Light and Magic

by Allenator05

Doubt

Hildr emerged from her sleeping pod the next morning feeling stiff and sore. She spent a few moments stretching her muscles and waking up. The sun shone through the holes in the roof and Hildr guessed the time to be around mid-morning. She sighed and moved to her overnight box and pulled out a ration pack and energy drink. While she waited for the tasteless food to finish heating up, Hildr thought about the plan for the day.

Raven returned just as Hildr was starting her morning meal. "Oh. Sleep well?" he asked.

"Not particularly," Hildr replied.

Raven turned to look at the portable sleeping pod. "Did the pod malfunction?"

HIldr shook her head. "No. The pod's fine, I just had a bit of trouble sleeping in it is all."

Raven hovered closer and asked, "Is the mattress too lumpy?"

Hildr stopped eating and stared at her Ghost. "I said its fine." Slightly miffed, Raven moved away. "Find anything?" Hildr added.

"Well I'm sure you're aware by now, but our current location is on the outer fringes of a large city, at least as large as some Golden Age Earth cities," Raven said.

"Anything else?" Hildr asked, taking a bite of breakfast.

Raven simply stared at her. "This is a huge continent! We were lucky to find this when we did! Right now, I have no way of knowing what else is out there."

Hildr shrugged. "This place is big. So?"

"So?" Raven asked incredulously. "It would take YEARS to properly map and explore this place!"

Hldr finished eating and rose to her feet. "So we start with what we know. We'll head further into this city and look for some kind of information center, or network hub if such a thing exists."

Raven looked around. "But everything is crumbling and falling apart. Any technology like that would have vanished long ago."

Hildr scowled. "True, but we have no way of knowing how long ago any of this happened," she said.

"Well based on weather patterns, vegetation growth rate, material erosion rates, and a few other factors, I can take a guess at how long it's been since preventative maintenance has been performed."

"And?" Hildr asked, making a waiting gesture. Raven's eye blinked for a few moments and he said, "My best guess is about three hundred years."

Hildr was slightly shocked. "That's all?" she asked.

"Like I said, that's how long it's been since the buildings started to fall apart. How long before that everything was abandoned, I have no idea," Raven said.

Hildr sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Then let's get going." She cleaned up as best she could and got dressed, putting on her armor. Hildr then packed up her makeshift camp and Raven returned the gear to storage. Hildr looked around, making sure she didn't miss anything, then went back up to the roof. Raven called the ship and moments later, it appeared above them. Raven transmatted HIldr onboard and she piloted the ship deeper into the abandoned city.

Raven was speechless by what he saw. The buildings grew taller and more elaborate, definitely hinting at advanced construction technology and techniques. The morning light glinted off the exposed metal exteriors, turning everything a golden color tinged with rust. Nature had also done its part and was trying to reclaim the land. Most of the smaller buildings were covered with thick vines and other vegetation. Something else that struck Raven as odd was the lack of wildlife. Whatever had happened here certainly left a lingering impression on the planet.

Hildr suddenly frowned and took the ship straight up. "What's wrong?" Raven asked.

Hildr pointed out the window and asked, "What do you see?"

Raven looked, not sure what she was getting at. "Um, an abandoned city?" he guessed.

"Look again," Hildr said.

Squinting his eye, Raven took a closer look, scrutinizing every detail he could. "I'm not a city planner, but the roads and thruways are laid out rather strange," he said.

"Okay sure, but that's not what I'm talking about," Hildr said.

"Then what ARE you talking about," Raven asked.

Hildr grabbed her Ghost and pointed him in the direction she wanted him to see. "What does that say to you?"

Raven finally saw what she was getting at. "Oh," was all he managed to say.

At the far end of the city, the vegetation suddenly ended, as if there was an invisible line it could not cross. Beyond that, the buildings had all collapsed, leaving outlines in the ground where they used to stand. But what really pulled Raven's attention were the deep lines cut in the ground in right angles and circles. Blocky structures of metal and stone rose up into the air. This strange architecture extended out to the horizon. "Does any of that look familiar?" Hildr asked.

