History StartOfDarkness / FanWorks

** As the new Hawk Moth in [[RealityWarpingIsNotAToy the post-Wish world]], Alya has one, though she [[ObliviouslyEvil doesn't recognize it as such]]: her family was forced to move after she spread MaliciousSlander on her blog, tarnishing their reputation. Upon [[ForWantOfANail finding the Butterfly Brooch]], she was eager to become a real-life superhero, only to find that the Brooch was [[SuperEmpowering meant for support]]. So she decided to become a 'fake supervillain', luring out others with more action-oriented Miraculous in hopes of stealing them for herself and becoming a ''real'' hero.

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasEmptyFullness'': The [[RuleOfThree third]] one-shot, "Damnatio Memoriae", covers [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonKingGhidorah Ghidorah]]'s early backstory: from how Ichi, Ni and San were captured and inhumanely experimented on by AbusivePrecursors, to when Ghidorah killed an entire planet in a desperate effort to make the [[TerribleTicking Old Noise]] stop screaming in their heads night and day... only for the Old Noise to start coming back afterwards, putting Ghidorah on the path to [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters killing the Makers]] and killing many more planets, again and again, in a vicious cycle in the futile hope that they might one day make the Old Noise stop permanently... until, by the time that the passage of millions of years has made the Old Noise fade, [[TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget Ghidorah will have gotten so used to devoting their every waking hour to finding and killing everything in sight for so long, that killing and tormenting things has become all they know and live for anymore]].

* In ''Fanfic/BrideOfDiscord'', Discord explains his backstory to Fluttershy, revealing that as a child, he was left as the LastOfHisKind and when he tried to befriend ponies, [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer he was ostracized by pony society for his appearacne]], leading to him becoming a recluse living out in a cave. But Discord didn't become the fiend he was when her and her friends first met him, until [[BigGood Princess Celestia]], after hearing of his [[RealityWarper great magical powers]], came to him offering friendship and asking him to use his powers to help pony-kind, with Discord implying he developed a crush on her. But they quickly had a falling out after Discord's attempts at "helping" ended up just creating more problems, causing Celestia to snap at him. He did not take the one pony to offer him compassion in his life snapping at him well, at all.

* ''FanFic/{{Respect}}'' shows how [[TheCutie the sweetest]], [[ShrinkingViolet most timid]] character of [[Anime/SmilePrettyCure her respective series]] goes from bully-bait to MagicalGirl to [[FaceHeelTurn rampaging villain]].
* ''FanFic/StarsAbove'': Homura first explains how her timeline's [[spoiler:Kagami]] got started in Chapter 3. Chapter 9 serves as a WholeEpisodeFlashback to further flesh out those events.

* ''[[Fanfic/TheCosmosMiraculousLadybug The Cosmos]]'': Lila's descent began after she was misdiagnosed with a rare, terminal illness. Rather than supporting her in her time of need, her former friends abandoned her... and when she learned about the mistake, she stood falsely accused of ''faking'' her illness.

* ''FanFic/InnerDemons'':

* ''Fanfic/TheNuptialverse'' has "[[VillainEpisode Metamorphosis]]", which explains the origins of Queen Chrysalis. She was originally one of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E13HearthsWarmingEve Commander Hurricane's]] chief lieutenants, but [[FantasticRacism her refusal to make peace with the other tribes]] and personal thirst for power led to her being kicked out. She then made a [[DealWithTheDevil deal with Discord]] to gain great power, which he twisted to make her the first changeling and his [[TheDragon dragon]]. She and the changelings were [[SealedEvilInACan sealed with him]] when the Princesses defeated him, and then kept sealed by him upon his [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 release]] to be set free as a backup plan in case he was defeated again. [[spoiler:Of course, Chrysalis has no intention of continuing to serve him.]]
* ''FanFic/PonyPOVSeries'':

** "Fading Futures" was a [[RecursiveFanfiction fan-made]] ending to the (at the time) unresolved BadFuture, that involved [[spoiler: Twilight Sparkle becoming the [[HeWhoFightsMonsters vengeance-crazed]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Nightmare Purgatory]]]] and then having a HeelRealization. However, when the BadFuture was officially revisited in the Dark World Series, it was eventually revealed that [[spoiler: the GreaterScopeVillain is Purgatory's evolved form Paradox]], at which point Alexwarlorn (the primary author) released an altered version of "Fading Futures" called "A Fading Future", edited so that there was no HeelRealization [[spoiler: and showed Purgatory/Paradox starting her [[GroundhogDayLoop revenge plan]]]], making it a proper SOD.

