Meeting The Family

Chapters

Chapter 1: Arriving
Chapter 2: Homeward Bound
Chapter 3: Stories and Sisters
Chapter 4: Family Ties
Chapter 5: False Alarms and Fatherly Protection
Chapter 6: And So It Begins
Chapter 7: Problematic Phases
Chapter 8: Honesty Isn't So Virtuous, After All
Chapter 9: It'll Be OK
Epilogue: Letters and Invitations

Chapter 1: Arriving

"Oh, I'm so excited!" Pinkie exclaimed, but then ceased her excited bouncing as she added, "But I'm also nervous!" She gasped. "Ooooo, I know! I'm--"

"Nervouscited," Sombra finished for her, "Yes, dear, as you've told me many times."

Pinkie had been practically vibrating with excitement ever since they boarded their train to Pinkie's hometown, Rumbling Rock Ridge. It hadn't even been an hour and the trip still had many to go.

Pinkie giggled obliviously. "I can't wait 'til we get back home! I get to see Mom and Dad and Marble and Limestone!"

"Shame that Maud can't be there," Sombra said, though he wasn't sure if he meant it, "she's still trying to get her doctorate, isn't she?"

"Rocktorate, Sombry," Pinkie corrected, then added, "Ya gotta be careful about that kind of stuff in front of my family. They take that stuff super seriously."

"You mean rocks?" Sombra furrowed his brows. "I can't imagine why. They don't really do anything."

Pinkie gasped and she put a hoof to his lips to silent him. "Don't say things like that! My family'll tear you to pieces!"

Sombra sighed once he put Pinkie's hoof down. "Pinks, I know a lot more about rocks than I care to admit: crystals, in particular. Did you know that there are seven different types of crystals overall, using only the lattice types? And that if you combine the 7 crystal systems with the 2 different types of lattices, you end up with 14 Bravais Lattices, which is named after the pony who discovered them?"

Pinkie gave a him silent stare before saying, "If you say things like that in front of me, I don't know if I'll be able to keep my hooves off of you."

Sombra arched a brow. "I'm not sure what to make of that information, but I think it would be wise to save it for a later date."

"Besides, if you whip out your knowledge of crystals in front of my parents, they're probably going to steal you away from me!" Pinkie giggled. "I wonder if Maud wouldn't have given you such a hard time if you had told her some of the stuff you knew when you guys first met!"

"She still would've hated me, I'm sure," Sombra said nonchalantly, "Honestly, I'm surprised to hear she's fond of me now. What changed her perception?"

"Huh... Ya know, she never said. I'll have to ask her sometime..."

Sombra chuckled. "So, do you write to your other sisters like you write to Maud? What are they like?"

Pinkie shrugged. "Marble and Lime still work on the farm, but they have different specialties. Marble knows a lot about geodes and Lime knows a lot about sedimentary rocks. I haven't really written to them. I usually let Maud tell them what's going on in my life."

Sombra arched a brow. "I thought you and your sisters were close with one another."

"Just Maud. Marble and Lime are kinda weirded out by my personality, so they don't like to spend time with me."

"Hey, now." Sombra leaned into her side. "You're not weird, alright? You're a mare who's comfortable with who she is and she doesn't need somepony to tell her who to be."

Pinkie smiled and leaned into his side in return. "I'm glad you understand me so well."

"Not so much as understanding as it is knowing that you're an enigma, Pinks. And as far as I'm concerned, enigmas aren't meant to be understood or comprehended." He leaned into her side. "But that doesn't mean I can't try."

Pinkie giggled. "Are you nervous?"

"About what? Meeting the family of the mare I plan to spend the rest of my life with?" He scoffed. "Please, I've faced against bigger foes."

"Ya know, it's alright to be worried." Pinkie nuzzled him lightly. "You don't have to act so tough all the time."

Sombra returned her nuzzle. "And there's nothing wrong with meeting your family, I'm sure. What are you so worried about, anyway?"

Pinkie sighed. "Well, one of the reasons I left home when I was younger was because of the fact that they're really old-fashioned about a lot of things."

"Pinks, I have over a thousand years of experience regarding all things 'old-fashioned'." Sombra chuckled at her expression. "You shouldn't be so worried."

"That's it, though! My family is gonna be really, really, really, really, really, real--"

Pinkie was silenced by Sombra putting a hoof to her lips. "Wrap it up before you lose your train of thought."

Pinkie moved his hoof away. "I'm not gonna-- Wait, what was I talking about?"

Sombra sighed. "That your family is old-fashioned and that they're going to be really, really, really, really, really...?"

"Oh, right!" Pinkie bonked herself on the head. "Duh! My family's going to be really, really, really, really, really--"

Sombra gave her a warning look as to remind her of his earlier point and she paused for a moment.

"--really, really upset when they hear about..." Pinkie trailed off.

"About what?" Sombra questioned, wondering what she could possibly be so concerned about.

"...Remember what happened before we left this morning?"

The question was so random and out place, Sombra couldn't help but blink in surprise. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Pinkie sighed. "Well, do you?"

Sombra gave her a strange look, but sighed in surrender. "Alright, let's see... We woke up, got our things for the trip--"

"No, before that."

Sombra spared her an annoyed look before continuing. "Alright, fine. You woke up before me and tried to wake me up, like you always do, and I pushed you off the bed, like every morning. Me, being the idiot I am, I keep forgetting what you do everytime I do that and I was soon tackled to the floor by none other than yourself."

"And...?" Pinkie leaned in as she drawled out her words.

"Then, we fought a little, then started to--" Sombra froze as he realized Pinkie's implication. "Ohh... That's why."

"Yeah, and, knowing my dad, he's gonna try to kill you like he tried to do with Baritone when I brought him home with me a couple years back."

Sombra shuddered. "Good thing I know how to run like nopony's business..."

"Can't you teleport now that your magic's back?"

Sombra spared his exotic horn a glance. "Oh, right. I'm still not used to having it back, even though it's almost been a year."

Pinkie giggled. "I think it's bad that we let them know when we were coming... He might be getting his pickax sharpened."

Sombra sighed. "Sweet Tartarus, why did I have to fall in love with the farmer's daughter?"

"Because the farmer's daughter is really fun!"

Sombra sighed once again. "I hope that this trip doesn't go as bad as I think it will..."

Pinkie giggled. "I'm sure it won't be that bad. Besides, we got a couple hours before we get to the farm. What do ya wanna do until we get there?"

Sombra grinned. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Pinkie gasped. "You wanna get food, too?!"

Sombra smacked his hoof to his forehead. "Again, I ask myself, why did I have to fall in love with you?"

* * *

The train whistle resonated in the air as it pulled up to the station, the screech of the brakes signifying that Pinkie and Sombra had arrived at their destination.

"Whoo! We're here!" Pinkie jumped out of her seat with her usual amount of flourish and cheer. "So nervouscited!"

"How can you move after all that food you ate?" Sombra asked incredulously as Pinkie moved about as she normally did: that being, extremely erratically. "Seriously, I think you ate the train's entire food stock!"

"Hey, I was hungry!" Pinkie whined, the sound of her stomach rumbling following shortly after, "I guess I still am."

"How?" Sombra sighed as he realized it was ridiculous to question Pinkie and shook his head. "I guess we'll eat when we get to your parents..."

"Oooo, maybe they got some rock candy!" Pinkie gasped. "Or maybe even some rock candy cupcakes!"

Sombra shook his head as he levitated his saddlebags onto his back and he prodded Pinkie forward. "Let's hurry along. Your parents will be expecting us soon and it's getting rather late."

"Maybe we should have slept on the way?"

"Pinks, you can't sleep when you're hungry, remember? And if you do, you kick in your sleep. A lot."

"Oh yeah..." Pinkie shrugged. "Let's just hurry up and meet up with everypony before my stomach eats itself!"

"Again, I can't believe you ate all the pickle hay fries..." Sombra muttered as he followed Pinkie's bouncing form off the train.

After they boarded off, they walked across the platform for an approximate three seconds before Pinkie gasped.

"What is it?" Sombra asked as he stepped up beside her.

"My... My parents... They're..." Pinkie let out a series of small, incoherent noises as she attempted to make words.

Sombra's confused eyes followed to where he saw Pinkie's looking, and he too, froze in shock. Although he wasn't sure if he was right or wrong, by the look on Pinkie's face, he could see that her parents were standing only a couple feet away from them.

'Oh, great, now they're here... And now they're coming over...' Sombra froze. 'They're coming over! Should I stay here or should I make a run for it? Drat, now they're too close!'

"Hey, Daddy!" Pinkie greeted ecstatically. Her smile was strained and her eyes were anxious. She was nervous, Sombra knew.

"Hello, Sweetheart," Pinkie's father returned her greeting with a hug and a warm smile.

'Alright, so maybe he's not as bad as Pinkie says...'

When Pinkie's father turned his attention to Sombra, his smile dissipated almost immediately.

'Or not.'

"You must be Sombra," Pinkie's father said stoically, not unlike Maud's voice whenever she spoke.

"Yes, sir, I am," Sombra replied. He wasn't used to referring to someone else as if they were higher in stature, despite the fact that he was a common pony.

"Come now," Pinkie's father told him, his head nodding towards the exit of the station, "we have a lot to discuss."

Sombra couldn't help but feel the same sense of dread he did when he hear Princess Cadence say the same thing almost a year before. Only this time, he was sure survival wasn't an option.

Author's Note

YEAH, THIS IS A SERIES! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, ENJOY IT, YOU GUYS!

So, if you didn't know, this was originally meant to be a one-shot, but then I thought:

And said:

And, ya know what that means? MORE SOMBRAPIE! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Chapter 2: Homeward Bound

The walk out of the station was silent and awkward, not unlike Sombra's encounter with Maud over a year ago. In fact, now that Sombra thought about it, he was beginning to see where Maud got most of her personality(or lack thereof).

Pinkie's father, whose name he had yet to learn, was as stoic as they come. He didn't talk, he didn't smile, and the only thing that Sombra could get from the stallion was the fact that his profession revolved around rocks, though he already knew that because of Pinkie.

Sombra couldn't say much about Pinkie's mother, who was just as silent as her husband. However, her silence was one of out of awkwardness rather than out of resoluteness.

Though, despite the silence in the air, the only pony brave enough to rid the group of it's presence was Pinkie, who was hopping about in her usual, perky manner. How she managed to do so was a wonder to Sombra, though there had been many an occasion where he found Pinkie dozing the day away from spreading her unending cheer to everypony.

"Ohmigosh, I can't wait 'til we get home! Lime and Marble are gonna be there and we're all gonna get to bond together like we used to when we were little! Too bad Maud couldn't be there, but it's still really cool we get to see each other again!"

"Pinkie, dear, bouncing around is going to tire you out," Pinkie's mother told her in a chiding tone, the first thing she had said since her arrival, "you're going to want to slow down before your stallion has to carry you."

Pinkie gasped. "That's a great idea!"

Sombra wasn't prepared for Pinkie hopping onto his back, though it was far from the first time she had done so. He staggered a bit as Pinkie adjusted her position on his back and he tried to ignore the looks Pinkie's parents were giving him.

"Whoo-hoo! I'm so tall now!" Pinkie exclaimed as she perched herself on Sombra's head.

"Pinkie, you know that's not what I meant," Pinkie's mother scolded slightly, a maternal frown upon her features.

Sombra shrugged. "It's nothing new to me. Pinks isn't heavy, so it's not a problem."

"Aw, you're so sweet!" Pinkie cooed before she ruffled Sombra's mane in her usual loving manner.

Sombra brushed a stray lock out of his eyes as Pinkie's mother spared him a bewildered look. "You really don't mind her riding on your back?" she asked.

Sombra shrugged again. "If there's anything I learned since I met Pinkie, it's to accept things as they are, even when they don't make much sense."

"Like my Pinkie Sense!" Pinkie exclaimed, her rear held up predominantly as she waggled her curly tail.

"That, I still have trouble wrapping my head around," Sombra admitted, "Twitchy tails and flopping ears aren't really my strong point."

Pinkie giggled. "You'll have plenty of time to figure it out, Sombry!"

"Not even a lifetime is enough to understand you." Sombra looked up at Pinkie through his bangs. "But I'd be willing to spend it trying."

"Aw!" Pinkie snuggled into his mane. "When'd you get so sweet?"

"I've always been. It seems you haven't been paying attention." Sombra brushed another lock of hair out of his eyes. "Sweet Tartarus, why are you intent on blinding me?"

Pinkie tugged at his ear. "'Cause I caaaaaaaan!"

"You do realize that I'm your mode of transportation and that my sight is essential to both of our safety?" Sombra quirked an amused brow, which Pinkie wasn't able to see because of his mane.

"Eep!" Pinkie quickly ceased her mane ruffling. "Sorry!"

Sombra chuckled. "Just be careful up there. I don't want you falling off like last time."

Pinkie frowned at him. "I didn't mean to fall off!"

"Doesn't change the fact that you did, dear." Sombra chuckled as he felt her begin to prepare more mane ruffling. "If you ruffle my mane, you're bound to fall off."

"Am no-- AH!" Pinkie slipped off of Sombra's side and, if it weren't for Sombra's levitation spell, she would have crashed against the ground.

"Told you." Sombra chuckled at her frown as he placed her on the ground beside him. "You should really be more careful."

"Oh, look who's talking!" Pinkie exclaimed, "You get into dangerous stuff, too, ya know!"

"Do not!"

"Do, too!"

"Do not!"

"Do, too!"

"Do n--" Sombra sighed. "Oh, what's the use?"

Pinkie laughed. "I win!"

"Out of default, Pinks," Sombra reminded her.

"Oh, hush!"

As Sombra and Pinkie continued their usual couple banter, Pinkie's mother couldn't help but smile at the sight of them being together. Though she held some misgivings on their relationship, some based on traditional beliefs, it would be a lie if she said that they didn't have something between them.

'Is it possible that the stallion we've heard so much about isn't the monster we think him to be?' she thought, sparing them another glance.

He looked like he did in the newspaper articles: tall, dark, and exotically handsome. Stallions didn't usually have such dark coats or manes, nor did unicorns have such strange looking horns. She tried not to flinch as she caught sight of his fangs when he smiled at Pinkie, though the malice was gone from their glint.

'Perhaps he's not so bad...' She smiled herself when Sombra said something that made Pinkie laugh, though the meaning was lost on her.

But, as she turned her gaze to her husband, she caught him looking at Sombra with the same wariness she did. And she sighed as she took in the sight of his frown, which wasn't seen by the chatting couple.

He wasn't buying Sombra's affection. And something told her that it would only bring trouble in the coming days ahead.

* * *

"Gaaaaaah," Pinkie groaned, "I'm soooooo hungry..."

Sombra spared Pinkie an unappreciative look as she laid on the ground. "Pinks, you've been walking just fine for the past while. Why are you moping now?"

"Because fooooooood," Pinkie moaned, her head lifting off of the ground, "I just want to eeeeeeeeat..."

Sombra sighed as he levitated Pinkie onto his back. "You ate the entire train stock of pickle hay fries on the way here."

Pinkie perked up. "Hey, Mom, ya got any hay fries back at the house?"

Her mother sighed. "We're coming up the hill to the house now, dear. And I can't say for sure."

Pinkie groaned. "Nooooooo... I want some pickle hay fries..." She paused as she mulled over it. "Or do I just want pickles?"

"Why are you suddenly craving pickles, Pinkie?" Sombra questioned, "That's literally all you've wanted to eat for the past couple of days."

"I don't know!" Pinkie threw her hooves up in the air. "I guess I'm just being--"

Sombra stopped as he turned to look at Pinkie. "Don't you even finish that sentence with what I think you're going to say. I swear, I won't be able to handle it."

"--pickle-y!" Pinkie exclaimed, "Ha, ya get it?"

Sombra sighed as he hung his head. "I got it... Just like the first ten times..."

"You get used to old material recycling," Pinkie's mother told him, "it won't make it easier, but at least you won't get upset over it."

Sombra spared her a thoughtful look. "I can only imagine the many days of bad puns you had to endure. Do you have any idea how much this one puts me through on a daily basis?"

"Hey!" Pinkie smacked the back of his head playfully. "Don't get like that!"

"I have more knowledge on puns than I care to know." Sombra chuckled humorlessly. "'Hey, Sombra, I'm reading a book about anti-gravity--'"

"'It's impossible to put down!'" Sombra finished with Pinkie's mother, who shared a laugh with him.

"I was here first, Sombra," Pinkie's mother reminded him, "anyone you've heard, I've heard ten times over."

"I think you mean any pun you've heard!" Pinkie let out a loud snort laugh.

Sombra arched a brow. "Ya heard that one yet?"

"I lost count after 28. Either that, or I just stopped caring."

"Oooo, look, there's the house!" Pinkie exclaimed as she climbed on top of Sombra's head. "Look at how pretty it looks!"

