//------------------------------//
// Prologue~Blood of Shadows 
// Story: The Shadow's Edge 
// by Centurion Pike-Wall 
//------------------------------//

Lieutenant Steady Formation grumbled beneath his heavy scarf, but kept moving forward. The harsh winds beat against his armor and cloak as he did so, glare from the rapidly falling snow forcing him to hold up a hoof in order to allow him to see. "I don't see why you're complaining, Shield", he said to his fellow guardspony, following a few paces behind him. "You have magic. Just cast a small shield in front of your face."

"Pardon my prench, Lieutenant", the Sergeant said. "But it is really bucking cold! I am complaining because it is cold!"

"Pardoned, Sergeant. But we still have to-"

Sergeant Shield cut off his commander, saying, "I know why we have to do this. But I can still complain about having to walk through the Frozen-bucking-North!"

Steady looked around his held-up hoof, sighing as he took in what his comrade said. The two of them, as well as eight other troopers of the Royal Guard, were moving through the edge of the Frozen North. Granted, it was only a few miles into the edge of the snow-blanketed wasteland; long-range patrols were simply infeasible, given the terrain and the danger posed by the few creatures that called this place home. 

Everywhere one looked, snow covered every inch of the ground. The ground beneath the snow was uneven and rocky, giving the snow an image like boiling water. In the distance, only could make out the faint outlines of mountains and rocky outcroppings. However, that was only a very faint outline, as the wind and constantly falling snow obscured much of the landscape ahead. No trace of the sun shown through the swirling storm, covering the surface in twisting shadows and making vision even harder. 

Lieutenant Steady sighed again, a faint cloud of steamy air escaping through his scarf. "Just keep moving and keep your eyes open."

"Open for what?", Sergeant Shield asked. "Most of the things that live in this blasted place don't come this far south. Just Frost Wolves and more bucking wind! There's nothing up here!"

As if to respond to that cue, something began to move in the distance. Steady held up his hoof, causing the formation to grind to a halt. "What is it?", Shield asked, stepping closer to Steady. "Frost Wolves?"

"No", Steady said, squinting at the faint outline. "Wrong shape. Plus, there's just one. Frost Wolves are never alone." He turned back to his unit, obtaining eye contact from each of his troopers. "There's something up ahead! I don't know what! Stay on your guard!"

After the chorus of "Yes Sir!" from the Guards died down, he signaled them to keep moving. As they grew closer to the source of the movement, more details could be made out about it. Pony-shaped, tall and bulky, with a... curved horn? "Is that a Pony?", Shield asked. "There shouldn't be anypony up here."

"I know", Steady said, watching as the figure grew closer. Their movement was erratic, jerking from side to side and appearing to stagger in some places. As he watched, it appeared to notice them, just before collapsing into the snow. "Move it!", he barked, breaking into a run alongside his troopers. 

They reached the figure, which had fallen into the snow. It was indeed pony-like, though larger than the average pony. Most of it was covered by a thick greatcoat of some kind, which ran across its back and upper legs, and several wraps made of thick cloth or fur. It looked up at the golden-armored stallions, who saw its face obscured by a scarf and goggles. A fur hat of sorts had fallen off its head and now rested in front of the figure, exposing their strangely cut deep green mane. 

"Are you alright?", Steady asked, which drew the gaze of the figure to him. As he looked into those goggled eyes, he suddenly felt a bit... strange. A faint glow emerged from behind the lenses; a deep amber color, bordering on a dark red. They then looked down at the bundle, rubbing a hoof along it. It was placed on the ground within the hat. "Hello?" The figure then looked at the Guards again, scanning them like this figure was their commanding officer. 

Suddenly, the figure began to... melt? That's what it looked like to Steady, who backed away in alarm, yanking his spear out from its holster along his back. The figure's physical form practically disintegrated, folding in on itself and turning into something that was the same time a liquid and seemingly not there. In a matter of seconds, it was gone, the only trace of its existence being the bundle it left behind. 

Steady and Shield approached the bundle, Shield signaling for the others to stay back. The bundle shifted slightly, as if something was moving inside of it. Steady gently rolled the thick cloth bundle over, finding a gap in the bundle to observe the contents.

"Is...", Sergeant Shield began. "Is that a-"


~+~+~~|~~+~+~


A foal. An Umbrum foal. 

Princess Celestia gazed down at the small figure laying within the old crib, sleeping peacefully. When this discovery along the Northern Outposts had been discovered, she had instantly been interested. Stalliongrad was the northernmost Equestrian settlement, and even that was almost fifty miles south of where the true Frozen North began. A pony being found beyond that point was almost unheard of, let alone a foal. It was when she had read the report of the squad that found the foal that she had requested the child be brought to Canterlot. 

She knelt down, looking over the wooden bars to examine the sleeping foal. Upon first glance, and if one didn't see the head of this foal, it could be assumed it would be a normal pony foal. He had a pale, greyish-white coat that was especially thick and coarse, and a thick, dark blue tail and mane. Despite only being, by her estimates, six months old, he was already quite large. His size was comparable to a foal of almost twice his age, and about as heavy, despite being thin, both his legs and chest showing the outline of bones beneath his coat. However, it wasn't unheard of for a pony foal of his age to be that large, and the discrepancy could simply be chalked up to him being found in the Frozen North. 

