Merry streamers dangled from glittering crystals. Festive music played as ponies smiled and enjoyed games and snacks in equal abundance. The fear of before was set aside. It was time to celebrate.
"After this." Cadance nodded at the party. "We have to show you off to the city. I'm sure Auntie would show you to all of Equestria, had she her way, but we're keeping you to ourselves, so there."
"Jealous much?" Umbra extended her tongue at that. "Alright, you said I'm not princess 'of' anything yet, but what does 'princess' mean? Where I'm from, that's the daughter of a king or queen, which you don't have either of..."
"A fair question." Cadance waggled a hoof at Umbra. "A king or queen is a tyrant, be they kind or not. Their word is the final one, and woe unto those who object. Auntie didn't want that title, so she took a lesser one." Cadance brought both hooves close together. "Princess, as a title, to us ponies, just means a pony who is good and shares their talents with those around them. The penultimate in living up to your cutie mark."
Umbra thrust a hoof at Shining Armor, then at Twilight. "You have two ponies right there who are both good and share their talents without even batting their lashes. Why aren't they princesses?! Um, besides one of them being a guy." A brow went up sharply. "You can do this as a guy too, right?" Her question was full of doubt.
Cadance did not seem taken aback. "They are, both of those things." She raised a hoof, flat with the ground. "But to become a princess requires taking it to the next level. Only harmony itself can decide when that level is reached. It is not up to us when that is." She turned that hoof back on herself. "I didn't choose that you become a princess. But here you are. The fact is impossible to deny. We're a little off track." She set her hoof back on the ground. "What I meant to say though is that 'princess' is not a ruling title. It's a title of prestige, certainly, but you could remain princess while ruling over no ponies at all. And there'd be nothing wrong with that, I add."
"It was a group effort," grumped Umbra.
"Take it up with Harmony." Cadance went in, touching her nose to Umbra's cheek. "Because only one of us become a princess that day. Long may she reign."
"Stop that!" Umbra pushed Cadance back with a smile, her wings flapping in a nervous fidget. "Oh, I realized something else." Cadance's ears perked. "Our thing." Umbra waved between herself, Cadance, and Shining. "It's way different now. Me and you are princesses. You can't boss me around anymore." Her eyes half-lid. "And you can't send Shining after me either. If you want this hoof, you'll have to ask for it, like you should have done in the first place."
Cadance's cheeks lit up. "I wasn't... aware I was--"
"--Can it." Umbra rolled her eyes. "You are hetero, bi-curious, but so deep in the closet you're tripping just trying to see out of it. I bet you've felt a thing looking at another mare or two, but you shoved that right aside. That isn't proper! You probably told yourself." That Cadance was looking increasingly awkward just egged Umbra on. "Well, if I'm princess of anything, besides shadow, it's being true to yourself, so! If you want to even have a chance with me, you're going to have to come out of that dark safe little nook. It'll be bright and scary at first, but..."
"I'm not a mare chaser," huffed out Cadance, crossing her arms. "I have a husband."
"Funny thing about that." Umbra raised her hooves. "It's not a binary, no matter how much people wish it was." She moved her hooves far apart. "If this--" She waggled her left hoof. "Was the desire for someone of the other sex. And this--" She waggled her right hoof. "Was the desire for the same sex, a lot of people are somewhere in here." She thrust her head in the space between two hooves. "Where in here can vary." She moved her head left and right closer to each hoof. "Some aren't even on this scale at all, aces represent!"
Cadance hiked a brow at the call. "Aces? There are experts in this sort of thing?"
Umbra burst into laughter. "Not that kind of ace."
"Did you say ace?" Pinkie popped up from nowhere, which was her habit. "Umbra! You having fun? This party is for you!" She thrust both her fore hooves at Umbra emphatically. "I even got your favorite cake!"
"And I plan to eat a slice... or three." Umbra licked her lips with clear future gluttony in mind. "Thanks, Pinkie. This is great. A+ party."
Pinkie gasped. "Wow. So few ponies give me a grade, and such a high one." She vibrated with joy. "But you aren't playing the games. C'mon! It's half the fun. Let's go for an A++!"
Umbra allowed herself to be led away. "We can talk later, Cades!"
The party was a rousing success. Pinkie obtained her A++, to her delight.
"You. Are. A. Hero." Umbra tapped at Shifting with each word. "And I'm only sorry you don't get a big party. I'd say you deserve wings too, but you got those."
"Yep!" Shifting spread their bat-like wings wide, giggling. "All the wings I could ever want."
"And a horn, when you want one." Umbra touched her nose to Shifting's. "You still deserve way more credit."
"Stop that!" Shifting was blushing at the praise. "I didn't even know what to do! I saw the heart flying so I caught it... It was half luck..."
"The luck." Umbra resumed prodding Shifting. "And that psyche-out, oh man! The look on his ugly face when you passed it to me instead of him? Priceless. I will treasure it forever."
Shifting grinned, fangs on display. "That was a pretty fun part. He was so sure I'd give it to him. But he didn't know one shadow from the next, did he?"
