The Sun and the Clover

by BG9

Like A Bug under a Magnifying Glass

Trixie took her cape and threw it into the air, a cascade of multi-colored fireworks and smoke flying into the air. Sunset's entrance was far less flashy with here merely walking into the ring. She had a very somber look on her face, seemingly almost stoic. The ref gave the signal and cleared the ring, allowing the fight to start.

Sunset wasted no time. She gracefully waved her wand above her head and a waterfall of sparkles rained over her body. A halo manifested above her head along with two massive wings of light. She looked as if god himself had blessed her. The dazzling display even had Trixie intimidated. But she wasn't to be deterred so easily.

Trixie pulled the wand from her sleeve and set a few darts of clear blue light towards Sunset. Sunny didn't even have to move, her wings shrouding her body and protecting her from harm. Trixie didn't give up, firing volley after volley of darts at her wings.

"Do you know how to do anything el-"

Before Sunset could finish her sentence, one of the darts exploded into a large plume of black smoke. But even this was futile. Her wings cut through the smoke like a hot knife through butter, exposing Trixie trying to flank her to the left. Sunset pointed her wand at her and in an instant, her magic crest appeared on Trixie's forehead. Wallflower crossed her arms and scoffed.

"Welp, Trixie's finished." she said

"Really?" Coloratura asked "How do you figure?"

"You'll see shortly."

Sunset lowered her wand, her bland, stone like expression not budging an inch.

"I'll give you one change to give up." she said

"Ha! As if the Great and Powerful Trix-"

She showed no mercy. Trixie fell to the ground, doubled over in pain. Sunset's face finally changed to that of a glare.

"Give up."

Trixie tried to resit, but the pain just became worse. It felt like every bone, every muscle, every nerve ending was being run across with by a red hot knife.

"I give!" Trixie screamed "I give up!"

Her cries were agonizing, as if someone had a boot on both of her lungs. The mark on her forehead vanished and, with it, the pain. Even though the pain had ceased, Trixie could not muster the strength to get up, instead laying on her hands and knees before finally being escorted off the stage. Both Anon and Coloatura were completely confused.

"What in the world was that?" Anon asked

"It's a special type of rune called a Sigil." Wallflower explained "Think of it as a step up from a normal rune. Though these are often used for torture. The long and short of it is that Sunset placed a brand upon Trixie's head and threaded her mana through it in a very specific fashion. The overload of magic then causes the branded to experience an unholy amount of pain. The moment that mark appeared on Trixie's head, she was finished."

In a few short minutes, Trixie joined them, holding an ice pack against her head.

"Are you alright Trixie?" he asked

She snickered "That was a cheap trick."

Wallflower shook her head

"I'd call that less of a cheap trick and more of a mercy kill. She could've done a lot worse to you but she opt'd to end the match quickly. If you can't counter a Sigil then you could never have beaten her."

Trixie huffed and crossed her arms, mumbling to herself.

"I'll take her." Trixie grumbled "Just watch."

There were three more matches before Sunset was up to fight again. An what a spectacle it was. Magic that caused hallucinations by slightly disrupting brain waves, one that allowed someone to cloak their body in a thick layer of magic the acted like armor, even one that turned any surface into a sticky, gum like substance from which one couldn't break free. It was amazing just how diverse magic usage was. And it's power seemed dependent on creativity, rather than raw mana. Finally the main event was here: Sunset Shimmer vs Chrysalis Sombra. It was time to get a first hand look at assassination magic.

The two took to the stage. Chrysalis was as odd looking as her name. She wore a rather skimpy black dress with a large fur coat. Not only that, but her hair was green. She walked with a sort of smug confidence, as if signifying that she had one the match merely by walking onto the stage. Sunset lifted her wand, taking the same form she took during her battle with Trixie, only this time with a little something extra: behind her back was a large, golden circle of light, similar to that halo on her head. It was as big as she was tall and lining the circle where six spear heads. Anon turned to Wallflower again.

"Any idea what she's doing?"

"Not messing around that's for sure. She's already broken out the chains of creation, chains so strong it could bind a god to earth. Looks like she's going to try to end it quickly."

Chrysalis merely smiled and lifted her wand, covering herself in what looked like glitter before slowly walking towards Sunny. The points on Sunset's back began to jostle a bit before revealing the chains they were connected too. They were beautiful white-gold chains that looked almost as if you could push your hand through them, yet still looked so solid. Sunset began to move the tip of her wand in a tight, fast circle. As she spun the tip faster it began to glow brightly, forming a ring of light.

She released the ring, flinging it across the stage towards Chrysalis's face. She, however, didn't budge an inch. The moment the ring touched her body, she turned into a large cloud of black smoke. Sunset tried to cut through the smoke with her wings, but unlike with Trixie, her efforts were wasted. The mist slowly began to surround her and then hitting her left right and center. It was as if Chrysalis was the mist. But Sunset was far from giving up

The spears on Sunsets back shot out, coiling around the mist. The tighter the chains became, the more the mist faded, eventually exposing Chrysalis' arm. The chains were literally forcing her back into her physical form. With each inch the chains pulled, Chrysalis' body materialized more and more, and the vortex shrunk. The smoke began to swirl around like a tornado and the arm started trying to drag sunset into the vortex. Shimmer lost her footing and was dragged in, being pulled around and around. As she was flung around the tornado, tiny cuts began to appear all over her body. The smoke was filled with tiny shards of glass. Anon could see what she meant when Wallflower said they played dirty.

