The end of the first semester for the students at Celestia's school was approaching, and that meant it was test season. Students were busy studying in class and at their dorms. They were allowed to stay in their dorms to study if they wanted to. However, teachers were required to stay in their classrooms till the end of the day if any student needed tutoring.
Sunset took full advantage of this, not going to the campus at all. That doesn’t mean she didn’t keep up with her studies though. She would still diligently study and complete classwork (which there was hardly any of). When she wasn’t studying she was reading up on magical theories, fighting techniques, and occasionally O&O.
Sunset and Twilight's lessons with Celestia were put on a pause, much to their dismay, due to the tests. Celestia wanted them to only have to focus on studying for the tests. After the tests, however, their private lessons would become more intense because they’ll only have to only focus on them for a little while.
“So Sunset, how are your studies coming along?” Celestia asked, sipping on her tea.
“They’re going alright,” Sunset replied. “I feel like I could’ve handled both studying and our lessons, though.”
“Oh I know you could’ve handled it,” Celestia chuckled.
Sunset face furrowed, frowning. “Then why did you have to pause them?”
“Because.”
“Because what?” Sunset tilted her head.
Celestia shrugged. “Just because.”
“You’re unbearable sometimes, you know that?” Sunset sighed.
“I know,” Celestia smiled, taking a long sip of her tea.
Sitting in silence, Sunset looked around. They were seated in the Celestia’s private sector of the garden. Celestia invited Sunset to have some tea and chat, much to her surprise. It was a beautiful day. The air was cool and fresh with a gentle breeze that paired well with the warm beams of sunlight.
The private sector was even nicer than the garden. A bunch of colorful, rare flowers were scattered around them. Trees and shrubs were colored with all kinds of fruits and vegetables. There was even a little stream with a pond!
“Admiring the beauty, Sunset?” Celestia said, snapping Sunset out of the trance. Sunset nodded, still looking around her. “Would you believe me if I told you I tend to this garden?”
“Really?” Sunset was taken back a bit, looking at her teacher. “How do you even have the time to do that?”
“I make the time,” Celestia simply said. “Gardening is one of my many hobbies. After living for so long, you tend to have a lot of them.”
“I would bet,” Sunset chuckled. “It’s very beautiful, that’s for sure.”
“Why thank you,” Celestia giggled. “I try.”
“So are we really just having tea out here?” Sunset asked, sipping on some herbal tea.
“Yup,” Celestia nodded. “Just wanted some company since I was free for a little bit. Tea is always better with other ponies.
“Fair enough,” Sunset shrugged. “It’s a nice change of pace, that’s for sure. I’ve been holed up in my room for quite a while.”
“I’m not surprised.”
Sunset cocked an eyebrow. “And why is that?”
“Sunset, you’ve been both my student and my friend for a little while. I know some of your habits, and shutting yourself in your room is one of them,” Celestia took a long sip of her tea. “I also know you haven’t been at school at all these past few weeks, so there’s that.” She finished with a shrug.
“I forgot you ran the school to be honest,” Sunset chuckled. “I barely see you there.”
“That’s because you’re barely there,” Celestia shot back, grinning.
“Well played Celestia, well played.”
Taking another sip, Celestia smiled. “There’s something else coming up as well, do you know what it is?”
Sunset tapped her chin with a furrowed face. “Besides the tests? I have no idea.”
“It’s something you’ve been excited to do for quite a while now,” Celestia said, still ambiguous.
“What have I been excited for?” Sunset mumbled to herself. “What was it…”
“Rather, it was something both you and Twilight were looking forward to,” Celestia added another hint.
“Nope, still no idea,” Sunset gave up, slouching in her seat. “To be fair, my mind has only been filled with magic circles, equations, and incantations recently.”
“The duels, Sunset. Remember?” Celestia finally gave in, reminding her of what was coming up.
“Oh yeah!” Sunset slapped her forehead, groaning. “How could I forget something so important. I have my first duel a week after tests, huh?”
“Indeed you do,” Celestia said. “Did they tell you who your opponent was going to be yet?”
“It’s a stallion around my age,” Sunset answered. “I can’t seem to remember his name though. I just know he’s orange like me.”
“I feel bad for whoever it is,” Celestia chuckled. “Don’t go killing him, okay?”
Sunset rolled her eyes. “You know I wouldn’t do that, right?”
“Eh…” Celestia gave her a weak smile, sipping on her tea.