* The MLP fic ''[[http://thejboy88.deviantart.com/gallery/42768477 Shadows]]'' provides one for [[EvilOverlord King Sombra]]. He not only UsedToBeASweetKid [[spoiler: (Celestia's, in fact)]], but he actually [[ShadowArchetype wasn't all that different from Twilight]], being a kindhearted academic with a close-knit circle of friends. However, watching his father [[spoiler: Star Swirl the Bearded]] grow old and die, he became terrified by the thought of death, and obsessed with achieving immortality. This obsession led to him driving away his friends, [[ArcWelding creating the Alicorn Amulet]] to try and boost his power to god-like levels, and ultimately his MoralEventHorizon crossing of conquering the Crystal Empire.
* In ''FanFic/SplitSecondMyLittlePony'', Sparkle got her powers at age eight, discovered she could kill magically at nine, given a reason to dislike ponies at ten, created zombies by eleven, had her mentor die at twelve, ate her first soul at thirteen, and was abandoned (sort of) by her [[MoralityChain sister]].

* In the doujin, [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/pool/show/2862 "I'm working at a mahou shoujo recruitment company, but I think I may be at my limit"]] by Momiji Mao (NSFW warning for ads, since the doujin in question is on Danbooru), Kyubey is a worker at a magical girl recruitment company and down on his luck, such that his boss is threatening to terminate him if he keeps dragging down the company. The only people who believe in him are his wife Kyuko, who is three months along with Kyubey's baby, and his work buddy Kyuzo, the only one in the workplace who knows he is trying his best. Bolstered by this, Kyubey works extra hard, even pulling all-nighters, and manages to get ''ten'' new magical girls into the fold. But then it's revealed that [[spoiler:not only did Kyuzo screw Kyubey over by taking all the credit for his accomplishments, but when Kyubey calls Kyuzo up and demands an explanation for this shit, that's when he (and we) learn that this isn't even the half of how Kyuzo's betrayed him -- Kyuzo is in bed with Kyuko when he gets the call, and it turns out that he's been banging her on the side for at least three months, because that kid that's three months along? It's not Kyubey's. With everything good in his life taken away from him in one fell swoop, Kyubey snaps and goes postal on everyone before burning his workplace down. He makes a resolution that the next time he meets someone, he should give them the same cruel lesson that he believes Kyuzo and everyone else were trying to teach him]].

* ''Franchise/Transformers Mosaic'' [[http://transformers-mosaic.deviantart.com/art/Way-to-Fall-141127129 gave one to Abraham Dante, in "Way to Fall."]] A man who sought Immortality and Power even at the cost of his own humanity. He made a [[DealWithTheDevil deal with Skorponok]] for that immortality.

The series has the Origins arc, which shows the backstory of Celestia, Luna, and Discord, and therefore serves as the latter's Start Of Darkness. [[spoiler: Discord was [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior never quite right to begin with]], as it's shown that the draconnequi were like the Shiva of TheMultiverse, performing {{Cosmic Retcon}}s in order to prevent worlds from ending, with Discord enjoying it far more than his siblings, who were only doing their jobs. That being said, in the grand scheme of things he was just a bully and a brat -- until an act of defiance on Celestia's part triggered a series of events that not only led to Discord embracing his sadism, but began a war between the Alicorns and Draconnequi, during which he was further [[EvilMentor mentored in evil]] by the [[FallenAngel Fallen Alicorn Morning Star]]. When the war ended, Discord was reborn in Equestria as a mortal (along with Celestia and Luna) with no memory of his past existence, leading to him becoming an odd, but ultimately kind-hearted being... until his true personality resurfaced and consumed his good one.]] From that point on, he was the BigBad from canon and the rest of the series. Oh, and bonus points, it's shown at the end of the arc that when the Princesses defeated and sealed him away, his last act was to plant the seeds of doubt that led to Luna becoming Nightmare Moon. So he's responsible for ''her'' Start Of Darkness too!

* In ''Fanfic/TheButcherBird'', [[GeneralRipper Admiral]] [[HeroKiller Akainu]] of all people gets one of these in a side chapter, showing exactly what drove him to become such a fanatic.

* In ''Fanfic/GuardiansWizardsAndKungFuFighters'', Daolon Wong's is shown in Chapter 24. He was a student of one of China's premier Chi Masters during the early 16th century, until his ambition to gain more power drove him to study Dark Chi, which ultimately twisted his body and mind.

[[AC:''Franchise/DragonBall'']]
* The Arcos Special in ''FanFic/SaviorOfDemons'' sees Frieza's entire origin story as a slow-burning buildup to something horrible that cements his canon persona and explains his hatred of Saiyans.

