I love...
Where will you use her, and what will you use her for?I will be using this sweetie as both a character and a ponysona here on CS, and perhaps other sites as well (
Deviantart mainly, but only for art on that site). I will do my best to write up stories about her and my other pony characters, and even if I can't write up stories I promise to do SOMETHING related to her, such as writing up a Q&A, or something else a bit smaller, should I not have time to sit down and write a long story out in one sitting; or I could work on the story in a few sittings instead of just one and work on it little by little. I will also do my best to draw art of her myself or get art of her from others (most art I draw will be traditional, as I've found this far easier than digital, but from time to time I'll try to draw her using digital means).
I will not be RPing her. As for breeding, seeing as she's aroflexible and asexual, she probably won't have children anytime soon. If she ever DOES have children, it will be a LOOOOONG way down the road, and no time soon. Plus, I have plenty of pony characters who are married and are perfectly open to having more kids, so if I ever really want to breed two ponies, I will choose one of them LONG before I choose Wishful Mage.
Should I win her, she'd receive a spot on
my Weebly character site alongside my two other ponysonas and all of my other characters.
Custom by SILK-RIBBONCharacter informationName:Wishful Mage
Code Name:Barracuda
Gender:Female
Species/Breed:Part pony, part dragon, part Saddle Arabian. What we here in the human realm would call a "mutt."
Please look at the other part of my form for more information that SHOULD have been placed right here in this form, but unfortunately couldn't be placed here due to character limits in posts.Personality:


Wishful Mage is very trustworthy. If you place your trust in this young one, she will never let you down. If you garner her trust, the only thing that will make her leave your side is if you betray her or deeply insult her or hurt her. In this regard, she is also very loyal, as she sticks by her friends and family 'til the very end. If you betray her trust, however, watch out! She has a bite like an adder, and she won't hesitate to play dirty to a backstabber or deserter. You leave her after you promise to stand by her? She'll never forget what you did, and will most likely hold it against you for the rest of your life.
Wishful Mage can be emotional in what she views to be a negative way. She is oddly fragile, having her emotions hurt easily by those whom she cares most about. If she all ready dislikes you and you insult her she won't give a rip. If she neither hates you nor loves you, she won't really care if you insult her...but she might fight back if you get to be too annoying. However, if she loves you and has put her trust in you and you insult her, she may very well forgive you, but she will NEVER forget the words you spoke. She might even break down and cry about it later, when she's alone, if you hurt her deeply enough. She has a nasty habit of harboring grudges, and this aspect of her also impacts her anger issues.
This pony happens to be very joyful, from time to time. When she's not dealing with her roller coaster of emotions, she can actually smile and laugh at stuff, and doesn't hesitate to let out a hearty guffaw when she's around trusted company. When she's around ponies she dislikes, though, she barely laughs or smiles at all, as they tend to bring her mood down as low as the depths of Tartarus. She tries her best to hang around ponies that are more uplifting in spirits, but she can't help it if she's stuck in class with downers or stuck in line waiting for something with kill-joys.
She is very protective of younger children, and if she sees someone picking on them she won't hesitate to pick on the bullies. She is very stubborn. Once she sets her mind on something, she'll never change it. This is mostly because she has an excellent memory. Whatever she hears she generally retains. This makes her mind sharp and her wits quick. She can think on the fly, but sometimes has to slow down to actually be able to process what her mind has all ready thought of, but has garbled up due to the fast speed of her thoughts flying by. When she calms her heart rate down, she can think easier, and thus tends to be able to think best when calm.
Wishful Mage seizes the moment. She gets an idea and just goes with it. She rarely hesitates once she gets a good enough idea in her head, and shows little restraint when she's fighting for something she's passionate about. She is tenacious and holds on to anything that she sets her sights on. She certainly doesn't let go until she feels like it. Because of this, she is leaps and bounds above any other pony in her class at the swordspony academy in which she attends to improve her swordplay and fighting techniques. This ability to set her mind on something and never waver from it tends to help her in fighting situations, as does her determination and hard-work-drive, but in normal, everyday life? Not so much. She tends to be stubborn to the point of frustration, so if you try to talk with her about something, just keep in mind that no matter what you say she will not change unless she wants to do so. This stubbornness also affects how she deals with her anger. Because she holds grudges very easily and sometimes misunderstands a situation and then has a preconceived notion about it which she won't get rid of, she often bottles her anger up and lets it stew within her until it comes rushing out in a torrent of harshness and fury. She tries to hold this anger within her, and rarely lets it out in an unplanned manner. This anger is what pushes her to do better than her opponent in any fight she gets into. This fury, while damaging outside the battlefield, makes her stronger and a better swordspony than anypony else. Under her control, she can weld this anger and use it to her advantage. As great as this talent is, however, when it gets out of her control and she goes on a rampage, she usually ends up hurting those closest to her. This is why she often causes unintentional hurt to others. She doesn't intentionally think that she wants to harm others - it's just that sometimes her anger takes control of her and she does things she later regrets.
