//------------------------------// // A Certain Magical Sunset - Act 1 - 01 - Sunset - The Truth is Revealed // Story: A Certain Magical Sunset // by Babroniedad //------------------------------// The First Act - Worlds of Magic Sunset - The Truth is Revealed Thursday, August 14 - 12:35 PM Canterlot time Almost immediately, Sunset got a reply from Rainbow Dash. “It wasn’t Trixie was it? Because if it was, you know that’s not real magic, right?” Sunset laughed. “No Dash, it wasn't Trixie. And I think I know the difference between her shows and real magic. This was like Equestrian battle magic. Definitely the real deal. We need to meet up,” she texted the group back. “When you say ‘we’ dear, do you mean us? Or the group you just met?” texted Rarity. “Actually both,” replied Sunset. “But now, I need to meet with all of you to discuss what I saw. Can you all make it to my place for dinner tonight? Say a potluck, I’ll supply the main dish. Veggie casserole sound good?” After some back and forth it was agreed. Everyone would meet at the Royal house for dinner and a discussion of what had just happened. Sunset waited at the dining room table for her friends. She’d prepared the usual collection of snacks and drinks, ready for the girls when they arrived. Celestia and Luna had taken advantage of the chance for an evening out and were off at the movies together, giving Sunset and the girls some time alone. The doorbell rang. Rolling out to the entryway, Sunset opened the door to find Rarity and Fluttershy waiting. “Come on in! You’re the first ones here,” greeted Sunset as she backed out of the way to let them in. “Snacks and drinks are on the table. Help yourselves!” They entered, and Fluttershy took Rarity's and her sweaters and hung them on the hooks by the door, then followed Sunset back to the dining room table. Sitting on either side of her, they prepared plates of light snacks while Sunset poured them both glasses of iced tea. “So Darling, quite the interesting development you’ve informed us of. Though we should probably wait for the rest of the girls before speaking about it, I confess though I am absolutely dying of curiosity! So, otherwise, how have you been? Keeping busy? Life has been treating you well?” smiled Rarity. “Life’s been good! Thanks for asking!” grinned Sunset, “And yes, definitely been keeping busy. I’ve asked Mr. Namori for more shifts now that I don’t have school to keep me occupied. And of course the shelter and orphanage have been happy for the extra attention, so no shortage of ways to keep busy!” Fluttershy smiled. “The animal shelter’s very happy with the arrangement you made for the pets to visit the orphanage. The children are so good with the animals, and the animals are very happy to have someone to play with. We’re definitely going to make the visits a regular thing. Thank you for setting those up!” “Happy to do it, Fluttershy! Anything that brings a smile to those kids' faces lights up my day,” answered Sunset, squeezing Fluttershy’s hand. “Thanks for arranging with the shelter to make it happen.” Fluttershy nodded, smiling shyly. Outside, a car door slammed loudly, followed by loud laughter. “Sounds like the rest of the crew’s here! Be right back,” Sunset said as she rolled back down the hall to answer the door. The doorbell rang as Sunset opened the door. “Wow, that was fast!” quipped Rainbow Dash. “I didn’t even get my hand off the doorbell and you had it open.” Sunset laughed. “Seriously Dash, we could hear you from all the way in the back of the house! You may be the fastest girl on the planet, but stealth is definitely not your forte,” she snarked. “Come on in, girls! We’re enjoying some snacks in the dining room.” Sunset started down the hall, Rainbow trailing behind her. Applejack was about to shut the door when a voice called out. “Wait up! Just a second!” Slightly out of breath and her glasses askance, Twilight got to the door, hands on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. “I saw you getting out of the car, so ran from the bus stop to catch you. One sec!” Catching her breath, she put a hand to her chest and took a slow deep breath. “Much better! Okay, coming in. Thanks!” She entered and Applejack shut the door behind her. Together they walked down the hall and joined the rest of the girls at the dining room table. “Where’s Pinky?” asked Sunset as the girls sat down. “Right here, silly!” called out Pinkie’s voice from the kitchen. “What the heck?” said Sunset, wheeling into the kitchen. There was Pinky, placing a tray of cupcakes into the oven. “Pinky! When did you get here? I didn’t see you come in.” “Hiya Sunny! Just a sec. Need to warm these up a bit before we put them out.” Turning on the oven, Pinky set the timer then turned to Sunset. “I was right behind Rarity and Fluttershy! I had a few trays of snacks to bring in, so I just waited until