Thanks to some sound business practices and some well invested bribes, bit monger and CEO of C.E. Gem & Steam "Princess" Cadance runs her multi-million bit empire from the comfort and privately owned Crystal City. Life as never been better for the young CEO but some bad ponies from the "Workers Fair Treatment" or WTF committee are once again trying to ruin her fun.

How will Cadance stand firm against against this evil committee and the rising number of ponies wanting more than one break?

More importantly how much is this going to cost?

Out in the blistering cold plains of the Frozen North, hundreds of changelings search for one pony.

Queen Chrysalis has never been quite sure of herself, despite what she would have her subjects believe. Now, if she can find this one pony, maybe she can get an answer to the one question that has haunted her for her entire life: Am I a monster? Then things start to go wrong. Insubordination, a Crystal Guard member appears, the one pony is found, and that pony has taken a changeling hostage.

The worst part is that one pony is none other than King Sombra, the Tyrant of Fear.

This is a love story of two supposed villians who fell in innocent love long ago and ruined each other's lives and the lives of countless more

This story is being edited by Lab, a great person who has greatly improved my writing. (Can I get a couple more greats in there?)

The fantastic cover art was created for this story by TheMaiah and I truly can't thank him enough for that.

Tags may change as the story progresses.

Also, I am a very slow writer. Sorry.

The Crystal Empire was once an open and welcoming place for all ponies to come and go as they please. But from the number of serious threats to the life of Princess Cadence, it has had to expand its defenses, becoming a sprawling urban jungle separated by massive walls.

This fortification could not have come a moment too soon. With the appearance of a strange unicorn, commanding an army of armored ghosts referred to as "Phantom Stallions", it is up to Cadence and Shining Armour to rally the greatest heroes the empire has ever seen to prevent it from falling into the hands of evil.

The Siege of the Crystal Empire has begun.

Under the guiding hoof of their newly-crowned monarch, King Sombra, prosperity and love flourish in the lands of the Crystal Empire. With peace spanning half a century, most ponies have forgotten the true terror sleeping behind the forbidden boundaries of the northern wastelands.

However, rumblings of a powerful threat from the borderlands have alerted key ponies in the Empire. The tepid peace between the two nations begins to waver as the embittered changelings prepare for war.

With the kindling in place and the flint struck, the mettle of kings and countryponies are taken to their limits, testing just how far each one is willing to go for their homeland.

Foreword: Due to some confusion noted by several people, I will clarify here that this story takes place in the original time of the Crystal Empire (after Discord's original reign but before Nightmare Moon's first iteration.)

Thanks go out to my wonderful editor, nucnik

Preread by Brony Hectic

Additional help from Regocomics

Cover art commission done by the amazing Ryuku the Creative (aka Mytatsur). Be sure to check out his works!

Please leave a rating and a comment! I love to hear from all of you readers out there! If you do dislike it, please give me a reason why. I can use your feedback to improve myself!

Over one thousand years ago, the Crystal Kingdom Empire was ruled by the cruel and feared King Umbra. Yet even though the King had everything that a pony could desire, he craved more. Jealousy swelled in his dark heart, and one insane decree turned his once peaceful empire into a kingdom of chaos and panic, and two guards alone risk everything they have to save a lone orphaned colt from the pain and misery that Umbra had brought upon their once-fair home.

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While watching the Season 3 premier, I noticed that none of the Crystal Ponies have wings or horns - they were all Crystal Earth ponies. This is my headcanon as to why that is!

To the rest of the world, one thousand years was a long time for the Crystal Empire to disappear. For the locals, it was merely a day. When Spike the Glorious saved this kingdom alongside the Crystal Princess, Opal Bloom was filled with as much joy as her fellow Crystal Ponies.
But when all the celebrations are said and done, what can she do? As much as she doesn't want to remember the miserable times, the fact remains that Sombra killed her parents. She hides her misery behind a beautiful white smile.
Perhaps it's time for Opal Bloom to express her true feelings in writing.
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Well, here it is! The recolored Apple Bloom has a story.
Rated "Teen" for implied death among other things.
One-shot.

Sombra had it all in life. He was happy and in love yet he was also being attacked by a spirit whom he could not be rid of. All evil has a story and I wish that Sombra's creation was a happy one.

"... a unicorn whose heart was black as night..." - that's what Princess Celestia called him. Not a draconequus or a changeling, but a fellow pony. How could a pony become so evil? How could he harm other ponies? Aren't they the most peaceful creatures there ever were? Why did this unicorn follow such dark path?

What is the story of King Sombra?

Edited by Lazygamer313

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
- This story is placed in different universe that 'Rebirth of the Damned' and 'Project Eclipse', not to mention my other stories. When I finally reach 'Crystal Empire' Arc within RotD, King Sombra there will have different background.

History is one of the things a lot of creatures forget as the years go by. All except a few who has different memories and refuse to forget them, including prophecies.

This story is a sequel to Play Date Continued

A third and final submission to the 'Shining Armor is a Terrible Dad' Contest.

Lady General Princess Flurry Heart has learned a lot from her Father and now she is as good of a General as he is. He has taught her everything and now that knowledge will be put to the test when the Griffon Kingdom attacks the Crystal Empire.

Will Flurry Heart save her people as the Princess of Light and Hope or will she Fall into Darkness?