A Warm Mug of Cider and a Dash of Magic

The scent of warm spices drifted through the air, slowly spreading through the palace halls. All of Candentia was hustling about, readying the final preparations needed for the Solstice. The sound of hasty, last minute attempts to hang up the final wreaths and garlands, to make the barrels of warm cider, to  light the last of the candles, to ready the guards… 

Sonnet could feel the magic fluctuating, tiny sparks of magic near each candle that was lit, magic hovering in the air, trails of magic behind the quirlicorns that hurried about… and of course, the magic in his blood, the chaos that refused to be tamed, the Solstice only serving to amplify that chaos. 

“Star Sky!” one of the numerous other quirlicorns shouted. “There you are! Regent Radiance needs someone to go and receive one of Haukea’s underlings, a bright orange and blue mare, you can’t miss her. Ask her what her name is, she’s a new one. She comes with news about the solstice.”

Star Sky nodded in acknowledgement of the Quirlicorn's words, before disappearing off into the distance. 

Sonnet briefly wondered if he should chase after Star Sky, to go and greet King alongside the other stallion. At least he assumed the aforementioned quirlicorn was King, going by the description of a bright and very colorful mare. He briefly wondered for a moment what King was doing, before realizing that Haukea likely had planned something for the Solstice, and had made King do the legwork of spreading instructions for how to make this Winter Solstice special. 

Similar to that one Spring Equinox, where Frysil had come to Candentia to enlist their help in welcoming spring to the Quirlicorn Lands, after a particularly harsh winter. 

Sonnet didn’t need to decide whether he wanted to go greet King, as Martine soon walked towards him, gesturing in the direction Star Sky had gone.

“Sonnet,” Martine greeted, “You’ve jousted against King recently. Perhaps you could go and meet her, alongside Star Sky?”

“Can do,” Sonnet replied, eager to learn what Haukea had planned for this Solstice. He briefly entertained the idea of the Greater Icy Deity needing help with something, before deciding that it was probably for the best that the Deities didn’t request his help. 

He quickly galloped off, chasing after Star Sky, weaving through the quirlicorns.

Sonnet soon caught up, and slowed down to match Star Sky’s brisk walk. Star Sky dipped his head in Sonnet’s direction, briefly stopping for a moment. They then walked in silence for some time, not talking amidst all the activity around them.

“Soo…” Sonnet began, “How are you and the guards doing with the Solstice?”

“Candentia will be secure for the Solstice, if that’s what you’re asking about.” Star Sky answered. 

“No, no, I meant that you guards shouldn’t overwork yourselves,” Sonnet explained, “I’m certain Candentia can spare some surveillance oversights, no one would ever dare to do anything with Grandmother Radiance. Besides, there’s also Xenon and Caerulus here.” 

“I’ll take your words into account, young prince. However, Regent Radiance has entrusted the safety of Candentia to us; even if there is no threat, we still must be vigilant.”

Sonnet nodded, acknowledging Star Sky’s words with a short, ‘hm’. He still didn’t see the necessity of the increased guards and security around Candentia. Even if there were more quirlicorns in and around the palace than normal, there still was the fact that two deities and a mystic would be walking the halls. 

As soon as he and Star Sky pushed open the palace side-doors, they were greeted by a certain orange and blue mare.

“I have been waiting for far too long!” the mare announced, her blustering manner of speech exactly the way she had spoken to Sonnet before their joust. 

“You are..?” Star Sky asked, prompting the mare for her name.

“King,” she answered briskly, “Now, I’m here as a favor for Haukea, so can I deliver a message and be gone?”

“Regent Radiance asked to see you, personally,” Star Sky answered, “I’m afraid you’ll have to come with me.”

“No can do. All I agreed to do was to spread the message for quirlicorns to practice magic and also learn a new skill,” King said, “Message delivered. Goodbye.”

“Hang on a second,” Sonnet said, giving King a vaguely threatening smile, “Regent Radiance wants to see you. I’d suggest you come.”

King muttered something under her breath that Sonnet didn’t catch. 

“What was that? You’d like me to drag you to my grandmother?” Sonnet asked sarcastically, “I’d be happy to.”

Haukea’s underling glared at Sonnet for a second longer, before huffing, “Fine, lead the way.” 

Star Sky gladly obliged, easily opening the door, and ushering King into the palace halls without another word. 

A few turns through the palace halls, and the three of them were soon standing in front of Sonnet’s grandmother.

“King!” Radiance warmly greeted, stepping towards the three of them. “Star Sky, thanks for bringing her here. Sonnet, don’t leave yet, stay and listen to King’s message.”

