//------------------------------// // Duel Five: Generosity. // Story: Shimmer: La Jument Revolutionnaire // by GuyWhoWritesThings //------------------------------// Another weekend passes, directly coinciding with another Magic Duel that Sunset Shimmer has far too many questions over. Just like last week, soon after the end of the duel, Starlight Glimmer took her leave, disappearing and not returning until Monday morning. This time, however, Sunset intends to put Starlight Glimmer through the question wringer over it. The duel with Pinkamena and its outcome has stuck with her this entire time. Reflecting on the mare's state after the duel's conclusion, Sunset can easily feel the desperation from both her words and strikes when retrospecting on the events of the duel itself. Even after an entire weekend of mulling over it, and the scraps she knows of the Magic Duel situation, Pinkamena's raving about the light of the castle sticks with her, uncomfortably. She can't find it in her to understand what a pony can believe the duels can offer them to make them fight with that kind of need and conviction. Now, however, is her chance. Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer make their usual walk to Friendship Academy, the early morning sun overhead. Carefully gathering her words, Sunset prepares herself, wanting to make use of this opportunity while she can. "So, how was your weekend, Sunset?" And, is immediately cut off, by Starlight Glimmer initializing a conversation from a cold open. Sunset and Starlight trade looks, the latter smiling at the former warmly. After her mind-reading experience with Pinkamena, part of Sunset thinks cynically, that this is some calculated move to prevent her from asking her question. However, the sane part of her wins out, and just assumes that Starlight is warming up to her a bit better. "Um. Okay, I guess." Sunset Shimmer answers, humoring her. I'll have plenty of time to grill her. We're roommates, after all. No reason for me to rain on her rare moments of openness. She shrugs. "I didn't do much. Just stayed inside all weekend and caught up on the bits of studying I've been missing out on from all the duels keeping me up so late." "I'm sorry, Sunset Shimmer..." Starlight Glimmer turns her gaze to the ground, her smile disappearing. "Your life's been a lot more difficult lately because of me, hasn't it?" "Hey, stop that!" Sunset slows her pace to come up beside Starlight, who always walks three steps behind her, and places a hoof on her shoulder as the two walk together. Suddenly, she feels quite relieved that she hadn't brought up the pile of questions finding space in her mind this morning. "It's not your fault, okay? You're not responsible for this dumb dueling game, or for the fact all those Elements of Harmony compete in it. You're not forcing me to participate in any of the duels, either, so you have nothing to feel guilty about." "But..." Both Starlight and Sunset stop walking. "Starlight..." Sunset rubs her shoulder sympathetically. "Look, we'll get through this, okay. I'll beat back as many challengers that come along as I have to. With a stick, if I have to." She gives Starlight the warmest smile she can muster. "Don't doubt me, I've already done it once." Sunset's declaration causes the smile to return to Starlight's lips, and she gives one of her slight nods. "Okay, Sunset." "Now!" Sunset runs ahead, then turns back to face her, walking backwards along the path as Starlight follows. "What'd you do over the weekend, Starlight? That's twice in a row now you've disappeared late Friday night and not come back until Monday." Sunset grins playfully, hoping that her playful ribbing will keep Starlight out of her stupor. "Got a secret, do you?" "Oh, no." Starlight shakes her head. "Nothing like that, Sunset." "Then what did you get up to, hm?" Sunset leans her head in. "You don't need to tell me if you don't want to. I'm just curious, Starlight." Again, Sunset wonders what kind of family a mare like Starlight actually has. I can only hope it's a good one. She goes through enough crap at this school to not need it at home, too. "I stay in the faculty dormitory over the weekend, Sunset. It's what the lower floors of the Headmaster's tower consist of." Starlight explains. "I help the Headmaster with a lot of paperwork and other things that go into keeping the Academy running. She used to be an important teacher of mine, so I don't mind doing it. There's technically staff that's meant to help with it, but I think she trusts me a lot more than she trust them." Sunset grins, pointing a hoof. "You do have a friend, after all! Knew it!" Seeing Starlight's gaze falter, Sunset gives her a reassuring smile. "Come on, Starlight, I'm teasing. It's good you have somepony else you're close to. Plus... the Headmaster, huh?" Sunset spins back right-round and walks beside Starlight again. "Now that I think about it, I'd heard you were close to the Headmaster once." I guess Spike's good on his info, after all. "But, it sounds like you two have a way closer relationship than anypony realized." "Yeah." Starlight nods. "The Headmaster and I... I suppose close is the right word for it. The Headmaster and I met a long time ago, during a really important point in my life. She took me in and made me her personal student. Now, I'm just kind of... repaying the favor, I suppose." "That's honestly really cool." Sunset praises, then giggles as Starlight mouths the word 'cool' again. "The Headmaster... that's Twilight Sparkle, right?" Starlight Glimmer nods. "That's her, yes." "I've heard that she's super-reclusive. None of the students claim to ever see her unless they're called directly into her office, no matter what time of day it is. Now that I think about it, I definitely haven't ever seen her myself, either." Thinking that Starlight may be able to illuminate on the rumors a bit, Sunset decides to ask. "Any idea why she's like that? It seems a bit weird for the Headmaster of Friendship Academy of all things to be such a shut-in." Starlight Glimmer turns her head away from Sunset, sending her into a guilty panic. "Sorry! I didn't mean to put you on the