The Darkest Hour: Return of Sombra

"...Wake up..."

Marble Pie's eyes opened. She raised her head a bit off of her pillow and looked around. It was nighttime; midnight if she wasn't mistaken. Everything seemed normal, but she could have sworn that she had heard something. A voice. She nervously continued to look across her room as she listened carefully for the voice, but all she heard was her sister, Limestone's, breathing. Deciding that she just imagined it, she laid her head back down and closed her eyes.

"...Get up..."

Okay, she knew she didn't imagine that. Her head shot up and, with wide eyes, she looked around her room again, trying to find the source of the voice. She looked to Limestone, who was still sleeping soundly. She didn't want to wake her up but...

"...I said get up..."

Marble let out an "eep" and got on her hooves. Biting her lip, she slowly approached her big sister, planning to wake her up.

"...Uh uh uhhh..."

Marble pulled back and tried to hide herself under her mane. Where was the voice coming from? And why did she feel like she had to obey it?

"...Go outside..."

Marble cowered in place. No no no no! She said in her head. Don't make me go outside! Don't make me go outside! Don't make me-

"...I said go outside..."

There was something in the voice. It was feminine, like it came from a mare, but it was also commanding. Marble could feel everything in her mind urging her to do as the voice said. With a gulp, she passed by Limestone and opened the door.

"...Quietly now..."

Her entire body shivering with fright, Marble carefully closed the door behind her and quietly made her way through the house. When she got to the door, she froze. Something bad was out there. She didn't know how she knew that, but she could feel it. Something very very bad was out there... and it was waiting for her.

"...Get out..."

Marble's eyes started to water as she opened the door and shut it behind her. Why couldn't she control herself? Why did she have to obey the voice? She didn't want to be here. Nevertheless, she stood outside. Her body shivered as she looked across the landscape. She knew the rock farm like the back of her hoof and she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but she could feel something different. Something dark and ominous.

"...Come closer..."

Marble didn't know where the voice was coming from, but she could feel herself being tugged in the direction. She slowly walked away from her house and out into the rock fields.

"...Closer..."

Marble continued until she could no longer feel the pull. She looked around and saw that she was in an area with several hills and large rocks. It looked like something could have jumped out at any moment. Marble cowered to the ground, hiding her head under her forelegs. Just stop. She begged in her head. Please just stop.

"...Get up..."

There was something about the voice that Marble was starting to notice. The tone wasn't just cold and commanding; it was joyful. It was sadistic. Marble forced herself back onto her hooves, expecting to see a monster as soon as she raised her head. But she saw nothing. Filled with fright, she nervously turned and looked in every direction, trying to find whatever was forcing her to do all this.

"...Look behind you..."

Tears ran down Marble's face. She shook her head in weak defiance. Don't make me. Please, don't make me.

"...I said look behind you..."

Knowing that she couldn't fight back against whatever this creature was, Marble bit her lip and looked behind her.

Limestone Pie awoke from her slumber when she realized that something wasn't right. She kept her head on her pillow as she listened. Nothing... Nothing at all. She shot to her hooves and looked around the bedroom. "Marble?" Just as she thought, her sister was nowhere in sight. Of course, Marble could have been gone for any number of reasons. Bathroom. Late-night snack. Maybe she needed some air? Deciding that it was most likely nothing to worry about, Limestone rested on her knees and made herself comfortable.

Then she heard the scream. It was faint and most ponies wouldn't have heard it, but Limestone's super sensitive hearing picked up on it immediantly. Within seconds, Limestone was out of the house and scanning her rock farm for her sister. Her eyes widened at what she saw. Dozens of yards away, there sat Marble Pie and what stood in front of her was... Limestone wasn't sure. It looked like a mass of shadow. She could make out what appeared to be two green eyes that glowed in a supernatural way. She could also make out a red, curved horn on what she assumed to be the creature's head. However, none of that really registered in Limestone's mind at the moment. The only thing that did was that her sister was in trouble and needed her help.

Not wasting another second, Limestone rushed across the rock field; her hooves like bullets hitting off the ground. Within seconds, she was at her destination. Without even thinking, she jumped over her little sister and headbutted the creature with enough force to shatter a small boulder. She heard a crack as her head collided with that of the creature's... and it didn't come from her.

The creature let out a groan as it was sent flying into a hill; bouncing off the top of it and landing on the other side with a thud.

Limestone glared in the creature's direction before turning to her sister. Her expression softened. "Marble?"

Marble was on the ground, crying as she looked up at her big sister. Limestone couldn't be sure due to the lack of light, but she could have sworn that Marble looked... paler.

Limestone knelt down and ran over her hoof across her sister's mane. "Are you okay?"

Marble shook her head, making an 'uh-uh' sound with her mouth.

Limestone stood up and checked her surroundings, doing so just in time to see a green light approaching her. She ducked just in time for the beam of magic to pass over her. She got to her hooves and snarled.

On top a rock, a few yards away, stood a pony in a black cloak. The pony flipped it's hood back, allowing Limestone to see their face. It was a unicorn mare. Her fur was gray, almost matching Maud's in fact. Her mane was white and wild-looking, tangled and hanging off her head like she had never bothered to take care of it her whole life. Her green eyes met Limestone's yellow ones and she gave the earth pony a smug smile.