“She has already told me and Star Sky the message she brings from Haukea,” Sonnet explained. 

“Oh, has she?” Radiance said, “What did she tell you?”

“She is right here,” King groused, flicking an ear. “And perfectly capable of telling you the entire message.”

“Yes, yes, you are very right,” Radiance replied, “Then you can tell me the longer version of the message Haukea brought.” 

“There is no ‘longer version’. Haukea found me, forced this asinine task on me. And now I’m traveling the lands, telling every quirlicorn to practice their magic for the solstice, but to also practice a skill, whether that be cooking doughnuts, dancing on one hoof, or building a snowman,” King grumbled.

Radiance nodded, remaining silent for a moment, as she thought about King’s words.

“There, message delivered,” King muttered, “Goodbye.”

“Wait a second,” Radiance called after King in a sing-song voice.

King pinned her ears back, glaring at Radiance. “What? Want me to stay around and help. Guess what? I can’t. I’ve got messages to deliver.” 

“I was hoping you could stick around, it’s a pity you couldn’t stick around a while longer. The cider’s almost ready,” Radiance said, sounding quite upset that King wanted to leave. 

Sonnet commiserated with King. He had already heard King’s message, and he couldn’t quite understand the purpose of listening to that message again.

Besides, the message really didn’t apply to him. Practice magic? Had enough already. Practice a skill? More applicable, but what could he do that he couldn’t do with magic already?

King seemed tempted to stay, but shook her head, “I’d like to stay, but time is ticking away.”

“How about this?” Radiance proposed in reply, “You stick around for a bit, give me some feedback on the cider, help me get Haukea’s message to the rest of Candentia, and I can offer you a wormhole to wherever you’re going next.”

This time, King looked more convinced, ready to accept Radiance’s offer, taking some time to think it over. 

Sonnet chose not to wait for King’s reply, and dipped his head towards his grandmother, signaling that he was leaving. He then turned tail, and walked away, searching the halls for Minuet. 

He gently prodded Minuet with his telepathy, and saw the images of the library she was offering. He forced his telepathy shut, before he heard any more of Minuet’s thoughts or sent any of his to her, and turned down the corridor to the private library. One of the few places that wasn’t decorated with concerning amounts of tinsel, and flooded with equally concerning amounts of quirlicorns walking back and forth. 

It wasn’t a surprise that Minuet was there, in the library. It was probably peaceful there, a good respite from the energetic atmosphere of the rest of the Palace. Especially since part of the gardens had been overtaken by the flame-thrower flowers, and the rest was overtaken by Solstice decorations. 

Especially with the new alliance with Zaquar, the traffic to the palace only increased. A small side effect of the alliance his Grandmother had built with Zaquar, giving Candentia valuable ties to the mainland, increasing the flow of information and goods to and from Candentia. His Uncle Luxaeterna was the ambassador, the diplomat that would help forge a stronger connection between the two lands. Which meant his Uncle Lux now spent most of his time in Zaquar, rarely returning home to Candentia. 

At least he still returned home to Candentia every so often, to the delight of Minuet and Resplendence. 

Sonnet would never admit how much his heart tore when he heard the crackle of magic portals opening, only to see a stallion of white step through. He was overjoyed to see his uncle, yes, but he could only force away the unavailing hope that his father, with a coat of stars and night, would be the one to step through. 

A single letter, once a year, or not even that, was all Sonnet had of his father. Letters praising Baroque. Letters describing far off lands he didn’t have the privilege to personally witness. Letters of adventures forbidden to him. Letters that he could never respond to. 

He stuck his head into the library, finding Minuet inside with Faven. 

It was odd, and he’d never fully understand the camaraderie that the two had struck up. But perhaps it made sense, given how much Minuet liked studying, and Faven’s determination to master magic of  her own. But the friendship Faven had formed with Minuet had not applied to her views of Sonnet. If anything, it had only become easier to see the thinly veiled distaste Faven had for him, the faint hissing edge to the words she spoke to him. 

“Magic’s hard,” Faven complained, not having noticed his presence behind her. 

Sonnet snickered, shaking his head. It truly was ironic how he felt the exact same way as Faven did, but because of completely different reasons. In her case, it was a lack of ability to use magic. In his case… 

“What?” Faven’s head snapped up, and she glared at him, “Have something to say?”

“About magic? I’ve got lots to say,” Sonnet answered flippantly. He knew about magic. And he did have plenty he could say about magic.  “Starting with ‘it’s incredibly easy, I cannot see why you’d ever find it hard’. Need more? It’s the Solstice, you seriously can’t be-”

He heard Minuet say a soft “Hello Sonnet” via telepathy, and he replied to his sister with the same greeting.