The head was what ruined the perception. While still covered with coarse fur, it was thinner across his face, exposing some patches of thick, leathery hide. It lacked a proper nose; where nostrils would be a normal pony, there was a small indent in the bone, forming a sort of chasm in the bone. The skin around his mouth was taught, creating a gap between his lips and the wide ring of razor-sharp fangs. The horn that emerged from his head was jagged and curved, which had already caused a few gauges in the soft material of the bedding. 

Celestia looked away from the foal, her eyes eventually falling onto the starry night sky that rested outside her window. The question of what she was to do with this foal was foremost on her mind.

There was no way to return him; there was simply no way to do so. She hadn't even known that the Umbrum were alive, having thought they had long ago been rendered extinct. King Sombra was thought to have been the last of his kind, and he was long gone. With no method of contacting any Umbrum in the north and no formal settlement, she simply couldn't return him to his kind. 

She couldn't care for the child. She had much on her mind; beyond the typical governmental business, she also had to contend with her newly appointed Personal Student. The best solution would be to have the foal adopted by a kind family that would care for him. 

And yet, a thought knawed at the back of her mind as she thought about that plan. One detail about this foal that had concerned her since laying eyes upon him. Namely, his relation to King Sombra. Not any sort of blood relation, of course; merely in species. 

Sombra had been raised within the Crystal Empire, a land dedicated to the idea of Love. And yet, he had become consumed by dark magic and became a ruthless tyrant. If that could happen there, could it happen here? Could this child become a tyrant as bad as, if not worse, than King Sombra? 

As she considered this possibility, she heard a soft coo. Looking over, she saw the foal stir slightly, looking up at her. His eyes were a pale blue, like the ice of a glacier, and glowed softly. Despite the lack of a pupil, their eyes still somehow conveyed the wonder of a foal, glittering with a strange sort of expressiveness. She smiled at the foal, despite her earlier concerns. "Hello, little one", she said, speaking softly. "Welcome to Equestria."


~+~+~~|~~+~+~


Night Light opened the door, expecting to find the mail or maybe a sailspony. The last thing he expected was Princess Celestia herself. 

"Princess!", he squeaked in surprise, dropping into a bow. 

"Please", the Princess said, smiling down at him. "There is no need. Please, may I come in?"

"Of course!", Night Light said, standing up and stepping to the side quickly. 

The Princess said, "Thank you." As she stooped to enter, Night Light closed the door behind her and gestured to the furniture. 

"Feel free to take a seat", he said. "Do you want anything? Tea? Some crackers?"

"No thank you", she said, sitting down behind the coffee table. "Is it just you? Where is your wife?"

"Oh, she's-", Night Light began, only to be cut off by a loud clanging. Both eyes jerked towards the door leading from the living room to the kitchen. There stood Twilight Velvet, having dropped the metal decoration she was carrying out from the basement. 

"P-p-princess Celestia!", she said. "Th-this is certainly a surprise. What c-can we do for you?"

The Princess lowered her gaze from the two of them, bringing it down to a small object, wrapped in a blanket, that she held to her chest. She brought it up and pulled away some of the blanket, allowing them to see the contents; a foal, albeit one unlike any they had ever seen. 

"Wh-what is...?", Night Light asked, eyes never leaving the small form swaddled in white cloth. 

"This is what is called... an Umbrum", Princess Celestia said. "He was found on the border of the Frozen North. I had long thought the Umbrum were extinct, and as such, have no way of returning him to his own kind. I aimed to find a kind family; one that could care for him properly."

"U-us?", Twilight Velvet asked, an expression of stunned amazement on her face. 

Princess Celestia said, "I understand you two were attempting to have a child for some time. I know you both have stable jobs that give you a good income, allowing you to support a foal quite easily. And that... you are both very kind, noble ponies. I know I am asking quite a bit, but..." She trailed off, not really knowing what to say. 

"Excuse us, Princess", Night Light said. "We just need to... to consider this."

The two of them went into the kitchen, leaving Celestia alone with her thoughts and the Umbrum foal. She gazed down at him again, watching him shift slightly as if trying to escape. He cooed and babbled, as any normal foal would. 

After about ten minutes, the two returned. Both looked resolute, sitting down next to one another on the couch. Both tensed up slightly, before Twilight Velvet said, "We'd... We'd be willing to adopt... You said it was a colt?"

"Yes, the foal is a colt", she said, gently levitating the wrapped foal over to the couple. They took him from her aura, Twilight holding him between the two of them. They studied him from all angles, slowly coming to terms with what they were doing. "There is some of the standard paperwork to do; as he was found by the Royal Guard, he was at least temporarily a ward of the State."

"Of course", Night Light said. "Is there anything we should know, specifically, about raising an... an Umbrum?"

"I must admit, I know very little of their kind myself", Princess Celestia said. "I have a specialist coming up from Manehattan to conduct a thorough examination and help figure that out, but she shouldn't be here for another few days. In the meantime, there is one more thing."

"Yes?", Twilight Velvet said, looking up to see the Princess produce a small crystal on a piece of cord. 

"This is a Crystal, infused with a special variant of the Polymorph spell", she explained. "I fear that this foal might... not be the most welcome if he were to appear in public in his true form. This would disguise him as a normal unicorn... allow him to have a normal life."

"A-alright", Night Light said, taking the crystal. "We'll consider it. Now... does he have a name?"

"... No", Celestia said.

As the two of them considered the foal, he opened his eyes. Those piercing, glowing blue orbs gazed up at the two unicorns, drawing small smiles from both of them. "How about Shining? After his eyes."

Night Light smiled at his wife. "I like it. Shining. Shining Armor."