* ''FanFic/QueenOfAllOni'' is all about Jade's [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Queen persona]] re-emerging, and her desire for power driving her further into the realm of dark magic. And then an EvilSorcerer kidnaps and [[ColdBloodedTorture tortures]], the PTSD from which [[SanitySlippage slowly drives her insane]], until she [[VillainousBreakdown snaps completely]] in the final chapters of the story.
** A series of flashbacks document [[GreaterScopeVillain Tarakudo]]'s own [=SoD=] — he was a human warrior who [[DealWithTheDevil sold his soul to the Oni]] for a chance at revenge against the enemies who wiped out his family. After his death, he became an Oni himself, was made a General, and eventually [[TheStarscream overthrew the Oni Elders and their Matriarchy system]].
* ''FanFic/ShadowsAwakening'': [[OriginsEpisode Chapter 11]] details [[GreaterScopeVillain The Phantom]]'s origins — he was once a samurai named Kyosuke, who was the protege of the Emperor's High Shogun, but who grew unhappy with the fact that the Emperor is only ruler because of the supposed divine right of his ancestors, rather than any [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority real power]]. Because of this, when he was sent to infiltrate the Brotherhood of Shadows (the dark wizards who created the Shadowkhan), they were able to convince him to join them, becoming their leader, the Dark Champion. He then led them on a conquest of Japan, until he was [[CavalryBetrayal abandoned by Tarakudo]], and struck down by his former master. With his dying breaths, his [[ThePowerOfHate rage]] at Tarakudo's betrayal transformed his spirit into [[OurGhostsAreDifferent the Phantom]].

[[AC:''Webcomic/MobPsycho100'']]
* ''Fanfic/ABreachOfTrust'': Teruki's DarkAndTroubledPast is explored in Chapter 32: When he was ten years old [[spoiler:Claw attempted to isolate him by possessing his teacher and parents and making them treat him cruelly. While their efforts ultimately failed, the spirits left their mark on their victims, leaving them hateful and fearful of Teruki]].

* ''FanFic/InnerDemons'': The original Queen of Darkness was an Alicorn named Midnight who was spawned in [[{{Hell}} Tartarus]], but upon seeing the light and beauty of Equestria, fell in love with it and eventually became its benevolent queen. Then the denizens of Tartarus tracked her down and demanded that she become their ruler and destroy Equestria. This caused Midnight's subjects to betray her, which in turn caused her to become the Queen of Darkness and try to destroy her former kingdom, until the pony who would become known a [[TheChosenOne the Master of Harmony]] rose up against her and destroyed her with the Elements of Harmony. With her last breath, Midnight swore to return and have her revenge, and eventually she was reincarnated as Twilight Sparkle, who in turn was therefore [[BecauseDestinySaysSo destined from birth]] to become the next Queen of Darkness.

* The ''FanFic/PonyPOVSeries'' has the Origins arc, which shows the backstory of Celestia, Luna, and Discord, and therefore serves as the latter's Start Of Darkness. [[spoiler: Discord was [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior never quite right to begin with]], as it's shown that the draconnequi were like the Shiva of TheMultiverse, performing {{Cosmic Retcon}}s in order to prevent worlds from ending, with Discord enjoying it far more than his siblings, who were only doing their jobs. That being said, in the grand scheme of things he was just a bully and a brat -- until an act of defiance on Celestia's part triggered a series of events that not only led to Discord embracing his sadism, but began a war between the Alicorns and Draconnequi, during which he was further [[EvilMentor mentored in evil]] by the [[FallenAngel Fallen Alicorn Morning Star]]. When the war ended, Discord was reborn in Equestria as a mortal (along with Celestia and Luna) with no memory of his past existence, leading to him becoming an odd, but ultimately kind-hearted being... until his true personality resurfaced and consumed his good one.]] From that point on, he was the BigBad from canon and the rest of the series. Oh, and bonus points, it's shown at the end of the arc that when the Princesses defeated and sealed him away, his last act was to plant the seeds of doubt that led to Luna becoming Nightmare Moon. So he's responsible for ''her'' Start Of Darkness too!

** Chrysalis' start of darkness is covered as an addendum during the short arc that followed the end of Dark World: [[spoiler:back at the Dawn of Time, a younger and more HotBlooded Cadence became [[KnightTemplar convinced that magic was inherently evil]] and tried to kill Amicitia (the Magician Alicorn) in order to prevent its existence. After Amicitia nearly killed Cadence in self defense, Cadence's Light of Existence went to live a mortal life to teach her how wrong she was, leaving behind her Shadow of Existence... which, against ''every'' rule of the POV universe, somehow clung to sentience and a sense of self through sheer [[TheDeterminator force of will]]. Pandora was impressed enough by this that she helped the Shadow gain its own Light, turning it into Chrysalis, who was sent into the mortal world.]]
** And then there's her OriginsEpisode, which shows her childhood [[spoiler: after being reborn]] and how she eventually became Queen of the Changelings by killing their previous Queen, Cocoon.

* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' has several sidestories dedicated to this:
** Twenty Gyarados Bill Gaiden tells the story about how the title character went from a simple crewman in a fishing boat to the terror of coastal Johto. It all started with his crewmen giving him a Magikarp as a mocking gift and comparing him to it, calling him the "Magikarp of humans". [[AnalogyBackfire He took this to heart]] and decided that if he was the "Magikarp of humans", [[MagikarpPower then he'd become the "Gyarados of humans"]] and ensure that [[WhosLaughingNow nobody would ever laugh at him again]]. His rampages left such a mark in history, he was the reason why the six active Pokémon limit was established.
** Sabrina Gaiden starts with her as a 10-year-old discovering her psychic powers for the first time. Her father convinces her of [[ComesGreatResponsibility using her powers to help the townspeople]], which she gladly does. However, as time goes, people begin to take advantage of her kindness, which coupled with the fact that everyone lacks motivation to try and achieve greatness ends up disgusting her, ultimately driving her to make them change through fear.
** Mars Gaiden shows how she ended up joining Cyrus. After her parents died, she was taken in by her uncle and aunt, [[AbusiveParents who abused her both physically and verbally]]. The only reason she put up with it was because of her friend Kibou, with whom she shared the dream of becoming a trainer one day. [[spoiler: The story ends when Mars' uncle accidentally kills Kibou and plans to kill Mars and frame her for it, [[DespairEventHorizon which causes her to snap]] and kill him and his wife in turn.]] This ultimately drives her to join Cyrus and eventually become her most loyal follower in Team Galactic.

[[AC:''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'']]
* [[spoiler:The first two chapters, as well as a chunk of Chapter 11, essentially illustrate Count Logan's rise]] in ''Fanfic/TheEndOfEnds''.

* In ''Fanfic/ThroughADiamondSky'', Clu is a {{Jerkass}}, but not the dog-kicker of the film. At the end of the story, he's [[spoiler:turned the torture devices from the Resource Hog base into the "repurposing" racks and uses the captured Hogs as the first test subjects]].
** It's also the fact that he was jealous of his creator when it came to Jordan, saw that the Isos [[spoiler: could reproduce, and saw Kevin and Jordan being in awe of the new Iso child.]] Having Tron blow off his fears and scold him didn't help.

** As the new Hawk Moth in [[RealityWarpingIsNotAToy the post-Wish world]], Alya has one, though she [[ObliviouslyEvil doesn't recognize it as such]]: her family was forced to move after she spread MaliciousSlander on her blog, tarnishing their reputation. Upon [[ForWantOfANail finding the Butterfly Brooch]], she was eager to become a real-life superhero, only to find that the Brooch was [[SuperEmpowering meant for support]]. So she decided to become a 'fake supervillain', luring out others with more action-oriented Miraculi in hopes of stealing them for herself and becoming a ''real'' hero.

