Chapter 5 [Unicorn x Unicorn] · 1:40pm Nov 20th, 2015
Everyone has an embarrassing little secret. A deep seated fear that seems mundane or silly to everyone else. Well, here’s mine: I’m afraid of the flame burning inside me. It’s a dark flame. Not one of determination, passion or hope, but a flame that wants to consume. Destroy.
It seems childish, I know, but...
You see, I am a proud Mage of Equestria, one who has sworn to protect my friends, family, and fellow citizens alike. I’m pretty sure that’s the exact opposite of destroying, isn’t it? Especially considering my upbringing. Filled with love and laughter, I had a childhood that was safe from all the dangers of the world. And the world is a scary and dangerous place, but growing up, my mom never let me feel unsafe. It just so happens that my mom is the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia, so that may have played a part.
I love my mom. I want her to be proud of me. What daughter doesn’t, right? To have her acknowledge that I'm strong and that I can help protect Equestria. Like she does. Like she’s done for as far back as Equestria has existed. I’m not alone in that regard. Though I’ve already been involved in a life or death battle, I’m still in training. My classmates and I, we fought and bled to protect the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. Speaking of which, I love my classmates. Twilight and Trixie are like sisters to me. We have our disagreements and don't always see eye to eye, and I guess I try to play “the aloof one” a bit too much at times, but it’s because I care about what they have to say. So, that’s problematic..
I'm scared. Not because I might not have the strength to defeat my enemies and anyone who would wish to harm who I love, but that I wouldn't be able to stop myself.
There was a time that I was on the way to becoming the youngest Master-class mage in Equestrian history. It was an unheard of proposal, even coming from the Princess, for the academy professors to award a filly upon completing a battery of tests. I was made to spar against a promising unicorn stallion named Mercury Fold. He was especially gifted in counterattack spells and was actually the current youngest Master-class, himself.
He was sworn to a vow of secrecy regarding the whole affair, along with everyone else involved. The match lasted all of five minutes. I was happy, I remember, but everyone seemed to be in a somber mood. I didn't know why until I overheard from the nurses talking in hushed whispers that he would never be able to practice magic at Master-level ever again. The magic circuits in his body, what enables all creatures to sense and use magic to a certain extent, had been damaged. Some permanently. And so because of that, my mom, the Princess herself, insured that knowledge of the event was all but erased. Only a few of the ponies who knew remain in Canterlot today, after taking all expense paid "early retirements." She then decided that I needed more time to learn how to control myself and she would do so personally. That’s how I ended up meeting Twilight and Trixie, actually. How we became classmates.
We more or less started from the beginning: elementary spell casting, basic fire, water, earth and air magics. I was so upset at her. I eventually got over it, mostly, especially after what happened at Neighagra Falls. I realized that there were still stronger ponies out there in the world, and started to put more importance in my training, to include sparring with my mom. However, I’ve started to feel...different after I sparred with mom earlier today. She went all out against me, and even though I knew that my life wasn’t in danger, I was swallowed up by my survival instinct and it felt...good. It felt so good to stop holding back. Even if I still ended up losing. Something clicked inside my head, some spring was unwound, and from deep inside me a burst of energy pushed me to keep fighting. But also did that hunger to destroy my enemy. For the briefest moment I saw my own mom as an enemy instead of an opponent. It makes me wonder, if Trixie hadn’t charged in like she did back in Neighagra Falls, who knows what could have happened?
“We are almost there,” a deep voice speaks out from next to me.
My thoughts interrupted, I glance toward the large pony; a stallion named Wakea, then look ahead to see a landmass in the distance. I don’t know what to expect with this training that mom assigned me, but I can’t fail her.
It's been too long since I've come out with an update, and so I felt that I'd not so much tease as I would offer at least a bit of Sunset Shimmer introspection and some of her backstory. If y'all were confused it's for my AU fic "Unicorn x Unicorn" but I hope you enjoyed it~
Credit to Mercury Fold's name goes to WiseFireCracker. Chapter 5.1 of Unicorn x Unicorn will be out shortly, thanks for the patience.
And now for something completely different
