The Rebel and The Bookworm (CANCELLED)

by qiley

Chapter 7: Maiden Battle

“Today’s the day, huh?” Cadance asked, sipping on a cup of coffee.

Sunset nodded. “Even though I spent days preparing for it, I’m still kind of nervous.”

“You’ll do just fine,” Cadance dismissed her worries. “Even if you lose, it doesn’t really matter. It’s your first duel afterall.”

“First impressions are kind of important,” Sunset mumbled, taking a long, loud sip of her herbal tea.

“Eh, I don’t know about that,” Cadance shrugged. “Shiny’s first impression wasn’t the best, but look at us!”

“Don’t see how we can compare the two.”

Tapping her chin, Cadance nodded slowly. “Yeah, thinking about it you really can't. Don’t sweat it though. It’s not like you’re there to impress anypony.”

“You’re right about that,” Sunset agreed. “I’m doing this because one, it’s fun, and two, it helps me exercise my magic.”

“Then it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks! Win or lose, you’re still learning.”

Sunset chuckled. “I’d still like to win though.”

As the two continued chatting, another pony entered the room without a sound. Creeping up behind them, the pony smirked.

“Boo!”

“AH!” Both Sunset and Cadance cried out, jumping slightly in their seats. The two looked over to the culprit, who was trying to muffle her giggles.

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Real mature Celestia.”

“Auntie, that’s not funny,” Cadance frowned, chiming in. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Celestia apologized through giggles. “It was just the perfect opportunity! I couldn’t pass on it. Plus, I overheard that Sunset was a little nervous so I thought I’d try and lighten up her mood.”

“I guess that’s one way to do it,” Sunset grumbled, wiping some spilled tea. “Not a way I’d prefer, but definitely a way.”

“Anyways,” Celestia said, taking a seat with them. “You prepared for your duel? I’m so excited to watch you fight.”

“Thanks, now you made me even more nervous,” Sunset sighed.

“Don’t worry about me,” Celestia waved her hoof. “Just think of me as one of the spectators.”

“Kind of hard to do when you’re sitting in that throne of yours in the arena.”

“Fair point,” Celestia said, pouring herself a cup of tea.

“We’ll both be there cheering you on Sunset,” Cadance said. “Maybe even hurl a couple insults Sunburst’s way to demoralize him.”

“Cadance…” Celestia warned.

“It’s a joke auntie, a joke!” Cadance defended herself. “I would never do something like that.”

“Well it’s a little reassuring knowing that you’re going to be cheering for me,” Sunset said. “How about Twilight and Shining Armor? Are they going to be there?”

“Twilight said she would be, but I haven’t heard from her all day,” Celestia replied. “She must be busy watching Spike.”

“Who’s Spike?” Sunset asked.

“Wait, she’s never mentioned Spike at all with you?” Celestia asked, a little shocked.

Sunset shook her head. “Nope, never heard that name before.”

“Spike is, well,” Celestia tapped her chin. “I don’t really know how to describe their relationship.”

“He’s kind of like her son, but also her brother and friend?” Cadance offered.

“That’s confusing,” Sunset chuckled. “And impossible, right?”

“Long story short, Twilight hatched Spike, who is a baby dragon by the way, during her entrance exams into the school,” Celestia explained. “Since then, she’s been taking care of him with the help of myself and her parents.”

“Wait, did you say baby dragon?” Sunset said

“Yes,” Celestia nodded. “Spike is a dragon after all.”

“You’re telling me that Twilight is not only taking care of a baby, but it’s also a dragon?” Sunset asked, a bit flabbergasted.

“I had the same reaction when I heard the news,” Cadance chuckled.

“But doesn't like every dragon live far away from pony civilization? How did we even get a dragon egg?” Sunset frowned. “Did you steal it?”

Celestia shook her head. “I would never personally do something like that, but some ponies seem to have death wishes.”

“You’re telling me that somepony traveled to the dragon lands, stole an egg, and returned back to Equestria with it?!” Sunset asked, her mouth hung open.

“That pretty much sums it up,” Celestia said. “Once we caught the thief, we had them arrested and confiscated the egg. However, not knowing how to approach the dragons about the matter, we decided to keep the egg here. It was the safest option, as we don’t know if the dragons would’ve seen that as an act of aggression, and we most definitely did not want to go to war with them.”

