"Okay, in order to make the perfect leaf jumping pile, you need to pile the leaves like so." Pinkie Pie spoke as she pushed some leaves into a pile. Mimicking her actions, Sombra used his own head to push some leaves into the pile.
"Like this, Auntie Pinkie?" He asked.
"Exactly like that!" Pinkie answered energetically. "This is one of the best parts of fall. Jumping into leaf piles! Alright, now that we've got the perfect pile, back up a little." Sombra took a few steps back. "A little more." Sombra did as he was told. "Liiiittle more." Sombra backed up even more. This went on for a few minutes until he several feet away. At that point, Pinkie said that was perfect and gave him the go-ahead to run back. As he was galloping over, Twilight trotted up.
"Hey Pinkie, you wouldn't happen to have seen Rainbow have you?" She asked.
"Not lately. Why?" Pinkie replied, taking a couple of steps away from the leaf pile. Twilight didn't notice the shift in position.
"Well it's just that Spike told me that she came to see him earlier and that she was freaking out about hibernation," Twilight answered a little worried.
"Oh yeah, it's getting to about that time." Pinkie said. "Tank should be getting ready soon shouldn't he?"
"Yeah, Owlowiscious has already started his hibernation," Twilight said. "But from what I've heard from Fluttershy and Spike, it doesn't seem like she's been taking it well." Twilight paused for a beat and blinked. "Wait, weren't you with Sombra?"
"Uh-huh. I've been teaching him how to jump into leaf piles!" Pinkie answered with a cheerful, happy go lucky tone.
"And where is he right now?" Twilight asked as she glanced around, looking for the grey and black colt.
"He should be coming in riiiight aaaaboooout...NOW!" Pinkie announced. Right on cue, Sombra ran in and took a flying leap at the leaf pile, scattering leaves all over and into Twilight's face since she'd been standing right next to the pile. When she could see again, Twilight found herself covered in leaves with some sticking out of her mouth. She then spits them out as Sombra popped out of what was left of the leaf pile.
"That was awesome!" He exclaimed, still not noticing his guardian right there. "Can we do it again Auntie Pinkie? Can we can we?"
"I think that's enough leaves for one day," Twilight said as she worked on pulling leaves from her mane. "And besides, we're supposed to be clearing these up to get ready for winter."
"Oh, I know." Pinkie shrugged. "I just had to show Li'l Sombry here how to do the perfect leaf jump before we had to say goodbye to fall. We can't have Fall without some leaf jumping, now can we?"
"Auntie Pinkie, what do we do in winter?" Sombra asked.
"We do all sorts of fun stuff!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "We go sledding and build snow ponies and have snowball fights and all kinds of fun things that are even better than leaf jumping! I could even teach you how to ice skate!!"
"There are also some fun things to do inside as well." Fluttershy joined in from where she was sitting with a hat for a raccoon. "I myself like to enjoy a nice, warm cup of cider in front of the fireplace while I'm reading or just relaxing."
"An' let's not forget 'bout Hearthswarming," Applejack added.
"Oh yes, the holidays are also very enjoyable as well." Rarity said as she passed another hat to Fluttershy. "The carols, the pageant, the gifts, the decorations."
"Hangin' out with family," Applejack added.
"And food!!" Pinkie Pie finished. "There's a lot of things to look forward to in winter! And you're going to love all of them!!"
At this point, Sombra's eyes were shining with excitement. "It all sounds so fun!" He said.
"It is! And I, your Auntie Pinkie, plan on showing it all to you or my name isn't Pinkamina Diane Pie!" Pinkie Pie declared then something caught her eye. A familiar tortoise digging at the ground. She gasped and rushed over to him with a certain colt following behind.
"Awww!" She exclaimed as she and Sombra came to see. "Look at that cute wittle Tanky, all snuggly wuggly getting ready to hiber-"
Before she could finish that last word, a rainbow blur dropped from the sky and scooped up Tank as she shouted out, "DON'T SAY THAT WORD!!" Into Pinkie's face.
"Which one?" She asked innocently. "Snuggly? Wuggly? Tanky? Hibernate?"
"That one!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she jammed her hoof into Pinkie's mouth the second the last word left it. Pinkie Pie calmly pulled the cyan hoof from her muzzle.
"I was just saying how cute he wa-" Was all she got out before she interrupted again by an angry pegasus shoving her face into Pinkie's.
