Author's Note

Special thanks to Shadow Wolf. He helped me very much with the themes and the composition. Without him, it would've been much longer and much more boring. More to come, thank you all so much for the positive reception.

Halfbreed(s)

Chapter 3.
Halfbreed(s).

Umbra stood out in the summer sun and let its powerful rays wash over her physique. Peaceful avian music accompanied this journey outside, along with pretty saddle bags draped over her back. Blowing breezes brought her fresh air to take in and nourish herself with, flowers shivering in the heated wind and beckoning her gaze. The ancient sorceress casually examined the mundane flora about her home in Ponyville, the scattered stalks and petals so common that most alchemists of her caliber wouldn’t spare a second glance.

Hydrangeas, a tulip here and there and sunflowers off in the distance hardly had the appeal of exotic bloodroot, delicious vanilla or putrid rafflesia. But they were markers of her home, her new life. A life content and warm and bursting with love. She couldn’t help but weave the buds and flowers into her mane in memory of eons past when she’d study in her old home forests magic and alchemy and witchcraft draped in blooming plant life. Her smile widened until her fangs poked out from beneath ebon lips at the old recollection of life as a forest witch, rather than a power hungry and blood thirsty queen.

Oh, how things change.

The dark mare was pulled from this fantasy by the scraping of young and delicate hooves against the dirt path behind her. A giddy trot totally unlike any other sound in the world, let alone the surrounding nature of Ponyville’s outskirts. Though it was a new sound, it was a natural and exciting one. Approaching with increasing volume and excited speed, Dinky came to a skidding stop by her Aunt’s side with saddlebags near-bursting with toys and tools for the day.

“Okay, okay! I’m ready, Auntie!” She reported with her Father’s distinctive dialect, her tail wagging and her eyes wide for the coming knowledge she’d receive. Umbra hardly broke her smile from the young and impressionable little treasure, simply beginning their short trip toward the Everfree.

“It’s good to see a young mare so ready and eager to learn.” Umbra spoke with a scholarly and careful demeanor, always trying to set an example for her excitable niece. Dinky returned the sentiment with a blustering smile, as she only really enjoyed learning in any capacity when her wise and ancient Aunt was involved. The dark unicorn had a talent for putting things in ways that the filly could understand. Not only that, but the bottomless well of her knowledge and intuition made Umbra into a living encyclopedia that couldn’t ever be stumped and always had an answer to whatever ridiculous question was thrown at her. Years of practice had helped train the Queen with patience, as when Dinky was still young enough to suckle her Mother’s teat, Umbra quite often found it difficult to tolerate the more aggravating aspects of an infant.

The screaming, the sleepless nights, the smells were obstacles that forced her to adapt and learn quickly. Just as the rest of the herd had done, she carved a niche for herself and filled it dutifully, despite the extreme frustration it so often caused. Derpy became the prime nurturer of Dinky, feeding and clothing and caring for her out of a natural dedication that guaranteed all who dared threatened Dinky with certain death. You instilled confidence through your masculine aura and brutish activities, assuring that your little girl would never be a quivering coward or an arrogant brat. Her youngest days were mostly devoid of Umbra’s influence, but now that her rapidly expanding mind was open to the world and exploring it every day, the charcoal sorceress had her in.

She was the sage of Dinky’s life, the one she could always turn to when crossing paths with the unknown. Mundane lessons could be addressed by her blood family, but the arcane and the metaphysical were Umbra’s unique domain. Her knowledge and her lessons had to be kept in strict line, naturally. Useful and affectionate and wise as the mare was, some of her ancient and “unique” sentiments had to be curtailed and corrected for the modern age. Discussing which race of pony made the best slave and how to go about sewing civil conflict into the town were strictly forbidden after Dinky spent one particular afternoon at the lake with her Aunt. A task made easy with a loving mother and father to help her, but still a concerning thing sitting in the back of your mind whenever your daughter scrawled cryptic runes on her homework or summoned purple fire at the dinner table.

Had it not given Umbra such a startling purpose and a true reason to rise in the morning, you might’ve perhaps put a stop to their outings. An impressionable mind left in the grasp of an elder evil was no recipe for peace. Twilight Sparkle indeed filled your mailbox and ears with her complaints and concerns. But that beaming smile of fulfillment, that tormenting warmth of motherhood and the satisfaction of watching Dinky use her magic with yet more skill made every last bit of trepidation float away. Umbra found her unique nirvana in teaching her niece, as she would listen without question and strive to please without fatigue. Even now, the dark mare felt excited eyes on her during something as mundane as a walk to the woods.

"So, my little Gem, have you finished your schoolwork?" Umbra asked along her giddy trot. Such a question interrupted the otherwise blissful and unaware grin on Dinky's face, as it was a serious matter when Umbra was asking.

"Yessums, Auntie." She answered in her Mother's unique words. Her broody caretaker beamed with pride at the notion, given that it was only early in the afternoon of Saturday. She had made sure from the very first day of Dinky's education to instill in her a sense of persistent drive and motivation. Just as she felt from her young ages, Umbra nurtured an almost neurotic obsession with punctuality and accuracy in Dinky's school work. The young filly came home, immediately did her homework and was only then released unto the world. You might've found it overbearing and your wife often saw it was quite a lot for a young child to maintain. But the great remarks from every teacher Dinky ever studied under along with leaps and bounds in her control of magic stopped any further protests on the issue.

You knew you could trust Umbra. Even if you couldn't, her “office” was just down the hall and never closed its door for you.

Just as Umbra was, she would be a remarkable student. Dinky would set examples and records. She would grow into an enviable, powerful mare capable of doing just what she liked whenever she so pleased. Umbra knew deep down that ambition like hers wasn’t present in all mares. Some, like Derpy, really did enjoy and strive for the simple and comforting life of a commoner. But Dinky would be gifted with tools nonetheless. Tools to live however she wanted, whenever. Umbra would make absolutely sure that her little niece would never be without ability or talent.

"How was the book? I imagine it was awfully boring for a mind of your caliper, Dear?" Dinky snickered in judgmental guile with her Auntie, both of them reveling in the special knowledge granted to the lucky child.

