//------------------------------//
// Chapter 17 
// Story: Shadowy Love 
// by FinnPony 
//------------------------------//


Shadowy Love
By FinnPony
Chapter 17


...And so our hero found his princess. Together they rode off to the sunset, build a castle in the western regions of the nation and had many children and lived happily ever after.

But that is completely different story.

“Bah!” Sombra exclaimed and closed the book. He threw it into the growing pile of books he had been reading the past few days. He was lying on his back, taking things lazily. His room was dark, as usual. There were only a couple of candles here and there, illuminating the room just enough for him to be able to read. The cuff around his horn felt heavy and his head had started to hurt because of it. The darkness helped a bit.

He reached for another book on the nightstand. It was a thriller of some sort with a really noir styled covers. He thought that maybe it would be a bit better than all the terrible romance novels he had forced himself through. He opened the book and began to read. After a while he noticed that the the book was well kept. It looked like brand new copy. Twilight Sparkle sure kept good care of her books.

Sombra couldn’t focus on the book anymore. He had had these moment before. Mostly when he was alone. Usually it occurred when he was alone, and when the thought of Twilight Sparkle crossed his mind, it started to wander. Mostly they revolved around her though.

What was it about her that made him think about her so much. Probably because she annoyed him so much. Yeah. That had to be it. Sombra told that to himself, almost every time he started to question his own thoughts. Of course she had some good looks, and she was an alicorn. Not just any unicorn would be turned into an alicorn by the two sisters, no. She clearly wasn’t just like her friends. They all had their own elements of harmony, while Twilight Sparkle was the element of magic, the thing that ties all of the other elements together. It was something that he kept thinking about.

After a while there was a knock on the door and Sombra rolled off from his bed. He lazily walked to the door and opened it a bit, not letting too much light in. Behind the door stood who else than the mare he had been thinking about. Twilight Sparkle smiled at him when their gazes met. 

“Hi,” Twilight said happily.
“Good day,” Sombra said properly, like a king should. “What do you want?”
Twilight looked like she was a bit offended by his answer, that wasn’t intentionally so blunt. He still had trouble with his expressions.
“I’m just checking on you,” she said. “To see if everything is alright.”
“Everything is fine. I have been reading,” Sombra answered. His reply seemed to spark something in Twilight.
“Oh!” She exclaimed. “Did you like the books I gave you?”
“No,” Sombra answered, but he tried to sound less blunt. Twilight’s ears drooped a bit, and Sombra quickly said, “I don’t like novels so much.”
“Ah okay,” Twilight said with a bit happier look on her face. She then asked, “What kind of literature do you like then?”
“I prefer historical writings,” Sombra answered, and Twilight smiled.
“You know that I can’t let you read those documents that I have in my work study,” she said and blew her mane out of her eyes. “Not yet.”
“Well I tried,” Sombra chuckled. Twilight joined him.

Sombra knew that he had to get to Twilight Sparkle’s study in order to find out the exact location of his Alicorn Amulet. He knew that she had some kind of report about it somewhere. She was a mare that made a report about everything. 

Twilight said something, but Sombra didn’t hear it. He was in his thoughts again. Even though he had started to think reformation as a real option, he still needed to find out where the Alicorn Amulet was. It was the last thing he had left that reminded him of them. He was a stallion that didn’t leave things unresolved. He just had to find the amulet. Maybe then he would get some clarity to his troubled mind.

“Did you listen at all?” Twilight asked, suddenly snapping Sombra back to real life from his thoughts.
“I’m sorry,” Sombra said. “I was in my thoughts.”
“Hrmh,” Twilight groaned. “I said that supper will be ready in half an hour.”
“Ah, yes. I will be there. In time.” Sombra said slowly. Twilight gave him a suspicious look with one brow raised. Sombra nervously looked away and continued, “Are you going to stand there for the whole day?”
Twilight frowned and let out an annoyed ‘hmph’. Sombra felt a pang of guilt as he realised how angrily he had spoken to Twilight. He didn’t have any time to correct himself before Twilight spun around and started to walk towards the stairs.
“Half an hour,” she said and held her nose up in hurt manner. Sombra swept his other hoof across his face and groaned. He hadn’t meant to make her mad at him. He had to do something, so he opened the door and stepped out of his room, looking after Twilight.
“Twilight Sparkle, I didn’t mean to offend you,” he said. “I am just… Um… I have been feeling uneasy lately.”
Twilight glanced over her shoulder, her expression softening when she saw the  apologetic look that Sombra wore. She slowly turned towards him and asked, a sounding a bit curious, “What’s making you feel uneasy?”
Of course Sombra couldn’t tell her the real reason. He needed a good answer, quickly.

