"Like this." She swiped the air with a hoof, trying to envision how it felt the first time. No bottle appeared. Was it too early, or did she do it wrong? Ponies didn't talk about it. Ponies didn't write about it. It was just a thing that happened and they all seemed happy with that. They didn't harass any mother pony about it. It wasn't even embarrassing. It was just... assumed. Like... a beating heart.
Nobody thinks about how their hearts beat. It's safely assumed everyone has one of those for as long as they need one. It's only really considered when something goes off. Another automatic organ, doing its part to keep someone alive and well.
Umbra reached back for her midsection, rubbing where she imagined the magic was starting. "Ponies don't get large." Cadance had shown not a single hint until suddenly Flurry was there. Did Umbrum? Did umbrum with a pony hybrid? There were so many questions... And no answers. "This isn't your fault," she whispered to her new child. "I love you, however hard, or not, it is to bring you here." Visions swam in her mind of various half-umbrum, half-pony possibilities awaiting her. Or maybe they'd be mostly one or the other?
"I want to hug them." She hugged herself instead. It was as close as she could get. Whatever was growing in her was, what, just some cells at that point. She remembered the literature on that she had read, so long ago. It was doubling and redoubling, rapidly assembling itself into what could be proper life. "You're working hard too..." She rubbed gently. "I know you are. This isn't just me." She was working. The child was working. They were racing to meet each other.
"Mother?" Anik closed from across the hallway. "Are you alright?"
"No." Umbra nuzzled his cheek. "But I will be. Being a mother is work. I'm not sad, it's just work." She curled her tail to give it a proper flick. "One day, maybe, if you feel like it, you'll go through this with a mare of your own."
Anik inclined an ear. "Oh, that is possible..." It was like he hadn't even considered that option until that moment. "An escaped shadow of a darkened realm, could it be the spark of new light?" Anik wandered off, musing along the way.
Umbra snickered at her child's thoughts, but left him to it. "I hate being off-duty..." She couldn't distract herself with statecraft. She had no big building project to toss herself at either. Her job? Relax and play baby factory. It wasn't as if she didn't want that baby, because she did! It was just the waiting part. Some small part of her wondered at using magic to hurry it along.
"No." That was an awful idea. What if something went wrong? She would be gambling with a life that had barely begun, and for what, her convenience? The price was too high to let her wizardly ways win that argument. She'd have to get way better at magic on living things and processes before she'd feel anywhere near confident enough to try that...
"Umbry!" Shining was waving as he was walking past. "Want to come with me? Going to do some drills."
Umbra hesitated a moment, but she thought it through again. "Actually... Sure." She launched into a trot to join him at his side, slowing to a power walk to match his pace. "What are you torturing them with today?"
"It's not torture," he laughed out. "Just some basic drills. A few laps, a few practices." He nudged against her. "Feeling better? You didn't go to bed."
"I don't want to." She sounded as much like a petulant child as anything else. "I'm already off-duty, on everything... But that doesn't mean I need to lay in bed and do nothing."
"You know yourself better than I do." He sped up, leading the way towards a green lawn of an area where guards were already doing some warmups. "Alright, looks like everypony is here! Let's get started!" He got them into motion, chasing them around the field with almost joyous cries.
"Still a nerd." Umbra sank to her haunches, watching the lot of them go around. Shining was perfectly fit, but remained a nerd. He was living proof that one could be a jock and a nerd a the same time. "Which will you be?" She put a hoof to her belly. "Or neither?" Visions swam of her potential new child. There were infinite possibilities. "Will you get along with Morning?" A new baby sibling could be a trying time... "I should talk to her. Cut that off before it becomes a big issue.
She let out a little sigh, smiling. "I still love you."
"Good." Morning sat beside her, casually having emerged from Umbra's shadow. "Your responsibilities as my parent have not ended."
Umbra perked an ear at Morning. "Were you following me?"
"I was safeguarding you, mother. Your defenses are low due to your current condition." Morning leveled an accusing hoof at Umbra's belly. "This is your fault."
"Are you blaming the child?"
"No." Morning looked up at Umbra. "I'm blaming you. It was through your actions that we are here, mother. You already had an heir. Why did you feel the need to reproduce further?"
Umbra blinked, quiet a moment. "I did?!" she blurt out, breaking the quiet. "Who?"
Morning frowned at her clearly slow mother. "I am your child, am I not? I practice the family craft of shadow magic. Who else would be a suitable heir?"
Umbra leaned in at Morning, trying to touch noses, but Morning stepped back to avoid that. "You're still first in line. New children don't change that. But, ultimately, it is my choice who gets that."
"A choice you should actually make, mother." Morning pointed at herself. "Being first in line means little until you make it official. In writing, preferably, though a public announcement does hold weight."
Umbra lifted her ears up. "You've really thought about this. Most children your age aren't thinking about their parents being dead."
