//------------------------------// // Operation 10: Mother, Part Two // Story: Sunset of Battle // by Tundara //------------------------------// Sunset Shimmer; Sister of Battle By Tundara Operation 10 Rushing over with Applejack and Rainbow in tow, Fluttershy took one look at Twilight and went to work. From a pouch at her side she pulled out a syringe, an unfolding splint, and sterile bandages.  “Oh, Holy Emperor and Saint Dominica, look on in grace at your children,” she intoned as she applied field aid. In an authoritative tone, Fluttershy snapped, “We need to get her to the medicea, now! Mother is continuing to slow, and if we lose all gravity…”     When the first aid was applied, Sunset and Applejack slung Twilight between them and followed Fluttershy as she led the way to the lifts. They had to go up a set of stairs, and by the time they reached the lifts more of the children had recovered from their initial shock. Children were screaming, moaning, and some wandered in a daze. Quickly looking around, Fluttershy thrust out her finger.  “You there, away from the lifts! They are for the critically wounded only! Fleetfoot, Surprise; start triaging the wounded. Anyone who is bleeding takes priority based on how severe it is. Spitfire, Rainbow, get together some runners to gather the wounded and contact the other classes. I’m heading to the medicea to begin treating the injured with proper tools. Why are you standing around? By the Throne; move!”  Sunset had never seen Fluttershy so forceful. There was an intense fire in her ordinarily timid eyes as if she’d been possessed by the spirit of a saint.  With Applejack’s assistance, Sunset carried Twilight into the lift. Fluttershy followed them in, and then Flash with Tony draped over his shoulder. The boy’s head was rolling drunkenly where he was still barely conscious.  The doors shut with a whoosh, and Fluttershy barked, “Medicea! It’s an emergency.”  That odd bell chimed, and the inhuman woman asked, “Please state the nature of the emergency,” as the lift clattered lazily along.  “We got two people bleeding everywhere,” Applejack snapped at the vox caster in the corner of the ceiling. “Can’t your Horus damned eyes see that?” “Applejack, it’s a servitor…” Sunset grumbled, hoping she was right. That it was an unseen servitor in control of the lifts.   “One person with a compound fracture of the lower right tibia, dislocated left shoulder, and unknown internal injuries. Another with massive facial contusions, broken nose, possible broken jaw, and internal bleeding,” Fluttershy clarified, giving Applejack and Sunset annoyed looks.   “Emergency override accepted.” With a whine of motors the lift dropped down towards the aft section far faster than it had gone before, and without the music.  “Some way to end a fight, huh?” Flash nonchalantly said, a little nervous tick in his tone. His gaze was stony, fixed forward as he stared out into space. Tony gave a wet groan. Sunset paid them no attention. Her stomach was churning with worry for Twilight, and the response of the disembodied voice.  There was something very wrong with Mother. Something that set Sunset’s teeth on edge.  It took hardly any time before the lift came to a gentle stop and the doors opened to a bright, white corridor. “Now arriving; Medical deck.”  The medicea was, oddly, very familiar. Gargoyles had been placed on statues at regular intervals, and the ceiling had been painted with overlapping murals of important events. A dour image of Cadia’s destruction covered half of an image depicting imperial guardsmen holding their position against a swarm of tyranid. Further along was what had to be an impressionist attempt at painting the Lord Commander of the Imperium. The blue and golden armour was blocky, with wet dribbles where too much paint had been used. Someone else had done the face in a hyper-realistic style that contrasted jarringly with the rest of the image.  Fluttershy nodded approvingly to the attempts at creating wards for the medicea.  They weren’t the only ones arriving at the medicea. Lifts came and went constantly, disgorging a stream of wounded.  “Clear the way! By the Emperor’s golden light, clear the way!” Fluttershy’s voice continued to hold its steely tone, and the building crowd parted before her.  Only a few had arrived before them, with litters holding the wounded put to the side along the corridor. They passed an open door that led to a ward room with a dozen beds, all of which were already occupied by groaning occupants, with frantic children darting about with no idea what to do for their injured friends. From around a corner up ahead a pair of girls darted, and skidded to a stop as they neared Sunset’s group.  “You’re from the schola?” They demanded. “We found a healing chamber, but the servitors wont respond.”  