"Boooooooring! Daring Do’s such a ding-a-ling. I wanted her to get smushed like you said she would!"

"Raiding temples often ends in smushing. It would've made for a far more realistic read. Respectless pillagers and grave robbers always deserve their tragic fates." Dinky cozied up to her Aunt somewhat as they crossed over a slight bridge and effortlessly trot over slow flowing, crystal clear waters. Her gilded eyes wandered across the smoothed surface of sandstone rocks and their pebbly beds of silt for a moment, the naturalistic and earthy colors polished to a shiny finish. Cool air dwelled in the trench the water dug and helped to wash away the warmth building under the ponies’ bellies. This time of the year was always so expressly beautiful, yet her special and frightening Aunt found ways to add to the marvel of life coming back to the world. Explanations of intricate detail and appreciation of every piece in the twisted puzzle- though never fully understood by Dinky's developing mind- painted a magical and wondrous picture for her to be overwhelmed by.

This tiny corner of Equestria had so much to see and to learn on its own, let alone the wide expanses of wilderness beyond the mountains and the seas. She was filled with hope for potential, as if this time in her life might never end and she could learn from her Sage into the eons. Sure, at times Umbra could be too harsh and academic with her teachings. She demanded total attention when she talked and used words far beyond the mind of a six year old. As well, she was guilty of thoughtlessly destroying creatures that "threatened" her precious gem of a niece. Dinky had seen far too many spiders and snakes and lizards boiled from the inside or thrown hundreds of feet into the air by red magic. An immense respect for her Aunt overshadowed any and all fear she might've felt for her. But that dark and sour note would always be present in the back of her mind. She could never know of Umbra's past, partially because such notions of evil and atrocity and vitriol were beyond her comprehension. But also at Derpy's specific behest. Though trusted to be alone with Dinky and to nurture her, it was your job to make sure nothing nefarious was put into your Wife's prized and only child.

"Did you ever explore any temples? Like the ones in Daring Do?" Dinky asked a content Umbra, one whose ear suddenly perked toward a distance and dull noise.

"Me? Oh no, no. I would always have another go in my stead. Best they were crushed rather than I." She said rather casually, despite the dark implications.

"Though, I recall in my younger days plunging the depths of olden pegasus mountain forts for maps and tapestries. Of course, in their hubris, Pegasui often left their treasures out for all to see and envy." Dinky soon caught wind of the subtle beat in the air, a familiar and rythmic knocking against the Earth that her Aunt was far more tightly attuned to. As if a machine, her ebony caretaker stopped her trot and stepped off the dirt path. Knowingly and expectantly, Umbra watched down the length of the trail as Dinky came to her side. Staring for but a moment, the young filly's attention was quickly turned toward the dull humming of energy emanating off of her compatriot's wedding band. Smothered in the bright sunlight, such a weak glow of furious love hardly made it past the fluffy tuft of dark fur, but the tell-tale noise of growing passion was hard to miss. Dinky couldn't fully understand exactly why her Aunt's necklace sang its unusual song, but the signal it gave was nevertheless consistent.

If Umbra was grinning and her jewelry glowing, her Poppy was fast-approaching. Just like clockwork, you emerged from the nearby treeline down the path. Jogging easily over the warm ground in shoes so worn they hardly held onto your feet, every creature in Equestria knew you by the sound alone. A particularly non-pony like sound followed your unique gaite and gave proper warning to your presence. Coming closer and closer, Umbra's ring continuously hummed and buzzed with your proximity. Just as excitement welled in her heart, energy and love swirled about in her wedding band and blossomed outwards with radiating rings of bliss. You skid to a stop just before them with panting breaths and visible beads of sweat rolling down your face.

"Well, well, well. What's a pair of pretty mares doing out here all on their own?" You started without a hint of exhaustion to your voice. Just like usual, the strain of running hardly took the wind out of your lungs. But the muggy and thick heat endemic to late Equestrian springtime soaked you to the socks with human fatigue. Umbra took immediate notice, as the harsh and masculine scent pouring off you piqued her naughty and matured mind. Your daughter knew it to be your scent, but that never stopped her from being put-off by the intensity.

"My King! How curious to see you out and about!" Umbra said giddily, her crimson eyes training on the slight pack slung over your shoulders and the wilting cornflower tucked behind your ear.

“We fled from Derpy’s cooking, M’lord. She’s decided to stink up the kitchen once again.” Immediately a joyous warmth hit your pounding heart, one that produced a boyish and toothy grin.

“Get outta’ here. What’s she making? Please, please tell me it’s more lamb?” Your huffing breath helped you to talk faster and more excitedly, though your wife couldn’t answer before your daughter interjected.

"Poppy, I thought you did exercises in the morning?" Dinky said, her look of confusion further twisted by a sour grimace of disgust.

"Couldn't hardly sleep last night. When Momma sent me out for groceries, figured I might as well get a little run in." You huffed and offered the battered plant to your wife, one who was already quite well-dressed in green foliage and dazzling petals.

“Sugar, saw this at Applejack's place. Thought it’d look better on you.” Red magic seized the teal flower quickly and settled it behind her vacant ear. The ancient mare wiggled in sweet bashfulness as she accepted your gift, though a wash of worry shined through her otherwise enraptured stare.

"Dreams again, my Darling?" Umbra asked as the bright blue shimmied behind her ear and perfectly complimented her bundles of thick, black mane.

"Same thing as last night. Hoping like heck it passes before I get back to work." Dinky hopped forward on her tiny hooves, eager to speak.

"Auntie? You think Poppy might be seeing the future? Like you used to?" Umbra shrugged at the notion. What sounded utterly ridiculous to your sensibilities- something like being able to see the future through dreams- was apparently perfectly reasonable to discuss for your mystically inclined wife.

"I don't think so, Precious. Your Father isn't so connected with the world as we are. Especially as I was in those days." The moment the words left her lips however, the Queen shot you a suspicious look prying for some hidden truth.

