Paths to Power: not-so-humble beginnings

by FelSpite

Chapter 5

Sunset Shimmer definitely couldn't call herself happy but at least the things were actually starting to go into the right direction. Now, if only she could have avoided her yesterday's blunder...

But alas, her past of making a foal out of herself at the very second she got a semblance of power back, was already set in stone. She sighed and continued to lie in bed as she considered her plans and possible options once again. With Crash still tinkering in the basement, as his note that she read at breakfast said and the rest of 'their group' supposedly participating in some gang-related event she had a whole day, if not a whole weekend for herself, so there was no one else to bother or distract her and, honestly, nothing actually to do. Unless one would count homework, but she decided just to ignore it this time.

Her earlier plans were focused on just relaxing today, but the whole "crystal incident" and the good sleep that she had after have made her more calm and relaxed than she was for a long time. Actually, now that she thought of it, her emotions, that she felt right before shattering that crystal, could have been one of the reasons that it happened that way at all! Unfortunately, she could barely remember the course on the emotional part of the magic.

And it was the CSGU fault! Honestly, what were they even thinking with that stupid program of theirs? That crap could be summed up in three lines: bad emotions - bad magic - Sombra - evil - do not touch; something something positive emotions - even more gibberish and obscure references and finally some mostly obvious but at least somehow useful stuff related on the cutie mark. Was it that hard to at least represent the material properly? In that case she would have actually studied it instead of memorizing a few gibberish lines to get her A and mostly forget it afterwards.

And yes, there was also something on the matter in the 'forbidden' books, but Celes.. that traitor has banished her before she could study it! Sunset frowned as her mood plummeted down at the reminiscence of her ex-teacher.

"Just you wait, princess" She whispered "I will ascend on my own power and then I will show you the whole depth of your mistake!" Still, saying it was one thing, but, despite everything that happened to her, fully coming to terms with it was totally different.
Sunset sighed. She should address the issue, yes, but it wasn't the time yet. Right now it was actually important for her to mention a possible influence of emotions on her magic to Crash. After all, even if it wasn't that important back in Equestria, she was basically learning how to do magic from scratch, so hiding such details from the single person who could help her at the moment could hinder her at best or lead to even worse consequences.

She was no fool to trust Crash completely and she definitely felt something off with his speech yesterday, even considering the possibility of him being completely honest with her. Sure, he needed her for something, but it was kinda obvious anyway, as why would he even bother with her otherwise?

Still, even if she completely depended on him in the matters of magic right now, it never meant that it would continue to be so, or that she should just drop her plans regarding the school completely. Sure, they won't be anywhere near the top of her priorities anymore, but having at least something to fall back on just in case - that sounded like a right thing to do. And, considering that she likely won't be able to properly concentrate on magic for a while, she had enough time for the Fall Formal preparation. Even if the mostly inevitable victory won't really give her that much joy with the new circumstances, it should still be worth it. Getting to know the rest of the gang won't hurt either, especially those going to the CHS... perhaps she should talk to Dust or Gilda tomorrow.

But enough rambling! Even if 'just winging it' became her style of sorts rather long ago, right now she felt like writing at least some sort of plan down. She sighed as she got up. There should be a notebook somewhere in her schoolbag...

***

Four hours later she wondered if her staying at the CHS library for most of her time in this world wasn't really as bad as she thought it was. Sure, there were many issues to annoy and distract her, but at least she had an opportunity to learn about this world by reading books and using school's internet access. The mansion, apparently, had neither books nor any PC for some reason. Perhaps Crash kept some books in the basement, but she would rather avoid interrupting him right now. So, once she was finished with writing down her ideas and even with her homework, she found herself behind the same game that Gilda was playing before out of sheer boredom.

"Guardians of Orion: The Klackon Invasion", what a pointless name. So far her experience wasn't that great, even if it was still better than just watching TV. It took her a while to get a hang of the basic controls, but with her character - a blue skinned girl with some sort of rather weak magic - dying over and over again, she felt like she was missing something important. As she was getting close to meet her demise once more, Sunset heard the door opening. She set the game on pause and turned just in time to see Gilda entering the living room with a pizza box in her hands.

"Yo, baconhead. Want some?" As the girl sat across Sunset she added "And yeah, your char just sucks at the solo-play anyway, so starting over may be a good idea."

Sunset frowned. At least it wasn't 'Sunny' or something even more stupid. Though it also presented an opportunity to learn something useful, even if starting with games could be a longer route... "And why would that be?"

'Gilda the Gamer' smirked, clearly waiting such question. "For starters, having no sustainable healing while the rest of your defenses consist of a shield that you cannot properly recast in combat and literally the worst armor for the situation is already a killer, but it only gets worse after that"

"But if she's that useless, why is she even in the game?"

