Dear Applejack, Pinkie and Rainbow,
Hi girls. Sorry for the late response, but things have been… difficult lately.
We had our first practical today, and I got paired up with Orange Spice. It went about as well as you could imagine, with some added complications. We had to do table settings for the rite, and let me tell you, it was tough. I thought runic inscriptions needed precision, but this is a whole other level.
But, that wasn’t the worst of it. The worst part came when we had to do the last setting and most of what we needed was missing. I thought that the Heliopolans were trying to sabotage me again. When I spoke to Lily and Daisy later, both of them told me they’d had something similar happen to them, though not as bad. And from what we overheard in the dining hall at dinner, all of the tables had things missing.
Though Lady Inkwell didn’t say anything about it, I’m certain that it was part of the test. But to what end?
I just don’t get her.
But, it’s not my place to question. She’s a phoenix-born. That’s all I need to know.
Unfortunately, it seems that she wants to have a word with me about what happened after the test. Orange Spice told me that “I wasn’t so bad for a dirt-eater,” and I lost it at her. As in, full blown lost it. Sparkler came by at dinner and told me that I’m supposed to go see Lady Inkwell before class tomorrow morning. From the worried look on her face, I think Raven might actually be mad at me this time.
What have I gotten myself into?
Anyhow, I miss you all. I’ll be seeing you soon. Possibly sooner than expected if Lady Inkwell is mad enough.
With love,
Your sister Sunset Shimmer
P.S. Dash, a little hard work never hurt anyone. Except you, because I know you’re allergic to it.
*****
Sunset trudged towards Lady Inkwell’s office yet again, her gait stiff, her face scrunched up into a scowl, and her stomach churning both with nerves and her hastily eaten breakfast. Despite how she felt, she was still fuming from yesterday’s events, and the gall of what Orange Spice had said.
“Wasn’t that bad, for a dirt-eater.”
The words echoed in her head like the sound of glass grinding on bone.
‘Is that supposed to be a compliment?’ She thought as she walked. ‘If I told her that she wasn’t that bad for a goat-licker, I’d still be calling her a goat-licker. Argh!’
And, of course, there was the headsman’s axe hanging over her neck. A headsman’s axe named Lady Raven Inkwell. How she was going to react was a whole other level. Kicking the floor as she walked, Sunset mulled it over. While she was certain that Lady Inkwell wasn’t going to throw her out at this point, she was certain that she was about to get an earful from the Queen’s seneschal.
Sunset found herself slowly clenching her fists reflexively, the phantom feeling of a hammer and tongs giving her some small measure of comfort, and at the same time, painful feelings of nostalgia.
A pained sigh escaped her throat as the phantom sensation faded.
It’d been three weeks since she’d last been at an anvil, and she was starting to long for the calming feeling of working a forge. Even with only a few weeks away, she could feel her muscles getting weaker from a lack of use. When she went home, she’d have to get herself back into shape. And, she knew Bronze was going to give her a hard time about letting herself go soft.
Friend or no, he was still her master.
‘Maybe I should try finding some weights to lift or something.’ She thought as her destination came into view.
Now before her was Lady Inkwell’s office. Staring at the door, Sunset took a deep breath and did a quick focusing meditation. Her nerves calmed, she extended her fist and knocked on the door. The sound of her knock echoed in the room beyond as she waited for Lady Inkwell’s response.
“Enter.”
Steeling herself, Sunset straightened her blouse, brushed off her skirt, reached up and turned the knob, before pushing the door open.
Walking in, she spotted Lady Inkwell seated at her desk. Unlike the previous time’s Sunset had been in her office, she wasn’t examining paperwork or signing forms. Instead, her attention was focused on Dylis, who was not on his perch as usual. Instead, he was standing on the desktop, facing Lady Inkwell. In her left hand was a small mound of bright red berries that seemed to shimmer with some sort of inner glow. Lady Inkwell plucked one of the berries from her palm with her free hand, and holding out for Dylis between the index and thumb of her right hand, offered him the fruit. As she held it out for him, Dylis reached up and daintily took the berry from Lady Inkwell with his beak, before working it in his tomia for a moment and swallowing it.
There was a coziness to the scene that took Sunset by surprise. While she’d seen Lady Inkwell show Dylis brief moments of affection, a gentle stroke on his culmen, an affectionate scratch behind his ears or on the back of his head, this was something else entirely. Even in those other times, Lady Inkwell was still in her authoritative role as her instructor and her superior. She was the Queen’s hand. The one who enacted the will of their goddess. Her very existence was so far beyond her own that Sunset could barely fathom it.
