Though Discord plotted his trouble elsewhere, Umbra safeguarded the North alongside her family. Ruling the Crystal Empire with Cadance and Shining Armor, their love warmed and powered their people with unending devotion.

Wensley and Shifting got married. Things got interesting when changelings came out into the lime light and Shifting quickly began showing her true colors.

Those colors were still a crystal bat pony. It was just a crystal bat pony that could shapeshift without fear.

Wensley proved entirely alright with his talented wife, and their relationship only grew stronger as they raised a family of their own together.

Witching Hour tried to be an intimidating and aloof guardian of the tsuki. It even worked, at first.

At least until the young tsuki decided she was a fine sleeping surface. She awoke every day for several weeks under a pile of fluffy love, and she couldn't work up the will to chase them away after the first dozen times.

It only got worse when they grew up and all considered her to be a best friend. Her scary shadow card was in tatters.

On the positive, she had a lot of friends.

It was, perhaps, worth the trade.

Morning and Tomtom were inseperable. Though she viewed him at first as a relationship of convenience, time wore away at that. He never said anything about it, even as his vocabulary grew.

He couldn't spend so much time with Morning without picking up on the words she used, and even how she used them.

They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, and he loved Morning quite a bit.

It surprised few when he dropped to a knee one day and asked if he could stay with Morning forever.

It surprised more when she actually agreed.

They married shortly afterwards, both young adults at that point. Tomtom had only grown larger, so he gladly served as her mount through the skies, but he never used his strength on her.

Unless she wanted to wrestle.

These were rare, but treasured, opportunities.

Speaking of wrestling, the tsuki and the yaks grew closer swiftly when their conflict ended. The yaks loved to crash into things, and the tsuki loved wrestling with things. It was a natural match. Heavy yaks would crash into ready tsuki arms.

If the yak wasn't ready in turn, they'd be thrown to the ground.

It became an ongoing contest, to see if the tsuki could be knocked over, or the yak. Whichever side won any great crash, both were left laughing and happy about it.

The two large species found kin in one another that few other species could hope to provide.

Their bridge stood tall and proud for many, many moons.

"Like this?" Midnight's darkly glowing horn formed spears of screaming nightmare energy, hovering there in the air.

Flurry Heart clapped her bright hooves together. "Yes! That's how mom does it."

Midnight let the shadows fall a few inches. "She's my mom."

Flurry rolled her eyes at that. "She's our mom. We have two. Two moms, one dad. No arguing about which is which."

Midnight decided to prove their point by hurling the shadow spears at Flurry. It was a shame, perhaps, that she was used to such game, parrying several with bursts of shields as she hopped over another. "You won't get me that easily!"

He huffed out a puff of dark energy. "No fair..."

"I am your older sister." She folded her arms over her chest. "Expect me to act like it."

"Lucky..." He was a few years younger, but he was learning. "Let's practice some more?"

"Gladly." She shimmered with the crystal heart power that made up a lot of her magic. "If you're ready."

He was only rarely not ready to vie with her, the two laughing despite their eager clashes.

Morning Dew swept into the royal planning session fifteen minutes late, TomTom hopping faithfully behind her. "Apologies for my tardiness," she declared, not sounding apologetic at all. "Those incompetent miners kept trying to argue safety regulations until I set them straight."

She flung herself into a crystal chair with little Midnight perched eagerly on her back, clinging to her dark mane. Though only a young colt, the family resemblance was already uncanny, from their matching icy blue eyes to imperious frowns.

"Now then, have we covered anything of import since the last gathering?" Morning continued briskly. "Or simply more dull budget reports?"

Cadance hid a knowing smile. "Nothing to bore my brilliant niece, I assure you. Although..." She nodded toward a delicate pastry tray. "I believe Cook made umbrumberry tarts today if you'd care to sample."

"Oh, don't pretend every decision of state aims solely to coddle my tastes," Morning huffed, even as TomTom was already enthusiastically hopping toward the treats.

Yet Cadance caught the tiny upturned quirk at the corner of Morning's mouth. Some shadows had surely softened over time, woven into the empire's radiant tapestry by patient strands of affection.

Though crystal towers now knew umbral nights more intimately, kindness yet glimmered...one tart at a time.

When the call went out, when Equestria needed them, the forces of the Crystal Empire rode down on the train to assist. They would not face The Great Three without them. Only when Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, and Tirek were set in stone would true peace be known.

Umbra took the time to visit one of her pony pals. "Starlight!"

"Umbrie!" The two crashed in a great hugging mass of arms. "Not how I would have invited you, but..."

"But here I am." Umbra bounced back. "And I'm ready."

"Oh, I doubt that..." Starlight's horn glowed with threats of arcane violence. "You haven't won so far, but I love it when you try."

Umbra seeped shadow in all directions. "Shadows are ever patient."

"You have to be." She fired a brilliant beam of power that cut through where Umbra had been a moment ago. "If you plan to wait me out."

Their competition did their best to outshadow the Equestria-shaking battle that had just finished. The braver ponies sat some distance away, watching the two battle through binoculars.

With an unzippering sound, Discord stepped from nowhere, to somewhere. That somewhere was the middle of the Crystal Empire throne room.

Umbra hiked a brow. "Here? Now? A little busy." she waved at the pony supplicant that had been interrupted. "Wait in line like everycreature else."

Discord rolled his eyes and fixed the pony with a smile. "I'm taking your place."

The pony backed away with a nervous laugh. "Of course..." Few were the ponies that wanted to argue with the spirit of chaos.

"Now." Discord took the spot the pony had been in. "Congratulations! You have a happy ending firmly in hoof."

"No thanks to you," spat Umbra with a scowl. "I heard what you did back there. You almost ruined it all."

"With the best of intentions." Discord fluttered his lashes in an appeal for being adorable. "I learned my mistake... You handedly smashed what I sent up here before that. That Sombra character didn't have a chance."

Umbra flared with dark power. "I did not enjoy having to face him!"

"I did."

Discord blinked at a new voice, twirling to face Anik. "Oh, hello there."

"Hello." Anik nodded at Discord. "Thank you... That battle brought out the full light within me... And connected me with a departed pony that needed a place to shine and finish their business."

Discord clapped his hands with such a grin. "See, I helped!" He smacked Anik on the back. "Glad to be of service. So, glowing it up even brighter these days?"

"Each day." Anik seemed pleased, unbothered by Discord's antics. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Umbra didn't fight as Anik led Discord out of the throne room, allowing business to resume.

The tsuki grew closer to their pony friends and allies. Unlike the yaks, it wasn't one of energetic clashes, but one of the warmest hugs and joy.

Their language deepened, with each generation speaking more elegantly than the last with the ponies to learn from. But they were tsuki, and they would bounce high and hug tightly.

Fortunately, the ponies seemed to enjoy both features, so their friendship only grew as the two nations became one, functionally. Neither could imagine doing too much without the other.

When threats came, and they did, they faced them together. Anything that threatened even one pony or tsuki, was considered a problem for them all to solve.

In that first generation, the crystal ponies gained a valuable place of safety. Within the warmly holding grasp of a tsuki, they could shed the past traumas of Sombra, even for just a little while. They were safe with their large rabbit friends.

The tsuki were just as pleased to give those hugs and cradle a crystal pony until they were ready to face the day again.

All sides grew stronger for their friendships.

The future would hold challenges. Even if it wasn't going to on its own, they still had Discord for a frenemy. But, even putting him aside, the world was hardly one made entirely of peaceful intentions.

Umbra felt she could face them, and she was sure she had helped form a city just as ready.

And... fin! How'd I do? Your comments feed me!

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