"Lest his Majesty saw something he really ought to tell us?" Mock offense crawled across your face as you dropped down to retrieve lovely treasures from your run on the market.

"I told you everything I can remember, Sugar." You insisted with some playful frustration, bestowing your lovely herd with delicious treats. Pomegranates were rare in this part of Equestria, yet were highly prized for their flavor and refreshing nature. As your co-workers had to explain, they also carried a connotation of romantic interest and “spicy” desires for another. The first time you returned home with a bundle in your grasp, the wife's absolutely ate it up. Dinky enjoyed the gushing and hydrating sugar rush, Umbra and Derpy got to enjoy the sensual implications. The gift brought hints of relief to your Queen’s concerned expression and made giddy hunger explode across your Daughter’s.

"It’s like… I dunno. Feels like something’s coming in and hitting me in the face every night. You and Mushy are there, Dinky too. But I can’t shake the feeling like something else is stalking me." Umbra scowled in thought, both her and her little student holding their fruits in magic auras to spare their hooves a sticky rain. Dinky, grinning ear to ear, rabidly tore into her fruit without another word.

"Our only concern is the potential meaning of such thoughts, Darling. Ponies are disturbed by unusual dreams when forks in their destiny beckon." You waved a dismissive hand at her mystical implications, shouldering your bag and readying yourself for the last leg of your run home.

"Well, I'm not a pony. Probably just need to lay off the cider after dinner." She didn't seem all too convinced, but your wife found no other reason to hold you there. She and Dinky were expected in a field to harvest and learn. That didn't mean you were dismissed, however. The moment you took a step, red energy grabbed your shoulders and pulled stiffly toward the pudgy pony grinning at you.

"Restrain thyself, stallion! You certainly weren't going to run by without paying 'the toll,' were you?" Umbra snidely crooned, a nasty smirk splitting her dark muzzle to show off pearly fangs. Your eyes could do nothing but roll as she sassed you, the mare greedily tugging you closer and closer until you relented.

"Urgh... you see how your Aunt does me, Dinky? Treats your poor old poppy like a slave!" Hooded eyes and puckered lips answered your complaint with a wet and gentle smooch. Just a moment's contact and fires were bursting inside the mare with excited sparks kicking up and into the air. She lifted a hoof from the ground in a girly display of delight, a deep hum resonating through Umbra's jaw and into your own.

"Mmmmmmwuah! Thank you very much, young stallion!" It took quite a bit of concerted effort not to wipe your mouth after her slobbery kiss, for she always appreciated watching the glistening sparkle of her diamond spittle on your lips. Dinky scoffed at the adult exchange, naturally averting her eyes to the repugnant reality of what it took to create her.

“Be safe, my King. We’ll be home before dark.”

“Oh I believe it. Just behave while you’re out, alright?” You scolded with an overbearing and fatherly tone, assuring that the scathing demand didn’t go unheard.

“Yessums Poppy…” Dinky answered with a pout and red juice running down her chin.

“Not you, Honey.” An eyebrow cocked toward the smug and snickering Umbra following your quick correction. Its seriousness appeared entirely lost on her, however.

“Whatever could a mare like me do that would displease you, M’Lord?” She hissed with a floppy tail dragging through the grass.

“No summoning demons. No sacrifices. No black magic and absolutely no exploding of any kind. Alright?” You accentuated every word with a pointing finger, as if it were a cattle prod that would enforce your guidelines.

“Have you got it?” One last nag to make sure you were clear, despite an innate understanding that both mares would do whatever they pleased regardless.

“Yes, my King. I promise not to upset the little foal in the castle.” Umbra answered with a raised hoof and a haughty tone. Just barely good enough to put your mind at some ease. In any case, the blame couldn’t be put squarely on you anymore.

“Killer.” And with that, you were off. Going down the trail and leaving your precious mares behind, they watched for a moment or so before bursting into girlish laughter amongst themselves.

“Heh, Daddy don’t know squat about magic.” Dinky giggled to her equally amused Aunt.

“Pfft! ‘Black Magic!’ As if I would bother with such a useless and tiresome class of the arcane!”

“Why’s Poppy such a goofball, Auntie?” Dinky squealed as they set off once again.

“Oh he cannot be blamed. He speaks on things he knows nothing about. Our King never had the joy of learning the arcane from a young age.”

With that heavy layer of mirth pushing them along, they reached the sunny glen in short time. Over another creek and into the woods, buildings and business could still be seen through the whimpering tree trunks. Their inhabitants however, never came close. Seclusion through shrubbery made for a brilliant silence that both the mares used to heighten their concentration. Nothing came between them but the heat of the sun, the song of birds and buzzing of insects going about their business. That was something that took you many years to get used to. No cars, no planes or factories or enormous complexes of people to make noise. Equestria was so startlingly quiet in places that it lacked almost any parallel on Earth. Anywhere with people could never be as shockingly peaceful as this stretch of land in Ponyville.

Umbra set up a motley workbench for her tools and runes in the relieving shade of a weeping willow tree. A slight river ran through this sequestered dell and provided the perfect floodplain soil for rapid and diverse plant growth, as well as brilliantly clear water for bulking out potions and tinctures. Nothing fancy grew here, nothing particularly difficult to harvest and process either. The range of things she could create were more than enough to suit her needs, though. Dinky’s childish and excitable mind set about exploring this new area of her small home, trying to discover any new insects and plants she could capture and examine closely.

“Auntie? Auntie, have you got my book?” She called from a patch of mint and weeds. Slightly distracted with crafting a small burner, her fluffy care-taker took her sweet time searching through her satchels and retrieving the leather-bound tome.

“Yes, Darling! Just be sure to catch it, this time!” She called out, carelessly tossing it in her Niece’s direction with a spark of magic. Dinky thankfully saved it from accumulating more mud and filth, her deft use of amber magic taking it straight from the air.

“And be sure to avoid the poison oak!”

“Where?” Dinky returned, already flipping open her book to sketch out leaves and stems like her Aunt.

“You’re standing in it, my Dear.”