Sunset nodded slowly. “Okay, that makes sense. How long ago was this?”

“Almost two hundred years ago.”

“So I’m guessing they never found out they were missing an egg?”

“One could assume,” Celestia shrugged.

“If you had the egg for so long, why didn’t it hatch?”

“We have no idea to be honest,” Celestia sighed. “We don’t have much information on dragons in general, so we just kept it tucked away in storage, occasionally using it to test ponies trying to get into the school.”

“We’d let the pony use whatever spell, as long as it was safe of course, to try and hatch the egg. Thinking that nopony would be able to hatch it, we would judge the pony based on how they worked around a hard problem, essentially judging their wit and quick thinking.”

“I would rather do that than have to perform basic spells for the judges,” Sunset grumbled.

“Unfortunately we draw names and what test they’ll be given,” Celestia winked. “You got the short end of the stick it seems. Those are the most boring ones.”

“Har har, very funny Celestia,” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Anyways, you’re telling me that Twilight was able to hatch the egg.”

“She not only hatched it, but made him grow larger than the tower, turn her parents into plants, and levitate the judges up,” Celestia giggled. “It was quite the scene to walk in on.”

“Huh, she’s quite talented isn’t she,” Sunset grinned.

Celestia nodded. “Thus why I decided to take her in as my protege.”

“Remind me to ask about Spike next time I see her.”

“Will do,” Cadance nodded.

“Well, I wish you the best of luck Sunset,” Celestia said, standing up from the seat. “Unfortunately, my break has already ended. Hopefully I can get out of today's meetings earlier.”

“Thanks Celestia,” Sunset slightly bowed her head. “You better get out early, or else you might miss the whole fight!”

“Don’t get cocky now Sunset,” Celestia warned. “Who knows what Sunburst has planned.”

“Stop worrying about me and get going,” Sunset smirked. “If you want to get out early that is!”

Sighing, Celestia shook her head as she walked towards the door. “Your sharp-tongue never disappoints. I will see you two later then.” As she disappeared behind the door, Cadance and Sunset snickered.

“I can’t believe you talk to Auntie like that,” Cadance said.

Sunset shrugged. “What can I say, our relationship is pretty good!”

“Well, I too must take my leave,” Cadance sighed. “I promised Shiny that we’ll hang out before the duel. Maybe I’ll snag Twilight as well.”

“Sounds good,” Sunset smirked, rubbing her hooves together. “I still have some things I want to polish up on so that’s perfect!”

Cadance giggled worldly. “That’s good to hear. See you later then?”

“See you later!” Sunset quickly said before dashing away.

---

The arena was filled to the brim. Ponies were forced to stand off to the side due to there being absolutely no seats left. Fortunately, Cadance, Twilight, and Shining Armor weren’t in that crowd, but high above everypony.

“Why are there so many ponies here?” Shining Armor surveyed the crowd.

Cadance rolled her eyes. “It’s Sunset’s debut fight, that’s why.”

“So what? She’s just a student, what’s so special about the fight?”

“What’s so special?” Cadance cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t know, maybe it’s because she’s Celestia’s personal student?”

“Pssh, whatever,” Shining Armor waved his hoof.

“I hope Sunset wins!” Twilight chirped.

Cadance smiled. “We all do.”

“Eh, I don’t really ca- OW!” Shining Armor felt a sharp jab on his side. Rubbing it, he glared at Cadance. “What was that for?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cadance whistled, looking around.

“Okay fine, I hope she wins too,” Shining Armor grumbled, causing Cadance to smile.

“Am I late?” a voice asked, startling the three.

Turning towards the stairs, Cadance frowned at the pony walking up. “Auntie! That’s twice today.”

“Sorry,” Celestia winked, taking a seat in the middle. “Fortunately, I was able to get out of the rest of my meetings for the day.”

“Hi Princess Celestia!” Twilight smiled.

“Why hello Twilight, it’s good to see you here,” Celestia smiled back.

“Are you excited for the duel?” Twilight asked.

“I am quite excited,” Celestia nodded. “I can’t wait to see how Sunset performs. I do hope she has fun as well, win or lose.”

