//------------------------------// // Magic Lessons // Story: Conflicts Between Dusk and Twilight // by Sparrow9642 //------------------------------// The day had departed along with Sunset Shimmer returning to her provided bed chambers, planning to write a report of the day's events, mainly her meet and befriending of Twilight Sparkle. The two had shared stories in the many following hours of daylight and had made plans to meet up for lessons on magic, which was hard to arrange accordingly, given Sunset's role as Princess Celestia's protege. She had much to attend within the next couple weeks, but she had sworn to find an opening in her swamped schedule for her new and only friend. Closing the door to her provided bedroom, she quickly proceeded to laying out a piece of parchment paper on her desk, grabbed a quill in an aura of magic, and dipped it into her desktop inkwell, caressing the writing utensil's tip gently across the surface. She started with a simple introduction, feeling silly that she had to address her mentor after years of being guided and taught much by said mentor. Giggling to herself in her mind, she continued writing, explaining every little thing that had occurred earlier that day. It didn't take her long to write everything out, her writing pace seeming efficient enough, seeing as she guided the quill with careful focus, she found herself smiling and even making gestures like a giddy filly. It didn't seem to bother her though, and she only continued to write more and more, pauses only being taken inbetween dips in the inkwell and when she eventually found herself at the bottom of the page. This caught her by surprise. "I'm at the bottom already?" she questioned, sketching over the scripture with her bright-blue irises. To her surprise, she hadn't realized just how much she ended up writing, each sentence being full of detail and descriptive terms that would even make the highest Professors of Celestia's school bat an eye in awe. She pondered on her actions for a second, but was quickly startled by a sudden set of knocks from her bedroom door. "Come in," Sunset proposed, rebounding from her overactive nerves still dancing at the sudden knocks. The luminescent golden aura engulfing her door handle immediately gave her assurance on who was behind the thick wooden door, as it creaked open and revealed the mighty figure in the doorway. "Princess Celestia," Sunset addressed, "I wasn't expecting you." Celestia merely smiled, walking further into the room and closing the door tightly with her magic. Sunset followed with the action of bowing in the presence of her mentor and matriarch, an action of which that Celestia shooed away with a hoof. "My dear, you need not bow before me," Celestia cooed. "While I am your princess, you are my most loyal assistant. You are more than as royal as I am, so there's no need for such gestures in my presence." Sunset rubbed the back of her neck, smiling and blushing in embarrassment upon her response. "I suppose you are right. After all, you are the teacher." Celestia nodded, working further into the room. "I saw that you and Twilight connected well," Celestia stated. "Just as I expected you would." "It could've went better, but I suppose after we got past all the little nooks and crannies, we really clicked well," Sunset confirmed. "Indeed," Celestia paused, her gaze meeting the massive piece of parchment upon the desk behind Sunset, as much as its contents. "I see you have a report on how the meeting between you two went." Sunset quickly responded, not wanting to present her mentor with an incomplete report. "It's not quite finished yet. Still need to go over a few other things that we discussed." Celestia nodded in assurance, continuing to eye the one thing of interest; its length. "Judging by the length of your report, you two seemed to have discussed much. I merely came to check on your progress, and I can see that it's coming along quite well. I look forward to seeing it complete in the morning," Sunset smiled, watching as her mentor walked toward the door, turning to face her one last time before her departure. "I'm proud of you, Sunset," Celestia said in a motherly tone. "I can assure you that you will come to learn more than I could ever teach you from Twilight. Once you are finished, I want you to get some rest. No reading before bed tonight." "Alright," Sunset replied simply. With that, Celestia turned from Sunset and exited the room, leaving Sunset to finish her assignment. Once the door shut, Sunset turned back to her desk and met the view of the massive piece of literature sprawled out before her. Flipping over the elongated parchment, she dipped the quill into the inkwell once again and proceeded onward, taking careful note not to be so expressive with her word play, otherwise she might be needing more paper than she had at her leisure. The following morning was the same as any other day as Sunset rose from her bed, proceeding with her usual everyday morning