning against all three amulets are very slim, right?" Robin asked, "I just wanna see what they can do." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Okay, but don't say we didn't warn you." Arcana said, and the sapphire in her amulet’s sapphire glowed dark blue. Arcana's body changed to a plant and she fused with the ground, and vines grew out around her and tangled around Twilight Sparkle, she yelled out and shot spells at the vines to make them disappear, more vines grew out and continued to wrap around her and left her tangled. Twilight Sparkle screamed and teleported out of the vines, they flew up and went after her as they grew longer. She began shooting spells at Arcana's body, her amulet glowed again and it made trees appear around her and they blocked her spells, "Ugh!" Twilight Sparkle groaned, and she cast a spell to make the trees disappear and shot Arcana's body with her magic, the plants that made up her body grew back instantly, "Hmm, I wonder." Twilight Sparkle spoke, and more vines and trees appeared, she flew around them and shot a zap at Arcana's amulet, she grunted as she got shot back and changed back to normal while her magic became undone. Arcana cast a spell and her amulet glowed again and her body became made out of dark crystals, Twilight Sparkle's friends gasped at the sight, Arcana began shooting dark crystals out of her horn while they also grew around her, "What? How are you...?!" Twilight Sparkle questioned, "The Amulet of Magic lets me cast spells that should be impossible to cast." Arcana explained, and she made more dark crystals shoot out of her horn while they also grew around her. Twilight Sparkle shot her amulet and she grunted as she changed back to normal and the crystals disappeared, the amulet glowed again and her body became made out of ice, she shot ice out and froze everything she touched. Twilight Sparkle shot fire out of her horn but it extinguished itself when it got near her, "Hmm." Twilight Sparkle let out as she thought, she teleported to Arcana and shot the amulet when she appeared right in front of it, she changed back to normal and the amulet glowed again, she made volcanoes erupt while she changed to lava. Twilight Sparkle shrieked as she flew around to dodge the lava, she cast telekinesis to prevent the lava from splashing onto her, she shot another zap at the amulet and Arcana changed back to normal. She cast another spell while her amulet glowed and she became a blob made out of storm clouds with electricity coming out of her. Twilight Sparkle tried to find her amulet but could not, she shot zaps into the clouds but they went through her and did not harm her, a lightning bolt shot out of her and Twilight Sparkle flew to her left to dodge it. She flew to the clouds and tried to pull one apart, she got electrocuted and screamed as soon as she touched it, she got shot back and fell onto the ground, "Twilight!" her friends called out, she groaned and laid on the ground paralyzed. Arcana changed back and looked at her, she groaned as electricity appeared on her, "I guess she's done for." Paladin stated, Twilight Sparkle got up while groaning, "Is that all of your magic?" Twilight Sparkle asked weakly, "No." Arcana replied, "What?! There's more?!" Rainbow Dash blurted, "What else can you do?" Twilight Sparkle questioned, the amulet glowed again and three Arcanas appeared, one was a unicorn, one was a Pegasus, and one was an earth pony, unicorn Arcana cast spells while Pegasus Arcana flew and earth pony Arcana ran. Twilight Sparkle shot the three and the Pegasus and earth pony Arcanas went into unicorn Arcana and she grew wings, she and her friends gasped. Arcana flew and shot zaps at her, "Wait, she's flying at the speed of a beginner flier." Rainbow Dash remarked, she flew down and bucked Twilight Sparkle, she exhaled as she staggered a little, "She has the strength of an average earth pony, too, Ah guess those two forms of hers ain't that strong." Applejack said, Twilight Sparkle shot the amulet and Arcana grunted as she changed back to normal. She cast another spell with the amulet and four of her appeared, one was made of red, orange, and yellow fire, one was made of blue water, one was made of yellow rocks, and one was made of green wind. The four began shooting beams at Twilight Sparkle, Fire Arcana shot fire with a red aura, Water Arcana shot water with a blue aura, Earth Arcana shot a beam with gray rocks in it with a yellow aura, and Air Arcana shot gusts of wind with a green aura. Twilight Sparkle put up a shield to block the four beams, they stopped shooting beams and began to shapeshift, they circled around Twilight Sparkle and she thought about what to do, "I wonder." Twilight Sparkle remarked, and she used telekinesis to mix them together, Fire Arcana and Water Arcana canceled out each other while Earth Arcana and Air Arcana canceled out each other. Arcana reappeared in front of her, "How many more spells does your amulet have?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Five more." Arcana replied, and her amulet glowed again and Twilight Sparkle shrieked as she got hit by a zap and fell forward, she looked and saw her own shadow stand on the ground, Arcana's shadow came up as well. Arcana shot beams at her alongside her own shadow and Twilight Sparkle's shadow, she cast a shield and shot Arcana's amulet, she grunted as their shadows returned to normal. The amulet glowed again and Arcana changed to a dragon, "Wha?! How did you...?!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, "The amulet allows me to use the magic abilities of other creatures as well." Arcana replied, Twilight Sparkle's and her friends' jaws dropped; Arcana breathed fire out while Twilight Sparkle ducked, she cast a spell to change her back. The amulet glowed again and Arcana cast a spell to make Twilight Sparkle turn into an elderly, she grunted as she tried to walk, "I can't move." Twilight Sparkle said in a raspy voice, Arcana chuckled a little and shot a beam at her, she screamed as she fell, Twilight Sparkle grunted loudly as she cast a spell and hit the amulet, Arcana grunted as she got pushed back and Twilight Sparkle changed back to her actual age. The amulet glowed and Arcana cast a spell that made her light blue and transparent, "Uh... what is that spell?