spot, Starlight. It just seems like you're really close to her and you see her every weekend, so I was just wondering..." "Yo! Shimmy! Glimmy!" A familiar dragon's voice calls out from nearby. A quick stock of surroundings shows them as being near the bleachers they pass every morning on their trek to the Academy, and this time, some early morning sports appear to be going on. On the bleachers is Spike, waving them down with both claws, grinning. "Come over here for a bit!" "Huh. We don't normally see Spike this early." Sunset muses, then nudges Starlight in the shoulder playfully. "Let's go see what's up with him. We can continue that other conversation later, okay?" Starlight nods, and Sunset runs off ahead, Starlight instead choosing to approach the sports field at a leisurely trot. As she rounds the bleachers, Spike waves Sunset to climb up and sit with him, but the two mares at his side give her pause - Rarity, directly at his side, and beside her, Fluttershy. Fluttershy is the first to break the ice between the two groups, giving Sunset Shimmer a timid wave and smile. Rarity eyes her with a sidelong glance, not replying initially, but after a tense moment, gives a simple nod. Feeling the situation at least reasonably peaceful, Sunset climbs onto the bleachers, moving around the other ponies to take the seat that Spike's saved for her, Starlight Glimmer soon following suit at her own pace. "Hey!" Spike greets again, once both are seated. "Sunset Shimmer, meet Rarity!" The dragon introduces, moving his claw from Sunset to Rarity. "Rarity, Sunset Shimmer!" The claw motion repeats itself, in the opposite direction. "We've met." Sunset and Rarity find themselves saying simultaneously, tones equally disinterested. "Oh... I see..." Spike trails off, the awkward tenseness of the situation throwing a wrench into his plans. "So, what's up, Spike?" Sunset asks, partly to diffuse the tense air bothering her friend so, and partly to see how fast she can get herself as far from Rarity as possible. While she hasn't seen the mare since their Magic Duel, her treatment of Starlight Glimmer previously is enough to make her want to keep both her and Starlight as far away as she's able. "Oh, well, you see..." He rubs the back of his head, in contrast to his earlier excitement in calling them over. "Well, I'm not sure if this is the best idea anymore, but..." A set of short laughs further emphasize his discomfort. "But...?" Sunset eggs him on, now starting to feel a bit guilty about her callous dismissal of his introduction of her to Rarity, even if Rarity had done the same with her. The exchange has clearly taken some strong wind from his sails. He's so infatuated with Rarity for whatever reason, I bet he was hoping he could get us to be friends to hang out with both of us at once, or something. Sorry, Spike... "You see, well..." He trails off, pausing, but picks up again before anypony can cut in. "Well, Rarity told me that she's hosting this big party at the Harmony Building this weekend, Sunday night, and she said I could come and invite anypony I wanted, so, I was just..." His voice falls off again as he taps the index digits of his claws together. Behind him, Sunset can see Rarity's eyes turn away from the game going on in front of her to the back of Spike's head, though the rest of her remains still. "I was wondering if you and Starlight Glimmer wanted to come?" "Ah..." Sunset sucks air through her teeth. "Well, what kind of party is it, Spike?" Sunset asks tentatively. She doesn't want to say no, but she wants to be sure she can adequately remove herself and Starlight from Rarity as necessary before agreeing to basically being on her home turf. He looks from Rarity, whose eyes are still on him, then back to Sunset. "Just, you know, an, uh, social gathering. Got lots of ponies invited and stuff! You could even call it a 'who's-who' of Friendship Academy." Spike sighs. "Honestly, I'd just like there to be more ponies my speed when I go this time. I really like going to spend time with Rarity but if I try to talk to anypony else, they just don't seem like they really want me there and it stinks, you know?" Behind Spike, Rarity's lips curl into a smile and she turns back to the game. Suddenly, Rarity jumps out of her seat, one hoof pressed to the size of her muzzle and the other waving in the air angrily. "Get it in there, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity's voice cuts through the sounds of the game and the rest of the crowd, easily taking precedence over them all. "If that dumb goal keeper thinks he can stop you then send that ball right through his teeth! His ugly mug could use some rearranging, anyway!" She seems to settle down, for just a moment, but soon pops back out of her seat. "Don't past to Lightning Dust! That tramp couldn't net a ball if her life depended on it and we both know it!" Sunset blinks as Rarity sits back down, daintily propping her mane back into place with a hoof after her outburst. "Well... that was... something." Sunset mutters to herself, dumbstruck at what she's just witnessed. Well, I'm not sure what my impression of Rarity is, anymore. "What is it, dear?" Rarity asks, without taking her eyes off the game in front of her. "It's only natural to offer your enthused support to a friend during a sporting event, is it not?" "I guess so..." Sunset replies, turning her attention to the game for the first time. The ponies are divided into two teams - one wearing blue-and-yellow uniforms, and the other wearing purple-and-black, lightning bolt motifs present on each. Sunset spots a flick of a prismatic tail from one of the players in the blue-and-yellow uniforms, and is again reminded of the practice match she witnessed on her first day - the mare across from Applejack had a rainbow mane and tail as well. She imagines this must be 'Rainbow Dash', as otherwise somepony is unfortunately misnamed. Near her is a second pony, in the same uniform, running the checkered white-and-black ball forward, her gold-and-amber striped mane flowing behind her as she runs. A pony from the opposing team moves in to meet her, but, without their eyes meeting, the mare that Sunset