Umbra got her hug in after Shining, both wanting a turn at Twilight. "Welcome!" Umbra swept a hoof over the houses she had helped build. "And behold the block my hooves, or horn, helped make."
Rarity inclined her head as she studied the craftsponyship critically. "Hm. You're growing more talented at it, and the ponies inside certainly seem pleased, darling."
"Aren't they!" Umbra clapped her hooves in a quick beat, but didn't get far before a rainbow horse landed casually on her back. "Hey, Rainbow."
"Hey to you too." Rainbow leaned over the front of Umbra for a good look at her. "Have you been doing the wing exercises or not?"
Umbra wilted under Rainbow, caught. "Sometimes? I don't fly all that often, truth told."
Starlight laughed as she wandered past with Spike in tow. "We have to go check something else out." She didn't sound that confident.
Rainbow tapped at Umbra's spine from above. "You're just like Twilight." She snorted softly and smiled. "I shouldn't have expected any different. Two magic princesses, of course they're gonna flake on wing day."
Shining led the way towards the castle. "Progress has slowed a little on our side project, but that's understandable." He peeked over his shoulder. "We're all distracted with our happy little surprise."
Pinkie sprang up in front of Shining. "Speaking of that! When do we get to see this new bundle of joy?" She clasped her hooves under her chin with a huge smile. "I'm gonna throw such a party."
Shining gently pushed her back. "Calm down. We already have a party planned."
"The Crystalling!" Twilight nodded with her study. "I can't wait to see it."
"Speaking of that, there are more than three princesses--" Cadance's appearance threw that off as she rushed to start the introductory ritual with Twilight. Umbra shook free her pegasus rider. "Brought them."
Celestia nodded. "So I see. Good job." She inclined her head faintly. "I hear you have become the aunt of the child we have come to see. A surprise, I will admit. I imagined you would be more... distant." She leaned in closer to Umbra. "But I am not displeased."
Luna peered at the crystal shadow wizard. "I will join in that thought..." She looked up to see Cadance was finishing up. "Let's see this child for ourselves."
Joined by Cadance and Shining Armor, they headed to the nursery. The Main six were quick to gather around it, making funny sounds at the foal as she reached for them. The blanket brushed free, allowing her wings free and proving she wasn't a unicorn foal.
Twilight recoiled in surprise. "Is... What?"
Celestia hiked a brow. "Equestria has never seen something like that before."
Umbra slid in front of the child as if to protect her from the confused looks of the others. "She's fine the way she is." She hiked a brow. "Even if alicorn at birth is a bit new."
Cadance set a hoof on Umbra's back gently. "She is full of love, and beloved in kind. The only thing I am worried about are her power surges, which already--" She winced and recoiled as Flurry let loose a great bolt of magic that punched a hole in the ceiling. "That already making a mess..."
Umbra twirled at the exploding noise. "When did that start? Why didn't you tell me?! How... did you not tell me?" She picked up the foal and rocked them gently back and forth.
Cadance smiled at the interaction. "When she's in your arms, she's usually calm enough. I didn't see a reason to get in the middle of that."
Celestia shook her head. "We have to continue, regardless. The ponies are expecting a crystalling. Let's get that over with as quickly as possible and see about calming your daughter."
Cadance nodded quickly. "That is the plan. While I get ready, can you keep an eye on her? I have to look a very specific way."
Twilight snorted softly. "Princess duties?"
"Princess duties." Cadance marched off in pursuit of that.
Twilight bowed to the two head princesses remaining. "Can we—" She had to dodge a bolt of power landing by her.
"Calm down!" Umbra was chasing the princess, who was not nearly as calm the moment Cadance was out of sight. "You know I'm your friend." Friend or not, there was so much to see and do, and she set her eyes on doing both of those things. She vanished with a puff of magic. "Hey! I haven't even learned how to teleport yet..."
Twilight hurried to Umbra's side. "While a foal is power surging, they may do all kinds of things they don't understand and may never understand as adults. C'mon, girls, we have to fetch a foal!" The others let out a cheer and charged out with Twilight and Umbra on a Flurry hunt.
With the foal back in hoof, the others scattered about to help prepare for the crystalling. Only Pinkie remained with Umbra to watch the child. "I'm surprised." Umbra hiked a brow at Pinkie. "I'd think you, of all ponies, would hurry to help prepare for a party."
"It's not that kinda party." Pinkie waved it off with a big grin. "I hear you went to that place Twilight was. Tell me about it!" She clapped excitedly as she bounced in place. "I heard Twilight's side, but what about yours?"
"You really want to know?" She popped a bottle she hadn't been holding into Flurry's waiting hooves. "I don't mind sharing, but it involves a lot of adults adulting all over the place."
"Ew." Pinkie stuck out her tongue. "Disgusting. Tell me more." She leaned in, lashes batting at Umbra.