Yet, in this moment, she looked for all the world like just another sun-gazer. Take away the living flame on Lady Inkwell’s head, and that she was feeding a phoenix, and she could have been just another Solarian. But what really cemented it to Sunset was the look on Lady Inkwell’s face. Her usually stern countenance was gone, and in its place was a warm and genuine smile. Sunset had never seen that look on Lady Inkwell before, and the sight of it in contrast to her normally stoic glare was almost jarring.
As Dylis finished his berry, Lady Inkwell looked at Sunset. In an instant, her expression shifted back to its normal state, and, gently pouring the berries from her hand into a small bowl, offered her arm to Dylis. Dylis looked over his shoulder at Sunset, and gave her an irritated look before climbing onto the offered limb. Once her partner was situated, Lady Inkwell raised her arm away from her body, giving the phoenix the space he needed to spread his wings and take to the air, flying over to his perch and settling down. As he folded his wings, he looked over his shoulder one last time to give Sunset one last irritated glare before turning away to look out the window.
“Ah, Sunset,” Lady Inkwell said as she lowered her arm. “Good. Take a seat. We have something to discuss.”
Trying not to sigh with frustration, Sunset made her way into the office. Without a word, she walked to “her” chair and hoisted herself up. Settling herself, she did her best not to look dejected as she wrung her hands, her head bowed as she stared down at them.
“Sunset, look at me,” Lady Inkwell said, her voice carrying a touch of disappointment.
Lifting her head, Sunset’s eyes met Lady Inkwell’s. Eyes that bore no malice, but held no warmth either.
“You lost your temper yesterday,” Lady Inkwell began as she rose from her desk and walked around it to stand over Sunset. “After you stormed out, I had a word with Orange Spice. She told me her half of what happened, so now that you’ve had a chance to cool off, please tell me yours. What happened to make you lose your temper like that.”
Huffing with frustration, Sunset began to explain. How Orange had basically been insulting her the entire time they had been forced to work together. How she had suggested that they steal the pieces they needed from another table, and how Sunset had convinced her not to by calling out to Lady Inkwell. And how, when it finally looked like she might have developed a tiny ounce of respect for Sunset, and how she threw that out the window by calling her dirt-eater.
And all the while, Lady Inkwell simply regarded her with that emotionless, impassive look that made it impossible for Sunset to know what she was thinking.
When she finished, she mentally prepared herself for whatever Lady Inkwell would say.
“Well, Sunset,” Lady Inkwell began as she crossed her arms and leaned back on her desk, “given your age, I’m not surprised that you reacted the way you did. And, from what you’ve told me, I’m impressed that you managed to keep your temper in check as well as you did.”
Looking up, Sunset felt a moment of hope, only for it to be dashed by the stern look on Lady Inkwell’s face.
“That’s not to say that it was acceptable for you to speak to Orange Spice like that,” Lady Inkwell continued, her voice stern. “While she may have be in the wrong for calling you ‘dirt-eater’ constantly, that doesn’t absolve you of your own breach in etiquette.”
Sunset’s face contorted with anger, and she opened her mouth to speak. But, before anything came out, Lady Inkwell raised a finger and narrowed her eyes.
“Sunset, be mindful of whatever you’re about to say to me,” Lady Inkwell said evenly. “I may be willing to give you a small degree of leniency given your circumstances, but that leniency is not infinite, and you have been dangerously brazen of late when you address me. Choose your words carefully.”
Snapping her mouth shut, Sunset shrunk back a bit. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself as best she could.
“What was I supposed to do then, your grace” Sunset asked, trying to keep the anger out of her tone. “Am I supposed to just let it slide and let her walk all over me? She gets to call me dirt-eater all day long, but I just have to put up with it? How is that fair?”
“Sunset, there is a right way and a wrong way to deal with a situation,” Layd Inkwell said, her eyes narrowing behind her glasses. “I understand that in the west, you do not have many titled nobles, so you’re not used to dealing with them and their rights. That is not the case here, and you would do well to remember that.”
“But, you’ve been saying that doesn’t matter,” Sunset protested, before slapping her hands over her mouth and bowing her head. “I’m sorry, your grace.”