"If you think hiber-" She stopped herself and pulled away. "You know, that napping thing is sooo cute, why don't you go do it! Somewhere far away from here!!" She shouted angrily as she pushed Pinkie away. A beat later she noticed that she had an audience that was staring slack-jawed at her.
"What are you looking at!?" She demanded. "Pinkie and I are just having a conversation!"
"Look Rainbow Dash, we all know how upset you are about Tank hiber-" Twilight was suddenly cut off by Pinkie Pie's shushing.
"Shhh!" She hushed urgently. "Don't say that word! That's what started this whole thing!"
"We know how upset you are about Tank." Twilight amended. "But you shouldn't take your anger out on your friends."
"Who said anything about anger!?" Rainbow answered, making the mares step back slightly and the colt who'd been looking at Tank grab the tortoise in slight fear. "I didn't say anything about anger!! I'm not upset and I am not angry!!! Do I look angry!!?" There was quiet as Rainbow Dash looked at her friends with a very angry expression. She then stomped over to the tortoise and colt and started Tank's propeller. "Come on Tank. Let's get out of here!" She spoke, Tank was lifted off the ground and slipped from Sombra's grasp. And just like that, they flew off.
"Oh, my," Fluttershy whispered. "I hope she doesn't do anything rash."
Twilight watched Rainbow fly to her cloud home until a tap on her leg directed her attention to Sombra. "Twilight, why does Rainbow Dash have a tortoise?" He asked.
"Oh, well that was Tank. Rainbow Dash's pet." Twilight said.
"Pet? What's a pet?" Sombra asked with a cocked head.
Before Twilight could enter lecture mode, Pinkie Pie interrupted. In the past few minutes, that had become a running theme. "A pet is like an adorable little animal friend!" Pinkie exclaimed in excitement. "You can take care of them and raise them and love them and they'll love you back and become a Best Furry, or Feathery or Scaly, Friend Forever!"
Sombra looked very interested in the idea and he turned to Twilight. "Can I have a pet?" He asked.
"Uh, I don't know if you're ready for that," Twilight said uncertainly. "Pets are a big responsibility. You have to give them food and water and clean up after them and play with them. I'm just not sure that you're old enough for such a responsibility."
Sombra sat on his haunches and put his forelegs together in a pleading gesture while giving her the puppy dog eyes. "Pleeease Twilight." He begged. "I can be responsible. I always pick up my toys when I'm done with them and I put away my books and games when I'm not reading or using them. Please please, please? Can I have a pet?"
"I'm sor-" Twilight started, fully prepared to tell him to wait until he was older when she halted at the sight of Pinkie Pie assuming a similar position behind the colt, only her puppy dog eyes looked about ready to cry. "Pinkie Pie, what are you doing?"
"Oh come Twilight, pets are like little friends." Pinkie pouted. "And you wouldn't want Li'l Sombry missing out on his first pet do you? So pleeeeeeeeeease?"
'You do realize he's a thousand years older than he looks you know.' She thought. 'We have no idea if he had a pet before.' Besides that, the alicorn was at a loss for words. Now not only was Sombra begging for a pet, but Pinkie was also begging on his behalf. She wasn't sure what to say to this. Then Fluttershy gently set a hoof on her shoulder.
"I think it would be okay." She said. "Sombra certainly seems like he'll take good care of a pet and I could help teach him how to take care of whatever pet he chooses."
Twilight stared at Fluttershy then turned to look back at the pleading pair. She glanced back and forth between the two groups then let out a groan of resignation as she capitulated.
"Ugh, fine. We'll get you a pet." She said. The reaction was immediate.
"Woohoo!" Pinkie exclaimed as she scooped Sombra onto her back. "A pet for Sombry! This is going to be so fun!!" Twilight just groaned.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
After that, Fluttershy led Twilight and Sombra back to her cottage. Pinkie Pie wanted to come and help Sombra pick, but Fluttershy was afraid that at her current level of enthusiasm, she would scare the animals and Sombra told her that it could be a surprise. And so, Pinkie stayed with the rest to finish things up while Fluttershy took them to pick out the pet.
"I'm sorry that the selection won't be as great as it would be." Fluttershy apologized as she opened her door. "Most of my birds have already flown south for the winter and some animals are getting ready for hibernation."
"It's alright Fluttershy," Twilight said as they stepped in from the cold and into the warm house. "We understand."
