//------------------------------// // Reflections // Story: Umbratara: The Garden of Shadows // by Kipakuta //------------------------------// The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes, was a unicorn stallion wearing a conical hat with bells on the rim, and sporting a prominent beard on his chin and neck. "Ho ho, it worked!" The unicorn exclaimed in delight. He turned and called to somepony else. "Clover! Come over here, Subject one is awake!" She saw a unicorn mare enter into view. "Master, I think subject two is coming around as well." The mare motioned to something to the left. Subject one turned her gaze to look, and saw a dark blue unicorn foal with wings. "Sist-er." She stated, the word and sentiment coming from some pool of hidden knowledge. The blue foal looked around and spotted the unicorns. "Beard!" She said, pointing at the stallion. He chuckled. "No, I'm Starswirl." He stated. "I brought you two into this world for a very special purpose." Subject one managed to get into a standing position. "I sense some fragment of the Primal Chaos. Why does it still remain? Was it all not removed when the world was made?" She inquired. "That's why we summoned you, Great Spirit of the Sun." The mare explained. "We need your help to banish the Spirit of Strife, and bring Harmony to our land." "Beard!" The moon spirit exclaimed, batting at the stallion's abundant facial hair. Starswirl sighed. - - - "Luna. Please cease your frivolity." A white, pink-maned alicorn demanded. "There will be many opportunities for this once our task has been completed." The small blue alicorn clambered down from a pile of leaves. "Tiaaa, why must you always ruin my merrymaking?" "We are late for Master Starswirl's lecture." The older alicorn started across the drawbridge of a small castle. "I think Starswirl should create an element of punctuality and give it to you." Luna raised an eyebrow. "Tia, I do believe that was your first jest. We should celebrate this moment." Celestia rolled her eyes and entered the outer gate of the castle. Luna followed soon afterwards." - - - "Today marks the end of your year of training with the Elements of Harmony." Starswirl announced. "You have shown the necessary skill and knowledge to wield them." Celestia bowed. "If you have faith in us, Master Starswirl, then we are truly ready." "I have asked two of the Pegasi soldiers to escort you to the outskirts of his capital." The old unicorn bowed. "You know what needs to be done. I am expecting great things from the two of you." "At once Master Starswirl." Celestia rose and left. "Farewell, Signore Beard." Luna added, before following her sister. "Luna I have lectured thee many a time." He began, but sighed as she exited. "My name is Starswirl, not Signore Beard." He said while lowering his voice. - - - "This chain of mountains forms a natural division of the land into nearly equal halves." An earth pony indicated on a map. "But by using the rivers as possible borders, we can make them balance." "Then we'll give the eastern half to Luna." "Nooooo!" The blue alicorn whined. "I want the highlands!" She slammed her front hooves on the table. "Let Celly have the lowlands!" Celestia blushed. "Luna, please hold your temper." Luna turned and pointed hoof at her sister. "You always get first choice. I want the high lands." The scribe circled the section that consisted mostly of mountains, hills, and a plateau. "If that be all you desire, then your domain would be smaller than Celestia's, your Highness." Luna blinked at the scribe. "Smaller, thou sayest? But, but. It be the higher land." "Height be not everything, sister." Celestia added. "But if it sets your heart at ease, I will take the East, and you may have the West." - - - "The night. Will last! FOREVER!" The black alicorn followed her declaration with manic laughter. "Luna, why are you doing this?" "Why, Dear sister? Ponykind deserves to suffer!" The black alicorn trotted down the stairs towards Celestia. "Oh they loved you, but they spurned me! They brought this upon themselves!" Celestia lunged for Luna. the two grappled then wrestled. Luna projected a bolt of teal lightning at her sister's crown, shocking and stunning her long enough to gain the advantage. She threw the white alicorn to the floor then took to the air. "Luna, please!" Celestia pleaded. "Luna? That name means nothing to me! I shall be the Night Mare that ponykind will come to fear!" Celestia began to push herself up but the black alicorn pressed down with a telekinetic aura. Celestia fired a ray of light at the Nightmare's eyes, blinding her. The black alicorn shrieked, ceasing her magic as she rubbed her eyes. Celestia transformed herself into light, then fled. "Mimeze! MIMEZE!" Nightmare called, slowly regaining her sight. There was no answer. "Even my Chancellor has abandoned me." She stated to herself. She transformed herself into a cloud of teal mist then sped after Celestia. Celestia had almost made it back to her own castle when she felt something slam into her, disrupting her spell and knocking her downward. She crashed through a tree canopy then into a stone-covered courtyard. As Nightmare slowly descended into view, Celestia noticed where she was. "So, Harmony doth begin and end in the same place." She said quietly, slowly working into a chuckle. "Does your impending doom amuse you?" Nightmare inquired. "Perhaps we should share our suffering to balance out your Levity." Celestia reached out with her magic, and felt for the Elements. "Sister, Do I not get a last request?" "No!" Nightmare pressed her hoof to Celestia's throat. "No requests, no speaking! You shall not talk your way out of this!" {Wrathful} A voice intone within Nightmare's mind. {Hateful!