//------------------------------//
// Chapter 02: Education 
// Story: Young Amazons 
// by Wanderer D 
//------------------------------//












Young Amazons


By Wanderer D


Chapter 02: Education


Sunset shifted from one foot to the other. If there was something that hadn't changed in any world so far was the clear distinction of who was rich and who wasn't. And the easiest way to tell—even if it was sometimes misleading—was a mansion. While she was comfortable being around rich people, thanks to Celestia's upbringing, the last few years on her own had made her painfully aware of the gap between normal and "upper class".

Zatanna had taken her back to Gotham City, where she was staying in the penthouse of a really expensive hotel. After a quick phone call, they had been on their way in a classic Rolls Royce, driven by Zatanna herself, to the outskirts of the city.

She had watched as they drove past Chicacolt-like buildings, fading into a thick wood, and eventually emerging at the top of a hill overlooking the city, reaching the gates around a huge piece of land with a mansion so big it could be a hotel in the center of it.

The gates had opened without pause for them, and soon enough they had been allowed in by the butler to wait in the library—a decently sized one at that—for master Bruce.

"So, how is it that a stage magician from Vegas knows someone like... this guy, um, Bruce Wayne?" she finally asked.

"I can answer that," the butler replied, walking into the room with a tea set. "Young master Bruce and Miss Zatanna became acquainted when the young master insisted on learning how to perform stage magic from a professional, and Giovanni Zatara has had no equal in the world, save perhaps Miss Zatanna here."

"Oh, Alfred," Zatanna laughed. "You're too kind, but no one can replace my father."

Alfred shook his head, smile not fading. "That is indeed true, and now, young miss," he said turning to Sunset, "I can see you are a bit nervous, how about some tea to relax a little, and I assure you, Master Bruce is quite friendly."

"Oh, thank you, yes," Sunset stammered. "I'm sorry about that, it's been a while since I was last in a place like this."

Alfred smiled good-naturedly, and set down the tea, inviting them both to take a seat. "The young master will be back soon," he said, serving them both before bowing out and leaving them alone once more.

"So, you've been around the rich and famous before?" Zatanna asked, eyebrow lifting.

"In a way," Sunset confessed. "It's a long story, but the one that taught me... was a princess." She rubbed her arms sheepishly. "I sort of grew up in a palace."

"My, my, surprises never end," Zatanna smirked. "You'll have to tell me all about it after we talk to Bruce."

"Talk to me about what?" a voice asked, and Sunset turned to take her first look at the famous Bruce Wayne. He was younger than she expected. Maybe mid twenties at most.

"Hello, Bruce," Zatanna purred, standing up to give him a hug.

"Zee, it's good to see you again," he replied, smiling as he stepped back. "And who is your young friend?"

"Her name is Sunset, and she's new in town, she's been homeschooled, but would like to finish her education if possible in an actual institution," Zatanna explained. "Since you know the board of education, I was wondering if you could give her a hand. I'll be paying for her school fees and living expenses—"

"Whoa, no," Sunset said, standing up. "You said you'd help me get into high school, but we never agreed on you paying my expenses." She shook her head, and looked at Bruce. "Mr. Wayne, if you can help me with getting into school, I'd appreciate that, but I should be the one paying for my bills. I'll get a job or something."

Zatanna's smile became slightly strained. "That's sweet, Sunset dear, but you do remember you don't have work experience an—"

"Oh, I do, most of it was payed under the table, but I'm smart enough to be a lab assistant, or if worse comes to worse, I could go back to waiting tables for a little while."

Bruce, who had stepped back while the two talked, cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him. "Well, I may have a solution," he said evenly. "If Sunset was homeschooled, she'll need to take a test to make sure she's up to par with what Gotham High School's students. If she gets a good enough grade, she should be able to qualify for the Wayne Foundation Scholarship."

"I..." Sunset gulped. "I'm not sure I'm okay with—"

"Sunset," Bruce interrupted, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I promise you that I won't mess around with the results, but I do like helping brilliant young minds achieve their dreams. If your score is—and only if—good enough, you'll qualify. If not, I can at least help you get a job that'll allow you to make your payments."

Sunset blinked. "Oh, well, that sounds—"

"Perfect!" Zatanna interrupted. "If you can email me the forms, I'll have Sunset fill them out and she'll be ready for test taking in a couple of days."

Bruce chuckled. "Well, why don't you both stay for dinner? I would like to hear what you've been up to the last few years, Zatanna, and how come you're here in Gotham."

