As the eternal regent of Equestria, Princess Celestia's knowledge of magic is without equal. Over her long life, only a few gifted ponies who had a great destiny before them have had the honor of learning at her side. Sunset Shimmer was one such pony: one of Celestia’s best and most promising students. As she learned at Celestia’s hooves, their bond strengthened until they became far more than student and teacher to one another.

Sometimes those closest to us are the ones who can hurt us the most.

[Note: This story does not directly tie into Equestria Girls]

Ever since she stopped Sombra and saved the Crystal Empire, Twilight Sparkle has taken an interest in dark magic. Princess Celestia catches wind of her student's interests, and tells her exactly why dark magic is not to be trifled with.

Image was used with permission.

This story is a sequel to Lost into Shadow

The impossible has happened, through all the pain and darkness, Twilight Sparkle succeeded in her impossible mission...mostly. King Sombra is still plenty rough around the edges, but despite being an old dog he's making an effort to learn new tricks. Where will this new way of life take him? He has absolutely no idea, but with his queen to guide him, what could possibly go wrong?

This story is a sequel to Lost into Shadow

Twilight has failed, or rather, she has succeeded. Her darkness is her power, and together with her husband, Queen Twilight has a new plan for all of Equis. The black castle rises to greater power than has ever been seen before. War is brewing while alliances are forged and others are broken. The days of harmony are dead and gone, and all the world will be forced to mobilize against the might of the Nightmare Hordes. Will they prevail in the faces of Wrath and Despair? Do they have any hope of someday returning to a time of peace and love?
....
........
Not a chance, because in Chapter 1, Hope dies.

Twilight had reached her peak, she was at the happiest point in her young life. The day of her coronation as Equestria's newest princess had finally arrived. Then the unthinkable happened, Sombra appears in the throne room alive and well demanding his chance to be reformed by pony society. The unthinkable happens again, when his wish is granted, spearheaded by none other than Princess Twilight herself. Will Sombra's nefarious plans bring her to ruin, or will she succeed against all odds? Only time can tell as it reminds them both that plans have a way of changing all on their own.

Twilight Sparkle wasn't a pony who adapted to change easily. Was that the reason that, now that her home had been destroyed, she was having trouble sleeping? Was it the hard, unfamiliar bed? The harsh shadows of the castle walls?
Or was it something deeper? Something darker?
As she wanders through the moonlit streets of Ponyville, Twilight is paid a visit by another troubled soul. Perhaps together they can find some solace in the aftermath.

Art commissioned by the lovely and talented Northern Cross. Find more of her work here.
Editing service provided by Imperial Bedlam, to whom I am eternally grateful.
Special thanks to Jack and Lynn Keefe for prereading.

Ta-dah! No more shipping! Should never have included it in the first place, to be honest.

Octavia feels trapped in a rut. Lyra pulls her out with a bit of help from Vinyl Scratch.

After the defeat of Tirek, Equestria is safe once more, but Luna can sense that her sister is troubled. When Celestia retreats to the starry realm of ascension in order to look upon the past, Luna joins her to discover what is bothering her.

There is now a Spanish translation of this story, courtesy of Spaniard Kiwi

Hop and Step and a "May I have this dance?"
This is the world's end. Shall we do the "one, two"?

Once upon a night, a certain filly took a walk by the stars, leaving behind the chaos and lies she had grown used to, and in a quiet and hidden field discovered something unexpected both about the secret place she'd found, and about herself as well.

----
One-shot written on a stroke of random inspiration. Is in the same universe as Not-So Voiceless.