Twilight yawned loudly and stretched, never having experienced a better night of sleep before. The day before had been so great! She recalled warmly how she and Sombra walked around the crystal faire, how he'd won her a stuffed bear, which now lay next to her on the bed. She smiled fondly at the bear, her hooves playing with the little ribbon around its neck as she remembered how proud Sombra had been when he won it and the pounding in her chest when he gave it to her. They ate funnel cake, rode in a hayride and watched the fireworks...

She blushed and placed a hoof over her mouth to capture a gasp. Sombra and I, we kissed! Well, I kissed him. It'd been meant to be a short one, a little thank you for his generosity but then he reciprocated it so passionately and they simply got carried away, kissing each other so madly that when they finally stopped, they were both left gasping for air. All in all, it was incredible for her first kiss. King Sombra was the first stallion that I've ever kissed... Her hoof traced her lips gently, recalling the feel of his own and their taste, which reminded her of a cinnamon rock candy Pinkie Pie once had her try, a spicy-sweet flavor that left her hungry for more. Afterwards, the two said their good nights, albeit like awkward teenagers sneaking back to their bedrooms. Twilight wondered how Sombra felt about the kiss, seeing as how he'd clearly kissed before.

Perhaps Princess Celestia taught him how to kiss. Her hooves began wringing the sheets, her nostrils flaring at the thought of them passionately making out, their hooves all over each other. Whoa, where did that come from? Am I...jealous of Celestia? Shaking her head, Twilight flung the covers over and slowly slid out of bed. Sure, the Princess of the Day had always made Twilight feel a little small and unworthy in her presence but she'd never had a reason to be jealous of her before. And wait, if they'd kissed, then surely the two of them had...No, no! I'm not thinking about that! Her stomach rumbled and, deciding that it would be easier to think with a full belly, trotted downstairs toward the dining room.

Sniff sniff. Do I smell...sniff sniff...pancakes? Laid out on the table before her, at least twenty plates sat, each one stacked high with piles of fresh-cooked pancakes, some topped with blueberries, others were with whipped cream or a slab of butter. This looks like a feast for a small army! Twilight smirked. A soft humming sound drew her attention and an oddly grinning and perky Sombra came bouncing in through the door, a chef's torque on his head and a tray of pancakes suspended in mid-air beside him. "Sombra?"

"Ah, good morning, my innamorata! Would you care for some breakfast?"

"Did...did you make these yourself?"

Sombra set the latest plate down and pulled the torque off of his head before kissing Twilight's hoof. "That I did! Of course, I've never cooked before so it took me a few tries before I got it right." He glanced over at the table and shrugged, "Okay, maybe several dozen tries." He gestured towards a chair and once Twilight was seated, he pushed it in and sat directly to her right as opposed to across the table where he was usually found. "Please, dig in. Tell me what you think."

Cutting off a piece of the freshest pancake, Twilight took a bite and moaned as she chewed it, finding that it was the best that she'd ever had. "This is amazing! My mom's aren't nearly this good!" She shamelessly shoved the rest into her mouth, savoring its light, fluffy flavor before shoveling more onto her plate and drowning it in syrup and strawberries. Sombra merely smirked and watched her pleasantly.

"I'm so glad to see you're enjoying yourself. It took me hours to get it just right."

Twilight's head shot up, her cheeks bulging with half-chewed pancake chunks. She swallowed hard and laughed half-heartedly at her display. "He he. So, um, Sombra? About last night, when I kissed you...-"

"Which was amazing by the way," Sombra cut in, his gaze mischievous as he reached over to place a hoof over hers.

"-...Yes, that it was. Anyway, I hope I wasn't being too forward or giving you the wrong idea."

Sombra snatched away his hoof. "Oh, I see. So...you and I...we aren't...dating or anything?" He looked away, his eyes full of hurt as he added softly, "It was a mistake. I should've known."

"No, that's not what I-...Ooh! What I meant was...Sombra, look at me." Twilight stood up in her seat and grabbed ahold of Sombra's cheeks, turning him towards her to see a hardened expression on his face. "Last night was not a mistake. I meant to kiss you, I wanted to kiss you. You're right. It was amazing and...it was my first kiss." Sombra's expression softened. "I just...I'm not ready for, you know. That."

Sombra nodded, "You want to take it slow."

"Yes. I still want you to kiss me and hold me but that's it."

"Does this mean..." Sombra began nervously, preparing to ask a question he was afraid of knowing the answer to. "Does this mean that you're my marefriend?"

Twilight smoothed over Sombra's cheeks, caressing them as they moved down his jaw and settled on his chest. Wow, he is so hoofsome. "Yes, yes I am. But only if you're my coltfriend." Although the word was foreign on her tongue, it felt right to say, almost as though she'd always said it.

Sombra's own hooves made their way to Twilight's mane. "Twilight, I-..."

A Shadow Guard threw open the door and rigidly bowed. "Your Majesty."

"What is it?!" Sombra half-growled, causing Twilight to jump slightly. Although she no longer feared him, his sudden switch from sweet and romantic to loud and vicious was quite jarring for her.

"Her Royal Highness Queen Chrysalis is awaiting outside the barrier with a cadre of changeling guards. She wishes for an audience with you."