"Yeah." Sombra chimed in as he lept down to see the animals. "And if I don't find a pet, we can always come back later, right Twilight?"
"Sure." Twilight agreed. "Um, you can go check out the pets. Fluttershy and I need to talk about Rainbow Dash."
"Okay!" Sombra said with a smile then rushed off to meet the pets, leaving the mares to their conversation. There were many interesting animals, but none that really interested him. Then in the corner, he spotted a blanket with a form underneath. Curious, he trotted over and lifted the blanket to look. Underneath was a female long hair ferret with beautiful black fur. Sombra stared at the ferret and the ferret stared back. Sombra then reached forward to pet her, but the ferret intercepted his hoof by biting it.
Sombra flinched at the pain, but he didn't pull back. Instead, he stared at her for a beat longer before speaking. "Hey, I'm sorry." He apologized and the ferret looked at him quizzically. "I tried to pet you without permission and you didn't like that did you?" The ferret just stared in answer. "Well, I'm sorry." He apologized again and the ferret stared. "You don't seem mean." Now she was confused so Sombra elaborated. "Well it looks like you're here on your own instead of with the other animals and you're biting me, I think that maybe they think you're mean but you don't seem mean to me. You just don't want to be with them right now. I think you're actually very nice and sweet."
The ferret stared at the colt a moment longer then released his hoof and licked the wound. She then rubbed against him like a cat and Sombra took the hint to mean that it was okay to pet her. After petting her bit, he lifted her up.
"Hey, do you want to be my pet?" He asked and she nodded. Giggling, he put her on his back and she climbed up to his head to nestle amongst his mane. Sombra giggled again and rushed to the where the adults were.
"Twilight! Fluttershy! Look! I found the pet I want!" He called as he rushed towards them. The two mares turned to him and Fluttershy let out a gasp of surprise as she jumped slightly.
"Sombra, do you really want this one?" Fluttershy asked in surprise. Sombra nodded.
"Mmhm. She's a nice ferret, and she likes my mane." He said. Fluttershy stood, mouth agape at what she was seeing and Twilight didn't understand why.
"What's wrong with this ferret?" She asked, curious about her friend's reaction. "She seems nice."
"There's nothing really wrong with this ferret," Fluttershy explained. "I'm just very surprised because I've never seen her do this. Usually, she doesn't really like ponies. She gets along fine with the other animals and even better with the other ferrets. But as far as ponies go, she doesn't even let them touch her. She barely lets ME touch her on bath day and when she needs to be groomed. So that's why I'm very surprised to see her not only letting you touch her, but also getting along with you."
"She's a nice ferret and I like her," Sombra said. "She even apologized for biting me." As he spoke, Sombra lifted his hoof to show the bleeding bite marks. Fluttershy shrieked in worry and rushed off to get her medical kit. As the pegasus cleaned and dressed the wound, the ferret watched from her perch and looked sheepish the whole time.
When she was done, Fluttershy put away her supplies and turned back to Sombra. "I'm very sorry about that." She apologized.
"It's okay. I didn't ask permission before trying to pet her and I've already forgiven her." Sombra said. "I'll be fine."
"Well alright. So what are you going to name her?" Fluttershy asked.
Sombra pulled the ferret off his head and stared at her for a bit. "Onyx." He announced after a time.
"Onyx?" The two mares asked simultaneously.
"Mmhm." Sombra hummed as he nodded. "Like one of the gemstones, Auntie Rarity shows me."
"Rarity shows you gemstones?" Twilight asked.
"Uh-huh. And she teaches me about them whenever I'm at her place." Sombra said. "My favorite is the Onyx because it's a pretty color and Rarity says that onyx gemstones are used as charms to deflect negativity and enhance determination and perseverance. Onyx is the perfect name for her. What do you think?" That last part had been directed at the ferret, who gave the matter some thought before nodding.
"Onyx it is then," Fluttershy said with a sigh and a smile. "I can get you some supplies that you'll need, but first there's something I need to tell you. Ferrets are very social animals and they bond with a pony family for life. And it's very advisable to have ferrets in groups of two or three or else Onyx will require extra attention. Especially when you're outside of the castle."
"What about other animals?" Twilight asked. "Can they bond with other animals?"
"Well yes, but as far as playing that can tricky since ferrets tend to roughhouse and they can be much tougher than dogs or cats," Fluttershy said. "It would work better if Onyx was in a group of two or three."
