"All fixed?" Umbra was walking down a hallway, Anik at her side.
"I can't say that." He brushed against her, his fondness shown without hesitation. "But they're getting better. Having a name for it helps, I feel. Wensley isn't so trapped, thinking he's the only one to ever suffer night visions."
"Names are powerful." She stepped out into the main foyer. "Soon, I will be a princess."
"You already are a princess, mother." He hurried past her to circle around and face her. "What is changing?"
Umbra pointed past him towards the throne room with a metal-clad hoof. "Me and the royal couple are getting along famously. I'll be helping her rule, managing shifts with her. We'll be diarchs, like Celestia and Luna."
Anik clapped gently. "The dance between sun and moon, always in harmony, but rarely touching. I hope you will be closer to her than that."
"I forgot how poetic you get at times." She touched noses in a brief nuzzle. "I'd like that too. I don't think I want to go to a night shift... I know Morning Dew would rather I did that, and... I know she's happier at night." She frowned with the thought. "What I get for making a family with ponies all over the spectrum there."
Anik directed a hoof at himself. "I am day." He turned the hoof at Morning, not in any certain direction as she wasn't actually there. "She is night." The hoof turned to Umbra. "You guard the space between, where we can meet. What is day and night without twilight?"
"Nice pony." Her thoughts went off to that other princess she hadn't gotten to hang out with too often. "And Cadance's sister-in-law... who will become my sister-in-law. Shoot, I hadn't even thought of that."
"So I'm planning the wedding, right?"
"Sur... What?" Umbra turned to behold the bright pink pony that hadn't been there before. "Pinkie, right?"
"That's me!" Pinkie bounced in place with a big smile. "And you're planning a wedding, which means you need my help! Ask Cadance, I helped with hers! Party planning is my thing, yo. You just put it in my hooves and I'll have it ready to go. All you have to do then is sit back and enjoy a perfect party!" It was as if her emotions had reached their peak and she could no longer contain them, and instead exploded in confetti across the area.
"That's all... good." Umbra considered the cheerful pony. "But don't you live in Ponyville? How did you get all the way up here to the Crystal Empire like that?"
"The train, duh." Pinkie rolled her eyes as if that was beyond obvious. "So, am I hired?" She hopped up, hooves pedalling wildly while she was in the air. "You even get the relation-of-a-friend discount!"
"No discounts." Her tone left little room for arguments. "I get paid just fine for my own work. I won't argue for little bits off from other hard-working ponies."
Pinkie clapped her hooves to her face. "Nice! Alright." She twirled on Anik. "Hiya! What's your name?"
"I'm Anik." He gestured towards Umbra. "Her son, by adoption."
"You don't have to say that every time." Umbra moved next to him. "He is my son, period."
"Hey sun period! Is that like when the clouds go away for a moment?" Pinkie giggled at her pun, finding her own humor quite satisfying.
Anik quirked up an ear in consideration of those words. "Hm. That isn't a bad way of thinking about it. You are a party... Where I'm from, there were few times we had parties."
"What?!" Pinkie leaned in towards Anik. "How awful. Well! I'll throw it extra good, so you can make up for lost time."
Umbra patted Pinkie on the back. "You're hired, just clear it with Cadance and Shining. It's their big day too. They also need to set the date. Share that with me when you get it."
Pinkie inclined her head left and right. "Wait, even you don't know? Wow! I'll be the first!" She dashed away in a puff of pink smoke to secure that information.
"She seems excited." Anik considered a moment. "She has no need of my light. She's already bright enough."
"Here's to that." They tapped a hoof to one another's in a gentle bump. "Thank you for tackling the whole Wensley thing. I know it's a big project I just threw at you."
"No." Anik shook his head quickly. "It's been... I've grown. Thank you, mother. I've become even more of a light bringer, and I like this new me. I like what I can do. It is a perfect harmony, for someone from such a dark place to come to such a bright place, and make it a little brighter. Mother. You're not from here, right?"
"I am not." She skewed an ear off. "Why?"
"Do you miss others you knew, where you're from? Do you regret their lack?"
"Sometimes," allowed Umbra in an almost sing-song. "Once in a while, I think of someone in particular... But I'd do that even if I was still there. People move, or pass, or a thousand other things that may take them out of your life..."
"True." Anik sat back. "I would prefer that did not happen between us, mother, for as long as possible."
Umbra exhaled the words, "For as long as possible," with a deep breath. "Which... may be a long time, come to think of it." She curled a hoof to her chin in renewed thought. "Jury's out, but princesses may live forever, barring a violent end. I'm one of those. I may one day be... standing at your bedside when you're old and wrinkled."
"Hm." Anik rubbed at his cheek gently. "That would be older than most people of my world could even hope to reach. I met one person, once, who was so old... If I reach that point, mother, I will be quite content." Any existential horror seemed to be absent. He walked off, just as happy as he'd been a moment before considering his end days. "Good luck, mother."
"Later." She waved at his departing form, but saw no reason to try to stop him. "Now..."
