“Twilight?”
“Yeah, Spike?”
“Your methods seem a little off today, Twilight. You haven’t been very scientific, or careful, or even focused.”
Laying in the grass while staring up at the sky, Twilight listened to the sounds of Spike breathing, a happy sound, even if she didn’t care much for what he had to say. Spike had a knack for saying the right things though, and she held a faint, begrudging acceptance that he was correct. Today hadn’t been her most results-oriented sort of day.
“You know what I think, Twilight…”
“What’s that, Spike?”
“I think the pressure is getting to you. All of this is getting to you. And you used this to blow off your schedule so you could take a day off so you could have a bit of silly fun. That’s what I think.”
“Spike…”—she hesitated, unsure of the right words, but she owed her most trusted, most loyal assistant complete honesty—“the Princess Planner has to appear that I’m working. It seems like everything is a crisis now. I feel guilty sometimes if I try to take a day off. So much is happening. When I do take a day off, ponies want to know why I’m not fixing stuff, and it’s hard to face them.”
“I’ll make sure that today is written down as a science day, Twilight.”
“Thanks, Spike, you’re the best.”
“Twilight…”
“Yeah, Spike, what is it?”
“I think the Princess Planner could do with a few days off. I mean, I think that a few days off need to be shown in the Princess Planner. I worry what others might see, because that book is a public record, and it shows that you never take any time for yourself. Even Princess Celestia takes time for herself now, Twilight.”
“I’ll take that into consideration, Spike.”
“No… Twilight… you’ll do as I suggest, because it is my job to manage your public image. And… and… and if you don’t do as I suggest, I’ll go to Raven for help and tell her that your public image is facing a crisis and Raven will be the one to sort you out.”
Defeated, Twilight let heave a sigh and flailed her four legs skywards while feeling the warm, tickly grass against her back.
“So when can I mark down you having a day off, Twilight?”
“Surprise me, Spike…”
Rainbow Dash was gone, having flown off in a fit of boredom according to Sunburst. Twilight considered for a moment making her return, but then had second thoughts, realising that it was perhaps best to let the flighty pegasus go. Off by herself, Moondancer was picking bits of grass off of her sweater and Twilight wondered how her friend wore a wool sweater in the springtime sun.
Olive and Pebble were sharing an asparagus-flavoured sucker, passing it back and forth to one another, while Sumac whined about not getting any. The logic, while bizarre, was also somehow sound to Twilight. Olive and Pebble both insisted that sharing a sucker with a colt would be too much like tongue-kissing, which was super-icky-gross, but Twilight took note that they were fine sharing with one another, which made everything weird. How was it not like tongue-kissing when they did it?
“Okay, Sunburst, you’re the most harmless pony I know, and you’ll be up next with Sumac.” Twilight was almost—but not quite—confident that everything would be fine. Surely no devastation or act of random destruction would come from a symbiotic connection between Sumac and Sunburst, the forever-gentle court wizard of the Crystal Empire.
Upon hearing this, Sunburst pulled away from Starlight Glimmer, somehow escaping the event horizon of her eyes. For a moment, just the merest moment, Twilight wished that she had a better understanding of what made ponies tick, because she wanted to know what Sunburst and Starlight saw in one another. Was it a case of opposites attracting? Their personalities seemed so far removed from one another—so much so that Twilight often found herself wondering how and why Starlight wasn’t dying of boredom while spending time with Sunburst.
Perhaps some kind of honest-to-goodness study was in order.
“Making assumptions seems like a bad idea at this point,” Sunburst said while raising one hoof and holding it up so that he could make his point. “I was confident that Sumac pairing up with Rainbow Dash would be harmless, because she’s a pegasus pony. While the flying assist was expected, the hardened shield with stripping protections was not. Common sense and logic would dictate that the shield would be of exceptional strength for Rainbow and Sumac to fly at whatever speeds went zooming off at… I cannot even begin to calculate, but moving a thousand miles in a minute or so is unheard of. So the shield has to take physical abuse like nothing else. As for the magical backlash, that also seems logical in hindsight, as when one is flying at those speeds, one would not suddenly want the shield vanishing, because such a thing would no doubt be a fascinatingly fatal and…”
Sunburst’s words trailed into nothingness and he looked around at the ponies looking at him. “What? What? Is something wrong?”
Reaching out with her foreleg, Starlight grabbed his goatee in her fetlock, gave it a tug, and gazed into Sunburst’s eyes. “You’re perfect just the way you are.”
Again, Twilight wondered, what brought ponies together?
Now uncomfortable, she squirmed and sought to think of something else. Twilight had a crush once, which had lived up to its name. It had crushed her. It was something that she couldn’t think about, not now, maybe never. The tyrannical Sir Spanksalot crept into her memories and Twilight shoved it away, not wanting to imagine her rescuer—nor did she wish to imagine the cheesy horror lying in lurk, just waiting to ambush her.