“Hey, why aren’t you saying anything,” Sunset frowned, poking her mentor. “Say something.”
“Anyways, are you excited for the duel? Have you been reading up on some strategy?”
“Hey, you’re trying to avoid answering!” Sunset called her out.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Celestia cotinued smiling and sipping on tea.
Sunset crossed her forehooves. “There’s no way for me to get you to answer huh.”
Celestia nodded. “So, any strategies?”
“Twilight and I have been doing some research,” Sunset said. “We read up on fighting strategies that the higher ranked fighters use as well as attended so many duels.”
“I’m assuming you’ve also created profiles for some fighters?” Celestia asked.
“You know us too well,” Sunset chuckled. “For any pony above rank fifty, we have all kinds of information on them.”
“Have you read up on any strategy used in past wars?” Celestia suggested. “I’d advise you to do so if you haven’t. Many Equestrian generals are known for their unorthodox strategies, oddly enough.”
“Duly noted.”
“So have you developed any of your own strategies yet?” Celestia continued on.
“To an extent,” Sunset sighed. “There’s still a lot of things I want to try out, but I’m not sure they’ll work in a real battle or not.”
“Might as well try them now rather than later,” Celestia chuckled. “Don’t want to be trying something new against an experienced fighter.”
“I guess so,” Sunset nodded. “Though, it could surprise them and work!”
“Or completely backfire,” Celestia countered.
“Hey, you have to take a risk every once in a while.”
“That's ture,” Celestia nodded. “So how about fighting style?”
“I’ll probably just stick to casting for now,” Sunset shrugged. “But who knows, maybe I’m gifted in weapons. We’ll just have to see.”
“Equipment?”
“Staff and cloak.”
“Gemstone?”
“Ruby for sure.”
Celestia chuckled. “You’ve got that part planned out at least.”
“That’s the easy part,” Sunset laughed along with her.
“Has Twilight said anything about her plan?” Celestia asked. “I know she won’t be able to participate for a little while, but knowing her, I’m sure she has something planned.”
“She hasn’t said anything to be,” Sunset frowned. “Now that I think about it, I don’t think she told anypony about her strategies.”
Celestia cocked an eyebrow. “Not even Shining Armor?”
“Not even Shining Armor.”
“She must really not want ponies to know,” Celestia shook her head with a smile. “What a troublesome filly.”
“Knowing her, she has lots of tricks up her sleeve,” Sunset chuckled. “Maybe even more than me.”
“And that’s saying something,” Celestia winked at her, smiling.
Sunset stared into her cup, swirling around the little tea she had left. Sighing, she gulped down the rest of it and looked up to Celestia.
“Unfortunately, I’ll have to cut our tea time a little short,” Celestia sighed. “Duty calls.”
“I understand,” Sunset replied. “You know, since you’re the ruler of Equestria and all.”
“Maybe one day I’ll be able to retire,” Celestia chuckled. “But till then, this is my life.”
“You know, I almost feel bad for you,” Sunset grinned. “Almost.”
“Thank you Sunset,” Celestia grinned back. “See you soon.”
“Have fun!” Sunset snidely remarked as Celestia walked away.
Sunset sat there, listening to the sounds of the garden. Birds chirping, trees and bushes rustling, and magic blasts.
The relaxing sounds of…
“Magic blasts!?” Sunset shouted, jumping out of her seat. She turned towards the direction where the noises were coming from. It seemed to be a little further into the garden.
Making her way out of Celestia’s private garden, she followed a trail, the noise becoming louder and louder. As she closed in, she crept quietly, wanting to see which pony was brave enough to practice such flashy magic in public.
The blasts were sometimes almost ear-deafening, causing Sunset to plug her ears with some magic.
“Once I get my hooves on whoever’s doing this I’ll-” she mumbled to herself, cut off when a laser whizzed right by her. Huffing, she scowled. “Oh they’re really going to get it now.”
She stomped towards the noise, not caring anymore about sneaking up on them anymore. She was soon met with a familiar clearing, and in the middle of it stood a unicorn.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing!” Sunset yelled, marching up to the unicorn. “Not only are you making a ton of noise, you almost hit me!”
“I’m sorry!” the unicorn yelped in surprise.
Sunset stopped and shook her head, really focusing on the pony. “Twilight? What the buck are you doing?”
“Language, Sunset,” Twilight frowned. “Shiny says that’s a no-no word.”
“I don’t give a buck what Shining Armor says, what are you doing?” Sunset asked again.