"Oh, Bruce." Zatanna winked. "You know why I'm here, I saw you bought tickets to my show." She chuckled. "But I think dinner would be fine, tell me, does Alfred still make those wonderful nachos?"

Bruce smirked. "He started already."

"Well then," Sunset said, smiling sheepishly. "How about a tour in the meantime?"





"Quite the charming company that Miss Zatara brought for dinner tonight," Alfred observed, placing down some tea next to Bruce.

"Hmm," Bruce nodded, typing away. "I haven't been able to find anything at all about her, though," he said after a moment, leaning back and glaring at the large monitor as if it were to blame. "Sunset is not a very common first name, but there are no records of her in the system at all."

Alfred quirked an eyebrow. "Really, Master Bruce, is a high school student's personal life worthy of a personal investigation by The Batman?"

Bruce took a sip of tea. "Probably not. It's just unusual for Zatanna to sponsor someone just like this. I would have expected Sunset to have some history with her, perhaps as an assistant in her shows or something, but it just looks like Sunset appeared out of thin air."

"I am surprised that such a well-mannered young woman would require this much investigating." Alfred shook his head. "Personally, I thought she was an exceptionally quick young lady, friendly and smart. Were all teenagers so amiable."

"You don't know Zatanna as well as I do, Alfred." Bruce gave him a slightly exasperated look. "When it comes to her and anything related to her, nothing is exactly as it seems. So even though I like Sunset, I'm going to keep tabs on her," he said at length when the Bat Wave went off. "Just in case, besides..." He pushed away from the computer, closing down the file with Sunset's limited information in it. "Zatanna has never asked me for a favor, so this deserves some attention anyway."

Alfred didn't look convinced, but nodded regardless. "Good luck tonight, Master Bruce," he called.

Bruce didn't answer, pulling the cowl over his face and heading out into the night.





...Detective Ellen Yin has stated that there are few indications as to the culprits that stole the statues from the museum, but it is believed to be the work of The Penguin and the cat burglar known as Cat Woman. The police have yet to make an official statement on whether The Batman is involved in any way, but with Chief Rojas' history with the bat it's all but a given. Back to the studio, Joe...

Sunset muted the TV and glanced at Zatanna. "What is it about this city and animal-named vigilantes and criminals?"

Zatanna shrugged. "Just the way it is, I suppose. If you decide to become a super heroine, maybe you should choose an animal name too. Like, Foxgirl or The Corn Snake."

Sunset gave her a look, but it devolved into frown a second later. "So, why are you so interested in those statues?"

"Well, you probably couldn't feel it through the TV, but I know about them. They're magical artifacts with several possible uses, the easiest, and most likely one, is creating powerful bursts of light. More like a laser than the illuminating type."

"That's... not good." Sunset chewed her lower lip. "Shouldn't you tell someone? Offer to help the police?"

Zatanna smirked. "Oh, I'll help out. But first, I need to open the door."

Sunset blinked. "Why?"

There was a knock on the door and both of them turned to look at it.

"Because I'm expecting a package, of course."

Zatanna walked up to the door and took an envelope, giving the bellboy a small tip and a wink before closing the door behind her.

"What is that?" Sunset asked, leaning over the back of the sofa.

"This, my dear Sunset, is you," Satanna declared, tossing the envelope to her with a flourish. "Or rather, the new you."

Susnet arched an eyebrow and slid out the documents from within the envelope, spreading them on a table. "So, I was born in... Venice? American mom, Italian dad. Moved to the US early on, so I don't need to speak italian, that's a relief... and my last name is Lucciola?"

Zatanna smirked. "Your father was a friend of mine's, which is how we got in contact together... and the Lucciola last name is a little secret between Bruce and I. I wonder if he'll ever catch on."

Sunset rolled her eyes, but checked every paper in order. "Life on the road, home schooled. Parents dead... it's the quintessential tragic orphan story." She sighed. "I realize that sending me back home might take some time, Zatanna, but is all of this really necessary?"

Zatanna sat down next to Sunset. "I'm afraid so... listen, Sunset, I want to send you back home as soon as possible too. I know it can't be easy to be here, with your family and friends left behind, but we have a very slim chance of doing that, even using your power as a reference, are you aware of how the multiverse works?"

Sunset grimaced. "A little. A friend of mine and I were working on a magical treatise on it."

Zatanna raised an eyebrow. "You really must tell me your life story at some point. But, returning to the one I was trying to make; multiple realities exist consecutively in an infinite number of possibilities, with more appearing every day. The closest the world you find yourself in is to your home universe, the easier it is to find that point of origin... but, there is no Canterlot here. No Canterlot High, Crystal Prep, no Principal Celestia, Vice Principal Luna... no person in this world is registered with the names Twilight Sparkle, Rarity Belle, Pinkie Pie, or Applejack Apple... there are some similarities, there's a Manhattan, Baltimore, Las Vegas, but no Manehattan, Baltimare or Las Pegasus."

