“Sombra… Sombra, wake up.” The ghastly voice of Mother whispered sickly sweet into my ears.

I couldn’t open my eyes and move my body. This pounding in my head was almost unbearable to deal with. I wanted to continue to rest.

Something wrapped around me and this painful sensation of my sides being crushed was enough for me to wake up with a shout. My eyes shot open and came face to face with Mother.

“Finally, you’re awake.” She hissed at me, baring her teeth before throwing me down to the ground.

I felt more pain when I landed.

When I tried to take in my surroundings, a reflective surface caught my attention. I looked at it and let out a horrid gasp.

I was seeing myself, but my body had appeared much, much younger than I remembered the last time I saw myself.

“What is this?” I asked, touching my face. Freezing when I heard my voice was much higher. More youthful. And being in these dark catacombs, it echoed loudly. “Is that my voice?” I coughed and spoke again. “Is that MY VOICE?!”

I turned to Mother. Thrusting a hoof to the reflection. “What's happening to me?!”

Mother rolled her white eyes. “Stop with your sniffling whining, just because you have a body of a child doesn't mean you get to act like one. You should be thanking me for even giving you another body after the last one got destroyed.”

I stared at her confusedly. Not fully grasping what she was saying. I tried to remember what happened to me but I couldn’t remember certain events.

I remembered being brought back prior to now. But by whom, I was drawing a blank. I remember a fight but whoever I was fighting against, I visually could not for the life of me remember.

However, there was one figure I did recognize. The feeling I had of the creature came back. The hybrid herself.

Umbré… though she was a foal, that thing brought me such pain and anguish that it made my blood boil.

And the thought it was the reason my body was taken once again by a damn baby made me see red.

“I'm going to kill that fucking brat!” I snapped.

“You will do no such thing, boy.” Mother hissed. “Umbré must be guarded. She is still crucial to your reign.”

“But she did this to me!” I spat at her.

“You underestimated her abilities, and she was a foal. Her power has grown since, you are not even a match to her.”

“How long was I asleep?” I asked, looking back at the reflection. I had not seen this young version of me in such a long time. Though some differences were there. My horn was still red and curved and my eyes were red as well. Remembering I had green eyes when I was a young colt.

“Eight years. Eight years was how long it took to reconstruct your new body. Since you are still the only shadow that can traverse the top world physically.” Mother explained. “Set your petty grudge aside and pay attention.” She came up behind me. “Our spies had finally tracked Umbré down in this small village far from the Empire called Ponyville. She is at a critical age where she can be easily manipulated and influenced. Since discovered that we cannot force her to become evil, she'll have to become one willingly in order for our plans to be successful.

“Your task, as you can see by your ... .youthful body, is to infiltrate her life. Watch over her, guide her to the path she is destined to go. Become her “friend” and if it calls for later down the line as she grows to adulthood, seduce her if you must. But do whatever you can to ensure she is ready.”

My stomach twisted when Mother told me the plan. The sheer thought of her words to have me do such things to the hybrid made me taste bile in my throat.

“Oh don't give me that look, Sombra, you've done worse things during your conquests.” Mother scuffed. “This is the long game. If you somehow fail this,”

Tendrils wrapped around me, burning sensation traveled everywhere, causing me to yell out.

“If you fail, I will flay every strip of flesh and muscle off your wretched bones over and over again until you are nothing but a mutilated corpse.” Mother warned me. The pain I was feeling was a taste of what's to come if I fail.

“I-I won't fail you again, Mother.” I gasped out, wanting her to stop!

She held onto me to ensure I got the message before dropping me once more. “Good boy. Now, take this,” a red crystal formed in front of my hooves. “This is how we can communicate since my magic can not reach that far, keep me updated on her progress. Do not fail me this time.”

Moving can be stressful for any kid, eight year old Umbré was no exception. She and her adopted parents Ambrosia and Ranger were on a covered wagon that was being dragged by large rolling beetles.

