Chapter 8: Wielder and Seer

“M-Mommy? Daddy?” W-Where am I? The haunted house was so scary that I ran out by myself. There are a lot of ponies here, but none of them look like my parents. Are they still inside?

I quickly looked around, having cried earlier, but enough time had passed that the trails my tears left had dried up; however, my fright and terror were quickly getting their wetness back as I was starting to get scared again. I shook, but tightly closed my eyes, clenched my fists, and gritted my teeth while trying to keep myself from crying again. I’m scared, but I don’t wanna to cry again. Daddy never cries because he’s strong. I thought going into the haunted house would make me strong as him, but …

“Hey, are you okay?”

I jumped back and yelped from the sudden voice and touch, tears rolling down my face again as I saw the new pony in front of me. It was a filly with a short mane tied in twin-tails, and her face was painted orange with black stripes and whiskers, making her look like a tiger.

“I’m sorry. Did I scare you?” she asked.

I shook my head quickly and wiped my tears, trying to stop them from falling as best as I could.

“Are you lost?”

“N-no … Yes, I think.”

“Do you know where you saw your parents before?”

“W-We were in the haunted house.”

“Really? Why did you go in there?”

“I wanted to show Daddy I could be as strong and brave as him, but …”

“I see. I was scared when I tried it once before, too. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll make it through next time.”

I sniffled. “Really?”

“Really, really. Now why don’t we go look for your parents together, okay?” She smiled as she held a hand out towards me.

I nodded a little and took her hand, gripping it tight so I wouldn’t get lost again. She was bigger than me and so was her hand, but it was warm and soft. I felt better, somehow.

“Ugh … What was that?” I asked as I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Where did that come from? As I blinked to clear my vision, I realized I was in a completely different space than where I slept before. Another familiar place I know too well, but at the same time was different in a way I couldn’t describe.

“Is this Canterlot Park? Here’s the tree we always hung out beneath, and the playground is over there, but …” Everywhere else I looked there was a field of grass as far as I could see. No stony pavement nearby, and no indication I was on a mountain whatsoever. “Am I dreaming?”

“Why yes. You are, indeed.”

The new voice startled me enough to make me jump up. I checked my surroundings. The source wasn’t around. “Who’s there?! Where are you?!” I was really on edge. The voice came out of nowhere, but it had some sort of familiarity to it. I didn’t know why that was, but I was too pent up to think about it further as I backed myself towards the tree behind me.

That was when a black figure dropped in, centimeters close to my face.

“Boo.”

“Gah!” I jumped back and hit my head against the bark with a thump, shaking the tree to a slight rustle. I groaned and rubbed the spot where I hit myself with my eyes tightly closed while I heard the figure drop to the ground and guffawed.

“Oh Starry, you’re still scared of a lot of things, I see,” she tried to say between breaths.

When I opened my eyes, they widened as I saw who was tossing on the ground before me. “I-It’s you! The black pony from the streets! And you can talk!”

“Yes, that’s correct. The very same.” She calmed down and stood up while wiping a nonexistent tear from her empty white eyes. Though she was speaking, there was no mouth for her to talk with.

“And how do you know my name? I never introduced myself … At least I don’t think I did.”

“You may not know or remember me, but I know almost everything about you, Starry Night. From the moment you were born into the world, actually.”

I crossed my arms and tilted my head. “You have? But I’d remember a pony as black and … unique with eyes as you if I’ve seen you before. Are you some kind of stalker?” I looked up to the blue cloudless skies. “Now that I think about it, your voice sounds familiar. Where have I …?”

“I was inactive for quite some time, but it wasn’t until very recently that I started calling out to you. Remember?”

“Calling out? When did …” That was when it hit me. The thing I was experiencing that made me sleepy over the past few weeks. “Are you the same mare from my dreams that involved those glowing chains?”

“Yes! Oh, I’m so happy you remembered!” She suddenly pulled me into a tight hug. My head was held against her big soft chest due to the noticeable height difference. Heat rose to my face at first, but despite the embarrassment I felt something different in this contact than the last time.

A heartbeat was racing against my face, probably out of excitement, but that definitely wasn’t there the last time we made full physical contact.

“W-Wait! Hold on a second!” I quickly pulled myself away from the black mare, trying to catch my breath while thinking things through. “Just let me make sense out of this first, all right?”

“Of course.”

“So … The mare in the dreams was you, so that means you’re also the same mare that was in that clump of chains I was trying to reach, too. Right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Okay, so … how do you know me, how did you go from my dreams to the real world, why are you able to speak now instead of the last time we met, and most importantly, who and what the heck are you?”

“I suppose I have a lot to explain and we have a limited time in this space, so I’ll try to keep it brief. I am what you may call a Seer, a being that not only watches over Wielders from the moment they’re awakened—whether they’re conscious of it or not—but is also a part of them as well. I am the manifestation of the magic you’ve recently used earlier with great success.”

“You mean that you’re the source of my Shadow Magic that Lumina told me about?”

“Precisely. Everypony in your world has a Seer of their own, but only a handful such as yourself are able to fully wake us up and establish a connection, utilizing the magic we embody to its full potential.”

“Okay, so how did I ‘wake’ you up? Do you know that much?”