presumes to be Lightning Dust passes, and Rainbow Dash shoots, a play so fluid it may as well be done by a single pony and not two. The ball soars through the air, and a burly goal-pony moves to intercept, failing utterly as the ball cleanly strikes the back of the goal's netting. "See?" Rarity says with a satisfied smirk, as cheers erupt from both the stands and Rainbow Dash's team. "A little bit of encouragement and Rainbow Dash grabs a point, just like that." The only reply Sunset Shimmer can find it in herself to muster is, "Huh." "So, what do you say, Sunset?" Spike asks, pulling Sunset from her stupor. "Will you come...?" "Oh!" Sunset looks from him, to the impassive Rarity, who seems to be again focused on the game below. "Um, the party, right. Sorry about that, Spike." Sunset laughs nervously, stroking behind her ear with a hoof. "I suppose I can pop by if you really want, Spike. I'm not sure if it'll really be my kind of thing but it can't hurt to at least show up and take a peek." Spike's face immediately brightens, grin spreading. "Alright!" He then tilts himself to look past Sunset, to the mare on her opposite side. "How about you, Glimmer? Think you'll be able to make it? It'd be really great to have both of you there." Starlight shakes her head, and Spike's brightened face falls ever so slightly. "Sorry, Spike. I was explaining this to Sunset earlier before you called us over. I'm... occupied, on weekends." "Surely you can get away for a little bit?" Sunset moves in to plead Spike's case, partly for the dragon's sake and partly for her own - she doesn't want to be heading for this thing alone, even if Spike will be there. "It's not until Sunday night, anyway, he said. That can't interfere with what you normally do that much." "Maybe..." Starlight trails off, but then smiles. "I'll see what I can do, okay, Spike?" "Yes!" Spike fist-pumps the air. "This weekend's gonna be great!" His grin and cheer return twofold at the prospect of both ponies attending Rarity's get-together. Sunset gives him a smile of her own, looking up from him in time to see another faint smile across Rarity's own lips. Please let that be an 'I'm happy Spike is happy' smile and not a devious one... That's when, looking past Rarity, she notices the field's second set of bleachers. Particularly, she notices one of the occupants sitting on it, in the telltale Academy uniform. Though, it's no pony, but still a creature Sunset is familiar with - a griffon, with the head and wings of an eagle, and the body, legs, and tail of a lion. It's truly an exotic sight as far as Friendship Academy is concerned. Its fur and wing feathers are brown, while its head feathers are white, tipped in a very light pinkish-purple. "Hey..." Sunset feels herself compelled, curious at the sight in a manner similar to her curiosity with Starlight Glimmer on her first day. "Who's that griffon over there? I've never seen one at Friendship Academy before." "Her name's Gilda." To Sunset's surprise, it's Rarity who replies, and not her usual Academy-encyclopedia, Spike. "From my understanding, her and Rainbow Dash were friends a long time ago." Behind her, Fluttershy's gaze moves away from the ground and to the bottom of the bleachers. "Though, I've never seen the two so much as pass by in a hallway, never mind exchange words, so I can't say if that changed or why. She always shows up when Rainbow Dash plays, never talking to anypony, then leaves once the game is over." "That's... only a lot weird." Sunset comments, then raises her eyebrow, speaking skeptically. "Almost as weird as you being so friendly with me." Rarity turns to her, giving her a small but friendly smile. "And why wouldn't I be friendly with you, dear?" She extends a hoof, placing it on Spike's shoulders. "After all, any friend of my dear Spikey-Wikey here is a friend of mine." Sunset groans, her hoof meeting her forehead, just below the horn. "I think I see where Spike gets his bad taste in cutesy nicknames..." Later, and elsewhere... A small cassette player sits on the edge of a round table, surrounded by five chairs. In each sits a pony, their five colored jackets contrasting the white crystal of the balcony. An alabaster hoof reaches out, pressing the play button. The action itself constitutes a ritual between the gathered five. A six-point star emblazoned on the player's front glows a soft magenta as the tape begins to turn. "If it cannot smash its egg's shell, a chick will die without ever truly being born." The cassette cuts out, and the light dies, signifying the start of their meeting. The significance of the quote, and the identity of the girl speaking it, are both beyond the reach of the gathered ponies, but its a ritual they adhere to nonetheless. Dice clatter against the game board set between the Elements of Harmony, followed by a pink hoof moving the howitzer across the rectangular spaces that run along its edges. "I'll buy it..." Pinkamena grumbles, counting out a number of multi-colored paper bills. Her voice bears its usual detachment, but none of its anger. Instead, it simply sounds hollow. "I still don't understand what happened. My weapons just... snapped." Rarity passes her the property deed, and Pinkamena places them with the rest of her collection. "Why does she get to have a power like that?" Applejack spares Pinkamena a sympathetic glance and rolls her own dice. "That 'Spark of Friendship' of hers might just be magic, after all, Pinkamena." She reaches out her hoof, moving the wheelbarrow along. "If it is, then, maybe, that sword really is the key that End of the World's letters always talk about." Applejack pulls her hoof away, letting out a disappointed groan. "Consarnit, I already own this one..." Her eyes drift to Rarity. "But, I suppose my luck could be worse." "Quite, dear." Rarity scoops up the dice. In front of her sits a letter with a broken, six-point star seal. "My turn!" The dice roll, and soon she's moving her thimble. "You've all had your chance, but now I'll be reclaiming the Crystal Mare for myself." "Really?" Rainbow Dash asks, giving her a questioning grin. "You were getting real friendly with Shimmer at my sports game