“Apology accepted Sunset,” Lady Inkwell said levely. “And yes, I have. But, this discussion is not about what happened yesterday between two peers, or between a noble and commoner. It's about your temper, and your breach in decorum yesterday. Consider what you’re going to be doing in two weeks time. Do you think that it will be better at the rite? Do you think that a baron, or an earl, is going to treat you with much respect if they learn of your origin?”
Sunset froze; that wasn’t something she’d considered.
“You’ve already seen how things are in Heliopolis for outsiders. Now, consider, what if this had been at the rite, and it had been a ranking noble that had set you off?” Lady Inkwell continued, “Had you yelled at one of them in such a way, what do you think would have happened?”
A lump formed in Sunset’s throat, and she hung her head. A commoner having the gall to yell at a noble, especially something as important as the phoenix-rite. She couldn’t even fathom the trouble she’d get in.
“It seems you understand,” Lady Inkwell said, her tone shifting from stern to slightly warmer. “I know it’s difficult. Painful even. But, remember why you’re here. You are going to be serving at one of the most important events in all of Solaria. I can’t have my servers losing their temper at people, no matter how justified it might feel at the time.”
“But…” Sunset began, only for Lady Inkwell to shake her head.
“Sunset, this is not a debate. You need to keep your temper in check, particularly once the rite begins. While I and my staff will do what we can to shield you, there is a very real likelihood that the nobility will learn you’re not from the city. And if that happens, you will have to potentially put up with much worse than what Sapphire Prism has been subjecting you too of late,” Lady Inkwell said, before leaning back against her desk and propping herself up on the palms of her hands. “But, let us consider the other ramifications to how you acted yesterday: you may have ruined an opportunity to make your life easier. Consider, Orange Spice might have begun to warm up to you. She was beginning to see past her bias, and had started to see you as a person, not as a thing to despise. A more measured response could have allowed that seed to grow. But what about now? Do you think that’s still the case?”
“I… no, probably not…” Sunset said, “But why should I care. She hates me.”
“Yes, she does. But, only because she doesn’t see you, only her prejudice. Given time, and an open hand, she might have stopped hating you, and learned to see you as someone worthy of respect. Perhaps, in time, even friendship,” Lady Inkwell said, raising a finger as Sunset looked to argue. “I won’t lie and say she would have, but I’m saying that she could have. Consider the possible benefits of such a thing. If you’d managed to earn her respect, she might’ve started to stem Sapphire’s worst abuses, or, barring that, actively distracted her from you. Wouldn’t that have been worth the effort?”
“But that doesn’t make sense,” Sunset protested.
“But it does. Foes can become friends, under the right circumstances,” Lady Inkwell began, as she swirled the fingers of her right hand in a small circle. “Just as a friend can become a foe. Enemies, allies, lovers, family, all of it can change, depending on the actions you take. Just as a drop of honey at the right time can turn an enemy into a friend, a slap across the face can turn even the closest of friends to foes. Look at what happened between Celestia and her siblings if you doubt me.”
“And what does that have to do with all of this?” Sunset asked as she tried to comprehend what Lady Inkwell was going on about.
“Sunset, you’re young,” Lady Inkwell said matter of factly. “And so is Orange Spice. You both have your lives ahead of you, and what happens here can change the course of that. After the rite, which would be more beneficial? An enemy, or an ally, particularly one in such a high place? Orange Spice’s mother is a baroness, and while not exceptionally wealthy by Aurorias’s standards, she does have influence. Influence that can help, or harm, depending on what path its heiress takes. And if you think that a grudge can’t follow you home, you’re mistaken, because it can, particularly if the one holding the grudge has power.”
Sunset’s mind was racing at this. It was dumb. Orange Spice was a jerk. And Lady Inkwell wanted her to play nice with her? Make friends?
“So, I’m just supposed to make nice with her and beg her for forgiveness?” Sunset said incredulously.
“Of course not,” Lady Inkwell replied. “Diplomacy is never so straight forward. But, offering the first drop of honey can make getting one in turn much easier, if the drop is handed out sincerely, and at the right moment.”
Sunset was about to respond, but stopped, and asked herself why? Why was Lady Inkwell talking to her like this? She’d been doing this for so long, and yet, here she was, offering someone as small and insignificant as Sunset advice. Was Lady Inkwell actually concerned about her well being? But why?
“Your grace, why are you telling me this?” Sunset asked.
