//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: My Shadow's Keeper // by CrimsonRose97 //------------------------------// Umbré woke up the following morning stretching her arms over her head. Her mane was messy from slumber. “Morning, Sweetpea.” Ambrosia greeted, already awake. She’s already started on unpacking boxes. “Morning mama.” Umbré greeted, rubbing her eyes before picking up her doll. “And morning to you, Hopey.” She hugged it.  She looked around but saw that dad was missing. “Where’s  daddy?” Umbré asked her. “Your father is out getting us breakfast.” Ambrosia answered as she opened another box. The first thing she pulled out was a hair brush. She turned to look at her daughter and giggled at her bedhead. “Here, your hair is everywhere.” Umbré used her magic, magic being a bright blue, engulfs the brush and levitates it over to her. She hummed to herself as she brushed her mane and tail out. Sorting out the strays before picking up her white ribbon and began to bunch a part of her mane and tie it up in a bow. “Thank you,” she tells her mother. She set it aside before picking Hopey up and walked over to mom and began helping her by taking boxes out and unpacking them. It wasn’t for long until Ranger Arc came in. carrying with his purple magic were two pink boxes.  “Knock knock!”  Ranger announced as he came in. “Hi daddy,” Umbré greeted him as she helped raise some plates up to put in the cabinets. She stopped when she got a whiff of what he brought. “Donuts!” “Took a visit to this bakery in town called Sugarcube Corners. One of the bakers was really excited to hear we moved here and said these were on the house.” Ranger said as he joined his wife and daughter in the kitchen and set the two boxes down on the top. “When I mentioned you, she told me to give you this one in particular.” Ranger opens one of the boxes and pulls out a big chocolate donut with red frosting and rainbow sprinkles and soured gummy bears on top. “Oooh! thank you thank you thank you daddy!” Umbré squealed, seeing the sugary sweetness, giving her dad a hug before taking the donut. Ambrosia leans close to Ranger. “She’s going to crash hard tonight with that.” “That’s the plan but it's been stressful for her, let her have this.” Ranger said as they watched their kid eat the goodness. “You already picked out your bedroom?” he asked Umbré then. Umbré nodded, her cheeks puffed from eating and bits of the gummies on her lips.  Ambrosia grabbed a towel with her hoof, walked over to her and wiped her mouth as she swallowed. “Have you seen the backyard yet?” Ranger asked. Umbré shook her head. “Mommy said to wait until you get back.” “Because both of us want to see this.” Ambrosia smiled in response. “Eat up real quick.” After the family ate, Ranger and Ambrosia led their daughter out the front door, down the stone pathway to the backyard. It was a little overgrown but what stuck out was a large tree house. The windows were broken, the door was nonexistent, everything was in a state of repair. But Umbré jumped up and down. “A TREEHOUSE!!!!” She squealed in joy as she ran with Hopey up to it. Both of her parents beamed in joy as they watched their daughter ran up the stairs to the patio of the tree. “Careful Sweetpea, don’t hurt yourself.” Ambrosia joins her, flying up to join her, along with Ranger. Umbré enters the house, circling around the trunk in the center of the room. “This is awesome! our very own treehouse!” “Thought it would be a project for you to do. Think you can whip this old place up in tip top shape?” Ranger asked, watching her jump in excitement. “I will make this place the best treehouse in all of Equestria!” She cheered. Umbré stopped when she began hearing faint whispers. She looked down at her shadow. Seeing white eyes opening up. Her face fell as she listened to it. “Someone’s watching.”  