An Impulsive Temptation

by TheVClaw

Rating: mature
Tags: Sex, King Sombra, Shining Armor, Drama, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Cadance, Alternate Universe, Sad, Romance
Length: 10655

While overseeing the former King Sombra during his probation in the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor is growing increasingly annoyed with the Tyrant's behavior. However, it's not long before Sombra's teasing starts to dig a little deeper than expected.

Due to King Sombra's unexpected discovery and revival, Shining Armor and Princess Cadance have had a stressful few months in the Crystal Empire while overseeing his rehabilitation. But despite the Tyrant being held under a strict probationary period with his magic disabled, there wasn't a single Crystal Pony who would agree to watch guard over him (at least not without plotting to kill him). So because of that, Shining Armor reluctantly agreed to watch over Sombra to ensure he wouldn't try anything.

However, even though the former King had been compliant with his probation, there's something about Shining Armor that made him prone to pressing his luck. Whether it's by asking the Prince personal questions, or getting him riled up enough to be blushed and flustered, Sombra seemed to have a way with getting under Shining's skin. Of course, considering how the stallion was acting around him, Sombra had a suspicion that his guard's annoyance was more a cover than anything else.

And during one especially heated argument between them behind closed doors, Sombra was determined to get Shining to come to terms with how he may have been feeling. The Tyrant may have promised to stop his wrongdoings, but sometimes morals have to be brushed aside for the sake of helping a Prince overcome his denial. Or to help a former King keep his reignited feelings aflame.

Note: This story is M/M romance, and contains adult themes that include adultery/infedelity, oral sex, unhappy marriages, and gay fluff. Also, I want to give a quick thanks to sirblakethe3rd for proofreading.

Published 2017-07-13 11:10:06 UTC
Last updated 2017-07-13 11:10:06 UTC

A King Alone With A Prince

Despite the heavy helmet he had that covered his head and most of his face, the strong furrow that Shining Armor carried across his brow was nothing short of obvious. Granted, in comparison to other duties he could have performed recently, the Prince Consort was grateful to be given something so simple. But with all the recent stress and controversies that swept across the Crystal Empire in the last few months, being tasked to take guard of the very pony who caused all their new troubles wasn’t exactly what he would’ve preferred. Regardless, Shining breathed out silently while standing at the doorway, keeping his eyes glued on the former Tyrant who was comfortably seated on the couch.

Even though the dark unicorn’s magic was completely disabled as part of his probation, the former King Sombra still carried a fierce and dominant presence around himself that kept most of the Crystal Empire on high alert. It’s been less than two months since he was discovered in the Frozen North, but his rehabilitation with the help of Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer has been moving forward surprisingly well; nevertheless, the tension of having the former dictator living in his old castle alongside Cadance and Shining was overwhelming to say the least. Despite the countless pleas and petitions made to ban the figure from the Empire for the sake of the Crystal Ponies, the Royal Decree by the Princess of Friendship made it so that Sombra was required to stay under house-arrest in the Crystal Castle whilst being rehabilitated.

And since none of the Crystal Guards are willing to even be near Sombra to guard him, Shining was reluctantly given the task to be Sombra’s head guard for the time being. That meant that for most of the day, every day, Shining Armor had to be alone in the same room as the being who almost had him and his wife killed.

Shining wanted to be angry about it, but he was honestly more annoyed than anything else. Due to Sombra’s magic being disabled, as well as his strict house arrest, the former Tyrant was surprisingly stoic between his lessons from Starlight and Shining’s sister. But since they only came by a couple times a week to check up on Sombra’s progress, that meant that the rest of the time was spent with him lounging around lazily with Shining keeping a close eye on him. In the weeks he spent looking over Sombra, the most he ever saw the former King do was get up from his seat to go to the bathroom or make an occasional stretch; the rest of that time was spent either reading books or conversing with Shining.

At least, that was all that Sombra used to do.

In the past few weeks, Shining was able to notice that whenever he arrived for his shift, Sombra was slightly more active and eager to talk with him; and if the unicorn were to be completely honest, Sombra wasn’t a bad stallion to chat with. His sense of humor was rather crude to the point of being macabre, but he was also obviously intelligent and clever. But at the same time, Sombra’s presence was anything but subtle; from the way he spoke in his rich, deep voice, to the way he was able to coax Shining to open up about more than he should, it was hard for the Prince to end his guarding shifts without looking blushed or flustered. As the days went on, Shining was able to comprehend how someone as dark and sinister as Sombra could reach the level of power he had before without raising a hoof; in a way, it was qualities like those that made Shining less bothered with the former King’s intrusive questions each time they talked.

Nevertheless, some of Sombra’s questions were still a bit uncalled for. Even though he knew he didn’t have to answer them honestly, or even at all, Shining still felt compelled to do so for the sake of his sister’s goal to rehabilitate him. But with each new conversation the two had, Sombra’s questions became much more personal. The first few were simple enough, like past lovers or experiences that he had before Cadance. However, it wasn’t long before Shining was opening up to the former King about things that were better left to a therapist.

But for Sombra himself, he seemed quite happy to have somepony who wanted to converse with him without the threat of murder. Even when Shining tried to change a subject or make Sombra downright stop with certain topics, the Tyrant just grinned and continued playfully. By the time he tried to ask Shining if there were any marital issues between him and Cadance, he had to keep himself from smirking when he noticed that split-second pout of frustration on the Prince’s cute, pillowy lips.

Of course, Shining kept himself completely stoic as soon as that topic came up. Regardless of any quarrels the two may have had due to recent stress or their differing work schedules, it was absolutely none of Sombra’s business. So instead of bringing up Cadance’s recent attitude or their lack of discussion, Shining just stood like a statue in front of the smiling, quizzical stallion. Meanwhile, Sombra was patient as he laid back on the couch and kept his eyes on the Prince.

“Shining, it was just a question,” noted Sombra insistently while raising his brows at him. “If anything, your lack of a reply is saying more than any answer.”

He knew it was better to stay silent despite that point, but he still huffed through his nostrils while standing guard. “Sombra, I know you’re still trying to adjust to not being frozen for over a millennia, but there are some questions you really don’t ask ponies nowadays!”

“It wasn’t like I was asking for photographs!” retorted Sombra as he kept his cheeky grin on the flustered Prince. “I wasn’t even asking for specific details about you two.”

Shining just groaned and rolled his eyes. “Well, it’s still highly inappropriate to ask when Cadance and I last had sex!”

Noting how peeved Shining was getting, the Tyrant chuckled while narrowing his eyes on him. “So it’s been that long, huh?”

