Every citizen of the Crystal Empire seemed to go through memory loss after the 1,000 years banishment. What if King Sombra did as well?

Celestia has often looked to the furthest edges of her kingdom when watching for dangers. Sometimes, she may even journey there, just to make sure things are on the up and up. Today, she goes to, of all places, the former village of Starlight Glimmer. But it is not the mare herself she has come to see, but the village's newest resident, who is not as unfamiliar to her as might first appear.

A three arced story that begins slowly as partially Comedy and Slice of life and rotates more towards Adventure and Dark in later chapters.

Some school fillies have to deal with school crushes. Others with bullies. Sometimes they have to deal with both. But no filly has ever had to deal with an Evil Tyrant being bound to their shadow and have the power to control their every action. This, of course, seems to be no big deal for Sweetie Belle who seems to even enjoy the stallion's company. Though the feelings aren't mutual. The small filly reminds the old king too much of a filly he used to know... Though it's strange the only place he'd seen her before are in these strange dreams of his. Recollections of a past he can't remember.

Perhaps Sweetie Belle will awake in him that version of himself before he was a Tyrant. Before he was labeled evil. A time from when he was a father. Perhaps she will help him forgive.

First featured on 9/4/2014!

The cover art was sketched by me and colored by the very talented Midnight Sonare

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!

Sombra appears in the common society of Canterlot. Needless to say, not very many people know who he is, and not very many guards do, either. In a sense, he's hiding in plain sight. Still the stallion who tried to take over a kingdom and cause nothing but purest suffering for the residents.

And he runs into Fluttershy...

"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. ))

Takes place in an alternate universe where Celestia and Luna used the Elements of Harmony to slay King Sombra.

Celestia and Luna are no more. The sun and moon have collided, and the heavens torn asunder in the aftermath of their final battle. The Elements of Harmony are missing, presumed forever lost. The fiends of Tartarus are on a rampage, and no one can stop them. And to make things perfect, the ruler of the nation of Boardor has decided to invade.
Desperate, Clover the Clever's last living student gathers together 108 virgin mares, in order to perform a ritual that will revive King Sombra. They succeed... kinda.
A human, in King Sombra's body, suddenly finds himself in an Equestria in a downward spiral with a bunch of technicolor ponies begging him to save them. Convinced that he's either dreaming, stoned, or insane, he tries to go along with it as best he can, although the voice in his head, a very angry voice with a hunger for conquest, crystals, slavery, and stairs, isn't doing much to instill confidence in his own sanity...

New Cover Art By Shadow Bolt!

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.

While going to meet her new niece in the Crystal Empire, Twilight Sparkle discovered King Sombra's horn and nearly recovered essence in his study beneath the castle. Still weakened, he was captured and transported to the Canterlot dungeons.

Seeing an opportunity, Princess Celestia enlisted Twilight (the one who outwitted his traps and then discovered him) and Fluttershy (who reformed Discord) to try to bring out the good in Sombra.

However, just as they seem to be making some progress, things take a turn for the strange, as four ponies they had never seen before began fighting in the streets with Dark Magic. Four ponies with unusual coloring, yet who seem oddly familiar...

An homage to the artist/author Evehly and their story 'Shy Can See'. Cover art by Evehly, as well.

After a terrible storm sweeps through the Everfree, Fluttershy finds the weakened but still powerful King Sombra on her doorstep. Unable to resist his dark magic, she finds herself trapped by a spell that forces her to aid him, protect him, and heal him until he is strong once more, all while keeping his revival a secret from her friends. Unwilling to risk bringing her friends into the situation and endanger them, Fluttershy decides on a riskier tactic

If she could reform Discord, why not the Tyrant of the Crystal Empire. After all, with his spell keeping her from betraying his presence, it might be her only hope. Can she kill the Dark King with Kindness? Or will the ancient sorcerer once more stretch his shadow across Equestria?

Author: "I reserve the right to potentially bump up the rating depending on where this goes."

Edit: Wow, Featured Box twice? I guess people really like Sombrashy. 7/15/2016
Edit: Featured again! 9/3/2016

Coverart by the magnificent Evehly