earlier, Rarity." "Maybe." Rarity huffs. "But that was for the sake of dear old Spike, not for that girl. She just happens to be one of his new friends for whatever reason the poor dragon sees in her." She pulls her hoof away, squealing in delight. "Oh ho ho! Time to build some hotels!" "Oh, come on!" Rainbow Dash exclaims, hooves slamming against the table, looking at the board in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me, Rares! Now, like, half the spaces in front of me are nothing but freakin' hotels! This is ridiculous!" She slumps back into her seat, resigned to what seems like an inevitable fate. "Can we just have one time where Rarity doesn't completely wreck us at this game?" "Darling, I'm pretty sure that's the same thing most of the sports teams think when they end up against you." Rainbow Dash shoots back up, hooves on the table once more. "Okay, that is totally different!" Rarity leans her head on one hoof, using the other to fan herself with one of her piles of excess game money. "Is it, now?" "RD, can you just throw the darn dice already?" Applejack's annoyed tone cuts through the two ponies' bickering. "Fine!" The dice bounce and clatter against the game board, nearly spilling off the side. She takes a moment to sum the roll in her head, then starts moving. "Yes! I made it!" Rainbow Dash leads the car eagerly along the board now that she's free of Rarity's property network. "I did it, I... jail?! That puts me right back at the start of Rarity's freaking strip mall of properties!" Rainbow Dash groans as she moves her piece to the jail tile, slumping dejectedly back into her chair. "I should know better than to be optimistic about this game." "Don't feel so bad, Rainbow Dash." Rarity feigns reassurance. "In a few minutes, I'll bankrupt you. Tonight, I'll take the key to eternity away from that girl, Sunset Shimmer. It's just kind of how these things go, dear." Rainbow Dash lets out another groan, tossing her head back to stare at the sky as dice hit the board. A yellow hoof moves the terrier along the board, dodging Rarity's giant nest of bankrupting properties. "Um, I have a question..." Rainbow Dash looks at her, dejected at her prospects of most likely being the first pony eliminated from the game. "What is it, Fluttershy?" "What does Free Parking do again?" "Nopony knows, Fluttershy." Applejack shakes her head. "Nopony knows." Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer sit for lunch at one of the Academy's many outdoor tables, simple daffodil sandwiches between them. Sunset's creation, after a pact between herself and Spike to try to prevent Starlight from being the one to set up lunch again any time soon. A third sandwich sits out for Spike, but the dragon is nowhere to be seen. "It's not like him to be late without telling us." Sunset looks down at her own sandwich, then to the empty seat, unsure if she should begin eating or continue waiting for Spike to arrive. "Maybe something came up, Sunset?" Starlight offers, seemingly unbothered by the no-show, in her usual way. "I hope so." Sunset finally decides to take up her sandwich in her hooves and take the first bite, with Starlight following suit not long after. Sunset swallows, and then continues. "So, Starlight, how've your classes been going? You never talk about them." Starlight smiles and puts on one of her sweet, generic smiles. "They're going fine, Sunset." "Gonna tell me what they are, yet?" Sunset leans in, giving a playful grin. "Or are they still just this and that, hm?" "This and that." Starlight replies, taking another bite of her sandwich. Sunset falls back into her chair, a bit deflated. I'm beginning to wonder if she even takes classes. I never even see her doing homework when we're in our room for the night. She follows Starlight's lead, biting into her sandwich again. A war rages in Sunset's mind as she chews, deliberating how she wants the conversation to proceed from here. She looks around, seeing no sign of Spike, and that the tables in their immediate area are conveniently empty, and swallows. "Can I ask you a serious question, Starlight?" "You can ask me anything, Sunset." Starlight replies, taking her third bite immediately afterward. "It's about the duels." Sunset explains. Starlight nods, still chewing. For a moment, Sunset hesitates, remembering their exchange from that morning, but continues, knowing that she'll have to press the mare for information eventually. "Pinkamena was so obsessed with that castle... I'd started writing it off as some strange set piece somehow put there by whoever runs the dueling game, but... do you know anything about it, Starlight?" Starlight swallows. "I've heard something eternal dwells inside it... inside that castle floating in the sky." "Something... eternal?" Sunset questions, setting down her sandwich. "You mean like, something that never dies?" "Something eternal." Starlight says again. "Wouldn't you like to go up there, sometime, to see if its really true?" "Um... I suppose. It sounds interesting, but I don't think I believe any of it." Sunset picks her sandwich back up, taking a bite at the same time as Starlight Glimmer. She swallows first, and asks another question. "But, suppose I did... is that eternal thing what Pinkamena was after? She kept talking about taking the light of the castle, like it were a physical object... is that the eternal thing inside the castle?" Starlight swallows, and immediately takes another bite of her sandwich. Spike winces reflexively as a pin presses into his back, even though he can't actually feel it through his scales. The room around him is large and open - or would be, were it not for the 'organized chaos' dotting most of it. Ceiling-high windows with curtains drawn let the sun filter its way inside, highlighting just some of the many spools of fabric dotting the room. Ponnequins line the walls, wearing a mix of party dresses and variations on the Academy's main uniform. In the center of the room stand two more ponnequins, with an alabaster unicorn darting to and fro, a measuring tape held in a magical grip. The center ponnequins each bear the initial stages of dresses-to-be, one black and the