Sombra looked in the direction in which Pinkie's hoof was pointing and he blinked in surprise. While Sombra was expecting the land to be barren and lifeless, which to a degree, it was, he soon saw the truth in Pinkie's words as the sun began to set over the hills, casting beautiful shadows across the many rocks that littered the ground.

"It's... peaceful," Sombra commented, noting the silence that came with the view.

Pinkie nodded. "Mm-hmm! It makes it super easy to farm!" She paused as she looked around. "Speaking of farming, where's everypony else? Aren't they supposed to be out?"

"We finished early to get ready for your visit," Pinkie's mother told her, "and before I forget, we got the guest room prepped for Sombra to sleep in."

Pinkie arched a brow. "When did we get a guest room?"

"We've gotten some renovations on the house while you've been gone," Pinkie's mother explained as they got closer to the house, "we have a couple more rooms added and now I have a sewing room."

Pinkie clapped her hooves. "Yay! I'm glad you got one!"

Pinkie's mother smiled. "It's something I've been wanting to get for awhile."

"So, do Marble and Lime have their own rooms now?" Pinkie asked.

"Yes, fortunately." Pinkie's mother turned to Sombra. "You wouldn't believe the squabbles those two got into. One morning it's about a hairbrush, the next it's about who stole whose geodes."

"Isn't Marble the only one who collects geodes?" Sombra questioned, remembering Pinkie mentioning it earlier.

"Yes, but Lime's taken to it, as well." She sighed. "You know it's bad when they have to initial their rocks."

Sombra rose a brow. "That's... something I don't think I've ever heard."

"It gets weirder," Pinkie told him with a giggle, "just you wait."

It was then Sombra realized that they had arrived at the house. And it was also then that he realized that Pinkie's father was unlocking the door.

And that he wasn't smiling.

'Oh, Tartarus...' Sombra thought, 'something tells me that this isn't going to end well...'

Chapter 3: Stories and Sisters

It was strange, sitting in the living room of Pinkie's childhood home. And it was just as, if not more, awkward, due to the silence and lack of any movement whatsoever. Except for Pinkie, of course.

"Ooo, so this is chamomile?" Pinkie asked as she took in a sip of tea, "I like my tea with a lot of sugar! Like, a ton! It's so it tastes sweet!"

Sombra spared her a glance as he took in a sip of tea of his own. "It's a wonder you haven't crashed, what with all the moving around you do with all that sugar in your system."

"That's the trick, Sombry!" Pinkie told him as she put in three more sugarcubes, "I always eat sugar!"

Sombra noted the crunch she made before she swallowed her "tea". "So I see."

"Dear, do you really think that it's a good thing to eat so much sugar, especially before dinner?" Cloudy Quartz asked, a name Sombra had just learned, "You could spoil it."

Pinkie didn't seem to hear her as she readied herself to down another cup of sugar cubes. Sombra put a hoof over the cup and he put it away from her face. "You might want to save that for later," he told her.

Pinkie blinked innocently. "Why? This is nowhere near the amount I have everyday!"

Sombra furrowed his brows. "Pinks, the last time you ate that much sugar, you nearly went into catatonic shock. You were about to be in an actual sugar coma."

Pinkie waved a hoof. "It's not as bad as you think. It's actually really enlightening! Like, I think I found out the reason that life exists!"

Sombra gave her a deadpan look. "If it's what I think it is, I swear, I might just be a psychic. Especially with matters concerning you."

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "So I said that the reason behind life was a toaster once." She narrowed her eyes at him. "You really have to learn to--"

"Don't you say it," Sombra tried to say.

"--let it go," Pinkie finished. She giggled at Sombra's face. "It was worth it."

Sombra's ears flattened against his head. "Was it?"

Cloudy cleared her throat. "So, Sombra, what is it that you do, again? Pinkie tells me that you work at a library?"

Sombra's ears perked up at the question and he put on a good face. "Yes. I help Twilight and Spike at the library, especially since now Twilight has a lot more responsibility with her new title. Poor Spike can barely handle the size of the new library."

Cloudy's eyes widened. "Twilight? As in, Princess Twilight?" She looked at her tea cup. "I wasn't aware you two knew each other."

"She's... how I met Pinkie," Sombra told her, "she accommodated for me while I was... working through some things."

Cloudy nodded. "I see."

Pinkie was quick to change the subject. "Twilight's a really good friend to everypony! Helping out Sombra isn't the biggest thing she's done, though! Like that fight with Tirek a couple months ago!"

Cloudy turned to Pinkie. "It seems a lot of strange things have been happening in the past couple of years. A threat of eternal night, a short reign from a chaos god, Changeling invasions." She sighed. "Biggest thing I had to worry about as a filly were Parasprites!"

Sombra arched a brow. "Parasprites?"

Cloudy smiled. "Mama Surprise was the only pony I knew who could scare off Parasprites." She laughed lightly. "She actually taught herself how to play ten instruments at one time so that she'd be able to lure them off!"

Sombra blinked. "What?"

Pinkie giggled. "Paraspites like music, for some weird reason! Granny Pie told me all about it when I was just an itty-bitty twinkie Pinkie!"

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with Parasprites," Sombra said, "so I can't really express my opinion on the matter."

"Oooo, I gotta tell ya the story of the time we had a Parasprite infestation at the farm!" Pinkie told him, "It was a long time ago, in a land that happened to be here!" She held up her hooves flamboyantly, like she usually did whenever she told stories. "When Mom and Dad were gone for business and Granny Pie was watching us, Limestone was out one day when she found one of the Parasprites and she had no idea what it was! But, when Granny saw that there were Parasprites, she went off to get a trombone, but everypony else was like, 'Wha?'" She put on a ridiculous face to convey the confusion before continuing. "But, when she told me all about them, I was like , 'oooooh'. And then, the Paraspites multiplied! Like, poof!"

"So, they're an asexual breed?" Sombra asked.

Pinkie arched a brow. "What does the alphabet have to do with a Polka Parasprite Parade?"

Sombra gave her an incredulous look. "What does that have to do with anything?" He gave her a deadpan look. "You're doing that thing where you jump to a part in the story that you're nowhere near again, aren't you?"

"Am I?" Pinkie questioned as she put a hoof to her chin, "hmmm... It would seem so." She shrugged. "Oh, well! Anyway, when I found out how bad the infestation had gotten, I found out that the only solution to the problem was a banjo!" She pointed her hoof to the sky. "That, and a harmonica, a trombone, a tuba, a tambourine, some cymbals, and a pair of maracas."

Sombra was silent for a moment. "I want to ask if you did it by yourself, but I realize how ridiculous it would be to do so."

Pinkie let out a light 'pfft'. "Please, seven is hardly the amount of instruments I can play! I just prefer to keep it simple!"

"Playing seven instruments is normal for you?" Sombra questioned. Then, he sighed. "Actually, I'm not surprised."

Pinkie giggled. "It's 'cause playing only one was too easy, two was too peasy, three was like A, B, C, four was like do re mi, five was like--" She paused. "Shoot, I run out of rhymey-whymeys!"

"There's one," Sombra offered, then blinked, "why did I say that?"

"'Cause you're helpful!" Pinkie proclaimed before continuing, "Getting back to the story, after I found everything, the farm was in total chaos! I mean, not like Discord chaos, but still pretty bad!" She gasped. "Oh my, gosh, what if Discord made Parasprites or something?!" She shook her head. "No, that's crazy! Or is it?" She shook her head again. "Nah, it's crazy. Anyway, when I finally started playing the instruments, the Parasprites finally stopped eating everything! Well, most of what they ate was rocks, but that's besides the point, because they started to follow me and Granny off the farm! It was so fun! Well, except for having to clean up after the Parasprites and then having to explain to Mom and Dad what happened."

Cloudy Quartz chuckled. "Poor Igneous was so upset! Once I told him about the Parasprites, he almost took to going after them with a pickax!" She laughed. "He only cooled down when I told him it would make them multiply faster."

"And then there was the infestation in Ponyville a couple years back!" Pinkie said with a giggle, "Poor Fluttershy brought them into town and they multiplied overnight! It wasn't until after they started eating the town's food supply that they started to get rid of them!"

"Did they know about the instruments?" Sombra asked, somewhat intrigued by the story.

"Nope!" Pinkie replied, "I tried to tell them, but nopony would listen! Well, I guess it's 'cause I wasn't making any sense and sometimes even I don't make sense to myself!"

Sombra chuckled. "Which makes you even more interesting."

Pinkie smiled at him before continuing. "Anyway, once I found all the instruments I needed, I found out that Twilight tried to cast a spell on the Parasprites!"

Cloudy Quartz gasped. "She didn't!"

"Why?" Sombra asked, "Is that a bad thing?"

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Duh! Unicorns can't cast spells on certain creatures because it would have catastrophic side effects!" Pinkie flailed her forelegs briefly before putting them down. "It's kind of why we avoid Timberwolves and manticores and stuff like that. I mean, offensive and defensive magic is fine, but you can't cast spells or anything like that."

Sombra arched a brow. "How do you know all that?"

"How do you not?" Pinkie asked, "anyway, when Twilight cast a spell, it was supposed to make them stop eating everything in town."

Cloudy giggled. "Let me guess: it made them start to eat the town instead?"

"Bingo!" Pinkie exclaimed, "That's when I jumped in and stopped the Parasprites from eating anymore! And just in the nick of time, because Princess Celestia showed up for her visit right when I was luring the Parasprites out!" She giggled. "She thought it was a parade!"

Sombra chuckled at the idea of it. "That's even better than the time I heard Twilight sent the town into a frenzy about a charmed Smarty Pants doll."

Pinkie giggled. "Did Spike tell you about that?"

"Actually, it was the Crusaders," Sombra told her, "those three get into all kinds of trouble, it would seem, what with them being the first three to get charmed."

Pinkie laughed. "Do you remember that time they tried to be pyrotechnics?"

Sombra shivered. "Don't remind me. My flank was burned for weeks and Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow tried to kill me." He sighed. "Why can't they do something less dangerous with themselves?"

Pinkie giggled. "Come on, it's not so bad! Remember when they made you an honorary Crusader?"

"Pardon my asking, but what exactly is a Crusader?" Cloudy Quartz asked.

"Allow me to explain how the girls would," Sombra said, "'Cutie Mark Crusaders, lives dedicated to finding out what we're meant to do with our lives and working together to get there!'" He sighed. "They even made me a cape for members."

"Aw, that's adorable!" Cloudy gushed.

"Not when they steal fabric from Rarity to make it and even use her special one of a kind silk gold cloth that is extremely difficult to make," Sombra told her, "I had to take an earful from Rarity and the blame so the girls wouldn't get caught in the warpath."

Cloudy put a hoof to her mouth to smother giggles. "Reminds me of the little fillies I raised." She turned to Pinkie. "But, now they're turned into lovely, mature mares."

"Did you say something?" Pinkie asked as she readjusted the teaspoon on her nose, "I was in the middle of doing something."

"Well, almost mature," Cloudy corrected.

Sombra spared Pinkie a glance and sighed. "Sweet Tartarus, this is just like our sixth month anniversary."

Pinkie giggled. "I had the spoon on my nose for ten minutes and you didn't even know it!"

"Oh, I did, I just didn't say anything about it," Sombra told her, "I try not to question what you do unless I don't understand why."

"Oh, don't act so sour!" Pinkie said as she smacked his foreleg, "You laughed for 15 minutes and you know it!"

Sombra frowned, but he finally gave in and smiled at her. "You're such a dork. A dork I'm lucky to have."

"Aw..." Pinkie cooed. She perked up. "Speaking of dorks, where are Limestone and Marble?" She snort giggled. "Just kiddin'! But, really, where are they?"

Cloudy looked to the clock on the wall. "They should be home soon... Limestone is probably looking for more geodes to add to her collection, and knowing Marble, she's probably doing the same thing."

"And knowing both of them, they're probably arguing over who gets what geode," Pinkie concluded. She rolled her eyes playfully. "Some things never change, huh?"

Cloudy sighed. "Those two have really been arguing as of late, sometimes over the silliest of things. It's a wonder they live under the same roof together."

Sombra shrugged. "Some sisters tend to get into petty squabbles because they love each other, just not in the usual manner." He picked up his teacup. "I've seen Sweetie Belle and Rarity do the same to one another all the time, but I'd be lying if I said they didn't love each other."

Pinkie giggled. "Applejack always told me that having a sister is like apple pie!"

Sombra arched a brow. "Apple Bloom says the same thing." He shrugged. "Must be an apple farmer thing, then."

Suddenly, the front door swung open, which let out a loud slam as it did. Before anypony could ask who was there, two loud, angry voices broke through the air.

"I told you, Limestone, that the crystals in geodes are amethyst!" said one voice.

Cloudy Quartz sighed. "Looks like they're home."

"And I told you, Marble, that it isn't!" said another voice, who Sombra could only deduce to be Limestone's.

"Look, I know more about geodes, you dumb brick!" Marble exclaimed.

"I'd call you that, too, but it'd be an insult to all bricks!" Limestone shot back.

As the two sisters argued, they continued on into the living room, unaware of the company in there. And as they continued on with their shouts, Sombra finally managed to get a good look at the two sisters. There was a light gray mare with a slightly darker gray mane with a cut open geode on her flank, revealing shining crystals within. The other sister was shorter, and possibly younger, but Sombra couldn't say for sure. Her mane was a light gray and her coat was a dark blue with a rock on her flank, several golden lines running through it,

"Ahem," Cloudy Quartz said, "girls, we have company."

Both sisters ceased their death glares and turned simultaneously to see Pinkie and Sombra sitting on the couch. "Oh, hey, Pinkie," Limestone greeted.

Marble's attention immediately went to Sombra. "Is this your coltfriend we heard about?"

Pinkie nodded erratically. "Uh-huh!" She leaned against Sombra affectionately. "This is Sombra!"

Marble arched a brow. "He's pretty cute."

Limestone jabbed her sister in the foreleg. "Marble!"

"Ow!" Marble cried as she held her foreleg, "What? He is!"

"Er, thank you?" Sombra said with uncertainty.

Limestone waved a hoof. "Don't worry about her, she was dropped as a filly."

"Was not!" Marble protested.

Limestone ignored her and focused her attention on Sombra. "So, what do you do?" She spared Sombra's flank a glance and her eyes widened. "Oh, sweet Celestia, are those Aegirine crystals?"

Sombra spared his cutie mark a glance and looked down at the three black crystals that adorned it. "Er, actually, I don't--"

"Ugh, no way!" Marble groaned, "Those are totally Hermatite crystals!"

Limestone faced her sister. "Are you seriously that ignorant? They're Aegirine crystals!"

"No, they're Hermatite crystals!"

"Aergirine!"

"Hermatite!"

"Aegirine!"

"Hermatite!"

Pinkie let out a dreamy sigh. "Some things really never change."

Sombra furrowed his brows. "And that's something I'm afraid of."

Author's Note

Whoever got that Frozen reference smacked the hell out of their forehead. I don't care who you are, that's what happened.

Chapter 4: Family Ties

"Aergirine!" Limestone repeated once more.

"Hermatite!" Marble protested again.

"Aergirine!"

"Hermatite!"

Sombra shifted uncomfortably for a moment before leaning towards Pinkie and whispering, "Are they always like this?"

Pinkie nodded. "Uh-huh. Those two always argue with each other, which is kinda funny, seeing as how they're twins!"

"Fraternal twins," the two mares said together, not even bothering to look away from each other.

"Aergirine!" Limestone shouted, returning back to the argument.

"Hermatite!" Marble shot back.

Sombra spared the sisters a glance before looking back at Cloudy Quartz. "Isn't that rare, a mare having twins?"

Cloudy Quartz nodded. "And painful. You wouldn't believe how much time I had to spend in bed so that I wouldn't overwork myself." She smiled to herself. "I can't imagine how painful it was for Mama, though."

"Your mother had twins?" Sombra questioned, his gaze flickering to Pinkie briefly.

"Triplets, actually," Cloudy told him, "Sandstone and Granite are rather exuberant and probably have yet to settle down."

"Aw, it's been awhile since I've seen Uncle Sandy or Aunty Granny!" Pinkie said. She paused. "Aunty Granny...?"

Sombra arched a brow at Pinkie, but returned his attention to Cloudy. "Is it normal for your family to have multiple foals during pregnancy?"

Cloudy arched a brow. "You seem rather interested. Why are you asking?"

Sombra shifted uncomfortably. "Well, actually, you'd be surprised to hear that you aren't the first mare I've met to have given birth to twins. Cup Cake at Sugarcube Corner had twins a couple years back, a Pegasus and a Unicorn."

Cloudy's eyes widened. "Really? Pinkie told me that they were Earth Ponies, right?"

Pinkie nodded. "Uh-huh! Mr.Cake's great-great-great-great grandfather was a unicorn, and Mrs.Cake's great aunt's second cousin twice removed was a Pegasus!" She paused. "Granny Pie was a Pegasus, too, right?"

Cloudy nodded. "So was your Uncle, dear. You're one-fourth Pegasus, remember?"

