"Now, the armored look..." Rarity waved a hoof over Umbra's plated chest and clad hooves. "They speak a loud message, but I'm not sure it's the one you want to be saying, dear."
Umbra looked down over herself. "It's... what I came with?" It had all come with the pony package. She hadn't even really considered what to try replacing it with. "What about this?" She pointed up at her tiara.
"Better... But... no. If you allow." Her horn began to glow as she advanced in a circle, plucking bits and pieces off Umbra. "I feel certain that, with a wardrobe change, the ponies will not see you and think, 'Oh no, it's that--"
"--Jerk," finished Umbra.
"Yes, that." Rarity soon had a pile of metal, Umbra's cape sprawled over it. "Now, don't get me wrong, some of this is quite lovely, fetching even. But the color scheme, combined with yours, no no no. That will set ponies right off. We want them to know you are your own pony."
"I am..." She trailed off with a frown, turning to face the pacing Rarity fully. "Am I a pretty pony?"
Rarity burst into titters. "I'm working on making you an even prettier pony, darling. In fact, before we get down to clothes, why don't we tackle the basics, hm?" Several brushes floated into view, glowing with Rarity's magic. "Your mane and tail will thank me, along with the rest of your fur."
Elsewhere, Shining kicked out a leg mid-walk. He could feel sudden aggressive grooming going on. It wasn't even a bad thing, but still a surprising thing, to feel like one's mane and tail were being brushed without an obvious source. Was that Cadance, or Umbra? Impossible to know. The sensations didn't come with labels.
But he put that aside. "Twili!" He hurried towards the entering unicorn with a bright smile. "Find anything?"
"I think I did." She brought around a book in her magic. "But I'm going to need help to make this happen." She pointed at the same book. "This may get the ponies of the city up on their hooves again."
Shining looped around to get a look at the floating and open tome. "Huh." He reached out, but it was his magic that did the flipping for him. "Jousting? Sounds fun."
"Jousting?" Rainbow darted in, looking about before she focused on the source. "What do you mean, jousting?"
Shining pointed past the pegasus suddenly flying in his face. "Twilight found a book."
"She does that," half-laughed Rainbow. "But you said jousting? Like the old-fashioned kind? Galloping with a lance?"
Twilight tapped at the book she held in her magic. "I found an entire book of festivities and events. I was hoping you and the rest of the girls could help me perform it for the ponies of the city and help them get some cheer back in their step."
Shining tapped at his chest. "I'll help with the jousting. Martial combat is right up my alley."
Rainbow thumped against him. "You're not getting rid of me that easily! Besides, takes two ponies to joust."
The two argued it even as Twilight dutifully copied out the section they were discussing. "Here you are. Follow these directions and we'll make this Crystal Fair special. Fluttershy!" She spotted the demure pegasus sneaking past. "I have just the thing for you."
"You do?" Fluttershy veered towards Twilight curiously. "What could I help with?"
"A petting zoo." Twilight tapped at a new page. "Sounds like it was made for you."
Fluttershy's nervousness faded rapidly to one of joy. "That does sound lovely!" Soon she had her own collection of papers and an assignment to get a petting zoo going. "Oh, little baby ewes. They're so cute." And off she went with a happy smile.
Applejack approached, inclining her hat. "Heard all the commotion. Yer not gonna leave me out, are ya? How can ah help?"
"Well." Twilight flipped through the book rapidly back and forth before she found what she was searching for. "Here we are. You're good with fruit preparation, right?" Twilight twirled the book so Applejack could see it.
"Crystal berries? Huh." She rubbed at her chin. "Gonna assume they ain't as hard as crystal. But ah guess we're about to find out." And soon she was marching off with her own set of papers, a job to do.
"Ooo!" Pinkie was behind Twilight. When she got there was anypony's guess. "Look at that thing!" Displayed was quite a strange instrument indeed. "Says it's a Flugelhorn. I wanna play one of those!" And she bounced off without asking, or needing a copy from the book. She was a mare on a mission.
