//------------------------------// // In Which Sunset Has to Explain Carbon Monoxide Poisoning to Wizards // Story: Hogwarts: Sunset's Legacy // by witegrlninja //------------------------------// A week passed by relatively uneventfully. With the transition of November into December, I would often wake up to find that the Scottish Highlands outside were dusted with snow and frost. A few more days passed before it began sticking and accumulating. Once the shock of the trial had worn off, I told Sebastian all about what had happened. He was quite concerned about Ranrok and Rookwood's search for ancient magic, and their apparent discovery of the source of it buried beneath the castle - it finally made sense to him why Anne had been cursed by the goblins that fateful night. It renewed his desire to find her cure, and the fires of revenge that burned deep within him. I also told him about the new memory I had witnessed, though I was sure to emphasize the fact that Isidora had only been successful in removing emotional pain from her father. At first he perked up with hope at the mentioning of removing pain, but after thinking it over he agreed that it likely wouldn't do Anne any good. Not when her symptoms were largely physical in nature, not to mention that I had no inkling of an idea how to copy what she'd done. But I would definitely keep it in the back of my mind, however, in case it turned out to be more helpful than we thought. Hopefully I'd learn the secrets behind the technique soon enough, although with how dubious the Keepers had been about discussing the matter, I wasn't holding my breath. He agreed that their behavior seemed strange. I was hesitant to tell him about the actual trial, though. And he seemed to pick up on it, asking carefully about what I had to do... it took a few minutes of coaxing. Once I'd told him that I watched him die while trying to save him and Anne, he went silent. "Oh... so that's why you were so gloomy when you returned," he murmured, frowning. "It... i-it wasn't pleasant to watch," I stared at the floor, holding my arm. Sebastian sighed sympathetically, then gently placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm almost insulted I went down so easily," he chuckled mirthlessly. "I assure you, I'd put up far more of a fight than that illusion of myself did... but thank you for upholding your promise nonetheless. If things really were so dire that I were to make such a request... I know that Anne would be safe with you." "Sure," I nodded, a slight grin returning to my face as I felt his gratitude and appreciation building me back up. "And it wasn't all bad, I guess... it seems that realizing we're friends let me figure out how to use ancient magic." "Did it?" he tilted his head. "Yea. Watch this," I smirked, reaching deep within my soul for the font of dormant mana. At my command it rose up like a surging wave, filling my entire body with power and energy. Blue-white light began to stream from my eyes and horn, and as Sebastian watched in awe I pointed my wand at my practice dummy and fired. An orb of purple light shot out and obliterated it in the blink of an eye, the explosion rapidly imploding on itself so the shreds and splinters burned to ash and left nothing behind. This, I discovered, didn't tax me quite as much as the lightning attack did. Perhaps because it was only meant for one target, rather than multiple. "My word...!" he breathed, eventually huffing out an incredulous laugh. "I certainly hope I'm never on the receiving end of one of those spells." "The chain lightning one I can do kills everyone it touches almost instantly," I bragged. "Can't wait to go clear out another goblin or poacher camp." "Incredible... can it take any other forms?" "Probably," I shrugged as I mentally asked my Room to make me a new practice dummy, which poofed into existence a few seconds later. "I definitely plan on experimenting with it." And experiment I did. All the while Sebastian watched, both awestruck and inquisitively interested in my newfound power. And I couldn't help but feel proud. Slowly but surely, I was gaining that which I sought: the power promised to me. ~ It wasn't until Monday that I noticed I hadn't been seeing much of my new friend as I used to. Normally he'd spend at least the afternoons with me in my room so we could do our homework together, but lately even that hadn't been lasting as long as before, and we were only getting more and more of the stuff as our classes progressed. Inwardly I wondered if it was something I'd done or said, but covertly sussing out his emotions in class proved otherwise. If anything, he was... distracted. Determined. Impatient. I wouldn't have to wait much longer to learn the reason why. Wednesday morning, as we ate breakfast, Sebastian whispered to me that he'd found something promising in the spellbook I'd given him in the scriptorium. He told me to meet him in the Undercroft after flying class... despite how much I enjoyed zooming around on my broom, my curiosity hounded me until I ran to the lonely cabinet and entered the secret passage. Evidently he'd made himself quite comfortable - the spellbook sat on a side table with