"Okay Rainbow Dash, see you later!"
Shutting the door behind him, Sombra hummed himself a little tune as he drew the shades, happy to make some headway with one of Twilight's more difficult friends and eliminate another problem from his already impressive list. Now all I need to do is win over Fluttershy, Twilight's B.B.F.-Whatever and their parents. Oh Joy. Speaking of which, he found his marefriend sitting on the living room sofa, her hooves resting on her lap. "Hey Twi, what're you doing here?"
The purple unicorn fidgeted with her long mane, which had been styled into a braid hanging over her left shoulder. "Sombra, do you think we could talk?"
"Sure, anything for you."
Hanging up his cloak, Sombra took a seat in the chair across from Twilight and waited patiently for her to get whatever it was that was bothering her off her chest. He hated seeing her distressed.
"I know you've been having trouble sleeping and I was wondering if you had any odd dreams? About the Crystal Empire, maybe?"
This wasn't what he was expecting but it was certainly better than what he was thinking. "Well, there was one where I was a crystal pony stallion named Heliodor. I was in a park somewhere and I heard somepony calling for me. It was-..."
"...A crystal pony mare?" Twilight finished quietly.
Sombra's eyes widened. "Yes. Her name was Rose Beryl and she was standing on this hill overlooking the kingdom. She was pink and her mane was-..."
"...Magenta with a white stripe."
"And I was-..."
"...Golden-yellow with an orange mane."
Neither of them said anything, instead letting the gravity of the situation speak for itself. What in Celestia's name is going on? Their eyes met and all time appeared to stand still yet speed up at that same exact instance. Sombra's mind became hazy and he once again found himself in that park, except now that mare across from him was changing back and forth between Twilight and Rose Beryl. She was somehow both of them and neither of them, just like how he was and wasn't both Heliodor and Sombra.
Twilight bit her lip. "I...I love you, my Helly."
"I love you, my Rose," Sombra breathed and then shook his head. "What the hell is going on?"
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The train ride up to the Crystal Empire was quiet and uneventful, which was how the two preferred it. After all, things were weird enough as it was without the added stress of nosy ponies or scheming villains to ruin their day. Writing ahead to Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, the co-rulers were informed of the situation and invited Sombra and Twilight to comb through their royal library and discover the meaning of their dreams. Plus it also gave Twilight an opportunity to see her brother and sister-in-law. It'd been a month since Twilight saw either of them and Sombra thought it'd be a nice treat to give her. Even if he felt a tad unwelcome.
They sat next to one another in their private cabin with only the constant clacking of the train's wheels on the rails being the only perceivable sound. Twilight was resting her head on Sombra's shoulder, the both of them enjoying the warmth of the other without empty conversation. He then began to rub her back, humming something both gentle yet strangely sorrowful.
"What is that tune? It's beautiful."
Sombra sniffed and smiled, "It's a lullaby my mother used to sing to me."
Large, sparkling violet eyes stared pleadingly up at him. "Could you sing it for me?"
Damn your beautiful eyes! Sombra nodded and with a tiny squeal, Twilight snuggled up against him. He paused to collect himself and continued to hum before softly singing:
Sleep my child and peace attend thee,
All through the night.
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping
Hill and vale in slumber steeping,
I my loving vigil keeping
All through the night.
While the moon her watch is keeping
All through the night
While the weary world is sleeping
All through the night.
Deep the silence ‘round us spreading
All through the night.
Dark the path that we are treading
All through the night.
Still the coming day discerning
By the hope within us burning.
To the dawn our hoofsteps turning
All through the night.
Though our hearts be wrapped in sorrow,
From the hope of dawn we borrow
Promise of a glad tomorrow
All through the night.
A tear rolled down Sombra's cheek. "What did you think, Twilight? Twi?" Light snoring found its way into his ear and he laid a gentle kiss on Twilight's brow. "Nighty-night, Twi." He then closed his eyes and joined her.
"Next stop: the Crystal Empire! Again, the next stop is the Crystal Empire!"
Sombra awoke with a jolt, unaccustomed to experiencing a dreamless sleep. He looked to the sleeping mare in his forelegs, holding back the laughter at seeing her lower jaw jutting out and a thin line of drool connecting her to his cloak as she snorted. Oh...my...Celestia, she is so adorable! I almost hate to wake her! Almost... "Twi-liiiiight! Time to get uuuuup!"
After a few more shakes, the purple mare nearly flung herself out of the seat, her hooves wildly striking at the air. "I studied for the exam I swear!" She blinked away the sleep and stared up at a snickering Sombra. "What's so funny?"
"Hmm? Nothing. Anyway, we're here."
As per the letter's instructions, Sombra and Twilight were met at the train station by a cadre of royal guards, who had Sombra on edge seeing as how they used to be his mind-controlled slaves. Fortunately, they were either commanded to ignore what the former tyrant did to them or forgot as the effects of the curse wore off. Either way, they stoically formed a protective perimeter around the couple and led them to the castle. As they passed the various shops and businesses, crystal pony passersby waved and cheered for the two, hailing them as heroes for fighting off the umbrumling invasion. It was certainly a welcome change than from how they would've reacted to Sombra in his pre-reformation days.
The royal guards navigated them into the throne room and after Cadence dismissed the guards and did her silly little secret dance with Twilight, she then proudly beamed at them. "It's so good to see you again! Hello Sombra!"
He bowed deeply. "Hello again, Your Majesty. It's nice to see you too. Hello Shining Armor."
Shining Armor finished giving his sister a hug and stared wearily at Sombra. "Hello Sombra."
Well, at least this time he didn't say it like he had a mouth full of vomit.
"Thanks so much for having us!" Twilight grinned, throwing a foreleg around Sombra. "Everything looks amazing! Are the archives ready?"
Princess Cadence nodded. "We pulled everything we could on King Heliodor and Queen Rose Beryl and it's all ready for you both to look through. In the meantime, let's have lunch, shall we?"
"Great idea, hun." Shining Armor threw a warning glance at Sombra and proceeded to follow his wife into the dining hall. Sombra stopped Twilight and stooped down to whisper into her ear.
"Am I going to be safe here? Your brother looks like he wants to throttle me."
Twilight looked to the doorway and then back at her coltfriend. "Trust me, Shining isn't as bad as you think. Just give him time and you'll see that you two have more in common than you think." She then trotted off before hearing his reply.
"I hope so, Twi. If not, then you might either be burying a coltfriend or a B.B.F.B...whatever."