The Duel
Celestia’s School for the Gifted, several years ago
Gingersnap was always early for class. It gave her more time to study and relaxation before all the other students arrived. Even though they had made it into this school, most of them weren’t worthy of her time. Her family’s lineage deserved only the best of friends. Since she didn’t have any friends, that just proved how much better than everyone else she was. Perhaps she’d meet somepony someday who fit the bill.
So far, the only other being present was the teacher. He was someone new. The old one had scolded her for bad behavior. Her family had seen to her dismissal from the school. Gingersnap knew she was perfect as is. Her family wasn’t so sure of that, but that was understandable. A gingersnap cutie mark isn’t exactly something a Razorsharp is supposed to have. She’d just have to make do.
It was at that very moment that the last pony she ever thought she’d see in the flesh walked into the room. Both she and the teacher stood up and bowed. “Princess Celestia,” the teacher spoke. “I didn’t expect to see you here. I apologize for not preparing something worthy of you.”
“My visit was more of a last minute decision,” the solar goddess remarked. The goddess seemed to glow with motherly warmth and security, putting her at ease. Her wings had formed a dome over her back, like she was protecting something there. “So you have nothing to apologize for. If anyone must apologize, it is I. The past few days have truly been tiring for me, so it simply slipped my mind to send you a message.”
“Of course,” the teacher nodded and stood up. “What can I do for you today, my princess?”
“I want you to take on another student,” Celestia said. “While I’ll be handling most of her studies, I want her to socialize.” There was some giggling from underneath her wings.
Gingersnap quirked an eyebrow. ‘Is somepony under her wings? No fair. I should be under her wings, cause I’m a Razorsharp.’ When Celestia unfolded her wings, the little Razorsharp gasped in shock.
“I would like for you to meet me daughter,” Celestia peered over and smiled. The yellow filly from the orphanage was tickling a baby dragon. “Sunset Shimmer.”
The teacher’s jaw dropped. “Y-you want me to teach your daughter?”
Gingersnap couldn’t believe what she was seeing. A part of her didn’t want to believe. ‘It’s that brat from the orphanage. Why is she Celestia’s daughter? She isn’t worthy. She’s just a stupid orphan.’ She couldn’t help but feel frustration and a little anger. She was more worthy to be Celestia’s daughter, not some brat who had no one. She didn’t even have a family title.
“Of course I do,” Celestia nodded. “Your record is exceptional. I have every bit of trust that you’ll treat my daughter well.”
“Of course I will, Your Majesty.” The teacher smiled. “Your daughter-”
“Because if you don’t,” Celestia’s smile never left her face, but the whole room started to warm up considerably. “I will know.” The teacher gulped. “Now,” she picked up Sunset, the little orphan, with her magic and placed her on the ground. She gave her a little nuzzle. “Be good for the teacher.”
“Okay mommy,” Sunset seemed giddy when she said ‘mommy’. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too,” Celestia seemed to be tearing up a little, before she turned to leave. “Now my little spikey wikey, it’s just us too for a little while.” The little drake reached out for Sunset. Celestia placed her muzzle in his claws, causing the drake to smile and giggle as he grabbed it. “Don’t you worry about your sister. Mommy will make sure her little ones are safe.” She trotted out of the room.
“Now miss Shimmer,” the teacher began.
“That’s Princess Shimmer to you,” Sunset stuck her snout in the air, like she was actually worth something.
‘She’s not,’ Gingersnap scowled. ‘She’s just a stupid little orphan. She doesn’t deserve any title. Somepony needs to remind her of her place.’
_________________________________________________________________
Present day
“This is the day you finally learn your place, orphan.” Gingersnap straightened her collar as she stared at her reflection. This was her moment of glory. Just mere minutes from now, she would show the world how worthless Sunset Shimmer was. She grinned. “The Stupendous Gingersnap always comes out on top.”
“Gingersnap?” Giddilee trotted inside with a look of pure dread. “The Princess-”
“She is not a princess!” Gingersnap cut her off.
Giddilee sighed. “Sunset’s ready and waiting for you.”
“Well she shan’t wait any longer,” Gingersnap jumped to her hooves, giddily. “Her better is ready.”
“Gingersnap,” Giddilee frowned. “Don’t you think you’ve been pushing this whole feud long enough? Please, just reconsider this. No one will think of you any less if you back down.”
“Reconsider?” Gingersnap whirled around and glared at her friend. “Reconsider now? When I’m so close to fixing everything? No! I’m going through with this and you should support me, Giddilee. We’re not going to have to wander anymore after this.”