For this afternoon, Umbra took your current situation as inspiration for her next lesson. Last week, it had been the basics of healing salves and somewhat effective stimulants. Aloe vera, sea berries and pot marigolds crushed into a paste then boiled in river water helped to alleviate bee stings and minor cuts. Sassafras roots combined with honey and mashed tea leaves kept them alert and energetic during sweaty treks through the forest. Neither, however, were particularly thrilling or amazing in their effects.

Her newest recipe wouldn’t blow any minds or set any records, but it was something different for her student to see. A simple, yet effective potion to help calm your mind and settle whatever strange apparitions were disturbing your sleep. Basing her ingredients and process on memory alone, Umbra scratched into her notebook a simple list of ingredients that would contribute to your recovery from this strange ailment. And, perhaps, just a dash of musli roots and powdered autumn crocus to enhance your fertility. For her own sake. It was during this time of setting up the more complex equipment, putting together recipes and beating backs the hoards of biting bugs that Dinky would gain the most from Umbra. Wandering about and exploring to her heart’s content, the young filly could ask whatever she needed and always receive a swift answer.

“Auntie, what’s this one?”

“Echinacea. Best for colds and sore throat.”

“Auntie, how come your horn’s all red and pointy? But mine’s round and grey?”

“I reshaped it long ago to help me cast more concentrated energy spells. At the time I was fending off more rogue mages than now.”

“If Poppy’s ‘the King,’ then how come we have princesses?”

“He is King through marriage to me, a Queen. And the Princesses are princesses because they just happen to have such giant flanks no other pony can argue with them.”

“Auntie, why do you always know so much about plants and stuff?”

“When you’ve had to poison as many ponies as me, memorizing it all is quite important.” Again and again, relentless questioning. She indulged the filly with her answers and never once gave her a wry look or an aggressive answer. Tendrils of narcissism crept in here and there to allow Umbra an infinite patience with the young lady so long as she was the “brilliant and all knowing” mind that provided what Dinky sought. A warmth spread throughout her whenever she filled her tiny Niece with her own experience and wisdom, especially so when the matured mare could watch her ply the lessons she had learned.

Dinky so carefully harvested roots and petals and stems, her magic manipulating your ancient and rusted pocket knife just as she had been instructed. Careful flicks and knicks severed the ever so delicate components from their natural resting places, each trick and tactile move another tiny thing the ancient unicorn had to teach. Naturally, the fidgety and impatient little thing never caught every tiny detail that an experienced eye would. Premium buds, ripened fruits and roots of proper thickness might go unseen, subtle differences in the subject’s anatomy might escape her uncareful gaze and the sneaking presence of poison ivy always caught the filly off-guard. She had a long way to go for any alchemist, but made remarkable progress for her age.

A regular prodigy scampering through the brush. All under Umbra’s prideful watch. She smiled contently to herself and let the sun warm her fur, as if life itself were rewarding this laborious and in-depth process. It was times like this, in the silence of the forest and with Dinky by her side, that strange visions came to Umbra.

Perhaps a lingering side effect of her dabbling in ancient magic, or just her elder mind finally unravelling at the edges. In the far off brush her eyes at times spotted the colorful rumps and shoulders of foals skittering about. Laughter and ghostly movements rung out through the woods around here in quiet calls directed only toward the brooding mare. Should she concentrate and tune her ears to the invisible source, she could almost hear the voices of these wraiths come to pester her. An uneasy joy came to her heart, a new sensation in the otherwise blackened and desolate space behind her ribs.

Unwavering and sharp eyes of the deepest crimson cut through the steamy haze surrounding the trees and rising off the leaves. Umbra tapped into her suppressed well of magic, trying to parse out exactly who or what was trying to speak to her. Long ago, she could converse with the spirits wandering an area and know what they desired. Umbra could sense children yet to be born, ponies long dead and eternal souls without corporeal form. This mischievous band of spirits was clearly there to fool with her, to make her seem insane and to disrupt her efforts. They followed her about and made themselves difficult to spot, as many tricksters did when they sought to steal from novice mages. She knew that these children weren’t truly there, as if they were Dinky would’ve no doubt seen them as well. But she couldn’t shake a yearning weight crawling up her spine. The mare focused and watched intently until an overwhelming urge threatened to spill over her and force her hoof.

She wanted these apparitions to be true and real. She wanted dearly to see beautiful, natural and loving foals hop out from the brush and greet her. Heartbeats fluttered at the most fleeting, tiny and meaningless flash of a white-furred face hiding behind a tree trunk.

“Umbra! Auntie Umbra! Look at this thing! C’mere, quick!” Dinky hollered from the brush just as the unicorn’s ghosts hopped back into the brambles. The chubby and matured pony didn’t respond very quickly, as this extreme excitement for mundane discoveries was highly common in her niece. New beetles, a turtle or a strange rock would set Dinky off like a bomb and get her squealing. Umbra just had to bide her time and wait for the glee to wear down before she could calmly and gently explain what “incredible treasure” her little one had found.

Sauntering over with her mind wandering elsewhere, a strange pain slapped the mare in the back of her head. A reeling reaction made her stumble and struggle to keep her composition. She approached slower and slower in the wake of this unusual sensation. The dregs of a flu, the dragging and pounding headache of a cold and the exhausting heat of a fever crashed into every fiber of her being surely as an arrow piercing hide. Umbra was sucking for breath in seconds and dragging her hooves through the soft carpet of leaves below. Had her mind not been clouded by intense discomfort and the swimming confusion of illness, she might’ve been able to more quickly piece together exactly what was causing this. But it took Dinky showing her the offending item for all things to make sense.

“Lookie here! Someone left their dream catcher!” Dinky proudly held the woven net of hemp and twigs toward her Aunt, eliciting a nightmarish screech and flaring energy from the ancient evil.

“SKREEE!!!” Umbra responded when unwavering agony slammed against her front. She showed her fangs and let fierce magic glow in her eyes out of an uncontrollable and natural reaction to danger. Dinky instantly drew back and dropped the charm to the ground, lessening its effect on Umbra but still keeping it in range to cause her harm.

