Here we go y’all, Sombra’s backstory TwT. Sorry it’s taking me a bit to get the post out… like I said in my previous post, I’ve been moving to another house and my goodness ;w;….I’ve got no time whatsoever…. ANYWAYS⬇️

☆Also, quick note: Though his backstory is heavily inspired by the comics, “Fiendship is Magic Issue #1”, the story will change or won’t go in the exact same direction as seen in the comics because it’s a headcanon. So please keep that in mind. 👌 (I’ve actually never read the “Siege of the Crystal Empire” volumes yet, so that’s why my HC may just diverge from the comics after a certain point).

⚠️ A VERY LONG DESCRIPTION WARNING ⚠️

35 five years later, after the terror that was the Umbrum attack on the Crystal Empire, the unexpected birth of a powerful leader was had; the birth of Zircon Oscuro Sombra. He was spawned beside the Dark Crystal of the Umbrum, just north outside of the Crystal Empire. A bright red flash that surged from the Dark Crystal alerted a few Crystal Guards nearby. The brave stallions went to investigate to only find a newborn foal. The guards were puzzled at this discovery, yet didn’t question it, as it was their duty to save this foal and bring it to safety as fast as possible. They sent him to the Chestnut Falls orphanage (a Crystal Heart Foal Center), in hopes that the foal would be adopted and raised by a loving family.
Due to his grayscale coat and mane, the orphanage caretakers named him “Zircon Oscuro Sombra ‘’. The caretakers didn’t mean no offense regarding his name. It was only supposed to represent how “dark” and “mysterious” Sombra’s existence came to be, and how he was said to be born right next to the “Dark Crystal”, which is actually made of zircon. He himself doesn’t like his name, as opposed to the other cutesy and glittery names given to the colts and fillies in his orphanage, he couldn’t help but to feel deviated, only just by his name. This also didn’t help the fact that the other orphans treated him differently because of his appearance and his behavior. He was born, devoid of color, which the caretakers only assumed he was born with pseudo melanism, as the other orphans were beautifully multicolored. Also, another big difference is that his coat and mane never glowed and sparkled with fractal patterns from the Heart’s protection spell. Now, the caretakers definitely didn’t understand this phenomenon, as ponies and creatures far and wide could gain the protection spell and beautiful appearance that comes with it from the Heart… yet except for Sombra…how strange.
Because of his differences, it was hard to both fit in, feel accepted and make friends. Besides, the orphans were just mean ole kids anyway, calling him names, threatening him, and discouraging him, saying he would never find a family because he was “different”. This would poorly affect how Sombra perceived the world and how it would treat them… Only until a ray of light shined its way into his gloomy life, Alexandrite Radiance Hope (or just Radiant Hope XP). Hope, herself, was a bit of an oddball, but she liked to feel different and didn’t care what the others thought of her. However, how those orphans treated Sombra was mean and unfair, as he didn’t choose to be born the way he was, and shouldn’t be alienated for the things he can’t change. So, she decided to be his friend. Sombra was dubious at first about her, as he never thought a pony like him deserved such an angelic filly like Hope.
After some fantastical and imaginative playtime together, Hope had mentioned the Crystal Heart. She was intrigued by it, and Sombra became more familiar with it as Hope babbled about it. Hope thought it would be great to visit it someday. One night, the two sneaked out of the orphanage to see the Heart in all of its glory. Sombra, upon seeing it for the first time, was astonished. Hope heard rumors that the Heart possesses the power to see a vision of your future if you stare deep into it. They did what the rumor told…Hope had saw that she would become royalty while Sombra saw himself as a “monster”. The horrifying sight scarred him for life. He kept the vision to himself, which was a bad idea, as this bottled up thought would consume his consciousness and well-being…However, there was a time when he innocently asked her, “If I were to become a monster, would you leave me”? And of course she replied with, “No, I vow to never leave you\! We’ll be friends forever”\! That promise would stick with Sombra for his life, as it reassured him that Hope would be with him, regardless of what happens to him…
Hope and Sombra’s relationship grew stronger, as they kept each other close to their hearts. Hope would be there for Sombra at his worst, and vice versa. It would seem that every Crystal Faire, after Sombra had witnessed that vision of his, he would become deathly ill. This unknown sickness pained him to his core as it appeared that his body would crack like a Crystal, and start to fade away. Sure, at first Hope didn’t understand why Sombra would be bedridden on such a happy occasion. She always dreamt of a day when Sombra would feel better and get to come to the Faire with her. But going to the Faire was far less important than being by Sombra’s side when he was in pain. She prayed, one day, that somepony could cure him.
The yearly curse for Sombra only got worse and more drastic, to the point where a miracle would be the only thing that could end his suffering. Because, unfortunately, there was still no type of cure or anypony with the magical experience to cure Sombra. So out of immense worry and love, Hope attempted for the first time to use her magic to heal him. And indeed she did successfully, as she too gained her Cutie Mark that day. Being an impossible and unknown illness to cure by doctors, nurses and mages, the Crystal Empire and its Empress, Mi Amore Carmine Heart, noticed her wonderful magical healing talent. The Empress, knowing that the Queens and King of Equestria were actively looking for gifted and powerful ponies to tutor and eventually become royalty, sent a letter to them about Hope. Sure, Sombra was happy for her feasible blissful future, but ultimately was left feeling bitter. Hope was enthralled to hear the news, but then realized she would have to leave her beloved friend, Sombra, behind. She wasn’t too happy about that thought, in fact she wanted to tell the Empress to not send the letter at all… but there’s nothing like giving it a try, right?…