Wishful Mage will stand up for her beliefs, even under enemy fire. She stands her ground and doesn't give in unless her opponent completely destroys her argument for whatever it is she's arguing about at the moment. She is ridiculously honest - some would say to a fault. She is honest to the point where others would sometimes wish she wouldn't say anything at all - though this is usually just when she's mad. And yes, she'd agree that sometimes, the truth does hurt. Being candor, Wishful Mage is used to having others misunderstand her and get angry at her in response. But she's all right with that - after all, why should one get angry over a simple disagreement? Mind you, energies tend to be contagious, and Wishful Mage can be a bit of a hothead in arguments if her opponent is angry...or if the argument is over something she is extremely passionate about. In these circumstances, she has to consciously calm herself down so she doesn't snap at the other pony talking to her. But when she's calm and focused, no one can shoot down her water-tight arguments. This is one thing that she prides herself on - never wavering or backing down from opposition. Certainly, she's very willing to change her beliefs...if you can prove to her exactly where she's wrong. Without absolute proof, however, Wishful Mage will most likely not change any of her tightly-held convictions.
This pony sure does love a competition! She excels under bleak odds, and comes out on top when anyone would least expect it. She is a fighter to her core, and enjoys taking on any challenge she faces head-on. She is the very definition of "underdog," having been made fun of most of her life but triumphing against any opponent that she comes across. She knows she can scale any wall that she wishes to, and even if she can't completely scale it, she'll try her absolute best to do so. Other ponies tend to underestimate her, and they ultimately miss out on who she really truly is: a determined young filly with her eyes locked on to the prize. Because of this, however, she sometimes rushes things and acts hastily, always trying to impress or show-up others. She has somehow gotten it into her head that she's got to be better than everyone else to make up for her odd appearance, and because of this she can make rash decisions that she later regrets.
Overall, Wishful Mage is an interesting filly. While she might lash out at you if she's angry, most of the time she's calm enough to deal with easily. She tends to get herself in deep, feeling strongly about things that most ponies wouldn't bat an eyelash over. She is continuously working on confronting the darkness inside of her - trying her best to get her emotions under control is something she still struggles with to this very day. Even against the odds, she tries her best to have a joyful outlook on life, and will always stick to her beliefs.
Odd Physical Traits About Her:- Seeing as she has scales, it's very hard to kill her. Stabbing and injuring her is easy, but to actually puncture the thick layer of scales underneath her fur is very, very difficult. This is why, when in battle, she never dies - her body physically doesn't allow her to.
- She has a few scars, but most have faded so much that you'd never know she had them just by looking at her. The one scar that is most noticeable is the one on her front left leg, just above her hoof.
- She tends to burp fire, either red or orange in color.
- She snores when she sleeps, and sometimes will puff out smoke instead of air during her sleeping hours.
- She has two horns - both of which can be used for magical purposes.
- She has stronger magic than the average unicorn.
- Her tail is thick and tufted with a bit of fur on the tip.
- Her hooves are naturally sharper and stronger than the average pony's hooves.
- Her hooves and scales have to be either filed down using an extremely strong nail file or clipped using hedge-trimmers.
- Her mane has a mind of its own, and most mane-styling ponies can't get it to do much else but lay limp.
- As a child her skin was neither scaly nor furry - it was a combination of both. Now older, her skin has both the texture of fur and scales, depending upon how you touch it. If you rub it with-the-grain, it feels like fur - but against-the-grain, you may get pricked by the sharp edges of her scales that lie just below the furry, outer layer.
Odd Non-Physical Traits About Her:- She hoards precious metals and rubies (and occasionally other precious stones) when she's upset or irritated.
- She is easily distracted by gold, silver, bronze, and any other precious metal that glitters or shines.
- She can manipulate her strong magic to make herself fly without any wings.
- She eats gems when she's extremely mad or upset about something.
- She never takes off her ruby necklace.
History:"Not to worry, dearest - you're doing fine." Bubbly Current smiled as he stared down at his wife, who happened to be laying down on a stretcher in the middle of a hospital hallway.
"YOU try giving birth!" Orchid Nectar uncharacteristically snapped at her amazing husband. For a brief moment, the contractions ceased, and she sighed with relief. "I'm so sorry, darling. I don't mean to be rude, but - AAAGH!"
Bubbly Current gently patted his wife's sweaty mane. "Not to worry, dear. I completely understand."
A nurse poked her head out of the door and yelled down the corridor, "Mr. and Mrs. Current, you're up next!" She then disappeared, racing off to whichever couple was in a more dire circumstance than the two ponies in the hallway.
"I HATE IT when ponies just assume I took your last name," seethed Orchid Nectar.
Bubbly Current nodded knowingly. "I understand, dearest, but most ponies DO take on their husbands' names when they go through matrimony. You didn't. However, we've never really been 'most ponies.' "
"I KNOW THAT."
"Aaaallll right, Mr. and Mrs. Current! The doctor is ready to see you! Please, walk down this corridor and go into room - "
"THAT IS NOT MY NAME. IF YOU CALL ME THAT ONE MORE TIME, I WILL PERSONALLY BITE YOUR EARS OFF!"