Sombra paused for a moment and put a hoof to his chin, wondering what to make of the new information.

* * *

"Pinkie, get down from there!" Sombra exclaimed.

"Oh, relax--" Bounce. "--Sombry! I'm totally--" Bounce. "Fine!" Pinkie exclaimed back as she hopped once more on the trampoline.

Sombra frowned. "Pinkie, you bounce high enough as it is! If you add that to a trampoline, you'll be making your way to Cloudsdale!"

Pinkie gasped as she continued bouncing. "Do you--" Bounce. "--really think--" Bounce. "--I could--" Bounce. "--make it Cloudsdale--" Bounce. "--if I tried?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Sombra sighed. "Please, come down from there! You're going to hurt yourself!"

"Oh, relax!" Bounce. "I'm fi-- Eep!" Pinkie's weight hit the trampoline too hard, causing her to jump higher than ever before. She soon disappeared into the air and zoomed through a cloud, much to Sombra's horror.

"Pinkie!" Sombra exclaimed, "Pinkie, are you alright?" He felt his heartbeat quicken when he didn't receive an answer. "Pinks?!"

"Whoo!" Pinkie cheered as she leaned over the side of the cloud, "That was so fun! Let's do that again!"

"Pinkie, I feel absolutely ridiculous," Sombra commented.

Pinkie giggled. "I think you make a nice Dracula! You have the fangs and everything!"

Sombra looked at his Nightmare Night costume with a frown. "The high collar on the cape is making it really difficult to look around, the fabric on my vest is itchy, and I don't like that you made me put fake fangs over my real ones."

Pinkie waved a hoof. "Oh, but I think you look so nice! And the fake fangs were the Crusaders' idea, not mine!"

"Hey, Sombra, hurry up!" Scootaloo exclaimed, "The other kids are gonna get all the good candy before we do!"

Sombra sighed. "That's one of the only good things to have come out of tonight: free candy."

Pinkie howled. "And you're never too old for that!"

Sombra spared Pinkie's Timberwolf costume a glance. "Can you even move properly with all those sticks glued onto you?"

"Yep!" Pinkie answered as she bounced, a series of sticks falling off and trailing behind her.

Sombra frowned. "Hopefully nopony trips over those." Suddenly, a sharp, stinging pain zapped through Sombra, starting from his rear specifically. Having a good idea who did it, Sombra turned around and put on an unamused face. "Rainbow, that's not funny! Especially after the fifth time tonight."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Relax, Dumbra! I'm just having fun! Nightmare Night is the best night of the year for pranks!"

"Yep!" Pinkie concurred, "Pranks are super duper fun!"

Sombra gave her a deadpan look as he recalled all the times that he was on the other side of the pranking process. "So you say. At least she didn't zap you in the fl--" His eyes widened as he caught sight of her singed rear. "Pinkie, just when did you get zapped?"

Pinkie looked at her rear. "Dunno. Looks pretty recent, though."

"I did at the same time as Sombra's!" Rainbow protested, "How come your flank isn't like his?"

Pinkie shrugged. "Dunno." She turned towards the Crusaders. "But all I know is that I want free candy!"

Sombra sighed as he put up a magical force field. "Whoever is bouncing on the raincloud on top of me better quit. I have to get home, and I'd rather not get sick in the process."

He heard a familiar giggle. "Oh, Sombry! I was just kiddin' around!"

Sombra blinked in shock. "Pinkie Pie?" Unfortunately, due to his surprise, he forgot about his force field spell, thus causing him to be drenched in a matter of seconds.

Pinkie leaned over the side of the cloud. "I just found this random cloud near the bakery and hopped on it! Isn't that neat?"

Sombra sighed. "Yes, dear. But not as interesting as the new Daring Do book I just got. Which is now drenched like I am."

Pinkie's smile faded. "Oops." She chuckled nervously. "I'll get you a new one."

* * *

Sombra spared Pinkie a glance. "That explains an awful lot."

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "I got you a new book, silly!"

Cloudy arched a brow. "Beg pardon?"

Sombra sighed. "It's nothing. Just something that I realized."

Cloudy looked like she wanted to continue questioning, but she refrained from doing so. "Um, alright, then. So, I imagine that after your trip, you'd be hungry?"

Pinkie's stomach growled loudly as an answer, to which Sombra nodded. "Yes, actually."

Suddenly, Limestone and Marble turned towards Sombra simultaneously, their eyes wide. "I can get dinner started!"

Marble glowered at her twin. "Ugh, no way! Last time you cooked you nearly burned the house down!"

"You aren't any better!" Limestone snapped.

Pinkie giggled. "I think they like you. They don't even cook for themselves."

Cloudy rolled her eyes. "You're telling me."

"I'll cook!" Limestone exclaimed.

"No, I'll cook!" Marble protested.

Pinkie smiled. "I can cook for us if you two can't figure it out!"

Sombra spared Pinkie a glance. "Cakes don't count as dinner."

Pinkie frowned. "OK, fine."

"Or cupcakes," Sombra added.

"Fine."

"Or anything with sugar in it."

Pinkie turned her attention to the twins. "Never mind, then."

"You can cook dessert, Pinks," Sombra told her.

Pinkie brightened almost immediately. "Yay!"

* * *

"Ugh..." Sombra groaned, "I really shouldn't have had that second helping of cake..."

Pinkie giggled as she bounced alongside him down the hall. "But it was so good! I had three, 'member?"

Sombra sighed. "I sort of wish I hadn't gotten over my disgust for cake... Then maybe I wouldn't have gained so much weight in the past couple of months..."

"You haven't gained weight!" Pinkie protested, "You're in as much shape as ever!"

"Going on escapades with the Crusaders doesn't count as keeping in shape, Pinks," Sombra told her, "no matter how much running is done... Or tree sap, oddly enough."

Pinkie giggled. "Come on, we better get you to bed."

"He's sleeping on the couch," said a deep voice.

Sombra and Pinkie turned simultaneously to see Pinkie's father standing at the edge of the hall, his face stoic. Sombra felt a pinch of uncomfortability. "Er, sir?"

"Couch," he repeated, "Pinkie sleeps in her room. Alone."

"But, Dad--" Pinkie tried to say.

"It's fine, Pinks," Sombra told her, though he wasn't sure if it was. With a wary look, Sombra started to make his way down the hall. "Goodnight, Pinks."

Pinkie frowned for a moment, but she smiled weakly. "Night, Sombry."

Sombra smiled back at her before continuing on his way. He felt a small chill resonate through him as he passed Pinkie's father, but he tried not to show his fear. Or the small pinch of annoyance that he was scared at all.

"Sleep tight," Pinkie's father said, though Sombra understood the meaning under his words: You sleep alone, away from Pinkie.

And as the stallion and his daughter descended down the hall, Sombra was stuck on the couch, the only things to keep him company a flat pillow and an itchy blanket.

Sombra sighed to himself. "Pinkie was right. Her father really is old-fashioned."

Author's Note

So, I've always clung onto the idea of Marble and Limestone being twins, but due to recent enlightening by none other than the lovely scoots2, I found that ponies having twin foals is rare, as is triplets, and can be extremely dangerous and horse breeders always try their best to avoid it. But, then I thought about Pinkie and the oddity of her personality(while maintaining a level of sense that most ponies don't understand or care to), and pulled in how she gained some of her personality aspects from her Granny Pie and Nana Pinkie, so maybe it wouldn't be strange for the family to have a strange history of defying normalcy in it's own right.

Another thing I thought about was Cloudy Quartz and her character altogether. I mean, with a mother like Granny Pie, I would imagine that she would at least hold a level of joy like her, right? Of course, I thought about the funny little cliche of something skipping a generation, and thought that maybe Cloudy didn't gain the aspects of her mother, but maybe her siblings did, making her the Maud of the bunch. So while she wasn't exactly an expressant of joy or laughter, she still carried that trait within her, ready to be passed onto a foal of hers. Maud didn't gain it, the sisters didn't because of the oddity of their birth, and Pinkie's was the only one to have been awakened, making her the laughter expressant.

It's a lot, I know, but I still like the whole idea of it.

Chapter 5: False Alarms and Fatherly Protection

Sombra didn't sleep.

Laying down on the couch was probably one of the worst places to sleep in the entirety of the house, Sombra concluded. In fact, he was so sure of that claim, that he bet that if he slept on the floor, he wouldn't even crack an eye open at any point in the night.

'And that my back wouldn't feel like somepony jabbed thousands of needles into it...' Sombra added silently to himself, 'I've already had to endure that because of Sweetie Belle... Needless to say, she's no seamstress...'

But, even if it weren't for the discomfort from the couch or even the thinness of his blanket and pillow, he knew he wouldn't have slept a wink at all. He couldn't, not without Pinkie next to him.

Sombra frowned as he thought about Pinkie's father and how he probably holding his wife right now, sleeping soundly no less. Sombra was envious, he knew, and while he knew it was childish to be, he didn't really care. Yet, he knew that he couldn't exactly say anything about it, what with his current status in the household.

'He's just making sure Pinkie's safe, which is completely understandable,' Sombra admitted to himself, 'I know what it's like to worry for her...'

Yet, he also knew that Pinkie was completely capable of taking care of herself, despite her random antics and acts. And while there were moments he didn't exactly understand Pinkie or her actions, he was trying really hard not to brush them off like he did in the past. He cared for her, and if he had any chance in having a future with her, he was going to have to take the time that he needed to understand her.

It was a bit saddening to see that a lot of ponies didn't understand Pinkie, or that they didn't care to even try. She was friends with them and she took time out of her day to understand them and to make ponies feel better whenever it was needed. So why was it so difficult for everyone else to do the same?

Sombra felt like rolling over, but he didn't exactly want his side to be subjected to the pain his back was feeling. Not that turning over would have made a difference. He knew that he was incapable of sleeping by himself.

COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOOOOOOO!

Sombra didn't even bother flinching at the rooster's cry, the location of it being a mystery he didn't care to solve. He had heard a rooster cry every morning since his arrival in Ponyville all that time ago, so it wasn't exactly new to him. He sighed as he sat up from the couch, then let out a tired yawn. Tartarus, he was exhausted.

"You awake?" asked a male voice.

Sombra turned to see Igneous at the entrance to the living room. He was as stoic as ever, with a hardset frown on his face and set jaw. Sombra nodded in response. "Yes, sir." It was still strange to say.

Igneous didn't even blink. "Did you sleep well?"

Sombra knew that he wasn't actually curious about whether or not he had gotten any sleep, let alone a good sleep. Igneous was trying to scare him off. Well, if keeping Sombra from sleeping was the best he could do, then Sombra would live. Because he'd gone many a night without sleep already, and a couple nights wasn't going to stop him now.

"Yes, sir," Sombra replied. He smiled at him. "Thanks for asking."

Igneous' face flickered into surprise, then immediately turned back into it's previous stoicness. "Good. Wouldn't want our guest to have trouble sleeping, now would we?"

Sombra shook his head. "No, sir, we wouldn't."

Igneous nodded at him, then began to make his way over into the kitchen, no doubt to get breakfast started. Sombra held back a heavy sigh. It was going to be a long morning.

* * *

"Iggy, why are you so intent on tormenting that boy?" Cloudy Quartz asked her husband, "You've seen how nice he's been!"

Igneous huffed through his nose. "Just 'cause he's polite in public, doesn't mean he's the same way in private." He narrowed his eyes as he watched Sombra and Pinkie wash dishes by each other at the sink after eating breakfast. "I have no reason to trust him, Cloud."

Cloudy frowned at her husband. "That was just flat-out mean, making him sleep on the couch."

"He said he slept fine," Igneous said in a flat tone.

"Say that to the bags under his eyes," Cloudy argued gently, careful to make sure nopony else was listening, "Iggy, you know I don't like it when you're like this."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Igneous said, averting his gaze while keeping a stoic face.

"Don't do that to me." Cloudy gave him a look only she could give. "You know I don't like it when you get stone-faced like that." She softened her features. "Is this about what happened last time?"

Igneous flinched. "Cloud..."

Cloudy furrowed her brows. "It is, isn't it?" She sighed. "Not all stallions are alike, dear."

"You're right," Igneous said, "not all stallions enslave an entire race of ponies."

"Igneous!" Cloudy snapped in a hushed voice, "You know that's not what I meant! What I meant was that not all stallions are selfish like... he was!"

Igneous narrowed his eyes. "You'd be surprised." His eyes flickered to Sombra. "I remember how at the first sign of trouble, he darted outta here quicker than a rock skipping over water." He returned his gaze back to Cloudy. "And how devastated Pinkie was when he did."

"And he only came back because it was a false alarm..." Cloudy murmured to herself, "we were all upset about that. I'm surprised you and Maud didn't kill him on the spot."

"Pinkie stopped me," Igneous said simply.

"And she can be awful frightening when she or someone she cares about is in danger." Cloudy gave him a reassuring smile. "And I remember how loud she was when she gave that boy a tongue-lashing unlike any other."

Igneous frowned. "That didn't stop him, did it? He still ran off, keeping Pinkie on a leash from afar without her knowing it." He growled to himself. "And still went with that floozy..."

Cloudy narrowed her eyes. "What did I say about demeaning mares based on their relationship choices?"

"Sorry," Igneous said softly, then added sternly, "but I can't help if a stallion makes such stupid decisions that involve running off with another mare." He gave Cloudy a soft look. "You know I'd never do something like that to you."

"I know," Cloudy replied with a smile, "but you have to at least give him a chance."

Igneous didn't respond immediately, and when he was quiet for a long while, Cloudy began to think he was going to reject her plea. But, he sighed in surrender. "Alright, Cloud. I'll try to give him a chance."

Cloudy smiled. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Igneous told her before pecking her on the cheek.

"Ew..." Marble commented as she passed by, "get a room, you two!"

Cloudy giggled while Igneous just shook his head. While his wife's attention was away from him, he turned his head to Sombra and Pinkie, who were giggling and whispering together at the sink.

'You better treat her right, Sombra,' Igneous thought to himself, 'and pray to Celestia that you're nothing like that coward Baritone.'

* * *

Pinkie didn't sleep.

It didn't matter how comfortable her blankets were or how soft her pillows felt. She simply couldn't close her eyes worth anything. Well, she could, but it didn't do anything to help her sleep.

'I miss Sombry...' Pinkie thought to herself, 'I feel so weird without him next to him...'

Pinkie was extremely aware of why her dad didn't let Sombra sleep in the room with her. He knew because of Maud, who held no filter in regards to the intimate things in life, Pinkie's love life included.

'I should've made her Pinkie Swear not to tell anypony,' Pinkie thought, hindsight dawning on her as she frowned to herself.

But, Pinkie wasn't irresponsible. Responsibility was her middle name, after all. And it's not like her and Sombra's relationship revolved around their intimacy alone. They had many instances in the past year alone where they had to come to terms with that fact. It was just that she preferred to have him next to her when she slept.

Because she liked that security. She liked to feel safe.

'Mama told me all about how she hated it when Dad left for business without her,' Pinkie remembered, 'how she hated to sleep alone...' She sighed. 'I guess it runs in the family, then.'

Pinkie felt another odd turn in her stomach, which caused her to sigh. It was just another false alarm. Nothing was inside her. Nopony was inside her.

'I remember how freaked out Sombry got the first time I mentioned it...' Pinkie mused to herself, 'that was... what, three months into dating each other?'

It had been a really frightening experience for the both of them the first time it happened. It had been a frightening the second time around, but significantly less so. The third time was still stressful, but they at least knew what they were doing that time. The fourth time was practical and maybe even routine. The fifth time was just flat-out tedious.

Pinkie sighed. 'I probably could have handled it better the first time around...'

* * *

"Ugh..." Pinkie moaned as she rolled over restlessly.

"Pinks?" Sombra murmured sleepily, "You alright?"

"My tummy hurts..." Pinkie whined.

"Do you want me to get you something from the cabinet?" Sombra asked tiredly, then yawned as he rubbed his eye.

"I think I'm pregnant," Pinkie said, not even fully realizing what she said.

Sombra's half-awake eyes popped open immediately and he froze in the exact position he was in. "What?"

Pinkie didn't reply. Instead, she rolled over and let out a small whine as she drifted back into a fitful rest...

...only for Sombra to shake her awake almost immediately. "Pinkie! Pinkie, get up!"

"Whaaaaaaaat?" Pinkie moaned as she rolled over to face a frazzled Sombra.

"We gotta find out!" Sombra said in panicked tone.

"Find out what?" Pinkie asked, totally confused.

"If you're pregnant or not!" Sombra replied hastily.

Pinkie woke up almost instantly. "I'm pregnant?!"

"No, you're not-- Well, I don't know for sure!" Sombra let out a sigh. "Do you have any way to find out?"

"24 hour pharmacy!" Pinkie replied, "Come on, we gotta go!" She tried to climb out of bed, but almost immediately fell down on account of her lack of balance and her upset stomach. "...Carry me."