other turquoise. Glasses with a curved, orange frame rest against Rarity's muzzle as she works, passing between the two projects in front of her and a notebook sitting on a nearby table. "Hey, Rarity?" Spike tosses out the timid hook of a conversation starter, voice quaking slightly. Normally, the two engage in constant chatter while Rarity works on either custom uniform orders, sports clothes repairs, or prototyping party dresses. Today, however, an uncharacteristic silence hangs between the two, with Spike's opener being the first thing to break it. "Yes, Spike?" Rarity asks, setting the measuring tape down on the table and picking up a nearby pencil, adjusting her design sketches with a practiced fervor. "What's bothering you, dear?" Her voice is friendly, concerned at the unusual tone in the dragon's own, doing her best to listen while feverishly running through her design process. "I was just wondering..." Spike finds himself pressing the index digits of his claws together, staring at them as he pulls his words together in his mind. "You're not mad at me for inviting Sunset Shimmer, are you?" He asks, wincing as Rarity glances at him out of the corner of her eye. "I... I didn't know you two had some kind of history, or I wouldn't have..." Ideas begin to spiral through the young dragon's mind, each worse than the last. "Hush, Spike." Rarity turns and rests a hoof on his shoulder, casting those ideas out as quickly as they'd entered in. "It's like I said this morning. Your friends are my friends, so don't worry about it." She gives him a reassuring smile, trying to emphasize the genuinity of her statement. "But..." Spike looks away from her. "Look, Spike." Rarity explains, and, taking the command literally, Spike looks back to her. "Sunset and I have a... difference or two, that needs sorting, as it were. But that has nothing to do with you or who you make friends with, got it?" She draws him into a hug, the pins sticking into his back falling to the floor in the process. "I may not have the best opinion of her right now but I know my Spikey-Wikey well enough to know he's always had good taste in friends. If you see something in her worth being friends with, I'm more than happy to give her another chance." Spike reaches his claws up, returning the hug in what small way his short limbs are able. "Thanks for understanding Rarity." A toothy grin runs across his face, as the final remnants of his own paranoia flow free. "Of course, Spike." She releases the hug, hooves on his shoulders. "Though, I still don't know quite what you were so worried about. If I'd had a problem with it, I would've said it when you invited them." Spike, once again, finds his claws the most interesting thing in the room as his fingers tap together. "It's just that, I know how you can be, sometimes, Rarity..." His common earns him a very sour look from the mare in question, but his focus on his claws prevents him from noticing it. "I was just worried that I'd upset you and you just weren't saying anything before to be polite. And then, we got here, and we weren't really talking at all, and it felt really weird, so I was worried you didn't want to be my friend anymore..." Rarity rolls her eyes at him. "Come now, Spike. Do I really seem like the kind of pony who would do something like that?" Her question earns her a deadpan stare in reply. "Okay, maybe you're right." She releases his shoulders and walks back to her table. "But you don't have to worry about anything like that Spike. Trust me. I wouldn't do something like that to you." She picks up her pencil again, and gets back to work. "Now! I have dresses to complete!" "Thanks, Rarity." Spike follows her, and once in range, wraps one of her forelimbs into a hug of his own, a far easier task than his attempt at reciprocating her previous one. "You're the best. I hope we can stay friends forever." Her pencil sets back down against her desk. "Friends forever, huh?" The moon rises into its place in the night's sky, as its light seeps through the window of Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer's room. Sunset lays on her bed, wearing her light-blue pajama cap and shirt, while Starlight Glimmer sits at the nearby table, facing Sunset, although her attention focuses instead on a rather thick book that's open in front of her. For Sunset, it's a precious sort of time, away from all things school and dueling. Sunset stretches and yawns, then flops back against her pillow. "My pattern recognition were tingling when Spike called us over, but I'm glad I was wrong. Looks like we get another night to kick back and catch up on lost sleep, Starlight." "You know sleep doesn't actually work that way, right, Sunset?" Starlight asks from her spot at the table, not looking up from her book. "Shut up." Sunset grumbles, wiping at her eyes with a hoof. "You'll ruin my good vibes with negative talk like that, you know?" Sunset yawns, then nestles into her spot in bed, able to have a proper view of Starlight despite her prone position due to sleeping on the upper bunk. "So, what kind of book you got there, anyway? It looks... thick." "Oh, it's just a textbook on complex magical theory." Starlight replies nonchalantly, holding the book up so Sunset can see the cover. Sunset, in turn, whistles, reading the name emblazoned across the front. "Geez, Starlight. That book's even above what I'm studying, and I have advanced placement." While Sunset's long surmised that Starlight is most likely her senior in some way despite the closed-lip-ness of her in regards to her school life, seeing her dig into such a book still impresses. "So, you study magical theory, then?" "Is it really that advanced of a title?" Starlight tilts her head, visible over the top of the book. "No, I just research this kind of stuff for fun." Starlight's reply leaves Sunset utterly perplexed. She reads a textbook like that for 'fun'? Most people I've talked to with a passion for magical theory can't stomach that thing! Though, Sunset realizes, there's a particularly huge contradiction in the activities she's seen Starlight perform and the book she's currently digging into. Watching Starlight turn the page