The Boundary: A Tale of Sunset

A sense of déjà vu assailed Sunset as she sped back home. She kicked herself all the way from the café to her apartment, to the shower, and to bed for a nap after jabbing in an alarm on her phone. Variations of the term “stupid” ran through her mind as she swallowed down some microwaved dinner hours later.

Her self-criticism only paused when she reached for her phone to summon a car. There were texts and missed calls. She saw Felecia and Diane’s names amidst others. They made her feel like her head was splitting in two. With a deep exhale through her nose, she slashed her finger through the notifications and into an app to call the car. She did not bother comparing rates with the other apps. She would worry about how to respond to the texts and calls later, but a lump of regret had already formed in her stomach. Canceling going to the reunion seemed like the easiest thing to do now. It was a concern for another time though.

Sunset went to her dresser. Pulling out a drawer, she set aside workout tops and shorts. With one of the chopsticks she had used for dinner, she poked the hole in the underside of the drawer, revealing a false bottom and a safe. This one, unlike the one under her sink that held her personal gun, knives, and valuables, had three locks instead of two. Inputting all the codes, she opened it up.

The aged air drew her mind back for a passing moment. In her head, she heard someone cry out her name. Her hand darted in and grasped a piece of parchment and a dull stony tube-shaped object. She lingered on the other items resting in the safe: a metal orb and a bullion and under them a faded square.

She wanted to steal a glance at what was on the other side of the square, but she pulled back her hand. Slamming the safe shut, she darted into the night.

~~~

Sunset did not like to keep her hood up, but there was not enough time to dye her hair. If she could use magic again, any dyeing until the issue was resolved may be pointless anyway. Probably. Another unknown and no time to deal with it.

So, at the cost of her peripheral vision and the slight enjoyment she got from the cool air on her face, she covered up.

It did not help that the glow of a cartoonishly stylized French fry basket and milkshake sign matched her hair’s color. A crescent moon hung in the sky, its beams glinting off the strands of yellow and red that Sunset’s hood could not fully hide.

It was a short walk to her destination. The pungent odor of exotic spices from Tasty Treat hung in the air.

Tiara stood outside, following Sunset’s instructions to look like she was waiting for a car, sans grasping a phone that would have shown where her driver was. She fidgeted and looked around but Sunset had made sure to approach from a blind spot.

It gave Sunset time to kick herself again. Her mind had weighed the pros and cons again and again while it sputtered. For as much as Sunset prided herself on being prepared, this was a conversation she had never planned for.

Her experience in life had prepared her for missions, but not much for talking. Before coming to Earth, she had shunned interactions, and here, she was never fully open with anyone. Memories of words, some laced with venom and others with honey came to mind. Tears. A hug. Immense gratitude and deep regret. Despite the gamut of emotions this brought Sunset, she could not deny she placed those events close to her heart.

What would become of tonight weighed heavy on her.

That Tiara would be back at the job within a week kept Sunset’s mind from wandering too much into the realm of what ifs. Yet, while she could see Tiara back at the office, there was a less clear vision of herself there. Even if she did go back, she knew there would be a new tension. Unspoken words. Calculating even casual talk. Perhaps that tension would fade in time, but that was an unknown. Unknowns perturbed Sunset more than anything else, but the unknown of magic in this world was a far greater concern than the unknowns of future work life.

She inhaled deeply and told herself to treat this like an old task or a new job. Deep-rooted and relatively fresh trainings merged to guide her. She took a step.

Changing directions, she now made sure Tiara would see her approaching. She even used her phone to catch the glow of streetlight and reflect the glint onto Tiara’s glasses.

“Hey,” Sunset said, having chosen a casual tone that carried a serious undertone. It was one of several she practiced. This one she felt was akin to a doctor easing a patient into the reveal of a major diagnosis.

“Hi.” Tiara bowed her head, sinking her chin into her scarf.

“You can still head back if you want.”

“No.” Gloved hands clenched. “I owe you a lot, even my life after the other day. So, I want to help.”

Sunset glanced at the sturdiness in Tiara’s muscles. It probably hurt her ribs to stand resolute like that. She had been ready with a few more offers to back off, but discarded them.

“Resolve is the cornerstone of magic and it must be honored.”

Her teacher’s words were clearer to Sunset than they had been in quite some time.

“Let’s walk then.”

The construction site was still a few blocks away, as Sunset had planned. She said nothing for a time. Tiara took small and hurried steps to keep up with Sunset. Sunset walked at a measured pace, the kind that showed she was deliberately going in a slower manner than usual.