"Well, there's no question the Vex have a presence here," Raven said. HIldr nodded and took the ship back to orbit. When they were at sufficient altitude, Hildr maneuvered the ship to look at the planet below. Fortunately there was little cloud cover and they could see the extent of the Vex terraforming. More than half of the continent was a rusty bronze color, typical of Vex terraforming. Compared to the greenery and mountain ranges nearby, this area appeared like a wound that had scabbed over. Perhaps time would tell if the area taken by the Vex would be reclaimed. Until then, it would stand as a stark reminder of what the Vex were capable of.

Raven finally found his voice. "But why stop there? Why not change the whole planet like the Vex did to Mercury?" he asked.

Hildr shrugged. "Who knows? Perhaps the forebears of this planet managed to put up a resistance."

"Well now we know we can get some answers," Raven said. "Maybe even find a conflux."

Hildr stroked her chin in thought. "I noticed the buildings resembled those found on Earth before the Collapse." She turned to Raven and said, "Do you remember what the old colony ships looked like?"

"Yes. Why?" Raven asked.

Once again, Hildr piloted her ship down to the planet's surface. "I have a hunch. I want you to scan for anything that resembles the shape of a colony ship."

Raven thought for a moment. "You know, it's highly unlikely this planet was settled by colonists from Earth."

"Just like it's unlikely the Vex have a presence on this planet?" Hildr shot back.

"Okay, okay. Jeez," Raven exasperated. They started near the city and Raven scanned all the nearby structures and matched the profiles. The day wore on as they continued and Hildr was growing more and more frustrated. "Let's say that this planet was indeed settled by colonists," Raven said. "It's highly unlikely the bulk of the colony ship would have made it down to the planet. They were designed remain in orbit while shuttles ferried supplies and personnel to the surface."

Hildr growled. "I'm well aware of how the colony ships were supposed to work. Since there is nothing in orbit now, it probably crashed a long time ago." She then pointed sharply back to the ship's display. "So scan for wrecks or anything that looks like a large man-made object fell from space."

"But it could be anywhere!" Raven protested.

Hildr slammed her fists into the console and shouted, "I know that! What else would you have me do? Poke through the abandoned buildings, hoping we get lucky with a computer terminal and a power source?" Raven remained quiet while Hildr raged. "I'm doing the best I can right now, and you questioning everything I do isn't helping!" Hildr took several deep breaths and massaged her hands.

The tension hung thick between them. After a while, Raven said softly, "I'm not trying to make your life difficult. You aren't exactly making it easy for me either."

"I know. I'm sorry," Hildr replied. She stared out the window and sighed. "You're right you know."

"Right about what?" Raven asked.

"Right about everything," Hildr said. "I don't have a real plan and if I did, it would be a stupid plan. Why do you think Lady Perun or the others never asked for my advice?"

"Because your role is geared more towards support?" Raven suggested. "And besides, that never stopped you from giving your opinions in the past."

Hildr shot him a glare. "Everyone has a part to play, some more important than others," she said.

"True. And we all do the best we can with what we have," Raven said. He then turned his attention back to the scanners. "Not to upset you even more, but I doubt we'll find evidence of the colony ship. The pieces are probably buried in the ground by now, if not rearranged by the terraforming." With a chuckle he added, "But just imagine if the remains were actually back in Equestria near Canterlot City."

Hildr frowned at Raven. "Now you've jinxed us," she said.

Hours later, they still had no real answers. Further scans of the current city continued to reinforce Hildr's suspicion that this planet was settled by a colony ship from Earth. Meanwhile, Hildr steered the ship toward the Vex infestation. As she looked out, Hildr noticed something odd. "These Vex structures are different than those on Venus and Mercury," she said.

Raven nodded. "I think I see what you mean. Nothing is illuminated and everything seems dead. I've never known of the Vex to simply to give up on whatever they were doing."

Hildr nodded absently and took the ship closer to the ground. From space, the lines and patters that were typical of Vex structures seemed to be rather intricate, but were actually deep canyons cut into the planet's surface. Large blocks of land were cut out and suspended in the air by unknown means, proving to be a flying hazard. From this level, everything as far as they eye could see was created with cold, machine-like precision.

To add to the unsettling atmosphere, there were no signs of life anywhere. The ship's sensors picked up no Vex activity and certainly no organic lifeforms. "What happened here?" Raven wondered.

