The Best Form of Flattery
Sombra let out an aggravated sigh as he caught the prying gaze of a passing townspony, their eyes wide as they attempted to put together what they were seeing.
'I am going to kill Sparkler for letting that pink mare do this to me!' Sombra thought darkly, his eyes narrowed as he continued to trudge through Ponyville.
He had just left Pinkie, who was undoubtedly still unconscious by Sombra's doing, and Fluttershy, who had been roped into helping her with the horror that befell his mane.
Sombra growled quietly as he glanced as the hot pink coloring on his black mane, the two colors clashing against one another. But, despite that, he couldn't help but admire Pinkie's bravery in pranking him, although the reason was a bit out of line.
'She decided to get back at me, alright,' he thought bitterly, 'but I don't know why she would do something so permanent. It's unlike her.'
Sombra shook his head, deciding that the reason behind Pinkie's actions were of little importance as the library came into view. With a sigh, he made his way over, his eyes narrowed as he did.
'I hope that Sparkler has a good reason for allowing such an act of treachery to take place,' Sombra mused, 'otherwise, I'll have to find a way to make her pay for her actions...'
Once he got to the hollowed out tree house, he begrudgingly put his hoof on the doorknob, not finding a reason to knock, seeing as how he lived in the library. Sombra turned the knob, then entered the library, catching sight of Twilight, who was immersed in her book, as she was wont to do.
When she heard the click of the door close behind him, she looked up, her eyes widening as she realized who had entered the library.
"Sombra?" she questioned, blinking in surprise, "Why were you out at this hour? It's not time for your walk!"
Sombra opened his mouth to reply, but instead of a scathing retort, a yawn escaped his lips. Sombra blinked as he realized how much he had exerted himself in his pursuit for Pinkie, his pranker and reformer.
"What in Equestria happened to your mane?" Twilight inquired, his gaze going to his mane.
Sombra sighed as his ears flattened against his head in annoyance, then made his way over to his cot beside the staircase, his exhaustion finally dawning on him.
"Sombra, what are you doing?" Twilight asked, furrowing her brows in confusion.
Sombra didn't reply, choosing to ignore the alicorn's inquiry as he laid down in his cot. With a huff of annoyed air, he pulled the blankets over himself and turned away from Twilight, who was giving him a somewhat wide eyed stare.
"Are you really going to take a nap now?" she questioned, her eyes going over to the grandfather clock that resided in the room. Pinkie would be over to take him on his afternoon walk in less than an hour, hardly a time for a nap.
Sombra looked over his shoulder, his eyes peevishly narrowed.
"I'm tired," he told her flatly, "that pink friend of yours decided to infuriate me and it's taken it toll on me."
Twilight quirked a brow upwards. "Is that what she was doing when I left?' she asked, "All she said was that she was going to surprise you, is all."
"Oh, I was surprised, alright," Sombra said bitterly, "surprised that she massacred my mane!"
Twilight cracked a smile, which she had the decency to cover with a hoof as Sombra glared at her.
"It doesn't look that bad!" she told him, "Pink actually looks good on you!"
Sombra let out a growl and turned away from her, pulling the blankets tighter over himself resolutely.
"Just let me sleep," he snarled, "And if that pink mare comes by, tell her to bother me some other time."
And with that last snap, Sombra closed his eyes, letting the stress of the day leave him.
* * *
Pinkie awoke with a moan, putting her hoof to her temple as she tried to lose the grogginess that took over her. With a throbbing headache, she sat up, her blurred vision slowly coming into focus.
"Oh, you're awake!" she heard a voice who she recognized to be Fluttershy, "I'm so glad you're not hurt."
Once Pinkie stopped seeing two of everything, she caught sight of her Pegasus friend floating above her, along with dozens of multi-colored butterflies.
"Ooo, pretty!" Pinkie cooed, "Thanks for letting me sleep in your butterfly grove, Shy!"
Fluttershy blushed lightly. "Oh, it was nothing, really," she told her, "I thought it'd be best for you to rest, especially after what you went through."
Pinkie quirked a brow upwards in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked.
Fluttershy gave her wide eyed stare. "You don't remember?" she questioned, her voice lowering in volume.
