Two days had passed since the dinner and Twilight hadn't seen Sombra since then, which was a relief to the unicorn as she needed time to think about her new environment as well as her feelings regarding the umbrum. He was vicious and perverted but also seemed to hold back an inner sadness looming inside of him, as if he were haunted by something terrible or even traumatic in his past. She shook her head. Now was not the time to think about Sombra or his supposed woes. Steeling herself, Twilight tip-hoofed past the masked guards, noting no changes in their breathing or posture. It would seem as though Sombra was a stallion of his word; she did have free range to explore the kingdom undisturbed.

Once she'd made it past the main entrance, Twilight wove her way into town, finding it harder and harder not to be infected by the same melancholy that struck its inhabitants. She thought it'd been a good idea for her and her friends to reawaken the crystal ponies' memories but in retrospect, it now seemed like a cruelty rather than a mercy. A forlorn shopkeeper briefly looked her way before getting back to sweeping his storefront, his eyes dull and empty. There was a time when the shopkeeper would've been ignorant of the reason behind his misery but now he and everypony else knew what the reason was. And it was all Twilight's fault.

The Crystal Empire Public Library was deathly silent, bearing all of the stillness and gloominess of a tomb. Despite this, libraries were a safe haven for Twilight, even the dust-covered derelict ones, and she could always find joy in burying herself in a book or two. Or twenty. Aside from the desire to get away from the castle, she also wanted to do research on Sombra, perhaps find something about him to help her crack the code behind his behavior and motives. After all, knowing is half the battle. Where did I hear that from again? Twilight tapped a hoof to her chin and shrugged, deciding that whatever it was, it probably wasn't important.

After ringing the bell at the front desk, she was met with a familiar elderly mare as she came in wheeling a cart piled with books. Amethyst Maresbury wiped her forehead and sighed, readjusting the large, round-lensed bifocals over her surprisingly vibrant purple eyes. The lilac-coated crystal pony moved with a spryness and vigorousness not expected in somepony her age. Noticing the unicorn, Amethyst cleared her throat and smiled, assuming her professional librarian posture and voice. "Hello again, how may I help you?"

Twilight's head dove to the left and right before staring right back at Amethyst. "You're...happy to see me?"

Amethyst chuckled, "Of course I am! You're that nice young mare that came here to visit and tried to fight off King Sombra. Which, between us, was so incredibly brave!"

"But...I failed. I couldn't save you or the Empire. I'm sorry."

The old mare surprised Twilight by placing a reassuring hoof on her shoulder and tutting at her. "Now, now, there's no need for that. The fact is, dearie, is that you fought for us. You could've run and tried to save yourself but instead, you stood your ground and reminded us of who we are. You're very brave, Twilight Sparkle. Of course, you're going to be needing it if you're going to marry that horrid Sombra and become queen."

"What?!" Twilight practically screeched. "How did you know that?"

Amethyst sighed, a long-winded sound. "Before you arrived, His Majesty gave a public announcement proclaiming that he was taking a queen and named you as his bride-to-be. Many of us were outraged by this. We knew that there was no way that you'd willingly agree to marrying that monster, not without him threatening you somehow."

It was actually nice and uplifting to hear that the crystal ponies didn't hate her, nor did they want her to marry the king. Looks like I might have some friends here after all. "Thank you so much, Amethyst. Anyway, I came here because I was hoping to find information about Sombra, particularly on his race, the umbrum."

"Hmm. That might be a challenge. Let me see the catalogue."

Searching through a series of wall-drawers, Amethyst returned with three small cards, each one a dismal faded yellow. "You might find something on the king in 'Royal History' and 'Genealogy' while anything on umbrums might be under 'General Reference,' 'Races of Equestria' or 'Species of the Realm.' Honestly, I'm not even sure there'd be anything for you to find, due to Sombra's need for secrecy. There's not much else I can help you with, I'm afraid," Amethyst said apologetically, her gaze cast downward wistfully.

Glancing at the cards, Twilight gave the librarian a quick hug and yipped, "No problem! Thank you for all of your help regardless!" before making a beeline for 'General Reference,' literally kicking up a cloud of dust as she fled.

Two and a Half Hours Later...

"Well...that was a chore!"

True to Amethyst's word, digging up on info about the King of All Monsters turned out to be like searching for a needle in a hay factory. After frantically and painstakingly searching the five sections twelve times, Twilight only found two books on the subject, one of which was your basic Charles Darwhinny zoological tome while the other a book on different Equestrian species. All information in the "Genealogy" and "Royal History" sections were missing; books with torn-out pages or missing records altogether. Whatever information was there, Sombra clearly didn't want anypony to find.

Dragging herself to the study area, Twilight started with the Darwhinny book, flipping through until she found:

Chapter XXXVIII---A Study on the Everyday Existence and Culture of the Dark and Nocturnal Species and Races

This looks promising! Twilight smiled inwardly as she read on, skipping past chimeras and cyclopes until she found the section on umbrums, her body shaking from excitement and anticipation.

