Dark Age

by ThunderCl0ud

Rating: teen
Tags: Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, My Little Pony Comic, Princess Amore, King Sombra, Radiant Hope, Death, Alternate Universe
Length: 4272

How Emperor Sombra ruled the world.

Story Inspired by: My Little Pony: Friendship is magic #36
You don't have to read the comic to know what's going on, you just have to know who Sombra is. And also know that Radiant Hope is not an OC. She's an actual pony in an official comic.

The gore isn't that bad.

King Sombra frees his people (er...pony-kind?), turns all his enemies into relics, and embraces his title...

King of All Monsters.

Published 2016-09-07 02:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2022-04-17 12:42:43 UTC

The Storm

Author's Note

Hey guys, just one thing before we get this party started.

I think it would be more fun if you guys didn't read the comics. I mean if you did. That's great and all, but it would be more fun if you hadn't. Read it after you read this fic. The link should be with the cover page.

Here are some characters you do need to know about before reading though.
King Sombra (just knowledge from the tv show is fine)
Radiant Hope: (read the comic later man!) Or keep reading the fic to find out more!
Princess Amore: The first queen of the crystal empire. (Mentioned in season 3 episode 1)

Again. I recommend not to read the comics until after you finish reading this fic, but hey, I'm not the boss of you. Do what you want, I'm just giving you a suggestion!

Also if you did search up Princess Amore on the wiki, I thought the 'Development' section was interesting. SPOILER ALERT If there was no restrictions, would the Princess have actually been murdered by King Sombra? If you think about it. His entire character could've actually hinged on this decision! He could've been an actual monster who wasn't afraid to kill if he had to. :rainbowderp: Damn...

The Storm

"Sombra? Dear Sombra? It that truly you?"

The world was spinning. The snow and wind was harsh on his hide, a storm swirls around him. Raging. Angry. Betrayed. Hurt.
The storm was just as violent in his heart and his head, it echoed down to his very soul, his foundations weak.

Weak from the confusion. Weak from the weather, the cold, and the pain. Still, the black colt was able to find the strength to lift his head.
He looked to the ruby red crystal, at which he had collapsed in front of. His voice was weak. His tone wounded, he asked feebly, "who?"

"Don't you recognize your own mother when you see her? I'm the one that brought you into this world."

"...what..." It was barely a whisper. Sombra's mind was already reeling from everything. And now suddenly. This. His mother? He had one? He wasn't an orphan? "I don't understand. The Crystal Guards found me out here."

"And haven't you ever wondered how you got here? Haven't you ever wondered why you are different from everyone else?" The crystal darkened, it's tone revealing disgust, "Why you don't have one of those. Silly little cutie marks. Like the other ponies?"

His heart quickened. His mind was clear. He found his strength.
Struggling to get up against the battering harsh winds, he screamed, "tell me mother!" The crystal remained silent. This isn't right. This isn't fair. I'm just like everyone else. I'm just a pony. Please. I need answers. I need truth. What am I? Thoughts racing, he yelled louder, "tell me, please!"

The voice became coaxing, sweet. "...The answer is so simple, Sombra... You're not like them. Because you're not one of them.You're not a creature of shining crystal. No. You're the opposite... You are a creature of shadow and smoke. You are the very thing they fear. An umbrum. A shadow pony."

...That...that can't be... "they're not afraid of me." I'm... I'm just like them. Just like Hope...

A soft giggle. "oh. But they are.They just can't remember why! You see, we are the darkness they fight to keep at bay. WE haunted their every nightmare!" Suddenly, the voice turned bitter and vicious, "Until they created a weapon to keep us away!"

My life. It was... I was living a lie! It was fake! Nothing was real! And all those years. That pain. The faire... The Heart! "The Crystal Heart." Sombra had never had so much hate in his words then he did that very moment. "The crystal heart! That's why the crystal faire makes me so sick! Because it's supposed to protect them from me! But why?!" He looked at the red crystal, defiant, "I can't do anything!" Frustrated.

Another sickeningly sweet chuckle escaped. "Oh. But you can. Your magic is very powerful.But it makes you vulnerable to the Heart. So we locked it away... Until. Now."