"So what you're saying is that this could take years, if it ever even happens." Sunset covered her face with her hands. "Shouldn't I be doing everything then to figure it out? Spend every second working on that?"

Zatanna sighed. "You can. If you want to, I won't stop you, and I'll ensure you have access to the knowledge that would help that research regardless of which way you want to approach this, but you have to decide if it's for the best."

"What do you mean?"

Zatanna looked away. "I could obsess over magic to try and bring my father back to life. To go back in time to change his choice. To be a family again. But the truth is he made his mind, and I am now responsible for my own choices. I paid a price, but I also owned up to it and I know he wouldn't want me to waste my life blindly following an ideal solution that might not come to pass." She smiled. "If I ever come across a way to save him from his own folly, a way that will fix things so that he can come back and not destroy everything I've worked for, I might use it right then and there, but I refuse to give up on life to my own detriment, and I know he would not approve of that either."

Sunset gulped. "When I left, I know I managed to fix everything back home... I'm not afraid for them, but they are all I have. I want to go back."

"And you will," Zatanna said. "But ask yourself: would they want you to spend years isolated, without friends, without a chance at life for the slim possibility of returning home? Or would they happily embrace you back and be proud of your success and growth in another world while you figured out how to go back to them?"

Sunset sighed, looking down at the papers.

"I'm not saying give up. Don't give up," Zatanna said, raising Sunset's chin with her finger so that her young protege could look her in the eye. "Do your best to go back. Study. Read, experiment... but don't give up on yourself either. Make friends. Go out. Find special people to give you the strength you need to continue. If you find your way home, your friends will be there to help you. If you don't, your friends will have been with you all the way."

Sunset closed her eyes and nodded.

"That is my advice, in any case," Zatanna said standing up. "It's up to you what you make of it, but for now let's put that behind us and maybe I can teach you some tricks to make sure you at least can pass as my apprentice."

Sunset chuckled. "Sure, why not."





Later that night, Sunset stared at the blinking light of the fire alarm, unable to sleep. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the last moments in her earth, where Twilight had returned fully to her normal form before everything had gone wrong.

She knew somehow, that Twilight was fine. That her world was in no immediate danger, and she was sure her friends would inform Princess Twilight of her disappearance. With the princess herself helping, they would surely be able to find her again... wouldn't they?

That just left her to decide. Once before she had been consumed by a single, less than noble, objective. She had dedicated her every waking moment to bring about the doom of Equestria through the initial destruction of Canterlot High and syphoning the power of the Elements into herself. And the power that had defeated her was no less than the power of Friendship.

Zatanna had inadvertently hit the nail in the head by suggesting she make friends here too. Was there a greater power? Would she be worthy of Princess Twilight's forgiveness if she didn't put that ultimate lesson of friendship to use?

She knew enough about magical interdimensional theory through her own research to know that Zatanna was not making things up. Her world—either of them—was vastly different from this one. She wouldn't deny herself a life, but she wouldn't waste her time either. She would start her research as soon as possible.

It was just as she was about to drift off to sleep that she felt the surge in magic. Confused, she rolled out of bed and walked to the window.

Behind the closed curtains she could see intense flashes of light, and then she heard a distant explosion.

"What the..."

"It seems the Penguin and Catwoman used the statues of Horus and Bast," Zatanna said, emerging from her own room and walking up to her.

Sunset drew the curtains open and they watched the distant explosions coming from a lighthouse.

"This place is so much more violent than my previous homes," Sunset whispered. "Not that there was no violence but... this seems to be a normal occurrence here."

"This world is home to several super heroes and villains," Zatanna said, watching the distant battle. "I myself have joined the forces of good fighting crime and mystical threats to this world."

Sunset's eyes were wide. "You have?"

"Indeed, and so has Dr. Fate," Zatanna replied with a nod. She looked at Sunset. "With your power, the forces of good would gain a powerful ally."

Sunset chuckled weakly. "I don't know if I'm super hero material, Zatanna... my plate is going to be full between working, studying and trying to get home."

Zatanna shrugged. "Something else to think about, I suppose. Be warned, however that your power will draw attention eventually when you use it, and I fully intend to have you be at least somewhat capable of defending yourself."

"I know some offensive spells, and I learned how to fight," Sunset muttered.

