//------------------------------// // Ch 9 - The Trials - Stand United, Lest We Fall // Story: Phoenix-born Rising - The Ascension of Sunset Shimmer // by The Voice in the Water //------------------------------// Sup Sunset, There’ve been some pretty wild stories coming out of Heliopolis. Is it true that you punched Highblood’s kid in the face and spat on him? Mom and dad say not to take rumors like that too seriously, but if it’s true, how’d you get away with it? I’m sure he deserved it if you did.  Baronet Sky Stride just had a statue of you put up in town square. It’s so weird. Apparently he asked Bronze to make it. He did a pretty good job. All we need is to have a fire-caller enchant it to make sarcastic remarks and it’ll be like you never left. AJ and Pinke’ve been really busy getting ready for the Fall Harvest Festival. It looks like it's going to be bigger than usual this year. Word among the rangers is that a bunch of people from the Western Territory are going to be coming to participate since they think they’re going to be able to see a phoenix-born. I don’t think they’ve heard you’re going to be in the East this year. It’s such wood rot that you can’t be here. I was hoping we’d be able to race together in the games. We miss you. Please take care of yourself. Rainbow Dash ***** Dear Lady Orange Spice, Bright Day to you and Queen Celestia’s blessings upon you and your house. May her light shine upon you. I don’t know if you remember me, but my name is Flare Gleam. We met at the training course for the phoenix-rite, where we got partnered for the first table setting exam. Remember how there were plates missing, and it turned out it was part of the test by Lady Inkwell? I can’t believe how stressful that was. Or the argument we got into afterwards. I’m so glad Lady Inkwell helped us work things out.  I was wondering if you might want to be penpals? It felt like we had the kindling of possible friendship when we were at the rite, and I wanted to see if you felt the same. If not, I understand, as it has been months since we last saw eachother. Truthfully, I’ve been very busy with my studies, so I haven’t had the chance to reach out. But, if you’re receptive, I would be happy to correspond, at your discretion or course. May your flame burn long and brightly. Dame Flare Gleam of Chromos ***** Dear Rainbow, AJ and Pinkie, Please don’t tell me about the rumors. They’re ridiculous and all a bunch of moorgaunt-scat, because if I did punch that little night-lover, I’d be in even bigger trouble than I already am. I don’t want to imagine what Lady Inkwell would have done to me if I had. No matter how much I would have liked to at the time. I’m not sure how I feel about there being a statue of me in town. I guess I’m flattered. But it’s still weird. So are a bunch of people coming to town hoping to see me. I hope they’re not too mad when I’m not there. I’m not looking forward to the Festival. I thought getting ready for the phoenix-rite was awful, but I’d put the training for the festival in Rose’s Blossom as almost as bad. I’m just grateful that I still get to study with the Queen. As hard as what she’s got me learning is, I’ll take it over Lady Inkwell’s drills. And I just realized how surreal it was to write those  last two sentences. Night, I’d almost take another sparring lesson with General Sentry. And that involved me getting pummeled into the dirt with an enchanted staff.  I’ll see if I can get you all something from the Eastern Territory. No promises though. I love you all. Try to have fun at the Festival.  Your sister, Sunset Shimmer P.S. - AJ, Dash, keep Pinkie away from the booze. I want a town to come back too after I’m done training. P.P.S. - Pinkie, I’m asking you as a favor to me, please don’t get into anything that’ll set you off. I know you love having the few inhibitions you have cut free, but it’s not good for you. Especially if you over indulge like you did the last time.  ***** Dear Dame Flare Gleam, Bright day to you. I believe I do remember you from the rite, though it’s somewhat hazy, as the whole period in question was overshadowed by the events of the actual ascension. I think I remember you telling me about something strange about to happen the day before the test. Something to do with my dear friend Rosy Mist, if I remember right. Do you also remember that? If you are who I think you are, do not worry about having not corresponded much. I remember you were preparing for some very intense training for your future work in Chromos, so I do not take offense. Please write back at your soonest opportunity. I look forward to hearing from you again. May your flame burn long and brightly. Lady Orange Spice of Aurorias ***** Dear Lady Orange Spice, Bright day to you, and thank you for the prompt response. I do not presume to correct you, your ladyship, but I recall a very different set of events the day before the final exam. It was you who told me about some potential excitement, and that it had to do with your friend Lady Sapphire Prism, not Rosy Mist. There was a lot of excitement that day, wasn’t there? Truly, that month was a trial for all of us, was it not? But, we made it through and did our best to make the phoenix-rite one to remember. Though I don’t think anyone will forget about this one anytime soon. I know I won’t. I look forward to hearing back from you when it is convenient. May your flame burn long and brightly, Dame Flare Gleam of Chromos ***** Dear Dame Flare Gleam, Bright day to you. In regards to the events the day before the rite, I do believe you are correct. It seems as though I was misremembering what took place. Thank you for the correction. It was as you say, a truly memorable phoenix-rite. For both good and ill, depending on who you ask. Much like yourself, I have been training for my future position, though I do not expect our trainings are particularly similar. But, such is the life we live, is it not? May your flame burn long and brightly. Lady Orange Spice of Aurorias ***** Sunset took a long drink of her tsujira as she forced her mind to slow and her emotions to settle down.  Today was the day that Sunset had been dreading for the last few weeks. The day she would finally be heading to Rose’s Blossom for the Fall Harvest Festival. General Sentry and Commander Spitfire had already left the previous week, along with a full corps of sun-blades and Spitfire’s personal unit of sky-strikers. When General Sentry had proposed their deployment as part of the security detail for the Festival a month prior, he and Roseluck had wound up in one of the most civil fights she’d had ever witnessed. Roseluck had claimed that her forces could handle it, and that the sun-blade and sky-striker’s presence would be an unacceptable disruption to the event. General Sentry had countered that in light of the kirintal, Council of Light and, most importantly, Sunset’s presence, they needed extra security to ensure everyone’s safety. And, as head of national security, he was entirely within his legal rights to deploy his troops in the area for such a purpose. The two had argued for well over a half-hour, before Raven intervened. Sunset had expected Raven to side with Roseluck and shut the general down. But, much to Sunset’s surprise and horror, Raven had sided with General Sentry. Roseluck had ultimately conceded, but managed to convince Raven and General Sentry to make it a joint effort, and that the sun-blades would be prosecuted in the Eastern Territory should they violate any laws. General Sentry hadn’t been happy about it, but accepted the terms on the ground that it was Roseluck’s territory, and by legal right, she had that authority.   