“Ugh!” The Prince looked away from Sombra with an angered pout, making himself look more like a bratty teenager than the co-ruler of the Crystal Empire. Even though he should’ve known better than to feed into Sombra’s obvious teasing, Shining still responded in a stern voice, “You know what? I’m not even gonna dignify that statement with a response.”

“Well, that technically counts as a response,” said Sombra with a cheeky smirk. “As does your blush.”

“What?!” The Prince let out an involuntary groan as his body stiffened up from that remark. He tried to look away from Sombra’s cheeky stare while scowling, hoping that his helmet covered more of his face that way. Unfortunately, the Tyrant’s statement proved to be rather correct from how red Shining’s cheeks had become. Hating how often that’s been happening recently, the white unicorn gritted his teeth as he breathed out slowly with an accompanying growl.

Meanwhile, Sombra sprawled himself out on the couch a little wider as he locked his sights on the flustered Prince. “Honestly Shining, you need to stop getting so worked up. How are you going to react if you have to make negotiations with some leader like me? If you want to rule this land, you need to show more stability. Because if this is how you react to a few personal questions, I’d hate to see how you are with somepony you’re really attracted to~”

Shining closed his eyes and sighed in frustration. “Well, most current leaders are a bit more--Wait, what?!”

The unicorn whipped his head back to stare at Sombra with his eyes widened. “Wh… What did you say?”

“Nothing,” noted the former King with a smirk before picking up a book from the coffee table, and using it to discreetly cover his satisfied expression. Meanwhile, Shining blinked a couple times as he tried to process what he knew he heard Sombra say. Or more importantly, what the Tyrant was implying with what he said.

After a pregnant bout of silence between them, Shining narrowed his eyes on Sombra with a frustrated glare. “I don’t know what it is you’re assuming about me, but I can assure you that you’re completely wrong.”

“Oh?” asked the Tyrant with a playful huff before glancing back up at him. “I thought you weren’t going to dignify my statements with a response~”

Shining sputtered and looked away again, groaning a little as his annoyance of the Tyrant intensified. “Mmmnngggg…”

Even though he knew that Shining could easily incapacitate him with his magic, Sombra still openly chuckled when he saw how easily he could get to the still-blushing Prince. Growing a mischievous grin on his muzzle, the charcoal-coated stallion laid back a little on the couch and sprawled out his hind legs. “Boy, you really are easy to mess with,” he jeered with a cheeky grin on Shining. “Were you like this when you developed feelings for Cadance?~”

“N-NO! I--” Shining clenched his muzzle shut to silence himself, taking a second to close his eyes and breathe deeply through his nostrils. Given how much he’s been around the Tyrant, Shining hated that he was still getting as sputtery around him now than he did during their first shift. Regardless, when he reopened his eyes to glare back at Sombra, he tried to keep his expression firm and unapproving enough to distract from his deepening blush. “Okay, I really don’t understand why you’re making insinuations like that! It’s...”

Unfortunately for Shining, his words started to trail off when he took notice of the seated position Sombra had on the couch. While one of his forelegs was laid along the back of the seat, and the other was on the armrest, the Tyrant had his eyes narrowed on Shining with a wide and knowing smirk while his hind legs were fully spread apart; and between those legs, the charcoal stallion’s sheath and balls were fully on display. After several seconds of silence, Sombra’s fangs began to appear through his grin while watching the Prince blink his eyes a couple times and try to speak. “It… it’s not…”

Upon realizing he was staring right at Sombra’s junk with his mouth hanging slightly open, Shining shook his head clear and looked away with an annoyed huff. Sombra, undeterred by that response, kept his lewd stance on the couch while licking his lips. “What was that, Shining? You seemed to be distracted by my figure again~”

“I wasn’t!” blurted Shining with a strong groan as he refused to look back at the perverted Tyrant. “And I never WAS, okay?! Stop assuming that!”

“Then look back at me,” replied Sombra with a waiting smirk. He could feel his sheath twitching as he continued playing with the Prince, but he paid no heed to it while staring at Shining. “Surely you’ve talked with your fellow soldiers in the locker rooms and showers, did you not? I couldn’t imagine you getting all blushy and distracted around them. So why are you reacting that way with me?~”

“Well, for ONE!” answered Shining as he got more agitated, not realizing that was exactly what Sombra wanted. “We’re not in a shower room! You don’t really expect to see a guy in that kind of position in a place like this! It’s not proper! You’d think that with being former Royalty, you’d understand that!”

“Yes, former Royalty,” noted Sombra with a tilt of his head. “And if we’re going to talk about Royal ponies not acting proper, I could easily point out how you told me about your bisexual encounters during your military training in college~”

“T-That’s different!” Shining’s blush was growing deep enough to practically be glowing through the open parts of his helmet. “That was discussed in private, alright?! And despite what you may think, the fact that I’m bisexual doesn’t mean I’m attracted to EVERY guy I see!”

“Well I know that,” said Sombra quite casually. “I wasn’t implying that sort of ignorant assumption for a second. But I am saying that despite what you might try to admit, you are attracted to me~”

“Urrrrghhh…” Shining was seething within his helmet, and it took everything in him not to turn towards Sombra and add more fuel to his fire. Instead, the Prince took another deep breath and kept his muzzle shut, intent on not letting the stallion continue with those totally untrue accusations. Fortunately, the fact that he and Sombra were so far away from the other guard posts meant that it was likely nopony was listening in on the two.

Sombra waited another long while while studying the Prince, happy that his cheeks were still a little red from the glimpses he could see through Shining’s helmet. Of course, the Tyrant couldn’t resist leaning forward in his seat while still keeping himself exposed. “Aren’t you going to ask why I know you feel that way?” he asked with a raised brow.

He saw Shining’s muzzle twitch a bit, but nothing more. Upon realizing that the unicorn was going to give him the silent treatment for the time being, Sombra sighed and added, “Well, unless you’re going to force me to stop, I might as well explain--”

“That’s not necessary,” interrupted Shining while keeping his sights elsewhere. “Just because you caught me off-guard once doesn’t mean anything about what you’re implying, Sombra.”

“Once?” the Tyrant asked with a raised brow. “Do you think that what just happened was the only instance I caught you staring at me?~”

“What do you--” As soon as he looked back at Sombra with a flustered glare, Shining immediately turned back away when he saw the stallion was still seated so lewdly. While the former King grinned casually, even going as far as to reach a hoof down to rub at one of his inner thighs, Shining huffed with his eyes averted elsewhere. “I seriously don’t know what you mean by that.”

