Umbra emerged from the stairs, her bunny friend a step behind her. "I'm home!" she called out, getting salutes from many guards. One stallion wasn't having it, rushing in at her and crashing in a gentle hug. "Shinie!" She was glad to embrace her future husband, rubbing her cheek against his. "I am happy to report I had a successful and brief trip."
"I can see the brief part." He stepped back to look at Petri. "Who's you're new friend?"
"Petri." She waved at herself and leaned in, sniffing at him eagerly. "Who?"
"Shining Armor," he gave in kind. "Nice to meet you."
"Hug?" She offered her arms out.
"Oh, su--" He had said yes, well, he was in the middle of saying yes.
She grabbed him right off the ground and squeezed tightly. He was surprised at the sudden nature of it, but his magic winked into being, forcing her arms back. He got his arms into place and the shield popped, allowing the two to hug properly.
Umbra clapped with a smile at the sight. "And now you've made a friend for life."
Petri released the pony to the ground. "Good hug. Good meet. Leader? No. Leader lady. You not lady." The tsuki could apparently figure that out, new to ponies or not. "Where?"
"Our leader is my wife." He turned to direct towards the throne room. "And she will be very happy to meet you, Petri. If you don't mind my asking, what are you?"
"Tsuki." She pointed up at her horns as if that explained everything. "Come see ponies." She pointed at Umbra with a big smile. "Good shadow. Friend?"
"Friend," echoed Shining, catching onto the rhythm of tsuki talk. "Very good friend. Umbra is a local hero. She fights bad things and protects us."
Petri clapped eagerly in place. "She did that! She protect. She fight. Good shadow. Hero?" A new word? "What that?"
Umbra left Petri and Shining to chat, the two seeming to be getting along. She went instead into the throneroom to see Cadance making a declaration that send a stallion off a bit sadly. "Not what he wanted to hear?" There weren't others in line, so Umbra approached her future-wife directly.
Cadance brightened at Umbra's entry. "Ah, welcome back." She offered an arm and soon had a shadow to hug gently. "Ooo." She spotted where Umbra had been bitten easily. "That looks painful... But you're not acting like it's a very big deal. As your princess and future wife, I command you to get that looked at."
Umbra huffed softly. "I'm a princess too, I remind."
"All well and good." Cadance pointed back the way Umbra came. "But you're in my domain, last I checked, and because I love you, you're getting that looked at."
Umbra darted in to touch noses. "Fine! But before I go, there's a big horned rabbit out there. Her name is Petri, and she loves a big strong hug, so be ready for that. 100% friendly, but will wrestle a pony to the ground if you give her even kinda a chance. They're called tsuki and they want to be protected by us and love us very much."
Cadance blinked softly. "You did not adopt a creature... You went and adopted--" Her wings flared wide "--an entire community! I will have to talk to Shining about how to... manage that. But you, triage." She pointed all the more firmly. "Now."
"Right right." Dismissed, Umbra fell away to shadows and flowed quickly away as she was ordered to do.
Petri came in shortly after, stepping past the door and bouncing eagerly across the room to land right in front of Cadance. "Oh!" She inclined her head left and right, sniffing at Cadance. "Lady."
"I am that." Cadance smiled at her large guest. "Petri?"
"Cadance!" Petri reared up, tall and imposing, arms spread. "Hug?"
Cadance gently motioned downwards. "No hug. I would like to say hello a different way."
Petri sank, confusion on her features. "What? Different?" But her elder had spoken on that. "Different different. Good different? Show."
"Gladly." Cadance stepped around the tsuki curiously. "You are... significant." That word didn't seem to really click, but that she had said it praisingly brought a smile. "I think..." She came in even closer and gently tested her weight, sinking against Petri and soon curled with her. "You make an excellent pillow."
Petri burst into sudden giggles as she curled supportively, petting Cadance's colorful mane in slow strokes. "And you good pillow sitter."
"I do try." Cadance gently snuggled against the tsuki. "Now, I hear you want to be involved with the ponies?"
"Protect." Petri nodded firmly at that. "Good shadow want pretty rocks." She dug out a necklace from the depths of her fluff, showing it to Cadance. "Pretty rocks."
"Pretty," agreed Cadance, her horn glowing as she took control of the beads and turned them about for better examination. "These could be made even prettier..." She imagined gemsmiths working them to a brilliant shine. "We would gladly trade for these from such friendly creatures. What lovely neighbors you already are."
"Yes!" She nipped at cadance's closer ear. "Good nei... Neigh... Friends. Good friends."
Cadance flicked the attacked ear and stood up carefully. "You are a guest of the city and my realm. If anypony asks, direct them towards me for bits for your stay and enjoyment."
Oh, but little of that made it to Petri. She inclined her head as if it was heavy with the words she didn't grasp. "What?"
Cadance sat on her haunches. "Have fun, play nice. If you want something--" She pantomimed each part as best she could. "--Tell the pony that Cadance said to ask her about it and she will make it good."
"Good!" Understanding dawned along with her smile. "Nice pony. Nice lady." She pointed at herself. "Lady."
"I had determined." Sure, Petri's was deeper than most lady ponies, in part due to size, it was still hard to miss. "There are lady tsuki and guy tsuki, right?"