Hildr said nothing and took the ship down further and hovered over a large cliff edge. She punched a few buttons and unbuckled her harness. "Let's go down and have a look," she said. Reluctantly, Raven transmatted Hildr to the planet's surface. Hildr put on her helmet and checked her weapons. When she was satisfied with her preparations, she turned to Raven and said, "Send the ship back to orbit and keep scanning. Also, be on the lookout for more sensor beacons and tripwires."

"Will do," Raven said and the ship took off. Hildr looked around and sighed. The top of the cliff was a nice vantage point, but there wasn't much else around. She peered over the edge and stared down into the seemingly bottomless canyon. Off in the distance, Hildr noticed a structure that towered above the landscape. "Raven, sparrow please," Hildr asked. Raven's eye blinked as Hildr's rocket powered land speeder materialized. Hildr hopped on and sped off.

---

Sunset Shimmer sighed as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Hildr never came back last night and she had no idea where she was. After the excitement last night, Sunset considered calling in sick, but decided against it. Her boss was nice and she rather liked her job working at the sushi restaurant in the mall. Fortunately, her shift didn't start until the afternoon, so Sunset slept in. After a quick shower and clean clothes, the young woman felt marginally better.

Sunset unwrapped the bandages from her arms and saw her wounds had completely healed with no scarring. She had to admit she was very impressed. Hildr may be completely unlikeable, but her medical skills were outstanding. Sunset gently traced her fingers over her arms and thought about what could have happened otherwise. She shook her head, ridding herself of those thoughts. No use thinking about it now. Sunset glanced at the clock and saw it was time to get ready. Her uniform consisted of a blue sleeveless kimono that fell to mid-thigh with blue and white trim. Sunset pulled on a pair of pants underneath and put her shoes, socks, and other uniform items in her backpack. She put on her jacket and boots, picked up her helmet and walked out the door.

Out in the parking lot, she walked past different cars of various makes and models before coming to a little canopied area reserved for motorcycles and scooters. There she found one of her few possessions in the human world Sunset was actually proud of: a sport motorcycle styled after the Grand Prix racing super bikes. Her bike was black with red trim. Sunset added her own personal touch by painting her cutie mark of a red and gold sun on the front quarter panels.

Sunset sat on her bike and turned it on, relishing the power as the engine roared to life. The motocross event at the Friendship Games had been a lot of fun and she enjoyed it immensely, but there was something about a powerful street bike that really got her blood pumping. Sunset would neither confirm nor deny that she and Rainbow Dash had ever engaged in street racing. Sunset kicked her bike in gear and headed out.

The mall where she worked was across town, about a fifteen minute drive depending on traffic, from where Sunset lived. The weather was rather pleasant, perfect for riding, and Sunset again lamented the fact she had to work. As it were, she hit the throttle and barely stayed inside the speed limit all the way to the mall. She smiled and relished the feeling of power and speed. To be honest, moments like this reminded her of home in pony Equestria, running freely through the open fields and feeling the wind pull at her mane, laughing and playing with no care in the world But it also made her feel a bit homesick.

Before long, Sunset Shimmer pulled into the employee parking lot and parked her bike. She dashed inside and found the ready room for the restaurant. Sunset pulled off her jacket and pants, smoothed out her uniform, and pulled the rest of her uniform out of her bag. Her apron had a small stylized octopus and waves embroidered on it. She gathered her red and gold hair in a stylish up do and held it together with a large sashimi shaped barrette. She added a little fish pin just above her bangs. As she was putting on her socks and sandals, her boss poked his head in. "Ah Sunset, you're here. I know it's not on your schedule, but I need you to host."

"No problem boss," Sunset said and jumped to her feet. He smiled and left. Sunset smoothed out her uniform and sighed. "Okay. Let's get this over with," she said and went out to the dining area. The restaurant itself wasn't very big and only had a few booths and tables. The biggest draw to the restaurant was the hibachi grill. It was quite common for the hibachi to be reserved for birthdays, holiday parties, corporate functions, and things of that nature. Sunset was fascinated by the professionalism and showmanship of the hibachi chefs and she sometimes wondered if she could learn their craft. On the other hand, the sushi chefs also caught Sunset's attention. When the store wasn't busy, she would often watch the chefs work and ask questions, which they were more than happy to answer.

