Wait...wait a minute. Something's not right...

In a dreamless haze, Twilight felt a pair of hooves shaking her while a voice, somehow close yet faraway repeated her name over and over again. She tried shooing away the presence, only to have it persist in shaking her, this time even harder as the voice spoke louder. Twilight's eyes fluttered open, her vision clearing up to reveal a flustered-looking Amber standing over her, her hooves on her shoulders as she gave the half-conscious mare one last shake. With a groan, Twilight sat up and rubbed her head, blinking away the eye-crust of her nap. "Amber? What's with the frantic wake-up call?"

The crystal pony responded by throwing the covers off of Twilight and pulling her to her hooves, taking time to hastily brush her sleep-ruffled mane and fur. "Don't you remember His Majesty's dinner date? It's in one hour!"

Twilight stared incredulously at Amber. "You mean, I've been asleep all day?"

"Well...His Majesty thought you were exhausted from your trip and needed time to yourself. I didn't think you'd fall asleep!" Amber exclaimed, grabbing a towel from the wardrobe and pushing Twilight towards the bathroom. "Now get a shower and let's pick out your dress! King Sombra expects punctuality from everypony, especially his queen-to-be!"

Going by her hoofmaiden's fearful tone, she could tell that Amber was terrified by her ruler and decided to assuage her fears by getting a quick shower. The tub was porcelain and stood on old-fashioned claw foot pedestals which, along with the copper wall sconces and dark brown and egg-white floor tiles, gave the room an old, high-class look to it. These were temporary design choices Cadence and Shining Armor went with when they began renovating the castle and so far, Sombra did little to alter them. After turning on the saucer-shaped showerhead, Twilight set about washing her body and mane with jasmine-scented soap and berry shampoo. Even if Sombra was a short-tempered brute, he did go out of his way to provide Twilight with basic comforts. Simple, non-flashy gifts. Maybe he has potential after all. Wait, where the hell did THAT even come from?!

Wrapping towels around her head and waist, she rejoined Amber by the wardrobe as the crystal pony was hurriedly looking through several gowns. The first one was black and lacy, something a sexy widow might pick out for herself. Next, a poofy, navy-blue dress with a frilly sweetheart neckline and another that was slim, red and showed off a lot of leg. Who did he buy these for, an escort? Deciding not to answer herself, Twilight paused at a full-length, maroon gown with long sleeves, a draw-string top and a bodice. Not only was it one of the more conservative choices but it also would make her look like a princess. Or a queen.

"It's pretty, right?"

"Yeah...it'll have to do," Twilight replied unenthusiastically, dreading the forthcoming dinner while holding some distant, fleeting hope that Sombra would like her choice of dress.

Holding Amber's hoof, Twilight was directed towards the dining room, passing a darker part of the castle, one filled with low-lit rooms, black crystal walls and macabre statues, which were more fitting for the King of Shadows. Twilight momentarily paused to inspect the statues, wondering if their life-like details were due to them being petrified ponies before shuddering and decided she was better off not knowing. They stopped outside of a pair of dark purple and onyx doors, where a couple of Sombra's royal guards were stationed, the only indication of their living state being the steady rise and fall of their chests. From what she could glean, they were crystal ponies but since Sombra had little time to prepare an army, she theorized that they were being mind-controlled and while it fit with his modus operandi, it was still chilling to think about. How does it feel? Are they even aware that it's happening to them?

"Um, excuse me? Princess Twilight Sparkle is here to dine with the king?" Amber waved a hoof at the guards, who stepped out from in front of the doors, turned and faced one another in one solid movement, their steel-capped hooves clacking echoing throughout the halls. "Oh, um, th-thank you. Go ahead, Twilight."

The doors swung open wide with a creaking-thud and it was no mystery who was behind it. Alright, let's do this. There's nothing to be afraid of. Taking a deep breath, Twilight slowly walked past the guards, her skin crawling as they stood there unmoving, the green glow of their eye-slits appearing to follow her every hoofstep. Amber gave her a reassuring nod and smiled, despite the palpability of her fear and Twilight was actually relieved to know it wasn't just her. The doors closed themselves behind Twilight, causing her to jump slightly as a sinister yet inviting voice boomed:

"Good evening, my innamorata. My, you look ravishing."

The speaker was seated at the head of the massive oak dining table, a glass of wine telekinetically swirled around in front of his chest. He took a quick sip before setting the glass down and standing up to saunter around the table to his waiting guest. Lacking his usual attire of cape and armor, Sombra instead wore a wine-red waistcoat and pants combo with a black dining jacket and cravat, giving him the appearance of an 18th century aristocrat. Then again, being trapped in ice for a thousand years probably left him stuck in another time period. Taking Twilight's hoof, he placed a feather-light kiss on it and stared deeply into her eyes, his hypnotic gaze making the mare's knees buckle slightly. Alright, stop it! You're not some filly with a crush! Get ahold of yourself, damn it!

"Oh, um, thank you...Sombra. You look nice too."

The stallion's eyes seemed to light up at this remark and he chuckled slightly. "Thank you but clearly you are the one deserving of praise. You took such a simple garment and elevated it to something akin to angelic." Twilight's cheeks burned, both at Sombra's compliment and at his gaze. It wasn't that she'd never received praise from the opposite sex, it was just that it was usually some brash schoolcolt looking to blow off steam after a big quiz. With Sombra, however, he seemed to mean every word, his eyes drinking in the sight of her as if she were the only thing in the world. It was flattering-no, downright thrilling-but also somewhat uncomfortable. She almost let out a sigh of relief when Sombra let go of her hoof to push out her chair for her. "My lady."