Twilight’s frown deepened as she looked at Sunset. “I’m just practicing some magic.”
“By yourself?” Sunset looked around the clearing, nopony was in sight. “You do know you’re not allowed to do that, right?”
“Of course I know that,” Twilight sat down, crossing her hooves. “I’m not alone.”
Sunset cocked an eyebrow. “Then who’s watching you? Cause I sure don’t see anypony.”
“Shiny was watching me, but he got distracted when Cadance showed up. He said that I could practice all I want as long as I stayed here,” Twilight said. “Cadance and Shiny went somewhere into the garden to lay down together or something like that.”
“Ew,” Sunset groaned, slapping her face. “Anyways, you know you shouldn’t practice it unsupervised, even if Shining Armor said you could.”
“It’s not like I’m doing anything dangerous,” Twilight said. “Just practicing some spells from this book!”
Twilight held out a dusty journal. The title was in old ponish, something Sunset has not touched up on in a while. Frowning, she studied the book. The cover wasn’t anything special, just some magic related cutie mark. The cutie mark was just a big swirl with a star in the middle.
“If you don’t mind, can you translate the title for me? My old ponish isn’t very good.”
Twilight nodded.“It roughly translates to Requiem of Frostblossom.”
“Sounds cool I guess,” Sunset shrugged. “At least it doesn’t have to do with necromancy this time.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Twilight giggled. “There’s a mention of it on one of these pages.”
“What is it with you and necromancy?” Sunset shook her head, sighing.
“I don’t know either,” Twilight replied. “It’s interesting though. There’s a lot to talk about, especially the morality of bringing back a dead pony.”
Ignoring what she just said, Sunset continued on. “So what kind of spell were you practicing just now? It almost blew my eardrums out as well as took me out."
“It’s some sort of laser that combines multiple elements!” Twilight smiled. “I’ve only been able to combine two so far, but that’s why I’m practicing.”
“Uh huh…” Sunset nodded. “Still, I don’t think you should be practicing by yourself. You could get in really big trouble, especially with spells like these.” Sunset skimmed it through the book. Although she couldn’t completely understand the old ponish, she had an idea of what kind of spells the journal contained.
“Now that I think about it, why didn’t Cadance and Shiny just lay over here with me? The sun feels nice with this breeze. I’m sure it’s chilly in the shade,” Twilight’s face furrowed.
“Ah, to be so innocent,” Sunset shook her head, smiling.
“Did you say something?” Twilight tilted her head.
“Nope! Nothing at all,” Sunset chuckled. “How about we go find those two?”
“If it keeps me from getting in trouble, sure!” Twilight nodded, levitating the book into her bookbags.
The two walked in the direction Twilight saw the two go. Walking through the garden was always calming.
“So, practicing spells for the duels?” Sunset asked.
“Yup! Twilight giggled. “I know it’s not for a while, but there’s no harm in being ahead of the game.”
“I bet you’re going to surprise everypony there,” Sunset smirked. “Imagine a filly absolutely obliterating the competition. That would be hilarious!”
“I don’t think I could obliterate anypony,” Twilight rubbed the back of her neck.
“I would if I could,” Sunset chuckled as Twilight looked up to her in horror. “Jeez, it was a joke, Twilight. I wouldn’t kill anypony.”
“Sureee…” Twilight nodded slowly.
Sunset cocked an eyebrow. “Is Celestia spreading rumors about me?”
“No!” Twilight answered quickly, her eyes quickly averting Sunset’s
“I’m gonna have to have another chat with her,” Sunset grumbled.
“Don’t mention me please!” Twilight pleaded.
“I won't, don’t worry,” Sunset grinned, winking at the filly.
They continued their walk until they heard faint talking. The two made their way towards the chatting ponies, who they assumed were Shining Armor and Cadance. As they came closer and closer to the chatter, it confirmed their previous assumptions. Their voices were just too recognizable. Sunset and Twilight made their way into a nearby bush, peeking through the leaves.
Cadance and Shining Armor lay next to each other, looking up at the sky through a small hole in the trees.
“I think we should start heading back to Twilight,” Shining Armor said with heavy breaths. “Who knows what kind of trouble she got herself into.”
Twilight almost barged out of the bush yelling, but was yanked back with a hoof over her mouth by Sunset. Shushing and calming down the filly, they continued watching them.
“She's a big girl now,” Cadance chuckled. “I’m sure she’s fine.”