rituals such as bathing herself, fixing her mane and tail, brushing her teeth, and of course flossing afterwards. With her mouth, coat, mane, and tail clean and neat, she grabbed her rolled up report and proceeded down to the dining room where she had breakfast with Celestia every morning. As always upon her arrival, Celestia was seated with a cup of morning coffee nested gently upon a coaster in front of her, on the table. Sunset took a seat at the opposite end, resting her assignment upon the table, and scooting the large chair closer to the table, so she could reach whatever the Royal cooks had brewed up for the morning meal. After taking a sip of her coffee and nestling it back onto the coaster, Celestia eyed Sunset nicely, following with a greeting. "Good morning, Sunset," she proposed motherly. "Did your night go well?" "Very," Sunset replied. "It didn't take long to finish up after you left. I found my writing process to be a lot more consistent than usual." "Is that so?" Celestia pondered. "Usually you take your time in writing your reports, so what makes this an exception to your usual pace?" Off that last statement, Sunset realized that the matriarch was being sarcastic. Something that both enticed her and made her giggle at the same time in realization. Upon a sudden aura of golden magic levitating her neatly organized homework to the opposite side of the table, Sunset made a remark of her own. "I suppose you can say that a "little filly" has inspired me in my writing. Something tells me she has a lavender coat... Oh! And a heavy kink for magic!" The joking caused both mares to burst in mild laughter. "I'm glad you see it the same as I do," Celestia confessed, bringing her intentions to light. "Now, let's see what you learned in your time with Twilight." Unrolling the scroll, double-sided with text, Celestia read over the scripture, pausing now and then to take a small sip of coffee. Given the alicorn's extensive experience in reading over any form of ink-made wording, it only took little time for Celestia to finish up, rolling up the report back to it's original form beforehand. Upon one look from Celestia however, Sunset felt a sudden chill go down her spine. "I see that you have made a proposition to teach the filly magical knowledge," Celestia said calmly. "While I find this good, it also worries me. Do you really feel like you are up to that sort of a proposition, Sunset? You are proposing a very heavy responsibility that I fear you may not be able to uphold." Sunset calmed herself, having overreacted upon Celestia's sudden glare after the scripture hiding her face had revealed the image now presented. With a heavy exhalation of breath, she turned her attention back to Celestia, her nerves slowly calming back to a docile state. "Why do you say that?" Sunset asked. "You know that I'm more than capable of performing any spell you've taught me." Celestia paused, taking another sip of her morning drink. After settling the cup back onto the coaster, she answered to Sunset's questions. "I don't doubt your magical abilities, my student," Celestia started with a hint of reassurance. "However, it takes more than magical experience to teach another such abilities. Especially somepony as fascinated with magic as Twilight." That comment took Sunset aback. She wasn't sure what to think about it. Twilight was a filly. She was clearly the successor over a pony nearly half her age, so what did Celestia mean by all that she just said? She had taken it as her mentor claiming that Twilight had more experience and skill with magic than she did, and that was enough to make her pause. "Are you saying that Twilight, a filly, has more magical abilities than me, a grown mare?" Sunset stated with confusion. "Yes and no," Celestia responded with mild strictness. "While Twilight is indeed a filly, and you are much older and mature than she is, I have had my eye on Twilight for some time and have seen differences in her magical abilities from the regular unicorn. Differences that you may not be able to withstand or control on your own, Sunset." "I'm not sure I understand, princess... what kind of differences?" Sunset pleaded mildly, now unsure of whether or not she wanted to go through with her proposition towards Twilight. "I'm afraid it's not easy to explain, my dear," Celestia confirmed. "I only say these things for your own safety, shall you choose to go through with this. All I ask is that you're careful in just what you teach the filly. She's more talented than you may think." Sunset paused again, thinking deeply and slowly starting to piece Celestia's words together. Eventually, she began to understand her mentor's words and took it upon herself to memorize them well. All unicorns are different and Twilight, although she was a filly, was no exception to the concern. "I understand, princess," Sunset clarified gently. "You are right in one way, but in another way, I feel like I should at least try to guide her. Don't worry, I'll