“Beating Sunset won’t change anything,” Giddilee implored her friend. “Please, just reconsider. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Gingersnap chuckled. “I’m not the one in danger of getting hurt.” She tugged at her cape. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve, figuratively speaking.” ‘Giddilee is annoying sometimes when she thinks I can’t handle something. It’s charming, but I know I can win this. I’m the superior unicorn.’
“I just think you’re taking this a bit too far,” her friend said. “Somepony could get hurt, like what happened back at school.”
Gingersnap scowled. “So what if I accidently knocked her brother into a raging river with her. They survived, besides, it was a good swimming lesson.” ‘The look on Sunset’s face was priceless.’
“No it…” Giddilee sighed, knowing she wasn’t going to get anywhere with this. “Alright, but… just watch yourself out there.” She pulled Gingersnap into a hug, which surprised the performer.
Gingersnap sighed and returned it. “I will.”
__________________________________________________________________
‘Why is she taking so long?’ Sunset thought as she paced around the duel site. The field, thankfully, wasn’t that green so the little flickers of fire that came to life at her hooves as she paced didn’t catch on. Of course, she wouldn’t let them. As a Fire Blood Elemental, she could control her flames but they would sprout with her temper. Her scowl was evident on her face.
“What’s your deal anyway?” Lightning piped up, snacking on an apple. Fiddlesticks had started to give out a few free samples here and there to the oncoming spectators. “You’ve got this.”
“It’s just some tricks,” Fiddlesticks piped up. “No one’s going to get hurt if you win or lose.”
“This won’t be about simple tricks,” Sunset scoffed. “This is a Duel of Magi. Gingersnap wants to pummel me into the ground. She won’t be happy with just out-classing me, not anymore.”
“Or us,” Lightning commented, before she started to look around. “Hey, what happened to Quickfix?”
“She went back home,” Fiddlesticks sighed. “She needed to fix some of her inventions, or something like that. She took Shade with her, for some reason.”
“Good riddance,” Sunset scoffed.
“On the contrary,” Gingersnap’s smug voice caught their attention. They turned to see her saunter over to the dueling area. “I thought he was quite welcome. He fit you so perfectly, Sunset.” She stopped just a few meters short of Sunset, smirking all the while. “One lying fool deserves another.”
Sunset scowled. “Do you want to die now?”
Gingersnap just laughed. “Perish the thought, orphan. You’re being rather overconfident. It almost saddens me to know that it won’t last for long.”
Sunset took a step forward, but Fiddlesticks put a hoof against her chest. “Now, now. Let’s not get all huffy like. Yer just duelin’ fer a bit. This ain’t the time fer such talk.”
“Fiddlesticks,” Sunset huffed and pushed Fiddlesticks away from her. “I don’t have time to listen to your nonsense. I have a duel to win.”
Fiddlesticks frowned and nodded and shooed everypony away. Sunset felt a tad bit bad for telling her off like that, but she had more important things to worry about. ‘I’ll buy her another orchard or something. That’s what you do when you hurt a friend? Buy them stuff?’ She shook her head. She didn’t need to worry about friendship right now. Only glory. She passed by Thunderlane, who was holding up the equestrian flag.
“Alright,” Thunderlane called out. “This is a Magic Duel. You will fight till your opponent is unable to fight or forfeits. This is not to the death and if such a thing occurs, you will be court-martialed and shot. Do you understand?” Both mares nodded. “Good, Fight!” He lowered the flag.
The second the flag lowered, Sunset fired a blast of magic. Gingersnap nimbly dodged, firing a blast of magic herself. Sunset blocked it with a shield spell, before firing once more. She had to admit, that blast had stung a bit when it impacted. She wasn’t going to let that dissuade her.
What did dissuade her a tad, was when instead of dodging the strike, Gingersnap caught the blast in her hoof. It condensed into a ball with it and her hoof covered in a layer of magic. “Sticking magic. Quite hoofy, don’t you think?” With that said, she pushed her hoof outwards. “Return!” The ball of energy shot out quick as a whip.
Sunset teleported out of the way of the ball. To her amazement, it veered back on course. She turned and erected a shield. This time, however, her shield cracked as she was pushed back a few feet from the blast. ‘What the hay? I know I’m not the best shield expert, but that shouldn’t have hurt.’
Unfortunately, the moment she turned off her shield spell, Gingersnap had teleported behind her, grabbed her tail with her magic, and threw Sunset across the ground. She bounced a few times, before teleporting herself to her hooves. “Return! is such a nifty spell. It causes an opponent's own attack to seek out their owner with two times the strength.”