“But you’re hoping she wins, right?” Cadance asked.

“The outcome of the duel doesn’t matter as much as the experience,” Celestia said. “However, it would be good for her if she wins, morale wise that is.”

“She’ll win, I just know it!” Twilight said.

“I see that I’m early,” Celestia surveyed the arena. “That’s quite the relief.”

“I think it’s going to start soon though,” Shining Armor said. Looking down at the center, he saw a pony climb onto the referee stand. “Oh look, the referee is getting ready!”

Soon enough, a guard waltzed to the center of the field, levitating a microphone next to him.

“Ahem,” the guard cleared his throat into the mic, the chatter dying down. “Good evening everypony, and welcome to a very special duel!”

A few ponies murmured a bit at the word “special” but the guard continued.

“As some of you may know, one of the ponies fighting today is one of Celestia’s personal students, Sunset! Not only that, but it’s her first duel ever, and at the young age of ten. Don’t let that trick you though, I’m sure we’re in for quite the treat today.”

“Facing off against Sunset this evening is Sunburst, who some of you may not know of. He’s been keeping himself under the radar, but I’m sure he has a couple tricks up his sleeve. Sunburst isn’t much older than Sunset either, having only a mere two years on her!”

“Wait, I didn’t know Sunburst was that young,” Shining Armor frowned. “This is basically just children fighting.”

“Expect they have magic and could potentially harm each other,” Cadance pointed out.

“Details,” Shining Armor waved his hoof.

“Shh! I’m trying to listen to the guard!” Twilight shushed the two, not taking her eyes off of the middle of the arena.

“Let’s get this duel going, shall we?” The guard smirked. “Contestants to the middle!”

Sunset was the first one to step out into the arena. Outfitted with a small, hooded black robe and steel chestplate, she smiled, waving to the crowd. In her right hoof was a steel staff, a red gem at the very top of it. Wrapped around her head was a metal band with her cutie mark etched dead center. Trotting towards the middle she smirked.

“When did she get that headband?” Cadance asked. “It’s cute, in a cool-Sunset way.”

“It seems she put some thought into her outfit,” Celestia giggled slightly. “Who would’ve thought she has some fashion sense.”

“I definitely didn’t expect her to have a whole get-up,” Shining Armor said.

Following suit, Sunburst walked out from the opposite side, equipped in similar gear to Sunset. His cloak, however, was a dark blue with light blue accents. Stars of different sizes were all over it as well. Instead of bearing a headband, he wore a pointed hat with a bell hanging from the tip. Instead of a staff, we simply hand a book and small sword strapped on each of his sides.

“Wait, he uses a sword?” Twilight frowned. “Last duel he had a staff!”

“Knowing Sunburst, he has something planned and that sword must be part of it,” Shining Armor said.

“Now that I think about it, I don’t think he ever had the same weapon for every duel,” Twilight tapped her chin.

“Perhaps he’s a jack-of-all trades,” Celestia suggested. “Although it is good to know a lot, it also could be his downfall.”

Cadance tilted her head. “What do you mean auntie?”

“You know the saying: jack-of-all trades, master of none,” to which the three of them nodded. “Essentially what I’m saying is that although he may be good at many things, he’s not great at anything. That in itself is dangerous.”

“So what you’re saying is that he’ll never find out his potential if he keeps changing like that?” Twilight asked.

“Exactly,” Celestia smiled. “That could be why he’s not higher ranked.”

“Guess we’ll just have to wait and see then,” Shining Armor nodded, turning his attention back to the center.

The two met in the center, looking at one another. Sunset simply smiled which Sunburst returned. The guard nodded at the two before continuing on.

“I want a clean, fair fight; absolutely no foul play! You must stop when I say so. If you do not you will be automatically disqualified and will be unable to participate in any duels until further notice.”

“You win the duel if your opponent is either unable to fight anymore or surrenders. You are free to use any magic besides spells banned in the rulebook. Medics will be on standby just in case of any accident. Do you both understand?”

“Yup!” Sunset said.

Sunburst nodded. “O-Of course.”

“You may return to your designated starting points,” the guard commanded before walking out of the arena.

