The Return of the King

by MisterEdd

Feelings Realized

"Twilight. Twilight. Twilight!"

"Huh?" The purple mare's hooves ceased their assault on the typewriter and she peered down at the dragon standing with his arms akimbo. "Yes Spike?"

The diminutive drake gestured all around him. "You've been in here for hours. Ever think about taking a break and enjoying the sunlight?"

Twilight peered around the room. Piles of papers stood like temple columns while clumps of scrapped notes overflowed the trash bin, giving it the appearance of an erupting volcano.

"I suppose I overdid it just a bit."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Okay, a lot. But Spike, have you read this?" She magically lifted a sheet of papers up to Spike's face, who glanced at her queerly before taking it and clearing his throat.

"'We have all heard the tale of the ruthless dictator known as King Sombra, a name that continues to strike fear in the hearts of those who hear it, a name associated with cruelty, malice and a desire to dominate all of Equestria's free races. At least, that is what we are taught. But is that the only reputable source of information? After all, as the old axiom tells us, history is written by the victors and the victors in this case being Princesses Celestia and Luna.'"

"Skip to page eight," Twilight urged and with a slight eyeroll, Spike obliged.

'"Sombra was born to Weland and Persephone...' What kind of a name is 'Weland?'"

"Don't be rude, Spike. It means 'Crafting One,' which is fitting since he was a blacksmith."

Spike continued: "...Two members of an umbrum nomad tribe that had settled in Equestria to escape the rule of the Umbrum Empire. After reaching the Frozen North, they settled down in Hnefaleikarinn, which means 'Giant's Fist' in Umbrumese. It is, of course, better known as Dravite Hill, a name given to it by the neighboring crystal ponies-..."

"Page twelve, please."

"'General Sunstone of the Diamondheart Battalion led a charge on the Dravite Hill settlement, leading to..." Spike paused and reread the sentence before continuing. "'...The senseless slaughter of three-hundred and fifty umbrum civilians, the last of the umbrum race.' Wow. This is some heavy stuff, Twi."

"I know! I mean, reading about it is one thing but hearing it from a survivor is a completely different experience!" Twilight laid her glasses on the desk and stood up to stretch. "I'm trying to get both sides of the story. So far, we've only heard the one side. In order to be unbiased, we have to listen to both accounts in order to get to the truth."

Spike nodded. "I get what you're saying but you are in desperate need of a break." He then sniffed and groaned. "And a shower! Everypony else is already at Sugarcube Corner and waiting for you." He waddled to the door and closed it behind him.

Twilight sniffed her armpit. "I don't smell that bad!" She yelled after him.

~*~

Sugarcube Corner was, thankfully, quite sparse by the time Twilight strode through the double doors of the establishment, her mane slightly damp and carrying with it the scent of wild berries. Quickly spotting her friends-minus Pinkie Pie-from across the room, she trotted over the table and hopped up onto a chair, her nostrils filled with the overwhelming aroma of fresh-baked cookies. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast time. Ever since reviewing her notes from Sombra's interviews, Twilight had been seized by a creative desire to craft his biography. After all, how many ponies could say that they had the opportunity to speak to King Sombra and hear his life story from his own lips?

"Howdy Twi. How're ya doin'? Haven't heard from ya in days." Applejack was the first to greet her, gnawing on a straw while cradling a half-empty glass of lemonade.

Rainbow Dash leaned back in her chair. "Yeah, Egghead. Working on some new magic doohickey?"

"Or a new potion?" Fluttershy asked softly, munching on a cinnamon scone.

A pink pony materialized with a pencil and notepad. "Hiya Twilight! What can I get for you?!"

"Hi Pinkie. I will have..." Twilight perused the menu and tapped her chin. "...a chocolate-glazed, cream-filled donut and a cup of coffee."

"Got it!" Pinkie Pie shouted enthusiastically and zipped back to wherever it was she came from.

Shaking her head, Twilight turned back to her other friends. "Anyway, the reason that I've been absent lately is because I'm writing a book."

"Really?" Rarity daintily took a sip of iced tea. "What is it about?"

