Revoked Magistrate
Sunset Shimmer let go a small sigh as she threw a look upwards, facing the sign above the door of the café before her.
She wasn't a stranger to cafés; that much was obvious. However, that was hardly the point as she crumpled the small piece of paper that she held in her hands, containing so many formal words and information that she thought it was asking her out on a date. Throwing that thought out the window, however, was the fact that this was quite probably, the first business invitation that she had received before in her life.
A business invitation. Only the Convocation of the Lost would do things like this through letters and carrier pigeons, much to the surprise of the Equestrian. It's like she was back home! ...Relatively speaking.
Curiosity really is a damning thing, she thought to herself as she shoved the letter inside her pocket and added force onto the door, having it swing open with a ring of a bell, making her entrance particularly clear to the owners of this place. It was a little quaint café, nothing exceptional about it except for the fact that nearly as soon as she entered the place, a man stood up from his chair with a very satisfied smile, and walked up to her while removing his hat in a greeting, bowing ever so slightly to her presence.
"Ah, yes! Sunset Shimmer, it's good to see you."
"...Mr. Shields."
Standing right before her, with a sly businessman smile, the deepest voice she had ever heard and the inability to stop showing his teeth when he smiled, was the reason behind her coming into this place at all that afternoon. Raycast Shields; Magistrate of the Convocation of the Lost, one of the many creatures that inhabited "The Town".
She had heard of his name before while doing work for the Convocation, and what she heard wasn't very nice, for lack of a better word. Rumors and nay say flew abound with the name of Raycast, but most of what she did in fact, hear, was not very intuitive, like diluted rumors with no real grasp on the actions of the one that is a victim of those rumors.
Thus, when she received a letter from this man, asking for a business allegiance, it made the Equestrian take pause. And enough interest to agree to come and meet him, for better or for worse.
"I wasn't expecting you to answer my invitation so immediately," Mr. Shields noted, beckoning Sunset to follow him back to the table he was currently sitting in, a solitary one in the back of the café, perfect for those that want to be left alone. "I must admit, I am surprised you did so."
"You're just about as surprised as I am, then. A personal invitation from the Magistrate of the Lost himself?" the Unicorn chuckled with a slight hum of confidence as both of them sat down at the table, opposites to one another. "I must admit, curiosity got the better of me, so I came."
The man gave her a slight sly, hardened smile, forcing it to show through as he nodded a little at Sunset's statement. "...Magistrate. It truly is a very sad thing; ever since the Lady of the Lake stripped me of my rights to, I do believe that I cannot be addressed by that title any longer."
"...I don't think Nimue stripped you of your right to call you a simple name, Mr. Shields."
"Didn't she?" the man begun speaking with a relatively disgruntled tone, but he stopped himself early as he caught the glimpse in his own voice. He instead rose his head with poise, resting his trilby on the table. "The Lady is fair and just in her decisions, however... I must abide by them, if only to preserve whatever dignity the Convocation still has. We all know we've been struggling to pick up the pieces of our community, it's been an unbearable mess."
"Well. I'm not really all that invested in the business of the Convocation, so I'm not sure how bad it's been..."
"Oh, it's been much better than it used to be, thanks to you, Sunset Shimmer." The man let go a hearty chuckle that sent the baritones of his voice rumbling down every muscle the Equestrian possessed. "As I said before, The Lady truly makes sound decisions. Making you an agent of the Convocation was in fact, the most healing move to our community in a long time."
She didn't really know what to say to that. She wasn't sure exactly how helpful she was being... after all, a condition Sunset imposed upon the Convocation of the Lost when it comes to sending her requests was... not to send too many, because she had a life outside of their community.
Are you telling me that the minimal work I've been doing is incredibly successful? I find that hard to believe; the Convocation has enforcers!
...But I digress. I better not press onto the issue too much, I'd really rather not talk about this.
"Maybe it's been, I can't really say. Is that why you called me here? Somehow, I don't think that's true."
"...It isn't. It still involves you, however, so your presence here in this café is not irrelevant."
Here we go, that worked. Nicely done, Sunset.
"Very well, then - let me begin by simply asking you a question. How aware are you of the presence of magic, here?"
Sunset didn't skip a single beat, answering automatically. "You mean, the lack of magic."
"Precisely," the man nodded with a satisfied inflation in his voice, waving at a waiter, successfully attracting him attention. "Magic is, for all intents and purposes, a myth amongst humans for a very good reason. It's nearly non-existent here, with its random flashes of power occurring once every millennium and having the ones that witness its effects to believe them to be miracles. Of course, stories of magic and magi spread through people due to their love and interest in the mysterious, but they never truly managed to get solid proof on anything. Magic is, after all, a force of nature that cannot be contained as one contains an animal."
I, of course, know all this. Is he testing me somehow?
"It's actually easier to compare it to a thought, or a dream," Sunset added, shuffling through her menu and asking for an iced coffee at the waiter, who promptly noted both their orders and dashed off, as if he thought they were kind of crazy. "Intangible, yet undeniably true - brought to being by the very act of existing within po-- human limitation."
"Cogito ergo sum. You are incredible, Madam Sunset!" he claimed with an honestly huff of joy in his voice. "I was still relatively skeptical, but you really are extremely knowledgeable about magic! ...I wonder, for curiosity's sake alone, where did you learn all of this?"
"Why do you ask? Do you want to learn magic?"
Sunset's joking tone was not lost on the man, having him shake his head slightly and letting go a chuckle of amusement. "I'm afraid that's not necessary! I appreciate the invitation, however. And your discretion. Forgive me for asking that."
She shrugged a little as the waiter came by the table, writing down their respective orders and leaving as soon as he had them. The café looked relatively busy; very appropriate for them to talk about whatever they wanted without really attracting attention.
"So you called me here about this particular thing?"
"I did. I will not dance around the subject, Sunset Shimmer. Magic in this world is scarce, and only through lengthy rituals of preparation, or those with a very specific domain painstakingly created by the Magus, can perform spells reliably. Magic creatures born through spells such as Werewolves, Succubi and Treants... Fairies and Leprechauns, the list goes on forever, are the result of those miracles of magic I spoke of before. Rare events that eventually became lives of their own. Magical in nature, but still unreliable in its... use, so to speak."
"Some call them magical sicknesses for a reason, right?" Sunset added, making Raycast nod in agreement. "One can hardly call a curse a magic spell the afflicted person casts willingly."
Being able to control the curse is another matter altogether, and not related to the issue at hand. Unless of course, you make it is so, Mr. Shields.
"...Alas, such things are beyond my personal interest at this point. I am more pressed into analyzing the intricacies of magic itself, and that returns me to the point of my original question," Raycast said as he turned his face down to look at his thumbs for a quick second, gathering his thoughts. "The lack of magic that there is. I plan on rectifying that."
Sunset blinked in silence as the waiter approached them relatively quickly, considering. He placed their orders on the table - an iced coffee for Sunset, and an espresso for Raycast - before promptly leaving them alone.
"You... want to fix the lack of magic?" Sunset asked again, receiving a nodding response from Raycast as he took a quick sip of his order. "Excuse me for asking, but I want to know why."
"I am genuinely surprised that you ask me this. ...Magic is a wonderful, useful and powerful tool, Sunset Shimmer. Its echo can be used in so many different, useful and helpful ways to the cause of the Convocation that simply treading through this community I can find many different options in which it can be served as a crutch to assist us on our cause! Our issues, our lack of means to deal with the many members of this group! I want to use magic to help the Convocation of the Lost; can you see how useful the tool of magic can be when applied in this way?"
...Of course I can. Magic is a wonderful tool that this world doesn't have. If they knew what kind of flexibility Magic has in Equestria, I think they'd have an aneurysm.
It... would definitely be very helpful to have magic, I agree. But still...
"Forgive me for saying this, Mr. Shields, but I have a couple doubts," Sunset added with a small pause for her to have a quick bite of the iced coffee. "Mostly directed towards you, and the reasons why you lost your position as Magistrate."
"Ah, yes. You've read the files," Raycast said with a small glint of weariness on his tone. "I'm not surprised, I should have expected this line of questioning."
"I'm just curious about some things, that's all!" Sunset quickly added, making sure to safely cover her bases before proceeding. Raycast nodded safely, assuaging her fear of prodding too hard on this subject. She let go a small cough before raising her eyes to meet his, again. "In the files, you were also researching a way for one to perform magical acts with the assistance of a catalyst, right?"
"You are correct. It backfired, badly," Raycast spoke lowly, the baritones of his voice rumbling on his throat almost like the motor of a vehicle. "Project 1213 of the Magistrate's Official Offices; the Virgam Astrorum; or the Staff of the Stars. It was meant to be able to focus and concentrate the mana of an area around it, and have magic energy bleed into the air, making the use of magic possible for those with the knowledge to do so."
