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"Sup, fraud?"

Cassie tensed, standing still instantly. "Do you really have to start that way? Flurry, please. I'm so tired of this." Her body was tense, but she looked into her cousin's eyes genuinely.

Flurry Heart thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't need to explain myself to you. I just need to make sure you understand your place. Like always, cous."

"That's not fair. We've done this a million times. Is it too much to ask for my cousin to be my cousin?"

"You know, I don't even really consider you family," she chimed, tilting her head thoughtfully. "It's more like an obligation- Mom really insists that I be nice to you. You're kind of the family embarrassment, but I'm sure you've heard that plenty already. I'm doing you a courtesy by even acknowledging you- don't try to act like you deserve anything more."

Cassie's brow was furrowed. "At least I'm not like you. You're"

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before," Flurry interrupted, holding Cassie's gaze. "And you've heard it before, too. How many times do I have to keep telling you?"'

Cassie looked away. She couldn't understand it. Flurry was mean for no reason why? Maybe if she stopped giving her a reaction, Flurry would stop. So she stayed quiet.

Flurry scoffed. "Finally. So you get it now. Just be obedient- just like that." She smiled down at her.

It was too much, too condescending. Cassie had to react, or her head would explode. How could she not? "I'm not your dog, Flurry. I"

"Yeah you are," she interrupted again. "Actually, that's pretty good! Dog. I like that for you."

Cassie's face was burning. Her breathing was loud, and her wings began to flare outwards. "You're rotten. I really have tried my best to be nice to you, I've really tried. But you're sour and dry. All my mom's hard work to flush the darkness out of this world is wasted because of you. No one likes you, Flurry, you just think you're better than everyone else. And you're not. Love Letter should've inherited Cadence's throne, not you. You're not even half the princess she is."

Flurry's eyes turned dark. "I'm ten times the princess that mangy rat is. I'm a million times the princess you'll ever be." The taller alicorn drew closer to her younger cousin, looming over her and casting a dark shadow over Cassie's eyes. "You're nothing without Twilight's legacy. Look at you. You're horrifying to look at the day you sit on the Throne to Friendship is the day the world falls. You couldn't tell your left hoof from your right- do you really think you're at all suited for royalty? You're nothing, Cassie. Nothing."

Tears started streaming down Cassie's face. How did Flurry always get to her? These were empty words, weren't they? But they were true, too, weren't they. She wasn't a sparkly princess with flowing hair. She had sharp fangs and slitted pupils. She was dark and brooding. Maybe Flurry was right. "Sh-shut up Flurry. You're"

"Oh, mittens. I could really go on. I'm sparing you the heavy details. Equestria would've been better off if you weren't born." She smiled lightly Cassie was giving her the reaction she wanted.

"No, you never should've been born." Cassie's voice was getting louder. Energy began to surge through her horn.

"Aw, a little magic burst to scare me off? You couldn't even beat me if I had my eyes closed. Stop convincing yourself that you're better than me, even at magic. I'm calling your bluff, mittens."

"I'll kill you. Do you want that?" The light was growing brighter.

Flurry stood calmly. "You wouldn't. You're too weak. Calm down before you hurt yourself. You're just being stupid."

"You're stupid. You're awful and mean and hypocritical." Her eyes shut tightly. "And when you're dead, I hope Love takes your throne." Cassie could feel the energy surging inside of her, concentrated in a powerful, deadly blast.

It started as a warning. But the power was too strong, and even Cassie didn't know what she was doing. The charge of energy rang loudly in both of their ears. Flurry's expression dropped and she began to back away, her face painted with genuine fear.

"Cassie, wait"

But it was too late. She hadn't backed away far enough, and she hadn't had time to think of a counter spell. In a violent flash of light, the entire castle shook, picture frames falling down from the walls, pony screams filling the air. They both collapsed.



Moments passed. It was as if the world had ended. Cassie's eyes finally opened, her ears buzzing, sight blurry. All she saw was red. Liquid.

Blood.

As her eyes finally settled, she saw Flurry's body, painted with blood was it her own? Was it Cassie's? Was Flurry… dead?

Then she saw it. Planted right beside Flurry's wings. She understood now- why there was so much blood, and what had happened.


She'd cut Flurry's horn clean off.





Tl;dr: Cassie and her cousin Flurry Heart have a long-standing rivalry. After years of verbal abuse, Cassie can't take it anymore- she lashes back with a giant burst of magic. It went too far, way farther than she'd intended, and before she's able to stop herself, she breaks Flurry's horn off. This won't go over well at all, especially because Cassie's own mother, Tempest, knows how damaging the loss of a horn is…


a few notes

- Flurry calls Cassie "mittens" here. It's supposed to be demeaning, a reference to something small or meek. She also calls Cassie "bunny" sometimes
- Unicorn horns have a protective shield of magic. It's a trait that evolved millennia ago to protect unicorns from losing their horns. Attackers go for the horn first since it's the most powerful. Obviously, this shield isn't infinitely strong, and a strong enough earth pony hoof, or a strong enough magical spell, could permanently destroy the horn.
- Similarly, earth ponies have a protective shield around their hooves, meaning it's incredibly hard to break or crack them. Pegasi have a shield around their wings. Wing breaks can easily be repaired, the wing shield is more to ensure that pegasi's wings cannot be cut off (another trait evolved after years of cruel torture methods)
- Flurry wouldn't have provoked her this much if Cas had never compared her to Love Letter

Upvotes at import: 23 | Stars at import: 16
Posted previously at: 2020-06-27T20:02:54