He still had a few snide words for the archduchess about the quality of her forces, but let it drop afterward. Shaking her head, Sunset brought herself back to the present, and glared ruefully at the array of clothes and other supplies laid out on her bed. It had taken her far longer than she’d wanted to get everything together for her trip to the Eastern Territory. A process not helped by her resistance to the whole thing. But, after sulking about it when she first rose, she’d finally mustered the resolve to gather everything on the list that she’d been given by Raven. As well as a few additional ones for her own sanity. The items that had taken her the longest to select were the eight formal dresses she’d be wearing, one for each day. Her eyes slowly passed over them, spiteful bile filling her stomach. Each one was custom made by the sun-touched for the occasion, and probably would have cost more than she made in an entire year back in Golden Tree. She was at least grateful the sun-touched had included her feedback in the design process, and made an effort to tone down the frills and lace as much as possible, even managing to incorporate some Western Territory aesthetics. Yet, even with the changes and the efforts of the sun-touched to make them more to her liking, they were still far too gaudy for her taste. Next to the dresses was the other source of her ire. At first glance, the garment resembled nothing more than a light-gray, form-fitting, full body stocking that would cover everything but her head, neck and hands.  The stocking had been given to her by Raven to wear under her clothes whenever she was outside Roseluck’s estate. According to Raven, this flimsy bit of fabric and padding was the armor that the sky-strikers wore, made custom for her at great cost by Commander Spitfire. She wasn’t sure which she hated more. Raven’s excessive paranoia, or the claim that this was actually armor. At her best guess, the material wasn’t even half as thick as her little finger.  Poking the surface of the suit, she found that the outer fabric had a rough feel to it, while the inside felt soft and squishy, almost like the pastry bags Pinkie and Mrs. Cake used to fill cream-horns or tarts. Withdrawing her hand, Sunset couldn’t believe that whatever it was could stop a sharpened stick, let alone anything that could potentially hurt her. Perhaps if it was the Queen who’d made it, she’d have believed it. But a loudmouthed hot-shot like Spitfire? That claim required a level of credulity that Sunset found impossible to entertain.  Still, Raven had been adamant about its protective value. And that she was going to wear it under her proper, formal dresses at the event. That was the part that really got her flame flaring. It wasn’t just that Raven had told her that she was going to wear the “armor”. It was how she’d said it, as though she didn’t trust Sunset to do what she was told. Sure, she’d planned to leave it behind to spite Raven. And sure, she’d tried to argue with her about it, but that had ended when Raven made it very clear that it wasn’t up for debate, and if she continued to press the issue, there would be consequences. After that, she dropped it, since she had a feeling she was about to wake up a linnorm if she kept trying to push back. Next to the dresses and her “body armor” were other, simpler outfits for when she was back at Roseluck’s estate, her night clothes, and a small stack of spell-dancing texts, rune guides, and notebooks for some recreational study after the day’s events ended. And finally, the recent addition of her sketchbook and drawing supplies.  Reaching down and flipping the leaves of the folio open, she inspected the dozen or so drawings. They were crude, ugly things, if she was honest. Nothing that she was especially proud of. But, they were the first steps she needed to take if she was going to learn to be an artist. In a lot of ways, they reminded her of her first attempts at rune carving or metal working with Bronze. They’d been ugly, crude things too. But, as Bronze had told her, she needed to practice in order to shape the unworked metal into something beautiful. And, he’d been right. So like her runic carvings and metal working, she knew she’d just have to be patient and keep practicing. And maybe, one day, she’d have the skills to make real art.  Letting the cover fall closed, Sunset turned to face the two sun-touched standing at the doorway of her bedroom. “That’s everything. Would you please pack it into the trunks?” Both sun-touched bowed, before moving swiftly to fulfill her request. Sunset had originally planned to tell them to let her pack her own bags, but decided against it. She had a sinking suspicion that if she did, Raven would have the contents of the trunks checked before they left, just to make sure she didn’t try to leave any “essential” items behind. As Sunset stood back and let the two sun-touched swiftly and efficiently packed her things, she opened her link to Philomena. Ah, Sunset! Are you almost ready? Philomena sent, her excitement flowing through their bond. Raven’s already here with Dylis, so we’re just waiting on everything to get loaded up. Along with the sending, Philomena shared her sight with Sunset, allowing her to see that the phoenix was perched next to her older brother on the edge of one of the brass wyvern’s howdahs. Both of them were watching Raven directing a platoon of mixed-tribe prominence knights and sun-touched as they loaded boxes and equipment onto another four wyverns. One thing that stood out to her was that one of the wyverns was easily twice the size of the others around it, and sported both a spiny dewlap below its chin and longer horns on its head. After a moment examining the massive beast, she realized what she was looking at: it was the flock’s drake. She’d read about the dimorphism of wyverns, but she’d never thought it would be this extreme. She grew slightly apprehensive at the sight, as the zoological text she’d read also mentioned that unlike the drakianas, drakes were violently territorial, particularly when it came to rival drakes competing for their mates. And considering how aggressive wild drakianas were, that was not a comforting thought. She just hoped that domestic drakes were as tame as Saetha.  Just a few minutes, Mena, Sunset sent as she watched the sun-touched put the last few items away, before lifting the trunk, and making their way towards the door out of her bedroom. Are you ready? To fly all the way to Rose’s Blossom? Probably not, but I’m going to try. I think Dylis wants me to practice Phoenix with him along the way. It’ll be good for you. Raven says your pronunciation is atrocious, Sunset sent as she and the sun-touched headed towards the exit of her suit. Like you did any better. I didn’t, but it’s not my language. I don’t get how Raven can speak it so well. Two thousand years of practice? Yea, yea, Sunset sent as she closed the door to her room. Walking past the sun-touched, she made her way towards the sky-rail that would carry her to the cathedral’s roof. At least we get to spend time with Lily, Daisy and Roseluck. Probably the only thing that’ll make this tolerable. Now you’re just being grumpy. That I am, Mena. That I am. ***** After a short ride along the internal sky-rail and a short climb up a flight of stairs, Sunset and her entourage emerged onto the cathedral’s roof. Taking a deep breath to brace herself, Sunset began to make her way to Raven. As they neared, Raven turned from the sun-touched she’d been addressing to face Sunset. “Bright day, Sunset,” Raven said. “I trust you’re ready?” “Bright day, Raven,” Sunset said. Despite the temptation, she fought back the urge to address Raven using the fully formal language she'd had hammered into her for the last two months. As satisfying as the small act of rebellion would be, her sense of self-preservation told her that starting the trip off with Raven irritated at her for being overly formal in a casual setting was a bad idea. Especially since Raven would know why she was doing it. “Yes, I made sure I had everything on the list. You can check with the sun-touched that packed my things if you want.” “That’s not what I asked. I asked if you were ready?” Looking off to the side, Sunset crossed her arms over her chest and let out a soft sigh.  “As ready as I’m going to be,” Sunset said, keeping as much resentment out of her voice as she could. There was a long moment of silence as Raven stared at Sunset. “I know you’d rather be in Golden Tree for the Festival,” Raven finally said. “But I have a duty and obligation to attend the Festival in Rose’s Blossom,” Sunset concluded dryly, before her expression turned sour. “Doesn’t mean I’m happy about it.” “Sunset, there are a great many things that we have to do that we aren’t happy about. That doesn’t mean we don’t have to do them,” Raven said, before putting a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “You’ll get through this, Sunset. Just try to have fun at the Festival.” “I’ll try” Fun she says, Sunset sent as she nodded at Raven. How are we going to have fun when we’ve got to prance around like a pair of dolled up marionettes? I’m sure we can find a way. Preferably one that doesn’t end up with us getting in trouble. Okay, that’ll be a little trickier. “Good,” Raven said as she turned to one of the fireteams of prominence knights. “Captain, are your knights ready to depart.” One of the prominence knights, presumably the captain in question, approached Raven and saluted. Looking them over, Sunset couldn’t really tell that they were a captain, since their armor didn’t look any different than any other knight’s. When she thought about it, she realized that she’d never once seen one of the knights out their armor. However, she guessed the sun-gazer was a fire-caller, given that they were shorter than two of the other three wingless sun-gazer in the squad. Once the knight in question reached her and Raven, both their sun-gazer and plumed serpent member bowed their heads to Lady Inkwell while the colaurata spread its elytra and wings. “We’re nearly ready, your grace,” the three members of the knight said in unison. “Once the last of our equipment is loaded, the vanguard will be ready to depart. “Excellent,” Raven said, before turning her attention back to Sunset, “Philomena’s over with Saetha. Please go wait with her. We should be underway soon.”  Then, without another word, Raven turned away and began to head over to a cluster of sun-touched loading luggage onto the drake. As Sunset watched Raven stride off, she clenched her fists and turned on her heels to head towards Saetha. On one side of the coin, she knew what Raven was like when she was in full logistics mode, but on the other, she’d been feeling more and more disaffected with the eldest phoenix-born for weeks now. Putting the irritation at Raven out of her mind, Sunset made her way towards where she could sense Philomena, who was still perched on the edge of one of the wyvern’s howdahs. Upon seeing her bondmate, Sunset opened their link and sent a feeling of warmth and love to the phoenix, one that was quickly reciprocated. Approaching Saetha, Sunset held out her hand towards the drakiana. At first, Saetha just stared at her, then lifted her head and extended her neck to sniff the outstretched limb. After a couple of inhales, a look of recognition came across her face, and the wyvern pressed the tip of her snout into Sunset’s palm, letting out a soft, pleasant rumble from deep within her chest. “Hello again, Saetha,” Sunset said warmly as raised her other hand and rubbed the smooth, almost metallic feeling scales. In response, Saetha let out a soft huff of hot air from her nostrils, causing Sunset’s living flame to billow slightly. “It's good to see you too.” Giving Saetha one more pat on the nose, Sunset rose into the air and floated over to the howdah. What, no pets for me? Philomena sent. Don’t be a brat. I’ve got some for you too. “Bright day, Dylis,” Sunset said as she landed in the basket by Philomena, offering her arm to her bondmate.  In response, Dylis slowly turned to give her a dispassionate sidelong glance, before bobbing his head slightly. Then, he went back to watching Raven as though Sunset wasn’t even there. Well, he’s especially friendly today, Sunset sent as she turned away from Dylis, trying not to be put off by his coldness. Instead, she focused on Philomena, stroking her head with her free hand and savoring the happiness coming from her partner. When is he ever? Probably once every century or something. If that. ***** Sunset found herself wearing a giddy smile as she stood at the front wall of the howdah’s basket, watching as the land passed below, reveling in the natural splendor.  They’d departed from Mt. Liakeed some time ago, Saetha in the center of a cordon of both flying prominence knights and wyverns, the massive drake acting as the spearhead to the entire formation. The first stretch of the journey out of the Corona and over the wall of Heliopolis had been more than a little nerve-wracking. It signified that she really was heading to Rose’s Blossom, and that she was really leaving Heliopolis for the first time in months.  For all the good and ill it entailed. From somewhere off to her left, she could feel Philomena flying among the wyverns and knights. From the periodic sending she got, Sunset could tell that she was enjoying the chance to see the world beyond Heliopolis herself for the first time. There were also small bouts of frustration that Sunset could only guess were from her language lessons with her brother. Sunset tried not to smirk as she got a small bit of perverse pleasure from Philomena getting a drop of what she went through on a daily basis. Though she kept as much of it from seeping through their bond as she could. No need to make it worse for her at the moment.  She’d be saving that for later.   Raven had thankfully not spoken much after they’d left Heliopolis. In fact, she had barely acknowledged Sunset at all once they were in the air, instead busying herself making notes in a bound leather folio using a black, feather shaped stylus that looked as though it was made of carved bone. Sunset remembered both from the days leading up to her ascension while she was acting as Raven’s sun-touched assistant. Knowing what that folio contained, Sunset knew that Raven was checking and rechecking all of the logistics for the Festival. And wouldn’t have any desire for smalltalk. As far as Sunset was concerned, that was just fine. She wasn’t interested in talking to Raven either. Especially after how hard she’d been drilling her in the days leading up to their departure, even going so far as to ask Queen Celestia to give her some of Sunset’s magic and smithing lesson times for preparation.  A request that had robbed her of one of the few reprieves she’d had from the relentless bombardement of proper social protocols.  