a mostly-empty mug of tea, beside a wingback chair with thick cushions and a blanket thrown over one side. The small, cozy nook looked entirely out of place in the Undercroft's vast emptiness. I only had to wait a few minutes before the portcullis raised and lowered, the boy in question striding through the threshold with a confident grin. "You said you found something?" I asked. "Yes... Salazar Slytherin's spellbook was a little difficult to interpret, but fascinating," his eyes sparkled. "Evidently, he encouraged teaching Dark magic at Hogwarts; neither the Imperius Curse nor the Killing Curse were unforgivable during his time. He believed students should be prepared to use Dark magic when necessary, not to fear it. That's why we had to use Crucio to gain access to the scriptorium... he didn't want his knowledge shared with anyone who was afraid of the power of Dark magic." "I see," I put a hand to my chin in thought, shivering a little as I remembered that moment before we'd entered the scriptorium. "In hindsight, had I known that was going to be part of the test, I would've prepared better... but, no sense in 'what if's' now... You do owe me for that, by the way," I pointed, glaring. "That hurt like bloody hell." "No need to make me remember," he shook his head with a frown. "I still believe I should have been the one to take the curse... I should have never let you take my place." Besides... It was all my brilliant idea, after all. Regret. Remorse. Penitence. Guilt. He was truly sorry it had to happen... as I would be if I had been the one to cast that spell. In a sense, doing so might've hurt worse than actually being on the receiving end of it. "Well... it had to be done, one way or another," I sighed with a shrug. "Besides... quite a bit of good came from it, right?" "Right... I'm still glad we did, because of the alchemy book you found... and in Slytherin's spellbook I found something else," he pointed to a passage on the open book's pages. "References to a lost relic which, from what I can tell, grants the holder the power to reverse Dark magic curses!" "Ooh, really? That's great!" I gasped happily, my eyes quickly scanning over the text. "Think this might be the cure for Anne's curse?" "Precisely!" he smiled. "I plan to search for this relic... but I don't think we should tell anyone, especially Ominis. He... wouldn't understand." "No, he sounded pretty mad after we got out of the scriptorium... he'd just get even madder if we told him about this," I shook my head in agreement. "I'm glad you agree. Keeping this to ourselves will be for his own good-" "I'll decide what's for my own good!" The portcullis to the Undercroft suddenly flew up, and Ominis stomped out towards us from behind the corner. Sigh, speak of the devil... "Ominis! ...We were just about to get some air," Sebastian lied smoothly. "Care to join?" But he wasn't having any of it. "You're a liar, Sebastian! I heard everything!" Ominis stood less than a foot away from him, his face inches away from his. "You swore you'd never engage in anything to do with Dark magic again!" "No, I didn't..." Sebastian replied calmly, wholly unaffected by Ominis' intimidation. "...I said I understood you wanting that. I'd never swear to give up on finding a cure for Anne." "You've got him there," I smirked. Since he hadn't yet addressed me and my own interest in the Dark Arts, I figured that Ominis hadn't really heard everything... he was simply bluffing- "Neither of you know when to stop, do you?!" Ominis shouted angrily. While I simply rolled my eyes in response, not caring in the slightest what he thought about what I did with my time, Sebastian's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I know when not to stop. Leave this alone, Ominis." He picked up the spellbook and put it in his pocket dimension, then turned for the portcullis. "I'll be on my way." "No, I am not letting this go," Ominis hissed as Sebastian left the Undercroft. "He means well, you know," I offered in as neutral a tone as I could manage. "Just because it's in Salazar's own book doesn't mean it's necessarily Dark." "I know what I heard! You knew I wouldn't agree with this!" he whirled around at me. "Going after that relic is not a good idea... Sebastian doesn't even realize it, but he's as irresponsible and reckless now as his parents were years ago! ...It's why they died." "He told me they died, but I never did ask how," I frowned, thinking. "...You know, you could get a bit of revenge on him and tell me how it happened, since he's told me a couple of your secrets." "Mr. and Mrs. Sallow were professors," Ominis began almost immediately after I'd finished speaking. "Spent nearly every waking moment in the cellar library, noses buried in books. Anne and Sebastian were upstairs when it happened... they heard a sudden crash and ran downstairs, but it was too late. Their parents had crumpled to the floor... a defect with the lamp in the cellar caused the room to fill with an undetectable toxin. Sebastian and Anne were helpless-" "Hold up... I'm gonna stop you right there," I waved my hands in front of me, shaking my head in disbelief. "Seriously?" "I- ...yes, I'm being serious," he