Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a tiny kingdom called Canterlot…peaceful, prosperous, and rich in romance and tradition. Meanwhile, a small town called Ponyville was in view of the mountain that held Canterlot. There was a stately chateau that belonged to a widowed gentlecolt and his adopted son, Sombra. Although he was a kind and devoted father and gave his beloved child every luxury and comfort, still, he felt the colt needed a mother's care. And so, he married again, choosing for his second wife a mysterious mare of beguiling beauty, with twin sons just Sombra's age: Flim and Flam.
It was upon the untimely death of this good stallion, however, that Sombra's true heritage was revealed. The young colt was found in the cold and taken in. Shortly thereafter, the stallion went to see a well-known zebra who told him that Sombra was an Umbrum in pony form. Though the gentlecolt was frightened for a bit, he was determined to change Sombra for the better, even if it meant keeping his adoptive son's dark powers at bay. Sombra wasn't the only one who had his true identity revealed. Once her husband had passed, Chrysalis revealed her true self: a changeling who was cold, cruel, and bitterly jealous of Sombra's charm and good looks. She was grimly determined to forward the interests of her own two awkward sons.
Thus, as time went by, the chateau fell into disrepair. For the family fortunes were squandered upon the vain and selfish stepbrothers, while Sombra - now called Cindersombra by his stepfamily - was abused, humiliated, and finally forced to become a servant in his own house. And yet, through it all, Sombra remained ever gentle and kind. For with each dawn, he found new hope that someday his dreams of happiness would come true.