Limestone gritted her teeth and slammed her forelegs into the ground, tearing a large stone out of it. She tossed the stone up, turned, and bucked it towards the unicorn. The rock soared through the air like a cannonball.

The unicorn's eyes widened as the rock approached her. She teleported away right before the rock could connect. The rock instead hit one of the hills, causing an explosion where it hit. The unicorn, who had teleported a few yards to the right, gaped at the display before Limestone sent another rock her way. The unicorn teleported away, this time to the top of another hill, and snarled as she sent another beam towards Limestone.

Limestone moved out of the way but looked back when she realized how close the beam came to hitting Marble. I can't let that sow hit Marble. She thought. The unicorn sent several more beams at Limestone, who successfully dodged each of them while keeping herself in front of Marble. A look of anger and frustration grew on the unicorn's face. Acting fast, as she ducked another beam, Limestone tore another stone out of the ground and sent it the unicorn's way, forcing the sow to teleport away before the hill was destroyed. Knowing that she only had a few seconds to act, Limestone dug her back hooves under Marble's belly before tossing her in the air. She quickly moved under Marble, allowing her little sister to land atop her back. "Hang on to me."

Marble obeyed, wrapping her forelegs around Limestone's neck and her hind legs around Limestone's waste.

The unicorn teleported in front of Limestone, only a few yards away. The unicorn's green eyes were filled rage, though it was dwarfed by the rage in Limestone's.

After a short stare down, rocks and magic beams both soared through the air.

Meanwhile, inside the house...

Cloudy Quartz Pie raised her head off of her pillow and looked over to her husband, who slept in a separate bed. "Igneous, dear, do thou hearest the commotion outside?"

Igneous Rock Pie didn't even raise his head as he answered his wife. "From the sounds of said commotion, I believe it is Limestone. She must be dealing with another intruder. I would not advice thou to worry, dear."

With a nod, Cloudy returned her head to her pillow.

The unicorn and earth pony danced throughout the rock fields. The unicorn continued to bombard Limestone with blasts of magic, but Limestone evaded each one. Meanwhile, Limestone continued to bombard the unicorn with cannonrocks, but the unicorn teleported away from each one. Wanting a better vantage point, the unicorn teleported atop Holder's Boulder.

"Get off Holder's Boulder!" Limestone shouted before sending a rock straight at the unicorn's face.

The unicorn gave a "Ahh!" before teleporting away.

Igneous Rock Pie looked out his bedroom window. The sounds of battle hadn't stopped, so he had decided to see what was happening. "It seems Limestone is having much more trouble than usual." He said as he turned to his wife. "I believe it would be best if we go assist her."

Sadonarc unleashed a barrage of beams at the stubborn mud pony, gritting her teeth in frustration as she dodged each one.

"...Sadonarc,"

Sadonarc stopped and turned to look behind her when she heard her teacher's voice.

"...It is time to retreat."

Sadonarc turned back around to see a rock coming towards her. She blasted the rock to pieces and attempted to teleport away, but with her mind torn between following Sombra out of there and dealing with the mud pony, she couldn't concentrate enough. Instead, she sent one last blast at the mud pony before attempting to run away.

However, the mud pony took advantage and sent another rock her way, landing directly behind Sadonarc. The resulting explosion knocked Sadonarc a few yards away and left her sore and dizzy. "How... How did that mud pony... hit me?" She asked herself. She looked up and her eyes widened as she saw an even bigger rock falling down towards her. Quickly finding her concentration, she teleported away just as the rock landed, leaving a crater where she had once been. Sadonarc scurried away until she found Sombra.

"...Come, Sadonarc." Her teacher beckoned.

Obeying, she and Sombra ran off, leaving the rock farm behind them. Though Sadonarc couldn't get that stubborn mud pony out of her head. "I'll make her pay!" She muttered under her heavy breath.

Limestone watched as the unicorn and shadow creature ran off like cowards. The pony on her back being the only reason she didn't chase after them. With a huff, she ran back to the house. Her parent's were waiting right outside the door.

"Limestone! What has happened?" Her Pa asked when he saw Marble on Limestone's back.

"Later. First, we need to get Marble inside." Limestone said as she pushed passed her parents, who followed her in. Limestone went to her and Marble's bedroom, turning on the lights before laying Marble in her bed. She looked over her little sister. She definitely was paler than normal, to the point of looking sickly. Limestone's analectic eyes looked over Marble until they rested on her flank. Limestone's eyes widened. "Marble, your cutie mark."

Marble looked up at her big sister. "Hmm?"

"It's... gone!"

Marble and their parents looked and saw that Limestone was quite right. Tears reappeared in Marble's eyes as she laid her head down.

Ma knelt beside Marble and rubbed her hoof across Marble's mane.

Pa looked to Limestone. "What happened out there?!"

"Some unicorn mare and a... shadow-creature-thing attacked me and Marble." Limestone answered. "I don't know anything else... yet."

Pa nodded and helped his wife sooth Marble.

Meanwhile, Limestone went to her window and opened it. She looked out in the direction the two fiends went and growled. She didn't know who they were or what they wanted, but she did know one thing: They crossed the line and now they were gonna pay.