The next week passed by without incident and Twilight spent it in bed, Sombra insisting that she rest and regain her strength. Instead of their routine of spending the day apart and meeting for supper in the dining room, the king devoted hours of his time to being by Twilight's bedside, bringing her books to read and discussing various topics like art or philosophy. At night, he would pull up a bedside table so they could eat together, saving Twilight the trouble of having to limp her way to the dining room and giving them a far more informal and personal setting. As they ate their coleslaw, Twilight peered over her mountain of food (which Sombra piled onto her plate) and gazed at her host, noting his relaxed posture and gentle smile. It was truly amazing how much he'd changed since the incident with the amaroks, though he wouldn't bring it up and Twilight wouldn't ask him.

The next morning, she'd awakened to find a vase full of fresh orchids on her nightstand, a touching gesture that Sombra had been leaving her for the past few days along with a sheet of paper that contained lines of poetry from long-dead writers. Gingerly easing herself up to a sitting position, Twilight levitated the piece of paper over to her and chuckled bashfully at what it read:

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

It's as though he was talking about you. I'll be up with your breakfast soon.

Sombra

You are so corny! Twilight giggled. It still amazed her to think that the foreboding Emperor of Darkness had a mushy, romantic side to him. She shook her head and neatly folded the paper up to place it among the others in her nightstand's top drawer, a collection of notes that she'd come to cherish due to the simple but sweet gesture they represented. She wiped the eye crust away and thought back on the dream she'd just awakened from. Twilight and Sombra were dancing in a grand ballroom, most likely the one in the castle due to its crystalline architecture, and she was once again wearing her blue dress and tiara, the latter of which rested on her nightstand and lightly glistened in the morning light. Soft music was being played by a small crystal pony band and she was gazing up into Sombra's eyes, witnessing the twin orbs dancing like scarlet fire.

"Thank you for this perfect night," Twilight sighed.

Sombra then tipped Twilight's head with his hoof. "This night is okay. YOU are perfect."

Without warning, all of the candles blew out at once as a black serpentine creature burst from the ceiling and wrapped its coils around a column, its head raised as if to strike. Sombra held Twilight close as the creature's eyes opened, two pinpoints of red, lifeless light, like two pools of blood.

Why are you here, Twilight Sparkle? You know that deep down, you despise King Sombra. The creature hissed, its voice a harsh yet refined whisper. He kidnapped your friends, threatened your B.B.B.F.F. and enslaved a whole kingdom, turning them into miserable shells of their former selves. You can't possibly care for this creature, can you?

Twilight turned to find Sombra as he was before, a cackling pony face on a black smoke-like body, his green eyes filled with malicious intent as he licked his lips at her. The ballroom had been converted into the murky-skied main square of the Crystal Empire, jagged black crystals piercing through the earth as crystal ponies screeched and ran amok. All around her, she found that everypony she'd ever cared about had become shrieking black crystal statues: her mother and father, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Cadence, Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna.

Now do you see? You can put gems on an acorn but it's still an acorn. Sombra is an umbrum, a creature of darkness. You can't force him to change anymore than you can raise the sun or lower the moon. Forget him.

I can't listen to this! Twilight thought back to her previous moments with Sombra and how he seemed to be more than just the dark overlord everypony said that he was. He'd made it explicitly evident that he desired her but gave her the free will to choose to give into him. He built her a crystal garden, spent hours listening to her ramble on about her own life, saved her from ravenous wolves and stayed by her side until she'd recovered. Sombra wasn't some campfire monster; he was a lonely stallion that had lived a hard life and just wanted to be loved and accepted like everypony else. To be loved and accepted by me...

"No!" Twilight shouted defiantly, her surroundings fading away into pure darkness as the creature roared at the top of its lungs. "I'm not leaving him! You're wrong! Sombra may have done horrible things but deep down, I know he's got a good heart. He just needs somepony to see it. And I don't despise him! I care about him!"

This...is...impossible! Nooooooooo! The creature yowled and Twilight woke up, having experienced the most intense dream of her entire life. But why wasn't Princess Luna there to help me? She rose carefully out of bed and gently readjusted her sling, ensuring that her injured forearm was as comfortable as possible when Sombra came in through the door humming a merry little tune and carrying a tray of steaming pancakes. Seeing the king in such a happy mood would still take some getting used to but it was a welcome change all the same.