Umbré was sitting in the back with the luggage, in her purple gradient hooves was her prize possession. Her favorite doll. A purple and blue stuffed unicorn.

Ambrosia, a hot pink Pegasus with white long mane, looked behind the luggage area at her daughter. Having a cutie mark of a heart, needle and thread.

“We're almost there, Sweet Pea.” Ambrosia spoke softly with a comforting smile.

“Why did we have to move again? I liked it back at Memphis, I was just about to make friends.” Umbré looks up at her.

“I know you don't like the constant move, Umbré but it's part of my job.” Ranger said in response, glancing over his shoulders to look at her as he drove the wagon. “But I swear it's the last time. Think of it as another adventure.” Ranger had black mane, light blue coat, he had a bow as a mark, having violet eyes with glasses.

“Until we have to move again, and again.and again.” Umbré sighed. “Is it that right, Hopey?”

She made the doll nod their head in agreement.

The parents shared a look.

Ranger looks back at her. “I promise, once I finish this book I'm working on, I'll never have us move again. Ponyville is a quaint village, you'll love it here. Small towns make big friends.”

“If you say so.” The child said.

After eight years of constant moving, she really didn't believe that.

The family soon drove the wagon through a road that led through the Everfree Forest.

Soon coming to a two story cottage. There was already a few stuff that was shipped from their old house to here.

Ranger soon parked their beetle driven wagon next to the cottage and his wife and daughter got out.

“Tada! welcome to our new home, Umbré.” Ambrosia sang, flying over to her. “Oh gosh this place looks so pretty right?”

Umbré smiled as she looked at the cottage. The exterior was light blue with yellow trims and windows. There were already flowers growing on the gardens, a stone path leading from the front steps and brought around to the backyard.

“It's so pretty, mama!” She said.

“It’ll be much prettier once we get this stuff in. Come on ladies, care to lend a hoof before this storm gets us?” Ranger calls them.

“Coming daddy.” Umbré said.

Everyone quickly brought their luggage and dragged their stuff in as the skies started to blackened by the pegasus and thunder started to rumble.

When it began to rain, the family stayed in the living room for the night, lights only lit by a lantern. The three were playing scrabble.

“Okay, how's this, Serendipity.” Ranger added the word on the ground. Using his purple magic to push the letters in place.

“Daddy, that’s not a word.” Umbré giggles.

“Oh yes it is, so is supercalafragalisticexpialadoshus.” Ranger hummed with a smile on his face. Seeing his daughter’s face twisted, only making him laugh more.

“Okay, now I know you’re making words up.” Umbré laughs.

Lightning struck and thunder crashed, causing the child to scream. In a split second, her eyes went from baby blues to crimson red with a slit pupil. She felt her canines elongated and sharpened to a point. The purple on her muzzle hooves and on her belly and mane blackened.

Ambrosia quickly slid over to her, wrapped her hooves around Umbré.

“Shhh, shhh, it’s okay love. It’s just the weather. Sing with me now, like we practiced.”

Umbré nodded, feeling the darkness consuming her again, she held onto mama and the two began to sing.

Darkness comes and goes

Let your light shine in

Calm your mind and heart

And let the shadows fade.

As the two sang together, Umbré was slowly returning to normal, her purple features faded back. The darkness slipped away.

Umbré whimpered and she held her mother and Hopey the doll. She looked at the window, seeing the rain pouring outside.

Though she had returned to normal, every so often when she looked at her reflection, a split second, she would see things. The creature that resides inside her.

Her inner darkness, the demon of Obscura would reflect back to her.

Author's Note

Welcome back every brony to the adventures of Sombra and Umbré!

This is gonna be a long sequel so heads up. Telling the story that will span several years of these two. Forming a bond that not even Sombra would even see coming.

Hope ya'll will like this as much as you liked Mother Know's Best.

Lemme know what ya'll think :3