A crystal pony thinks back to the time before King Sombra's reign, when he was a normal and she was his very special somepony.

Rated teen for suggested violence.

At the height of the Dark Crystal Empire, the King of Shadows sits down to do his accounts, because even a totalitarian dictatorship cannot suppress taxponies.

But as he tries desperately to get through the impenetrable paperwork, Sombra finds himself the victim of a magically manifesting bird. Because of course he does.

I have no idea why I wrote this.

Made as a birthday present for the magnificent Evehly.

The Crystal War. A battle so long and brutal that it has shaped an entire era of righteous bloodshed. Ponies don't have slumber parties, or read bedtime stories to their foals, or even so much as smile. And when they do smile, it's the kind of smile that would keep ponies of a more peaceful era awake for days.

The madness of Sombra and his slave army claims lives every day. Soldiers in service to Celestia fight tirelessly to hold onto even a shred of what Equestria used to be. Its citizens do everything they can to feed the bloody machine, from canning food to holding funerals.

And at the heart of it all, there stand three mighty warriors. They have lost a great deal to this war, though none of them know just how much. What they do know is that they made promises back home, and they are not in the habit of breaking promises. No matter the cost.

This is the story of Iron Wing and the Demolition Crew.

*Contains spoilers for Skylanders Academy season 1-3, if you want to avoid spoilers, do not read further.*

*I couldn't find a tag for Skylander's Academy or just Skylanders, so Spyro The Dragon will have to do.*

Dark Spyro, friend, enemy, loyal comrade, traitor, good, evil, friendly, hostile, he no longer knows, at first things were simple, go undercover and when the time was right, strike.

And then he failed, his cover was blown and he was driven to madness by Strykore, he was captured and then in his anger, he attacked Spyro after they were split, he failed again and almost died in the process.

Dark Spyro now finds himself somewhere unknown, freezing and badly wounded, he no longer feels Strykore's influence in his mind and he no longer knows his place, or where he belongs, he only has two goals in mind, survive, and make things better with his friends, if they even see him as one anymore.

But maybe, just maybe, this strange place could be just what he needs to at least try, he knows he might fail, but that no longer matters to him, a second chance was given to him, and he will do what he can with it.

*There are three what if scenarios that this is based off of, so if you haven't watched season 3 to its completion, i recommend you do so before reading.*

Wendigos are such a nuisance. Because of those detestable monsters, the three southern pony tribes are at each other's throats and are utterly miserable.

We can't feed on that.

Luckily, there is a fourth tribe, far away in the frozen north. These so-called 'Crystal Ponies' surround their home in an aura of light and love, radiating from the largest love crystal in the world!

My name is Carina, and I am an Infiltrator sent to secure the Crystal Heart for my queen. Failure means the end of my hive. Failure is not an option.

Set in the Pandemic Universe (which existed well before the very real pandemic and this is in no way shape or form related to that) and takes place after the original story, though that’s not required to read.

All dreams start somewhere. For most night ponies, they start in the dreamscape itself, but that's not always the case for all. Two months after the ETS Pandemic changed the world forever, a bright, optimistic dream starts, whether the ponies responsible for it realized it or not. While some choose to cling to the past, some choose to leave it behind. This is the story of one of those ponies, Silver Eclipse, crafter of dreamscapes and dreams. In the waking world he helped create a dream called Oasis, a place where dreams can come true. But all dreams start somewhere, and this is the story of where that dream started, and the very special pony without whom it would never have happened.

Halira's stories, What you are Meant to Be and Picking up the Pieces offer some expanded night pony lore which introduce and expand on some of the concepts in this story, but it's not necessary to read. The original story is also recommended if you'd love to learn more about this universe.

Special thanks to:
ASGeek2012
Halira
Lawra
ModernSilver
FlutterJackdash
Javarod,
and
Alias_The_J

for offering much needed feedback and advice over the course of writing this story.

This is a rewrite of my very first story, and definitely my passion project as of right now. Any feedback or comments would be greatly appreciated, even if it's just something simple or small. Thanks!

King Sombra knows he is losing.

The Crystal Empire is about to fall to Equestria, and he can do nothing about it.

Or can he? Preparing his last resort spell, he steels himself to do what may be the hardest thing in his life. He will endure the passages of time. He will persevere.

For he is King Sombra.

An entry in Imposing Sovereigns III, using the prompt King Sombra/Perseverance, maybe even Determination.

Submitted as part of the 'Shining Armor is a Terrible Dad 2024' contest.

My first ever Featured Story!

Featured on 2-24-24 and 2-25-24, Thank you for your support!

Cadance wants Shining Armor to spend more time with their daughter, Flurry Heart. The results aren't what was expected.

Filly in a potentially dangerous situation

35 years ago, Princess Twilight Sparkle along with her companion Spike saved the Crystal Empire from Sobra’s return; or at least that’s what every pony thinks, including Buck Saphire, just an ordinary police officer trying to make it through the holidays. That is until he stumbled into Ruby Study, a quirky mare who is on a mission; a mission that may change reality itself. Could this be the last Hearth’s Warming ever?

Written for TCC56 for Jinglemas 2022

Cover by Mist

This story is a sequel to Play Date

Written as a second submission of the "Shining Armor is a Terrible Dad 2024" Contest

Flurry Heart has grown to love her play dates with her dad, but as she's gotten older, their adventures have gotten more dangerous, much to Cadance's dismay.