//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Sweet Dreams Are Made Of... OH MY! // Story: The Not-So-Normal Adventures of King Sombra and Pinkie Pie // by Harmony Charmer //------------------------------// Sleep didn't come to Sombra that night, his thoughts of depression and negativity preventing him from doing so. He laid in his cot, staring at the wooden ceiling of library in which he, Twilight and Spike resided in. "Who?" a voice called, surprising Sombra. He relaxed when realized that it was Owlowiscious, Twilight's nocturnal pet. He had taken note that Spike, the idiot he is, didn't realize that whenever Owlicious made his signature noise, he wasn't asking an actual question. Although it was hilarious to watch at first, it had grown annoying with time, as most things did since his arrival in Ponyville. 'Like with Pinkie...' he thought darkly, his reminisce becoming negative. When he had first met her, he didn't think half the things that he had hated about her would be the things he came to enjoy. The way she snorted when she laughed hard enough, her absurd Pinkie Sense, and that toothy grin of hers; things he once saw as flaws, but now realized they were gifts within a cursed shell. 'Love's funny that way,' Conscience said, causing Sombra to freeze. Not wanting to engage the voice within him, he ignored him and instead looked at the red scarf that resided on the end of his cot, his eyes shining with pain. Pinkie had gotten it for him, after introducing a new pony to Ponyville had gone awry and ruined his royal clothes. It'd been the first gift she'd given him, something so small to anypony else, but so big to him. He pulled the plush scarf over to himself, wrapping it around his neck. He breathed in the scent of it, relishing in the memories it held. It smelled like her; sweet, like freshly baked confectionery treats. He smiled lightly as he remembered all the times she had brought a treat over for him, whether it be cookies or just a simple candy bar. He felt his face turn green as the thought of cake reached him and shuddered visibly. 'If it weren't for that ridiculous cake batter...' Sombra thought darkly, then glanced down at the scarf again. An image of Pinkie sitting next to him appeared, the scarf wrapped around her neck as she laughed. She had made a silly joke about how the scarf was made for two ponies, something Sombra was starting to realize was all too true. Just as he slipped into a fitful sleep, he completed the thought that he started. '...I wouldn't care about her the way I do now.' * * * Pinkie sat up with a jolt, her breath coming out quick and fast. Her cheeks were flushed red as she came to terms with what she had just experienced in her slumber, sweat covering her brow heavily. She pulled her covers up to hide her blushing face, the shame of her thoughts overcoming her. 'Sweet Celestia, where did that come from?' Pinkie asked herself, her cheeks still hot. Her dream had started off simple; she was at Sugarcube Corner, just arriving from Twilight's after her ever so awkward body switching experience with Sombra. She was alone in her room, trying to process the terrible decision she had made. She hadn't wanted to kiss Sombra; at least, not in the way she had. That idiot stallion that she had an undeniable crush on gave her an ultimatum she couldn't refuse! Pinkie understood that in doing what she did, Sombra would think that she didn't like him, when in reality, it was the very opposite. She had requested that Conscience keep it a secret, and the voice in her dark friend's head Pinkie Promised to do so, although he didn't think it to be the best course of action. Upon her deep brooding and pacing, a knock came to her door, breaking her from her troubling thoughts. When she had opened it, there stood Sombra, an unreadable look on his face.She could feel her dread take over and fought against the blush that threatened to come over her cheeks. "S-Sombra!" she stammered, undeniably surprised by his sudden appearance, "What are you doing here?" He stepped into her room and towards her, causing her heart to skip a beat. "I came to apologize," Sombra replied, his voice sending shivers down Pinkie's spine. That should have been the first sign that it was a dream; Sombra never apologized, save for the time at Carousel Boutique when she just about had a nervous breakdown. She took note of the fact that Sombra was wearing the very scarf she had gotten him at the same visit. But, in her somewhat shocked state, Pinkie was in no place of mind to distinguish reality from her imagination. "Apologize?" she repeated, the word sounding completely out of place. When Sombra nodded, he took another step towards her, residing in front of Pinkie's frozen frame. "It was wrong of me to tease you," he admitted, "especially