Twilight took a few slow steps to her seat and gulped when Sombra pushed her chair in, his snout right next to her ear as he took in a whiff of her shampoo. Is he seriously sniffing my mane? What was more unsettling was the fact that she wasn't entirely creeped out by this and watched him take his seat on her left, his stride wide and confident. Most stallions she'd met like this were usually self-conscious jerks hiding their insecurities with false swagger but in her host's case...he truly believed in himself and owned it, a truly admirable trait. If it wasn't for his massive ego, it would've come off as, well, sexy. Ugh, did I just call King Sombra "sexy"?

"The chefs are preparing a nice pasta puttanesca with a Caprese salad side and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon."

"Actually, could I have a glass of water?" Twilight asked, absolutely on guard due to her host's dubious intentions, especially where alcohol was concerned. "I don't drink...wine."

Sombra grinned, allowing his fangs to peer over his bottom lip. "Of course, Twilight. Ivory Rook!" A light yellow crystal pony stallion with a blue mane made his way into the room, trying to balance being quick and efficient but slow and dignified. He was dressed in a black and purple tuxedo and bore a pin on his lapel bearing Sombra's insignia.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"The princess would like water instead of wine."

The stallion nodded and disappeared, shortly reappearing with a wheeled cart and after pouring Twilight a glass, bowed and scampered away. Twilight took a small sip of the water and looked back to where Ivory Rook had run off.

"You know, I'm not actually a princess."

Sombra shrugged, "So? If you're betrothed to a king, that makes you a royal, does it not?"

Twilight tapped her hooves together. "I suppose I can see the logic in that. After all, marrying into a patrilineal line does elevate one to...th-that's not the point. I don't feel comfortable with that title."

"But darling," Sombra smiled as he leaned forward. "If you can't handle being called 'Princess,' however can you expect to survive being addressed as 'Queen?' After awhile, you get used to it. I know."

This sparked Twilight's curiosity. "How did you become king of the Crystal Empire? I would've thought a crystal pony would be in charge, not an umbrum." Not only would she get background on Sombra but she'd also receive first-hoof knowledge on the history of shadow ponies, a subject most Equestrian history books shied away from or mentioned in one-sentence snippets. The researcher part of her brain would not let this go.

"I was born into royalty. My father was a king as was his father before him," Sombra replied as he stared bored into his wine glass. "The umbrum used to work as a patriarchal monarchy, with a few exceptions. My father then conquered the Crystal Empire, took a queen and then I happened. Nothing really much to it." Twilight frowned at this. A stallion as bold and egotistical as Sombra should be spilling his guts about his heritage and rise to power. Instead, he said very little and seemed to be almost ashamed of where he came from. Something of a contradiction, isn't he?

After it became clear that he was done speaking, Twilight peered around the room for a conversation starter when she spotted a gold-framed portrait hanging over the fireplace. She thought back and realized that while she hadn't actually been in the castle for very long, she didn't recall seeing any other paintings hanging up. It featured a slim, beautiful pure-white unicorn mare, her ivory mane wildly spilling down her shoulders while she gazed at the viewer with clear blue eyes. A strange, pink star-shaped birthmark appeared at the base of her horn and while she was smiling, it was evident that she wore a mask of immense pain and sorrow. It was like she was being forced to be happy.

"She's beautiful. Who was she?"

Sombra followed Twilight's gaze and replied somberly, "My mother, Queen Lumen Morningstar." She'd recalled that Sombra had mentioned his mother in his letter. Clearly she'd meant a lot to him, enough to hang up her portrait in an otherwise bare and impersonally empty castle. "But never mind her," Sombra said, suddenly perking up. "I want to learn about you. Tell me something about yourself." It was something of a jolt for him to switch moods so rapidly, obviously done to avoid giving out personal information. Before, Twilight had only seen the king as a cruel, black-hearted tyrant so it was a shock to see him upset about something. She decided to play along, if only to avoid an uncomfortable topic.

"Well, I have an adoptive older brother and I...spent most of my life in a library with my nose in a book..."

"Ah, a bookworm, I see! You look like the bookish sort. So you're beautiful and possess a brain! Wonderful!"

"...Right. And I grew up in Canterlot. I didn't have many friends growing up, due to the whole shut-in thing."

Sombra took another drink of wine. "I used to visit there, when I was younger. Of course, the 'Royal Sisters' weren't in charge at that time, barely out of earning their wings. Wasn't much of a place to look at. Ah, the food's here!" Several rather miserable-looking crystal ponies waddled into the dining room carrying plates of various dishes. Apart from the still-steaming pasta, there was salad, bread, fruit, pastries and some kind of tomato soup. It wasn't until Twilight's stomach angrily rumbled that she realized how famished she was. The king peered amusingly at her and raised his glass.

"Don't be shy, Twilight. Dig in."

Author's Notes:

The design for King Sombra's mother came from the title character of the 1982 animated film The Last Unicorn. There's a backstory that I will go into in later chapters but-spoiler alert!-it is rather...dark.

Sombra is definately a closed book but one that'll be read soon enough...

This was a fun chapter to write, since Sombra is just so much fun to write for! Twilight is definately out of element with this one! ;)

I know some (okay, all) of you are confused by Twilight's "adoptive brother" comment. I promise, I have an explanation.