Her shadow spoke to her. “Umbré?” Ambrosia frowns, seeing her daughter’s demeanor change. Umbré didn’t respond to her mother as she looked at her shadow. “Go on then.” The eyes closed and the shadow slipped away. Ranger watches it go. “Uh… where is your shadow going?” He asked her cautiously. “Just going to look around, everything’s fine.” Umbré turned to them and smiled at them innocently. The parents looked at each other with that. After unpacking boxes, Umbré finished putting her room together. It was just around sunset when her shadow finally returned. She stopped fixing her bed and looked at her wall. “Well? Was it the umbrum?” Umbré asked, seeing the shadow. “Have they returned?” “Nothing, but be on the lookout. They can be anywhere.” The shadow said before slipping back in its place. Umbré sighed but her guard was still up. She looked at Hopey on her bed. “It's been years since they made an appearance. I can’t lose my family again…” She whimpered, rubbing her head. She still remembered what happened years ago. Though she was a baby when Hope died, she still remembers. She remembered the Umbrum, Obscura, events that happened. She remembers Sombra. At least Sombra was gone. She remembered seeing the Heart blasted him. “The gift of knowing and memory is a curse… I wish I didn't remember that place, Hopey. I wish I could be normal but you and I know I’m not.” Umbré said. She then sighed. “But we have to pretend to be normal. For mommy and daddy’s sake. But if Obscura and the Umbrum comes back…” Her eyes turned red and the scleras turned green. Black mist seeping from the corners of her eyes. “It will be them that’ll get hurt.” “Okay Mommy, okay Daddy, I’m heading out now!” Umbré shouted as she ran out the door the next day. She wore a bedazzled saddle that had a seatbelt on it; sitting on her back was no pony other than Hopey the doll. The seatbelt was to make sure the doll didn’t fall off as she ran around. “Umbré, please be careful, we’re still in the process of unpacking and we still don't know what’s out there.” Ambrosia called out to her daughter as she and Ranger stepped out the door. The tiny unicorn waved at them. “I will!” Umbré said in a chipper voice. “Okay Hopey, let's go on an adventure!” so full of life and free spirited, taking off down the stone pathway and into the forest. The little unicorn ran through the woods, looking around her new environment. Mostly felt calm and tranquil, watching everything around her. From the trees to the cute woodland animals. Taking in her new land she now calls home. As she ran around, looking at everything her little eyes could see, her stride came to a slow stop. A sensation washed over her, her nerves were lighting up all over the place. She turned her head and looked at some bushes, peering into the darker parts of the woods. “Hello?” she called out. Feeling eyes were watching her. She didn’t get a response, only sounds of the birds chirping and little animals going about their day. But there was no mistake, Umbré knew somepony was watching her. “Hello? I know you’re there. I won’t bite, you can come on out.” she said with a smile. “Won’t we, Hopey?” she used her magic to make the doll nod her head in agreement. She heard some rustling in the bushes but nothing came out. She steps closer to it. “Do you need help?” Umbré’s ears flickered when she heard something fast approaching her from behind. She looked over her shoulder just to see plunder vines shot out from the other side of the path and right at her. Umbré tried to run but the vines grabbed her and Hopey and lifted the two up. Umbré screamed as the vines swung her around. “Mommy! Daddy! Help me!” she screamed out for them as the vines began pulling her out of the pathway and started retreating back to where it came from with their food in tow. “Help me, help me! Somepony help me!” Umbré cried out as she struggled to break free but it was fruitless. The vines wrapped itself around Umbré completely, her screams and cries for help were muffled. She then hears sounds of magic being used and this bright red magic beam shoots out of nowhere and hits the vines several times. The vines unravel and Umbré drops to the ground with a yelp. When she saw Hopey was being dropped as well, Umbré desperately used her magic to grab the doll in midair before flinging it over to her and she hugs it close, covering her head with her hooves as the attack continues. More of the red magic blasts the vines until most of it is reduced to ashes. What was left of it retreated back to its cave out of fear. “Well, that was a waste of time.” a new voice said with an annoyed huff. Her ears flickered when she heard the voice. She removes her hooves from her head to look up. She looked to the pony who saved her. She curiously tilted her head as she looked at her savior. It was a young colt, maybe a couple of years older than her, with wavy jet black mane and tail, dark gray coat and strange looking red eyes. His horn was weirdly shaped as well, it being slightly curved and smooth looking as well. He stood over Umbré and gave her a scowl. “What are you staring at?” he asked her. Who was this pony and why does Umbré feel like she knew him?