“Twilight, you have that far away look in your eye. Are you still with us?”
Yanked back into reality, it took Twilight a few seconds to even figure out who was speaking to her. Blinking, she angled her head to look at Starlight Glimmer, whose eyes, like her namesake, glimmered with warm concern. “I’m fine. It’s nothing. I’m tired.”
“Thanks for the stock response, Twilight. What did I do to deserve that?”
“Starlight… it’s nothing. I was lost in thought and… it is nothing. Nothing I want to bring up right now, anyhow.” Twilight saw that her words were accomplishing nothing, so it was time for a better distraction. “We should get back to work…”
Spike, getting the camera ready, shook his head and let out a sad sigh.
The zap apple lozenge was dissolving on Sumac’s tongue and Twilight could feel the surge of power creeping through her as his sorcerous powers activated. It was faint, because he wasn’t at full charge, but it was enough for study, enough for results. Crackling arcs of electricity climbed up Sumac’s horn and bounced between his fuzzy ears, but he was unharmed by the electrical discharge—a phenomenon that Twilight intended to study, but had neglected.
Her eyes went from pony to pony, watching as Sumac’s sorcery overtook them. Muscles twitched, ears pricked, horns spat out sparks, and eyes focused as each of them had their inner potential revealed. Even with the study dose to activate his sorcery, Sumac turned unicorns like Sunburst into powerful wizards capable of almost anything. Starlight became truly powerful—dangerously powerful—and this brought up all manner of complicated thoughts involving trust. Even Moondancer, already powerful, approached ridiculous levels of output, all of which was made possible by sorcery.
Sumac was a living Alicorn Amulet, wanted by all, kept safe by many.
Even Pebble was not immune from the desire to possess him, and this had lead to many difficult conversations in which Twilight had tried to help the filly sort out her feelings for her friend. Twilight trusted in Pebble’s goodness, knowing that Pebble was Sumac’s friend first and foremost, and that the complication of his sorcery was just something that had to be coped with.
Reaching out with her mind, Twilight summoned the microphone, pulled it close, and when she had turned on the recorder she said, “Subject Sunburst has the curious ability to read cutie marks and gain an innate understanding of their meaning. He is a unicorn of immense power, but low output, making him a subtle asset for Princess Cadance, who uses him for diagnostics. His magic sense is highly refined, giving him great insight and understanding into magic as it happens. He and Subject Sumac may have the most refined magical senses to be found in ponykind, rivaling even the alicorns. Subject Sunburst is one of Equestria’s most powerful unicorn assets and it should be quite interesting to see what develops with Sorcerous Symbiosis.”
There was a heady rush as raw power coursed through Twilight’s body, a sensation that never failed to please. The last lozenge had faded much during lunch, which lead to Sumac saying some rather stupid things and behaving rather foalishly. Thankfully, the logenzes, being a refined, controlled dose, kept the side effects to a minimum and Sumac’s stupidity during recovery was minimised. At the end of the day, the effects of the lozenges would wear off, and Sumac would be returned to his mothers, who would look after him in his more simple-minded state.
Moving off to stand on his own, away from Pebble and Olive, Sumac raised his shield and stood within. The glittery green bubble made Twilight think of changeling magic, distracting her, and it occurred to her that Sumac’s magic talent, The Grift, wasn’t all that different from some types of changeling magic. He was good at swaying minds and convincing others. More study would be required, as not much was known about The Grift, except that it seemed to be the talent for rogues, ne'er-do-wells, and other unsavoury types that caused no end of problems in society.
Whether or not Sumac would be a good pony remained to be seen, but Twilight had faith in his goodness, due in no small part to his mothers—her friends—holding him accountable. Well, that and her own contributions, and Sumac’s own friends helped of course, because his friends kept him sorted out. Then again, Sumac had troubling friends, the Weirdos, Rejects, and Losers’ Club. Twilight knew they weren’t bad—just different—but it troubled her that Sumac did not fit in. With his magic so deeply rooted in chaos, Twilight wondered if harmonious ponies rejected him on some subconscious level, and most of his friends were chaotic in nature—Discord first and foremost.
Sumac stood on the ground, waiting, surrounded by his shield. Not the most powerful of shields, not yet, but the colt showed so much potential and Twilight was eager to watch him grow. She longed to see his potential bloom, to see what he might do, to discover how he might apply himself. With a wave of his hoof, Sumac invited Sunburst to come over, and the sunny orange pony roused himself from the grass with a grunt.
The shield expanded, Sunburst stepped through, and the glittery green glow changed to one of glorious golden orange. Twilight felt the heat hit her, a wonderful, gentle warmth that poured through her skin, permeating right into her bones, soothing her aches and pains. It lifted her spirits too, and without realising that she was doing so, she smiled. Within the bubble, Sumac was floating now and his tether had manifested.