“I am tired of just sitting around this castle all day.” 

Sombra mentally slapped himself. He could already see her eyes spark in a way they always did when she was about to have the single most greatest idea of all time. She started to walk towards Sombra, who was thinking what the consequences of his words were going to be.
“I think I might have a solution for that,” Twilight happily announced.
“And what would that be?” Sombra asked, trying to sound as calm as he could.
“Do you know the new restaurant at the town center? The classy one?” she asked, but Sombra gave her a deadpan look and she started to smile sheepishly. She just made things worse as she started to nervously blabber, “Of course you don’t... Because if you knew that would have meant that you would have been there and you wouldn’t be bored here… in this… boring old castle...”
“Be quiet now. There is nothing wrong with the castle. I just… -” Sombra had to think for a reason for his boredom. “-...don’t like to lie down all day.” 
“Well then it’s settled!” Twilight said happily. “We’ll go out tonight!”

A sly smirk appeared on Sombra’s lips.
“Twilight Sparkle,” he started with his slick voice. “Are you asking me to go out with you, on a… What do they call it nowadays… Ah. A date?”
The look on Twilight’s face was priceless. Her eyes went wide and her pupils shrank to a size of pinpricks. Her ears drooped and a wild blush covered almost all of her face. For a second it looked like she had frozen to her place, but then she started to stutter, “W-What!? No! I-I thought that because you were so bored that w-we could go out for a supper… As a gesture of goodwill!”
“Are you sure?” Sombra continued to speak to the blushing mare. “What if there were some other, subliminal reasons you didn’t even notice?”
Twilight stared at him angrily, but the stare wasn’t so effective with her ears drooped and the blush on her face.
“I know what my reasons are!” she exclaimed angrily.
Sombra chuckled and said, “I’m sorry Twilight Sparkle, I was just teasing you. Of course I would like to go.”
“Hmph,” was Twilight’s answer.
“Oh don’t be like that,” he said. “Wouldn’t it be nice to eat good food and tell some old stories together?”
“Old stories?” Twilight asked, a curious expression taking over the angry one. “What kind of old stories?”
“Oh I don’t know,” Sombra started lazily, then looking her right in the eye. “Maybe something from around thousand years ago?”
Twilight pondered at his answer for a couple of seconds, her eyes judging the dark unicorn in front of her. She glanced towards the staircase and then at Sombra. She thought for a moment longer before she made up her mind.

“I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes.”


* * *


The night was still young as the pair finally sat in the booth that Twilight Sparkle managed to get on such an short notice from the new local high class restaurant called ‘The Stables’. The name could really make you think differently about the classiness of the place, but it was highly misleading. Many of the ‘upper class’  ponies who lived in Ponyville had avoided that fine establishment like plague. Only after Twilight herself had put out a good word for the restaurant, ponies had started to see the true quality of the restaurant.

The lights and colors were warm, making the space feel cozy. The cushions of the seats were red silk they were comfortable to sit on. There was a clean white tablecloth on every table and on them were vases with fresh, red roses in them. The waiters walked between the many tables with delicious looking dishes, everyone of them more delicious looking than the previous one. The restaurant itself was on the second floor of the building, in a large penthouse apartment. From the long windows on the wall across the entrance opened a sight towards the town center, right towards the fountain. There was also a small dance floor that seemed somehow tempting for Sombra.

Twilight Sparkle and Sombra were sitting on one of the window seats. The waiter had just left with their orders. They could see the sun getting lower on the sky. Soon it would start to fall behind the horizon, making the sky turn beautifully orange, all while the sweet scent of the roses was heavy in the air. It was rather romantic setting.

If you were into such things.