“GAH! Auntie?!” Dinky cried as she skittered back from the writhing and snarling demon her chaperone had become. Umbra clawed at her face with a hoof to try and scrape away the maddening effects of this ward, but the ferocious pain it caused her nevertheless overwhelmed her senses. All she could do to stop herself from devolving into a whimpering and screaming mess was back away and try to calm her simpering niece.

“Ugh- RRRRGH! Damned thing! Nnf! Dinky! Dinky, my Darling! Leave that rubbish where it lies and come here!” She called out through faded vision. Her world spun rapidly around her, fighting against her senses and plunging her into delusion. This simple ward was wearing off the further she back peddled, its horrible aura chasing her with invisible tendrils tipped with barbed stingers. Umbra threw drool from her mouth in efforts to regain herself as Dinky watched cautiously from afar.

“Mmhn- GHK-... ugh. Gods above. My Gem? Where have you gone?” She shouted into the forest of whispering plants and still trunks.

“Darling? ...Dinky?! Speak up, child! Come about!” She commanded with a growing fear in her heart.

“Are you okay, Auntie?” Dinky huffed from behind a tree, her proximity to the charm laying on the ground enough to ward off the monster Umbra had so quickly become.

“Yes, yes! Now come here at once! Your- oooogh! Your Auntie isn’t feeling well!” Such was a wild understatement, given her state. The simple trinket would've never harmed her when she was at full power and surrounded by clouds of magic thick enough to smother entire cities. But weak and vulnerable and restrained, Umbra was like fresh muscle without skin to protect her. The mare's body, filled with the souls of fallen enemies and brilliant wizards were incensed and angered by the ward's presence, forcing them to try and push out of the unicorn's frail and meaty body. They violently pulled and tore at her spirit, causing tremendous eruptions and pangs in her physical body. The very thing that gave Umbra her immense knowledge and power was turned against her, assuring that prolonged contact would melt her into a bloody puddle steaming with ghosts finally freed into the world.

“Are you sure? You got so mad, Auntie. You screamed at me and- and-”

“DINKY!” Umbra hollered, strain and agony replacing anger in her cries.

“Please, come to me! I can explain!” Only then finding her strength once more, Umbra stood up straighter and made herself at least somewhat less threatening to the young foal. Breathing deep and shuddering, the dark Queen held herself high and did her best to ignore the slight dribbling of blood running out of her nostril.

“Darling… I swear that I’m alright. I would never allow anything to happen to you.” She huffed into the greenery, watching as two frightened eyes of wheat gold popped out from behind a defensive trunk.

“You promise?” Dinky whined.

“On my very life, I swear to you. Now… please. Come out of hiding.” Dinky did as she was asked, albeit slowly. Slinking out from behind cover, she mindfully side-stepped the primitive trinket on the ground.

“Yes… I’m sorry, Precious. I need you to follow my instructions very carefully.” Dinky bit her lip intrepidly, freezing in place just in case she needed to leap behind another piece of cover.

“Take that accursed thing in your magic. Break it apart. Then let me see it. I have a sneaking suspicion that these woods harbor more than plants.” Dinky did as she was told, pulling the rough fibers apart and breaking the fragile wood. Snapped bits of the trinket broke its power, allowing a sudden rush of wellness to return to Umbra. Her muscles untensed and her organs ceased panicking within an instant of blissful healing. Her head continued to pound like a drum and the many vessels burst in her nose bled as she calmed, but such discomfort was nothing compared to the overwhelming shotgun blast that had hit her before. The spirits inside calmed and fell back into the dark pits of Umbra's being without another protest.

Dinky watched her with wide eyes as she came forward and examined the thing busted and torn on the ground. Just as one fearfully stares at a predator they feared might strike them.

“What is it, Auntie?” Dinky chimed, any terror caused by Umbra’s outburst outshined by her budding curiosity. The black Queen scowled and sneered at the rubble of the charm, her face contorted into a most profane and intense disgust.

"Ugh... Zebras." Umbra scowled darkly, her eyes scanning about the brush for some unseen foe. Dinky watched as her teacher threw her gaze from one horizon to the next with both her nostrils flared wide for any hint of a scent.

"Zebras? Whatcha' mean?" The innocent filly started after her Aunt as she trot deeper into the woods, apparently following some trail left by the offending creature.

"I know that primitive and ragged construction. Zebras guard their land with charms and trinkets that ward off spirits... of which I happen to be full of." Umbra answered bitterly, as if the very words imparted a disgusting and rancid taste to her tongue.

"Why would someone wanna keep you away?"

"That's more difficult to explain than I care to admit." Both ponies stopped periodically for Umbra to take in her environment, though to Dinky it appeared that her caretaker was walking in random directions without much reason or purpose. Umbra paused and let her horn glow quietly again and again, soon resuming her confusing walk through the woods.

"Where're we going? We're getting too far from town!" Dinky whined, the multiple warnings from the dark Queen herself resurfacing in her mind. She had been instructed in no uncertain terms to never stray into the Everfree. Its depth and hunger for hapless ponies was legendary, a consuming brush and unpredictable violence overwhelming to even the most seasoned travelers. Without heed for her own warnings, Umbra kept pressing deeper into the verdant fold. Temperate trees and shrubs morphed into jungle weaves of vines and leaves squeezing tightly against one another. Dinky crawled close to the ground and leapt over fallen logs in pursuit of her silent Aunt, watching and waiting for her to reveal what exactly they were doing.

"Hmmmm... yes, yes. I've got you..." Umbra hissed to herself in a still, stiff crouch. Dinky finally caught up to her and peered quizzically over the jagged stump Umbra used as cover. Her amber eyes dilated in shock when she spotted dozens of similar charms hanging from every tree before them. A small deer path cut through the poison ivy and vines and saplings with a swarm of dangling circles surrounding it. Someone or something had clearly spent days crafting these things and carefully hanging them from every branch, for their placement was calculated and devious. Umbra breathed deeply at the very edge of their effective range, as their concentration was enough to turn her guts and twist her muscles. One more careless step forward, and the sinister unicorn would've been entirely disabled.

