Hostile History

by Jest

Chapter 17

Sunset wasn’t sure what she was expecting to find on the floor beneath her own. Whatever she could have imagined, that wasn’t what was waiting for her.

The elevator doors slid open to a room carpeted with real, living grass, where the walls painted soft blue, which was entirely open aside from a few structural support columns. Those were covered with mirrors, positioned to reflect the light coming in from the many one directional windows that surrounded them. Small bushes and miniature trees dotted the area, most grew only a few feet while several nearly touched the vaulted ceiling above.

It was a little like stepping into an indoor forest, one built with the best human architectural ingenuity could squeeze into a relatively small space.

Touching the bushes and trees that rose from the floor, Sunset Shimmer could confirm that they were indeed as real as they looked. As was the trickle of water she heard coming from somewhere that fed the narrow stream that ran along one edge of the room.

Did you really make all this for me, Tempo? If not why build such a room in the first place?

“This is incredible!” Twilight skipped out the elevator doors past her, running one hand through the bright green leaves of a tree. “This is really going to help us with… magic? Are you sure he hasn’t just tricked himself with some… naturalistic fallacy?”

Sunset Shimmer shook her head. “This is the real deal Twilight. Trust me.”

Without word from Sunset, Twilight was drawn to the circle of low stones near the center of the room. Quite like the one they’d used in the warehouse, but far more intricate and permanent. Evidently Tempo had expected this place to last, and that he’d come back to it often. If it was this relaxing all the time, Sunset expected she’d use it as often as she could, and not just for magic.

She passed the base of a tree, so tall it reached the towering ceiling and spread across the fake sky painted upon it. Though not as impressive as any of the illusions she’d seen the princess conjure long ago, this was at least, far more accessible. After all, this place didn’t need an Alicorn to create it, just a construction crew.

“At least I’m pretty sure he’s for real,” Sunset repeated, settling down in the circle where Tempo had sat during their practice. “I saw his powers. I’m… not completely sure, but I think he might be related to Equestria’s ruler, Princess Celestia.”

“The one who looks like our principal?” Twilight asked, settling down on the thriving green grass in front of her and folding her arms. “The one you said was improbably immune to aging? And who for some reason has a clone that isn’t even middle aged at the school you arrived at. Doesn’t that seem strange?”

Twilight reached into a pocket, pulling out her phone and scribbling on it.

Was she seriously going to take notes at a time like this? We are learning magic here. Though I might’ve written it down too if I didn’t think I could remember it on my own. Sunset Shimmer pondered.

“Yes, her. I don’t really know how we can have a principal who looks like her… I think the other Twilight got into the theory of all that, but I didn’t get a chance to read it. Point is, he’s powerful. They didn't experience whatever happened to us or was gifted pony magic from Equestria. So Perfect Tempo had to figure things out on his own, while being human. That’s what we’re going to study,” Sunset Shimmer declared.

“Assuming he’s willing to share it,” Twilight stated flatly.

Sunset Shimmer felt her defensive urges rising in her chest as Twilight said it, though Sunset couldn’t imagine why. Perfect Tempo and his band of miscreants had saved them from a life of confinement, sure. But there was no reason Sunset should feel any personal loyalty, right?

“I don’t think he would’ve lied to me,” stated the former unicorn. “He didn't have to give me all this. He could’ve saved us from Area seven and locked us in a truck somewhere or not have bothered at all.”

“I mean come on Twilight what were we supposed to do, go to the police?” Sunset Shimmer continued, raised her arms.

“I guess so,” Twilight murmured.

Sunset Shimmer sighed. “None of that matters now though.”

“It's a topic for another time. When we have more information available to us,” Twilight concluded.

“Right,” Sunset Shimmer agreed, settling back into her meditation stance. “Now I’m going to walk you through the same exercises Perfect Tempo did with me earlier. Supposedly this is the key for a unicorn to unlock their magic here on Earth. But it’s going to be, well, a little tricky for you, since it’s all about moving objects around. Which you can already do when you’re you.”