The purple alicorn nervously began to wring her hooves. "Well, remember my visits to see Sombra?" At the sound of his name, the others traded nervous looks. Twilight gulped and reluctantly continued. "I'm, well, writing a biography...about his life."

The table grew deathly quiet. Twilight could feel her fight-or-flight response violently kicking in, her heart pounding in her ears. She spotted the exit out from the corner of her eye.

Maybe if I hoof it, I can get out of here before any of them have time to recover from the shock. One, two, thr-…

"One chocolate-glazed, cream-filled donut and a cup of coffee for my favorite princess!" Pinkie Pie cheered, sliding a plate and mug in front of Twilight, her service and timing as impeccable as usual. Noticing the odd silence, Pinkie's blue eyes scanned the faces of her closest friends. "What'd I miss?"

Applejack sighed. "Apparently, Twilight's turnin' her visits with You-Know-Who an' writin' a book 'bout them."

"I still don't like the thought of you in the same room as him...even if he is locked up," Fluttershy shivered, though she relaxed somewhat as Rainbow Dash rubbed her back soothingly.

"Really Darling, I don't know why you waste your time with..." She shuddered. "...King Sombra."

"Maybe she has a crush on him."

Everypony turned towards Rainbow Dash and stared at the blue pegasus....before bursting into laughter.

Twilight slumped down in her seat, her cheeks burning red with embarrassment.

"Ha, got you! As if, am I right!"

"Darn tootin', Dashie!"

The only two not laughing were Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie; the former was blushing hard into her mane while the latter's brow was knitted in thought, which was quite an odd look for the normally happy-go-lucky mare. She tapped her chin with a hoof and peered at her friends.

"I don't think Sombra's so bad. He's just very angry and lonely. He just needs somepony to be there for him."

"M-maybe. I mean, he was pretty nice to Twilight when he was in Ponyville," Fluttershy admitted.

Rarity's eyes sparkled, her hooves tightly clasped together as she swooned. "It's kind of romantic, isn't it? The dark king and the gentle mare that can see past his wicked ways and tame him."

"Rares, yuh've been readin' way too many romance novels," Applejack snorted with an eye roll.

"So Twilight," Rainbow Dash intoned. "Do you like him?"

All eyes focused on the hapless alicorn, who'd unconsciously begun to sweat profusely.

"What? Pffft! Of course not! That-that's ridiculous! I'm merely interested in...documenting and publicizing a first-hoof account of my experiences with King Sombra! That's all."

Applejack grinned. "Y'all see? Twilight's just being her usual geeky self. No need ta worry."

Twilight felt Rainbow Dash's playful shoulder punch and heard Rarity and Pinkie chatting about a "sunk ship" but she'd shut herself off from the gaiety occurring around her.

"Yeah...no need to worry."

~*~

Luna's moon shone brightly overhead, the curtain of night scintillating with the multitudinous stars twinkling above the heavens of Equestria. All was calm and quiet for the inhabitants of Ponyville. All except for one mare.

Twilight tossed, turned, rolled and struggled beneath the covers, losing her fight to drift off to sleep. She groaned and kicked the sheets away, her fore and hindlegs splayed out in an X formation. Her brows knitted in frustration. The humiliating discussion at Sugarcube Corner earlier that day had begun an inner battle within her head, one which left her restless. The inner machinations of her logical mind were overtaxing themselves; data was extrapolated, memories of past encounters with the umbrum replayed before culminating in one singular, epiphanic question:

"Do I have feelings for Sombra?"

She thought back to a few months ago, back when Sombra reappeared and took on the identity of Parcel Post in an attempt to spy on her and her friends. He quickly gained Twilight's friendship, with a combination of charm and exploitation of their shared love of books and Twilight found herself enjoying the company of somepony that shared her interests. As much as she loved her friends, there were times she wished that they more like her, possessing a keen intellect and love of science and reading. Then, much to her own surprise, "Parcel Post" complimented her and asked her out for a date and to her own surprise, agreed.

Nopony outside of my friends and family had ever called me beautiful.

