Original Version of the Wedding Portrait of King Sombra and Princess Radiant Hope, in the Game Equestria At War, which will be in the game. from Crystal Empire (credit to @Wldhow for the amazing work)
“Love conquers all…?”
Portrait Created: 2026
(05.07.2026, 06:53)
Original From Which It Was Taken: Discord Server Equestria At War
Lore Crystal Empire: The Crystal Empire is a new nation in the world stage. Long ago, it had disappeared following the defeat of the evil tyrant, King Sombra, who had cast a curse on it. The Empire reappeared only recently, as did Sombra, but it was ultimately freed with aid from Equestria. Now under the rule of the Equestrian princess, Mi Amore Cadenza, many wonder how the Crystal Empire will proceed in these troubled times. Will the Crystal Ponies stay loyal to Equestria, or will darkness return once more?
King Sombra is a male unicorn (originally existing only as a shadow), the former tyrant ruler of the Crystal Empire, and the main antagonist of the season three premiere, season nine premiere, and the thirteenth arc of the IDW comics. Princess Celestia tells Twilight Sparkle that he conquered the Crystal Empire a thousand years ago, but was exiled by the Alicorn Sisters and imprisoned in the Arctic ice. However, before his exile, Sombra managed to curse the empire, causing it to disappear with him. Upon the empire’s return, Sombra returns and attempts to retake power. However, he is defeated by Spike, Princess Cadance, and the Crystal Ponies with the help of the Crystal Heart.
How King Sombra came to be and how he became evil: In a flashback detailed in My Little Pony: FIENDship is Magic Issue #1, Sombra is found as a colt in the wasteland of the arctic north and brought to a Crystal Empire orphanage. He could only speak one word - “Sombra” - so it became his name. During his time at the orphanage, Sombra was teased by other foals, but he made a close friend named Radiant Hope. Every year during the Crystal Faire, Sombra suffers severe aches. In one particularly painful year, his unicorn body would have crumbled to pieces if not for Radiant Hope’s healing magic.
When he runs off into the frozen wastes one day, Sombra finds a strange red crystal. Calling itself his mother, the crystal reveals to Sombra his true nature: he is actually a living shadow called an “umbrum,” created to destroy the Crystal Heart and set free the umbrum army trapped below the Crystal Empire. With his dormant powers awakened, Sombra embraces his destiny; he steals the Crystal Heart away, turns the empire’s ruler Princess Amore into a crystal statue, and shatters the statue to pieces. When Radiant Hope informs Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Sombra realizes his defeat is imminent, so he enacts a curse that makes the Crystal Empire vanish.
Name: Sombra
Birthdate: Time Immemorial (Its age exceeds 1000 years.)
Gender: Male
Ldeology and Party: Tyrannical Magocracy (Sombra’s Rule) Comes to power by: or the club in the An interesting meeting event then follow the eventchain or wait.
What is Tyrannical Magocracy? Magocracy — is the rule of spellcasters, often unicorns, where magical talent is the most valued asset. A peasant with magical skill can quickly rise to the upper class, while those of lesser talent are consigned to serve their superiors. In a tyrannical magocracy, mighty sorcerers lead the government, and the nation’s people are considered of secondary importance to the advancement of magical research. https://equestriaatwar.wiki.gg/wiki/Supremacy
Siren Variant: Though enforced through magic, the rule of the sirens is nothing like that of other magocracies in the world. The country is first and foremost used as a feeding ground of strife, which in turn gives the sirens the magic they need to continue enthralling the population. None except the sirens themselves are seen as of any importance, and they alone dictate the will of the nation. While the exact direction of that will may vary from siren to siren, the fact remains that free will remains only a myth to those that live under their regime.
He is not married by default, but can marry under certain conditions: You can arrange a wedding between King Sombra and his childhood friend, Radiant Hope. This provides unique diplomatic and political bonuses in-game, and also cements your status in the Crystal Empire.
