Sombra leaned towards Fluttershy, taking in her confused expression. Before he could lose his nerve, he closed the gap and gently pressed his lips to hers. He felt her tense as a shock ran down his spine. For a second, she didn't move. Sombra felt his mind freeze with fear and almost pulled away when Fluttershy reacted. She gently tilted her head and pressed back, breathing through her nose. Sombra chuckled and pulled away slightly before kissing her again. He pressed a hoof to her cheek and wrapped it around her neck. Fluttershy gave a sharp exhale and sighed. After a few eternities, Sombra pulled away from her, pressing his forehead against hers. He could feel her shivering against his chest and laid a hoof over her back. Fluttershy sighed and nuzzled into his chest.

"So, that kiss before I escaped wasn't 'spur of the moment'?" Sombra blushed and grinned sheepishly, rubbing his neck and looking away.

"No, it wasn't. I just didn't want to risk you turning me down. I also didn't want to risk my feelings not being real." Fluttershy giggled, the sound chiming in his ears. Sombra sighed and gently nuzzled her cheek, wrapping a hoof around her shoulders. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed. A few hard knocks made them jump, Sombra whipping his head around. Kissing her forehead, he got up and walked over to the door, his horn glowing red. The door opened to reveal Twilight, her eyes worried.

"Sombra, are you okay? We're all worried about you right now."

"No, I'm not okay but I'm feeling better." Twilight nodded and turned.

"Come on, you two. We need to get back to the others. Oh, and the two guards want to talk with you, Sombra." His ears drooped and he looked down, fear sneaking back onto his face. Fluttershy wrapped a wing around his shoulders and rested her head against his neck. Sombra whimpered as they approached the throne room. The two guards turned and Sombra stopped, shaking from fear. Fluttershy gently nuzzled him and walked past the two guards, sending them a warning look. They left the room and the door closed behind them, locking them and Sombra out. One of them began to push Sombra and the three walked away from the door, moving through the halls till they reached a secluded area of the castle.

"What do you two want to talk to me about?" The two guards looked at each other and nodded. The larger one head-butted Sombra in the chest, knocking him over. He gasped as he hit the floor, his eyes wide as the guard pinned him.

"Let me make this perfectly clear. If you're playing them, we won't hesitate to end you. Are we clear?" Sombra gave a short, sharp nod, his eyes wide. The guard let him up and the two turned away. Sombra's ears flattened as he stood up, letting out a quiet whimper. When they got back to the throne room, they found the others planning.

"So, if we start one by one, maybe that would be better. That way, we... oh, hello Sombra." He pinned his ears back and looked away. Fluttershy walked over, pressing against him in comfort. She rested her muzzle on his shoulder and placed a wing over his back. Sombra sighed, looking down at his hooves.

"Sombra, you knew this wasn't going to be easy for you. Don't worry, we'll help in any way we can. Just try to be brave and everything will be fine. Okay?" The dark stallion looked at her then at the others before nodding. Even if he was scared, he had to try for his friends.

They'd been in the empire for a week and so far all attempts at reintroduction had backfired. Sombra lay on one of the balconies, his ears down. His guess about being attacked had been right. The sound of hooves caught his attention and he turned, smiling at Fluttershy. She lay down beside him, gently nuzzling his cheek.

"How are you doing, Sombra?" He gave her a defeated look and sighed, tears gathering in his eyes. Fluttershy gently kissed his cheek and placed her chin on his forelegs.

"This is never going to work, Fluttershy. No matter what I do, those ponies are never going to forgive me. I don't deserve their forgiveness." He stood up and left, his head drooping. Fluttershy watched him go and sighed, her ears flat. How were they going to do this?

Sombra whimpered ignoring the glares and jeers of the Crystal ponies. He kept walking, eventually finding himself in a small park. He sat down under a tree, placing his chin on his hooves. A ball hit his head and he looked up, meeting the frightened gaze of a small filly. Her eyes were wide as Sombra stared at her. He smiled and hit the ball back to her. The young filly grabbed the ball and, after a few seconds she tossed the ball back to him. Surprise blossomed in his eyes at the young foal's action. A bright smile spread over his face. For a few hours, he and the filly played games before she fell asleep. Sombra pulled the filly close and curled up around her, falling asleep himself.

He was woken by a quick prod on his neck. Sombra looked up to see Fluttershy staring at him. He looked down at the filly pressed against his belly. Sighing, he gently nuzzled her head, smiling as her eyes fluttered open. She giggled and pressed her head against his chin. Sombra chuckled and rolled onto his back, the filly clambering onto his belly. Fluttershy giggled and nudged the filly.

"What's you're name, sweetie?"

"Cinnamon swirl, miss. My mama is always telling me he's mean and evil but he's so nice." Sombra ruffled her hair and she jumped off his belly, allowing him to stand. Sombra looked over at Fluttershy to see a mint green mare racing over, her eyes wild. She slid to a stop and Cinnamon walked over to her mother. The mare glared at Sombra and began to herd the filly away.

"Wait!" The mare stopped and watched as her daughter ran back over to Sombra, rubbing against his side before she ran back to her mother. Sombra hit her ball to her and Cinnamon giggled and trotted away, her stunned mother following after her. Fluttershy nuzzled him and spread her wings. Sombra followed her as she flew towards the castle, his head going down as the Crystal ponies continued to jeer. One filly wasn't going to change anything.

Author's Note

I'm going to leave the next chapter up to you guys. What do you want to see next chapter?
-Fluttershy having that heart to heart with her brother
-Discord meeting Sombra
Also, I apologize for the pacing. I'm not very good at it. If anyone has any tips for me as to how I can improve, please tell me.