There is not much that is known about the Crystal Empire. Few remember it even existed at all. It is said that King Sombra took over the Crystal Empire 1000 years ago, using his dark magic and power of corruption to turn it from a place of love to a place of darkness and hatred. Little is known of King Sombra either. Most ponies wouldn’t even be able to tell you that he didn’t start out a king, only a prince and that he wasn’t always evil. Once upon a time, Prince Sombra was not only a kind and gentle colt, he was the benevolent ruler of the crystal ponies, and he was very much in love.
Sombra was a kind young colt, he loved his people, and he did his utmost to make sure he was the very best prince he could be for them. He did a wonderful job of it too. He walked amongst them, he knew their families. He was always welcome to spend time with his subjects and they loved him. Ponies from all over heard about the kind ruler of the Crystal Empire and journeyed to meet him, some of them even stayed. Most of the time, those who did, did so because they fell in love. And so the empire grew and it became harder for Sombra to spend time with all of his subjects. He still tried and while he might not have known them all as well as he had before, he was still considered the kindest ruler to ever grace any land. And so the empire continued to grow. Eventually the only time Prince Sombra was able to spend time amongst his people was at the annual Crystal Fair. He would personally oversee the entire event, making sure that everything was as perfect as it could be, and as soon as it was, he would use his magic to bring the Crystal Heart down from the tower where it was kept and take it to its sacred place for the ritual at the end of the fair. By hosting the fair and lifting the spirits of the ponies within the empire, the Crystal Kingdom was able to project love, hope and peace all over the land. Without this ritual, the empire and all the kingdoms around it would fall prey to fear and hate.
And so it went, for years and every year that passed, the light that the empire projected grew dimmer. And as it dimmed, a great Darkness began to notice, and to plot. The light of the Crystal Empire had blinded this evil for thousands of years, hiding from it the kingdoms and ponies beyond its own frozen borders. Now that the light grew dim, it could see what it had been missing for so many millennia. And it wanted more than to see, it wanted to conquer. The Darkness was no fool however; the light was still too bright for the Darkness to fight against. It would take time, and time is the one thing this great evil had plenty of.
The Darkness wasn’t the only one to notice that the light from the empire was growing dimmer as each year passed. The ponies who lived there noticed it as well. Unlike the Darkness however, they knew the cause. Their prince was lonely. Gone were the days where he was able to laugh and live among his people. They were far too numerous now and the duties that came with ruling an empire grew with the population. He still did his utmost to be the best prince that he could, but now it wasn’t because of the love he held for them, though he still did. Now he did it because it was required of him, and because of that, he couldn’t find any joy in his life. And so the light of the empire dimmed.
One day the prince decided to try and walk amongst his people, to see if he could recapture the joy of those early days of his reign. As he left his palace, he left behind his cape and circlet and walked unadorned with the marks of his rank. As he walked he noticed something. He was not the only one whose life had been changed by the empires growth. In the early days, if a pony had too much to carry or didn’t look well, they would often have too many ponies trying to help them or make them feel better. Now, his people would help each other if something fell, or was dropped. They would help you home or to the doctor if you were unwell, but they simply didn’t have time to do more. The love they held for each other was still there, but now it had to be spread amongst greater numbers. And so the prince grew sadder the more he observed. He managed to get himself into a downright funk. And while he was walking in his little bubble of misery, he ran right into a young mare. The sweet young thing apologized and then she noticed what a sad sight this poor colt she ran into was. She offered him a place at her table that night and he agreed. As they ate, they talked. And as they talked, the two began to fall. It was slow at first, and neither pony took much notice. But every day Sombra would leave the castle and go back to the mare’s house. He learned that her name was Starfall and that she was the kindest and most loving pony he’d ever encountered. Time went on and eventually, the two found themselves deeply in love. They married and the light from the empire shone brighter than it had in years. King Sombra and his lovely Queen Starfall lived for a while in wedded bliss. And then a miracle was delivered to them. A princess was born, a young filly they named Philia. The empire rejoiced and the love for their new princess made their light grow brighter still. All seemed well in the empire. And that’s when everything usually falls apart. This story is no exception.
As the love in the empire grew, it drew more and more ponies to the Crystal Empire. Ponies from all corners of the world came to see the great empire, and they brought with them the stories, customs and traditions of their homes. But they all brought something else, something nopony thought of; their diseases. Seemingly harmless ailments that everypony in their homeland had developed defenses against. It was one such ailment that took root in the empire, and once it did it spread like wildfire. Many ponies fell ill, among them the Queen and the young Princess. Starfall was still weak from childbirth and Philia was so young that when the illness struck, it seemed they were gone in an instant. The joy of the kingdom was snuffed out like a candle, and nopony’s sorrow was more terrible than that of King Sombra. The light that had shone over the land died that day and once it did, there was nothing holding the Darkness back. It pushed its way into Sombra’s heart and corrupted him right to his core. The Crystal Empire was overtaken by hatred and fear and it was only by the combined efforts of the rulers of a nearby kingdom that the empire was freed from Sombra’s hold and he was in turn banished to the frozen north. The Darkness raged. It had been so close, hatred and fear had nearly overtaken the land, like it had before. Yet even as It raged over its failed plot, another began to form. There was resentment and bitterness in the dark rulers heart, and now that there was no light to protect everyone, Princess Luna would soon be under It’s control.