So it was that Umbra explained what happened, going over a few chapters that you've already perused. "And that's how I got back a little after Twilight, but you were already celebrating her, so I snuck out."
Pinkie stuck out her tongue at that. "Shoulda said hi! I have room for two incredible friends." She threw a leg around Umbra in a tight hug. "I actually have room for a lot of friends. It's what I do." She gigglesnorted as she stood up properly. "I think they're almost ready."
Umbra walked out with her as Cadance was finishing the last words to a built crowd. "Wow," she whispered softly to Pinkie. "They gath—"
They drowned her words out with sudden new cheering. She was as much a celebrity as anything else on that stage, and she was holding the new princess, which just made her at least twice the target for the wild stomps and cheers. "Thank you... Thank you..." Umbra quickly took her spot, handing Flurry over to Cadance. She took her spot by Pinkie instead and tried to not let them pay so much attention to her.
They were presenting Flurry, who was looking upset with her gaze on Pinkie and Umbra. That upset turned into a wail. That wail emerged as a terrific cry was no normal screech. They held their ears as the surrounding air shuddered and the crystal heart exploded violently into pieces.
Umbra fell to a knee with a gasp. Whatever connected her to the others, she felt it breaking. At a glance, she could see they felt the same way in a rough, disjointed tearing that left them reeling. "Bad girl..."
She could hear talking but not what it was about exactly except that a weather front of some kind was moving in and something had to be done about it. Most of the Mane Six fled off in various directions to do... whatever they were doing. Shining sank next to Umbra. "I feel the same way, but we can't stop here. There are too many ponies relying on us." He got up and moved on, leaving Umbra to suffer alone.
Part of Umbra felt angry at that instant. Who was Shining to just abandon her in her time of need?! Did he know it was coming and didn't bother to warn her of impending doom? Why was he mobile and she felt like she was ready to die at any moment? But that was impossible. He was just shrugging it off. So was Cadance a bit slower. They were ready to stand even when Umbra's head wanted to split in two. "Crystal Princess of Determination."
Umbra forced herself to her hooves and got a look around. One of Twilight's friends, that she never got much of a chance to talk to, was speaking to Twilight and Pinkie animatedly. "What are you two doing?" Umbra came closer. "Let me help."
Twilight waved it off. "You look terrible. You relax while I try to find the relic reconstruction spell." Twilight raced off in search of that, leaving Umbra behind in her pain. Umbra frowned with a wince. "Not fair. Who are you again?"
"Starlight." The new unicorn pointed to herself with a smile. "Twilight's mentioned you, so, hey. I'm Twilight's other magical student but also maybe friendship student? It's a long story, but we're both magic students and that has to count for something." She offered a hoof firmly, met with Umbra's less sure clop. "Things are out of control a bit here, but Twilight is sure she can handle it."
"Nice to meet you, really. Sorry for being so completely out of the loop, but the heart shattering to a bajillion pieces knocked it right out of me." With one hoof to her head, she could meet Starlight with other. "Don't take this as a bad thing for you. I want to talk to you!" Starlight perked in surprise. "Don't look that way." Umbra smiled despite the pain. "After this is over, I want to compare magic notes. We can compare spells."
"Deal." Starlight started trotting anyway. "I should see what Twilight is up to." She was gone seemingly instantly, leaving Umbra to her misery.
Umbra wobbled her head left and right as the agony rose and fell within her with little of her control. "I can't sit here." She rose and staggered towards the broken shards of the crystal heart to get a better look at it. "Wow..." That child, beloved as she was, had completely ruined the heart into little pieces. "But why isn't it getting better?"
Not that the heart would restore itself with no outside force, but her connection to it had no reason to feel the way it did, or so she figured. She reached up and popped her tiara free so she could feel and it seemed to become obvious quickly. The crystal heart wasn't destroyed. It was shattered. One might think the two were synonyms. but Umbra could feel her magic going towards it in a scattershot that matched the pieces. The heart still connected her to them despite all the damage done to the heart. "Huh... Alright then!"
"It's not okay!" Starlight raced past in the other direction towards the town itself in quite a hurry. "Be right back!" And she was gone just as quickly. Umbra wanted to stop her, but by the time she felt up for the task, Starlight was gone.
It was just at that moment that Umbra realized the full and terrible weight of pony names. "Flurry Heart." That little adorable demon had reduced the heart to little flurries of crystals. Umbra barked out a laugh as she forced herself upright. She could see Shining barking orders. Celestia and Luna were battling the inclement weather that was pressing on from all sides. "I want to help..."
But what was there for Umbra to do, other than feel bad? Her partners seemed to have gotten their act together! Cadance and Shining Armor were hard at work. But what could she actually do? Organizing the ponies was done. What had gone wrong inside? She started up the stairs to find out. "Twilight?"
Umbra scaled the stairs and began wandering the palace in search of Twilight. "Magical unicorn, there are only a few of you in the entire empire, so no hiding!"