Umbra laughed wildly. "Oh, good one, love it. Now... with the city not in mortal peril... How about we do something fun?"
"Fun?"
"I was thinking, just for the funsies... We finish building the entire block. The builders can scramble after us. I just want to prove, to myself, how fast I can do without letting up the quality."
Shifting began to clap. "Now that sounds way more fun than that whole attack thing. Count me in!"
They went out on the attack. The builder guild's que would become quite larger after that busy day.
A train rolled in to the station, hissing with steam as it stopped. Ponies came and left from it. The station wasn't covered in snow, making the process far easier. It would even become warm, given a little more time.
Besides the ponies, four ponies came out balancing something between them. Guards marched ahead and behind them, implying it was something of importance. Hanging on the tarp that hid whatever it could be was a label.
To: Cadance
From: Celestia
Keep this safe.
They took it diligently to the palace and brought it up the stairs. Cadance was there, peering at it curiously. "Huh, the trains are rolling better. Auntie had only just mentioned this was coming." She pointed down a hallway. "Tuck it in there for now." Which they did obediently. "And let's have a look." She went in, grabbing the tarp in her teeth and yanking it off, revealing a large mirror.
It was decorated finely, but it was, ultimately, just a big mirror. "I don't see what the big deal is..."
Elsewhere, Twilight struggled to close the gap in her understanding. A little experiment on the book Celestia had sent her would surely help! Or at least take her mind off of it. Perhaps she should not have had the elements so close at hoof when she was doing it.
Everything would turn out alright, one hoped.
All of Equestria would hear of that event. As quietly as Umbra had been welcomed, relatively, Twilight would be seen by the country entire. A pony could be forgiven for not even hearing about the coming of a shadow princess.
"I use a point of harmony." Umbra slid a coin forward. It wasn't a bit, bright purple and feeling more of plastic. It was made for the game. "And I give Sunburst a reroll. You can do it, Sunny!"
Sunburst nodded firmly. "With your support, I can't fail!" He lifted the die in his magic and sent it flying. All eyes were on it as it tumbled and rolled.
1. The table exploded in gasps and cries.
The GM shook his head sadly. "Friendship cannot win every battle, it seems. Even with the enthusiastic call of your feline friend, your aim is not true. The little gremlin laughs wickedly as they dive into a hole, vanishing from sight."
Groans echoed. Shining laughed softly. "I thought we had that thing. Dang recurring baddies."
Shining reached over to pat Umbra on the shoulder. "Thanks for the second change, but the dice were against us."
"They do that," laughed Umbra, taking it in good spirit. "RNGesus gives and RNGesus takes." Many eyes were on her. "What? Oh. Right. RNG, Random Number Generator." She pointed at the die still on a 1. "In this case, that."
Soft ohs came, not that they understood the reference in that references, but enough that the saying made some kind of sense. The GM nodded. "The dice show no favor." He clapped his hooves together. "Or you need a new die."
The game continued. "Hey." Umbra was looking to the GM. "Question. Are we full up?"
The GM looked over the table. "Kinda yeah. We have a lot here." He spread his hooves to encompass the table full of ponies. "It already takes a bit to get back to your turn, doesn't it?"
"True." Umbra frowned faintly. "Oh well, thanks."
The guild masters were looking at a map attached to the wall. "She got it done," noted the female.
"She got it done," echoed the male, turning to her. "And left them for us to get our share."
"Which is now our #1 priority. No building, all furnishing." She nodded firmly. "I want those completed."
"Are you commanding me?" laughed out the male. "I'm on the same page. Let's get this project done, and those bits in our hooves."
They met, hoof to hoof, and got to the project. All the guild members would be on the task.
It was the mare that showed up at Umbra's door, knocking.
"Yes?" Purple Polish cracked the door open, peeking out.
"Hello." The guild leader looked over what she could see of the maid. "We are here to collect our payment."
There was no we, physically. The mare was alone. Purple seemed to gather the meaning. "One moment." She closed the door.
Purple moved towards the crystal crafting Umbra. "I believe those are the building ponies. They say they wish to be paid? Should I send them away?"
"No!" Umbra set down her trinket for later working at. "No, I owe them." She slid up to her hooves and trotted over to the door. "Hey!" She threw open the door. "How's the block turning out?"
"Magnificently." The mare nodded with sureness. "All built, thanks to you, and finished, thanks to us. Each is ready for an occupant, crystal or not." She tapped a crystal hoof against an equally crystal floor. "As promised. It was a pleasure working with you, Princess Umbra." A quirk of a smile. "I didn't expect your title to change mid-project."
"Don't even think about that." Umbra rolled her eyes. "Alright, pay time!" Her horn glowed as she grabbed a bag she had ready, wrenching it across the room. "You all worked hard for this." She pushed it against the mare, almost knocking her over with its bulk. "Share it with the others, and save the rest, really."
"Thank you, ma'am." The mare managed to get the bag balanced on her back. "Perhaps we'll work together on something in the future, hm?"