Twilight levitated the cellphone in front of her, looking smug. She let it back down into one hand, then switched it off.

“Let me wait until I see you do it,” Twilight offered. “I’m not going to get too excited about the possibilities until we see they’re within our projected frontier.”

“Just remember, no sharing this with anyone,” Sunset stated firmly. “It’s just the seven of us. Though… I guess this really only means anything to Rarity? I didn’t ask if other tribes get their powers back the same way unicorns do.”

Twilight raised a preemptive finger inches from her mouth. “Not back, Sunset. None of us were ever meant to have magic to begin with, remember? You are unlocking abilities that are familiar and natural. The rest of us… we only have what Equestria gave us.”

Sunset nodded weakly. Of course, Twilight was right, though the question seemed more academic than anything else. Even if her friends on this side of the mirror weren’t really the Elements of Harmony from Equestria, they might as well be.

More improbable coincidence.

There were things about the binding of worlds that even the ancient masters hadn’t understood.

Sunset’s practice began much as it had with Perfect Tempo—in frustration. She could feel the magical energy drawn into the strange arrangement of stones more potent than the portable training setup she had used last time. It remained frustratingly out of reach, as though her horn had been wrapped in a confinement ring reserved for use on prisoners.

That probably would’ve been my fate, if I hadn’t fled. Celestia never tolerated dissent. Sunset Shimmer thought to herself.

But Twilight was right there, watching with a mixture of judgement and pity. You think I’m losing my mind. You think this is just about me wanting my magic back, not something that is actually real.

Something clicked and in an instant, Sunset went from entirely dry to overflowing with magic. Suddenly her old abilities were within reach, at least the simplest one. After all, levitation was hardly a difficult skill, as even fillies could master it.

Yet despite that small, self depreciating though, when Sunset lifted the focus crystal in front of her, she felt exuberant. For Sunset was holding the small gem between herself and Twilight in a glow she hadn’t seen for years.

I’m doing it! Sunset Shimmer nearly screamed.

Twilight’s mouth fell open. She extended an arm, pushed down on the crystal—but it floated right back up as soon as Twilight took her hand off.

“How?” Twilight asked, stupefied. “You’re not…”

At least she wasn’t denying that magic could exist even while she could spontaneously grow extra appendages and lift things with her mind.

“This is a fascinating manifestation. I’ve never… are you sure it isn’t being generated by the circle around us?” Twilight inquired.

The energy didn’t immediately fade from Sunset, but the effort to hold even a single object was far greater than she would’ve expected. It wasn’t unusual for unicorns to use their magic constantly through an entire day without difficulty. Yet Sunset Shimmer could feel the power draining the longer she held the tiny item aloft.

Sunset dropped the crystal, though her grin only grew wider. “It’s not the rocks Twilight! I think it’s really back!”

Sunset Shimmer took a few steps out of the circle, far enough that the stream of constant energy into her body dulled. However it didn’t completely fade from her mind and she didn’t forget how to use the powers she had just manifested.

Sunset removed her own phone from her pocket, then held it in the air in front of her. The drain was still incredible, but maybe if she practiced, she could get it down to something more reasonable…

Or even bring it back to her old level of power.

But not right now anyway, that much was obvious even to the excited young woman.

Sunset kept the phone held in front of her just long enough for Twilight to rush over and poke at it, then Sunset snatched it back. In just a few moments, she’d burned through half of what seemed like an endless supply of magic.

I can see why Tempo said this takes a lifetime of practice. If simple levitation is this hard, how long until I can cast a real spell. Sunset Shimmer excitedly thought.

“It works,” Twilight finally admitted. “I didn’t think it was possible, but… that evidence is conclusive. Pony magic without a horn. I suppose I should take the time to study it more seriously, but… not right now. I can see the effort has exhausted you. Maybe we should get dinner?”