Her ears folded while her eyes changed to how one would look when they’re unsure or concerned. “Sadly, even I do not know that much. I remember being awake much earlier before now, but it was only for a short time before I was knocked out. It wasn’t until recently that I somehow gained some consciousness and tried reaching out to you.”

“Hmm … could those glowing chains have something to do with it?” I closed my eyes tightly and nodded my head. “Maybe it’s due to some sort of sealing spell, but I haven’t read anything that involved Seers, chains, or the like. How were you even able to get out of it?”

“You were actually part of the reason, Starry. A powerful magic force was able to break some of the links enough so I could try to reach out to you in the physical world. I wasn’t able to speak to you that time because it took so much just to meet you in person.”

“Breaking chains from a powerful force, huh?” The only force I could think of would be my failed attempt in casting the teleportation spell during my duel. Actually, I might have heard some chains breaking under the explosion at that time even though I didn’t see anything of the sort outside. Could that be it?

“That would be the most likely case,” she interrupted, making me jump a little.

“Uh, did you just read my mind?”

She giggled. “I’m a part of you after all, Starry. I can hear your thoughts as clearly as your own voice.”

“Okay, better watch myself around you, then. Anyway, I do recall that happening, but I also remember the chain breaking again when you did something that involved putting your hand to my chest. How did that happen?”

“Ah yes. You see, in order for the Wielders to use their special magic, they must start with creating a connection; a strong, trusting bond with their Seers. When they do, that magical potential would link between the two, allowing the Wielders to fully harness and improve their special magic as they please. When I asked if you trusted me for teaching you Shadow Magic, you opened yourself up to me enough to reach in and use that potential to break what was left of the seal that chained you down. It seems that seal of yours was slowly weakening down at that time, and not only did it release the Shadow Magic inside you, it also set free most of the regular magic you’ve known and trained with so much up to now.”

“My regular magic, too? Actually, even though I had my things on my back when I ran away, levitating myself those last few times wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. I may be able to lift that high schooler easier now than before if that were the case. Does that mean I could cast higher-level spells now, too?”

“It might be possible now, yes.”

“So that seal locked away some of my magic on reserve as well …” If that were the case, and if what she said was true, my Shadow Magic was awakened at a much earlier time before now. Question is: when was it, why don’t I remember it, why was it sealed away as soon as it was awakened, and who put up the spell to begin with? “Gah, my brain hurts,” I groaned as I rubbed my head.

“I understand it’s a lot to take in, but I hope I answered some of your questions up to now.”

“That still only leaves who you are and why you’re here now.”

“To properly introduce myself is one thing. The other is what we Seers usually do when we’re awakened: receive our names.”

I raised a brow and tilted my head. “Wait, are you saying I need to give you a name?”

“That’s right. Due to the circumstances though, the naming had to be postponed, so my naming has been long overdue.”

“How long ago was it when you woke up the first time?”

“I unfortunately don’t know that, either.”

“Shit. All right, we’ll have to worry about the minor details later. Let’s see, what would be a good name for you?” I looked down and concentrated as much as possible. I could feel the black mare’s eager stare during that time. “How about … Shadina?”

“Is that your final answer?”

“I believe so, yes.”

“Then hold out your hand and close your eyes.”

I obliged with my palm faced up before I felt Shadina place hers on top of it. She guided our hands to where we were giving them a gentle push to each other, palms and fingers together.

“As Umbra of Shadow as our witness,” she began, “I hereby accept the name of Shadina by my master, Starry Night. This pact ties our fate as Seer and Wielder, and may our powers serve us in the times to come, until death do us part.”

I felt a sudden tingling in my palm that ran up my arm and spread throughout my body as I shivered in place. I was tempted to peek an eye open to see what was going on, but I resisted the urge until the shivering died down.

“It is done. You may open your eyes, now.”

I slowly opened my eyes and pulled my hand back with my palm towards me, only to see that nothing was there. “What just happened?”

“We’ve officially bonded as Seer and Wielder, Starry. You wouldn’t have done much besides what I taught you earlier in Canterlot because I was only able to release you of the chains that bound your Shadow Magic and regular magic. It’s only when we make the pact as Seer and Wielder that we’re able to practice and use this magic to its full potential.”

“Whoa, that sounds really deep. Who’s this ‘Umbra of Shadow’ that you spoke of, though?”

“Unless Lumina plans to explain it to you, we’ll get to it in another night as our time is nearing its end,” Shadina answered.

I looked around me and noticed how my surroundings were starting to get darker to the point of blackness. “Crap! Are we still going to learn how to use Shadow Magic?!”

“Of course, and we’ll see what you’re capable of soon enough. For now, just practice what I taught you earlier and see what you can do with it, whether it be in different shapes, sizes, and the like.”

“O-Okay, Shadina! I’ll practice as much as possible! I’ll be an awesome Shadow Wielder!”

“I know you will, Starry Night.” Shadina closed her white ovals into arches, doing her best to show how she smiles and express joy. “Take care of yourself.”

Everything then went black, ending our first of many meetings as Wielder and Seer. I felt myself smiling as I looked forward to what I’d learn in the coming future with my new friend and teacher, Shadina.

Author's Note

What will come for Starry the next morning? Finding that out will come much later. Before we get to that, we're going to take a look at how everyone in Canterlot is faring in the next couple of chapters. Lots of stuff will be revealed along with some drama, so prepare yourselves. Until next time,

This is Dudeler, signing off.