It was cold enough to make the nostrils sting and dry out. Sunburst stood in the doorway, adjusting his scarf and tugging his cloak down around his body so that it might cover him better. The scarf—knitted by the one and only Fluttershy—was a thank you gift for solving a mystery that he could never talk about. Such was the life of a royal researcher. A bitter wind blew, causing leaves to billow and scrape along the cobblestone walkways.
No moon rose this night, no visible moon anyhow. With the thick cloud cover, no stars were visible. This was a dark night and Sunburst, though he would never admit to it, was scared of… a lack of available light. To ward himself against the gathering dark, he ignited his horn and then basked in the warmth of the resulting glow while taking comfort in the light it offered.
Sunburst shivered, but not from the cold. For the briefest of moments, he wished his friend Dim was here, because Dim was the dark, and nothing could keep one safe from the terrors that lurked in the night like Dim or Luna could. While there were many who feared Dim, and Luna as well, Sunburst was a far more practical pony, or so he liked to think, because if you wanted protection from the dark things lurking in the gloom, who better to defend you than the Masters of the Night?
When there was most certainly something lying in wait beneath the bed, something too horrible and icky to describe, something too awful to name, when darklings and shadowlings infested a dwelling, the residents of the Crystal Empire were more than happy to welcome Dim into their home. But, much to Sunburst’s dismay, they would shoo him away once the issue was resolved. If only they would give Dim a chance, they might like him as a pony, even if he was just a bit… creepy.
Starlight had much the same problem. She had, in fact, turned over a new leaf, and while she struggled to do right, she was a good pony, for the most part. The legacy she had left behind though, weakening the nation for Mister Mariner and laying the ideological foundations for the Ascendancy, ponies placed the blame upon her directly for these events. Starlight was a pony haunted by her past, overshadowed by the spectres she had spawned.
Sunburst liked Luna, Dim, and Starlight because they were still somewhat shunned. These friendships were difficult, challenging, these were friendships that took a special amount of work to maintain, very much like his collection of tiny bonsai trees. Satisfaction and fulfilment came from the constant effort and dedication to keep these relationships (and his tiny trees) healthy.
Dim and Starlight both appreciated his collection of diminutive trees and the work that went into them. Hours had been spent with both of them, showing them how to trim back roots, prune branches, and how to turn a tall and mighty tree into something… else. Shining Armor certainly didn’t pay it much attention, and while Cadance found them pretty to look at, she had neither the time nor the patience for such a hobby, even though Sunburst felt it would suit her so well. Flurry would sigh with boredom the moment that the word ‘bonsai’ was even mentioned, but at least Skyla showed a tiny bit of interest. Maybe, if he was lucky, he might have a new tiny tree friend.
With bonsai on his mind, Sunburst thought about Hachikō, the diamond dog that shared this fine bit of art. It had been a while since Hachikō had been seen in the Crystal Empire, and Sunburst hoped that his honour-bound friend was doing well. Perhaps, if Hachikō returned, maybe he could help with Flurry. Maybe Flurry needed the advice of a warrior. Or maybe she just needed to grow up.
Beneath a street lamp, Sunburst found his apprentice, Chartreuse in the company of Spike the Dragon. Even on a night such as this one, Chartreuse seemed to have her own glow, and like himself, she was bundled up. Spike was smiling, his head bobbing, and laughter could be heard coming from Chartreuse. The fond feelings that he had for his apprentice warmed him and the cold didn’t seem quite so bitter.
From the sounds of things, the pair of them were talking about their favourite subject: Rarity. Sunburst smiled without realising it and his gait quickened as he approached. It seemed that everypony had an Element of Harmony that they favoured; for Sunburst, he was a quiet, secret devotee to Twilight, and he had even visited her shrines a few times when he had been troubled. Most residents of the Crystal Empire openly engaged in worship of Cadance, though many a home had a shrine or idol of Chantico for their hearth.
“Hello Miss Le Feu, hello Mister the Dragon.” Sunburst bowed his head as he came to a halt. “Spike, I am surprised to see you out and about.”
“I told Twilight to stuff it,” Spike replied, and he flashed a toothy smile while flexing his stubby fingers. “If anypony is going to figure out more about the ice orcs, it’s going to be you, Sunburst.”