Making their way to where they entered from, they stopped right in front of the doorway. Turning towards one another, they both looked up towards the referee, waiting for the start command.

“Are you both ready?” The referee called out from his stand.

“You betcha,” Sunset called out to him while Sunburst simply nodded.

“Very well,” The referee held a whistle in his hoof. “You may start when you hear my whistle after the countdown.”

Sunset firmly planted herself into the ground, lowering her head as she stared at Sunburst. Sunburst took a similar stance, but kept his head high, scanning the field rather than looking at his opponent.

“Three…”

“Two…”

“One…”

Almost immediately after the countdown ended, the sound of a whistle echoed through the arena, the crowd erupted into cheers and chatter. Everypony was excited for this match, almost as much as the duel between Twinkleshine and Amethyst.

Sunset lit her horn, an aura surrounding her staff and the gem at the top. Casting another spell, she blinked right next to Sunburst, closing the distance immediately.

“Ah!” Sunburst yelped as Sunset swung her staff down at him. He quickly cast a barrier, blocking the incoming hit. Simultaneously he shot a blast of ice at her feet, locking her in place. Blinking away a safe distance, he composed himself.

Sunset, however, wasn’t fazed by the ice. Melting it with a heat spell she cast on her body, she became a little more cautious of Sunburst’s quick thinking and wit. Sunset looked around the arena, scanning for any surprises of any sorts.

“You almost got me,” Sunburst chuckled awkwardly. “If you were a second quicker I might’ve lost right then and there.”

“Thanks!” Sunset replied quickly.

“No hard feelings regardless of the outcome?” Sunburst asked, slowly walking around Sunset.

“None at all, it’s just a duel after all,” Sunset chuckled, watching Sunburst’s every step.

Sunburst lit his horn up, brandishing his short sword which shone a beautiful silver. The handle bore a reddish-orange gem, signifying its magical properties. Casting a spell on himself, he quickly dashed next to Sunset, swinging at her legs.

“Oh no you don’t!” Sunset shouted, jumping over the swipe while casting a fireball downwards. Although Sunburst was close to it, he quickly blinked out of the way a safe distance.

“I feel like Sunburst is just trying to get some information on her,” Celestia comentated.

Shining Armor nodded. “That’s probably what he’s doing. His early game is usually like this. Light, quick jabs at them, trying to reveal weakness or strategies.”

“Quite the interesting fighter,” Cadance said.

“It’s kind of a double-edged sword though,” Celestia sighed.

“Why? I thought the more information about your opponent, the better,” Twilight asked.

“Well if he drags this phase on too long then he’ll probably tire himself out. Also, what if the opponent takes him down before he can figure out anything about them?” Celestia said.

“Now that I think about it, he’s lost a couple duels really early,” Twilight tapped her chin. “Could that be why?”

“Probably,” Celestia nodded.

Sunburst kept his distance like Sunset was some sort of evil beast. Casting very simple spells at Sunset, he tried to bait something out of her. Sunset’s eye twitched more and more as he danced around, poking at her.

“Can you do something!?” Sunset shouted, a frustrated sigh escaping her mouth.

Sunburst didn’t reply, a slight smile on his face.

“I think he figured something out,” Twilight mumbled, her eyes glued on Sunburst.

“What was that Twily?” Shining Armor asked, looking at his sister.

“Nothing,” Twilight quickly replied, eyes still on the arena.

“Okay then…” Shining Armor slowly said, turning his attention back to the fight.

Sunset blinked a few feet behind him, shooting a beam red towards Sunburst. Quickly turning around, Sunburst put up two magic shields, one right in front of the beam, the other floating in the sky. As it struck the first shield, it reflected towards the other. Right as it was about to strike the other one, he cast one more time, angling the shield towards Sunset.

Sunset, being too focused on trying to get a punch in on him, didn’t notice the shield floating right above her. She simply thought that the beam defected up into the sky. She stomped the ground, some dust kicking up.

“Are you just going to run around?” She glared at him.

“Nope,” Sunburst smirked.

Just mere seconds later, the beam came down, striking Sunset on her back, causing her to cry out in pain as she crumbled onto the ground. The crowd gasped, silence quickly following.

“Oh no!” Cadance yelped.