you were all done, then brought them into the kitchen. Sorry. It's hard to say hi and give hugs with bags in your mouth and trays in your arms.” She laughed as she bent over and gave her friend a hug. “No worries girl! I’m just glad you made it! ” Sunset hugged her back. “Need a hand with anything?” “Nope! Got it covered. I’ll bring the tray in for everyone as soon as they’re warmed.” “Well come on in and have a seat while you wait,” said Sunset, taking Pinkie's hand. “Might as well get started, and I’m sure you’ll hear the bell just fine.” “Okey dokey lokey!” answered Pinky. She happily skipped in place beside Sunset as they returned to the dining room. “Look who I found!” Sunset laughed as they entered. “I guess we can get started now.” Pinky took a seat with the rest of the girls who all looked expectantly to Sunset as she wheeled to her place at the table. “Okay, first off… yeah. Bombshell revelation, we’re not alone. I ran into another group of magic users while at work. Okay, actually two groups. One group was battling the other, both with magic, which is how they noticed me. I used a magical shield when they accidentally threw something at me, which kind of got me noticed. So, yeah. Apparently magic has actually been a thing for a loooong time, and there are actually warring groups attempting to control it, the world, each other, whatever. I didn’t get much detail from the girl that briefly chatted with me, but that’s the gist of it.” Sunset summarized. The bell went off in the other room. Hearing it, Pinky left to go get the cupcakes. “Epic!” grinned Rainbow. “I wish I could have been there! How awesome is that! A magical battle with mages! Man! I can’t WAIT to be part of that!” Twilight looked a bit less thrilled. “Battle magic? So their magic was fairly powerful, right? Battle level, as in battle mages? Yeah, I really don’t think I would like to be part of that. Thanks.” She shook her head. “I know we’ve been able to take down everything we faced so far, but this sounds like another level entirely. And world domination? Groups of battling mages? Yeah, we’re not even close to that level. Count me out, thanks.” Rarity took Twilight's hand. “Darling, as daunting as it does indeed sound, I’m sure as long as we stand together, nothing bad will happen to us. Our friendship will overcome anything.” Applejack pushed her hat back. “I hear ya there Rares, but while ah share your optimism, ah do think Twilight here has a good point. We really don’t have that level of experience with our magic. Ah’d really rather not be in any battle type situations, not without some serious training and practice. Honestly, ah’d rather avoid it all together if ah had the chance.” Sunset nodded. “I’d have to agree with you there, AJ. There’s no way I’d want to face the level of magic I saw getting tossed around in that fight, and definitely no way I’d want any of you girls in the middle of that, especially at our current level of experience. We’d be sitting like ducks, I think the phrase is.” The girls all nodded. “So what is the plan then?” asked Twilight. “Do we have a plan to face any groups looking to cause trouble? You must have given this some thought.” Sunset looked pensive. “I have. Short answer, we’re going to have to train and get more proficient with our magic now that we know there are other groups of magic users out there. More to the point, now that we know there are other groups out there that now know about us. They may also be bent on stealing magical artifacts and possibly magic from others. It’s really just a matter of time until we need to defend ourselves again and everyone we love.” “You got that right! No way we’d leave anyone hanging!” agreed Rainbow. The rest of the girls nodded in assent. “I really don’t know much about the groups that were fighting. I tried searching the internet, but aside from fanciful stories and clearly fictional accounts, there really doesn’t seem to be much of anything out there about them. It seems we’ll just have to wait until the group I spoke with gets back in touch with us, then we can ask all our questions and find out just what we’re up against.” Sunset sighed. “I’ve no way of contacting them though. I would definitely recognize them if I saw them again. That Kaori girl leading them was definitely unique. I guess we just wait for them to make the first move.” “Dear, I’m sure they won’t wait too long to make contact. They clearly now know about us, so they likely have questions for us, probably as much as we have for them. They’ll likely reach out to you sooner rather than later,” mused Rarity. “Not to mention, as they know the other groups also know of our existence, they’ll surely wish to bring us over before that other group tries to either take us on, or in.” “I’m sure you’re right, Rarity. I just wish I had a better idea of who we are up against, and when we