Energy crackled from the crystal to Sombra's horn. He thought there would he pain and flinched from the dark lightening bolt, but instead, his memories returned. He knew who his mother was. He knew what he was. And he knew what he could do. He had a mission. A quest. His life finally had purpose. He didn't need a 'cutie mark'. And he was sure as hell knew that he didn't need friends.

The wind was picking up, Sombra had condensed into a thick cloud of darkness, but when he materialized himself again he added a bit of armor. And a costume befitting of a King, under a simple cloak of course. He didn't want to be noticed.
He walked the streets of the Crystal Empire in the dead of night, everything had never been so clear in his mind before.

Before.

Before everything. He was nothing. Weak. Helpless. Always needing help from somepony else. He never noticed it back then, but now it was clear. The others must've had some instinct warning them to stay away from him. The smart ponies did. The dumber ones laughed at him. And oh, the rest were simply fools. Sombra knew without a doubt that if She saw him now. She would definitely run. She would realize he was a monster. That he was Darkness incarnate, and she would turn tail, and disappear... They were all fools.

They should've feared him before.
He was more than a monster. He would show them.
Show them all.

He was more.

Sombra reached the center of the palace. The dais were the Crystal Heart floated. It alone knew his secrets. It alone could bring his down fall. It was responsible for plunging his pony-kind deep into the ground. But. No more.
He removed his hood and took a good long stare into the Heart as his magic plucked it from it's place.

He saw nothing. No reflection. No shine or glimmer. It was simply swallowed in his magic's purple glow.
Without a moment's thought, he smashed it.

Flung it to the ground and watched emotionless as it shattered into a million billion pieces on the crystal floor.

"NO! Sombra! What have you done!"

Sombra turned to look behind him, and as he moved, the winter storm closed in upon the empire. His clock was buffeting in the wind, and with an unconscious thought, his magic released the clasp and his outfit was revealed. His thick ruby cape, edged with spotted white fur, moved lazily against the storm, being too heavy to be swayed. And the silver battle armor he wore underneath shone a sick dark glimmer.
Princess Amore, the now former queen of the crystal empire, was racing towards him, tears already frozen in her eyes. He knew that of all the ponies in the kingdom, she alone would know what he was. From the day he gazed into the crystal, when Amore watched him look at his true self, the Princess must have known all along what he had seen.

And Amore never told him. He lived a lie. Thought that he could be like the others. That he was a crystal pony. But he wasn't.

He was FAR from it. And the Princess knew.

"You knew. Didn't you, princess?"

"...Please. Sombra, look at what you're doing. The storm will be upon us any moment. It's not too late. We can fix this. Together. We can mend the Crystal Heart."

King Sombra let out a harsh laugh. "You ask me to fix the very weapon that's been trying to kill me all these years!?"

The snow was everywhere. Ponies were panicking in their homes, the clouds grew thicker. The storm was growing. As King Sombra looked down on the tall cream colored pony, he smiled a smile full of fangs. The purple mist, like fire, grew thicker around his green eyes. Behind him the shadows came to life.

"We're free. We are all. Finally. Free."

Princess Amore took a disbelieving step back, a chocked 'no' escaped her throat.

The Umbrums. They had all escaped from their cages, deep in the earth, the moment the Heart had split into pieces.

"Please! Sombra-"

The Umbrum's voices boomed in the growing storm, "THAT'S KING SOMBRA TO YOU, WENCH!"

"YOU WILL TREAT OUR KING WITH THE RESPECT HE DESERVES IF YOU WISH TO LIVE, PITIFUL BEAST!"

"No." His voice wasn't loud. But it carried through the night. As clear as if they were standing in an empty room. "No matter what she says, she will get the same sentence."

"Please... You are not-"

"Princess Amore. You are stripped of your title. Your words no longer carry weight.... My subjects are free to do whatever they wish upon your person."
As his last word escaped his lips, the umbrums snarled, and when their King had finished speaking, like a tidal wave of darkness, they surrounded Amore. Some took pleasure in holding her down for the others and watching her suffer, others plucked her wings, some began feasting on her raw flesh, while others attempted to take an organ. Her blood splattered everywhere, turning the snow as red as strawberries. She struggled feebly, her eyes bugged out, her horn was the first thing to break as the shadows had descended upon her. Her screams echoed in the dark, the wind carrying the haunting sound throughout the empire. Every crystal pony heard it, and immediately lost their glimmer. Their hope.

