Harmonic Tree

by Shadow Watcher

Chapter 2

Sunset Shimmer pulled herself to her hooves next to the crystalline sapling, unsure of what just happened.

She had chosen not to attack when she had been struck by something large. And heavy. Had she…had she died? And been resurrected at the site of Harmony she’d just visited?

She stamped a hoof on the ground. First she was Shunned, and now she couldn’t even die right? She looked up at the beam of light, still pointing towards the base of Mount Canterhorn. So. This is what was meant to be guided by Harmony? To be chosen of Harmony, and Shunned by all others? Very well. She felt no weaker than she had before death. She was, however, highly annoyed.

She pulled herself to her hooves, giving herself a stretch as she did.

Whatever had killed her must have been moving with the herd of ponies she had run across. The ones that…

She shook her head. Best not to think on that. The mere thought that she’d been tempted to…
She stamped the ground as if crushing that thought. If she was able to help them, then she’d do it, by Harmony. She scoffed. As if she knew how to help them.

Besides, they’d most likely passed by already. There was no knowing how long it had taken her to revive.

She once more went to the road and turned towards Mount Canterhorn. It wasn’t long before she stopped, ears swiveling. Again, she moved off the road, a further distance away this time. The same herd of ponies shambled over the rise, their coats and colors dull.

The same war rose up within her; both voices making their pleas. She pressed them down. Her eyes scanned the surrounding area. She turned to her right: two blazing red eyes, a mass of shadow. Darkness.

---

Sunset Shimmer pulled herself to her hooves once more. Was she truly dying and being revived? It felt closer to resetting to when she first touched the sapling of Harmony.

She shook her head; something to ponder later. At least she’d seen what had gotten her this time: a mass of shadow, shaped as a horse, with glowing red eyes.

She frowned. The shadow horse had only attacked after she had refused to attack the herd of ponies. Was it the voice demanding she do so?

Assessment time. All of her weapons…were at the bottom of the Celestial Sea. Sunken with her boat. Fortunately, she was a learned mage, but with little practice in a long time, any high tier spells were out for now. Her memory on many were fuzzy. She very clearly could recall Arcane Bolt, telekinesis (an instinctual magic to all unicorns), a basic Barrier, and…Spark.

She tapped her hoof on her chin, and scratched out an equation into the dirt. Spark was an interesting basic spell in that it branched off into three directions: fire, lightning, and light. Light would probably be her best option against a shadow creature, which she assumed the horse creature was.

She looked over the spell matrix she had drawn out and nodded. Time to test her mettle.

---

A twig crunched under a hoof. Barely keeping from flinching, she kept her eyes peeled on the road. Crouched with bushes some yards off the road, she could easily see the herd of ponies as they shambled along. She couldn’t feel the inner tug this time, and as she watched, the shadow horse stomped up the rise.

It stood, towering over the ponies, pawing the ground before whirling around, snarling at the herd. The ponies closest flinched away, shivering. The great beast pawed the ground, letting out a braying sound. It was laughing. It waited for the herd to move ahead a moment, taking the opportunity to survey the area.

Twice it turned to stare at the bush she hid within, causing her to barely breathe. It stamped its hoof down twice, then turned and followed after the herd. A tendril of shadow whipped out from it, cracking the air as a whip.

She took a steadying breath, then charged forward. She galloped as hard as she could, hooves pounding the ground beneath her. Her horn glowing, charging.

The shadow horse turned its head, looking right at her. It’s shadow tendrils manifested, slithering up above. Forming into the shape of a massive hammer, it poised, ready to spring down and flatten her.

Sunset kept her eyes forward. She had to time it perfectly. The hammer swung down; she threw herself forward.

The hammer of shadow slammed the ground; Sunset found herself muzzle to muzzle with the shadow creature. Light exploded from her horn.

Before the light even began to fade, Sunset lit her horn, firing off a burst of Arcane bolts.

A hoof slammed into her chest, kicking her away. Sunset flew back, rolling when she hit the ground. Throwing herself into it, she rolled onto her hooves, sliding back a few more more hoof lengths.

The shadow flickered in places: good. She had hurt it. Badly. Still, it was quite disconcerting for it to be glaring at her with a line remaining red eye.