start out with something simple and see if I can't spot these "differences" that you've spotted." Celestia nodded. "So be it then. Just remember what I said here, and be careful." "I will," Sunset confirmed as she caught site of the cooks bringing out multiple plates of food from the kitchen. She was presented with a massive stack of pancakes with a side of toast and a pot containing sweet maple syrup. As she grabbed her breakfast and placed it on her provided plate, she thought hard about all that Celestia had said, plaguing her mind with it by replaying them over and over like a broken record. She didn't know what to expect in her first meeting with the filly, but it was best to say that it was going to be an experience unlike any other. Sunset had found an opening within the following week and using the provided journal that all of Celestia's students were gifted to keep in touch with fellow students, she and Twilight had met up in the Canterlot Castle Courtyard again. Sunset had decided to read up on lower level spells for the occasion, just in case the lesson had gone any longer than she had intended. Regardless, she had a plan set for their first meet together as teacher and student, and as promised, Sunset kept Celestia's words of wisdom in her mind. Twilight had already arrived when Sunset had exited the castle, catching the filly patiently waiting from atop the staircase that led from the castle, into the pasture of trees, grass, and vegetation. She had expected this, having done the same in her years of being taught by Celestia. It never earned her any sort of extra credit, but she didn't mind, being more interested in the knowledge than any sort of reward. The reward was being one step closer to becoming a master of magic, and that was enough for her. Pacing herself across the courtyard, Sunset came to meet the filly, being greeted accordingly. "Good day, Mentor Sunset," Twilight said with upmost giddiness. Sunset couldn't help but giggle, feeling out of place in the endeavor. "Sunset is fine, Twilight," Sunset assured. "No need to address me as anything fancy." "Sorry," Twilight confessed. "I was always told to address anypony of higher stature properly." "No need to apologize," Sunset stated. "It's good that you were taught to do so, but we're friends, so we should treat each other as we normally would in any other case." "Got it," Twilight finalized, changing the subject. "So, what are you going to be teaching me today?" Again, Sunset wasn't shocked, knowing that Twilight was a very curious and anxious filly, so her hasty questioning didn't seem out of place one bit. "We're going to start with figuring out what needs to be addressed with your current knowledge on magic," Sunset explained nicely. "Before we can start even thinking about learning spells, your preliminary actions must be addressed, along with your posture and etiquette." Twilight raised an eyebrow, unsure of what Sunset was trying to make her understand. Sunset caught this and resorted to explaining the matter in a way a filly her age would understand. "Basically, we need to figure out if you are doing anything wrong that impacts how to do proper magic casting." "Oh... Twilight mused, now understanding the aspect. Sunset made her way in front of Twilight so that both teacher and student were in tune with one another. "So, let's start off with you showing me how you go about casting a spell." Twilight nodded, then proceeded to getting into her usual position whenever she attempted to cast any spell in the past. Spreading her forearms and forelegs apart, Twilight proceeded to what seemed like a culmination of massive struggle and expressions that nopony usually made in a public environment. Groans and heavy breathing followed inbetween the filly's attempts to spark her horn to life with magical energy, but they all failed, and Sunset had already spotted flaws in Twilight's posture. Critical mistakes that explained why she wasn't even getting any sort of magical energy to manifest from her horn. "That'll do, Twilight," Sunset commanded, waving her hoof as a gesture to seize her actions. Twilight listened and stopped her fruitless attempts, breathing heavily and planting her flank on the grassy surface she stood upon. "What am I doing wrong?!" she pouted in irritation. "You're trying too hard," Sunset explained clearly, causing the filly to wince in curiosity and interest. "Magic isn't something you can force out of you, it's something that must be guided very carefully. Unicorn magic comes from the inner core of their being, and only if it's channeled correctly can it arise from within." Sunset paused for a brief glance at Twilight to make sure she wasn't confusing the lavender filly. One glance, and she saw that Twilight had taken full understanding and interest at her teachings, her head high, ears perked, and eyes focused on only her. With that assurance, she continued. "Like your soul, magic is a part of you, but to channel it, it takes more