Sombra would learn to let her go, though she promised she would be back as soon as possible. She even dared to say that she would be gone for at most a year, and no more than that. The two had plans together; intimate plans. Even before Hope had cured Sombra, the two had wholesome thoughts of getting married and creating a family for themselves, since the two, now as young adults, have yet to be adopted. They were tired of being family-less and wanted to make one together. In fact, you could say that they’ve been soulmates for a while now, though they would still view each other as close friends. But for now, those sweet dreams were to be put on hold.
Not knowing anypony other than Hope made Sombra very lonely, and feeling like a stranger in an Empire he was raised in. She made him feel normal, at home. He would then isolate himself from the world. This isolation gave him time to think… and not about good things either. He kept having horrible visions of turning into a monster and would ruminate on how he could prevent it from happening. He also thought, “what if Hope ends up forgetting me”, or “will she come back, or abandon me for a princess role”?…. “It’s not fair that she gets to have a happy ending… without me”? … “Those with higher power, like the Empress and Queens and the King banish monsters…. Will Hope allow them to hurt me or will she do it herself”? These types of bitter and negative thoughts clouded his brain for a while. He wouldn’t sleep right, or even eat… he would be too busy thinking, and growing bored and depressed of not having anyone to hang out with or even talk to…the unfortunate realization that without Hope, Sombra is a helpless nobody.
But, one thing that sparked his attention during this time of silence and loneliness, was a weary and faint female voice in his head, repeating , “My son, can you hear me”? At this point, he thought he was losing his mind, becoming schizophrenic or something… so one night, he decided to get some fresh air and venture out.
Upon taking his night stroll, trotting closer to the outside perimeter of the Crystal Empire, he heard that same voice calling, “Yes, come this way. I am this way my son”. Reluctantly, Sombra obliged with this peculiar voice. Frankly, he had nothing else to do that night, if not at all, only until Hope came back from her studies. Thus, this mysterious and psychological quest was the only drive to keep him from ending his life due to boredom and depression. He was able to sneak by the catnapping guards at the outskirts of the Empire. He then spotted a moderately sized dark crystal in the distance. The voice called out again, but was louder and clearer this time, “I’m over here. Come my son”. Maybe it was because he was delusional and losing his mind a bit, but he had supposed that the voice he heard was coming from that crystal. He arrived. The mare voice would then go on to say, “This is where you came”.
Sombra was confused at her claim, but was genuinely intrigued. He let her continue, “The one that is speaking to you is your mother, Ruby. I was formally one of the Empire’s princesses, and was supposed to be the rightful Empress. But my devious and jealous twin sister, unfairly stole my spot, by the murder of your father… His murder greatly angered me and turned me into a shadowy monster that we would call an “Umbrum”. My followers too had turned into this ghastly creature. Our malice temporarily took over the Empire, only until my sister banished us underground. Time is almost non-existent down here, so there is no telling how long we’ve been imprisoned … We are trapped, son, and we need a savior to free us and to give us justice… once and for all…. Due to complications with your pregnancy, you have been made an Umbrum of flesh and bone… and you are the *only* one that can end this punishment …do you hear me”?
Sombra was speechless… all of this information to stomach all at once. It was too much for him to handle. It was hard for him to believe any of it, and only thought that it was still his mind giving him utter nonsense. But then, the second he was able to finally try to make sense of it all, he realized the main problem he has with his body and soul revolting against the magic of Crystal Heart. He thought, “Since I am an Umbrum made of flesh, it only makes sense that I would be negatively affected by the protection spell of the Heart…no, but I’m not a monster though, I’m normal”… It was hard for Sombra to accept anything he had just heard as the truth of his origin. He wanted to continue to live in a pretty lie and not face his reality, nor his dark future.
He left the Dark Crystal without a word of response or query. But, he let the words from his supposed mother sink into his brain and consume his thoughts. He still couldn’t believe anything that happened that night, and would go to libraries and such to see if he could find any historical records regarding the Empire or anything. For a moment, he couldn’t find anything, however, he was notified by the elder librarian that there is a secret royal library hidden underneath the Empire that may have what he’s looking for. But of course, the Crystal Castle is heavily guarded.
He knew the only way he could get in was by becoming a guard himself or sneaking in at night, which would be very risky considering how big Sombra is… but training to become a guard would be a tedious and tiresome task. So he tried to combine the two strategies together, which was to disguise himself as a guard (by knocking out one of them and wearing their armor and ID) and find out how to get to that secret library. The plan would work out accordingly, as he was given directions from the elder librarian (as she used to tend the books, but wasn’t allowed to read them) on where it would be. The librarian also gave him the scared spell to cast that gave him access to a secret staircase to the library.
Everything continued to go as planned, though it took forever to reach the bottom of the stairwell without the Empress or her guards noticing the opened corridor. He made it and was greeted by another door. He figured using the same spell that opened this secret stairwell. It worked, and so he was able to access the secret library. He managed to find the information he was looking for and spent hours upon hours gaining the truth about himself and the unjust Empire he so loved and honored. Realizing that he, his mother and her followers could’ve lived a happier life if it wasn’t for the previous Empress, Rubellite. He noticed, Mi Amore Carmine Heart isn’t supposed to be on that throne, Sombra is… things didn’t get better as he had to come to terms of him actually being what he dreaded to be his whole life… a monster. But after comprehending everything, he knew if he were to take back the throne, he wouldn’t be a monster, he would be a hero. A hero to a civilization that was silenced for trying to save themselves. Sombra additionally wanted to rule over the ponies that teased him and deviated him. He wanted justice, revenge and “power”. He wanted to see them cower before him and punish them for being followers of such tainted royalty. But, his only exceptions would be Radiant Hope (and the librarian, lol); she would rule alongside him.