"How did it fail? The reports aren't specific."
Raycast took a deep, slow breath before proceeding: "The magic was invasive to those that were exposed to it. The Astrorum definitely made magic bleed into areas around it, but those without the ability to properly block off the pressure of mana would get hurt by it, having their skin burn like fire. It was a disaster that hurt many people, and it forced the Lady of the Lake to put Ms. Quarry in action. The Golem crushed the Astrorum, restrained me and had me placed before the Lady in trial for my action without proper consent of the Convocation."
"So you didn't, in fact, warn them about what you were doing before you did it?"
"I did not, and I realize my failings. I did not mean for the Astrorum to do what it did, but that does not excuse the fact that it indeed, hurt many others through my creation."
Sunset had very little else to add to that sentence, so she silenced herself with another bite of iced coffee. If anything, she could actually relate to him in some way.
He created something he had pride in, but it backfired and it did the complete opposite of helping others. She had heard word from others about Raycast Shields; about how he had created a horrible thing and was shunned by it. Hated and considered an outcast amongst his own peers.
Sights like that made the Equestrian have thoughts about herself at Canterlot High; especially after Twilight Sparkle turned Sunset's own vile powers against her and crushed her in a blast of magic so powerful she thought the world had landed on her skull. Sunset was never truly comfortable walking around people back at the school for a very long time, having them talk behind her back as if she could not listen to them. Or maybe they didn't care, it wouldn't have surprised her.
...While it was therapeutically punishing in a certain way, it was also really hard to take. Accepting your mistakes is just one big step towards bettering yourself... trying to make up for the mistakes you've made was even harder to do. Others might not be very forgiving of you... trust is a really difficult thing to earn from others, but extremely easy to lose.
"Do you mind if I ask why you ask help from me, specifically?" she asked with a serious tone, having Raycast raise his head a little, slightly pleased for the change of focus on the conversation.
"Of course, though I do not have to stress how powerful the magical eruptions that happened at that school, Canterlot High, were," he said with a matter-of-fact tone, making Sunset nod a little in defeat. Of course he would know. "I am very certain you are familiar with the level of energy that was released around that place not one, but twice. Also, in both scenarios, you've been spotted right at the center of these events. I wouldn't be surprised if you were the cause of both of the eruptions in some way."
"...You wouldn't be wrong." Not entirely right... but also not wrong. "So that automatically qualifies me?"
"In a matter of speaking," Raycast said lightly, drinking the rest of his coffee without hesitation. "This is also the reason as to why I have asked you to meet me here. I wanted to make sure you weren't a fluke. This is the first time we meet, after all."
"That's fair, I guess."
"Allow me to say that so far, you have assuaged my fears quite spectacularly, Sunset Shimmer! You certainly have studied the arcane, that much is clear. I would very much like to ask you for help regarding my research."
The Staff of the Stars.
"You want to rebuild the Staff?" Sunset asked, eating more of the coffee that slowly melted inside the glass. Raycast pondered her question but for a brief moment.
"Maybe. ...It's too soon to tell yet, as the functional design of the staff had absolutely no flaws. The main issue came from how it was built, and the arcane fundamentals I've put into practice..."
So maybe the Staff itself can be made to work with no problems.
Sunset Shimmer finished her latte, placing the empty glass on the table with a satisfying light clang. She felt her mind race a little on its own, theorizing and hypothesizing magical equations with so much ease it was like she never stopped thinking about them at all, sending a rush of nostalgia down her spine that made her eyes spark with enthusiasm. Applying algorithms into arcane knowledge, prodding and destroying flawed execution and substituting it with what works!
"You've got a deal, Mr. Shields!" Sunset happily exclaimed, making the man before her absolutely beam with enthusiasm. "I look forward to working with you! ...When do we start?"
"How about tomorrow, is that OK with you?" Raycast asked with a much more entertained tone. Sunset nodded in a confirmatory manner, making him pick the trilby from the table and placing it back on his chiseled head. "Excellent! Tomorrow, at 14 hours? Meet me at the station, closest to the amusement part? I can never truly remember the name of the place."
"Ah, yeah. Don't worry, I know where it is. 14 hours?"
"I am looking forward to tomorrow, Sunset Shimmer."
Sunset didn't remember when was it that a night went by so quickly for her.
Her excitement was strangely comforting and relaxing, something for her mind to find relative safety in. Working on a magical artifact, with another master of the arts by her side? She couldn't stop thinking and processing her thoughts at all, organizing her ideas so easily inside her brain it was like she was a library of information that finally popped itself open after years of pressure.
Sunset made her way to the station and sure enough, there was Raycast Shields, sporting a relatively nice-looking vehicle she couldn't make heads or tails of. She never bothered to pay attention to cars and that type of nonsense; it completely fell off her area of expertise. Still, it was undeniable that they provided a quick transportation through the city, and it wasn't long before Raycast had taken Sunset to his atelier, a relatively nice-looking house that it was just shy enough to be considered a manor.
They truly did not waste any time as he invited her into the white fortress he called a house. With its supports being made mostly of sturdy-looking wooden beams, it combined really well with the wide windows that jutted off the building's sides like it was its eyes. Many different forms of plant life grew around the building, with some vines crawling from the sides and reaching out to said windows, that also sported a generous amount of foliage in them. It was very clear he took good care of his house!
As she walked inside the building, she easily noticed just how strangely comfortable it all felt. The inner walls were completed with the same wood that was used on the windows, contrasting fiercely with the white concrete that was on the outside walls. The floor was padded with a dark, maroon carpet that was possibly covering wood as well, and she thought that walking on top of it felt much more comfortable than a floor had any reason to allow.
Sunset's eyes found themselves skittering through the place, her mind slowly processing the sights that were being projected in them. This was quite spacious! The ceiling was high enough for one to need a relatively long stepladder to reach it, stacked on top of another. The living room was connected to the kitchen, which was connected to the dining area and some other area Sunset identified as the laundry, tucked away in relative obscurity in the corners of this large building. It was also two storeys tall, but Sunset did not find herself going up, much to her tiny speck of curiosity's chagrin.
This is definitely the house of a magus. Everything is so uniform and pleasant; it's definitely been crafted to suit the needs of a magician. ...Is it shaped internally like a very personalized magic circle? That would make too much sense.
"This way," Raycast said, pushing a door to the side and revealing a large stairway leading down a nicely-lit cobblestone path. "I will take you to the artifact right away."
"Downstairs?" Sunset asked with confusion, following the Ex-Magistrate down the stairway, the sounds of their footsteps echoing through the tight space they found themselves in. "This house is clearly fit enough for a magus already. Why have the atelier downstairs?"
"And why would I leave the atelier where anyone can easily access?"
Oh yeah, that's reasonable. I'm too used to Equestria's ateliers... any Unicorn that studied magic worth her or his salt would just have a room designed to the practice of the magical sciences; sometimes right next to the kitchen for the sake of convenience...
I'd guess humans can't really do that without being considered weirdoes, can they?
"At any rate, here it is. Welcome to my laboratory, Sunset Shimmer."
Sunset felt like she had just walked through the portal to Equestria again.
Her eyes lit with excitement as her surroundings were so filled to the brim with books that they might as well be the walls. The thick scent of paper and ink absolutely filled her nostrils with such potency that it stuck to the back of her mind like a reacquired addiction. The light hum of the magical vibration that rippled through the air made it so that she had to focus as hard as she could so she wouldn't find herself walking like a pony again out of sheer reflex. The ceiling was quite high up and domed, reflecting the lights that came from the blue-colored crystals that were stuck to the wooden beams that served as she shelves for the many books that surrounded them, creating a sense of wonder and magic that could only be topped at the Convocation of the Lost's Vault-City.
As the stairs kept going down for a couple extra meters, separate platforms around them served to accommodate more magical equipment, such as rune tables for one to play around in and exercise their rights to challenge the theories they had conjured, or alchemical labs filled with many tiny bottles filled even more with strangely-colored liquids that probably would glow in the dark if allowed. Sunset recognized a potion of levitation on one of the tables! Hard to come by the stuff needed to make that one.
This area was really big, much more than the usual library she would see around the human world. Still not even close to Canterlot's magical library's sheer size, but comparing that to this was like a bout between a child and a wizened old warrior. Still, it certainly made her blood absolutely rush with nostalgia, and she couldn't stop smiling at the sight. Raycast caught sight of this, and he let himself chuckle with pride within his own little atelier.