“What is this?” Sunset moved her shoulders to get out the kinks. “A lecture?”
“A demonstration,” Gingersnap stood up on her hind legs and pulled her cape over. She thrust it away dramatically, her horn glowing. Several star like projections appeared around her. “Seering Stars!”
She didn’t have time to do anything but dodge. The stars streaked by, one coming so close it seered some of her mane.
Sunset needed to turn the tide of this battle and she needed to do that now. Gingersnap wasn’t going to win this if she could help it.
Gingersnap laughed. “What’s the matter, Sunset? Do you wish to give up already?”
“No,” Sunset’s horn lit up as she prepared a spell. “If anything, I want to ask you to give up now. I don’t think you want to get your fur singed.” She quickly fired a spell that smashed into the ground in front of her
“And what do you think-” Gingersnap’s comment was cut short when Sunset’s disappeared, only to appear in front of her with her leg’s reared back. The show mare shrieked as she felt the two hooves smack into her chest, sending her flying. She smashed into the ground. “You-” Her eyes widened when she saw a huge fireball come her way. Quickly, she wrapped herself in her cape. The flames flowed over it harmlessly. She laughed as she threw her cape to the side when the flames cleared. “You think I wouldn’t remember your flames? You think little stunts like that will help you win? Face it, you’re-”
Sunset cut her off with another teleport-buck. “I don’t need my flames to buck you.” Gingersnap shot another beam of magic. Sunset just smirked, smacking it away with a hoof covered in a layer of magic. “Pathetic.”
“How dare you call my magic pathetic,” Gingersnap snarled. “Barrage Blast!” With that, several beams of pure energy that swerved about in order to confuse her.
Sunset jumped out of the way, teleporting a distance here or there. The barrage of blast kept at it, sometimes smacking into the ground whenever she erected a shield or pushed it away. She jumped away from a secondary blast when Gingersnap teleported nearby. Sunset smirked as she directed one of the blasts into the show mare.
Gingersnap shrieked as she was pushed back, but disappeared in a flash. “Magi Blade!”
Sunset was hit by a long curved arc of magic. She was thrown off her hooves, but caught herself, allowing her magic to levitate herself in the air. “Do you have to call all your attacks?”
“Seering Stars!” Gingersnap’s attack whizzed by, with Sunset narrowly dodging them. “It’s a valid battle style. You’d know that if you actually paid attention.” She fired a bolt of magic, which Sunset blocked. “No, you had everything hoofed to you on a silver platter just because the princess picked you. Barrage Blast!”
Sunset took the blasts, reflecting them away with strategic shields. “I earned my place.” She fired a blast of fire magic, which Gingersnap side-stepped.
“No you didn’t,” Gingersnap grabbed Sunset in her magic and slammed her into the ground. “You are just some stupid orphan, but you got her love! You got attention! You didn’t deserve a bit of it.”
A bubble of solar magic burst out from Sunset, sending Gingersnap skidding on the earth with pained huffs. ‘Oh, I didn’t know how much I needed to hear such pain.’ Sunset grinned. ‘Karma, Gingersnap.’ “Oh please, is that all? You think you can criticize me when you made my life a living Tartarus?!!”
Gingersnap snarled as she pushed herself off the ground. “Someone had to remind you.”
“Remind me of what?” Sunset snarled as she stormed over to her, fire blazing from her horn.
“Your place!” Gingersnap spun around, her hoof pointed right at Sunset’s head. “Light Switch!”
Sunset’s world went dark. She couldn’t see anything, not even a smidgen of light. ‘But it’s the middle of the day? I can still feel the sun. What did that damned mare do now? Why can’t she just roll over and lose already?’
“Barrage Blast!” Before Sunset could do anything, she felt the first one smash into her side. Then another sending her flying into the air. She grunted as she was tossed this way and that, desperately teleporting, but finding herself smacked around like a pin-ball. Gingersnap’s mocking laughter resounded in her ears. “Truly pathetic, but not surprising. How you ever beat Nightmare Moon is beyond me? Perhaps she wasn’t as strong as we thought, if all it took was an orphan and some inferior races.”
“She does know we can hear her, right?” Fiddlesticks whispered to Lightning.
“No, but I’ll gladly remind her.” Lightning snarled.
“So how about we end this now,” Gingersnap snorted as Sunset tried to teleport away, only to get blasted again. “This is getting rather sad.”