From their attire, it was clear they were from one of the lower rungs of society. Their dresses, while pretty, were also a little plain, and their shoes were well worn. It looked to be the same clothes they’d wear to go to temple every week. The relief on the girl’s faces was palpable, and they took the group into the heart of the medicea.  Triage and Emergency rooms were bypassed until they reached a door with ‘Surgery’ scrawled in High Gothic over the entryway. Inside they found six narrow beds extending on rails from tubes inset into the walls. On the right hand side of each tube was a cogitator, while on the left were a series of hooks, nodules, and tubes filled with coloured liquids. A mechanical arm sat in a folded ready position. Above each tube was written ‘Auto-Doc 5000’ in faded script.  A pair of boys had placed a friend on one of the benches. They glanced up as they barged into the room.  “Who are you?” The closer boy demanded, his eyes darting to the girls, then over to the schola and Flash holding their wounded friends. “Bunch of shady’s? Why you bring them here, Marcy?” “They’re from the schola,” one of the girls, Marcy, shot back at the boy, puffing up her cheeks as if she were a squirrel. “If anyone knows how to deal with the servitors, it's them.”  Sunset didn’t correct the girl’s incorrect assumptions, and the others were too preoccupied to argue either. Doubt lingered as to whether Mother had any servitors at all. They were expertly hidden if they were on the ship. The medical deck was relatively small, and it had taken less than a minute to reach the so-called ‘servitors’. One look at them and Sunset knew they were most certainly not a servitor.  There was nothing that even had the faintest hint of having once been human and amalgamated with technology to act as an intermediary vessel. These devices, while clearly worn with age and use, were clearly only machines.  The closest of the beds was occupied by a boy in a sharp uniform that marked him as a member of the upper echelon of Steinsmar. Around him were two other boys in similar clothes.  On seeing them Flash frowned. “Omegas,” he grumbled. The returned his grumble with deep scowls.       “This is the medicea?” Applejack asked, looking around the room with an obvious air of concerned confusion.  In front of her, Fluttershy nervously chewed on her lower lip. She went to the nearest of the devices and ran her fingers over the metal arms. Wincing as if she’d been stung she turned to Sunset. “These are nothing like the m-medicea I’m used to in the abbey. I’ve never seen anything like them.” Fluttershy’s courage was melting in the face of the unknown, and Sunset sighed internally. She needed that fearless, authoritative Fluttershy right now, surprising as seeing her squadmate assertive had actually been.  “Why haven’t you helped your friend yet?” Sunset took charge, turning everyone’s attention away from Fluttershy and back to the boys who’d already been in the room.     “We can’t, it’s malfunctioning! The machine spirits refuse to work!” The boy snarled at the machine and smacked his fist on the side of its yellowed case. There was a dull rattle as components inside were jostled.  “H-Hey, stop that,” Twilight weakly murmured, her head lolling drunkenly on her shoulders.  Fluttershy was beside Twilight in an instant, guiding her injured friend down on the closest bed. Her voice was growing softer by the moment, and her large eyes darted between Twilight, the strange devices, and the door.  Seeing Twilight awake, though clearly disorientated, Sunset suggested, “Twilight, can you get the machine working?” Twilight blinked up at Sunset. A little more clarity sharpened her gaze.  “No! I can’t do that!” Twilight gave her head a little, vehement shake, and gasped. “I can help if your leg is hurting—” Fluttershy began, and was overwhelmed.  “No! That’s not it! I can’t do it! It is the purview of the Mechanicus to tame and maintain the machine spirits. It is… I can’t. I can’t! I mustn't!” Tears welled up in Twilight’s eyes, and they were not from the physical pain. “Get the Magos or his techsage, enginseer, or one of their priesthood. They should be maintaining Mother. They will know how to make the medicea operate. The technomats must be around here somewhere.” Sunset frowned at the suggestion. She wasn’t alone, and a couple of the girls in the corner muttered the question that had hovered on the edge of everyone’s mind, “Had anyone seen any techpriests or other members of the Mechanicum?”  Besides the brief appearance of the Magos, not a single member of the mechanicum, or even their servitors, had been found.  “We can’t waste time searching for them,” Sunset said into the brief silence. “You have to do this.” “But—” “Come on, Twi’, I seen you activate the spirits before. Why you holding out now?” Applejack’s voice, with its rural Equis inflections, drowned out the others.   Twilight’s face bunched up, and tears sprang along her eyes. “I was wrong on the Righteous Indignation. I was wrong!”  