Sunset looked out the car’s window and gazed upon the scenery. Open fields of grass and distant trees, with a cloudless bright blue sky behind. It hadn’t changed much in the past two hours. She was used to riding pegasus pulled chariots for long voyages, though a single memory of taking the Friendship Express came to mind, so spending over twelve hours in this tiny car was all sorts of uncomfortable. At least in a chariot there was enough space to stretch the legs.

This was one of the many different things she had been experiencing since coming to the human world.

Only one week after Twilight’s birthday, it was time for humans’ version of Hearth’s Warming Eve. Just as Sunset had expected, the holiday had been accompanied by many Harmonic Resonances. Three times, Sunset had participated in the city-wide chorus, though adding her own lyrics about just joining out of wanting to understand this world’s magic. During one of those, however, as she was walking down the street, a random pink skinned girl had given her a cupcake.

The cupcake had improved her mood, but it had still been quite random.

What hadn’t been random was when Sunset managed to trigger a Harmonic Resonance. Seeing Celestia and Luna so chirpy throughout the day, she had asked them what the fuzz was even about, and they had regaled her with a twelve minute duet about what the holiday meant to them. After that, Sunset hadn’t been able to refuse telling them about Hearth’s Warming Eve. Of course, she had told them the old foals tale about the Windigos, but leaving out the fact that the rest of the characters were all ponies.

Though, a clear difference from the human holiday was that Hearth’s Warming was celebrated two days before Winter Wrap Up, instead of at the beginning of winter. Luna had found this particularly interesting, for some reason.

Well, there was another big difference right after that holiday. Apparently, humans celebrated their new year merely a week later! Still at the beginning of winter. Sunset really didn’t understand why that was, and Celestia had only managed to say that someone in the past had decided it so and apparently the whole world had listened. So unlike Equestria, where the Summer Sun Celebration was their new year.

It definitely carried more meaning.

After the new year, Luna celebrated her birthday on the final day of the first month. The younger of the two sisters was content with a simple, small celebration in which Celestia took Sunset to buy her a small blueberry cake and a brooch in the shape of a white moon, which Sunset was reasonably sure was the woman’s Cutie Mark.

Celestia’s own birthday, which was when humans officially recognized the seasonal switch to spring, was very different from her sister’s. She took them both to an amusement park for, in her own words, ‘a full day of limitless fun’. Sunset had heard from passing conversations by the maids and guards at the palace that Las Pegasus hosted these strange structures called roller coasters, and that they were very popular, but Sunset had never cared for pegasi inventions.

So when she looked up at the human’s version of roller coasters, Sunset understood why those ponies had talked with equal amounts of excitement and trepidation. The monstrous structures had so many twists and turns that Sunset felt dizzy just looking at them from the ground. And when her stupid pride had denied her the relief of chickening out, Sunset had felt even dizzier as she sat down to try the largest and most twistiest roller coaster there had been at the park.

And she had found herself loving every single moment. The tense moments of slowly crawling to the highest point, the hurl of her stomach as the car took a nose-dive to the ground at speeds only pegasi could reach, the howling wind in her face and ruffling her hair, the rush of adrenaline at the twirls that turned the whole world upside down. All of that combined had made up for the best non-magical experience in her life. So much so that she had been unable to hide her excitement from the sisters and even had outright asked to go again.

A month later, Twilight invited Sunset to spend Easter with her family. That was a holiday that didn’t have a direct translation to any Equestrian holidays. Sunset read all about it and arrived at Twilight’s house fully prepared with knowledge so as to not have to ask stupid questions. However, as it turned out, Twilight’s family didn’t quite partake in everything Sunset had read about Easter. Instead, they had a very simple tradition where Twilight’s parents would hide a hundred small decorated chocolate eggs around the house, and whoever found the most would win.

And of course, Twilight’s big puppy eyes had forced Sunset into competing as well. Though by the end of the day, Sunset had to admit, if only to herself, that she had gotten quite engaged in the challenge, and had it not been for the fact she still didn’t quite know her way around Twilight’s big house, she would’ve won. Completely ignoring that Twilight had beaten her with a difference of over sixty eggs.

The months after also had various holidays, but neither Celestia, Luna, nor Twilight seemed to celebrate them in any meaningful ways, or at least, not ways that Sunset was made aware of, and Sunset found herself enjoying her uninterrupted research time. She was very close to finishing Twilight’s lesson plan, which had only gotten more and more complicated as Sunset progressed.

Then she had gotten to electronic circuitry, and found it to be quite similar to how magic worked, but different enough that she had her doubts of it helping her. However, just as she started making progress there, Twilight once again interrupted her research time by inviting her to spend a week of summer vacation with her family at the beach.

