Sunset sat down in front of the three captured fillies. “Okay, first of all, what is your name?” she asked pointing at the small orange pegasus.

“I’m Scootaloo. These are Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. And we’re-”
“The Cutie Mark Crusaders!” the three exclaimed in unison.

Sunset couldn’t help but chuckle. “Okay, now, why are you in my balcony?”

“We wanted to see if you were okay,” the pegasus responded.

Applebloom’s ears dropped a little before speaking. “Ah was really worried about you after yah left the farm, so ah told the rest of the crusaders about what happened.”

Sunset interrupted her. “Please tell me it’s just you three.”

“Yeah, just us.”

Sunset gave a sigh of relief. “Thank Celestia.”

Sweetie Belle continued the explanation. “When I saw you in my sister’s shop, I follow you to your house, and then called the rest of the crusaders to try and see if we could help.”

Sunset rubbed the bridge of her nose. “And why didn’t you simply ask me if I needed help?”

“Adults usually try to tell us as little as possible about their problems,” Scootaloo responded.

“Fair enough.” Sunset returned the glass to the door, freeing the crusaders. “Let me be honest then. I’m already getting help from your sisters and their friends, I assure you that my problems are getting the help they need, and I appreciate your intentions. And please, don’t break into pony’s homes.”

“Did we really break into your house?” Scootaloo asked. “We were just in the balcony; we didn’t break anything.”

“That’s not how breaking and entering works. Just don’t do that again and just knock on my door if you want to talk to me.” Sunset turned around to return to bed.

“Does ponies calling you ‘fairy godmother’ bother you?” Sweetie Belle asked, making Sunset groan.

‘I’m too tired for this.’ She turned around to face them once more. “It is a name that was put on to me without my specific consent. It’s not bad necessarily, but it does make me feel insecure about some things. That’s as much as I will tell you.”

The three fillies looked at each other. “We… can kind of relate to that,” Applebloom said, looking slightly at her flank.

Sunset raised an eyebrow, wondering what exactly she was referring to. “Look, it’s already far past any of your bedtimes, and I’ve something to attend to tomorrow, so if you want to talk with me, we can do it another day. Do you have a Crusaders base where you hang out?”

“We have a clubhouse in the farm,” Applebloom responded.

“Very well, I will go visit you there and we can talk. Deal?”

“Deal!” the three fillies exclaimed.

Sunset smiled. “Good. Now, out of my house.” The crusaders turned around and went to the balcony railing where a rope had been hooked to it.
Sunset sighed, she was too tired. “Wait. Let me just, open the front door.”

Sunset ran through Ponyville in a hurry. She had overslept and missed the letter telling her of Celestia’s arrival to the town.
When she finally reached the outskirts, she could see Celestia waiting patiently for her, but she noticed something else.
Instead of the royal chariot, she had arrived in a dark red carriage with thick curtains that prevented seeing the interior, and even more worrying was that the guards pulling the carriage weren’t in the usual golden armor, but rather a light grey, heavy plated armor with a full helmet that covered their faces completely.
She approached them a little scared of what was about to happen and tried to smile for Celestia. “I see you decided to increase security.”

Her mentor smiled warmly, easing her nerves a little bit. “I know is a bit intimidating, you can blame Luna for that, but it’s just for us to have some privacy.”

Sunset approached the carriage, which opened on its own for her, revealing a comfy and elegant looking interior. “I think the ponies in Canterlot are going to be more suspicious when they see us coming in this thing.”

“We are not going to Canterlot,” Celestia clarified as they entered the carriage.

“Wait, where are we going then?” Sunset asked as the doors closed and they took off from the ground.

Celestia smiled. “It’s a surprise. Now, how about you tell me how everything has been doing with you and your friends.”

They had spent a few hours flying, enough time to put Celestia up to date with Sunset’s relations with the elements, excluding a few of the more intimate details.
“So, what are your plans now?” the monarch asked.

“Don’t have one yet. I figured whatever you had planned for our teachings. Can you please tell me what we are doing?” Sunset pleaded.

Celestia remained smiling but otherwise neutral. “You know, I remember an old anecdote with you.” Sunset groaned but listened anyway. “You were still a growing foal, and you loved throwing a little rubber ball around the castle with your magic.” Celestial saw a smile on her pupil’s face at the memory, which made her happy. “The moment that won’t ever leave my memory was of a winter night. You were playing with your rubber ball in my study while I looked over some paperwork. In one of your throws the ball bounced, and you didn’t manage to catch it, and when it flew over your head, it landed square in the fireplace we had to warm ourselves. I didn’t really mind for the lost toy since I could get a new one, but you suddenly jumped straight into the fire to recover it.”

“What?!” Sunset exclaimed, not remembering any of the tale she was telling.

“I immediately pulled you out of it, but it must have taken me at least five seconds to do it. You were crying, and I was about to cast a healing spell when I noticed that you weren’t injured. In fact, your coat wasn’t even singed. You were crying not because of pain, but for the burnt ball between your tiny hooves.”

“Wha… how?” Sunset asked confused.