Frustration welled in Sunset’s chest. “It would be even worse to withhold your talents when it could save lives. Who knows how many of our other sisters have been injured by Mother. How many of the other children can be saved by activating these servitors? The Emperor saved you when Equis died. He had a reason, right? Maybe this was it.” “But—” “There is only service.”  Sunset felt a ripple of conviction in her voice that wasn’t in her heart. A tiny part even felt a little dirty at the manipulative tactics. But, if imperials were going to be so fundamentalist in their convictions, she was going to take advantage of them. Twilight wasn’t fully convinced, and in a weak voice she said, “I’m just some lowly administorum’s daughter. I could hurt the spirits if I try anything. I was told, over and over, not to interfere with them, but I did on the Indignation. I wanted everyone to think I was special. But I’m not! I’m not special. None of us are. It was wrong of me. I’d lost everyone, and I was confused, and desperate to be accepted. And look at what happened! I’m even more hated than you! And I should be! I should be!” A loud crack echoed in the room as Fluttershy struck Twilight across the face. Sunset was as stunned as Twilight, both staring wide eyed as Fluttershy’s body heaved with anger.  “Stop your bellyaching,” Fluttershy growled, her other hand clenched in a fist at her side. “Of course you are special. Everyone is special and loved by the Emperor. And that is why it hurts Him so much when we doubt ourselves and fail to live up to the potential He sees in all of us. The Emperor protected you. He saved me and Rainbow. He protected all of us. There has to be a reason.” A dam had been broken within Fluttershy, and words poured forth from her. In the hallway behind her more and more children could be seen filling up the medicea. More and more wounded deposited on the litters.  “We’re from Cloudsdale,” Fluttershy said in her strong and yet also soft voice, “a simple moisture factorum town that made power and clouds to irrigate the district. It was a normal day. We were early to the factorum, along with my brother Zephyr. He had always been a bit mean. Um, selfish and lazy. But he was worse that day. He was complaining, and then he pushed me against one of the water tanks. His eyes were different. He was raving. Saying crazy things about the Emperor, mom and dad, and then me. And then… And t-then… Bile began to leak out of his eyes and ears. His teeth fell out. And worms were crawling under his skin. I can see them bulging, wriggling, b-burrowing! Dad tried to get him to calm down, and he grabbed a hammer, and he hit dad in the face. Hit him over, and over, and over.  “I remember screaming, and praying. There was a noise. This, um, noise. I don’t know how to describe it. Right in my head, but also my chest and legs and arms. Everything was getting darker. And someone started laughing. I think it was me. Or maybe it was my dad. He had gotten back up and was pulling out pieces of broken bone from his mangled face. Dad’s blood was in my eyes. I couldn’t see. Rainbow had my hand and was pulling me out of the factorum. All around us people were attacking each other. H-hacking with axes, or crushing b-b-bones with mallets. Zephyr and dad caught up to me and Rainbow in the factorum’s loading dock and pushed us down.  “His hands were tugging at my clothes and I remember praying to the Emperor, or anything that could save me. There was that noise… That horrible, gurgling noise! And Zephyr… He… He e-exploded. Entering the factorum were battle-sisters. I thought we’d been saved, but they pointed flamers at me and Rainbow. She was twitching on the ground next to me, her skin splitting open across her face. They said we’d been tainted and would be purified. But, before they pulled the trigger, there was an explosion in the distance that covered the sky in golden flames. It hit us. Knocked us down. And I saw… I don’t know what I saw. But there was this energy in my chest, and when I sat up Rainbow was next to me, healed. Perfectly fine.  “The sisters said it was a Miracle and took us in. It was a miracle. The Emperor saved me and Rainbow. He saved everyone in our class. Now, you can save people too, if you tame the machine spirits.” Fluttershy finished her story by clasping Twilight’s hands in her own. Twilight shook her head still, but there wasn’t the same fear nor defiance, rather, it was like she was clearing away a fog.    Stepping up next to Fluttershy, Sunset put a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. There was confusion and a torrent of regrets in the eyes that snapped up to meet her gaze.  “You can do this. You must do this. For the Emperor, if for no one else.”    Twilight searched Sunset’s face. Her eyes slid to the corridor over Sunset’s shoulder. Doubts and fears clashed with hopeful faith that she wasn’t blaspheming when she delved into technology. Twilight hung on this precipice for what felt an excruciatingly long time, but was in reality perhaps a couple seconds at most until one side won out.  