with her hoof is the clincher, and the question comes out almost on reflex. "You know, thinking about it, I don't think I've ever actually seen you use your magic, Starlight. How come?" "I can't use magic." Starlight replies in her normal tone as she sets the book down. She then resumes reading. "Wait." Sunset sits up, leaning on her front hooves, looking down at Starlight from her spot on the top bunk. She doesn't continue right away, not sure if she should ask, but the mix of concern and curiosity soon overcomes her politeness. "You... can't use magic?" Sunset asks, her tone emphasizing how alien the concept feels to her. "But you're a unicorn... did something happen?" "No." Starlight responds plainly, without looking back up from her 'for-fun' textbook. "I just can't use it." "But... that's..." Sunset's voice trails as she stops talking, trying to formulate her next question carefully. A unicorn that can't use magic... does that happen, even as a birth defect? I'm sure it's possible, even if I've never heard of it being the case outside of misshapen horns. Still... maybe it's... Her thoughts are interrupted by three firm knocks against their room's door. "Who could that be, at this time of night?" Sunset asks as she stretches her limbs once more. "Actually, who could that be, period? We're the only ones who live here, and we don't get visitors..." "Don't worry, Sunset, I'll get it." Starlight assures her, even as Sunset is crossing the length of her bed. She sets the textbook open on the table and heads for the door, leaving Sunset to watch from the upper bunk. She cracks the door open, poking her head outside. "...Huh?" "What is it, Starlight?" Sunset asks from the edge of her bed, leaning over it and craning her neck in her best attempt to see around the door. "Who's there?" "Nopony..." Starlight throws the door open with a hoof, revealing nothing but two rectangular boxes, stacked, topped with a sealed letter. "But, there's these." "So somepony doorknock ditched us some boxes?" Sunset shakes her head clear and jumps from the top bunk, meeting Starlight Glimmer in the doorway. "I guess we should tear that letter open and see who our secret admirer is." "Alright, Sunset." Starlight picks the letter up with her hooves, tearing open the sealed lip without issue, and slides the contents out. Dropping the envelope, Starlight unfolds the single piece of paper contained within, and reads: Please accept these gifts! Proper dress attire for Spikey-Wikey's guests. Hoof-made and free of charge! See you Sunday! xx Rarity "Proper dress attire, huh?" Sunset repeats flatly, once Starlight finishes reading. "Well, I don't know if we should be flattered she went through the effort, or insulted at the way she just low-key called us uncultured." Sunset shakes her head and examines the two boxes. The first one is tagged with 'Starlight Glimmer', in an emphatic cursive writing. Sunset levitates the box with her magic, setting it beside the second, which has 'Sunset Shimmer' written across it in a similar styling. Starlight, meanwhile, reads over the letter a second time. "Does the 'x' mean 'hug' or 'kiss'? I don't remember." "Let's pray it means 'hug'." Sunset laughs to herself, pulling the cover off the box with her name on it. Inside, meticulously laid out, is a turquoise party dress, an extravagant type clearly of great cost - or, more aptly in this case, great care. However, Sunset's eyes are drawn almost immediately to a second letter, set atop her dress. Grabbing it with her magic, she tears the top open and pulls the paper out. She reads it once, before her excitement from the night shrivels away into an angry, crestfallen gloom, then reads it once more to be sure she's not misread: Come to the Dueling Arena at midnight. I'll be waiting. See you soon! xx Rarity Sunset drops the letter to the floor, suppressing the urge to scream in frustration. As she turns to head back into her room, at the corner of the hallway, she sees the tall, magenta-clad figure running around the corner. A pale-violet hand waves at her playfully as it runs off, and Sunset's insides churn. Using a deep breath to maintain control, she turns, and walks back into the room. There, she throws open the closet, walking in and using her magic to shut herself inside. Now, sufficiently isolated from the world, Sunset screams. Sunset Shimmer, her rage down to a minor boil, stands before the looming tower that contains the Dueling Arena. "She'd best be happy I didn't just come out here in my pajamas..." She grumbles, pulling out her necklace. The gem on it glows, along with the doors, and her eyes clench shut as the tell-tale creaking and scraping confirms her admittance. She steps forward, and soon finds herself in front of the tower-within-the-tower. The stair climb to the top is now a ritual to Sunset Shimmer, somehow calming her despite all her logic saying the experience should to otherwise. Maybe this time, I can get some answers out of her on what the castle is. Between Pinkamena's reactions during our duel and what Starlight Glimmer said, it has to be important somehow. Step by step, she scales the tower, the midday sky and surrounding clouds coming into view. Following those, the light of the castle peeks over the edges of the giant platform that serves as the Dueling Arena. As she reaches the final bend of the spiral, and the castle's chandelier-light rains down on her directly, her pace slows and her head turns skyward. What are you? Sunset Shimmer reaches the top, the Dueling Arena now stretching out before her, and passes through the archway that serves as its proper entrance. Across from her, for the second time, stands Rarity. Though, this time, Sunset feels a petty sort of pleasure in how far away Starlight Glimmer is standing, in comparison to the first time she stepped into the Dueling Arena. "So, was your plan to have all your buddies wear me down before challenging me to a rematch, Rarity?" Sunset quips, wanting to be the one to start the verbal sparring match for once. "You do seem the planning type, after all." "Oh, of course not, Sunset Shimmer." Rarity scoffs. "If I had a choice in the matter, I would've