“Oh, really?” asked Sombra as his knowing and lustrous tone became more evident with each passing word. “So each time we’ve talked, and I paused our discussions to make several stretches by that corner over there…” He pointed a hoof towards the far corner of the room, which happened to be beside a large pony-sized mirror. Of course, his eyes were still peering right at Shining’s face as he smirked. “... You didn’t think that I was able to see you staring at my body each time for the past few weeks?~”

Despite his body making a small, insignificant twitch that Sombra was able to see, Shining rolled his eyes and breathed out annoyedly. He tried to brush off Sombra’s “proof,” but his blush still deepened just a tiny bit. “W-Well, I AM a guard, Sombra! I have to take watch of you!”

“Except when you get caught staring, like you had just now~”

Shining lips were pursed tightly shut in anger as he looked back at him, intent on proving the Tyrant wrong. “It’s my JOB to take watch and make sure you don’t break your probation! Not to…” Shining closed his eyes briefly while pointing a hoof down at the general direction of Sombra’s still-uncovered crotch. “... N-Not to ogle at some perverted Tyrant like you!”

“So, staring at my rear while my back is turned is fine,” asked Sombra condescendingly, “but not when I’m sitting in a manner like I am now and allowing you the right to look?~”

Shining breathed out sharply through his nostrils while turning his eyes away from Sombra once more. “I am not going--”

“Look back at me~”

The brooding and dominant tone of that interruption actually caused Shining to jolt a bit in surprise. Of course, what was even more unexpected (at least, for Shining himself) was that it actually did make him turn back at Sombra. Meanwhile, the Tyrant grinned in satisfaction at getting Shining’s attention, just as his hoof went down to rub at his growing sheath. “Oh my~” he purred while narrowing his eyes on the Prince. “Even without my magic, I can still make ponies follow my demands. How nice~”

“OKAY, THAT’S IT!!” After all the frustration that was bubbling up inside of him, Shining was done with it. He stormed up towards the couch with an enraged look in his eyes as he leaned in and glared right in Sombra’s face. Of course, the Tyrant just kept his smirk without even flinching at the Prince’s change in tone. “Sombra, I don’t know what your angle is, but I am NOT going to tolerate this kind of crap while I’M the head of the Crystal Empire! Unless you want me to take appropriate action, then you better--”

Before Shining could shout out another word, Sombra leaned his head forward and planted his muzzle right against the Prince’s for a sudden, deep kiss on the lips. It only lasted for a couple seconds, but it was enough to make Shining temporarily frozen before jolting back with a yelp and his face as red as a tomato. “W-W-WHAT THE BUCK?!”

Before Sombra could chuckle or say something smarmy towards the stunned Prince, both of them heard a couple knocks come from the door. Shining whipped his head around quickly enough to risk whiplash as he heard his wife’s voice from the other side of the door. “Shining?” asked Cadance with an annoyed-sounding tone. “Would you mind telling me what all that screaming is about?! I heard it from Flurry Heart’s room!”

Shining winced as he closed his eyes to groan seethingly. After giving one last glare to the still smirking Sombra, Shining sighed and went towards the door silently. Since there was no legible form of escape for the Tyrant other than that doorway, Shining wasn’t breaking any protocol when he went out to the hall and closed the door to leave Sombra alone in the room. And for several minutes, Sombra just sat awkwardly while hearing the muffled bickering between the two ponies through the wall, which made his smirk lessen with each minute that passed.

Sombra may have been a former dark lord of magic, but he wasn’t blessed with heightened senses like any of the Alicorn Princesses. Because of that, he wasn’t able to make out much of what Shining and Cadance were arguing about. Maybe a few key words or phrases here and there, but nothing he could really gather while on the couch. However, Sombra was able to hear that whatever it was, Cadance was obviously the one saying much more than Shining could; with every muffled point the Prince tried to make, it seemed that the Princess had three times as much to retort with while keeping a bitter and annoyed tone. By the time their argument began to die down, Sombra felt a slight bit of sympathy for the married stallion.

After almost a minute of near silence from the other side of the door, Sombra overheard the two ponies kiss briefly. Nothing too special, but still notable enough to be heard through the walls as an innocent peck. Shining said something else in a more loving tone, but Sombra couldn’t discern what it was. However, he was able to see how quickly the Prince’s expression changed as soon as he walked back into the room; Shining had a warm-looking smile when he reopened the door, but it dropped to a tired and fatigued scowl as soon as Sombra heard the hoofsteps of Cadance walking away. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like she heard her husband’s tired sigh when he closed the door shut behind him.

Sombra didn’t say anything at first, not wanting to further annoy the stallion when he was clearly at nerve’s end. But as soon as the Prince looked back at him on the couch, his scowl intensified as he shouted bitterly, “Sombra, close your damn legs!”

“Oh!” Sombra didn’t even realize he was still splayed out playfully, and nodded as he pulled himself up from the couch. “Alright, alright…”

However, as soon as he got on his hooves, the Tyrant glanced at the upset-looking Shining with a tilt of his head. “So… are you alright?”

“Oh yeah,” groaned the Prince with an obviously sarcastic tone while glaring at Sombra, “why wouldn’t I be? I just got chewed out by my wife AGAIN, because YOU thought it’d be funny to try and pull some stupid stunt for your own pleasure! I hope you’re happy!”

Sombra huffed with an evident frown as he stood before the upset-looking unicorn. “Well, it’s not like I intended for Cadance to hear us,” retorted the Tyrant firmly. “And just so you know, Shining Armor, I didn’t only kiss you for my own satisfaction.”

Shining just gawked at the former King like he officially turned insane. “Oh, so what, you thought you were HELPING me with… t-that?!”

Sombra merely shrugged his shoulders and raised a brow. “Didn’t I?”

“NO! You did not!” Even though he was a little worried about Cadance coming back again, Shining was getting fed up with Sombra’s intentions as he added with a roll of his eyes, “Honestly, I can’t see why you’re thinking like this about me! Like, what would make you think I would be okay with you... kissing me on the lips?!”

When Shining said that last part, Sombra had to conceal a smirk at seeing the Prince’s cheeks glow a little brighter from it. Regardless, the Tyrant shrugged once more and replied in a casual tone, “Well… if you didn’t approve of what I did, then maybe you would’ve told Cadance about it.”

Shining’s eyes widened a little while staring back at him. “W… What?”

“I heard you through the door,” noted Sombra as he motioned to the doorway. “When you and Cadance were arguing, I was able to make out some of the things you told her. You mentioned that I was being a nuisance, and that I was riling you up. And then she went off on you about a few things, although I’m not sure what.”

Shining pursed his muzzle shut and looked away with a strong and angered pout. Even though he was upset that Sombra was eavesdropping on them, he was a little grateful that the former King didn’t overhear any of Cadance’s heated words. If Sombra knew some of the things the Princess said in her angered state, he’d probably use it against her for a long while to make their tense relationship even worse. Cadance may have been the Princess of Love, but she was far less tolerant of Sombra than her husband was.