With one more glance at the moon, Sunset opened her mouth, watching her breath frost into the air. “I suppose you hit the board but were off target with the extraterrestrial theory. It’s a bit beyond that.”

Tiara said nothing but drew closer.

“Extradimensional is more fitting. What you saw wasn’t some advanced technology, but a spell. Specifically, a spell channeled through a catalyst.” Sunset gave a wry smirk. “Congrats, you’re probably the first human to see a modern firearm become a magical conduit.”

Tiara, with eyes wide, asked, “So, what does that make you?”

“I am…” A pause. “A mage. Yes, that’s probably the best term to use.”

“Would there be a difference if you said wizard or sorcerer?”

“To a nerd like you, probably.” Sunset welcomed the question as it put distance from a deeper issue she wanted to pragmatically avoid. “To me, no. The fact remains that I am a magic user from a world called Equestria. My name, my real name, is Sunset Shimmer.”

Tiara blinked at Sunset. “Because of your hair color?”

“No, it’s… actually, I never did ask my parents about that.” Sunset shook her head. “What matters tonight is Equestria is a world where magic exists and Earth is one where it mostly doesn’t.”

“Mostly?”

“We don’t speak English in Equestria, but the requisite knowledge to speak it somehow was installed. Plus there’s all your folk tales, urban legends, and the like.”

Tiara chewed her lip for a moment. “Can I ask one, maybe two things?”

“Go on.”

“Are there others like you here?”

“Now?” Sunset breathed in the cold air. “No, not to my knowledge. At least, no one here. That way was destroyed.”

“And why are you here?”

Sunset stopped. Tiara nearly bumped into her. This was a line of questioning she had anticipated but now at the cusp of having to provide an answer, a pit formed in her stomach. There was the flash of fire in her mind. Then, a cry. “I’ll explain at the site.”

Just a few yards away was the main entrance to the site. A police officer stood by the red and white striped bar that separated the site from the road. Sunset had been reaching for her key card but as she drew near, recognized the officer.

The officer set her thermos aside and sighed, “More cleanup and inspection?”

“A little supplemental. You know how it is, Marge,” said Sunset.

Marge grimaced. “Never get a proper address from you.”

Sunset said nothing more and dipped under the barrier bar. Tiara, after giving Officer Marge a bow of the head, followed after her.

“Holding up okay?”

“Oh, um, yeah.”

Sunset glanced back. Tiara was keeping apace. There even seemed to be a hop in her step. It grew when Sunset removed her hood, freeing her hair. “Near the start, I always imagined if someone somehow found out, they’d go off a little.”

“Well, you do always call me a nerd.” There was a slight blush on Tiara’s cheeks. “I know I’ve talked a little about some of the shows I watch, but it was much worse in high school and college. I’m pretty sure binging too hard was part of what led to the university incident. So, this is probably a combo of shock, letting my imagination run wild, and wanting to research.”

“That’s better than thinking I’m nuts or you’re going crazy at least. Just don’t let your imagination run too wild. We’re dealing with a lot of unknowns, so stay sharp.”

Sunset turned her attention ahead and braced herself as they neared the half-finished skyscraper. There was caution tape all around, but like with the barrier bar, she slipped through. Clicking on a flashlight, she marched on. A second beam of light joined hers. They moved at a slow pace, watching their feet with each step. Eventually, Sunset came to a full stop.

The flashlights and enough moonlight filtered in to leave the space dim but not dark. The shadows deepened when Sunset tucked her light into a pocket.

“You asked why I’m here?” Sunset did not turn to face Tiara. “In short, a latch-ditch effort to save my own skin. That is not a metaphor, but let me show you.”

When Sunset moved her arm, she felt every muscle working in it. Time slowed for her. She felt both a chill in her bones and a roiling in her gut. She had provided basic knowledge of her world before, but now she was at a personal gate. She had to advance if she was to settle things as fast as possible.

She shed her jacket so that it dangled on her cast. Next, she clenched the layers of clothing underneath and pulled them upwards. Wind crept across her bare back. She extended a finger from the hand grasping her clothes and pointed to the middle of her spine, just below her shoulder blades.

There was a mark. Deep maroon on the verge of black in color. It was in discord with the rest of her skin. In its center was a sickle shape. The outline of a teardrop encircled it. Bolts arced out from the top and bottom of the drop.