"Remember what?" Pinkie asked, "I mean, it's not like anything happened toda-"
Pinkie stopped talking as her memory began to reply the mornings events for her, her eyes growing progressively wide as it continued on. Her cheeks became aflame as she recalled the reason for why she had fainted in the first place, her breathing quickening as she began to hyperventilate.
"OHMIGOSH!" she exclaimed, "DID SOMBRA--?"
"Yes," Fluttershy interrupted quietly, "He did."
Pinkie felt her head grow light as her body seemed to lose it's will to obey her, the intensity of the situation nearly overtaking her.
"Um, Pinkie?" Fluttershy said quietly, "You do realize he only did it to mess with you, right?"
Pinkie sat up abruptly, her faintness forgotten. "Well, duh!" she exclaimed, "I mean, it's kinda obvious! But it doesn't make it any less surprising!"
Fluttershy shyly kicked her hoof against the ground. "Well, that's true," she replied, "but you do realize that you still have to see him today?"
Pinkie's eyes widened. "Oh, right!" she said, bonking herself on the head, "I gotta go!"
"Wait, Pinkie--" Fluttershy tried to say, but stopped when Pinkie zoomed off, leaving behind a pink streak.
"...Don't be late," she said to herself, then sighed as she saw Pinkie fade from her sight.
* * *
Pinkie felt her adrenaline leave her system as soon as she made it to the library, her hooves sliding into the ground as she skidded to a stop. With a heavy pant, she collapsed against the ground, her face encased in the dirt as she continued to breath heavily.
"Next... Time... I'll... Walk..." she panted, looking up from the ground. Once she managed to regain her strength and composure, she stood up from the ground and shook off the dirt that covered her.
Pinkie looked at the library door with despondence as she furrowed her brow in worry, wondering if it would be a good idea to go in the library at all. She shook her head, remembering that avoiding her fears wouldn't make them go away.
'Granny Pie, give me your patience,' she pleaded silently, 'because if you give me strength, I'll use to high-tail outta there!'
After a deep breath, Pinkie turned the knob for the door and burst into the room, full of her usual flourish and dazzle.
"Hiya, everypony!" she greeted happily, standing on her back legs, "How's it goin--"
"Shhh!" Twilight said loudly, putting her hoof to her lips quickly.
Pinkie remained in her bipedal position for a brief moment, her forelegs held in the air as she gave Twilight a surprised look. Her gaze went over to where she knew Sombra's cot to be, her eyes widening in realization as she saw the sleeping stallion.
"Ooooh," she said quietly, getting on all fours, "sorry."
Twilight sighed. "It's alright," she told her, "Sombra isn't going to be able to walk with you now, Pinkie. He's kinda tired after... whatever it is you two did."
Pinkie blushed lightly. "Yeah, well, anypony would be tired after all that running!" she told her, laughing nervously.
Twilight quirked an interested brow upwards. "Oh?" she questioned, "Did something else happen?"
Pinkie shook her head rapidly, her response too quick to be true. "Nope!" she said, "Nothing else happened!"
Both mares went silent as Sombra let out a sleepy groan, their eyes going over to his slumbering form. When there were no other signs of stirring, they let out sighs of relief, both exchanging grateful looks that he remained asleep.
"Maybe you should come back later," Twilight told her, casting Sombra a sideways glance, "Sombra might not want to be bothered."
Pinkie held back her urge to sigh in relief, not wanting Twilight to interrogate her on her behavior.
But, just when Pinkie found herself with an opportunity, her eye caught sight of something beside Sombra's cot. Her eyes widened as she gasped dramatically, her hooves on her cheeks in shock and surprise.
"Is that Sombra's cape?" she breathed, rushing over to the red fabric that resided by his cot. Pinkie flinched when Sombra stirred once more, but released her tense breath as he remained unconscious.
Twilight nodded. "Rarity brought it by the other day," she told her, "it was one of the only things to survive the cake batter explosion that destroyed his armor."
Pinkie blushed in remembrance of how Sombra had been caught in the explosion that covered a section of Ponyville in cake batter, the batter ruining the ex-king's clothing. Of course, in the past Hearts and Hooves Day, she managed to get his crown back for him, something he appreciated(to a small degree).
