Equestria Underground-Book I: Hope Is Magic

Eight Years Ago...

“Listen up! All you new recruits thinking you’re going to just whiz by in your training should get out right now!” The scrawny unicorn stallion in the campaign hat hollered. “YOU are being trained to be THE best of the best, the elite. YOU will have the ultimate honor of serving the princesses THEMSELVES and I expect nothing less than PERFECTION. You will be beaten, broken, pushed past your limits and then pushed further!” He whirled around and shoved his face into Sunset’s. “Do you think you have what it takes to be one of the elite?!”

“Sir, yes, Sir!” Sunset yelled.

“You think you’re special? You think you’re tough? Well good news: you’re not! That’s why I’m going to call you, ‘Snowflake.’ Do you like that name, Snowflake?”

“Sir, yes, Sir!”

“Sound off like you’ve got a spine!”

“Sir, yes, Sir!”

The drill instructor stepped back, having gotten his point across. “Now remember, none of you are fit to be called ‘ponies.’ You are all slime, less than equine. If you manage to survive your training, you will be weapons, deliverers of death to kill and die for the glory of our princesses. The rest of you, however, will be disgraces to your families and kingdom. But until that day comes, your sorry flanks belong to me. I am tough and hard and you will no doubt hate me but your hatred will drive you forward. I am tough in order to separate the strong from the weak. There will be no weakness in the Mage Guards. Do you miserable little piles of sentient puke understand me?”

“Sir, yes, Sir!”

True to his word, the drill instructor, called Battle Blaze, worked the recruits to the point of exhaustion, hitting a few with his swagger stick if any of them lagged or refused to get up. One unfortunate recruit ended up passing out and had to be hospitalized, which worked as extra incentive to drive the recruits further. Aside from magic, the all-unicorn trainees were instructed in hoof-to-hoof combat as well as sword and spear training. When one stallion questioned why weapons were even necessary in a magic fight, Battle Blaze was more than happy to demonstrate its importance. Everypony backed away from the two, not wishing to risk injury during the presentation.

“Now then, fire a bolt at me.”

The stallion stared uneasily at Battle Blaze. “W-what, Sir?”

“Are you deaf, you little scumbag? I said fire!”

An orange energy beam streaked out of the stallion’s horn, barely missing the drill instructor, who was pretty spry and alert for somepony pushing fifty. Rolling to evade two more bolts, Battle Blaze charged at the stallion just as another bolt shot out and, ducking beneath it, spun around and whacked the base of the stallion’s horn with his swagger stick. This sent the unfortunate recruit crumpling to the floor in the fetal position, lightly sobbing as he buried his face in his forelegs. Standing over the stallion, Battle Blaze jabbed his swagger stick into his ribs.

“This is why we train with melee weapons. Our magic is our greatest weapon but also our greatest hindrance. Magic requires concentration and precision and can quickly leave you exhausted and exposed to the enemy. A unicorn’s horn contains more nerve endings than any other part of the body and damage to it can make you more helpless than a worm in the sun.”

He twisted the swagger stick around, eliciting a cry from the downed stallion. “Weapons training not only permits you to save your magic for when you really need it but it also teaches you to think outside the box, to get in close to your opponent and incapacitate them before killing them. Remember, just because all of you can use magic doesn’t mean that you should.” Withdrawing his swagger stick, Battle Blaze stepped over the stallion and directed two other recruits to prop him back onto his hooves. “Rely on one trick or skill for too long and that’s the only one you’ll have.”

Out of the sixty recruits, fifteen dropped out just in the first week alone. Sunset thought that the guards that she’d spoken to in the street were exaggerating about the training’s level of difficulty but Battle Blaze proved her wrong time and again. There were times when she wanted to give up and almost did, the physical and mental strain making her feel like a stretched rubber band. Whether it was her desire to rise above her peers or to make her family proud, Sunset kept going, weathering herself against the storm and pushing herself to be the best.

Sunset slowly entered the drill instructor’s office with the stiff, mechanical gait associated with those condemned to execution. After a particularly exhausting weapons sparring, Battle Blaze shouted for her to follow him into his office and she was certain that he was going to have her thrown out. She could practically see the disappointment on Sunburst’s face and her mother’s shameful stare. Shutting the door behind her, she took her seat and waited for the proverbial axe hanging over her head to drop.

“Do you know why you’re here, Miss Shimmer?”

The combination of the extended silence, fearful anticipation and the drill instructor’s usage of her real name left Sunset momentarily speechless. “...No, Sir.”

Battle Blaze remained standing behind his desk, his one hoof resting on top of his office chair while the other patted a manila folder on his desktop. “I’ve been closely reviewing your training over the past few weeks. Out of all of the recruits, not only have you shown the most progress but you’ve also proven yourself to be quite a skilled spellcaster and swordsmare. That’s why I want to give you this.”

A forest green aura enveloped one of the desk drawers and an orange vest with a yellow, flame-shaped border landed neatly onto the desk. A small pin bearing Daybreaker’s seal was attached to the vest’s left side, drawing Sunset’s eye to it as she reverently picked the vest in her hooves. Worry melted away to give rise to stunned surprise as she smoothed over the fabric, her confused face reflecting off of the pin’s surface. Battle Blaze chuckled and finally took his seat, laying his swagger stick across the desk in front of him.

“Speechless, Snowflake? It’s simple: I’m promoting you to Squad Leader. Congratulations.”