“However,” continued Sombra as he took a step forward while eyeing the Prince, “I did hear the pause when she tried to give you a chance to further explain yourself. You could’ve mentioned what I did, and that would’ve been the end of it. But instead, you kept your mouth shut about it.”

After a long and winded breath through his nostrils, Shining sighed and apprehensively looked back at him. “Well, how do you think that discussion would go?” he asked rather bitterly. “If I were to tell my wife that the former evil ruler of this empire kissed me on the MOUTH, she’d go off on me for not stopping you before it happened!”

Even though that theory probably would’ve been correct, Sombra still huffed with a smirk and replied, “Well, it seems like she shouldn’t judge you for something she never saw happen.”

“Yeah,” replied Shining as he narrowed his eyes on Sombra coldly, “just like YOU shouldn’t try to kiss a married stallion!”

Sombra rolled his blood-red eyes while keeping a more casual tone than the Prince. “I was just trying to see how you’d react to getting a kiss from me as opposed to your wife.”

“And why the BUCK would I want that?!” asked Shining as his glare turned colder. “Especially from you…”

Shining was hoping to offend Sombra with that last inflection, but the former King didn’t even flinch at what the stallion was trying to convey with those words. Instead, he just took another step forward and said studiously, “Because for the past few weeks, I’ve seen how quickly your attitude would change when you come to take watch over me. When you and I first met when I started my rehabilitation, you used to stay completely silent and just stare at me like a criminal before your shift was done. But slowly, you began to talk with me. You listened to what I had to say. And eventually, you and I ended up having conversations every day, which I’m sure lasted much longer than any you’ve had with your own wife after your shift is over.”

Shining groaned and looked away from him. But before the Prince could deny that claim, Sombra took another step forward and continued. “And furthermore, I’ve seen your attitude change as well. With each day we met and talked, I’ve seen your mood brighten up as soon as you saw me. Just recently I’ve seen you smile just from looking at me. And unlike her, I can see that as soon as you have to leave, your bitter scowl would always come back like you didn’t want to go.”

Shining slowly glanced back at Sombra as his expression became more confounded. He didn’t look that angry or upset about the Tyrant’s statement, but more confused than anything else. Although, Sombra was slightly unsure if that confusion was because of how sincere his words were coming out, or if somewhere deep in the Prince, he knew they weren’t completely wrong. Shining tried to open his mouth to say something, but Sombra kept going as he stepped in even closer.

“Shining, I know you’re not happy when you leave this room. I saw how upset you were as soon as your argument with her ended. And from what I could hear, I’m willing to guess that this wasn’t just a one-time thing either.”

“NO--I mean, YES, it was a one-time thing!” With his cheeks burning even hotter, Shining was growing more frustrated as he tried to counteract Sombra’s words by saying, “And despite what you might try to say, I am very happy with my wife, Sombra! All couples have hurdles in a marriage! That doesn’t mean I don’t love her!”

Sombra sighed and tried to say honestly, “I’m not saying that you don’t, Shining. I’m saying that she doesn’t make you as happy as I have recently.”

“And what makes you think that YOU know more about what makes me happy than h--Mmmphh!!!”

Before another word could escape Shining’s lips, they were stopped when Sombra reached a hoof out to press firmly against his muzzle. The Tyrant, who was now less than a foot away from the silenced Prince, narrowed his eyes on him as he spoke with more devotion than before. “Shining Armor, do NOT think I can’t tell when you’re lying to me! I’ve seen you stare at me when you thought I wasn’t looking. I’ve seen your face blush while stealing glances at me. I can see how much your mood brightens up when you see me as opposed to your wife! And considering how I used to be one of your harshest enemies, it’s hard for me to believe that your change of attitude towards me in the past few weeks would only be explained by just friendship!”

Shining didn’t move away from Sombra, but his eyes still narrowed on him angrily. With how hard his heart was pounding, the stallion’s mind was too focused on Sombra’s leering stare to realize he could easily just push the Tyrant off of him. But instead, Shining remained in place as he watched the former King leaned his head in even closer and look him right in the eyes. “Shining, you can not deny how you’re feeling right now. Here I am, just inches from you, and touching you nonetheless! If I tried this a week ago, you would’ve had me pinned to the ground by now! But instead, you’re just standing there and taking it…”

Shining’s eyes widened a little, and his hooves were practically frozen to the ground as he felt those words start to sink in. Despite the fact that Sombra took him off-guard with that interruption, he knew that he easily could have stopped him. But instead, he was still standing still under the former King’s grip like he still had some semblance of power. And from the tone Sombra had while eyeing him with that kind of ferocity, it was hard for the Prince to not feel his heart thump harder in his chest.

Slowly, Sombra pulled his hoof away to allow Shining to speak freely. “Now… I want to ask you a simple question, Shining. And I do want you to answer me this time…”

Shining knew that Sombra had absolutely no power over him, but he still felt compelled to nod his head as he stood in surprised stupor in front of him. Even in his armor, the stallion couldn’t say he felt as confident in front of Sombra as he did before. Nevertheless, his cheeks remained blushed as he heard Sombra ask with his brows raised on him. “I want you to be honest, Prince… When was the last time you and Cadance laid together as lovers?”

Shining felt his skin grow a bit colder at that question, and his heart grew heavy enough to start sinking into his stomach. Despite the former King’s insistent stare on him, Shining couldn’t look him in the eyes as he turned his head away meagerly. Alas, the Prince still breathed out faintly and admitted in a sheepish tone, “T… Two and a half months…”

Even though that answer made Sombra’s eyes widen briefly, he still kept his studious tone after a moment to let Shining catch his breath. “So… was that because of her?”

He expected Shining to nod his head or say yes to that question, but it didn’t happen. Instead, Shining’s head lowered guiltily before he sighed and slowly shook his head . “N-No…”

Sombra’s brows rose even more, but Shining wasn’t able to notice as he looked down at his hoof-guards on the ground. His muzzle wrinkled as he pouted and said in growing apprehension, “I… I was never… in the mood when I went home…”

After a long, painful bout of silence, Sombra slowly brought his hoof up to rest underneath Shining’s chin. He slowly lifted the Prince’s head up, ensuring that he was looking Sombra dead in the eyes as he asked, “Shining… You still do love her, don’t you?”

Shining didn’t even hesitate to nod firmly back at him. “Y-Yes. Yes I do…”

Even though that answer was obviously true without a doubt in his mind, Sombra narrowed his eyes on Shining and leaned his head in a little closer. Meanwhile, Shining’s breath came out a little shakily as he began to feel Sombra’s warmth coming from his fur being so close to his. His cheeks blushed even deeper as he stared at the Tyrant and heard him ask, “But… I need to ask you…”

Sombra paused when he was just a few inches from Shining’s muzzle. “I want you to be honest with me… are you happy with her?”