"Holy moly... there's... there's so many! Why would a zebra do this?" Scoffing and humming with further magic, Umbra felt about the forest with invisible tendrils. Her spells attempted to cut through the powerful shielding of this place, looking for life or magic or any kind of indication. But again and again, her sight was blocked or muddled or resisted. Whoever called this place home was clearly no novice or paranoid fool. Intersecting fields of magic ensured that no approach was possible. Crawling low, running through or attempting to slide between the charms were all equally hopeless pursuits. Intensely focused on piecing together a plan to destroy this horrible bivouac of pain, Umbra paid no mind to the subtle approach of hooves beating on the earthen path. Dinky skittishly tucked behind their stump protection and threw her eyes in the direction of this encroaching presence.

"No doubt keeping some hoard of rubbish ingredients and meaningless trinkets safe from prying eyes. Darling, you ought to be able to traverse this without issue." Umbra said with total ignorance to the hooded figure emerging from the greenery. Turning down the path and into full view, a sackcloth covered being presented herself for the pair. Striped legs poked out from the bottom of this strange and rough cloak, each step they took making a menagerie of pots and charms and bottles jingle on her back. Gilded jewelry caught the vagrant beams of light cutting through the canopy, making her all the more conspicuous. Dinky poked her ignorant Aunt in the gut to pull her gaze away from the scene before them, as this creature moving toward them was totally unlike anything she'd ever seen.

"You can remove them such that I can pass through a narrow canal between their auras. Then, we will find the source of this-... this..." Finally, the Queen silenced herself when Zecora spotted them clearly through the brush. Stood still as a healthy tree, piercing eyes of emerald cut through the muggy air and speared the two mares with sharp, accusing wrath. Dinky's heart raced in her chest and leapt into her throat, a palpable terror overtaking her mind. Zecora was very much like a pony in form and posture, but so different it unsettled the young mare. She stared at the unusual beast before her to try and compare her to the pictures and drawings she had seen only in books before. The subtle differences between the lithe and athletic stature of a zebra and the stocky, somewhat pudgy appearance of a normal pony stuck out clear as day to her. Likewise, the heavy burden of Zecora's backpack conspired with her low-hanging cloak to obscure many of her defining features, giving her a most disturbing and shapeless form that seemed to harbor nothing but mysteries and ill will.

"Hm... I suppose our stealth leaves something to be desired." Umbra grunted before she stood up fully, letting the flowers in her mane jump out from the background and outline her clearly.

"I have planted warnings in every tree. Yet you come dauntlessly to pester me." Zecora called out to the dark mare, her deep voice carrying with it a beautifully rhythmic accent. Dinky was entranced by such a voice, as it seemed impossible for smooth and soothing tones to come from a creature like Zecora. She had imagined a ragged and dry witch's voice that would immediately communicate a twisted and blackened intent for any who trespassed in these woods. Rather, the authoritative and feminine music reached deep into her childish soul and comforted her with a striking familiarity.

"It is really quite rude to plant these things where the magically inclined might be harmed by them! You ought to consider your actions, friend!" Umbra hissed with a most aggravating whine. She scowled at the mare and turned her head up in aristocratic, arrogant scolding.

"Somepony could be well and truly hurt by these awful souvenirs, as I was!" Their zebra foe didn't falter beneath the irritating nagging of the dark Queen, rather, she stood still as a steel rod buried firmly in the Earth. Her eyes draped in shadow, they could hardly be seen glaring darkly at Umbra's squishy and chubby visage. Dinky could sense the hostility in the mare from afar, for there was nothing quite as striking as a deep and unbroken stare of utter hatred.

"I am no friend to you. Your kind does not belong here, so begone with your evil and your spawn too." Umbra flared at such a response, the words directed toward her precious niece hardly acceptable.

"Now you listen her- URGH! NNG!" Posturing and striking a defiant stance brought her just within range of the looming charms above. Crippling waves of sickness slapped the Queen back and sent her reeling into the fretting grasp of your student.

"Auntie! Auntie, be careful!" Dinky whimpered whilst pulling her caretaker close. Zecora narrowed her venomous stare at the pair and stepped back to make more room between her and the wretched little monster threatening her.

"Destroyer of my kind, Mistress of Sand, tyrant of the mind and land, why have you come here?" Zecora scorned, watching as Umbra steadily rose to her hooves and shook off the errant agony of well crafted wards. Dinky stared on as these strange titles fell from the zebra and stuck to her Aunt, each one biting and scathing as the last.

"We've come to enjoy the flora and fauna of our home town, yet some inconsiderate soul has left these blasted things everywhere!" Umbra huffed and stomped her hoof in frustration, her own visage more pouty and puffy than Zecora's unbreaking stare.

"I've come to try and reason with you, zebra. Take these horrible things down and leave me in peace!"

"Yeah!" Dinky confirmed. Their striped counterpart refused to budge, as she was hardly convinced. Slight trembles moved through her lithe and powerful legs, demonstrating in subtle jitters that Umbra indeed frightened her. Dinky had seen this reaction all her life, yet never to this extent. Most ponies she knew were at least somewhat accustomed to her Aunt's intense and abrasive ways. But Zecora absolutely reeked of fear. She stood bravely and resisted showing more than a silent shudder, but the ignorant filly could sense more brewing beneath the surface between the mares.

"They will stay. You will go and never return this way. You destroyed my kind and scattered them to the wind. And you wish to come into my home on a whim?" Dinky cocked an eyebrow in confusion, casting her glance to a stoic and frustrated Umbra.

"Wha- huh? What're you talking about, woman?!" She called out in your unique vernacular. The mystic didn't answer, her lips pursed aggressively.

"Ask your 'aunt,' foal. Horrors like she has committed are best regaled from minds of evil and hearts of coal." Dinky did just that, returning her bewildered stare to her fluffy and huffing mare. Umbra breathed deep to control herself, though most of the anger plastered on her face before had been shingled over with an obvious irritation. She wore the same face as when you scolded her at home for swearing and yelling in front of Dinky, a less than serious concern she didn't have time for.