Remember, you’re going to be a Solar Mage. You have to start acting like it. Pulling the vest on, Sunset straightened her back and saluted. “Thank you for this honor, Sir.”

“You’re welcome. Now get the hell out of my office and start whipping some asses into shape.”

The next few weeks flew by as if no time had passed since Sunset's promotion. Under her direction, the cadets' performances greatly improved, leading to their training scores becoming the best in the city. As a result, the usually abrasive and strict Battle Blaze began to act a bit more amicable towards his prized pupils, especially towards Sunset "Snowflake" Shimmer. Sure, three more cadets quit, but this served as a testament to the strength of the others. Now that the worst of the training had passed, only the strong remained.

"Ten-hut!" Sunset shouted, the multitudinous thuds of hooves on the floor echoed throughout the yard as all of the trainees fell into formation. "Drill Sergeant, your troop is ready and willing, Sir!"

The two saluted one another and Battle Blaze grinned, "Very good, Squad Leader Shimmer." After Sunset joined the others, Battle Blaze's face hardened itself into its default setting. "Cadets, for those of you who've stuck around, congratulations! You have proven yourself that you've got what it takes to be Solar Mages. Now comes what you may consider your final test. We have with us a very special guest. Pre-senting, Her Royal Highness-"

A great green fire came roaring to life and a dark shape emerged from its center, sending a chill down the spines of everypony present. There was no mistaking the alicorn that made her way over to the cadets: the green feline eyes, the black fur, the grin of sadistic glee. The Princess of the Night had arrived.

"-Nightmare Moon!"

Fear tightly gripped the cadets' hearts when the princess opened her mouth. "Thank for that charming introduction, Sergeant. Hello future Solar Guards. Please try to keep your excitement to yourselves." Pausing, possibly for dramatic effect, Nightmare Moon continued. "Some of you are probably wondering why I'm here. 'But sergeant, we're training to be Solar Guards. Why is Her Majesty gracing us with her immaculate presence?' You see, my sister and I have decided to implement a cross-training program in order to toughen up the new recruits."

Sunset immediately became aware of the Nightmare-shaped shadow that fell over her and begged every muscle in her body to remain still. Please don't move, please don't move, for the Ancestors' sakes, PLEASE DON'T MOVE! Nightmare Moon regarded the unicorn with mild fascination before strutting over to the next recruit, leaving Sunset to breathe a barely audible sigh of relief. Both sisters were equally terrifying but the night held unseen horrors that nopony ever wanted to see or even guess at the existence of. Sometimes it's what you don't see that kills you.

Nightmare took her place back next to Battle Blaze, content with the gathered cadets. "Daybreaker will teach the Lunar Guards long-ranged projectile attacks while I will instruct you in regards to more...nonphysical threats." Her horn crackled to life and a swirling, viscous blue-black doorway appeared in the empty space on her left. "What drives a soldier to abandon their post and forsake their duty? Fear. Today I will show you your worst fears and by doing so, rip the fear right out of you. Squad Leader Sunset Shimmer, would you be so kind as to be the first volunteer?"

At the sound of her name, Sunset's legs automatically moved forward, driving her towards the doorway and the terror that lay beyond. I must not fear. She told herself, repeating a mantra written by a great warrior long since passed. I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total annihilation. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass through me and over me.

She passed through the doorway, entering the swirling vista as though walking through fog and entering a place of seemingly endless darkness. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain. Finishing the mantra, Sunset ignited her horn and peered into the abyss, barely finding her way in the darkness.

Sunset heard somepony lightly calling her name and turned, finding her brother waiting for her.

"Sunburst! What are you...-?"

Upon closer inspection, she found Sunburst tied to a wooden pole, his body secured with frayed rope that cut into his orange coat. He lifted up his face, which was covered in fresh cuts and bruises. "Where were you, big sis? You said you'd always look out for me."

"I-I didn't...this wasn't my fault!"

A bright flash of silver-white streaked through the darkness followed by a flood of crimson. Sunburst's head rolled across the floor to rest at Sunset's hooves, his mouth twisted wide in a soundless shriek. Instinctively, Sunset kicked the head away and brushed a hoof through her fur, finding it slick with Sunburst's blood. "No, this isn't real! This isn't real!"

Another Sunburst appeared, this time bound and gagged as he thrashed about atop a log. The log in question was pulled along a conveyor belt and towards a giant buzz saw. "No, please! I beg you...!" Sunset's eyes clamped shut just as the saw made contact, filling the room with muffled screaming and the slapping of meat on the floor. The whole expanse of the darkness smelled like an abattoir and it took all of Sunset's willpower to keep back the exodus of bile building up in her throat.

"It's not real..." Sunset reminded herself as Sunburst's head was crushed by a spiked mallet.

"It's not real..."

Sunburst's limbs were stretched on a rack until they tore like paper streamers.

"It's not real..."

Sunset kept repeating this even as she watched the facsimile of her brother being eviscerated, disemboweled, hanged, burned and every other kind of bodily harm that one could possibly experience.

"IT'S NOT REAL!"

She turned, finding herself once more at the academy, everypony staring at her and even a few of the cadets either laying on the grass unconscious or puking their guts out. A rhythmic thumping drew Sunset's attention and she found Nightmare Moon slowly clapping, a wide, sadistically gleeful smirk on her face. Never before had Sunset ever wanted to throttle somepony so badly as she did in that moment.

"Well done, Ms. Shimmer. Very well done. You passed."