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It allows me to turn into a ghost." Arcana explained, and she shot more spells out of her horn. Twilight Sparkle shot zaps at her but they went through her, she shot the amulet and changed back to normal, "So you can change into a ghost, I'll need to see if I have any spells on that. Well, I'm ready for the last spell." Twilight Sparkle stated, the amulet glowed and her and Arcana's eyes' glowed purple and it soon stopped, "I see, quite some interesting spells you have." Arcana said, "What was that?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "A mind reading spell, I can use it to see what spells you know and replicate them." Arcana explained, Twilight Sparkle's jaw dropped, "WHAT?! You mean you can just read minds and copy other ponies' magic and spells and don't need to study or practice casting them?!" Twilight Sparkle questioned, Arcana nodded, "That's not fair!" Twilight Sparkle thundered, "Well, too bad, I can do that, you can probably learn some spells from me, too." Arcana replied, "Like what?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Arcana cast a spell and Twilight Sparkle lost her senses, "I can't see!" Twilight Sparkle blurted, she ran around and did not feel the ground, "*scream* I can't feel my hoofs, either, I've lost my senses!" Twilight Sparkle shouted, and she ran around more while screaming, Arcana cast a spell and gave her senses back, "Well, that's all my amulet grants, Paladin's and Robin's don't grant them as many powers as mine does." Arcana said, "Why didn't you two use your amulets with her?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Trust me, I think you will be thankful we didn't once when you see what we can do." Robin replied, "Alright, let's get this over with." Twilight Sparkle said, and Robin walked forward. Her amulet’s jade glowed dark green and she became black and featureless like a shadow, she jumped in the air and doppelgangers of herself began to come out of her and circle Twilight Sparkle, she gasped and shot zaps at them while the Robins jumped into other ponies' shadows and disappeared. Twilight Sparkle cast a light spell to make the shadows disappear, kunais flew out of the ponies' shadows and she yelped as she quickly put up a shield, she felt something stab the left side of her neck and she yelled and looked, she saw one of Robin's shadows coming out of her shadow and had a kunai, she screamed as she shot a zap on the shadow on impulse and it disappeared, another one of Robin's shadows came out of her shadow and wrapped its front legs around her neck from behind, Twilight Sparkle grunted and shot a zap at the shadow to make it disappear while she made the shield disappear. Robin's shadows emerged from the shadows of other ponies and buildings and aimed guns at her, she cast a spell that made all of the shadows disappear, only one remained and Robin changed back, she flew to Twilight Sparkle and jabbed her front right leg with the tip of her wings, "Huh?" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed as she realized she could not move her leg, Robin did a few light jabs to her other front leg and paralyzed it, she got ready to cast a spell and Robin hit her horn with her right wing and disabled it, she tried to cast a spell but could not, "*scream* I can't use my magic anymore!" Twilight Sparkle shouted, "You never knew? There are pressure points in the body that can be pressed to disable that specific body part, there's one in your horn that can disable your magic when it's pressed.” Robin explained, Twilight Sparkle's jaw dropped, “Don’t worry, I pressed them lightly, your legs and horn will work again soon.” Robin added, Twilight Sparkle focused and tried to fly, Robin flew up and did light jabs onto her wings, she fell and grunted when she landed, she stood up and panted while Robin watched her, she shrieked when she felt nauseous, "You lost when I stabbed you." Robin stated, Twilight Sparkle's eyes widened, "Poison!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, and she began to feel weak, "Relax, it's non-lethal, you'll likely pass out at worst." Robin stated, and Twilight Sparkle began to pant and nearly fall to the ground, she was able to use her horn again and cast a spell to make one of her books appear, she flipped through the pages weakly as she looked for a curing spell, she panted as she looked and found one, she cast it and sighed with relief when she was cured and made her book disappear, "Well, that's all there is to my amulet." Robin stated, and she walked back. Paladin walked forward and took her armor off, "Why are you taking your armor off for?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I won't need it when I activate my amulet." Paladin replied, "Oh." Twilight Sparkle said, and her amulet’s ruby glowed red and her body turned into gray stone. She ran forward while she left deep hoof-prints in the ground, Twilight Sparkle shot zaps at her and they just extinguished when they touched her, "What the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "My amulet grants magic defense as well." Paladin explained as she ran to her, she arrived and Twilight Sparkle tried to buck her, but her eyes widened and she screamed and fell while holding onto her hind hoofs in pain, Paladin slapped her away and Twilight Sparkle screamed as she flew away, she flew back and hit a tree in the woods, she put a big crater on it as she bounced off of it and flew up into the sky and over the sun, she continued to scream as she fell down and landed in front of Paladin, a bunch of debris flew up and the smoke cleared, everybody saw Twilight Sparkle buried in the ground with only her hind hoofs and tail sticking out, Paladin changed back to normal and walked away while Twilight Sparkle groaned. Sunset Shimmer and her friends ran to her and pulled out of the ground and carried her, "You okay, Twilight?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I can't move." Twilight Sparkle replied weakly, "How are you feeling?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Numb." Twilight Sparkle replied weakly, "Lay her down, y'all, Ah'll see what Ah can do." Applejack stated, and they did. She and Apple Bloom went to the crops in the earth pony region of Dreaming Paradise and got a few vegetables, they went back and saw Princess Celestia casting a healing spell on Twilight Sparkle, "It's alright, Applejack, I can heal her a bit, but Twilight will still have to rest." Princess Celestia informed, Twilight Sparkle sighed with relief and Princess Celestia flew away, "Come on, I can give her medicine to heal her wounds." Robin stated, and they all followed her.