So, instead of dwelling on her growing animosity towards Raven, she tried to make the most of the situation and enjoy the view as they flew east. The grassy plains of central Solaria gradually began to give way, first to sparse, hilly woodlands which transitioned into the massive broadleaf and evergreen forests of the Eastern Territory. Unlike the rolling hills, wooded mountains and valleys, and oak savannas of the Western Territory, or the expansive, rolling grasslands of central Solaria, the landscape they were flying over consisted of vast stretches of woodland interspersed with tall, flat topped mesas. To Sunset, it looked like the land below was covered in a vast ocean of multicolored greens, reds, yellows and oranges broken up by enormous islands. On both the mesas and lowlands, the sea of trees was periodically dotted with large meadows or marshes. From what Lily and Daisy had told her, these regions would be filled with a dazzling display of bright, colorful wildflowers in the spring. Sunset couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that she didn’t get to see that spectacle. There were also numerous lakes and rivers dotting the landscape, some of which she suspected were almost as large as Lake Nimoklul at the southern end of the Corona.  Then, there were the sun-gazer settlements.  Most of the smaller villages were barely visible among the trees, the Easterners having cleared only the bare minimum needed to build. Most had an obvious central area devoted to growing crops, as well as a handful of communal buildings. The larger settlements, by contrast, were much more obvious, and were surrounded by impressive, crenelated, solid stone walls created through earth-weaver geomantic spell-dances. Like the smaller villages, these towns had a number of large, central gardens that were clearly used by the communities to grow food. Other towns were situated on unnaturally symmetrical islands in the middle of the lakes, which, much like the defensive walls of the larger towns, Sunset suspected, were raised by earth-weaver spell-dancing.  Sunset found herself lost in a strange sense of serenity as she watched the land pass below her. For the first time in nearly a quarter of a year, she wasn’t focused on studying, responsibilities or anything. Instead, she was able to simply enjoy the beauty of the Eastern Territory’s natural landscape. The elation of that thought quickly turned to dread. Chances were, this was going to be the last time she would get to have fun for a long time. Or at least fun that would include her friends.  At the thought, she let out a low, tired sigh. If things went the way she expected them to at the Festival, she wouldn’t be feeling peaceful for very long. ***** It was mid-afternoon when they finally reached Rose’s Blossom. Philomena had joined her in the howdah some time ago, having worn herself out keeping up with Dylis and the rest of their escort. Now, she was perched on the basket’s edge, fast asleep as her effort to make the long flight caught up with her. It was still impressive how long she held out. From what little she got through their bond, Sunset had a feeling that Philomena had been subtly trying to impress her brother by keeping up with him for as long as possible. She had a feeling Philomena would be sore tomorrow though. In the afternoon light, the sight of Rose’s Blossom filled Sunset with an odd mix of awe, and excitement. The city itself was easily three times the size of the larger towns they’d flown over along the way, and probably could match one of the rays in diameter. Like the larger towns, it was surrounded by a large stone wall, with a second, smaller wall half the diameter of the outer wall dividing the city into inner and outer districts.  As with the other towns, there were large agricultural spaces within the walls, as well as numerous parks, all of which were ablaze with the Eastern Territory’s famous fall colors. Most of the buildings themselves were made of the same smooth stonework of the walls. Their shape was also quite odd, resembling large, two-story squares with one face missing a wall. On the roof of each house were extensive gardens, along with a central courtyard garden, giving the entire city a vibrant, living look. Most of the buildings in the outer ring were fairly plain, while the inner ring contained far more elaborate structures, most with tall columns in the front acting as an embellishment to the building’s design.  At the center of the city was another of the Eastern Territory’s mesas, its top ringed by a thick wall of trees. What struck Sunset as different about this mesa was that its cliff-faces were covered in lush vegetation, a far cry from the bare rock of the others. Inside the ring, Sunset could see a patchwork of different vegetation types, as well as several more of the Eastern style buildings. Sunset found herself smiling at the sight when she realized she was looking at Roseluck’s home. “Sunset, we’ll be descending soon,” Raven said, drawing Sunset out of her head and back to reality. “Please take a seat and get into your harness. I’d also recommend holding Philomena in your lap so she doesn’t get knocked free when we land.”  Sunset didn’t have a chance to respond as a sudden lurch in her stomach told her that they were already beginning to drop down from the sky towards a large, three story building at the base of the mesa. One that, if her memory served, was both the capital building of Rose’s Blossom, and the sole means to reach the top of the mesa without flying. Hey, Mena! Wake up! Sunset sent with a forceful shove as she scrambled for her seat. Wha? Mena sent groggily as her eyes slowly opened. We’re in Rose’s Blossom, Sunset sent as she got herself strapped in. Come here so I can hold you. Why? Because when we land, if I’m not you’re going to get knocked on your butt. So unless you’ve got the energy to fly, please come here before Saetha hits the ground.  Alright, alright! Philomena said as she frantically hopped down from the howdah’s wall and into Sunset’s arms. Holding her bondmate to her chest, Sunset braced herself as Saetha and the rest of the vanguard neared the roof. There was a sudden lurch as Saetha leaned backwards and flapped her wings to cancel her forward momentum, before her feet touched down on the ground with a jolt. Once Saetha had landed and the howdah had returned to its normal position, Sunset slowly released her grip on Philomena, who shakily fluttered up to one of the walls. That wasn’t so bad, Philomena sent as she preened and straightened out a few feathers that had been ruffled in the landing. Imagine if I hadn’t been holding you, Sunset sent as she got out of her harness. Opposite her, Raven had already freed herself and risen into the air, with Sunset following suit. Good point. Sunset followed Raven as she floated out of the howdah and onto the roof of the building, Philomena and Dylis soon joining them. All around her, the roof was a flury of activity as the sun-touched and prominence knights, along with dozens of local sun-gazers, began to unload the wyverns. “Raven! Sunset! Welcome!” A familiar and cheerful voice called from the far end of the roof. Sunset felt the anxious knot in her chest loosen slightly as she spotted the ever-stunning forms of Archduchess Roseluck and Amara approaching with Lily and Daisy. At the sight of the archduchess and her friends, Sunset felt a sharp pain in her chest, accompanied by an overwhelming desire to rush up to Roseluck and hug her. But, she forced herself to remain by Raven’s side as the four of them slowly made their way across the roof. As much as she wanted to bury herself in the warmth of Roseluck’s arms, she had to control herself. She didn’t want to start the week off suffering Raven’s displeasure.  She’d just have to be patient. Through their bond, she could feel Philomena’s concern as she cuddled up to the side of Sunset’s head and trilled softly. I’m fine, Mena. Sunset sent, trying to reassure her partner. No, you’re not, Philomena sent, her worry bleeding through the sending.  