----


* The Arcos Special in ''FanFic/SaviorOfDemons'' sees Frieza's entire origin story as a slow-burning buildup to something horrible that cements his canon persona and explains his hatred of Saiyans.
* ''FanFic/ShadowsAwakening'': [[OriginsEpisode Chapter 11]] details [[GreaterScopeVillain The Phantom]]'s origins — he was once a samurai named Kyosuke, who was the protege of the Emperor's High Shogun, but who grew unhappy with the fact that the Emperor is only ruler because of the supposed divine right of his ancestors, rather than any [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority real power]]. Because of this, when he was sent to infiltrate the Brotherhood of Shadows (the dark wizards who created the Shadowkhan), they were able to convince him to join them, becoming their leader, the Dark Champion. He then led them on a conquest of Japan, until he was [[CavalryBetrayal abandoned by Tarakudo]], and struck down by his former master. With his dying breaths, his [[ThePowerOfHate rage]] at Tarakudo's betrayal transformed his spirit into [[OurGhostsAreDifferent the Phantom]].
* In ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/SupermanOf2499TheGreatConfrontation'', Adam Kent broke a crook's hand smilingly when he was training for becoming the next Superman. His father took him aside, reprimanded him and punished him by giving his brother the ComicBook/{{Superboy}} outfit for four months. Adam felt his own father had turned on him and taken his birthright away, and started developing his "I WILL have my way or else" mindset.
* In ''Fanfic/ThroughADiamondSky'', Clu is a {{Jerkass}}, but not the dog-kicker of the film. At the end of the story, he's [[spoiler: turned the torture devices from the Resource Hog base into the "repurposing" racks and uses the captured Hogs as the first test subjects]].
** It's also the fact that he was jealous of his creator when it came to Jordan, saw that the Isos [[spoiler: could reproduce, and saw Kevin and Jordan being in awe of the new Iso child.]] Having Tron blow off his fears and scold him didn't help.
* There's a Website/{{Tumblr}} roleplay that crosses over ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' with the alluded-to-in-canon 1960s era of ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', which means that Magneto and Mystique's fall to villainy is played out right alongside, and in some cases interactively with, Ozymandias and Rorschach's own slides into AntiVillain status.
* {{Franchise/Transformers}} Mosaic: [[http://transformers-mosaic.deviantart.com/art/Way-to-Fall-141127129 Gave one to Abraham Dante, in "Way to Fall."]] A man who sought Immortality and Power even at the cost of his own humanity. He made a [[DealWithTheDevil deal with Skorponok]] for that immortality.
-->"And so little by little the monster inside his soul would wake up. Little by little he would change his outer appearance to match what his soul had gotten dark with: rage, hate, and fear..."
-->"That's the Story of a man... who wasn't."
* The Shadow Queen's journey FromNobodyToNightmare is told in two non-consecutive chapters of ''[[Fanfic/YuGiOhTheThousandYearDoor Yu Gi Oh! The Thousand Year Door: Redux]]''. The protagonists hear the first part in [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8130614/36/Yu-Gi-Oh-The-Thousand-Year-Door-Redux Chapter 36]] from a descendent of a survivor of her atrocities, and the Queen herself decides to tell them the rest later, in [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8130614/42/Yu-Gi-Oh-The-Thousand-Year-Door-Redux Chapter 42]]. It's a long, sad, tragic story that started with a poor beggar being neglected, losing her two brothers, and ending up making a DealWithTheDevil after falling into a DespairEventHorizon.

* In ''Fanfic/TheButcherBird'', [[GeneralRipper Admiral]] [[HeroKiller Akainu]] of all people gets one of these in a side chapter, showing exactly what drove him to become such a fanatic.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/HereThereBeMonsters'', Dr. Sivana's eldest son figures out his father's descent into villainy was a combination of his wife's death and being turned down by everyone when he tried to make money legitimately.
-->How their father had managed to manufacture them, he had never been certain. He had reportedly given their mother a shot of something, with her concession, that would produce magnificent physical specimens in their offspring. Mom had agreed to it. After all, who doesn't want beautiful children? But Magnificus's birth had taxed her, and she never quite recovered from bearing Beautia. Within two months of the girl's birth, their mother was dead.\\
He figured that had something to do with how his father turned out in later years. That, and the perpetual wall of NO his father had run into, every time he tried to sell his new theories of industry to the barons of commerce and manufacturing.