Sombra sighed as he scooped her up effortlessly. "I don't think I can handle having another baby..."

Pinkie let out a loud retching sound as she leaned against the toilet. "Sombry, my tummy hurts..."

Sombra darted to the door. "Are you sure it isn't an upset stomach like last time?"

"I don't know..." Pinkie answered miserably, "and I don't know how any of this works..." She looked up. "Do ponies even get morning sickness?"

Sombra sighed. "We have to go back to the pharmacy again, don't we?"

Pinkie nodded. "Uh-huh..."

"Fine... I'll go get the membership card..."

"Sombraaaaaaaa...." Pinkie whined, "my tummy hurts..."

Sombra sat up immediately. "Pharmacy. Go. Now."

"OK..." Pinkie sleepily, "can you carry me again?"

Sombra sighed. "Fine."

"Sombra, this isn't the brand we bought last time!" Pinkie protested.

Sombra blinked. "Does it matter?"

"Yes!" Pinkie insisted, "The other one is more accurate!"

Sombra frowned. "You like it because of the baby bunnies on the front, don't you?"

"...Maybe."

He sighed. "This one has baby froggies on it..."

"Yay!"

"Sombraaaaaaaa..."

"Test is in the cabinet with the others."

"OK."

* * *

'Yeah, I totally could've handled it better...' Pinkie thought, 'but I was panicking! I've never been pregnant before!' She gasped. 'What if I'm pregnant now?! I'm craving pickle hay fries and everything! ...Oh, I already eat those...'

She was overreacting. There was absolutely no way she was pregnant! Sure, her stomach felt weird a lot of the time, but that wasn't anything too weird!

And sure, she was a lot more emotional than usual and perhaps even a bit more hormonal, but that didn't mean anything!

And maybe she was a bit more hungry than usual, which already unusual, but that was just her being her! She was always hungry!

'Yeah, that's right, I'm totally not pregnant!' Pinkie told herself, 'I think I'd notice that!'

She sighed in content and closed her eyes with a blithe smile. Yeah, she was just being paranoid! There was no way the moving in her tummy was anything more than her food settling! ...Even though she went to the bathroom earlier... And she wasn't even hungry... And she didn't feel sick...

She sat up in bed, her eyes wide with shock. "Oh, horse apples."

Author's Note

Her face probably looked something like this... Wonder how Sombry's gonna react...

"...Is it April already?"

Chapter 6: And So It Begins

Sombra dashed through the halls of the palace, the pulsation urging him to go in several, dizzying directions. Of course, the only thing that made his pursuit for The Shadow difficult was the fact that he himself was being pursued.

"Sombra!" Twilight called out to him as she made her way to the front of the hunting pack, "Come back here! We want answers!"

"And you'll get them!" Sombra shouted over his shoulder, "Just... not right now!"

"Where are you going, anyway?" Applejack exclaimed, "I thought you'd be hiding in the shadows or something malevolent!"

"I'm not here to hurt anypony! I'm here to--"

A series of loud screams interrupted him, the sound of which causing all of them to stop in their tracks. Sombra felt the pulsation within his mind speed up and grow in volume, which meant only one thing: Conscience was injured.

"What was that?" Twilight called out, the first one to question what was happening.

"It's Conscience," Sombra said in a low tone, "something's wrong. The Shadow has gotten him!"

"The Shadow...?" Twilight repeated, then gasped, "Wait a minute, are you saying that you're not...?"

"No," Sombra told her firmly as he readied himself for another sprint, "And believe me when I say that he better not have gotten to Pinkie."

"So you do love her!" Rarity exclaimed gleefully, "I knew you would never hurt her like this!"

Sombra paid her no mind as he resumed his dash through the halls, the five mares and baby dragon rushing after him. Of course, he already knew what he would find. That's what made the nightmare even worse.

* * *

"Sombry?"

Sombra blinked. "Er, sorry, Pinks, what were you saying? My mind keeps wandering."

Pinkie held a confused look for a moment longer, then shrugged before continuing. "I was just telling you how much Marble and Limestone wanted to show you around the farm! I mentioned how you know a lot about crystals and they were so excited!" She gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't make a face! They said they wouldn't fight!"

Sombra arched a brow. "Did they Pinkie Promise?"

Pinkie blinked and she was silent for a moment. Finally, she bonked herself on the head. "I knew I forgot something! Silly me!"

Sombra chuckled. "That's not like you. What's next, your Pinkie Sense being off?"

Pinkie gasped. "Don't say such things! I depend on Pinkie Sense!"

"I'm just kidding with you, Pinks," Sombra assured her before nuzzling her, "when did your sisters say the tour was going to be?"

"After breakfast!" Pinkie proclaimed.

Sombra gave her a deadpan look. "Pinkie, it's after breakfast now."

"Well, I guess now!" She told him, "Go on ahead! I'll catch up!"

Sombra blinked. "You sure? I don't want to start without you."

She waved a hoof. "It's fine! I just gotta tell Mom what's going on so that way she knows where we are!"

Sombra arched a brow in interest, but he decided that questioning Pinkie on family matters wasn't his place. He smiled at her. "Alright. I'll see you then."

And with that, Sombra left, completely unaware of the troubled frown Pinkie wore.

* * *

"Hey, Mom?"

Cloudy Quartz looked to the doorway of her sewing room and blinked in surprise as she saw Pinkie lean in. "Pinkie? What are you doing up here? I thought you and the girls were showing Sombra around the farm."

"They're starting without me," Pinkie said, somewhat troubled, "I came to talk to you about... something."

Cloudy's eyes widened. "Pinkie, I've heard that tone before..." She nodded her head to the door. "Close the door, please?"

Pinkie nodded and did as told. "Mom, I swear, I didn't know until--"

Cloudy held up a hoof. "Pinkie, just tell me that you didn't keep it a secret like last time."

Pinkie frowned. "Mom, I don't even know if it's a secret now!" She sighed. "I just don't know... I've never known, so I can't say for sure..."

Cloudy frowned. "Pinkie, does Sombra know?"

"No," Pinkie said, "and I'm not gonna tell him 'til I know for sure. It's not the first time we've had a scare, you know."

Cloudy's eyes widened. "Never tell your father that. He'd die of a heart attack, or, worse, kill Sombra for it." She frowned. "You two aren't even married, you know that?"

"Neither were you and Dad when you had Maud," Pinkie said, "besides, you were waaaaaay younger than me!"

"Yes, well," Cloudy coughed into a hoof a brush of pink went over her cheeks, "you should know better."

"But, we're engaged, so it's not that big a deal!" Pinkie protested, then immediately went silent.

Cloudy gasped. "Really? Engaged?" A manic grin went over her features. "Did he get a ring? Did he, did he, did he?"

"It's back home." Pinkie shifted sheepishly. "I was scared to bring it because I thought Daddy would get mad... Or that Marble and Limestone would argue over what kind of diamond it is."

Cloudy let out a small squeal of delight. "This is such great news! I'm so happy for you!"

"Mom, you can't tell anyone," Pinkie said in a whisper, "Dad would lose his marbles!"

"Oh, but Pinkie!" Cloudy protested, "This is such good news! Besides, your father is bound to find out sooner or later! What, are you going to tell him after you two tie the knot?" When Pinkie didn't reply, she gaped at her. "That's what you were going to do?!"

"Well?! Last time we had a scare like this, Dad nearly killed Baritone!" Pinkie reminded her, "If he found out that I was engaged and... you know, he'd totally go ballistic! And after that, he probably wouldn't let me live within miles of another stallion!" She gasped. "I wouldn't be able to see Cheesy! Oh, and he was so excited about planning the wedding!"

"You'd hire somepony else to plan your wedding? I figured you'd be all over that!"

"Sombry didn't want me to overwork myself," Pinkie told her, "he calls Cheese in for helping with party planning whenever it's a big party or in this case, a wedding. They're actually pretty good friends."

"I suppose that makes sense... Besides, you wouldn't want to do too much if you're... you know," Cloudy said.

Pinkie nodded. "Yeah. And ever since Sombry started working at the library, he saved up some bits to get us a house next to Sugarcube Corner. A place opened up when Minuette moved to Canterlot to live with her fiancee."

"Oh, who's the lucky stallion?" Cloudy asked, suddenly interested.

"It's fiancee, Mom. With two e's."

"...Oh." She shifted uncomfortably. "Anyway, Sombra seems rather serious about your engagement, so I'm sure your father won't be too upset."

Pinkie frowned. "You said that last time, and that didn't turn out too well either." She cringed. "Sorry. I'm not normally mean like that... I'm just worried about all this..."

Cloudy gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure it'll all be fine. If what Sombra said about watching the Crusaders, I'm sure he'd be a great father!"

Pinkie frowned. "See, you say that..."

* * *

Pinkie heard her bedroom door creak open and the familiar falls of Sombra's hooves. She instantly put a smile on her face. "Hey, Sombry, how was your-- Oh my, gosh!" She put a hoof over her mouth in shock as she took in Sombra's appearance. "What the hay happened to you?"

Sombra frowned at Pinkie, though it did little to take from the fact that he was covered in tree sap and white feathers, making him look like a bad version of Pinkie's old Nightmare Night costume. "Don't. Ask."

Once Pinkie managed to get over her shock, she started to giggle. "Another crusade?"

"Yes," Sombra said crisply as he struggled to walk across the room, leaving spots of sticky, feathery messes. He turned to Pinkie. "Keep Gummy out of the bathroom... And for the love of Celestia, if your shoulder feels even a little achy, tell me."

"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow!" Sombra jerked away from Pinkie. "Careful with the swabbing!"

Pinkie frowned. "Well, maybe you shouldn't have gotten burned so much!"

"You've burned your hooves on the stove more than I've gotten burned in my entire life!" Sombra shot back irritably. He sighed. "Sorry, Pinks, my flank just hurts."

"I noticed," Pinkie commented as she put another pink band aid on Sombra's flank, "where the heck did the Crusaders even get fireworks?"

"Rainbow Dash," Sombra said bitterly, "I can't wait to get her back for this... She's the cause of my flank getting burned for a second time now..."

Pinkie giggled. "Well, at least now you know what it feels like when you treat my burned hooves and get mad when I complain."

"You do it all the time! Wear some mitts, for Tartarus' sakes!" He frowned at her. "And I only get mad at you when you jerk away and make things worse for both of us!"

Pinkie frowned at him before ripping off a band aid.

"Ow!"

Pinkie gave him an innocent look. "Oh, did that hurt?"

Sombra glared at her. "I hate that I love you."

"...So are we not gonna talk about what the girls did today?" Pinkie asked, finally breaking through the lingering silence.

"No, we're not," Sombra answered, "nor will we ever."

Pinkie frowned. "Okie dokie lokie..." She paused. "I think you got lipstick on your teeth..."

Sombra's sparkly pink hoof swiped across his muzzle. "Oh, Tartarus, where?!" He glared at Pinkie when she started giggling. "Oh, that is just great, laugh it up, why don't you?"

Pinkie covered her mouth. "It's not my fault that the girls decided to give you a makeover!"

Indeed, Sombra had been a victim of the girls' attempt at gaining makeup artist cutie marks. His eyelids were caked in Rarity's trademark blue eye shadow and his lids were weighed down by matching fake lashes, thick, heavy lines of black eyeliner running along his waterline. His lips were a bright pink and were sparkly just like his hooves, along with the pink extensions the girls insisted on putting in his mane.

"You're the one who suggested that Sweetie work on her 'technique'!" Sombra argued, "Do you have any idea how long it takes an eight year-old to make matching cat eyes?"

"No," Pinkie said with a giggle.

"It takes forever!" Sombra exclaimed, sounding like Pinkie did when somepony made a Pinkie Promise, "Curse them and their crusading..." He held up his hooves and put on a fake, gleeful face. "'Cutie Mark Crusaders: Makeup Artists!'" He made a deadpan look. "I hate that you mentioned it..."

"Hey, I only brought it up because they wanted to know how clown makeup worked!" Pinkie argued, "You have no idea how hard it is to make it look the right amount of goofy!" She gasped. "Were they going to be clowns?!"

"They tried that a couple weeks ago," Sombra answered, "they quit when they found out that Sweetie had a seriously traumatic experience with them."

Pinkie frowned. "Aw..."

* * *

"That doesn't sound too bad, Pinkie," Cloudy commented, "if anything, he acted like your father did whenever you and the girls did stuff like that."

Pinkie frowned. "So we gave Dad a hooficure while he was sleeping once. He had chipped hooves!"

"I just don't see why you're so worried," Cloudy said. She gave Pinkie a reassuring smile. "Sombra seems like a good stallion and if he makes you happy, then you shouldn't have anything to worry about."

Pinkie looked down. "But, Mom--"

"No 'but's. If there is a possibility that this might be what we think it is, then you're going to have to tell him." She frowned. "You can't go around saying that you gained weight, either."

"Shoot!" Pinkie said to herself, "That was my fallback plan!" She sighed. "Alright, I guess we're going to have to find out, aren't we?"

"Not now, you aren't," Cloudy told her, "you got something to do, remember?"

Pinkie blinked. "Sombry!" She dashed out of the room, a pink streak trailing behind her as she did.

Cloudy sighed. "And so the first phase of Pie pregnancy has started... Forgetfulness."

Author's Note

For those of y'all who don't get the difference between "fiance" and "fiancee", it's just a simple gender thing. Fiance=male and fiancee=female. Make what you will of that information.

Also, yes, Cheese and Sombra are friends. Everyone wanted there to be an epic fight or something between them, but I like to think that Sombra genuinely enjoys Cheese and sees him as a great friend for Pinkie. And even though it's not mentioned(not yet, anyway), Sombra often asks Cheese for advice in understanding Pinkie when her explanations don't make his sort of sense. Cheese is super understanding and totally respects their relationship and Sombra's lack of party pony knowledge. He just appreciates that Sombra is making an effort to understand.

As for the whole "Pie Pregnancy" having phases, the first one known is forgetfulness, which will later span to Pinkie's memorable traits becoming extremely prominent and at other times, will turn into the polar opposite.

Example:

"I'm so happy I could explode, look a bird, life is beautiful!" to "Oh my Celestia, everyone is so messed up, why is life so weird?"

Poor Sombra has got a lot on his plate...

And sorry for not updating sooner! School and dual credit college classes make it super difficult to update when I want!

Chapter 7: Problematic Phases

"Sombra, what's going on?" Twilight called out, barely managing to keep up with Sombra's strides.

"Conscience is in danger!" Sombra shouted back, "And if he's in trouble, then we've got big problems coming our way!"

'And Pinkie could be hurt,' he added to himself silently, but he refused to believe it. Conscience would get her out of there. He Pinkie Promised he would.

Suddenly, a loud, ear piercing scream broke through the halls, causing Sombra to feel his entire being to freeze in horror. That was Conscience! But, then that meant...

"Pinkie," Sombra breathed, "no..."

Twilight rushed up to Sombra's rigid being. "Sombra, we gotta hurry! Something bad is happening!"

Sombra blinked, his senses returning to him. He resumed his sprint, adamant on getting to Pinkie no matter the cost.

* * *

"Sombry?"

Sombra blinked. "Er, sorry, Pinks... I didn't hear what you said."

Pinkie frowned at him. "You've been quiet for most of the morning... Were the girls being mean during the tour?"

Sombra shook his head. "No, they were fine." He blinked. "Wait, you were there, so why are you asking?"

Pinkie cocked her head to the side. "Ask what?"

"You just asked about the girls during the tour and you were there for the tour," Sombra told her, "so why are you asking about what happened?"

"Why are we talking about the tour?" Pinkie asked.

"Because you asked about it!" Sombra replied.

"Did I?" Pinkie questioned, her brow arching in confusion, "Huh..."

Sombra sighed. "Alright, something's going on with you... Don't know what it is, but it's something..."

"What were we talking about?" Pinkie asked suddenly, "Was it cupcakes? Or maybe just cakes?"

Sombra put a hoof to his face. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? You're doing that thing you do to purposefully make me confused for your amusement..."

Pinkie frowned. "I don't do that!" She paused. "Or do I...?"

Cloudy Quartz poked her head in. "Hello, you two. How was the tour?"

"It was fine," Sombra replied.

"What tour?" Pinkie asked at the same time.

Cloudy blinked. "Er, alright then. Anyway, I was just going to send the girls to go into town and was wondering if Sombra would like to go with? I need Pinkie to stay for... something."

"What for?" Pinkie asked, her eyes fluttering obliviously.

Cloudy shifted uneasily. "For that... thing we need."

Pinkie cocked her head to the side. "What thing? The thing thing or the thing with the thing?"

"Er... the thing with the thing?" Cloudy said, not sounding sure.

"Oh, that thing!" Pinkie answered, "Okie dokie lokie!"

As Pinkie bounced off, Cloudy sighed to herself. "That girl..."

Sombra nodded. "I know." He furrowed his brows. "She's not usually so forgetful... Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing's the matter," Cloudy answered, perhaps a bit too quickly.

