FIENDship is Magic Issue 1

My Little Pony: FIENDship is Magic #1: Sombra is the first issue of IDW Publishing's FIENDship is Magic comic miniseries. In the issue, Twilight Sparkle and Princess Cadance discover King Sombra's diary and learn of his rise to power.

Summary
At Princess Cadance's request, Twilight Sparkle uses dark magic to open the spiral staircase in the center of the Crystal Empire palace throne room. Though Cadance is certain that King Sombra is gone, she hopes to find records that he kept to replace the ones he destroyed during his rule. As she and Twilight descend the staircase, they hear a faint clinking sound.

At the bottom of the stairs, Twilight uses her magic on the door, and it opens to reveal Sombra's personal study. There, they find Sombra's diary on a nearby writing desk and begin to read it.

A flashback details Sombra's origins: as a colt, he was found in the frozen wasteland north of the Crystal Empire and brought to live at an orphanage. "Sombra" was the only word he spoke, so it became his name. He eventually learns to read, write, and speak properly, but he faces ostracism and teasing from other foals due to his manner of speech and lack of a cutie mark. He is approached only by an equally teased filly named Radiant Hope, and the two become close friends.

Throughout that year, Sombra and Radiant Hope save up gems for the upcoming Crystal Faire, a magical celebration centered around the Crystal Heart. When they go to gaze upon the Crystal Heart at the palace, they have visions of the future—Hope sees herself as a princess, and Sombra sees himself as an evil being of darkness. Princess Amore, the ruler of the Crystal Empire, appears and, sensing Sombra's fear of his vision, tells him he has the power to change it.

Four days later, when the Crystal Faire arrives, Sombra suddenly comes down with severe aches and pains, which only worsen as the Faire goes on. Radiant Hope forgets about the Faire and stays at Sombra's bedside, and by the next day Sombra is healthy again. However, each following year, Sombra suffers the same pains on the day of the Faire. One year, Sombra's condition worsens to a point where his body begins to crystallize and fracture. A desperate Radiant Hope uses her magic to heal Sombra, and she gains her cutie mark, discovering a special talent in healing any injury or ailment.

Hope's magical talent gets the attention of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and she is invited to study with them in Canterlot. Realizing that Hope's path to becoming a princess means his own dark destiny would also soon come true, Sombra runs off into the frozen wasteland outside the empire. There, he runs into a strange red crystal. The crystal speaks to Sombra, calling itself his mother, and reveals that he is not a pony but an "umbrum"—shadow and smoke given physical form.

Sombra was created to destroy the Crystal Heart, Princess Amore's weapon against the darkness, and set free the umbrum army that sleeps below the city. The crystal awakens Sombra's dormant powers so that he can carry out this purpose. Sombra fears losing his only friend, but the crystal says if he does not remove the Crystal Heart before the next Faire, it will destroy him.

Under the cover of night, as Sombra steals the Crystal Heart from its pedestal, Princess Amore arrives to try and stop him. Having known of his true nature all along, Amore tried to steer him along the right path. Sombra, enraged that Amore knowingly caused him years of pain, turns her into a black crystal statue. Radiant Hope then appears, horrified by what Sombra has done, and pleads for him to stop. Sombra resolves to rule over the Crystal Ponies who tormented him and offers Hope to rule by his side. When she refuses, Sombra shatters the statue of Princess Amore.

Radiant Hope runs off to warn Celestia and Luna about Sombra's rise to power. During this time, Sombra enslaves the Crystal Ponies to free the umbrum army underground and scatters the fragments of Amore's statue across the world so she cannot be restored in time to stop him. Knowing his defeat by Celestia and Luna is imminent, Sombra enacts a terrible curse, and Radiant Hope is forced to watch as her home vanishes.

The diary's pages end there, and Twilight admittedly feels some sympathy for Sombra for never getting to see the Crystal Faire. She and Cadance leave the room, hearing the clinking sound from earlier again. Unbeknownst to the two, Sombra's shattered horn has found its way to the bottom of the stairs. Sombra's presence appears on the ground next to it, ending the comic with "Long live the king."

Quotes

 * Twilight Sparkle: So, do you think he's coming back?
 * Princess Cadance: Sombra? No. I think he's gone for good. But we should be prepared. They thought they had him beat before too.


 * Princess Cadance: I knew it! I knew he had to have a room like this. Just look at it.
 * Twilight Sparkle: I am. I so need an office like this. Well, except for the busts of myself.


 * Chestnut Falls: Sound it out a little bit at a time.
 * Sombra: Peg-uh-sus.
 * Chestnut Falls: That's right! Pegasus! You're doing so well, Sombra!


 * Sombra: Greetings, friends. Can Sombra play too?
 * Crystal Pony Foal 1: Why does he talk like that? I don't know why they keep him here, he's not even a Crystal Pony.
 * Crystal Pony Foal 2: I don't know what he is. He doesn't even have a cutie mark.
 * Crystal Pony Foal 1: Get away, Sombrero. We don't want anypony to see us with the weird pony.
 * Crystal Pony Foal 2: They might think we're weird like you.


 * Princess Amore: You know, they say the Crystal Heart's reflection has magical properties. It reflects what's in your heart.
 * Radiant Hope: Do you mean what we see in the reflection will actually happen?
 * Princess Amore: It might. I've always believed we have the power to control our futures.


 * Sombra's "Mother": Sombra, my dear. What is wrong? Why have you come to see me? Is your work done already?
 * Sombra: Who?
 * Sombra's "Mother": Don't you recognize your own mother when you see her? I'm the one that brought you into this world.


 * Princess Amore: Even now, it's not too late for you, Sombra. You can return the Heart and walk away.


 * Sombra: Restore her? Help me? You've got it all wrong, Hope. I don't need help anymore. And as for Princess Amore, she's not the saint you think she is. Inside she was... BROKEN.


 * Radiant Hope: They were right about you all along! You are a monster!
 * Sombra: I am not just any monster, Hope. I am king of all monsters!


 * Twilight Sparkle: I feel bad for him. He never got to see the Crystal Faire and it was all he ever wanted.
 * Princess Cadance: That and to crush the Crystal Ponies under his hoof. I wouldn't feel too sorry for him, Twilight.


 * King Sombra: Long live the king.