The ghost of a smile touched the edges of Lady Inkwell’s eyes.
“Because, I can see you more clearly now,” Lady Inkwell replied. “And I can see that you are someone special. Someone who is worth helping.”
“Why?” Sunset asked, her heart racing at Lady Inkwell’s compliment. “Why me? What makes me so special?”
“Perhaps, some day, you’ll understand,” Lady Inkwell replied cryptically. “And, that’s all I will say on the matter.”
Sunset’s face fell a little. Of course Lady Inkwell wasn’t going to tell her everything. Or anything at all, really.
“So what happens now, your grace?” Sunset asked, trying to mask her frustration.
“Well, now, we see if that seed can be saved,” Lady Inkwell said.
“I don’t underst…” Sunset began, only to be interrupted by a knock on the office door.
“Remember Sunset, the seed can still be saved. Control your temper,” Lady Inkwell said softly, before turning her face towards the door and calling out. “Enter.”
Sunset’s mind raced. What did Lady Inkwell mean by ‘the seed can still be saved’?
Then she saw who had walked in, and her vision went red and her blood boiled.
There, standing in the doorway, was Orange Spice, her face contorted into a scowl. One that Sunset was all too happy to return.
“Orange Spice…” Sunset hissed under her breath as she clenched her hands into fists.
“You!” Orange Spice snarled.
“Ah, good, Orange Spice, you’re just in time,” Lady Inkwell said evenly, before gesturing to the chairs. “Please, take a seat.”
Orange Spice broke her glaring contest with Sunset and looked at Lady Inkwell. Moments later, she stomped over to the chair furthest from the other girl. Climbing into it, sat down while crossing her arms and looking away from both Sunset and Lady Inkwell.
“Now that you’re both here, we’re going to address what happened yesterday,” Lady Inkwell said, her tone commanding. “Or rather, you two are.”
“What’s there to address?” Orange Spice hissed, still refusing to look at Sunset. “That dirt-eating commoner yelled at me, and now, you’re going to take her side again, even though by all rights she doesn’t belong here in the first place.”
Sunset’s hands gripped the arms of the chair as her anger began to ignite, but a small shake of Lady Inkwell’s head and a knowing look forestalled her. But, there was something else in that look. A silent order, as if she were saying ‘watch, and learn.’ Relaxing her hands, she focused on her meditation techniques to calm her mind.
“If that’s so, then why did I invite her?” Lady Inkwell asked plainly.
“What?” Orange Spice asked, as she slowly turned to look at Lady Inkwell, her face confused and angry.
“I’m asking you, if I didn’t want her here, why did I invite her?” Lady Inkwell repeated. “I invited each and every one of you. Personally. So, why would I bring in someone who I didn’t want present.”
“Because!” Orange shrieked, before her face suddenly fell, as a look of confusion worked its way across her face. “Because…um…I…because…?”
“Well, if I didn’t want her here, or didn’t think she was worthy of participating in the rite, why would I have an invitation delivered directly to her at her home?”
“You… wanted to…” Orange Spice began, before her eyes lit up. “Because she’s here to placate the dirt-eaters. If one of them serves at the rite, then they won’t think that you’re lying when you say you don’t think they're unworthy.”
“I see. And why are they unworthy?” Lady Inkwell asked.
“They weren’t born in Heliopolis,” Orange Spice said swiftly. “Those born in Celestia’s blessed light are the most deserving and greatest of her people, so obviously anyone not from Heliopolis is either a degenerate or a lesser creature than those from the city.”
“And where did you learn that?”
“My mommy, daddy, grampy and grammy, my teachers and my friends all say it,” Orange Spice said, “So it has to be true.”
“Orange Spice, please look at me,” Lady Inkwell said, her voice cold.
Watching Orange Spice lift her eyes to meet Lady Inkwell’s, Sunset found herself smirking internally with satisfaction when the Heliopolan met the royal seneschal’s eyes, and shrank back.
“I do not believe that is true, and neither does Queen Celestia,” Lady Inkwell said, her voice never rising, but somehow bearing a crushing weight of finality.
“But you just say that to keep the dirt-eaters in line. That’s what mommy always says.” Orange Spice feebly protested as she began to shrink back on herself.
“And she speaks for me?” Lady Inkwell said, crossing her arms across her chest. “She knows my thoughts better than I do?”
Orange Spice shrunk down further.