Since it was the lunch rush hour, Sunset put those thoughts aside and made sure to wear her best smile. As the hostess, she was the first person people saw when they walked in and she wanted to make a good impression. If the customers were happy, they were more likely to come back, which made her boss happy, and he would give Sunset a raise, which made Sunset happy.

When she first came to the human world, Sunset realized she would need a source of income to support herself. She applied at many different places, but the sushi store was the one that hired her. Sunset also recognized that she would have to put on her happy façade and work hard so she wouldn't be fired. Balancing this against her school persona and ambitions never bothered Sunset Shimmer, but as time went on, the lines began to blur together. She had become used to wearing different masks for different functions. After the Fall Formal and a rainbow friendship laser to the face, Sunset Shimmer had to come to terms with the fact she wasn't sure who she truly was anymore. Was she still the angry and bitter unicorn who only cared about getting her way? Was she the quiet, unsure young woman who got caught up in her own ambition? After all this time, she still wasn't sure, but Sunset knew that all she could do was continue moving forward and not let her past dictate her future.

The lunch rush died down and Sunset was able to take a short break. Sunset Shimmer wasn't real big on eating meat, but she had developed a liking for sushi. Her favorite was nigirizushi with tuna, but she wasn't above a good California or Alaska roll. She sat in the back and enjoyed a few pieces while her thoughts drifted. "I can see why that Agent Smith would be interested in Hildr, but why all the cloak and dagger stuff? Seems like someone is taking the whole secret agent thing too seriously," Sunset mumbled to herself. "And his story doesn't exactly add up. What are they waiting for? Are they that concerned about our magic?"

Sunset put her sushi tray aside and looked down at her hands. She could feel the spark of magic deep inside herself, like a glowing ember. Sunset concentrated on that spark and focused the energy in her hands. After a moment of concentration, the ember became a small flame and a red aura surrounded her hands. Tentatively, she reached up and was relived to find she hadn't sprouted pony ears. "I guess just focusing on my magic doesn't cause that reaction," she said. Sunset closed her eyes and pulled the energy from her hands back into her spark. "I should look into this later." By now her break was over and Sunset went back out to the dining area.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully and Sunset Shimmer checked the schedule before leaving. She was quite pleased to have tomorrow off. The forecast was predicting favorable weather. "Might have to go for a ride," Sunset said with a smile. She changed back into her riding clothes and walked out to her motorcycle. "Hey Sunset, wait up!" Rainbow Dash called out.

Sunset stopped and waited for the girl with rainbow colored hair to catch up. Rainbow Dash, unsurprisingly, worked at the sporting goods store in the mall. She'd helped Sunset pick out shoes from time to time. "You off work too?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yep," Sunset replied with a nod. "I don't have to work tomorrow, so I was thinking about going for a ride."

Rainbow Dash grinned from ear to ear. "Yes! I like this plan!" Her eyes gleamed as she added, "How about we make it interesting?"

Sunset Shimmer was intrigued. She crossed her arms and leaned against her bike. "Oh? In what way?"

"Meet at school in the morning. First one to leave a Canterlot High pennant at Crystal Prep and make it back to school wins!" Rainbow Dash suggested.

Sunset tapped her chin with her finger and thought about Rainbow Dash's proposal. "I dunno. Crystal Prep is so far away."

"I know! That's why this is such a good idea!" Rainbow Dash said.

Sunset gave a little smirk. "But what about the police?"

Rainbow Dash rubbed her hands together gleefully. "They can't catch what they can't see."

Sunset smiled and shook her head. "Sorry Dash, I'm gonna have to decline for now. I just want to take it easy for a few days."

Rainbow Dash's face fell and she was clearly disappointed. "Yeah, I suppose." She stuck her hands in her pockets and kicked at the ground. "I got some things I need to do anyway, like tinker with my bike to make it go even faster."

Sunset waggled her eyebrows at her friend. "I'm surprised you still ride your bike, when you can just run around everywhere."

Rainbow Dash grinned and rubbed her head. "Yeah that's true. Even with my super speed, I still like to ride my bike. It's like I'm addicted to speed and things that go really fast or something."

Sunset chuckled. "Really? I never would have guessed." Growing serious, Sunset stepped forward and placed her hand on Rainbow Dash's shoulder. "Listen Dash. I'm not going to tell you not to experiment and use your powers, but be careful okay?"

