King Sombra survived his defeat, but just. By the time he returned to form, Twilight became the newest princess of Equestria and the Crystal Empire was restored to its former glory.

He cannot take over Equestria the same way he tried before, but he has a card up his sleeve. Twilight won't see it coming, and Sombra might gain a powerful ally in the process.

And it will all begin...with a book.

Edits on Chapter 1 done with the help of TempesttheDragnix.

Major props to InuHoshi-to-DarkPen for letting me use this. That artist is really good.

Sombra had always been a good child. He never did anything wrong intentionally, and was always ready to help others. Then one day, he snapped. He fell down to the darkness, and he slowly turned into the ruler he became.
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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...

"Sombra?"
"What?"
"I'm pregnant."
"...What."

Pinkie decides to prank Sombra on April Fools just to poke some fun at him, but her plan backfires when his reaction isn't what she thought it'd be.

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.

Prince Sombra has just inherited the crystal empire from his late Father. The young Prince is grief stricken but tries to find happiness in his dark times. Having the Grand Galloping Gala going on in Canterlot seems like the best place to go for a good time. Upon arriving he surprise to see the reason why his family never went to these sort of things. Many believe that this is the last Gala that King Dawnbreaker will be alive for. His two daughters Celestia and Luna are suspected to be have begun training in the art of raising the day and night. With the entertainment of the evening being a barbaric circus run by slaves, Sombra tries to save the performers afterwards from their life of misery. He fails to safe them all but he does manage to save one. A young changeling. Taking her away and inserting her into his daily life, she soon becomes a close friend to him. Eventually Sombra starts to feel that there is something more between them. What fallows is a tale of passion which leads to many changes in the life of the young prince. Sombra spirals down the path of blind love not caring what may happen.
"Love can sometimes blind us to reason. Which leads to insanity."

The depths of Luna's loneliness drive her to create a creature that never should have been. But the nature of her companion, and the dark methods used to create it, may lead Celestia to commit an unforgivable deed of her own...

Written for World-Building Alliance's January Writing Contest. Credit, as always, to NorsePony, for his wonderful editing work.

Unsettling dreams are starting to worry Princess Luna. She is positive these dreams hold an ominous portent for all of Equestria, but there is only one stallion who knows for certain the answers she seeks. King Sombra has been imprisoned again in Shadow since his defeat and the shattering of his body, but he is no less cunning and ruthless. And as Luna tries to interrogate him over time, she finds there is a softer side to the unicorn king, one nopony has seen before. But Celestia fears for her younger sister, warning Luna against Sombra's advances. Is the once-tyrant truly starting to court Princess Luna...or is she simply being used as a pawn in his plans to regain power?
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Cover art by the amazing MickeyMonster, who has permitted me use of it for this fanfiction, as this image inspired me to write this story in the first place.
Edited and proofread by my girls TheOneBehindYou and LabyrinthineMind.

8tracks playlist: https://8tracks.com/yoru-the-rogue/lingering-shadows

On a dark night filled with even darker magics, an insane cult attempts to give Nightmare Moon a body and life of her own, utterly separate from Princess Luna. But, when the spell is interrupted by Celestia, something unexpected is created.

Now, a little black alicorn filly named Nyx finds herself living under the care of Twilight Sparkle, only to be haunted by memories and emotions from her past. Is she Nightmare Moon reborn or is she simply a doppelganger with a soul and mind of her own? Can Twilight Sparkle protect Nyx from those who refuse to see past her dragon eyes and black coat?

Or, will Nyx be forced to inherit the sins that may not even be hers and become the greatest evil Equestria has ever known?

It has been more than five hundred years since Twilight first arrived by chariot on that life-changing day, and Princess Twilight Sparkle still resides in Ponyville at the Golden Oaks library. But with the deaths of her closest friends still weighing down on her, she makes a decision that not only affects her life, but the ponies around her.

Marked teen due to thematic elements.

Edited by retroman000 and Espeon_in_the_Morning and pre-read by Unoriginal and FLUTTERSHY2424.
Cover image by Neko-me. Previous cover art by AppleAlba.