With a single nod Twilight slid from the bed, careful to avoid using her bad leg. Blood was seeping around the edges of the bandages and splints Fluttershy had used.  Under Twilight’s instructions they removed the front panel of the nearest of the ‘auto-docs’. Sunset did her best to hide a victorious smile, even though much of the success could be attributed to Fluttershy.  “I don’t know if I can commune with their machine spirits. These are even older than those of Equis by who knows how many thousands of years.”  Words of encouragement weren’t needed. Twilight quickly dived into the inner-workings of the devices, poking at wires as she muttered litannies and psalms to calm the machine spirits. Overhead the lights flickered. “I need to go deeper. There, remove that panel, please.” Under Twilight’s guidance, Sunset opened up a panel beneath the administrative altar. Her ordinarily pale face a ghostly shade, Twilight crawled half-way into the dark space. There was a little rustling, an inaudible curse, followed by one much louder. Twilight’s small fist banged on something, and there was a flash of electricity before the altar blinked to life.  “A connector box had come loose,” Twilight explained as she crawled back out and held out an arm to Applejack to be picked up. With Applejack’s support, Twilight turned her attention to the access altar, now flickering to life as it booted up.  Twilight’s fingers danced over the altar’s keyboard. “Oh, Holy bios, repository of the machine-soul, open yourself to the world. Let your spirit flow. Open yourself to the power of computations. Let not malignancy nor sapience touch these wires, vessels as they are for our undertakings.”  Lines of code scrolled over the screen as Twilight continued her litannies, until, with a gentle purring whirr, the chamber sprung fully to life. Lights brightened overhead, and the standby indicators switched from a threatening red to happy green. Next to the beds the mechanical arms went through a warm-up sequence, clattering open to their full extension, various diagnostic and surgical tools extending, and then retracting as they returned to their ready positions.  Helped up by Fluttershy and Applejack, Twilight laid back on the bench with only a few pained hisses.   Sunset stood back by the door as Twilight, Tony, and the other boy were examined by the servitors. She prayed they were servitors.  “Please wait while diagnostics are underway,” Mother intoned in her lifeless voice.   The servitor’s metal arms swept out and extended one of its tools. Green light washed over Twilight and the others. Switching to a needle, some concoction was injected into Twilight’s leg just about the break. Twilight’s face instantly went from pain to relief. The needle was swapped out for another tool, this one possessing a pair of mechadendrites. They slithered around Twilight’s leg above and below the break. An audible crack echoed in the room as bones were snapped back into place. Twilight didn’t even react. The diagnostic arm folded up.   One by one the beds retracted into the walls. There was a whirr, and lights flashed behind opaque glass. In the flashes several smaller arms could just be discerned as they worked. The smell of antiseptic wafted over Sunset. In almost perfect unison the beds extended again.  Everyone held their breaths as first Twilight, then the unknown Omega boy, and finally Tony sat up. They were all perfectly fine. If it weren’t for the blood on their clothes it’d have been impossible to tell any of them had ever been hurt.  “Thank you for using the Automatic Doctor Five-Thousand for your medical needs. Please, have a pleasant trip.”  Fluttershy’s mouth fell open as she inspected Twilight’s leg. “Less than a minute. Less than a minute? With no scars? Emperor, what are these? Archeotech? That’s impossible.” Fluttershy cast a suspicious look at the auto-docs, but didn’t say anything else other than help Twilight to stand and leave the room.  The next few hours were busy. One by one kids were rotated through surgery, and disgorged utterly pristine. The nature of the injuries didn’t matter, they were all expertly mended. Some kids even spoke of old wounds being fixed. Other kids laughed it off as fanciful tales, but Sunset wasn’t as certain. This ship was old. A relic of the Dark Age.  Why were children even allowed on it?  And where in the Emperor’s golden locks were the Mechanicus? Something wasn’t right.  Consumed by these thoughts and the need for urgent action, Sunset was able to proceed from moment to moment without really acknowledging what had transpired. It hit her as she entered her personal cabin.  After finding Rarity, Sunset and her squad were directed to their own, personal, cabins. It would be the first time they didn’t have to share a room for the other girls, and a return to privacy for Sunset. The luxury only barely registered in her tumultuous thoughts.  