Her cries carried on through the night as the wind and snow battered against walls, windows, and doors alike. There was no comfort to be found.

No... It's not too late... It can't be...

Her entire body froze over slowly as she struggled desperately through the snow. It isn't far now... I'm almost there!
The small purple pony was battling against the growing storm, her hooves felt like they were ready to fall off. She felt like she had no energy left, but she still kept moving. She was so close.

The palace loomed above her in the storm, underneath it, in front of her, stood a tall dark pony figure.
"Sombra!? Sombra is that you!?"

The many shadows behind the figure suddenly grew many pairs of eyes and multiple sets of bloodied teeth. The stallion turned slowly, and Hope gasped at what she saw.

She didn't know who he was. But she sure as hell knew it wasn't him. That isn't Sombra.

His pupils were red. Sombra's pupils were emerald green. They were gentle, kind, and lonely. But they were Sombra's eyes. Not... Not that.

"Hope..."

"...Sombra..." No. It can't be....?... "Where's Princess Amore?"

His eyes changed suddenly, the sclera turning green, a purple flame surrounded them. "Why?"

"She needs help, Sombra! The whole empire could hear her screams!"

The shadows crept forward, the purple flame grew and the wind kicked up. King Sombre's hair whipped in the wind, she noticed that the edges seemed to be made of nothing but smoke. He looked at her, red pupils unfeeling. Radiant Hope shivered. "Please Sombra. I can cure any anything... Just. Let me see the princess."

"Heh. Really? Can you cure death?" The umbrums parted to reveal nothing but scrap bloodied hide, and a few bones amidst a pile of fleshy innards. Most organs were missing. A few feathers were scattered. There was almost nothing left of the former Queen...

Hope lost her strength. She couldn't fix that. She couldn't save the Princess... There was nothing there to save.

No... nonononono. No. NO. She couldn't look away.
She couldn't look away from all the blood.
From her greatest failure...

no.

The Princess's death wasn't her greatest failure. Sombra was.
And it was all her fault. She was the one who was about to leave him, now it all made sense.

Why he'd run away when she ran to him, the letter from the two sisters in hand. He thought she was happy to leave him. When he didn't even get his cutie mark yet... When they didn't even get to go the one crystal faire together... When she haden't even spoken to him in such a long time after she got her cutie mark. It was like she was suddenly more important than their friendship... Like she was more important than him."oh." Tears flooded her eyes and blurred her vision.

She hadn't been thinking. When that golden Caduceus had appeared on her flank, the first thing she had done was hug him goodbye.
And after that?

After that. She had pushed him to the back of her mind.
She had never once stopped to say hello. He had been watching her from the corners of her vision, and she knew he was there, watching her... And yet.

She still never turned and said hello. Never. Not once after she was bestowed her cutie mark.

She abandoned him. And she was the only pony who he needed.

And she had just. Ignored him. Tossed him away like. Trash.
"Oh Princess Amore... Sombra... I'm. I'm so sorry..."

She bowed her head, finally losing all her strength, her consciousness fading away. "I am so sorry Sombra..."
That was the last thing she had whispered before she fainted.

The Hope

Author's Note

Mornin'

I know it's been a few years... and exactly no one was waiting for a continuation... But I read my writing and was a bit saddened by the fact that my current self, my "future" self... has actually lost some of my writing skill...

I'm working on completing another fic saved in drafts. And while I was writing it, I noticed it was very... VERY difficult for me to write events as they were happening. Like... action writing I suppose? Things kept coming out in past tense and... well..

Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading this fic. I'm planning on this having 3 maybe 4 chapters. Might even do an erotic scene because I need the practice.

The Hope

By the time Radiant Hope had regained consciousness, a few things had happened...

"No... It can't be... It..Sombra.... That was all just a lie right? Just a.. Just a bad, bad, dream. right?" But even as she said it, her eyes were filling with tears.

His reply was accompanied by a small sad smile, "no dear Hope, I'm afraid last night was very much as real as I am."