"How come he hasn't worn it?" she asked, prodding the soft fabric.
Twilight shrugged. "I guess he's used to not wearing it anymore," she answered simply.
Pinkie gaped at Twilight. "But it's soooooooo soft!" she said, grabbing the cape and snuggling it, "It's like a kitten!"
Twilight gave her a deadpan look. "You might wanna put that down, Pinkie," she told her, "Sombra's upset with you as is; touching his things aren't going to help your situation."
Pinkie ignored her and continued to rub her head into the soft fabric, letting out contented hums as she did. Then, her ears perked upwards while her eyes opened in realization, a grin coming to her face.
With a giggle, she put the cape behind her and tied the string at the top of it around her neck. With Sombra being bigger than her, the cape covered her entire body and trailed past her for a couple inches, even as she stood.
"Pinkie, what are you doing?" Twilight questioned, her eyes wide with bewilderment.
Pinkie put on a stern expression. "I am not Pinkie, I am King Sombra, ruler of the Crystal Empire!" she exclaimed in a gruff voice, puffing out her chest and holding out her hoof in a proclaiming manner.
"Ha ha, very cute," Twilight said, totally unamused, "but you might wanna take that off before Sombra sees you."
"How can I see myself?" Pinkie questioned, still speaking gruffly, "There aren't any mirrors in here!"
"Pinkie, you might want to be quieter," Twilight told her, her eyes going over to Sombra's sleeping form, "You could wake him up!"
"I care not for the peasant's struggle!" she proclaimed, "I am a King and I hold power over all who gaze upon me!"
"Pinkie, seriously, quit it," Twilight said, her eyes widening.
"You can't order me around, Peasant!" Pinkie shouted, then paused as she found her gaze going to her forehead, "And I demand to know where my crown is!"
"Pinkie..." Twilight tried to say, but trailed off as she watched Pinkie search around Sombra's cot for his crown. Sure enough, not a moment too late, she held the silver band in her hooves.
"Mwahahahahahaha!" Pinkie cackled deeply, placing the crown on her head as she stood on her hind legs, "Now I can conquer all of Equestria with my dark magic!"
Twilight narrowed her eyes at Pinkie. "First off, Sombra's crown holds no dark magic property to aid him in his magic," she told her, not appreciating Pinkie's lack of accuracy, "Second, you are so going to get killed if Sombra catches you wearing his crown and cape."
Pinkie pointed her hoof at Twilight biliously. "Silence, Slave!" she exclaimed, "I am your King and you shall do as I say!"
"Pinkie, quit it!" Twilight said through gritted teeth, "I'm telling you, this is--"
"DO NOT IGNORE YOUR KING'S ORDERS!" Pinkie roared, "OFF TO THE MINES WITH YOU!"
"PINKIE PIE!" Twilight shouted, stamping her hoof.
Finally, Pinkie dropped to her four hooves and gave Twilight an annoyed look as she lost her will to continue the bravado she was putting on.
"What?!" she exclaimed, not appreciating Twilight stomping on her fun.
Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but stopped suddenly as her eyes widened in horror, her gaze going over Pinkie's shoulder. Confused as to why Twilight was silent, Pinkie quirked a brow upwards in questioning.
"What?" Pinkie asked, her anger forgotten.
"Cute display you put on there, Pinkie," she heard a deep, familiar voice say.
Pinkie froze as she placed the owner of the voice, the pony who she had originally been trying to avoid. With a heavy heart, she turned around to see Sombra, laying in his cot with an alluring look on his features.
"S-Sombra...?" she breathed, her eyes wide as her cheeks turned darker shade of pink.
While expecting him to be frowning or even snarling at her, she was surprised to that he was grinning.
"You know, if you wanted to get into my cape, you could've told me," he told her, raising his eyebrows suggestively.
Pinkie let out a squeak, completely shell-shocked as she tried to put her flurrying mess of a mind together.
Sombra frowned at her. "However, you do realize that this stunt, along with the damage you caused to my mane earlier this morning, I'm going to have to kill you, right?" he told her, putting his eyebrows down as he narrowed his eyes at her.
Pinkie finally snapped out of her shock as she frowned at him in return, refusing to let him intimidate her like earlier.