Sunset winced internally at Philomena’s sending. Both for making her partner worry, and because she knew Philomena was right. I… guess I missed them more than I realized. It’s more than that, Sunset. Look, can we just get through with this and worry about it later. I don’t want to think about it. A feeling of displeasure came through their bond, before Philomena let out a slight huff. “Bright day, Archduchess Roseluck,” Raven said as she and Sunset finally reached where Roseluck was waiting for them. “Bright day, Archduchess Roseluck,” Sunset said a second after Raven, curtsying to the archduchess. “Formal as ever,” Roseluck said with an amused lilt. “Very well. Bright day, Lady Inkwell, Lady Shimmer. On behalf of the city of Rose’s Blossom, I bid you welcome.” “Thank you, Roseluck,” Raven said as she pulled out her ledger and stylus. “I take it preparations have been going according to plan?” “Yes… and no,” Roseluck said as she looked off past Raven. Raven’s only visible response was Roseluck’s reply was an almost imperceptible narrowing of her eyes. “Preparations have been going as expected. We had a few incidents with the security checks, but nothing too extreme. Mostly people from the border regions not wanting to give up or peace-bind their weapons while in the city. General Sentry and his sun-blades were… helpful in dealing with it.” “What else?” Raven said as she started making notes in her folio.  “There’s also been some… friction between the Council of Light and the local clan heads.” “How serious?” Raven’s tone was controlled, but carried a hint of annoyance. “Nothing major. They’ve just been… disruptive.” Sunset glanced up at Raven. While her expression didn’t change, Sunset had spent enough time around her as she had in the last few months that she could tell Raven wasn’t pleased to hear this news. “Have the kirintal arrived yet?” “Yes. They arrived a few days ago.” “Were they present for the altercations?” “Thankfully they’ve been keeping to their embassy on the mesa, and away from the… excitement.” Raven closed her eyes and gave a slight nod. “Lily? Daisy? Would you take Sunset up to the manor and help her get settled?” Raven asked, though from her tone Sunset knew it wasn’t a request. “Sunset, you can have the rest of the afternoon with your friends. But I expect you to be ready for our first formal dinner with the kirintal magistrates at sundown. Understood?” “Yes, Raven,” Sunset said excitedly. “Good. Then, I believe Roseluck and I have some business to attend to. Lily. Daisy. Take care of Sunset.” “Yes, Lady Inkwell,” both girls said in unison as they bowed. “Lady Shimmer, would you follow us?” Daisy said with a formal bow to Sunset as she gestured towards a set of double doors that presumably led off the roof. “Please, lead the way,” Sunset said, her stomach churning as she followed Lily and Daisy. She just hoped that when they got to the top of the mesa, they could drop the formality and just act like they did before her ascension. ***** With a slight jolt, the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened, letting Sunset, Philomena, Lily and Daisy exit onto the top of Roseluck’s mesa. Looking towards the edge, Sunset was disappointed to find the view obscured by a thick wall of brambles, each branch bearing bright red, pin to dagger length thorns amid their dark green leaves. Sunset realized that these brambles must be what she saw covering the entire cliff face when they arrived.  Taking a deep breath of the crisp, clean autumn air, Sunset felt her stress from earlier beginning to melt away as she marveled in the wall towering before her. The thicket was even more impressive up close than it was from the sky, the immense trees bearing strange, deep-green, feather-like leaves and rudy bark unlike any other tree she’d seen. Below the trees there were hundreds of smaller plants, many of them ferns and woody, broad-leaved shrubs. “C’mon, Sunset,” Daisy said cheerily as she skipped ahead a little and turned back to face her companions, “I want to get you settled so we can show you around. You’re going to love the gardens!” “Daisy, manners,” Lily said, her tone light and jovial rather than admonishing, before turning to Sunset. “I’m terribly sorry for her impropriety, Lady Shimmer. She doesn’t know how to behave because she was raised by butterflies.” Sunset froze as Lily’s words caused a dam to break in Sunset’s chest. In the back of her mind, Sunset knew that Lily was just teasing her. But, after the last few months she’d had to endure, the idea of either of them treating her like a noble and not their friend was almost too much. Lily’s smile shifted from friendly to nervous as both of the easterners watched Sunset’s breathing grow shallow and her face twist into a pained grimace. “Sunset…?” Lily asked cautiously. Before she knew what she was doing, Sunset had lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Lily, Philomena barely managing to get herself into the air at her bondmate’s sudden motion. Holding Lily, Sunset could feel the first traces of tears beginning to well up in the corner of her eyes. “Sunset, what’s…?” “Please, no ‘Lady Shimmer.’ Not here. Not with the two of you. Just Sunset,” Sunset said as she clung to Lily, fighting to hold herself together. “I’ve had to be ‘Lady Shimmer’ for months, and I have to be ‘Perfect Lady Shimmer’ all next week. Can’t I just be Sunset for now? Please?” There was a strange silence among the three girls as Sunset just clung to Lily, the weight of her words hanging in the air like a thick fog. Slowly, Sunset felt a pair of arms return her hug, a second pair joining them soon after. “Has it been that bad?” Daisy asked as she squeezed a little tighter. A pained sob escaped Sunset’s throat as she leaned into the arms of her friends. “I hate it, Daisy. I hate it so much. I… the only one I’ve got is Philomena. All I get from Raven and the Queen are lessons. It's just so lonely. I miss my friends. My family. My sisters. Both of you. I… I haven’t even had a hug in months,” Sunset said with a sniff.  “Well, we’ve got plenty to go around,” Daisy said as she rubbed Sunset’s back, the hug feeling just a little warmer. “Yea,” Lily said. “Just say the word, and we’ll give you all the hugs you need.” A pained sigh rasped out of Sunset’s throat as she clung to her friends. “Thank you,” Sunset muttered, some of the weight in her chest lifting. From nearby, Sunset could feel Philomena’s concern begging to abate and be replaced with relief. And a little bit of jealousy. You can come and get some too, if you want, Sunset sent. That’s alright. I’d rather not get crushed. Okay. How about I spend some time preening you later. Sure. I’d like that, Philomena sent as her jealous feelings slowly went away. The three girls just stood there, holding each other for a few minutes. Eventually, they let go, though the warm sensation of the hug still lingered in Sunset’s chest. “Feeling better?” Lily asked as she held Sunset’s hand. “Yea. A bit,” Sunset said wistfully. “Hey, happy to help,” Daisy said. “I hate to be that girl, but we should probably get going,” Lily said as she looked at the trees. “It's a bit of a hike to get to the manor, and sundown’s in a few hours.” “Okay. But, please, can we just be chat-lecti for now? No formality or anything like that?” “I think we can manage that,” Daisy said, giving Sunset a warm smile, before grabbing her other hand and starting to pull her towards the trail leading through the trees. “And as chat-lecti, we’re going to show you around, play some games and make sure you’re smiling before you meet with the kirintal, alright?!” “Yup!” Lily said as she began to lead Sunset. “Alright,” Sunset said with a laugh as she was pulled along. You want to ride, or you okay to fly? Ride, please, Philomena sent as she swooped back down