“I’m sorry that we didn’t have time to get you a real suit. That tie looks good on you though,” Twilight Sparkle spoke with a smile. Sombra didn’t answer immediately. He was staring at her too focusedly. 

Twilight Sparkle was wearing the most simple dress Sombra had seen on royalty. It was a yellow pull up dress with a white hem. A pink band went around her neck and was tied into a ribbon over her chest. She said that the dress was really important to her for a reason Sombra did not know. Her mane had grown a bit, just enough so that she had to blow it out of her eyes from time to time. If Sombra saw right, her lipstick and eyeshadow were a darker shade of purple than usual. Her well preened wings rested against her sides peacefully and Sombra thought how her feathers would feel like under his hooves. He still didn’t quite like these new feelings. They made him get distracted. He still couldn’t help himself though.

It took a while before he snapped out of it and answered. “Oh… That is alright. This doesn’t bother me.”
“Glad to hear it,” Twilight said and leaned into her front-hooves. Now it was her who stared at the stallion in front of her. Sombra’s mane was well combed, like always. Somehow it still managed to look fluffy and flowing, while being a bit messy looking in the same time. He had a red tie around his neck, making him look like a office worker, but a better looking one. Twilight coughed into her hoof when that thought crossed her mind, but she continued to stare. Sombra’s red eyes scanned the space around him, and Twilight could see his fangs peeking from between his lips. He had grown a small amount of beard on the tip of his chin, something that Twilight found likeable. 

Sombra turned to look at her, and she quickly glanced away. When she did so, she could see the fearful looks that the ponies in the neighbouring tables gave Sombra. The news about a tyrant living in their hometown had spread fast.

“I don’t mind them,” she heard Sombra saying. Twilight turned to look at him and saw that he too had noticed the curious, almost scared ponies around them.
“They have all the reasons to be cautious around me,” he said and smiled his trademark toothy grin towards one blue unicorn with a white suit on. The pony in question let out a quiet yelp and quickly looked away. Twilight almost giggled, but forced herself not to.

They looked around themselves for a moment, before Twilight asked, “So what kind of old stories were you going to tell me?”
Sombra placed his glass a bit clumsily. He had forgotten why they were there in the first place. What would he tell her? Of course he wouldn’t tell anything that could possibly ruin his plans, or nothing too personal from his past either... Thinking seemed hard and unfortunately for him, Applejack’s words rang in his head. He didn’t want to tell just some made up story to Twilight. He had to think for something, and while he was at it, his gaze wandered. Luckily Twilight didn’t notice as his gaze went down her body, to her dress covered cutiemark.

Cutiemark. That’s it.

“I bet that you wondered about the story behind my cutiemark,” Sombra said and sipped his wine. He saw the excitement in Twilight Sparkle’s eyes.
“I have!” Twilight exclaimed. Then there was a small pop and Sombra saw a familiar notebook appearing in front of the mare in front of him. Another pop and a pen appeared. Sombra grunted annoyedly and snatched the pen and the notebook from mid air and threw them to the floor, making Twilight gasp.
“I do not care what you have written about me before this, but you will not write down anything from the conversation we will have now,” Sombra said sternly.  after couple of seconds he then added, “Otherwise you can forget my offer.”
Twilight pouted and did her best puppy dog eyes, but Sombra managed to resist them and shook his head. Twilight sighed deeply and said, “Fine.”
The notebook and the pen disappeared in a another pop and Twilight turned towards Sombra. She looked sour and asked, “Happy now?”
“Very,” Sombra answered and Twilight rolled her eyes. He then continued, “What would you like to know, Twilight Sparkle?”
“Everything!” Twilight said in excited, hushed voice. Her wings twitched a bit as an emphasis for her answer. 
Sombra chuckled and shook his head a little as he said, “Once again you want to know everything, Twilight Sparkle.”
She was about to tell him to cut the chatter, but Sombra was faster and added, “But fortunately for you, this topic doesn’t have anything to do with the… Memories that I am not too fond of.”
Twilight nodded with a serious face, showing that she understood.