"You need a well-rounded education. Defense and offense. I'm going to insist you attend martial arts classes, maybe even join a gymnastics class,"  Zatanna said, and her tone was pretty serious. 

"Gotham is going to be your home and I can't stay here forever," she continued. "But what we with mystical power face goes beyond super villains. In this universe there are forces and entities and intelligences that from time to time take an interest in us. Some which you might be able to fight... some that you might be able to escape, and some you have no hope in defeating or escaping or even reasoning with. 

"I'll try to get some of my friends to assist in teaching you, but ultimately your survival falls down to you. You are not a regular person here. You have power, and a somewhat unique ability to mix both sides of the spectrum at will. You cannot be too careful."

"Alright, alright," Sunset replied, raising her hands. "I'm not trying to make things harder, I just... don't want to involve myself in fighting superpowered beings. I've had enough abuse of magic in my life to want to take part in battles."

Zatanna nodded. "Perfectly understandable, but being able to defend yourself and even win if necessary doesn't conflict with those interests, does it?"

Sunset shook her head.

"Good, now, it seems the battle is over," Zatanna pointed out, and Sunset could no longer see explosions or flashes of light from the lighthouse. "I suggest you get some sleep, Sunset. You have a test to take and I have to adapt my show for my new assistant."

Sunset yawned and nodded, closing the curtain and making her way to bed. She laid down and started to drift into sleep when Zatanna's words broke through. She sat right up in bed. "Wait, what?!"





Sunset walked the long hallway, her hooves making an echoing clip-clop sound that only stopped when she reached the doors. She placed a hoof against them, braced herself, and pushed.

"Princess," Sunset bowed, tears streaming from her eyes. "Thank you for welcoming me back, I've missed you so much!" She looked up at Celestia, sitting in her high throne. "I'm so sorry, Princess... I didn't understand back then... I'm still trying to learn, but now that I'm here, I know I can—"

"Silence," Celestia interrupted, opening her wings threateningly and frowning down at her. "I know what you did, Sunset Shimmer. I know of your attempt to subvert innocents and turn them against Equestria!"

"But, Princess, I have changed! I promise, I—"

"Your crimes shall be punished!" Celestia snarled, eyes glowing. "You would enslave children! Use them as weapons!"

"I was wrong!" Sunset cried, using her hooves to cover her head, fearful of the Princess' wrath. "Twilight taught me a better way! She helped me change before I did irreparable damage!"

"All you did was bring destruction to their world!" Twilight said, emerging from behind the throne, eyes blazing with magic. "I left you to learn friendship, and since then you almost let reality be ripped apart!"

"You abandoned your friends, and now you intend to bring doom to another world!" Principal Celestia added, standing up from her throne.

"I will cast you into a different, far-off universe, where you will have no possibility of returning!" Twilight Sparkle declared.

Sunset found herself surrounded by her friends, who sneered and laughed at her.

"What are you gonna do now, little unicorn?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Are you going to bully me again?" Fluttershy snarled.

"How about we teach you what we do to unruly horses at the farm?" Applejack added.

"And while we're at it, maybe I can use your hide to make a throw rug," Rarity stated, smirking cruelly.

"And then I'll throw a party since you're never coming back!" Pinkie said cheerfully.

The group circled around her. Celestia and Twilight voicing their disappointment, the others reminding her of how since had gone to hell since she had come to their world.

Sunset closed her eyes and trembled under their verbal assault, the cacophony making it hard to even think. She was sure they would burn her with magic, get rid of her and she deserved it. Goddess, she deserved it.

The feeling of a cold hoof on her shoulder made her start, and she opened her eyes, looking around wildly, but there was no sign of the others, just shadows, lurking and circling.

She stood up and turned to look in confusion at the white coated, black maned unicorn standing next to her. His cutie mark was a strange, almost skull-like white mark in a black background, and his eyes... his eyes were strange, shrouded in shadow, but she could see the pupils, glowing like silver stars.

"W-wha—"

"Nightmares," the unicorn explained, and there was a tone to the sound of his voice; a sense of eternity and strangeness that she was unable to fully comprehend. "Only nightmares, Sunset Shimmer. Nothing to worry about."

Sunset accepted his words...





...and woke up to the sound of the door to the penthouse closing and the smell of breakfast and coffee.

She took a deep breath and smiled. She felt rested, more so than she thought she would early in the morning after waking up in the middle of the night to discuss her possible encounter with evil and the need to learn how to fight.

Zatanna knocked on her door and peeked in. "Ready for breakfast?"

Sunset hesitated for a brief second before she nodded. "Ready for a new day."