However, the main star of this place was, indeed, at the very bottom of the stairs, inside one of the few extra rooms created with specific magical purposes in mind. Three rooms were separated from the main hall they were now in: one to the north, and the others at east and west, with the stairs leading out of the atelier back to the house the way they came proper to the south. The doors were heavily built and obviously magically warded; the real brunt of magical creation happened inside of them after all, and one couldn't bring themselves to be careless when dealing with the raw powers of the arcane. Raycast was well prepared, and just as Sunset complimented his devotion to the arts, he opened the northern door, leading them inside a circular room, much smaller than the hall was.
And just as the lights within the room were cast into Sunset's eyes, she opened them with the brunt of interest that overcame her yet again. There it was: the Staff of the Stars. Broken, dismantled, and as it stood right now, it was clear it was desperately salvaged by its creator.
...What a sight. Even broken and battered as it was, Sunset could not deny that its powers were real. It absolutely pulsed magical energies with so much enthusiasm that it surprised her to know beforehand that it was in fact broken. The staff hovered a couple centimeters above ground, being kept in suspension by a crystal that was stuck on the floor beneath it; quite possibly having the staff not make contact with anything solid for now. Raycast sighed as he approached the object, looking backwards at Sunset Shimmer with analytical eyes, the weight of this room's presence sliding down her shoulders like rain.
"So, this is it," he said with an excited tone, finally snapping her back to attention. "What do you think?"
"...It's kind of hard to put into words. It's definitely real! Not that I didn't think it wasn't real before, I just like seeing things with my own eyes!"
Sunset analyzed the whole of the pearl-white orb that had been destroyed in five different pieces of varying sizes that served as the staff's focus. The shaft of the artifact was also broken in three different places, gnarled and splintered like someone grabbed it and twisted the thing like it was a wet towel. Quay certainly did a number on this thing, quite possibly because she wanted to be sure the staff wouldn't work anymore. Maybe this was the best she could do at that immediate time?
"It's truly a shame to see it this badly destroyed, but it had to be done. I do not condone Ms. Quarry for what she had to do."
"I don't think she did too good of a job. It still irradiates energy," Sunset said as she walked around the artifact, her eyes skittering across its entire surface as she lightly bit her own index finger, her thoughts coursing through her mind like water in a river. "Though the way it releases it... it's so forceful."
"...Wait, it's still functional?" Raycast asked, his face distorting into a slight glint of wonder and confusion. "How is it so? More importantly, how can you tell?"
"It's still releasing magic, you can't feel it? ...Even when it's broken, it still sparks with power - it makes sense as to why it was harmful to others. It's bleeding power through the air with so much enthusiasm it's actually violent when it does it. How many wards did you put in place when you enchanted this orb to do what it does?"
Raycast opened his mouth to say something, but his voice died in his throat when all came of it was a laugh of admiration. How many more times would this girl surprise him with how much she knew about spells?
"W-What's wrong?"
"Nothing!" he confirmed with another glad chuckle, scratching his head while smiling to himself. "Nothing but my surprise at how comfortable you are at talking about magic. That is truly something very difficult to come across, I admit to not having the privilege to say I spoke often with what I would consider my peers."
So I suppose that I got lucky with my own privilege.
"To answer your question, however. I placed three wards to cover the three basis of magical theory, but that wasn't enough to hold back my original miscalculation, apparently."
"Three wards, OK. Do you still have the original design notes? Can I take a look at them, just to bring myself up to speed?"
Raycast nodded in confirmation, promptly reaching out in the main hall for the notes on his project. He wasn't sure exactly on his own thoughts, neither on what he was expecting, but this girl's enthusiasm towards this line of work was refreshing, to say the least! As she picked up the papers and begun studying them with a focus he wasn't even sure a normal, healthy person would have, his last seeds of doubt were washed like rain on a hillside. She wasn't a fluke or a case of chance, neither just a random enthusiastic about the subject. As soon as she picked up the papers and scanned them with those amazing teal eyes of hers like a predator stalking its prey, he knew he had stumbled upon a magical genius. She absolutely devoured every single piece of document he had ever created on the subject of the Virgam Astrorum, casually strolling through the halls of his atelier as if she was reading a light novel.
She didn't waste any time producing thoughts of her own regarding the subject. She asked questions he had asked himself many times during the process of creation of the first version of the Staff: how much mana does it condense into the air, how much should it absorb into its systems? How would it bleed this magic into its environment, and how does one control it once it's all been said and done?
He was taken by surprise at how much in her element she seemed, as if she was always meant to be walking in a magical atelier and doing what she did now. He couldn't help thinking that this girl was maybe kept away from magic in general by someone, and felt a sense of companionship in this. Seeing her scribble notes, crunch numbers and ask meaningful questions regarding the Staff made Raycast feel a flame of energy burn inside his mind, having him get into gear and pick up his own slack. He would be damned if he left everything for Sunset Shimmer herself to do! He never truly had another true mage working alongside him in this way - he would never let such a golden opportunity go to waste!
And thus, together they begun the new effort to recreate the Staff of the Stars; a joint project that would take days to finish.
How long exactly did it take? ...They weren't sure themselves. Sunset would come, solve a million issues with their project alongside Raycast and then another million other problems would come to the surface. Little things that went by completely unnoticed initially would be spotted by one of them when they would do a daily, routine checkup on the Staff, such as the mass of the Orb would interfere on the amount of energy it would release when it absorbed magic in its initial burst, or how would the staff realize how much magic it had already released, stopping itself from going too far like it did last time. Things Raycast never truly considered, and new thoughts that coursed through both their minds as they reached similar conclusions on the matter at hand.
It was a work of genius. Sunset knew that this thing must have taken a huge initial toll of Raycast's mind, putting him under tremendous amounts of stress when trying to do this alone. It's no wonder this thing had failed before - it had taken them days to find, crunch and spot a thousand little problems that could potentially escalate beyond their original intent, but they would find them, they would fix them, and with the expertize of two magi, they made excellent progress into making this failed project, a successful one.
Magic is a truly fickle little thing. It's powerful but sensitive - strong but frail. If you cast a powerful but careless spell, it might as well spiral out of control and lose its original meaning. Fixing every single minute detail is imperative to the success of this Staff, especially considering what it's designed to do, since magic is very rare in this world.
Making it so that the magic around this staff is absorbed, condensed and released is a much harder task than I initially thought it would be...
...But it was done.
Two weeks. It took both magi two weeks to finally reach the finish line on their project. Two weeks of grueling work, attacked by every angle with problems and more problems. Sunset Shimmer and Raycast Shields were now circling around the final steps of the project, throwing numbers at each other like a particularly violent game of tennis.
"...And if the third square inch of the fifteenth magic circle recreates the sixth step all over again, the first ward would crunch base 5..."
"Base 5 is sustained by the Paradox we installed in all magic circles proper. ...The wards are designed to take care of this, unless there's another problem with the sceptillian crystallite dilapidated in the 657th paradigm of the Focus stone."
"The Focus Stone's got more balancing wards than any other part of the staff. If it doesn't crunch itself, it will prevent the Paradox from going out of control," Sunset added with a knowing nod, finally reaching the bottom of her list and stopping for a couple seconds before turning around to face her peer. "So... I think that's it?"
"It's the end of my list as well. ...I do think this is it."
They traded looks of amusement between one another, finally gazing themselves upon the Staff of their creation. It was beautiful! Its mahogany shaft, shaped similar to that of a powerful-looking branch made of mahogany was floating just a couple centimeters above ground, just like how it was before. From bottom to top, it was absolutely covered in magical runes and inscriptions of magical fidelity - all carefully woven and calculated according to the manuscripts and the theories of magical interest. Sunset had studied those many times before; they are fundamental to the inner workings of magic, after all.
Though its shaft was impressive in its own right, nothing could beat the crystal that sat atop of it, carefully surrounded by the branch in a way that it looked like it was a hand holding it tightly. It was a beautiful fist-sized gemstone that shared similar characteristics with the Benitoite, a gem that was far over their budget but not over the interests of magic! Crafted from absolute scratch to fit their specific needs, this stone now held their dreams in the balance. Either it would work as intended... or fail as it had done before.
Sunset gulped dryly as Raycast walked toward the artifact, throwing a final, confirming glance at the Equestrian. There was nothing left for them to think or analyze... now it was the time to put their theories under trial by fire.
"...Very well," Raycast claimed to no one in particular, cracking his fingers and furrowing his brow, with nervousness emanating from his frame so intensely that Sunset could cut it with a knife. "It's all or nothing, now."
"Day 15 of the Stars Project: Testing the Virgam Astrorum in its entirety. ...Let's do this."
And so it was done.
