"Look at you." Midnight tossed the filly into the air with both hooves, catching them as they came back down. "Everything gets wiped out, and you're looking better than ever."
"I am your sister's child," reminded Morning flatly, only a little half-smile showing that she enjoyed the attention. "My new mother is acceptable."
Midnight stuck out her tongue at Umbra, who had been trying to lounge on a couch nearby and not be in the way. "Did you hear that? Acceptable! Praise, coming from Morning." She booped her niece, but it turned into a fond nuzzling. "I missed you so much, you little jerk."
Umbra snorted softly as she rose to her hooves. "You two are having fun."
Morning hugged Midnight from above. "I thought my family had perished in the flames of war. It was romantic... But I am alright being incorrect in this specific case."
Midnight laughed at that, her darkly dangerous one. "You underestimated me... I overestimated my sister... It was a day that caught us both off guard." She deflated, finding a shame in herself, and she hated it. "Enough of that. Your aunt is back, and she's a therapist!" She pointed to Umbra. "She's my first client. Tell her how good I am!"
Umbra hummed softly.
"Don't take so long to think about that!" Midnight clopped a hoof down. "She said it herself. I give her plenty of things to think about. I see what others didn't."
"She did that," allowed Umbra easily. "She's still working on her bedside manner, and the difference between cutting to heal, and cutting because the blood's so nice and warm on the hoof."
"It is," agreed Midnight.
"It is," agreed Morning.
Umbra clopped a hoof to her face. She had umbrum for family. "A therapist is a sort of doctor. They cut to heal, and knowing that is their primary, dare I say only goal when they reach for a scalpel is the only reason they're trusted. And it is a trust, a deep one. Betray it, even once, and you can lose it forever."
Midnight set Morning down on her back for a ride. "You see this? My sister-by-proxy is such a meanie!"
"By proxy?" Morning considered that. "She is not bound to you by blood or vow."
Midnight took a few energetic steps around the room, enjoying the feel of Morning atop her. "She's your mother. You're my neice. Neither of us are giving up that connection, so, the mother of my niece? Pretty sure that's a sister. Can't say in-law or half. By proxy's the best term I got for it, but it's still a sister."
Umbra inclined her head, considering the two. "Huh... If you're serious, I'll take that."
Midnight cantered up to Umbra. "Of course you would, you social sponge. You love collecting ties." She raised a hoof towards Umbra. "Fortunately, I don't hate that. Also, owe you one, maybe two... So this works off one of those. Win win." She turned away, energetically bouncing Morning on her back. "Three, if we think about it. Thank you for watching my niece while I was... busy."
Umbra turned for the door. "Good thing about family, we stop counting the favors and just know they'll be given and taken. You two have fun, time for other conversations."
"Lewd ones," grunted Midnight.
Morning inclined her head. "How can you be sure?"
"She's embarrassed, I can feel it." This much seemed like fact, to Midnight. "That it has to do with something lewd is my guess. Go on, sister. Take care of your depravities. I'll keep a pure eye on our foal."
Umbra strode from the room, getting a final, "Good day, ma'am," from her maid that was so good at vanishing into the background when not needed.
"I have a nice family." Sure, two of them were shadowy psychopaths of sorts, but she loved all of them, in their various ways of shining, even in their dark ways. She hurried out onto the training fields. There were many soldiers practicing their arts, swinging stuffed bats at one another, practicing take downs, and generally being busy and physical.
There was Shining, overseeing it all. He had been the captain to start, and being married to a princess didn't really change that, in the end. It's where he liked to be. Umbra could appreciate that. Good to know what one liked.
"Shining!"
Shining waved at her as she came. "Umbra!" He had been pretty lively, even during the explosion. "What brings you out here?"
"Is visiting you not a reason enough?" They met in a little hug. "I wanted to talk to you."
"Is it about the umbrum?" He waved at some guards. "No no!" He was distracted, yelling at them on their form and technique. Fortunately, he did come back. "Is it?"
"They're doing alright, I think... No complaints so far..." She smirked faintly. "They just want to live and thrive, like any creature else... They just... were doing it the way they knew how. Which was not good, let's be clear."
"Not at all." Shining was there, in that battle. "But they're alright, doing other things?"
"Most of them." Umbra sank to her haunches. "They want to live. Who doesn't? Most of them are pretty happy to hear their talents can be not only tolerated, but rewarded, and even paid for? Exciting stuff."
"I can't even imagine." It was such an alien concept for a pony of his background. "But, good! Really good. I'd so much rather they be happy creatures. Oh, uh, do you need any financing for this? This can't be all free."
"Pfft." UImbra rolled her eyes at that. "Really? You paid me, remember? A lot. I didn't have a lot to spend that on, and you don't see me living the obscenely wealthy live. I have the money."
"Good... Good!" He turned back to his practicing soldiers. "Sounds like a happy ending to me."
"But it isn't. It's barely a start, a new chapter?" Umbra shrugged softly. "But I'm happy to see it, and so are they. Speaking of..." She glanced aside at Shining. "A question... Cadance is looking forward to topping you."
