"Ma'am." Purple dipped her head at Umbra, a habit she had. "I need to bring this up, if you've a moment?"
"Of course." Umbra's left wing extended halfway. "What's on your mind?"
Purple brought up her hooves. "That pony, the non-crystal one. Wensley."
"What about him?" She wanted, for a moment, to chastise the lack of a verb, but that felt rude.
"He is not good for your reputation, nor safety." Purple nodded with proper confidence. "Such unclean notions in his head. And he is suspicious for reasons besides that."
"What reasons would those be?" Umbra hiked a brow. "He's been nice so far."
"Ma'am! He..." Her hooves began to work as if to pick through the knot in her thoughts. "He described sitting on your horn, ma'am. That is not 'nice', nor proper! He seeks your private counsel to debase you with these perverse whimsies."
"He's a scared pony." Umbra sighed softly. "He's not 'debasing me'. He's throwing himself at my feet, er, hooves, and hoping I can fix him." She started to poke Purple, but aborted without making contact. "You're... wait, how did you even know about that?"
Purple blinked with wide eyes. "Ma'am? I was just outside the door." She pointed towards said door. "Listening for your next command. I could hear him."
"Ah..." So much for privacy. "Either way, he's not a bad pony, just a confused one. He had those thoughts and he went to find help, not do them. That's sign enough to me that he wants to be good."
"I will defer to your judgment." Purple dipped her head low before her Brave and Glorious patron. "Apologies, ma'am. I just worry for you."
"I get that, really." She brushed that left wing over Purple on the way past. "Time for some O&O. Wensley's an alright pony, promise. I'm lending a... hoof, and he's doing his part." Purple didn't argue it further as Umbra departed.
"Hey." Shining was coming up alongside her, moving in the same direction. "Headed to the game?"
"You know it." She flashed a sharp smile. "Think we'll rescue those foals today?"
"That'd be nice." He nodded, mind on the last session. "Say, just wanted to put out there, it's nice, having you there."
"Right back at you." She thumped against him with a laugh. "The whole group's great. It's a funny thing though, let me say. I'm a magic pony princess. I'm already living a fantasy. Playing a fantasy game just... feels odd sometimes."
"You're not alone." He raised a hoof at himself, ambling along with the other three. "I'm a princess consort, head of the guard, and generally second most powerful pony around these parts. But we don't play O&O to escape. We both like what we have, right?"
"Yep!" Umbra was bobbing her head quickly. "Not a complaint."
"Exactly. But sometimes just looking is nice, even if you're happy where you are." He inclined his head. "So not 'escaping', more 'touring'." A little smirk spread on his lips. "Rich ponies do like going on vacations to exotic places."
"Oh no," gasped out Umbra as if dreadfully alarmed. "I've become a snooty pony, taking fancy tours to remember what it was like when I was, gasp, a normal commoner." She paused to clap her hooves to her cheeks. "I have become what I hate. What do I do?!"
"Make a saving throw against existential dread?" Shining was smiling at the theatrics on display. "Or just accept the effects."
Umbra threw a hoof as if there were a die on it, her eyes locked on the fictional die's motions. "Natural 1? Noooo!" She fell to her knees, hooves high. "I'm doomed."
"C'mon." He nudged her with his entire body. "We'll be late, then we'll have to deal with an angry storyteller."
"Oh, well, yeah, that outranks my personal angst." She bounced back up to her hooves and resumed her march with Shining. "Oh, been meaning to say, but thanks."
"You're welcome? But for what?" He angled an ear at her. "I didn't get you a gift or anything."
"Sure you have." She elbowed him lightly. "You got me the 'gift' of having a nice relationship. You and Cades both. All it took was a proper wall and some boundaries and you both backed off without making it weird. I saw it, and I wanted to say thanks. You're actually pretty fun to be around when we're just being two ponies, instead of... all that other stuff."
"Oh... yeah." He rubbed behind his head awkwardly. "Sorry about that... Um, if it helps, that goes both ways. You're a lot easier to be around when we're not trying to horseshoe in all that... stuff."
"That must be rough."
Shining blinked. "What must be?"
"Keeping the door closed when you're doing things with your lovely lady friend." Umbra wagged her brows with impure intent. "You must be good at it." She hadn't been bothered in quite some time.
"Um..." He colored darkly at the topic. "I suppose I have... Shoot... We... have a little one coming."
Umbra blinked. "I spaced on that!" She clopped a hoof to her forehead. "Dumb me. That's right! How long are ponies for that? 9 months?"
"Eleven." He inclined just a little. "Is nine what your old people did? That's fast."
"Yeah... but they're not even done cooking. We have to take super careful close care of our foals for a while." Umbra shrugged softly. "How helpless are foals?"
"Cute little fuzzy things." Shining smiled, his blush lessening as thoughts went to adorable things. "They start moving around almost as much as you let them, but they get tired fast. We keep them bundled up and safe for about a month, then let them out to play."
"They start fuzzy and cute? Yep, you win that contest." Umbra nodded firmly. "Human kids sometimes didn't even look like humans when they first popped out, but you'd take care of them anyway, and eventually they'd grow out of it."