stuttered. "No, really, are you serious right now?" I stared at him in indignant shock. "Because that sounds to me an awful lot like they died from a carbon monoxide leak. That's not irresponsible or reckless... that's a freak accident!" "It... it is?" "Yes! Ugh, you just... hold that thought!" I yelled, already moving the portcullis out of my way. I ran like mad to catch up with Sebastian as he was going down some stairs, grabbed his arm and dragged him back with me towards the Undercroft. Naturally he protested the entire way, and I simply ignored him until we were back with Ominis. They glanced at each other awkwardly. "Alright, this is going to sound like it's out of nowhere, but... Sebastian, how did your parents die?" "What does that have to do with anything?!" he understandably recoiled. "Because I want to hear it coming from you," I grumbled. Suspiciously, Sebastian glanced over to Ominis again, then sighed deeply. "Fine... it was after supper one day, after they'd returned from Hogwarts for the summer. They retired to their library in the cellar like they often did, while Anne and I played upstairs. Two hours had passed when we suddenly heard something fall down there... when we opened the door, our mother was lying motionless on the stairs, and our father was on the floor." He paused for a moment. "Anne and I tried everything we could think of to wake them up, but when none of it worked we went next door to the Muggle neighbors and asked for help... but it was already too late." "Did anyone ever find out the cause?" I pressed. "It appeared to have been a gas leak from a lamp they'd had installed recently," he stared at the floor. "Uncle Solomon, of course, thought it might've been related to Dark magic, since my father had been reading a spellbook about the Dark Arts... he was a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, so of course he'd been doing research for the next year's curriculum," he shook his head. "I see... well, he and Ominis are totally wrong, then," I huffed, shooting Ominis a glare he couldn't see. "Your parents' deaths were an accident, not Dark magic-related." "How so?" "The gas lamp had a leak in it and allowed carbon monoxide to fill the cellar," I explained. "That stuff will kill you if you breathe it in for too long. It's odorless, colorless and tasteless... there's no way they would have realized it until they were already showing symptoms, and then... there wouldn't have been much they could've done about it," I frowned. "I... that's what our neighbors suggested," Sebastian looked away. "But how would you know that's what happened if this carbon monoxide has no odor, taste or color, as you say?" asked Ominis. "It's rare, but not unheard of where I come from," I glanced over at him. "Except we add a terrible odor to our gas so if a leak happens, we know about it immediately. Deaths by that stuff almost never happen." "...I don't remember smelling anything awful then," Sebastian remarked sadly. "I... don't suppose you remember what they looked like?" I swallowed, feeling mildly guilty for asking. "There are other signs, too... bright red blood and skin, swift decomposition..." He flinched, a pang of grief and disgust flaring up that I could feel in my soul. "...The day Anne and I had our photograph taken with... their bodies. They had to be surrounded with flowers to even stand in the same room as them... and I shall never forget the blood that poured from my mother's nose when they propped her up," he grimaced, breathing a little harder. "Anne was nearly inconsolable... we've never once looked at the daguerreotype, nor did we take any of the locks of their hair when we left with Uncle Solomon." He swallowed bitterly, making a face as though he were about to throw up. Sweet Celestia... you people take pictures of that?! "Sebastian... I'm so sorry..." Ominis breathed. "I am, too," I offered penitently, wrapping an arm around him. "I'm sorry I brought it up." It was a moment before he could speak again, taking a breath before doing so. "It's... alright. As long as it's known that my parents did not die because of Dark magic," he shook his head slowly, a hand reaching up to grab onto mine on his shoulder. He squeezed it for a few moments, and then we both let go. "...I see I was mistaken," said Ominis. "I had only ever asked Solomon about it because I didn't want to force you to remember." Sebastian scowled at first but it quickly faded away, and he nodded in understanding. "I apologize... I am simply worried for you about the path you are taking. I've practically lost Anne... I can't lose you, too." Helplessness. Worry. Sympathy. Cherishment. I stifled a soft gasp, the emotions washing over me like an ebbing tide. Only now did I realize how much Sebastian had meant to Ominis... how much he did mean to him. And I felt a building guilt within Sebastian, as he looked away with a huff of unhappiness. "Please... avoid anything to do with that spellbook," Ominis begged. I glanced over to my friend, an unreadable expression on his face. He remained silent. "I dunno... the references I saw inside it seem pretty promising," I argued gently. "Everything to do with Salazar