might have to face another group of hostile magic users,” added Sunset. “I never have been particularly good at the waiting part.” Applejack laughed. “No, not a bit. But then again, who is? So we wait.” Sunset smiled and nodded. “So we wait. But in the meantime, let me tell you exactly what happened and what they said, so you have a better idea of what is going on.” She then related exactly what had happened in the alley behind the mall shops. The girls chatted among themselves while snacking as Twilight followed Sunset back into the kitchen. Sunset loaded the casserole into the oven to start baking, setting the timer on the oven. “So, any idea how they will contact you? And anything I can do to help you out in the meantime?” asked Twilight. “No idea, though I’d imagine it would be in person. We didn’t have a chance to swap phone numbers or anything.” There was a knock at the door. “I wonder who that could be? We’re all here.” Sunset rolled out to the front door with Twilight in tow. Opening the door, she was greeted by the sight of the Mage she had spoken with from the battle behind the mall. She was still wearing the same jacket and those bizarre pants, with one full pant leg and one cutoff. ‘Must be some kind of uniform or something,’ mused Sunset to herself. “Oh wow! I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon!” greeted Sunset as she rolled back out of the way. “We were just talking about you. Kaori, right? Come on in!” “Thank you. I will,” answered the girl as she stepped into the entryway then shut the door behind her. “I figured you’d want to talk as soon as possible, and likely have questions. I know I do. I saw several cars in the driveway, so I assume your friends are here as well?” “Yup! We’re all talking in the dining room. Follow me,” answered Sunset before rolling down the hall. Twilight smiled, bowing slightly in greeting, then waved the girl forward. Returning her smile, Kaori bowed and followed Sunset down the hall, Twilight following behind her. “Hey everyone! I guess we don’t have to wait as long for answers as I thought. I’d like you all to meet Kaori. She was one of the mages I was telling you about. She’s the one I spoke with at work earlier,” announced Sunset as she rolled up to her place at the dining room table. “Please, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable!” she added to Kaori, smiling. Taking a seat with the girls, she smiled and nodded in greeting. “Pleased to meet you all. My name is Kaori Kanzaki, and I’m a saint with the Necessarius of the Church of England.” Pouring herself a glass of the iced tea, she continued. “I am sure you all have questions for me. I know I have several for all of you. I’ll do my best to answer all your questions.” “Thank you dear. That’s most appreciated,” answered Rarity, smiling back. “I’ll start. You mentioned something about being part of a church. So, churches have magic? This is all news to us. We seriously thought we were the only group of magic users, except for a few misplaced brigands that we have had the misfortune to deal with.” “I’d really like to hear your stories about that.” answered Kaori. “And I really need to get a good read on the level and types of magic you’re all capable of using. It sounds like we might be able to help each other. I think your goals and ours align fairly well.” Taking a sip of her tea, she continued. “About the churches. Not all the churches you know of have magic users. But the major churches do, and for the most part, we work together to keep the world safe. I am with Necessarius, of the Church of England. We work to stop those who would abuse magic by attempting to control or harm others. We also work with other world churches when needed.” Sunset nodded. “I noticed our magic is different from the magic I saw you using in your battle behind the mall,” noted Sunset. She sighed. “My gut says to trust you, so I’m gonna lay it all out.” The saint nodded. Still smiling, Sunset continued. “Our magic actually comes from my homeworld.” Kaori looked confused. Sunset nodded. “Yes, you heard that correctly. I’m not originally from here. I come from another world that’s filled with sentient creatures other than humans. I was originally a unicorn mage and studied magic under the ruler of our county, the alicorn Princess Celestia. She used her magic to raise and lower the sun and moon every day and night in our world.” The saint's eyebrows shot up. “So the Beast Realm is real…” she mused. Looking around at the rest of the girls, they all nodded in confirmation. “So are all of you from this other world?” she asked. “Oh heavens no darling!” answered Rarity. “Only Sunset’s from Equestria. We got our magic after she brought over the element of magic and used it here.” She looked awkwardly at Sunset. “Though, that’s a story for another time. Moving on… So yes, we got our magic when Sunset