Now we come to the more enigmatic of Equestria's dark races, those beings who are responsible for every campfire story and bump in the night: the umbrum. Known colloquially-and more appropriately-as "shadow ponies," the umbrum dwell somewhere between Equestria and the Shadow Realm, a supposed other-world where light does not exist and only darkness is given dominion. The umbrum are taller than your average Equestrian pony, with red glowing eyes--much like the flames of Tarturus--and lithe, onyx-black bodies, which are extremely malleable, being able to bend and contort by actually becoming living shadows themselves. As of yet, the umbrum have rejected all attempts to join Equestrian society, preferring to keep to the company of their own kind. Perhaps some day, Celestia-willing, we will unravel their macabre mystery, bringing light to the dark nature of the shadow ponies, of the umbrum.

"Wait, is that it? It can't be it!" Twilight searched through the book over and over again, certain that she'd missed something, positive that somepony as detail-oriented as Darwhinny couldn't possibly have documented such little information. Sliding the book aside with a groan, she magically flipped open An A-Z Analysis on Equestria's Races, hoping to find answers that Mr. Darwhinny failed to provide. "Let's see: 'Minotaur'...'Siren'...Ha! 'Umbrum'!"

Umbrum: Also known as a "shadow pony," "shadhavar" or "karkadann," an umbrum is a member of a mysterious race of pony-like beings that are believed to have come from another world, known in myths as "the Shadow Realm," though such a land's existence has yet to have been proven. An umbrum is identified by its fiery red eyes, black fur, dark flowing mane and ability to actually bend darkness to its will, even morphing into a sentient shadow. Although their origins are shrouded in mystery, it is said that the first umbrum Ahriman become one with the Primordial Darkness and all other umbrums were created by his shadow. Alas, since the apparent extinction of their kind, we may never learn more about the umbrums' culture, biology or origins. Perhaps it is better left forgotten.

Twilight slammed the book shut in frustration, once again cross by another dead end. She buried her face in her arms and banged them into the surface of the desk, barely registering the pain. She was frustrated, exhausted and wishing for something to smash into pieces; it was like being in school all over again. All I want are some answers! Why can't I find any stinking answers! Forget the hay factory, it was like trying to find a needle in a hay continent! This left Twilight wondering what could've possibly happened to the umbrum. From what she'd read, they were a race that had existed but then vanished, leaving nothing, not even their culture behind. It's like they just crawled out of the darkness...

Her head shot up as an epiphany jolted her body like a bolt of electricity. She turned her mind back to the book, about how it briefly touched upon a "Primordial Darkness." It sounded like a creation myth and if there's a myth, then there must be documentation on it! Both authors had mentioned something the umbrum believed which might mean that there was a chance that somepony had recorded their beliefs, or at least a fraction of it. And if she could find those beliefs, those myths, then that could lead to something about the umbrum, about Sombra!

Scrambling out of her chair, Twilight cheered, "Once more onto the breach, dear friends!" before rocketing back to the information desk and to a very alarmed Amethyst. After the two cross-referenced any books mentioning the "Primordial Darkness," the old mare directed Twilight to the "Myths and Legends" section, which proved to be a much more fruitful search than her previous one. Ignoring the rumbling in her belly, Twilight meticulously checked over every book on Equestrian cosmology myths, taking notes and digesting every word and letter like a three-course meal. She halted when one book, Hesijog's Theogoneigh, caught her attention:

Long before the founding of Equestria, when the universe was young and the stars not yet alight, there existed six consciousnesses known as the Primordial Ones, from out of the void they came. First Darkness came to be, but next followed by Chaos and Light, then Time and Life and finally Death. To each the Primordial Ones were given dominion over a share of the earth and with them, a representative. The unicorn Ahriman came to be the vessel of Darkness, the father of the Shadow Ponies. The draconequui claimed Chaos as their lord and master, those discordant serpents retreated to their world and to their wiles. Light had been claimed by the alicorns while it is said that the lone mortehippus was the bearer of Death. Time was claimed by none while Life called all creatures unto its bosom.

While Twilight was unfamiliar with the term "mortehippus," she had a pretty good idea what old Hesijog was getting at: six gods or cosmic beings supposedly existed and merged or interacted with the different races of Equestria. As a draconequus, it made sense that Discord would be the bearer of Chaos while alicorns like Celestia and Luna used Light to guide the ponies and protect them from evil. She flipped back to her notes, recalling how she'd found a passage detailing how the umbrum believed that their chosen element the Darkness actually spoke to them, aiding them in their actions. "The umbrum claim that the personification of Darkness was a living presence and appeared as voice in their heads, instructing them on how to manipulate their shadowy forms and use dark magic." Finally, a lucky break! But how to use this information?

Author's Notes:

This chapter was to show a little bit of how the crystal ponies were faring under Sombra's reign but mostly to delve more into the umbrums and what they are exactly.

Incidentally, Ahriman (or Angra Mainyu) is the Zoroastrian god of darkness and opponent of their god of light Ahura Mazda.

Shadhavars and karkadanns are both legendary Arabic creatures resembling unicorns.

Charles Darwhinny=Charles Darwin

Hesijog and Theogoneigh=Hesiod and Theogony

I apologize for the fault with the puns. Those responsible have been sacked.

By the way, the term "mortehippus" is one that I invented and I plan to implement it in another story. If you wish to use it, please ASK FIRST. Okie dokie lokie?