Chapter 6Sunset Shimmer and her friends stayed in Robin's home while she made a medicine potion with plants and made Twilight Sparkle drink it, "She'll be fine soon, the medicine should start working in a few minutes." Robin stated, "What are those amulets?" Rainbow Dash asked, "They are sacred treasures of Dreaming Paradise, one for each pony type, they are given to the best combatants of our home for each generation, no random person can be chosen, the pony has to be highly trained as well, since the power of the amulets can destroy someone who has no training or experience if they try to use it." Robin explained, "Who were the previous users?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Our rulers, Master Nocturne used my amulet last generation, he, Commander Lionheart, and Archmage Astral Plane don't use them anymore because they've grown too old." Robin replied, "I must say, Robin, these amulets don't look very valuable." Rarity remarked as she examined them, "They're not, they're made from cheap low-quality silver and jewelry, you won't get much money if you try to sell them." Robin replied, "I assume you all have a reason." Discord remarked, "We do, it's because Dreaming Paradise doesn't value money or bits, we value weapons, armor, or an artifact's power, we only take money so we can use it outside of this place." Robin replied, the others became speechless and Twilight Sparkle groaned and stood up, "Ya alright, Twilight?" Applejack asked, "Yeah, I feel much better." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she stretched her legs a bit, "I still can't believe I didn't remember Arcana, she was my biggest rival when I tried to be Princess Celestia's student." Sunset Shimmer said, "Hey, it happens, I can't remember all of my rivals, either." Robin replied, "What about your friends?" Sunset Shimmer asked, Robin shrugged, "Well, I guess we'll head on out now." Sunset Shimmer stated, “Wait, before we go, one question, what if somebody tries to use all three amulets at once, what will happen?” Twilight Sparkle questioned, “The amulets will kill them, wielding all three at once is too powerful for anyone to handle.” Robin explained, “Alright, that’s all I wanted to ask, let’s go, everypony.” Twilight Sparkle said, and she and her friends left. Sunset Shimmer and her friends headed outside and saw the ponies getting ready to relax for the evening, "Ooh, now's my chance." Pinkie Pie stated, and she dashed away, her party cannon was heard and confetti fell, everybody looked and saw her throw a party, "Time for your 'Equestria and Dreaming Paradise Become Friends' party! Whoo-hoo!" Pinkie Pie hollered, the residents shrugged and just walked over. The ponies and Spike partied and they all looked and saw all of the food were fruits and vegetables, they all tried them and saw Pinkie Pie had weapons to use for games and target practice for unicorns, they tried and smiled at what they did, "I didn't think you'd actually pull off a party here, you really outdone yourself, Pinkie." Twilight Sparkle said, "Ah, don't mention it, it was easy." Pinkie Pie replied, and they partied. Sunset Shimmer tried the fruits and did target practice with her magic, she stopped for a brief minute and wondered what her punishment was going to be since the end of the day was near, she resumed doing target practice and celebrated by jumping up and down when she won the round. Starlight Glimmer trotted around and looked for Arcana, she looked and saw her standing around and watching, "Excuse me, Arcana." Starlight Glimmer stated as she trotted to her, Arcana faced her, "I was wondering, did you have any future plans after becoming Princess Celestia's pupil if you did?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Not really, I was just going to learn more magic and keep practicing to make my own stronger." Arcana replied, "Oh, so, what did you think about Princess Celestia sending Twilight to Ponyville to make friends to defeat Nightmare Moon?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "I'll admit that I did not foresee her making that decision, it did make me wonder if I wasn't suited to become her pupil after all." Arcana answered, "Yeah, maybe not, knowing you, you probably would've tried to obliterate her." Starlight Glimmer stated, "I would, even though Princess Celestia would have been upset if I did do that." Arcana replied, "You would try to destroy Nightmare Moon even though she was Princess Celestia's sister?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Still an enemy, family or not." Arcana shot back, Starlight Glimmer became speechless, "Yeah, you definitely wouldn't qualify to be Princess Celestia's pupil with that way of thinking." Starlight Glimmer said, "Princess Celestia was different back then, too, she was a bit irritable and had no patience with jokes." Arcana replied, "Wow, Princess Celestia jokes all the time now." Starlight Glimmer remarked, "I heard, but tell me, is Twilight Sparkle just like Princess Celestia in being a teacher?" Arcana questioned, "Well, Twilight has me mostly read books and she goes off to solve friendship problems, so a bit of yes and no." Starlight Glimmer replied, "I see, I've also been wondering, do you still hold a grudge against her and her friends from before you joined her?" Arcana asked, "Well, I do a bit, it's mostly behind us, but deep down, I still do feel a bit of anger at them for destroying my old town where everypony was equal." Starlight Glimmer replied, "That's normal, I'm sure if you ask Princess Celestia about Sunset Shimmer demanding to be an alicorn and running off, she might still be mad about it." Arcana stated, "Well, we never talked about that, but who knows, you could be right." Starlight Glimmer replied, "Well, it's just a suggestion, I'll be here if you wish to see me again, try to enjoy the party while it lasts." Arcana said, "Alright, you too." Starlight Glimmer replied, and she trotted away. Rarity was designing new armor for the earth ponies and used her magic to shape the metal, she made a shiny light pink suit of armor with light blue jewels embedded in it, the helmet had a blue plume on it, and pictures of flowers and animals carved on the