brought over the element of magic. It’s an artifact from her world, one of the elements of harmony. It has considerable power, especially when used with the other elements. Our powers are all linked to those elements, and work for Harmony when we ‘pony up’ as we call it.” Sunset added, “Which is different from what I observed you and the other mages doing during your battle. You were all using incantations and movements to control your magic. The magic from my world works directly from the will, so there generally are no incancations involved. Though we can use artifacts to channel, control, or amplify our magic while casting.” “So then, you cannot use our type of magic?” asked Kaori. “Well, about that…'' Sunset answered sheepishly. “I thought the answer would be no. But I practiced some of the spells I watched you and the other mages use during your battle. It seems I was wrong. I’ve been able to use some of the spells, with some practice.” “Really? Can you show me, please?” asked Kaori. “Okay. I’ll try a simple one,” replied Sunset. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, then breathed slowly out. Breathing in slowly, she opened her eyes. Looking at the saint, she raised her hands and called out “Accelerate!” A cupcake rose from the table and raced towards the saint. “Obstructionum!” called out Kaori, barely waving her hand. The cupcake splattered in front of her, landing on her plate. “Ah… what a waste of a perfectly good cupcake!” grumbled Pinky. “That. Was. AWESOME!” called out Rainbow Dash. “Interesting,” observed Kaori, picking up some of the smashed cupcake and eating it. Turning to Pinkie, she smiled. “No worries, I’ve no plans to let this perfectly tasty cupcake go to waste.” “Ah, thank you!” gushed Pinky, smiling happily at the saint. “So, it would appear our magics are in fact compatible. What other powers do you possess?” asked Kaori. “My main magic is empathy. I can touch a person, and share in their memories and feelings.” Sunset pointed towards Rarity. “Rarity can generate magical shields, which can also be used as platforms and as weapons themselves.” She pointed to Pinky, “Pinky can essentially teleport anywhere she can think of, and has some type of precognition, though she’s had that forever, so that’s likely not magically related. And she can really get a bang out of her cooking” She pointed to Fluttershy, “Fluttershy can heal, and can communicate with animals and they’ll do what she wishes. She also can force her will onto others in some circumstances.” She pointed to Dash, “Rainbow Dash grows a pair of ‘pegasus’ wings and can fly, as well as move faster than lightning.” Dash sat up smuggly. Then she pointed to Applejack, “Applejack possesses magically enhanced strength and endurance, to monstrous levels. For example, she can lift a bus over her head if needed.” And lastly to Twilight, “And Twilight can teleport, create shields, cast magical assaults, and levitate herself and other objects. She is also insanely intelligent, though again that is not magically related. She’s just that smart.” Twilight blushed at the praise. “That’s a rather eclectic collection of talents,” observed Kaori. “Is that because of these elements of harmony you mentioned?” “Yes, that’s it exactly,” answered Sunset. “My element is empathy. Rarity’s is generosity. Fluttershy’s is kindness. Rainbow Dash’s is loyalty. Pinkie Pie’s is laughter. Applejack’s element is honesty. And Twilight’s element is magic itself.” “So I take it that these ‘elements of harmony’ work most effectively when used together?” asked Kaori. “Exactly!” Sunset nodded. “So far nothing has been able to stop us when we work together. The power of friendship has overcome every magical obstacle we’ve had to face.” “And what obstacles have you had to face so far?” asked Kaori. “Well, so far, staring from the beginning… myself,” admitted Sunset. Kaori's eyebrows shot up again. “But as I said earlier, that’s a story of its own.” Kaori nodded, “I see.” “And after that, myself,” admitted Twilight. Kaori's eyebrows raised even higher. “You have to understand one thing about harmony magic. It’s power is really best at reforming whomever it is used on. As I can attest to personally,” added Sunset. “As can I!” added Twilight. She shared a smile with Sunset, who took her hand and gave a gentle squeeze. “Wow, that sounds like a very useful and powerful magic,” observed Kaori. “Then after that, there were the Sirens,” added Sunset. “Sirens? Here? I thought they died out ages ago?” asked Kaori. “These sirens were actually from my world. They were banished through the same portal that I came through. We battled with them, and broke their magic,” answered Sunset. “Heck yeah! We seriously kicked some siren's flank!” added Dash proudly. Sunset shot her a look. “Yes, we did. They were broken and lost their magic. And their immortality as