There's 'Rumpelstiltskin'. The miller's daughter is put in a very difficult situation where she has to guess the name of the strange little man or lose her child. It creates a sense of tension and unease. And in 'Snow - White and the Seven Dwarfs', the queen's jealousy drives her to try and kill Snow - White in various cruel ways, which is also a bit dark for a kids' story.
A well - known dark kids story is 'Hansel and Gretel'. The children are abandoned in the forest by their parents because of poverty, and then they face the danger of being eaten by the witch in the gingerbread house. It has elements of fear and survival. Also, 'The Red Shoes' is quite dark. The girl is forced to dance continuously in the red shoes and can't stop until she has her feet cut off.
One example is 'The Little Match Girl' by Hans Christian Andersen. It's a rather dark story as the little girl is freezing and starving in the cold, seeing visions as she tries to sell matches and finally dies. Another is 'Bluebeard' which involves a man with a very dark secret in his locked room. His new wife's curiosity leads her to discover his horrible past.
One example could be a story about a haunted house where a family moves in and strange, terrifying things start to happen at night. They hear unexplained noises, see shadowy figures, and slowly start to lose their sanity.
In the story of 'Jane Eyre', Jane was neglected as a child at her aunt's house. She was treated unfairly, locked in the red - room as a form of punishment, and made to feel like an outcast among her cousins. The neglect she faced as a child influenced her character development throughout the story.
Some calm kids stories are 'Hansel and Gretel'. It has elements of adventure as the two children try to find their way back home after being left in the forest. 'Snow White' is also a well - known one. It has a princess, dwarfs, and a wicked queen, and it's a story full of morals. Then there's 'Cinderella' which is about a kind - hearted girl who overcomes hardships and gets her happy ending.
A Dark MLP story might involve a villain who has found a way to corrupt the Elements of Harmony. This could lead to chaos as the ponies struggle to regain control of these powerful artifacts and restore balance to their world. For instance, the villain could use the corrupted elements to turn the ponies against each other, creating a lot of internal conflict and despair in Equestria.
Here is one: 'Lost love, forever in pain.' Another could be 'Murdered dreams, silent screams.' And 'Lonely soul, end in the dark.'
In The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Frollo's obsessive and cruel nature towards Esmeralda is quite dark. He represents religious extremism and lust, which are dark themes. His actions of trying to hunt down Esmeralda because of his 'forbidden' desires are part of the story's darkness.
One example could be a story where a furry character is ostracized from their community because they have a strange marking that is seen as a bad omen. This leads to their journey of self - discovery in a cruel world.
In the Grimm's Fairy Tales, there are many such stories. For instance, 'Hansel and Gretel' where the two children are abandoned in the forest by their parents because of poverty. They then face the danger of the witch who wants to eat them. This shows the dark side of a childhood filled with abandonment and the threat of death.
A super dark story might involve a family that moves into a new house. Little by little, they notice that things keep disappearing. One day, the youngest child starts talking to an 'imaginary friend'. But it turns out this friend is a malevolent spirit that was once a victim of a murder in the house long ago. The spirit begins to torment the family, driving them to the brink of madness.
One example is 'Wuthering Heights'. Heathcliff and Catherine's love is dark. Their passion is mixed with revenge and envy. Heathcliff is treated poorly as a child, and his love for Catherine turns into a dark obsession after she marries another. Another is 'The Phantom of the Opera'. The Phantom's love for Christine is dark as he tries to control her life in the name of love.