The nurse blinked in a shocked manner, glaring daggers at the mother-to-be.
How DARE she threaten me? she thought, flabbergasted at the way the pony before her was acting. Suddenly coming to her senses, she sighed and reworded her original statement. "Pony Couple #473, the doctor is now ready to see you. Please walk down this corridor and go into room three hundred twenty-two. We will be with you shortly."
"Humph. THAT'S more like it," snapped Orchid Nectar as her husband wheeled her down the hallway. "The nerve of some ponies, thinking my name isn't my own anymore JUST BECAUSE I GOT MARRIED."
The nurse waved a hoof in their direction, smiling as she turned to the doctor. "We've got a screamer, sir."
"Excellent," he said with a smirk. "First-time mother?"
Janessa pulled the file up from the pile on the desk. "Yessir."
"Well, there you go. Most screamers
are first-time mothers." With a smile and a sigh, he turned to his nurse. "Are you ready to work?"
"Yessir. I'll be in the room ready to start in approximately ten minutes."
"I will meet you there."
A baby's cry split the silence in the room.
Janessa's eyes widened in shock. "Oh no..." she trailed off, her voice barely above a whisper as she stared at the child before her.
The doctor took the child and wiped her down, humming happily as he did so. When he got to her tail, he suddenly stopped humming and frowned. Continuing in his work a little more gingerly than he had been previously, his face took on a concerned tone. "Nurse?"
Janessa trotted over, her eyes as wide as saucers. "What's wrong with her, sir?" she hoarsely whispered. "How will we tell the parents?"
The doctor bit his lip, thinking. "It's not just her tail, nurse."
"What?"
"Look at the crown of her head."
Janessa looked, and had to choke back a sob of horror. "What are THOSE?!"
"Horns, I believe."
"From WHOM?!"
"One of their ancestors. They may look normal enough, but...nurse? Would you pull up their files again?"
Janessa raced off and pulled up every file the hospital had on the two ponies. She rapidly brought them back to the doctor. "There IS some dragon-blood in this one, sir. It's just such a shock, though. I mean, look at the father. He looks perfectly normal."
"The dragon-gene skipped a generation," the doctor said, concern lacing his expression. "Come. Let's give the news to the parents."
"She...she...WHAT?!" screeched Orchid Nectar. "What do you MEAN, she's NOT A PONY?!"
"Ma'am, she's only PART-pony. On your side, there are all horses and ponies. On your husband's side, however...well, somewhere along his family tree lies a dragon. I believe it was your father's grandfather, if our medical records have it straight. This means that the dragon-gene skipped over your husband and was passed into your daughter. She is part-dragon and part-pony." After waiting a moment for the shock to wear off, the doctor continued. "This may pose problems further down the line, which is why we're required by Equestrian Law to tell you of such an occurrence. The child might breathe fire. The child might morph into something completely different in her later years. The child may end up sterile, for all we know. This is a very rare occurrence, and we in the medical field don't have very much documentation on such an occurrence, I'm afraid."
Bubbly Current sighed. "You know as little as we do, then."
"I'm afraid so, sir. However, if you or your wife ever need any other medical help, we will do so free of charge from this point on."
"And our daughter?" demanded Orchid Nectar, holding the wrapped bundle close to her face.
"We cannot cover patients who aren't fully one species or the other. I'm sorry."
"Then where will we go if we can't come here? We've both come here our entire lives. You've treated my husband before - he has more dragon-blood in him than she does!"
"That is true...but he doesn't look like your daughter does, and he behaves more like a pony than a dragon. Only time will tell if your daughter is blest with the same cards her father was."
Orchid Nectar's eyes narrowed. "That, dear sir, is highly inappropriate language to be using when referring to the child I just gave birth to. I don't like your tone. Back away from this bed - NOW."
The doctor complied, backing away. "I apologize, ma'am - just doing my job."
"Yeah? Well your job must stink."
The doctor opened his mouth to reply, when the nurse butted-in. "Happy to hear that the baby's doing well. Now, doctor, you have other patients that need tending to. Allow me to escort this happy couple out?"
"Of course. Thank you, nurse." And with a smile and a flick of his tail, he trotted out of the room.
Janessa had a concerned expression as she led the couple out of the hospital. "I have no doubt that this child will cause you great trouble and grief later in life. However, unlike my boss, I do care for the kid...what have you decided to name her?"
"We've decided to name her Wishful Mage."
"I'll put it down on her birth certificate and deliver a copy to you myself."
Orchid Nectar frowned. "What do you mean? The doctor told us that because our child isn't fully pony, she won't receive a birth certificate."
"Oh, she'll get one. I'll write it up myself. No child deserves to be nameless."
The mother smiled and hugged the nurse with one hoof, carrying her baby in the other. "Thank you for your kindness."
"You're welcome." As they walked through the doors, she waved a hoof in their direction. "Good luck, and have a nice day!"
"Hello, my darling granddaughter!"