“This feels amazing,” Starlight Glimmer said off to Twilight’s left. “The crick I have in my neck from playing Twister… it’s like it is melting.”
“I detect ultraviolet radiation,” Olive remarked in a matter-of-fact way.
Leaning in, Twilight focused the impressive sensory organ that was her horn, attuning it to the glow radiating from the shield. Sure enough, there was ultraviolet radiation emanating from the bubble, and something else… something that Twilight had a hard time focusing on. Twilight’s smile stretched from ear to ear and she marvelled at what she was witnessing; Sumac and Sunburst radiated artificial genuine sunlight together, but there was more to it than just that.
“I’m gonna get a sunburn.” Pebble raised her parasol, holding the handle with both front legs, and used it as a shield to protect herself from the toasty rays of warm joy.
Starlight Glimmer, who now moved in a wide circle around the shield bubble, had a thoughtful, confused expression on her face while she drank in the magic. Raw intelligence glittered in her eyes, purposeful intelligence, and after a time of study, she announced to the whole group, “It’s nice and all, but I’m not sure what practical purpose it serves. It’s sunshine. Actual sunshine, like what comes from Celestia’s sun.”
“It doesn’t need to be practical,” Olive retorted, trying to engage her master in debate. “Some things are just pretty, ya know?”
“All things should be exploited and made to serve a purpose,” Starlight returned while casting a disapproving glance in the general direction of her apprentice. “All of this power, all of this raw power and for it to do nothing but be warm and pleasant… that would be disappointing.”
“Both of you are stupid,” Pebble said from behind her parasol. “Cretinous idiots—”
“Pebble!” Twilight cried out in warning.
“—because everypony should know that the undead are violently allergic to ultraviolet radiation, you lame-brained nincompoops.”
Silence.
Twilight’s brain made a few hurried connections and she began nodding, because this was true. Oh, Pebble was wrong for pointing it out this way, but she had her facts right. Starlight’s smug superiourity was now pricked, which caused her to deflate like a pricked balloon, her haughty, purposeful expression fleeing from her face. Even Olive seemed crushed and stood with her mouth hanging open, no doubt trying to figure out how she had missed the obvious.
Sunburst and Sumac were a portable sun, an engine of warfare against the undead. Well shielded too, by the looks of it, and Twilight struggled to put the remaining pieces together. The warm sunny sensation and the cheerfulness it brought… it was… hope? With aches and pains all eased, with tired, fatigued muscles given new strength, Twilight began to see the potential applications. Was Sunburst’s own inner nature shining through? The very idea of harming the living made Sunburst cringe—but evapourating the undead was probably okay. Right?
“Sunburst,” Twilight asked while she looked at him through the shield, “how are you feeling?”
“Quite peculiar,” he replied while returning Twilight’s curious stare. “My usual state of anxiousness, nervousness, and doubt are gone. I feel confident like I’ve never felt. It’s like all of my fear is gone and I can face anything.”
“Anything else?” Twilight waited, wondering, hoping for more.
“There’s a strange magic, Twilight, but I am hesitant to tap into it—”
“Why is that, Sunburst?” Through the shield, Twilight could see a powerful blush on the unicorn’s bespectacled face.
“Uh… how do I put it?” he began and his goatee crackled with aetherfire sparks. “It’s female, Twilight. The magic is distinctly female in nature and I think—”
“DON’T YOU DARE MESS WITH THAT!” The husky bellow of command that came from Moondancer startled everypony and Twilight turned to face her eyebrowless friend. “This is a fully functioning miniature sun, with all of the powers of the sun. Ultraviolet rays, light, heat, and heat. For once, can we step back without having to mess with everything? Please? Keep Pebble and Olive safe. Keep me safe. The only thing that still works on poor Adventus is his nose and I don’t want to disturb my poor housemate.”
“Adventus thinks Fluttercup is a kitty,” Pebble deadpanned to nopony in particular.
A sweaty, twitchy sensation took over Twilight and she backed away from the glowing sun shield. Sunburst was sun-touched, meaning that he drew in a small portion of power from the sun. It was a minor thing—for the most part—offering him a little strength in his casting and recharging his energy reserves in direct sunlight. That connection—though however minor—was now interacting with Sumac’s sorcery in a weird, unexpected way. She wondered if this shield would function at night, and if so, would it have full strength or be weaker? So many questions for this potentially powerful application. Together, Sunburst and Sumac were an undead-smiting powerhouse.
“I think we’ve learned enough… for now. Further testing is required, but I agree with Moonie. Don’t tap into that magic, Sunburst.” When the last word came out of Twilight’s mouth, every mare around her let heave a sigh of relief, though Starlight’s held a distinct note of disappointment too. “Let’s move onwards to something else. Sumac, pair up with Olive next, and let’s have a look at what the two of you can do together.”