Pinkie stared in pure shock as her eyes remained wide, her jaw agape as she attempted to form thoughts. The silence that held in place became deafening, filling the air with it's presence.
Sombra, who was still on his knee, looked from left to right rather uncomfortably, beginning to see the intensity of the situation.
"Er, Pinkie..." he started, standing up and putting the ring down at her side.
Pinkie let out a tiny squeak, her right eye twitching as she tried to form words, but failed to do so.
"Perhaps I shouldn't have proposed right now..." Sombra said, rubbing the back of his head nervously, "I mean, it has been awhile since we've seen one another."
Pinkie's jaw closed as she blinked, coming back to her senses.
"Sorry!" she exclaimed, holding up her hands, "You just surprised me, is all!"
Sombra, who was usually on the other side of the surprising process, grinned at her.
"Well, it would seem you're rubbing off on me, Pinkie," he told her, chuckling at the idea of it.
Pinkie smiled at him, showing him that she was somewhat at ease with the situation they had put themselves in.
"It's just..." Pinkie started, her smile disappearing, "I have a few questions for you, Sombra."
Sombra raised a brow in questioning, but pulled it down when he saw that Pinkie was being uncharacteristically calm.
"Alright, ask away," Sombra told her, crossing his arms in a comfortable manner.
Pinkie took a deep breath, which looked like she was preparing herself for what she was about to ask.
"Why do you have a ring with you? How long have you been carrying it with you? Why did you think you would need it? Did you know I was going to be here tonight? Who was that woman you were dancing with earlier? Wait, don't answer that, I might get mad and yell at you. Are you going to be expecting an answer soon or later on? Am I going to have to call someone or..."
Sombra felt his eyes widen with every word that flew out of Pinkie's mouth, the speed of her talking bewildering him to a point where he thought her jaw was going to fall off from the sheer amount of work she was putting it to.
As she continued on, each question becoming even more random and somewhat confusing. With a sigh, Sombra pulled Pinkie close to him and planted a kiss on her lips, silencing the babbling that was happening.
After he pulled away, he saw that Pinkie's cheeks were tinged red with embarrassment, just going to show how much she was blushing on account of her pink skin.
"Give me time to answer, Dork," he said, putting a hand on her heated cheek.
She blushed even more, but smiled nonetheless.
Sombra, realizing that Pinkie was awaiting his answers for her many questions, took a deep breath in preparation for his reply.
"I got the ring because I've waited for a chance to see you again," he admitted, giving her a meaningful look.
"You have?" Pinkie blurted out.
Sombra nodded. "After what happened at graduation three years ago, I gave a letter of resignation for Canterlot High."
Pinkie's eyes widened. "You quit your job?" she breathed.
Sombra nodded once more. "I was absolutely devastated when I realized how much damage I caused between us," he continued, holding her hand in his, "I love you, Pinkie. But, I shouldn't have said it when I did."
Pinkie gave him a somewhat grim look, but held back the urge to argue with him on the matter, her need for answers outweighing her need for emotional stability.
"After I sent the letter, I packed my stuff and moved to the Empire," he told her, "I've lived here since."
Pinkie blinked. "What about the ring?" she questioned, her eyes going to the hand that was at his side, which she knew held the object of their discussion.
Sombra smiled shyly, something she had never seen him do once in their time of knowing each other. It wasn't like him to be so coy, but time had elapsed between the two of them, so she was deducing it to be that.
"Do you want to know something, Pinkie?" he asked her, dodging her question.
Pinkie frowned at his avoidance, but nodded, curiosity getting the better of her.
"I used to live here," he told her, causing her eyes to widen.
"You lived here?" Pinkie repeated, her gaze drifting to the city lights around them.
Sombra nodded, a grin replacing his coy expression. "I used to work at this high school, before I transferred to Canterlot High. You remember, don't you?"
"That's right!" Pinkie exclaimed, the memory dawning on her, "I heard about it from Mrs.Cake, who found out from Mr.Cranky, who found out from Ms.Chrysalis, who found out from Principal Celestia!"
Sombra gave her a brief wide eyed stare before saying, "I always forget how you're able to remember the channels of your knowledge."
"It helped me in Chemistry, didn't it?" Pinkie countered, giving him a playful look.
"Ah, but if only you cared enough to listen," he chided, returning the look.
Pinkie stopped smiling as she remembered the reason for their discussion. "You say that you used to live here. But, what does that have to do with anything?"
He frowned, as if the memory were a foul one. "Before I met you..." he started, his gaze turning downcast as he prepared himself for the rest of his explanation.
Pinkie's expression turned worried as she watched Sombra struggle with himself.
"...I was in love with someone else," he said finally, turning away from her.
Pinkie's eyes widened in shock, even though she knew she shouldn't have been so surprised. He was older than her, meaning that he must have been in a relationship before her at one point. But, she didn't want to think about that, despite it being the reason behind his actions, though she didn't know why.
"She was... she was the first person I had ever fallen for," he told her, avoiding her gaze, "And I fell hard, Pinkie. Harder than I should've."
"Sombra..." she tried to say, but stopped when she realized that stopping him would only hurt their chances, not help them.