"I am not most children." Morning looked smugly proud of that fact. "Somecreature has to carry the name of the Shadow Hearts forward, some day, or it will be forgotten. Unacceptable."
Umbra got a hoof on Morning's head, ruffling lightly. "I'm happy you're serious about that. That's one thing for me to not worry about. Mmm, you have a point. I should make that clear. Tell you what." She rose to her hooves. "Let's do that now. Writing something is easy enough."
With a pleased, but not smiling, Morning in tow, Umbra set off to the palace, leaving Shining and the guards behind. Umbra went to her room first. "Purple?"
Her maid looked up. "Ma'am? What can I get for you?"
"Who would I go to for official royal paperwork?"
Purple considered that a moment before it seemed to reach her. "Ah, this way." And so she became the leader of their herd, showing them to a room Umbra hadn't visited terribly often. Purple knocked on it. "Umbra Shadowheart here to see you," she called through the crystal door.
"Coming," came the muffled reply. The door swung open, a crystal hoof attached. "Ma'am." The crystal pony one could find at the end of that hoof bowed to Umbra. "How can I be of service, Your Highness?"
Umbra nodded to Purple, then the new pony. "Nice to meet you. I was hoping to get just a little paperwork done. I want to name a line of succession for my house."
Morning pointed at herself. "It's me."
Purple took a step back and pivoted away. "If you need anything else, ma'am. I remain ever available." She got to walking away without a pause.
The new crystal stallion looked quite surprised. "Oh, well, come in." He waved them in and closed the door behind them. "Wow... I haven't had to fill out succession paperwork in so long. I know I have them." He hurried to his desk and began searching cabinets busily. "Should be... Here." He tossed a dusty pile of parchment down and sorted through. "And... No... No.... Yes!" He plucked one out and slapped it down anew. "Let's begin." He grabbed a quill in his mouth and got to scribbling busily. "For one Umbra Shadowheart, co-ruler of the Crystal Empire..."
Umbra raised a hoof. "This doesn't involve the succession of the empire, just the family."
"Yes, yes, of course." He didn't go backwards, just more words. "But properly identifying who we're speaking of is quite critical. A real noble house... And one that cares about succession rights. This is so exciting." He twirled the paper towards Umbra. "If you could place your seal here?"
Seal? Did she have one of those? Umbra's horn flared darkly as a strange pattern of shadows appeared on the parchment. "Will that do?"
"Quite fine." He twirled the paper back to himself, writing busily. "Is this a 100%, or are there conditions I should be made aware of, Your Highness?"
Umbra frowned with thought. "I think..." Morning was gazing at her, full of expectations, but speaking none of them. "The only stipulation I'll put is that while she becomes the head of the house should I pass, any existing members must be cared for with all the power of the house, barring extraordinary circumstances."
Morning huffed softly, but didn't object as the crystal pony noted that down.
"Were you hoping to kick someone out?"
Morning flicked an ear back. "I was more considering the future, mother. You are eager to adopt when you run into anycreature that fits your fancy."
"I've been better about that..." She pointed down to her belly. "They get in by default."
"They do." Morning considered that belly. "But they won't inherit the family." She smiled at that.
"Wicked girl." But Umbra knew that ahead of time. "Need any other signatures?"
"Only one more, possibly." He turned it towards Morning. "Would you like her to sign as a witness and that they are accepting the responsibilities?"
Morning hopped up onto the desk and stomped a hoof down on the line, leaving her mark. "Accepted."
The pony curled up the paper and moved to tuck it away. "I'll keep that safe. We'll hope to not need it for countless moons, but, if we do, it's here, Your Highness. Can I help you with any other administrative tasks?"
Umbra considered that a moment. "I don't think there is... but thank you very much." She smiled down at Morning. "Feeling good?"
"Yes." Morning considered her mother. "Did you know the umbrum have a low fertility rate?"
Umbra's ears jerked upright. "What? Do you mean they... do things less often, or it works out less often, or...? You can't tease me like that!"
Morning started for the door. "Most don't marry, even those that do don't have children often. On the plus-side, child survival rates are very high." She pointed at herself. "Even when all was lost, her child survived."
Umbra thought of that un-seen and unknown umbrum mother, who had produced Morning. "Her child survived... That's kind of deep. I'm going to hope I get to watch my child grow tall and well." They walked along through the halls of the palace. "Is that why there aren't umbrum everywhere, disregarding their lost war. Ponies lost wars too. I think every race on this planet has at least a few times."
Morning hopped up onto Umbra's back. "Since you are making my little sister." She sat atop her mother. "I am available to assist."
Umbra swerved an ear back to her passenger. "In what way are you imagining you'll help?"
She felt a thump, then another. Morning was stomping on her back. "Are you... Trying, mmf, to massage me?"
"Am I not?" She thumped her mother anew. "It's very relaxing, I'm told."
Umbra smiled despite the discomfort. Her daughter was trying to help. That counted...