//------------------------------//
// 6~The Full Picture 
// Story: The Shadow's Edge 
// by Centurion Pike-Wall 
//------------------------------//

As Shroud left, Ciaran kept looking at the shifting form of Sombra. She seemed transfixed on him, her eyes never leaving him and her only movement being the gentle flickering of her eyes and the rising and falling of her chest. "Uh... You ok?", Shining asked. 

Finally snapped out of her shock, she said, "N-no. Well, yes. I'm fine... Uh, you want me to get you something to eat?"

Shining quirked an eyebrow at her attempt to change the subject, before rapidly lowering it as he felt a growl emanate out from his stomach. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble."

"Don't worry", she said, already making her way to the tent's flap. "My family's tent isn't that far from this one. I'll be right back."

She left, the brief chill that entered as she left soon dissipating. Now, all that remained in the tent that was conscious was Shining and his thoughts. 

"So... these are my kind?", he asked nopony in particular. He laid back against the pillow, leaning his head back to once again gaze at the bones dangling from the tent frame. He was never really one for quiet reflection, but now that position was forced upon him.

Here he was: in the Frozen North, with others of his kind. He couldn't say that he had given the idea much thought. He always had his family and, while he had few, his friends. Especially after his engagement to Cadence, he never felt a need to really think about where he came from. As he grew up, it was just something he had to do: He went to a special doctor and had to wear a special charm when in public. That's all it was. 

And yet, here he was, sitting in an Umbrum tent in what he guessed was an Umbrum settlement. He had no idea where he was, nor how far away he was from Cadence and help from Equestria. He couldn't just pick a direction and run, and despite the fact they had helped him, he somehow doubted that he'd get any help from these Umbrum. He just had no way of knowing how to return to Equestria, and that left him stuck here for the time being. 

He sighed, somehow hating that phrase, 'Stuck here'. Like he was forced to remain in a completely undesirably place with the option to leave. Like it or not, and despite some of the weird things he had seen and heard so far, they didn't seem too bad. Maybe he could figure something out. 

"You awake?" Ciaran's voice tore him away from his train of thought. 

"Yeah, I'm awake", he said, sitting back up. 

Ciaran said, "Alright, here you go." She levitated two things over to him. The first was a simple metal and wood cup on a small strut, allowing him to grip it with his hooves easily. It was filled with what looked like milk, steaming slightly. The other was a simple wooden plate, filled with a half-dozen pale brown dumplings. 

"What are these?", he asked. 

"Milk Tea and Dumplings", she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Have you never had them?"

"Uh... No", Shining said, grabbing one of the dumplings and plopping it into his mouth.

His eyes widened at the taste as he slowly began to chew the dumpling. The dough that surrounded the filling was thin and rubbery, yet in a way that wasn't entirely unpleasant. The filling, however, was the star of the show. It was juicy and tender, broken up by smaller bits of things bearing other textures. Unlike some foods he had had back in Equestria, this one felt filling, as if it were designed specifically for him. 

"Woah", he said. "These are really good!"

"Thanks", Ciaran said. "I'll make sure to tell my mother you said that."

As he levitated another dumpling into his mouth, he looked over at Ciaran, who was throwing a few spare logs into the stove in the center of the room. When she turned back towards him, he saw something on her cheek he hadn't really noticed before: A scar. It was a simple X-shape, with a third line running down the middle. "What happened?", he asked after he finished chewing. 

"Huh?", she asked, before following the glow of his eyes to her cheek. "Oh. It's just my Mark", she replied, once again as if it was incredibly obvious. As she said that, she squinted at him, seeming to study his features. "Do... do you not have one?"

"I... I thought we couldn't get Cutie Marks?", he asked. He'd had to come up with a story in order to explain the addition of a cutie mark to his disguise. 

"Couldn't get what?", Ciaran asked, before shrugging. "Know what, nevermind. You don't have a Mark?"

Shining, a lump of worry forming in his throat, asked, "Wait... that was done intentionally?"

"Yeah", she said. "We just call these Marks; it both serves as an identifier of what clan you come from as well as prepares foals for life here. It's not the easiest place to live, so a reminder of the pain that comes with life is needed. Every Clan has something like this. Some are simpler than this, while others can be... more noticeable." She sat down, seeming to really study him for the first time. "Where were you raised where you don't know this?"

"It's... a long story", Shining said. 

The door opened, bringing with it the declaration of, "One I would like to here." 

Shroud reentered the tent, accompanied by an even larger Umbrum. This Umbrum bore a great resemblance to Shroud, save for his coat being slightly darker and his eyes being a shimmering purple. The clothing he wore, however, was what set him apart. He wore a different kind of hat, being pointed with a black felt rim and strands of yellow running up that central point. A golden collar hung over the outside of his coat, while smaller strands of metallic chains ran across his upper forelegs and chest. 

Ciaran backed away from Shining's bed, inclining her head to the larger Umbrum. "Shining", she whispered. "This is Betzalel Seite, the Clan Leader."

"Uh, Hello, Mr. Seite", Shining said, earning quizzical looks from all three of those present. 

"Seite is a title, not a name", Betzalel said, identifying him as the earlier speaker. "Please, I have little that needs doing at the moment. Tell me, where are you from?"

Shining weighed his options. Recalling his earlier dilemma, he was well and truly stuck. With no way to escape, it wasn't like he could simply escape. He doubted he could get away with brushing it off or a simple lie, leaving only one option. "Ok then..."


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


Once his explanation concluded, the three Umbrum looked at one another. Betzalel stated, "You... hail from the South. The land of the Sun and Moon."

"Uh, yeah", Shining said, wondering if telling them was a good idea. 

Shroud pointed over to the still-sleeping form of Sombra, asking, "And, that is THE Sombra?"

"Yes", Shining said. "Why?"

"If the Great Liberator is here, then the Ceannaire will want to-"

Shining couldn't help himself, interrupting Betzalel by exclaiming, "The what now!?"

"Sombra, the Great Liberator", Shroud said. 

Ciaran said, "He's the one that freed us from our Imprisonment by the Crystal Ponies."

"And even if it is not him, the Caennaire will want to know about the return of the Crystal Empire", Betzalel said. With that, he turned and left, leaving Shining alone with the other two Umbrum. 

"You call Sombra the 'Great Liberator'?", Shining asked. 

Shroud said, "Of course. What else would we call the one that set us free?"

"He enslaved the entire Crystal Empire!", Shining said. 

"Who cares about those Interloping dung-sniffers?", Shroud countered.

Shining stood up, ignoring the wincing pain in his side and said, "As Captain of the Royal Guard, it is my duty to care about everypony that is being mistreated or hurt."

Before Shroud could counter, Ciaran said, "Look, this is getting us nowhere." Shroud snorted, but backed off. "In the meantime, while the Seite works this out, I'll see if my family will extend guest rights to him. If not, we'll figure something else out. Alright?"

Shroud said, "Alright."

"That being said, Shining", Ciaran said. "I would suggest you keep some of your more... unpopular opinions to yourself. At least until you understand-"

"What's there to understand?", Shining asked. "You guys venerate a Tyrant!"

Ciaran glared at him, her eyes cold and dim. The expression startled Shining, who kept his mouth shut. "It's more complicated than that."