“This is ________ _____” The words burned Tiara’s ears. Its pronunciation was harsh, reminding Tiara of German and certain tones of Mandarin. Sunset spoke them like they were clawing at her throat. Even if the meaning was lost, it was clear to Tiara it was something awful.

“There isn’t an English equivalent and probably nothing in any other human language either.” Despite the chill, she kept her grasp on her clothes and stood like a statue. It made Tiara shiver. “The one that I felt closest was Nightmare’s Hoof.”

“And...” Tiara gulped. She had seen the mark before due to decontamination after certain jobs, but Sunset’s eyes had always grown sharp as if sensing attention on it. So, Tiara had never dared to ask before. “What is it?”

“A sign that I committed the worst of all crimes.” The wind rattled some metal. “It’s been a millennium since an actual Nightmare last awoke and even those with just a Hoof are rare.”

Lowering her layers and putting her coat back on, she turned around to face Tiara. Sensing there was more to be said, Tiara remained silent, but her face brimmed with a multitude of questions. Sunset already knew the most prominent one, but asked to confirm, “You want to know what I did?”

Tiara nodded.

She was ready to explain but a flash of images gave her a split-second pause: a barren tundra covered in shadow, stained glass showing a mesh of obsidian swallowing up a bearded figure, and a blast of flames. All these visions held the mark. She took a breath. “You become marked if you are sufficiently skilled at magic and you commit a cardinal sin.”

Another breath. Sunset could feel her heart pumping faster. Her gut squirmed. The memories of that night grew stronger and stronger. She recalled the clasp on her shoulder, words of concern laced with caution, and that terrible terrible moment she always wished to undo. The moment she twisted her head and sent out a great column of flame.

She could still feel the heat. She could still remember the sense of panic. The lurch as she activated her emergency teleport and it flung her away. The searing pain of the mark gouging into her flesh.

What haunted her most though was the only blank space in her memory: the face her target had made and the subsequent cry of her name. Shock? Disappointment? Rage? Sadness? Sunset did not know.

The cry had repeated over and over until it now rang in her ears. Each time, there was a variation. An accusation. A wail. A curse. A lament.

The ringing mixed with nausea welling up in her core. She had repeated her next words in her head at her darkest periods, but for the first time ever, she spoke them aloud. “I betrayed my teacher, my master, and my princess.”

A sharp gust of wind blew through the building. Tarps rustled. Wires clinked against pipes. Silence.

Sunset welcomed the cool air on her face. She forcibly closed her eyes and inhaled, wanting the chill in her lungs to remain for a time. At that moment, she imagined opening her eyes and being back in several different places. A library filled with countless tomes. A high school parking lot. The café.

And there was a fear that when she did actually open her eyes, the human would be gone. Even if Tiara had weathered much and her appetites graced her with more acceptance of the unbelievable, there was a cold reality to Sunset’s words that spanned worlds: she was a traitor. An attempted killer of a monarch who had never harmed a hair on her head. In both worlds, Sunset was well aware of the gravity of that crime.

“Um, are the other ones also special or just tattoos?” Tiara’s voice broke through the cold.

The unexpected question was a balm to Sunset. It lifted her from the world of memory and back into the pragmatic realm. She opened her eyes and blinked, allowing the question to reorient her. Her posture, which had slumped, straightened a bit. Seeing Tiara had remained left her feeling a little lighter too. “That’s something everyone gets in Equestria: a cutie mark. When you find out what you’re talented in, they just appear. For me, my magic was radiant like a sunset… at least, that’s what my teacher always said.”

“And why do they appear…” Tiara blushed a little. “... there?”

“That is beyond me. It’s like asking humans why their eyes are in their head.”

“Oh, sorry.” Tiara bowed her head. “Was that offensive?”

“Compared to what some other races say about them, no.”

Tiara’s eyes glimmered. “Other races?”

“Okay, sharing time is over. We need to get back to that task at hand.”

“That reminds me.” Tiara pointed a finger up towards her face. “How do I factor into this, outside of seeing you cast a spell?”

“You can decipher things faster than I can.”

It was Tiara’s turn to blink.

“You can crunch data better than me and I’m pretty much just an extra set of hands if I’m in the lab.”

“What about that Murchinson case or Liguni?”

“I know how to hit people and why people get hit.” Sunset reached into her pocket. Pinched between her thumb and finger was the stony material. It cast a faint glow, just enough to illuminate the tips of Sunset’s fingers. “We just passed the first test, so now we need to find my gun and analyze it. At least, that’s the best lead I can think of.”

