//------------------------------//
// Part Five: You can choose 
// Story: Mother Knows Best 
// by CrimsonRose97 
//------------------------------//

When Umbré woke up, everything was white. She looked around for any signs of life. There was nothing. No pony but her.
She sat up, the floor was reflecting every move she made, rippling each time as if it was made of water. “Hopey…” Umbré whimpers softly. She looked for Flurry too but no one came calling.
As she sat there, not knowing what to do, she starts hearing sounds of hooves running across the void. Umbré turned to look just to be tackled down.
The creature just let out a horrific screech, starting hitting Umbré with it’s claws.
Umbré cried before teleporting away in the air. She held herself up and gasps when she gazed down on what attacked her.
The creature was small, a baby itself. Taken pony form, it’s coat was grotesque grey, eyes purely black with purple mist flowing, horn was long and curved, stained in red. Though small, the horns on its head were prominent. The tail and mane merged into flowing shadow, this darkness seeped from its body, flowing tendrils on either side of it.
A demon.
It screeched loudly before wings rippled out of the darkness and took off after Umbré.
Umbré eeped loudly before flying away.
The demon made pursuit, flying after her.
The two raced around the white void, the demon shot at Umbré with ti’s dark magic, but the goal managed to dodged from the blasts. Umbré rolled and flew as hard as she could, she demon was right at her tail. She could feel the demon’s claws just touching her flanks, causing her to fly harder. Umbré was so scared, she didn’t know what to do against it.
The demon screeched loudly, it’s dark horn glowed, consuming  the foal in it’s aura. Umbré cried out as the demon slammed her out of the sky and collided with the floor.
This demon, this creature was full of blood lust and unadulterated hatred towards the filly, throws Umbré around like she was a rag doll. The foal screamed loudly in pain as it slammed her repeatedly on the floor. 
It ended up jumping on top of her. Umbré screamed out of terror, she tried to fight it off but it became quickly apparent that it was stronger than her. She shut her eyes close and awaited for the end.
Until…
“I think that’s quite enough.” A beautiful female voice echoed the void. Soon the demon foal disappeared.
Umbré opened her eyes. Instead of seeing the demon, she sees this beautiful unicorn. She was tall with a pink coat and curly mane that faded from fuchsia, to a lighter pink to a blue at the end. She had a pretty jeweled saddle on her back a tiara on her head. This whole aura full of love and happiness and a sense of royalty radiated out from her.
The unicorn giggled to see her. “Why hello little one.”
Umbré tilted her head confused and babbled as if she’s trying to ask What was that?
The unicorn engulfed the foal in her blue magical aura and placed her on her back. “Everything’s is fine. That creature wasn’t hurting you, it can’t.”
More questions than answers apparently.
“Umbré, my name is Princess Amore. Where you are in is inside of the crystal heart, the void.” she explained. “When you touched the heart, I brought you in here so we could talk.”
Umbré frowned. “Hopey…?”
The princess smiled. “You’ll be with Hope soon enough. Don’t you worry about that. I just need to talk to you. I know you are a different filly from the others, you being a hybrid of shadow and pony.”
The foal whimpered at that. She hated that word, hybrid, being reminded of what she was. Even though she was only a few weeks old, she understands more than others think.
The princess’s radiant smile then retracted to a serious look. “I know you have a terrible destiny at your hooves, you’ll probably forget this as you grow, but I am here to tell you. In hopes you carry this somehow while you age to maturity. There is a way to defeat the darkness that lurks inside you.” She motioned her head towards the side.
Umbré followed and gasped. She saw the demon foal sitting alone just a few feet from them. She wrapped her hooves around the princess’s neck and coward down for protection. 
“It can’t hurt you...but Umbré, this demon is you...what Obscura - the Shadow Queen - has planned on what you’ll become when you mature.”
Umbré shook her head no at that. She didn’t want it to happen.
“Sadly, that creature will always be inside you, but Umbré, you can control it.” Amore explained as the creature faded from their view. “Balance is everything. The light is also inside you, you can balance the darkness inside you. You may not understand this right now, but you will soon. Balance hatred with love; fear with happiness. I tried telling this to my old student, but he allowed the darkness to take fully control. I hope you are able to do a better job than him.”
Umbré listened to her, but she was confused, what was she talking about?
She then smiled softly at her. “You already saw how the Umbrum were, how awful they were towards you. You already saw of one future if Obscura should win, you want to change that. And you can. You can choose your destiny, Umbré. I have a feeling you already did.”
Now that Umbré understood fully. She didn’t want to harm any pony, she wanted to be surrounded by love, sunlight, happiness, no more darkness, no more hatred.
The princess’s horn began to glow. “It’s time for you to go. I hope you take all I said to heart.”
****
Umbré woke up with a groan, she rubbed her head before shaking it.
That was a very vivid dream she just had. She sat up to look for Flurry Heart but she wasn’t there. The skies had turned to night and the streets were emptied.
Or so she thought.
“Umbré!” hope’s voice shouted in the streets. The pony came to view and gasped loudly when she saw Umbré near the heart.
She ran over to the foal, picked her up and hugged her tightly. “Oh Umbré, you scared the devil out of me!” she kissed her head before lifting her up and examined her for any injuries. “Where did you go? Why did you run off?!”
Umbré babbled cutely, trying to explained in her baby talk but Hope didn’t understand any of it.
Hope then just sighed. “I searched for you during the celebration. You should’ve seen it, the heart glowed brighter than ever.” She levetated Umbré to the top of her head. “Welp, there’s always next year, you little snot.”
Umbré giggled, hugging Hope’s head.
Hope smiled before she walking off.
Umbré turned around to glance at the crystal heart. She saw a white shine from it and smiled softly.