Slytherin seems promising, until it's too late!" he retorted. "Please...!" Finally, Sebastian let out a deep sigh. "...Very well." I'm sorry, Ominis... I can't. I cannot let Anne suffer from this curse if the cure lies within that spellbook. My lips disappeared into my mouth, for fear I might accidentally betray his lie. "Thank you, Sebastian," Ominis sighed in relief. "I swear to you that if I find anything that might help Anne, I shall let you know immediately." "Of course." With a strained smile, Ominis turned and left the Undercroft. We waited with straight faces until we were sure he was gone before speaking. "...So, do you know where we might find this relic of yours?" I asked, a smirk immediately breaking out across my mouth. "Not yet... though I'm certain I'll find the answer in this book. You'll be the first to know when I find it," said Sebastian, a hint of a grin on his face. "Although perhaps I should conduct my research in your room, from now on, where he can't sneak up on us like that again." "You're always welcome," I shrugged. "In fact, why don't you bring it with you right now? You can even bring your little reading nook you've created down here." "Eh..." he waved a hand dismissively. "The chairs in your room are far more plush than anything I can conjure." ~ A short while later, and Sebastian had set up the spellbook on a spare desk in my room. Once he had everything to his liking he dropped into a nearby chair with a sigh. "I don't know why I didn't just do this to start with," he shook his head as I pulled up another chair and sat down a few feet away. "He really doesn't like Dark magic, does he?" I muttered, feeling slightly resentful. "For someone who likely knows far more about it than we do, surely he's realized there can be good applications for it, right?" "Ominis has always been... overly cautious when it comes to Dark magic," he agreed. I nodded, waiting for him to continue his thoughts on the matter, but when he'd said nothing for quite some time I glanced over to him. He was staring off into the distance, his unfocused eyes nearly glazed over. After a few moments his head dipped downwards, lost in melancholy thoughts. "...Are you alright?" It was a moment before he responded. "Why did you ask me that?" he barely shook his head. "Why bring up my parents?" A small pang of guilt pinched my chest. "Well... Ominis was whining about you being reckless, wanting to research that relic, and used your parents as an example. Of course, we all know the truth of that matter now." "I see," he glanced to the side, frowning. "I suppose I don't blame him for never asking Anne or I about it directly. It's still a sore subject for her... and of course Uncle Solomon would twist the story when telling him." His lip briefly curled into a snarl before falling away. "Solomon lied about that?" I drew back. Part of me wasn't at all surprised by the action, but the other part of me was stunned. It would seem that if I wanted to know anything about Sebastian, and truthfully, at that - I would need to ask him myself. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious. "I, uh... I never really asked you about your life, huh?" I spoke gently. "I've told you about mine... would you tell me about yours?" "Er..." Sebastian stared at one of the tiles on the floor as though he suddenly found it extremely interesting. Though he said nothing else, I could feel an overwhelming sense of apprehension within him, laced with equal parts embarrassment, anger and shame. It took me entirely by surprise - sure, I'd met his guardian and he was one of the most unpleasant beings I'd ever met, but... something about his emotions now felt deeply, thoroughly damaged - the kind of ruin only years of anguish and misery could cause. And Anne had only been cursed for a fraction of that time. "It's... not exactly something I like to talk about," he admitted quietly. "Well, now I just want to know even more," I tilted my head. "I... feel that I know why, though." He was silent again for a while... an inner voice kept nagging at me and didn't want to press the issue, but the rest of my brain was intensely curious now... and rather quite concerned over what I was going to hear. Suddenly it was even more important to me that I knew about it. "...You'll feel better if you tell someone about it," I suggested. "And I promise I'll never speak of anything you tell me to anyone else. Not even Ominis." Sebastian said nothing, but the way his eyes flicked up towards me spurred me on. Whatever he had experienced in his life... it throttled him, strangled him, forced him to keep silent and stoic... to hide behind a mask of easygoing pride, optimism and bravado. "You know that I know how you're feeling... it's eating you up inside. Back home, my people talk about their feelings all the time with each other, even pay others to do so while they sit and listen... it really does help." Neither of us moved or spoke for a while, as I patiently awaited his response - his lips quivered as though he were trying to force words out. Finally... "Are... A-Are you sure?" he asked timidly. I nodded with a gentle smile. "I've trusted you with quite a few