"Well if that's what she needs, very well," Twilight said.
"Onyx can pick her friends," Sombra said. "Since they're going to be her friends as well as ours, she should pick them out." With that decided, Sombra set Onyx down on the ground and spoke to her. "Go pick two or three friends." He said gently. Onyx nodded and rushed out of the room. When she returned, she was accompanied by three other female ferrets.
The first was a full angora ferret with chocolate brown and creamy golden fur. The next was a standard ferret with white fur and silver coloring. The third and final ferret was another angora but with lighter brown colored fur. Onyx led the group up to Sombra then climbed up to his head to watch. Sombra sat down and looked at the three ferrets. He reached out to the brown and cream ferret and looked her over.
"I'll call you Tiger's Eye." He announced. Then he moved on to the white and silver standard. "Your name is Moonstone." He told her. Next was the light brown one. "And your name's Smokey Quartz." He then looked at them proudly then pointed to himself. "And I'm Sombra. Nice to meet you all!"
Fluttershy smiled a bit. "My Sombra, you're being very nice to your new pets." She said softly.
"That's cause they're my new friends and you take good care of your friends right?" He asked with a smile.
"That's right," Fluttershy said. "Animals are very kind and loving when you take good care of them. I can help teach you how to take care of your ferrets and if you have any questions, feel free to come to ask me."
"Okay, Fluttershy!" Sombra said.
Fluttershy gently tapped the floor with a hoof a couple of times before speaking again. "And if you want to, I wouldn't mind if you called me Aunty Fluttershy."
Sombra's grin widened. "Okay! Thank you, Auntie Fluttershy!"
"You're very welcome."
✴✴✴✴✴✴
"It looks like the pegasi have fixed those clear skies we had earlier," Fluttershy commented as she looked up. After getting ferret supplies and a book on ferret care, they'd left the cottage to meet up with their friends.
"I guess so," Twilight muttered distractedly. Her gaze was locked forwards on the colt that skipped ahead cheerfully with his ferrets riding him as best they could.
"Is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked having noticed her friend's distracted tone.
"Well, I'm just wondering if it's safe for a colt to have such a pet," Twilight said. "No offense meant, but a ferret doesn't strike me as a safe pet."
"Oh don't worry about that," Fluttershy said with a smile. "It's a very common misconception, in actuality, ferrets are very affectionate and loving if a little playful."
"Then why did Onyx bite Sombra?" Twilight asked. "That doesn't strike me as affectionate or playful."
"Well, no," Fluttershy admitted. "But usually when a ferret is hurt or has been abused, they'll react like that."
It took a second for that sentence to register in the alicorn's mind and only a second more for the pieces to fall into place. "Onyx was abused?"
"I didn't want to say it in front of Sombra but, yes she was," Fluttershy confirmed as she nodded. "While I was on my trip to see the Breezies, I got to know this group of ponies and I ended up going with them as they helped rescue abused pets from their owners. In fact, I think the reason why Onyx only let me touch her, at least up until now, is because I was the one who took her from her old owner. It's also how I met that pony I've told you about. Remember Tree Hugger?"
"Oh yeah, I remember you've told me about her."
"Yes, well Tree Hugger works part-time at the animal shelter where we took the animals," Fluttershy explained. "She helps the animals recover from their experiences so they can be adopted by good ponies and families. When I wasn't studying the Breezies, I was at the shelter helping out with the animals and I got to know Tree Hugger really well. Anyways, Tree Hugger noticed that I was the only one that Onyx would let near her and when it was time to leave she suggested I take her with me."
"She did?"
"Mmhm. She said that it would be a good idea for her to get out of a place with 'bad vibes' and for her to stay with somepony with 'good vibes'." Fluttershy said. "Her actual wording was different and I didn't really understand some of the words she used, but I got the basic gist of it. I hoped that being with me and in a better environment would help her, and it did sort of. The only problem was that she still didn't like ponies. And now, well just look at her."
Twilight looked in the direction that Fluttershy was gesturing and saw the black ferret stretched over Sombra's head and enjoying the, somewhat short, view.
"I've never seen her so happy," Fluttershy said. "At least not since I've known her. I'm not sure I expected to say this about Sombra, but he's an amazing colt. And I'm sure Onyx isn't the only one who thinks that. Those other three ferrets have been in similar situations, though not as bad as her's."