"Now then, who's hungry?"

"Ah-ah-ah, I said, 'No peeking'!"

Once she'd finished her breakfast, Twilight was asked by Sombra to follow him for an "extra special surprise," where she was lead past a secret entrance beneath the throne and levitated down some stairs before stopping before a set of large yew-wood doors. At that point, Sombra told Twilight to close her eyes and began to shepherd her through the doors and into the dark room, during which she tried to sneak a look but was half-heartedly reprimanded for doing so. The crackle of a dozen flames popped in Twilight's ears and she felt as though she was ready to explode when Sombra said the magic words: "Okay, you can look now."

I've died and gone to Bookworm Valhalla. They stood on the first floor of a three-floored library, a massive room with book-filled shelves that nearly reached the ceiling and was lit with hanging wall sconces and candlelit chandeliers. It made the Golden Oaks library back in Ponyville look like a middle school's in comparison. She took slow, lead-hoofed steps around the room, her right hoof touching the shelves as she made a note of every title she passed. "Sombra, this is..." Twilight began but then froze in place as the title of the last book hooked her attention.

Gingerly sliding the book off of the shelf with her magic, Twilight ran her hoof against its cover and was about ready to cry with joyful disbelief at finding such a rare text, one that book collectors would kill to possess. "Is...is this a first edition copy of Star Swirl the Bearded's A Treatise on Advanced Thaumaturgical Offensive and Defensive Incantations? There's only three copies in existance!"

Sombra snorted, amused with Twilight's filly-like energy and constant squeeing as she practically jumped up and down with excitement. "Four actually. Open the cover."

Twilight did as she was told and her jaw nearly hit the floor. Sprawled onto the title page with sophisticated hoofwriting were the following words:

To Sombra,

Continue your craft, my friend, and you may yet become a truly gifted mage.

Star Swirl the Bearded

"S-s-s-star Swirl the B-bearded...actually signed this? You met the Star Swirl the Bearded? The flowing "s," the flourish on the "b," the little star at the end of the "d." Star Swirl did sign this!"

"That he did, although I found him to be a bit stuffy and standoffish, a tad full of himself. Now Clover the Clever, he was a good stallion to get a drink with! He had this one joke about an elephant, a banana peel and a ventriloquist that I can't quite remember but it was rather funny."

The speed with which Twilight used to end up nearly muzzle-to-muzzle with Sombra was nearly supersonic. "You knew Clover the Clever too?! You actually spoke with the two greatest wizards in Equestrian history and possibly the world?"

Sombra blinked twice. "Yes, I did."

"Eeeeeee! You have to tell me every...single...detail! Did Clover really wear an obscurus cloak? Was Star Swirl's beard really as well groomed as they say? Did-...?" Twilight caught herself and, with the mother of all blushes, rubbed the back of her neck coyly. "Ahehe, I mean, that'd be nice to talk about. Do you think maybe I could borrow this? At least for a few days."

Sombra's grin grew large enough to engulf his whole face. "Borrow it? You can have it. This whole library is my gift to you," he added with a wide sweep of his foreleg. "Do you like it, my innamorata?"

The unicorn's brain momentarily shut down, overburdened with the umbrum's words as it tried to comprehend the weight of what he was communicating to it. "This whole library...is mine?"

"Well, it would save you the trip and contains volumes that the public library certainly wouldn't carry and-..."

With a giggling-squeal, Twilight leapt at Sombra and wrapped her good foreleg around his neck, her lips finding his cheek and delivering a big, wet smooch on it. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you so much, Sombra!" She dashed over to the nearest table and flipped the Star Swirl book open, her body shaking with anticipation. Meanwhile, Sombra was rooted to his spot with a dumbfound expression frozen on his face. He found himself light-headed and his heart was beating so hard that it actually started to ache. He was accustomed to pain and besides, it was the good kind of ache.

His hoof moved to gently rub at his cheek. "You're so very welcome...Twilight."

Author's Notes:

The poem in question is Lord Byron's "She Walks in Beauty"

This was inspired by the library scene from Disney's Beauty in the Beast but with Twilight in Belle's place and obviously lacking her grace and coolness.

Some of you are probably wondering why Twilight is always wearing blue in her's and Sombra's dreams. Well, blue represents trust, faith and tranquility and light blue means healing and understanding, all things that are required for their relationship to evolve and symbolizes what they can do for one another.