Sombra arched a brow. "Are you sure? Because she's been acting really strange for the past couple of days..."

"Yes, yes, fine, absolutely fine." Cloudy shifted backwards. "Oh, I really oughtta check on the... thing with the thing."

As Cloudy rushed out of the room, Sombra arched a brow confusedly. "What is with this family?"

* * *

"Pinkie, you have to be careful," Cloudy hissed after she shut the door to the sewing room.

"Mom, I don't mean to!" Pinkie protested, "I can't help being forgetful! It just happens!"

"Listen, Pinkie, I wasn't sure before, but now I am," Cloudy said, "and believe me when I say, this isn't going to end well in secrecy."

"What's not going to end well in secrecy?" Pinkie asked.

Cloudy sighed. "Listen, you have to say something sooner or later! I don't want things happening like last time!"

"I pick later!" Pinkie answered, "Later is the best time for everything!"

"Not this, it isn't!" Cloudy protested, "Please, it's one thing keeping an engagement a secret, but pregnancy is a whole 'nother thing altogether!"

"Oooooh, is that what we were talking about?" Pinkie asked, "OK, I understand now!" She was silent for a moment. "Wait a minute..." She gasped. "Oooooooooh... this is bad..."

"Yes, it is," Cloudy said with a sigh, "And I've made matters worse by helping you keep it a secret!" She shook her head disapprovingly. "Listen, we'll figure this out later... We just have to find out a way to break this to everypony in a calm, gentle manner..."

"OK..." Pinkie said. She gasped. "Hey, I'm not forgetting anything!"

Cloudy sighed. "The phases come and go... Sometimes they pass quickly, but for now, we'll just be careful... We better get back before Sombra wonders what we're doing and gets suspicious. He's going to wonder what that whole business is about and the less time we give him to think, the better."

"To think about what?" Pinkie asked.

Cloudy sighed. "And we're back..." She looked up the heavens. "Celestia grant me patience..."

* * *

"So, what is it you do? Pinkie says you're a librarian?" Marble questioned. She flanked Sombra's right side, while Limestone was on his left.

Sombra turned to Marble. "I'm actually just one of Twilight's assistants. Things have gotten rather hard for Spike ever since the move to the new castle."

"Any clue what the castle is made of?" Limestone asked. She had to stand up extra straight to make up for her short stature and her strides were quick in order to keep up with the long legged gait of her sister and Sombra.

"It's crystal, no doubt," Sombra answered, "can't make a guess as to what kind, however. It's not any kind I've ever seen."

"Maybe it's a new kind!" Marble piped up, "Oh, I wish I could see it for myself! I love crystals!"

Limestone rolled her eyes. "Here we go again..."

Sombra tried not to sigh. The trip to town seemed to be taking longer than he anticipated, and the two mares bickering wasn't making it better for him. Never mind the fact that he was literally in between them, he was becoming annoyed.

Marble frowned at her sister, but she continued on. "When I found out about the Crystal Empire, I was so excited! An entirely new place, probably filled to the brim with all sorts of crystals!" She faltered. "But, I won't be able to go anytime soon... Pa still needs help around the farm and he hasn't gotten around to hiring any helpers, even though it would help plenty."

"Maybe you can plan a family trip?" Sombra suggested.

Limestone snorted. "Please. Our family on vacation is not fun at all."

Sombra frowned. "Why not?"

Marble sighed. "Together?"

"Yep," Limestone concurred, though Sombra wasn't sure what about.

"Mama gets trainsick," Marble said.

"And Pa gets cranky," Limestone added.

"Limey get stuffy--"

"--and Marble's language gets tangy."

"Are you two rhym--" Sombra attempted to ask, but was not heard.

"Pinkie gets tired," Marble continued.

"Mama drinks coffee," Limestone added.

"And ends up wired."

"While Pinkie gets poppy," Limestone finished.

Sombra paused, his gaze flickering between the two sisters. Finally, he said, "Did you two plan that?"

"Yep," Limestone answered, "we came up with rhymes for every weird situation our family gets into."

"Maud got super into it, but all she writes about are rocks," Marble added. She rolled her eyes. "Overachiever."

"Pinks likes to rhyme, too," Sombra answered, "though, it's mostly about her surroundings and cupcakes." He pondered it for a moment. "Mostly cupcakes."

Limestone spared Sombra an interested look. "I figured Pinkie would go for somepony a little more... exuberant, like her."

Sombra almost faltered in his step at that.

"Limestone!" Marble hissed, her tone sharp.

"What? Was it something I said?" Limestone asked, her eyes blinking obliviously.

Sombra tried not to appear as unhinged as he felt. "It's... hard to explain. Pinkie and I didn't really get along when we first met--"

'Because I was still up to my tyrannical ways.'

"--and things were rather hard for both of us at the time."

'Because she was my assigned reformer and I was her unwilling reformee.'

"But, we ended up having a connection after a rather... strange incident."

'She tried to greet somepony new to town and it ended in me covered in cake batter, which led to me having a revelation about my past and discovery about a me that studied dark magic and created an inner darkness that ruled with an iron hoof.'

"Afterwards, things began to fall into place--"

'Chaos and unrequited hilarity ensued for both of us until we saw this odd string of fate that insisted on our torture, especially at my own hoof.'

"--and we ended up together despite all of it."

'Pinkie surprisingly forgave me and despite the extreme dysfunctional thing I am, she took me as I am, even though I put her, her friends' and the whole of the nation at risk with my stupidity and pride.'

Limestone arched a brow. "How did you two meet, anyway? They don't really elaborate on that in the papers."

Sombra froze. That was a question he hadn't been anticipating.

Marble rolled her eyes. "Do you not remember the letters Pinkie sent? They met through the Princess, dummy."

Sombra relaxed. "Yes, the Princess. Twilight introduced me to Pinkie."

"Oh, that makes sense!" Limestone said, "The Princess and Pinkie are supposed to best friends, right?"

"They knew each other before she was Princess," Marble said with an eye roll.

Sombra, thankful that the sisters weren't paying him any mind, paid attention to the path ahead. But, as he continued to see a span of grainy, rocky terrain that lacked differentiation, he found his mind wondering to where it normally did: Pinkie.

'Perhaps something is going on with Pinks...' Sombra mused, his instinctive worrying kicking in. He arched a brow in remembrance of her forgetfulness, a trait he wasn't used to seeing from her. How she managed to remember every little thing about everypony was a wonder to him.

"Because everypony's my friend, and I love seeing my friends smile!" Pinkie had answered.

And it was true. Pinkie had a knack for remembering dates, to the second no less. If he had asked when Twilight's birthday was, she'd not only give the date, but the time allotted between then and the present. If he asked what Rarity's favorite flavor of cake was, she'd tell him that Rarity loved vanilla oat, but would rather have something healthy for her figure. On one occasion, he had jokingly asked her when Princess Luna's birthday was, thinking that not even she would know.

He had been wrong.

"October 30th, the night before Nightmare Night!" She giggled. "That's three times the night!"

'Yet, now she's forgetting little things...' Sombra pondered. He paused. 'And just last week, she forgot our one year anniversary...'

That rattled Sombra. Pinkie may spend her time talking to a walleyed alligator, add glitter to any and every one of his and her belongings, and even count confetti, but she never, ever forgot.

'Perhaps she's just a bit frazzled. She tends to get out of sorts when travelling...'

But her forgetful bouts started before their trip, hadn't they? So perhaps it didn't have to do with travel, but rather something else entirely... What that was, he hadn't a clue.

"Hey, you alright?" Marble asked, "You looked worried for a second there."

Sombra blinked. "Er, yes, I'm fine... I was just thinking about, uh..." His gaze flickered to his surroundings, which lacked anything other than dirt and rocks. Finding no other alternative, he levitated a random rock from the ground and held it up for the sisters to see. "About different types of rocks! Like this one, for example. Sedimentary!"

'I cannot believe I just did that,' he thought, though he kept his fake smile plastered onto his face.

But, instead of being suspicious or even a bit unnerved, both sisters perked up at the sight of the rock. "Oh, I get it now! Pinkie likes you because you're a rock enthusiast!" Limestone said, her eyes sparkling.

Sombra chuckled, though he prayed it didn't sound nervous. "Yeah, yeah, rock enthusiast... We connected over our knowledge of rocks."

Marble leaned closer to the rock. "It's interesting how this sort of thing works, huh? The bottom is the oldest and the top is the newest." She narrowed her eyes in scrutiny. "I wonder which is which..."

"Duh, it's totally the light gray side!" Limestone said, her eyes rolling in a annoyed manner.

"Ugh, no, it's the dark gray side!" Marble argued.

"Light gray!"

"Dark gray!"

"Light gray!"

"Dark gray!"

Sombra sighed and let go of the magical hold on the rock as the two mares fought over it. 'Those two are going to be my in-laws... Celestia give me strength.'

* * *

"Hey, Mom, any idea where the flour is?" Pinkie asked.

"Please, Pinkie, you have enough flour in the bowl already," Cloudy Quartz said, worry lacing her tone, "Besides, we're all out now."

"Aw, but I wanted to make cupcakes!" Pinkie pouted and she crossed her forelegs. "I miss Sombry..."

"He's only been gone for an hour," Cloudy said, her brow arching in interest, "Why are you getting so upset?"

Pinkie straightened up. "Because I keep being forgetful and I can't remember anything and Dad's gonna notice and he's gonna get mad at Sombra and at you just like last time with Baritone!" She gasped and put her hooves to mouth in shock. "I just meant to say 'I don't know.' Why did all that come out?"

Cloudy's eyes widened in shock. "Pinkie... When was the last time you started to forget things?"

Pinkie shrugged. "Dunno. Wait, is it 'cause I forgot or because I don't know?" Her eyes widened in horror. "What's happening to me?"

Cloudy shifted uncomfortably. "Pinkie, what did I ask you?"

"When was the last time I started to forget things," Pinkie answered simply. She gasped. "Hey, I remembered!" She paused. "Wait, didn't you say that the phases came and went?"

"You remember that, too?" Cloudy's eyes widened. "Pinkie, I think the first phase is over now... And that means two things."

"What two things?" Pinkie asked, her eyes widening in anticipation.

Cloudy held up a hoof. "It means that you're further along than we thought and that the phases started slower than usual. That might not be a good thing, especially now."

"What about the second thing?" Pinkie questioned, her brow arching in interest.

Cloudy let out a hum of thought as she rubbed her chin. "I'm going to have to test it first... Pinkie, what's your full name?"

"Pinkamena Diane Pie," Pinkie answered, almost robotically and automatically. She gasped. "Whoa, weird, I didn't even think about it!"

Cloudy frowned. "Alright, let's see... Which one of your sisters decided to prank the neighbors down the trail back when you still lived here?"

"It was Limestone," Pinkie said automatically, "but she made me Pinkie Swear not to tell, and she gave me her Nightmare Night candy in return." She smacked a hoof over her mouth. "I wasn't supposed to say that! Oh, Limestone's gonna take my candy away from me now!"

Cloudy's brows furrowed in worry. "One last one... Have you and Sombra done anything that would be considered... inappropriate, especially since you two aren't married?"

"Yeah, we have!" Pinkie answered, "We have for about a year now, and we even did once before we were together!" She gasped audibly and she hid behind her forelegs. "Why am I saying this? We swore never to speak of it!"

Cloudy, who was trying not to faint or have a heart attack over what she just heard, took a deep breath. "I'm afraid we hit the next phase, Pinkie."

Pinkie's eyes widened. "What's the phase? Is it worse than the forgetful one?"

Cloudy nodded solemnly. "Unfortunately, yes. This phase is known as the 'truth serum phase'."

"What does that mean?" Pinkie was genuinely terrified.

"It means, that if somepony asks you a question, you can't lie," Cloudy told her, "and believe me when I say we are going to have to a whole lot of explaining to do."

Author's Note

I shamelessly listened to Rainbow Rocks while writing this... I REGRET NOTHING.

I HAVE A USE FOR THIS GIF, EVEN THOUGH IT DOESN'T FIT THE CONTEXT.

Friendly reminder of who is who:

Marble

Limestone

Sometimes they get mixed up for the other... I did that, too. :twilightblush:

Chapter 8: Honesty Isn't So Virtuous, After All

"Light gray!"

"Dark gray!"

"Light gray!

"Dark gray!"

Sombra sighed for what felt like the millionth time and he shifted the weight of his saddlebags so that it wouldn't fall off of him. While the two sisters had continued their arguing, he had managed to get every single item that Cloudy Quartz had put on the list she had given him.

Sombra arched an interested brow as he glanced down at the list, somewhat perplexed at the items on it. 'Why in Tartarus would Cloudy Quartz need so much flour?' He looked up for a moment in wonder, then frowned as he came to the obvious answer. 'Pinks. Of course.' He sighed. 'I really wish she'd learn not to spill flour everywhere... Or dump it on herself when the twins cry. Or on me, for that matter.'

He shook his head. Sure, Pinkie may be a bit hard to understand and perhaps gave him more headaches than he bargained for, but in the end of it all, he knew he cared for her.

'Of course I love her, she's wonderful,' Sombra thought as he levitated the list back into his saddlebags, 'she's kind and compassionate, which is more than somepony like me deserves. If anypony here is reaching, it's me.'

Sombra had oftentimes found himself going to Rarity for relationship advice, what with her being oddly, but extremely supporting of their relationship. In one instance, Rarity had ended up telling him about the different relationship dynamics that ponies held.

"Yours and Pinkie's relationship is rather... unique, if anything," Rarity had said, "while most of what I know is based on research done by professionals--" Sombra remembered rolling his eyes when he realized that meant magazine writers. "--it is possible that this is a settler and reacher situation..."

When he didn't understand that, she had elaborated. Theoretically speaking, to quote Rarity, one pony is reaching out of their bounds to get to their significant other, who ends up settling with the reacher. While Rarity hadn't implied exactly who the reacher and settler was, or if that was their relationship dynamic at all, Sombra could hazard a guess at who it was.

'I'm a creation of lovesick Unicorn's inner darkness and turmoil. I'm not exactly the most ideal mate, let alone a husband... Or, perhaps even a...' Sombra sighed once more, though this time, it attracted the attention of Marble and Limestone.

Marble turned from Limestone long enough to spare Sombra a worried look. "Hey, you alright? You look a bit upset."

Sombra nodded, almost automatically. "Yes, I'm fine. I just have a pensive look on my face when I think, I suppose."

Limestone's mouth formed a small 'o' in understanding. "Oh, yeah, Dad has that, too. I bet you two get along great."

Before Sombra could react or answer, Marble sent Limestone a sharp look. "You know how Dad gets when we bring colts over to the house. Remember how mad he got when you brought that guy over?"

Limestone frowned at her sister. "He wouldn't have gotten mad if you hadn't brought your guy over, too."

Marble's cheeks tinged pink, making her reminiscent of Pinkie, save for her flat mane. "I didn't even like him... You made me because he was friends with your guy..."

Limestone rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I was just helping. You never go out with any guys. All you do is hang out with that one friend of yours. What's her name, anyway?"

Marble flushed a darker shade, though it was partially out of anger. "Florina. You know that."

"Yeesh, I don't see why you're getting so fluffed up over her," Limestone said, her tone obviously annoyed, "Yeesh, you're just like when that annoying Trixie was here on the farm. You two were practically inseparable and y'all slacked off all the time." Limestone turned to Sombra. "Is that weird or what?"

Sombra arched a brow, then spared the flummoxed and red-faced mare a glance before returning his gaze back to Limestone. "I suppose so."

Limestone spared Marble a look. "See? Even he thinks it's weird." She sighed. "Seriously, none of us know what's up with you..."

Marble remained silent as Limestone trotted off, leaving both her Sombra alone. She shifted awkwardly, her hoof scuffing the ground shyly. "So... About what I said about Daddy--"

"It's fine, really," Sombra responded, "I suppose any parent would feel a bit... apprehensive about their foals bringing somepony home and saying that they're their special somepony."

Marble arched a brow. "Would you be apprehensive if your daughter brought home a stallion?"

"Who says it has to be a stallion?" Sombra questioned.

Marble blinked, not sure what to say. Finally, she smiled at him. "I think you and I are gonna get along great, Sombra."

Sombra arched a brow. "Whatever for?"

Marble waved a hoof. "It's nothing. I just think that Pinkie made a good choice in a special somepony."

"Hurry up, you two!" Limestone shouted from down the path, "Mom and Dad are probably wondering what's taking us!"

Marble rolled her eyes, but she cantered up to her sister, leaving Sombra in the rear. As soon as she was gone, Sombra felt his ears flatten against his head, a sigh escaping him. 'Then you're the only pony here who thinks that...'

* * *

The waiting was killing him.

The slow, but lack of melodic beeps of the machine Sombra hadn't cared to learn the name of was a constant, toning reminder of why he was there. He absentmindedly brushed a hoof over Pinkie's once more, his heart growing heavy as he did.