“Well now,” Sombra started and Twilight leaned forward into her front-hooves. Sombra then glanced at his own flank, at the cutiemark shaped like a blue crystal.
“I got my cutiemark at age of seven,” Sombra told and turned to look at Twilight. “It didn’t surprise me actually. I had knew what I wanted to do with my life for a long time before that, but it was then when I realised how I would start to pursue my goals in life.”
“But what does it mean? Why the crystal?” Twilight asked, craning her neck so that she could see his cutiemark better.
“Ah… The crystal,” Sombra said slowly, leaning backwards in his chair. “Crystal is quite fascinating material. Did you know that the original Crystal Empire was build in just two years? The whole castle and a couple of houses for the settlers.”
“I did,” Twilight said. “King Calcite was one of the most powerful alicorns at the time, and he used his magic to manipulate the crystal in order to construct the castle.”
“Yes, and he also left a lot of notes and documents about his studies behind him,” Sombra said with a smirk. Twilight gave Sombra a confused look.
“Did you find them somehow? I know that some ponies have tried to find them for decades, and nothing has been found,” Twilight spoke with skeptical voice.
“I didn’t need to look for them actually. The knowledge was passed on from pony to pony after the documents were ruined. I was one of the lucky ones,” Sombra said.
“How did that happen? It couldn’t be just any stranger that told you how to build castles from just crystal,” Twilight asked with a frown.
“No. It wasn’t,” Sombra said and without any further explanations continued, “When I learned how to use the spells, I started to practise shaping crystal. That’s when I got my cutiemark.”

Sombra held a small thinking pause before continuing, “First I could do only simple objects like knives and teacups, but later on my skills developed, and I could start shaping the crystal into whole buildings. But even that wasn’t my goal in life. I wanted to make something more...”

Suddenly the waiter brought them their dishes, interrupting them. Sombra had noodles with mushroom sauce and fresh vegetables, while Twilight’s dish was steamed vegetables and cauliflower stew with gravy. Both of the dishes were decorated with flowers. Sombra didn’t get that. Why were there flowers in his food? Of course they were edible, but it made the whole dish look a bit weird.

“So…” Twilight started after couple of mouthfuls. “So what did you do after you got your cutiemark. What was the thing you wanted to do?”
Sombra chuckled and took a sip of wine.

“I wanted to create beautiful things, Twilight Sparkle.”

They both were silent again. Twilight swallowed the food she had been chewing on and washed her mouth with a sip of white wine. After that she asked, “Things?”
“Beautiful things,” Sombra corrected her. “I wanted to build towers that would touch the sky, bridges that would make ponies stop when they were walking on them to amaze on it’s details and castles fit for kings.”
“You were a construction worker?” surprised Twilight asked, trying not to smile teasingly, but failing. “Who would have thought of that.”
“I wasn’t a construction worker,” Sombra grunted annoyedly. “I was an artist.”
Twilight smiled. She saw that the corners of Sombra’s mouth were also pointed slightly upwards, resembling a smile. 
“I bet that  your speciality was stairs,” Twilight giggled. Sombra gave her a deadpan stare.
“Sorry. Did your dream come true?” Twilight asked after she stopped giggling.
“I… I did build a castle, but it wasn’t quite what I had dreamed of when I was younger,” Sombra said in awkward manner, and Twilight realised that he meant his version of The Crystal Empire’s castle. She dropped the matter.
“What was the first building you build using crystal?” she asked. 
“My first structure made only from crystal was a small bridge over a thin river. It was the first time I used only crystal as a building material for bigger projects. It turned out to become beautiful. When sun shines towards it in a right angle, it becomes almost transparent. Everypony loved it,” Sombra told her and put another forkful of noodles into his mouth. He had really gotten better at using the silverware with his hooves. 
“So did you have a business of some kind?” Twilight asked. She noticed Sombra’s strange stare.

Sombra kept staring at her for a second, chewing on his food slowly. He then gulped it down and slowly placed the fork to the table next to his plate. Twilight could see the troubled frown on his forehead.
“You could say that,” he said, the excitement gone from his voice.
Twilight was becoming worried by the look on his face. She lowered her voice and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It… It was a family business,” Sombra said quietly, not looking straight at her.