} Another voice added. {Treacherous!} Three crystals appeared in an array around Nightmare. They projected beams of light that formed auras around her. Her hoof was jerked upward, releasing Celestia. "You turned the elements against me?!" Nightmare hissed through clenched teeth. "You have done that yourself!" Celestia replied, climbing out of the gouged stone. Nightmare struggled. "Let me go and I will lower the moon." {Deceptive!} A fourth crystal appeared and created an aura around Nightmare. "I'll kill you and take Equestria for my own!" {Covetious!} A fifth crystal and aura appeared. "You were Starswirl's brightest student!" Celestia shouted, tears forming in her eyes "He wanted you to drive back the Chaos, not join it!" She fought back a sob "Bring Balance to Harmony, not leave it in tatters!" "Chaos? Chaos!? I will bring one thousand years of Chaos!!" {Malevolent!} A sixth crystal appeared, adding it's aura to the others. "You want Eternal night? you want a thousand years? You shall have it!" Celestia screamed. Nightmare faded from view, feeling a sensation of slumber overtake her. The auras disappeared, and five stone spheres landed with a thud. The lone crystal that hovered before Celestia projected a beam upwards, striking the moon. A silhouette of a unicorn's head appeared on the surface of the moon. The beam ended, leaving the crystal hovering before Celestia. The white Alicorn reached out with her magic, grabbed the moon, and forced it below the horizon. After raising the sun, she slumped to the stone floor. Summoning up every bit pain of sorrow, pain and anguish, Celestia wailed. - - - By sunset, Celestia felt numb. Her throat was raw with all the screaming she had done. She spread her wings, took flight, and returned to Canterlot. Once she arrived, she lowered the sun, then relied on her magic sense to raise the moon. It would be a year before she could bring herself to look at it again. - - - Celestia snapped her eyes open and gasped. She looked around the darkened room. "Great, now she's got me doing it." She muttered. The alicorn stretched then slipped out of bed. "If I had taken the Western half, would I be the one to go bad?" She thought for a moment. "Ridiculous. The ponies depend on the sun for food. They'd never turn away from it, I had no reason to become bitter. And what would I have been called anyways?" She whinnied. She activated the light-crystal hanging from the ceiling then looked in the mirror. "Was this my fault?" She asked herself. "Nay, it was not." A voice stated behind her. Celestia whipped her head to look to the entrance of her room. Luna stood there. "I felt your dream and came to see if I could comfort you." "I guess I have to face these memories sooner or later." Celestia replied. Luna sidled over and embraced her. "You need not face them alone. We were meant to work together in all our endeavors. I see that now." Celestia returned the embrace. "If I had known-" Luna held a hoof to her lips. "Sister, you can lament forever and still face an unchanged past." She separated from Celestia. "If I had taken the right road instead of the left. If I had said this, or done that. There are countless ways I could have changed the course of events, but I did what I did." "And if you hadn't been up there, you wouldn't have provided inspiration to ponies that needed it." Luna thought for a moment, then slowly worked up a chuckle. Celestia joined in a moment later. "Ponies like my beloved." Celestia nodded. = = = As she arrived at the schoolyard, she saw two of the 3rd year students looming over a purple pegasus foal. Cowering behind the pegasus, was a pink unicorn foal, with a mismatching multicolored mane and tail. "Aw not this again." She grumbled. She quickened her pace. Hearing her approach, the two 3rd years turned. "Oh great, it's miss Cheerless." One of them snarked. "Are you two bothering the first years again?" "Hey, Kayo and I was just telling the newfoals how things work around here." The other pony replied. "We ain't paying nothing!" The pegasus foal snapped. The magenta filly shook her head. "Goalposts, you know it's wrong to take money from other students. Now move!" The two grumbled as they slunk away. Cheerilee turned to the pegasus and unicorn. "You girls ok?" The pegasus flared her wings. "They were threat'ning us cause Toola's Roani." The earth pony peered over. "Oh I see, She's wearing a ribbon." She motioned for the pair to follow. "I wanna introduce you to a friend of mine. She's a little daffy, but she just loves new clothing styles." Toola stood up. "Thank