When the energy of the Crystal Heart shattered the evil King Sombra's body, everypony thought the ruthless tyrant destroyed. But it is not so...

King Sombra was more prepared for defeat than anypony thought. Deep within the frozen arctic, the Crystal Tyrant revives his body and reconquers the Crystal Empire overnight, incapacitating both Shining Armor and Princess Cadance in the process. Sombra has also learned from his past mistakes, wreaking havoc when the Equestrians least expect it.

War is coming, and Sombra has no intention of losing a second time. It will take all the strength of Twilight, her friends, and many of their previous enemies to stem the tides of darkness and stop King Sombra once and for all. And this time, the Power of Friendship may not be enough.

Rated T for some depictions of war violence and gore, along with some swearing.

Cover Art is not mine. It was borrowed with permission from KyssS90 on DeviantART.

After years of occult and magical studies, sifting through tomes of arcane lore and obscure history and myth, Twilight Sparkle arrives at a conclusion to her journey: an ancient, reconstructed ritual to try and penetrate the veil between her and the ultimate truths of the universe. Proposed background story fic for a picture by Equestria-Prevails

The Crystal Empire is saved. The Crystal Heart is back in it's rightful place. Princess Cadence has been restored to the throne, and the Crystal Ponies have regained their peaceful lifestyle.

So how and why did former-king Sombra survive the blast that should have killed him?

King Sombra was not killed after "The Crystal Empire". You cannot kill that which isn't alive, after all. Instead he was reduced to a mere shadow of what he once was, barely clinging to life. But now, months after the Crystal Heart nearly destroyed him, Sombra is back for vengeance upon the ponies who thwarted him. Focusing his wrath on Twilight Sparkle, the Shadows King leaves Twilight with precious little time to solve the mystery of the mysterious force terrorizing Ponyville... And making her friends disappear, one by one...

Equestria has fallen to a plague, a plague of rampant death where the ones who die refuse to stay down. The corpses instead seeking out the warmth of the living with their only desire being to end it.

Twilight Sparkle is the final survivor of Ponyville's total infection. When her resources run low she manages to escape town, but not before falling ill to the sickness as well. As her vision begins to fade, her legs to weak to keep her standing, the mare sees a shooting star streak across the sky. With little hope in her body the mare makes a wish, a wish for someone to end this plague.

After being imprisoned once again for hundreds of years, Discord has had plenty of time to think.

What had he done to deserve this? How had he ended up in this situation again? He did everything right this time (literally becoming one of the good guys, with no ulterior motives). They still feared him. They still hated him. And in his moment of weakness, an old personality resurfaces. A personality that even Discord had struggled to put away, in hopes that it would never return...

Awesome Art By Ziom05

When Twilight is attacked and nearly killed by a madpony claiming to be her brother, she, the Princesses, and the rest of the Elements of Harmony find themselves saddled with a shellshocked soldier who would like nothing less than to end her life. While they help him adjust to normal life, he makes his story known - and what he claims causes them no end of worry.

It has been one of the closest guarded secrets of Canterlot's royalty. Deep in a specially constructed dungeon, surrounded by warding spells and powerful magic barriers, exists an enigma. Within a cage that could only be described as something out of a nightmare, it waits and watches all of Equestria. A creature that cannot age, is immune to disease, does not thirst nor hunger, and resists all injury. But, it also holds secrets and knowledge that could safeguard the kingdom. Its powers are frightening, but it is civil enough for debate when patience permits.

Princess Celestia has sought counsel with the creature before, enduring it making deal after deal for its services. The Princess walks a fine line when dealing with it, knowing full well anything could give it an advantage despite its imprisonment. She has had to go back on her word in these dealings, and from this a deep animosity between them has been born. It is a necessary evil as she is convinced this is a being capable of untold evil far and above anything Equestria has ever dreamed of. So long as it remains within the confines of its cell, her kingdom is made safe. So much magic has been woven to ensure that, there is little chance of escape.

So long as the magic holds, there is no danger. So long as the cage remains strong, the nameless creature stays enthralled in his cavernous dwelling. If that were to change--if the magic failed--not even the wisest could say. But one thing is assured, it does not bode well for Equestria.

A year has passed since the terrible accident that claimed Rarity's life and Twilight Sparkle's sanity. Spike and his remaining friends have tried to put the past behind them, but when a revelation about their demented friend comes to light, they have no choice but to confront the corrupted Element of Magic. They hold Equestria's fate, for if they fail to save their friend, Twilight will enact an apocalyptic genocide upon the ponies she used to know and love, dooming them all to a fate far worse than death.

This is a sequel to my story Friends Forever. It is highly suggested you read that one before this one, as it details Twilight's descent into insanity and how the current situation came about.

Cover image by xX-Mr-No-Name-Xx

Death is the end. Once you die that’s it. There’s nothing. Driven by the desire to confront the mare who killed him, Sombra makes his return known at the doorstep of the Ponyville library. As the battle between Sombra and Twilight intensifies, a second motivation behind Sombra’s attack comes to light. This ulterior motive threatens not just Ponyville, but Equestria as a whole. They say death is the end of life, but for some, it’s only the beginning.

Cover art provided by: Valkyrie-girl
Art used with permission