Raycast placed his hand around the haft, lifting it from suspension and wrapping it tightly around his fingers. Sweat poured from his brow as his heart was beating a mile a minute, his eyes focusing with so much intent on what he was doing that it was possible he could not listen to anything else. He placed his hand atop the gemstone and muttered the magic word they had come up with together, in order to activate the artifact as it as intended:
"Veneficus Cantus".
The Wizard's Song.
The incantation was heard by he artifact, which immediately responded. It glowed, rumbled, shook gently under the Magistrate's grasp and it emmited a ray of force from it like a forcefield expanding around it, engulfing both Magi inside it and embracing them in its design. Sunset grimaced for a second, her heart pumping so hard inside her chest she thought the experiment had failed... but nothing external happened.
She blinked, looking around in relative safety. Raycast did the same, his eyes bulged open with hope as he turned around to face the Equestrian, his hands still tightly clasped around the haft of the Staff. They waited in complete silence for something bad to happen so Sunset pull the plug on the project, but it wasn't necessary.
He let out a nervous laugh of surprise, followed by a guffaw of surprise. Sunset was just as shocked as he was: step one was a success! Nothing had happened! They weren't on fire! The walls weren't melting! That was progress!
...Now it was up for the moment of truth. Sunset could feel it: coursing through her body was a familiar, comforting sensation. She felt like she was there before, like this warmth of power covering her like a blanket was always meant to be there. She resisted the urge to attempt anything, she couldn't bring herself to do it right now. Strangely enough, she felt nervous about it; like returning home after having a particularly embarrassing fight with your parents.
The rush of magic that coursed through the air was... actually kind of terrifying to her. Memories of when she turned into a raging she-demon during the Fall Formal came back to her with verve, and she stopped herself from thinking. She held herself back, the desire to tamper physically with magic sucked itself into her subconscious like a scared cat hiding under a bed.
Raycast, on the other hand, did not feel the same way. Not paying attention to her hesitation, he looked at a random object on the ground - one of many they had placed for this specific purpose alone - and focused on it. A familiar glow rippled from his hand as he pointed it towards a book, and the glow surrounded it.
He levitated it. A simple, quaint levitation spell. The object quietly floated from the ground, slowly making its way from the air like an invisible hand guided it, and as if it was in slow-motion, a tangible one reached out to it and finally claimed it, raising the book to the air as if it was a long-desired trophy, a dream finally realized!
It worked! The Staff of the Stars, it was a success!
"Hah! Hahahahaha! W-Would you look at this! Sunset, would you look at this! No fireworks, no obvious deathly hazard! It works, genuinely so!"
"I can see that! We did it! We actually did it!" The Equestrian's eyes were sparkling with energy as Raycast performed yet another levitation spell, bringing the book from his hands all the way to Sunset's, whom picked it up as it came within her reach. "OK, OK! W-We need to stress test it, now! Maybe run through a few priority loops, see if it's all coming together?"
"...No problems thus far, that is certain. Nimue's going to choke on her words when she sees this!"
Sunset Shimmer stopped walking. She blinked a few times before looking at Raycast, whom was playing with a floating extra pair of books like he was back at Magic Kindergarten.
"...Hold up. What did you just say?"
"That... Nimue's going to choke on her words? When I present the working Virgam Astrorum to her?" he explained, stacking books on top of one another while in mid-air. "Quite frankly, I can't wait to see the look on her face! I guess very few people has ever proven her wrong like this before."
"You wanna prove her wrong...?" Sunset questioned, her mind trying to comprehend exactly what was that she was hearing. "Wasn't that the point of this exercise? To fix what the previous staff had gone wrong? Why would you need to prove her wrong if fixing what was wrong with this staff was the plan from the start? Isn't this expected, at the end of the day?"
"I think I had told you this already? She ordered the previous Astrorum to be destroyed! I am certain I told you this before."
Sunset felt the back of her mind itch as she furrowed her brow slightly, the gears inside he head spinning so quickly that she could swear she could listen to them. She paced lightly around the room as Raycast let go of a few books and picked up other objects, obviously enjoying himself as he did it, when the realization hit Sunset like a speeding truck on a highway.
"YOU DIDN'T GET PERMISSION FROM NIMUE TO DO THIS?!" she screamed from the top of her lungs, holding her head with both hands as the weight of her mind seemed to increase tenfold.
Raycast simply shrugged, as if he thought that was an obvious thing from the very start. "No, I didn't. Considering my position after the destruction of the first model of the Astrorum, asking for permission to build another one would have resulted in an immediate deny."
"AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME ABOUT THIS? ...Oh, no. Oh, no oh no oh no!"
"What's the matter with you?" Raycast asked, his voice rumbled across the room as he rone of his eyebrows, now facing Sunset directly. "You're worried about this? The Staff is a success!"
"I-I know, it's truly wonderful that it genuinely works, b-but... It's... It's technically illegal!" Sunset's hands started to shake as she paced violently around the room, her eyes dancing in their orbits like she was in a sudden sugar rush, the adrenaline practically leaping off her frame. "My point is, this isn't good!"
"Why are you worried about this? To that point, also, what does it matter? The Lady of the Lake cannot refuse to accept the uses of such a wonderful artifact! If we present it to her, what real options would she have?"
"C-Consider it, Raycast! If we present this staff out of nowhere to her, Nimue's going to have an aneurysm!"
"She would have one despite of the initial state of the project!" Raycast defended, completely focused on the topic at hand. "Even the mention of the project would have made her reject the idea! I appreciate what the Lady of the Lake does, but she needs to understand that if things remain the same as it is now, we won't be able to fix the problems the Convocation now face!"
"And your idea of doing that is to act behind her back?" the Equestrian pointed, her eyes bulging out even more on the pile of realizations that creeped up on her. "Oh, no. I've acted outside the reach of the Convocation to do something it doesn't want? Did I just commit an unforgivable criminal act?"
"...Sigh. I do believe you are panicking over nothing. Nimue needs to see possibility unfold right before her eyes! Nothing will change for the better if no risks are taken!"
He speaks the truth. ...Though I still can't see Nimue being happy about this.
This isn't a matter of possibility, it's a matter of objectivity! No matter how much we wish for it, Nimue's never going to simply smile and wave if we show up with a working Staff! It's simply not gonna happen!
"...OK. L-Look, Raycast. I think we're being too sudden about this."
"Sudden?"
"Yes! Sudden," Sunset slowly said as she paced around the room, the feeling of nervousness still creeping up her spine like a mob of angry caterpillars. "We made the Staff work, that's wonderful. But consider it! Nimue's never going to accept the existence of this thing, at least not so easily. We need to take our time!"
"I assume you have something in mind? Are you aware that Nimue might never be willing to accept this research as valid, regardless of the time we take to assuage her fears on this matter?"
"I... I'M AWARE! It's just... We can't just spring this onto her without any planning! It's a bad idea!"
"A bad idea? Sunset Shimmer, this creation of ours is a breakthrough in magical technology! It needs to be shared! Holding this thing back is an affront to decency; think of all the good things we can do if we act sooner rather than later; if we convince Nimue now!"
I... I KNOW! I'm not against your reasoning, b-but...
It's illegal...! It's not a good thing to do this right now! How do I convince him? Celestia, how do I do this?
"I... I can't support this course of action."
Sunset Shimmer's voice came down cracking and broken, like a record that had been thrown on the ground before stuttering the last few rings of the sound it could produce. She fidgeted in place, silently tugging her pinky finger through a nervous twitch, her eyes not sure exactly where to land and stay. She gritted her teeth lightly as Raycast rested the staff on the ground, scratching his chin in a curious manner, Sunset could not read the expression on his face.
"I... I'm sorry. I can't support it. I t-think it's a bad idea, that we should wait a little longer before doing anything."
"So, this is your stance on this matter? That's fine," Raycast said with a defeated sigh, shaking his head in a light glint of disappointment. "I understand. You wish for caution, and I'm not against your reasoning. It makes sense, after all."
"S-So! You're..."
"Like I said, I understand," he finished once again, leaving the Staff of the Stars on the resting place it laid on for the many countless hours they spent working on its restoration. "I still think we should act now, but I'm sure you have your reasons to step back on this issue. I'm not holding it against you, far from it. I think you're being sensible."
His words released the stress valve that was getting stuck inside her mind, making a wave of relaxation spread through her frame like a wave at the ocean. "Oh, thank you, Raycast! ...I'm sorry, but I truly DO think this is for the best!"
Sunset smiled wide as her head got a bit lighter from the weight of her actions. She was sure that their creation wasn't a bad one, but if it was illegal, then she certainly didn't want to make it public.
