When Darkness Shines

by TeonnaKatzGuardianStorm

Welcome to the World

Author's Note:

There is a two month time skip from this part and the last if you are confused

Back at the castle the healers checked over the foal. It was a little filly. A coat black as night with the crystal pony shimmer and her mane just like her mother's. Her horn was straight but lacked the normal rings as an umbrum did. When her eyes opened they held her mother's hue but with a slit pupil like her umbrum kin.

Both her parents were now gone. She is half crystal pony half umbrum as well as umbrum royalty so a divid between the court became an issue regarding her fate. Crystal ponies without parents usually go up for adoption to others who cannot have foals. This takes the burden off of the grieving family and blesses another. Umbrums take in their kin and raise them as their own so they may never know that their family is lost.

Rabia:

"You can't just take away my grandfoal!" Rabia growled to the Crystal Court.

"This loss of your own child and Radiant has you lashing out and acting like a beast Rabia. That is no life for this filly to grow up in." Cinch the earth pony member retorted.

Rabia stood and walled over to Cinch. Her eyes smoking with anger as she was nearly shadow. She leaned in and growled, "That is Queen Rabia to you." before she sharply turned back to her seat.

"Your kingdom is gone. You are no queen here. Take a few minutes to handle yourself before you talk to me again."

Rabia snarled and turned but the council was already gone. She needed to talk to Amore.

Amore:

"I hear your concerns and I'll do my best to handle it but the umbrums are our people now too. We must be understanding of their ways and adapt so that we can all thrive."

"The houses they are building are so dark and creepy, my foals don't feel safe playing around them" A crystal pony mother said, worried.

"They just shift wherever they want to. It freaks us out when they appear out of the dark. What if they shift into my house when i'm sleeping." An angry stallion retorted.

"We are not thieves! We are making our homes after our old kingdom" An umbrum mare shot back.

Amore massaged between her eyes. It seemed as if everyday the two groups just argued more and more. Ever since Radiant Hope passed tensions were high everywhere. She saw Rabia stick her head in the door to the throne room as the group continued pestering each other. Rabia sat next to Amore.

"Tensions are high with everyone after Radiant's death. The crystal ponies think it was because the foal was part umbrum." Amore said sadly.

Rabia huffed a laugh, "The umbrums think it was because Radiant was too irresponsible and didn't take any precautions."

"It just happens sometimes." Amore said as she turned back to the subjects still unsure how to quell the chaos between them.

"May I?" Rabia motioned to the group and Amore dipped her head. Rabia stepped forward to the edge of the stand. "We Umbrums would never shift into homes unwarranted. Unicorns have the same ability and even stronger so. Our homes are modeled after the caves our kingdom rested inside in our old home. We can work together to find a solution that will appease all parties. Miss' fo you have any suggestions to make the homes safer and less scary?"

The mare pondered for a moment.

Cadence:

Cadence had been keeping herself busy as well in the troubling times. If she wasn't dealing with arguments in the street she was dealing with Rabia's son. Sombra had taken the foal into his room after they had gotten back to the castle. He refused to leave the room when he heard what the council planned to do. Since Radiant Hope was a citizen of the Empire her foal was now orphaned based on the laws of the Empire. The umbrum royalty didn't see it that way and thought the laws were taking foals from their family. Cadence didn't know what to think. On one hoof Sombra and Rabia wanted to keep the foal and raise it but on the other Rabia was aggressive to the court and Sombra hadn't left his room in weeks. What the court said made sense they were too grief stricken to deal with a newborn filly. Cadence would know as she was on the way to take food to Sombra and the baby.

"I've got one very delicious looking sandwich thanks to the royal chef Crystal Cream and one bottle for a super cute and tiny princess. She tried to be joyful when she was around them but as per normal Sombra just picked his head up and replied, "Thank you." He took the bottle and began feeding her.

Cadence went to set the plate down but furrowed her brows when she saw the last plate was stilling sitting there untouched. She took the old plate and replaced it with the other one. "You know super cute and tiny princess is a really long name, have you or Rabia thought of anything shorter yet?" She could see dark bags under Sombra's eyes as he slowly looked over to her then turned back to the filly.