“Do you even know what I’m talking about?” Faven said, raising a questioning and judgmental eyebrow.

Sonnet scoffed, “Would I even need to know, to know that it’s probably incredibly easy?” Anything Faven was trying to do, he probably already did as a foal. 

At least, it probably would have been easy, if his magic didn’t threaten to cause whatever he was dealing with to burst into flames. 

Speaking of which, it wasn’t surprising, really, the way his last joust with King went, with his magic leaving a wide swath of gemstones around the area they had jousted in. He had always held a more lackadaisical approach to controlling magic, simply relying on overwhelming whoever he faced with his magic to win. But what was new was the way his magic wasn’t really his anymore. Create a tiny, flickering flame, and it felt like a wildfire roared inside of him, fighting to be released. 

He supposed this was what his grandmother meant, when she said the deities held more power than the average Quirlicorn could imagine. But, whereas Radiance had years, decades, and even centuries to learn to wield her magic, Sonnet had received his magic far too quickly.

And his magic had proved to be volatile and unpredictable. The more he pushed himself, the worse it became. Restraining his magic had become much harder than simply letting it loose. 

‘Seriously. “It’s so easy, anyone could do it”. Does he even realize how hard magic is? Of course he doesn’t, he’s Sonnet. It’s a wonder anyone can stand him.

Sonnet grimaced slightly, realizing what he just heard, and fought to hide his reaction. He carefully forced a neutral expression, before quickly glancing up at Faven. Even his telepathy, the magic he fought most to keep under control, was starting to unravel. And out of all of his magic, he had long known that telepathy was one he needed to keep hidden. 

He looked up to see Faven glaring at him. In his defense, he hadn’t meant to read her thoughts. Faven’s thoughts were just incredibly loud, and almost forced their way into his mind. Sonnet instantly started trying to formulate an excuse, trying to decide if it would be better to admit the truth about his telepathy (not a good idea) or to lie about it (slightly better idea, but Faven was perceptive). 

Thankfully, she hadn’t realized he had telepathy, and had heard her thoughts. Her glaring wasn’t in response to his telepathy, nor had she noticed his reaction to her thoughts. Sonnet was tempted to let out a sigh, in both relief and a slowly rising irritation to what he had gleaned from her mind. 

“You try it then, if you’re so good at everything,” Faven muttered. 

“And why would I concern myself with trivial tricks I could do as a foal?” Sonnet asked. 

“You don’t even know what I’m trying to do!” 

“In fact, I do.” Sonnet knew the game Faven was playing very well. A set of shimmering metal balls, and a wooden board with small holes that could fit a single ball in them, along with many wooden pieces that blocked entry into the holes. There was no way he didn’t know the game– Minuet and him had played it countless times in the past. She had been trying to train her precision, and he had opted to try and see how many of the metal balls he could pick up at once. 

Faven stared at him, not believing his words. He could see the doubt clearly written out on her face, the stubborn belief that he was bluffing etched in every one of her features. 

“Seriously, it’s easy.” Sonnet reached out with his telekinesis, and picked up all of the metal balls, tossing them neatly into the awaiting holes. 

“Show off,” Faven grumbled under her breath, her expression shifting slightly to betray the annoyance she felt towards him, before using her air manipulation to remove the metal spheres again. 

Sonnet cocked an eyebrow, and asked, “You’re using air manipulation?”

“Why wouldn’t I? Some of us don’t have the luxury of being born with five magics.”

“You do remember that it’s the Solstice, or have you somehow forgotten about that?” Sonnet questioned. He continued speaking, barreling forward in his characteristic drawl, not giving Faven a chance to respond. “I seriously cannot believe you haven’t noticed the Solstice allows you to practice magic you haven’t mastered yet, by boosting your magic.” 

“I–” Faven opened her mouth.

Sonnet decidedly ignored the rest of Faven’s reply, focusing his attention back on Minuet, speaking over Faven’s words. “King, Haukea’s new underling, brought some special instructions for how to celebrate this Solstice.” 

Minuet looked at him, the question she wanted to ask easily evident in her gaze, “And these instructions are..”

“Practice a magic, one you haven’t already mastered, mind you Faven, or learn a new skill,” Sonnet said. He could still feel Faven’s glare on him, his words only serving to intensify that glare. 

Even without using telepathy, Sonnet could feel Faven judging him, silently questioning exactly what he would be doing for the Solstice, her gaze reminding him of the quirlicorns he talked to, in the rare instances his lessons with Arisane were brought up in conservation. He supposed the picture the quirlicorns of Candentia painted of him wasn’t one that highlighted his need to learn anything. He wanted to laugh, as he playfully pushed against Minuet, at how ridiculous the assumptions were. But he couldn’t in Faven’s company. 