“But we’ve been gone for quite a wh-” Shining tried to respond, but was cut off by a kiss.
Sunset stuck her tongue out in disgust while Twilight watched with curious eyes.
“What are they doing?” Twilight pointed at the two, a quizzical look on her face. “I’ve seen mommy and daddy do that, but why are Cadance and Shiny doing it?”
“How do you not know what kissing is? Don’t you read like a billion books a day?” Sunset whispered.
“That's not possible Sunset," Twilight said.
"You know what I mean," Sunset rolled her eyes.
Twilight simply grinned. "Anyways, I've seen the word 'kiss' a couple times in books, but didn’t really think much of it because it wasn’t important to the research I was doing."
“I can never get over what a weird filly you are,” Sunset shook her head. “But what they're doing is called kissing, and ponies usually do that when they're in love or when they’re doing other things.”
“What kind of other things?”
“Ask Shiny, Cadance, or me when you're older,” Sunset weakly smiled. “But anyways, I think your brother loves your foalsitter.”
“That’s awesome! Would that make Cadance my sister?” Twilight grinned widely.
“Not just yet,” Sunset answered. “They have to get married first, but I’m sure that won’t be fo-”
“Are you two going to get married?!” Twilight yelled, jumping out of the bush into the open.
Shining Armor and Cadance instantly separated from their passionate kiss, staring in horror at Twilight’s sudden appearance. Both of them were blushing profusely.
“Heh, sorry for interrupting,” Sunset awkwardly chuckled, getting out of the bush as well. The two turned their attention to Sunset, somehow growing redder than they already were. “Twilight’s magic was getting a little out of hand so we went to go find you two.”
“Then you decided to spy on us?” Shining Armor squeaked out the accusation.
Sunset shrugged. “It looked like you two were having a good time. Didn’t want to go and ruin it, ya know?”
“How long were you watching?” Cadance asked.
“Only for a few minutes so not that long. Don’t worry, we didn’t see anything that you wouldn’t want Twilight to see,” Sunset laughed, winking at the two.
Shining Armor frowned while Cadance shook her head, the two obviously picking up on her little hint. Composing themselves with some deep breaths, they looked at two.
“So are you two really getting married?” Twilight asked again, a wide grin on her face.
“Yeah Shiny, are we?” Cadance teased, elbowing his sides with a devious smirk. “Are we? Are we?” She repeated with the jabs.
“Stop that,” Shining Armor whined, swatting her away. Turning his attention to his sister, he smiled weakly. “We don’t know if we’re getting married Twily, we’re just having some fun.”
“Is that all we’re doing?” Cadance gasped, faking a hurt expression. “We’re just having fun? Was my love not real enough for you?”
“Not helping Cadie,” Shining growled, glaring at her.
“Oh c’mon, you’re too easy to tease,” Cadance giggled. “Give me a challenge would ya?”
“So are you two a thing or…” Sunset glanced between the two of them, a bit confused.
“Yeah Shiny, are we a thing?” Cadance rubbed up against him affectionately.
Shining Armor let out a loud groan, slapping his face. “Cadance!”
“Sorry, sorry, I’ll stop,” Cadance laughed. With a wink, she separated herself from him. “For now.”
“Thank you,” Shining grumbled. “And to answer your question Sunset, we are together. Have been for a little while now.”
Sunset shook her head. “How did I not see it? It was so obvious!”
“What does it mean to be together?” Twilight tilted her head. “Like to live together or something like that?”
“Twilight, your knowledge impresses me,” Sunset put a hoof on her shoulder. “But your common sense never ceases to amaze me.”
“Huh?” Twilight simply replied.
“It’s nothing,” Sunset dismissed her statement. “Anyways, when they say they’re together, that means they're in a relationship. For example, your mom and dad are together.”
“But I thought mommy and daddy were married.”
“There are different kinds of relationships,” Cadance joined in. “Your parents, for example, are married, while Shiny and I are just a couple.”
“A couple of what?” Twilight frowned. “I’m getting more and more confused.”
“A couple, coltfriend and marefriend, your special somepony,” Cadance continued explaining patiently, listing off some other definitions.
“I can’t believe we have to explain this to Twily,” Shining Armor sighed. “I thought it was mom and dad’s job.”
“At least we’re not giving her the talk,” Sunset said.
“Yeah, I’d rather not do that,” Shining Armor chuckled dryly. “That would be weird.”