"I grew up here, Pinkie," he continued, "but I wasn't one of the social kids who went to parties and talked to everyone. I stayed home all the time, by myself, nothing to do but discover new things that no one else cared about."
Pinkie looked at him, a confused expression playing across her features. Why was he mentioning his adolescence?
"But, one day... I met her. It was an accident, our meeting..." he said, his expression turning nostalgic as he continued with the story, "she was so kind to me... More than anyone else had ever been. It wasn't until I was older and studying to be a teacher I realized my feelings, however."
Pinkie felt her heart seize up when she saw his pained expression, showing that he was getting to the bad part of the sweet-sounding story.
"I had saved up an entire section of my savings for a ring," he told her, his eyes glazing over as though he were reliving the tale, "but, when I finally had it and the courage to ask her..."
He took a deep breath, his eyes closing as he struggled to continue. Pinkie put her free hand over his, causing him to look at her with a somewhat surprised look. She gave him an encouraging smile, showing she was alright with what he was about to tell her, even if it took a long time for him to do so.
He smiled weakly in response, then frowned as he continued the story.
"I found out that she was with someone else..." he said quietly, "she had moved on with her life... even though I thought that we..."
He stopped, closing his eyes once more, his expression turning pained. Pinkie put a hand to his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb as she pulled him closer to her.
"You don't have to tell me anymore, Sombra," she told him, "I don't want you to be hurt..."
He shook his head, putting his hand over hers and holding it lovingly as he opened his eyes.
"I need to tell you," he replied, "it's time someone knew..."
Pinkie continued to hold his cheek, not wanting to let go, for fear it would mean she'd never get to do so again.
"I was heartbroken..." he told her, "and when I finally managed to get over my own grief, I threw that ring into... I can't even remember where."
She felt tears come to her eyes as she watched him suffer internally, his pain of the past opening up once more. She wrapped an arm around him and put her head to his chest, his heartbeat resonating against her ear. It sounded weak, as though it were aching from the pain it was under.
"Don't do this," she whispered, "you're only going to hurt yourself..."
Sombra put his hand on her head, his fingers delicately going through the magenta tresses that seemed to lack their usual curl.
"This city was meant for love," he told her, his expression unknown to her, "and once I saw that I was incapable of doing so... I left."
Pinkie clutched him even tighter, holding back the whimper in her throat.
"Then..." he said slowly, pulling away slightly. Sombra put his hand under her chin, causing her to look up at him. His smile was serene, his eyes warm with love as he looked down at her.
"I met you," he finished, wiping her tears away, "and I found love again."
Pinkie smiled weakly, more tears leaking from her eyes as she felt the bittersweet feeling of withering bliss.
"And after I came back here, I remembered her," he told her, "and I remembered how much I loved her... Then realized how little that love was compared to the one I felt with you."
Pinkie felt her sadness fade when she heard those words, her heart lifting as she looked at him. She loved him, she knew.
"So, when I started working at the high school again, I made another account for a ring, hoping that maybe..." he leaned towards her, "you would be with me. But, only if you'd have me."
Pinkie felt her eyes tear up once more, but it was for the happiness she felt, not the sadness.
"I don't want to push this onto you," Sombra told her, "I want you to decide for yourself. Even if your answer is--"
"Yes."
Sombra blinked in shock. "What?" he blurted out.
"My answer is yes," she told him, wrapping her arms around him.
"But, I thought that after everything..." he said, "and how ill-timed my proposal was, that you'd--"
"Oh, shut up and kiss me!" she interrupted, crushing her lips to his in an instant. To say Sombra was surprised is an understatement, to say the least, as he attempted to comprehend what was happening to him.
Pinkie pulled away from him slightly, giggling when she saw the dumbfounded expression on his face. Sombra opened his mouth to speak, a weak squeak escaping his parted lips.
"Aren't you going to give me the ring?" Pinkie asked, leaning towards him again, "Or am I going to have to kiss you until you do?"
Sombra blinked, coming back to reality as he looked down at Pinkie, who was standing on the tips of her toes so she could reach his face. She giggled again, then brushed her nose against his.
"You don't have to worry, Sombra," she told him, "because I love you, too."
Without a second's hesitation, she leaned forward and kissed him again, smiling when he returned the action. He wrapped his free arm around her, pulling her closer to him as his hold on her tightened slightly.
"I'm so glad..." he told her, "after all this time, I can finally say that we can be together."
Pinkie smiled at him again, then hugged his neck, embracing his form. Suddenly, a thought reached her, breaking through her blitheness.
"Er, there is one thing, though..." she said, pulling away from him so she could look at him.
"What is it?" Sombra asked, somewhat confused.
"What are my friends going to say when they find out I'm engaged to our former Chemistry teacher?"
Both Sombra and Pinkie were silent as they looked at one another, Pinkie's words just barely sinking in as their eyes widened in collective horror. And, then, as if they were one person, they said:
"Well, crap."
Author's Note
ANOTHER FROZEN REFERENCE IN THE TITLE! I realized that when I did it in the first and second story of this arc, then thought, "Whelp, might as well keep going." And I did. I totally did.
So, I hope y'all have fun waiting for the next installment, which is revolving around Pinkie and Sombra explaining their "situation" to Pinkie's friends. It's gonna get goooooooooooood! Have a nice day/night!
