It was the middle of the night and Sombra was walking around the castle. He didn’t feel quite sleepy and, since the next part of his plan now didn’t involve being stuck in a room looking to his book, the dark unicorn couldn’t just stand there.

The main problem were the guards that weren’t yet under his control, as they would use that stroll of his to report to Celestia that he was coming up with something. But the guards that were serving him were at that moment making sure Sombra didn’t have any encounter with any of the others.

Passing by the library, he noticed the door was slightly opened and a light was coming from there. Curious about that, Sombra approached it and peeked in, finding Twilight reading a book beside a pile of books with a candle giving her light. While watching her that in peace, Sombra couldn’t help but smile, as that was a way to make a move on her.

So, after teleporting his armor and cape to his room, Sombra went to the kitchen, where he took a couple of glasses and a bottle of wine that he had bought for himself at Ponyville’s market. After that, he headed back to the library and, without making a sound, entered and approached Twilight. When he was behind her, he put a hoof over a shoulder and asked:

“Having a late reading?”

That caused Twilight to startled and drop the book she was reading. After seeing it was Sombra, she said:

“Sombra, you scared me to death!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to scare you” Sombra said.

“It’s okay, I probably was too much involved by the book” Twilight said.

At that moment, she then noticed Sombra was not wearing his armor and cape. Although Twilight already knew Sombra was well built, she couldn’t stop but thinking he was really quite handsome. When she found herself thinking on that, the young princess hasted to clear her mind and, after shaking her head slightly, she observed:

“So… you decided to follow my advice.”

“Yeah… I believe so…” Sombra said. “But you can’t forget we’re in the middle of the night. Even a tyrant needs to take out his armor to get some sleep.”

That caused Twilight to chuckle and then say:

“You got me with that one. But... what are you doing up at the middle of the night? I thought I was the only one awaken… well, beside the guards.”

“Well, I was having some troubles sleeping, so I decided to take a glass of wine to make me sleepy” Sombra replied. “It's a habit of mine… I was never a fan of warm milk. But then I noticed you were at the library and I thought… maybe we could make company to each other?”

And he showed the two glasses and wine to Twilight.

“That’s very sweet, Sombra…” the young princess said. “But I’m not the drinking type.”

“Oh, come on, Twilight, what damage can a glass of wine do?” Sombra asked. “Besides, I think we could use this opportunity to get to know each other better. Isn’t that something that friends do?”

There was a pause and then Twilight said, with a slight smile:

“Well, I believe you’re right about that.”

Sombra extended a glass to Twilight who took it with her magic and Sombra filled both with wine.

“Now, what if we started from the beginning” Sombra said. “Tell me, what path did Princess Twilight Sparkle took in order to become this formidable mare that now stands before me?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m that formidable” Twilight said, with her cheeks pink, while Sombra took a sip on his wine. “And the same thing can be said about my life. It’s just like any other pony’s ordinary life”

“Each pony has their own story” Sombra replied. “So there is no such thing as an ordinary life.”

“I have never considered seeing things that way…” Twilight said. “If you insist, I guess I can sum up my life.”

And so she told Sombra how she had grown up in Canterlot and dedicated most of her life studying as much as she could about magic.

“If there was one pony I would want to meet, that would be Star Swirld the Bearded” Twilight told. “I am a great fan of his…”

“Ah, the father of the omnimorphic spell and the most important conjurer of the pre-classical era…” Sombra said. “I also admire his work.”

“Wait, you also admire Star Swirld?” Twilight asked, surprised

“Yes, of course” Sombra answered. “Only a fool or an ignorant would question his geniality. Many of my original spells are based on some of his.”

“So what you are saying is that Star Swirl used dark magic?” Twilight asked. “Now you’re starting to cross line…”

“You misunderstood me, Twilight. What I meant to say is that I used the principles of many of his spells to manipulate dark magic. Dark or not, magic is still magic and follows the same rules.”