A perfect plan he thought it was, and he would do whatever it took to carry on with it. The Empress would soon catch Sombra red handed. But before he could get caught by her, just the sight of her sickened Sombra to his core and hatred and malice to over inside of him. At first, the little scared colt that still lingered inside of him didn’t want to comply with the thing he dreaded to become, but his bitterness and need for justice got the best of him. Sombra didn’t know what he was getting himself into, what he was becoming. A dark shadowy entity that would keep him trapped in the corrupt mind of a power hungry ruler. He was so powerful, that with one surge of magic at the Empress, he was able to turn her into stone and break her into a dozen pieces. Her remains would be haphazardly teleported across the lands of Equestria so it wouldn’t be easy for anypony to piece her back together.
Thus began Sombra’s rein of terror over the Crystal Empire. His brain would become so corrupt and hazy that he lost track of one of the main things he wanted to do; free the Umbrum. A part of his new deceitful and greedy mind thought that if he freed the Umbrum, his mother would regain the throne… and at the moment, he didn’t want that. He wanted to see what true power and dominion felt like. He wanted to let the Crystal ponies suffer under his supremacy, and be weak and frightened, just as he was when he was younger. He took the two only things they loved the most, their Empress with her tainted royal blood, and their protective Crystal Heart. Carmine Heart was already dealt with. However, the Crystal Heart was taken off his pedestal and sent to the top of the castle, which was far enough away from the ponies to reach it. He enslaved the citizens, and kept them trapped in the Empire, surrounded by a thick and tall wall of dark crystal (zircon); just how the Empress before them treated the Umbrum.
It was impressive how Sombra managed to do all of this while Hope was gone. Hope was the only pony that Sombra’s corrupted mind could remember and care for; she was ultimately his soft spot, his weakness. He eagerly waited for her arrival, as his new “Crystal Kingdom” would become complete with his Princess (once married), and soon to be Queen (after she births her first foal).