...That would put her back in the same position she was when she first came into this world. Betraying someone that trusted her; stabbing their acceptance and friendship in the back with a broken, sawed blade.
She never wanted to experience that feeling again. Not if she could help it.
...But it was in vain.
Sunset's heart was beating a mile a minute, her feet stomping the ground hard as she ran as quickly as she could to the nearest bus stop. She desperately rummaged through her wallet in search of money to pay for the fare as her hair stuck a little to the back of her neck, her breath carrying her as far as it could.
How could she be so blind? Naive? She had left Raycast's house thinking everything was going to turn out all right, thinking that maybe he would be reasonable and understanding enough of their situation as to not do anything stupid. Maybe he didn't, maybe she was being overly paranoid...
But she wasn't. She knew she wasn't. When she left that house yesterday, she had her heart calm and collected, her fears quelled by the trust she placed upon the Ex-Magistrate. But today, her heart was skipping in fear as she came by his house in order to check on their creation, but no one was found. Raycast wasn't there.
Of course it wouldn't be surprising if he had just left the house for a while, but in the time Sunset spent knowing this man, she got to know what kind of person Raycast was. He was organized and with a fit schedule - not one to stray from his immediate goal. In this particular day of the week, he would always stay at his atelier, practicing runes and incantations with a scripted magical sequence that thanks to the Staff of the Stars, would be more than just random practice - it would be actual magic. Knowing him as she did, it was alien and bizarre for this man not to be at his home.
...No. He wasn't there. Sunset's fears weren't biased, they were true. She prayed from the bottom of her heart for whatever hope she could think of. She knew where he was going, and who he was going to meet. It was just a matter of time before she got there.
Please...! Please, Celestia, please let me have enough time!
"Why are you so blind? Don't you understand that this is for the good of everyone?"
"No, I do not. 'Tis most puzzling indeed on the matter of thought that the Astrorum is meant to help instead of corrupt. Clearly, you and I saw differently upon it being unleashed!"
"That was a miscalculation, a clear and bizarre defect upon its design! I have tweaked and fixed it, I have studied and worked around the problem! It's become null and void, the Astrorum is safe and clear to be used!"
"You clearly did not have nearly enough time to work around the issue, Raycast. The problem extend beyond the corruption it initially unleashed - 'tis a matter of power being handed to those that can seldom control it. Handing over magical powers to absolutely anyone that can wield it is a surefire way of allowing them to do as they please outside the reach of the Convocation of the Lost!"
"This boorish argument of yours again? You love to expect the absolute worst of your people, don't you?"
"...'Tis the reality of our situation, Raycast. I cannot fathom the thought that you cannot see the same. 'Tis not the same as giving food to those that are hungry, 'tis a matter of handing out weapons to the hungry instead!"
"And you expect your people to behave in such way? In the case that may be true, you DO have enforcers! What is the matter with this system, if that is the case? Can't you policy your own people? Don't you have any respect for those that work for you?"
"None of them would work for me if it wasn't for the fact that I respect them the most. They are willing to go to the field and do what they must! Do not plug me with ideas of disrespect for those that are doing what they can to help the Convocation!"
"Then give them the tools they need! I have created the Astrorum to assist everyone that needs help! It can help us save lives, it can help us maintain the peace this community craves!"
"The only thing you will spread around the community with your creation is discord and disharmony, Raycast. Least of all, 'tis not what we need."
"We're back at square one! You keep speaking of the Astrorum as if all it's going to do is incite these people to throw fireballs at each other!"
"And will it befall our enforcers, then, to be in the receiving end of said fireballs in order to quell the damage you would have unleashed? Raycast Shields, I appreciate your passion to be a hero, but with these ideas and mentality, a hero will be the last thing you'd be. I had your position, your rights revoked as a means to stop you from attempting these ridiculous stunts, but apparently 'tis not enough. ...Forfeit the Astrorum Virgam's existence."
"You can't be serious!"
"Do it, or I will have to ask of Quarry to do it again for you. You have been tried in our court once; do not tempt fate again."
"...You are making a terrible mistake, Nimue. This is an affront to the science! To your own people!"
"Leave. This conversation has ended."
Raycast Shields shivered with fury as he turned around and slammed the door open on his way out. He could barely put his mind around the conversation he just had with the Lady of the Lake. How dare she threaten him as she just did?
Moreover, how dare she make little of his ability to create something that would help the cause of the community! She thought him a mockery! Claiming that all he would do by doing good would be to spread evil and chaos? Was she actually sane? Did she think so little of him as to believe he was incapable of performing positively?
Was she truly that inept and incapable at being someone that could open her eyes and see the truth laid bare right before her? She was wrong, blind and being too stubborn to see it! Someone like that barely had any qualifications to make decisions, let alone to lead! This was an outrage that had absolutely no standing on whatever position she had placed herself in!
...No. This had been the final straw. Nimue's paranoia was cute at first, but now it was truly starting to get in the way of a possible readjusting of this broken system that helps no one. Raycast had the means to fix it, all that needed to happen was for the problem to be actually fixed.
The problem.
Raycast's mind raced with rage as he left the Terrace of Light and cut corners short in order to put himself as far away from Nimue as he could in the shortest amount of time. He was furious, his eyes could barely see in front of them as rage thrashed inside of his skull like an army of angry lions. He had a plan, and very little time to put it to action. He felt the last threads of restraint attempt to rip inside of his mind as he finally found himself stopping, as his path was blocked. Without really thinking about where he was going, he took a shark turn into an alley, where the lights that cast from the ceiling seldom reached.
The dim lights of the environment were casting a relatively obscure shadow over the one that now stood in his way. Despite the poor lighting conditions, Raycast had complete confidence on who it was, having him sigh to himself, the small threads of rationality still clinging to his mind like desperate castaways on a storm.
"...What do you think you're doing?"
"Sunset Shimmer."
He blinked in relative non-surprise as the Equestrian stood in a dark alleyway of the Convocation's city, blocking his way forward. She furrowed her brow as she crossed her arms, her frame radiating an intensity that rivaled his.
"I should be the one asking that question, but allow me to free you of your worries. I claimed sole responsibility for the creation of the Astrorum. As far as they know, you are not involved in my affairs."
"What? ...I-I appreciate the kindness, if that's what that was, but that's not why I'm here."
"So you're here to stop me from leaving? Sorry, but I need to see myself out."
"Oh, really? Gee, I'm sorry for catching up to you and checking to see if you were fine! I'm trying to stop you from doing something you'll end up regretting!"
"Regret. ...I have heard that word too many times in my life, least of all today," he muttered darkly as the deep bass of his voice rumbled in his throat. "You'll regret this, I regret that, we all regret something one way or another. Acting stupidly is a regret, not acting at all is another. Life is full of regrets, thus I shall embrace all of them if I have to. But I will NOT stand by someone that refuses to accept this as reality and all she does is ignore it all for the sake of believing on a reality that doesn't exist!"
"I think you misunderstand," Sunset interjected, making Raycast blink and furrow his own brow, his anger not allowing him to process his thoughts as coherently as he wished. "Nimue isn't trying to believe on something that doesn't exist. She's just trying to keep all of these monsters safe."
"By doing what? Refusing to help them at all? This is your leader, Convocation of the Lost! She refuses to help you and calls that a just act worthy of her position!"
"That's not true, is it? She's not exactly in a position that allows her to take too many gambles without thinking, right?"
"She has all the tools she needs in order to do exactly this!" he yelled with fury as he swung his hand as if attempting to slap a fly out of his way. "Instead, she is content in calling those that wish to help, villains! She claims that our ideas are dangerous and risk fixing the system she so very carefully keeps broken!"
"Broken? She is doing all she can to keep everyone in this community from rampaging! Without the careful planning she's done, they would be out there, fending off for themselves instead of counting on each other for help!"
"So much for that, wouldn't you say?"
"It's a good effort!" Sunset defended, her teal eyes reflecting the few rays of light that entered the alley, making them spark like they were shining in the dark. "You can't deny that she's been doing good by them, despite the few shortcomings that are being solved as we speak!"
...So she, too, refuses to see reason...?
Raycast lowered his stance a little, his mind bubbling with rage and inconformity. The one that he thought could support him in this, the one he believed would understand... was just about on the same side as the one that was the true blister in this community.
He had been left by everyone. He was alone.
"Fine. ...So be it." He turned around. There was nothing more to be said. Now he had truly no more doubts about it in his mind.
"Raycast?"
"There is nothing more to be said between us. Good-bye, Sunset Shimmer."
And there the girl stood as he left, her mind looping its own thoughts as she tried to think of whatever way she could ask of him to stop. To no avail.