Shining may have had his magic and his armor, but something about Sombra’s words were now making all of his defenses utterly useless. His heart was pounding harder, and his breaths became more faint as he stood with a bit lip. But despite how he may have looked, Shining wasn’t able to keep Sombra from looking away from him. Even though it pained the Prince to even think about it, he knew that Sombra really did know the answer without him even needing to say it.

As his eyes closed painfully, Shining breathed out in shame before opening his muzzle. “I… I’m… n-not…”

Actually saying that last word hurt Shining tremendously, but he couldn’t deny it either; after all the countless fights and loveless nights spent, Shining knew he wasn’t as happy with Cadance now as he did before. He always knew that love changed over time, but he never expected it would change that poorly for himself. But before he could clench his eyes even tighter and try not to cry, he felt something warm and comforting wrap around his shoulders and back.

Sombra closed his eyes as he leaned in and pulled Shining into a warm hug, hoping to comfort him after that confession. He wasn’t sure how the Prince would react, but he smiled to himself when he felt Shining’s hooves slowly wrap around him to return the affection. Neither of them said anything for a while, but their hug tightened immensely as the two held each other in private. After almost a minute, Shining finally began to pull away while his eyes were wettening up. “S-Sombra, I… I don’t…”

Shining felt the Tyrant’s hoof press against his lips once more, but this time he didn’t try to resist it at all. Instead, he just looked back at Sombra’s face as he stared at him with narrowed eyes. After pulling his hoof away from Shining’s muzzle, he moved it up to pull off the Prince’s helmet. The unicorn’s luscious blue mane was finally seen after weeks of it being on during his shifts, flowing down to rest at Shining’s shoulders like it should. The rest of Shining’s armor was still on, but he still felt incredibly vulnerable as nothing remained to hide the heavy blush he had on his cheeks.

Sombra looked the Prince up and down without the helmet on him, smirking as he admired the stallion’s natural look. He then placed a hoof on Shining’s reddened cheek, looking at him with a growing smile as he asked, “Shining Armor… who would you say makes you feel happy?”

Shining bit his lip nervously, but slowly lifted one of his hooves to place on top of Sombra’s. But instead of trying to pull it away from his cheek, the Prince pressed it in closer against his cheek while looking Sombra in the eyes with his heart beating faster. “Y… y-you do…”

Sombra’s grin widened even more as he lifted his other hoof, having him standing on his hind legs as he held Shining’s other cheek. He breathed out deeply, making Shining shudder a bit as he felt the Tyrant’s hot breath brush against his fur. Regardless, he stood in place while hearing Sombra ask insistently, “Admit it, Shining Armor… Admit that you have feelings for me.”

Sombra may have not been a leader anymore, but he still saw the white unicorn shudder in his grasp like the countless slaves he had before. Shining’s blush deepened immensely as he stood within his grip, needing to gulp while his lips were tightly shut. The Prince’s heart was racing faster than ever before, but he knew he had no reason to resist anymore. Despite knowing he had the upper-hoof, he couldn’t deny that Sombra had him. Even with his magic disabled and his power stripped from him, somehow that stallion knew how to wrap Shining around his hoof.

And strangely enough, the Prince couldn’t say that he disliked that feeling that much,

“I…” After a shaky exhale, Shining couldn’t hold it in as he lunged his head in and said in a heated moan, “... I do!”

After the countless weeks he spent trying to deny how he was feeling about the horrible Tyrant, Shining leaned in and planted his lips against Sombra’s as his heart was ignited with newfound passion. His hooves gripped Sombra’s back tightly as he kissed him, holding the former King in sweet embrace he hadn’t felt in months. His whole body trembled in a mix of elation and fear as he gave in to the stallion he thought about for so long, but a deep moan escaped his muzzle as he felt Sombra hold him tighter and kiss him back just as deeply.

Sombra held onto the Prince’s armor as he made out with him, loving that he finally broke Shining from his wife to indulge in something he really desired. He knew how wrong it was to endanger a marriage like Shining’s (despite the state it was in), but it was hard to compare this kind of debaucherous action to enslaving the Crystal Empire a millenia ago. Plus, the fact that Shining’s composure broke this quickly should be enough proof of how much he desired Sombra instead of his own wife. So as he returned the deep kiss to the married stallion, Sombra didn’t have much shame as he held him in tight and loving embrace.

After about thirty seconds of heavy, passionate kissing, Shining pulled his lips away from Sombra’s with a wet smack to catch his breath. As he panted deeply in front of the Tyrant, Shining could feel his heart pounding in his chest while his face burned as hot as ever before. Just two months ago, the Prince was in a stable and (mostly) happy relationship with his wife while overseeing the Crystal Empire; but now, Shining Armor was standing in stunned silence after committing an act of infidelity with the figure who remains the Crystal Empire’s darkest enemy. His heart grew heavier with each passing second spent thinking over what he just did, but as soon as he glanced back at that dark stallion before him, Shining could feel his heart growing warmer as well…

He hadn’t felt that way in so long, not even with his wife and the mother of his child. With the way Sombra was looking back at him with those piercing red eyes and his fanged smirk, the unicorn’s fur stood on end as his nerves tingled from how he felt. He tried to deny it to himself during the weeks spent overseeing this stallion’s every move, but it was hard not to let those feelings come rushing in after Sombra himself pointed it out. The realization was jarring to say the least, but that shock didn’t make it any less true: Shining really did grow strong feelings for this Tyrant.

As the Prince’s cheeks burned a deep red while breathing heavily, Sombra waited a long moment before slowly resting a hoof on Shining Armor’s shoulder. “Shining,” he asked in much more comforting tone than before, “are you going to be alright?”

“I… I think so…” Even though he knew how strongly he was feeling for the former King, that realization made him turn his head away in overwhelming guilt and shock. “I… I can’t believe I…”

Before he could let his shame overtake him, Shining felt one of Sombra’s hooves pull his muzzle back to face him. Upon seeing that face once more, the Prince breathed out in a slow and faint shudder as his heart beat even faster. Meanwhile, Sombra petted the stallion’s electric blue mane softly before saying in a deep and soothing voice, “Shining… I wouldn’t have done this if I thought it would hurt you… You know that, right?”