you. Um..." "Call me Cheerilee." The earth pony replied. - - - "So what's on the plan for today, Cheery?" A pink unicorn asked. "The question isn't 'What's on the plan,' but what's not on the plan." A magenta earth pony replied. "Please don't say the game store." A purple pegasus replied. "I wanna see if they have a Delux Neighntendo." "Can we make a stop at the *fweew* clothing store. I wanna get some new Lisa Flank shirts *Fweeweew*" A sky blue pegasus asked. They stopped in front of a shop that had a display of the latest toys. Toola Roola noticed one of the signs on the door. "Looks like I'm not allowed in." "Whatchu talkin 'bout, Toola?" Starsong asked. Toola Roola point to the sign that listed Gypsies alongside Gryphons and Zebras as banned occupants. "What that really means is." Cheerilee began "They want to go out of business." "*Fweew* That is truly, truly outrageous. Let's go to the shop down the street." Thistle suggested. They all shared a laugh as they walked away. - - - Cheerilee sorted through her family's mail, grinning as she found several letters addressed to her. She took the letters upstairs and set them on her desk. She read each companies name, picturing how each of them would look alongside her name and the title of the story she submitted to them. Taking a moment to steady her breathing, she opened the first letter. 'Dear Miss Dawn.' the letter began. 'Thank you for submitting your manuscript, GILDED TREES. While your story contains good conflict and I rather like your narrator, I'm afraid I don't feel strongly enough about the manuscript to consider publishing it. I do hope you find a home for it.' The earth pony tossed the letter aside then opened the next envelope. '...Thank you for submitting your manuscript to Colossal House. Unfortunately, our production schedule is already filled for the year...' {One of these has got to be good news.} She thought, opening the fifth letter... '...Your novel’s premise is interesting, but ultimately I didn’t find the authorial voice sufficiently memorable or arresting...' Cheerilee loomed over the tenth and final envelope, eying it with suspicion. She leaned down slowly and snapped her teeth around the pull tab. As she lifted her head upwards again, the paper began separating along pre-marked indentations with an audible *Rrriiiippp*. She slid a hoof into the open envelope, using a firm pressure to remove the letter. She unfolded the letter and read the first paragraph, skipping the salutation. 'Let me begin by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed your manuscript, GILDED TREES. However, your portrayal of The Sun Princess, Celestia in less than glowing terms, would make it a difficult sell...' Cheerilee stacked all the letters on the original manuscript, picked the pile up with her teeth, sidestepped to the window, opened it, and flung the offensive stack out into the street. She turned and threw herself onto her bed, and sobbed into her pillow. It was after sunset when Cheerilee heard someone tapping on the window. She turned and saw a tall white winged unicorn with a cyan, pink and blue mane, that seemed to flow as though being blown by a breeze. "P-p-princess Celestia?!" "May I come in, my little pony?" She asked in a voice that hinted at her concern. "Why would you want to visit a loser like me?" Cheerilee snarked. "I don't think you're a loser." Celestia replied. A stack of papers surrounded by a soft golden glow drifted into the room. "I was passing by earlier during an inspection of the town, and I found this." "Yeah, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have littered." Cheerilee said, wishing that Celestia would take the loathsome object away. "Why would you you throw away such a entertaining story?" Celestia set the manuscript down. "Just because the big name companies rejected it?" "Do you know how it feels to put your heart and soul into something, only to have your heart ripped out?!" Cheerilee lowered her voice. "You can have it, your Majesty." Celestia nodded. "Dear Cheerilee. Have you ever heard the story of the Mare in the Moon?" She turned and pointed up at the darkened area of The Moon. "Think of how she must have felt to have her work rejected hundreds of times, every night." Cheerilee stared. After a while, she smiled. "I have an idea." She hurried to her desk, and pulled out a writing stick and a bundle of scrap paper. "I should write her a story. No! Her story." As she jotted down notes and wrote out scenes, Celestia slipped away, taking the other manuscript with her. - - - Toola Roola steadied her breathing, trying to subdue the nervousness that felt almost overwhelming. Cheerilee's instructions had been frustratingly vague about her role. "The school talent show is not the time for an untried avant gaurde play." She had told the earth pony. At least Starsong got to rehearse her part. She pulled the single piece of paper from the table one last time and stared at it intently, trying to make sense of the list. 'Role: The Moon Princess. A blue alicorn wearing onyx and silver royal regalia.' 'Location: Balcony of a castle.' 'Action: Painting an unblemished moon and constellations.' 