'You did this to her,' an awful, but honest voice said, 'you're why she's here.'

Sombra didn't even flinch when the words echoed in his head. He had grown used to hearing them, he supposed. Besides, the Shadow had always been truthful, in a sick, tormenting sense. Sombra felt his heart weigh abundantly when he didn't hear Conscience try to convince him otherwise.

'Another life lost at your hooves, unsurprisingly.'

Sombra laid his head on the bed, his exposed ear managing to hear Pinkie's rhythmic breathing. It was caused him unease, hearing her so slow and average when she was so erratic and extraordinary. But, he supposed he deserved feeling unease, while Pinkie suffered from Tartarus knew what.

'I heard her screaming from down the hall,' Sombra thought blandly, like he had done so many times in the past couple days alone, 'I saw what I--' He shook his head. '--what he did to her.'

Sombra thought that there was no way Pinkie could be hurt in such a way. He had seen her down and at what he thought was her worst, but he thought that those were one time things. He had been a fool for putting her up to such a standard; her extraordinary behavior did not mean she wasn't as mortal as everypony else. And, because of his ignorance and carelessness, she had suffered for it.

"Sombra, you're hurting yourself," Rarity said, though she sounded far away.

He didn't respond, but instead held Pinkie's hoof, gently so that he wouldn't disturb her slumber he wished she would wake from, though peacefully. She deserved quite a bit after what had happened.

He heard Rainbow sigh. "Listen, I know that we were really mad about what happened--"

Sombra almost snorted when he recalled how Rainbow had attacked him, nearly costing him his chance to save Pinkie from the Shadow.

"--but, after what you did to save us..." Rainbow sighed, her hooves scuffing the floor awkwardly. "I'm not used to this sort of thing."

"Then don't bother with it," Sombra said finally, the first time he had spoken in days, "I'm not to be considered a hero."

He heard Applejack make a 'hmph' sound. "So ya know how to speak."

Sombra resumed his vigil, his eyes flickering back to Pinkie's sleeping form.

Fluttershy stepped up to the front. "Sombra, what you did was heroic. You saved the Empire from the Shadow!"

"A being that would never have gotten free had I not lost my temper and let my own fear consume me," Sombra said. He had that running through his head for days now. "A being that was released by me and fed by my anger and hatred." He felt his heat die down when he felt a small, but reflexive shift in Pinkie's hoof. "A being that took a life from a friend and almost another from Pinkie..." He felt his eyes prick with tears. "I almost-- We almost lost her."

He could remember how Twilight furrowed her brows. "I'm sorry about Conscience. But... you know that his body was unstable from the get-go. He wouldn't have lasted much longer, anyway."

Sombra's gaze was downcast. "At least he would have been here long enough..."

"Stop that, now," Applejack snapped, "ya ain't about to feel sorry for yourself, especially when Pinkie's like this."

Sombra turned to Applejack, hoping his face would be somewhat intimidating. But, the lack of sleep and eating had caught up with him, so he could only manage a frown and slightly furrowed brows. "I don't feel sorry for myself. I feel..." He took a deep breath. "Hollow. I feel like somepony emptied me out and all I can do is sit here and do nothing." He glanced up at Pinkie, who hadn't moved. "Pinkie would be so furious." He laughed, though it was humorless and devoid of emotion. "In the event she wakes up--" Sombra tried not to use the word 'if'. "--what am I going to say to her? I'm sorry? And what for? Lying to her? Dragging her into my inner turmoil? Exposing her to awful, nightmarish things that shattered her?"

"Sombra--" Twilight tried to say.

"Or maybe I could apologize for meeting her," Sombra continued, ignoring Twilight, "because if we had never met, she'd be fine." He felt his heart sink further into himself. "Because the moment we met, her life ended while mine just started. And believe me when I say I wish it was the other way around."

Rarity rushed to his side and put a consoling hoof on his shoulder. "Sombra, if you had never met, you never would have fallen in love with her. You never would have gotten to see how wonderful life could be! You never would have gotten the chance to experience being with somepony that made you happy and gave you a reason to get up in the morning." She gave him a hard look. "Do you really want to wish all of that away?"

Sombra didn't say anything for a moment, his eyes drifting to Pinkie. He felt such a deep hole within him as he remembered how she used to wake up perky, laughing and giggling, begging Sombra to get up with her. Then, finally, for the first time in days, he shed tears as he gazed at her.

"If it means that she'd be awake, then I am perfectly fine with losing my happiness." He closed his eyes, causing more tears to escape. "Because then she would be happy again."

* * *

"Pinkie, when was the last time your brushed your mane?" Cloudy asked.

Pinkie shrugged. "Can't remember. I lost three brushes trying to brush my mane, so I just quit."

Cloudy arched a brow as she glanced at Pinkie's unruly mane, then sighed. "I suppose that makes sense. What exactly do you plan on naming your foal?"

"Surprise Party if it's a filly, Oscuridad if it's a colt!" Pinkie chimed.

Cloudy blinked. "Oscuridad? What is that, Manish?"

Pinkie nodded. "Uh-huh. Sombry wanted a Manish name for some weird reason. He said it had to do with Conscience."

Cloudy felt a prick of unease as she recalled when she started asking Pinkie questions. When she asked about the things she had trouble figuring out when the girls were fillies, not only had she learned that Pinkie had a fair share of secrets with her sisters, but that Limestone seemed to be rather adamant on causing trouble for the rest of them, Pinkie especially.

When she had asked about Pinkie's friends, she had gained a full synopsis of every one of Ponyville's inhabitants and some ponies Pinkie met during her trips to Appleloosa, Dodge Junction, Manehatten, Crystal Empire, and Canterlot. Cloudy decided that she should have been more specific for future reference.

Then, she had asked Pinkie about how her relationship with Sombra started, she had been delightfully been surprised. It had started after a strange incident with cake batter, which led to a bath for Sombra, an impromptu fashion show, and a strange moment in which Pinkie and Sombra connected. Then, after a couple months of awkward encounters involving foal sitting and scheduled walks, Pinkie had come to the conclusion that she had a crush on Sombra, though she knew how unorthodox it was. Cloudy had been shocked to hear that Pinkie had run into Baritone again, along with his to-be-fiancee. though not as much as when Pinkie told her about how Sombra helped her through it by pretending to be her coltfriend and getting her a gift for Hearts and Hooves day.

But, when Pinkie had told her about the prank war the two had gotten into, she couldn't help but be amused by what she was hearing. She nearly spat out her tea when she found out that Pinkie pretended to be pregnant, especially after Sombra and Pinkie had such an intimate night together, but was shamefully delighted to hear that Sombra had gotten back at her and won that round, and the round after that when Pinkie dyed his mane and he kissed her, causing her to pass out for a second time.

"Oh, but I got him good on the third round!" Pinkie proclaimed, "I got him good!"

Then, things started to get complicated. Apparently, when Princess Twilight was testing a new potion, it ended up being a body switching potion(the use of which she cared not, though it had her curiosity), and it allowed Pinkie into's Sombra's mind, where she discovered a voice in his head. She had called him Conscience, not really knowing who he was or why he was there.

"Turns out he wasn't Sombra's conscience," Pinkie had said, "he was a Unicorn from a thousand years ago that learned dark magic and he ended up making a different pony of darkness that turned him evil and corrupted him." Pinkie was unusually serious, which made Cloudy uneasy. "Sombra was made by accident when the darkness was weakened and he separated from it and Conscience, making him a new pony, but with the Shadow's memories and mindset and Conscience's being inside of him. He was a bit sad when Conscience left and he gets really quiet when I try to talk to him about the Shadow, so I just don't bother him with it."

Cloudy had decided not to ask anymore on the matter and she started asking more simple questions about Pinkie.

"So, any idea how Sombra will react when we tell him about... you know?" Cloudy asked, sipping her tea awkwardly.

Pinkie's smile faded. "I don't know, to be honest. We talked about it before, but... When I start getting into it, he gets really quiet and gets this far off look in his eyes... It worries me, Mom. When the first scare happened, he was really, really frantic and worried... He kept pacing and he wouldn't stop making that face he makes when he's worried."

Cloudy gave her a sympathetic smile. "Your father was the same way back when we found out I was pregnant with Maud. He was such a mess, the poor thing." She gave her a reassuring look. "But, he was so excited later on. I had never seen him so happy in my life, Pinkie."

Pinkie looked down. "This is different. Sombra gets really, really, really worried when we talk about having foals. I don't think I've ever seen him so scared, to be honest."

Cloudy put her teacup down on the table. "Listen, I think that's enough questions for now... How about we go see if Sombra and the girls are on their way back?"

Pinkie smiled at her. "Okie dokie lokie!"

But, as the two mares made their way out of the living room, they were completely unaware of the pair of ears listening to them. Igneous frowned as he took his ear off the door to the kitchen, where he had gone to like he did everyday when the work day was over. Instead, he had heard Cloudy and Pinkie talking, prompting him to wonder just what could have caused them to be so secretive. He had been surprised by how many reasons there were.

'I could handle the lies,' Igneous thought, 'I could handle the fact that Pinkie and Sombra--' He cringed, deciding not to torture himself with the thought of it. 'And I could handle the fact that Sombra hasn't had the cleanest of slates.' He felt his frown deepen. 'But I can't handle another stallion hurting my filly... Not again.'

He paused when he heard loud greetings outside, followed by an enthusiastic shout by Pinkie. He frowned as he deduced that Sombra and the girls had returned from their trip, then let out a ragged sigh.

"Looks like I'm going to have a talk with Sombra... And hopefully, he won't be as unreasonable as Baritone." Though, if he was, it would give him enough right to put every year of rock farming to use, which was just what he was planning to do.

Author's Note

Soooooooooooo, the story is about to reach it's climax(PHRASING, HA), so there will probably be three or four more chapters, though I don't know for sure, seeing as how chapter length differs with me. As for what's going on with Sombra, it has to do with him and his regret over what happened between Pinkie and him when the Shadow appeared. What, did you think everything was going to go straight back to normal? You don't just get possessed by a dark being and be fine immediately afterwards. Besides, Pinkie was fine afterwards because she had her Element, her friends and Sombra to help her through it. Sombra? He prefers to tough out his mental and emotional problems by himself, which is going to be something he has to learn to stop doing, especially since he's got a special somepony and a foal on the way(YEAH, IT'S CANON... In the story, anyway). The next chapters will have Sombra's thoughts and elaboration as to WHY he's so hesitant on the subject of foals, even though he has expressed that he would love to have them in past stories and events. There will also be more elaboration on the loss of Conscience and the toll the battle with the Shadow had on him.

As for Igneous, there WILL be elaboration on the relationship Pinkie and Baritone had, including the fallout and eventual breakup between the two of them. Igneous has been rather underplayed in this fic, but he will get a fair shot in this story. At least, I'll try to do so. :twilightblush:

But, if you guys are sad about the story ending, fret not! There will be more installments to the SombraPie saga, I assure you!

Chapter 9: It'll Be OK

Igneous couldn't recall when he started pacing. Perhaps it had been when his wife had gone to bed and he had stayed in there with her. Perhaps it had been after she fell asleep and he got up because he couldn't sleep. Perhaps it was when he found out why he couldn't sleep to begin with. He just didn't know for sure.

He gazed at Cloudy Quartz, somewhat envious of her slumber. She was breathing deeply and evenly, almost as if she hadn't a care in the world, when he knew for a fact that she did.

'She must be exhausted, what with all those secrets.' He shook his head at that thought. 'No, no, I won't think about her like that. She hates lying as much as the next pony.'

He sighed and shook his head. Igneous hated lies. Lying never helped anything, nor did it make things easier, despite what ponies thought. Lying was never meant for the benefit of others, except for one's own desires and aspirations. He figured he had made that very clear when it came to his daughters.

Yet, Pinkie lied. Again.

He huffed in anger briefly, but didn't let his expression change. This time was going to be different, he knew. This time, he was going to make sure that it didn't like it did last time.

Igneous took a deep breath. 'Princess Luna, give me your strength...' Then, carefully, he stepped out of the room and into the hallway.

* * *

The waiting was killing him.

The ticking of the clock, never ceasing in it's endeavor to click for signification of every second passed, seemed so slow and painful. Sombra brushed his hoof over Pinkie's, somewhat eased by her returning the gesture, though it wasn't entirely relaxing. Not that he had more reason to be tense, especially at a time like that.

"How long did it say to wait?" Pinkie asked, her voice quiet.

Sombra shrugged. "I can't remember. I don't think I want to know, though. It'd make waiting worse, I suppose."

Pinkie nodded in understanding. "It seems like forever, doesn't it? We've been sitting here for about ten minutes and it feels like an hour, huh?"

Sombra nodded. "Is that clock slow?"

Pinkie sighed, then frowned at him. "You know I don't like beating around the bush about stuff! We haven't said a word since we got back from the pharmacy, you know that?"

Sombra shifted in his spot on the bed awkwardly. "I know."

"Can't we talk about it, then?" Pinkie asked, her head cocking to the side. She was more intrigued and curious than anything. "I mean, if this is really going to happen, shouldn't we talk about it?"

"Where do we even start?" Sombra questioned, "Pinkie, I'm worried. You might be... And we're not even..."

Pinkie's ears drooped. "I know."

Sombra sighed. "It's not that I'm embarrassed about it or anything like that. I'm just worried, is all. About how things will be different."

Pinkie arched a brow. "Will anything be different? I think everything will be the same."

Sombra frowned at her. "We'd have to move out. It's one thing for the Cakes housing us as a couple, but with a foal? They already have two of their own."

"Yeah, but we could just put the--" Pinkie stopped. "Whoa, you're right, we would have to move out." She piped up. "Oh, but we'd get a place of our own! Remember how Minuette said she was getting ready to move out of her place next door?"

Sombra opened his mouth to find an objection, but paused when he found none. "Twilight is paying quite a bit for my services at the library... I think we'd be able to." He frowned suddenly. "But, what about your job? You love to bake."

Pinkie gasped excitedly. "We could make a clothesline for the windows and send goodies over to the Cakes whenever we wanted! I'd still be working and we'd have more space for baking!"

"But what about your room? Is the house going to be able to hold both of our things?" Sombra questioned.

"Minuette says she has a walk-in closet!" Pinkie answered, "We'd have way more room than my closet!" She squealed happily. "We could get another party cannon and have room to spare!"

Sombra, deciding not to question her as to why she would need two party cannons to begin with, turned towards her. "But, what about the foal? Would there be enough room for him?"

"Or her!" Pinkie added, "And there will be! We could make expansions to the house if we wanted! Minuette always complained about how much space she had by herself!"

Sombra sighed. "Pinkie, what about--"

"Sombra, it'll all be fine!" Pinkie told him. She frowned at him. "Why are you trying to poke holes in this?" Her eyes widened. "Is this not something you want?"

"No!" Sombra exclaimed, then softened his tone, "No, I want to have a life with you... I just worry, is all. I can't help it."

Pinkie gave him a reassuring smile. "Sombra, you'd be a great dad! You're great with the Crusaders, you're great with twins, you're great with foals! Why are you so worried?"

Sombra stopped to think about that. Why was he so adamant on trying to find things wrong with having foals? He had proven time and time again to be capable of caring for them and for protecting them. So why was it so hard for him to accept?

He sighed. "I don't know." Then, he smiled. "Though, I suppose anypony would be nervous."

Pinkie returned his smile. "It is a big deal. But, we'll make it through!" She pulled him into a tight hug. "We always make it through!"

Sombra tentatively returned her hug. "Yes... We always make it through." But, unfortunately for Pinkie, she wasn't able to see the troubling frown on his face.

* * *

Sleep continued to elude Sombra that night. After his walk with the twins and a very tense, awkward dinner with Igneous staring him down from across the table, he found that there was little he had to find solace in at the moment. And when he held no solace, he often found himself going into the depths of his mind in which he kept things he hated to think about.

Being a father was definitely one of them.

'Is it because of my history?' Sombra pondered, 'Am I worried for what my past could bring to a potential family? That one day, my foal will come home asking me about being a tyrant? About being evil? About hurting ponies, their mother included?' Sombra cringed in painful remembrance. 'I'll never know how she managed to forgive me.'

Of course she had forgiven him. She was the Element of Laughter, she didn't have to hang onto such petty things like grudges. But, sometimes, he wondered about how much she had truly forgiven him for causing her such pain...

"I forgive you because I love you!" she had said. He wondered how true it was.

Sombra snuck a glance over at his saddlebags, which laid against the couch he was on. With a sigh, he opened up the bag with his magic and rummaged through it for a moment, then stopped as he found what he was looking for. He felt a smile come onto his face for a brief moment.

It was a red scarf, perfectly accented to his eyes, Rarity had assured him. It had been the thing that bound Pinkie and Sombra together, much like the red string of fate that bound two soul mates with one another. Because it was so long on him, he oftentimes wrapped it around Pinkie and then they would stand close together so that the scarf wouldn't stretch out. At least, that's what they told other ponies.