Orchid Nectar forced a grin. "Good day to you as well, Radiant Blossom."
"How's our favorite grandchild?"
"Brushed Stone, c'mon - we both know I'm your ONLY grandchild." She again forced a smile, hugging her grandparents quickly and then turning to the more pleasant guests. "Royal and Penny! How glad I am to see you!"
Penelope hugged her granddaughter, and then Royal Lyric did as well. The female spoke first. "We're so glad to be here. We can't wait until we can see your precious bundle of joy. Does she look like you?"
"She sort of has my eyes..." she said, purposefully trailing off.
Royal Lyric took the initiative. "Well, I'm sure we'll see the sweetheart soon."
"That you will. I've just got to go and greet the rest of the guests. Please, make yourself at home." Orchid Nectar then turned and scanned the room for guests she hadn't greeted yet, and then spotted her mother trotting in through the open door. Her entire face erupted in a joyous smile as she flitted over the rest of her guests and barreled into her mother. "Mom! How are you?"
"Fine, fine, dear. How are you?"
"I'm all right...where's Dad?"
"Right here!" interjected Flowering Flint as he stuck his head through the doorway. "Sorry - this heat slowed me down."
"Dad!" Orchid Nectar hugged her father roughly. "How are you?"
"I'd be great if you'd just stop squeezing the air from my lungs."
"Oh! Sorry." Orchid Nectar stepped back. "Didn't mean to hurt you."
"Nah, that's fine sweetheart. How's the hubby?"
"Bubbly Current is doing great! He's greeting his side of the family now, and will be over later to talk to you guys. I'm going over right now to talk to his side. Once we've all greeted everyone, we'll introduce the baby to y'all. Say, do you know if Bubbly Current's grandparents are coming? I thought I heard him mention that Adelaide wouldn't be able to make it."
"Oh, that doesn't surprise me, dear. Didn't you hear about her husband? He passed a couple months ago."
"What? But...but I just met him last year..." Orchid Nectar stood in shock, staring at her father. "Are you sure this isn't just a rumor?"
"No, dear. It was in the newspaper."
Orchid Nectar stared at the floor. "I only ever got to meet him once...poor Adelaide. I completely understand if she doesn't show up." Sighing, she busied herself greeting the rest of the guests after excusing herself from the conversation for a moment to bring her emotions under control.
After everyone had been greeted, she brought out the child, wrapped tightly in a purple baby blanket. "All right, everypony! Now, she's a newborn and is quite skittish - please don't make any sudden movements towards her or she'll...well, you'll see, I suppose, if you get too close. She tends to bite, as well. Please, just...be careful with her, okay?"
"Of course, dear," said Soft Serve spoke softly. "We'll be careful with the new addition to the family - don't worry."
"It's not YOU I'm worried about, Mom," murmured Orchid Nectar as she passed the baby into her mother's outstretched hooves. "Keep an eye on her for me, would you?"
"Of course dear," she murmured back.
Orchid Nectar let out a particularly large yawn.
"Why don't you take a nap, dear?" asked Soft Serve as she gently cradled the baby. "We'll take care of little Wishful Mage for you. You must be exhausted, taking care of this newborn."
She nodded. "All right. I'll go and take a nap with Bubbly Current - he's been feeling rather tired, too."
"That's great, dear," Soft Serve said absentmindedly as she rocked the baby.
Orchid Nectar smiled, found her husband, and trotted upstairs to the guest bedroom, where both fell asleep on a floral couch.
After the child had been passed through several hooves without any issues, it happened to be in the arms of Ocean Dew when she started to fuss and squirm.
Ocean Dew frowned down at the child and rocked her gently. "Shh, shh, little one. I'm not going to hurt you, sweetie."
Orchid Nectar sat up from her napping place on the couch upon hearing her child's cry. "Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no no no no," she muttered to herself as she raced down the stairs and flew about the house, looking for where Ocean Dew was located. Finally she found her, sitting in the kitchen as she watched the younger ponies bake cookies.
"LET ME HAVE HER!" Orchid Nectar practically yelled as she flitted in the air just above the head of her great-grandmother-in-law.
The blue pony looked up, startled. "My apologies, dear, she's just fussing. I swear I'm not hurting her - "
"GRAMMY! Drop. The. Baby." Bubbly Current stood in the doorway, his sides heaving from having raced all over the house to find the baby.
Ocean Dew looked frightened as she gently passed the child into Orchid Nectar's arms. With a sigh of relief, she looked down at her husband. "You know what we've got to do!"
"On it!" Bubbly Current raced towards the doorway and opened the door as wide as it would go. Upon opening it, he realized far too late that his great-grandfather of a dragon was sitting just outside, sleeping in the warm sun.
"Fire!" yelled Orchid Nectar as she stuck the child out the door, holding gingerly onto her stomach with her front two hooves as she thrust the child out, making sure she didn't drop the baby.
"Wait!" Bubbly Current warned, far too late to be of any help.