Sunset kept trying to get out of the way, but she couldn’t properly see where she was going. She needed something to clear her sight, but whenever she tried to think of a spell or such she was thrown about. It was frustrating. It was humiliating. It was-
“Sunset!” She heard Spike call out to her. He was supposed to be away from here. It was dangerous.
“Well if it isn’t the dra-a-a~” Gingersnap’s eyes widened as she saw Spike, her cheeks tinted pink. “Well someone grew up.”
“Stop this now,” Spike growled.
“Why?” Gingersnap smirked. “She hasn’t admitted defeat.”
“This isn’t fair and you know it,” Spike stood his ground, glaring her down.
Gingersnap narrowed her eyes. “Fair? Fair? FAIR?!! What do you know about fair, dragon?” She got up close to him. “You’re just some stupid, wretched,” she looked him up and down. “Sexy thing, but that’s...I’ve lost my train of thought.”
Spike rolled his eyes. “I ask you again. Release my sister.” His tone was confident, but if anyone was paying attention, his legs were shaking a bit.
“Or what?” Gingersnap snorted. “Do you really think some pampered monster is going to stop me? I can do this all day if I want.” When Spike thrusted his arm out for her horn, he found it being held in an aura of magic. His eyes widened in fear. “Maybe someone needs to remind you of your place.”
The moment she heard those words, something in Sunset snapped. ‘No one. No one harms my brother except me when he’s stupid!’ Her magic flared, this time even hotter than before, incinerating the spells in a burst of sun magic. Landing, she found her eyesight was back, the spell having been broken. “Get away from him, you bitch!” She fired a stream of flames.
Gingersnap ‘eep’ed and teleporting away, leaving Spike to be hit by the attack. As ever, the flames just passed over him. “Really?” He deadpanned.
Sunset ignored him. “GET BACK HERE, WITCH!” The crowd scattered, screaming as they tried their darndest to get out of the princess’s warpath. ‘I’ll burn her to a crisp!’
Gingersnap wasn’t going to comply. The showmare frantically called up every spell she could think up, but the blazing mare burned them away. ‘What the hay is she?’ Gingersnap couldn’t help but think to herself. She didn’t expect this response, or this much anger. A part of her thought she should have, but she thought she could handle it. Right now however, she was desperately trying to get away, ducking into larger groups whenever she could.
Sunset threw any unlucky bystander away with a quick burst of magic, singing a number of hairs as she fired her flame spells. She could just see that mare, standing over her then younger brother with a wicked smile. That memory made her blood boil. “Stand still!”
“Barrage Blast!” Was Gingersnap’s reply.
Sunset lowered her horn and a literal blazing shield flared up around her, cancelling the oncoming attacks. She then focused her spell into a single ball of flaming energy. Grinning, she tossed it. “Catch!”
Gingersnap had only enough time to bring up her cloak. The explosion sent her rocketing into a nearby grove, smashing through the trunk of a healthy apple tree. She coughed, trying to regain her breath. “What the hay is wrong with you?”
“You grabbed my brother,” Sunset advanced on her. “You think I’m just going to stand by and let you hurt him again? You think I’ll let anyone ever hurt him again?!!”
“What is so special about that dragon?” Gingersnap snarled as she stood her ground, her horn flaring. “What makes either of you so special to the princess, huh? Just some silly orphan and a damnable dragon.”
“Because we’re family,” Sunset’s eyes glowed yellow as she prepared a spell. “And you don’t mess with family.”
“What do you know about family, orphan?!!” Gingersnap teleported, sending a missile spell that smashed into Sunset’s side. The princess grit her teeth as she was pushed along the ground, but remained upright. “They aren’t your blood. They’re not real to you, so how can you lecture me about family?”
That was the last straw. Sunset’s eyes twitched in rage, glaring at the other mare so intensely that she recoiled as if it burned her. “I’ve had enough of you.” Her next blast was thrice as thick, causing Gingersnap to shriek in fear as she shielded herself. The nearby trees weren’t so lucky.
Gingersnap pulled her cloak away, “Seering Stars!” The blazing stars shot out, missing their mark when Sunset teleported. Instead they seered another group of trees during their path. She screamed as flames smashed into her, sending her flying. She smashed into the ground, inadvertently putting out the flames on her fur.
Sunset took a deep breath, her body glowing as she allowed the sunlight to pour into her. She had an innate affinity for heat. While fire was much better and faster, sunlight could offer some nourishment if she focused on it. “Solar Beam!” With that, she pointed her horn and a lazor made up of solar magic belted towards Gingersnap. The fallen mare didn’t have time to act as she was sent flying into even more trees.