'Emotion: Holding back sorrow.' "Ten seconds." A stagehand addressed her. Toola Roola used her telekinesis to levitate the brush and paint container, both of with were black to blend in against the dark blue backdrop chosen for the scene. She set the paper on the table, checked herself in the mirror to make sure that her costume was in order then walked from the wings to the stage. "I hope you know what you're doing, Cheerilee." She muttered as the opening tune of the song began. > As the curtain parted, she heard Starsong playing the leading chords of the music. The whole thing suddenly made sense and she dipped the paintbrush into the reflective white paint, then began to dab out the first of the stars. As the audience watched, Toola Roola paused every few seconds to regain her composure, before dabbing in more stars, timing her strokes with the music. The song, though written for a more contemporary era, carried a certain weight relevant to this scene. The audience, consisting of the other students of her school watch in rapt attention as Toola focused on her task, seemingly unaware of their presence. Once the song and her task had finished, Toola Roola slumped to the floor of the stage and allowed herself to cry as the curtain closed. The audience gave thunderous applause, even those who had previously derided Toola Roola for her Roani heritage. The aftershow party had many of them apologizing for their past behavior. Every pony: Teachers, friends, family, and other associates congratulated them for not only winning the talent show, but for earning their cutie marks.as well. - - - "Are you ok, Cheerilee?" Starsong asked, setting a mug of warm milk on the table as she sat across from the earth pony. "Yeah, I'll...be fine." Cheerilee replied, before taking a bite of ground wheat cereal. "I was just thinking." "Are you sure? Not gonna crumble over yesterday?" Cheerilee set down her spoon. "I'm not gonna crumble. This community needed protection and I provided. That's what a Pony of Honor does. It's nothing equinal, just part of The Business." Starsong smiled. "That's good. Cause I worry about you." She drizzled some honey into the milk. Cheerilee picked up her spoon again, then used it as a pointer between bites. "What about you? You ate meat." "Only under the influence of something else." Starsong replied, lifting the cup between her hooves. "But Baba's potion purged all that. Whatever was wrong with me is all better now." Cheerilee nodded. "Good, cause I worry about you." "Relax Cheery." Starsong took a sip from the cup. "We're Children of Luna, remember?" "Yes, but we're not immune to misfortune." Cheerilee replied. "Accidents can and do happen." "Mostly to ponies who try to buck with Toola Roola." Starsong replied. "Well besides us, I mean." They both snickered. "How is Toola?" Cheerilee asked. "I noticed that she's been getting up earlier than usual." "Yeah, almost like she was born to live here." Starsong replied. "Well they did live here for generations prior to Princess Luna's rule." Cheerilee said as she finished her breakfast. "I'm back." A light pink unicorn announced as she entered the room. "Just in time too, it's starting to rain." She cantered over to Cheerilee and gave her a hug. Cheerilee returned the hug. "Did you have any trouble from the townsfolk?" "None, but it's hard to talk when we don't have a common language." Toola Roola replied, glancing to Starsong. "See anything interesting?" Starsong asked. "Well, I saw the raft that they're making. It'll get us down the river, but there's not room for three ponies and the cart." Cheerilee thought for a moment. "Well, one of us could wear the silver armor for the rest of the trip." "You wear it, Cheerilee. I have the springbow and silver arrows." Starsong offered. "And if Toola Roola has all three of our staves, that gives her a bit of protection from Vamponies, right?" "It's not like they'll suck my blood." Toola Roola began. "They need me whole and healthy to free Zernaba, don't they?" She draped herself over Cheerilee's back. "Yeah, about that." Cheerilee began. "Zernaba sounds very similar to Czernobog." "You mean that big draconequus thing from Fantasmia?" Starsong asked before humming the associated tune. "So we're dealing with a Loshadki spirit?" Toola Roola added. "Sarmanetian, not Loshadki." Cheerilee corrected. "What's the difference?" "The Sarmanetians were an old empire that spanned along the Northern shores of the Onyx sea and the banks of the Dneighster and Dneighper rivers. Loshadki are the ponies who settled the land further north, and at a later time." "So whatever happened to the Sarmanetians?" Starsong asked. "Were they assimilated by the Loshadki?" Cheerilee shook her head. "This is the weird part. In the Pre-Discord period, Ipponioan and Etrotscan records mention the Sarmanetians in great detail. But in the post Discord period, the Loshadki and Equestrian records mention finding all the cities abandoned. It's as if the entire tribe disappeared. All that remains are buildings and artifacts made of stone and pottery." "Maybe Discord wiped them out?" Toola Roola mused. All three shivered.