How to arrange a wedding:
Start: Playing as Sombra, complete the “Return of the King” focus.
Choice: The “Marriage with Radiant” branch will appear at the very bottom of the political focus tree.
Result: After completing this focus, a festive news event is activated, the empire gains a national spirit, and the Crystal Empire is united under the rule of Umbrum rulers.
Upon completing your first focus, Return of the King, you’ll be able to take the focus “Marriage to Radiant.” This focus is at the very bottom of the political tree and will be available at any time unless Sombra chooses to marry again. This means the wedding can be held even while still in the civil war. After completing the focus, the “Marriage of King Sombra and Radiant Hope” news event is triggered, and the national spirit “Radient Hope” is added to the country.
Radiant Hope
Division Recovery Rate: +5.0%
Stability: +5.00
Monthly Opinion with General Ideology: +10.00%
Experienced Fighter Losses: -10.0%
After the wedding, which takes place in the Crystal Palace of Crystal City, Sombra gives numerous media interviews, and a feature film is being made about the life of Queen Radiant.
Radiant Hope: The canon choice. His childhood friend, who dedicated her life to saving Sombra and restoring her to the throne.
Sinister Serov: An iconic meme and a secret option for players. Under certain conditions, Sombra can enter into the “Grey Pact” in Stalliongrad and marry the dictator Sinister Serov.
P.S. With the rework, I think it’ll mainly be focused on Sombra x Radiant Hope, if what I’ve seen is correct
Biography: Sombra’s origins are as mysterious as the mere mention of his name is unsettling. What is known, however, comes from the testimony of crystal ponies who were willing enough to speak. He is one of the umbrum — shadow ponies rumoured to be buried under the frozen wastelands of the Crystal Empire, waiting to be released. Some say it was loneliness and dejection that turned him bitter and jaded, striking out against Princess Amore, while others say that it was his only friend and companion, Radiant Hope, who turned Sombra to darkness.
What followed is known to everypony: the tyrannical King Sombra used dark magic of the umbrum to enslave the crystal ponies, using many for his personal experiments. His reign of terror only came to an end once the Princesses of Equestria banished him beneath the ice, only for Sombra to curse his land to disappear along with him. After a thousand years, his shadowy form made an attempt to take over again, only to be thwarted by the combined efforts of Princess Cadance and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.
It is uncertain whether the most recent reincarnation of King Sombra is the same pony from the myths, but one thing is sure: The King is back.
Radiant Hope is a female Crystal unicorn pony and ing character who appears in the IDW comics’ My Little Pony: FIENDship is Magic Issue #1 and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic story arc Siege of the Crystal Empire. She is a childhood friend of King Sombra’s.
Radiant Hope was a Crystal Unicorn Mare from the Crystal Empire who grew up in Chestnut Falls’ Orphanage. From a young age, she became best friends with the odd pony named Sombra, seeing the good in his bizarre personality. Likewise, she often visited her “imaginary” friends, the Umbrum, who appeared as cute, fairy-like creatures.
Who is Radiant Hope:
She lived in the Crystal Empire during the reign of Princess Amore.
She was friends with the young Sombra and tried to guide him on the bright path.
She had the gift of healing.
Key facts about the character’s age:
Lifespan: She was King Sombra’s childhood friend and lived in the Crystal Empire during the reign of Princess Amore (a thousand years before the main events of the series).
Aging Distinction: Due to her time in the Shadow Prison with the Umbrum, she did not age for the millennium until Sombra was exiled.
Biological Age: By pony standards, she is a young adult mare (in flashbacks, she is shown as a foal and then as an independent adult), but due to a time paradox and her imprisonment, her chronological age is over 1,000 years.
Personality: Radiant Hope is depicted, both as a filly and a grown mare, as being very optimistic and having a childlike innocence. As a filly, she has an active imagination and often communicates with creatures that no one else can see. With this imagination, she and young Sombra make up their own games—for which Hope would sometimes make up rules on the fly.
