Countless nights, Mother had tended this...Umbré. This atrocity of an infant. As the weeks that went by, preparing it for transfer to the top world, I feel despise towards the child.
Mother had propelled me aside like garbage, discarded me of my crown and practically granted it to the abomination. Giving it my destiny, my throne, MY EMPIRE!!
I knew to destroy the child was out of the question due to the fact it’s always being within Mother’s grasps, surrounded by guards. No leeway to scarcely attempt it.
With each passing I made of its room, I would always see the child in its crib. This green crystal filled with dark magic that was flowing inside it. To make sure she is filled with enough evil energy that will last throughout the rest of her life. At least one of the umbrum guards told me one night.
Umbré this and The Chosen One that, that was what I consistently hear when I traveled down to the underground city (Yes, the city of Niflheim, even living under the Empire, surrounded by endless shadows, the Umbrum established a miniature city filled with everything the shadows need of...On the exception of authentic food for me. Those exactly have to be scavenged.) The cave ceiling above me gave the impression of the night sky, stars above us all.
The citizens keep talking about that creature in the grand hall. It was sickening, praising it when it scarcely performed anything yet.
In fact, it hasn’t achieved anything since it’s birthing!
“Pah!” I scuffed as I trotted towards a ruined fountain and sat on the stone. Raising an apple one of the things Mother was able to get since I have a physical form and took a bite out of it. “If I hear one more thing about that brat, I’m going to kill them.” I knew it was petty, sweating over a baby...but given my recent track record with them, it’s an understatement.
I sighed, shaking my head before throwing the apple across the cavern.
This was outrageous! I’m worryingly over a blasted infant! I still have power. I’m getting stronger every day!
And I’m going to show Mother what I can do.
I will regain my throne if it’s the last thing I’ll do!
Lying in this prison of this crib, little Umbré found herself constantly scared. These monsters were everywhere, either taunting her, acting like they were going to injure her, or trying to gather her in their ghastly hooves.
This “Mother” was the worst. She killed Umbré’s mother and her twin, declaring sweetly sickening things on what she’ll have Umbré do. Indeed trying to present absolute evil inside her.
But unbestowing to all of them — including the baby herself — if anyone would take a good look at the baby, there was a very faint outline, a faint blue glow around her whole body. Her magic was defending her without grasping it. Protecting from the evil crystal. The pony half of her was protecting her. The side of love and hope.
But hope was dying the more the baby stays here, if they keep replacing the crystal, it’s only the matter of time before it could carry out its job.
The evil crystal, drained of its color, stops pouring it’s evil essence in her, it was empty. And at the same time, the magic barrier disappeared. Leaving Umbré drained of energy.
She yawned before curling into a ball and proceed on taking a nap. Then, overhearing the collective voices coming from down the hall, caused Umbré to start crying.
The guards moved aside as the Queen marched in.
“How is my little Nightshade?” The queen cooed softly at her.
Umbré cries louder, scooting as far as she could away from her.
The queen practised her magic to snatch the child up to her. “Has she accomplished anything?” she summoned the guards.
“No ma’am, she hasn’t performed anything worth wild.” one of the disembodied ghosts informed her.
“It’ll take time. She is a baby after all. Power takes time, patience.” She said, bestowing the crying babe a kiss on her screaming head.“Don’t worry, mommy’s here, you’ll come around eventually. Mother knows best.”
That’s what she thinks!
Umbré whimpers before a small collective of dust fills her nose. She let out a loud sneeze…
And poofed out of Mother’s hold.
“Oh?” Mother alarmingly said, examining the baby teleport in a blue light.
Her and the guards looked around before looking down the hall and saw Umbré sitting on the ground dazed. Confused.
“Told you boys.” Mother chuckles. She went picking her up again when the baby sneezed again and poofed off again.
***
Somewhere in the Hall, Umbré appeared, landing on something subtle and silky. Something that caused her to coo curiously.
“What the hell?!”
I groaned loudly, I was on my way to find Mother when all of the sudden, something fell on my head.
Practising my magic, I lifted whatever it was on my head. Of course it was the child.
At first glance, the baby looked innocent enough. One wouldn’t think she was a source of fear and power, not fully a whole unicorn.
So small, so meek, one effectively placed wall or the appropriate height to conclude this. No one around to stop me.