Sombra and Pinkie had an unspoken tradition with one another in the event they were separated for extended periods of time. Pinkie would sleep with his cape and he would sleep with the scarf she had given him, that way they didn't miss each other as much as they did. It gave them both a sense as the other being there, though it was soothing at best.

Sombra wrapped it around his shoulders and neck, then sighed as the familiar scent of confectionery treats filled his nose. He was willing to bet that Pinkie was doing the same with his cape, which made him feel a bit more positive about their sleeping situation.

'I shouldn't be so negative...' Sombra thought as his eyes began to droop, 'I know she cares for me and I care for her... And that should be all I need.'

Yet, even so, he couldn't erase the unease he felt...

"Sombra."

Sombra, consumed in his own thoughts, jumped at the voice. He leaped off the couch and took a defensive stance almost immediately, fierce and ready to fight any oncoming threat. He blinked, then sighed, and eased up when he saw it was only Igneous, but still remained somewhat stiff. "Sir, you startled me." He tried not to sound annoyed, despite that being how he felt.

Igneous didn't blink. "You didn't sleep?" He hadn't phrased it as a question, though Sombra assumed that's what he intended.

"No, I... I couldn't sleep." Sombra paused, hoping to find a good excuse as to why, but finding none.

Igneous didn't seem fazed or perturbed. "I'd like to talk to you."

Sombra blinked in surprise. "Sir?"

Igneous said nothing, but instead walked to the front door. When he stood in front of it, he looked to Sombra. "Are you coming or not?"

Sombra, a bit unsure and dubious, was taken aback. Igneous seemed rather intent on ignoring Sombra for most of his visit, if his curt and short answers were any correlation. So, why was he talking to him now? And in the middle of the night at that? But, despite those thoughts, he nodded. "Yes, I suppose."

Igneous let out a brief, "hmm", before turning and opening the door. He didn't even spare Sombra a look as he walked out. Sombra, though extremely anxious, followed after him.

The night was cool and clear, moonlight pouring over the rocky terrain in gracious strokes. The stars were shining brightly and they twinkled off in the distance, very much like diamonds shining in a spotlight. Yet, although the scenery was peaceful and calm, it did little to ease Sombra's already fraying nerves. And he hated it very, very much.

'If it were a year ago, I'd be ready to deal with anything,' Sombra thought, '...then again, it was around that time I was still in the reformation process and perhaps even a bit power hungry. So, maybe I ought to not think about reverting to my old ways.'

Sombra wasn't one to get nervous about anything. He tended to be rather indifferent about most things that came his way, what with his background and regal attributes. If anything, the only times he ever got nervous was when Pinkie or the Crusaders were involved. Their antics and zany behavior proved to be too much for even him, sometimes.

Suddenly, Igneous stopped walking, which in turn caused Sombra to stop, although confusedly. Igneous turned to Sombra, his gaze hard and piercing. "Sit."

Sombra blinked in contained bewilderment, but he obliged nonetheless. "Yes, sir." He was beginning to grow tedious of the formalities.

Igneous nodded, then did the same and sat down next to Sombra. He didn't say anything for a moment, his gaze looking up to the moon briefly before he returned his attention back to Sombra. "Do you know why I brought you out here?"

Sombra felt annoyed at that question and he bit down on a sigh. "No, I don't. Are you a stargazer or something of the sort?"

Igneous didn't blink. "Yes, I am, actually, but that's not why I'm out here. Or you, for that matter."

Sombra blinked. 'Well, that was an unexpected answer...'

Igneous took off his hat and brushed his mane back with a hoof. "Sombra, I've noticed that my daughter has taken quite a liking to you."

'Of course she has, we've been together for the past year, and we've liked each other before then, so yes, she has taken a liking to me,' Sombra thought, careful not to let his expression betray what he was thinking.

"And I've also come to notice that you two are rather... close, in your relationship," Igneous continued.

Sombra, this time, did frown. 'Oh, great... Here comes the parental lecture I get from Sparkler every time she sees me and Pinkie together... Even Applejack isn't as berating as she is about 'traditional values'.'

Igneous remained stoic. "Now, I'm not in any position to talk about 'tradition' or the 'right way of doing things' like a self-righteous protester."

'Wait, what?'

"When I was your age-- heck, maybe even younger-- Cloudy and I used to share a stable quite a bit."

'Oh, sweet Celestia, no.' Sombra shifted awkwardly, but he tried not to show how uncomfortable he was.

Igneous chuckled. "I remember it like it was yesterday... Cloudy and I were always foaling around..."

'Oh, my God.'

"Heck, we didn't know any better... We just liked having fun, I guess."

'I don't need to know this. I don't need to know this. I don't need to know this.'

"'Course, we were just kids, then. We didn't know any of the things we do now... I guess that's why we've been married for so long."

'Oh, my GOD. Ear bleach. I need so much ear bleach.'

Igneous, seeming to realize where he was, cleared his throat. "But, everything changed when Cloudy got pregnant with Maud."

Sombra felt his disgust fade instantly and instead turn into freezing dread, the realization of their discourse becoming clear to him. He remained silent, hoping to find that he was wrong and something to say at the same time.

Igneous sighed. "I'm not gonna lie to you, Sombra. I was terrified when I found out. I felt so-- so--"

"Shocked?" Sombra suggested, finally breaking his unintentional vigil.

Igneous nodded. "Yep. Shocked." He looked down. "I didn't know what to do, to be honest. I loved her-- I still love her. And I wanted to make sure that I could give her the life she needed... That the both of them needed. " He scoffed. "But, like I said, I was just a kid-- how was I supposed to provide for her? I was just a scruffy farm helper, and it didn't pay well enough to feed me alone. How the hell was I supposed to provide for three of us?

"I thought about leaving. I thought about just packing up and leaving." He chuckled when he saw Sombra's face. "Don't give me that look-- any stallion would think that, maybe not at first, but for a moment, yeah, they would. Hell, ask Baritone if you don't believe me."

Sombra bristled at the mention of Baritone and he narrowed his eyes. "What does that liar have to do with anything?"

Igneous blinked. "You know about him?"

Sombra scoffed. "Know about him?" He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I had the misfortune of meeting that caitiff over a year ago. If I hadn't been under Pinkie's watch, there's no doubt that I would have--" He paused when he remembered where he was and he spared Igneous an apologetic look. "Sorry. I still get upset just thinking about what he did to Pinkie all those years ago..." He sighed. "I'm just glad he isn't around to drag her around like that anymore."

Igneous frowned. "Just how much do you know about what Baritone did?"

Sombra blinked. "He said he was going to marry her, didn't he?" He frowned and scoffed again. "And went and married somepony else... Like I said: caitiff."

Igneous just stared at Sombra for a moment, then looked back up at the sky. "Amongst other things, yes..." He cleared his throat. "Like I said, any stallion would consider packing up... when he found out that he got a mare was pregnant."

Sombra froze, his breath hitching in his throat. His ears were raised in the utmost alarm, his eyes were wide and warbling, and his extremities were tense and unable to move. Finally, after a moment of uninterrupted silence, he turned to Igneous. "W-What?"

Igneous's expression was hard and his gaze was piercing through Sombra painfully. "I know, Sombra. I've seen how these sorts of things play out, and I know that if it goes the way it did last time, Pinkie's gonna get hurt."

"No..." Sombra shook his head. "I wouldn't..."

"Really?" Igneous stood up, just barely standing over Sombra because he was sitting still. "Baritone said the same thing. He was so happy with her... Until he thought that she was pregnant."

Sombra tried to speak, to say something, but his words eluded him and his voice was gone from him.

"He ran off..." Igneous snarled, "And he only came back when he found out it was a false alarm." He laughed humorlessly. "And the worst part? Pinkie defended him. She defended him, even though he hurt her."

Sombra felt a spark of anger at those words, at the implications, but he hadn't an idea as to how to voice his thoughts. He was still too shocked to say anything.

"Pinkie forgives too easily," Igneous stated, "she hates holding grudges, especially against ponies she loves. That's something that ponies like to take advantage of."

Sombra felt a ice pick of freezing, cold emotion stab through him. It was so painful and familiar at the same time, though he couldn't place exactly where he felt it before.

"I heard her talking to Cloudy about you. She talked about how you got when you two started talking about foals. About how you practically shut her out when you did." He narrowed his eyes at him. "You tell all these stories about watching kids and you make it out to be that you're good at it... Yet, you're scared of being a father?"

"Sir--" Sombra tried to say, his jaw tight and rigid.

But, Igneous kept going. "It's one thing to be nervous about being a father. But, to make it out to be the worst thing there is--"

"That's not what I'm doing!" Sombra exclaimed, leaping to his hooves.

Igneous blinked in surprise at Sombra's sudden outburst, but he held his ground nonetheless. "Then, what? What could possibly be so terrifying about having a family?"

"What?" Sombra felt his anger grow. "Do you want to know what scares me so much? Do you really want to know?" He didn't grant Igneous a chance to answer. "Because I'm a monster, that's why!"

Igneous blinked in shock. "What?"

Sombra blinked in surprise as he realized how close his face was to Igneous's and turned away from him. "That's all I am..." He was quieter now. "I was a creation of a monster, therefore that's what I am: a monster." He scoffed lightly. "Do you have any idea what it's like, remembering every single bad thing you've done?"

Igneous didn't reply.

Sombra sighed in defeat. "Now, imagine what it's like to remember, but not having done any of it yourself. Yet, everyone thinks you did. And then, eventually, after you realize that no one is ever, ever going to forgive you for it--" Princess Cadence immediately came to mind and he shook his head to rid himself of the thought. "--you decide, 'Why not?' And, then, you start doing it. You start doing every bad thing that you wished that no one blamed you for. You hurt ponies-- Even the ones you love."

"Sombra..." Igneous tried to say, not sure what else to add.

"And that's what I did." Sombra felt tears come to his eyes. "I almost lost Pinkie because of it... I almost lost the one thing that actually matters in my life, and it was all because of my pride, my ego, and need for power..." He took a deep breath. "I already put up with a lot of trouble from ponies who don't know the story, but rather the tyrant... Can you imagine how awful it'd be to have a foal cursed with the same fate? 'Oh, look, there goes Sombra's kid! Let's hope they don't turn out like their old man!' 'Oh, hey, you want some crystals with that hayburger?' 'Oh, what do ya know, they like stirring up trouble! Just like good ol', tyrannical Sombra!'"

He didn't care how bitter he sounded. "My foals would suffer for my sins, no matter who I was with... Pinkie is the kindest, most genuinely sweet mare in all of Equestria. She lives to make ponies happy and to make them laugh. She saved Equestria from certain doom with her friends on multiple occasions. She's the Element of Laughter, for Tartarus' sake. She is the living embodiment of joy and happiness, even if it is at her own expense sometimes."

Igneous couldn't help but notice the glow Sombra took on when he said those things, even though he was forlorn and torn about it all. His sad, ruby eyes seemed to twinkle when he spoke about Pinkie, and he looked like the weights on his shoulders ceased to exist when he did. He looked positively exuberant and zealous about Pinkie in the most affectionate way.

"You love her, don't you?" Igneous realized.

Sombra turned back to him, a weak smile on his face. "Why else do you think I'd ask her to marry me?"

Igneous's eyes widened. "Really? You two are getting married?"

"Are you upset?" Sombra asked, somewhat apprehensive, "I mean, I'd understand why."

Igneous shook his head. "I'm just surprised, is all... If she had said something about getting married earlier, I wouldn't have gotten so upset..." He chuckled lightly. "Pinkamena Diane Pie, getting married. That'll be a sight."

"You're the first to know. Not even our friends know yet... We just wanted to make sure that... That everything was alright before we did."

Igneous put a hoof on Sombra's shoulder. "It's more than alright. You two are getting married!" He laughed. "I thought none of the girls were gonna get married, to be honest... Maud's not really interested in the idea of being with somepony and Limestone's a bit too... rambunctious. Then, there's Marble... She's a bit like Maud, that one. Never interested in any stallions."

Sombra chuckled, more to himself than anyone else. "Yes, it appears as though she isn't."

They were silent for a moment, not sure what else to say or do. Finally, Igneous nodded his head back down where they came. "We should probably head on back. The girls could be in a frenzy as we speak."

Sombra frowned. "You... aren't gonna say anything about what I told you to Pinkie, are you? I don't want her worrying... She gets weird when she worries."

Igneous smiled at him reassuringly. "Walk with me, Sombra." He waited until Sombra trotted beside him before continuing. "Sombra, there's something you need to know about marriage, since you're about to be a part of it."

"What is it?" Sombra asked, careful not to take long strides so that Igneous could keep up with him.

Igneous put on a serious face. "Never, ever keep things from one another."

Sombra paused. "Sir?"

Igneous frowned at him. "Enough of that 'sir' business. Call me Igneous. Yeesh, you're making me feel old." He cleared his throat. "Keeping things from Pinkie isn't going to help you at all, especially with how you've been feeling. I wish I learned this when I was your age, so I'm just gonna do you a favor and tell you something I was taught the hard way: talk to your wife. Talk to Pinkie about any and everything, even if you think it's silly. Every problem and every good thing that ever happened to you, is something to be shared with her. When it needs to be shared, that's for you to decide. But, never, ever, under any circumstances keep anything from her."

"Why are you telling me this?" Sombra questioned, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"I'm saving you from years of needless arguments," Igneous told him, "I'm saving you from pain and misery, even if it wasn't intentional. I want you to be honest with Pinkie, even if hurts your pride. Because, in the end, how is keeping your emotions in going to help you? It's certainly not going to help you be a good husband, and it's definitely not going to help you be a father."

Sombra was silent for a moment and he mulled over the information he just received. How many times had he caused trouble by keeping secrets in his lifetime? He had kept Conscience a secret from Pinkie, which nearly put him and Conscience in danger as a whole. He kept his doubts and emotions to himself, which caused him to lash out at Princess Cadence and release the Shadow. He hadn't told Pinkie about their past together, despite the effect it had on their future and he almost lost her because of it.

'He's right...' Sombra realized, 'I... I need to stop.'

"Toughing things out by yourself isn't gonna help you," Igneous told him. He smiled at him. "That's why some ponies need love in their life."

Sombra returned the smile, only for it to fade when he saw the house come into view. "What am I going to do when I go in? I... I don't know what to say."

Igneous put a hoof on his shoulder. "I know what you should do: talk to Pinkie. Ask her anything you need to know."

Sombra arched a confused brow. "Why are you--"

"Trust me on this." Igneous put his hoof down. "Go on, now. And put those blankets on the couch in the hall closet, would ya? Be a shame to have them there when nopony's going to use them."

Sombra's eyes widened. "You're... letting me sleep with Pinkie? I mean, in the same bed as her?"

Igneous nodded. "I trust that you'll be appropriate in these circumstances."

Sombra smiled at him. "Thank you, sir."

"Igneous, Sombra. Just call me Igneous."

Sombra nodded in response, and with a light skip in his step, he walked into the house, feeling lighter than he had for the past couple of days.

* * *

"Pinkie?"

Pinkie groaned slightly and she rolled over. "Go away, I'm sleeping..."

"Pinkie, it's me, Sombra."

Pinkie's eyes opened instantly and she sat up abruptly. "Sombry?" Her eyes widened when she saw him. "You're supposed to be on the couch! Daddy's gonna kill you if he sees you here!"

"He said I can sleep in here with you," Sombra told her.

"Wait, huh?" Pinkie blinked her eyes, then rubbed her ears. "Do I have earwax in my ears again?"

Sombra chuckled. "No, I don't think so." He climbed into bed with her. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, now that you're here," Pinkie replied almost instantaneously. She tried not to show how uneasy she felt when she realized that. 'I gotta try to keep this truth serum thing under wraps...'

Sombra smiled at her. "Are you wearing the cape?"

Pinkie perked up. "Uh-huh!" She frowned. "I couldn't sleep without it..."

"I know the feeling..." Sombra said, sounding a bit solemn as he traced a hoof over the red scarf around his neck. He sighed. "Pinkie, I need to ask you something..."

Pinkie froze. 'Uh-oh... Please don't be anything bad!'

"Why did you forgive me?"

Pinkie blinked. "Huh?"

"You forgave me, even after everything I did, you..." Sombra trailed off. "I just wanted to know... Why?"

Pinkie let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank Celestia, I thought you were gonna ask me something super, duper serious!"

Sombra furrowed his brows, the way he did when he genuinely confused. Pinkie thought he looked cute like that. "What?"

Pinkie giggled. "Sombry, I forgave you because I love you! I mean, sure, you did something bad, but that doesn't make you a bad pony! I just think that good ponies do bad things and that's bad, but when it only happens once, it's just a mistake! Besides, we learn from our mistakes, and it helps us to grow! And do we ever really stop growing, to be honest?"

Sombra was silent for a moment, stunned and shocked. Finally, he said, "Since when did you get so wise?"

Pinkie scrunched up her nose. "Hey, I'm always wise! You're just too busy sniffing daisies!"

