"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."