“I wouldn’t mind doing it,” Cadance shrugged. “Anything love related doesn’t faze me at all.”
“That explains why you’re so aggressive,” Shining Armor smirked, earning him a smack on the back of the head from Cadance.
“Jeez, no bedroom talk in front of the children,” Cadance frowned, shaking her head.
“I did not need to know that,” Sunset’s face deadpanned. “Too much information, way too much information.”
“You three are just talking gibberish!” Twilight said. “I don’t know what you mean by all these obscure phrases.”
“We really have to get her out more,” Cadance sighed while Shining Armor nodded his head.
“Does anypony know you’re together?” Sunset asked.
“Nah, not even Auntie Celestia,” Cadance giggled. “She wants me to find love of course, but I feel like she doesn’t want me to find it just yet.”
“I didn't know you were going through your rebellious phase,” Sunset smirked. “I haven’t reached mine just yet.”
Cadance rolled her eyes. “Sunset, you’ve been in your rebellious phase since you came to this school.”
“Eh, I guess you’re right,” Sunset shrugged.
“I want to be rebellious too!” Twilight chirped.
“Please never have a rebellious phase,” Shining Armor chuckled dryly. “And if you do have one, try to keep it tame okay?”
“I bet she’s going to dye her mane some funky color,” Sunset said. “That would be hilarious.”
“How did we even get to this conversation?” Cadane tapped her chin.
“To be honest, we kind of just spiraled into chaos,” Sunset shrugged. “It was fun though.”
“We could have like a group study or something like that,” Shining Armor suggested, looking at Sunset. “I know you have a duel coming up, I could give you some pointers if you’d like.”
“That’d be cool,” Sunset nodded. “Better than reading books all day, that’s for sure.”
“Guess we should head back to where you found Twilight then,” Shining Armor said. “You coming, Cadance?”
“I would love to, but I have some things to attend to,” Cadance sighed. “Being royalty sucks sometimes.”
“Awww,” Twilight frowned, hanging her head. “Can’t you stay just a little bit? I want to show you the spells I learned.”
Cadance lifted her face up by the chin, smiling at the filly. “I promise that we’ll hang out later, then you can show me the awesome things you learned!”
Cheering up quickly, Twilight nodded quickly. “Okay! It’s a promise then,” Twilight’s grinned.
“Alright, I’ll head out first I guess,” Cadance said, walking away from them. Just before she was out of sight, she waved to them. “Bye!”
The three of them waved back before Cadance turned her back again, disappearing into the castle.
“Alright, let’s move out crew,” Shining Armor announced.
Making their way back to the clearing, they sat down in the middle of it. The sun was still out, although not the highest in the sky.
“Alright, so what’s your plan for the duel? Hit and run? A full on assault?” Shining Armor asked Sunset.
“You know, I just had this conversation with Celestia,” Sunset chuckled. “Though, she didn’t really suggest anything. What do you think I should do?”
“Knowing you, I’m sure you’d like to simply overpower your opponent. So with that, I’d suggest being the first to attack, trying to keep leverage on them,” Shining Armor explained. “Kind of like what Amethyst did to Twinkleshine.”
“You saw that duel?” Twilight asked.
“A couple of my buddies wanted to go so I decided to join in,” Shining Armor said. “I’m glad I did. It was quite the fight.”
“It was,” Sunset nodded. “So I’m assuming you mean I should keep the pressure on them, not giving them any kind of breathing room?”
“Exactly!” Shining Armor said “That seems like you. Be aggressive, but obviously not just charging in stupidly.”
“I know that,” Sunset rolled her eyes.
“Uh huh…” Shining Armor nodded his head slowly. “If you say so.”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?!” Sunset scowled.
“Nothing, nothing at all,” Shining Armor smiled.
Crossing her hooves, Sunset glared at him. “I’ll let that slide just this once.”
“Whatever you say,” Shining Armor chuckled. “Moving on, what kind of spells do you plan to use?”
“I don’t really know,” Sunset sighed. “Obviously I’m going to use teleportation to move around, but other than that I have no idea.”
“You’re not going to be using any weapons, right?” Shining Armor inquired.
“No weapons,” Sunset said. “I’ll probably just stick to spells for now, so I guess I’ll have a staff.”
“Well, I’d suggest experimenting with a lot of spells beforehand. Figure out what spells pair well together, and the damage they can cause,” Shining Armor suggested. “Just like Twily’s been doing.”
