Night awoke in darkness, but her eyes quickly adjusted to it, widening until the faint shreds of light could be drawn and she could see where she lay. It was a cave, and she was tied down by all four legs to the stone below by solid metal spikes. The urge to panic welled, but she fought it down. She was a Night Guard, and she meant to do that proud. Glancing around with a minimum of head movements, she didn't see anypony around her, watching.
Her tongue confirmed they had left her with a knife to cut herself free and she had to restrain the urge to laugh. They didn't know lunar ponies well, or they would have bound her neck properly. She lowered her head and bit savagely into the thick cord that held her right forehoof. Whereas any pony could have, in theory, worried through the rope, she was destroying it. Her tooth pierced right through it, and she gnashed at it with a predator's razor incisors and mashed it between her powerful teeth. The rope had little hope, and gave up on life shortly, allowing her to pull one hoof free of her imprisonment.
She heard something! She put her hoof down and draped the rope over it, hoping it would pass casual inspection before she went still.
A form of shadow rushed from a nearby tunnel and glared at her a moment. "Awake? Good. We need you to scream a little for us." He approached, not walking exactly, half floating in a disjointed way. "You'll cooperate with us, won't you? Not that you have a choice." He drew something long and sharp and waved it in her general direction. "Go on... How scared are you?"
Was it hoping she was already out of her mind with fear? She wouldn't give it the pleasure. She lowered her head and looked away as if just to be defiant, even as she slid the rope on her left forehoof into her snout and began worrying at it quickly.
"Oh, a brave one? Your screams will be the opening note of the Umbrum's freedom. A sweet note to begin our new chapter." He suddenly lunged at her, and she rose to meet him. Her hooves lashed out and caught his blade, cracking it cleanly in half with the panicked strength of one attacked. Her fangs found his neck, which seemed solid enough, and she bore down with all her might. One of them screamed, and it wasn't her.
He wrenched himself back, injured. His blade fell to the floor from limp claws. "Damnable mare... You'll pay for that twice over."
She wasn't listening. While he nursed his wound, she curled on herself and was soon free of the last bits of rope that dared to hold her. "You made a critical error, friend." She flashed a wicked smile. "You bring a crystal pony down here, I'm sure they cry for you, but we are the darkness as well, Umbrum. We are the guardians of the night." She took a step towards him with slow purposefulness. "Now where did you put my glasses? I'd like to witness my own handiwork more clearly."
He shrank back. Was it fear, or just doubt? It passed quickly, but she had seen it, his moment of weakness. "Empty words from a pregnant mare. I'll enjoy robbing you of two lives for the price of one." His claws became longer and he held his arms at the ready despite the still seeping wound. "You can't stop us with words."
She ran a tongue over her sharp fangs. "You can use those words, or keep spewing nothing. All of Equestria is already mobilized to put this down, and your time is limited. You think I'm terrible? I'm just the edge of the bow of this ship, the pole that juts ahead." She stepped forward, closer to the creature that hadn't known fear. "Give me a reason we shouldn't hunt every one of you down and tear you apart. Go on. Use your words."
Was that the same mare he had knocked out so easily? The one with thick glasses and a pampered mane? This... This pregnant mare had him fearing for his life. That wasn't right! It was a bluff. It all had to be a bluff. She was probably trembling with terror behind that mask. He steeled himself, claws ready, and he sprung at her. He found her soft flesh, raking a claw along her side with a triumphant grin that faded quite suddenly. Her deadly maw found his arm and she bore down with an unholy fury. Despite being partially shadow, something broke like a brittle twig, and pain exploded all through his arm and echoed through his body.
He howled for her.
She rewarded him with a savage kick, just to step on his chest when he fell to the ground. "You are under arrest. This is your last chance. You're not a pony. You're not anything I know." She leaned in at him with a feral snarl. "That means I can kill you."
Kill him?! Was she truly the same species as the other ponies? She couldn't be... His people still needed him. He abandoned the fight, becoming so much shadow and flowing out from beneath her. She lashed at him, but there was no physical body for her to further maul. He fled. He was defeated, for the moment.
She let out a soft breath and began searching around. Her possessions weren't far and she soon had her saddlebag on, and a single gauze dress over the claw wounds the creature had left on her. Glasses resting on her snout properly, she began wandering the tunnels. With its occupant defeated for the time, she saw no reason not to investigate. She was no fat and helpless mare. The fight had filled her with a giddy warrior's spirit. She had enjoyed the conflict, and almost wanted more. It was better than being constantly nervous of spies and turncoats.
What she heard rattled against that feeling. A small voice called out, "Father? Father?! Where are you?"
She inclined her ears towards the young-sounding voice and trotted quickly through the maze. She turned a corner to see a horse of literal shadow. It was little more than a filly, though it was also a thing of nightmares, just like her... father? "Dad?"
