A yawn escaped Twilight’s mouth.

After a long day of diligent studying and note taking, Twilight Sparkle was exhausted. Not one to slack off on paperwork, she had made progress in a long letter describing her experiences and what she had learned about the crystal ponies of the Crystal Empire. Princess Celestia had mentioned that she did not know much about the Crystal Empire and Twilight took this as a challenge to show the princess how much she had learned in such a short time.

She glanced over to where Spike was sitting. The poor tired dragon, who had been organizing the many scrolls she had filled, had fallen asleep, drool leaking out of the corner of his mouth. She suppressed a giggle.

“Spike?”

Twilight gave Spike a gentle shake. He stirred slightly but fell back into a fitful sleep. She carefully levitated him off the floor; taking care to not let his tail drag. She shifted the covers of his little bed and wrapped him up nice and snug. “Good night, my little Spikey,” she whispered.

She quietly snuffed out the candles around the library except the one Spike used as a nightlight (though he would never admit it) and crawled into bed. Twilight had fallen asleep even before her head had hit the pillow.

***

Twilight stared out into the black void; she could barely see her breath in front of her. Her hooves made contact with nothing yet she did not feel the sensation of falling. She took a careful step forward, listening for any sign of life.

“Hello, can anypony hear me?” Twilight yelled out.

Silence answered her. Deafening, cruel silence. A chill ran down her spine, not from the bitter cold but from fear. She tried illuminating her surroundings with her horn, but it was no use. The void ate all the light she produced. It was as if she was walking through the depths of space itself.

“What am I going to do? I have no idea where I am.” Twilight paced about, giving every direction a good looking over. “This doesn’t seem right. How can there be just nothing. Where in Equestria am I?”

She closed her eyes and readied herself for another spell. With a small pop and a flash of purple magic, Twilight tried to teleport. With all her might, she focused on her home; how safe she felt there, and on her friends. Surely their love would not steer her wrong?

Twilight peeked out of the corner of one eye. Blackness still engulfed her. “I thought it would have worked.” She let out a long sigh and sat on her haunches. “Ok, what do I remember before I found myself here? I was studying, and it was late. I put Spike to bed and then went to bed myself. Let’s see…” Then the realization hit her. “Oh sweet Celestia, I studied myself to death! Am I in Tartarus?”

“Hahaha-!” A disembodied voice sounded through the darkness, radiating from every directing.

“Who’s there? Show yourself!” Twilight was back on her hooves, looking for any sign of movement.

“You’re not in Tartarus, you silly pony. Believe me, I would know…”

A face began to form from the darkness, like a swirling maelstrom, an equine body twisted itself into existence. Dark gray fur covered its body and his mane was an inky, almost ethereal mess of waves. Gleaming mythril armor rested on his hooves and forefront along with a vermilion cloak on his back. Atop his head sat a crown of mythril inlaid with rubies. A long crimson horn jutted out above his red eyes rimmed with purple wisps of æther. He smiled, showing a mouth full of razor sharp teeth.

“King Sombra! You’re alive?” Twilight took a step back, unsure as to what to do. “But you were killed by the Crystal Heart!”

King Sombra looked at one of his hooves, studying it. “No, little pony, I merely lost my corporeal form. I am rebuilding it as we speak.”

Fear flashed across Twilights face but was quickly replaced with a confident smile. “My friends and I stopped you with the heart once and we can do it again.”

Sombra smiled, “Of that I have no doubt. You seem quite the intelligent little thing; slipping past my traps like they were foal’s play. I must give credit where credit is due.” He took a few uncertain steps toward Twilight. “Might I ask the name of the mare that set my downfall in motion?”

She stared at him for a moment then whispered, “Twilight Sparkle…”

“Twilight Sparkle”, he repeated slowly, almost as if he was testing it out. “A pretty name, it seems to suit you. Miss Sparkle, I must apologize for how I treated you and yours. My head was hardly clear after being entombed for…what was it? One thousand yea-?”

Twilight’s jaw dropped. “Waitaminute,” she blurted out. “You’re trying to apologize for attacking the Crystal Empire, its citizens and my friends?”

“That is so.” He bowed his head slightly.

Twilight eyed him suspiciously.

“However-”

“I knew it! There had to be something else to this! If you really meant to apologize you wouldn't have brought me here.” Twilight glared at him.

“Of a sort. All I ask is that you listen to a story, and then you are free to go. In fact, you don’t have to listen. You can go now, if you wish. I won’t keep you against your will.” Sombra’s horn began to glow softly, and a doorway appeared, pouring some light into the void. “However, I implore you, please stay and listen.”

Twilight glanced at the doorway. It opened up into her bedroom. She could see Spike still sleeping in bed. The nearby candle cast a gentle glow around the room. She then looked back as Sombra and said, “Alright, but you better not close the doorway.”

“Of course. I promise not to keep you for more than an hour. This story begins over one thousand years ago…”

Author's Note

This is my first fanfic on fimfiction. Hopefully, the formatting worked right and the story doesn't look jumbled. Thanks to my fiance for proofreading it. Hope you all enjoy.

[EDIT] Thanks to Astraia for spotting a few minor errors.