“For sure,” Sunset Shimmer replied, doing her best to hide her eagerness. “That sounds great.”

They did, though as usual Sunset never went as far as she would have liked to. All they did was walk down to the nearest sushi restaurant and share an assorted plate. But it still made for great news that all her friends were excited to hear, almost enough to eclipse their discomfort with Sunset’s choice of associates.

School however, was its own kind of uncomfortable. As every student in the entire building staring and whispering whenever they didn’t think Sunset could hear them and sometimes when they knew she could. Worse still, it always seemed to be some cruel rumour, or open speculation as to whether or not they were terrorists or otherworldly monsters.

If there was one consolation this time, Sunset didn’t have to go through it alone.

The stories weren’t just about her anymore, but all of her friends, for it turned out that it wasn’t just Agent Foxtrot who held a negative view of them.

All Canterlot blames us for those attacks. Sunset Shimmer quickly came to realize.

Could they forget Sunset and her friends had saved everyone numerous times? What if they had cowered like Foxtrot wanted and let the monsters rampage across the city?

Some distant part of Sunset hoped she’d get the chance to do exactly that, just out of spite. But that was an older Sunset who thought that way, and she chose not to listen to that voice. Of course, Sunset Shimmer would still step up to help the city. No matter how infuriating people could sometimes be.

There’s no getting away from stupid. On one side of the mirror or the other, there are creatures who just can’t seem to use their brains. Sunset Shimmer thought to herself.

“We don’t have to endure this for long,” Rarity whispered, once they were back at their usual lunch table that afternoon. “You know how Canterlot is. Some disaster will strike, we’ll save the day, and they’ll forget whatever rumors they’ve been listening to this time. We just have to keep a stiff upper lip in the meantime.”

“Or until graduation,” Rainbow muttered. “You have any idea how hard it is to be captain of a team when your players don’t want to listen to you anymore?”

Rainbow Dash glanced at Sunset with a pleading expression. “Please tell me there’s some kind of magical way to fix all this.”

“We could, um… just explain what happened,” Fluttershy suggested, so quiet that only Sunset heard.

But if the suggestion was serious, it was clear to at least Sunset Shimmer that no one seemed to treat it that way.

“Sorry Rainbow, there’s… plenty of dark magic to change how people think, but it’s really evil stuff. I’ve already used it on the school before, and I can tell you dark magic always turns against its user,” Sunset Shimmer carefully explained. “Let’s just… find another way. Maybe they’ll forget and if they don’t, well… graduation is only two months away.”

Rainbow groaned again, her head banging hard against the table.

School was hardly Sunset’s first concern, though. She had her acceptance letters, and she still needed to decide about where she’d be going to college. Or even if she was going to bother.

Fundamentally her choice came down to a nearby school with easy access to Equestria, or… across the country with Twilight. That one would also involve a good number of “student loans,” which sounded an awful lot like a binding spell she’d never escape from.

But even more important than her school choice was her magical studies. She practiced several times a day now, as often as her body could handle without collapsing under the strain. And whenever she got a message from Perfect Tempo she was eager to take the opportunity to learn more from the immortal.

One came early in the afternoon, at the end of her first week back to school. Perfect Tempo never messaged her for casual conversation, despite what her friends might fear, it was all completely professional with the male.

“Sunset, I’m to extend an invitation to a dinner arrangement Platinum is hosting this evening. I would never presume to order you, but she was once one of the most powerful magical minds in Equestria and I believe you could benefit greatly from her wisdom. Not to mention her friendship, which you might begin to build by attending. Will you join us?” Perfect Tempo offered.

“Absolutely,” Sunset Shimmer responded without hesitation.

It would involve missing one of Rainbow’s games tonight, but considering the way the other students cooperated with her, she expected to see Rainbow mostly sitting on a bench anyway. “Absolutely.”

“Then prepare accordingly. I’ll send a car at sundown.”

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