"Umbra?" Dinky gasped, earning a sideways glance from the silent unicorn.

"What did you do?" Mulling over her thoughts for a brief second, her royal and haughty Aunt spoke with audible fatigue.

"Ugh... let us just say that, one can lead four tribes of zebras to freedom through the desert. But you can't make them mine azurite crystals once you get there." Zecora recoiled at the casual tone of her answer.

"Freedom from one slaver to another! You tormented and butchered sister and brother!" Dinky stared in flabbergasted disbelief as the exchanged moved dauntlessly without her. She could only look from one furious mare to the other, her loyalty firm with Umbra but challenged nonetheless.

"Oh please! You'd think that kind of thing would sort itself out after 1300 years! It's hardly my fault that your kind are so easily manipulated." Umbra huffed as if she were a child scolded for something they clearly did, her guilt difficult- if not impossible- to perceive. Zecora huffed through flared nostrils and stomped her hoof into the leaves below with a palpable, dangerous rage. Her otherwise peaceful and clear mind had been clouded by Umbra's presence, a trait that had to the downfall of her people in the first place. She could hardly think beyond red and throbbing thoughts, enraged and pumping adrenaline dictating her actions rather than logic or reason. Dinky whimpered when the mysterious mare whipped her snout back a grabbed a weapon with which to make her point all the more clear.

"RRPGH!" She huffed through clenched teeth, tossing a fragile jar toward the duo. Hyper-aware and already fearful of reprisal, Dinky saw the coming danger far sooner than her Aunt. In that tiny fraction of a second both had to react, Dinky clear just enough distance more to dodge the bursting container and its powdery contents. Forest winds and humid air immediately caught the vapors and cast them in a heavy spray around Umbra. Physical forces dispersed the momentarily blinding material into auras of magic and energy naturally surrounding a being as powerful and ancient as Umbra, thus submitting the enchanted particles to the influence of the arcane.

"GUH- What in Equestria?! EEEK! AUGH!" Umbra danced and kicked and thrashed like bees had set about her. Dinky watched in terror as her Aunt hopped out and fruitlessly tried to dodge the chasing swarm of fluff. Crushed up bones of those she had wronged carried the memories of painful deaths and traumas never healed, thus they had a vendetta. Poisoned with natural irritants and razor-sharp particles of broken glass, Zecora's unique weapon subjected Umbra to the maximum amount of pain any magically-imbued being could tolerate.

"Auntie?! Auntie! Stop, drop and roll! Stop- STOP PANICKING!" Dinky hollered to her caretaker, though her words hardly forced through the veil of wailing pain that shrouded Umbra. She had become a totally unreasonable filly in the wake of this aggressive cloud, for it tracked her unique and flaring signature of magic and attacked viscously. Preferring not to have herself covered in the stingy residue as well, Dinky turned her attention to the stalwart and threatening zebra that had unleashed this terrible creature. Childish rage, fueled by ignorance and undying love for her family, pushed Dinky to act. She couldn't tolerate a brazen and cruel abuse of her own, even if it were objectively justified. She may not have totally understood what the conflict between her beloved Aunt and Zecora really was, but she knew whose side she would always be on. A time for questions had passed.

No one hurt her family.

"STOPPIT! You big, smelly wiener!" She hollered toward Zecora with a stick raised in her magic. Quick swipes of her amber energy lashed the ineffective twig against the zebra's striped hide, failing to inflict pain by slapping hard enough to disrupt her snarling glare. Zecora was pushed back by the wild assault, each swipe Dinky took grew more bold and painful.

"Don't you hurt my Auntie! Make that stuff stop right now! Or I'm gonna whoop your flanks and smash your stripety idiot face!" Zecora huffed and dodged more viscous swings for her face, the fragile wood breaking across her sides and backpack when the force was simply too great. The sorceress was more shocked by Dinky's ability to approach her than anything else. Her wards were specially attuned to force out Umbra's influence and assure she could never approach. They attacked spirits and trapped souls with horrible agony and tormenting images of doom to force them to vacate their host. Umbra, filled to the brim with the haunting remnants of enemies and peers, would have her own body tear itself apart with shrieking and violent specters ripping through her flesh to escape. Just the slightest hint of corruption would trigger this response, Zecora worrying that acolytes and disciples of Umbra would come hunting her as well.

For Dinky to hold onto her strength in the very epicenter of her wards then, disturbed Zecora to her core. Either she was so ferociously swallowed by evil that her magic couldn't break through, or the filly was true of heart. She had to lack any corruption for the charms to ignore her presence, a notion she would never expect from one loitering around with the dark Queen.

"Are you hearing me?! Don't you ever hurt my Auntie! Take these stupid things down and say you're sorry!!!" Ringing through the suffocating air and cracking against Zecora's shoulder, another rotten stick shattered into wet splinters and chunky bits of debris flying off into the brush. Zecora's hard stare resisted the attack, her stripes twitching slightly but her body remaining stalwart. She stared down at the filly, picking apart her every move and mannerism and quirk to decipher just what manner of creature she was. That unbroken stare, the burning sensation of being judged pressed Dinky back in a momentary pause of intimidation. She huffed and searched for another frangible weapon to defend her family with.

"Who are you, little mare?" Zecora spoke calmly, her undaunting cool sending shivers down the otherwise sweaty and huffing filly. She stood tall and defensive against the striped menace, puffing out her chest with a distinctly human bravado.

"I'm Dinky Hooves! And that's my Aunt you're hurting! So unless you want me to shove a pinecone up your butt, you better leave her alone!" Zecora turned her nose up at the young and floundering thing, memories of chit-chat and town gossip flooding back.

"The human's seed? Another halfbreed?" Dinky spit on the ground in masculine defiance, yet another disrespectful tick she inherited from you.

"That's right! And I- wait... 'halfbreed?'" The little unicorn said with a cocked eyebrow, Zecora's attention quickly running back to her hiding previous hiding place.