As they say, “Get them before they grow.”
“Ah~choo!” it sneezed. A poof of a blue aura later and the child teleported out of my hold.
I noted something on my head again. The child was lying on top of my head once more.
It cooed softly, its hooves were messing with my mane. Subsequently, it started to babble happily, nuzzling against me.
I growled before transferring the child off of me. “I’m not your mother.” I told Umbré.
Umbré started to giggle, it’s hooves out reached for me, no fear in her eyes.
My guess, since I’m the only umbrum with a physical form, it seems mo as not a threat. I glared at it before placing it down on the ground. “Leave me alone.” I snarled before wandering elsewhere.
“Choo!” Umbré’s sneezes again and this time it disappeared and reappeared on my back.
I put it down roughly, already I was getting annoyed.
It starts crying.
Grrr! It even sounds like a normal baby.
I went to leave again when I noticed sparks of blue magic. I looked and saw the baby’s horn was sputtering magic. As the baby cries, the magic grows.
Unicorn foals are known for having magical spurts till they are stable as they get maturer. Same goes for this abomination.
“Alright, enough of that.” I said, constructing a soundproof barrier, hearing total silence. Through the red cage, the baby’s magic grew and grew. The barrier should prevent it contain from teleporting away.
I felt dust entering my nose and sneezed myself. There was so much dust in this cavern it’s ridiculous.
“Sombra.”
Mother and the creature’s guards marched towards us.
I glared at them as they approached. Lifting the crying child. "Did you lose this?”
Umbré stopped crying but her horn still sputtered in magic. It tried reaching for me, facing away from Mother.
“It seems Umbré has developed a liking to you.” Mother said, observing us.
“The feeling is one sided.” I grumbled. I passed it off to them. “Mother, we need to ta~”
“AH-CHOO!!!” Umbré sneezes very loudly. A beam of magic energy shoots through the barrier - shattering my spell and dropped the child on the ground, screaming in pain. The beam shot at the ceiling, a stalagmite got hit and it starts falling directly at us.
Mother projected a black beam at it to destroy it. At the same time, the child let out another huge sneeze and teleports away.
“She’s gone!”one of the guards announced.
No duh! You think?!
Mother snarled before thrusting her ghostly hoof at my face and executed an order. “Sombra, you want a second chance, I’m placing you in charge of the task of retrieving the child!”
I hissed, pushing her hoof away. “Why would I ever want to find-”
I was cut off by Mother’s power exploding, engulfing everything in shadows.
This sheer pain starts taking hold of me. It started off in my chest, then every fiber of my body felt like it was being torn apart. Piece by piece of my soul was being ripped away from my very being. I screamed in agony. The pain felt all too familiar.
When the crystal heart was charged up and my body was shattered!
“Unless you want me to finish what that heart started, find the child and bring her back to me!” Mother disembodied, demonic voice hissed loudly, emphasising by another mighty pull of my body. Feeling my body, my soul being stripped away.
The pain was too unbearable, I screamed and screamed, close to begging her to stop.
As soon as it came being, the pain stopped. The darkness disappeared. I was left breathless, sweat pouring down my body. I looked up at Mother, gasping for air.
“BRING ME BACK MY BABY!” the Queen roared.
Umbré rolled in the snowy hill till she struck the bottom. The skies blackened as a storm was raging on.
The severe cold strikes her hard. She cries out, but no one was nearby. Umbré tried to move, but pain takes hold of her. Her left forehoof was broken. It happened when Sombra accidently dropped her.
The snow muffled the sounds of the baby’s painful crying. The cold froze her tears, her body shuddered, desperate need of warmth. She had no idea where she was, this wasteland. No pony was nearby.
Umbré almost wanted to go back to that dark place… at least it was warm.
The frigid cold takes hold of her. Her eyes became very heavy. So...so tired, she couldn’t help herself as her cries slowly turned to soft whimpers, then to nothing at all. She began closing her eyes before she felt her body lifting up in the air. This feeling was warm, calming. Nothing at all that she would normally feel when being lifted by magic.
Before Umbré was consumed in slumber, she hears the most gorgeous voice ever.
“It’s gonna be okay, it’s gonna be okay.” The feeling of hooves and cloth wraps around the baby.
“Everything’s fine, I gotcha now...Hope’s here.”