armor. She finished and trotted to the earth ponies, "Here you go, darlings, a new suit of armor idea for you all." Rarity said, Paladin walked forward and looked at it, "What is this supposed to be?" Paladin asked, "Why, your new armor, darling." Rarity replied, "We can't wear that in battle." Paladin responded, "What? But it is all shiny and glamorous." Rarity remarked, "Rarity, shining armor is too thin and gets penetrated easily, the feathers on the helmet are unnecessary, those jewels embedded in the armor adds unnecessary weight, and those art carvings only make the armor weaker in certain areas." Paladin explained, "I bet you're only saying that because you never bothered to test it." Rarity retorted, Paladin took out her sword and slashed right through the helmet easily, Rarity's jaw dropped, "See, there you go, you want weapons to bounce off of your armor, not go through it." Paladin explained, "But your armor is all covered in scratches and slash marks, and it looks so dull." Rarity replied, "If you want to make armor, then I suggest you make the dull armor like mine and then paint it if you want it to look pretty." Paladin said, "Paint it, you say? I think I can do that." Rarity replied, and she trotted away while carrying the armor she made. The party ended and Sunset Shimmer saw the sun setting, she walked around and saw everybody going back into their homes, "Sunset Shimmer." Arcana said from behind, she turned around and saw her, "It's time for your punishment." Arcana said, and they walked together. She arrived into the unicorn area of Dreaming Paradise, magic restraints were put on her hoofs and horn, "Now then, let us begin." Archmage Astral Plane said as he walked to her, and he connected her to a gauge, "What is that?" Sunset Shimmer questioned, "A pain meter." Arcana replied, "Pain meter?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "This is your punishment, Sunset Shimmer, you really hurt Arcana when you messed with her experiment, you will now experience the exact same amount of pain you inflicted on her." Archmage Astral Plane announced, and he and the unicorns shot beams at her and she screamed, the meter on the gauge went up, "Stop this!" Twilight Sparkle hollered as she ran to them, "It's alright, Twilight, I have to do this." Sunset Shimmer replied, and the unicorns shot more beams at her and she screamed while the gauge went up more, "Please stop!" Twilight Sparkle begged, Arcana moved her aside with her telekinesis and she yelled as she was put aside, "Stay out of this, Twilight, this is between us and her.” Arcana said, and she and the others shot more big beams at her and Sunset Shimmer screamed, "Please! Stop!" Twilight Sparkle begged, the unicorns shot Sunset Shimmer again and she screamed, she panted while the pain meter went up more, "A little more." Arcana said, and she and the other unicorns shot more beams at her while Sunset Shimmer screamed louder, she fell to her knees and the unicorns shot more beams at her, she screamed more and panted, they shot more beams and Sunset Shimmer screamed and fainted, they looked at the pain meter, "Well, Arcana?" Archmage Astral Plane asked, "One more." Arcana replied, and they shot more beams at her and she screamed and nearly lost consciousness. Sunset Shimmer panted while Princess Celestia flew and landed to check on her, "You now feel the exact same amount of pain you inflicted on me when you sent me to the hospital, I hope you now understand how I felt." Arcana said, she continued to pant and Princess Celestia walked to her, "Are you happy with yourself, Arcana?" Princess Celestia asked, "Kind of." Arcana replied, "Well, I'm disappointed in you, you were unable to let go of your anger and truly forgive Sunset." Princess Celestia stated, "Sending me to the hospital and nearly killing me is something I can't forgive so easily, Princess Celestia." Arcana replied, "I understand, Arcana, but you not forgiving Sunset has made you unqualified to be my pupil, along with wanting to make your magic stronger instead of making friends." Princess Celestia responded, "Even though I could've obliterated most of the threats in Equestria?" Arcana asked, "That is not the point, we have to be friendly and welcoming so other creatures can trust us and won't fear us, it comes with us being the most powerful nation in the world." Princess Celestia explained, "Try telling that to Queen Chrysalis." Arcana retorted, "I already turned her to stone." Princess Celestia replied, "Stone's not enough, you should've killed her." Arcana retorted, Princess Celestia exclaimed while her jaw dropped, "You shouldn't mention something like that, Arcana, doing so will lower Equestria's defenses." Princess Celestia said, "Really? I still think it's best we kill her in case she or her loyalists break her out of the stone." Arcana replied, "No, I am not going through with it, plus, doing that will make other creatures lose their trust in us." Princess Celestia said, Arcana exhaled a little sharply, "Anyway, I want you to think about your actions and how you hurt Sunset." Princess Celestia said, "And she gets off scot-free for nearly killing me?" Arcana asked, "Sunset Shimmer already had her punishment, she lost her chance to become a princess, alongside her friends when she was in the other world, she was humiliated, too." Princess Celestia answered, "Wait, you mean she already went through all of that?" Arcana asked, Princess Celestia nodded, "I was not informed of that." Arcana stated, "Well, this place is mostly cut off from the rest of the world, people don't come here often, but yes, Sunset Shimmer already did her punishment." Princess Celestia replied, "I'm also battling magic threats in the world I'm staying at, as well." Sunset Shimmer added weakly, "Hmm, I see, well, your punishment's done, Sunset, you and your friends may take their leaves." Arcana said, and Princess Celestia flew away, "What are you going to do?