things about myself... you can trust me." Mirroring what he'd said when he showed me the Undercroft was exactly what he needed to hear; he took a deep breath to steel himself. "...Very well. I've told you that Uncle Solomon was always angry, ever since our parents died... the truth is..." I listened intently as Sebastian spent over an hour detailing his life from when he and Anne moved in with Solomon, rambling from one point to the next in a nearly monotone stream of consciousness. I had to stop myself from interrupting him multiple times... then later from threatening injury after grievous injury on his uncle as he talked. It seemed that Solomon had been the elder brother of Sebastian's father, Samuel, raised coldly and strictly while the baby brother was clearly the darling of the family, lavished with attention and praise. He had had very little support from their parents, choosing to move away as soon as he was able to pursue a career as an Auror while the brother became a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He'd always harped on Samuel for being reckless and impulsive, who was anything but... whereas Solomon was constantly reprimanded for rushing into things without thinking. Sebastian didn't know why, but Solomon's career as an Auror ended rather quickly, though he had worked for long enough to receive a modest pension. He then seemed to drift aimlessly through life while his father moved to an upscale area in London, became relatively successful and married a fellow professor, his mother Amelie. She was a Potions master - beautiful, intelligent and full of life. Eventually, they had Sebastian and Anne. As far as he could remember, it was a happy childhood - they were deeply loved and cherished by their parents, and wanted for nothing. They opened their minds to new experiences whenever possible, and instilled a craving for knowledge and learning early on - for a brief, bright moment, Sebastian bragged he could read his father's textbooks and understand them by the time he was three. And then... they died. The both of them had always had a fascination with Muggle inventions. As Solomon was their closest living relative at the time, they had to move in with him. And his life changed for the worse. It started slowly. First he'd notice that some of his favorite books - the ones his father owned - went missing. As much as he tried to keep track of them, or later hide them, more and more of them seemingly vanished without a trace. That mystery wasn't solved until four months later - when Solomon had left his bedroom door unlocked one day, Sebastian found a pile of his lost books underneath his bed. He had been too scared to take any of them back, and he regretted that moment of weakness - the next time he checked there, they were all gone. The same eventually began happening to the rest of his possessions, until only a few of them remained. Then Solomon stopped using his name in conversations, only saying it when he was angry with him, as though it was a curse. He still referred to Anne as Anne, but Sebastian was generally only referred to as Boy. The neighbors had no idea what his name was for years... some of them still didn't know. Then Solomon would largely ignore his presence. He'd never pass him food when asked, he'd have to ask Anne to pass it to him. If he needed help with something, he'd never receive it from his uncle. If he got a bruise or scrape while playing he'd have to tend to it himself, or if he couldn't then Anne would have to help him. When his magic manifested itself, and he accidentally pulled down a chest of drawers on top of himself as a result... he had to summon the strength to crawl out from underneath it and set it back upright. Solomon just stood there, watching with a sneer. He couldn't understand why Solomon treated him this way back then... sometimes he spoke to Anne harshly, but he never outright ignored her, or confiscated her things for no reason, or called her Girl rather than her own name. As a result she grew relatively close with their uncle, but he never did... to him, Uncle Solomon was simply a guardian, and nothing more. The time eventually came that he and Anne were accepted into Hogwarts. His parents had left them plenty of money for their school expenses, as well as a generous monthly stipend in their will, and the Gringotts goblins were quite diligent in ensuring they received their Galleons on time. As time passed, Solomon seemed to become even more bitter and angry with him. His professors praised his intelligence and natural talent, and he excelled in his studies, his best grades in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He grew taller, stronger, more charismatic and likeable - he figured that this was why Solomon always called him "his father's son" and insulted him every chance he got: he'd grown to resemble that younger brother in both body and mind. The abuse grew worse. Despite his Auror training, Solomon rarely explained spells or concepts to him if he didn't quite grasp them in his studies. The few times he did, he did so by forcing Sebastian to duel him in the space beside their house. "Teaching by example", he'd call it... and