Much of Hope’s innocence carries over into young adulthood, as she places a lot of trust in known villains such as Queen Chrysalis. The umbrum take advantage of Hope’s innocence and naivete to orchestrate their release from imprisonment.
As a grown mare, Hope is considerably more independent. Despite the vision she saw of herself as a princess, she does not believe in “destiny”, having abandoned said destiny in order to save Sombra. After she discovers the umbrum’s treachery, Hope briefly becomes very withdrawn, possibly as a result of being subjected to their manipulation for a thousand years’ time.
Name: Radiant Hope
Birthdate: Time Immemorial (her age exceeds 1000 years.)
Gender: Female
Eyes: Moderate arctic blue
Mane: Pale, light grayish arctic blue
Coat: Grayish heliotrope
Magic aura: Brilliant cornflower blue
Relatives: Unnamed parents
Tag: Golden Caduceus
Nationality: Equestrian
Ldeology and Party: Tyrannical Magocracy (NSP — National Spirit Party) Comes to power by:
Biography: The following information has been derived from the IDW Publishing comic books. Although they have been decided to be canonical by various sources, both in-universe and out, the information itself may be contradictory with the main show continuity.
Befriending Sombra: Having been orphaned in unknown circumstances, Hope developed a reputation for eccentricity among her peers, and was further shunned when she didn’t receive her Cutie Mark. Choosing not to let it bother her, Hope made friends that no one else could see. The first visible friend she made was another outcast named Sombra, and the two quickly became close. In spite of the occasional squabble, the two enjoyed many games and other activities together. One of their favorite activities was preparing for the Crystal Faire, which Hope ed attending with her parents.
In anticipation of the event, the two friends went to visit the Crystal Heart. Looking into it, Hope saw a vision of herself as a princess. The two friends were then greeted by Princess Amore, who explained that the heart was thought to reflect the hearts of those who looked into it. Hope questioned whether what they saw would come true, and seemed pleased when Amore implied that it could. However, Hope failed to notice the unease of Sombra, and did not question his report of what he had seen.
The faire took place four days later, and Hope arrived to rouse Sombra for the festivities. Her eager mood was soon halted, as Sombra reported that that he had been stricken with an inexplicable paralysis. Hope quickly fetched Chestnut Falls and a doctor, but neither of them could identify anything wrong with Sombra. As her friend’s condition worsened, Hope remained by his side throughout the day, lamenting that Sombra was unable to take part in the faire or even see it through his bedroom window. Eventually Sombra was able to sleep, and Hope promised him that they would attend the faire the following year.
Unfortunately, though Sombra was fully recovered the next day, he would succumb to the same illness every year when the Crystal Faire occurred. Hope continued to remain at his bedside during these periods, worrying and grieving as her friend’s symptoms grew worse with each reoccurrence. Finally, a year came when Sombra’s body started breaking apart into a mass of darkness, terrifying them both. Desperate not to lose her friend, Hope unleashed her unicorn magic in a blind burst. Her power successfully restored Sombra to his usual state, and Hope-to the happiness of them both-received her Cutie Mark.
Hope’s newly discovered talents as a healer soon garnered the attention of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna of Equestria, who invited her to study with them. When Hope came to tell Sombra the news, though, he fled in sorrow, much to her bafflement. Tragically, when Hope next saw her friend, he had stolen the Crystal Heart and petrified Princess Amore. Horrified, Hope hoped that she could restore Amore, and urged Sombra to flee for fear he would be harmed. To her even greater horror, Sombra informed her that he intended to repay everyone who had mistreated him in the past, and offered Hope a place at his side.
Pleading with her friend, Hope tried to convince Sombra that Amore could be healed and himself helped. In response, Sombra shattered the Princess and scattered the fragments. Believing that Sombra had committed murder by this act, a brokenhearted Hope deemed that he was indeed a monster. She promptly fled to Canterlot and informed the Two Sisters, who soon defeated Sombra. But Sombra caused the Crystal Empire to disappear, seemingly leaving Hope the lone remaining Crystal Pony in Equestria.