Hmmm. She reckoned she had enough in her mana reserves for one more Shine. Her horn glowed once more.

The shadow’s remaining eye narrowed. A solitary tendril formed at its side, sharpening into a narrow point.

She surged forward, pushing the last of her strength into her hooves.

The shadow thundered across the distance at her, its lance cutting the air before it.

The two charged into one another, the lance glancing her side as the world exploded into light.

Sunset tumbled across the ground, barely managing to roll herself onto her hooves. She quickly flounced around, trying to face the shadow.

It stood a ways from her. Then began to pitch to the side. As it fell, it dissolved into a mass of shadow that drifted apart like bits of ash. She heard something drop to the ground with a soft thump.

She lay where she was for a moment, then pushed herself slowly back to her hooves fully. She looked where the lance had glanced her side: the wound had already closed, but the spot still throbbed.

Walking to where the shadow had…dispersed…revealed what it had dropped: a small, glowing stone. She picked it up, cradling it in her hoof. It was a small green stone with a chain attached, as though it were meant to be wrapped around something. The stone pulsed with light; the green seemed to bleed out of it. A small portion of harmonic energy flowed into the stone from her hoof, taking on the appearance of a prism.

Not sure what else to do, she grasped it in her telekinesis, holding it up higher to get a better look. As she raised it up, it flashed with prismatic light. The chain shot forward, wrapping around her horn, leaving the gem to dangle near the tip.

Quiet hoofsteps caused her to turn. The ponies stood but a few hoof lengths from her, staring.

Sunset opened her mouth, then quickly closed it. No words came to mind. She dipped her head. Their eyes followed. She blinked. Lifted her head; their eyes followed.

She glanced up at the prism dangling from her horn. She pawed the ground. What now? Shunned, yet now stuck with a stone that draws ponies’ attention?

Something tugged at the back of her mind. There was…definitely something. Something she was supposed to do now.

She turned back the way towards the shoreline. The prism pulsed. She swung her head back around. Another pulse. She faced where the site of Harmony was.

She turned to the ponies; they had gathered near her. A respectful distance away, but at least they were all together. She stood, and they moved as if to follow her.

Taking a few experimental steps proved that they would follow. So, she trusted her instincts. The stone pulsed faster the nearer she drew, until it practically buzzed along her horn.

She reached a hoof out and touched the sapling again. The prism pulsed with energy; the crystalline sapling pulsed back.

As she stepped back, the other ponies moved forward. They huddled together around the small tree, as one would a campfire.

Slowly, color began fading back into them, their dull coats showing faint colors. Their coats weren’t vibrant, yet…the more they sat around the sapling, the more…alive they seemed to become.

A pink butterfly fluttered across her vision, causing her to stumble back in surprise. She blinked at realizing a new pony stood beside her, covered muzzle to tail in a long cloak.

The new pony looked to the ponies gathered around the crystal sapling, basking in the small light of Harmony.

“That was a Kind thing you did, Sunset Shimmer.” The mare said softly. She turned to face her directly. “Can you see it? Harmony’s guidance?”

Sunset looked away, at the sapling. At the beam of light still pointing towards the base of Mount Canterhorn. “Yes. I believe I can.”

“Hm.” The cloaked mare continued to stare at her, and Sunset knew that she was being evaluated. But something else caused her pause.

“Why are you speaking with me? I am Shunned. One who walked away from it all.”

“Yet now, here you stand. Your hooves tread Equestria’s soil once again. You claim guidance by Harmony itself. You…are a very curious mare, Sunset Shimmer.” The hooded mare nodded. “Very well. If truly you see the guidance of Harmony, we will meet again.” She dissolved into a kaleidoscope of pink butterflies that quickly dispersed.

Sunset Shimmer stood there for a moment, then turned and looked at the ponies. Much of their color had returned, though not quite the normal vibrant. Indeed, now that she looked fully at her surroundings, the color of everything seemed…muted. Unlike her own coloring. Yet something told her they would be alright now.

She pawed the ground twice, thrice, then turned and began heading down the road, towards the mountain.

Comments

[Leo Luce]

What's that chain?

[Shadow Watcher]

11304191
That will partially be revealed next chapter.