"Yes. Not guy. Lady." She pointed at herself, to make that point very clear. "Want meet guy tsuki? I send. Go home, send."
Cadance shook her head quickly. "Enjoy yourself first. Send more friends later, after that."
"Good pony." She grabbed Cadance, but didn't wrestle her, just squeezing gently. "Have fun!" She jumped straight for a window, throwing it open and vanishing outside with a wiggle of her tail. The Crystal Empire was under her fluffy mercy.
A guard moved to close the window. "Ma'am."
"Very good. Send in the next supplicant." Her work for the day hadn't ended, and she got right back to it.
"This will sting." And it did as the pony doctor did his best to stitch Umbra as smoothly as he could. "I'm glad you're not seriously hurt."
"Me too," got out Umbra between clenched teeth. "Do... we really need those?"
"It would be best." He kept right on, a testament to pony ingenuity that he was doing it with his mouth. "You're being held together by determination and scabs. Let's give your poor body a break."
She calmed down and he soon finished, patting her gently. "It'll fall out on its own, so you don't even have to worry about it. Just keep it clean and you'll be fine. Avoid drying it out and use this--" He offered a vial of something. "--ointment to keep the scarring down. We can't have the prettiest mare in the city getting marked, now can we?"
Umbra chuckled darkly at that, though dark was one of her defaults. "Very funny." She took the vial in her magic. "And thank you." She touched a hoof near her injury. "Jerk... Sombra did this, so you know. He isn't dead."
The doctor flicked his ears up, then back. "He isn't?!" he squeaked with obvious terror. "You'll protect us... right?"
"Of course." Umbra slid down to her hooves. "I beat him twice, I'll do it twice more if I have to. He thinks he can boss ponies, or bunnies, around? Not on my watch!" She thumped her chest. This was a mistake. She immediately winced, realizing she had bashed her newly stitched wound. "Ow..."
"Bunnies?" He was cleaning up the used tools and mess of the procedure. "Ma'am?"
"The tsuki." She pointed back where she had left one. "Large, fluffy, horned, and super cute. If you see one, know they think you're just as cute. But don't challenge them to hugs. They will wrestle, and you will lose."
"Oh, of course." He gently shooed at Umbra. "Off with you now, ma'am. I should see other ponies."
"Right." Umbra flapped her wings, but melted into the floor rather than taking flight, sliding from the room rapidly.
She sped quickly back to the court to see Cadance speaking with some new pony, and no Petri in sight. She popped from the shadows and trotted out into the main room. "Shining?"
A guard pointed outside. "He's at the arena, ma'am, conducting drills."
"That sounds like him." Umbra nodded at the guard and fell to shadows, popping free a moment later into the bright lights of the arena. Guard ponies were busily training themselves, and Shining was chasing after them to keep them on it. Seeing her, he diverted off and raced towards her.
Umbra held out an arm on her less injured side, soon hugging gently. "All patched up, as Cadance demanded."
"She will do that," he laughed out. "Wanted to join us?"
"I was more curious where Petri went. You see her?"
"Not here." He shrugged. "Cadie said she bounced out the window."
"Out the window?" Umbra frowned with that image. "Those rabbits do like bouncing... Still, we can't have her getting lost in the city. I'll look for her."
"Good luck." With that settled, he returned to haunting his poor guards.
She took flight, in the sky instead of the shadows. "Just one good bounce..." It didn't take long for her new lapine friend to launch into the air with a squealing giggle. "You're having fun." With a smile of her own, Umbra banked to come in for a landing where Petri was coming down. "There you are."
"Good shadow!" Petri closed with Umbra. "Fun. All is fun." She waved a hand excitedly about. "Fun fun. Fun together?" She pulled Umbra along, but Umbra resisted. "No?"
"It's late." Umbra gently patted Petri. "We should come back when it's bright. More fun. Even more."
"More?" This looked like it was an impossible idea. "More fun?"
"Way more fun." As interesting as exploring the half-sleeping city could be. "You wanted to see my den, didn't you?"
"Yes!" Distracted entirely, Petri followed after Umbra with slow but powerful bounces to keep up with her. "Show."
Which is exactly what Umbra did, leading the way towards her room. "What did you find?"
"Food." She put out a finger as she went. "Drink. Toys. Fun."
"Sounds like a good time." Umbra raised a hoof. "Hold a moment." She slipped inside. "We have a guest." Both daughter and maid perked at that. "She's a tsuki and she's new to ponies."
"I'm not a pony," reminded Morning.
"I'll treat them as your honored guest."
Umbra nodded at either of them. "Be nice." She turned, willing the door open as she did so. "Welcome to my--" Petri jumped right past and over her. "--room?" She turned back around. "This is Petri. She is a tsuki."
"What do you fear?" asked Morning without a bit of delay.
Petri considered with a frown. "Hm. Hm! Hm... Bad shadows." She pointed at Umbra. "Good shadow."
Morning joined the look at her mother. "She is a nice shadow. I am a bad shadow."
Umbra slid in front of Morning. "She's a good shadow! This is my daughter, Morning."
Petri blinked dumbly. "If daughter of good shadow, good shadow." There, reasoned out, she relaxed. "Why she say bad shadow?"
"Because I am very frightening."
Petri looked over the little pony that claimed she was scary. "Hm..."