Sunset had wanted to reject the invitation. That very week was going to see the month’s full moon, and she wanted to be near the portal. She was already used to feeling the pulsations and was very close to putting apart the different arrays. She was very close to understanding the many enchantments that made up the portal!

But Twilight had insisted, saying that she wanted to spend the summer with her BFF. Sunset wondered why Twilight thought they were even friends. And right as she was about to reject the invitation, Twilight had started Resonating, and she sang about friendship and magic and science, and by the time Sunset realized what was going on Night Light had finished loading her luggage into the car.

And now she had spent half a day sitting in a car with Twilight at her side. Shining Armor and Cadence were in a different car, which Sunset was thankful for, as she didn’t think she’d be able to take such a long journey while being even more cramped. Celestia and Luna had made up excuses for not going, like having to work for summer classes or something like that.

“Have you ever been to the beach, Sunset?” Twilight asked.

The sudden question distracted Sunset from her thoughts, and she took her gaze away from the never changing landscape to look at the bespectacled girl. “No,” she replied. She had been born in downtown Manehatten, and as soon as she became Princess Celestia’s student, she moved to the palace in Canterlot, which was as far away from the shore as one could be.

“We go to the beach every year,” Twilight said, waving her hand at the window, which still showed the same green landscape. “It’s our family summer tradition. I’m really glad you could come. We’ll have lots of fun!”

Sunset held back a sigh. The problem wasn’t having fun —she had to admit she had enjoyed herself the times Twilight had invited her over. The problem was that it was going to be a whole week where she wouldn’t be progressing in her studies. She had brought her laptop along, but if Twilight insisted on distracting her, then it had been a completely useless thing to do.

Two hours later, with the sun starting to hide in the horizon, Night Light pulled the car to a stop and announced their arrival. Sunset got out first to stretch her cramped legs and took a look at the place she’d be spending a week in.

The house was two stories high with a large garden in front of the entrance, which was surrounded by neatly trimmed bushes and flowerbeds. The building itself had soft tones of yellow colors and large windows, and was almost completely rectangular in shape. All in all, it wasn’t as flashy as Twilight’s house, but it certainly didn’t come off as cheap in any way.

“My aunt lives here most of the year,” Twilight explained as she led Sunset inside. “She leaves during summer to travel the world and lets us use the house in the meantime.”

The interior was very simple. White walls decorated by photographs of people Sunset didn’t recognize and other various ornaments. Anything made of wood was light in color, while couches and other appliances were yellowish white. It did feel like people lived there, but they were very clean and orderly.

The room she was to share with Twilight for the week did, however, feel rather empty. A single small bed of wooden frames and white sheets, a tall wardrobe, and a night table. Sunset was glad Twilight’s parents had packed the inflatable mattress. She didn’t want to share a bed with this heat.

By the time they finished unpacking, the sky had already darkened. Sunset was surprised to find herself so tired after spending almost fifteen hours sitting inside a car. She barely managed to stay awake for a light dinner before falling asleep on the mattress.

The next day, after a quick shower and a hearty breakfast, Sunset allowed Twilight’s family to take her to the beach. And as soon as they arrived she discovered that she hated it. It was so packed with people there was barely any space to spread towels and raise parasols, which Cadence and Shining offered to keep an eye on.

“Are you sure you don’t want to get a swimsuit?” Twilight asked for the millionth time.

“No,” Sunset replied. While Twilight was wearing a blue one-piece swimsuit, Sunset was content with thin shorts and a sleeveless white shirt. “I’m not going to swim.”

“Well, me neither, but you’ve got to wear a swimsuit when you’re at the beach or at the pool!” Twilight said. “Otherwise, you’re not dressed properly.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Twilight, nobody cares about my clothes. That man over there is wearing shorts and a shirt like me.”

“That’s a lifeguard, Sunset. He’s working.”

“Whatever. I’m not getting a swimsuit that I’m only going to wear for a few days.” Sure, Celestia had given her some money, but Sunset thought she could just save it for later, for something actually important.

“Ok, fine,” Twilight relented. She looked around for a moment. “So, what do you want to do?”

“Go back to Canterlot to study the portal.”

Twilight frowned. “I meant here, at the beach. Come on, Sunset, let’s have some fun! You need a real break to let your mind rest or your performance is only going to stagnate. Working the mind is almost like working the body. If you just keep training without rest, you’ll get worse results than with rest.”

Sunset threw her head back and let out an exasperated huff. “Fine! It’s not like I can go back on my own, anyway.”

Twilight grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her. Sunset could feel a couple grains of sand touching her feet as they walked, and was immediately grateful for her sandals. She hated to think what it would feel like to step on this burning sand with her bare feet. “There are many things we can do even if we don’t go swimming. We can build sand castles, or play volleyball, or collect seashells, or—”

“Wait,” Sunset said as she felt a rhythmic thumping in the distance. She turned towards the direction the soundwaves were coming from, pulling Twilight along, who let out a yelp at the sudden movement.