Sunset had just entered the room, with its single bed, work desk, and personal bathroom. There was even a holo display gently playing and showing a simple, crackling fireplace. As she entered the bathroom she got to see herself in the mirror, and the flecks of gore and brains stuck in her hair and on her face. Nausea slammed into her, and Sunset had to stagger to find a bag or something to throw up into. There was nothing at first glance.  Desperate she threw herself into the shower stall. Puke hit the back of her teeth, and she doubled over as she spat out gab after gob. Gravity was almost totally gonne, and it lazily formed globules that floated around her. Spitting out the last mouthful, Sunset straightened. Through the soles of her feet she felt a minute vibration, and then there was a click as the latch behind her was locked. Brow pinched, she started to reach for the lock, when the floating balls of her puke plummeted to the floor and splattered over her feet.  “What in Celestia’s mane?” Sunset muttered in her addled state. She was then hit by a spray of warm water. Sputtering, frustrated, and frightened at the ship seemingly attacking her, she groped for the shower’s control, and found none.  “Seriously!” She screamed in frustration. “Mother, stop the shower!” The water cut out almost instantly.  “Thank you,” Sunset grumbled as she fumbled with the shower stall’s latch, only to find it still locked. “Mother—” The rest of her words were lost in a rush of wind as vents opened overhead and a whirling tornado filled the small space. Only when it was done did the latch click open. Utterly confused and her hair a complete frizzy disaster, Sunset staggered out of the bathroom totally dry.   “What on the Throne?” She muttered over and over as she staggered into the main cabin.  This time the Mother didn’t respond. Then again, Sunset hadn’t directly addressed the ship. But, then why had it just blasted her with water?  Sunset’s skin crawled. There was something very wrong about the ship. She could feel being watched, but there were no servitors anywhere. Nothing but the barest hints of imperial imagery. Everything was sleek and polished, with smooth curves and calming colour pallets as if to put her at ease, and it only made her senses tingle more.   It was like being in an Equestrian hotel. Maybe that was the source of her anxiety. This place was dredging up memories of home.  With the memories came long suppressed worries about her magic. This was hardly the place or time to try contacting her magic. But then again, when was a good time? And she needed a distraction from the unsettling feeling.   Sitting down on the floor, she crossed her legs and tried to centre herself. She was going to have to go back to basics, the most basic, if she was going to find her magic. Assuming she was right about what she’d oh-too-briefly sensed during her previous attempt. That was her greatest fear. That it had only been her imagination, and the great beast she’d encountered in the Warp hadn’t just torn her body appart with its horrific powers, but infected her magic as well. Her breathing grew steadier. She focused on her fingertips and toes, imaging lines of energy spider webbing from them up her arms and into her neck then head.  For the longest time she felt nothing and her frustrations began to ferment. Jaw clenched tight, the muscles along her back tightened until they felt like they were going to tear. A throbbing ache filled her teeth, ears, and eyes. Fingernails dug into calloused palms.  She took that frustration, and buried it deep. As she pushed it down she cast her inner eye’s gaze about, and there she saw it. She felt it.  That flicker of slumbering Power. It was like a leopard dozing on the branches of a tree, supple and strong muscles twitching as it dreamt of the hunt. The mental image was so vivid she could feel the warm wind on her face, and hear the rustling of leaves mingled with a gentle snore. Looking closer she saw the leopard was covered in scars and old wounds, its hide marred and the pattern of its coat broken in many places. Scabs still covered much of its flanks, and a large patch of ugly skin stretched over one side of the leopard’s face, tufts of fur only just beginning to regrow. Even through all this, her sunburst cutie mark could be discerned on the leopard’s forehead. A golden eye cracked open as Sunset stood beneath the tree on which her Magic rested, and a surge of elation rushed through her.  It had been a terrible fight that had mauled the leopard, but it had survived, and was growing stronger. But it wasn’t fully recovered, and it let out a tired huff.  Her eyes snapped open and a tingle of excitement entered her fingers. Trembling a little she followed the ages old lessons of the unicorns.  Deep inside her the leopard flicked its tail in response.  And around her hand ethereal teal energies manifested.  