The throne room had Cadance in it, but she was far from alone. Just ahead of her, within reach, was a cradle with the new princess in it. Next to the cradle was the royal crystaler, Sunburst. Even in a throne room, his mane and beard were a bit scraggly. That was just his style, Umbra supposed as she marched into the guard-filled room with Thorax just in front of her. "Cadance! I'm back, and I have a guest."
Cadance leaned forward, one hoof on her child, perhaps protectively. "So I see... Is there a reason you're walking around with a... changeling?" She smiled with obvious tension, but she hadn't immediately demanded they both be removed. Progress!
"So glad you asked." Umbra brought in both of her wings on Thorax's sides. "He may be a changeling, but he does not work with that jerk, Chrysalis. He doesn't like her any more than you do, in fact."
"Is that so...?" Cadance smiled gently. "Where were you then?"
Thorax blinked with wide eyes. "Where was I?"
"During the invasion of Canterlot." Cadance rolled her free hoof. "Where were you?"
"Oh, um..." He tapped his hooves together nervously. "I'm not very good at the, uh... soldiering thing... She left me behind... Said I'd just get in the way..." He sagged in place. Even if she was a complete jerk, admitting one's failings clearly has an impact on Thorax. Silently, Umbra drew him back in a bit of a hug. "Um, thank you." Thorax was still facing the ruler of the land. "But I wasn't part of... that... Sorry for the trouble they caused."
Cadance looked past both of them to Shining, Twilight, and Spike. "They all let you in?"
Thorax peeked back at them. "Umbra said I should get a chance to talk to you. Um... she's very persuasive, and nice. Is she always like that?"
Cadance smiled then. "She typically is, if she feels the need present. Umbra, you have brought forward a confused and lost little soul. It's hard to be entirely upset with him... What are your intentions?"
Umbra nudged her temporary ward forward. "He was lost in the snow, cold and alone, just because of something he had no say over. Not like any of us get a lot of vote in what we're born as. He seems pretty nice." She reached around Thorax and, without much of a fight, pulled his lips up in a smile. "How can you be angry at this face?"
Cadance peered at the display. It was fairly hard to take seriously, which was, perhaps, the point. "Thorax." He stood up at attention. "Can you eat things besides love? Even if I were to rule favorable, we can't have a creature about that has to hurt others to survive."
Thorax looked around wildly a moment before he spotted a roll seated on a tray as if somepony would push around a single roll. Maybe they would? Either way, he hurried up to it and pointed at it. "Go ahead," came Cadance's allowance. He leaned in over it and snapped up the roll. The taste seemed to agree with him as he chomped it up and swallowed it down with a smile.
"Love is, um... ideal... but not technically required." Besides, he was getting some in a drip feed from that fetishistic shadow pony. "Ma'am!"
Cadance let out her breath in a gust. "Alright... if Umbra is speaking up for you, and you're not giving me much reason to deny it... We can at least give you a chance."
Umbra clopped in applause. "Great! I knew being adults about this was the right way to go." She went right past Thorax to the bundled up Flurry Heart. "And there's my little niece, who I can't ignore." Was that a hormonal thing, or did she just love that child? Maybe yes? Either way, she got to nuzzling the little foal to their delight and offered up a fresh bottle of milk. "You're the only reason I have that trick."
Flurry had no words. Words was not a thing she was good at just yet, but she could hold the bottle and drink from it happily.
"Aw." Thorax was coming up from behind her. "You really like... her..." He went rigid, ears pinning back, then going forward as a great hiss escaped him. He bared his fangs and looked like the predator he was.
And he got bopped on the head, Umbra frowning at him. "Why are you doing that?"
Thorax shrank back with a yelp. "S-sorry! I can't... I couldn't help it!" He moved to flee, only to thump into a shadowy wall that slowed his motions down as if swimming through thick jelly. "W-what?!"
Umbra waved him closer, her magic doing the deed for her. "Use your words. What couldn't you help? We can't understand if you don't talk to us."
Thorax wiggled about from his vantage point, floating in front of Umbra as he was. "Well... She's... She's very loved. I could feel all that love and I... It was an instinct! I'm sorry! I don't want to hurt her, really."
Umbra set a hoof on his nose gently. "You're not that different from Cadance."
Both of them blinked at that. "What? You both see connections between people. Sure, he thinks those connections are tastier than you do, but it's still pretty related."
Cadance came up and sat besides Umbra. She waved between herself and Umbra. "What connection do we have?"
Thorax looked at Cadance, then Umbra, and back again with a frown. "There is... some love there. It's not as strong as the love going towards that filly. That's a lot of love." He licked over his lips. "Sorry, I can't say much more than that."
Cadance inclined her head. "Not as precise." She was still the queen of connections. "Now, to be clear, if you hurt my filly, I will be very cross with you. My filly is not your snack. And if I find you're pretending to be her... I will be even more than cross could even hope to encompass. Are we clear?"