Night's ears span back against her head, considering a moment before she sat down. She decided quickly she would approach gently. Without turning the corner, she spoke, "Hello there. Your father stepped out for a moment."
"Who is that?" They sounded frightened.
"My name is Night Watch. I'm a creature of darkness too, but not quite like you. What's your name?"
"Father said not to talk to strangers."
Night smiled a little. "Your father gave good advice. I'll stay here, if you prefer. Are you alone?"
"Y-you're still a stranger..." She heard her step back a little. "I'm Under Rock."
"Nice to meet you, Under. See, we're not strangers now. We know each other's names."
She paused, and Night could imagine her nodding. "I guess that's true. What kind of shadow are you if you're not like me?"
Night replied in a gentle tone, "I'll show you, but you have to promise to not be scared. I won't hurt you."
"A-alright..."
Night stepped out from around that corner, eyes shining in the dark. "Hello, little Under Stone. I am Night Watch, a lunar pony."
"Lunar pony?" Under advanced on shadowy hooves. "Like the moon? You really are like us." She smiled a disturbing smile. It was as if the umbrum were made to be scary, even if Night was sure the little filly wasn't trying to be. Night could sympathize with that, remembering the many times a solar pony would flinch around her tribe. "You look a little like a bat."
Night rolled her eyes at that, and had to laugh a little. "You could say that, but lunar pony, please. We're not bats." She offered a hoof to the small shadow pony. "Who's your father?"
She puffed up and looked proud. "General Dark Pass, the best umbrum there is!"
Night quirked an ear. "I see." She had a name, at least. "Can he grow claws?"
"Oh! You've seen him?" She clopped her hooves excitedly. "He's really clever. He can stand on two hooves and get all super scary. I bet he was trying to get the crystal ponies to let the rest of us go free."
"Free?" Night raised a brow. "Where are the rest of you?"
The filly pointed into the darkness. "Father said they're in a place even darker than here, trapped." She tilted her head. "He sai--"
"Get away from her!" The form of Dark Pass came to be, fully stallion and shadow pony, looming over her. "I won't let you harm her..."
Night raised a hoof. "I don't hunt little foals."
Under Rock looked up at her father. "You know her?"
He nudged her back. "I do..."
Night took the same hoof and placed it on her swollen barrel. "I know you're not feeling very sympathetic this moment, but we're both ponies." She smiled, imagining her husband saying the lines. "I'm not here to harm your filly."
Under looked between the two adults, confused. "We were just talking about the rest of us, dad."
He bore his already exposed teeth at her, like a grinning skull. "Gathering intel on us, is she?"
Night sat on her haunches. "If you're willing to talk, then I'm not here to hunt you, either. Can we talk?"
Dark Pass looked to Night with confusion and anger. His fear seemed to have little true effect on her. His disturbing appearance didn't send her scurrying away to hide. Was she truly related on some level? "Very... Very well..."
Fast stood before a sea of inquisitive eyes. Beside her was Celestia, princess of the lands and highest of ponies, and she was saying things, nice things...
"With her people under siege, she took up hooves and defended them with all she had. She met face-to-face with Chrysalis, a pony that required an alicorn and a unicorn in concert to defeat before, and she held her at a standstill, but she didn't do it alone." Celestia leaned a little forward towards that sea of people. "She had all of your hope at her side. She drew on your want for peace, and for security, and even those who knew her best, your love for her. She drew, and she did not ask first. That was wrong, and she paid the price." She gestured towards Fast, and Fast stepped out from behind the curtain she had been placed.
Gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd. They could see her holed leg easily then. She was a changeling...
Celestia gestured at Fast. "Fast Change, the unicorn, has gone, and in her place, Fast Change, the changeling. Some would call her queen, but she wouldn't have that."
Fast's ears perked. She wouldn't?
"She has chosen to be a princess, as a citizen of Equestria. She will guide her people, the changelings, with love and brother and sisterhood, not through cruelty, oppression, or fear. They have already accepted her, as their leader, because of this love, not any other coercion."
The crowd erupted into cheers and clops even as green flames spurted into being throughout, changelings taking their natural forms and joining in the applause with thunderous approval.
Celestia drew Fast to her side. "I welcome our newest princess with open hooves. May it be known from here on that changelings are ponies, just as we, and shall be met with friendship so long as it is returned, just like anypony else." She leaned in towards Fast, whispering, "Go on, spread your wings and show your horn."
Fast did just that, fanning out her dragonfly wings and holding up her horn. "Thank you, all of you... I'm sorry I took, even a little. I will accept any punishment you want to give me, but it was for your own sake, and my people's."
The crowd seemed to barely hear her over its own celebration. It seemed her punishment was to be mild, if any was to be had at all.