Rainbow Dash started to laugh, but stopped when she saw the serious look Sunset Shimmer was giving her. "I know. But people at school already know and by now, most of the town does too."

"It's not them that I'm worried about," Sunset mumbled. Rainbow Dash frowned. "Sunset? Is everything okay?"

Sunset sighed. "For now yes, but I don't expect things will stay that way." She looked up and stared her friend in the eyes. "If anything happens, let me and the others know okay?"

Rainbow Dash nodded. "I will. Besides, what can happen? We have magic and I'm awesome!" Sunset rolled her eyes as Rainbow Dash walked to her own bike, which was painted bright red with rainbows streaking down the sides. While Sunset's bike was essentially a street legal racing bike, Rainbow Dash's motorcycle was known as a naked bike, which is a stripped down sport bike optimized for speed and handling. Rainbow Dash had done some tinkering to make her bike even faster. Sunset Shimmer watched as Rainbow Dash mounted her bike and sped off in a squeal of smoke and rubber. She sighed and shook her head.

Sunset took her time going home and enjoyed the ride. She thought about what to do on her day off. She wasn't lying to Rainbow Dash when she said she wanted to relax. What she planned to do was experiment with her magic. Sunset was already going through which exercises to try.

Sunset pulled into the parking lot for her apartment and parked her bike. She shut off the engine and stopped. Something felt…off. She frowned and looked around. Nothing appeared to be out of place, but a feeling in the back of her mind left her on edge. Sunset cautiously dismounted her bike and carefully walked up to her apartment. The feeling didn't diminish and if she had to guess, it only got stronger, like she was being watched.

Sunset unlocked her door and carefully pushed it open. The only thing that greeted her was her darkened apartment. She slowly put her helmet down and picked up the baseball bat she kept by the door. She then walked through her apartment with the bat cocked and ready. After her initial walk through revealed nothing, Sunset then turned on all the lights and went through everything again, looking for anything that was out of place. Her temper started to rise and her patience started to wane through the whole ordeal. When she had walked through the living room for the tenth time, Sunset let out a frustrated growl and flung the bat into her couch. "What is wrong with me? Why am I so paranoid?" she shouted to no one in particular.

She stormed over to her refrigerator, yanked open the door and pulled out her water bottle. Sunset then stomped back to her couch and flopped down onto the cushions. "And to think today was going so well," she muttered. She took a long pull on the bottle and tried to focus her thoughts. "Is it because the last time I came home I was met by those government agent hacks?" Sunset looked around. "Just because I haven't found anything yet doesn't mean they didn't leave anything behind." This only made her angrier and she glared at all the suspected hidden cameras. "Thanks a lot you guys!" she called out, "You've turned me into a paranoid nut job!"

Deciding to focus on something else, Sunset turned her attention to her plan for tomorrow and reached for a notebook. She then started to write down everything she could remember about her study of magic and its application. The time flew by as she searched her memories and the pages began to fill up with her scribbles.

Magic is an energy inherent to the planet that all ponies have the ability to manifest and utilize. Earth ponies and Pegasus ponies use their magic in a more passive nature. For Earth ponies, this means growing crops and interacting with nature, and for the Pegasus ponies, this means flight, cloudwalking and weather manipulation. Unicorns take a more active approach in using magic, most commonly in the form of telepathy for manipulating objects. Also, a pony's special talent will also dictate their use of magic. In the case of Princess Twilight Sparkle, her special talent IS magic and therefore, she possesses vast magical potential.

Sunset frowned as she looked over her notes. "It's easy to see why Princess Celestia chose Twilight as her student," she said, suddenly feeling depressed. Sunset put her notebook aside and buried her face in her hands. "Did Celestia see the same potential in me?" she wondered. "How was Twilight able to succeed where I failed?" A black hole formed in her core and her stomach jumped to her throat. "How long did Celestia wait before taking Twilight as her student? Did she even care?" Sunset vigorously rubbed her face in attempt to drive these thoughts away. "Does Celestia see my time as a failure? Is that why she took such a different approach with Twilight?"