he showed him no mercy. By the end of their duels, Sebastian would be a bruised, burned, bleeding mess on the ground - broken, aching and gasping for breath. For his sake, Anne became quite skilled at brewing healing potions and salves, and he learned Episkey several years early. As much as he genuinely enjoyed his company, and his kindred heart agonized for him once he'd learned of his broken home life, he also thought that having Ominis live with them during the summers would lessen his own harsh treatment... but it didn't. He theorized it was because he was a Gaunt, belonging to one of the most notorious and influential Dark wizard families... and therefore his uncle thought he was nothing but a bad influence. Solomon treated him well enough, perhaps to avoid retaliation from his family... but through a conman's grin he would lie, badmouth and blame Sebastian for everything that went wrong, trying his hardest to poison Ominis against him, to what ends he had no idea. Thankfully, Ominis was usually too smart to fall for the lies and slander... or at the very least he'd eventually come to him for confirmation. The fact that he hadn't about his parents until just a little while ago hurt far more than he'd assumed it would... but it wasn't like he'd done so out of malice. He understood that. The worst moments of his life, however, happened on the rare occasions Solomon would drink. It tore down the last of his inhibitions, and Merlin help him if he even walked into the room wrong - Sebastian's entire body trembled as he recounted the times Solomon beat him nearly unconscious in an inebriated rage. Even Anne was powerless to help him when his uncle was like that, shouting in slurred speech about how much he hated his brother and was glad he was dead, threatening to make the brother he was currently pummeling just as dead as he was. It had thankfully been over a year since the last time. "But now... now I can defend myself. And I'll be honest... the next time he strikes me, it may very well be his last." Sebastian fell silent as he stared at the floor, wringing the edge of his cloak in his hands. I saw red... felt red, heard red, tasted red. I wanted with every fiber of my being to tear Solomon apart slowly, starting with his finger and toenails and working my way up his hands and feet, going all the way up his limbs, keeping him alive and in agony for as long as possible! He was worse than Nightmare Moon, worse than Queen Chrysalis, even worse than Discord himself! He wasn't worthy of being called a man, not even worthy of being called human - filth like him belonged in the deepest, darkest bowels of Tartarus, or even the hell on earth called Azkaban! The pain and fury I felt for his sake ignited my soul, and ancient magic began pouring out of my eyes as I silently swore this monster would never lay a hand on my friend again. But looking back to Sebastian... the usual smugness he wore on his face had vanished entirely, the façade replaced by a haunted mask of despondence. The rage inside me quieted down and died away, replaced with a dull ache that nibbled at my heart. Instinctively I wrapped my arms around myself, the pressure only halfway comforting, like it wasn't enough. No... the dull ache was compassion, pure and simple... the need to connect. The need for contact. He sighed heavily as he stood up, no longer comfortable in his seat - I could feel a sense of deep discomfort radiating from deep within him, anguish and alienation mixed with anger and anxiety. I swallowed as I stood up as well, pausing before asking. "Um... may I... hug you?" "What?" Sebastian blinked a few times in confusion. "Er, yes... of course." I felt him flinch, heard him gasp softly as I practically threw myself against him, wrapping my arms tightly around his back and squeezing as hard as I could - despite the warmth of his body, he felt cold. It was a few moments before he returned the gesture with full force, a weak moan escaping from his mouth. Even through his inner turmoil, the gentle strength of his arms felt comforting, both a vow of protection and a wellspring of gratitude for simply listening to his tale. The faint scent of flowers and sweet herbs lured me into pressing my cheek against the crook of his neck, and I felt him smile. Befuddlement. Appreciation. Delight. Peace. Had I not felt any positive emotions coming from him, I would've stopped right there. But what I felt only made me want to never let go, made me want to protect him from what he couldn't just vanquish himself in a magic duel. The things he'd endured... it made my own struggles with Celestia feel like a toddler's pathetic temper tantrum, screaming and crying over nothing at all. If I weren't so preoccupied, I might've even felt a little bit reflective, or even... guilty. Even though my feelings were justified, both back then and now. After a few more moments I could no longer feel the coldness within him, and the dull ache within me faded. I finally released my hold and looked up at him... his face was bright red, barely holding back an intangible expression. I found it amusing and chuckled. "Heh... didn't expect that, did you?" "No... but you'll not