Thematic crossover. Knowledge of source material unnecessary, but welcome.
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"Dear Ditzy,

Sorry I haven't written to you in a while. I know you haven't been at peace since you moved out. How's the kid? Is Carol City treating you alright?

Moving there might have been a mistake. I doubt you can get much work there nowadays. But don't worry, I found something perfect for you. There's a nice place over at 45 Starling Avenue, waiting for a delivery. You'll need to wear something discreet. It's in the package I included with this letter.

Hope you have a great time!

Hugs and kisses,
Red Stamp
Assistant Manager, EQUESTRIA DELIVERY SERVICE CLIENT SUPPORT"

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THE GORE TAG IS HERE FOR A REASON. THIS IS ON PAR WITH THE GAMES. It probably gets old faster, though.

Thematic crossover with the Hotline Miami game series. This story employs soundtrack links in the chapters. They occasionally break.

Things will get messy. Jacket will not have sex with the main protagonist.

Collaboration with Dark Avenger. Special thanks to several other people who aren't really here at Fimfiction.

Twilight Sparkle is and always will be a delightful and intelligent fraulein. However, when a cult of unicorns who fervently support the Return of King sombra took interest to her, things quickly got out-of hoof.
Day by day, Twilight gained strength, studied the Darkest magics known, and even fell in love with the unicorn mentoring her in these ancient and terrifying arts. She became isolated from her friends, and began to prepare to betray the country she once loved, in the name of glory and the pursuit of power.
This is no fairy tale. There will be war, there will be battle, there will be death, and there will be blood. There will also be romance, ballroom dancing, kisses under the moonlight, and most delightful of conversations too.

Searching for any records King Sombra may have left behind, Twilight learned of the shadowy king's tragic past. However, she also discovered his horn, in which his mind and remaining power were contained. Determined to learn how to use his Dark Magic for Good, Twilight brought Sombra back to Ponyville with her. After all, what could he possibly do as a horn? ...Or will he stay that way?

Edited by Darth Vendar and Myrkur
Inspired by Issue #1 of FIENDship is Magic
Gore tag just to be safe.

Edit 06/15/23: Now in the top 2K stories on the site, by rating! Thank you all!

Unease whispered over her coat, like the shadowy kiss of a dark spell just before it struck. There! Power. So faint she barely felt it, as if the heavy rain like a blanket of silver muffled its strength. Yet it felt astonishingly familiar in a way she couldn't describe. Who is the strange unicorn stallion that has come to Ponyville looking for Twilight Sparkle?

When King Sombra returns, a shadow of his former self, he must work to recover his memories and discover what horrible creature did this to him before exacting his vengeance. Now, Twilight Sparkle has to find a way to save her assistant from his own nightmares.

Inspired (loosely) by:
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
and,
Bram Stoker's Dracula

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This is sort of an experimental fic for me. I started writing this a few months ago when I was reading some darker stories from the period of Romanticism for my English class. It's experimental because, I'm trying to recreate the same style of literary writing from the period of Romanticism. Lots of emotion and spontaneity essentially. Whether or not this works, I don't know. This story is probably going to get a lot of hate because of this writing style but, if you would be kind enough to tell me what you didn't like instead of me just assuming you're a random troll, that'd be great.
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NOTE: Some of the scenes in this story are not going to be so much filled with gore, but more just disturbing, so read at your own discretion. Or don't. I'm not the boss of you.

Celestia is dying. Or at least it seems so. Afflicted with a curse that is destroying her very nature, she sets a plan in action.
The Bearers of the Elements of Harmony will take the throne in her wake... Not that they know that yet...

(Takes place as an Alternate Season 3)

An alternate ending to the evil ending to Kiss of the Dark by Soothing Stone. King Sombra survived the attack from princesses and fled his castle with the Queen of Shadows, his wife Twilight Sparkle. This is the story of how they rebuild their empire and overthrow Celestia and Luna.

Love is the most sacred of magics, possessed by all but commanded by few. It is the driving force behind life in Equestria, the lifeblood of pony civilization.

But when a new kind of magic arrives in Equestria, it is up to its bearer, Twilight Sparkle, to decide its fate...
or perhaps it's up to the magic to decide hers.

Featured on Equestria Confidential: 8/30/2013

Special Thanks to iOctavia for being an awesome bro and prereading for me! He also does writing of his own, so go check him out!~
<New Coverart provided by: Link>
<Old Coverart found here: Link>

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.

Slight AU ending to "Friendship Is Magic" part 2. What if, immediately following the defeat of Nightmare Moon, the Mane Six's new connection to the reactivated Elements of Harmony triggered a transformation in the six heroines, causing them all to be upgraded to alicorn status? Can they learn to master their new alicorn powers? And how will Equestria act in general to the emergence of these six new alicorns?

Cover art by parfywarfy