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I'm going to stay here and keep living my life." Arcana replied, "Can we visit?" Apple Bloom asked, "Of course, this place is open to outsiders." Arcana replied, and they all began to go home, "Wait, Arcana." Sunset Shimmer spoke as she got up and ran to her, "I would like to see what you were making for your experiment before I sent you to the hospital." Sunset Shimmer said, "Why?" Arcana asked, "I wanna see what you were making, I'll help you complete it." Sunset Shimmer replied, Arcana thought about it, "Alright, let's go to Canterlot." Arcana said, and they teleported there. Sunset Shimmer and Arcana arrived in Canterlot and Arcana walked to where she did her magic while Sunset Shimmer followed her, she began to have flashbacks of when she was competing with other unicorns, she remembered the fights that broke out and other unicorns sabotaging their rivals' projects, "It's all coming back to me now." Sunset Shimmer said, "I'm not surprised, a lot has happened in our time here." Arcana replied, and they kept walking. The two arrived in Arcana's former dormitory and she saw everything was gone, "Hold on a minute, I'll get the supplies." Arcana stated, "No, I wanna do it with you." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Alright, I'll write down what we need." Arcana responded, and she got a paper and pencil and wrote down the supplies she needed with her telekinesis and gave it to Sunset Shimmer, "Here, I'll get the ingredients." Arcana said, and the two went their separate ways. Sunset Shimmer looked at the list and got several flasks, beakers, and test tubes, she carried them with her telekinesis and went back to Arcana's room, she arrived back with a match, a beaker full of water, a gray rock, a fan, a log, a sheet of metal, and an urn, "Good, you've brought more than enough, let's begin." Arcana said, and she put her seven ingredients in the beakers and she lit the match with her magic, she cast a spell and they all melted into liquids, the match became red liquid, the beaker with water became blue liquid, the rock became yellow liquid, the fan became green liquid, the log became brown liquid, the sheet of metal became silver liquid, and the urn became light blue liquid, she then put them all in test tubes with her telekinesis and thick white smoke came out of each liquid, "There, it's ready, we have to be careful, the experiment is to put them all together into one liquid and activate them with a spell, the amount has to be just right, being off by just one milliliter will create an unintended effect, too little, the chemicals won't react, too much, they will explode, that goes for every single one, that's how unstable they are." Arcana explained, "You need help with it?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "No, I think it's best you let me do this part, since I know what I'm doing." Arcana replied, and she added the seven chemicals into an empty test tube very carefully, she finished and a lot of white smoke came out of it. Sunset Shimmer gagged from the smell, "It stinks!" Sunset Shimmer hollered, "It'll be gone soon." Arcana responded, and it disappeared while Sunset Shimmer sighed with relief, "Well, let's go." Arcana said, and they trotted while Arcana carried the test tube with her magic. Princess Celestia was in her throne room and standing while she waited for the day to end, the doors opened and she saw Sunset Shimmer and Arcana walk forward, "Good evening, Princess Celestia, I hope you're not too upset with me." Arcana said, "Not at all, Arcana, I was just explaining how things work in the country. What brings you here?" Princess Celestia asked, "Sunset Shimmer helped me with the project I was going to show you before she sent me to the hospital." Arcana replied, "Oh, go ahead and perform it, I have wondered for years what you were making." Princess Celestia responded, "Stand back, Sunset, this is going to be pretty big." Arcana said, and she did. Arcana cast her magic to draw a big pentagram around herself, she laid the test tube in the center, "Rin pyo toh sha kai jin retsu zai zen." Arcana chanted as her voice echoed, and she shot a zap at the test tube and shattered it. The seven liquids flowed around the outline of the pentagram and fire, water, earth, air, wood, and metal floated around her while light blue flames and ghosts floated above her. The seven elements combined and Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Yellow Dragon appeared above her, trees grew out of the floor and they changed forms, going from cherry blossoms to trees with falling leaves to palm trees to dead trees and then back to cherry blossoms, flowers also grew on the floor and moved around in a counterclockwise circle with everything else, wildfire, a tsunami, shifting rocks, and a tornado formed around Arcana and moved around with everything else while wood and metal formed around them, the ghosts floated around the wood and metal afterwards. The five animals moved around in counterclockwise circles and used their powers to move everything, they finished and Princess Celestia's jaw dropped at what she saw, fire, water, rocks, and a tornado were around Arcana, wood and metal were around them, light blue flames floated around the wood and metal, dead trees and snow were in front of Arcana, palm trees and beach sand were behind her, cherry blossoms and flowers were to her right, and trees with falling leaves and leaves getting blown by the wind were to her left, and Yellow Dragon floated above Arcana while the other four went to their respective domains, "Very impressive, Arcana, but again, you failed, no necromancy or spiritual magic." Princess Celestia said, "I know, I just wanted to show you the full power, I wasn't going to use the void element in the actual competition." Arcana replied, "Now that you mention it, I only saw six liquids in your memories." Sunset Shimmer added, "See, there you go, just fire, water, earth, air, wood, and metal, I didn't have void at that time." Arcana explained, "Well, I will admit, Arcana, you have some of the most impressive and powerful magic I've ever seen in a unicorn, maybe more powerful than even Twilight herself, if you did use this at the competition before Sunset sent you to the hospital, you definitely would've won." Princess Celestia replied, "Wait, she can use those five animals of hers?" Sunset Shimmer questioned, "No, she would've been disqualified for that, too." Princess Celestia replied, "Wow, I guess I do have a lot to learn." Sunset Shimmer said, "Go on and show me what you were going to do, Sunset, well, if you remember what you were planning to show me, I am very interested in what you spell you were going to cast as well." Princess Celestia replied, "Um..." Sunset Shimmer said as she tried to remember the spell she was going