“I don’t have any argument against that…” Twilight replied, while also taking her first sip on the wine. “Wow, this is really good!”

“You like it?” Sombra asked. “That’s good… I choose the wine I drink very carefully. As a king, I always make sure I get only the best. And I have to admit that it paid off to live this long just to witness how ponies created such divine nectar.”

That last sentence caught Twilight’s attention and she asked:

“What about you? You didn’t tell anything about your life… you know, beyond what I and the others already know.”

Sombra was expecting a question like that, but he thought that it wouldn’t hurt tell Twilight about his life. For the contrary, that would cause her to get even closer to him.

“Well, my childhood is not something that I would like to remember, but I guess I can tell you” Sombra said.

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to tell me, Sombra” Twilight replied.

“No, it will be good for me to share things with the pony that gave me an opportunity for redemption” Sombra said. “I grew up at the Crystal Empire that was ruled by my parents, the king and the queen. It may be hard for you to believe, but I was once a crystal pony. However, my life, unlike the others, was filled with loneliness. My parents didn’t have much time for me because of their royal duties and I was always alone at the castle. My only joy was the library, where I could read every book there. It was like I didn’t need anything else, as long I had a book at my hoof.”

“I understand the feeling…” Twilight said, thinking back. “It was the same for me.”

“It was then that I found a hidden and ancient book at the most remote part of the library” Sombra continued. “It was like it was… calling me. It was a book… of dark magic. At the first, when I got to know what it was about, I tried to reject it. But curiosity took over me and… well, I started to read and the much I did it, the more I started to feel attracted to it. I don’t know how to explain it. The book itself was full of power and I could feel that power passing through my all body…”

At that moment, Sombra could feel himself getting excited. Remembering what he felt when he had his first contact with dark magic was like reliving a first love, something that reacted with his own magic. He tried to control the dark magic inside him, before it could expose him, something he was able to do.

“Sorry, but I can still feel the power like the first time…” Sombra said.

“So, it was that book that inspired you to…” Twilight started.

“Not at the beginning” Sombra answered. “I only wanted the knowledge about dark magic, but the temptation became too great, until I couldn’t hold it any longer… and I started to master it. However, that costed me my crystal coat, what caused my parents to discover everything and they tried to prevent me from practice it again… but it was already too late, because I was too attached to it that I couldn’t let it go. And so… I rebelled against my parents… and I took over the Crystal Empire.”

“Wait… you mean you…” Twilight said, with the horror invading her expression.

“I understand that you are shocked by that, but I’m afraid that’s truth” Sombra said. “There isn’t one single day that I thought about what I did.”

A moment of silence invaded that moment. Twilight couldn't help but thinking about what Sombra had just disclosed with her. She knew he had made terrible things as a tyrant who enslaved his own kingdom, but she never expected he would had killed his own parents in order to take over. Despite her brain warning her about that being a red flag, she could see that Sombra had some regret on his eyes. It was then Twilight said, while placing her hoof over Sombra’s:

“It was not your fault. I mean, it was, but I know how magic can do when out of control. Believe me, I had pass through that in order to get this castle. I can only imagine how it was for you considering we are talking about dark magic.”

“Thank you, Twilight, for those kind words” Sombra said, with a smile.

While looking to his eyes, Twilight couldn’t help but get lost on the bright red color they possed. It was like she was being hypnotized for how much they drawed her into them, but soon she was able to dodge the look, with a blush on her cheeks.

The two of them continued to talk for the next hours. They talked about their experiences and what they liked and disliked. Twilight couldn’t believe how much in common she had with Sombra. Beyond the love they had for knowledge and magic, they also had a taste for fictional literature, not to mention that they shared the same lonely past that only was different on the path they both chose to take.

While talking, they both drank the wine they were drinking, what caused their connection to become even easier to be built. Sombra, who was already used to alcohol, was able to stand it, but Twilight was starting to get a little drunk, with her inhibitions starting to low and she becoming more vulnerable.