Wishful Mage burped, and out spurted a flame of fire that incinerated every rose in Orchid Nectar's garden. She burped a larger burp the second time, this flame going out so far as to burn Glowing Rain's scaly tail.
The smiling dragon looked happily over at the little one. "At least dragons are fire-proof," he mused, his low voice rumbling deeply as he laughed. "Here, let me have her. Toss her into the air - I won't let her fall."
Orchid Nectar gave a frightened and confused look over to her husband and shrugged her shoulders.
"He's trustworthy," Bubbly Current said.
"And I'm trusting YOU." With a nervous sigh and a flick of her wrists, she sent her only child flying through the air.
Glowing Rain spread out his massive wings, catching the child and rolling her onto his back. "Hello, young one. I've not had the pleasure of meeting such a gorgeous creature as yourself in a very long time."
Wishful Mage cooed and laughed.
The green dragon looked back at the two parents in the doorway. "Mind if I watch over her for the rest of the day? I absolutely love children..."
Orchid Nectar was satisfied that he would watch over her in the right way for the day, and she relented. "Fine. Just be careful, she - "
"Yes, I know," he interjected, laughing as Wishful Mage took unsteady steps on his scaly back. "She burps fire and bites frequently. If she's anything like me, she'll slowly start hoarding things, as well, and might even have a bit of a temper from time to time."
Orchid Nectar's eyes widened in alarm. "She'll WHAT?!"
"She might also start looking more like a dragon. She's all ready got horns, after all. Perhaps she'll sprout wings, later, seeing as both of her parents have them..."
Bubbly Current stepped forward before his wife could speak give the old dragon a piece of her mind. "Grandfather, that's not how ponies get wings, I'm afraid. I know that's how dragons get them - they grow into them with age...but with ponies, well, we're born with them, as I'm sure you've figured out by now."
"Ah, yes, my dear grandchild, but seeing as this babe is only PART pony, well, she could very well sprout wings later on in life. Only time will tell."
Orchid Nectar's eyes filled with tears. "You really think so?" she hoarsely whispered. "I...I never understood why she didn't have wings. We both do, and Bubbly has a long line of pegasi and winged-creatures in his ancestry...according to my research, she should have had wings. I thought that she'd just inherited my family's genes and wasn't born with them...but perhaps she'll grow into them later in life! Oh, how wonderful that would be, being able to fly next to my baby..."
"But what if she doesn't ever fly, dearest?"
Orchid Nectar turned to her husband. "Then I'll love her just the same."
"Good answer," said Glowing Rain, laughing as Wishful Mage toddled her way up his neck and onto his head.
Glowing Rain took Wishful Mage with him for weeks on end, at times. When she became too much of a hassle for her parents, the elderly dragon would always fly her off to his cave and let her stay with him and his wife, Ocean Dew. They'd sit in the cold, damp cave and laugh at random things. The little one soon grew fond of the treasure hoard the dragon had saved up, however, and one day, when Glowing Rain couldn't find the toddler and had searched the entire system of caves calling her name, he found her fast asleep underneath a massive golden crown.
The dragon smiled as he gently picked up the toddler. "Don't you start liking gems, now. You'll never want to eat anything else!"
When Wishful Mage was old enough to speak, one of the first questions she asked the elder was, "Why is your name so funny?"
Glowing Rain smiled as he wrapped his tail around the young pony. "Dragons are different from ponies. We are named after the first thing our parents see right before we enter the world. My mother was named Blazing Meteor, for it was the first thing her mother had seen before she was born. My father was named Starry River because it was the reflection of starlight off of a river that his mother had first seen before he was born. I was named Glowing Rain because my mother had given birth to me at night, and the pale moonlight shining through the mist made the droplets of water appear to glow."
"Where are your parents now?" the young one asked, tilting her messy-maned head up at the dragon inquisitively.
"Gone, I'm afraid, and never coming back."
"Why?"
"Because some mean ponies didn't like them."
"Where are the ponies now?"
"Gone."
"Why?"
"They died."
"Are your Mommy and Daddy dead, too, Grandfather?"
The old dragon sniffled and looked out at the pouring rain. "I miss them, young one. I miss them very much."
The little pony threw her small hooves around her grandfather's pinkie claw. "Don't be sad, Grandfather! I'm still here!"
The dragon smiled sadly, thinking to himself,
But even you'll go away someday, my sweet child. After all, no one lives longer than a dragon.Years passed.
The purple pony's head snapped around, and she swung the sword through the air with ease, her pale green magic shimmering in the light.
Her opponent was breathing heavily.
She smirked. "I win." Swinging the sword down as hard as she could muster, she felt it slice right through the shield of her opponent. She ceased swinging right before it sliced through her opponent's snout. Glancing over at the young male, she almost laughed at his horrified expression, his eyes as wide as saucers and his body locked into a frozen position.
"Wishful Mage wins!" the announcer stated, moving forward quickly to lead the shaking pony out of the ring, and leaving the winner standing there to bask in the momentary glory. Once he'd deposited the kid backstage, he then trotted out and addressed her again. "Your next battle will be tomorrow - in front of the largest crowd we've had in a long time. We don't care if you win or lose - just don't let yourself down. Don't let that training go to waste."