“You think so, Spike?”
“I know so.” Spike shrugged, which caused his tail to rise and fall.
“Thank you, Spike, that is very kind of you to say.” The effect of Sunburst’s words were immediate: the little dragon beamed from the affectionate praise and the cold of the night was somehow lessened. “Would the two of you be so gracious as to accompany me to the training yard?”
“We both waited for you,” Chartreuse replied, each word visible as a cloud of steam in the freezing autumn air. “I walked all this way, not caring that I would have to walk all of the way back. Spike was a gentledragon and he offered to escort me. Why, there might be ruffians about, kicking over rubbish bins and spitting on the streets.”
Casting a glance over his shoulder, Sunburst looked back at his home and thought about inviting the two inside for tea; surely there would be time, and to not do so would be rude on a night like this one. Who knows how long they had stood out here waiting for him, enduring the bitter tundra air. Turning to face Chartreuse once more, he allowed himself a polite laugh and then loosened his scarf.
A low mist crept along the cobblestones and Sunburst wondered if it too, had someplace to go, a destination where it needed to be. Wary, he tried to attune his magic sense to it, because weird weather now made him nervous, but try as he might, there was nothing to sense. At least it wasn’t snowing. Sunburst wasn’t looking forward to the first snows of winter and the panic they would surely bring.
“Have you been practicing?” Sunburst looked his student in the eye and waited for her response.
“I have, actually. It’s helped me to understand the challenges that Chalcedony faces. As Dim instructed of me, I blindfolded myself and I have been trying to figure out how to ‘see’ with my telekinesis. Nomination also blindfolds himself and we make a game of it. His echolocation gives him quite an advantage.”
Sighing, Sunburst felt a pang of inward disappointment, because he was almost certain that Flurry had not done the same. As much as he wanted to believe the very best about her, her behaviour had been a little… off as of late. Still, he smiled, his best smile, and he offered a nod of praise to Chartreuse. “It is good that you have taken this lesson with all due seriousness and that you have gained some empathy for Chalcedony. I am pleased by this development.”
“Thank you, Sunburst.” Chartreuse bowed her head and her eyes glittered as though a thousand stars were twinkling, even though the skies above were dull, empty.
“Shall we be going?” Sunburst asked of his two companions. “We have much to accomplish before it grows too late.” Guilt nagged him for not inviting them in for tea, warmth, and maybe treats, but this was how he became distracted and lost track of time. Perhaps later, when this was done, there might be time for tea. Heaving out a huff of steam, he steeled his resolve and prepared himself for tonight’s lesson.
Ahead, the training yard was a vast sea of darkness and the only light came from Flurry and Sumac, who stood around waiting with their horns lit. Not that long ago, this had been a battlefield, but Sunburst did his best not to think about that, because violence did not suit him. His magic senses alerted him to Dim’s presence, but his friend was nowhere to be seen. So that was how it was to be; Dim was hiding, no doubt watching, and Sunburst wondered if his fellow clever wizard would reveal himself.
There were others here, much to Sunburst’s surprise. Sleet was present, along with Skyla, and Sunburst could hear them discussing something in a low voice. This pleased him, because Sleet was a fount of wisdom, and Sunburst hoped that Skyla would listen to Sleet’s quirky, folksy tales and fables. The stark white pegasus almost had a pale blue glow in the light offered by Flurry and Sumac’s horns, at least the parts of Sleet that were visible beneath her heavy, voluminous coat and cowl.
Spike broke away, off on a beeline for Sleet and Skyla. Chartreuse continued her one pony assault against the night itself, her bold colouration defying the darkness. Sunburst could see that Sumac and Flurry were horsing around and the misty, foggy night was filled with the muffled, subdued sounds of their laughter. This was a strange time for a class to come together, but also the right time, Sunburst was sure of it. A good teacher used every advantage.
“Are we ready to begin?” Sunburst asked and it took him several long seconds before he realised that he had failed to get Sumac and Flurry’s attention. “Ahem! Are we ready to begin? Are you two feather brains ready to settle down?”