Sunset shot one of the chains into the ground, making it act like an anchor to get herself back on her feet. She slowly fought against the turbulence, making her way back to the ground. By that point, however, the glass had ripped her body to shreds. Another one of her chains wrapped around the smoke and began pulling Chrysalis back into her physical form, this time with far more ease. The smoke quickly vanished as she was now completely bound in the chains.

This was the end. But not in the way Anon was thinking. Chrysalis let out an absolutely ghoulish smile and press her wand against the chains. Sunset got a look of pure terror on her face and instantly her form faded away, the chains along with it. Sunset fell to her knees before uttering two words.

"I submit."

The crowd began to roar with a mix of cheering and booing.

"What happened?" Anon asked "Did Chrysalis cheat?"

Wallflower shook her head

"No. She just exploited the biggest flaw in Sunset's magic technique. You've practiced threading right? And know about mana sickness?"

"Yeah. Sunset was actually the one who taught it to me."

"Well this expands on that principal. Sunset is basically using her magic almost like cloak around herself. It lends quite a bit of offensive power. But it has one crucial flaw: mana agitation. Essentially what Chrysalis did was force her mana into those chains, a physical manifestation of Sunset's mana. Think of it like pouring salt on a open wound. It's a cruel tactic but an effective one all the same. Even the best of mages can't stand against it for long."

"Is she going to be ok?"

"She should be. From direct observation it didn't seem that she injected her with enough mana to cause her any permanent physical harm. However in the moment that Chrysalis touched her wand to the chains, the pain must have been excruciating."

As Chrysalis exited the ring, Sunset sat there on her knees, shaking from the sheer pain. She really took a beating. She was covered in blood from all the cuts she got from the broken glass and her mana was shocked. A pair of students walked onto the stage and put her on a stretcher, carting her off.

"I'm going to go check on Sunset real quick." Anon said

"Suit yourself." Blush replied

Anon pushed his way through the crowd to the area where the students took Sunset away. She was in a small tent a few feet off from the stage. When he pushed through the tent flaps Sunset was nearly completely undressed, covered head to toe in band aids and gauze. Sunny blushed bright red, pulling the sheet over her half naked body.

"O-oh sorry!" Anon stuttered

"No it's alright. I just didn't know you were coming."

"Are you ok?"

"I'm ok. Just angry at myself for getting so careless. The pain has mostly subsided now. I should've know she'd try to disrupt my mana like that. I got too cocky."

"You did well out there Sunny."

Sunset lifted her eyebrow

"Sunny?"

"Oh sorry. Do you not like to be called that?"

She smiled

"I actually kind of like it honestly. It's cute."

"You magic is amazing Sunset. I've never seen anything quite so beautiful."

Sunset blushed again

"You are quite the flatterer."

"Just calling it like I see it is all."

She shifted positions with a loud groan.

"Get ready to see the other huge benefit of Solar magic." she said

Sunset peeled off all of the band aids, being sure to cover her bare breasts with the sheet. She took a deep breath, her body emanating a warm, golden glow. Anon's eyes widen as her wounds begin to emit profuse amounts of steam before finally closing up. It was as if she never got hurt in the first place.

"One of Solar magic's strongest points is medicinal magic. I can use my mana to heal everything from small cuts to serious cancers. Unfortunately I am unable to heal the scar on my back or cure my relative infertility. That's why it's a curse I suppose."

Sunset let out a big stretch, using her wand to poof a new change of clothes and getting out of bed.

"Well, back to it then." Sunset said

"You ok Sunset? Not to insult you or anything but that was a pretty big defeat."

"It's alright. You can't win every battle. Unfortunately assassination magic is the Shimmer families Achilles heel and Chrysalis is the most gifted Sombra in close to eight generations. I went into the match knowing I'd be defeated."

"That's still pretty rough though"

"I'm fine Anon. Really. You can't win every fight. One thing you'll learn is that there's always someone better and more skilled than you are. It's life"

"I guess you're right."

"Want to learn some more magic basics with me?"

"Don't you need some rest after that?"

"I'm good. I promise."

"What about Eclipse?"

"You can always go back if you want. But I'm pretty bored of it at this point."

Well he certainly wasn't about to pass up more magic lessons with his cute crush.

"Sure. Let's go."

Comments

[Mallory S Nocturne]

... I think I'm a little scared of Sunset now... That show of power...

[SolitariLupus]

How can sunsets family have heirs if she's infertile and sons cant be born?

[BG9]

10052500
It's a purely female line. Only daughters can inherit the crest. Though now that you point it out I think I ought to explore that further.