Sunset's head was pounding as she rested it on her hands, her thoughts not exactly making any sense as she thought them.
What did she do wrong? ...Didn't she try her best to have him see reason? Pacify his rash decisions, make him understand the value of patience? ...That was very odd, though, he was a very patient man already, as far as she had seen. He was an accomplished mage, and knew of the magic arts very well! Someone as rash and impulsive as he had been this day shouldn't have managed to build something like the Astrorum in the first place, where did this outburst of his come from?
She couldn't tell, and it was devouring her insides like acid. She had made her points pretty clear, hadn't she? What did she do wrong?
What could I have done differently? What could I have said to him...?
What would Twilight say in a time like this?
The thought came to her like an itch on her back that she couldn't scratch. The thought of consulting her successor was definitely not a bad idea, but the book was all the way back at her home and she would have to actually go there in order to ask the question that crunched her skull with unprecedented pressure. The bright halls of the Convocation of the Lost shone lightly above her head, and she rose her eyes to them like she was in a trance.
There was very little for her to think of, now. She felt her head resting back on the table of the little resting area inside the Convocation's city, and her mind went adrift in the maze of confusion she found herself in. How long had it been, with her trying her best to think of answers for the questions that made no real sense to her?
She couldn't tell, but there was little to. She felt her mind spark back to activity as a familiar jingle shook inside one of her pockets, and Sunset pulled it up almost as if she was sure this little song had rescued her sanity. Looking upon a familiar name written in her phone, she felt her head clear slightly, urging her to press on the screen in order to answer the call.
"Yes?"
"Oh, Sunset! Hello," Fluttershy's sweet voice came from the phone like the blessing of an angel. "Sorry to bother you, but Rainbow's phone is out of credits, again. So I'm calling you, instead."
"It's fine," she replied with a happy tone, much to her relief. "What's the matter? Something came up?"
"It's just that Applejack invited us for practice. Remember that crazy schedule she had because of her family business? They had to remake that, and turns out it freed up her schedule a lot."
"That's super nice for her! I think she was meant to work all day long for days, wasn't she?"
"She was!" Fluttershy said happily as crashing background noises of quite possibly Rainbow Dash echoed through the speakers, making the quiet, soft voice on the other side of the phone stutter a little, surprised. "Um, a-anyway, since everyone seems to be free, we figured we should get together and practice? Are you free? Can you come?"
I would love to, Sunset prepared to answer, but her voice was cut short immediately by what could only be described as a chilling rupture of echoing sounds.
She stood up by reflex as she stopped everything she was doing, raising her head up to the extremely high ceiling of The Town. In complete shock, her ears captured the low thuds of explosions that could be heard in the distance, and her eyes saw lights erupting like geysers the same direction the noises came from. Sunset's heart started beating quickly, her mind coming to grips with the reality of the situation as she felt her feet slowly carrying her towards them by reflex.
"S-Sunset? What was that noise? Are you OK?"
"...Sorry, Fluttershy. I think I won't be able to show up for practice this time. I hope you girls enjoy yourselves." She calmly said as she put the phone down, shoving it back inside one of her pockets and turning the thing off.
Sorry. But this is my problem. If I caused this...
If I caused this, I want to know what I did wrong. I have to!
Sunset's feet were carrying her quickly through the streets of the Convocation as monsters of varying sizes and shapes did the complete opposite, for the most part.
Confusion and excitement rushed through the streets with an energy that wasn't exactly unpredictable to be. Curiosity is a mortifying thing; self-aware creatures are instinctively driven to know what caused a problem, and to witness the problem if their instincts don't urge them to flee, instead. Monsters aren't exactly human - their self-aware curiosity usually urges them to actually roam towards danger instead of fleeing from it, which cluttered the streets in ways that forced Sunset to take paths that she normally wouldn't take in order to walk in the direction of the explosions.
However, that mattered little when it came down to approaching the Terrace of Light, where the main source of the explosions came from. Someone was fighting in this place, and thanks to the shock waves that rippled through the air, Sunset knew exactly what was going on. Monsters were more spread around in this area, all curious eyes that wanted to witness what was going on, for better, or for worse...
Mainly for worse, as a bubble of magical power erupted not too far from where the crowd was standing, forcing them to actually flee with those that weren't curious enough to stay and watch.
"WHOA!" Sunset exclaimed in surprise as the debris and the monsters themselves all kind of collapsed in her general direction, forcing her to take a sharp dive to the ground in order not to get hit. "...H-Hey! You there, what's going on? What's causing this?"
"I don't know!" one of the random monsters that was fleeing the scene said, trying his best not to get trampled as he ran. "Someone's going crazy in The Town! I don't really know what's going on!"
...I think I have a pretty good idea, she thought to herself as she stood up and ran towards where more explosions could be heard, some of the housing collapsing with the thuds that struck them like wrecking balls.
She ran. Quickly and cautiously, she ran towards the source of the explosions who were getting more and more intense by the second. Debris and ruptured cobblestone filled the streets as fire and smoke rose from some of the wreckage, forcing Sunset to cover her face as she advanced, and voices could finally be distinguished amongst the sound of fighting...
"I'M GONNA MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS, YOU FREAK OF NATURE!"
"Stay out of my way, Quarry!"
Raycast's voice commanded with a fierce blow to it, and Sunset recognized the silhouette of the enforcer of the Convocation of the Lost: Quarry. As Sunset rose her face to see where the voices were coming from, exactly, Quarry was tossed with telekinetic magic through the air like a weightless puppet, crashing against a building nearby, tearing through it like the building was made of cardboard. She hardly even skid through the ground as she stayed motionless for a moment, raising herself from the debris with a look of sour fury spread all over it. It took her a quick moment to notice Sunset's presence as the Golem slowly stood up and cursed profanities in between gritted teeth.
"YOU? What are you doing here?" she said as she pointed back towards where Sunset came from, her face contorting in what could possibly be described as pain. "This isn't a place for daisies like you! This is a battlefield! Get lost!"
"That's exactly WHY I came!" Sunset defended her position, still staying away from from immediate radius of the explosions just a tad yonder. "I need to know, what's going on?"
"...That nutjob Raycast built another one of those freaky magic staves of his! I don't even know what the hell he thinks he's doing, but he's attacking Nimue!"
"Nimue is here? Is she safe?"
"Yeah, that's why I'M here! I'm here to keep her safe, and I can't be asked to protect you, too! SO LEAVE!"
"No, I...! I can't! I wanna help!" Sunset pleaded with a strong cry, making the Enforcer stop on her feet as she started running towards the fight again. "...I have to."
"...Don't say I didn't warn you." Quarry turned around and ran towards the battle yet again, her long, light blue hair streaking behind her like a banner being carried into battle. Sunset took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself to jump in the middle of explosions... and took a dive into the battleground herself.
All things considered, it wasn't as bad to look at as she initially thought. Raycast was looming above ground, forcing himself to float with the effects of the Astrorum Virgam, of which he carried in his hands like a spear made of light. He was glowing with a powerful white color that surrounded everything his power touched, like a coat of paint that responded to the winds that were blowing from the Staff of the Stars.
Resting on the ground with a dumbfounded look of absolute astonishment in her eyes was Nimue, the Lady of the Lake. She held a shield in her hands, much to Sunset's surprise, with her blond-pink hair fluttering in the wind. Despite the surprised look on her eyes, she still held herself up with poise, staring down at Raycast with just as much intensity as he unleashed.
"I expected many things out of you, Raycast," she said with a soft yet firm ethereal tone, holding the shield with both hands as she rose it up to her chest. "But I never expected you to go so far as to do this."
"Can your pretentious higher-than-thou speeches, Nimue. I am sick and tired of listening to you talk."
Sunset could hardly believe that this was Raycast's voice. It was so damaged and cracked... this man was driven over the edge!
"You've mocked me and hurt your people enough. You don't deserve to call yourself the leader of this community anymore!"
"KEEP TELLING YOURSELF THAT, YOU CLOWN!"
Quarry interrupted them with her yelling again, picking up a boulder about three times her size and tossing it towards Raycast, who admittedly performed rather poorly at flying away from it. Granted he still dodged the attack, but still, it was a clumsy dodge, with him fumbling to get his balance in the air. Without wasting time, however, he managed to pick the rock up as it flew by with telekinesis, and held it aloft like he was showing off how it was done to his attacker.
"And you. You're a stubborn loyalist, aren't you? Do you get a kick from throwing your brothers and sisters at me like this, Golem?"
"Ha-ha! You're not funny, douchebag!" Quarry yelled as she cursed under her breath her inability to reach Raycast up above. "You've gone over the edge super hard this time, Raycast! I'm gonna make sure I not only wreck that staff, but I'm also gonna wring your legs off like I'm picking carrots!"