“I guess you haven’t noticed it yet, but you’re completely immune to fire.” Celestia lighted up her horn and a small ball of flame appeared between them. “And that’s a trait that we both share.” She demonstrated it by putting her foreleg over and inside the flames, showing that it had no effect on her limb. “It comes from the nature of our magic given by our cutie marks.” She pointed at hers. “The sun.” She then pointed at Sunset’s. “And fire.”

Sunset tried to digest all the information. “Okay… that explains a few things. But why are you telling me this now?”

Suddenly, the carriage shook as it landed on uneven terrain. “We finally arrived.”

The door opened, and a cold breeze made Sunset’s body shiver. Celestia walked outside, and Sunset soon followed, finding herself in a cold, barren wasteland. “Where are we?” She asked as the carriage quickly lifted off, leaving them alone.

“This is where the Crystal Empire once stood before King Sombra banished it.” Celestial stood a few meters away from Sunset, facing away from her. ”I know you’re worried of losing control of your fiery nature again. To hurt others with the heat your body can produce.” Celestia took off all her golden items and teleported them away. “But as I showed you, it won’t be able to harm me.” She finally turned to face her. “So, in this wasteland, during the winter season, with me as the only pony that can be affected, I want to force your magic into an unstable state, so you can take back control and prevent it from hurting anypony you love.”

Sunset eyes went wide, and she struggled to find her words. “Are you crazy? I hurt a dragon with my magic. We can’t be sure it won’t hurt you.”

“I’m an alicorn, I’m far more durable than any other pony you can find.” Celestia walked up to her. “This is just one of the things I prepared for you. If you think this won’t help you, we can forget about it and use other methods. But Cadence told me that you would probably never feel secure around anypony if you feel like you’re going to lose control as soon as your emotions take over your better judgement.”

Sunset took a few seconds to think, breathing the cold air that was starting to hurt her throat. “If things go south, how will we stop me?”

“The spell I designed for this has a failsafe. If I chose to, it will block your magic for a few minutes. Enough for you to calm down or for me to restrain you.” Celestia put a hoof over Sunset’s shoulder. “But I know that you will succeed with time.”

For a full minute, the only noise heard was of the howling winds, and then Sunset begged her. “If I hurt you, even a little, please stop me.”

“I will,” Celestia promised.

Sunset closed her eyes. “Do it.”

The monarch lowered her horn, connecting it to Sunset’s, casted her spell, and the unicorn was engulfed in flames.

“Quite a risky move you’re doing Celestia,” Nightmare said as she watched the ‘training’. “I wonder how much of it is you trying to find a sort of punishment for your actions.”
She looked down at the barrier. “Aren’t you happy that I kept you away from Sunset? Now your anger won’t be wasted in this pointless endeavor.” There was no response, but Nightmare knew her sister could hear her. “I know what you’re thinking. Why don’t I free you and we kill Celestia together? Well let me educate you.” She went over to her host’s mind-projection, which was already writing a new piece of paper for the piles around it. She looked over her shoulder to the writing, and her theory proved true. Even in her unstable state, Sunset’s subconscious was learning how Celestia’s spell worked and how to counter it. “If we attack now, we may win, but there are many more obstacles that can defeat us. But with this seasoned and sharp mind working for us, we can use the time to become stronger than ever before!”
A mocking voice finally came from the other side of the barrier.

_{“You have been alone for too long,”}

Sunset woke up in her bedroom in Canterlot castle. She groaned as she put together the events of her training with Celestia.
The theory of the monarch had proven true, her flames proved ineffective against her, and the cold landscape barely changed during her training. However, results were non-existent.
She couldn’t control the fire, and it had been even worse than in the mountain, but Celestia’s spell had proven effective at stopping it, and she had assured her that she could cast it if she lost control outside of training.
She got out of bed, feeling like she had just run an entire marathon, and instinctually went in search of coffee.
When she arrived at the kitchen, she found Princess Luna sitting there, with a fresh pot of coffee and a mug filled to the brim with the heavenly liquid.

“You’re finally awake,” the lunar princes said as she levitated the mug over to Sunset, who drank it with a smile. “We can start with our training now.”

“If it’s something physical, I’m going back to bed,” Sunset warned her.

“It will not. While our sister does a more direct method, we shall teach you through the old ways that taught us so long ago. It will only require your magic and a lot of concentration.”

Sunset’s response was levitating the pot of coffee over to herself and downing it in a few seconds. Feeling the caffeine rush that would probably kill a regular pony, Sunset smiled defiantly. “Very well, what do I have to do?”

Luna smiled. “Follow me.”

She took her to a room that had been soundproofed from the outside word, was painted completely white, and the only furniture was a white carpet and a white wooden cabinet.
“This room will allow you to concentrate without any interruptions or distractions.”

Sunset sat down on the carpet. “I’m guessing you weren’t exaggerating with a lot of concentration.”

“Indeed.” Luna opened one of the cabinets and pulled out three square pieces of wood with some weird engravings in them. They looked like some sort of cutie mark you would find on a zebra. “What I want you to do, is to concentrate your magic in the engravings until they glow with your aura. Don’t try to do them all at once, start from one corner and work your way to the other.”

