It wasn't long after Sombra's defeat that he was found in the outskirts of the frozen north, regenerated from his dismembered horn, but too weak to do anything more than stay in hiding and hope to make a full recovery. Princess Celestia was swiftly alerted of his re-appearance, and the dethroned king was dragged away from the north to be kept prisoner in the Canterlot Castle.

After weeks of planning, the princess called Fluttershy to Canterlot and bestowed upon her the task of reforming yet another foe. If there was anypony who could have some influence on such a vile overlord, it was her.

Fluttershy, however, wasn't nearly as certain of herself. Discord was so much different; he was so much easier. Back then, she had the elements of harmony at her disposal. but now, living in the Canterlot Castle with not a fellow element for miles, King Sombra was an entirely different story.

This fic is a redo of the first fanfic I've ever posted on Fimfiction.
Editor: m1ntf4n. Shower him with much love and admiration.

I deserve no forgiveness. If I could take it back, well... I would never have met her. Somepony who could forgive me. I think. Look, it confuses me so stop asking!

I hate him and what he did to the Crystal Ponies is something I will never forgive. So why is it that I care when ponies scorn him? When they hurt him, why does it make me cry? When I see him, why does my heart skip?

Is it just me or has Twilight gone crazy? Dude's a jerk.

Can we please change the subject?

Author's Note: Other is flagged due to the character flag limit. Expect Cadance, Shining Armor, Luna, and Discord at least!

King Sombra has taken back the Crystal Empire and imprisoned both Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Any day now, Shining expects word of their scheduled executions. When Sombra comes and asks for a single one of them for retribution, the heroic stallion offers himself without hesitation. Now he only wished he listened to the whole endeavor before volunteering.

(WARNING: May contain words, sentences, and indented paragraphs that may not be to one's liking.)

Sombra,waking and again finding himself inside the ice cold prison finds he has not been locked up alone...

A tale of friendship, love, madness, heartbreak and of course, the darkness inside us all that waits for just the right moment to consume us.

"Learning to trust your instincts is a valuable lesson to learn."

Mere months after the events of "A Canterlot Wedding," the memories of cold shoulders and dismissals remain fresh in Twilight Sparkle's mind, which causes her to question her ability to face the next task that Princess Celestia bestows upon her.

Alone, she must find a way to protect an entire empire. She's afraid and unprepared, but when a mysterious stallion lends a hoof to her success, she soon discovers a friendship that threatens to blossom into something much greater.

(6/9/2016): Made it to the "Featured" page again! You're so awesome, guys!

(( "Of Magic and Masquerades" is the first story in the Crucibles of Harmony series. It is an alternate take on "The Crystal Empire," with some alternate events from Season 3 and minor Twilight/Sombra shipping. ))

The Bearers of the Elements of Harmony failed to stop Sombra in time from getting into the Crystal Empire and acquiring the Crystal Heart. Now the Crystal Empire is ruled over by a tyrannical unicorn, that will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Equestria is on the brink of war, and the only ones who can stop the evil king of the Crystal Empire, are six mares. Those six mares are the Element Bearers, but can they use the elements while one of their own is missing and in fact within their enemy's grasp?
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This story is a pickup from Pat_Hoof_5000, with his generous permission of course. I aim to finish what he started.

Collab with the awesome pony known as LightningBass94

That Romance tag isn't there for the reason you probably think it is.
Also, this story was added into groups that it no longer fits into. It was added to these groups by the previous author.

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?
....
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Not a chance, because in Chapter 1, Hope dies.

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?

King Sombra, the tyrant of Crystal Empire is back, only to be imprisoned by princesses and put through reformation with Twilight Sparkle as his teacher. Can somepony with heart as black as night be reformed? Twilight believes so. Sombra in other hoof isn't so sure but something in that mare makes him try.

This is going to be one of my longest stories this far. Marked Teen for sexual innuendo and slightly gory-ish scenes. Nothing too bad though. Also this will not be a story that deserves a dark marking.

For now I'd like to thank Alun Aleriksson, pony of change, Microshazm and Sidetrack for helping with the grammar and overall writing in general. Thank you so much.

Cover art by lorekhearts.

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.