"I don't know what Seraphina or Radiant would have wanted to call her. Nothing feels right." Cadence turned to go and leave again but looked back and saw the filly smiling and reaching for Sombra. He leaned his head down and smiled back at her.

Cadence sat the plate down and walked back over. She laid down across from Sombra. "It isn't very exciting watching a baby you know." Sombra muttered. Normally Cadence was quick to leave the room as Sombra would tend to get rude if she stuck around too long. "Let's try and think of one. She is almost 2 months old and she needs a name." Sombra looked up at her with a frown and furrowed brows. "She needs her parents." He retorted before leaning back down and letting the filly play with his muzzle again. Cadence rolled her eyes. "We can't keep calling her "the baby" forever. Maybe we can name her after her mother, Radiant Dream sounds kinda cute." Sombra's eyes squeezed shut for a moment and when they opened there was a faint smoke. "I won't look at her daughter and say her name."

Cadence looked at the filly and saw she was starting to grow sleepy. She was curled up in between Sombra's forelegs. Her eyes barely open as she yawned and buried her head in her hooves. "OK so maybe something a little less obvious." Cadence pondered a moment before suggesting, "Sparkling Wish, maybe?" Sombra rolled his eyes and laid his head down next to the foal. "Would you just get out already. She is sleeping." He whispered.

Cadence took that as a challenge. Somebody had to do something and she was tired of being a doormat cause he was hurt. She slowly stretched out her legs and laid her head down. Sombra opened his eyes and shot her a glare before closing them again. This time he turned his head away from Cadence. Cadence mocked a yawn and stayed there even though she knew Sombra was secretly wanting to throw her out. She could see the grimace on his face as she too slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

Sombra:

The next time he opened his eyes, he saw Cadence's closed. He figured she was still messing with him until after whispering her name a few times realized she was asleep. He began to realize that this was the first time that he had company that didn't want to take away the foal. Even when Rabia came she had the foal. Amore hadn't visited just occasionally spoke through the door. Sombra was still mad about her dragging him out the house and Radiant's death. If he had been in there maybe he could have done something. If he had been with Seraphina maybe she wouldn't have lost both or either of her parents. Maybe if Seraphina was alive she could have saved Radiant Hope. Sombra knew how much she loved Radiant. Sombra turned back to look at Cadence. The princess had for the past 6 weeks brought him and the baby food. Rabia did sometimes but with all the rioting breaking out she had to handle the umbrum side. Then the council got involved, and she was left to handle that. She would come 5-6 times a day, just a few minutes each time, and ask if he named the baby yet. Same thing, same answer, and same thought everytime she left.

Why?

The two weren't even friends. Even before it he hadn't told her about what happened to his sister or his kingdom. Last time they had a conversation more than a few minutes long was when they argued about getting married with their moms. He hadn't done anything to deserve her sympathy, much less her pity. He looked at her again and this time observed her. Maybe the lack of sleep was making him a freak for watching a sleeping mare. He looked at her legs, each one tipped in white like she had been running through snow. Her wings dipped in royal purple. He knew that when she flew in the sky it made her wings look like a sunset. She flew by the window a lot. Her mane reminded him more of a sunrise. It started off dark and turned pink with golden streaks in it like sun rays. Her eyes were never without her blue makeup. Sombra had noticed the day they met how disgusted she looked when he showed his red colored ones. Serphina had taught him and he just liked how it looked. His mother gave the same expression Cadence did and saw it as ill mannered for a stallion of his stature to wear. With her laying sideways he got a glimpse of a marking he hadn't noticed before. She had a little white diamond between her eyes. Her mane typically covered it but even he knew it was a very rare marking. It kinda reminded him of the moon but maybe it was because he too was slowly drifting off. Her pink coat reminded. him.. of...

Amore and Rabia:

Rabia pushed open her son's door with Amore following behind. The council had made their decision and soon they would be coming to get the foal. Both of them were taken aback by the sight before them. Sombra laid sleeping with the baby between his forelegs while Cadence laid by his side. All three were asleep. Rabia turned to Amore as Amore turned to Rabia. Both had gotten the same idea at the same time and knew the solution to all their problems.