It was Nightmare Night and Ponyville was all decked out for the occasion. Cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns, and spooky decorations galore lined every street corner and alleyway in the town. And nopony was more excited for the holiday then the young fillies and colts of the town. This was most evident on the gleeful faces of both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom as they rushed across the town to meet up with their friend, and cohort in dangerous ideas, Scootaloo.
Apple Bloom, dressed in her sister's old scarecrow costume and Sweetie Belle dressed as a witch skidded to a halt in front of Scootaloo’s house. They pounded on the door shouting, “Scootaloo are you ready?”
The door opened a crack and a whispering voice issued forth. “Ready? Am I ready?” Scootaloo whispered from within the house. “The question you should be asking Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle is. Are you ready?” the door opened further, “For Nightmare Scootaloo!” Scootaloo shouted jumping out of the house. Her friends gasped at her appearance. Scootaloo’s normally feathery wings had been replaced with a pair of bat like wings, her eyes were slitted, her purple main and tail were now ethereal like the princesses, her teeth were fanged, and up top on her head was a curved jagged purple unicorn horn.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle just stared at her with their mouths agape not moving. Scootaloo frowned in concern, “Hey guys are you-”
“So COOL,” they shouted pouncing on Scootaloo and pinning her down on the ground. “Wow, are these real bat wings?” Apple Bloom asked spreading one out. “How’d you get your eyes like that?” Sweetie asked starring into them intensely. “And is that a real unicorn horn?” they both shouted pointing at her forehead.
Scootaloo pushed her friends off of her and stood back up. “No it’s not real,” she chuckled, “its papier-mâché,” she finished pulling off her horn and showing the hollowed inside to her friends before putting it back on her head.
“Are you wings Papier-mâché too?” Sweetie awed.
“No Sweetie Belle no,” a dark voice chuckled from. Two glowing green eyes with dark red pupils appeared from beyond the open doorway and started to get closer. “It’s magic,” the voice said emerging from the dark house revealing itself to be Sombra decked out in pure nighttime black armor (in the style of his usual business world conquering armor) accented in streaks of midnight blue, and upon his chest was the emblem of Nightmare Moon. He looked down at the two fillies and flashed his fangs at them.
“Hi there Mr. Sombra,” Sweetie and Apple Bloom said to the dark stallion.
Sombra smiled, “Hi there girls. Are you two admiring my work on Scootaloo’s costume?”
“Yea, how’d you do it?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Oh just some illusion and altercation spells. Pretty simple stuff really,” Sombra bragged.
“Don’t mind him girls. He’s just proud that he got it all right on the first try,” Scootaloo playfully teased her dad sticking her tongue out at him.
Sombra rolled his eyes and ignored his daughter attempts to chide him. “Mr. Sombra?” Sweetie called bringing his attention to her. “I like your costume, but what are you supposed to be?” she asked.
“Oh, I’m a voluntary member of the Nightmare Guard tonight. Nightmare Moon asked me the other week if I would help the Guard and volunteers collect the candy offerings in Ponyville. We all have to dress up in a similar way like this,” Sombra explained to the little Witch.
“That’s cool, soo where do you all take the candy?” Apple Bloom slyly asked.
“Yeah Dad, where do you guys take the candy?” Scootaloo asked sliding in front of Sombra, pointing a demanding hoof at him, and glowering at him.
Sombra only chuckled at her, “Sorry squirt. Even with your current looks you’re still not threating enough to be demanding answers from me just yet. Besides even if I knew I still wouldn’t tell you three.”
“Aww why not,” they pouted in unison.
“Because the amount of destruction and chaos you three could cause while strung out on that much sugar would put both Discord and I to shame, even back during our most evilest of heydays.”
“Aww, thanks Dad,” Scootaloo squeed giving Sombra quick hug, while Sweetie and Apple Bloom gave each other questioning looks in confusion on whether or not that was a compliment or not.
Sombra ruffled Scootaloo’s mane while addressing her and her friends, “Alright girls let’s head to town square. I’m meeting Nightmare and the rest of the volunteers there. Who’s your chaperone tonight again?”
“Dinky’s mom, Derpy is taking us and the majority of our class Nightmare Nighting,” Apple Bloom answered.
Sombra’s smile slipped, “Did you say Derpy?”
“Uh huh, her and her friend Colgate volunteered to watch us all tonight,” Scootaloo further explained.
“Derpy and Colgate,” Sombra repeated.
“Yup,” all three replied.
Sombra swallowed.
Sombra walked around the corner of Sugar Cube Corner and looked over at the town square. He saw the square packed with ponies in various costumes ranging from scary to downright silly. All mulling around food venders and stalls set up off erring games and prizes. He scanned the crowd and spotted the two mares he was looking for near the outskirts of the crowd where several young fillies and colts surrounded them, Derpy and Colgate both going without costumes so it would be easier for parents and guardians of the foals to spot them in the crowd. Sombra looked to his side to make sure the three Cutie Mark Crusaders where still with him before he stared to make his way towards the two mares. “I hope you three have fun with your friends tonight,” Sombra told them.
“We will,” they answered.