Twilight's lips moved with words she was reading. "Did you... know they had an anthem? Hm..." She produced multiple copies of that, for everypony to learn. "Their culture was quite interesting. Anypony see Rarity? I have a task that is right up her alley."
But Rarity was not there. She was busy trying different dresses on Umbra. "Good of Cadance to let us borrow these." She donned Umbra in a sunny yellow number. "I love that contrast!" She brought up a mirror for inspection. "What do you think?"
"Not bad..." She turned left and right to get better angles. "This feels so strange."
"Strange?" Rarity looked over her test subject, er, fashion client. "You don't look uncomfortable." Not like other shy ponies she had dealt with.
"But I am!" Her eyes flared with her shadowy power, but that faded as she did a full turn in place. "I'm not used to just... showing off." She ended her turn back at Rarity. "I... Maybe I should work... up to it?"
"If you have it, show it off," countered Rarity with a little smile. That was a shyness she was used to enough. "I swear, darling. You should talk to Fluttershy. She knows precisely how you feel, I think. Still, if you're not feeling it...?"
Umbra danced from hood to hoof, gazing at the mare in the reflection of the floating mirror. "So, silly question. I can't help but notice that most ponies just don't... wear... anything. I mean, sure, the guards wear armor, that makes sense. Shining was a guard, I heard? But he's pretty nude too."
Rarity skewed an ear. "Well, yes, dear. Ponies wear clothes to send a message." She gestured at herself. "Like mine. It says 'I am fashionable and to be admired! A mare in command of her presence.'" She stood upright and proud. "But, no, it's not technically required. We are ponies, after all. We have a nice thick pelt that wards away the chill and the wind... to a point."
Umbra willed the dress off, wriggling to help it slip free. "So, maybe I should get used to... this... first." She gestured over herself.
Rarity studied Umbra with fresh eyes. "Darling, why are you... getting used to... That?" It was Rarity's turn to wave at the whole of Umbra. "You are a grown mare. Aren't you used to that?"
Umbra darkened, taking a half-step back. "I wasn't always a mare, or even a pony. I'm pretty happy about the first part, but it's still... all new." She took the step back forward. "I'm grateful! Seriously, this is... great, awesome! I'm just, well..." She rolled a hoof in the air, searching for the word. "In awe?"
"That does match an awesome event," agreed Rarity with a little smile. "What were you, dear, before now?"
"I got it!" Spike was entering the room, pulling a rack behind himself. "They were hidden, but I found them!"
Rarity clopped her hooves. "Spike, you are a champion. Oh, Umbra. This is Spike." She gestured at the small dragon. "Spike, this is Umbra. Now, unfortunately, we may not be able to use those as I had planned."
Despite those words, Umbra walked up to the rack and began looking at the various dresses, her magic shuffling them left or right to get them into view without removing them from the rack.
"Nice to meetcha." Spike offered a hand.
Which Umbra returned with a hoof. "Hey." It was only a moment later that she really clicked what she was shaking hoof to claw with. "Woah, you really are a dragon! A little cute dragon! Aw!"
Spike colored at that. "I'm not cute..."
"Oh yes you are." Rarity was upon him, pinching his cheeks between her hooves. "My Spike-Wikey is the most adorable dragon I know!"
"I'm the only dragon you know," dryly countered Spike. "Um, but hi. Rarity sent me to find where they were hiding their wardrobe. I thought she was crazy, but nope. Rarity intuition won again."
"It always does, dear." Rarity looked smugly satisfied. "I saw your curious eyes. Do any of these catch your interest?"
Umbra pushed the clothes with her hoof from right to left. "Oh." She leaned in and snatched a tiara in her teeth. "This is pretty." A crystal tiara, as crystal ponies were known to favor. It had a bright bold red gem in the center.
Rarity's magic took hold of it and placed it neatly on Umbra's head, parked right beside her ears, using them to stay in place. "It does look lovely on you. Spike?"
Spike rubbed his chin as he considered the mare and her new tiara. "Not bad. The red really pops against your grey tones." His finger lowered from her tiara to her eyes. "And matches your eyes."