to cast, she remembered it and cast a spell, a big circle of fire appeared around her and it went up to the ceiling, "Not bad, Sunset, you always did have an affinity for fire magic, it's not as good as Arcana's, but still impressive." Princess Celestia stated, "Would have I won overall, Princess Celestia?" Arcana asked, "Sorry, Arcana, but Sunset Shimmer still would've became my student at the end, since you didn't care about learning friendship and Sunset didn't know anything about it, and I was going to teach her, you may have powerful magic, but there is no magic stronger than friendship." Princess Celestia replied, "In this country, in other countries, friendship is not magic." Arcana responded, "Hmm, true, but it is still very valuable." Princess Celestia stated, "If you two are done we should get ready for bed." Sunset Shimmer said, "You're right, Sunset, it is getting late, you two should head on home." Princess Celestia replied, and the two teleported back to Dreaming Paradise. Sunset Shimmer and Arcana arrived back in Dreaming Paradise and saw Rarity giving out clothes and armor to the ponies, her armor was painted various bright colors, they saw Paladin and Commander Lionheart examining the armor and they tested them, they looked and saw Robin and Master Nocturne examining the outfits as well, "Typical Rarity." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "We probably won't wear her outfits." Arcana stated, "Why not? That's rude." Sunset Shimmer said, "They're impractical." Arcana replied, "What about the lace dress and white dress you're wearing?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I just wear them because I like them, I don't need it, same with my shoes." Arcana replied, "So are you going to try some of Rarity's outfits?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Probably." Arcana replied, "Well, aside from that, I am very sorry for what I did, do you forgive me?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Yes, but remember what I said, I wasn't the only one sent to the hospital." Arcana replied, "Oh, right." Sunset Shimmer commented, "Well, I think your friends are going to end up changing Dreaming Paradise, we'll try to adjust." Arcana said, "I hope you can." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Well, you and your friends should head home, it's getting late." Arcana said, and Sunset Shimmer gathered with her friends and they began to walk home while the residents of Dreaming Paradise waved bye at them, "Well, that was a pretty strange place." Apple Bloom stated, "Tell me about it, it's not like any place we've been to." Scootaloo replied, "Yeah, the other places don't have a caste system." Sweetie Belle said, "I hope they get rid of it, I don't like them being divided by pony type." Twilight Sparkle responded, "But they said they're all equal in rank." Spike replied, "I still don't like it, though." Twilight Sparkle said, "I thought it was a pretty interesting place, how about the rest of you guys?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "It's pretty cool, but each pony type has weaknesses." Rainbow Dash replied, "Yeah, the unicorns are physically weak, the Pegasi are just as weak, and the earth ponies are slow." Applejack added, "They could honestly use some more outfits, there is almost no fashion there." Rarity stated, "They need to have more parties." Pinkie Pie suggested as she hopped, "I thought the animals were nice." Fluttershy said, "Indeed, I say Pinkie Pie and I go back there one day and spice things up." Discord stated, Pinkie Pie nodded in agreement, "Well, let's save those thoughts for later, let's go home now." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they all headed home. Sunset Shimmer went to her home and did her homework late at night, she put on her pajamas and fell onto her bed and passed out while yawning. The sun rose and Sunset Shimmer's clock went off and she hit it but continued to lay in bed, she opened her eyes several minutes later and saw she overslept, she quickly got out of bed and headed to school with bed hair, she fixed it in the girls' bathroom and headed to class. She worked in class and thought about her feud with Arcana and wondered about her other rivals on how they were doing and if they would come see her as well, she wondered all day while working in class and at lunch, "What's on your mind?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It's just I've been wondering about my other rivals, what if they come looking for me, too?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Were you able to patch things up with Arcana?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, but I almost got sent to the hospital, the punishment I had to do in her home was feel the exact same amount of pain I inflicted on her when I sent her to the hospital." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Ouch." Rainbow Dash remarked, "Yeah, it did hurt, a lot." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Well, it's done now." Fluttershy spoke, "It is, but I've been thinking a lot about my own actions." Sunset Shimmer responded, "How are you feeling about it, darling?" Rarity asked, "I regret what I did." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Let it go, Sunset, it's done." Pinkie Pie remarked, "It is, but something Arcana said had me thinking, while we do forgive and befriend those who hurt us, she said they don't change their ways out of really having a change of heart, they do it out of fear of suffering our wrath." Sunset Shimmer responded, her friends looked on with surprise, "I've... never thought of that." Twilight Sparkle spoke, "But then again, we do have Equestrian magic and they don't, so she might actually be right." Applejack replied, "I sure hope not." Twilight Sparkle remarked, "Anyway, I'm going to go back again today and see how things are, Dreaming Paradise might change because of Twilight." Sunset Shimmer stated, and they finished lunch and she went back to Ponyville. Sunset Shimmer arrived in Ponyville and headed outside, she heard loud cheering and teleported to where she heard it, she arrived in Dreaming Paradise and saw many ponies and creatures, they were cheering on a fight and they all cheered when one team won, she saw Arcana walking to her, "Princess Twilight told the other countries and areas of Ponyville of this place, we've been getting many visitors ever since." Arcana said, "How's it been so far?