about something like that." This time, she didn't hold back the blush that came with the thought of what happened at Sweet Apple Acres only a couple weeks before. The kiss had been as much as a surprise to her as it was to him, perhaps even more. The one that had happened only a couple hours ago, however, held a purpose; one that she regretted being fulfilled. The room remained silent as Pinkie awaited the apology, but it never came. "Uh, when are you-" she was cut off by Sombra putting his lips on her own. It was a strange experience, being on the receiving end of the kiss. She could understand why it shocked Sombra as much as it did, especially with the timing of each one being uncalled for. Her cheeks were aflame as the kiss sent waves of exhilaration through her, awakening feelings she hadn't felt in years. The feeling of being with somepony; not as in a relationship, but in the most emotionally, physical way. Sombra pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. "Sombra..." Pinkie whispered as she pulled away, her face as scarlet as a tomato. The ex-king leaned towards her, his nose brushing against hers. "Pinkie," he said in a rumbly voice, "I know that this is what you wanted." When Pinkie opened her mouth to deny it, he shushed her by putting his hoof on her mouth gently. "All those stolen glances... All those touches with hidden meanings... I know that they meant something to you." He kissed her again, this time it was sweeter, gentler. She didn't pull away, this time leaning into it. He had mentioned having mistresses in his time of rule and she began to envy every one of them, just for having the same touch that she was receiving. "No need to be jealous, dear..." he murmured, as if reading her mind. Pinkie felt herself being pushed down to the floor, but she didn't fight it. Although a part of her was screaming at her to stop what was happening, she knew Sombra was right; she had wanted this. It was at the moment, Pinkie had jolted awake, completely freaked out of her mind. She suddenly remembered that when she arrived at bakery, she had worked for a couple hours before closing for the night, meaning Sombra's "meeting" never would've happened. She had just dreamed of kissing him! And one where he initiated it, no less! Her cheeks remained red as she attempted to calm herself down, but to no avail. 'Oh, this is going to make everything all sorts of awkward!' Pinkie thought, the horror of it all befalling her. Things were weird enough as is; now this dream was going to make everything so much worse! Although she knew Sombra wasn't able to read her mind(like in her dream), she had a feeling that he was just going to know that she had thought of him the way she did. And, the cherry on top of the sundae, she wanted it to happen! She actually wanted to initiate this insane fantasy that her subconscious had concocted in her time of stress and brooding! She shook her head firmly, a determined look upon her features. 'No!' she told herself, 'I am not going to let this get weird! I'll just... pretend it never happened! Yeah, that'll work!' Although it was a stupid lie, it was her stupid lie. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, but she was going to find a way to put this silly fantasy behind her; even if it drove her insane. * * * The walk to Sugarcube Corner was a long one for Sombra, it being the morning after his fitful, restless night. Twilight had had enough of his doom and gloom attitude and had decided that he was going to see Pinkie, whether he liked it or not(the latter of which being the case). The alicorn princess accompanied the ex-tyrant, more often than not dragging him with her. Sombra walked down the side of the road, his head hung low as he remembered the prior day's events. He had asked for it, there was no denying it, but somehow, that made it even more difficult to absorb. If he hadn't been so embarrassed, if he hadn't thrown Twilight's potion, he wouldn't have to live with the horrible fact that faced him. Upon seeing the bakery come into view, he felt his negativity sink lower than before. Twilight felt Sombra's mood change and gave him a hard look. "You're going to face her sooner or later, Sombra," she told him, walking ahead of him. Feeling like a man walking to his own hanging, Sombra followed her. Upon entering the bakery, Sombra saw Mrs.Cake behind the counter, putting money into the cash register. He tried to fight the embarrassment he felt when he remembered how she was the first to find out about that night with Pinkie. "Oh, hello, Sombra!" she greeted, stepping out from behind the counter. In her excitement at seeing him, she completely disregarded Twilight and rushed over to the surprised stallion, knocking the alicorn princess to the side as she did so. "Are