After a joke that Sombra made, Twilight laughed (in a tone a little higher than usual) and said:

“Sombra, I have to confess I never had this much fun in quite some time. Please, don’t tell Pinkie that I say that.”

“My lips are sealed” Sombra replied, passing his hoof over his mouth.

When Twilight noticed the time, she exclaimed:

“Oh my, it’s almost morning! I didn’t even notice the time passing.”

“Well, that’s what happens when we are enjoying ourselves” Sombra commented.

“You’re right” Twilight said. “It was nice to have this fun without being reading a book. But I guess I should go to bed and rest a bit. Also I believe I exaggerated a little on the wine, so…”

She stood up and prepared to go, but she did it too fast and Twilight started to lose her balance. When she was about to fall, Sombra caught her and said:

“I got you.”

At that moment, the two of them found themselves with their muzzles almost touching and their eyes gazing at each other. By his surprise, Sombra was caught by Twilight’s beauty, mainly her eyes. The light that existed in them was so intense that only made him desire to engulf it with his darkness. Twilight was also caught by the intensity of Sombra’s eyes, as much as him for hers. She could feel the dark glow in them drawing her again.

It didn’t take long for the two to forget their inhibitions completely and let themselves be involved in a passionate kiss. Sombra couldn't believe how soft Twilight's lips were, more than he expected. He had to admit that he already admired Twilight's beauty, but being now sharing a kiss with her made that admiration grow even more to the point that he only increased the intensity of his kiss. Meanwhile, Twilight was left completely overwhelmed by that kiss. She could feel herself trying to form thoughts in response to that, but being unable to complete them, fearing they would force her to stop her from experiencing that foreign yet fascinating moment. She could feel Sombra only getting more intense, but that didn't scare her... it only made her more expectant for more.

Both of them didn’t know for how long they kissed, only that seemed to be an eternity. It was then that Twilight, letting herself finally form a thought completely, realized what she was doing and broke the kiss, saying:

“But… what am I doing?”

“Twilight, I…” Sombra started.

“No, I know” she said, while standing up and starting to head to the exit. “This… was an accident. I think it’s for the best if I… go to bed now.”

And, nervously, she got out the library.

After that, Sombra returned to his room as well, thinking about what happened. Of course that was something that he had planned to do. That's why he purposely influenced Twilight to have a drink with him, so he could low her defenses and build a trust in a way she could not deny it. But what happened there… it was something he never experienced before.

While arriving to his bedroom, one of the guards that was under his control was waiting for him at the entrance.

“Master…” he said, while making a bow. “We captured another guard and we are waiting for you to turn him.”

“I’m not with the patient for that” he replied, while creating a sphere of dark magic and delivering it to the guard. “Just do it yourselves. And don’t forget to clean everything when you’re done.”

“Yes, my king” the guard replied with another bow.

And he moved away, while Sombra got in his room. He took his book from where he hid it and looked at it for a moment. That was the book that changed his life forever, the one that put him on the path he was now.

But then his thoughts went to the kiss he shared to Twilight, as well to the memory of her eyes gazing at him. Now... more than that. It was that night of intimacy he spent with her. During his entire life, he had never found somepony that could understand him the way Twilight did. Everything he said to her was the truth. He did confide with her the past that led him to become the pony he was today, the pony that was once her enemy. And yet... she empathized with him, she made him feel... understood, something that no pony was ever able to do. That made him experience a set of feelings that only became more intense once they kissed. He didn’t understood what he was feeling. Could he… be falling in love for Twilight?

No, it can’t be! he thought. I am King Sombra, the most feared unicorn of them all! I can’t fall for such thing as love… Maybe it was just a physical attraction. Yes, that’s right… She is a very attractive mare, after all.

Even with his mind still struggling to accept that explanation, Sombra couldn’t help but smiling, as everything was going as he had planned…

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