It didn’t take long for Sunset to arrive at the source of the Harmonic Resonance. A section of the beach had been covered by a wooden floor that led to a hallway of sorts where a line of one story high buildings sat to sell either cold treats or random trinkets. A small part of the wooden structure had been covered with a purple rug, and besides the rug, a blue-skinned man squatted down and placed a hand on the shoulder of a girl that looked to be around Twilight’s height.

As Sunset got closer and the Resonance grew stronger, she managed to get part of their conversation.

“...if I screw it up?” the girl said.

“You’ll be fine,” the man said with a smile. “You’ve been practicing for months. You’ve got this.”

“But…”

The girl was interrupted when the man grabbed her other shoulder.

“My sweet little princess…”

You better believe, you’ve got tricks up your sleeve
And you’ll captivate, ‘cuz you’re powerful and great

The girl smiled as her cheeks reddened. She took a deep breath.

You better believe, I’ve got tricks up my sleeve
You’ll see me dominate, ‘cuz I’m powerful and great!

The man nodded, then they hugged. And just like that, the Resonance ended. Sunset pursed her lips. That had been exceedingly short. Most likely a reprise. Sunset sighed with disappointment. Reprises tended to be so short that they were useless for her current research of human magic.

She was about to turn around when Twilight spoke at her side. “Oh, a magic show? I didn’t know there was one scheduled. This is most likely impromptu. Do you want to watch, Sunset?”

“Humans don’t use real magic in their magic shows. I’ve researched this on the internet, and I know how their tricks work. I’ll admit that some are impressive, what with the level of skill they require, but I’m not interested in sleight of hoof.”

“Oh, come on. It got your attention, didn’t it?”

“There was a Resonance. Seriously, you should be able to feel them by now.”

Twilight nodded. “Which means it might lead to something. Harmonic Resonances are magical phenomena, so they’re important for our research. Which means we should watch this show.”

“Not all Resonances are important, Twilight. I just use them to feel the magic so that this body doesn’t forget. If not, I wouldn’t have sat through your aria about how much you like final exams, last week.”

Twilight’s cheeks reddened, but she forced a frown. “They are the best medium to evaluate the learning process of—”

“Ok, fine! We’ll watch the stupid magic show!” Sunset crossed her arms and turned to look at the blue-skinned girl, who was almost finished setting up. She’d rather watch this than listen to Twilight’s lectures that could drag on for literal hours.

The girl walked to the middle of the rug and took a deep breath. “Come on, come all! Come watch the Great and Powerful Trixie’s magic show!”

“I already hate her,” Sunset muttered.

Twilight elbowed her on the side. “Don’t be a jerk.”

Much like Twilight, this Trixie girl was wearing a one piece purple swimsuit with yellow stars and blue moons. She also had a matching cape and hat. And that was the most interesting thing about the whole show. Just like Sunset had predicted, all the tricks were pretty mundane. Sure, the card tricks were always interesting to watch, and Trixie performed two or three tricks that Sunset didn’t know how they worked, but none of that had been true magic.

Twilight enjoyed herself, however. “... because it’s a simple 52 factorial. The result would give an eight and sixty-seven zeroes, which is a larger number than the amount of atoms on Earth.” Well, enjoyed herself in her own way.

“Thank you! Thank you!” Trixie said as the small audience that had gathered when Sunset wasn’t looking applauded. “Trixie would like to stay, but it is time for a dramatic exit! Until next time!” She raised a hand above her head and quickly brought it down, and a massive puff of smoke erupted from whatever she had smashed onto the ground.

Sunset gasped as she felt a small wave of swirling mana hit her. The smoke dispersed, and the Trixie girl was no longer there. Sunset looked both sides and barely managed to spot the girl turning a corner with the man. Not wanting to lose them, Sunset broke into a sprint behind them. She heard Twilight calling her name, but Sunset ignored her. She needed to ask that Trixie girl a few questions and then some more.

Unfortunately, by the time she rounded the corner, neither girl nor man were in sight. Sunset felt her throat burning as she struggled to breathe. Had she really been neglecting physical exercise to such an extent that she was exhausted after this short of a run? She rested her hands on her knees, heart thundering in her chest.

“Sunset!” Twilight said as she reached her. “What’s going on? Why did you run away like that?”

“That… was… magic…” Sunset replied. She took deep breaths. “When that girl did the smoke thing I could feel magic…”

“Are you certain?” Twilight asked.

Sunset huffed and returned to where Trixie had held her magic show. Her heart skipped a beat when a bored looking man carried a broom to clean the place. “Wait! Don’t clean it yet!” She ran towards the man and placed herself between him and the rug-stage.