She did have bright red eyes, which blinked as she blushed faintly. "Thank you. You are a nice little dragon. Spike, right? Like your horns."
"Spines," corrected Spike as he turned and reached back, plucking at his spines in demonstrating those ornaments of his.
Umbra leaned in towards him, studying him quite up close. "Huh, you're like me."
Spike backed up a bit from the imposing mare. "Like you? Uh... I'm not a pony." He extended a finger. "My eyes don't go all... trailing like that?"
"We both have fangs." Umbra flashed a smile to show hers off. "We both have slit eyes." Her eyes widened a moment before focusing back sharply. "We're very alike by my measure, and you seem nice, so I'm leaning into that. Is that alright?"
Rarity nudged Spike softly. "Let us celebrate where we are similar, and differ. I love the gradient in your horn. I never saw a unicorn with a gradient in their horn, but, darling, it works for you. Almost makes me jealous!"
Spike chuckled softly. "Yeah, alright, we got that." He fired a thumbs up. "But I have fingers and you don't. I have scales, and I don't see any of those."
"Nope, fur." Umbra leaned right back in, rubbing the end of her snout into those scales, fur and scales brushing gently. "Which is still a new thing, but not a bad thing."
Spike pushed her back an inch. "New thing?"
"I will agree with that question. Do tell us what you mean, dear." Rarity nodded in solidarity with that line of questioning. "We really would like to know."
Umbra sank to her haunches. "Do any of you even know what a human is?" No hands raised. "Alright, so... Imagine a creature that stood up, like Spike. No scales though. Just skin." She raised a hoof to her mane. "They have hair though. Like your mane, right on their head. Most of the rest, just skin."
The image in Spike's head was not a flattering one. "Huh, odd... And now... pony?"
"Now pony," agreed Umbra. "Still getting used to it, but I'm not mad at it." She wagged a hoof at Spike. "I miss fingers though."
"Fingers are awesome." He presented a balled fist and they met, hoof to fist in a moment of solidarity behind how great fingers were. "Sorry you lost yours. I hope I never lose mine." He felt one hand with the others, not knowing that, in the future, this fear would come to be.
"Well forget that thought." Rarity leveled a hoof at Umbra. "You have hooves now. Lovely hooves, if you don't mind my saying. We could do so much more with them! You've never had a hooficure, clearly."
"That would be odd." Having not had hooves before. "I've seen... Heard about that... I..." She turned her hoof to look on it. "Do they let you pick a color?"
"Darling, a single color is just the start." Rarity leaned forward with a grin. "Your hooves are a part of your identity, like that tiara that called out to you. We will make your hooves agree with you."
The giggle that Umbra made very poorly fit her imposing appearance. "That sounds super fun. Spike, wanna come with us?"
"Huh?" He flashed out his fingers. "No hooves."
Rarity pfft'ed at that objection. "You have claws, dear. They can be cared for in much the same way. Now, Umbra is inviting, so, would you care to come along with us or not? I know that may not be a... stallion-like thing."
Spike detected his opportunity. "What? Nah. I'll keep you two company." A big smile, knowing he'd get to hang out with Rarity, and also that strange new pony, but mostly Rarity. "Sign me up."
Umbra clopped her hooves together. "How--"
"--There you are." The door was already swinging with Twilight's magic as she came into view. "Rarity, we need your expertise."
Rarity turned to Twilight. "Sounds serious. Whatever is the matter?"
Twilight held up a book, hovering there. "See this?" She pointed at a picture there on the opened page. "I need you to make it."
"Huh." Rarity leaned forward. "It's a lovely pattern... But what is it?"
"It's a flag." Twilight bobbed her head twice. "And we need it, a lot of it, to remind the crystal ponies of their history."
"Hm." She curled a hoof to her chin. "I can see why you came to me. I am on the case!" She pointed at the rack of old dresses. "I will have to recycle thread. Unless you have spare spools laying about for me to use?"
Umbra inclined her head. "Oh, you're busy." She looked past Rarity to Twilight. "How can I help? They've been giving me everything. I want to give something back."
