Umbra was in a place she didn't visit very often. It was Cadance's court, and that wasn't the unusual part. No, she visited that once in a while, but not while they were wearing very serious faces. They just didn't have to do that a lot. They arranged guards about in strict formations, as if an attack could come at any moment.
Shining Armor was there, facing one of those guards, the one out of formation for sake of speaking to him. "Where did this happen?"
The guard pointed off. "To the east, sir. The snow collapsed beneath our hooves and we barely got out of the hole."
Cadance hummed from her throne. "But you saw more than a hole. You didn't announce an emergency due to some geological annoyances, I hope?"
"N-no, ma'am! There were monsters inside, sealed by the snow, but free now, ma'am, sir." He nodded to both of his superiors. "We barely got away in time!"
Shining nodded in slow contemplation. "Did you get a look at these monsters? What sort of capabilities should we be preparing for?"
The guard backed a step, crystal fur glistening in a combination of sweat and the bright lights of the room. "It was dark, sir. Once we were outside, we ran as quickly as we could. They were a step behind us! They sounded huge, and they were coming straight for us, sir!"
Cadance looked to Umbra. "Your thoughts?"
Umbra perked. "Well... We already have the shadow monsters figured out. Some of them are even turning out to be nice, sorta." She imagined calling Midnight 'nice', and her mocking laugh at the result. "Still, how many different shadow creatures can we have in one place?! Besides that, this is sounding more like 'we got spooked' than anything else. I'm not hearing any proof that these things, whatever they are, are even dangerous, just unexpected."
Cadance nodded gently. "We are in agreement then. The dread shadow lord and his kin are both pacified." Umbra thought of how little the umbrum would appreciate Sombra being called 'their' shadow lord, but Cadance was plowing forward. "This is worth investigation, but not kingdom mobilization. For all we know, these are creatures, not monsters. If they are, we should greet them, not attack them."
Shining gestured for the guard to step back. "Get to the map room and work with the attendants there to place as closely as you can where this happened. We'll need to know that before we can do much of anything else."
"Sir!" The crystal guard rushed off to get that done, perhaps happy to get out of the questioning position.
Shining turned to the other two of the forming triumvirate of rulership. "While that's happening, I nominate Umbra."
"Seconded." There was no hesitation, Cadance just tossing Umbra under the metaphorical bus.
Umbra blinked at this. "What am I being nominated for?"
Shining rolled a hoof. "To go investigate. You can travel the snowy wastes with the least amount of risk or discomfort. You haven't taken on the tasks of rulership just yet, so your absence won't throw too many things off kilter. You are also our local wizard of considerable combat ability, if it comes to that, which I hope it doesn't."
Cadance raised a hoof. "But! You are one of us." She waved between Shining, Umbra, and herself. "So if diplomacy is on the table, you can speak with authority. Any agreement you come to, we will abide. So, for good or bad, you are our most capable, least at risk, diplomat that we can hurriedly get to the scene."
Shining nudged Umbra with an elbow. "Just be reasonable, which we know you can be."
Umbra curled a hoof to her chin as she rocked left and right. "Hum, well, when you put it that way... That does make sense... Alright. As soon we have that map, I'll zip over there and have a look." Her eyes and horn radiated with dread shadow magic. "I'll settle this, hopefully with some new friends, or maybe just some critters worth admiring."
Cadance nodded at that. "A new local animal species wouldn't be the worst result."
"Let that be the worst case scenario." Shining turned to the others. "Resume your normal positions!" They scattered to do that. "And let's get back to business." He moved to stand to the side and a little ahead of Cadance.
Umbra quirked up an ear. "Am I still on baby queen duty?"
Cadance snickered softly. "We don't have any queens. Equestria doesn't do those. You'll have to settle with princess duties, I'm afraid."
Umbra swung an arm as if she were snapping her fingers, but she had none. "Drat. Oh well, if that's the best I can do... I guess..."
Cadance made a patting motion without contact. "There there. Now, since they're busy with that map, let's resume for now."
And the court picked up, ponies allowed in to plead their cases and desires. Some were small, some were large, but Cadance listened to each as if they were the only thing for that moment. It was the main thing she could offer, her time. That Umbra could listen, watch, and learn was a nice side benefit.
After the court sessions of the morning were seen, a guard slipped in to whisper to Shining Armor. He, in turn, looked to Cadance. "The map is ready." He looked to Umbra. "When you're ready. Good luck, and come back safely, alright?"
"I'll do my best." Umbra sank into the nearest shadow and darted from the room with the speed one might expect from such a creature, reforming just aside the table that seemed to have maps all over it. "Alright."
A mare squealed in surprise, the poor crystal pony jumping with fright. "Oh! Oh... Great and Golorious... You surprised me, ma'am..." She took a shaking breath, regathering herself. "You're here for the map?"