With nowhere else to go, Hope returned to Canterlot and undertook her studies under Celestia and Luna. But Hope was consumed with grief for her lost home. Moreover, in spite of his villainous actions, Hope came to feel that she had betrayed Sombra and brought a terrible fate upon him and herself. Eventually, she left Canterlot and returned to the Frozen North. Following Sombra’s trail in hopes of understanding what had come over him, she eventually discovered a crystal that served as a portal to the Shadow Prison.
Learning that her friend was an Umbrum, and that the others of his kind were imprisoned, Hope accepted their offer to them in the hopes of helping her best friend. Upon meeting with the Umbrum, Hope found that they appeared to be the very creatures she had played with in her childhood before meeting Sombra. Hope was soon convinced that they had been unjustly imprisoned, and that Sombra was a hero who was meant to liberate his fellow shadow ponies. As such, she remained with the Umbrum in the Shadow Prison, waiting for Sombra’s millennium of exile to come to an end. Due to the nature of the prison, Hope did not age despite a thousand years ing back in her own world.
Saving Sombra: Over an year after Sombra and the Crystal Empire had returned and Sombra had been defeated yet again, Hope emerged from the Shadow Prison. Having become acquainted with the ponies who played a key role in Sombra’s second defeat, Hope sought out allies who had also run afoul of them. Promising both revenge and the fulfillment of various desires, Hope recruited Flim and Flam, Iron Will, Lightning Dust, and Queen Chrysalis and her Changelings. Acting on her directions, these allies stole the Crystal Heart and delivered it to Hope before providing a diversion that allowed her to enter the Crystal Castle. She then opened the way to the chamber Sombra had created for himself during his brief reign over the empire.
In response to Hope’s calls, Sombra’s horn-the largest surviving fragment from his most recent loss-revealed itself, and Sombra manifested. Finding him confrontational, Hope did her best to assure Sombra that she was on his side now. To prove it, she used her magic to restore Sombra’s physical form. She then explained her time among the Umbrum and her beliefs concerning them, which Sombra disputed. When Hope mentioned that one of Equestria’s princesses was outside the castle, and that the Crystal Heart was in Hope’s possession, Sombra promptly left to confront the enemy despite Hope’s efforts to restrain him.
Sombra ed forces with Hope’s allies and overpowered Twilight Sparkle and her friends, only for Celestia and Luna to arrive. Hope revealed herself to her former mentors by blasting Celestia, much to the astonishment of the older Princess. Celestia soon learned that Hope, whom she had thought lost, had sided with Sombra. To Hope’s dismay, Sombra then turned the Two Sisters to stone. Despite this, she attempted to get Sombra back to the business of freeing the other Umbrum.
Twilight Sparkle was quick to antagonize Sombra, but he was prevented from petrifying her as well by a bout of weakness. Hope cautioned him, warning that his recent restoration had not yet brought him back to full strength. After learning for the first time that Sombra intended to free the Umbrum, Chrysalis demanded to speak with him, and at Hope’s urging he agreed. Much to Hope’s dismay, Chrysalis spoke of the Umbrum as savage and evil creatures, and only backed down when Sombra threatened to petrify her as well. Still believing the Umbrum to be good at heart, Hope offered to work more of her healing magic on Sombra, was instead told to remain in the castle while he descended back to his chamber.
Dismayed by this apparent rejection despite all her efforts on Sombra’s behalf, Hope was less surprised when she saw the Changelings departing, having expected that they would eventually become enemies. Hope was then startled when Princess Cadance emerged from hiding. Seeing the resemblance between Cadance and Amore, Hope tried to convince her that the Crystal Ponies had wrongfully imprisoned the Umbrum. When Cadance rejected this suggestion, Hope tried to get past her to warn Sombra, only for Cadance to seal the stairway to the underground chamber. Having been unable to manage the spell previously, Cadance was disturbed when Hope explained that it required its caster to feel rage.