"Score one for ponies." Shining pumped a hoof with the pride of the species on the line. "Humanity zero."
"Hey, don't be like that." Umbra extended her tongue defiantly. "We had issues, but we were managing it anyway. Have you flown a ship to the moon or sent stuff flying off into space just to see what's out there?"
Shining blinked softly. "You had time for that? We're still sorting out things right here on the planet." He pointed downwards as he walked. "Is you world all settled and peaceful then?"
Oh, the wince Umbra gave. "Not... exactly."
"Huh." Things were quiet for a moment, just the clip-clops of their hooves as they went. "Maybe they should focus on that before going out to visit the stars?"
"If I was in charge, I'd consider that. I wasn't. Just a random person along for the ride." Umbra snorted in an equine way. "Fie on the whole thing. Hope they get their stuff sorted out, but not my problem anymore. Now I get to wrestle with shadow demons and build huge things." She began to giggle perhaps a little wildly. "Which I'm alright with."
"You do realize." He leaned a little closer. "Most ponies don't look forward to that first part."
"I'm not most ponies." Umbra raised her head up high. "And I'm going to bet you aren't either."
"No... But that doesn't make me want to fight with shadow demons. But I will, to keep the city safe." He thumped himself on the chest with a hoof. "But not look forward to it. I'd rather be reading a comic or playing some O&O, but if you don't wrestle a shadow when they need wrestling..."
"Then you don't get to do the other stuff, right." Umbra's chortle was short lived. "Really. Work hard, then play hard. Won't get any arguments out of me. So... question."
"Go ahead. Only fair." He perked an ear at her. "What's on your mind?"
"Changelings." She saw him tense immediately. "What happened with them, exactly?"
"Long story..."
Umbra bumped against him lightly. "I'm a good listener. Tell me this dark and mysterious story."
"Ugh... Well... Their queen, Chrysalis, went and foalnapped Cadance not long before our wedding, and I didn't notice, like a real dummy." He clopped a hoof to the side of his head. "She was hiding as Cadance, and draining me of love, which left me all kinds of messed up." He deflated, though still walking. "It was thanks to Twily, in the end. She saved Cadance, and once we were back together, we could beat Chrysalis."
Umbra hiked a brow. "Alright, you two are tight, but not seeing how 'Shining+Cadance=Defeated Changeling Queen', so let's rewind a little?"
Shining began to color. "Our, um, love was powerful enough to send them flying. They are love powered. It made sort of sense they could be affected by it, and Cadance is a master of that. If you want more specific than that, you'd have to ask her. I bet she did something, as romantic as it'd be to imagine it was just us and nothing else."
"Ah ha." Umbra clopped firmly, dancing mid-step. "I knew it. She does know more than just 'I see them' and 'Let's turn them up'. But maybe she's in denial... Poor magic princess. Don't deny your magic!" She huffed with annoyance. "She's the princess of love. I'm the princess of shadow. What you see me do with shadow? She should be just as good with love! Celestia should be able to fling fire around everywhere! Luna... Well she already patrols dreams and does her thing all the time, so good on her!"
Shining reached over, tapping Umbra on the back. "Just to remind, technically you are not the princess of shadows. You don't have an official title yet. You're a princess, who likes shadows and crystals a lot."
"Technicalities," howled out Umbra, refusing to be denied on account of a trifling matter like facts.
Shining laughed warmly at Umbra's antics. "I did warn you it was one of those."
"You should be more annoyed." She began prodding him in the side as they ambled down the road. "Why are there no guy princesses?"
"There are."
That caught Umbra off guard. "There are?"
"If you mean ponies who are unicorns and pegasi at once, yep." He nodded firmly. "They just aren't also in the business of government. Governing, I mean. They're out there. Go to any of the big cities like Baltimare and you'll spot them if you look for them."
"Huh... So why not? Why don't the princes want to have a fancy crown and help lead things?"
"It's a big pain?" Shining shrugged softly. "You'd have to ask them. I'm not one of them." He smiled in a quirk. "Guess I never quite made the cut."
"Still unfair!" She danced in place. "You work really hard, and you share your talent. Unfair..."
"Not up to me, or you." He leaned over and nipped her closer ear. "But it's time to play, not discuss metaphysics, unless they're in world metaphysics."
They had arrived at the play site, the house of the storyteller, where adventure would happen. With a happy cry of joy, Umbra sprang inside, Shining following afterwards. How they would do, only their wit and the whimsies of the dice could say for sure.
"Shining, Umbra." Sunburst was already there, waving at the two of them as they came in. "Let's make some history."
Shining nodded at Sunburst, taking in what other players had arrived. "I'm ready to do that. Oh, check this out." He pulled out a bag with his magic and emptied it, revealing a bunch of dice that had his cutie mark in them, floating in the center. As they dice tumbled, the shield always pointed upwards, easily seen whatever the result. "Thanks, Umbra. They look so good."
Sunburst began to clap excitedly. "Wow, nice." He leaned in. "Hm. Interesting enchantment work... Why aren't you using Star Swirl's second theorum of arcanement?" That got a blank look from Umbra. "Uh... You're enchanting without knowing that? We have magic to go over." He brought his hooves together. "After the game."