She nodded, her determined gaze narrowing as she flung the sword behind her in a nonchalant manner.
It landed squarely in the middle of a practicing dummy's chest.
She trotted up the hill as she always did. Upon reaching the top, the road branched into three separate paths. One led to the mountains, where her grandparents were; one led to the sunny side of the pony kingdoms, where her parents lived; and one led to the hauntingly spooky forest, just on the outskirts of the nearest town. She paused, wondering whom she should tell first. Pondering her options, she decided to go left - up the mountain to her grandparents.
After all, she thought,
when I get done telling them, Grandfather can just fly me over to my house. It's easier this way, too - tell the dragon and pony whom I know will support me first, and then deal with the two whom I'm not so sure about.Less than twenty minutes later, she reached the rocky path up to the highest peak in the mountain. While most ponies would be gasping for air at this point, Wishful Mage just kept trotting, barely fazed by the lower levels of oxygen at the higher elevation. She reached the cave within five more minutes, and invited herself in, seeing the roaring fire in the massive fireplace chiseled into the wall of the largest room of the cave.
Glowing Rain was curled into a ball, almost looking as if he were asleep - Ocean Dew was curled up in the crevice of her husband's curled tail, smiling as she slept. Glowing Rain's head slowly lifted, as did his eyelids. After a large yawn, he glanced back at his granddaughter, gently nudging his wife awake. "Hello, darling," he said, smiling as he stood and stretched, being careful to not accidentally step on his wife. "What brings you here at this time of day?"
"I wanted to invite you both to see my final fight. It's tomorrow at noon."
"Congratulations, dear!" said Ocean Dew as she struggled to stand, her old bones creaking and popping as she finally got to her hooves. "I'm so proud of you!"
"I am as well," rumbled Glowing Rain, a smile on his scaly face. "We'll definitely be there. Who is your opponent?"
"I won't know until I arrive."
"It's best that way," Glowing Rain said, nodding. "Now, before you go into that little spat, I'd like to give you something I promised myself I wouldn't give you until I was certain you were ready. With you being an adult, however, I feel that you're ready." He slowly trotted over to a very high hole in the wall, far too high for any normal-sized pony to reach - even an alicorn. It was so high up, Wishful Mage didn't even know it existed until she saw her grandfather standing upon his back legs to reach for it. His claw disappeared for only moment before darting back out, something red in his strong grasp. He then trotted back over to Wishful Mage, and placed the necklace around her neck. "My mother gave this to me, and made me promise to give this to whatever relative of mine was female. Should your father have been female, I would have given it to him...but, as I'm sure you all ready know, he is not a girl. You are. Thus, I am passing this heirloom down to you. Guard it with your life, and it will protect you in return."
"It's a ruby," she breathed, a smile on her lips. "They're my favorite gemstone. Thank you, Grandfather." She hugged his arm. "I truly cannot thank you enough for this."
"Wear that in your fight tomorrow. Do this for me, will you?"
"Of course, Grandfather - anything for you."
"Now, come. I assume that you'll want to tell your parents, no?"
"Of course!"
They set off for her parents' house, the young pony balanced easily atop the dragon's head, the elder pony snuggled securely between the old reptile's shoulder blades. They arrived in less than three minutes. Wishful Mage hopped off of Glowing Rain's back and trotted up to the door, knocking gently.
Her mother creaked it open, and upon seeing her daughter, flung her hooves around her. "Darling! I'm so glad you decided to visit us today!"
"I'm glad to see you too, Mom."
"Come in, please!"
"Actually, I was hoping to briefly speak with you and Dad."
A concerned look crossed her mother's face. "Of course. Let me go and fetch him." She turned and flitted off, soaring high up to the recently-added third floor of the house, grabbing her husband by his waist, and literally dragging him down to where their daughter was waiting, standing in the doorway.
Bubbly Current rubbed his eyes sleepily. "What's up, dearest?"
Wishful Mage took a deep breath. "I'm inviting you both to my final fight tomorrow at noon. I would really appreciate it if you both would show up. This is...this is really important to me."
Orchid Nectar nodded immediately. "Of course I'll be there!"
Bubbly Current was suddenly wide awake, upon hearing this news. "Um...just whom will you be fighting, dearest?"
"I won't know until I arrive tomorrow."
"Well, I'll be there either way, just as a means of support."
Wishful Mage smiled. "Thank you both."
"Won't you come in, darling?" her mother said, waving a hoof inside. "It's been at least a month since we've seen you last. Will you do me the honor of feeding you some hayseed sandwiches?"
"I'll pass, but thanks anyway, Mom. I have to go and practice for tomorrow. I'll do my best to stop by before the fight, though. Maybe we can all go together?"
Glowing Rain nodded. "I'd gladly take us there, should you all not mind flying a bit faster than you're used to."
"Certainly." Orchid Nectar nodded her head, smiling. "Well dear, I hope you do well training. Good luck in the fight tomorrow!"