Sunset looked at the clock and realized how late it was. Certainly not feeling very motivated any more, she decided to go to bed. She stared at her reflection while brushing out her hair. The girl in the mirror seemed rather melancholic, as if thoughts of the past were percolating unwanted through her mind. Sunset stopped what she was doing and leaned in closer to the mirror. "Do you think it was supposed to turn out like this?" she asked and placed her hand on the mirror. "Can I go back? Would they even want me back?"

Sunset sighed. "I should just get rid of this mirror. After all, it was a mirror that started me down this path in the first place." She gave a small chuckle. "Of course, I can't exactly blame what happened only on a magic mirror. It showed me a possible future and I was blinded by my own ego and ambition." She pulled her hand away and looked into her own eyes. "What do you see in there? Regret? Resignation? Fear? Hope? Failure? All of the above? None of the above?"

Sunset tore her gaze away from the reflective surface and stared down in her lap. "Sometimes, I can't bear to look at my own reflection. What does that say about me?" She turned away and saw her journal sitting on the night stand. "At least one person still believes in me." Sunset narrowed her eyes and turned back to the mirror. She rose to her feet and leaned forward until her head was nearly touching the mirror. "People will never let you forget the person/pony you used to be or the things you've done. So why should you? Forgive, but never forget. You are a strong and independent young woman. Stand up, brush yourself off, accept your past, and keep moving toward the future." She made a fist and pressed it firmly to the mirror. "Figure out what you want and take it with your own two hands." Sunset smiled. "But within reason, yeah? That's what your friends are for, to encourage you when you feel down and keep you in check when you get too full of yourself."

Sunset leaned back and stretched. "Better get to bed. I've got a full day planned and I'm excited to see what happens." She turned out the lights and curled up in bed. Before long, she was asleep.

---

Your most Royal Highness, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship,

Ha! I can see you rolling your eyes from here! I know the fancy titles annoy you and I can't help it. It's fun to laugh and make fun of your friends.

Listen Twilight. I know we've talked about this before, but sometimes it's hard to not think about the past and feel completely overwhelmed by it. Make no mistake, I was a terrible pony and I said and did some unspeakable things. Sometimes I feel like what I did could never be forgiven and I shouldn't bother trying. The humans have a saying, and I forget exactly how it goes, but it basically means that perhaps the purpose of your life is to serve as an example of what not to do for others. Is that the final lesson that I taught to Princess Celestia? How not to raise a pupil?

Now that I think about it, I really can't hold a candle to the Sun Princess. How much guilt do you think she harbors deep inside? I mean, she banished her own sister to the Moon! And every time she saw it, do you think the Moon reminded her of what happened? And then to deal with that for a thousand years! And that's probably the tip of the iceberg of things Celestia regrets.

Twilight, I know you're a princess and royalty now, but I know for a fact that you aren't perfect. Do you have any regrets? Deep down in the dark places of your soul, is there anything that you wish you could change? If given the chance, is there anything that you would go back in time to change, to prevent from happening?

I'm sure you know that relationships are messy. People are messy, and imperfect, and because of that, there are misunderstandings and others are hurt. So why do we put ourselves through that? What is it that drives us to undertake such masochistic behavior? Maybe it's ingrained so deep in our psyche, the need to interact with others, that we are willing to take that chance. But if that's the case, do we even have a choice in this matter? Are we predisposed as ponies and people to interact with others? Fate? I don't believe in fate. I think people use it as an excuse not to go out and take their destiny in their own two hands. To me, there is nothing more satisfying than working hard and seeing your desires come to fruition.

I'm sorry for all the deep intellectualism, but I've been thinking about these things recently. What is the true meaning of friendship? Can it be possible to trust someone so completely, that you are essentially giving them your heart? Isn't love just a deeper and truer meaning of friendship? What does that mean? The act of giving yourself to another and laying bare your very soul is both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever find that.

On a somewhat lighter note, I'm going to start training with my magic. I think I remember most of the beginner stuff, but any help you can give past that would be greatly appreciated. Since Magic here isn't as strong as it is there, I'm not expecting overwhelming results at first. If I can recover at least a small portion of my former abilities, I will count that as a success.

And Twilight? I know this isn't exactly a face to face conversation, but thanks for listening. I feel like you're the only one I can talk to about these things. You know, since we're magical ponies and all.

Always yours,

Sunset Shimmer

Comments

[RegMoDII]

I really hope to see twilights reply and or that the warlock reads this entry