//------------------------------// // Prologue: Slacker // Story: Spirit Detective: Sunset Shimmer // by Blue Horizon //------------------------------// "Cut the shit, slacker!"  Sunset ignored the raspy old hag. It had been two months since she had finally gotten an inkling of her magic back. Two months since her magical wellspring kick-started again. Two months since her death, her oh-so-stupid death.  Sunset looked down at her leather jacket thrown into a corner of the small shack. A small shack isolated in the middle of a stupid forest in some mountain range of a pointless no-nothing island country halfway across the world. And she was here for what? To stop some eighty year-old grandma from teaching some human magical bullshit to some stupid demon? She should be at home, in her Canterlot, sitting on a nice ivory throne with her cutiemark embroidered into her velvet cushions and a crown that matched her fiery mane and the Princess of Love eating out of her hoof. But no, instead she had to do the right thing, save some stupid girl's life the moment she came back across the portal with her crown. At least she- The force hit her like a sock full of concrete blocks. Wood splintered into the musky air, shredding her already tattered purple tank-top and blue jeans. At least her stylized sun persevered. "I see I got your attention now, slacker." Sunset growled and pulled herself off the floor resting her hand on the cracked wall.  Across the room, an aged woman wearing some fancy fighting clothes, clothes that little-miss Fashionista would probably know about, stood with her hands behind her back. "You are here to train," the raspy voice said, "not laze around like some jackass waiting for her mommy to pick her up from school. Now get your shit together, and get over here so we can begin!"  "Whatever you say, you old bitch." Sunset took a step forward. Then another. Until she was looking down at the pinkish gray haired woman. Their eyes met, cyan to brown.  "Oh? So the little girl thinks she has all the power in the world just because she can do a few neat little tricks?" The old woman raised her finger, drawing a light similar to Sunset's eyes along the tip. "Since you're so in love with this little beginner's technique, you're going to get intimate with it." Sunset watched as the wrinkled lips curled upwards into a condescending smile.  Sunset inwardly cringed, a bead of sweat fell across her left cheek and onto the old floor. "The goal of this exercise is simple." The old lady pointed toward a large needle stuffed into a wooden base. "You're going to use your psuedo-magical-spirit energy, or whatever the hell you want to call it, and balance on top of that. And you won't stop until I say 'stop'. Do I make myself clear, slacker?" Sunset looked at the needle, then back at the old woman, gulped, and nodded. Yep, it was definitely hotter than before. This is going to be a long six months.