you here to pick up Pinkie for your daily walk?" she asked excitedly, "Oh, that's so gentlecoltly of you!" "Is that Sombra?" he heard Mr.Cake ask from the kitchen. The stallion poked his head in and he grinned at Sombra, then frowned at seeing Twilight. "And he brought Twilight," he said flatly, stepping back into the kitchen. Mrs.Cake turned towards Twilight, noticing her for the first time. "Oh," she said in a dimmer tone, "hello, Twilight." Sombra quirked a brow upwards and opened his mouth to ask a question, but decided against it. "Sombwy!" he heard a small voice squeal beneath him. Sombra looked down and he felt himself smile at Pound Cake, one of foal twins that he and Pinkie had sat together all those weeks ago. He crouched down to the small colt's level, then prodded the foal in the stomach, causing him to giggle. "Hello, there!" Sombra said, tickling the foal's stomach, "Did ya miss your Uncle Sombry?" Although he hated that stupid nickname, he knew that the foals enjoyed calling him that. Pound managed to escape Sombra's tickling, then hovered up to Sombra's head and began to play in his mane. Twilight's jaw dropped in shock, while Mrs.Cake beamed at Sombra and her infant son. "He is so good with foals, don'tcha think?" she asked Twilight, who got over her shock and closed her mouth. She had heard Pinkie talk about Sombra help her with foalsitting when the Cakes' had dropped the task onto her at the last moment, but she hadn't believed her pink friend's claims until she saw it in person. "Yes, I suppose he is," she said in a dazed tone, still somewhat shocked. Suddenly, she heard the sound of humming coming from the stairwell. "La da da da d- Oh, hay, Twilight!" Pinkie greeted as she walked down the stairs. Twilight, glad that somepony actually took the time to properly greet her, smiled. "Hello, Pinkie!" she replied, walking over to her pink friend. Pinkie stopped suddenly, her eyes widening in shock. Twilight turned towards what she was looking at and saw that her friend was looking at Sombra, who was on his back while Pound crawled on his stomach. 'Sweet Celestia...' Pinkie thought, grabbing onto the stair railing for support as her knees wobbled, 'I forgot how great he is with foals!' Her shaking knees knocked together as they struggled to hold Pinkie up, who then sighed dreamily. She lost grip of the railing, thus causing her to fall down the stairs. Once she crashed to the bottom, she could feel her cheeks turn red as everypony stared at her, including Sombra. She jumped up, forcing her blush to disappear as she did so. "I'm alright!" she shouted, straightening her knees as they threatened to lose their hold. Earning a rather strange look from Twilight and a concerned one from Sombra, Pinkie put on a smile and bounced over to him, who still had Pound in his mane. Fighting against the urge to "Aw!" at her undeniably adorable crush, she flashed a grin. "Hi, Sombry!" she greeted, hugging his neck, to which he froze. Ignoring Sombra's reaction, she pulled back and giggled, the reason unbeknownst to her. "I like your new hat!" she said, referring to Pound, who still resided on Sombra's head. ' 'I like your new hat?' ' she thought to herself, 'Where did that come from?' Sombra looked up at Pound, who was still giggling in oblivious joy. "Oh, right," Sombra said, putting the foal down on the floor. After doing so, he looked back up at her, his beautiful red eyes meeting hers. She felt her stomach churn, but still continued to smile at him. "So, you ready to go on our walk?" she said, bouncing in place. He furrowed his brows at her('Celestia, he looks cute when he does that!'), but refrained from questioning her odd behavior(well, odd for her). Sombra nodded, to which Pinkie giggled and then bounced out of the bakery, the dark stallion following her. As Pinkie bounced ahead of him, Sombra finally let free the blush he'd been holding back since he first saw her come tumbling into the room that morning. The memories of last night's dreams had decided to replay for him, much to his chagrin. When she smiled at him, he was reminded of that devilish grin she had given him in his sleep only a couple hours ago. 'I didn't know you could be so... saucy, Sombra!' Conscience had teased when Sombra first woke up, covered in sweat from his unexpected dream. Sombra watched as Pinkie bounced around, not a care in the world, not having idea that he had thought about her in such a way. 'I am not going to let this get weird,' he told himself, 'I am just going to forget it ever happened...' Although he knew it was a lie, he didn't care. He'd spent most of his life lying to himself and he had gotten so damn good at it. Sombra was going to figure out a way to put this unfortunate sleeping episode behind him; even if it drove him insane.