Twilight copied the pattern of the flag out to a new paper to leave with Rarity. "That's a nice thought." She smiled at the new mare, considering them. "What are your specialties?"
"Oh, well, hm... I... I'm pretty good at sticking it out through hard times?" Umbra shrugged softly. "I can put up a decent fight, apparently. I have shadow magic!" Her horn glowed and eyes trailed as she pointed that out, though both faded quickly.
Twilight frowned softly. "I see... The problem is that crystal ponies are a bit afraid of shadow magic." She wobbled a hoof in the air. "Speaking of that, I have about a thousand questions for you on that topic, but let's stay focused... How are you at crafts?"
Umbra blinked softly. "I'm alright. I've had to fix things for myself. I can cook decently? I've sewn, but only to fix things." She raised a hoof into view. "I had fingers back then, but I could imagine it now." Her horn began to glow faintly. "So I could, I think, still do it?"
Twilight nodded firmly. "Great. How do you feel about basket weaving?" Her magic flipped the pages quickly, showing off the crystal empire baskets. "It was traditional to offer this activity during the fair. If you can take care of that, that'd be wonderful!"
"Hm." Umbra considered the floating picture. "Do we have the straw to make baskets with?"
"That would be the first step of this project, securing the materials. Are you up for it?" Already her magic was making a copy of the relevant pages.
Umbra accepted the paper. "I'll do my best." She waved the paper suddenly at Rarity. "Where'd yours go?"
"Hm?" It was true, she was no longer holding a paper in her magic. "My what?"
"The paper." Umbra waved hers emphatically. "Where'd you put it?"
"In my pocket?" Like magic, she plucked it free of her side like that was just a normal thing to do. "Is everything alright, darling?"
Umbra willed her paper against her side and began rubbing it up and down and all around, trying to find the concealed entrance to that pouch. "Where?"
Spike hopped up, grabbing the paper free of her arcane grasp. "Right here." And he just... shoved it in there.
This was a curious sensation, like someone reaching into her pocket, as if she wore pants, and Spike just reached down into their pocket and put something there. She could feel his fingers there, close to her, too close. Closer than her fur should have allowed for. She danced away from him with a startled yelp.
"Spike, really. Ask a mare before you go getting quite that intimate." She rolled her eyes. "Still, now you know, I hope? Twilight's already run off to the next box on her list. Let's make sure we do our part to make this 'crystal fair' thing a success, hm?"
"Yeah! Yeah..." Umbra was looking back at the concealed pocket. She could feel the paper in it. She reached a hoof, casually working the paper back out, then putting it in again with her magic. "Got it... Alright, baskets..." She wandered away from Rarity, on the hunt for basket material.
And she ran right into Shining Armor. "You alright?"
She blinked at the stallion. "I'm alright. You look more upset than I do. What's up?"
"I felt something." He rubbed at his cheek softly. "Like somepony was shoving something in my pocket."
"Spike," answered Umbra, her brows falling as one. "Don't think he was trying to be rude, but I was not expecting it."
"Oh... I see... Did he... You sure it didn't hurt?" He circled around Umbra as if checking for damage.
"It was just surprising." She turned with him, keeping him ahead of herself. "I'm not hurt, promise."
"Huh... something new then. How you feel about something matters. You were surprised, and I felt... that, without the context. I was scared something happened." He sank to his haunches. "But everything's alright?"
"Promise." She smiled at Shining, Umbra's estimation of him raising a little. "Thanks, for caring, and... Well, just for caring. That's nice." She laughed, almost a giggle, but her low voice made it not quite that. "You ponies are so nice. I can't even handle it." Not that she seemed bothered. "Oh! Baskets! I need basket supplies."
"Baskets?" But soon the paper was being floated in front of him. "Baskets. I'm with Rainbow on the jousting tournament, but..." And he began to lead her, trotting in an energetic jog down the hallway. "In here." He pointed a hoof at a closed door. "Pretty sure I saw some things that could work."
