When a blizzard descended upon the Crystal Empire, everypony felt their fear of the unknown return. Twilight and her friends were instantly on the next train, and found the Crystal Empire almost as if it had never been saved in the first place. Fortunately, the crystal ponies were standing strong against the onslaught, and their city was not in danger.

That did not mean Twilight was not in her own danger, as she walked the short distance to the protected part of the capital.

When the sky over the Crystal Empire is split open by a dark tear, Celestia, Cadance, Luna and Twilight must figure out a way to stop it. But in order to defeat darkness, sometimes you NEED darkness. And that leaves only one option; Sombra.

With his powers under lock down, and a growing connection to the strange darkness, can Sombra learn what it really takes to earn an empires respect, or will he abandon them to the darkness from another world?

UPDATED: Chapter one re-formatted, extra bits added, general tidying.

Edited by Dream Seeker!
Further helped into readableness by Hail King Sombra!

A mysterious journal of unknown origins, containing short entries that may help the Crystal Empire comprehend the true identity of the tyrannical king that once ruled over them, is discovered.

The surviving pages have been restored and made available for public viewing by the Crystal Empire Historical Society. Take your time and enjoy, but please keep your hooves off the parchment, or you will be escorted from the premises.

Life is full of surprises. That is a known fact. However, you always expect some kind of minor surprise, like your train arriving a little too late, or your ice-cream having vanilla taste rather than strawberry. But sometimes, life will give you surprises you could never predict. For Fluttershy, it was three little foals. But not her own foals, or even orphans. Three little foals that used to be her and her friends' most fearsome and dreaded foes.

Sombra, Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon.

Will Fluttershy's nerves survive this onslaught of misadventures? Will she keep the three villains hidden? Will she even become friends with them? Why do I sound like a narrator to a bad criminal drama? Don't think or try to answer those questions, just go ahead and read!

Edited by: MessoriaAQ, Cerulean Voice, Gidget_TheGear, Twilight Fashion

Cover art by amazing Missangest!

Cover art got featured on Drawfriend in EqD!
The story itself got proudly rejected by EqD!

His world collapsed. Everything he knew, believed and loved, everything he was, disappeared, swallowed by darkness of his own doing. This agony continued until a light dispersed the shadows, along with what was left of him. Knowing that leaving this world would be a fitting punishment for his crimes, he was ready to accept whatever was to come. However, by a cruel joke of the Universe, a twist of fate, or just a pure coincidence, he was given another chance, to redeem himself, to fix what was destroyed... Maybe even find a true love?

Her world was simple, filled with love for her friends and various creatures that always longed to be with her. While content with how peaceful her life was, one incident and a meeting changed the outlook she had. This one stallion helped her when she was in dire need, and now she wanted to repay his kindness, despite her initial fear of him, and unaware of him slowly becoming a constant to both her thoughts and her heart.

This is my very first story for "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" fandom. English isn't my native anguage, I'm not a shipper of any kind (I accept practically all pairings if they make sense to me), therefore my only request to readers is that you give this story a chance. I'm open-minded for constructive critique and will gladly answer any technical questions, should those arise.

Disclaimer: I do not own MLP:FiM or any character presentented in this story and I don't have any financial or material benefits from writing it.

The concept of Sombra's past and the crystal cutie mark on the cover belongs to StasySolitude. Vector of Fluttershy's cutie mark was made by Hawk9mm, and the background was made by Tollaner.

The story was inspired by this video: A tale of one shadow

The cover was put together by me!

Not long after the events of the Crystal Empire, Fluttershy discovers the remains of King Sombra's horn in a field while out on a picnic. She accidently releases the tyrant, only to find that he's weak and hurt. And so, unknown to her friends, the mare begins caring for the broken tyrant in hopes that she could maybe reform him...