"Maybe that's why she picked them out." Twilight murmured thoughtfully. After that, the rest of the walk lapsed into silence, save for the humming of a certain colt. When their remaining friends came into view, Sombra picked up his pace and practically galloped over to the three mares.
"Auntie Pinkie! Auntie Rarity! Auntie Applejack!" He called out as he rushed over to them. The mares in question turned and Pinkie Pie ran to greet him.
'Li'l Sombry!" The hyperactive pink pony cried out as she ran up to him. "How was it? What did you pick? I wanna see!"
The four ferrets had initially leaned back at the sudden appearance of the pink ball of exuberance that was Pinkie Pie, but when it became obvious that there was no harm coming their way they relaxed. Onyx leaned forward from her perch to sniff this new pony and as expected, she was noticed immediately.
Pinkie Pie gasped. "Oh, my gosh, it's so adorable!" She exclaimed and she reached out a hoof to pet. Onyx leaned back a bit at first but in the end let the pink pony stroke her head gently.
"Hoo Nelly. Looks like y'all got more than one pet." Applejack commented, spotting the other three ferrets on his back.
"Auntie Fluttershy says that ferrets are very social and do better in groups of other ferrets," Sombra said matter of factly.
"And four pets mean four times more fun and four times more love!" Pinkie cheered then she paused as the entire sentence sank in. "Wait, Auntie Fluttershy?" The shy pegasus only nodded and Pinkie Pie grinned. "That's wonderful! Welcome to the ranks of Auntie!"
"Um, thanks," Fluttershy said softly.
"So, what'd Y'all name them?" Applejack asked.
"This one here is Onyx." Sombra started as he pointed at the black ferret in his mane before pointing to the others respectively. "Then this is Tigers Eye, Moonstone and Smokey Quartz."
"What beautiful names." Rarity cooed. "And perhaps I can create some lovely clothes for all of them. At the moment, winter clothing seems appropriate."
The sudden crack of thunder and sound of lightning, however, ended Rarity's musings and drew their attention up towards Cloudsdale. Clouds and the lightning in question were pouring out at an alarming rate and the sight of pegasi rushing to and fro only further reinforced the idea that something was very wrong.
"What in the name of Celestia is going on up there?" Applejack asked as she pointed up at the mess. It didn't take Twilight long for her to figure out what was happening.
"Prepare yourselves everypony." The alicorn said apprehensively. "Winter is coming."
"Twilight, what do you mean?" Sombra asked. "I thought winter was already coming."
"It is, of course. But from the looks of it, it seems as though winter's going to be coming ahead of schedule." Twilight explained. As if exactly on cue, the season in question was ejected from Cloudsdale as a ball of snow and ice. Twilight turned to the other ponies in the area. "Everypony, look out!"
Ponies scattered and ran for some sort of cover from the incoming ball. Sombra couldn't run as fast as the adults and when the ball got closer, he instinctively grabbed his ferrets and went to protect them with his body against a tree. Twilight saw this and without thinking, instantly threw herself over his smaller body with her wings spread protectively. Then the snow hit in a huge explosion that covered all of Ponyville, but Twilight stood firm.
When it was all over, Twilight opened her eyes and found herself staring down at bright red eyes as Sombra stared back at her. They stood there a moment then Twilight remembered where she was and her head popped out of the huge snowdrift they were under with a gasp. As she pulled Sombra and his ferrets out, Rainbow Dash popped out of another snowdrift then went digging around for Tank. She found him and held him up.
"You okay Tank?" She asked the tortoise. Tank let out a yawn that only served to lower the pegasus' already abysmal mode.
"Rainbow Dash! Are you alright?" Twilight asked as they all approached.
"No. No, I'm not." She answered in a slightly cracked voice. She then scooped up Tank and flew towards her cloud home. Her friends watched her fly away with concern in their eyes.
"We should go speak to her." Rarity spoke.
"I agree. We need to talk to her." Fluttershy agreed.
"Then let's get goin'." Applejack declared and they all started for Rainbow Dash's home. Twilight was starting to follow when she felt a tap on her leg.
"Twilight, what's going on?" Sombra asked. At that moment, Twilight remembered that it would be best if Sombra wasn't there.
"Wait for second girls." She called out. "I don't think it would be best to bring Sombra for this and we can't leave him alone. Pinkie Pie, can he stay at Sugarcube Corner while we're taking care of this?"