With his eyes half-lidded while staring back at the Tyrant, Shining breathed out a little deeper and nodded his head faintly. Even though his legs were still shaky, the unicorn was feeling a little calmer with each pet of Sombra’s hoof. “Y… Yeah. I… I wouldn’t have guessed you would…”

Sombra’s hoof moved down to rest against Shining’s burning hot cheek. The Prince wanted to savor that feeling, or even smile at how nice it felt, but his muzzle wrinkled as he closed his eyes and blurted, “B-But, uhhh…”

Sombra paused his petting briefly, keeping himself silent while hearing Shining speak in a flustered tone. “S-Sombra, I… I can think of at least a dozen reasons right now how this is a bad idea. A-And… and I can also think of a few that would say o-otherwise…”

Shining’s cheeks stayed deeply red as those thoughts swam in his head, blighting his conscience with confusion and shame and pleasure all at the same time. But after shaking his head clear, Shining sighed and looked back at Sombra to say, “But! I just… I just need to know…”

After a couple seconds of silence, the Prince bit his lip before asking insistently, “A-Are you… o-only doing this for my sake? Like… do you… do you f-feel that way too?”

That just made Sombra huff with a playful smirk. “No,” he answered in a clearly sarcastic tone of voice, “I only had you fall for me as revenge against your wife.” He then rolled his eyes and said firmly, “Of course I did this because I wanted you! After all the time we spent together, and… what I’ve seen regarding your… personal life…”

Shining averted his eyes from Sombra with his mouth pursed shut, not wanting to say anything in response to that. Meanwhile, Sombra continued as he petted the Prince’s cheek once more.

“... I was able to see how much you needed someone to help you, even if you couldn’t see it yourself.”

“So… so you…” Even though Shining looked like he wanted to pull away from Sombra’s touch, his hoof still came up to hold the Tyrant’s against his cheek as he breathed out shakily. “You saw me with a wife and kid and still…”

As the Prince’s words trailed off, Sombra sighed and tried to speak before Shining could finish. “I’m not saying it was easy for me to accept,” admitted Sombra with an apprehensive shrug, “but I think Cadance would say it best herself. Sometimes… the heart wants what it wants.”

Despite feeling uncomfortable about his wife’s words being used as an example to justify what he just did, Shining still nodded his head weakly in response. “Yeah, I… I understand…”

After taking a deep breath, Shining was able to grow a weak smile as he stared back at the dark stallion still holding him. Seeing the Prince’s expression, it wasn’t long before Sombra smirked as well. “So, Prince Shining… What does your heart want right now?~”

Instead of jeering the Tyrant for that corny line, Shining just blushed a little deeper before giving his response. The white stallion leaned his head in once more, kissing Sombra lovingly on the lips as his eyes slowly closed. As the former King kissed back, a low growl escaped his muzzle while their lips were connected. With both of their hearts racing, Shining didn’t try to resist when he felt Sombra’s hooves wrap tightly around his body. Nor did he try to stop the dark stallion from removing Shining’s armor from his back and hooves.

By the time the Prince’s armor laid useless on the floor, he and Sombra had been kissing deeply for over a full minute. Shining could feel the former King’s thin, almost reptilian tongue start to slide against the outside of his mouth, waiting to be let in like an invitation. Even though he knew how wrong it had to have been, Shining also knew he was far past any moral lines. After an involuntary moan escaped his muzzle, the stallion opened his mouth a little more in acceptance for Sombra’s tongue to enter.

With a quick zap of Shining Armor’s horn, the room was put under a temporary sound barrier while the door remained locked. Because of that, the Prince no longer felt the need to hold back as he pulled his lips free briefly to moan out in need, “Oh, Sombra!~” With that name ringing as wonderfully in his ears as Cadance’s had months ago, Shining kissed the Tyrant passionately as his own tongue sunk in to return the gesture given towards him.

Sombra may have been much older than Shining (even without counting how long he was frozen), but he felt like a teenager again while he and the Prince made out lewdly with their tongues in as passionate embrace as their hooves and bodies. His heart was racing in growing need while his body grew hotter, but it wasn’t his heart that prompted him to move his muzzle from Shining’s. As his lips moved downward to kiss and peck at the white stallion’s neck, Sombra could feel how much his member was hardening as it grew out of his sheath. Meanwhile, Shining involuntarily giggled as he felt the former King’s lips tickling at the more sensitive regions of his neck.

“Hehehe.. S-Sombra, what’re you…” By the time Sombra began to kiss even lower, Shining’s eyes slowly widened as his blush deepened. His breathing grew heavier as he felt the Tyrant pecking at the floof on his white chest. “O… Oh….”

Shining’s mind was becoming clouded by more conflicting thoughts and feelings, but his own body seemed to react to Sombra’s touch in a much simpler manner. As he felt one of Sombra’s hooves slowly start rubbing at his fur between his chest and his stomach, The Prince bit his lip to conceal a guilty moan. Meanwhile, Shining could feel his own stallionhood slipping out of its sheath, and growing harder with each passing second spent in such a taboo embrace.

When Sombra’s hoof reached down to rub at Shining’s stomach, he pulled his head back up to whisper into the Prince’s ear, “Sit on the couch for me~”

On any other day before this one, Shining wouldn’t have tolerated hearing that kind of domineering tone from the former dictator of the Crystal Empire. But now, all that the stallion could do was shudder with a growing blush before nodding his head weakly. “O… Okay,” he said in a timid exhale as he was lead to the couch by Sombra. As soon as the Prince was seated, Sombra pinned his hooves on Shining’s shoulders as he stood over him with a dominant grin.

“Mmmmm…~” The Tyrant narrowed his eyes down at Shining Armor with a wickedly-wide grin, but a small blush was still apparent on his charcoal cheeks. Looking up and down the stallion’s prone and completely-exposed body, Sombra growled in lust as his fangs glistened above the unicorn. “Oooooohhhh… You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to have you like this~”

Before Shining could even breathe out, he gasped when Sombra brought his head down and licked the middle of the Prince’s chest deeply. Shining closed his eyes tightly and let out a shaky moan, growing harder as he felt the Tyrant’s thin tongue drag up against his pristine fur so lewdly. His blush deepened immensely as Sombra’s tongue lingered, leaving his mind completely blank while his body succumbed to the taboo pleasures it was receiving. Of course, even if Shining were to think clearly, it was doubtful he could remember the last time Cadance was this passionate in recent months.

“Mmmmmmm… Mister Armor…~” Sombra was practically purring with each tantalizing lick he gave to Shining’s shaky body, leaving the unicorn to sit idly by while moaning and twitching in the Tyrant’s grasp. After several deep licks and kisses to Shining’s torso, Sombra’s attention soon went to the obvious target as his head traveled even lower. After bringing his hooves down to pull apart Shining’s legs, the former King growled as he eyed his prize like a lion atop its kill.

