So I’ve been working on some MLP redesigns recently. I’d originally planned on starting with the M6, but obviously I can’t hold back on drawing Sombra so of course I decided to start with the Crystal Empire first… And oh boy, did I come up with some lore.
 
…But that’s a (cliche love) story and art for another time. Here’s some info on these redesigns.
 

 
Princess Mi Amore Cadanze  
Prefering to simply go by Cadance, she is the daughter of Queen Amore and heir to the Crystal Empire. Raised from a young age to be prim and proper, she takes great care in looking as regal and brilliant as she can, as her mother has always told her that as a Crystal Princess she must be flawless. She can not show weekness, she can not show herself if she’s got even a strand of hair out of place, and most importantly, she can not let her negative emotions get the best of her.
 
It is a dull and boring lifestyle, but she must look good for her subjects. Things have been tense between the Crystal Ponies and the neighboring kingdom of the Umbrum, so she must do what she can to keep their Hearts bright. She must do what her mother syas to bring up their spirits.
 
She must… Marry the Umbrum Prince? Oh dear…
 
Prince Sombra  
Son of Empress Rabia and heir to the Shadow Empire(Name pending). Unlike the Crystal Ponies, who are raised to be flawless and beautiful, Umbrum were created to be tricksters. From a young age, Rabia raised her son to be strong, and how to worm into even the most stalwart of creatures’ minds. It always helped that, as a creature that embodied darkness, his magic was driven by fear. He made his mother proud, with how powerful he was… And how easy it was to keep him in line.
 
That is, until he wandered out of his home and into the border between empires, where he found an excitable little filly. They become quick friends, and even with all his mothers warnings, he can’t seem to stay away from her. Crystal Ponies aren’t to be trusted, he knows this, but if their homes continue to clash, it can only be disasterous.
 
Thank shadow his mother has a plan to settle things. A plan to… Marry the Crystal Princess? What? No! He can’t do that, his heart belongs to another!
 
Radiant Hope  
Radiant Hope is… Nothing. A flawed Crystal Pony and an orphan. The others consider he strange. She would rather hunt for fairies and play in mud than bask in the honor of being a creature as beautiful as a Crystal Pony. The others don’t like her for this, nor do they understand her, they think she’s a stain among their kind. Radiant Hope doesn’t mind, the less they care about her, the more time she has to explore. She knows fairies exist, and she knows there’s a better life beyond the Empire’s crystal walls.
 
And one day, she found a fairy. Their prince even! He was much darker than she had ever expected, but that’s okay. He was the nicest pony to ever talk to her, and her first friend.