The glow enchanted Tiara. “What is that?”

“Chalk.” Sunset held the tiny cylinder aloft for a second so Tiara could get a better look and then put it back in her pocket. “Chalk from Equestria, that is. I did some tests before I came to Earth for good and found certain things from there are still reactive here even without magic infusing everything.”

“So, it’s glowing chalk? Does it also work as a light?”

“Maybe two hundred years ago. When I was last there, you’d hardly see it used for illumination except for streetlights since you can’t turn it off, especially if you deliberately charge it, and it’s incredibly sensitive to magic.” Sunset cracked a grin. “Never thought that old tale about prospectors using it to check dangers would be useful. The glow proves my gun is here and mana isn’t disappearing like it used to. Now then…”

She shifted her cast around so it rested in front of her. After putting the chalk back in her pack, her right hand hovered over her cast in a cupped position.

Tiara observed Sunset close her eyes. From the way she had positioned her arms and her steady rhythmic breathing, it was clear to Tiara this was something akin to a meditation. She thought back to when she had been gasping for air on the floor above with the taste of iron in her mouth. That split second she had seen Sunset’s hair whirl of its own accord and miraculously change color. She had passed out right then so until she had seen Sunset again, she had pondered if it was all a hallucination.

Now, she watched, taking in every second. She imagined wind coalescing around Sunset, or aura rising off her.

Yet, after a minute or so, nothing had changed. Sunset opened her eyes.

“Did anything happen?” Tiara asked.

Sunset shook her head. “Silent invocation didn’t work even though it did the other day. I thought with some mana present it might work but I’ll try with an incantation instead.”

Standing straight and positioning her arms again, Sunset chanted, “I call to ancient bonds to deal with modern ties. Reveal yourself, precious thing. Unite with me once more.”

Tiara held her breath but released it when Sunset sighed, “Nothing again.”

Tiara corked her head. “How do you know it didn’t work?”

“For those first two methods, I would’ve felt something akin to that feeling when you realize where you left your keys and a sense of being pulled in the item’s direction. My leading theory now is that my spell the other day was some bizarre fluke. There are certainly enough oddities in this world to account for a once-in-a-lifetime use of magic. There’s no mistake about the glow from the chalk though, so…”

Her hand reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded square of parchment along with the chalk. Tearing off a piece of the parchment, she set it on the floor and sat down beside it, using a foot to keep it secure. Tiara went over and placed her hands on it.

“Thanks.” Sunset sketched out a circle into the parchment. She then drew more lines and shapes. “Think of mana, the energy behind magic, as having qualities of electricity, air, and radiation. It flows around and circulates within living things but to express it as a spell, one needs to direct it. An eggbeater, an amp, and a PC all need to be plugged in, right? Similar with magic. Normally, any adult u— mage can do incantationless spells. Incantations both center the mage and direct the magic. It’s useful for more complex and layered spells. This, though, is the most secure but inflexible method of using magic.”

Sunset paused. The small piece of parchment was filled with drawings. Given the circle encompassing them, it reminded Tiara of a mandala. To her, the significance of much of the drawing was lost but what was clear was that it contained multiple stylized arrows pointing toward a dot in the center of a circle.

“Runes have the benefit of drawing not just from the user’s mana but from the surrounding air as well. The chalk proves there’s mana here. If this doesn’t work, there’s always adding an incantation too but…”

Sunset pressed her hand into the parchment and it lit up for a second. The illumination danced across Tiara’s glasses. The parchment slipped from beneath Sunset’s palm and slid across the ground, not like a piece of paper tossed by the wind but more like iron guided by a magnet. Sunset snatched it before it was out of her reach.

She stood with the parchment pinched in her fingers. After swiveling her arm a few times, she advanced in one direction. Tiara followed with her flashlight pointing in whichever direction Sunset moved.

“If it’s not too personal, can I ask something?” Tiara asked as they searched.

Sunset chuckled. “We’re far past that point.”

“How long have you been here?”

Sunset continued to focus on the parchment and flexed her arm, feeling when the pull waxed and waned. “About sixteen years now.”

Both of them climbed over a girder. There was debris scattered here and there around them now.

“Wouldn’t that mean you were just a kid when you got that Hoof mark?”

