There are many things surrounding the newly freed crystal empire that we do not yet understand, and may never comprehend after its liberation, one of those things is the cause of its destruction, King sombra, whose birth, rise to power, and motive are shrouded in mystery, a shroud that many are now trying to pull back.

Some say that sombra was once a regular unicorn, hollowed out in foal hood and infested with malignant spirits who fed off the fear and misery of his slaves.

Some say that he was a wicked thing that discovered forbidden magics and used them to enact his foul desires.

And some say, in a quieter voice than the others, that he was a warlock, a magician locked into a contract with a God, acting out the wills of his patron for an unknown boon or end goal. But that's obviously the most false of these theories. Because no alicorn would ever make a Pact with him, and alicorns were the only Gods that existed, right?

…right?

Well, i suppose it doesn't matter what lies beneath that mysterious veil, because that's not what this story is about, no, this story is about an umbral unicorn and his adopted daughter, the fact that said daughter just so happens to be the alicorn heiress to an empire he once ruled means nothing.

Until it does
(cover art by me)