“I’ve been practicing for a while!” Twilight grinned. “I still have lots to do, but I have some combos I’d like to test.”
“You’re one scary filly, you know that?” Sunset chuckled.
“By the way, who are you fighting? I might be able to help you scout,” Shining Armor asked.
“Isn’t that cheating?” Sunset asked, causing Shining Armor to cock an eyebrow. “Ah, who am I kidding. I’m sure everypony does it.”
“The only thing I know about my opponent is that he has a light orange coat. Other than that, I don’t really know anything about him,” Sunset sighed.
“A light orange stallion?” Shining Armor tapped his chin. “I don’t know of anypony like that.”
“Are you talking about Sunburst?” Twilight joined in. “He’s the only other orange pony I know besides you Sunset.”
“Sunburst? Who’s that?” Sunset tilted her head.
“He’s in our class,” Twilight giggled. “Though I don’t really expect you to know that.”
“Dang right,” Sunset grinned. “I don’t know anypony in our class.”
“Oh you’re up against Sunburst?” Shining Armor said. “I’ve seen a couple of his matches. He seems a little timid but he definitely knows a lot of strategies. He’s not super high ranked but he definitely knows what he’s doing the whole fight.”
“So he’s a planner and not a fighter?” Sunset asked. “Why would he do duels then?”
“I wouldn’t say he’s not a fighter, he is definitely strong enough to beat some ponies,” Shining Armor said. “He just lacks experience and power. He definitely researches his opponent a lot, but that gives you an advantage.”
“How unlucky for him,” Sunset smirked. “This is my first duel ever so he has no idea what I’m going to do!”
“I’d still be wary of him though. He improvises pretty well from what I’ve seen,” Shining Armor said.
“Well at least I know some things about him,” Sunset said.
“I can’t wait for the match!” Twilight chirped. “I’ve seen some of Sunburst’s duels and they were all super close.”
“Sounds like I’m in for a great maiden battle,” Sunset smiled.
Clapping his hooves together, Shining Armor got their attention. “Now then, how about we read a book about spellcasting”
“Yeah!” Sunset and Twilight cheered.
Reaching into Twilight’s bag, he pulled out a large book. It was in pristine condition and looked almost brand new. The front design was very simple, being a fully white unicorn centered on the book’s blue cover. The title was above the unicorn.
“Magic and Arcane, Volume V: Spellcasting In Battle,” Sunset read out loud, cocking an eyebrow.
“Yup! This book right here will teach you everything you need to know about being a spell-focused fighter,” Shining Armor grinned. “I picked it up at the library but never got around to reading it. To be honest, I prefer to be on defense.”
“Uh huh…” Sunset nodded. “The name is kind of generic, don’t you think?”
“Don’t worry Sunset,” Twilight chirped. “Starswirled the Bearded himself approves this book! He even knew the author personally.”
“It’s that old?” Sunset examined the book. “It doesn’t look like it, that’s for sure.”
“Well obviously this isn’t the original version,” Shining Armor chuckled. “I’m pretty sure that’s in the restricted area of the library.”
“There’s a restricted area?!” Twilight yelped. “Why did no pony tell me?”
“Probably because there’s some dangerous stuff in there,” Sunset guessed, shrugging. “I’ve been in there once and a lot of spells in those books were quite destructive.”
“Wait, you have access to the restricted area?” Shining Armor stared at Sunset.
“Just another perk for being Celestia’s student,” Sunset winked. “I’m sure Twilight could go in there too if she wanted to.”
“Yipee!” Twilight cheered, jumping up and down in excitement. “More books to read!”
Shining Armor frowned. “Twily, I won’t say you can’t go in there, but promise me you won’t go casting any of the spells in there without supervision from Celestia and Celestia only.” He knew he couldn’t stop her from going in there, but at least he could set some boundaries up.
“You got it B.B.B.F.F!” Twilight nodded vigorously.
“Anyways, back to this book,” Shining Armor held up Magic and Arcane, Volume V: Spellcasting In Battle. “The title’s kind of vague, but I skimmed through and saw some useful spells to know.”
“Do they involve explosions? Or maybe a death beam? Or about both combined into one?” Sunset smirked. “That sure would be useful to know.”
“No, no, and no,” Shining Armor sighed, shaking his head. “Some variations of teleportation, imbuing magic for your staff, speed spells. Things of that nature.”
“Boring,” Sunset rolled her eyes. “I already know all of those.”
