//------------------------------// // Arc 2: Chapter 8 // Story: Student 32: Sunset Shimmer // by Show Stopper //------------------------------// Friday and Saturday were two of Sunset’s best since coming to the human world. It didn't even bother her that her classmates pulled her away from her studies after lunch both days. Two mornings spent practicing Latin with Setsuna and Mana had significantly boosted her confidence in the language, though it would still be a few months before she could discard her Japanese-Latin dictionary. She'd even managed to work in a few hours each day to practice with her new magic, in which (Mana had informed her) she was progressing at an outrageously rapid rate. Both Setsuna and Mana were busy Sunday, so Sunset dedicated that morning to mastering one particularly useful spell that improved general fitness. Strength, agility, stamina, hardiness, all would be improved at least three-fold, more depending on how much magic the mage poured into it. Sunset had cast it successfully on Saturday, but the spell was designed to last continually with little concentration. Today, Sunset planned to test her ability to hold it long-term. Guess I'm not going to the gym today, Sunset thought, jogging through Library Island and delighting in the ease with which she ran. As fun as it would be to see the club's reactions as I clobbered them one by one, I don't want to cheat there. They wouldn't be happy about that. Sunset frowned. Wait, no. What do I care? I'm only there so I can learn to fight and stay in shape. I don't really care what they think of me… do I? Sunset stopped, putting a hand to her chin as she thought it over, remembering Monday when the Club President had taught her the rules of kickboxing, Tuesday when a few of the older students had taught her a few moves and shown her how to work the speed bag, Friday when she'd fought her first match and been creamed easily, how her opponent had pulled her to her feet afterwards, both of them laughing all the while. Do I… do I actually care about them? “Ano, Nichibotsu-chan? Could you please move? You're blocking the bridge and standing on the trap plate.” Sunset looked up from her musings, surprised to find that she'd taken a different route than normal. She stood now on a narrow bridge, a series of bladed pendulums swinging back and forth across it. A group of high-schoolers was waiting on one side, most of them looking impatient. “Oh! Sorry.” Sunset quickly made her way across the bridge, pausing and weaving to avoid the lethal trap. She reached the end easily, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “Sorry for activating the trap. Got lost in thought.” The older student waded her off. “It's fine. It'll shut off in about 10 minutes. I'm surprised you didn't notice it, though.” Sunset shrugged. “Eh, the swing pattern is easy to predict. I could have walked through this one in my sleep.” She gave the bridge one last appraising look before hurrying off towards the surface. ***** “Eh?! Negi-sensei’s looking for a fiance?!” Sunset rolled her eyes from where she was relaxing in the baths. 3-A had gone crazy from the latest rumor right as she'd gotten comfortable. “Ignore them, Honya,” she said to her flustered roommate. “You know our class always blows things out of proportion. Remember when they actually thought a game of dodgeball could determine what class the kid taught?” “Aw, come on, Nichi-chan,” Haruna said, elbowing her in the side. “Don't ruin everyone's fun with your logic. Besides, this one comes from the Narutaki twins’ own ears. Negi-sensei came to Japan to find a ‘partner.’” Sunset rolled her eyes, settling deeper into the water. “Ah, that. No need to worry, Honya. I know what he's talking about, and he's a bit too young to make that sort of decision. You have nothing to-” “I want to go to Prince Negi’s ball!!!” Sunset sighed, glaring over at where much of the class had assembled. “Then again, we may want to do something to stop that horde. Anyone know where the kid is right now?” “Well, the new term starts tomorrow,” Yue pointed out. “He's probably in the Teachers’ Lounge or our classroom getting things ready.” “Huh. That actually works out perfectly,” Sunset said. “I'm helping Konoka with something over there today anyway. I'll just take five more minutes here before-” “We're coming for you, Prince Negi!!!” Sunset sighed, standing up and heading for the changing room. ***** Where was this spell when I went to Celestia’s School? Sunset approached the school at a clip that would have impressed most pegasi, her “sprint” feeling like no more than a light jog. She wasn't even breathing heavily by the time she reached the front lockers. She quickly made her way through the school, listening for any voices. “Is this really necessary, Grandpa? It doesn't look like me at all.” Bingo. Sunset crept towards a classroom that had the door cracked open, keeping low to avoid being seen through the windows. “Now now, granddaughter.” Sunset rolled her eyes at the principal's voice. “It's important to make a good first impression.” Sunset quickly reached the door and peeked inside. A couple of men in suits were setting up photography equipment under the direction of a third. An old, hunched-over man with a long, thin beard fused over a beautiful girl in an elaborate kimono. Sunset had to do a double-take; between the kimono, the makeup, and the intricately styled hair, Konoka was barely recognizable. She squirmed in obvious discomfort, looking from the camera to a stack of papers on a nearby desk. Her eyes darted with some desperation to the doorway and widened in surprise and joy when they found Sunset's. “We're just about