“No way she fell for that!” Shining Armor’s face furrowed, slapping his forehead.

“She was becoming a little impatient,” Celestia sighed. “Impatience and frustration can cloud one’s vision.”

While the three seemed worried for Sunset, Twilight sat there calmly, looking at the downed Sunset. There was a shred of worry on her face.

“Twilight! How can you be so nonchalant about this?” Cadance asked. “Sunset might’ve just lost the duel.”

“Look at the Sunset that’s on the ground,” Twilight said, pointing at her.

Turning their attention back to the fight, they noticed the pony who was laying on the ground slowly faded into dust, disappearing from the arena.

“OH MY CELESTIA HE KILLED HER! WHY AREN’T YOU PANICKING NOW?” Cadance yelled, shaking Twilight. The crowd gasped, murmurs and whispers filling the arena.

“I don’t think that’s the case, dear niece,” Celestia chuckled. “See?”

Just as Celestia spoke, Sunset somehow appeared right next to Sunburst, a wide swing from her staff coming toward his side. Unable to react, the swing connected, winding the poor stallion. His face contorted with pain, but he was able to blink away, narrowly dodging electric zap coming up the rod.

A loud cheer came from the crowd.

“Damn, almost had him,” Sunset shouted, slightly disappointed.

Cadance sat in shock, trying to figure out what Sunset just did “What even happened?”.

“A simple bait-and-switch,” Twilight answered. “She made a clone of herself that performs a pre-planned action, and hid herself with an invisibility spell.”

Cadance stared at the Twilight. “That sounds a little complicated.”

“It’s a little trick,” Twilight shrugged.

“Your reaction was priceless,” Shining Armor snickered. Cadance smacked his head, glaring at him.

Crossing her hooves, she frowned. “I was worried! What pony wouldn’t be after seeing your friend get vaporized.”

Sunset was quick to jump back into the fight, launching an all out attack. Sunburst was only narrowly dodging the attacks. Sunset was very persistent, not giving any time to breathe as they blinked around the arena.

“G-Get away from me!” Sunburst yelped, still trying his best to get away from her.

Sunset smirked. “Not happening buddy.”

The two would disappear and reappear constantly, always changing their positioning. Sunset, however, always seemed to have the upperhoof.

“Sunset’s making sure to not give any space to Sunburst,” Celestia smiled. “It’s just a game of endurance at this point.”

“Then Sunset’s already won,” Shining Armor said.

“Woohoo!” Cadance pumped a hoof into the air. “Go Sunset!”

“Getting tired yet?” Sunset teased as she blinked right behind him.

“N-No!” Sunburst cried out, trying to blink away.

“This is just cruel,” Shining Armor chuckled. “She’s basically playing with her food.”

“That one hit must’ve really winded Sunburst,” Twilight frowned. “I thought he’d put a better fight than this.”

“Remember Twily, Sunburst isn’t really a pony who fights all out like this,” Shining Armor said. “Plus, he didn’t have much information on Sunset, so he couldn’t form a strategy.”

“I guess so,” Twilight simply shrugged.

Sunburst drew his sword immediately after another blink, swinging it above him where Sunset appeared. Unfortunately for Sunburst, just as the blade was about to connect, she blinked right next to him, a smirk plastered on her face.

“What the-” Sunburst tried to say, but was interrupted by a magic beam striking him right on the back, the force of the beam slamming him into the ground. As the dust cleared out, it was clear who had won as Sunset stood over the unconscious stallion.

“Victory is mine!” Sunset cheered, followed by the loud cheers of the crowd.

The referee blew his whistle, signifying the end of the match. “And the winner for today’s duel is Sunset Shimmer!”

“Did any of you see what happened?” Cadance asked, obviously baffled.

Shining Armor shook his head. “To be completely honest, I have no idea how she knocked him down.”

“Twilight seems to know,” Celestia smirked at the filly. “Care to explain it to them?”

“Of course!” Twilight nodded. “Remember how Sunset blinked above him instead of around him?” The two nodded.

“Well, when she blinked above him, she used that glow to mask her casting that beam of magic. She, however, put a delay on its shot, making it go off right before she blinked again next to him. And the reason for her blinking right next to him? It was to distract him from the incoming attack!”