"Sure am." Umbra extended a hoof. "I'm heading out to see what the trouble's about."
"So brave..." The mare grabbed the rolled map in her teeth and dropped it onto the waiting hoof. "Travel well and safely. Oh, um... sorry... but since you're here." She glanced about. "I love your daydark! I get so much better sleep now! I hear you watch our dreams now. You must be doing a good job. So peaceful!" She clapped her hooves with a beaming smile. "Thank you for all your work."
Umbra tucked the map away for later browsing. "You just made my day. I love hearing the daydarks are helping out. I can't take too much credit for cleverness, it's literally 'my magic in a bottle', really. Shadow, where you want it."
The mare laughed at that. "Toast is pretty simple when you get down to it, but I wouldn't trade it away. You brought a simple thing when nopony else had thought of it for, um, a long time. Ever, petty sure... So you get that credit." She shrank. "No offense, but you deserve it, ma'am."
Umbra snapped her wings wide as she willed a window open. "Time to get moving. No amount of daydarks is going to resolve this."
"Thank you, ma'am." The mare waved as Umbra took flight.
"Mother!" came a male voice from below.
Umbra craned her neck to see the source, spotting Anik and swooping in to land in front of him. "I'm on an assignment. Is something wrong?"
"Mother. I just wanted to help." He dipped his head at her. "It sounds like it's a dark place."
"Very, from the sound of it." Umbra smiled gently at her thoughtful child. "But I am a creature of the dark, don't forget. I'll be alright." She tapped at the side of her head. "And I can see in the dark, so let mother handle this. You take care of yourself." She went in for a hug, getting on in return. "See you when I get back."
"Be safe, mother." He released her. "If you need light, call me."
"You'll be on the top of the list." Instead of lifting, she fell into the ground, becoming little more than a shadow that rapidly flitted away from Anik, and the city. She only had to pause to review the map she hadn't actually examined yet. "So... there?" She tapped at the map lightly. "Shouldn't be a problem..." And her adventure continued.
The snow was dazzling white and never as smooth as one might imagine it. It had countless bumps and ridges that Umbra could feel as she flowed over it as a shadow. But she could feel the presence of something nice and comforting. More shadow, less light. Yes, there it was. She circled around the great yawning hole. "Right where they marked it." She made a mental note to commend the soldier on such good track of where it had been.
Umbra reformed into physical shape, looking around. "That was... about..." By her calculations, a normal pony at a normal walk would have had to go for most of a day to get to that point. It was evening even by her speedier shadow flying. Fortunately, she wasn't worried about the creeping night. Least of her problems if one thought about it.
"Hello in there," she called into the deep pit, getting nothing but a faint echo of her voice back at herself. "Hm..." She jumped down, wings catching her as she started a slow descent into the cavernous pit. "I'm going to hope whoever's down here is not only friendly, but super cute." She clapped her hooves. "Yep, that's an order. You hear me, universe? Super cute friendly things. That's an order!"
The further she went, the darker it became, both with passing time and light having a hard time piercing so deeply into the ground. Umbra could feel her vision shift from the light of day to the strange hues of darkness without any input form her. Then again, did any normal person get a vote when their eyes went into low-light mode? It was just a thing that happened.
"Hello?" But nothing replied her new call, just silence outside that echo, and the occasional bit of snow falling past her from above, or landing on her head. "Hey." She brushed the snow away, just for another to plop down on her back. She squeaked and shook it free. "Worst part of snowy holes, I hope..."
The hole ended at a rocky platform of sorts, a dais on a larger smooth flat place, like someone had gone and made an altar at the bottom of the hole, but she saw no immediate hint as to who or what the altar was dedicated to, if it was dedicated to anything. It was just a smooth flat place for her to land, so she landed on it with a clop of her hooves making contact. "I come in peace," she called out, in the hopes that something might hear her. "I have cookies."
Shining ate a bit timidly, distracted by what was going on. "You think she's alright?"
Cadance smiled gently at her husband. "This is Umbra. She's far more likely to come back with a new child under her wings than to actually be hurt."
Shining laughed at that. "You have a point... But what child would that be? It can't be a pony."
"The odds are against that." Cadance tapped at her chin in thought on the matter. "Maybe she found a tunnel to the yaks? That would be something."
Shining blinked. "Unlikely, and that would be a challenging diplomacy. They're difficult to deal with on the best of days."
Cadance shrugged with an eh. "Wrong direction anyway. The yaks are further north, not east. Do we know any creatures to the east?"
Shining shook his head and his hooves at the same time. "Not that I know of... Still, I won't be upset if she makes a friend or two, or just finds a lot of nothing."
"A lot of nothing would be fine." Cadance sipped from her tea. "There are far worse options."