Twilight’s eyes went wide. This was the first time Sombra had talked about his family in any way. Of course she had thought about his background, but it was now when Twilight Sparkle started to connect some pieces together. Sombra didn’t want to speak about his past too openly, and it clearly had something to do with King Halite and… his family? Twilight wasn’t sure, but the way Sombra squirmed on his place was almost enough evidence for her.

“Did... Did your parents teach you to use that magic?” Twilight asked, glaring carefully at the stallion for a moment. She saw the familiar angry scowl on his face and she was sure that he would start hissing curses at her again and leave. Surprisingly he didn’t. Instead he sighed deeply and nodded. Twilight knew that this could be her best chance to get something more out of him, so she decided to continue, “Would you like to tell me about your family?”

Sombra seemed hesitant. He gulped down all of his wine in the glass before speaking, “We were part of one of the most wealthiest houses of the city.”
“What city?” Twilight sighed excitedly. She was actually getting some answers from him this time. Great success.
“The Crystal Empire,” Sombra whispered, and Twilight’s ears drooped. He and his family had lived in The Crystal Empire? Maybe she could do some background checking next time she would visit his brother and Cadence.
“My father was from a family of great architects. The knowledge about King Calcite’s studies were passed on from one generation to another in our family, and eventually it was passed on to me from my father,” Sombra told her, not too excited about the conversation.
“How about your mother?” Twilight asked curiously.
Sombra answered her question with voice that was just above a whisper, “She was a daughter of a banker.”
“What were they like?” Twilight kept asking, but this time Sombra’s face twisted into an uncomfortable, grim look that never meant anything good. Twilight waited for an answer that didn’t seem to come.

Sombra lifted his gaze to meet with hers. There was some visible doubt in his look, and Twilight could tell that he was struggling with himself. He opened and closed his mouth couple of times, before answering, “I don’t remember.”
Twilight groaned. Again Sombra started to give excuses when she tried to ask about his past. She gave an annoyed look towards the stallion, and just as she was going to give him an earful, somepony interrupted her.

“Ladies and gentlecolts,” a blue coated waitress announced. “The band will start playing in a minute, and the dance floor is open for anypony who wants to dance. Thank you.”
Twilight turned back towards Sombra, who was looking away from her. She could already tell that he wasn’t going to tell her anything about his family anymore. The opportunity had passed and there was no use in arguing with him anymore.

“All this talking about the old times is making me quite bored,” Sombra said and rubbed his forehead, his eyes closed. There was a long moment when none of them spoke, and they kept eating in an awkward atmosphere. The small band of four ponies in red suits started to play in a small stand next to the dance floor. Sombra eyed at the band for a while, before he gave a sly look towards Twilight, who sensed that he was up to something.

“Would the princess care for a dance?” he asked, immediately making Twilight tense up. She nervously rubbed her front-hooves together and looked everywhere else except him.
“I-I am a lousy dancer,” she said shyly. 
“I can teach you,” Sombra offered with a smile. “And it is all in a good fun.”
Twilight stared at her hooves nervously. She glanced at Sombra, who smiled. His smile wasn’t the prettiest one there is due to his fangs, but it seemed genuine.
“I-umm… Sure. We can dance,” she muttered. “All in a good fun, right?”

“Absolutely,” Sombra said before leaving the table, walking over to Twilight’s side, helping her up. They told the waiter that they would eat their desserts after the dance. Twilight was already blushing when everypony stared at them as they made their way towards the dance floor, where a couple of pairs were already dancing in circles as the band played a slow tune. 
“I-I’m not so sure about this,” Twilight said as many eyes in the restaurant were fixated on them.
“A princess like you shouldn’t be afraid of ponies like these,” Sombra scoffed.
“I’m not afraid,” Twilight answered. “It is just that, what if I fall down or something? Everypony will think that I am some fool or something.”
“Pfft,” Sombra exclaimed as they stopped on the dance floor, facing each other. He then smirked and said, “If it looks like you are falling down, I will catch you.”
Twilight blushed and mumbled something that he didn’t hear. Then Sombra improved his posture. Twilight did the same.

