When talking about the time she hatched a phoenix egg, Sunset Shimmer also felt it was very tricky, but since things had reached this point, she had no choice but to bite the bullet. Fortunately, she succeeded.
Considering that phoenixes live near volcanoes, she first used temperature-changing magic to raise the temperature on the egg's surface, creating an environment for incubation, and then used animal-hastening magic.
It was just that this magic was generally suitable for ordinary Small Animals, and Sunset Shimmer wasn't sure at the time if it would be effective for a magical creature like a phoenix.
After infusing a large amount of magic, the little phoenix finally succeeded in breaking out of its shell.
"So the point is that the magic level just needs to be high enough, huh."
Sunset Shimmer nodded, agreeing with Aurora's point of view.
In situations where the principles are unclear, brute force as a miracle is not a bad option.
You just provide the magic, and let the magic figure out the method.
"Flying Light, your magic level shouldn't be low either, right?"
"Perhaps... but I don't know where my limits are yet."
Out of academic rigor, Aurora's research on magic had remained in the theoretical stage up to now; after all, things were very peaceful, and there hadn't been any opportunities for her to get serious. However, with the accumulation of knowledge, she was secretly pondering doing something big to test her maximum magic level.
As for Twilight Sparkle, her mood wasn't as relaxed as the other two. Currently, she didn't have a clear understanding of her own magic level, thinking she was just like any ordinary Little Unicorn, and coupled with her easily anxious personality, she habitually thought about things in the worst possible way.
"Don't worry, Twilight, I promise you'll pass."
"Thank you for your comfort..."
Twilight Sparkle gave a strained smile and lowered her head to continue reading, distracted.
It was hard for Aurora and Sunset Shimmer to give her any effective comfort regarding this matter, unless she could become more confident herself.
Although she quickly learned the few new spells they taught her, it didn't seem to alleviate her nervousness about the exam.
"By the way! I heard you met at the Summer Sun Celebration?"
Feeling the atmosphere was a bit stifling, Sunset Shimmer tried to change the subject to liven things up.
"That's right! The Summer Sun Celebration is held in a different location every year, and it just happened to be in Canterlot that time. It was the first time in my life I saw Princess Celestia raise the sun with my own eyes."
Aurora picked up on Sunset Shimmer's topic and said.
"Me too! That was definitely the most magical and beautiful scene I've ever seen, which is why I wanted to attend Princess Celestia's school!"
Twilight Sparkle's emotions were also stirred; it seemed this topic was very effective.
"Hmph-hmph~"
Sunset Shimmer looked at the two ponies, and a sudden sense of superiority rose in her heart.
"I think the experience of watching the sunrise at the Summer Sun Celebration is pretty average, so I didn't go."
"What?!"
Twilight Sparkle simply couldn't believe her ears. How could any pony resist the temptation of watching the sunrise at the Summer Sun Celebration?!
Aurora pressed Twilight Sparkle, who had stood up and slammed the table, back down, while quietly whispering in her ear.
"Don't act too shocked, she'll get a kick out of it."
This warning came too late. Obviously, Sunset Shimmer had already seen Twilight Sparkle's reaction and was secretly feeling incredibly pleased.
Twilight Sparkle, having realized, also remembered that Sunset Shimmer had been a student following Celestia for a long time; if she wanted to, standing next to the Princess to watch the sunrise every morning wouldn't be a problem at all.
So envious! This is just too great, right?! Being the Princess's student is truly blissful!
"Let me tell you a secret, this is something only Princess Celestia and I know."
Sunset Shimmer suddenly said, pretending to be mysterious.
"Actually, I have raised the sun..."
"What?!"
This time it was Aurora who called out first. She didn't care if her posture would be mocked by Sunset Shimmer; she grabbed her notebook and leaned in closely with Twilight Sparkle.
"Quick! Tell me more!"
Being stared at by two pairs of eyes, Sunset Shimmer, who had been acting big, suddenly found it hard to back down and could only awkwardly argue in a low voice.
"But I didn't succeed, I just begged the Princess to let me try it for a bit..."
"That doesn't matter, hurry up and tell me what it feels like to manipulate celestial bodies."
Aurora thought about how, due to her own reserve, she only dared to stand next to The Grand Princess every day to observe the process of the sun rising and feel the surge of magic. As a result, she hadn't expected that Sunset Shimmer, who looked so honest, had already tried it out; she felt so regretful.
As the conversation reached this point, Sunset Shimmer restrained the joking expression on her face.
Raising the sun had always been a hidden desire in her heart, and it had also been her goal all along.
In the past, she had always believed that only she had the ability to take over this power from Celestia, but that was no longer the case.
Sunset Shimmer didn't know if Aurora had the same ambition as her, but she was certain that Aurora had the strength to compete with her.
Whenever she thought about this, Sunset Shimmer felt very complicated.
"That feeling was extremely heavy. My magic was as small as a twig, yet I delusionally tried to pry up a great mountain. The moment I made contact, it pressed down on me so hard I couldn't lift my head."
The memory of being rejected by the sun was still vivid. Although Sunset Shimmer knew this was an inevitable result, she still didn't feel any better about it.
"Even Star Swirl had to complete the sun and moon cycle with the help of his friends, and at the cost of exhausting his magic; the fact that you dared to try is already very impressive."
It seems the job of moving celestial bodies can only be done by an Alicorn, which shows that there is a world of difference in magic levels between an Alicorn and a Unicorn.
But why are the combat records of Alicorns in the animation and movies so poor?
Aurora was completely baffled by this.
"Have you ever thought about trying something else?"
Twilight Sparkle suddenly asked.
"Something else? You mean...?"
Sunset Shimmer didn't understand what she meant.
"Meteorites in space. Can you drag one of them down?"
"Meteor?"
"Why are you calling me?"
Aurora (Meteor Gleam) poked her head out upon hearing this.
"I wasn't calling you."
Sunset Shimmer pushed her head back.
Regarding this point, Sunset Shimmer hadn't thought about it. After all, she only had pursuits regarding the sun, and she hadn't conducted very in-depth research into other aspects of astronomy.
Sunset Shimmer and Aurora looked at each other, and both saw an expression of wanting to say something but holding back on each other's faces.
If it weren't for the fact that Aurora only had two pairs of hooves, she really would have given Twilight Sparkle a thumbs up.
"You really are a little smarty-pants, you even thought of this."
Theoretically speaking, even the sun is driven by magic, so conjuring a meteor with a horn is not impossible.
"But the question is, is this legal?"
However, in order to end Twilight Sparkle's crazy fantasy, Aurora tactfully dispelled this idea for her.
In fact, Aurora, who was well-versed in the laws of Equestria, had not seen any records regarding this item, which meant that the law didn't say it was allowed, nor did it say it was forbidden.
But it still involved some moral risks; if a man-made meteor were seen by unsuspecting astronomy enthusiasts, they would probably be so anxious they wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
After settling Twilight Sparkle, Aurora looked back at Sunset Shimmer, only to see her head down, writing and drawing in her notebook, with a thoughtful expression.
Suddenly, she noticed Aurora staring at her. She froze for a moment, hurriedly turned a page, and then smiled at Aurora, a very awkward smile.
It's no wonder; this one is even more of an outlaw, otherwise she wouldn't have betrayed The Grand Princess so decisively.
I don't know if the senior apprentice still has those thoughts now; as it stands, everything is fine, Twilight Sparkle is about to enroll, and she doesn't seem to have any intention of running away.