"Dinky, get away from that witch doctor charlatan! We're going home!" Umbra groaned with river water soaking her to the very bone. Bundles of her fur and mane hung low with the wet weight crushing them down, white flecks of the neutralized material mixing with mud and plant debris. Whilst Dinky looked away from the quick-witted zebra, Zecora prepared another trick hidden in her pack.

"The world would be better off without your 'Auntie.' You don't understand what you defend, Dinky." Skilled and trained hooves pulled from her accumulation of odds and ends another trinket powered by magic, albeit a much simpler and less threatening piece. The simple figure, worn by use and speckled by the filth of age beckoned her home with humming and growling magic. Unable to directly influence magic herself, Zecora channeled the energy of the very world itself through the ancient idol.

"Yes, yes! Run away without an apology! That's all your kind is good for! Running!" Umbra whined with an aggravatingly high pitch, her energy and will to show guile sapped by chilly river water and the tingly burns still writhing through her skin.

"I will make sure to tell Anonymous the wrong doings of his seed, halfbreed." Zecora hissed before disappearing in a smoky shroud of crude magic. Thick blue dust burst into reality from nowhere and carried her off through time and space back to her home, an instant escape prepared at all times. Dinky skittered back in shock, momentarily standing in confusion before her resolve returned. Her hooves spread out and her horn grabbed yet another muggy stick to defend her honor with. Wafting plumes of magic settled and revealed an empty spot, forcing the filly to stand down and regain her breath. Confirming that the offending creature was indeed gone for real, the young lady turned her attention quickly to the sodden and heaving Umbra. She seemed physically alright, no swollen welts or shivers of pain running over her body. Dinky could feel disrupted fields of magic, however. Her eternal ties to the soil of Equestria and the energies within it clued her into the turmoil smashing through her caretaker.

Umbra was rattled to her very core by something. A shocking, tremendous thing had crashed down on the sorceress such that she could only stare and seethe. The spot where Zecora once stood was skewered in a hateful glare so intense it could set fire to stones. Umbra's reddened and puffy eyes didn't address Dinky when she spoke, for her voice never even reached her racing mind.

Those words, that simple conjugation. They burned her more than fire, they threatened her more than death. They infuriated Umbra into animalistic and wild state.

Halfbreed. Its syllables and sounds rang off the insides of her skull and bounced about mercilessly. Pulsing veins ran hot with enraged blood that screamed for righteous vengeance. Her old self, long buried beneath the decaying rubble of ancient ways, screamed from deep within to give chase and seek revenge. Olden images of the dead strung up from trees and mountains sparked in the Queen's mind. The satisfaction of exacting the death penalty on disrespectful curs.

"Auntie! Hey, Umbra?!" Dinky broke through, waving a hoof about the face of her teacher. Shaking the dew from her mane and the irritation from her eyes, Umbra only then gathered her faculties together.

"Are you okay? What was that stuff?! Was that old biddy out of her mind or something?!" Umbra didn't reply to any of these quick and stinging questions. Stock still as the trees around them, her ancient and stoic mind crackled and cranked within. She carefully processed the last few minutes with intense concentration and fought to beat down the boiling tides of red, aggravated energy inside.

Relax, calm yourself, restrain your words. Words and commands repeated in the unicorn's heart again and again until she could finally think on things besides Zecora's head on a pike.

"Let us begone from this awful place, Dinky." She responded simply and curtly, moving back toward the edge of the woods without another word. Dinky followed loyally and kept herself close to her Auntie. Fearful as she was of the potential inside the mare, she knew now that there were some out in the world who would do her harm. She was offended by the very notion of someone assaulting the helpless and well-meaning mother figure she held so dear. She protected Umbra from sticks and brambles and branches on their way back to their belongings, for Umbra walked silently and without changing course. Muddy hooves and cuts across her body from errant thorns didn't disturb the look of utter concentration the Queen wore.

"My Darling." She said out of the blue whilst they packed away their mortars and pestles and books and quills.

"If you could... don't speak of this day to your father." Dinky stared for a moment to try and discover why her Aunt would want such a thing. In her mind, it made perfect sense to tell you, at least before Zecora could make herself known and do it first.

Not that you had ever harmed or even raised your voice to a pony that had wronged you. All you ever had to do was lift a struggling pony by their hind leg with a single hand and your message would be sent clear as day. But to just let this slide? That was especially unlike Umbra. Keeping close and listening to the metered, deep and thoughtful breathing of her Aunt, Dinky couldn't hide her concern.

"Are you sure, Auntie?" She asked the still and seething Umbra, her expression contorting into an agonizing and forced submission.

"It would be best not to concern him. You know how he worries for me." Dinky couldn't follow this command in good mind, but the dark unicorn wasn't wrong. Dinky only knew that Umbra was "troubled," or however you liked to understate it in the past. You always asked Umbra what she was up to, how her days were and who she talked to. A reflex left over from the days before Dinky when it was your obligation to the royalty. As much as it irritated Umbra when you scolded her for insulting a pony or arguing with a merchant, it was a necessary step in the process of rehabilitating her. Dinky saw it as coddling, however. In her mind, she assumed that you thought Umbra so weak and grouchy that she might get herself into trouble they couldn't handle.

Perhaps here, Umbra was attempting to save face. How embarrassing it must've been for her to be attacked like that, just for the perpetrator to escape and have the last laugh. Dinky scowled at the image of Zecora running away so cowardly. That frustration pushed her closer to her Aunt and morphed into a nuzzle against her fluffy side when they stopped to regather their belongings.

"I promise I won't tell, then." Umbra's lips remained cold and solid in their sharp frown, but still the ancient Queen returned the affectionate display with a nuzzle of her own. Smooching between Dinky's eyes and stuffing her saddle bags with her tools, the Sorceress sighed in strained relief.

"Thank you, my Darling. I owe you a most extravagant reward for this ordeal..." She grumbled solemnly as everything gathered in her saddlebags, both of them setting off into the sunlight for a cold and introspective walk home.

"I could make Poppy get you some ice cream... if that would make you feel better."

"Hm... wonderful idea, my precious Gem."

"Chocolate?"

"Double chocolate."