Umbra tossed her head, her magic translating that into throwing open the door. Inside, piles and piles of... stuff... Among them, she could see what she needed. "I have to sort this out, but it's perfect. Thanks!" She almost went in for a hug, but shied back, ears folding against her head. Awkwardly, she headed into the room. "Thanks," she repeated more quietly.
Shining angled an ear at the departing mare. "Good luck. Hopefully we'll get to enjoy the fair besides running our little portions of it." And off he went to resume the jousting preparation.
"I love what you're doing." Cadance nodded at Twilight. "I think it'll help raise their spirits, and that's important. They're so subdued." She tapped at her chin with a little frown. "But it doesn't explain--" Twilight held up what was becoming one of her favorite books. Cadance peered at the picture, which looked like her cutie mark, and the heart they had found. "What does it say?"
"The crowning moment of the fair." She tapped at it. "The crystal heart is placed right there." She tapped all the more firmly. "And the love and joy of the ponies of the crystal empire are focused on it. Then... well, it gets a bit fuzzy on what happened after that, but it seems something good."
Cadance frowned, but it flowed easily into a smile. "I'm not sure that'll shed light on this mystery, but it does explain why that crystal is so important. I'm glad we found it."
"I can only imagine how hard it'd be to do the crystal fair without it." Twilight snorted, imagining trying to create a look-alike and hoping for the best. "Speaking of that, the mystery. Umbra is helping with the fair. For however much she resembles Sombra, the similarities really do seem to only be skin deep."
"Not a thing I am sorry about." Cadance reached out, closing the hovering book. "She seems to be friendly. Confused, yes, but friendly. And--" She hissed suddenly, looping her hoof about to nurse at the bottom of it. "And she just got a splinter, I think. What is she doing? Or was that Shining?" The feelings still came with no return address. "One of the two of them stuck their hoof on a splinter." She winced softly. "And it just came out... That's... better."
Twilight considered the two. "In theory, that could have been either. The odds are better with Umbra. She's gearing up to weave baskets, which could, I suppose, produce that unfortunate sensation... That must be... difficult. All three of you wincing whenever any one of you gets into trouble."
Cadance's ears flickered. "Twilight, you are an innocent little filly."
Twilight's ears joined in the dance. "I am a grown mare, even if you used to foalsit me. What brings up my maturity suddenly?"
Cadance shook her head. "As unpleasant as that little poke was, me and Shining have... avoided quite a bit, knowing Umbra will be right there with us. We... might as well be in front of her. There is no subtle way of doing that in this situation. She's in a delicate place, and I'm doing my best to be accommodating, but if we could remove that level of intimacy?"
Twilight sat there, unmoving, barely blinking. But her brain did eventually process it. "Oh! Oh..." She began to go a vibrant shade from her neck spreading up over her entire face. "Oh!" Her brows came down together. "Oh! Cadie! I do not want to think of my brother that way even slightly!" She pawed at Cadance with her hooves in feeble protest at the mental assault delivered onto her.
Cadance could but laugh gently as she warded Twilight's half-hearted attack away. "I am sorry, but it is true. This has placed us in quite the awkward position. It's not her fault, near as I can tell. None of us meant for it to happen. I'm not mad at her, but the situation itself. None of us want to be in it. We are..." She rolled a hoof slowly. "We're all victims, together. But this heart, it seems powerful, and old. It didn't just... do it randomly, did it?"
Twilight inclined her head. "I would hope not. I will continue to research into the matter. In the meanwhile, if we are to welcome Umbra properly, we should give her a welcome that the crystal ponies understand."
Cadance rose to her hooves fully. "I have an idea on that front. She isn't Sombra, thankfully. She is Umbra, defeater of Sombra, reclaimer of the Crystal Heart, and a champion of the realm. They will celebrate her instead of fearing her." She did not know that, in another realm, Spike had earned that title. "We'll make sure she's close by as we finish things with the crystal, so everypony can know she helped make that day happen."
"Great idea!" Twilight clopped twice before starting to walk off. "The preparations are coming along nicely. Look forward to a crystal fair to bring back the spirit of the empire!"