"Quarry, please! ...Raycast! What you're doing... this attack of yours! Do you truly think this is necessary?"
"I already said I am sick and tired of you talking!" he yelled with pure venom in his voice as he rose the boulder up above and tossed it down towards Nimue, who rose the shield and blocked the attack with a grunt of effort, surprisingly enough. The rock cracked in half as a loud bang rippled through the air, and the impact of the hit cracked the floor she was standing on, the pieces of the boulder collapsing around her harmlessly. She rose her face to meet his, a look of defiance plastered all over it, steadfast, making the man take slight pause. "Necessary? It's demanded. I can't handle this anymore, it needs to change!"
"I can see that your methods of change are about as much as I expected them to be. I know you and I disagree on many things, Raycast, but this...? I do not even know what to make of this."
"Make of it what you will. I'm done with you, Nimue. If with this I can make things better in the long run, it's a bet I am more than willing to take!"
"Sorry, but can I interject for just a minute?" a voice came from the top of one of the buildings, making the three look at it with looks of pure shock dashed across their faces. "I'd like to say a few things, if you'd let me."
Sunset Shimmer was there, inside the radius of the Astrorum Virgam's magical influence, alongside Raycast, Nimue and Quarry. Standing atop one of the less damaged buildings and looking slightly up so that she could look at Raycast, who flew, she couldn't exactly tell what any of the three before her were thinking. Still, she made her move, and now it was time for her to play.
"Sunset Shimmer! ...Did you come here to get in my way, too?"
"If by getting in your way, you mean stopping you from breaking houses and threatening the lives of the inhabitants of this place, then yes."
Raycast blinked with confused rage as he turned around to face the Equestrian, who gulped in silence as nervous sweat popped in her neck by the force of his pressure. It didn't take long before he responded, the Staff in his hands glowing ever more strongly by the second.
"I am doing what I must do so everyone will be better off! What I'm doing is the right thing to do!" he roared with intensity as Sunset held her ground, resolute. Nimue and Quarry both were looking at her with worry, trying not to incite Raycast to attack her as soon as they did anything. "Are you seriously considering that I am in the wrong? You have no right to tell me this!"
"...Sounds like you're overcompensating," Sunset chuckled to herself as she found a bit of confidence to throw in her words. "Besides, look where I am, now, just so we can talk like actual people. I wouldn't want you to get a creak on your neck from looking down at people too much."
That was a jab that he didn't have the patience to receive. With a bellow of anger, he picked up many different rocks around the battered down residential area around them all and rose them with magic, the white glow of his power seeping into every object he was manipulating like a disease that spread too quickly. The girls on the ground both gasped in worry as he pointed all of those at Sunset, his mind losing the focus and the ability for him to consider not attacking.
"Stop doing this, Raycast. You are wrong."
"I'll be the judge of that, Sunset Shimmer."
Sunset's confidence made the two women on the ground level gasp in shock as Raycast cut off his restraint and hurled the boulders with all his might in the direction of the Equestrian, each spearheading in her direction like jagged missiles of boulder and stone.
...And she found herself comforted by the magic she embraced around her.
Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, Sunset cast away the memories of when she adorned the Element of Magic atop her head. Those were waters past, things she's been fighting against for many days. She accepted the fact she would never forget what she did, neither that people would forgive her for what she's done. That was a permanent black stain in her resume and it would never go away.
Thinking about that brought her some comfort. Coping with what she's done was much easier when she finally accepted the mistakes she's made, and starting right now, she would fix another one of those. She finally understood Raycast, somewhat, as she re-opened her eyes and paid witness to his. Eyes of constant attack, of a man that probably never knew peace from his peers. Someone that needed allies, and to his understanding, they left his side and shunned him. Even if that wasn't the case, he believed no one stood at his side.
...She was probably the straw that broke the camel's back, and she wasn't going to have that be another mark on her life.
Sunset Shimmer's frame begun to glow as the rocks blasted in her direction with the frequency of a machine gun. Barely listening to the shouts of worry from the girls downstairs, she used her own magic with a dexterity fitting of Celestia's Ex-prized pupil. Each and every rock collided against a barrier of her own design, a teal-colored wall of pure force that shone like a jade against the brilliant lights of The Town of the Convocation of the Lost. Dust was kicked up in the air as Raycast grunted in relative surprise, Sunset's frame sparking with just about as much power as he.
"Why the shocked look, Raycast?" Sunset asked, raising herself again with the presence of a giant, her hair flowing behind her, reflecting the brilliance of the environment in its own shade of fiery gold. "Did you expect different? That Staff wouldn't exist if it wasn't for me! Of course I know how to cast spells!"
"We both built this, Sunset! Don't you think I'm a low-class wizard!"
The spectacle of spell-flinging that resumed made the Golem duck and hide behind cover as the Lady of the Lake stood where she was, holding the shield with both hands as the Aegis that protected her. They couldn't believe in the dexterity of the Equestrian when it came to countering every single one of Raycast's magic spells. He would rise a boulder, and Sunset would crush it before he could throw it. He would attempt to move the roof of the building she was standing on, but she would nullify it with a single movement from her hands. He would grunt and yell as he would attempt to cast a magical laser at her, but she would swat it aside like it was a harmless fly.
...He couldn't believe it. What was going on? This little girl! Sunset Shimmer, she... she was deflecting everything he threw at her! Did she think him a mockery of magic? Was she not taking him seriously at all?
She seldom cast any magic of her own sans to defend herself from his. She would cut down his spells with surgical precision the likes of which he wasn't sure wasn't a bad joke being told around a campfire at night. With each spell of his that she'd counter, his patience would grow thinner and his thoughts would grow more muddled. He was thinking as hard as he could at the same time he was trying not to lose control of the flight magic he had cast.
She defends herself too well. I think I need to surprise her a little!
"...Is this how you wish to play this game, Sunset Shimmer? FINE!" Raycast yelled from the bottom of his lungs as Sunset's frame was emanating so much magical power that it felt like she could cut him down with a single look, but he wouldn't let himself be swayed! "Allow me, then! Allow me to demonstrate the extent of my powers! This is what I can do!"
Sunset blinked in surprise as Raycast began to harness magic behind him, concentrating with all his might. He was truly struggling with this one...! Sweat was popping from his forehead as the Golem sprung from behind cover, waving her hand at Sunset, catching her attention as she yelled at her: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Look at him, he's OPEN! Kick his ass already!"
What, are you not going to do it yourself? Sunset mentally joked while she opened a calm smile at the girl, whose face was so dumbfounded and confused that the Equestrian cursed the fact she turned her cellphone off.
"I'm not going to hurt him."
"W-What?"
"Sunset Shimmer! ...What are you planning?" Nimue asked as the area around all of them began to swirl with the wind of magic that permeated the area. Sunset re-faced Raycast, her expression still as filled with confidence as it's always been.
"I'm doing something right, for once."
And that was the cue. The man was charging magic with so much focus that he couldn't afford to lose control. He pointed the Staff at another building that hasn't collapsed due to his assault, and with a quick flash of power... he was there.
Nimue and Quarry both gasped in shock as Raycast laughed heartily at what he did. Teleportation! An actual teleport! THIS was true, Eldrich magical power! A spell such as this was truly beyond the ability of any wizard to ever attempt to control the raw powers of the arcane! This was a true master's skill, one only a very select few wizards could ever attempt to control...!
With a guffaw of triumph, he looked at Sunset Shimmer who certainly displayed a look of surprise of her own. Using this to his advantage, he proceeded to perform the actual magic he was preparing, and the ground beneath her feet erupted in a jagged array of spikes that burst upwards with fury, kicking up dust and debris from the building's now missing rooftop.
"N-No! Raycast, what--"
"Hahaha! T-This is it! This is TRUE arcane power! Did you see this? What can you say to this!?"
"I did see it. I wasn't very impressed."
...He stopped breathing for a moment as his heart jumped from his chest all the way to his head.
He gasped in shock, looking at where Sunset... used to stand. She wasn't there anymore. She was behind him.
Slowly but surely, Raycast turned around as Sunset Shimmer stood there, looking at him with a look he couldn't decipher at all drawn in her eyes. He was frozen, shocked and lost in the maze of panic that engulfed the whole of him like a grasping vine that impeded him from moving. Her physiognomy was pristine: she wasn't showing signs of fatigue or effort at all. He, on the other hand, was sweating and tired from the effort of teleportation, plus the spell he just cast...
And with that thought still cruising through his head like an unstoppable stampede, Sunset placed her hands on both his shoulders... and with another spark of magical power, they were in the ground. Standing right in front of one another, in between Nimue and Quarry, who both stared at the scene with their jaws jutted open.