Meanwhile, Shining was frozen on the couch as he looked down with his cock standing rock-hard just inches from Sombra’s face. His heart was thundering in guilty need, but his breaths came out rapidly through his nostrils while his lips remained locked shut. Despite how badly his member was throbbing while Sombra’s hot breath brushed against the shaft, the fact that it was Sombra who was making him feel his way felt incredibly wrong. His muzzle shakily opened, like the Prince was compelled to say something in opposition to the former King’s hungry stare up at him. Seeing those exposed fangs on the stallion’s muzzle, along with those blood red eyes leering back at him, Shining was growing more fretful the longer that Sombra had his mouth so close to his cock. But after taking a breath, Shining’s feeble words came out on their own in a brief whisper while his mind remained blank.

“G… Go ahead…”

Shining’s eyes shot wide-open as soon as he heard what he said, needing a moment to realize it was actually him. But before he could try to change his mind, his heart grew heavier when he saw Sombra’s grin widen immensely up at him. “As you wish, Shining,” purred the Tyrant before opening his drooling maw wide. Upon seeing the stallion’s fanged teeth connected by ropes of drool, and that exotic tongue slithering out between them, Shining felt like he was going to finish prematurely right there; but instead, all that the unicorn could do was groan with his eyes half-lidded the instant he felt Sombra’s tongue snake around the base of his stallionhood.

“Gnnnaaaaahhhh~” Shining closed his eyes and reeled his head back, needing to grip the fabric of the couch tightly in his hooves as he felt the immense warmth of that wet tongue wrapping around his member. Sombra, who had his unique tongue put to use many times before back during his rule, moaned in sweet nostalgia as he finally tasted that rich musk emanating from Shining’s cock. His nostrils flared while dragging his tongue up the shaft, making his fur stand on end from taking in such a uniquely familiar scent. When his tongue reached the underside of Shining’s head, which was already beginning to leak a little pre at the tip, the Tyrant didn’t hesitate to look up at the Prince with a hungry grin before taking the length into his maw. Shining’s whole body convulsed when he felt the former King’s lips wrap tightly around his stallionhood, making him moan out deeply in the soundproofed room. “Oooohhhhh… H-Holy shit, Sombra…”

Satisfied with that sort of reaction, the Tyrant purred while taking more of Shining’s length into his muzzle, which in turn caused the Prince to shudder even more strongly from the vibrations. Shining had to bite his lip to keep from blowing his load, but he wasn’t sure how long he could last with such a uniquely amazing mouth tending to his member. Even though Cadance was fairly good at giving oral herself, the tantalizing texture and skill of Sombra’s tongue was making the Prince’s hind legs writhe in ways that mare couldn’t even fathom. Before too long, Shining brought his hooves down to rest on top of Sombra’s mane while savoring such a wonderfully new experience. “Ohhhhh… Y-Yessss….”

Sombra purred once more from hearing that praise, smirking to himself as he heard Shining gasp shakily after that. Feeling how much the Prince’s member was twitching in his mouth, Sombra could tell that Shining’s claim of how long he went without sex was probably true without a doubt. Shining may have been a stern and uncompromising brute when they first met, but the former King was going to be damned if he let the stallion stay this pent-up for another restless night. If Cadance wasn’t going to get her own husband off, then maybe someone more willing should.

“S-Sombra…” Shining wanted to feel remorse over moaning somepony’s name that wasn’t his wife’s while receiving oral, but he knew he couldn’t pretend it was Cadance if he tried. With each skilled suckle from Sombra’s lips, combined with the immense warmth of that tight muzzle, Shining groaned as he slowly realized how much better the Tyrant was at this than his own spouse. Meanwhile, Sombra continued to growl primally as he picked up the pace, allowing his muzzle to bob up and down Shining’s twitching length at the taste of his pre intensified in his mouth. And as soon as he used one of his hooves to quickly stroke at the bottom half of Shining’s stallionhood, Sombra’s ears twitched when he heard the Prince moan out heartily, “Nnnggaaaahhh! S… Sombra, I’m… I’m…”

Sombra grinned devilishly before pulling his muzzle away from most of Shining’s cock. But while he used both of his hooves to vigorously stroke the Prince’s throbbing shaft, Sombra made sure to keep his lips tightly wrapped around that pulsating crown of Shining’s head. The white stallion writhed and moaned helplessly on the couch, unable to do anything but reach the peak of his orgasm as his eyes barely opened to look down at the former King. At catching Shining’s half-lidded eyes on him, Sombra gave a narrowed, intense stare back while jerking him off and teasingly licking at the Prince’s cockhead. Shining instantly groaned at seeing such a forbiddenly-hot sight, and his hindlegs squirmed as he cried out needily. “MmmnnnnnggggGGYAAAHHHH!!!~”

As soon as he felt that first strong spurt of Shining’s seed shoot into his hungry maw, Sombra closed his eyes as he held his breath and pushed his muzzle forward. His hooves went away as the King pulled in as much of Shining’s cock as he could, making the thick head go to the back of his throat. Sombra grunted a little as he felt rope after ropes of Shining’s cum shoot down his gullet, giving him no choice but to swallow the Prince’s seed as his throat convulsed around the head. Shining’s groans became louder as he felt every muscle of Sombra’s muzzle spasm around his stallionhood, which caused his nerves to stand on end as he rode one of the most intense orgasms he ever felt in his life.

Shining could feel his body grow numb for a brief moment, but he paid no heed to it while letting out an involuntary cry as waves of pleasure swept across his body. With each throb of his member inside of Sombra’s maw, the Prince felt like his seed was being sucked out of him with enough immense force to leave him shaking in need. By the time he felt the last of his load dribble out, Shining fell back against the couch with a strong shudder as his skin grew hot and cold at the same time. Meanwhile, his cock twitched immensely when Sombra finally finished, pulling his muzzle free to finally breathe while Shining’s load lingered strongly on his tongue.

After a few breaths, Sombra grinned when he caught sight of how wiped-out and satisfied Shining looked while deflated on the couch. His breathing was erratic as he laid in post-orgasmic bliss, carrying a large and goofy-looking grin on his muzzle when he finally stared down at the stallion who carried him so deeply into the precipice. Shining had to gulp with a deep blush before uttering in a pleasured wheeze, “Holy… Buck…”

Sombra merely chuckled as he slowly crawled up on the couch atop Shining. “That great, huh?~”

“Y-Yeah!” he blurted in response, although he seemed more stunned about his climax than anything else. “I just… th-that was… r-really good.”