Seeing her suddenly fall to the ground did something, odd, to him. At the time Sombra didn't know what, but it had caused the red haze to lift away. It was like he had just become aware of standing on solid ground, and in the back of his mind a panic was starting to grow.
His subjects were focused on the purple pony on the floor, and he wouldn't (could never) forgive himself it he had let them descend upon her. With a strong commanding stomp he managed to get his message across, taking special care to glare with deadly intent at those who were reluctant to obey. Fearful of his wrath, the Umbrum dissipated and spread throughout the crystal empire, wreaking havoc and torturing the crystal ponies who thought themselves safe in their homes, behind tightly closed, sealed, and locked doors.

Sombra placed Hope's body comfortably on his back. He didn't know where he was going to go, he just knew he had to take her with him.
He followed instinct, and it led him directly to the throne room. The rest of the castle was full of black crystals anyways...
He never remembered putting a giant tunnel in the center of the room, but he didn't question it, or stop to consider what was happening. Sombra simply kept walking, down the long spiraling stairs, till he reached the bottom.
Still he didn't stop until he entered the only room down below, the door barely hanging on it's hinges.

The room was small and only furnished with bookshelves stuffed with dusty tomes. At the back wall, the bookshelf was disseminated, lying on the floor, the books were strewn about. Mixed in with the mess were splinters of a darker shade, Sombra assumed it belonged to a door that used to cover the hole on the back wall. The hole being his pony-kind's prison.
This was where he was born.
This is where he would stay.

He needed to remind himself of today. To never forget what he was.

Sombra gathered the splinters into a pile and transformed it into bedding, after he'd placed Hope on the conjured pile, he turned his attention to the rest of the room. Using the tomes, he fashioned a thick red curtain to frame the hole from whence he came, then created statue busts of himself, all of them snarling, dark, and twisted. A select few were made to look as if he was more shadow than pony.
It wasn't much, but it was enough for the time being...

He turned at stared at her sleeping form.
Should he just kill her already?
Would she still love him the same, knowing he was a monster?
A killer?
A King?
A Ruler?

Whatever emotions that had ruled him before slowly began to trickle out. All he did for the rest of the night was watch Radiant Hope as she slept. His iris slowly began to turn green, but eyes still misting the same purple mist.

She awoke a few times, in between nightmares, he assumed. Her legs would flex and twitch as if she were struggling. Her head would suddenly jerk in one direction and then another; Looking around perhaps? Searching?

Whatever it was. It was a nightmare. He was sure of it. Her movements were violent enough to wake her and make her ask if she was still having a bad dream. And each time, he had the same answer prepared for her.

This was the reality.
And there was no end to the Nightmare...

Oddly enough, the more times he said it. The more comforted he was by this truth.

Finally-

Finally...
the truth.

The one thing he never had ever since his conception.
The one thing he needed to free his people.
And the one thing he needed to fulfil his destiny.

Sombra was almost tempted to retrieve a shard of the crystal heart, just so he could look into it and see what future he had now. What depths of depravity he'd descend to. What kind of King he'd be to his umbrums? Would any of the crystal ponies even survive after tonight?

The stallion threw his head to the side as hate filled his heart. Suddenly. Unbidden. His eyes returned to their cruel reds.

No... There is no sympathy for hypocrites and liars. Bullies and Elitists.
There is only the strong. And the weak.

And his people he knew were strong. It took true strength to survive as long as they did in their prison. Lost in his warring thoughts between the pony-kind who made him and the pony-kind who raised him, Sombra failed to keep a track on time. So he failed to notice when Hope had finally, fully, stirred from her slumber.

When Hope opened her eyes she could only feel the pain of loss. It felt as if some invisible beast suddenly burst from the earth just to clap it's cold and numbing jaws around her heart. She couldn't feel the organ anymore... she could barely hear it beating. The pain of this assault hit her hard enough to make her instantly sob. Big fat tears would not stop manifesting themselves and all Hope could do was cry-

Cry, cry, and cry.

There were no sounds she could make. Nothing that would ease her sorrow. Nothing to numb the feelings of failure. Of uselessness. Her feelings of realizing she was the problem. She was the reason. It was her selfish actions that led her to live this future. Her throat was thick and far too swollen to produce any sound anyway. She was sure it was the sins of her past, coming to choke her till she simply died on this bed...