“That looks pretty hard,” Twilight said as she looked at another pair, who were dancing on their rear legs.
“If that village idiot friend of your’s can dance like that, you should too,” Sombra chuckled. “Now place your left hoof over my shoulder.”
Twilight did so, and Sombra mimicked her.
“Now when we rise up, place you other hoof on my other shoulder for support, then slide the left one into my hoof,” Sombra explained. “Then I will place my other hoof onto your hip and we will start to spin in circles slowly. Simple.”

“I don’t know…” 

“On three. One, two…

“Wait!” 

“Three.”

Twilight yelped as they rose to their hindlegs. She felt super embarrassed by the looks other ponies in the restaurant gave her, but at least she could keep her balance. Now she would just need to maintain it.
“Now we just spin in circles to the rhythm of the music,” Sombra said, and with that he started to lead the dance slowly. At first Twilight had to keep her eyes at her back-hooves so she wouldn’t topple down. When she got a hang of it, she turned to look at Sombra. He was staring back at her with a small smile on his lips that made Twilight smile shyly too. They kept spinning for a while, before Sombra spoke, surprising Twilight.

“I think that your castle is amazing,” he said in low voice. They were in quite a closed position and Twilight could feel his breath on her face. Dancing so closely with somepony was something that she hadn’t done before, and it was making it hard for her to think. It seemed so intimate.
“Oh,” she exclaimed when she realised that she should give him an answer. “Do you really think so?”
“Yes,” Sombra answered, seeing her flustered state. “The architecture is amazing and the fact that it is made completely out of crystal is exciting. I have only one question that troubles me.”
“And what is that?” Twilight asked and glanced at her rear-hooves again.
Sombra seemed serious as he asked, “Where are all your servants? I have only seen those two guards and that dragon in you castle.”
“Why would I need any servants when I can do everything on my own.” Twilight said with a smile. “Besides I don’t feel comfortable when commanding ponies.”
“I see…” Sombra said, not really understanding her motives. He still didn’t continue on the subject matter. Instead he added some speed to their moves.
“Hey, I’m still just learning!” Twilight chuckled nervously, and she had to press herself more against Sombra in order not to fall down. Her face felt like it was on fire.
“And you will,” Sombra said. He liked how she held him close to herself, her smaller body against his. Twilight in the meantime could feel the muscles under Sombra’s dark fur, which was a bit softer and longer than she had expected. Her ears drooped as she felt even more flustered. Why couldn’t she control her feelings better? 

Sombra had similar thoughts going on his head. He hated the fact that he was once again starting to feel the need for a mare. He knew that it would only bring trouble to him, but at the moment he didn’t care.

They spun for a while longer, Twilight’s curiosity taking better of her. She examined the ponies that were scattered around the tables in the restaurant. Surprisingly not too many of them were even interested in them anymore. It was good, and it only fuelled her curiosity. It wouldn’t hurt anypony if she rested her head on her shoulder for a short moment. Nopony was even watching and it was all in a good fun, right?

She bit her lower lip and quickly glanced at Sombra, who was currently watching over her, towards something behind her. She gulped and slowly leaned forward, resting her head on Sombra’s strong shoulder. He winced and looked down at the mare, whose ears were drooped and her shy stare was fixated in front of her. Sombra looked at her with wide eyes for a moment, their pace slowing down a little. 

He could smell lavender from her mane. Once again strange feelings filled his mind. He felt comfortable with this mare in his hooves. He was calm and his grip around her tightened. The strange heat in his chest was there too, but this time it was more like a warm feeling. Feeling that made his mind unclear and fuzzy.

Twilight was feeling rather awkward in his hooves, but in a good way. She didn’t like the silence though, and she thought that maybe she could continue her little inquiry.
“Your parents. What were they like?” Twilight asked and lifted her head from his shoulder, staring into his eyes. He didn’t look back.
“I can’t even remember…” Sombra sighed, earning an irritated groan from Twilight. He knew that she was thinking that he was once again trying to avoid the conversation.
“I am not lying,” he said quietly. “I really can’t remember them.”
Twilight’s expression softened, and she stared at him with asking, almost worried look. 
“I remember their names and just some fuzzy memories from the past. It keeps troubling me. Everything else I remember like it would have happened yesterday, but my parents, they are like a big blur to me. What were they like? I don’t remember. All I know is that...”
He held a small pause and gulped, before he continued quietly, “That I miss my family.”