ready, sir,” one of the suits said, adjusting the camera and training it on a white sheet. “Another minute at the most.” “Grandpa, can I go get some water?” Konoka suddenly asked. “My throat’s getting dry.” “Oho, is that so?” the principal asked, stroking his beard. “This wouldn't just be an attempt to run off again, would it? We've had to postpone this shoot three times already.” “Aw, come on, Grandpa,” Konoka whined. “It's not like that. You can even send one of these guys with me to make sure.” Sunset grinned, cracking her knuckles and standing up between the door and the window, just out of sight. She listened as two sets of footsteps approached, one soft and the other not. The door opened wide and Konoka sprinted out. “Hey!” The suit following her reached out to stop her, only to get a facefull of fist as Sunset swung. “Go, Konoka!” Sunset shouted, stepping into the doorway and putting up her fists. “Back to the dorms! I'll distract them!” The principal sighed, shaking his head. “Nichibotsu-san. I shouldn't be surprised that she pulled you into this.” He pointed down at the unconscious suit. “You could have gone at least a little easy on him.” Sunset stole a glance down the hall, seeing to her satisfaction that Konoka was indeed heading towards the front of the school. Hope she remembers to leave a few footprints before heading upstairs. “What can I say?” Sunset asked, returning her attention to the room. “Arranged marriages irk me, and I'd rather fight two faceless goons than three.” “Hm, a fair point,” the principal said. “However, you've made one major tactical error. “Realty?” Sunset tensed, readying herself for a blow from any direction. “And what error is that?” “We're on the first floor.” There was a beat of silence before both conscious suits turned and ran for the outside windows, throwing them open and leaping out. Within seconds, their cries of “Konoka-ojousama!” had faded into the distance. “...well,” Sunset said, lowering her fists. “That didn't work.” “Ohohohoho,” the principal laughed. “You're fifty years too early to test your wits against me, even considering where you come from.” Sunset sighed, crossing her arms. “Fair enough. Hopefully Konoka can… Wait.” Her eyes widened. “You know where I'm from?!” “Indeed. And from your reaction, so do you.” Sunset swore under her breath as the principal continued. “I was quite the Library Island Explorer myself, back in the day. A few of us stumbled through that mirror and spent a day on the other side. Tell me, how is Tenko-hime doing these days?” Tenko? Sunset thought, a scowl maring her face. Does he mean Celestia? “She's fine,” she muttered. “Just as perfect as ever.” The principal raised an eyebrow but didn't comment further. “Well, I have a favor to ask. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather the wider world not discover that we have a portal to another universe sitting beneath the school. Such things tend to attract all sorts of unwanted attention.” Sunset snorted, a smirk spreading across her face. “I'm not exactly eager to tell everyone that I'm a magical unicorn from another dimension. I'd rather not end up in the nuthouse.” “Hoho, I'd imagine not. But there is one more thing. As you probably realize, my family is very much involved in the magical world. While I don't really care one way or the other, Konoka’s parents have made it clear that they'd rather she not learn about magic. If you could keep the secret, I'd be grateful.” “... Gramps, you do realize that she's currently rooming with a mage who was careless enough to let both me and Asuna find out about him, right? The same mage who inflicted a love poison onto half of the class? The same mage who regularly causes massive gusts of wind whenever he sneezes?” The principal cocked an eyebrow. “Like I said, I don't care one way or the other.” ***** It was obvious to Sunset when she reached the front entrance again that the suits has fallen for her bluff. Two sets of widely spaced footprints showed where a couple of men had run around the school and towards the road away towards the dorms. Sunset made her way to the other side of the building, wanting to make sure that the principal didn't see her, and pulled out her practice wand. “Spiritus venti,” Sunset muttered, “dux mihi socius meus. Punctum me.” A breeze kicked up around Sunset, one wisp of wind glowing blue and beginning to swirl in front of her. It shaped itself into an arrow which slowly spun in place. This was one of the few spells Sunset had managed to master in the last couple of days: Compass of Wind. It was the most basic scrying spell there was, easily blocked by magic, and only pointing in the cardinal direction in which her target was furthest from her. An arrow pointing north could mean that the target was straight north, or a fair distance east or west as well. It was all but useless as a real tracking spell, but for short range, it would work fine. “Konoka Konoe,” Sunset whispered to the arrow, picturing the girl in her mind. The arrow began to spin faster before coming to a sudden stop, standing on its end to point straight up. “Huh,” Sunset muttered, dismissing the magic. “Didn’t know it could do ‘up.’ At least that means she’s pretty close by.” She looked up the face of the building, eyeing the narrow ledge outside of the second-story window above her. “Alright,” she said, crouching down and gathering magic into her legs. “Let’s see if this works.” Sunset launched herself skyward, surprised to find that she reached, and passed, the window with ease. She almost cleared the top of the building when her ascent slowed to a stop and she began to fall. Crap! Find the ledge. Find the ledge! Sunset reached out, grabbing the second-story ledge as she passed it. The yank on her shoulder was jarring, but not painful, the spell doing its job and allowing her to maintain her grip. Sunset sighed in relief, pulling herself up and pressing against the window. Now, if I were Konoka, what room would I go to? “ISN’T THAT OBVIOUSLY ASUNA-SAN!? DON’T TELL FORTUNES SO IRRESPONSIBLY!” Sunset rolled her eyes, turning to face the window to her left. “Well that answers that question. Looks like the kid’s here too. Honestly, what is she predicting now?” Konoka had a surprisingly mischievous nature which her position as President of the Fortune Telling Club allowed her to indulge in often, much to the chagrin of her victims. Sunset leapt to the next window, peeking inside and smirking as she saw Negi chase Konoka around the classroom, his face flushed beet red. Yup, definitely up to her old hijinks. “Oy! Konoka! Don’t go picking on little kids.” Konoka and Negi turned, their faces filling with shock as they saw Sunset hanging out outside the window. “N-Nichi-chan?” Konoka stuttered, running over and opening the window. “How did you get out there?” Sunset shrugged, hopping inside and sitting on the windowsill. “Please. I’ve climbed smoother surfaces in Library Island.” With a full climbing harness. “More importantly, the old man’s goons have fallen for our trick and are running for the dorms.” Konoka sighed in relief. “Thank goodness. I guess I’ll just stay here until it’s too late for the shoot, then.” “That might not be a good idea,” Sunset warned, glancing at Negi. “We’ve got a mob of rabid schoolgirls chasing this one because he’s apparently a prince getting ready to host a ball to search for a fiance.” “Eh?!” Konoka’s eyes shined as she grasped Negi’s hands. “Negi-kun! You’re a prince? Really?” “I’M NOT A PRINCE!!!” “Nichi-chan! Not you too!” Sunset, Konoka, and Negi looked over to see an exasperated Asuna standing in the classroom doorway. “Like I’ve been saying to everyone, it’s a complete misunderstanding. Negi isn’t a prince, and he’s NOT looking for a partner of any sort!” Sunset chuckled as Konoka rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “We know, Asuna. Just having a bit of fun with the kid. But we’d better get out of here quickly before…” She trailed off, her attention grabbed by the sound of multiple pounding footsteps. “Crap!” She lunged forwards, grabbing Negi by the back of his shirt. “Sorry about this, kid! It’s for your own good!” “W-w-wait! Nichibosu-saaAAAA!!!” Sunset turned, throwing him out the window and slamming it shut. She turned and leaned back against it just as a mob of girls slammed Asuna aside, pulling the door wide open and spilling into the room. “Negi-sensei!” “Prince Negi!” “Please make me your partner!” “EVERYBODY, QUIET!!!” The room quieted at Sunset’s shout, the girls’ excitement turning to nervousness as they saw both the absence of a child teacher and the presence of a certain silver-tongued classmate. “N-Nichi-chan. Hi,” Sakurako greated nervously. “Ano, have you seen Negi-sensei anywhere?” “Yeah,” Sunset said, crossing her arms and glaring at her. “I saw him. Running away like he had a pack of wolves on his tail.” She shook her head. “No, sorry, that’s unfair to wolves. At least they have a good reason for their hunt.” “Yeah yeah, we get it.” Kazumi waved her off, a confident grin on her face. “You play the big bad bully, but it’s really all just an act. We’ve been through this before, Nichi-chan. You don’t have to-” “Well then it’s a good thing it’s not an act this time.” Kazumi’s grin faded as Sunset turned her glare from student to student. “Fine, I’ll admit that what I said on Wednesday was mostly just to get you all to leave me alone, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to call you out on your group idiocy.” “Nichibotsu!” Asuna stepped in front of Sunset, commanding her attention. “Don’t you think that’s going a little too far?” “Is it?” Sunset countered. “I’m just saying what you and the more level-headed members of our class don’t have the guts to. How many times have you had to save the kid from being torn to shreds by this pack of delinquents? A starving hyena has more restraint than the lot of them!” She gestured to the girls who were standing in the doorway. “They took one word, a single word that could have meant practically anything, and turned it into this overblown fantasy of princes and balls. It'd be bad enough if they were to react like this over someone our age or older, but Negi’s just a freaking kid! ” Her glare turned back to the girls. “You're lucky you don't face Child Molestation charges on a regular basis! Honestly, how did you all even…” She trailed off, finally noticing her classmates’ expressions. It wasn’t Fumika’s watery eyes that stalled her, nor was it Kazumi’s shock or Sakurako and Ako’s flinches at being the subjects of her gaze. She shrugged off the Class Rep and Ku’s disapproving scowls as well as Kaede’s grave stare. What gave her pause was Makie, her frown speaking volumes. Disappointment without condescension. Sorrow not for herself, but for Sunset. It was a look that said, “I know you’re better than this.” It was the same look Celestia had given her for months before she’d fled. “...forget it,” Sunset muttered. She turned and threw the window open, leaping through and ignoring the cries of shock from behind her. She landed with ease, taking off into a sprint and barely remembering to keep her speed down to impressive levels rather than superhuman. She raced for the dorms, fighting back tears all the while. Why! Why in the world do you have a face like that? What could a ditz like you possibly know?!