Scootaloo placed her bookbag down behind the counter at Sugarcube Corner. It was her second day of work and she already wanted to quit.
"Hi, Scootaloo!" Ryon said, walking in. Scootaloo said nothing in reply. Instead, she put on her apron and ignored the colt. "A-are you okay?" Ryon had never seen the orange filly act this way before. Once again, Scootaloo did not respond. She turned around and went over to the sink to wash her hooves.
"Alright. You wanna play the silent game, huh?" Ryon said, slightly annoyed. The door opened and the bell rung. A customer walked in.
"We'll be right with you!" Ryon yelled from the kitchen as he tied his apron. Scootaloo rolled her eyes. Sighing, she walked out to the counter. Never mind, Ryon thought as he turned on the sink to wash his own hooves. He began to hum.
"How can I help y- Oh, hey Loviatar!" Scootaloo's face brightened.
"Nice to see you, Scootaloo!" Loviatar replied.
"So, can I get you anything? Maybe a cupcake?"
"No thanks, only my brother. Ugh, is he back there singing again? Stupid kid. Anyways, I need to have a quick word with him."
"Oh, uh, alright." Scootaloo mumbled.
"Ryon... uh, Loviatar wants to see you. She's right up front and- what the hay?" Scootaloo stopped talking after seeing the colt.
He was humming, and as he did his chest became light blue, almost as if there was a magic aura around him on his chest. Small light blue snowflakes came pouring out very slowly, one by one. As they floated to the ground, they disappeared into thin air, as if they were evaporated. Ryon immediately quit humming, and turned around to see Scootaloo.
"How did you do that?" She asked.
"I told you. I'm an- did you say my sister was here?" He quickly changed the subject.
"Yeah. But wait, how did you-"
"No time to talk. This is probably important." He rushed past her, not letting her talk. So he thinks his sister is more important than me, huh? I saw him humming! Snow-like magic stuff came right out of him! That's barely even possible for a pegasus! How does a pegasus do that?! Scootaloo frowned.
"Hey, Loviatar. What's so important this time that you've got to take me out of work?" Ryon asked.
"It's a tragic accident! The- the magic! You can't be using it all up!"
"Don't talk so loud! We're in public." Ryon began to whisper.
"Said the one who was back there singing!" Loviatar calmed herself down before continuing. "Ryon, the tree is dying. I don't know what is happening, but it is beginning to wilt. And as the magic guardian, it is my duty to make sure that doesn't happen!"
"But how do I help? I'm just singing. Sorry if I like that song, but it's the only one I really can sing and still have complete control over my magic. Besides, I am recycling my magic. Once it touches the floor, it comes right back inside me."
"You can't risk it, Ryon. Have you seen what that did to Irothrust? She was playing with her magic, and she almost-" The door swung open, and another customer trotted in.
"I'll talk to you later." Loviatar said, walking out. Ryon went behind the counter, and served the pony. Little did they know, somepony was eavesdropping.
"Soooo... let me get this straight. These are the Sunset Gates, and this is the magical place where only pegasi could go to discuss weather stuff?" Sweetie Belle asked, walking on the clouds.
"Sort of. See, these clouds are special. That's why you can walk on them. They were created by magic, you see. That's why other ponies are, err, blind to them. Only the ones that are either emotionally connected to a sorcerer or one that is magically allowed in can see, hear and feel them, you get it?"
"Oh... What's a sorcerer?"
"A sorcerer, Sweetie Belle, is one of the three ponies that can use their magic here. Actually. we can use our magic anywhere, but originally we were only supposed to use it here. We weren't allowed to let other ponies find out. Sweetie, I can trust you, can't I?" Irothrust asked.
"Of course!"
"A long time ago, before we were even known as sorcerers, Loviatar, Ryon and I had no home. We were orphans."
"Oh... sorry about that."
"Don't be. It's actually made life a lot easier on me, on all of us. Being immortal, I have to see the ponies I love pass away over time. Anyways, the orphanage knew we had great potential. But since we were still under Discord's evil reign, we were unable to prove anything without something going terribly wrong. By the time we were about ten years old, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came and defeated Discord, turning him to stone.
Soon after, things became more organized, we were able to show our talent. In no time at all the Princesses came to us, and with Commander Hurricane we were known as the weather sorcerers. We also learned that Loviatar and Ryon are siblings, and I am their cousin. That was actually expected, though. See, there wasn't a lot of Pegasus population in the beginning of Equestria. Start over. There wasn't really a lot of any species, actually. And since Loviatar, Ryon and I had extra supernatural innate magic, we were intended to use it for good."
"Cool!"
"Not cool! Sweetie Belle, this is a the part of my past that I have never told anypony before. I am putting my faith in you. Promise me you wont tell anypony anything."
"Of course!"
Sighing, Irothrust nervously continued. "Celestia and Luna hoof picked us. Even back then we weren't allowed to let other ponies know who we were. Our powers had to be kept secret, and in order to do that we had to disguise ourselves. The princesses ranked us. Not only by our age, but our jobs as well."
"What does that mean?"
"My fur was turned golden, and my magic was turned to orange because of three things. One, I was to have my magic the same as my old coat. Second, my rank determined my new coat and hair color. And last, I was the oldest, and therefore received the most important job."
"What's your job?"
"Besides to use my magic for good purposes, I was made the Tree Tender. The United Sorcerers Tree, for that matter."
"Is that the big, white tree with the orange, purple, and blue leaves?" Irothrust nodded in response.
"Wow..." Sweetie Belle said, her voice fading.
"Please don't tell anypony."
"Of course not! But, if you don't mind me asking, why are you a sorcerer if you don't seem to have wings?"
"It's hard to explain. This is one of those things I can't exactly tell you right now."
"Oh, okay. I understand."
"Sweetie Belle, I have a weird feeling."
"What? Is more magic being abducted?"
"No... but I have a feeling that you need to go home."
"Okay. Bye, Irothrust!"
"Bye Sweetie Belle!"
As Sweetie Belle exited, Irothrust looked back at the United Sorcerers Tree. The trunk was light grey, and the roots looked black. The branches wilting down, and a single orange leaf fell from Irothrust's side of the tree. It quickly turned brown and shriveled up.
This isn't good.