"Queen Chrysalis?!"

Sombra thought for a moment and then sighed, "Send out twenty of your best stallions and bring her directly to the throne room. I will be ready momentarily."

Hmm, I LOVE what he's done with the place. Chrysalis thought wickedly as a several armored crystal ponies beckoned her onward and she passed through the crackling red barrier, which felt like walking through smoke. To her mild surprise, none of her royal guard could get in and she commanded them to wait for her return. Good to see that Sombra's thinking ahead. He shows promise. The crystal ponies led Chrysalis into a black and red carriage and after a short ride, was delivered at the front gate of a large, black crystal castle, purple and green flames bursting from different towers.

The guards shepherded her through the gates, through an exquisitely-carved crystalline main foyer and into a craggly, black crystal throne room, filled with jagged statues and a giant ceiling chandelier. At the end of the hall, the Shadow King himself sat upon a magnificent crystal throne, his scarlet eyes burning with an inner fire. Chrysalis stopped a moment when she caught the fearful gaze of the violet unicorn mare sitting beside him on a small crystalline chair. Twilight Sparkle? My goodness, so the rumors are true. You really are a prisoner here. Good.

"Your Highness," Chrysalis purred with a slight graceful bow. "I am so happy you agreed to our little rendezvous."

The umbrum leaned forward in his throne. "I was wondering why that was. So tell me, why are you here?"

"Ooh, straight to the point. I like that." She boldly stepped forward, being sure to add a little hip swing to every step, just so that the king could see what was on display. Sombra's face remained unreadable while Twilight, strangely enough, was shaking with rage, throwing a murderous glare at the changeling queen. Deciding that she didn't care, Chrysalis shelved the query for later and stopped five feet away from Sombra. "I'm suggesting an alliance: you and I."

Sombra lifted an eyebrow. "And why would I agree to that? What could you possibly give me that I don't already have?"

"An excellent question, My Liege, and here's the answer: me. I was thinking in terms of an alliance through marriage." She paused to let it sink in before continuing, turning her seductive charm up to eleven. "Just imagine it: all of Equestria falling victim to an army of changeling-umbrum hybrids, the whole of the land covered in darkness. We'd be unbeatable!" With a sultry grin, Chrysalis added, "Not to mention the actual fun of making the army. Hmmm?" She threw in a seductive wink to really seal the deal.

There was silence before Sombra, who had been as expressionless as a stone wall, began to laugh, a riotous, bordering-on-insane cackle. Chrysalis was confused. What is going on?! The cackled quickly died as Sombra's grin vanished, returning once more to an impressive poker face. "I see your spies can only tell you so much. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to decline your proposal. You see, I have already chosen my betrothed and she's sitting in this very room."

Chrysalis' eyes darted around the room before settling on a very alarmed and very vulnerable-looking Twilight Sparkle. "Her? You must be joking! Oh, you have such a grand sense of humor!" The laughter died in her throat at the king's serious expression. "You're not joking." The rage built up inside of Chrysalis until it came bursting out like a broken dam. "How can you marry her?! I'm a damn queen! She's nopony, a-a-a commoner!" For once, Sombra smiled, a cocky little grin full of mockery.

"Oh, I can assure you, Chrissy, she's far from common. Now then, please leave. We're done here."

Why you cocky little son of a bitch! "We're far from done, Sombry," Chrysalis hissed, being sure to throw a warning scowl at Twilight before spinning around and marching towards the door, followed closely by the Shadow Guards. Nopony says, "No" to me! As Chrysalis was escorted back towards the barrier wall, a dozen plots of vengeance began brewing in her sadistic mind, most of them involving wringing Twilight's pretty little neck. Operation: Venus Flytrap wasn't even close to completion while Operation: Shadow Spawn had just been killed in its infancy, which was a shame since it was a rather good plan. No matter. This isn't over, Sombra. I'll get you and your little mare too.

Once Twilight was certain that Queen Chrysalis had left the throne room, she was able to breath the sigh of relief that she'd been holding in. Just being in the same room as the changeling nearly had her scrambling for the exit. When that guard had announced that Queen Chrysalis wanted to have a meeting with Sombra, she immediately requested that he refuse but he instead went through with it, insisting that he could handle one little changeling. What she hadn't expected was Chrysalis attempting to seduce her new coltfriend and have the gall to ask him to marry her. However, it was kind of satisfying to see Chrysalis leave in an angry huff and the fact that Sombra flat-out refused her without even a moment of consideration was also deeply moving.

"Sombra? Are you sure that was wise?"

Wrapping his forelegs around her, Sombra chuckled, "It's not like she can just enter here, not with the barrier in place. Besides, I'm an arch-mage in dark magic. I can easily take down an oversized maggot and her little army."

"Still, it's surprising that she'd ask that of you. You didn't even think about it."

Sombra lifted Twilight up so that they were staring each other in the eyes. "Twilight, remember what I wrote in that letter to the Royal Sisters? I don't want anything but you. I made a pledge and I intend to keep it." He then smiled and asked somewhat sheepishly, "Do you think I could kiss you?"

This threw Twilight off slightly but she nodded vigorously, "You don't even have to ask."

"It's good to be the king."