“Wait, you saw all that?” Shining Armor cocked an eyebrow.

“It happened in mere seconds so I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t,” Celestia said.

“I thought Sunburst would’ve been a little more perceptive,” Shining Armor mumbled.

“I’m certain he is,” Celestia giggled. “But I’m sure he was already worn out from all the earlier interactions he had with Sunset, especially getting winded by her staff. He must’ve been fatigued, thus impairing his perception.”

“I guess so,” Shining Armor shrugged. “I'll admit it, Sunset fought pretty well for her first battle.”

“Agreed,” Celestia nodded.

As the medics carried Sunburst out of the arena, the referee made his way down to the middle where Sunset stood.

“So Sunset, how does it feel to win your first duel ever? Are you happy with your performance?” The referee asked.

“It feels good,” Sunset simply said, shrugging. “I’m sure I made a lot of mistakes and was a little sloppy, but overall I’m pretty happy with how it played out.”

“I see, I see,” he nodded. “What did you think of Sunburst as an opponent?”

“He gave me a bit of a challenge, but I went into this match pretty confident that I’d win, and I mean that in no way to insult Sunburst,” Sunset smiled. “Sunburst would’ve been a lot more challenging if he was able to strategize beforehand like he usually does, but unfortunately for him, he couldn’t.”

“Yes, Sunburst usually does as much research as possible on his opponent, sorting out strengths, weaknesses, fighting style, and all that fancy stuff. Although the match was a little shorter than expected, it was still entertaining nonetheless.”

“It felt like forever for me,” Sunset chuckled. “Sunburst really knows how to tire a pony out.”

“Last question Miss Sunset,” The referee cleared his throat. “What are your plans for the future regarding duels? Do you plan to participate in more, or was it just a one-time thing?”

“I plan to continue participating in duels until I no longer can,” Sunset smirked. “I’m coming for that top spot, Amethyst!”

The crowd gasped at her bold statement.

“You heard it here everypony,” The referee said. “Sunset’s going for the top spot, so beware!

Stomping their hooves in the bleachers, the arena was filled with applause and hollars, cheering Sunset on.

“Who would’ve thought she’d have such an ambitious goal,” Cadance said.

“Not that much of a surprise to me. Sunset always seems to aim high,” Celestia smiled. “You know what they say, shoot for the moon so even if you miss you’ll still be among the stars”

“That was cheesy auntie,” Cadance snickered.

“You think Sunset can really beat Amethyst?” Shining Armor rested his chin on his hooves.

“Honestly, I don’t think she stands a chance right now,” Celestia said. “In the future, however, she may have a chance. She just needs more time to develop her own style for both fighting and magic.”

“She needs experience!” Twilight summarized.

“Exactly.”

The crowd started clearing out as that was the final match of the day. Celestia, Cadance, Twilight, and Shining Armor stayed behind, meeting up with Sunset after everypony left. They watched as ponies exited the arena, chattering amongst themselves.

“Here comes our winner!” Cadance cheered as Sunset made her way up the stairs towards them. “You’re so awesome!”

Some ponies stopped, staring at Cadance and Sunset.

“Aw c’mon Cadance, you’re embarrassing me,” Sunset lightly blushed. “It was just one duel, it’s nothing that special.”

“It was your first duel, so that makes it special,” Cadance argued.

Sunset sighed, taking an empty seat near them. “Fair point.”

“You fought very well for your first duel,” Celestia smiled. “I’m very proud of you, Sunset.”

“Awww, not you too!” Sunset frowned. “I just had too many advantages over Sunburst, it was nothing special.”

“I mean you kind of did outsmart him though,” Shining Armor said.

“That last move was awesome,” Twilight cheered. “You really caught him by surprise!”

“It was kind of on the fly, kind of planned,” Sunset chuckled. “I wanted to try something like that eventually, but it seems the opportunity came faster than I thought.”

“So you decided to test some things out on him?” Celestia smirked. “Now who could’ve told you to do that…”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Yes, I decided that since it would be an easier fight that I would try some tricks out this time around.”

“So how was it fighting?” Twilight asked, her eyes sparkling. “Were you pumped with adrenaline? Were you excited? Nervous?!”