“I was a youth, but not a whelp.” Sunset was advancing ahead of Tiara at a rate where Tiara had to pick up her feet. “Sorry, a lot will slip my mind, and one of them is that time and lifespans for Equestrians are different. I’m twenty-eight here but I’m actually closer to forty or even fifty.”

Tiara’s jaw slackened but she did not have time to shout a response. Sunset let go of the parchment and it darted through the air. Once more, it did not behave like paper guided by wind but flew in a straight line into the darkness a few feet away. Tiara shined a light on the spot. The glint of metal reflected back.

Sunset strode over, hunched down, and picked up what was left of her gun and the parchment now affixed it. Only twisted and melted metal remained from the muzzle and the slide, leaving just the lower parts in a recognizable shape.

Extending two fingers to touch the parchment, Sunset uttered, “I give thanks for guidance.”

The parchment then loosened its hold on the gun. Sunset stashed both away in a pocket.

“Okay.” Sunset released a deep breath. “This is a good step, now to get back to my place an—”

“Is the chalk supposed to glow like that?” Tiara pointed at Sunset’s pocket. Even through the thick coat, they could see a bright glow.

Sunset immediately dropped the gun and grabbed the functional one tucked into her waist. “Hostile procedure!”

The words, repeated over and over again in training, spurred Tiara to grab the firearm concealed under her jacket.

There was a burst of light and then a foot slammed into Sunset’s right shoulder. A hood obscured the attacker’s face but curls of purple and stripes of aquamarine hair poked out.

Kicking Sunset away, the figure spun in midair so neither of the women were in a blind spot. There were no more shadows to hide in either as the tiara in the figure’s right hand illuminated the site.

The tiara appeared to be made of gold with and bedecked in teal gems. Arising from its center was a large magenta star.

Neither woman had time to linger long on it though as the figure was muttering something which caused the thick tome in its other hand to flip through pages of its own accord.

A gunshot rang out.

Lead tore through the figure’s left bicep. The book tumbled to the ground. The pained cry alongside the throwing back of the hood revealed the attacker as a woman. A bob-cut hair framed wild purple irises and a snarl. Hisses and tones laced with wrath poured from her mouth interspersed with certain words.

“… cur… catch… Justice!” She leveled the headpiece at Tiara. Tiara kept her gun steady and aimed.

A foot swept the attacker’s legs. A blinding beam exploded past Tiara. Molten steel dripped through a newly formed hole in the building. All around them, metal groaned.

In one fluid movement, Sunset sprung from the ground and plunged into a tackle. Her cast angled for the attacker’s neck while her right hand flew out and seized the tiara, but the attacker did not relinquish it even in freefall.

“Auto-translate hasn’t kicked in and you’re not acclimated.” Sunset drove her knee into the attacker’s gut just as they hit the ground. The attacker wheezed but her grip on the tiara remained firm. Sunset pressed her cast down, reddening the attacker’s face. “Takes quite a bit to get here and show off like this, but we can talk about that when you wake up.”

“… nothing…!” The tiara lit up.

“I’m holding this conduit too, idiot! You’re going t—” Sunset’s eyes went wide and then she smashed her cast against the attacker’s face. The plaster cracked enough to allow her wrist more freedom. Slamming her hand into the attacker’s face, as aura spread over it.

The attacker’s nostrils flared. She planted her left fist into Sunset's stomach. Her arm did not have Sunset’s defined musculature, as emphasized by the glint around her bicep. There should have been entry and exit wounds, but only trails of blood remained.

Despite her slight build, the air contorted around where the fist struck Sunset. Sunset heaved and went careening away from the attacker. A girder caught her square in the back and she tumbled down, unconscious.

The attacker huffed as an aura flowed off her arm. Its lingering sparks briefly illuminated the mark on her hand, identical to the one Tiara had seen minutes ago embedded on Sunset’s back. The hand raced up and clasped her head.

Three gunshots rang out followed by the tinks of deformed bullets bouncing off the ground. They rolled around and reflected the neon blue of a translucent membrane that had manifested around the attacker.

A bloodshot eye glared from between the fingers pressed against her head at Tiara, who kept her gun leveled on the attacker. Her gaze then shifted as did Tiara’s to Sunset. Tiara readied herself to grab one of several canisters hidden in her jacket or to make a mad dash for Sunset.

The attacker did not move and only gave labored breaths. Rather than slowing, her inhales and exhales increased. She wobbled, mashing her hand further against her head. Barely able to let out a grunt, she vanished as she had appeared in a blinding flash.