“There’s also an advanced section I didn’t get to glance at yet, maybe there’s some useful things in there,” Shining Armor flipped through the pages. “Aha! Here it is.”
The three looked at the first page of the section titled Spellcasting in Combat: Advanced Section. There wasn’t any other writing on the first page, but rather a picture that depicted two ponies battling.
“Is everything this pony writes so simple?” Sunset chuckled. “Not saying that it’s a bad thing, just find it kind of funny that probably even a foal could understand it.”
“I think that’s what he was aiming for,” Shining Armor laughed along with Sunset.
“Flip the page!” Twilight said eagerly.
“Alright, alright,” Shining Armor grinned, flipping to the next page.
The next page was more or a less an introduction, just briefly touching on things that were mentioned in previous chapters. Just as Shining Armor said, the previous chapters touched up on basic yet effective spells you should know as well as how to imbue magic into things. Flipping to the next page, there was some text with the title “Casting While Moving.”
“Why is there a whole section for casting while moving around? Isn’t it easy?” Sunset tilted her head.
“Well it is,” Shining Armor paused briefly. “If they’re simple spells. Most of the time you are casting simple attacks, but there are times where you want to do something more advanced, thus why it’s in this section.”
Sunset cocked an eyebrow, staring down Shining Armor. “Are you sure you didn't read the book?”
“I just summarized what the first paragraph said,” Shining Armor pointed down at the book. “Take a look for yourself.”
Sunset read the first paragraph, confirming that he did indeed just summarize it. Reading on, Sunset realized that this was just the first page in this section as it listed off the other things that were covered. It seemed to be quite lengthy as well.
“There sure is a lot of information about just casting while moving,” Sunset said. “An oddly large amount, if you ask me.”
“Well this is the advanced section after all,” Shining chuckled. “I’m sure they go quite in-depth with the subject.”
“They do,” Twilight confirmed. “I read some of the author’s other books, and almost every one of them has an advanced section! Some sections in the book are almost a hundred pages long.”
“I don’t get how you read through all of that,” Sunset shook her head. “What can they even talk about for hundreds of pages?”
“The one I remember being the youngest was the one on summoning eldritch horrors,” Twilight happily chirped. “That section sure was interesting.”
“You really have to do something about what she reads,” Sunset whispered to Shining Armor. “I caught her reading something about necromancy a little while ago.”
“Nothing can sate her desire for knowledge,” Shining Armor sighed. “Once she gets her hand on a book that she finds interesting, which is pretty much every book, she won’t give it up until she’s done reading.”
The two stared at Twilight as she continued reading through the book, flipping page after page.
“So, how are we going to get this back then?” Sunset frowned. “She seems to be interested in it.”
“Asking never hurts,” Shining Armor shrugged. “Probably won’t get it back now though.”
Sunset sighed, scooting closer to Twilight. “Hey Twilight, I know you’re having fun reading the book but I kind of need it for a little bit for the duel. I won’t take it for too long, maybe just a couple days, then you can read it all you want.”
Twilight looked up from the book, narrowing her eyes, staring into Sunset’s soul. Suddenly, her eyes went back to normal and smiled. “Sure!”
“Wow, thanks Twilight,” Sunset said, taken back a bit.. “For a second there I thought you weren’t going to give it up.”
“I only gave it to you because I know you have a duel coming up,” Twilight said. “If it was anything else I wouldn’t have even batted an eye.”
“Quite the sassy one, aren’t you,” Sunset laughed.
“She’s a pain sometimes,” Shining Armor sighed. “Anyways, Twilight and I will stay here and practice some more spells if you want to join us.”
Sunset tapped her chin. “Hmm…”
“No?” Shining Armor smiled.
“Yeah, I think I’ll pass this time,” sunset nodded. “I still have some tests to study for, and now I have this book! Thanks for the help though.”
“I’m glad I could help,” Shining Armor nodded. “Well, see you whenever I guess.”
“Bye Sunset! See you on the test day,” Twilight said.
“Bye you two,” Sunset waved as she started walking away.
Making her way through the halls, she eventually made it back to her room, exactly the same as she left it. Books scattered the floor, papers and quills all over her desk. Notes posted on her walls with equations, notes, and other miscellaneous things. Sighing, she trotted over to the desk, clearing off all the scrolls and books and placed Magic and Arcane, Volume V: Spellcasting In Battle right in the middle.
“Well, guess we’ll start with this then.”