to Sunset, who extended an arm for her to land on. After getting situated on Sunset’s shoulder, the four of them headed into the thicket. ***** “Alright, Sunset, now watch. When you throw, you bring your arm around like this…” Daisy said as she wound her right arm around and under her left, a thin wooden disk held between her thumb and forefinger “…then swing out and release with a flick of the wrist.” Sunset watched as the discus flew out of Daisy’s hands and sailed across the yard, before striking one of the target sticks in the last of the four rows, knocking it over. “Now, your turn,” Daisy said as she picked up another disk and handed it to Sunset. Taking the disk and stepping up to the spot where Daisy had been standing, trying to take the same stance as Daisy had. “So, like this?” Sunset asked as she slowly mimicked Daisy’s motions. “Almost,” Daisy said as she walked up and helped adjust Sunset’s shoulders and feet, “now you’ve got it. So, give it a try.” Nodding, Sunset wound her arm back and, with a forward snap, flung the disk. Unfortunately, she put too much force behind the throw and didn’t manage a clean release, sending the disk sailing away into one of the hedges bordering the throwing lane. “Well, at least you almost kept it in the throwing range,” Lily snickered. That was impressive, Sunset. I think that disk made it halfway back to Heliopolis. Sunset could feel her face healing up with embarrassment. I’ll take criticism from you when you can do any better, featherbutt, she sent as she looked up into one of the trees behind her on the throwing line and shot her partner a scathing glare. One that got her a sending of smugness in return. “Give her a break, Lily. It wasn’t that bad for her first try,” Daisy said as she handed Sunset another disk. “Here, give it another shot.” “Right,” Sunset said as she took a deep breath and took her throwing stance again. Once more, she let the disk fly, and once more, it went off to the right of the throwing lane, wobbling chaotically in the air. “Fire and light,” Sunset snarled. “It just takes practice,” Lily said as she stepped up to Sunset’s left side and picked up a disk, “When you throw, try to keep the disk level with the ground. It’ll help keep it stable.” Sunset watched as Lily wound up and threw, the disk missing the target stick she was aiming at by centimeters. Noticing Sunset’s smile, Lily’s blushed a darker shade of raspberry pink. “Don’t give me that look. At least I can throw the thing correctly,” Lily protested as she crossed her arms. “And Daisy’s better at this game anyway.” “Not my fault it's popular in Larkspur Cove,” Daisy said with a small bit of pride, tossing one of the disks into the air with a spin before catching it with her other hand. “Though, if you want to see someone who’s really good at it, you should meet my big brother. Brittlebush is one of the best disk throwers in the region.” “So you’re cheating because you already know how to throw these things,” Sunset said with a grin as she waved one of the disks back and forth. “Darn, you caught me,” Daisy said with a fake pout as she placed the back of her right hand against her forehead dramatically, before her face turned into a smirk. “Of course, there’s no rule that says we have to start on even ground, so looks like I’m going to get away with it.” “So it’s not cheating if there’s no rule against it?” Sunset said with an equally mischievous smirk. “Don’t go getting any crazy ideas, Sunset,” Lily said as she gently slugged Sunset’s shoulder. “There are universal rules that don’t need to be said.” “Well, you’re no fun,” Sunset said as she softly elbowed Lily back. “And you hate to lose. So, want to give it another go?” Daisy said as she held out a disk to Sunset.  Taking the disk, Sunset got into her throwing stance. As she wound up to toss it at one of the closer targets, she felt Philomena send a feeling of urgency to get her attention. Arresting her throw, she turned to see Dylis and Amara landing in the tree next to Philomena. Once Sunset was looking at him, Dylis pointed at her with the tip of his beak, before flicking his head in the direction of Roseluck’s manor.  Glancing towards the sky, she could see the telltale darkening of the eastern horizon, which meant it was nearly sundown. From the look on his face, she had a sinking feeling that both he and Raven were not happy with her for not being ready. ‘Guess it’s time to meet the kirintal,’ Sunset thought glumly. “Looks like the fun’s over,” Sunset said to Lily and Daisy with a sigh as she walked over to disks and set the one she was holding on the top of the stack. “Guess it’s time to go be ‘Lady Shimmer’… again.” As she got ready to take to the air and head back to the estate, Sunset felt a pair of hands rest on her shoulders. Looking at her friends, she saw the worry in their eyes. “We’re here for you, if you need us,” Lily said. “Chat-lecti, remember?” Daisy added. Sunset found herself smiling warmly at her friends. “Thanks, both of you. I mean it,” Sunset said as she wrapped her arms around Lily and Daisy’s  shoulders and pulled them into a hug. Um, Sunset, Philomena sent, a small bit of concern tainting the message. I think Dylis is getting impatient. Along with the sending came a flash from Philomena’s perspective, which included an annoyed looking Dylis, whose head was starting to dip down while still staying locked on Sunset. Next to him, Amara was letting out soft trills as she edged towards her brother. From the look on her face, Sunset had a feeling she was attempting to placate him. I’ll be done soon, Sunset sent as she hugged her friends a little tighter. Through their bond, Sunset could sense Philomena’s mounting distress as she sent a vision of Dylis crouching down in preparation to take to the air, his glare still fixed on the back of Sunset’s head and his talons digging into the tree’s bark. Satisfied that her little act of defiance had not only irritated the elder phoenix, but had certainly been shared with Raven, Sunset finally let go of her friends. After stepping back, she rose into the air, turned to face the phoenixes, and nodded to Dylis. Sunset took a small amount of satisfaction in how annoyed Dylis looked as he launched himself from the branch and headed towards Roseluck’s home, followed by Amara and Philomena. The flight to the manor was mercifully short, made shorter by the speed that Dylis was leading them at. In its general shape, the building resembled the large, three story, open courtyard ones in the city below, though one that was easily three times the size of any of the civilian buildings. Where it differed was in its construction. Rather than being made of stone, the building looked to be shaped from living junipers by Roseluck’s lignomancy, making it less resemble a building, and more resemble a large, c-shaped tree with windows, balconies and doors built into the trunk. Following the phoenixes, Sunset flew down towards one of the second-story balconies. There, waiting for her was Raven, now in one of her formal dresses with her arms crossed behind her back. Beside her were two of Roseluck’s earth-weaver attendants and one of the sun-touched. “You’re cutting it too close, Sunset,” Raven said, holding out her arm for Dylis. “Sorry,” Sunset said, her voice lacking contrition. “I lost track of time.” Raven regarded Sunset for a moment, her eyes cold and calculating, while Sunset stared back at Raven defiantly. Knowing the elder phoenix-born, Sunset was sure she could tell that Sunset wasn’t ‘sorry’ for being late. “Our first meeting with the kirintal is in twelve minutes. Philomena, go with Amara and Dylis and wait for Sunset in the dining room. Vestian and Akari will be joining you shortly,” Raven said flatly, before looking over her shoulder at the sun-touched. “She will be ready in seven minutes, and at the dining room in nine. Washed, dried, full formal dress and cedar scented body oils.” Sunset felt her stomach tighten with dread at the way Raven had issued her command, even as she tried to maintain her defiant expression. It lasted only a few moments before the sun-touched swiftly approached her and effortlessly lifted her from the ground and into their arms, carrying her like Tender Heart used to when she was younger. “What? What is this?” Sunset exclaimed indignantly as she began to struggle. “Put me down!” Philomena moved to intervene, only to be frozen in place by a glare from Raven and Dylis.  “Now you only have six minutes to get ready, Sunset,” Raven said coldly as the sun-touched made their way swiftly out of the room, followed by the earth-weavers. “Don’t waste them.” ***** Exactly eight minutes later, Sunset found herself being carried down the corridor. She had been stuffed into a floor length, red and gold, full sleeve silk dress embroidered with images of suns, flowers and phoenixes by the sun-touched, along with a black, tasseled vest and blue belt sash. Sunset had given up struggling, the memory of the last eight minutes still fresh and raw in her mind. Of all the formal preparation sessions she’d been through, the one she’d just had was by far the least pleasant. So unpleasant in fact that she had to close her bond with Philomena to keep her from attempting to find Sunset and intervene. Beyond being hauled around by the sun-touched like an infant, the bath she’d been given hadn’t even been properly warmed when she was all but shoved into it after being stripped, leaving her chattering from the cold as she was not so gently washed and dried. Afterwards, they swiftly put her into her formal evening dress, touched her skin up with cedar oil, and hauled her to the formal dining room. She suspected that the rough handling and unpleasant experience was from the attendants trying to follow Raven’s orders to the letter, though she wouldn’t have put it past Raven to tell them they were not to be gentle as they did so as a form of reprimand for her little act of defiance. She just couldn’t prove it. As they rounded the corner, Sunset spotted Raven standing by a large pair of double doors, along with Roseluck, General Sentry and Commander Spitfire, all four dressed in their formal attire. Oddly, of the four of them, both Raven and General Sentry had something extra with them. Raven was carrying a circlet of woven willow branches, while General Sentry had an ornate trench-sword with a spiked pommel in a wooden scabbard on his left hip.  Conspicuously absent were their bondmates. Reaching out through their bond, Sunset could feel Philomena on the other side of the door to the banquet hall. She could also feel Philomena’s irritation at the small slivers of what she’d just gone through that had seeped through their link. She only hoped Philomena wouldn’t cause an incident when they entered the room. As the sun-touched arrived by the four elder phoenix-born, they gently deposited Sunset by Raven.  “Sunset, there you are,” Roseluck said, jogging over to Sunset and kneeling down to look her over. “You look so pretty in that dress, sweetie.” “Thanks, Roseluck,” Sunset said as she attempted to hug the archduchess. To her surprise, Roseluck stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder and holding her back. “Sorry, sweetie, but I can’t right now,” Roseluck whispered. “I promise I’ll give you a hug later, okay.” “Good, you’re here. And with twenty seconds to spare,” Raven said as she glanced down at a pocket watch, then Sunset. “You were still cutting it far too close, little miss, if you needed a sun-touched to deliver you to your appointments,” General Sentry said with a derisive harumph. “Especially in such an… undignified manner.” “I got here, didn’t I?” Sunset said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I wouldn’t say that, emberling. I say you were delivered here,” Spitfire said with a smirk.  Sunset’s face went red as she spun on her heels to face Spitfire, her temper flaring. Nobody’d called her emberling since she was five. And she’d be condemned to Chaos before she was about to let someone start calling her such a juvenile nickname again. “Don’t call me that,” Sunset growled as she glared at Spitfire. “My name is Sunset Shimmer.” “I’ll call you whatever I want until you earn the right to your name, emberling.” Next to her, Sunset could see Roseluck getting ready to say something, only to be cut off by General Sentry. “Spitfire, not now,” he said firmly before turning his attention to Raven. “I have to agree with Spitfire’s assessment. Perhaps adding lessons in time management and punctuality to her syllabus would benefit her, Raven.” “I’ll consider it, Steel. However, that will have to wait; we have guests that are expecting us.” “Indeed,” Roseluck said, a slight edge in her voice as she stepped between Steel and Raven, putting her hands on their shoulders. “Let’s not keep them waiting. After all, we don’t want a diplomatic incident because we’re late, or being too openly emotional, do we?” Both Raven and General Sentry gave Roseluck a firm glare, before nodding at her and taking their spots by the door to the banquet hall. As Sunset got in place next to Roseluck, she tried not to think about the exchange that just took place. Or the strange hostility in her voice. Instead, she focused on her meditations to settle her nerves. With a nod to the others, Raven pushed the double doors to the banquet hall open and strode in, followed by the rest of the phoenix-born. The first thing Sunset noticed as she and the others entered the room was the two large floor tables, each one surrounded by a bed of sitting pillows. The tables themselves appeared to be coming directly from the floor, with the one to her left notably taller than the other one. From the far wall, there was what looked like a large juniper branch, where all five of the royal phoenixes were resting. Glowing light runes that flickered and sputtered like true candle flames dotted the ceiling, filling the room with soft, warm radiance. Catching each other’s eyes, Sunset allowed her link to Philomena to reopen, sending her partner feelings of reassurance that she was alright. In return, Philomena sent feelings of support and comfort, which Sunset gladly took. She was still going to spend most of the evening after the dinner cuddling with her bondmate though.  As they entered the room, General Sentry split off from the group to stand by the taller of the two tables, while Sunset followed Roseluck, Raven and Commander Spitfire as they made their way to the shorter table.  Once they were in position, the attendants opened two more sets of doors, each one on the opposite walls of the room. From the door to Sunset’s right came a procession of six kirintal does, led by Magistrate Autumn Blaze. Unlike the last time she’d seen the magistrate, she and the other does were not dressed in simple fabric tops and loincloths, but instead were wearing brown and green robes interwoven with flowers and leaves made into decorative patterns, while their wrists, fingers and necks were adorned with beautifully carved wooden jewlery, Magistrate Autumn Blaze also carrying a leaf covered branch dotted with many tiny flowers. To her left came another group of six kirintal, each wearing similar robes to the does, though their’s were shades of tan, white and black. Instead of wooden jewelry, these kirintal wore adornments made of carved stone and jade, with the one leading the procession wearing an elaborately carved wood warclub on his left hip. Unlike the does, these kirintal were easily two heads taller than any of the occupants of the room, including General Sentry, and were powerfully muscled, though it was lean, wiry muscle instead of large, bulky muscle. Their height was made even more impressive by the pair of regal antlers each had on their head, the one in the lead bearing twelve points, while the others had between eight and ten. All of them carried themselves with the same reserved confidence that Sunset saw in the prominence knights, General Sentry, or Commander Spitfire. ‘Those must be the stags,’ Sunset thought as she saw them approaching general sentry,  Sunset remembered how much emphasis Raven had put on just how significant their presence was, as stags consider it a dereliction of their duty as the protectors of Himavanta to leave their home.  