well, apparently. We’ve had some contact with them since. They’ve abandoned their quest for magic and are trying to live out their lives the same as everyone else now. I hope at some point they can return to Equestria, and live out the rest of their lives there if they wish, but that’s a work in progress.” Kaori had a concerned look. “A noble sentiment. I hope you’re able to help them. But one question. Did I hear you right? You said they were banished through the portal from your world? To OUR world? Were there any other banishments we should know about?” Sunset looked sheepish. “Yeah, you heard that correctly. And yeah, that’s exactly the question to ask. When I found out that the sirens were banished ages ago here from my world, I asked that same question. I was less than pleased to find out that in the past, one of the mages from my old world decided to treat this world as his personal dumping ground and prison for any creature from his world he didn't want to deal with. Believe me, I had some harsh words to say over that! I still don't have a full list of all the ‘nuisances’ he threw through the portal here into my home for humanity to deal with. I assure you, I’ll happily share that information with you as I find it out.” “So you say your home… So you consider this world your home then?” asked Kaori. “Yes! This is where my friends are, and where I choose to live. I would happily give my life to protect it, and those I love in it. My friends mean everything to me,” answered Sunset with a smile to the girls. They all smiled and nodded back. “And you said this mage threw these creatures through the portal in the past? Is that still happening?” asked Kaori. “Well yes, he did, and no, it’s not,” answered Sunset. “He lived a thousand or so years ago in my world, which is when he put all his ‘nuisances’ through the portal. He's a unicorn, the same as I am. While we do live fairly long lives, it’s certainly nowhere near immortality. Not even close. Apparently he was trapped in a pocket dimension for the last thousand years and was only recently released. Another interesting story for another time.” “Your old world seems to be full of interesting occurrences,” observed Kaori. “Yeah, you could say that. But we don’t typically have mage battles occurring behind our storefronts in Equestria. Is that a common thing here?” asked Sunset. “You’d think we would’ve heard about it if that were true, it’s not like you guys were hiding much.” “It’s not a common occurrence but it happens from time to time. We take great pains to keep any innocent non-combatants from being harmed. I can’t say those we typically battle take the same precautions. That said, it’s not anything likely to hit the evening news,” answered Kaori. “We and those we battle do tend to try to keep a low profile. Still, I would have thought that everyone knew about the existence of magic, with the prevalence of the espers and Academy City.” “Academy City? Espers? What’s that?” asked Sunset. The saint looked around and saw the same confused looks on all the girls' faces. “You’re kidding, right? You’re joking?” asked Kaori. When no one responded, she looked to Sunset. “You really don’t know about Academy City?” “Uh, it’s some school center in Tokyo right? What about it?” asked Sunset. “Yes. In Tokyo. For children gifted with ESP. Have you heard of ESP?” asked Kaori. “Yeah sure!” answered Applejack. “It’s a load of hooey though. Psychic powers and stuff. Sci-Fi make-believe.” Kaori looked around the table as the girls, with the exception of Sunset, all nodded their heads. Sunset just looked confused. “Wait, psychic powers? So that’s different from magic?” asked Sunset. Kaori planted her face in her palms, shaking her head. “Look, I know Sunset’s excuse. But seriously girls, what’s yours? You haven’t all been living under rocks or anything. Seriously you haven't heard about Academy City, the esper movement, and the work they’re doing there? Nothing? Not a clue?” “Hey, not nice!” stated Rainbow. “We’re not stupid. Seriously, We’ve just never heard about this stuff.” The other girls nodded. Kaori sighed. “Okay. I’ll keep it simple. One, as you clearly already know, magic is real. And no, it didn't just come over from your world. It’s been a part of this world since the dawn of creation.” She continued, “Two, psychic powers are different from magic. Think of it this way. Magic comes from something outside of yourself. Some other power, force, whatever, is channeled by your will or command and does something at your bidding. Psychic powers are internal. Your will alone is the force and energy that creates the change in the world around you. So two different actions. Generally, individuals who are gifted with psychic abilities have great difficulties using magic, if they can at all. And vise versa, if someone is gifted at magic, they generally will be