Wishful Mage nodded, hugging her parents one final time and waving to her grandparents before setting down the road, back the way she'd come. "I don't need luck. I've got skill."
The fight took place outside, on a painted area of a large meadow. A massive crowd had gathered long before Wishful Mage and her family showed up. Within the last day, word had traveled far - there were more ponies than Wishful Mage had even known lived in her town. As she trotted towards the open space in the center of the crowd where the actual fight would take place, she spotted the announcer, who also doubled as the referee for most of the fights. He was dressed in official garb, looking sharp and professional. "Hello again, sir."
"Ah, Wishful Mage! Glad that YOU'RE here on time. Your opponent is late."
Wishful Mage looked around, her red eyes scanning the crowd of ponies and horses gathered around the large, white-marked circle. Suddenly, a thought dawned on her. "Sir...what about weapons?"
"You'll be given the weapons you always use. Should you win, you'll keep those weapons as your own. Should you lose, you will never be able to show your face at my institution again."
Wishful Mage gulped nervously. "I'll do my best, sir."
"Hopefully your best is good enough for you to win. AH! There you are, you lazy horse!" Without warning, the referee shot off in the opposite direction, tracking down a certain trembling horse from the crowd. He roughly shoved him into the center of the circle.
Wishful Mage got a look at her competition, and almost laughed. "Seriously? I'm fighting THIS weakling? I mean, no offense, man, but how did you even get to be up this high in the classes? You should be down in the junior rank!" she mumbled, trying her best to not burst out in peals of laughter.
The music sounded, and she was handed her weapon of choice - a sword. She grabbed it with her green magic, and smirked at her opponent, who'd grabbed a sword so small, she'd have sworn it was a knife. Her smirk disappeared, however, as she watched him do a double back flip and slice through a patch of the ground with the super-sharp knife.
She gulped.
Maybe he's not as weak as I thought he was.The announcer went through the whole shpeel again, explaining to the crowd what was at stake and what would happen should either party lose. He then instructed that while this was a fight, it would be fair - anypony found fighting dirty would earn an automatic elimination. Without warning, he bellowed out, "BEGIN!"
Wishful Mage swerved, barely missing getting hit by the stallion's sharp blade. Her eyes narrowed, and her dominant right horn glowed as she sliced through a chunk of his mane, almost slicing his ears off.
He laughed, shoving her sword off with the knife. He plunged it into her forehoof, drawing blood.
She cringed, feeling the pain inch its way up to her upper leg. Her eyes narrowed and she swung again, this time slicing his back legs. The lacerations were deep, and his eyes watered in pain. With the tip of her sword to his throat, she murmured, "I win."
"Not today, girlie," he shot back through clenched teeth. He suddenly swung his knife up, and plunged it into her chin. She was shocked at the pain, and fell over almost instantly, her sword dropping to the ground as she twitched.
Her vision blackened, and her ears rung with a high-pitch. After what seemed like hours of laying on the ground, she suddenly felt different. Instead of numb, she felt as if she'd been given a breath of life. She opened her eyes, and the sound came rushing back to her ears. She suddenly heard counting.
"7...6...5...4 - "
She stood up, both of her horns glowing green as she swung the sword in the direction of her opponent.
The referee was shocked. "She's...okay...well, let's get back to the fight then. RESUME!"
Her eyes narrowed. "Let's finish this."
"Gladly," he spat back, yanking his knife out of her chin with his magenta magic.
She didn't even flinch as she snorted. "YAAAAAAAAA!" she yelled, charging forward and swinging her sword at his throat. He dodged at the last minute, and she instead sliced open his front left leg. He stumbled, and in that moment, she swung the sword full-force at his tail, slicing through all but three inches of it. Taking it to his mane, she clipped through his thick hair in seconds. She then sliced his back legs over and over again. He fought back valiantly, but it wasn't enough. Wishful Mage finally managed to knock his knife just out of his reach. With anger blazing in her eyes, she held he tip of her sword to his neck. "I believe I all ready said I won."
He swallowed, putting on a brave face. "Just finish it, then."
She shook her head, plunging the sword into the soil directly behind his ear. "THAT is how close you came to losing today," she practically spat in his direction. She turned and trotted off, letting him stand up on his own. He weakly crawled over to where she was standing, and looked up at her with his brown eyes shining. "You win."
The referee called the match. "Wishful Mage is the winner!" Turning around, he called out the ponies to help with wounds. "Medics! Get out here - stat!"
After both ponies were patched up, a medal was awarded to Wishful Mage. "Congrats," said the referee. "I always knew you had it in you. You're welcome back anytime you'd like to visit, you hear?"
"Of course," she said quietly, feeling weak from the blood loss. "I'll stop by when I can manage it. Thanks for being the best teacher I've ever had, sir."
"Not a problem, young filly." He smiled and ruffled her sweaty mane gently. "Visit me soon, all right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Dearest, you were amazing!" Orchid Nectar said as she raced over to hug her daughter. With tears in her eyes, she held her daughter's face close to her own. "You really were meant to do this. I can see it now. Before I doubted...I doubted that anypony's real destiny was to fight, but the way you handled yourself out there, my darling...you have my full support."