“Orange Spice, I don’t blame you for falling into this foolish idea that I support or condone such views, given what you just told me,” Lady Inkwell said, her voice surprisingly gentle, yet firm. “But, know that the Queen does not see any sun-gazer as more worthy or less worthy of her love and light, as you are all her children. Her family. Which is something that I agree with.”
“But, then why doesn’t everyone live in Heliopolis?” Orange Spice asked, her face looking like her world was starting to crumble around her.
“Because, not everyone is born here, nor does everyone want to, need to, or get to because living in Heliopolis isn’t the only way to live,” Lady Inkwell said plainly. “And, not being born in the city doesn’t mean that you are less worthy. Just as being born in Heliopolis does not mean you are more worthy.”
“But…” Orange Spice muttered. “Why does everyone say that then?”
“Because they mistake privilege and status for worthiness,” Lady Inkwell said, “While it is true that as a noble, you have more rights than a commoner does…”
Orange Spice began to mull the idea over, but Lady Inkwell continued.
“… that doesn’t make you more worthy of Celestia’s love or of being a part of Solaria.”
There was a pause as Lady Inkwell adjusted her glasses, then continued.
“Orange Spice, it is the quality of one’s actions and your loyalty to the Queen that makes one worthy.” Lady Inkwell continued, “As I said at the beginning, the rite is a celebration of what it means to be Solarian, be they commoner or noble. Can you honestly say that you and your fellow nobles have been proving your worthiness in that regard?”
“I don’t understand…” Orange Spice muttered.
“How have you been treating Sunset, Lily and Daisy, three sun-gazers who, despite knowing the risk of coming, chose to fight tooth and nail to overcome adversity and attend?” Lady Inkwell continued. “Three Solarians who have shown great courage and loyalty to the Queen, given up so much to come and show their devotion to their nation by serving at the rite, and who, when they first arrived, were treated with such deplorable contempt, yet still chose to hold out because they desired to serve their nation.”
For the first time since she’d begun to speak, Lady Inkwell took a step towards Orange Spice.
“Do those sound like the actions of someone who is truly worthy? Or someone who has mistaken worthiness for the privilege they enjoy because of their station? When you came here, you came here to serve at the rite. To ensure that it went smoothly. To offer your service to Solaria to celebrate the ascension of a new phoenix-born,” Lady Inkwell continued, “Not to get a free ride to attend the ascension. You came here to serve alongside your fellow Solarians. Tell me, have you done anything to prove yourself worthy of that honor? Well, have you?”
As Lady Inkwell spoke, Sunset's mind reeled. Not just at what the Queen’s seneschal had been saying, but the effect it was having on Orange Spice. Slowly, she could see the gears turning in the other girl’s head, Lady Inkwell’s words tearing chunks out of the pillars that held up Orange Spice’s deepest held beliefs. Telling her that something she had believed to be a fundamental truth of the world was in no uncertain terms a lie.
And that her actions had shown she was less worthy than the person she had so strongly believed was worth less than an herself.
“No, I haven’t,” Orange said miserably, her voice catching as though she were about to cry.
At that moment, Orange Spice’s words cut through Sunset’s thoughts like a charged blade. Looking up, she saw Orange Spice, her head bowed and her expression miserable. There was realization in those words. Pained, horrid realization.
And it left the other girl shaken and frightened looking.
At that moment, something clicked for Sunset.
The Orange Spice before her now wasn’t the monster that had been tormenting her for the last two weeks. She wasn’t some evil night-weaver.
She’d had all of her perceptions thrown at her and torn down. All the bravado had been ripped off like a scab, exposing the raw, bloody flesh below. She had been told by the second most important person in all of Solaria that she was wrong. That she was unworthy.
Lady Inkwell had reached down and burnt the monster with cleansing fire.
And what was left in its ashen wake was just another little girl.
Like Sunset.
A little girl that looked for all the world like she might break at any moment.
Looking up at Lady Inkwell, she saw the older woman glance at her from the corner of her eyes, as if to ask ‘what will you do now?’
In that brief look, Sunset understood. Understood what Lady Inkwell was trying to show her. Understood the difference between her status, and her worthiness.
‘It's not one’s status that makes them worthy, it was their actions,’ Sunset’s inner voice declared.
Looking at Orange Spice once more, she saw a multitude of possibilities. But, it all came back to that brief look from Lady Inkwell, and the question in her eyes.