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Well, they're loud and a bit distracting, but they've been friendly and respectful of our ways." Arcana replied, "Tell me, Arcana, when you came looking for me in Ponyville, did Archmage Astral Plane send you to find me?" Sunset Shimmer questioned, "No, that was done by my own accord, Paladin and Robin came by their own free wills, too." Arcana replied, "How did you find me, though?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "When you came to steal Twilight Sparkle's crown, word quickly spread that you returned, that was when me and the others of Dreaming Paradise began to gather news on you from the outside world, we were also informed of Twilight Sparkle going to the world to help you against the sirens, alongside asking her in her journal to come help you when that world's version of her began messing with magic, there was also you talking about the geodes you and your friends found, after that was Starlight Glimmer talking about meeting you, and then there was you coming back here again to meet with Princess Celestia, after that was you telling Twilight about the theme park, and then you coming here from the cruise ship and talking about the Storm King's magic, and lastly, you asking Twilight about what to do when you were stuck in that time loop." Arcana explained, Sunset Shimmer was speechless, "You mean you guys have been keeping tabs on me?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Hmm-mm, everything Princess Twilight does is displayed and reported publicly, the Pegasi of our home were the ones who gathered the information, we were just merely waiting for the right time to confront you since Equestria had a lot of threats as well." Arcana replied, "What were you doing before you decided to confront me?" Sunset Shimmer questioned, "Me and the others were helping the ponies in Equestria with whatever threats that were happening, we evacuated ponies when the Storm King invaded, we also helped evacuate ponies when Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow attacked together." Arcana replied, "Why didn't you and the others fight them?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "We would have, but we would've killed them instead of turning them to stone, and that would've made everycreature furious." Arcana answered, "Yeah, good point, you guys probably would've been at war for that." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Anyway, feel free to look around, maybe you'll find something you like." Arcana said, and she walked away. Sunset Shimmer walked around and saw the natives of Dreaming Paradise trying on new outfits, the earth ponies did not try on the dresses, she looked and saw more ponies cheering and saw Robin and Discord having a sparring match, she did light jabs on him but he continued to move perfectly, "What the?" Robin asked, "That's right, Robin, I don't have pressure points." Discord boasted, she took out one of her revolvers and shot it, Discord caught the bullet between his fingers, he threw it and it went the speed it went when shot and hit a fortress in the earth pony section, Robin bowed to him, "You've won this round." Robin stated, "Oh please, I wasn't even trying." Discord responded, the others cheered while the next opponent went up to face Discord. Sunset Shimmer kept walking around and saw Paladin making new armor while the other earth ponies took off the ornaments on their new weapons and armor and practiced with them, "Ooh, Rarity's going to be upset." Sunset Shimmer said to herself, she watched the earth ponies practice and the new weapons broke easily, they went back to using their old weapons, "See, everybody, that is why we don't put ornamental decorations on our weapons, they get in the way of battle and make the weapon useless." Paladin explained, the ponies took notes while Sunset Shimmer walked over to them, "What are you guys doing now?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "We're still adjusting to the outsiders coming in, they just started today, ever since Princess Twilight has informed Equestria of this place, it has basically become a tourist sight, a lot of us are not happy, though." Paladin replied, "What about me, am I still welcome in this area after what I did to Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "You are, it's probably the unicorn area that'll be most unhappy to see you." Paladin responded, "Yeah, probably." Sunset Shimmer said, "Ever since the outsiders came here, we can't meditate, they're too loud for us to focus." Paladin stated, "Well, you can always try to have them adjust to your way of living." Sunset Shimmer replied, "I'm not sure about that, most of these outsiders are not trained in combat or controlling their anger at a young age like how we are." Paladin spoke, "What did Twilight say about revealing this place to the public?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Commander Lionheart, Master Nocturne, and Archmage Astral Plane voiced their opinions against it, but Twilight was against what they said and revealed this place to the public saying that it has to be revealed so we can be on the map and so friendship can spread here. I can understand being on the map, since a lost person won't know where they're at, as for the friendship thing, I think we already have enough from the people who come here on weekends to hire me as a bodyguard, seek appraisal on jewels and treasures from Robin, and buy wine from Arcana." Paladin explained, "Well, try to explain to Twilight why you wanted the area mostly unknown, I'm sure she'll listen." Sunset Shimmer responded, "I hope so, I'll be going now, I got some young foals to train." Paladin said, and she walked away and began instructing earth pony foals on hoof-to-hoof combat and how to use weapons, Sunset Shimmer watched and she smiled as she saw Paladin train the foals and they began play fighting with wooden weapons while Paladin watched them. Sunset Shimmer walked to the unicorn area and saw they were examining the foods and drinks the outsiders brought, she saw Arcana shaking her head as she walked to the outsiders and spoke to them, she was too far away to hear her, so she walked closer, "We can't eat and drink these, we are on very strict diets and have to be in peak condition." Arcana said, "But one time won't hurt." a stallion replied, "Sorry, but they are the rules of our home, we can't eat or drink unhealthy stuff period." Arcana explained, "Wow, Pinkie Pie wasn't joking when she said throwing a welcoming party is strict here." the stallion remarked, "Well, go see her for advice, she got it right yesterday." Arcana responded, and the ponies walked away. Sunset Shimmer walked to her while Arcana sighed, "Is everything alright?