Hope’s studies finally ended, but for only a few months, as Celestia sees princess potential in her, and would love to continue teaching her. Not even before Hope could reach the perimeter of her Crystal home, she could already tell something was wrong. Dark crystal walls surrounded the outskirts of the Empire, the sky was a smokey burnt orange, it looked hellish. Without even thinking twice, she hurried in to see if Sombra was okay. But no, the second she teleported onto the premises, she was kindly greeted by a ghastly shadowy figure as it said, deeply and sincerely “Welcome home, my beloved princess”.
She couldn’t believe her ears, “S-Sombra?”
“King Sombra. And soon, you’ll be my Queen”.
Hope couldn’t fathom anything she saw, it was unreal, a nightmare. She only hoped that she was dreaming, but she would soon realize that this was reality. Sombra would try and convince Hope to stay and that everything he was doing was for a good intent. He told her how the ponies of the Empire treated them like outcasts and never wanted them. But Hope didn’t listen and kept telling him to stop and change everything back to normal. He would then guilt her, reminding her of a promise of her saying that she would love him for who he was, whether he was a monster or not. Or, he thought that Hope wouldn’t shame him for being “different”. He thought that she wanted a happily ever after with him… He was getting under her skin, and it was working. She did say those things, and promised to never leave Sombra no matter what. So now she has to hold her word. He would continue to make her feel guilty by saying if she were to stop Sombra from what he’s doing, then she would become just like “them’’ ( referring to Empress Rubellite, the Queens and the King that banish “monsters” just for trying to gain what they’ve lost).
Thus, Radiant Hope would be woefully obligated to everything he says and does. She felt powerless, “hopeless”… sure she wanted a happy life with Sombra, but unfortunately, not like this. She still loves Sombra to death, and’ll do anything for him, and that’s why she couldn’t help but to stay with him. But eventually, she would find strength and the right time to run away from him. Nevertheless, before she did run away, Sombra had managed to marry her and get her pregnant with a girl. However, she still didn’t want to tell the Queens and the King, cause she really didn’t want them to hurt Sombra, but she knew it would take more than her magic to reform him… It’s just that she couldn’t handle him anymore…Finally out of Sombra’s grasp, the only thing Hope was concerned about was raising their daughter, “Wisteria Eris Panacea”. Radiant Hope would fake her death, as she was ashamed of not telling the Queens and the King sooner about Sombra, and would just live the rest of her life as a mother in secret, under the new name “Caduceus Cure” (which sounds like a stallion’s name to throw skeptics off further. She would stay hidden under a brown hoodie for a simple disguise, and cut her hair…).

Sombra was heartbroken that Hope left her. After his pity party, he would soon lose all sense of morale and sympathy. Nothing has ever been fair for him…The only thing he looked forward to now was hatred, revenge and power… nothing more… nothing less… Only until a certain bug pony entered his life… AND THAT’S WHERE WE WILL FINALLY STOP\! 😩

GEEZ, if you read all of that, I give you props man! 😞👌 I COULD NEVER! Sorry, if the ending felt a little bit rushed, but the story was going on for long enough ;w;. And don’t worry, I will continue Sombra and Hope’s stories in the future! Thank you for your time and constant support ^^!! I love y’all!! 💖💖 And if you have any questions or thoughts or WHaTevEr, tell me anywhere on DeviantArt! I hope y’all have a splendid day! Annnddd, GOODBYE FOR NOW! ÓwÒ

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