Shining colored darkly. "So blunt!"
"And the truth." Pulling from the umbrum side of things was...fun at times. "She is, and you're alright with that. So... Is she less a mare, in your view?"
Shining blinked dumbly. That had not been a direction he was expecting. "Uh..."
"Stop thinking, start talking. I want to know how you feel, not think." Umbra gave him a firm thud with a hoof to make that clear. "Out with it."
"Hey!" He swatted at her hoof. "She's still the mare of my dreams... I'll still be her stallion, um, even after we've swapped the pants a moment... I mean, seriously.... Think about her. She is... the mare. This won't change that."
Umbra hummed softly. "What about me?"
"We're not married."
Such a blunt and simple statement. He wasn't... wrong...
"True... But putting that aside, again, asking for feelings, not thoughts. Even thought wise, we are connected." She waved between herself and Shining. "I'm the only pony aside Cadance you have allowance on."
Shining's blush made its return. "Ah... yes... You are a monster." That had not been said as an insult. He had his tastes, and Umbra fit nicely in them.
"A lady monster, or a guy monster?" She leaned in from the eye, eyes half-lidding.
"A, uh... lady monster, I'd say." He flipped his ears back. "If we're being honest, which we are, I don't much like guy monsters." He turned to Umbra fully. "You and Cadance, my lovely lady monsters, mare with teeth." He flashed his own. "Do the wrong thing, or the right thing, and you'll get bit. You may like it."
Umbra broke into laughter at how that was described. "Wow! Love it. You know, Midnight is entirely aware of your shameful fetish, because you are ashamed of it. If a pony's embarrassed about it, she can smell it. Shoot, she can see it, crystal clear." She raised a hoof to her chin. "Part of what makes her a deadly good therapist. She has teeth, but that lady monster is too eager to rip and shred. Working on toning that part down."
Shining shank back with a nervous laugh. "Will you think less of me if some part of me wants to try her out as a therapist?"
Umbra swatted at him. "Shining! Don't repeat my mistake, sheesh... Besides, being turned on by your therapist isn't really a good thing."
Shining waved it off. "Alright, alright. Just curious... I'll leave that monster in your capable hooves."
Umbra waggled her brows. "Besides, if you tickle her right, she'll do horribly shameful things to you. That's how she likes it. Her plus one would return fire. She wants to end a session with both creatures heaving for breath, red in the face, angry as all hell, mortified, and unsure if they love or despise the creature they were just with."
Shining couldn't keep the flush from his cheeks. "Wow... Intense."
"Right?!" Umbra skipped in place. "Exact words I used, I swear. A bit much for me, but I do hope she finds that special someone, who can take that kind of abuse, and return it."
Shining took a break to chastise his soldiers, getting them back in order. "Are you sure you found them all?"
"I think I have... Morning's pretty good at that." Her darling daughter, such a talented filly. "Oh! Anik's learning how to school, and how to get to and from it without a little panic attack."
"Panic attack?" Shining inclined his head. "Why are they scared?"
"Not scared. Anxiety isn't always about that." Umbra considered how to phrase it. "Imagine walking through the streets of the city."
"Sure?"
"Lots of ponies all around, as usual."
"Sure." Shining nodded firmly. "Normal so far."
"Now imagine they are all looking at you. They're all thinking about you. They say nothing, but you know they are."
Shining cringed at the scenario. "Did I put something on backwards?"
"You did nothing wrong, but Anik had to learn how to not think about other ponies, and that most of them are busy doing the same to him."
"Huh, alright." Shining nodded thoughtfully. "One thing. Is Midnight helping with Anik?"
"Oh, no." Umbra flatly waved that off. "She hates him. Hates. him. According to her, he has only one regret, and it's not even something she can do much about, since it's one she shares."
Shining slowly let his head flop to the side. "Um... Wouldn't that make her better at dealing with it... in theory?"
"In theory," allowed Umbra. "But not if she doesn't want to deal with it at all. I can understand that. Being a therapist is all about learning boundaries, and your own are super important. A shame she doesn't want to face? Not sure what it is, but it is her right to declare it out of bounds."
"When did you get to know therapists?" Shining prodded at her gently. "Were you one?"
"Talked to a few in my time," she confessed. "Played the part for friends, with mixed results... Anyway... I did ask that for a reason."
"Which is?" He leaned in, curiosity in his eyes. "Safe to discuss, um, out here?"
"Probably not... But it involves making up with Cadance, and making us--" She waved between herself and Shining. "--closer in the end. All of us, really... if It's not too dumb an idea..."
Shining quirked an ear. "That both fascinated me and terrified me... I want to hear more, but when I'm not doing drills. Tomorrow morning, Breakfast?"
"Breakfast," Umbra firmly agreed. "I'll send Anik and Morning off to handle that on their own. They're mature enough to handle it one day. Time for a chat."
"With pleasure. Now..." He went back to giving his full attention to his guard ponies. They deserved that.