Dear Umbra,
Hey mare! Starlight here, doing the magic thing. You are too, I hear? Good on you! Did you hear? The Cutie Mark Crusaders are going to represent Ponyville, ha, little devils. Oh, do you not know about them? I'll fix that!
They dedicated the next segment to a catch up on what made each of the crusaders great in Starlight's eyes.
Anyway, they got picked to wave the flags for Ponyville, good on them. I didn't write you just about them though. How's it going? You should have noticed a second scroll. If you didn't, let me know! Somepony messed up! I will assume you got it. It's a spell! Your favorite gift, I'm told. This one's a fun one. Zap a pony with it and their mane will become vines. Harmless, but surprising, unless you pick a poisonous kind of vine. Don't do that! That'd be so rude...
No, I never did that!!!! I swear!
Ahem!
This isn't a huge spell. It probably won't save the day, but it's fun and silly and I had a feeling you'd get a kick out of it.
Umbra rubbed her snout against the curled scroll. "I will enjoy studying you..." She owed Starlight a spell in kind. fair was fair.
I'll keep an eye out for the scroll you send back to me.
Umbra frowned at the scroll. "Stop reading my mind, you witch of a pony." She was smiling despite that. Starlight's future seeing and keen observation didn't bother her too much. She set the spell scroll on a shelf for later enjoyment with a small tink of its metal sides against the crystal of the shelf.
Oh, important thing, but those vines aren't forever. Pony manes are surprisingly resistant to permanent tampering. Of all the bodyparts, right? I hear Cadance is coming by my way. Should I pass anything to her for you? Let me know! I'd rather you were there to say hi to, but we can at least have that much.
"Aw." Umbra giggled at the friendly words that built warmth in her chest. It was good to have such close ponies, even if they were half a world away.
She set that scroll on a different shelf, where she kept all the lovely letters she had received and wanted to keep a hoof on. "Hmmm..." To write back to Starlight... or look at that spell scroll... Options... Both needed to be done, without argument, but which to do first...?
"Ma'am." Umbra looked up at Purple who had been perfectly quiet and still. "Are you constructing today, ma'am?"
Oh, right! She still had that chore. A nice bevy of house shells to be finished up by the fine guild she had worked with before to help house the visitors who came for the Equestrian Games. "Right. Right... Okay, reply, work, then fun." The order firmly decided, Umbra floated over a quill and started the reply letter.
Salutations,
Starlight! Your letter put a big smile on my face. I haven't read your spell scroll yet. I will! But not yet. They have me slapping together some houses for visiting ponies for those games you were talking about. Seems like all either of us are thinking about lately. Speaking of that, are you going to visit? You can watch the games, and we can catch up. Win win! I'm sure Twilight's coming, and if she's coming, she'll probably drag friends with her.
She can't help it. Just be one of those friends and you probably won't even have to pay for the trip. Triple win! Speaking of that, how long does it take to get here, from where you are? A few hours? A few days? I really don't know. Also, about the manes, weird. We're magical creatures, but our manes are where we draw the line? Who decided that?
Umbra snickered, imagining some great overgod penciling in an actual line. "Though Shalt Not Pass," they would declare in a booming voice for all the cosmos to hear, and so it was.
Oh! Me and Shifting, you remember her, right? First, she's a changeling. Second, she's still an adorable bat pony. Third, we're going steady. And if you give me one word about two mares... That might be unfair. I don't know, do you care about that? Maybe you're a rebel! Maybe you actually prefer that. What do I know? Not much when it comes to that. I want to know you better though, so tell me!
Work, then studying!
Queen Umbra(Not actually a queen!)
Umbra folded up the return letter and with a big stamp, sealed it shut with her own personal seal. It was hard to replicate that specific shape of the horseshoe of crystals growing out of the paper. Good luck copying that! Closed, she flipped it over and jotted down who to deliver it to. "Purple?" Her maid looked up. "Could you drop this off at the post office?"
"Right away, ma'am." Purple hurried over to snap up the letter in her lips and dash to the door. "I will return promptly." And she was gone, off on the task.
It was nice having help... "I should get to it." Umbra hopped to the ground and strode off on her own mission. Those houses wouldn't build themselves!
"Another done." The pony clapped their hooves together as if dusting them off. "Thanks for the help!" Others chimed up in a chorus as they emerged from the last house of the day. With the guild declaring it done, the workday was officially over. "We'll have this done in about a week at this rate. I couldn't even imagine this a year or two ago."
A mare snickered at the stallion. "Things change. A year or two ago and there was no Crystal Empire here! Imagine how confused the animals must be if you're feeling a little off balance."
"Wow." The stallion shook his head free of those big thoughts. "Well, we did it! Um, Umbra, you alright? You look distracted."