"And mine as well," her father said, standing a bit further off as he nodded, a smile on his face.
"Well done, young filly," rumbled Glowing Rain as he smiled down at Wishful Mage.
The teacher's entire body paled. "I...I...I'll just be going now. Thanks for coming to the event, sir," he said said shakily to the dragon before racing off in the opposite direction.
Glowing Rain laughed. "Poor soul must've thought I would eat him."
Ocean Dew smiled as she gently trotted off of her husband's back. "I'm so glad you're in one piece, dearest. You fought valiantly."
Wishful Mage smiled sleepily. "Thanks, you guys. It means a lot that you'd come and congratulate me like this...but I'm really tired. Could we talk about this later?" She yawned the largest yawn she'd ever remembered yawning.
Glowing Rain nodded, picking up his wife in his front two talons and leaning his back and tail down for the other ponies to climb onto. "I'll take you home," he said with a smile.
Months later...
Wishful Mage's hooves pounded the ground as she landed from the leap over the high-bar. "Higher!" she commanded the skinny pony constantly adjusting the height of the bars for her to jump over. "I need to get higher!"
He nodded weakly, scurrying out to do as he was told.
She cleared it again. "Higher!" she demanded. "Twice as much!"
He did as he was told.
She narrowed her eyes, and leapt again.
She didn't quite make it.
Her back right hoof clipped the very top of the bar, and she turned a full 360 degrees in the air. She yelled as she closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the impact with the ground.
It never came.
Frowning in confusion, she creaked open her eyes, and found herself staring at the dirt. She blinked a few times, wondering why she felt a bit dizzy. Suddenly, she realized that her entire body was encased in a green magical glow, and that glow was coming from her horns.
She was levitating herself with her own magic.
"Well, that's new," she said, righting herself back on the ground. She smiled as her red hooves touched the dirt and grass. "Let's see how far up I can go," she murmured to herself, concentrating as she used her magic to lift her body up higher and higher. She didn't make it too far - only about three feet off of the ground - before she came crashing down again and had to break her fall with her own magic again.
After half an hour of working at this, she was exhausted, and fell asleep right on the lawn.
When she awoke, she found herself in Glowing Rain's cave. Yawning, she looked up at the dragon, who had wound himself around her tightly to keep her body heat from escaping into the chilly air.
He smiled. "I flew you here. Trotting Sky told me that you'd conked out right there in the middle of the practice area, so he sent a message to your parents who contacted me, as they were too busy with a business meeting past the forest with potential customers."
She nodded. "I understand. Thanks for picking me up. Boy, I've never felt that tired in my life."
"Extensive magic-usage will drain anypony, darling," said the elderly pony. Ocean Dew slowly trotted over, a baking sheet filled with cookies on her back. "Sugar will help you keep your energy up - though we both know it won't last long," she added with a chuckle.
"Thanks, Grandma."
A few moments of silence stretched between the three as Wishful Mage munched on a cookie. When she'd finished the sweet treat, she spoke. "Grandmother? Grandfather? I need to tell you something. I'm considering leaving and moving out on my own. Before I do this I will of course tell my parents, but I wanted to tell you all first. I love it here, don't get me wrong - but I need to branch out and find myself before I can truly help others. I want to be able to use my skills to help other ponies, not harm them...but to do that, I need to figure out HOW I can do that. And that means I have to figure it all out on my own, no input from those I love so dearly. I need to work things through in my own mind before I hear a dissenting opinion, that way I can figure out how to easily have a rebuttal for it. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes, of course," said Ocean Dew, smiling. "We all had to move away from our families at some point or another. Why, moving out was how I met this lovable old lizard!" She patted her husband's large pinkie-claw lovingly. "Do what you need to do, and know that we'll support you no matter what happens."
"I agree," said Glowing Rain, nodding. "If you want to help others, you must first help yourself."
Wishful Mage sighed happily, a smile on her lips. "I'm so glad you both understand! Now for the difficult part - telling my parents."
"They said they'd support you back at your fight, didn't they?" Ocean Dew asked meekly.
"Well, yes, they did," responded Wishful Mage.
"Then they'll stick to their words," Glowing Rain said with a nod of his head.
Wishful Mage nodded. "Thanks for the reminder, guys. I'm always grateful to take advice from the both of you. You're just so wise...I feel as if I'll never be that smart."
Ocean Dew laughed. "Dearest, you'll be this smart when you get to be as old as we are!"
Wishful Mage smiled, enjoying the sound of laughter bouncing off of the cave walls. Even though she knew it would be a rough journey from here on out to fully find herself so that she could complete what she'd always wanted to do, she knew she would stick to her beliefs and never waver. She knew the road would be long and tiring, but she would persevere.
But for now, she'd just sit in a cave and laugh, enjoying the time she had with the pony and dragon she loved most.
ka--ching