Worldline DSE-1235 - "Dark Sovereigns Equestria"



"First contacted by Mainline Equestria on behalf of the Multiverse Alliance, the Equus of worldline DSE-1235 is unique among the myriad of alternate worlds in that while superficially it appears to be ruled over by the local versions of known hostile/malignant entities, a closer examination reveals the situation and individuals involved to be far more complex and morally ambiguous than what had been initially assumed...



Equus of DSE-1235 is dominated by a triumvirate of three major powers: The New Equestrian Empire ruled by Nightmare Moon, the Crystal Empire by King Sombra, and the Changeling Hive Empire by Queen Chrysalis. Though their rulers have the appearances and can use the abilities of their more evil and dangerous counterparts, they are not overtly villainous - or at least no longer so - and their reigns, while harsh and firm, are still far more lenient and even benevolent than the tyrannical regimes their more malicious counterparts usually creates in their triumph. This stems from the fact that, character-wise, these 'Dark Sovereigns' are best described as Byronic, either well-meaning if deeply-flawed individuals forced by circumstances to don dark personas and commit dark deeds for the greater good, or individuals whose very nature meant true benevolence is not possible, but nevertheless strive to be the best they could be and do out of sincerity or pragmatism...



The alternate history of this world-line diverges at several points, the first of which is the Defeat of Discord: Faced with the decision to either seal away the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony or attempt to destroy him completely, Princess Celestia and Luna opted for the latter, using the Elements of Harmony to shatter him after turning him to stone. This proved to be a mistake, as between the mercilessness of the act and the Spirit's power, the Elements was not able to fully unmake Discord*. Instead, much of Discord's power and essence was dispersed, tainting the land and individuals with chaos and disharmony - one of whom affected was Princess Celestia...



*Ironically, Discord himself would survive the destruction, albeit significantly weakened and bounded in Pony form, and had served as the Equerry in the Court of Stars, tasked with facing and destroying threats to Equestria with his still formidable command of Chaos magic. This experience and others over centuries of service had garnered him respect and fondness of Ponykind and mortals in general



Eventually, Princess Celestia was driven mad, consumed by her pride and vanity to become the tyrant Daybreaker and set out to destroy all those who would oppose her eternal day and rule. Unable to face her now insane and evil sister's might, Princess Luna was forced to become Nightmare Moon, unleashing her inner darkness but reining it in by sheer force of will, in order to get the power needed to hold off her sister long enough to use the Elements and banish her to the Sun. Nightmare Moon was hailed as a heroine by the grateful populace of Equestria; and seeing her desire for love and respect fulfilled at long last, Nightmare Moon abandoned her previous identity as the ignored and marginalized Luna and assumed the throne as the Queen of the Night, both beloved and feared for her firm but fair rule, with her latest student, Starlight Glimmer, being one of Equestria's greatest scholars and champions, notable for defeating and redeeming Queen Nightmare Moon's old wayward student Twilight Sparkle...



The second point of divergence was with the rise of King Sombra: Like in Mainline Equestria and other Equestrias, King Sombra is an Umbrum Pony created by Rabia, the vile matriarch of the Umbrum, and left out to the arctic wastes to be found and brought back to the Crystal Empire as part of a scheme to be released from their prison beneath the Crystal Empire. Like other Sombras, he eventually discovered his heritage and was eventually faced with the same choice to take out the Crystal Heart and release the Umbrum. While inclined to do so at first, driven by a life-time of resentment over his condition and fear he may eventually be destroyed by the Crystal Heart, Radiant Hope's earlier appearance on the fateful night he was to act convinced him, together with Princess Amore's promise to cure him, to have a change of heart and relent at the last moment...



Though Rabia's initial plan was foiled, she would not be so easily denied release, especially when she is now burning with desire to punish her wayward 'son' for his 'betrayal'. Years later, Rabia and the Umbrum managed to find another means to escape, and attacked the Crystal Empire. Sombra, who had gained full mastery of his Umbrum powers and nature as Princess Amore's student, ultimately managed to banish Rabia and the Umbrum back into their prison, but this victory came at the cost of losing Princess Amore, who was crystalized and shattered by Rabia in her last, spiteful act. Having been made co-heir with Radiant Hope to the Crystal Throne, Sombra would assume the throne of the Crystal Empire, marrying and co-ruling with Queen Radiant Hope for many years before she passed away, whereupon afterwards he ruled alone. His power over shadows would prove instrumental in countering the sorceries of Grogar, the Shadow King of Tambelon, ultimately destroying him with Queen Nightmare Moon and the Crystal Heart, preventing his return forever...



Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings did not have a concrete point of divergence in this world-line for her change of behaviour; like her other counterparts, she started out as a vain, power-hungry conqueror who had ravaged entire lands with her swarm, and had sought, repeatedly, to conquer Equestria and the Crystal Empire for their vast reserves of love amongst their people. Unfortunately, both realms and their rulers and champions had proven too strong to be defeated, despite her best efforts, and it was believed that over the centuries her repeated failures as well as her increasingly frustrated and rebellious subjects chafing under her tyrannical rule had made her realize both the futility of her ambitions and realize the errors of her beliefs. This is observed in that, over the centuries, Chrysalis had relaxed in both character and her rule, becoming more restrained and reasonable, and in recent times the Chrysalis hive had normalized relationships with the Crystal Empire and the New Equestrian Empire, allowing her Changelings to harvest love via cordial interactions with Ponykind being directed by newly appointed Hive Chancellor Thorax as well as joint military ventures coordinated by Hive Marshal Pharynx.



Certainly, the influence of Princess Cadence of the Court of Stars had helped immensely in this regard. Although Princess Cadence had foiled her scheme on more than one occasion during their past encounters, Princess Cadence had never treated her as an enemy or a threat to be fought, unlike Queen Nightmare Moon and King Sombra, but instead as someone whom she could help to become a better person and ruler. A grudging respect was formed between them, which gradually blossomed into a truer friendship, especially when Princess Cadence helped Chrysalis through a period of depression. This was repaid immensely during the 'Tirek Crisis' when Chrysalis joined forces with Nightmare Moon, Sombra, Cadence and others to defeat the escaped Lord Tirek leading an army of monsters from Tartarus, help defended the Crystal Empire during when it was besieged by the High Witch Cinch and her coven of witches and warlocks, while her Changeling armies were part of the international coalition formed to combat the expansionistic Storm Empire during the Storm Wars. Queen Chrysalis had personally helped Cadence through her own dark times following the seeming loss of her beloved Shining Armour in action against forces of the Storm King...



As the 1,111th year of Equestria comes and goes, the Dark Sovereigns and their worldline faced uncertain times, with new crises and conflicts on the horizon even as the dust of previous calamities were only starting to settle. Though their reigns had held strong and their realms remained secure and stable through heroic effort, great sacrifice and questionable deeds, as threats old and new ascend or return to terrorize the world once more. It was at the time of Daybreaker's imminent return that Jaunters from the world of Mainline Equestria, a founder and leading member of the Multiverse Alliance, arrived in their reality..."