Her heart leapt in pure joy and she almost lost her grasp on her magic. The aura grew stronger, more confident, and she looked about for some loose object in the room to grab. There was nothing, and in a hurry she ripped off her shirt and tossed it into the air. Gravity was so low it almost floated of its own accord.  Reaching out with her mind, Sunset extended her hand. At first her magic was slow to respond. Lazy, sluggish, it wandered inside her, up her arm, towards her fingertips.  Sunset’s heart was slamming against her ribs with pure joy. Slowly the shirt drifted towards the floor and Sunset extended her will towards it.  Warmth entered her hand.   Tears of joy prickled her eyes. Her magic was responding. It was awakening! It was there!  Her ecstasy was short lived and presumptuous. A two-toned bell sounded throughout the ship, sending a lance of fear up Sunset’s spine. On instinct she went into a spin, as if practicing her martial arts, and snatched the gently falling shirt up just before it could touch the floor, trying to make it seem that had been her intention.  ‘Sunset, you stupid girl!’ She internally growled to herself as the full monument to her folly became apparent.  She had to be under observation. All of them had to be. Even in their rooms. Especially in their rooms!  It was no different than in the schola, and just because she couldn’t see the cherubs or servoskulls didn’t mean there were no auspex watching her.   Putting back on her shirt, she rubbed away her eyes and went to leave her room. There was nothing she could do now about it if she’d been seen practising magic. She was going to have to find a place away from inquisitive eyes if she hoped to practise her magic at all. Otherwise, all she could do would be theoretical work.  The door shwoosed open and Sunset almost walked into Twilight, the other girl’s finger poised to push the doorbell.  “Oh!” They simultaneously exclaimed.  “Hey,” Twilight demurred and rubbed an arm nervously when Sunset asked what she wanted. “I wanted to thank you for what you said, and everything you’ve done. And to apologise for…”  Twilight’s eyes shifted down to the floor and her face went a little paler. Crossing her arms, Sunset waited for Twilight to continue.   Reinforcing her courage, Twilight said in a rush, “For being such a weak member of the squad. Throne, I’ve been a bad squad member and only held you and the others back. Even Fluttershy.” Crossing her arms and using a sneer to cover her own anxieties and tumultuous emotions, Sunset said, “You saved a lot of lives today. You justified your place in my squad. And I expect that you will do better in the future. Saint Dominica was with us today, and the day we met. That’s what I believe, anyways.” The lying was getting to be so easy.  Twilight looked a little shocked and took a half step back. She continued to rub her arm. Looked up and down the corridor, and then at her feet. Twilight opened her mouth to say more, but evidently thought better of it when she glanced up at Sunset’s face. “We aren’t heretics, are we?” She whispered softly as she turned away and started to make her way down the hall. “This is the Emperor’s plan for me, right? What was with the internal structure of those medicea? Never seen anything like it before… The way it reacted. Alive? Living metal? No… In a semi-solid state…? Maybe. There’s a thought… I need to get a sample…”  Continuing to mutter to herself, a fingertip tapping her lower lip, Twilight vanished into her room.     Sunset watched Twilight go, her sneer turning into a stressed frown. She’d handled that poorly, she knew, her own fears and anxieties getting the better of her. Twilight’s mutterings were a concern for later. At least the girl was coming more out of her shell than even after their first talk in the library.  Foalsteps, Sunset reminded herself. Ponies and people didn’t just change overnight.  Except for Fluttershy, apparently. The timid girl's transformation had been a shock. A very pleasing one. She had to somehow coax that personality out of Fluttershy more often.  Formulating ideas to that effect in her head a noise caught her attention. It was quiet, only barely audible over the general hum of the ship. A scritch scratching in the walls. Clink-clink-clink, and a pause. Sunset almost thought she was imagining it, but it came back. Clink-clink-clink.  She pressed her ears to the wall, but the noise stopped.  Almost as if in response to her investigation.  Sunset grinned, putting at ease one of her worries. The mechanicus were in the walls, or in hidden compartments, at least. Why they would hide themselves away puzzled Sunset, when they’d moved openly about the Righteous Indignation. Then again there were so many cultural aspects that she still had trouble grasping. It could even be a planetary custom. Nodding to herself, Sunset went to her room and put the silliness of the Mechanicus out of her mind for the time being, far more focused on her magic and the upcoming trials on Steinsanne.