“Listen, girl, I gotta clear this up ‘fore noon,” the man said with a bored expression. “So unless you’re plannin’ on doin’ it yourself…”

“I’ll clean for you, just don’t touch it yet!” Sunset said, pushing the broom away from the rug.

The man smirked. “A’aight, suit yourself.” He gave her the broom. “Jus’ do it ‘fore noon.” And with that, he left.

“Sunset?” Twilight said as Sunset placed the broom against a nearby wall.

Sunset knelt in front of the rug, which had a dark mark where the smoke exploded. “The girl might have escaped me, but I may be able to figure out what was that magic wave I felt…” She ran a finger through the rug and it came out blackened with soot. “Twilight, I know there are machines that produce bursts of smoke in professional stages, but there are no such things in here.”

“Well, she clearly used a smoke bomb,” Twilight said as she knelt at the other side of the rug. “But real smoke bombs don’t produce nearly that much smoke. They’re actually more explosive in nature and a serious fire hazard.” She ran a finger through the black mark as well. “This isn’t even warm.”

“She used magic somehow,” Sunset said as she kept running her fingers through the rug. “I can still feel it, swirling around in the air.”

“Swirling?” Twilight asked. “I thought it pulsated.”

“Spells pulsate because they are actively interacting with the Harmonic Veil,” Sunset explained. “What that girl used was mana, raw magical power that generates within magical creatures.”

Twilight cocked her head. “Wait, mana is energy from people, but magic is energy from the Harmonic Veil?”

“It’s a lot more complex than that, but yes, sure.”

“You guys need to come up with better names for things. This is very confusing.”

Sunset sighed. “Yeah, well, I’ll let you come up with better names for human magic. Now help me figure out what…” She stopped talking as her fingers brushed something hard and rough. She picked it up and held it in front of her. It was a tiny rock. White but blackened with soot. She would have dismissed it as a grain of sand, but holding it in her fingers, she could feel the faint swirl of mana inside. “This thing contains mana.”

Twilight seemed to find another grain of the same rock. She took a few minutes, but eventually widened her eyes in surprise. “I can feel it. It’s indeed very different from the portal. Though it’s so faint I wouldn’t have felt anything if I didn’t know what to look for.”

Sunset covered her mouth with her free hand. This was huge. There were humans out there that could manipulate their mana, or at least they had means of getting some, somewhere. Not only that, whatever it was that she was holding was able to store magical energy. Finding that Trixie girl would be ideal to get answers, but since she had disappeared, almost literally, Sunset would have to settle with figuring out what was the material she was holding.

“It’s very small, so it’s hard to tell,” Twilight said. “But this looks like some kind of quartz.”

Sunset blinked. “Quartz?” She dropped the tiny grain of rock and stood up. “Of course! Quartz! Why didn’t I think of that before?!” She turned around and walked towards one of the stores that sold trinkets.

“Sunset? What are you doing?” Twilight asked, walking up behind her.

“The best materials for enchanting and general mana and magic manipulation are cut gemstones,” Sunset said as she kept walking. “When I learned that those are ridiculously expensive in this world, I decided to forget all about them. So, even as I read some of those geology books you lent me, my mind just didn’t connect the dots.” She stopped in front of the store and, before the woman could react, Sunset spoke up. “What kinds of quartz do you sell? Also, are they natural or treated?”

The woman blinked for a moment, then smiled.

“Looking to make your own sets? I have both natural and treated. Let me see… Did you have anything specific in mind?”

“I want to test with all possible kinds,” Sunset replied.

“Well, let me see,” the woman replied. She picked a box with what appeared to be samples and placed it on the counter. “All I got is clear quartz, milky quartz, smoky quartz, rose quartz, some citrine and soladite as well, and uh, I ran out of amethysts, sadly. Oh, but I have some jasper and howlite.”

“Wow,” Twilight said. “I didn’t know there were so many different kinds.”

“Oh, dearie, there are so many more, but the rarer they are, the more expensive they get,” the woman said with a chuckle.

After an hour, Sunset had used all the money Celestia had given her to buy as many quartz rocks as she could. Most of them were the cheapest, milky variety, but Sunset wasn’t in a position to get many of the good stuff. She only got two pieces of the other varieties and almost two pounds of milky quartz.

She may have needed to clean the mess Trixie had made, but Sunset didn’t care. Sure, she had cheap stones, but they were still the best medium she could afford to advance her magic research. With them, she was sure to progress much faster than expected. Even as she sweeped, she couldn’t stop smiling.

Author's Note

Something big just happened this chapter! And I'm not talking about the fast-forward (That does have a reason to happen). Other humans can do magic too! (Trix cameo ftw)

Whatever will happen going forward?

If you liked it, please leave a comment!