‘What am I going to do?’ Sunset thought. ‘I’m going to offer her a drop of honey.’
Rising to her feet, Sunset slowly approached Orange Spice. Chancing another quick look at Lady Inkwell, she saw the slightest of nods from the older woman.
Approaching Orange Spice, Sunset clasped her hands together and bowed her head slightly.
“Orange Spice,” Sunset said slowly, waiting for the other girl to look at her. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”
“What?” Orange Spice said as she stared at Sunset, her expression saying she didn’t understand what was happening.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you.” Sunset said a little more clearly. “I shouldn’t have done that. So, I’m sorry.”
“What… why? Why are you apologizing to me?” Orange Spice asked incredulously, before narrowing her eyes. “What are you up to?”
“I’m not up to anything.” Sunset said, “I made a mistake. And I’m doing what I can to make it right.”
“And why should I believe you?” Orange Spice asked.
“You can believe me or not, but that doesn’t change that I want to apologize.” Sunset said, letting a warm smile spread across her face. “I lost my temper, and said a bunch of things to you that weren’t okay.”
“So, what, you suddenly don’t hate me?” Orange Spice snapped. “You don’t want to feed me to a bunch of vethris? Sorry, but I’m not about to buy a kettle of stewed wakerobins.”
“I shouldn’t have said that either, Orange Spice,” Sunset admitted, bowing her head again. “I won’t lie to you and say that I didn’t mean it, because at the time, I did.”
“So you admit you hate me.” Orange said with a sneer. “That this is just some ruse to earn Lady Inkwell’s favor.”
“No, it's not,” Sunset said. “Do you think Lady Inkwell couldn’t tell if I was acting. C’mon, I doubt either of us could trick her if we wanted to. And as for still hating you, well, that all depends.”
“Depends on what?” Orange growled.
“On whether I still have a reason to,” Sunset said matter of factly.
“What?” Orange replied, “What do you mean?”
“Well, when I got here, I didn’t have a reason to hate you.” Sunset said, “I only started hating you when I had a reason to. And, as long as I have reason to, I will. But, if I don’t, then I won’t.”
“What reason could you have for…” Orange Spice began, before her eyes went wide, and she shrunk back a bit.”…oh.”
“Like I said, I didn’t have a reason before,” Sunset continued. “So, do I still have a reason now?”
Orange Spice’s head slowly rose, and she glared at Sunset, as if trying to see into the depths of her inner fire. Yet, as she stared at Sunset, the expression on her face told her that something had shifted in the other girl’s mind. It was as though, for the first time, she was seeing Sunset too. Not as an outsider and an unworthy intruder into a place where she didn’t belong.
She was seeing Sunset as another sun-gazer. Another Solarian.
Another person.
And, through the tattered remains of her once flawed perception, saw that this other person… was worthy.
“No, you don’t,” Orange said softly.
“Thank you,” Sunset said softly as a slight smile worked itself onto her face.
“So… what happens now?” Orange said softly.
“I don’t know.” Sunset said with a shrug, her smile unfaltering, “You’ve been really mean to me, and even if I don’t have reason to hate you, I’m not sure I can forget that. But, maybe in time. So, how about we just call a truce for now. We stop being mean to each other, and just do our best to make this ascension one to remember? After all, isn’t that why we’re here? To help the ascension be as grand as it can be?”
With that, Sunset held out her hand to Orange Spice. Looking at her for a moment, Orange Spice slowly extended her own hand and took Sunset’s.
“Alright d… alright… Sunset.” Orange Spice said as she gently shook Sunset’s hand, “Apology accepted. And… I’m sorry too. For picking on you like that. You… are worthy. Far more worthy than I’ve been. So, yea, truce. I won’t promise anything for Sapphire, or the rest of them, but I’ll leave you and your friends in peace.”
“Thank you.” Sunset said.
Unseen by either girl, the slightest hint of a smile formed on Lady Inkwell’s face.
*****
“Ugh!” Daisy groaned as she leaned back in her chair, her arms dangling down by her side as her head lolled back. “Can I take my mind out of my body? I think it's full.”
A loud thud echoed through the nearly empty study room as Lily’s forehead slammed down onto the book she was reading. “Sunset, how do you do this? You’re not a sun-gazer, you’re some sort of golem.”