"What are you even--" Sombra shook his head. "You know what, it's not important. I have something else to say... Something that I've been avoiding for some time..."

Pinkie's eyes widened when Sombra took her hooves in his. He looked into her eyes softly, so vulnerable and defenseless. Pinkie had never seen him look at anypony like that, let alone her.

"Pinkie, I know I've been skeptical on the matter for some time and I... I just wanted to say that, after some thinking-- really, really serious thinking-- I realized that I... I want more than just a marriage between the two of us and-- Tartarus, I hate it when I get nervous... I sound like such a dolt right now."

"Sombry...?" Pinkie questioned, her eyes widening, "Are you saying that you...?"

Sombra took a deep breath, then slowly nodded. "Yes, I'd... I'd love to have a family with you, Pinkie. I love you and I... I don't think I feel so nervous about it anymore... At least, not like I was."

Pinkie's eyes began to tear up. "Sombra... I have something to tell you, too."

Sombra blinked. "What is it? Are you alright?"

Pinkie nodded. "Yeah. I'm better than alright, actually... I'm excited! Nervous and excited!"

"What is it?" Sombra asked, sounding skeptical.

Pinkie held his hoof. "Just... try not to freak out."

"Freak out? Why on earth would I--" He froze when Pinkie moved his hoof onto her stomach. His eyes widened and he looked at Pinkie with the utmost shocked expression she had ever seen him make. "Pinks?"

Pinkie smiled at him. "Are you gonna freak out?"

Sombra's jaw was slacked and practically unhinged from his face. Small, quiet sputters escaped from his lips as he attempted to make words. "I... But... How did... What..." Finally, he swallowed. "Pinkie, are you--"

"Yes!" Pinkie nodded erratically. "I am!"

Sombra smiled. "Really? You're... And I'm going to be a...?"

"Uh-huh!" Pinkie replied. She smiled at him apologetically. "I'm sorry I kept it a secret... I was just worried that you'd freak out or worse..."

Sombra held her close. "Never. I promise, I won't do anything like that."

"Pinkie Promise?"

Sombra nodded. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." He kissed her nose. "I'm so happy..." He frowned. "Wait, does this mean we'll have to move the wedding closer?"

"Yep!" Pinkie hugged him. "Don't worry, I sent a letter to Cheesie so he'd help us!'

Sombra sighed in relief. "Good... I don't want you overworking yourself." He returned her embrace. "I love you, Pinkie."

Pinkie snuggled into him. "I love you, too."

Author's Note

So, um, I was originally planning to have Conscience make a cameo in this chapter, but... It didn't feel right. If anything, it felt forced... Besides, he was supposed to be super serious and stuff, which just didn't fit him. Then, I realized I was just basically repeating everything that was said in The Not-So-Normal Adventures, so it was going to be a bit ridiculous and redundant. Conscience is gonna stay gone, unfortunately... I MISS HIM, THOUGH... So, I may or may not have channeled Conscience through Sombra...

Also, yeah, I tried to write Igneous... I hope I did good with him. Seriously, I'm a bit worried I didn't do a good job with him... Oh, well, moving on, yep, the story is almost over now! We just got an epilogue to go!

And, fun thing is fun~!

Pinkamena Diane Pie
&
Former King Sombra

Request your presence at their marriage
&
The birthday of the bride

On Friday, May 3rd
At 5 o'clock
In the evening

Princess Twilight's Castle
Ponyville

Planned by the bride, Pinkamena Diane Pie & Cheese BLT Sandwich
Please RVSP

If you were to receive an invitation to Pinkie and Sombra's wedding, what would your letter back be? As long as it's appropriate, I'll add into the epilogue and credit those who wrote them! Be sure to use proper grammar and spelling, if you are able to.

Epilogue: Letters and Invitations

Pinkamena Diane Pie
&
Former King Sombra

Request for you presence at their marriage
&
The birthday of the bride

On Friday, May 3rd
At 5 o'clock
In the evening

Princess Twilight's Castle
Ponyville

Planned by the bride, Pinkamena Diane Pie & Cheese BLT Sandwich
Please RVSP

FAN SUBMITTED LETTERS~!

Dearest friends,

I would be delighted to come to your wedding, as long as there is cupcakes, but I will rest assured that seeing as Pinkie and Cheese are planning this event, there will certainly be such delicacies. I would also like to help in any way possible to plan for this joyous occasion. If you need any help, which I don't think you will, but if you do, then I would be very happy to lend a hoof or two.

Best wishes and lots of love

~Flutterby Twinkle

Dear Pinkie Pie and Sombra,

It sounds like a wonderful occasion to celebrate, and I'd love to attend. I think I can make it to Ponyville at that time as well, which is a bonus! I needed to have a splash of inspiration from a rustically charming town for one of my characters as well. And I do believe it was you, Pinkie Pie, at one point that gave me inspiration to draw my first comic. Though it was very basic at the time, you were that spark that let me start and that keeps surging me forwards to greater heights. In memory of that, I'm attending, to give you my best wishes of a long and happy life with Sombra. He's quite handsome, and you're incredibly lucky to have him, if I do say so myself!

Sincerely,

Ink Dreams

Dear Pinkie and Sombra,

I would love to come. You have always been a friend to me, Vinyl and the rest of Ponyville Radio. I am excited to hear you have found your true love. And Sombra, I may not have met you yet but I can tell you are a good stallion. I will tell you this after the wedding but treat her right. If you don't I will blast you with a sonic wave so strong you will see the passing of the sun and moon. That being said we should hang out some time after the Honeymoon so I can get to know the stallion that won the heart of the mare I see as a sister in all but blood. I'll see you two at the wedding so good bye for now.

Sonic Bass (AKA dj-pon3fan)

Dear Pinkie and Sombra,

I'm honored to be invited for a momentous occasion where you shall be joined together, happiness that will follow you for the rest of your lives. If you need someone to arrange a musical after party, feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

ChaoticLightning

Dear Pinkamena Pie and Sombra,

I will would be most ecstatic indeed to attend your wedding, I haven't been to one since... that one on Canterlot I think, when Queen Chrysalis crashed the event, and it has been too long since I stepped out of my lab here at the school, plus, it'll be good to see Twilight again. Either way, expect me to be in attendance.

Sincerely,

Biological Deoxy Chemistry (Bio Chem), head of Science at P.C.S.G.U.

Dear Pinkie Pie and Sombra,

Well, I've seen you two occasionally and I was wondering when you'd finally agree to tie the knot. I will gladly attend the wedding and after party, and I wish you all a long and happy marriage. I hope that you two will truly be together "Until death do you part."

Sincerely,

Joseph (Josh) Hooves.

P.S. If you need a foalsitter for your kids (assuming you ever have any), feel free to stop by my office. Just ask The Cakes, they'll know what I'm talking about.

Dear Pinkie and Sombra,

I would to love to come to your marriage after all it you who hold all my birthday. And it was you who helped me after my mother passing. So I will be there .

Sincerely,

dark starfox 64

ps. you still haven't tell me what did to my scythe

Dear Pinkie

Ohmagurd!! I'm sooooo happy for you! I would love to come instantly but Bionic Force is still being a killjoy and trotted us into a dragons den on purpose, so we couldn't. After promising to let him raid Twilight's laboratory I finally got him to fight with us. We're on our way right now! I'll be sure to find Soul and bring her too.

Since we have to pass through a few towns would you like any souvenirs?

With excitement

Spirit Shift

P.S

Any cute bridesmaids? Besides your friends, I mean.

-Blazing Notes

Letter from Luna

Huzzah!

We have been clamoring for thy union for some moons now, and We would be delighted to attend! We would even be willing to share a blessing with thee, and mayhaps one for thy unborn foal. Shouldst thou need any assisstance, We would be glad to provide you with either worker ponies or Our own hooves. A small share of the Treasury of the Crown, should it prove necessary, shall be at thy disposal. We look forward to witnessing the service, and We shall most certainly prepare a special Celebration of the Stars for thee.

Best of wishes,

Thy Princess of the Night, Mistress of the Stars, Queen of the Moon, Lady of War, Lunar Diarch,

Princess Luna Selene Nyx

Dear Pinkie and Sombra,

I must say that as fantastical as this sounds, what with the food, the dancing and the meeting new ponies, I'm afraid I just can't make the effort to come all that way. It's too cold up here for a trip like that and we can't focus our resources on anything but keeping warm and safe.
I do however, wish the best that can be wished to you and your endeavors in the world of marriage.

Now, I'm gonna see if putting this envelope in the bedside drawer I found the invitation in will send it back.

Til lykke med dagen, bursdagspike!

P.S. It didn't work. I'll just have to send it the old fashioned way when the courier comes around next summer. I'm running out of ink, so I have to end it now.

Dear Pinkie and Sombra,

Between the pranks I've succumbed to courtesy of the former and what has so graciously blossomed between the two of you, I'm honored that you would actually invite me to this momentous occasion. I've not much to offer for your wonderful romance other than my attendance to make sure you tie the knot completely (And perhaps some music if I manage to get some more practice in). Of course, this shall be the first wedding I've attended in a long while, so I hope you'll forgive me if I tend to make things awkward.

I do hope that your time together post-marriage will not be met with any severe obstacles save for the eventual future of parenthood. You two complete each other so nicely, that it would be such a shame to see something fade away so quickly.

Sombra, I hope to get to know you a little more as a stallion who has made an amazing impact on Ponyville.

Pinkie, I hope to get to know you a little less as a prankster from here on out.

In conclusion, you have both my gratitude for the invitation, and my best wishes for your future.

Sincerely Yours,

Dirty Bit

P.S: I hope you disregard my offer for music; my experience with the violin is an awful one.

For Sombra's eyes only.

Dear Sombra,

I am honored to receive an invitation to your wedding, but I am afraid I will be unable to attend. A diplomat's work is never done, and I will be in Griffonia during the celebration. I truly wish I could be in attendance, but such is the price of joining the Canterlot nobility. Royal duties must come first.

Sombra, do not allow Pinkie Pie to read this letter without speaking to her first. If I know her as well as I think I do, then she would do everything in her power to make sure each and every one of her friends attends her wedding. I imagine that she would be devastated to hear that even one of her friends will not be able to make it. Forgive my selfishness, but I ask that you gently let her know that I will not be there for the wedding.

Be sure to take as many pictures as you can. I'll want to hear all about it when I return. I wish you two the greatest happiness life has offer, and be sure to wish the lovely bride a happy birthday for me.

Sincerely yours,

Olive Branch

To the happy couple

I'll be glad to come! I would also love to provide entertainment. As a changeling, I can provide a one-pony zoo, caricature artist, dramatic theater, and jester services, all by myself. So long as you have some affectionate friends at the reception, I'd be glad to provide any or all of my services free of charge.

Best wishes, Spark Trace

Pinkie, when I first came to Ponyville I didn't know what to think of you. I thought you were random, crazy, and a bit off. But I now know you're so much more than that. You're kind and funny, sweet and loving, and all you want is to see your friends smile and be happy. I can't ever thank you enough for everything you've done for me, for the friendship you've given me. I would be honored to attend your birthday/wedding and I eagerly look forward to it.

Sombra, I may not know you well, but if Pinkie loves you as much as I think she does, then you must really be something special. I cannot express how lucky you are to have somepony like her for a wife, and I wish both of you all the happiness in the world. I look forward to meeting you at what I expect to be one incredible wedding.

Professor Tacitus

Dearest Cousin Sombra and Miss Pinkie,

Thank you very much for the invitation to your wedding! Congratulations! I shall attend this momentous occasion, but I have one question: Will there be shrimp? I am allergic to shrimp, it causes me to writhe on the floor and die. Thank you once more,

~Serpent

Dear Pinkie and Sombra,

Sweetie Belle says we shouldn't write a letter since we live in the same town, but I just wanted to write to you guys anyway! I'm so excited to see you two get married! And is it true we get to be your flower girls? Awesome!

Sincerely, Scootaloo

Dear Pinkie and Sombra,

Wow, this is so exciting! I knew you two loved each other, but I didn't know you'd get married! Maybe the girls and I are great matchmakers! Oh, and be ready to get an awesome wedding gift from the Crusaders. Don't worry, it's nothing explosive or crazy like that, Sombra. I think you'll be surprised by it, but in a good way!

Sincerely, Apple Bloom

Dear Pinkie and Sombra,

Don't listen to Scootaloo! Writing a letter was my idea, not hers! It's supposed to be polite to respond to letters and invitations, but she didn't know that! Anyway, did either of the girls tell you about our wedding gift? It's nothing weird, I promise!

Sincerely, Sweetie Belle

P.S. Rarity told me the dress she has for Pinkie is supposed to be very pretty! I can't wait to see it!

Dear Pinkie Pie,

I'm glad to see that Sombra finally stepped up and asked you to marry him. Keep him in line, will you? I may be a Captain, but even I have my limits.

Sincerely, Captain Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire

Dear Pinkie Pie and Sombra,

I'm so ecstatic to see that you two are getting married! Pinkie, I can't wait to see how beautiful you look when you walk down the aisle! Believe me, it's something you'll never forget.

Sombra, I know we had our differences, but in the end, I am happy to see that you're getting married to the mare of your dreams. I can see how much you two love each other, and I wish you both many years together. Also, I may just be speculating, but am I right to assume that you two have a foal on the way? I suppose it takes one expecting couple to know another.

Sincerely, Princess Cadence

P.S. Don't tell Twilight! I want to surprise her!

Dear Pinkie and Sombra,

Wow, I just got the invitation! That's weird, since I don't have a mailbox... Oh, well! Anyway, I'm so excited to plan this wedding! Hopefully, everypony will be ready to celebrate the birth-wedding of the bride! Whoa, that's a weird name...

Anyway, Sombra, don't you worry, I made sure to order foods that are OK for Pinkie to eat since she's pregnant. Oh, wait, you didn't tell me about that yet, did you? Oh, well, better that we both know that I know!

Sincerely, Cheese Sandwich

P.S. Pinkie's gonna be a mom! Whoo-hoo!

Dear Pinkie and Sombra,

Pinkie, your father and I are both very excited to attend your wedding. My daughter, getting married... Oh, sorry for the teardrops, I'm just being a mom... Anyway, I can't wait until we give you your wedding gifts! You're going to love them, both of you!

Sincerely, your mother and future mother-in-law

P.S. Sombra, I'll be sure to brief you on the phases later on... They can be quite a hoofful when you don't know what to do.

Dear Pinkie and Sombra,

Finally!

-Discord

P.S. I'm Fluttershy's plus one.

Dear Pinkie Pie and Sombra,

My sister and I are both very flattered to have received your invitation to your wedding. I'll make sure that the night sky is perfect for your evening together.

Sincerely, Princess Luna

P.S. By the way, Sombra you left your crown at the castle the last time you two were here. And I really don't want to know.

Dear Pinkie and Sombra,

Wow, another wedding after ours! That's super exciting! I was really happy to find out you two are getting are house of your own now... Kind of reminds me of Octy and me. Anyway, I'm sure I'll be there, and Octy, too!

Sincerely, Minuette & Octavia Melody

P.S. Maybe you could spare room for a plus one? I hope that you don't mind fillies being at the wedding.

Dear Pinkie Pie and Sombra,

Whoa, Pinkie Pie invited me? Man, I never thought I'd get to see the coolest party pony again! And since you're marrying Sombra, then he must be a pretty cool guy, too, right? Can't wait to go there with my Wonderbuddies!

Sincerely, Soarin

P.S. Is Rainbow Dash gonna be there?

Dear Pinkie Pie,

Why'd you invite me to your wedding? I thought you didn't like me, you weirdo.

-Gilda

Dear Miss Pie and Mister Sombra,

I'm rather surprised to receive an invitation from the Element of Laughter herself, though it'd be rude of me to refuse such an invitation. Myself and Fleur will be sure to attend.

Sincerely, Fancy Pants

P.S. I hear that Rarity is designing your dress. I look forward to seeing it!

Dear Pinkie Pie,

Who are you?!

-Photo Finish

Dear Pinkie Pie and Sombra,

Did you invite me because I met you during a visit to the Crystal Empire? Well, I guess I'll attend...

-Flash Sentry

~~P.S. Is Princess Twilight going to be there? Duh, it's her castle your having the wedding at.~~

Dear Pinkie Pie and Sombra,

The Great and Powerful Trixie graciously accepts your invitation to your wedding and would perhaps even be kind enough to perform Trixie's tricks for you.

Sincerely, the Great and Powerful Trixie

P.S. Is there going to be peanut butter and crackers?

P.S.S. I heard about your fiance. Sombra sounds pretty cool.

P.S.S.S. Do you mind if I bring a date? He's a bit sour he didn't get an invitation. Says it had something to do with Rarity or something like that.

Author's Note

And thus concludes Meeting the Family~! If your letter hasn't been added, it will be added later, I assure you! Be sure to look out for the next couple of installments for the SombraPie saga!