No matter how skilled, how talented, how gifted he was, he wasn’t born knowing everything. But then, to the fully grown quirlicorns who had bowed down before a foal with more magic than they could ever have, it must have been a logical assumption. Radiance, Psychomyth, and Martine had never done much to discourage those rumors, as they forged an easy path for him to take over and rule Candentia, for whenever his Grandmother Radiance decided she wanted to step down. 

“Practicing magic… or a new skill…” Minuet nodded, thinking through her options, “In that case, Sonnet, Faven, would you care to join me in the jousting arena? I have a few things I’m hoping to test out, and your company would be greatly appreciated.” 

Faven shot Sonnet a glare, clearly weighing the drawbacks of spending an entire day in Sonnet’s company, with the benefits of practicing magic alongside Minuet. 

“Sonnet could help you with your magic,” Minuet explained, “Just like how he taught you how to properly use air manipulation..”

“Absolutely not,” Sonnet instantly shot back, “I have no interest in teaching Faven anything. Apologies Minuet, but I have other things to focus on.”

“Sonnet, I know you don’t have anything else to do,” Minuet said. “You could just come with us, and practice your own magic. Take advantage of the Solstice’s magic to test that theory you had.”

“I’d rather not.” Sonnet leveled a glare at her, trying to convey that he did in fact have things he’d rather do than play around with magic. In fact, he’d rather do anything other than revealing the way his magic was behaving to other quirlicorns.  

“I must say I’m surprised. Sonnet, not wanting to show off his magic? That’s a first,” Faven scoffed. 

He held in a retort, choosing to not respond. For all her faults, Faven was surprisingly perceptive when it came to what he wanted to hide. 

“Scared of being bested once another quirlicorn learns the secrets you’re so desperate to hide?” Faven questioned. 

Sonnet forced the fear inside him away, trying to not show how Faven had hit the mark.

The corners of Faven’s lips lifted into a smirk, “As I expected–”

“Whatever you’re about to say, it’s wrong,” Sonnet cut Faven off with a growl, “I am not scared. I simply have much better things to do.”

“Such as..?”

“Such as anything that doesn’t involve you,” Sonnet sharply said to Faven, as he turned around to leave the library. He softened his tone as he looked at Minuet, “Have a good Solstice, Minuet. You know where to find me if you need something.”

He quickly left the room, trying to force his magic down. It wouldn’t do for anyone to discover the way his magic was rebelling against him, barely under his control. Sonnet leaned against the walls for a moment, relishing the silence in the hallway, before he had to plunge back into the chaos that was the rest of the palace. He’d probably go and use the rest of the solstice to practice his calligraphy. 

“The mystery concoction is almost ready.”

Soft whispering met his ears, and he swiveled his ears to try and find the source of the voices, focusing his attention on the barely audible conversation. 

“Almost?”

“A few more weeks I’d reckon.”

“We still need everything to be in place.”

“It’ll be–” 

The voices soon faded away, and Sonnet was left more confused than he already was. Mystery concoction? And one that took weeks to prepare? He hadn’t heard anything related to whatever the conversation was about. 

A sharp, bubbling laughter coming from the library doorway behind him interrupted his thoughts. 

“No, no, Sonnet’s definitely a phoenix. Bright to the point of being obnoxious, with a tendency to burn everything in his path.” Faven’s scorning voice was very clear. “Perhaps he should get a phoenix familiar… it’d fit him.”

“I think he’s set on his griffin,” Minuet replied, mild amusement in her words.

Faven’s words were much more judgmental, “His griffin without a name? Really? How come he hasn’t formed a bond with that griffin then?”

Sonnet knew his sister wouldn’t be able to answer Faven’s questions. No one knew why he didn’t have the traditional familiar bond in place, even though years had passed with his griffin by his side. Even Minuet didn’t know exactly why he had found excuse after excuse to avoid bonding with his griffin. After all, she didn’t know the true extent of his magic’s volatility. No one knew. 

His magic fought against his control, and he could feel a strong, burning desire to just let the flames inside him blaze away. Sonnet sighed, wondering if he could manage to go the rest of today without letting his magic go haywire. He forced himself to not lash out at the wall with his magic, choosing to walk away. The Solstice would be over soon, and hopefully his magic would be slightly more manageable soon. 

It’d be easy enough to spend the rest of the Solstice in his room, practicing calligraphy. 

At least until the last of the Solstice festivities, where he’d need to stand beside Radiance, in front of all Candentia. 

He was looking forward to that.