"Twilight? Why don't you take a seat, my innamorata?"

King Sombra was seated atop a throne of black crystals, his outstretched armored hoof beckoning her to the smaller throne beside him, his fanged mouth contorted in a massive grin. Twilight gasped, finding herself dressed in a shimmering, sky-blue gown that glowed like a sapphire. Her eyes darted to a nearby crystal mirror, which revealed that she had a pink and violet crystal tiara adorning her head, her bangs brushed back against her scalp and her hair draping down her shoulders. She looked like...a princess. A beautiful one at that.

"Of course you're beautiful," Sombra smiled as though he'd read her mind, licking his lips while he said this. "But then again, you've always been beautiful. You've just never had the chance to show it, haven't you?" Twilight wanted to run, to scream at him but she found herself paralyzed by his words, her body numb from his probing stare. While ponies normally walk around naked, she found his lustful stare made her feel far too exposed, like he was undressing her with his eyes. Those scarlet eyes that seemed to burn with a life of their own....

Twilight shook her head, confounded by the warm feeling worming its way through her skin. She wanted to tell Sombra to stick it where the sun doesn't shine but instead found herself floating towards the king, her arm outstretched as if reaching out for him. She gasped when his larger hoof caressed her own and to her surprise, his touch was soft, tender even. Dark gray lips laid a feather-light kiss on the edge of Twilight's hoof and she found her knees buckling as her whole body begged for his touch. Don't just sit there; touch me damn it! Twilight again shook her head, baffled by the aggressive thought and its implications. She knew what sex was; she read books, even the occasional (okay, many) romance novels. Even though she'd never experienced it, it was something she secretly desired, but only if the right stallion came along, one that would sweep her off her hooves like the heroines of her romance novels.

"Sombra?" She momentarily panicked when the umbrum vanished but breathed an unsteady sigh of relief when he appeared behind her, his arms wrapped beneath her chest and across her stomach. "Oh Sombra…" Those hooves of his, which had no doubt did unspeakable horrors, were now sliding across her body, causing her legs to squeeze together uncomfortably as her most intimate area began to heat up like a furnace. Light whimpering escaped Twilight's lips, not out of fear but out of pure arousal. No, no, no! This is wrong! This is King Sombra! You can't be enjoying this...- Those thoughts were silenced when the aforementioned stallion spun Twilight around and gazed deeply into her eyes, peering into her very slowly with a mix of longing and gentleness she'd never seen before, certainly not from an admirer, which she'd had a couple of back when she was still a student at the university.

"Twilight..." That one word nearly undid her. The way her name rolled off Sombra's tongue like a prayer sent a pleasurable shiver down Twilight's spine. He dipped his head forward and to Twilight's own shock, she welcomed it.

"Twilight..."

The mare's eyes shot open as she gripped her bedsheets, taking several deep breaths as she took her surroundings. She was back in her room and to her relief, realized the whole confusing situation was only a dream and nothing more. Her sheets were slick with sweat, no doubt due to the...intensity...of the dream itself and Twilight made a mental note to never eat cinnamon coffee cake before bed. Shifting around, she reached beneath the covers to wipe sweat off of her thighs when, to her unending shame and horror, found that her marehood wasn't covered in sweat. Twilight tumbled out of bed and collapsed onto the floor, wrapped in a cocoon of blankets. Oh sweet Celestia!

After having the staff replace her sweaty sheets with fresh new ones and a freezing-cold shower, Twilight furiously rubbed her skin dry with a towel and began to pace feverishly in her room, trying to make sense of her confusing erotic dream. Sure, she'd had them before; what mare her age hasn't? They've just never been that vivid before. Then, of course, there was the subject of her dream, an evil psychotic shadow-demon. Eager to figure out her strange feelings, Twilight dashed to the library and scooped up every book she could find on dream symbolism and sexual psychology, the latter earning her a raised eyebrow from the librarian, who had known Twilight for years and was surprised to find the self-admitted bookworm studying such a subject. Yep, I'm never going to live this down.

Psychology and sexuality were studies Twilight had never had interest in learning but what she read was indeed mind boggling to her. As it turns out, many mares that are attracted to "bad colts" do so because of an instinctual need to seek out a strong mate, one that will protect them and father them healthy colts. On the psychological side, there were many factors to consider, including the desire for the forbidden or unobtainable, attraction to a stallion that is confident and displays passion and charm, an allure to power, if the stallion is an authority figure or if the male in question is seen as damaged or broken and the female thinks that she can fix him or heal his woes with love and affection. Bored of the topic, Twilight switched to Sigmane Freud and other dream-psychologists, hoping to find a suitable answer. She found that attraction or sex in a dream didn't necessarily equate to the act itself, rather it symbolized an urge to find a connection with that person or to settle your differences with them. Okay, we're getting somewhere.

She read that some dream analysts believe that relations with somepony you hate or don't know can symbolize your own frustrations or even conflicting parts of your personality that you try to repress. Instead of fighting those flaws, you should find a way to merge them in order to find a balance in yourself. It can also mean that you're terrified of the future and that you should be prepared for and confront it rather than shy away from it. Huh, so I'm terrified about my situation with Sombra but he seems to represent something that I don't like about myself? Twilight groaned and slammed her head on the table. I need a place to clear my head but where to go? A ray of light from a nearby window hit Twilight's face, causing her to look up and an idea took root. That just might work.

