//------------------------------// // Chapter 258 - Intermission Pt. 5: Sonata // Story: XCOM: Ranger // by Wanderer D //------------------------------// And now I write about who I feel is the victim of the deepest betrayal from one of us, the first siren to ever exist.. Sonata Dusk—Stygian's best friend by his own account—before this nightmare started.  "Wait," Applejack interrupted, making Moon Dancer groan and look up from the book. "Sonata Dusk is the oldest? Isn't she the last one alive?" "Well it seems with age comes survival instinct, or something," Moon Dancer responded without trying to hide the annoyance in her voice. It was interesting to read all of these stories, written by Starswirl himself, in his own hoof. But the reminder that these were real creatures... that Twilight and others were fighting them to the death was something she could do without. "If I recall correctly, she was the last one to speak to and fight Sunset Shimmer before she changed..." Rarity mused, shaking her head. "I wonder—" "Well, maybe we'd be guessing less if we finished reading what Starswirl wrote, right?" Moon Dancer said. "Oh, don't be a grumpy pants!" Pinkie suddenly slammed a muffin into Moon Dancer's mouth. "We're all friends here! Cheeeelax!" Moon Dancer chewed and swallowed the rather tasty—if uninvited—treat. Then glared at her. "We're not friends." "Oh, you!" "No, seriously." Moon Dancer forced herself to read again, if only to hide the smile playing on her lips. Sonata Dusk, once known as Icetlacatl, was the granddaughter of Emperor Camazotz, of the ancient city of Xibalba. The legend of Camazotz is well known, so I will gloss over it, as it bears mentioning but not dwelling in on the details. Camazotz was the very first user of Blood Magic. He kept record of his magical exploits, his methods and ways to obtain power in this most vile of magical pursuits, eventually falling into madness and lust for anything that would entertain his twisted mind. He was destroyed by the use of several magical artifacts, but so was his city during the throws of his unbridled power, and most of his kingdom as well when the cleansing began. Very few survivors were left, migrating to several parts of the continent. Born of the same blood as the very first Blood Warlock to ever exist, Icetlacatl was a princess without a kingdom, heir to a horrifying history (that would linger for centuries even after her time), hiding her bloodline and origins from all creatures until Tonameyotl, (also called Ecahuilli Yoltequipachihui in the ancient language… a title that translates loosely as: the Shadow That Corrupts the Soul) emerged and brought death and darkness to the lands barely recuperated from her grandfather's horrors. "Wow, ancient ponies sure had complicated names," Pinkie said. "Reminds me of that temple that Rainbow Dash, Twilight and the others destroyed with Daring Do," Applejack said. "That would be because they're remnants from civilizations very close in age," Moon Dancer said. "The Sun Rings were created in the ancient past to destroy Camazotz." For decades she had grown aware of the horrible deeds committed by her ancestor, ashamed of her family's history and legacy, and now, Tonameyotl—who was her uncle by blood—had descended into madness as well, controlling all and any who even cast a shadow with his will and magics… destroying entire towns where creatures would dare to not submit immediately to him. That he was not a blood warlock was a minor blessing, for few would know of their relationship—and indeed had she not confided in me about this part of her history, it would have been all but forgotten—but the horrors committed were very near similar, if less depraved. As more and more of the world fell under the dominance of his shadow magic, his niece made her choice.  While avoiding the ritualistic and forbidden magics of her lineage, Icetlacatl had not been idle. She was not a unicorn, but her deep connection to magic and the knowledge gained from her family's long, secret history with it, allowed her to trap her shadow within herself, cutting herself from the natural flow of the world. I have been asked by apprentices and even some mages about why Shadow Magic is forbidden. For we do have spells that use shades as foci, or even as mediums. However, the Shadow Magic of yore is a far cry from the simple shadow spells of today, which are essentially a contrast in light and darkness as forms of perception. Forbidden Shadow Magic is not a contrast in light and dark. It draws on the essence of shadows as part of the astral identity of creatures. The essence of a creature is reflected in all stages of their life and appearance in some way or another, and what is a shadow but an extension of the self? A reflection of intent and presence? What a pony does, their shadow does too. And it might be faded or perceived to be absent, but shadows are always there… in simple terms, does not the lack of shadow make a painting of a creature flat and absent of depth? The same can be said for how a shadow would reflect a living creature's soul, for we are more than simply the image of us others see. Shadows represent this on a visceral level that modern shadow magic (thankfully) doesn't try to emulate. It is important to remember that primal magic is forbidden because it lacks the mechanisms we have evolved into our understanding of magic to protect ourselves and others, no matter how nefarious our purposes might be. It is forbidden because it carries a life of its own with the visceral fuel of emotions, imagination and even anthropomorphizing of a concept that is given power by all aspects of itself, objective, subjective, and even attributed. Thus it is that—when it comes to primal magic—a creature that casts no shadow simply has no soul, and therefore cannot be manipulated or affected by Shadow Magic. But, what does this do to a creature without a soul—without a shadow? What weight must she carry on her shoulders and what level of commitment must she have, to lose something so essential to a creature's life and even then find the will to confront her enemy and save ponykind? Sonata's stories never delved too deeply on her personal feelings through that period of time, as she made her way through countries controlled and terrorized by her uncle, her Soul Gem slowly morphing into a Siren Gem as Equestria Itself recognized her sacrifice even before she reached her objective: Tonameyotl's palace. Her uncle had used his countless slaves to build himself a grand palace. Majestic and foreboding, it rose against a cliffside high above the waters of the cold, unforgiving sea, high above all towns and cities so that the creatures that lived under its shadow could despair and remember who they served. Icetlacatl's final battle with her uncle was as brutal as battles in those days were. His magic didn't affect her, but he spared no innocent, no warrior, in trying to kill her; and she had to fight as Earth Ponies did in ancient times; with an ax blade made of obsidian, or with spears and knives. When it was all over, she stood, the lone survivor in a sea of corpses, staring down at proof that her family was cursed to bring ruin to the world. She set the palace on fire and, at a loss of what to do with herself, or even how to even get her soul back, she simply jumped from the cliff, devoid of all will to live, now that her mission was over. When the dark waters embraced her, she remembered peace and darkness claiming her at last, as her consciousness was enveloped by the warmth magic of her siren gem. When she had awakened, centuries later, she was reborn as a siren, able to join the other heroes who had sacrificed so much to save the world. Her reward had been a relative immortality and a family that understood. Things, she told me, were worth the wait and sacrifice. At least , I expect, until that day when we were summoned to stop them. When Stygian corrupted her and the other sirence with the forbidden magic he would later use to become the Pony of Shadows after stealing our artifacts... and I betrayed them all by judging them for their differences, rather than remembering who they truly were. My friends, and the heroes we had forgotten. I can only hope that we face our own end with as much dignity as they lived their lives, both in the ancient past and in modern Equestria.