* [[spoiler:The first two chapters, as well as a chunk of Chapter 11, essentially illustrate Count Logan's rise]] in ''Fanfic/TheEndOfEnds''.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** In ''[[Fanfic/AceCombatEquestriaChronicles Ace Combat: Wings of Unity]]'', the BigBad, Aurora Starlight, was intially a curious unicorn filly. When she heard about the alicorns and got additional information from Princess Celestia, things began to go downhill. Her attempts at gaining wings were met with Celestia's disapproval, she was banished from Equestria for life, because her experiments were perceived as dangerous. For the next 50 years, she was planning revenge against the princess she used to adore.
** Music/{{Aviators}}' "Ashes" describes how the ''MLP'' villains Discord and King Sombra became evil.
** In ''Fanfic/BrideOfDiscord'', Discord explains his backstory to Fluttershy, revealing that as a child, he was left as the LastOfHisKind and when he tried to befriend ponies, [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer he was ostracized by pony society for his appearacne]], leading to him becoming a recluse living out in a cave. But Discord didn't become the fiend he was when her and her friends first met him, until [[BigGood Princess Celestia]], after hearing of his [[RealityWarper great magical powers]], came to him offering friendship and asking him to use his powers to help pony-kind, with Discord implying he developed a crush on her. But they quickly had a falling out after Discord's attempts at "helping" ended up just creating more problems, causing Celestia to snap at him. He did not take the one pony to offer him compassion in his life snapping at him well, at all.
** ''FanFic/InnerDemons'': The original Queen of Darkness was an Alicorn named Midnight who was spawned in [[{{Hell}} Tartarus]], but upon seeing the light and beauty of Equestria, fell in love with it and eventually became its benevolent queen. Then the denizens of Tartarus tracked her down and demanded that she become their ruler and destroy Equestria. This caused Midnight's subjects to betray her, which in turn caused her to become the Queen of Darkness and try to destroy her former kingdom, until the pony who would become known a [[TheChosenOne the Master of Harmony]] rose up against her and destroyed her with the Elements of Harmony. With her last breath, Midnight swore to return and have her revenge, and eventually she was reincarnated as Twilight Sparkle, who in turn was therefore [[BecauseDestinySaysSo destined from birth]] to become the next Queen of Darkness.
*** The sequels expanded on this a deal further. [[spoiler:It turns out another reason Midnight fell was because after she rejected Tartarus, her subjects, egged on by a StalkerWithACrush, killed the pony she loved, and her former friend Vale turned on her for being a demon. Twilight Sparkle remembers some of this, and is still pissed off at Vale for it.]]
** ''Fanfic/TheNuptialverse'' has "[[VillainEpisode Metamorphosis]]", which explains the origins of Queen Chrysalis. She was originally one of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E13HearthsWarmingEve Commander Hurricane's]] chief lieutenants, but [[FantasticRacism her refusal to make peace with the other tribes]] and personal thirst for power led to her being kicked out. She then made a [[DealWithTheDevil deal with Discord]] to gain great power, which he twisted to make her the first changeling and his [[TheDragon dragon]]. She and the changelings were [[SealedEvilInACan sealed with him]] when the Princesses defeated him, and then kept sealed by him upon his [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 release]] to be set free as a backup plan in case he was defeated again. [[spoiler:Of course, Chrysalis has no intention of continuing to serve him.]]
** The ''FanFic/PonyPOVSeries'' has the Origins arc, which shows the backstory of Celestia, Luna, and Discord, and therefore serves as the latter's Start Of Darkness. [[spoiler: Discord was [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior never quite right to begin with]], as it's shown that the draconnequi were like the Shiva of TheMultiverse, performing {{Cosmic Retcon}}s in order to prevent worlds from ending, with Discord enjoying it far more than his siblings, who were only doing their jobs. That being said, in the grand scheme of things he was just a bully and a brat -- until an act of defiance on Celestia's part triggered a series of events that not only led to Discord embracing his sadism, but began a war between the Alicorns and Draconnequi, during which he was further [[EvilMentor mentored in evil]] by the [[FallenAngel Fallen Alicorn Morning Star]]. When the war ended, Discord was reborn in Equestria as a mortal (along with Celestia and Luna) with no memory of his past existence, leading to him becoming an odd, but ultimately kind-hearted being... until his true personality resurfaced and consumed his good one.]] From that point on, he was the BigBad from canon and the rest of the series. Oh, and bonus points, it's shown at the end of the arc that when the Princesses defeated and sealed him away, his last act was to plant the seeds of doubt that led to Luna becoming Nightmare Moon. So he's responsible for ''her'' Start Of Darkness too!
*** "Fading Futures" was a [[RecursiveFanfiction fan-made]] ending to the (at the time) unresolved BadFuture, that involved [[spoiler: Twilight Sparkle becoming the [[HeWhoFightsMonsters vengeance-crazed]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Nightmare Purgatory]]]] and then having a HeelRealization. However, when the BadFuture was officially revisited in the Dark World Series, it was eventually revealed that [[spoiler: the GreaterScopeVillain is Purgatory's evolved form Paradox]], at which point Alexwarlorn (the primary author) released an altered version of "Fading Futures" called "A Fading Future", edited so that there was no HeelRealization [[spoiler: and showed Purgatory/Paradox starting her [[GroundhogDayLoop revenge plan]]]], making it a proper SOD.