She teleported over to the battered mare. Gingersnap whimpered as she raised her cloak as if to protect herself. “I surrender. I surrender!”
“No,” Sunset snarled. “You don’t get it. You never got it! You made my life Tartarus and scared the hay out of my brother for what? Nothing, because you’re nothing.” Flames flared around her horn. “No one would even miss you if you were gone.”
“Sunset,” Lightning pulled her back. “You beat her.”
“No I haven’t,” Sunset whirled around to glare at her friend. “I haven’t beaten her yet. She’ll just get up and start this whole thing over again. Don’t you see? That’s all she’s ever done.”
“But burning her to a crisp?” Lightning balked at that. “I know I take competitions seriously, but this?”
“I’m teaching her a lesson.”
“Well you’ve certainly taught her one so far,” Lightning looked at the beaten mare. “I’m sure Fiddlestick’s going to love that explanation.”
Sunset narrowed her eyes. “What does Fiddlesticks have to do with this?” Lightning tilted her head and Sunset looked over. Her eyes widened. A section of the apple grove was broken to pieces, with a large fire starting to take root. The remnants of the crowd and the local guards nearby were combatting the flames.
“More water,” Thunderlane called out. “If you know any water spells, use them now.”
Sunset gulped as she felt, for one of the few times in her life, a seed of guilt settle inside her. Her ears lowered in shame as she saw an openly weeping Fiddlesticks trying to combat the flames, using her speed to gather as much water from a watering hole. “I… I… I didn’t mean to.”
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I know Ginger is a bitch, but I find difficult to sympathize with Sunset either, the way she is acting.
The part with Spike's sexiness saving the day was hilarious. The ending was intriguing as well. It looks like Sunset only decided not to kill Gingersnap because she was worried about collateral damage to Fiddlestick's farm, otherwise I think Sunset really would have killed her. To be fair, it's not like Princess Sunset Shimmer would actually have been court-martialed and shot, I don't know who Thunderlane thought he was fooling.
6827908 Which was the point I was trying to get across.
6828695 It was more standard procedure that he would announce that, then anything really. As for Sunset... yeah, probably. Her temper is something she happens to lose quite often.
6830855 Yeah, Thunderlane kind of sounded like he was reading off a cue card in his head.
Now I actually feel sorry for Gingersnap. I guess she'll never be accepted back into House Razorsharp.
I wonder if Quickfix and Lightning Dust are going to wait for Gingersnap to heal up before they give her a beating, or deliver it while she's still in the hospital?
6830915 Given their current dispositions, they probably would do that. {Either really.} However, Gingersnap's story is far from over. I did base this story off an early episode after all.
6830952 You mean an Ursa Minor is going to destroy Gingersnap's house as well? That mare cannot catch a break!
6830973 I won't say it, but I can confirm it won't be an Ursa Minor.
There are other large beasts in the everfree, one of whom is rather aggressive.
6830915
Gingersnap didn't have that chance to begin with. Also, do you think her former family would take the chance of earning the enmity of Celestia by readmiting Ginger into their ranks, after pulling such stunt on Princess Sunset ?
6830990
Could it be... The big green dragon of the Everfree, like the one who appears in the front cover?
6834163 ...In my defense, I'm terrible at keeping secrets.
6834163 Yeah, I think you're right. I think Gingersnap thought beating Sunset would somehow make her parents
love her againwelcome her back as heir to house Razorsharp, but it wouldn't have worked.That said, now Gingersnap finally realizes she will never be welcomed back into her family, hence why I feel sorry for her.
6834263
I suspect the "medicine" Gingersnap is taking both enhances her magic and makes her mind unstable.
Ginger is destroying herself in a futile effort to live up her ideal concept of herself and match Sunset's talent. Is only a matter of time she does something really, really stupid like unleashing a dragon on Ponyville.
6834292 I don't know about that. Gingersnap didn't want to take her medicine in Ch.4, but Giddilee insisted. I think Gingersnap has some sort of condition that makes it damaging to her health to use magic, and the medicine helps mitigate that, at the cost of slightly dampening her magic.
That said, I think you have a good prediction about how Gingersnap will react in the future.
Gingersnaps has blending stupidity and arrogance down to an art form.
Oh boy, that got ugly for both sides...
This chapter was really intense. The magic duel was EPIC but in the end, nopony won. Sunset was blinded by her own ego and her anger that she destroyed apart of Fiddlesticks livelihood and home. She became just like the one she hated. A truly powerful story worthy of Greg Weisman.