She handed one to Sunset, and she started to concentrate on it. The process wasn’t too hard, so she suspected that there was a catch to it, and when she finally finished filling the engravings, the square cracked like a spiderweb from the center.
“I guess that was a failure?” Sunset asked, but Luna just handed her another square with different engravings. Sunset did the same, and when it finished, it cracked even worse than before, some pieces falling to the carpet.
Before she could ask, Luna handed her the last square, also different from the others, and when she finished filling it, it cracked into two pieces.

“Quite interesting.” Luna pulled another trio of squares and presented them to her in the same order. “These are magical runes that represent the three components that form a pony’s magical structure and capabilities. They aren’t meant to measure your power or your ability with spells, but rather how harmonious your alignment with them are.”
She showed her the first rune that Sunset filled. “This one represents the heart. This is what defines the nature of your magic, generally related to your most prominent emotion at the time of casting. These emotions are what makes the different kinds of magic.
Dark magic, like the ones wielded by powerful sorcerers like Sombra, are born from the feelings of hatred and fear. Nightmare Moon’s power was born from my jealousy. Harmony and friendship power the elements. And in your case, anger, is a quite destructive type of magic, but not necessarily evil like hatred, or as powerful as wrath.”

“And when the runes break, what does it mean?” Sunset asked trying to fully understand the implications of the test.

“It means that there is something in your heart that’s hindering your magic. This can mean a lot of things, and it’s nature can’t be tracked down, so your only choice is to try and reduce this hindering as much as possible.”

Sunset nodded. “So, I have to keep practicing until the runes don’t break.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple. As I said, if you can’t resolve the source of it, you can’t fully control it. And sometimes, when the damage to any of these is too great.” Luna charged the three runes simultaneously, and the three exploded into tiny pieces. “The damage may be irreparable.” Luna gave a long sigh. “It’s a very difficult process, reducing the crack by a centimeter is a huge show of progress. Celestia and even Stars Swirl the Bearded weren’t able to pass the test without any cracks in their runes.”

“Has anypony being able to do it?” Sunset asked out of curiosity.

“Cadence has, being helped by her nature with love. But is a thing that can change even with just having a bad experience of any kind.”

For the first time, Sunset felt like she had been presented with a challenge that she couldn’t beat. “What do the others mean?”

Luna pulled more squares from the cabinet. “The next one I gave you represents the body. This is what defines how much magic your body can hold, resist and draw from the world around you. It doesn’t necessarily mean that if you’re sick or old your magic suffers from it. In fact, this is the reason foals have magical bursts that may rival an experienced mage. Their bodies are unstable and may gather much more magic than they can hold, so it’s forced out in a random way. Star Swirl researched some of these bursts of magic and used them to discover new spells that were never tried before. Even if some weren’t too practical.”

“Like turning frogs into oranges?” Sunset asked with a smile.

“Exactly.” Luna showed her the last square. “This rune represents the mind. This is arguably the most important. It’s what rules your control over your magic and your spells. This is not only fueled by your knowledge, but also by your mental state.”

Sunset looked at her mind rune with worry. “And what does it mean that it split in half when I charged it?”

“It means that you’ve a conflict with yourself. We believe this is the result of your fear of your own magic. Two conflicting emotions will surely cause this.”

Sunset took a moment to breathe, trying to process all the information she had been given into a coherent plan of action. “So, this training is just so I can control myself more in case I snap? How does it affect me when I’m casting magic during normal circumstances?”

“We believe that these doesn’t affect each spell in the exact same way. But to be honest, as old as this test is, we are still unsure of all the information it gives us or its accuracy since it wasn’t created for this exact reason.”

Sunset rubbed her temples with her hooves. “I think I’m getting dizzy from all this talk.”

“Then we shall continue tomorrow.” Luna put the squares back in the cabinet. “We believe that between both of our trainings, and the help of Twilight and her friends, you will be able to fully control your magic, even if you were to die again and ‘snap’ as you put it.”

“Oh, yeah, we still have to figure that out,” Sunset said like if the words were made of lead.

Luna gave her a reassuring smile. “That will come later. For now, you may go back to sleep if you want to.”

The unicorn yawned. “I think I will, thank you for the lesson.”

Sunset walked out of the room, and Luna looked at her with worry. ‘That mare drank an entire pot of coffee not even an hour ago and she’s already tired. Does her magic consume so much of her energy? Why?’

“I bet you’re glad to be able to listen to this lesson instead of fighting the elements avenging Celestia,” Nightmare said to the barrier below her. “I wonder, do you also possess my host’s thirst for magical knowledge?”

_“No.”

Nightmare was surprised at the response. “Really? What’s your interest then?” she asked with a smile.
A laugh came from the barrier.

_{“You’re too desperate for attention.”}

Nightmare frowned. “And you’re too boring.”

_{“Bite me.”}

“Later.”

With that, Nightmare returned to her studies of Sunset’s spells.

Author's Notes:

---

Sunset's morale went down: -10

Current morale: 35/100

---

It's 5 AM and I'm starving but the chapter must go out! Bring me the emergency coffee!

I hope you liked this lore heavy chapter, and there are still lessons to be told.

Have a nice existence.

I will be watching you.