than just intense focus. There are many factors that play into bringing your magical energy to the surface; everything that is a part of you must be in sync with it, because like I said, it is a part of you, therefore all that is part of you must be connected with your magic as well. Only then, can your magic connect to the main energy source that powers it." "My horn?" Twilight guessed. "Yes," Sunset replied with a smile, continuing further. "The horn is the part of every unicorn that connects with their core, body, and soul. It's connected to every layer of the unicorn's being; their strengths, weaknesses, and emotions." Twilight was beyond fascinated by all this information, never realizing just how important a unicorn's horn really was, along with the fact that it was like the epicenter of their body! "That explains why a unicorn loses the ability to perform any magic after so long!" Twilight exclaimed in astonishment. "If the magic is connected to their strengths, then anytime you perform a massive amount of magic, you use a large amount of your physical strength as well!" "Exactly, Twilight!" Sunset exclaimed herself, amazed at just how well Twilight was catching onto the lesson. "Only when your magical energy is in tune with your being can it connect to the horn and be used at your leisure." "So.. how exactly do you do that?" Twilight asked curiously. "That's what we're going to be working on first," Sunset answered. "Before you can channel your magical energy, you must know the proper preliminary actions to do said action. It's not something you will be able to learn in one try, and will more than likely take multiple lessons to learn naturally. Only then will we even attempt channeling your magical energy to your horn." "How long did it take before you were ready?" Twilight asked. "About two months, but remember, every unicorn is different, so it may be possible that you learn the preliminaries naturally in less time than I did, or it may take longer than it took me. It's all in who you are and your will to learn the skill." Twilight wanted to pout at that, but she understood and stored everything Sunset had told her in her memory banks. "I understand, Sunset Shimmer," Twilight assured. "Where do I start?" Sunset smiled at Twilight's understanding, proceeding further with the lesson. "Well, now that you've shown me where the problems that we need to address lie, it's time for you to watch and observe. I'm going to do the proper preliminaries for casting a spell now, and I want you to tell me what you notice that is different from your attempts." "Alright," Twilight agreed. "My eyes are open." "Very good," Sunset stated nicely. "Now, watch carefully." Twilight didn't blink, watching as Sunset got into a position much like her own and with all of her senses keen to the demonstration, the filly observed Sunset's actions very carefully. The first thing she caught was that there was no struggling involved, and instead, her mentor was surprisingly calm and mellow in her stance. Something she noted as she continued to observe the mare before her. Like a spotlight, Twilight's gaze highlighted Sunset and only Sunset, as she saw the appendage sticking out of her fiery mane become emblazoned with a light-blue aura, encasing the horn and circling it in a repeating pattern. This action repeated, up until Sunset retracted the magical energy and reassembled her regular posture, her gaze meeting the lavender filly's own violet irises. "So, what differences did you notice?" Sunset addressed. "Well, there was no sign of struggle, and you were calm and unphased the entire process," Twilight replied, her teacher nodding as a response. "Very good, Twilight," Sunset complimented. "You spotted the most critical aspect of casting or performing magic. Just like any other task such as eating or walking, you must be calm and not stiff. This leads to the next part of the lesson; proper etiquette when casting a spell." The filly was already intrigued, so Sunset wasted no time and continued onward. Now the lesson had truly started. "Stance, posture, and etiquette are all key to casting a spell correctly and efficiently, my friend. You did have the proper stance, but everything that followed was wrong. Your assumption was that if you struggle hard enough, magic will spark from your horn, when in reality, all that'll do is give you a massive headache and burst blood vessels. The true way to cast a spell is to calm your body, and let the magic flow naturally. The first step to keeping yourself calm is to breathe naturally at your usual pace. Lack of oxygen is one of the easiest ways to send your body into a state of panic, feeling like you can't breathe. Slow and steady breaths are what you want to do in the case of casting or performing magic. You want casting and performing magic to feel like a natural thing, not as something that is outside of your ability as a unicorn; as natural as eating, sleeping, walking; basically any natural function you