hear me complain about it," he replied with a slight grin. "I should explain," I smiled sheepishly, trying to hide my own blush. "...Where I come from, the people are more... emotional. Touchy-feely. We appreciate our close contact with one another, try to anticipate when the other person may need it... I've noticed that everyone around here doesn't really do that." "I see... I suppose that makes sense," Sebastian stared at the floor. "Certain expectations we all have to follow... though I'll admit that I find that they sometimes don't make any sense at all. Why hold back if two consenting parties feel the same? Especially if there are no... prying eyes to witness them." "Exactly," I replied slyly, lightly poking him in the arm. "Good to see you've got some gumption in there when you're not flustered." Not to mention it afforded me more excuses to leach that enticing sense of warmth from him... that delightful, delicious surge of exuberant emotions that seemed to almost fuel my ancient magic in some capacity, and quite simply felt so electrifyingly addictive. I'd have to be sneaky about it, though. It'd be kind of weird if I did it too often, even if he seemed receptive to the action... although it was true what I'd said about ponies back home, I'd never actually been the touchy-feely type myself. The thought of embracing anypony that wasn't Celestia had only brought me revulsion and disgust, as did the thought of embracing the vast majority of the humans I knew. But not him, though... because we were friends? What a curious observation. "I-I don't get flustered!" he weakly argued, a blush returning to his cheeks. I simply pointed at his face and giggled smugly; though he tried to shake it off a quiet chuckle blew past his lips. "...You were right, though. I do feel a bit lighter now that I've told someone about... all that." In a split second, remembering all that he'd told me, the smile vanished from my face. I felt a righteous fury boiling up within me once more, threatening to spill over. "I'm glad... because boy, do I want to give your uncle a piece of my mind! I can't believe all the things he did to you... I promise you, if I ever see him do anything like that to you again, if I ever even hear from anyone..." My voice devolved into a feral growl, a cross between a Timberwolf's deep, rumbling snarl and a hiss like an angry viper through clenched teeth. Just the thought made power leak from my eyes again in murderous anticipation. I wanted to rip that bastard a new one. Several new ones. Until his entire body was nothing but a new one! "Hey," Sebastian grabbed my shoulders, gentle but still firmly enough to snap me out of my dark desires. "Don't worry about me... and please, don't even think about blasting him with ancient magic. As much as I despise my uncle... he's Anne and I's guardian. He's... all we have left of our family." "So what?!" I argued. "That's still no excuse for how he's treated you... haven't you heard that one saying? 'The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb'? He doesn't deserve either of you... If he were my guardian, I'd rather go move in with Ominis and his insane family." A few beats of silence passed. "...I have thought about that," he admitted. "But Ominis is convinced his family wouldn't be... accepting." "They wouldn't?" Sebastian shook his head. "My mother was a half-blood... Pureblood supremacy and all that." "Geez..." I grumbled, glaring at the floor. Stupid, meaningless prejudices. He squeezed my shoulders before letting go, and we stood there for a while, having a sort of unspoken conversation of understanding through our shared silence. And as much as I didn't want to listen... as much as I wanted to personally ensure that Solomon got exactly what was coming to him... I chose to respect Sebastian's wishes. His uncle would live... for now. "...Fine. But if you ever change your mind-" "No, Sunset... please don't blow up my uncle." ~ Finally, the Friday I had been waiting for finally arrived - it was my first match in the Crossed Wands tournament. Being new, I had been put in one of the lowest brackets and had to wait for what seemed like forever for my duel to come up. I'd attended most of the others before me, and found my competition sorely lacking. The only matches of note were Sebastian's and Natty's - the former had won his match handily, while I found the latter's unconventional casting style fascinating. The others... well, if it had been me dueling, I would've beaten each of them in a single move. During the gap of time between my last class of the day and the scheduled time of my match, I practiced my dueling skills with Sebastian in my Room, Equestrian music blaring from a modified phonograph. When he wasn't restricted to a couple of spells like in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, he was actually quite formidable to face off against... practically as good as myself. Had the two of us not been pulling our punches and ensured that our magic was all flash and no substance, we probably would've wound up brutally murdering each other and setting the entire castle on fire within the first five minutes. The music drew us into casting and dodging to its beat - by now I had amassed a large eclectic collection of it, finding the changes in tempo and rhythm fun to keep in time to. I had a little of everything: Limp Bridle, Linkin Pony, Sonic Fillies, Good Connemara, Marelyn Maneson, Knights In Nightmare's Service, Kyary Ponyu Ponyu, Barbados Cherry, Super Bass, Megan, 2 Spurs, Kid Clydesdale, Hay-Z, Lil Pon, and even non-pony artists such as Pit Dog, Lizza and Dimash Yakaibergen. One of the songs ended, and we chose that as our cue to take a break. While I sipped from a tankard of water Sebastian cleared his throat. "I imagine you know, since this music is from your homeland... What, exactly, is the meaning of, and I think I heard this right... 