When the two groups met, everyone present crossed their arms over their chests and bowed to their respective groups; General Sentry to the stags, while Raven, Roseluck, Spitfire and Sunset bowed to the does. “Altaene lan’taalca, Magistrate.” Raven said as she rose and placed the crown of branches on the magistrate’s head. “Vuul’athlen teth-oleris, iler’leta vret’cla.” “Altaena chal’ceata, Seneschal,” Magistrate Blaze said as she offered the branch she was carrying to Raven. “Vaal’athon taeth-uleris, iler’leta vret’cla.” “Alterres val’untecha, Magistrate,” Sunset heard General Sentry say, accompanied by an odd metallic hiss. “Nur’athlen ven-tchleris, iler’leta vret’cla.” Mena, what’s going on? Sunset sent. Steel just drew his sword, Philomena linked their eyesight, allowing Sunset to see that the general had risen from his bow and had indeed drawn his sword, which he was now holding out towards the lead stag, offering the weapon pommel first. “Alterres rath’almetra, General,” the stag said as he similarly drew his warclub and offered the handle to General Sentry. “Nur’ethet ven-tchleris, aelar’leta vrat’cles.” Both General Sentry and the lead stag claimed the other’s offered weapon, both of which looked oddly disproportionate with the height differences between the two. The exchange complete, General Sentry and the stags headed to their table.  Back on her side of the room, Roseluck had stepped forward to stand before Autumn Blaze. “Altaena lan’taalca, Magistrate,” Roseluck said. “I take it your stay in my home has been pleasant, Autumn?” “Altaene lan’taalca, Archduchess,” Magistrate Blaze said with a warm smile as she and Roseluck held out their right hands and pressed their palms together. “Yes, very much so. I have missed visiting you and your gardens very much. It is rare that we get to see such a beautiful display of the children of wood survive so happily away from their homes.” “La-lerenta, Autumn.” Roseluck said, before turning and gesturing for Sunset to step forward. Swallowing nervously, Sunset did as she was beckoned to do. Beside her, she could feel Raven’s presence, the subtle pressure of her authoritative aura reminding Sunset that she was watching. “Altaena lan’taalca, Magistrate,” Sunset said as she bowed to the magistrate, her mind running a mile a minute as she focused on remembering everything she was supposed to do in this situation. “I am Sunset Shimmer. It pleases me to introduce myself to you for the first time. May the wood’s and stone’s wisdom touch you through all the seasons.” “Altaene lis’tillesa, Sunset Shimmer,” Magistrate Blaze said as she bowed to Sunset. “I am Magistrate Autumn Blaze. It pleases me to introduce myself to you for the first time. May the wood’s and stone’s wisdom touch you through all the seasons.” Finally, Spitfire approached the kirintal and bowed. “Altaena lan’taalca, Magistrate. May the wood’s and stone’s wisdom touch you through all the seasons.” “Altaene lan’taalca, Commander,” Autumn Blaze replied, though with an odd edge to her voice that Sunset couldn’t quite place. “May the wood’s and stone’s wisdom touch you through all the seasons. It is a pleasure to see you again.” “You as well,” Spitfire said as she rose. Both women stared the other down, Autumn Blaze looking mildly offended and annoyed, while Spitire’s face had broken out in a cocky smile. Behind Autumn, the other does were giving Spitfire the same look as the Magistrate, one even taking a step forward. “Perhaps we could save the conversation until we’ve sat down at the table,” Roseluck said pleasantly, drawing both Spitfire and Autumn’s attention. “Our meals should be arriving soon, and it would be disrespectful to my cooks if their efforts were not properly received, wouldn’t you both agree?” “Of course, Roseluck,” Autumn Blaze said as she made her way sedately to the table. “Let us be seated. I am eager to learn about the newest member of your august circle as well.” As their group began to take their seats, Philomena poked Sunset through their link, and began sending what she was hearing; Akari and Dylis speaking in phoenix in the branches above her. From the sound of Dylis’s tone, Sunset guessed he was conveying a warning from Raven to Spitfire through Akari. Sunset tried not to smile as she sat down between Roseluck and one of the does.  It was nice to see someone else getting chewed out by Raven for a change. As everyone got comfortable, the first course of the meal was brought out. For the sun-gazers, it consisted of a small plate of flatbread with three small bowls of dipping sauces, while for the kirintal, their dishes looked like raw leaves from some sort of mint covered in pungent, spicy oil and drizzled with what looked like crushed nuts. Along with the food came two kettles of tea, one of kirintal tea for the kirintal and one of tsujira for the sun-gazers. Much like the appetizers, the kirintal’s tea smelled almost overwhelmingly pungent, the mixture of spices slamming her in the face as the doe next to her poured herself a mug of the steaming beverage. “Now, Sunset Shimmer, I would be quite interested in hearing about you and your story,” Magistrate Blaze said from next to Raven as she poured herself a mug of the tea. “Your ascension was unusual, was it not?” Sunset froze, racking her brain in a panic as she tried to remember how to address the Magistrate’s question.  “Be mindful when speaking to the kirintal, Sunset,” the echo of Raven’s voice sounded in her head. “When talking with them, you must not make any sort of promise. Or, if you must, make sure it is carefully worded to limit its scope as much as possible. Kirintal view promises and oaths as binding, no matter how minor. While Magistrate Autumn Blaze is familiar enough with our less stringent views on promises to give you as much leeway as possible, most of the other magistrates will not.” “I would be pleased to share the parts of my story that I chose to with you, Magistrate Blaze, if I knew what you would like to know,” Sunset said slowly, choosing her words deliberately and cautiously.  “And I and all of my fellow magistrates would be pleased to hear what you are willing to share. I do not wish for too much or too many details, but as much as you can share the overarching events that led to your ascension would be of interest to us. We know of what occurred at the rite, but the story of the before is nothing but rumor and hearsay.” “I am capable of providing that to you, though it will be sparse in detail, as we do not have the time for me to tell too much.” ‘I can do this. I can do this,’ Sunset told herself as she poured a steaming mug of tsujira and took a bracing drink of the near boiling hot liquid. Setting the mug down, Sunset took a deep breath. “It began the day I was first tested for my eligibility to become an ascendant…”