“Hey, I’m pretty much at my limit too,” Sunset said, her voice lacking energy, showing that even her fire was smouldering on twigs and grass at this point. “But you heard Lady Inkwell. The next exam’s coming up in a couple days, and we need to get these protocols down.”
“Can we at least take a break?” Daisy moaned.
“Please?” Lily added with a pained whine.
Looking her friends over, Sunset sighed.
“Yea, sure. Let’s take a break.” Sunset conceded, earning an exhausted and half-hearted ‘yay’ from the other two.
Leaning back in her chair, Sunset surveyed the study room. It was just after lunch, and she and her friends had decided to take the brief break between the meal and their afternoon lessons to get in some more studying. While Daisy and Lily let their minds cool off, Sunset looked around the room, spotting a few others also having had the idea to spend their break reviewing. Much to her relief, none of her current tormentors were present.
“So, what happened this morning with Orange Spice and Lady Inkwell?” Daisy asked, lifting her head to look at Sunset.
Sunset’s attention snapped to Daisy in an instant.
“We… worked some things out,” Sunset said before leaning forward and gesturing for Daisy and Lily to do the same. Once both other girls were huddled in, she whispered, “Look, Lady Inkwell made me promise that I wouldn’t say too much about it for some reason, but the upshot of all of it was that Orange Spice and I worked out a truce.”
“What! / No way!” Both other girls exclaimed.
“Shush,” Sunset ‘whispered’, gesturing for them to come closer as she glanced around at the other students, a few of whom were now looking their direction curiously. “Look, I get that the idea’s crazy, but it’s true. She’s going to leave us alone, and try to keep Sapphire off our case a bit.”
“You’re selling me a glass of centipede juice Sunset,” Lily whispered. “There’s no way she agreed to that.”
“Thanks to Lady Inkwell, she has,” Sunset continued, a slight smirk forming on her face. “Hopefully it’ll give us some breathing room, and, maybe, she can keep Sapphire distracted. Probably with a couple of feathers on a string, but if it means she’s off our back, I don’t care how.”
Both Easterners looked at Sunset, then at each other, then back to Sunset.
“Okay, Sunset,” Daisy said, leaning back and rubbing her temples. “I’m too tired to try figuring out how you pulled this off, but if it's true, then I’m not going to ask why the linnorm slithered by.”
“Hey, have I let you two down yet?” Sunset asked.
Both Easterners looked at each other again, before looking back to Sunset and shaking their heads.
“Thanks,” Sunset said, before picking her book back up. “Now, I’m going to get back to reviewing. Let me know when you want to start up again.”
Daisy and Lily looked at each other again, before smirking and simultaneously saying “Golem” before bursting into a fit of giggles, ignoring the irritated roll of Sunset’s eyes.
*****
Afternoon lessons came and went. After exiting the lecture hall, and a brief visit to the supply room to grab more parchment and ink, Sunset, Daisy and Lily headed to the dining hall. Of the three, Sunset looked tired but alert, while the latter two were hollow and exhausted. Glancing back over her shoulder, Sunset hat to suppress a shudder. They had just finished another grueling lesson from Lady Inkwell on how to serve drinks after the ascension ceremony had concluded. As usual, Lady Inkwell’s almost obsidian sharp attention to detail left them all fatigued.
“You two look like Grogar just gave you a hug,” Sunset said with concern. “Do you want my dessert tonight? You probably need it more than I do.”
“She shows mercy at last!” Daisy cried sarcastically, throwing up her hands in mock jubilation. “Praise Celestia, the golem does have a heart!”
“It’s a miracle!” Lily got in on the friendly ribbing, dropping to her knees dramatically and tossing her head back and throwing her arms out wide.
“You two are hilarious. Maybe if you get tired of working with flowers, you could start a routine with a traveling theatre troupe,” Sunset quipped, before a smirk spread across her face. “Still, if you’ve got enough energy to snark, maybe you don’t need an extra helping of cloudberry cobbler.”
“Nooo! The horror! The horror!” Lily wailed dramatically as she grasped the sides of her head and rocked back in forth in mock terror, “The golem’s heart! It’s turned to stone! Please, oh great stone hearted golem, show pity on us poor, unfortunate mortals!”
“Whatever shall we do? Just when we thought she could show mercy, she so cruelly withdraws it!” Daisy said, throwing an arm across her forehead dramatically. “We should have known that it was naught but a trick to give us false hope!”
Sunset guffawed at the two of them.