*** Chrysalis' start of darkness is covered as an addendum during the short arc that followed the end of Dark World: [[spoiler: back at the Dawn of Time, a younger and more HotBlooded Cadence became [[KnightTemplar convinced that magic was inherently evil]] and tried to kill Amicitia (the Magician Alicorn) in order to prevent its existence. After Amicitia nearly killed Cadence in self defense, Cadence's Light of Existence went to live a mortal life to teach her how wrong she was, leaving behind her Shadow of Existence... which, against ''every'' rule of the POV universe, somehow clung to sentience and a sense of self through sheer [[TheDeterminator force of will]]. Pandora was impressed enough by this that she helped the Shadow gain its own Light, turning it into Chrysalis, who was sent into the mortal world.]]
*** And then there's her OriginsEpisode, which shows her childhood [[spoiler: after being reborn]] and how she eventually became Queen of the Changelings by killing their previous Queen, Cocoon.
** The MLP fic ''[[http://thejboy88.deviantart.com/gallery/42768477 Shadows]]'' provides one for [[EvilOverlord King Sombra]]. He not only UsedToBeASweetKid [[spoiler: (Celestia's, in fact)]], but he actually [[ShadowArchetype wasn't all that different from Twilight]], being a kindhearted academic with a close-knit circle of friends. However, watching his father [[spoiler: Star Swirl the Bearded]] grow old and die, he became terrified by the thought of death, and obsessed with achieving immortality. This obsession led to him driving away his friends, [[ArcWelding creating the Alicorn Amulet]] to try and boost his power to god-like levels, and ultimately his MoralEventHorizon crossing of conquering the Crystal Empire.
** In ''FanFic/SplitSecondMyLittlePony'', Sparkle got her powers at age eight, discovered she could kill magically at nine, given a reason to dislike ponies at ten, created zombies by eleven, had her mentor die at twelve, ate her first soul at thirteen, and was abandoned (sort of) by her [[MoralityChain sister]].
* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' has several sidestories dedicated to this:
** Twenty Gyarados Bill Gaiden tells the story about how the title character went from a simple crewman in a fishing boat to the terror of coastal Johto. It all started with his crewmen giving him a Magikarp as a mocking gift and comparing him to it, calling him the "Magikarp of humans". [[AnalogyBackfire He took this to heart]] and decided that if he was the "Magikarp of humans", [[MagikarpPower then he'd become the "Gyarados of humans"]] and ensure that [[WhosLaughingNow nobody would ever laugh at him again]]. His rampages left such a mark in history, he was the reason why the six active Pokémon limit was established.
** Sabrina Gaiden starts with her as a 10-year-old discovering her psychic powers for the first time. Her father convinces her of [[ComesGreatResponsibility using her powers to help the townspeople]], which she gladly does. However, as time goes, people begin to take advantage of her kindness, which coupled with the fact that everyone lacks motivation to try and achieve greatness ends up disgusting her, ultimately driving her to make them change through fear.
** Mars Gaiden shows how she ended up joining Cyrus. After her parents died, she was taken in by her uncle and aunt, [[AbusiveParents who abused her both physically and verbally]]. The only reason she put up with it was because of her friend Kibou, with whom she shared the dream of becoming a trainer one day. [[spoiler: The story ends when Mars' uncle accidentally kills Kibou and plans to kill Mars and frame her for it, [[DespairEventHorizon which causes her to snap]] and kill him and his wife in turn.]] This ultimately drives her to join Cyrus and eventually become her most loyal follower in Team Galactic.
* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'':
** We also see this trope in another Madoka fanfic, ''FanFic/StarsAbove'' a crossover with ''Manga/LuckyStar''. [[spoiler:Homura first explains the Start Of Darkness of her timeline's Kagami in Chapter 3, but we see in happen via a WholeEpisodeFlashback in Chapter 9.]]
*** By the same author, there's ''FanFic/{{Respect}}'', [[spoiler:which shows how [[TheCutie the sweetest]], [[ShrinkingViolet most timid]] character of [[Anime/SmilePrettyCure her respective series]] goes from bully-bait to MagicalGirl to [[FaceHeelTurn rampaging villain]].]]
** In the doujin, [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/pool/show/2862 "I'm working at a mahou shoujo recruitment company, but I think I may be at my limit"]] by Momiji Mao (NSFW warning for ads, since the doujin in question is on Danbooru), Kyubey is a worker at a magical girl recruitment company and down on his luck, such that his boss is threatening to terminate him if he keeps dragging down the company. The only people who believe in him are his wife Kyuko, who is three months along with Kyubey's baby, and his work buddy Kyuzo, the only one in the workplace who knows he is trying his best. Bolstered by this, Kyubey works extra hard, even pulling all-nighters, and manages to get ''ten'' new magical girls into the fold. But then it's revealed that [[spoiler:not only did Kyuzo screw Kyubey over by taking all the credit for his accomplishments, but when Kyubey calls Kyuzo up and demands an explanation for this shit, that's when he (and we) learn that this isn't even the half of how Kyuzo's betrayed him -- Kyuzo is in bed with Kyuko when he gets the call, and it turns out that he's been banging her on the side for at least three months, because that kid that's three months along? It's not Kyubey's. With everything good in his life taken away from him in one fell swoop, Kyubey snaps and goes postal on everyone before burning his workplace down. He makes a resolution that the next time he meets someone, he should give them the same cruel lesson that he believes Kyuzo and everyone else were trying to teach him]].
* The WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures fic ''FanFic/QueenOfAllOni'', is all about Jade's [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Queen persona]] re-emerging, and her desire for power driving her further into the realm of dark magic. And then an EvilSorcerer kidnaps and [[ColdBloodedTorture tortures]], the PTSD from which [[SanitySlippage slowly drives her insane]], until she [[VillainousBreakdown snaps completely]] in the final chapters of the story.