rematched you immediately and cut this whole charade short ages ago!" Rarity puffs her mane with a hoof, holding her head high. "Don't believe I was afraid of you or something, dear." "If you had a choice in the matter...?" Sunset's gears grind to a halt. I knew somepony else was pulling the strings, but I still thought the challenges were open, given how I challenged Rarity. Does this mean the Magic Duels are arranged, instead? Sunset decides to press for answers. "What's that supposed to mean? Does someone else set up these duels, or something?" Rarity shrugs as her horn lights up, drawing her sword, gemstones again glistening in the light of the castle. "Me to know, you to find out, dear." Rarity answers, dismissively. "Right." Sunset groans. "Well, can you at least tell me about that castle up there, at this point?" Sunset motions her head up, to the floating, spinning, upside-down light source of a castle above. "When I dueled Pinkamena, she sort of... made a really big deal about it, so I'm guessing it's a bit more than a trick of the lights, as you put it." "Hmm..." Rarity ponders, turning her head up to the castle as well. "I suppose I can tell you, at this point. The castle is supposed to be home to something eternal, and I need to have it." Rarity sounds plain, unguarded, and as she stares up at the castle, a smile graces her lips. Something eternal? Starlight Glimmer mentioned the same thing at lunch, didn't she? Sunset lets her gaze fall back down to Rarity, catching her smile, and her strange captivation with the castle itself. Seeing an opportunity to get some more information, however, Sunset presses on. "What do you mean by 'something eternal'? Do you actually have any idea what's up there?" "No." Rarity says, turning back down to face Sunset. "I don't know what's up there. That's part of the mystery, the beauty of it, don't you think?" Sunset smirks. "I didn't take you for the inquisitive type, Rarity." "There's a lot of things you don't know about me, dear." Rarity quips, though still in her plain tone. "I'm sure you've heard the phrase, 'a diamond lasts forever', right? Well, it's a bit of a misnomer, you see. They last much longer than a pony, but diamonds, like all gemstones, eventually fade away, falling prey to the world's harsh, natural elements. Everything does, eventually. Nature's cruelest fashion trends, one might call them. Even abstract things like romance and friendship eventually fade away..." Rarity becomes wistful for a brief moment, before hardening her resolve. "So, I need to see it for myself! I need to see that eternal thing held deep in the castle, confirm its real, grasp it with my own hooves." "That's... surprisingly philosophical." Sunset finds herself again revising her impression of Rarity. While not a pony she favors by any stretch, still, she's clearly more than looks and a sharp tongue. While Sunset has more to say, Starlight's approach stops her. The two share a nod, and Starlight pulls the six-point star crystal from inside her dress. "A small crystal from deep within me, for you..." She pins it to Sunset, and the two's eyes meet. "Get her, Sunset." Starlight says in a whisper, and Sunset smirks, her gaze returning to Rarity. Starlight walks over to Rarity, repeating the ritual. "And for you... a fleeting crystal from The End of the World." Once the ritual is complete, Starlight retreats from Rarity, returning to Sunset's side with the tiniest bit of added haste, and resting a hoof against her shoulder. Starlight Glimmer closes her eyes. "Spark of Friendship, which lies deep within..." From Starlight's chest, a white light emanates. It grows, brighter and larger, eventually taking the shape of a rod. Its shape solidifies, a curved, ornate guard appearing around the rod - now the hilt of a sword - the six-point star pommel glowing a soft magenta. "Heed me, and come forth..." The hilt takes full shape and extends from Starlight's chest. The blade, still buried within her, glows a fierce white, brimming with energy that sends Sunset's mane billowing. Sunset reaches for it, gripping the handle in one hoof. She draws it out slowly, feeling the strange power again flow through her body. Once the blade is half-way free, she pulls it out in a swift motion and points it at Rarity. "Grant me the power to revolutionize the world!" The words spill from Sunset's mouth, without her recognition, as if they belong to someone else. Somewhere, outside the Dueling Arena, a chorus of bells rings, flooding the ears of every pony on the platform. The moment the bells cease, Rarity rushes forward, brandishing her longsword for a thrusting strike. Sunset, however, is well-practiced at this point, sweeping the strike aside the second the Spark of Friendship transitions into her magical grip. Soon, the two weapons embroil in a fierce struggle, slashing and thrusting, ducking and weaving between the ponies, each trying to outmaneuver the other to make a strike past the other's defenses. It's a prodding dance, seeking out weaknesses in the way two unicorns normally would during a magic-based duel, simply with swords instead of spells as their medium of combat. It's something Sunset finds herself at home with, having been more than a little rough-and-tumble with her magic against other unicorns in her past. From the sidelines, Starlight Glimmer watches, impassively. "Something eternal, huh?!" Sunset yells over the resounding, repeated clashes of metal. "I can understand why you want something like that! But, why does it give you the right to treat Starlight Glimmer the way you did? Like she's not even a pony!" "Why does it give me the right?" Rarity tsks as their weapons clash, Rarity's blade being knocked aside from a downward slash. "Sunset... you're still new, but maybe, someday, you'll come to understand! The Crystal Mare is no pony, but simply a tool meant to grant us alicornhood and open our way to the castle!" Again, metal strikes metal, as Rarity deflects a thrust from Sunset. "Open our path to the place that'll grant us our deepest desires! She's as much of a pony as a sewing needle is!" "That's all she is to you? A tool?!" Their weapons clash once