"That dye will wash out!" she argued, "And I was only having fun because you decided to take a nap instead of going on our walk together!"
Sombra blinked in surprise, then grinned again. "Aw, you missed me?" he cooed, causing her to blush again, "How sweet."
Pinkie blushed again, but puffed her cheeks out in an angry manner as she glared at him while letting out noises of anger and frustration.
"Gah, you're so infuriating!" Pinkie exclaimed, turning on her hoof, "Have fun without your cape and crown!"
Without another word, Pinkie zoomed off, her normal pink colored streak accompanied by red, courtesy of Sombra's cape.
"Hey, give that back!" Sombra demanded, jumping out of his cot and running after her.
"Sombra, don't you--" Twilight tried to say, but stopped when she heard the door to the library slam close, "--dare."
Meanwhile, outside the library, Pinkie was dashing away from Sombra, but was failing to outrun him with extra weight of his cape holding her back. While tempted to just toss it and make her escape without it, she reminded herself that she was doing to teach Sombra a lesson. What about, she could figure out later.
"Give me my cape back!" Sombra shouted from behind, sounding surprisingly close.
Pinkie turned back for a brief moment, horrified to see that Sombra was only a tail-length away from her, slowly getting closer as they continued to dash. Then, while Pinkie was looking back, she misplaced her hind leg and stepped on the too long cape, causing her to lose her footing.
Much to her horror, Pinkie tripped and fell against the ground, tangled in Sombra's cape as she tried to stand back up. Suddenly, her struggling was cut short as she felt Sombra's large form get on top of her, holding her in place on the ground, much to her discomfort.
"Oh, I am going to enjoy killing you for this!" he snarled, grinning evilly.
Pinkie let out a frightened squeak, her mind racing as she tried to think of a way to escape. Suddenly, she thought back to earlier that morning, when she found herself in the same position, although under totally different circumstances.
With a determined look, she faced Sombra, her gaze holding nothing to show how intimidated she was.
"Do you know what I should do to teach you a lesson?" Pinkie said, mimicking his tone from earlier that morning.
Sombra lost his smirk as he gave her a surprised look, not sure what to make of her lack of unease. Then, to further to surprise him, Pinkie leaned towards him and planted a kiss on his lips, deciding to get back at him for doing the to her. Sombra pulled away from her, his eyes wide as he attempted to understand what just happened to him.
Seeing that it was her opportunity, Pinkie wriggled out from under him and tossed his cape onto his face, blocking his vision. Sombra let out a surprised yell as he struggled to get the fabric off of him, giving Pinkie time to escape.
Once he managed to pull the cape down, he gave Pinkie a steely glare as he watched her hop off, his crown still on her head.
"Oh, before I forget!" Pinkie called over her shoulder, "Here's your crown!"
Pinkie took the crown off her head, then threw it at him like a frisbee. Much to Sombra's bewilderment, the silver band landed on his horn, like a horseshoe on a stake, spinning for a brief moment before resting on his face.
"Bye, Sombry!" Pinkie called out, "I'll see you tomorrow for our walk!"
Without another word, she zoomed away, laughing victoriously.
Sombra let out a growl of frustration as he begrudgingly took his crown off his horn and put it on his head, combing his mane back with a hoof.
"She thinks she has the right to touch my things?" he snarled to himself, narrowing his eyes angrily, "To wear my cape and crown as if they were her own?"
But, when Sombra picked up his discarded cape to put onto himself, he couldn't help but think of how Pinkie looked in it, even though she was mocking him and his behavior.
He grinned to himself, looking at the cape with renewed interest.
"But I'll be damned if she didn't look as cute as Tartarus in it."
Author's Note
Bwahahaha! I am mad with the power of being a fanfic writer! I shall ship this with my last dying breath!
Alright, losing the dramatic, bad guy cliche, I just wanna say that I had this one shot planned for a couple weeks, though I wasn't sure how I should pursue it. Then, when I saw all the good reviews for both "April Fools!" and it's sequel, "Pink Is Your Color", I thought, "Maybe we should make this the pranking trilogy!"
Also, I absolutely MUST see a picture of Pinkie wearing Sombra's armor and cape while pretending to be him, while he's watching her with an amused expression. I would absolutely die!