"Crystal!" Thorax flashed his fanged smile. "Thank you, um, ma'am... For your safety, and mine, I would like to head outside." He pointed away from Flurry Heart, magnet of love that she was. "Is that alright?"
Umbra set him down from her magic. "Sorry, there you go. No hurting her, to repeat that. I'm her aunt and I will hunt you down if it came to that. I'd rather be your friend, so let's do that, hm?"
"T-thank you! You're very nice to changelings." He turned and started trotting away. "No wonder your girlfriend gets along so well."
Cadance watched him go before she turned back to Umbra. "I'm not an idiot."
Umbra blinked owlishly. "What? It's all solved now. Everyone can stop freaking out and say hi to the new neighbor instead of hiding in their homes."
"I am glad about that." Cadance nodded only slightly. "But, for a shapeshifting deceiver, he isn't good at holding secrets."
"Whatever could you mean?" Umbra smiled so innocently, or so she hoped. "Is something else wrong? I can help!"
Cadance poked Umbra on the chest. "Why would your girlfriend get along better?"
"Um...." Crap. How to phrase that... She didn't want to lie to Cadance, but promises had been made! "I'm not allowed to go into detail on that." Adulting! Yes, the ultimate answer. "But know that she is super harmless and is helping me help the city. She helped save you from those shadow creatures. Please don't chase her now."
Cadance repeated the poking all the more firmly. "I didn't think you had those tastes... No wonder you said yes to me."
Umbra was still a moment as she pondered that and its meanings. "Oh..." Her cheeks began to glow brightly. "That isn't why! I already liked her before anything else came up." She pressed her hooves together. "I love you, Cadie. Let's not make this any more awkward than it already is."
Cadance rose to her full height. "It's already about as awkward as it's going to get, I imagine... Bring your girlfriend to me. We have things to discuss."
No! "She's going to think I told on her, and even if she doesn't, having me deliver her to you? She's going to be very upset to be grilled after that... Can't you let it be?" Umbra shied back a few steps. "Nothing's in danger from her, unless cute little bat squeaks bother you."
"Your protection of her is commendable... But I deserve the chance to know who I'm ruling over."
"Um." Sunburst had been quiet up to then. "Are we talking about the same Prism? Why are we upset about her? She's pretty nice."
"Super nice!" Umbra grinned in solidarity with Sunburst's report. "You've met her before, Cadance. Don't make this strange." And then she was poked with a small claw in the side. "What?!" Oh, it was Spike. "Hey, sorry, not trying to yell at you."
"You look busy, but I wanted to give a thumbs up." Which he did, two of them. "Good on you, for standing up for yourself, and somecreature else. He seems nice."
"Right?" She smiled awkwardly at the little dragon. "Glad we got that nice and handled." She leaned in at the baby dragon. "Did anyone ever mention you're actually kind of cute?" Was it the blossoming aunt's instincts in her? She wanted to grab up Spike and protect him from the world, not that he appeared to need much protection.
He went a bright red. "Only one pony, um, and I'm a one pony kind of dragon."
"One pony? Oh shoot!" She realized how she had been taken. "Not like that. Like an adorable child, which you are. If you need anything, just hit up Auntie Umbra and I'll do my best."
Cadance giggled softly. "That's adorable. I'm glad to see you two are getting along. Still, I do need to speak to your girlfriend. Could you at least tell her that? If not, I'll have to send somepony over to collect her."
That was a threat. Not an unreasonable one, ultimately, but still a threat. Umbra pawed at the ground, dark magic pouring from her eyes in her building distress. Why wasn't Adulting fixing that?! "Don't do that! I'll... tell her myself." Better to hear from her than from some random stranger. "Please don't be mad at her. She's harmless, I swear!"
"It is only because of her history that I am as calm as I currently am." Cadance nudged the stroller towards Sunburst to handle. "But I do need to know the truth. I will admit, I am a little hurt that you kept this secret from me for so long. Did you not trust me? I thought we had a stronger relationship than that."
"Liar revealed!" Umbra flopped to her belly. "I hate that part..."
That got Cadance to raise a brow. "Pardon?"
"It's a trope." Umbra sat up slowly. "Look, she made me promise to keep her secret, and I keep my promises. Ugh, still my fault. I told him about her, thinking it'd get him to relax, which it did... and then he blabbed!" She threw up both her forehooves. "Is it too late to say he can't be trusted?"
Cadance smirked at that. "A few steps too far, I'm afraid. If you were bound by a promise... I can at least somewhat understand that. She has not harmed anypony I'm aware of... I'm willing to set that aside, but I really do need to speak to her. She is not who I thought she was, and I'd rather know who I'm the princess of."
"Right..." Umbra sagged, but stood up. "Right! My bad... I'll go tell her then... Um, any specific time she should swing by?"
Cadance went in for a nose bump. "Why don't you bring her by tomorrow, for our usual breakfast meetup? You both know the place."