“Keep it up, and I really won’t share.” Sunset said with a smirk. “I thought my sister Pinkie was crazy, but you two are starting to almost reach her level.”
“Spoil sport,” Daisy said with a pout.
“Killjoy,” Lily said as Daisy helped her to her feet.
“Just doing my job. Every comedy act needs a straight-woman,” Sunset said as she rolled her eyes at them and shook her head.
Her friend's brief moment of madness passed, the three resumed their walk towards the dining room. As they walked, the three of them tried to take their minds off their lessons for the day by deciding what they were going to do when they got back to their room after eating. After a couple of suggestions, Sunset offered to read them one of the legends from her book: Megan the Brave and the Witches of the Volcano of Gloom.
At the suggestion, both Lily and Daisy perked up and offered their support for the idea. Megan the Brave was one of the greatest heroes of the harmonious-ones, the ancient ancestors of the sun-gazers.
“Aww, do the widdle babies want a bedtime story?” An irritating and condescending voice said from behind. “How about The Little Dirt-eaters Roll in the Garbage?”
Suppressing a desire to scream, Sunset chose to ignore the voice, knowing it belonged to Sapphire Prism, and continued to walk towards the dining hall. She could hear Daisy and Lily following behind her, doing their best to also ignore the arrogant Heliopolan.
“Hey, don’t you walk away from me, dirt-eaters!” Sapphire snarled as she started to jog after Sunset and her friends.
“Sapphire, please don’t.” Another voice pleaded, this one belonging to Orange Spice. Sunset kept her pace steady, but listened intently.
“And why not? They don’t just get to walk away from me,” Sapphire snapped.
“Because it's not worth it,” Orange said. “You know Lady Inkwell’s just going to take their side, so what’s the point? Let’s just go and get dinner and try not to think about them for the rest of the night.”
“Are you serious?” A third voice, this one belonging to Rosy Mist said.
“Yes, I am,” Orange said, her voice firm. “For some strange reason, Lady Inkwell’s not getting rid of them, and they’re clearly too stubborn to leave on their own, so why bother?”
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” Sapphire said. “You’re just going to let those dirt-eaters walk away?”
“I’m not letting them walk away. They’re beneath us, so why should we give them attention that they don’t deserve,” Orange Spice retorted. “Look, after this morning, Lady Inkwell’s made it pretty clear that I’m on my last chance with her, so I’d really rather not get tossed out over them. They’re not worth it.”
The sound of Sapphire’s shoes slowed, and there was a protracted pause as Sunset assumed she was thinking about it.
“Rrrgh, fine,” Sapphire growled. “I’ll let it go. This time.”
“Thank you.” Orange said, relief in her voice.
‘Looks like she’s keeping her word,’ Sunset thought as the three Heliopolans were left further and further behind.
Soon, Sunset and her friends reached the dining hall. With a little more certainty in her step, Sunset smiled a little as she pushed the doors open and ushered Daisy and Lily in. Once in the room, the three of them immediately headed to their table to ensure that it wasn’t claimed before they got to it.
Setting their bags down, Sunset took a seat while Daisy and Lily headed to the food line. After the whole thing with their table last night, they’d decided to have one of them sit while the others went and got their meal. Once they had their trays, they’d return to the table and she’d go to get her share. Even with her stomach grumbling unhappily over being denied sustenance, she was fine with waiting to ensure they had their table to themselves. And that nobody messed with their bags.
Sighing, Sunset opened up her bag and pulled out one of her rune books, and flipped to the section she’d left off on. Even if she was slacking on her anvil work, she could still do her best to keep up with her forging studies.
Before she engrossed herself in her reading, her eyes wandered over the top of the book, and spotted Sapphire, Rosy and Orange heading back to their table, trays of dinner in their hands. Sapphire was looking irritable, as was Rosy. Orange, by contrast, looked tired.
‘Getting Sapphire to back down looks like it took a lot out of her,’ Sunset thought.
To Sunset’s surprise, Orange’s eyes turned towards her for the briefest of moments. In that instant, Sunset and Orange’s eyes met. Smiling slightly, Sunset held her eyes and silently mouthed the words “thank you” to Orange, who gave her a subtle smile and nod in return, before taking a seat next to her friends.
Feeling a weight lift from her shoulders, Sunset turned her attention to her book as she waited for her own friends to return, grateful that the drop of honey she’d offered was being returned.