"Sure he can!" Pinkie Pie said. "In fact..." Pinkie Pie then grabbed Sombra and with a leap, she vanished into thin air. A minute later, she reappeared. "...There we go, all done. He'll be just fine with the Cakes."
Twilight blinked. "Pinkie, how did you do that? For that matter, WHAT did you do?"
"What do you mean Twilight? I just took him to Sugarcube Corner and rushed back." Twilight spluttered for several seconds and her eye began to twitch. Rarity calmed her by laying a hoof on her friend's shoulder.
"Just leave it Twilight." She advised. "Pinkie will be Pinkie and it's pointless to try and figure her out. Who we should be more concerned about is Rainbow Dash."
Twilight did her breathing exercises a few times then calmed down. "You're right Rarity. This can be for another day. Right now, Rainbow Dash needs us. Now let's go."
And with that, they continued on to Rainbow Dash's home.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
The Cakes blinked at the colt right in front of them. Right as Mr. Cake had been pulling out a triple peppermint fudge cake, Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared so abruptly, the stallion screamed in surprise and dumped the cake all over himself. Just as Mrs. Cake came to see what the commotion was all about, Pinkie Pie said in a rapid-fire manner, "Heywe'vegottagotalktoRainbowDashsocanyouwatchLi'lSombry?Thanksbye!" The next instant she was gone and the couple were left staring at a colt that they assumed was 'Li'l Sombry' and four ferrets.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
Rainbow Dash sighed and stirred her hot chocolate a bit. After accepting Tank's hibernation and reading him a story as he tucked in, she joined the rest of her friends with playing in the snow until they were too cold. At the moment they were relaxing at Sugarcube Corner and enjoying mugs of hot chocolate with peppermint fudge cake. And now that she was relaxing, she couldn't help but think about Tank and miss him a little. She still accepted that hibernation was something he needed to do, but that didn't make her feel any better. A movement next to her made her turn and face Sombra who was staring at her with concern.
"Um, hey." Rainbow Dash greeted. "What's up?"
"Twilight says you're sad because you miss Tank," Sombra answered. "Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine, I guess." Rainbow Dash answered. "I mean, it's not like he's gone forever. I'll see him again in a few months."
"But you still miss him don't you?" Sombra asked and Rainbow Dash could only nod. She didn't want to cry anymore. She was past that. Before that could happen, a quartet of ferrets was set on the table in front of her.
"These are my pets that I got today," Sombra said with a smile. "I'd like you to meet Onyx, Tiger's Eye, Moonstone and Smokey Quartz. Taking care of a pet is a big responsibility, so if you want, I wouldn't mind a little help."
Rainbow stared at the four ferrets in front of her. They weren't Tank to be sure, but she didn't mind helping the kid out a little if only to keep herself from getting too lonely. And so the pegasus cracked a grin.
"Sure kid, I'm free," Rainbow said. "I can teach you all the ins and outs of being a pet owner."
"Yay!" Sombra cheered and Rainbow Dash had to admit privately to herself that the kid was growing on her a little.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
That night, after Twilight tucked Sombra in and sang his lullaby, she left the room and went to her own. In a corner of the room, the ferrets slept piled together in their cage not very far from Sombra's bed. Later in the night, Onyx suddenly jolted awake. After shaking the sleep from her eyes, she scanned the room for what had woken her. She didn't have far to look and had quickly locked onto the whimpering form of Sombra tossing and turning in his bed.
By this point, the others were stirring and were surprised when Onyx lept towards the cage door and with a little working, had opened the door. There were very few cages that Onyx couldn't get out with a little bit of effort. After THAT owner, she didn't ever want to feel imprisoned again. With the door open, the black ferret lept out and bolted as quickly as possible to the bed then climbed up. Onyx could tell that her new owner was having a nightmare and judging by how he looked near tears, it was a bad one.
Without hesitation, Onyx leaned forward and gently nuzzled his face. Sombra's reaction to this was to automatically turn to the source of comfort and his form relaxed a little. Onyx then turned herself around a little and settled onto the bed right next to him, making sure to press herself as close to him as she could. Soon after she'd left the cage, the others followed her example. Moonstone draped herself across Sombra while Tiger's Eye and Smokey Quartz settled on Onyx. Onyx, however, didn't pay them any mind. Instead, she snuggled closer to Sombra and rest her nose on his chest so she could breathe in his sweet scent. Yep, this was the pony for them, she was sure of it.