more, this time locking into a struggle as Sunset's and Rarity's magics press against one another, swords as their medium. "Starlight has her own interests, her own thoughts, and her own feelings! I know I don't understand everything about these Magic Duels, but as far as I'm concerned, that makes her as much of a pony as either of us!" Sunset presses her magic, forcing Rarity back, both pony and sword. However, soon the shoe is on the other hoof, and Rarity presses in turn, soon leading the two ponies into a deadlock. "Do you really believe that, Sunset Shimmer? You know you're the Champion of the Duels, right? Surely, the Crystal Mare told you that she'd do whatever you wanted!" Rarity's magic glows a brilliant cornflower, forcing Sunset to step back once, then twice, as the pressure against the Spark of Friendship becomes too much. "Understand, Sunset Shimmer! The Crystal Mare is just a mirror! Just like her skin reflects your face, her heart simply reflects your own desires for her! How can you truly say all those interests and feelings of hers aren't there just because you want them to be?!" Sunset's magic falters at the accusation, allowing Rarity to gain even more ground. Starlight Glimmer... a mirror? Sunset finds herself now being the one forced back, the raw force behind Rarity's strikes leaving her barely able to deflect them. Her horn throbs from exertion, but in the new quagmire of thoughts she's entertaining, she barely notices. Only doing things... because I want her to? It's a thought that, normally, Sunset would dismiss as crazy out-of-hoof, but here, as swords clash and two mares fight over an unknown prize supposedly kept inside an upside down castle, Rarity's words find an unusual purchase inside Sunset. Starlight Glimmer's eyes become hollow, turning down to the Dueling Arena floor. Sensing her advantage, Rarity goes further. "I see you're starting to understand now, Sunset Shimmer! Even your own friendship to her is just a sham, enabled by your current status as Champion!" A sweeping strike knocks the Spark of Friendship straight from Sunset's grasp, sending it clattering along the Dueling Arena floor behind her. "Once I defeat you, it'll evaporate in a single command! Gone, just like everything else in this pitiful world!" Sunset scrambles back, diving and rolling as Rarity's sword thrusts down, breaking into the Dueling Arena floor, dangerously close to Sunset's side. Her eyes dart around, soon finding the Spark of Friendship, and she dives for it, scooping it up in her hooves and rolling as hairs from her tail flutter off into the air. The time she cooked lunch for Spike and I... her trips with Fluttershy... even agreeing to go to that party for Spike... had she done all of them because I asked? Sunset's heart races, and her body feels Rarity's impeding attack, but her mind won't let her move. 'Get her, Sunset.' Three simple words, uttered by Starlight Glimmer as she pinned the crystal to Sunset Shimmer's chest, stick themselves into her mind. A small flicker enters the eyes of Starlight Glimmer, as she resumes watching the duel, head slowly rising once more. During other Magic Duels, Starlight had said something supportive, like 'good luck', but this time... It causes Sunset to dig deeper, remembering the time Starlight had tackled her during her first duel with Rarity, offering her the Spark of Friendship she now holds. Her hooves clench, as she digs further still, until she finds what she needs. When I asked Starlight about what she does on weekends, she told me about her visits to the Headmaster. But, she wouldn't tell anypony else, even Spike... despite them all being Elements of Harmony, and Duelists, who should all know she leaves on weekends, which means... "Now, Sunset Shimmer, the Crystal Mare is mine!" Her secret. She shared it only with me! It's the smallest scrap of proof, but for Sunset, it's all she needs to raise the Spark of Friendship in her hooves, blocking Rarity's strike with everything her body can give, even as she topples back against the floor of the Dueling Arena. Her horn glows, adding to her magical strength to her physical as she pushes Rarity back, rolling onto her stomach and pulling herself up on three, shaky legs. "You're wrong, Rarity!" Sunset swings, striking Rarity's longsword with enough force to cause her horn to spark, sending it clattering to the ground in front of her. "When you were the Champion, Starlight still entrusted this Spark to me, not you! Even if you're right... even if she's mostly just mirroring whatever I want, due to whatever messed up rules preside over these Magic Duels... I've seen all the evidence I need to know there's still a pony, deep down in there! All the evidence I need to see to know you're wrong!" Starlight Glimmer's eyes widen, as a bright, magenta light reflects off her crystal sheen. The gemstone of Sunset Shimmer's necklace glows, alongside the pommel of her sword. Above them, the light of the castle brightens, flooding the Dueling Arena with intense, artificial light. Power floods Sunset's body as wings snap open. Of its own accord, her body lunges forward, the inequine speed barely perceptible to the naked eye. Her right hoof extends, amber magic enveloping her body, target true. Rarity scrambles, grabbing her longsword in hoof, raising it in a final attempt to deflect the strike she already knows is coming. The Spark of Friendship impacts the tip of Rarity's longsword, bending and snapping it easily, the force flinging the hilt from Rarity's grasp. With one thrust, crystal shatters. The bells chime once more, flooding the Dueling Arena deafeningly as a stillness falls over both Sunset Shimmer and Rarity. Sunset's pulse races through her ears, breathing ragged as she wobbles in place, nearly as drained as she was from her first match against Rarity, fighting to stay on hoof. "Do you understand now, Rarity?" The wings and magic disappear in a twinkle of magenta, as fleeting as anything Rarity rallied herself against. "I... I think I understand clearly." Rarity replies, pulling herself up on her own, shaky hooves. Silence falls between the mares as Rarity turns, leaving the Dueling Arena.