do in your every day life. Second, is posture. You want your airway to be as open as possible, so your breaths can repeat in an equal and calm pattern. Therefore, your body should be narrow, your hooves spread apart, but steady enough, and your head up to where your airway is straight and not constricted. With this posture, your body is calm and you are able to remain calm. Lastly, is the most important part of calming your body; calming your find while still maintaining focus. If you follow the proper etiquette that I just advised, this step is already being accomplished. While performing magic, your mind must have focus. Focus is the key to controlling a spell and keeping your magic tamed, but we'll discuss that when you actually manage to channel your magic to your core and horn." "Understood," Twilight agreed, still intrigued and fascinated by the information and teachings of her friend. "Good," Sunset replied. "Now, I want you to try again, but this time, I want you to do your best to follow the steps I just taught you." "Okay," Twilight agreed. "I'll do my best, Sunset." Sunset nodded, watching her student with observant eyes as she proceeded forward with the command she had given. Twilight spread her legs apart to the point of where she could still stand without feeling clumsy, closed her eyes, and held her head high to where her airway was no longer constricted, doing her best to breathe normally and isolate her mindset to only her reason for doing these actions. For awhile nothing happened, but Sunset still observed Twilight like a predator waiting to pounce on it's prey, and was honestly shocked on how well Twilight was managing on her first attempt at proper magic casting etiquette. Twilight had begun to feel the same, feeling her body fall into a natural rhythm like her friend and teacher had explained earlier in the lesson. She wondered if she should stop, but just kept the stance, preferring to wait until Sunset advised her to stop. Many minutes passed, and the natural flow continued to envelop Twilight's small body, not even aware that her mind had met the demands of her mentor as well, being calm and unphased by any of her surroundings. A breeze blew, but Twilight remained focused. She was as still as a statue unmoved by nature, and by the time Sunset finally told her to stop, it had been a time period of twenty minutes. "That's enough, Twilight," Sunset commanded. "You can stop now." As instructed, Twilight came out of the posture and eyed her mentor with curious eyes. "How did I do?" Twilight asked. "Fantastic," Sunset answered. "Definitely not what I expected out of a first attempt." Sunset's response came out as if she had just discovered an ancient Equestrian artifact, which caught Twilight's attention. "Did I do something wrong?" Twilight mused. "No," Sunset replied. "You exceeded my expectations. In fact, I think that's a good place to end the lesson. You've learned enough for one day, and once you get down the entire concept of the etiquette, we'll work on channeling your magic. In the meantime, just keep practicing that same posture in your spare time, and we'll pick up on it during our next lesson." Sunset felt as if she were speaking nonsense, considering what she had just experienced. A filly had just performed proper magic etiquette as if it were nothing more than fillies play. She was beginning to understand what Celestia had meant by Twilight having differences in terms of magical abilities. This attempt wasn't just a fluke or beginners luck. "Everything okay, Sunset?" Twilight sympathized. Sunset hadn't realized how obvious she had made her thoughts on Twilight's overly-progressive first attempt visible on her face, causing her to cuss at herself in her mind. "Yeah, everything is fine, Twilight," she quickly stammered out. "I guess you could say I'm just impressed at your first attempt, and the fact that I know our lessons together are going to be interesting. I have much to report to Princess Celestia about you and your progress." Twilight smiled as a result, feeling for the first time in her short life, she had succeeded at something she had been studying and trying to accomplish for years. To further express her gratitude and excitement, she embraced her mentor and friend in a tight hug, surprising Sunset at first, but once she realized what was happening, she just returned the kind act with her hooves wrapping around the filly that was her student. Releasing the hug, the two mares departed, returning to their respective homes within the city. Sunset had much to write and report on this session, and Twilight had more practicing to do. With every step she took, all Sunset could feel was a warmth and sense of accomplishment. Something she hadn't felt since her enrollment as Princess Celestia's protege, and she knew deep down that as these lessons continued, things were only going to get all the more interesting if that day's events were only one sample of what her student was capable of.