completely lacking psychic abilities. And if you do use magic while you have psychic powers it will prove painfully damaging. Possibly even fatal.” Kaori turned to Sunset, “Sunset, if I am understanding you correctly, you would be an exceedingly rare exception, one I don’t understand. Empathic powers are generally a psychic power, and I know for a fact you can also use magic, both from your demonstration tonight and from seeing you use it earlier during the battle you witnessed. Again, sorry for tossing that crate. I really didn't know there was anyone else around.” “No worries. I forgive you. Don’t even mention it,” responded Sunset. “I wonder if maybe I have access to both powers because of my nature as a unicorn and not as a native human?” “That’s a distinct possibility. We could examine it further if you would let us,” responded Kaori. “Wait. Wait, wait, wait…. You research magic? And investigate and experiment? I want to help! Let me help, please? Teach me how to help!” begged Twilight, eyes shining. “And she’s hooked!” laughed Sunset. Looking at Kaori, she snarked, “Obi Wan, I think you have a padawan!” Twilight shot Sunset side-eye. “Shut up, really… You know you want to know just as bad as I do. Don’t play all innocent with me, girl!” Kaori laughed at the interplay and reference. “Yes, the force is strong with this one. Hmmm… We must observe her progress,” she said in a scratchy voice, rubbing her chin. “Oh hahaha! You too! Seriously!” groused Twilight. Seeing this the other girls laughed, lightening the mood. “All kidding aside, yes, I’d be happy to get your help and teach you more about magic and psychic powers. I’ll need to get some help with the latter, obviously,” answered Kaori, smiling. “We’ll set something up and move forward.” “So,” Sunset asked. “What can you tell us about Academy City and these other magic groups?” “Best if I start from the beginning,” answered the saint. “Get comfortable, it’s a bit of a long story.” Kaori related to them the different church groups in America, Europe, and Asia, and the battles between each of them. She also told them of the battles against the covens of magic users who were interested only in power and control. She also discussed Academy City and the powers that were battling for ascendance and control among the espers. Midway through her explanation the bell went off. Sunset left to pull the casserole out of the oven. Returning, Sunset announced “Give it a few minutes to cool, then we can eat. What did I miss?” “Not much,” answered Kaori. “I was just talking about some of the underground groups at Academy City and the infighting that seems to be going on there. I have some friends caught in the middle of that mess. I’d really like to help them out if I could.” “You have friends in Academy City?” asked Sunset. “Any chance we’ll get to meet them?” “Actually, I hope the answer to that is yes. I may want to introduce you to Index and her roommate Tōma,” answered Kaori. “I think you girls and Index would get along famously.” “Academy City! I’m in! I am so in! Count me in!” stated Twilight. “I’ll go. Just say when.” Sunset laughed. “Down girl! We haven’t even shown Kaori all our magic yet. What if she decides she doesn’t need us, or we aren’t what they want?” Twilight looked like a whipped puppy. “What? What do you mean? We’re totally just what they need, right?” She turned to Kaori. “We can totally help, right? We’d love to help. You can send us, right?” Kaori smiled. “It’s not really up to me. But I'd be happy to test your magic and make a recommendation to the Church. When do you want to get together and try out your magic?” “I’m free! We can do it right now if you want!” Twilight replied. Sunset smiled at her friend's enthusiasm. “How about this Saturday? We can meet at the old campground in the Everfree Forest. There shouldn’t be anyone there this time of year, so we can let loose without really damaging anything. Does that work for you, Kaori?” “That works fine for me. I’ll bring along one of my fellow mages and we’ll watch you girls go through your paces. Then we can show off some of our magic so you can compare our different styles and techniques,” she answered. “Sounds like a plan! I’ll set it up and text everyone the details. Speaking of which, do you have a cell number or some way we can reach you?” Sunset asked Kaori. “I totally didn’t get a chance to ask you last time since you were hightailing it after those crooks that stole your artifact.” “Sure. I’ll let you know. We can keep in touch,” answered Kaori. “Alright everyone! Sounds like a plan. Let’s eat! And Kaori, you are more than welcome to join us!” Sunset led the charge to the kitchen where she served everyone up. They all returned to the table with their food to chat and enjoy the rest of the evening. It is wisdom to trust an unknown future to our known Maker - The Celestial Teachings