They stopped spinning and just stood there, holding each other up. Sombra’s posture wasn’t the same upright and royal one that it had been when the dance had started. He was still holding her tightly, but his eyes were looking tired and even his mane was looking less fluffy than usually.
“Why am I even telling this?” Sombra asked, maybe to himself. Twilight was staring at him with mixed feelings. On the other hoof she was happy that Sombra was opening up to her, but it also made her feel sad to see him in such a bad shape. She had never seen him like that. He was… sad. Clearly there was much pain related to the memories about his parents, and she didn’t want to bring them up. Maybe she should change the subject.

“Did you have any siblings?” Twilight asked carefully, hoping that maybe that question could be something that would brighten Sombra’s mood, or maybe if he didn’t have any, their conversation would change it’s course towards something else than his parents.

She was wrong.

“I don’t remember,” Sombra snorted, clearly lying this time. That meant that he had had siblings, and by the angry tone in his voice Twilight could tell that she had hit a sensitive spot on him.
“I don’t feel like dancing anymore,” Sombra said angrily, trying to break their dancing pose.

Twilight sighed and looked him in the eyes. He stared back with a cold stare, and none of the sad and pained expression was seen on his face anymore. The evening was not going as she had hoped for. Actually it was going straight towards a catastrophe, which she didn’t want to happen. She knew that she had to use drastic measures. Twilight had done some bold things that evening, so why not one more?

Twilight Sparkle broke their dancing pose, only to wrap her forehooves around Sombra’s upper body. She again rested her head on his shoulder and squeezed his body against her. Sombra was more than surprised when she did so.
“What are you doing?” he asked with surprised voice, trying to push the clingy mare off from him. “Stop! Get off me.”
“Not until you feel better,” Twilight answered and kept hugging him.
“No!” Sombra hissed and pushed harder, but the purple mare didn’t move. Where did she get all that strength from?
“You can’t run from your past forever,” Twilight scolded him.
“I will try dammit!” Sombra snorted.
Twilight lifted her head and smiled warmly. The smile made Sombra calm down, and it almost caught onto him too. He tried to look as angry as he could, but it didn’t seem to work. Twilight giggled at his expression and said, “Don’t be so grumpy.”
“Shut up, Twilight Sparkle,” Sombra scoffed.
“This isn’t getting you anywhere Sombra,” Twilight said, tightening the hug even more, driving Sombra over the edge. He pushed her backwards a bit and pressed his forehead against hers.

“I had a sister!” he hissed from between his teeth.

Twilight stared back at him with terrified expression. She could almost see fire burning in his red eyes. His fangs were exposed and he panted, Twilight feeling his breath on her face. For a moment they stared at each other, before Sombra sighed deeply, his expression turning into tired look of sadness again.

“I am sorry, Twilight Sparkle,” he whispered and leaned away from her. He then gently unwrapped Twilight’s hooves from around him and then they just stood face-to-face in silence. Sombra glanced towards their table, seeing that almost everypony who was close to the dance floor were staring at them. He could already see the headlines in the next day’s newspapers that were telling how princess Twilight Sparkle shared a dance with a Tyrant. At least Twilight was a smart mare, who could solve the small media hassle with ease. Sombra himself just didn’t care. 

He sighed again and said in tired voice, “I wouldn’t want to speak about this subject anymore.”
“I-I-I understand,” Twilight muttered, still a bit shaken by his outburst. Sombra saw that and without thinking, gently touched her cheek with his other hoof, saying, “Let’s enjoy the rest of the evening, no questions about the past. Lets just live in the moment.”
Twilight winced at his touch, and he quickly pulled his hoof back from the blushing mare. She opened and closed her mouth couple of times and touched the spot from where he had touched him. Sombra was cursing mentally. Why had he done that?

“O-okay.”   

“What?” Sombra asked a bit confusedly.
“No questions about the past,” Twilight muttered. She then added shyly, “Lets just enjoy the rest of the evening.”
Sombra was a bit baffled, but when he got back to his senses, a smile spread on his lips. The evening was not completely ruined yet, and he thought that he might have an idea how to lift up their mood. Maybe it would also help him push the painful memories from his head.

“Another dance?”