"You look thoughtful." Shining Armor was taking a brisk trot towards the stairs that would bring him to the outside. "Everything alright?"
"Everything's fine." She fell in with him, descending the crystal stairs. "I was thinking to ask Cadance if I can help with the princess thing."
"Oh, well, then you're going the wrong way." He pointed over his shoulder back. "She's in the throne room. I saw Pinkie waiting in line though." He chuckled at the thought. "Pretty sure that means something is about to go down."
"That makes sense." Umbra slowed, but was still moving with. "Don't want company?"
"We're all adults." He did stop, turning to smile at Umbra. "We have things to do. Wanna meet up afterwards though? Family nights out don't have to be the only time, you know."
Umbra felt a smile creeping on her. "That sounds great." They bumped, nose to nose, and bounced off in different directions. She headed up the stairs and into the throne room without further delay. Pinkie had become the third pony in line, vibrating with excitement. "Good luck," she whispered on the way past the pink pony, moving to sit next to Cadance.
Cadance reached out a wing, enfolding Umbra. "Since she's here, let me announce formally. Umbra, mistress of the Shadowhearts family, hero of the Crystal Empire, will be ascending to rule alongside me. We will put our heads together to make things even better than they already are." The room filled with clops and stomps of applause. "She is still learning the fine points of statecraft, but she will sit in this very throne." She wobbled a hoof at the throne she was already comfy in. "And speak with full authority. Now, before you get ideas, we will be comparing notes. We will speak with one voice."
"So no double dipping," added Umbra. "If one of us says no, or yes, that stands for the other." She coughed into a hoof. "But... before we get to that, there are a few steps in the way."
Cadance had her eyes on Pinkie. "I can see one of them approaching... Next!" Next wasn't Pinkie, but Cadance didn't skip. Each pony got their turn, one by one.
Umbra spotted something out of the corner of her eye. A cradle, with a little pony in it. A pony she couldn't ignore. She quietly slipped away from Cadance to lean in over the edge of the cradle. "Who's being a good little filly?" The filly squealed at her and Umbra went in for nuzzles, getting her snout grabbed in the process, not that she seemed to mind. "The cutest little filly in all the land!"
Playing with Flurry Heart occupied her entirely. She only noticed the rest of the room when Pinkie's name was called.
"Hiya!" Pinkie bounced up towards Cadance's throne. "So! I hear a certain special somepony or two... or three... is getting married!" She pulled out a wedding cake from nowhere in particular and slapped it down. "And a wedding needs a wedding planner. Lucky for you, the best in Equestria is right here!"
"Did somepony call for the best party planner?!" A second pony emerged from outside, a big smile on his face. He had curly hair, like Pinkie, but he was brown, instead of pink. He had a shirt, unlike her, and a cutie mark of a melty cheese sandwich. "I'm here and ready to help!"
Pinkie swatted at him. "Hey! I got here first!"
"They did say the best." He waggled his brows at her with unspoken meanings.
Pinkie plonked her pink hooves on her hips. "Let's not do that again." She threw an arm around Cheese's neck. "So, lucky you. Looks like you can get two of the best party planners. This party will be off every hook we can possibly find! Whattaya say!?"
Cadance hummed gently. "I see... You are putting the cart in front of the pony in this case, Pinkie."
"I am?" She angled her head sharply. "How? I asked permission this time!"
"You did that," Cadance allowed with a gentle smile. "But we haven't formally proposed. We have plans... but there can't be a wedding without an accepted proposal, can there?"
Cheese tapped at his chin. "She has a point there." His gaze wandered between Cadance and Umbra. "But, we could fix that."
"We could," sang out Pinkie as she snuck off in a circle, Cheese going the other way.
Umbra got Cheese, pushing her gently towards the throne. Pinkie got to Cadance to push her towards Umbra, the two giggling at their attempt to play matchmaker. Umbra roared with sudden laughter, Flurry bouncing on her head in the motions. "You two are so eager to throw a wedding, you're ready to insist we set a date?"
"Yes?" Pinkie leaned in from around Cadance.
"Of course." Cheese leaned in from around Umbra. "What else would we do?"
Cadance brought down a hoof gently on the middle of Pinkie's head. "I appreciate the effort, truly. But this is a matter to be discussed with the entire family, and Shining isn't even here. I'm afraid we can't finish this without him. He would be involved, don't you think?"
Umbra reached up to bring down her niece and hug Flurry Heart gladly. "We should. But..." She looked between Pinkie and Cheese. "I don't want to send them away with nothing but a shooing away. Cadance, think we could set a time to have that chat, for good or bad?"
Cadance sighed but with a smile, seemingly entertained by the silliness on display. "Very well... But I have a demand in kind."
Pinkie perked up at that. "What's that? I already offered the family discount, but shady-mare there said she didn't want that."
"Not that." Cadance turned to Pinkie. "When you get married, I will plan that one. No mare should have to plan their own, I say."
Cheese shrugged. "But... I'm right here."
"What if you two got married then?" challenged Cadance with a smirk.
The two glanced at one another with a doubting look. What were even the odds of that?