Thwarted in her effort to reach Sombra, Hope once again tried to reason with Cadance. Eventually, she persuaded Cadance to accompany her back to the Shadow Prison so that Cadance could meet the Umbrum for herself. Cadance remained skeptical as they made their way into the forbidding depths. However, to Hope’s visible pleasure, Cadance responded cordially when introduced to Rabia, leader of the Umbrum. Sadly, Hope’s happiness and illusions were soon shattered, as Cadance unwittingly exposed that the fairy-like forms the Umbrum had adopted in their presence were mere facades for their true appearances.
Hope’s supposed friends soon demonstrated that their hearts were as monstrous as their forms, and that they had deceived Hope in order to further their plans to have Sombra release them. While she realized that she had been tricked, Hope continued to believe that Sombra, if no other Umbrum, had goodness in him. Knowing now that she had to stop him from releasing the other Umbrum, Hope accompanied Cadance in fleeing the Shadow Prison and then teleporting back to Sombra’s chamber. Hope then desperately attempted to convince Sombra not to open the door that would allow the Umbrum out of the prison. Unfortunately, an angry Twilight Sparkle then arrived and launched an attack at Sombra that Hope intercepted, which proved to be just the motivation Sombra needed to free the other Umbrum at long last.
It didn’t take long for the Umbrum to seize control of the Crystal Empire, with Hope being named as Empress to Sombra’s Emperor. Having suffered some injuries from Twilight’s attack, Hope was far more grieved as she looked out upon a home that had been conquered and darkened by the Umbrum. When Sombra informed her of his plans to petrify Cadance and Twilight, Hope questioned whether that would mark the end of his campaign against the other ponies. Learning that Sombra intended not only to pursue further conquest across Equestria and in the lands of other creatures, Hope became disgusted with him. Having believed that Sombra could be better than this, she now instead found her worst fears about him realized all over again.
Sombra attempted to defend himself, claiming that this was his destiny, seen in the depths of the Crystal Heart itself. In retort, Hope reminded him that she had seen a vision of herself as a princess, but she pointed out that she wasn’t one now. Feeling responsible for this, Sombra apologized, only to be informed that Hope had chosen not to become a princess out of her affection for him. Sombra was taken aback, but Hope’s only reaction was coldness as she left to witness the latest atrocity he had planned. However, several of Twilight’s friends had managed to escape when the Umbrum took over, and they returned with reinforcements in an attempt to retake the Empire.
As Hope and Sombra observed the battle, Rabia suggested that Sombra petrify Twilight and Cadance, but Hope proposed a counterplan: destroying the Crystal Heart itself. With the relic gone, the Umbrum would no longer have anything to fear. However, as Sombra looked into the Crystal Heart once more, he saw only himself, and he realized that Hope had been right about their being free to choose their own paths rather than bound by destiny. As such, he restored the Crystal Heart to its proper place, banishing the Umbrum back into the Shadow Prison. The two friends reconciled, and Sombra urged Hope to use her talents for good this time as he began to fade away along with the others of his kind.
Refusing to lose Sombra again, Hope employed her magic in an attempt to save him, and she was unexpectedly ed by all Four Princesses of Equestria, including the newly restored Celestia and Luna. Out of gratitude for Sombra’s change of heart, the princesses helped Hope to transform Sombra into a full unicorn, now longer to be harmed by the power of the Crystal Heart. An overjoyed Hope embraced him, and she was present as Celestia pronounced pardon on Sombra. Much to Hope’s surprise, Sombra then revealed that Princess Amore had not, in fact, been killed, and that she might be restored if all her fragments could be recovered. With this goal in mind, the two childhood friends departed to begin the search together.
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Commissions in EaW - Portrait commissions can be included in the mod, complete with a custom description. Note that acceptance of portraits and selection of a suitable nation are at the discretion of the EaW team.
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