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Yeah, I'm fine, it's just that ever since these outsiders started coming in, things have been changing quickly." Arcana replied, "How do you feel about it?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I have mixed feelings, I'm glad they're coming since I can sell my wine more, but their loudness leaves me and the others unable to meditate properly." Arcana replied, "Well, you can make soundproof shields, can't you?" Sunset Shimmer questioned, "No." Arcana replied, Sunset Shimmer thought about it, "Now that you mention it, I've never seen a soundproof shield before, either." Sunset Shimmer stated, "I'll be going now, I have to explain how things work to the outsiders." Arcana replied, "I'll be here if you need me." Sunset Shimmer said, Arcana smiled and walked away. Sunset Shimmer watched the unicorns of Dreaming Paradise explaining things to the outsiders and also explained they only used magic for combat while the outsiders argued about using magic for everyday life, she sighed and walked around as she looked and saw not much has changed since yesterday. She saw a big line at Arcana's Winery and entered and saw Arcana selling wine to the outsiders, a stallion left and Rarity was her next customer, "Hello again, Rarity." Arcana said, "Hello, Arcana, darling, I would like your finest bottle." Rarity replied as she put bits on the counter, "Red wine or white wine?" Arcana asked, "Why red, of course, darling." Rarity replied, and she got one of her bottles and got ready to give it to her but moved it back, "Hold on, before I do, are you actually going to drink this or just use it for your photo shoots?" Arcana asked, "Both, actually, we're going to take pictures of it in a glass and then drink it after we're finished." Rarity responded, "Oh, okay, that's fine, here you go." Arcana stated as she gave her the bottle, "Thank you, darling." Rarity said, and she trotted outside happily. The next pony went up to her, "Are you hiring?" the mare asked, "Sorry, but no." Arcana replied, and the mare left, she sold her wine bottles to those who paid and the customers were all soon gone, "You going to buy something, Sunset?" Arcana asked, "No, I don't drink wine, I was just wondering what a typical day for you looks like." Sunset Shimmer responded, "This is a typical day for me, but I'll have to be open everyday now, it may take longer, but that also means shorter lines each day than being open only one day a week." Arcana stated, "True, but you still shouldn't push yourself too hard." Sunset Shimmer replied, "I'll try not to." Arcana stated, "Good, and remember, if you're exhausted, you can ask me and my friends to fill in for you." Sunset Shimmer said, "Thanks, but Twilight and her friends already offered to do it for me." Arcana replied, "Have you already decided who's going to do it?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Rarity, she's the only one of Twilight's group who knows how to make wine and how to tell if it's good or bad quality, she has a lot of experience in customer service, too." Arcana replied, "Yeah, I probably would've chose Rarity to be my substitute too if I were you." Sunset Shimmer responded, "Well, it is first day for outsiders to visit this place, I'm sure it'll die down a bit after a while." Arcana said, "Probably, try not to be overwhelmed, Arcana, there are other outsiders here to help you guys if you all get exhausted." Sunset Shimmer replied, "I know, and speaking of outsiders, you're welcome here now, since you really did change and didn't fake it, your punishment's done, and if you wish, I can teach you some of my magic." Arcana stated, "Really?" Sunset Shimmer asked, Arcana nodded while smiling, "Thank you, but I can't use those five spirits or the four elements like how you can." Sunset Shimmer said, "Sure you can, you got fire magic, that's one right there, if you wish, I can either teach you how to use the other three or help you improve your fire magic so you can also gather fire from the sun or use lava magic as well." Arcana replied, "I'll think about it." Sunset Shimmer remarked, "Alright, I have more customers coming in, you should go." Arcana replied, and she left as more customers came in. She trotted outside and looked at Dreaming Paradise, she smiled and headed back home. Sunset Shimmer returned to Ponyville every day to see how Dreaming Paradise was doing, outsiders coming in slowed down after two weeks, she went to go see Arcana the next day, "Sorry, Arcana, but I'm going to have to refuse your offer since where I'm staying, I can't use unicorn magic." Sunset Shimmer spoke, "It's alright, your reasons are understandable." Arcana replied, Sunset Shimmer smiled and she went back home. Arcana went into her home and meditated with the statues of the twelve zodiac animals and constellations of the horoscope taped on the wall around her in a circle, she heard walking while she focused, "Arcana?" Twilight Sparkle asked, she opened her eyes and saw her, "Are you taking in new students?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Of course, training other unicorns of Dreaming Paradise is one of my duties." Arcana replied, "Great, I was hoping you would teach me some of your magic, you have taught me that I still have a lot to learn." Twilight Sparkle responded, "What's in it for me?" Arcana asked, "I was thinking about welcoming you as a friend and naming you and Sunset Shimmer honorary pupils of Princess Celestia since you both were highly qualified." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Thank you, but fame means nothing to me, I would settle on making friends, though." Arcana spoke, "That's great, you can start by befriending me." Twilight Sparkle replied, "*chuckle* Very well, let's begin your training, you can start by meditating in the circle with me." Arcana said, and Twilight Sparkle began meditating with her and Arcana began to teach her some of her magic.