"Hm? Oh! A friend sent me something." Umbra's horn glowed with the promise of dark magic. "It involves magic! A curse, most terrible."
The stallion recoiled at that. "You're joking, um, right?"
"Only a little." Umbra ran a hoof through her own mane. "It messes with a pony's mane, so that's like a curse, right?"
Their features went through emotions as they imagined what sort of horrible mane curse it could be. The mare swallowed audibly. "You wouldn't use it on us, right? We've worked together!"
Umbra scoffed as she turned way, turning into a dark chortle. "I would only use it on the enemies of the empire... or a friend I wanted to play a prank on." Still, the work was done! She spread her wings wide. "See you tomorrow!" She launched back towards the palace to get to studying that mane spell.
The stallion inclined his head at the retreating form of Umbra. "She's a little scary at times."
"She's a little scary all the time." The mare was smiling despite that. "But she's our scary shadow wizard. Alright, ponies, get your tools and let's head home!" A loud cry of celebration rose up as the guild got into motion.
"Umbra!" There was Shining Armor, standing in her way of getting back to her room. "Good to see you. I was hoping we could ask you to foalsit for us?"
Umbra's brows came together in a heavy frown. She had just finished her work! "Today?"
"Oh, not today. It's not an emergency or anything." He remained quite in her way. "We were hoping to set a date, um, for a date... I want to take Cadance away, to relax. Just an evening of no drama."
"Aw." Umbra could appreciate Shining doing his best to be a good hubby. "That's nice of you. When do you have in mind then, and for how long?"
"I was thinking in a week or two?" He gestured to the right. "But I wanted your permission before I went and set anything in stone, or crystal as the case may be. Should just be a few hours... five at the most? You alright watching Flurry that long?"
"I can do that!" It was only after she had already said it that she realized she had said it a bit quickly. Dang it, she liked her god-child, and caring for her. "A few hours with Flurry Heart doesn't sound too unreasonable... Say, you have a crystallier now, so is this his job?"
"Hm? He's in the pool of ponies we'd ask." Shining nodded slowly. "But only a member. You rate a little higher, being able to feed her without any trouble."
Umbra colored quickly. She was Flurry's wet nurse. She hadn't asked for that assignment, but it was hers. Being able to make milk bottles was a trick only mother mares had, usually. "Just to be nosy, but let's pretend a moment I'm not here, poof!" Shadow burst from her, hiding her form for a moment. "How would Sunburst handle it? He's not equipped for bottle making."
"Oh." It was a reminder. "You don't know pony things... Easy to forget... We'd have to leave him with a supply to give to Flurry Heart. We'd probably put some in an ice box for him to heat up when he needed it."
Umbra scowled at the idea. "Yuck, then you have cooled, then warmed up milk at best. Better if it's nice and fresh." And the right temperature right from the start! "I'm on the case. Just tell me when that is. Hopefully after we're done with the houses, because if I have to spend a day building and then come home to foalsitting, that's not fair. Speaking of that! My day is over, and I have terrible spells to study." She had one terrible spell to study, but she felt no urge to be that specific. "Lemme know!" She scooted around Shining to get to her room.
Shining caught her on the way past. "Nothing I need to be worried about, right?"
"Yes, daddy law keeper." Umbra stole a peck from his cheek. There were perks to being in a romantic relationship with him, even if they only did things once in a rare while. "Starlight just sent me a wicked little spell that looks suited for very silly pranks. I won't hurt anyone that doesn't deserve what's coming."
Shining let her escape then. "Hm." He shook his head and advanced in his own direction. There were things to get done!
"Mind if I test this on you?" Even as she asked, she realized. "You're going to let me, and that isn't fair..." Umbra sat up on her bed. "Let me put it out there, if it works, your mane will become vines for a little while. Nothing painful or anything, just maybe a bit odd until it wears off. You are allowed, and encouraged, to say no if you'd rather I didn't."
"You are a wizard." Purple shook out her shining pelt. "If I can help you practice your magic, then I am ready to do so. You said it doesn't hurt, and it will wear off, so why wouldn't I?"
Umbra couldn't be sure how much of that was hero worship or loyalty to a job well done, but she decided to accept it. "If it does hurt in any way, you tell me, right away. Don't be brave." Her horn glowed with dark magic, even if the spell wasn't shadowy. She was a shadow wizard. Everything she touched got that. Purple's mane thickened then exploded into a vine of dangerous looking shadow tendrils that grasped about, searching for something.
Purple squeaked in surprise, trying to scramble away from them, but they were attached to her. "It... worked ma'am?!"
"You want them to go away," noted Umbra flatly, that much seeming obvious. "I didn't mean for it to be so scary looking." She willed the vines away, returning Purple's usual mane. "Practice is required... Thank you for helping!"