"There are two ways, first she's really good support in group - you just focus on shielding your teammates and giving them a number of buffs depending on the situation. The second option requires you to forego shield completely and focus on melee with dodge and speed self-buffs. I wouldn't advise it to someone without a decent experience and it also works better with someone covering you."

That was actually kinda interesting. Maybe there was something more to these games than she initially thought... "So, what would you recommend then?"

"Either human engineer or a Mrrshan merc. They offer the most versatility, so you can try different play styles to see what fits you better, before actually committing to the certain build. Let me show you..."

***

About an hour later the first two game mission were finished in a three different ways and it definitely felt satisfying rather than infuriatingly unfair.

"Now, that's much better." Cheered Gilda "A refill pause is in order, I'd say. Beer or Soda?"

"Soda will do for now, I think. By the way, how come you're that invested in games? I mean it's cool, but there's also magic, the whole gang thing, family stuff... and yeah, the school too."

Gilda chuckled as she brought two bottles from the freezer. "It's really simple. I just happen to live with my brother here in Canterlot, and while he's the only family I do have around, he's also an ex-lead of the griffins and the gamer too. And neither of us was ever fond of school." She paused to open her bottle and continued after making a few gulps. "And with magic I do have more time, unlike Dust, so naturally I go for more fun."

'can't keep up with me in magic as not everyone can be the best' That was what Lighting Dust said, or at least something close enough.
"Hm? What are you both doing with magic then?" Sunset tried her best to display an interest in the topic, perhaps even slightly exaggerating it.

Gilda frowned for a moment. "I guess we're bound to talk about it anyway, so might as well do it right now. Besides, it's a cool enough tale and not overly long" She stretched herself, getting in a more comfortable position. "So, skipping some stuff that's insignificant right now, me and Dust were buddies for like two years before Crash appeared. School aside, most of the time that we spent together was in the gym with a few hangouts far and between. It was more of a convenience, to measure our progress against someone comparable, even if our motives were slightly different. I simply wanted respect from bro's pals in the gang and to be left alone at school, and well, being a wimp just sucks. Dust was determined to actually become a professional football player or an athlete at least. So, there's a thing about training - at certain point you just have to try fifty percent harder just to get one percent better, and unlike Dust I was never interested to that degree."

Gilda paused for a bit, perhaps remembering those events one again. Sunset knew though, that if someone got in a 'sentimental mode' like this, any interruptions, wrong nudges into certain direction or well, anything perceived as wrong would be taken as rudeness at best, so she decided to play a "grateful listener" to the fullest here, like in those old philosophy dialogues. That it was actually interesting also helped.

Meanwhile, Gilda continued: "Then Crash appeared. You may know, that it's a certain stereotype, how a wizard should look, or what he should be able to do. In most films or games it's some frail old dude with his staff, robe and a weird hat. I mean, in Zipang's games it might also be a curvy gal, or someone looking younger than a preschooler, but they are weird like that. The main theme here, is that we supposedly need someone to be a 'cool and strong guy' in films, and in games there is usually some fixation on balance. And yeah, there are also those goofy 'magicians', but it's hard to take them seriously. So, long story short, Crash appeared and now we know that real life is a completely different beast... I mean, yeah he got those flashy spells too, he shown us, classic like fireball, that kind of stuff"

Gilda grinned, supposedly showing some kind of explosion with her hands, before continuing. "But the real kicker is that he's more than capable physically, and flashy spells aside, his training is far better than any other I've heard about. And with a bit of magic the usual limits are also down in flames, so my bestie Dust is steadily going towards the superhuman category, while I'm kinda stuck on a lower level."
She sighed, before smirking. "I mean, it may be a slight exaggeration, and would it be someone else, someone I haven't known that good, I would be really jealous, sure. But right now? She deserves it, with that effort on daily basis. And it's something I cannot commit to, really. I mean, in a life-or-death situation, if I had no better choice, then maybe. So, I'm 'just' in a better form than I ever was, with spending like five times less time on it, and I'm learning enough magical stuff to have more assurance on my future than I would ever get from School or college. And it's a good deal, I'd say."

Finishing her story Gilda stretched once again and stood up. "But I think it's enough story time for today. You're gonna see this all for yourself soon enough anyway. Let me take a small visit to the WC, and we can continue with fun. A third mission is a real piece of work, I assure you!"

Author's Note:

And that concludes the exposition/introduction arc. While the plot will (likely slowly) start to pick up from now, any feedback/commentary would be much appreciated.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Will Lightning Dust be beating anybody up in this story?

[FelSpite]

7878936
She may at some point. Even if we discount actual fights (And she will get into one at least), someone might be stupid and 'nasty' enough to provoke her one way or another. Really unlikely to happen at the CHS though and she won't beat people up just because she can.