'popping, locking, dropping that birthday cake'?" He'd asked with such a straight and innocent face; after I'd gotten up from the floor after nearly dying laughing for a minute straight, I asked him if nightclubs were a thing in this world. He answered that they were, although they were far more popular in American cities than they were in London, and they offered a great deal more than simply dancing and drinking - they were more like a full-blown dinner theater. "Alright, so it's not a totally foreign concept," I nodded, grinning. "Well, Equestrian nightclubs are a little more... sultry. There's drinking, loud music, lots of flashing lights in a dark room crowded with people, and the dancing is very much not of the ballroom variety." "Er... what other variety of dancing is there?" he asked nervously. Predicting his reaction, I got close and whispered an explanation into his ear... and I did not mince my words, I was as specific and detailed as I could manage without cracking up laughing. The more he heard, the further his jaw dropped... and his face must've turned at least ten different shades of red. "...Your people consider that dancing?!" "Hey, don't knock it 'til you try it. It's fun," I smirked. "But it sounds so... salacious! It's lascivious! Licentious! It's..." he bit his lip as he glanced at the floor, "...admittedly intriguing." "Interested, are we?" I chuckled, raising an eyebrow playfully. "Given your current emotions, I'm surprised you're not a drooling, catatonic lump on the floor right about now." He froze as he swallowed uncomfortably at being called out, his eyes narrowing after a moment. "...I see what you're doing. You're trying to get a rise out of me," he drawled, trying to push aside the growing ache I could feel in the depths of his soul. "You know I can imagine what feelings such dancing may elicit." "Mmhmm... And now you know what 'poppin', lockin', droppin' that birthday cake' means," I nodded in satisfaction. "By the way, was that pun intended?" Sebastian glanced at the floor again as he went over what he said. After a few moments he let out a strangled shout and slapped his hand over his face. "...Damn you. How is it that you're far more comfortable with such intimate situations than even that philanderer Garreth?" he groaned, blushing again. I simply laughed. "Same as how you're so easily flustered... guess Equestria's just that much more open with it than the rest of the world." Which was a fact I found quite comical, it was incredibly easy for me to mock, provoke and embarrass my classmates with even the shoddiest of innuendos. It was definitely the most satisfying to use against Imelda, that irascible, self-important tryhard who thought she was soooo talented in everything she did... even Ominis had found it hilarious when I'd suggested she was quite quick with more than just a broom. And then I found out what an incorrigible gossip he could be... Hoo boy, was she mad when word got back to her. I glanced over to the clock - 4:15pm. My match was in about fifteen minutes. "Well, shall we head over to the Clock Tower Courtyard? 'Fraid there's no time for you to take a cold shower first," I grinned. "I'll be just fine," Sebastian huffed as he followed me out. "Though I do have other questions to ask about your music... What is a milkshake, and why does it bring all the boys to the yard?" I laughed again as I answered his questions on the way to the dueling club, some of them eliciting equally amusing reactions as before. And as for my match, I dueled a Gryffindor boy named Hector Jenkins... and it was over in seconds. He was no match for being shot upwards high into the rafters of the tower, then being Transfigured into a duck... a duck that didn't know how to fly. He honked in a panic as he flapped his useless wings, a Descendo ensuring that he landed with an audible slam on the floor. A Ventus then sent him flying out of a window in an explosion of feathers, from which he did not return. "The winner... Sunset Shimmer!" Lucan cried out as he gestured grandly towards me. While most of the other club members offered mild applause or hushed mutterings of terror, Sebastian and Natty cheered loudly. I looked over to them with a proud smirk, appreciative of their support. Soon I'd be moving rapidly up the tournament bracket... and soon, all of these losers would be bowing to me in defeat. And eventually... I'd have the entire world bowing to me. Me, and my incredible power.