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I just finished reading the story of Radiant Hope and Sombra from the comic, and it was truly great.I even cried. It's probably my favorite story now. However, as a amateur of villains, I'm actually curious if there's a timeline where Sombra could unleash Umbrum and truly destroy the world of Equestria.
While it might sound easy, like altering Hope's actions in this timeline or simply not having her appear, I've given it some thought and believe it's more complex than it seems. Hope's absence doesn't necessarily lead Sombra down a path of no return. Undoubtedly, Sombra has always retained a part of his kindness, which has been shown many times in the comics.
I think his primary drive to do evil comes from a desire for identity. It's clear that he was never really accepted by pony society from a young age, while the Umbrum claimed to be his companions. Everything he does is to solidify his identity as a monster and to vent his grievances—because the ponies wouldn't give him a pony identity, at least that's how he sees it. It's quite tragic.
But without Hope, he might still not unseal the seal, pretending not to know where it is. Or he might unseal it, but upon discovering how terrifying the other Umbrums are, he would stop them. In any case, he would rule over the Crystal Empire without destroying it. I guess this is because the warmth given by Teacher Chestnut (don't forget about this gentle teacher) and Hope during his childhood made it difficult for him to fully accept his identity as a monster. Just as childhood traumas are hard to heal, childhood warmt is hard to let go. He often proclaims himself a monster, especially when talking with Hope, which reminds me of a psychological phenomenon called reaction formation, where individuals may deliberately exhibit behaviors or speech opposite to their true feelings to mask inner unease, conflicts, or socially unacceptable emotions.
In a word, my view is that Sombra's original motive for evil is to solidify his identity as a monster, seeking identity recognition from the Umbrum group, but at the same time, he hasn't fully accepted his identity as a monster deep down. He secretly longs to be a pony, and this unease prevents him from completely destroying Equestria, but also makes him more eager to do evil. He is always torn between two identities. I would be happy to say that he has a scale in his heart, with one side holding the expectations of his umbram cognate and childhood traumas, and the other side holding the ponies and country he loves. He just needs some opportunities—like encouragement from pony friends—and he would lean towards the pony side.
I love this complexity, and I will judge how the story should develop by weighing the tilt of his scale in later texts.
So, finally, I come to the theme of this work! I will create an OC, give her an appropriate background, personality, and ability settings, and make her a heavy enough weight to put on the evil side of the scale to lead King Sombra down the path of complete evil. This is a bit challenging; I must ensure that her identity is trusted and well-liked enough because Sombra in the comics and animations doesn't seem to like cooperating with other characters (I'm not sure if he doesn't like cooperating with strong characters or any ponies; in the comics, he only argued with the Chrysalisn but never with the minor characters, perhaps because the minor characters didn't provoke him). And my OC must be a more determined villain than Sombra. If the support of a criminal partner is not enough to make Sombra fall into darkness, the OC may have to use some deception, suppression, or even PUA tactics to motivate him. (Should I give her a degree in psychology?)
This must be a dark story.
I won't write an outline, only a rough OC design. I will put characters into the story and let them act freely because I want to see if things will go as I wish. That is to say, the plot of each following chapter is unknown even to me; I really don't know if she can succeed. This is an experiment, and I am looking forward to it. Of course, if readers are willing to comment on the plot, we are essentially conducting this experiment together.
Ps: This doesn't mean I will treat this story casually. I'll do my best to research the details of the original work (mainly the comics), and if I can't find existing settings, I will try to make up parts that look reasonable and based. I like to make my stories look real, and I'll do my best to do so.
The setting of this work will be mainly based on the comics because it is clear that King Sombra's character is a bit different in the animation and comic versions. My OC will find Sombra before Hope, and I don't know what Hope is doing in this timeline. Maybe she saw through the true face of the Umbrum early and ran away? Maybe she became a princess? Maybe she never met the Umbrum at all? Maybe she is on her way? I'm not sure.
This is a long preface, thank you for reading, and if you didn't notice that I'm not a native English speaker, that would be great. Of course, even if you did, I wouldn't be upset. In any case, I look forward to discussing this plan with someone. The official first chapter is on its way.