It was Twilight's first date ever and, of course, she had been an absolute wreck, anxious about proper dating etiquette and fearful of messing up. But all of that changed on the actual date, where Sombra took her to a nice restaurant and they spent the rest of the night talking and laughing. He then walked her home and after a heartfelt discussion, gave Twilight her first kiss.

Twilight's breath hitched, her hoof lightly tracing her lips as blush dominated her cheeks at the memory.

When Sombra let his guard down, he was actually quite amicable. He was smart, well-read, thoughtful and even charming. It wasn't hard to see why Princess Celestia fell for him in the first place. And then there was his physical appearance to take into consideration. True, the curved horn and fangs were a bit off-putting but the rest of him was actually aesthetically pleasing, in an exotic sort of way.

He was tall-much taller than the average stallion-and well-built, possessing the physique of a bodybuilder. His red eyes, which were undeniably frightening at first glance, now reminded Twilight of rubies shining in the sunlight. And then there was his voice, a rich, velvety bass that was commanding and authoritative but also soothing and gentle. There was no doubt about it, Sombra was a handsome stallion.

"Sweet Celestia, I do have feelings for Sombra!"

Is that such a bad thing? A voice piped up in her head.

Twilight tossed the question back and forth in her mind.

"Well, my friends won't like it. And then there's my family! And the princesses!"

If they really care about you, then they'll understand.

"B-but he's considered to be one of Equestria's most loathed villains!"

True, but then again, so was Princess Luna once upon a time. Everypony forgave her.

The more she debated with herself, the more confident Twilight became.

"I'm scared."

Scared of what your friends and family will think?

"Well, yes. That and, well, what if Sombra and I do become a couple? Will it really work out?"

You should stop worrying what others think of you and start thinking about what you think of you. As for Sombra, are you so scared of getting hurt that you won't even try it? Besides, when have you let fear stop you before?

The alicorn sat up. "Huh. I bring up a lot of good points." She stared at her alarm clock and sighed. "I'm not getting sleep any time soon. I might as well go do something about this."

~*~

"Here we are, Your Majesty," the unicorn Royal Guard stated, his yellow horn sputtering with teal-blue light. "I'm not sure why we're here though. The prisoner's asleep."

Twilight stared ahead at the cell, where she could make out the unconscious form of Sombra, who laid curled up on his cot. After consulting with a physician, Princess Celestia had him moved back into the dungeon and relegated his watch to a specially-selected group of guards she could trust without question. Rolling onto his side, Sombra murmured something and kicked out his left hindleg. This provoked a light giggle from Twilight. He's like a foal!

"Unlock the cell door."

The guard stared at Twilight as if she'd grown a second head. "Your Majesty?"

"Unlock the cell door and close it behind me," Twilight stated unflinchingly.

"Your Majesty, I must protest-..."

"It's alright, Captain. He won't hurt me."

Where this certainty came from, Twilight had no idea. The words exited her mouth without a moment's hesitation and it somehow just seemed right. Reluctantly, the guard tentatively opened the cell door and then promptly locked it behind Twilight, torn between staying as close to the princess as possible and keeping his distance away from the prisoner.

"I will be right here if you need anything," the guard swore, though his words didn't register with Twilight.

She slowly approached the cot, her breathing hard but controlled, her limbs wobbling and heavy with every movement. For the first time, she could make out an expression of peace on the umbrum's face, as if all of the pain and stress of his life was suddenly absent. Gusts of hot air hit her in the face, accompanied by the light snores of the stallion sleeping in front of her. Twilight smacked her lips, abruptly finding them very dry. Slowly, she climbed onto the cot and snuggled up beside Sombra.

Curling up against Sombra's chest, Twilight found him to be surprisingly warm and comfortable, relishing in the feel of his coat against her own. She placed her muzzle into his neck and inhaled his scent: freshly-cut oak with a hint of lemon. Sighing contently, Twilight wrapped her forelegs around him and gently pressed her lips against his cheek.

"Good night, Sombra."

Sleep had never found the mare more quickly than it did that night.

Comments

[Crystal Night]

Sombra in the morning be like: I didn't drink last night did I?

[MisterEdd]

10047788
Probably Dos Equus 😆