Flurry, looking sheepish, folded her wings against her sides while Sumac laughed. Sunburst smiled, his gentle nature overcoming his stern outburst and a short distance away he could hear Spike, Skyla, and Sleet all chuckling. After everything that had happened, it was good to hear laughter and for Sunburst, it was a reassuring sound.
“Let’s get this over with!” Flurry cried as she pulled Sumac into a headlock and gave him a noogie, which knocked his glasses off-kilter. “Okay, now that I’ve got that out of my system, I can settle down and act like a princess.”
“So glad you could join us, Flurry.” Sunburst dimmed his horn a bit so his students could look him in the eye and pay attention. “Sumac, are you okay?”
“No,” the colt replied, “Flurry might be a princess but her wingpits smell like a troll’s crotch rot—”
“And just how could you possibly know what a troll’s rotten crotch smells like?” Flurry demanded.
“Because Vinyl Scratch and I had to go and sort out a troll with a bad case of crotch fungus that came crawling out of the Froggy Bottom Bogg.”
“It’s not fair,” Flurry whined and her lower lip protruded in a pout. “I swear, you get to have all of the fun. I wanna battle trolls and—”
“Flurry...” Sunburst narrowed his eyes at Flurry and he saw her deflate.
“Fine, let’s get this over with.” Rolling her eyes, the little alicorn filly let out a whiny huff.
“We have six senses,” Sunburst said as he settled into his lesson, and he observed the faces of his three students. “We have all of the usual senses of most animals… sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. These allow us to interact with the world around us. All of us also have a magic sense, and this allows interaction with the supernatural. For some of us, our magic sense is underdeveloped, but for others, like our sorcerer here, the ability to sense magic is a powerful asset.”
Sunburst inhaled, filling his lungs with cold night air, and he dimmed his horn just a little more, allowing the darkness to encroach. “Sumac’s magic sense is unique and it is a trait that belongs to sorcerers. Nothing else is quite like it, and we only know a little bit about it, from notes made in the past, observations of those wise and mighty. In my opinion, Sumac’s magic sense is his greatest, most powerful gift, simply because he can use it to gather so much knowledge, so much information, but this requires that he pay attention.”
“I still don’t understand how sorcery works,” Chartreuse said, her voice soft and rather apologetic, no doubt for speaking out.
“It’s complicated.” Sunburst lifted one hoof, gestured in Sumac’s direction, and called to mind everything he knew. “Sumac draws in magic from all available sources, even other planes of existence, and broadcasts it in a small radius around him. Because Sumac has been getting lessons from Princess Celestia to help him hone his magic sense, he can discern some of the sources of magic, like the astral plane, the dream realm, the magic of the world around him, and he draws from the realm of the Void, which we know next to nothing about. Sumac is a conduit that draws magic from other places.”
Sunburst waited, hoping this might sink in, and after taking a deep breath he continued, “We are more than just flesh and bone, more than just these corporeal bodies. All of us, every one of us, every creature that lives in Terra Prime, we are connected to the primordial force known as magic. And that is just one of our many connections, the many ways that we can interact with the world around us. Tonight, I wish to heighten our senses, and it is my hope that we can all be more aware of the world around us. Did anypony read the lesson plan for this evening?”
Chartreuse’s foreleg shot upwards and Sunburst nodded at his eager student.
“To use our magic to replace our senses somehow, such as using telekinesis to ‘see’ and feel our way around. We are to explore our connection to the world around us and heighten our magical awareness.”
“Very good, Chartreuse.”
“I don’t see how this is useful at all. Sounds like mystical mumbo jumbo.”
“Flurry, that is the point of tonight’s lesson. To show you practical applications and see if we can make this more than just ‘mystical mumbo jumbo’ to you. So to start, I thought we’d take a hooves on approach, and I’ve brought these blindfolds that I expect all of you to wear. We’re going to attempt some exercises. If you’ve done your homework, you should already be a little practiced and well prepared for what we have planned.”
“The homework was fun!” Chartreuse blurted out in her eager, overexcited way. “We made a game of it!”
“Good, good.” Sunburst nodded, patient, and held out three thick blindfolds. “Let’s get started, shall we?”