“Well, I hope so~” after getting back on his hooves, Sombra laid on top of Shining as the two rested on the couch with blushed faces and faint smiles. The former King’s eyes peered at Shining’s expression as it slowly began to grow nervous again. But despite that, Sombra still bent in and muzzled the Prince’s neck as he purred sweetly, “Mmmmm… It’s nice to actually see you this happy for a change, Shining…”

“Y… Yeah…” Shining wanted to agree that he felt happy. In fact, he wanted to say how this was the happiest he felt in months. But now that his lustful mindset was depleting with each second spent after orgasm, the unicorn’s more nagging thoughts began to crawl back to leave him feeling tense once more. Thoughts about his wife, who would undoubtedly leave him if she knew what he did. Thoughts about his daughter, who he would most likely never see again if this came out. Thoughts about his friends and the Crystal Empire, which he knew he would lose while he laid beside one of Equestria’s largest enemies.

As those thoughts became louder and more apparent in his mind, Shining bit his lip before looking away with a shaky sigh. “Sweet Celestia, I… I can’t believe I…”

Upon hearing that remorseful tone, Sombra used a hoof to pull Shining’s muzzle back towards him. The Prince was starting to look overwhelmingly fretful, but paused when he locked eyes with the stallion holding him so comfortably. Those red eyes pierced into his, helping to warm his heart even as it was thumping rapidly in fear. “Shining,” spoke the Tyrant in as firm a tone as what he carried when he was King. “It already happened. There’s no use dwelling about it now.”

Even though he knew that Sombra was right, Shining still closed his eyes and breathed out painfully. Despite all the things he said and admitted, let alone the things he did, just the fact that he succumbed to a former enemy of Equestria made him feel a strong twinge of shame. “I-I know,” muttered Shining as his muzzle wrinkled in growing fear and guilt. “I know I can’t go back, b-but… this is all still just…”

“Shining,” repeated Sombra, waiting until the Prince reopened his eyes to speak while staring at him firmly. “You remember what you told me, right? You said that she didn’t make you happy. You admitted how you felt about me. Can you honestly tell me that anything you said before changed?”

Even though Sombra was trying to keep a stern voice, Shining could tell that there was a hint of concern underneath as well. Regardless, Shining was still quick to exhale and shake his head insistently. “N-No. I… I know what I said, and…” He bit his lip briefly before looking away and blushing in shame. “And I… I know that what I said was… t-true…”

After waiting to let Shining sink those words in, Sombra sighed and said with a more comforting tone, “I know you still love her, Shining. And I’m not saying you should just leave her. I know you won’t, but… What I am saying is that you shouldn’t depend solely on her for love. There can be others who can make you happy like she did…”

Shining blinked a couple times before looking back at Sombra, not realizing that his hooves were gripping the Tyrant a little tighter while they laid entwined. “Wh… What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that you can love more than one pony,” stated Sombra while eyeing him intently. “If your love for one lessens, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek it elsewhere. Even if you love Cadance, you shouldn’t feel shackled to her if she doesn’t make you happy. There are other ponies out there who can do that for you, Shining. And I just proved that.”

Shining’s brows rose slowly, realizing what Sombra was trying to tell him. The former King wasn’t saying it outright, but Shining was still able to read between the lines and ask cautiously, “Are… are you saying that you love me?”

Sombra huffed and looked away with a blush. “Well… I can’t say for sure, but… I want to have the chance to find out…” After taking a breath, he returned his sights to the immensely-blushed Shining and added with a knowing smirk, “And given how you’re looking at me, I have a feeling you wouldn’t be opposed to finding out yourself as well~”

Despite how hot his cheeks felt, Shining had to look elsewhere while biting his lip. “You… you’re talking about us having a…” The Prince winced a little as he closed his eyes and uttered sheepishly, “... an affair.”

“Well, you already kissed me,” noted Sombra bluntly while he kept his smirk. “Twice, even. And you even let me su--”

“I know, I know!” Shining had to rub his temple with a hoof to keep himself from becoming overly emotional in front of Sombra. “I know we already did a lot, but… but to keep doing it would just be…”

Sombra lifted Shining’s chin one final time, prompting the Prince to gaze into the former King’s eyes as he spoke sincerely. “Shining, I’m not asking you to leave your family or your way of life. I’m just asking you to allow me to make you happy. To let me give you that pleasure you can’t receive from her…”

Shining but his lip as his blush remained, hating how soothing Sombra’s words were sounding while caught in his tight embrace. “B… But I…”

"Please," interrupted Sombra as he asked with strong insistence, “I want you to be honest. How would it make you feel if we continued being together like this?”

“You…” Shining gulped nervously while looking up at him. “Y-You mean…”

“As lovers,” completed Sombra as his expression began to warm in front of Shining’s eyes. “As two ponies who make each other happy. As a couple who nopony else has to know about. And… maybe as something more if it comes to that…”

Shining’s face was now a deep red as he laid helplessly in Sombra’s hooves, but he didn’t try to break free either. Instead, he sat still while Sombra’s hoof went up to touch his cheek. The Tyrant left it there before he asked again, “So, my Prince… As someone who wishes to keep you happy… Would you allow me that chance?”

“As… as l-lovers…” After muttering that last word with a sense of contemplation, Shining stayed silent for a long moment while staring up at the dark stallion holding him. As his mind continued to play an endless white noise of clashing thoughts and desires, the Prince could feel his heart grow warmer with each second he spent with Sombra. Sombra, the stallion who had done so much wrong in the past, and was now asking for Shining to commit the ultimate wrong in regards to his marriage. The unicorn’s heart was pounding harder in his chest, and his mouth was turning dry from low long he spent breathing with his muzzle slightly agape. But as soon as he closed his mouth briefly, and swallowed some excess saliva, all that could run through Shining’s conflicted mind was how he felt in that moment.

Looking deeply into Sombra’s eyes, Shining didn’t even realize he was moving his head forward without thinking. However, the Prince knew exactly what he was doing when he opened his mouth and spoke in a weak, but clear enough tone for Sombra to hear: “I…

“... I want that…”

As the Crystal Empire stood in pristine beauty, nopony knew of the actions their leader made as he gave in to the request of the former King Sombra. Behind the closed door and sound-proofing magic, Shining Armor felt a wave of guilty elation sweep over him as he took the former enemy in his hooves and kissed him deeply. Even with both of them knowing how much could be lost if they were discovered, the stallions savored each second spent in loving embrace as they kissed and held each other in strong passion. Despite all the risks he was taking, along with the major blow he could feel to his own morals, all that Shining could think about was the taste of Sombra’s lips against his own. About the strength he felt in Sombra’s hooves as they gripped his back so tightly. About the lust and taboo he felt when the Tyrant’s rigid member prodded him with each movement he made while holding him.

But most of all, Shining Armor smiled to himself as he kissed his new secret lover, because the largest thing he felt was something he hadn’t experienced in such a long time:

Happiness.