“Eh, I could definitely say it was fun,” Sunset said. “I was nervous at first, mainly because I was the center of attention, but after a few minutes I kind of just honed in on fighting Sunburst.”

Celestia nodded. “You were quite concentrated, which is good.”

“I think there’s a lot I could’ve done better though,” Sunset admitted. “But for my first duel? I think I did good enough.”

“I think you do better than good enough!” Cadance said.

“So you’re aiming for the top spot, huh,” Shining Armor asked. “That’s quite the goal, don’t you think?”

Sunset shrugged. “I aim high, what can I say?”

“See? That’s exactly what I said,” Celestia smirked, looking at Cadance.

Cadance shook her head at Celestia before turning her attention back to Sunset. “You really think you can do it? Not that I’m doubting you or anything.”

“I know I can,” Sunset said with determination, turning her attention to Twilight. “I promise Twilight I’d see her at the top, so I have to.”

“So are you two rivals or friends?” Shining Armor titled his head.

“Friends can be rivals,” Celestia said. “Sometimes it deepens the friendship even more.”

“Don’t you worry Sunset, I’ll be right behind you!” Twilight smiled.

“You betcha,” Sunset winked at her.

“See?” Celestia whispered to Shining Armor.

“Yup, I see now,” he whispered back.

“So, how about we go out for ice cream to celebrate Sunset’s first victory?” Cadance smiled. “My treat, of course.”

“You mean my treat,” Celestia cocked an eyebrow.

“Heh, you caught me,” Cadance giggled. “The royal treasury wouldn’t miss a few bits, don’t you think?”

“You’re right,” Celestia smirked. “Let’s go!”

“Yeah!” They all cheered, filing out of the arena as quick as possible.

---

After filling themselves with some ice cream, they went their separate ways. Twilight, Cadance, and Shining Armor excused themselves first, making their way to the castle. Celestia and Sunset were the only two left in the empty, soon to be close ice cream parlor.

The two sat there in silence, empty glass cups scattering the table. Sunset looked up at Celestia, who was staring right back at her. Awkwardly smiling at her, Celestia smiled back. Quickly taking a sip of water, Sunset cleared her throat.

“Ahem,” Sunset dragged out. “So…”

“So?” Celestia smiled, tilting her head.

“We’re starting lessons again tomorrow, right?” Sunset asked, obviously wanting them to.

“Of course we are.”

“Yes! Finally!” Sunset cheered, jumping out of her seat. “You don’t know how much I’ve been wanting to learn something new.”

“Good to see you’re excited,” Celestia said. “Maybe we should get some rest then? I’m sure tomorrow’s lessons will be tiring.”

“Sure thing,” Sunset eagerly nodded, scurrying towards the exit. “C’mon Celestia, let’s go!”

Celestia shook her head, laughing. Slowly walking towards her student, they walked out the parlor together side by side.

Author's Note:

As always, feel free to leave a comment!

See you in the next one.

Comments

[StarzGecko]

Kind of wish Sunburst won there since it’s Sunsets first duel. But it definitely was a cool duel to read. I wonder if you’ll add Starlight since this story has a Alternative tag which Starlight definitely is a challenger to face.

[Frazikar]

Even in duels, being unpredictable can be an asset, it could also set up a fall ...

[qiley]

11223066
I haven’t gotten around to reading the comics yet! I want to but I’m a little time restrained right now.

I just kind of put her as ten because she didn’t seem too much older than Twilight, who started her studies quite young.

[qiley]

11223127
I’d love to add Starlight because she’s one of my favorite ponies. I might experiment with it some time in the future.

[qiley]

11223293
Indeed! We’ll just have to wait and see how it turns out for Sunset.

[StarzGecko]

11223296
The old comics before Hasbro sort of rebooted them were the best MLP comics. Only the Sunset origin story is still canon to the film. You could look it up on YouTube to watch it since I know there at videos out there that have film the whole comics.

Yea its not allowed but somehow they still get away with it.

[StarzGecko]

11223297

Awesome, it would be cool to see other Unicorns in this Harry potter like duel. From MoonDancer, Blue Blood, Lyra, or even that DJ pony

[Bronycommander]

Deceptions can be powerful in battle