This ... this bed?

Fighting through the pain of her awakening, Radiant Hope struggled to turn her head. Despite the invisible jaws impaling her chest, despite the invisible past forcing it's way down her neck, she had the strength to raise her head, just enough to turn it. Her energy was low, so she let gravity do the rest, her head falling back on the bedding in it's new angle.

From here... she could see him. And he was by her side.

Hope could tell that he was fighting. Fighting with his good self... Because she just knew it was there. That was never a doubt. He was here after all, wasn't he? Right here, sitting by her side and waiting for her to wake.

She smiled as she thought, perhaps he'd wait forever? If she died here and now. He would still wait for her to rise... He was just, always so good like that. Without meaning to her hoof had moved. Reaching out to him. Trying to ... trying to what?

She didn't know.

She just knew she had to touch him. Let him know that it was okay. He was okay. She wanted him to have hope and comfort. She wanted to see him smile at her. Sink his cheek into her hoof and sigh in contentment. But instead as soon as his wits returned to him, he simply grabbed it. Pulling on it roughly like it was a chain collar.

"Ah Good. You're awake."

When her limp and tired body didn't move as he commanded it to, Sombra grew frustrated. "I said come!" He yanked her hoof yet again. "Come here! Get up!"

Hope felt foolish for still thinking about her good friend Sombra even as the monster king took her by the back of her head and raised her bodily to her feet. Unsurprisingly, her legs caved as soon as he let her go. Weak and still under the thrall of her great pain. But as her knees hit the ground, and her head bowed forward of it's own accord, she was proud of herself when she heard the sound, "Sorry", slip past her lips.

So she could still talk!
That... that was good.

"What's wrong with you!?" He snarled, laying on the floor to meet eye level with her. "Can't you heal yourself!?!" Red irises flashed as he spoke, snapping his teeth and letting a growl slip past.

Hope wanted to speak again, but the desire to do so wilted when she saw this Sombra. Cruel and ugly and horrible. This wasn't her Sombra. She didn't know this stranger. And she certainly didn't want to appease it. Let it snarl and growl like a dog all it wants! She would simply stare right through him. Right through It.

Testing a leg, Hope tried to readjust herself. Perhaps try to stand... She hadn't made up her mind yet. Either way, at least the tears had finally gone dry. Instead she was left with aching eyes. The pain in her chest was a little more bearable, but still enough to keep her down. So she stayed down, giving up on the leg she was trying to move. Looking back into Sombra's angry eyes, Hope wanted to feel angry too. Maybe if she yelled at it, her Sombra would return? Maybe if he regained his senses somehow-? She really wished she could move her leg. The stallion was within reach! She could just kick it right now!

Sombra huffed out a breath in impatience and rose. "Very well... Fine."
"Perhaps my Empress is tired. You may return to your bed and sleep some more."

The pony of darkness stalked away. The room they were in was small, Hope noticed. It's not a room she recognized. Allowing her cheek to rest on the floor, Radiant Hope took in the room... Bust Statues of horror framed each bookshelf. The smell of old books and underground mildew permeated the air. And around her, scattered on the floor were a few books. Almost tauntingly, 'The Heart of Darkness' was right there, close to her face. The crystal unicorn couldn't help but roll her eyes and make a sound of disgust.

"What was that my pretty?" It's voice was dark and heavy with disapproval. Hope even made an effort to tilt her head up to glower at his armored hooves. "Do you have something to say?" Tilting it's head, in a gesture that read, 'I'm listening' (but she knew he wasn't).

Hope remained silent. Her glare continued to hold.

"My... My... I have to say. I AM impressed." The beast lowered it's head and studied her from across the room. It's disgusting eyes transformed further and the sclera turned a sickly almost neon green. "I never knew my Empress had the capacity to hold such... anger. And Hate." It's purring was making her sick.

"Hmm," a hum of approval. "But of course. That's only to be expected."

Pleased with what he saw, Sombra held his head high and looked at his mare with hooded eyes. "Perfect. Aren't you?"

"You always know just what to do when I needed you to do it."

"You always knew just what to BE when I need you to be it." He took a step forward and lowered his head, "isn't that right, Hope?"