This girl just teleported us both from the top of that building, right after teleporting behind me when I demonstrated my own power.
Teleporting twice in a row. With absolutely no effort.
He had lost. Raycast's mind suddenly seemed to calm itself down as he gritted his teeth in shameful defeat. He had been bested in absolutely every way, shape or form. He couldn't win. Not now, not in a million years, not ever. This girl that stood before him with an absolutely calming look in her face was, without a shadow of a doubt, the superior Wizard...
She defeated him simply by demonstrating that if she truly wanted to, she would have already done it. Nothing he could do would matter. No strategy would work. No amount of power would prove superior.
Raycast lowered his head, surrendered. Without thinking twice, he breathed in deeply and handed the Staff to Sunset, who picked it up without hesitating.
"...What does one say at a moment like this, I wonder?" he asked aloud as Quarry slowly walked towards them, Sunset urging her not to do anything violent with a simple look. "I lost. I surrender, Sunset Shimmer. You won our duel."
"T-That was unbelievable! I had no idea you were such a formidable Mage, Sunset!" Nimue praised as she also approached the scene, still holding her shield in between her and Raycast, whose look was still sour and displeased.
"I do what I have to, when I can. Raycast Shields, we need to talk."
"Talk about what? The hell was this all about? Just beat the crap out of him, already! If you're not going to do it, then let me!"
Nimue promptly shut Quarry up with a look as Sunset appreciated the initiative. Raycast just shook his head in defeat, still trying to come to accept the defeat he suffered.
"I am clearly not designed to defeat her in a magic duel, Golem. I'm not stupid enough to not understand the difference between us. I'm not going to do anything anymore, I've surrendered."
"I'm sorry, Raycast. ...I've abandoned you, even without really realizing it," Sunset said with an audible glint of pain in her tone, making the Ex-Magistrate look away. "I don't know how much apologizing will do, but there's nothing much else for me to do."
"How about getting rid of this woman? That would be a good start," Raycast spat as he lowered his eyes to meet Nimue's, who stood firm in her feet, still keeping Quarry from decking him in the face. "You are the reason this all started, Lady of the Lake."
"You truly believe that? We have covered this a million times before, Raycast. I cannot make radical changes that swell this community with power. That is a mistake."
"You have never truly attempted to make the mistake to even know if it is one. This community needs all the help it can get. There are monsters out there that can't benefit from the assistance of the Convocation! Some of then live in slums, or in generally terrible conditions that force them to do horrendous things just so they can survive."
"...This is awful, and I agree with you. We are working the best we can to solve this issue, but giving these people weapons is not the way to--"
"Spare me. I heard that a thousand times before, I care little for that thought."
"I understand your point of view, Raycast, but let's think of this a little bit differently," Sunset added, making both of them look at her instead of each other. "Magic is a wonderful, powerful tool. It can be used in many different beneficial ways; ways that you two can't even begin to wrap your heads around. I've seen it before: magic being used to manipulate weather, change the seasons, the day and the night. Magic to grow food, magic to spread harmony through the world like an intoxicating song of life that all can benefit from. I understand how powerful and useful magic can be, and I don't deny any of that."
"But magic can also be used by those with evil in their hearts. They can use it to their own end, causing destruction and disharmony to those that stand in their way. They can use this dark magic to dominate minds, turn them into slaves, or... t-turn oneself into a monster that might never know redemption in the end. As it stands, magic is a gamble - a high-risk move that while potent and useful, helpful and incredible... it's also a dangerous thing for someone like Nimue to spread through her people. Monsters that, by their design, already have many different means to live beyond the human way. As they are living among humans, that makes that difficult... but it's the reality of the situation."
"I cannot afford to make that gamble. I would rather work things out in a way that does not resort to such drastic changes. 'Tis a risk I cannot afford to take, lest I risk the lives and the safety of those that already have it. Such is the reason as to why I do what I do, Raycast Shields. I am not neglecting their situation, I am doing my best to solve each and every one of their problems every day. ...But it cannot happen in a day. Not like this."
The man took a deep breath as he looked up to the ceiling of The Town. The lights that were cast down upon them danced in his irises, and he lowered his head as he couldn't find himself to think of more words to cast at them. They made their point... and they spoke the truth.
"I understand. ...And I accept my actions as what they are," he said as he lowered his head in tired defeat. "Whatever punishment the Convocation deems necessary... I will accept it."
Sunset traded looks with Nimue and Quarry as all three girls nodded in unison, agreeing with his sentiment and declaration. It was over, and Sunset placed her hand atop the Staff's focus stone, finally bringing this magical incident to a close:
"Veneficus Cantus," she muttered. And the Staff's magical bubble and influence disappeared from around them.
"So, what will happen to Raycast?"
"Currently, I am unsure of the punishment we will place. Despite his good intentions, he damaged the Convocation of the Lost, attacked me and put lives at risk. That is not something to be brushed off lightly."
Well. When I did that, I kind of got out of it easy, then.
"We'll consider his position and punish him accordingly. 'Tis a matter I will put thought into, don't worry about it."
Sunset and Nimue both looked from the Terrace of Light at the damage Raycast had caused. It was pretty bad, especially in the area where Sunset interrupted them. Turns out that the crowd in between her and them impeded her progress more than she thought they did.
She sighed a deep sigh as Nimue threw an amused look at the Equestrian, who still held the Staff of the Stars in her hands. Shaking her head slightly, she focused her sights in the damaged buildings that the workers of the Convocation were trying their best to repair.
"That Staff. You built it with him, did you not?" Sunset grimaced with the question, knowing that it was something she would have to cope with, no matter what. Nimue looked at her through the corner of her eyes, her face impossible to read.
"I-I did. ...There's no denying it, I helped him build it. When he approached me, I thought I-I thought he had permission! ...I never bothered to ask."
"You do realize that this puts you in a bad position, don't you?" Sunset didn't bother replying. She knew the answer was clear as day, no matter what words she would probably try to use to camouflage it. Besides, she didn't want to.
She rose the Staff of the Stars and put it in between them, offering the artifact to Nimue without as much as undoing the furrow in her brow.
"Here. This Staff should never have been made in the first place. Do with it what you have to."
"Answer my question, Sunset Shimmer. I don't wish to play the guessing game, I want to hear it from you."
Sunset paused for a moment before sighing and answering with a strong tone. "I do realize it. I made a terrible mistake. I'm not even sure how I can make up for it."
Her reply seemed to please Nimue, as she turned around to face Sunset directly, pushing the Staff away from her towards the Equestrian, who rose her eyes with shock and surprise swelling in them.
"You can start by doing the right thing, as you have been trying to do."
"W-What?" Sunset gasped, her grip on the Astrorum intensifying as she clasped both hands around it. "B-But what I did, it was illegal! A mistake! It was something that caused all this damage!"
"We all make mistakes, Sunset Shimmer. Some of these are more damaging and intense than others, and some mistakes will stick to you for the whole of your life, 'tis true. That what separates the ones that grow with the ones that never do, however, is that the ones who truly understand the value of the mistakes they make; they attempt to do good by them. You make a mistake, you accept it, overcome it and move on, carrying your mistakes not as hurdles but as stepping stones so you may achieve something greater."
"This is called life. 'Tis what constitutes a person that grows and matures. You are trying to fix the mistakes you made. You accept them, and you use your mistakes to grow stronger. While you may have caused damage to the Convocation, you made sure it was minimal by stopping the one that used this creation in his campaign. You have proven you are accepting of your misgivings, and I do not hold it against you."
Sunset wasn't sure exactly what to reply to Nimue. "Are you really ignoring the fact that all this damage happened because I helped Raycast make this staff?"
"Did you forget the time when you didn't know why he was making it for? Or did you forget when you single-handedly stopped him from doing anything worse? ...This artifact of magic if yours, Sunset Shimmer. If you wish to destroy it, then it will be by your hands, not mine. You have earned your right to keep it."
And with that being said, Sunset Shimmer smiled and nodded. This woman before her was crazy, and maybe she knew it. Regardless, she placed a trust in Sunset that she wasn't sure exactly where was it that it came from.
Maybe Nimue herself had learned a lesson that day... a lesson about giving allies to those that are worth having as allies.
Or maybe the lesson of giving someone a second chance. A chance Sunset was never going to break; she promised herself that.
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This story gives me a huuuge vibe of ToAry Majutsu no Index
It's a shame thing thing is dead, I just discovered it and it is really good. Additionally, it is exactly what i'm trying to do with my newest fimfic. So, i'm glad I got to read this. Even if it is dead.