* The Arcos Special in ''FanFic/SaviorOfDemons'' sees Frieza's entire origin story as a slow-burning buildup to something horrible that cements his canon persona and explains his hatred of Saiyans.
* ''FanFic/ShadowsAwakening'': [[OriginsEpisode Chapter 11]] details [[GreaterScopeVillain The Phantom]]'s origins — he was once a samurai named Kyosuke, who was the protege of the Emperor's High Shogun, but who grew unhappy with the fact that the Emperor is only ruler because of the supposed divine right of his ancestors, rather than any [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority real power]]. Because of this, when he was sent to infiltrate the Brotherhood of Shadows (the dark wizards who created the Shadowkhan), they were able to convince him to join them, becoming their leader, the Dark Champion. He then led them on a conquest of Japan, until he was [[CavalryBetrayal abandoned by Tarakudo]], and struck down by his former master. With his dying breaths, his [[ThePowerOfHate rage]] at Tarakudo's betrayal transformed his spirit into [[OurGhostsAreDifferent the Phantom]].
* In ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/SupermanOf2499TheGreatConfrontation'', Adam Kent broke a crook's hand smilingly when he was training for becoming the next Superman. His father took him aside, reprimanded him and punished him by giving his brother the ComicBook/{{Superboy}} outfit for four months. Adam felt his own father had turned on him and taken his birthright away, and started developing his "I WILL have my way or else" mindset.
* In ''Fanfic/ThroughADiamondSky'', Clu is a {{Jerkass}}, but not the dog-kicker of the film. At the end of the story, he's [[spoiler: turned the torture devices from the Resource Hog base into the "repurposing" racks and uses the captured Hogs as the first test subjects]].
** It's also the fact that he was jealous of his creator when it came to Jordan, saw that the Isos [[spoiler: could reproduce, and saw Kevin and Jordan being in awe of the new Iso child.]] Having Tron blow off his fears and scold him didn't help.
* There's a Website/{{Tumblr}} roleplay that crosses over ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' with the alluded-to-in-canon 1960s era of ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', which means that Magneto and Mystique's fall to villainy is played out right alongside, and in some cases interactively with, Ozymandias and Rorschach's own slides into AntiVillain status.
* {{Franchise/Transformers}} Mosaic: [[http://transformers-mosaic.deviantart.com/art/Way-to-Fall-141127129 Gave one to Abraham Dante, in "Way to Fall."]] A man who sought Immortality and Power even at the cost of his own humanity. He made a [[DealWithTheDevil deal with Skorponok]] for that immortality.
-->"And so little by little the monster inside his soul would wake up. Little by little he would change his outer appearance to match what his soul had gotten dark with: rage, hate, and fear..."
-->"That's the Story of a man... who wasn't."
* The Shadow Queen's journey FromNobodyToNightmare is told in two non-consecutive chapters of ''[[Fanfic/YuGiOhTheThousandYearDoor Yu Gi Oh! The Thousand Year Door: Redux]]''. The protagonists hear the first part in [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8130614/36/Yu-Gi-Oh-The-Thousand-Year-Door-Redux Chapter 36]] from a descendent of a survivor of her atrocities, and the Queen herself decides to tell them the rest later, in [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8130614/42/Yu-Gi-Oh-The-Thousand-Year-Door-Redux Chapter 42]]. It's a long, sad, tragic story that started with a poor beggar being neglected, losing her two brothers, and ending up making a DealWithTheDevil after falling into a DespairEventHorizon.
* Prior to the start of ''Fanfic/BlackWingsBlackSails'', William Laurence was just as he was in Temeraire canon- an honorable naval captain with a strong moral compass in the service of king and country. But the loss of his dragon and nearly being brought to partake in penal slavery, and being mutinied against over it, are what turn him over to fighting the slave trade through piracy.

He figured that had something to do with how his father turned out in later years. That, and the perpetual wall of NO his father had run into, every time he tried to sell his new theories of industry to the barons of commerce and manufacturing.
* ''Fanfic/FlatDreams'' is a Gravity Falls {{prequel}} fic written as a possible origin story for Bill Cipher. It is also a crossover- in this version, Bill is originally from Literature/{{Flatland}}.