Up on the balcony of the castle's highest tower, Canterlot lay spread out beneath Twilight, giving her the impression of being a bird glancing down on an ant hill. On the ground below, the ponies laughed, worked, ate and played, moving about in their regular routines without any clue as to the momentous danger that they were all in. Twilight had heard the phrase, "Ignorance is bliss," but never truly comprehended its meaning until she'd read King Sombra's letter. She let out a prolonged sigh, as if all the weight of the world appeared to be supported by her shoulders. Then again, considering Equestria's fate rested solely in her hooves, it wasn't that far off an observation.

"I thought I'd find you up here."

Just by the motherly tone alone, Twilight could tell Celestia had joined her though she didn't know how long her teacher had been standing there. She heard movement to her right and felt the alicorn sit down beside her, a sense of warmth and comfort quickly surrounding the young mare. She expected Celestia to start spouting sagely advice but instead, she merely sat silently and watched the crowds down below. The two remained quiet as the throngs of busy ponies increased and decreased, selling or buying goods or simply exploring their fair city and seeing what it had to offer. It was oddly comforting to know that the everyday, normal ponies of Canterlot were simply living their lives. No evil kings, Spirits of Chaos or changeling invasions. Just life.

After an hour, Celestia finally spoke: "You know, when I was around your age, I used to sneak up here to watch the commoners and make up stories for each one I saw." When Twilight failed to reply, the alicorn went on. "I pictured each pony and wonder what their life was like. I'd wonder if they were happy with their lives and if I'd be happier if I wasn't a princess. Perhaps I was a schoolteacher hurrying to class or a fruit stand clerk or a young mare enjoying an afternoon with my husband and foals." Twilight turned, looking at Celestia with surprised curiosity in her eyes. "But at the end of the day, I'd go back inside and return to my life. I realized that imagining a different life for myself was taking my focus away from the life I did have and I couldn't shirk my responsibilities. Whether I liked it or not, I was a princess and that meant that I had a whole country looking to me to one day guide it."

Twilight nodded and sighed, getting the gist of what Celestia was saying. "I know what I have to do but...I'm just so afraid. Sombra is a monster, a black-hearted creature just like you said he was. And for whatever reason, he chose me as his queen, his wife!" She stared up pleadingly at her mentor. "Why me? I'm nopony special." She then added in a whisper, "I'm not you."

Placing a wing around Twilight, Celestia pulled her close and looked her right in the eyes. "Look at me. You...are not...nopony. You are a brave, intelligent, wise and compassionate young mare. You defeated Nightmare Moon and brought my sister back to me. You outsmarted Discord and stopped him when I lacked the power to do so. And don't forget that you alone stood up to King Sombra and managed to escape his clutches. A truly un-special nopony couldn't have been able to do all of that. And no, you're not me. But I couldn't be prouder of that fact."

Twilight sat stunned at that last statement. "You...you are?"

"Of course I am. Twilight, believe it or not, I've made my share of mistakes. Because of my status, whatever mistakes I make have lasting consequences on Equestria and everypony residing here. So far, you've fixed every single mistake that I've made and went above and beyond the call of duty. You may not be a princess but you have the heart and spirit of one."

Resisting the urge to cry, Twilight sniffled and beamed up at Celestia. "Thank you. But...why does Sombra want to make me his queen so badly? He said he'd accept nothing else but my hoof in marriage. I just don't understand."

Celestia thought for a moment, equally as confused. "I know I didn't say this before, mostly due to it still being painful to talk about, but Sombra and I...we were engaged once, a long time ago."

"WHAT?! You...you and Sombra, Sombra and you? How did...what?"

Celestia chuckled, "Yes but like I said, it was a long time ago. Sombra was different then. He was actually...a good stallion. He had a wonderful smile and the way he would hold me..." She lowered her head sadly, letting the words hang in the air as Twilight put the pieces together herself.

"You loved him, didn't you?"

The heartbreak was written on Celestia's face. "Yes. When he became...that creature, it hurt me deeper than anything you could possibly imagine. I don't know why he's so fixated on you but I can tell you this: he wouldn't have chosen you if he didn't see something special in you. Despite his malice, Sombra isn't one for harems or concubines. I do believe he legitimately wants you and you alone as his wife and queen."

"Are you saying that I should go with him?" Twilight asked, her voice small and unsure.

"What I'm saying is, no matter what your decision is, just know that I will support it." Celestia then tilted Twilight's face up with a hoof and looked upon her sorrowfully, her voice cracking. "But if you decide to be Sombra's queen, know that you...you are so much more than the greatest pupil that I have ever had." She wrapped her arms around Twilight as her wings folded over the two, both mares sobbing as they held one another.

"Celestia?" Twilight sniffled. "I know what I must do."

Author's Note

It was very interesting doing research on both human sexuality, particularly attraction to the wrong people, and dream interpretation.

Hmm...both Sombra and Twilight seem to have parallel dreams. Coincidence?

Yes, Twilight's dream is more sexual in nature and that's because I wanted to show a contrast between the two and what they desire. King Sombra wants love and an emotional connection while Twilight wants freedom from her own repression and to be desired for her cons as well as her pros.