“Now Scootaloo if you need me for any reason just head to the stage in front of city hall and find Nightmare Moon. She will be behind the stage for most of the night, and if you need me she will contact me and I’ll come right back okay?”
“Okay Dad. I’ll be fine though, don’t worry.”
“It’s a parent’s job to worry,” Sombra automatically replied.
Scootaloo just rolled her eyes having heard that excuse many times before.
“I’m sure you two know where to find your sisters if you need them, right?” Sombra asked Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.
“We do Mr. Sombra,” Apple Bloom answered.
“Good,” Sombra said as they approached Derpy and Colgate. “Hello again Derpy and Colgate,” Sombra said getting the two’s attention.
“Well, well look who we have here Colgate. If it isn’t Mr. Sombra,’ Derpy huffed sticking her head up and diverting her gaze away from him.
“Well hello there again Sombra,” Colgate purred. “You know you should really consider stopping by my office sometime for a teeth cleaning,” she finished batting her eyelashes at him.
“No thank you, I’m completely satisfied with my current dentist. Plus I’m not due for another cleaning for another three months.”
“I’m sure I can find something else to clean besides your teeth,” she winked.
“Dad what does she mean by that?” Scootaloo asked tilting her head to the side and looking at Sombra.
“I’ll tell you when you’re older,” he sighed. “Look I’m just trying to drop my kid and her friends off with you so they can go Nightmare Nighting with her class.”
“Are you sure that’s all you want?” Colgate asked with a sly grin.
“Yes,” Sombra deadpanned.
Colgate shrugged, “Alright have it your way. There are plenty of other stallions in Ponyville. Come along girls we’re just about to get going, she said ushering the three fillies into the rest of the group.”
Sombra watched them go and waved goodbye to them before heading off to town hall.
Sombra arrived at the moderately sized stage that was set up outside Ponyville town hall. He made his way around a row of unlit giant jack-o-lanterns that lined the front of the stage, and ducked behind the fake cobwebs so he could access the alleyway behind it. He rounded the corner and was met by no other than Nightmare Moon herself! But really it was just Princess Luna, sans her cheap plastic mask, wearing a very elaborate Nightmare Moon costume. It was made of a morph suit, stage makeup, hot glue, some industrial foam piping, and of course a few extremely powerful illusion enchantments. She really pulled it off.
“Ah, Sombra there you are! You are just in time. I was just about to explain what you and the rest of the volunteers would be doing tonight. Would you please go stand with the rest of them,” she said pointing to the other side of the alleyway.
Sombra nodded and walked over to join his fellow volunteers. He saw a few ponies he knew in the crowd, the local DJ Vinyl Scratch, her cellist marefriend Octavia, and the local clockmaker Time Turner. He nodded his head in greetings and stood beside them and some other pony near the end of the crowd.
“Now that we’re all here,” Luna began smirking at Sombra, “I would like to thank you all for volunteering to help tonight. Now what you all will be doing is very simple. I will be dividing all or you into groups of two…”
“Psst hey,” a small voice whispered from Sombra’s side.
Sombra peered over his shoulder at the pony that whispered to him. The pony was wearing a skin tight body suit with homemade black leather armor plates sewn into the fabric. A black hood adorned with Nightmare Moons symbol at the top obscured the pony’s face. “Hmm,” Sombra replied raising an eyebrow at the pony.
“Aren’t you the pony that burned down the orphanage?” the pony whispered.
“Am I interrupting something Sombra?” Princess Luna cut in, instantly cutting off Sombra’s reply to the pony.
“Of course not Nightmare,” Sombra answered giving Luna a shamed smile.
“Good, now as I was saying your essential duties tonight are to assist my Nightmare Guard in collecting the candy at the drop point that you and your partner are assigned too. Pretty simple really; now does anypony have any questions?”
“No? Alright then I’ll now assign you all to your partners.”
“Let’s see, Vinyl you of course will be with Octavia. Mr. Turner you will be with Bulk Biceps,” Luna went down the line of the crowd until there were only two ponies left. Sombra and the one pony in the hood. “Ahh, Yes Sombra you will be with Miss Heartstrings there,” she said pointing to the pony in the hood.
Sombra nodded his head than instantly stopped and whipped his head back to the pony in the hood. His eyes widened as the pony pulled back her hood revealing her face. “Sweet, what’s up partner?” she said giving Sombra a big cheesy smile.
Sombra sat silently in front of the stage his back leaning against the wall. He sat there contemplating what he should do with his current predicament. Thankfully to Sombra’s relief as soon as they were assigned as partners and released by Nightmare, Lyra excused herself to in her own words, “use the little filly’s room.” Giving Sombra some much needed time to gather his thoughts.
“Alright Sombra just calm down,” he silently mumbled to himself. “So you have to spend the whole night in the company of your crush? Pfft, big deal that’s nothing. You’re King Sombra for crying out loud you can handle this. Do you know how many stallions would kill to be in your situation right now? Tons of them; hell you would be among them killing them all and bathing in their blo-”
“What was that Sombra?” Lyra interrupted startling Sombra out of his mumbled musings.
“Nothing,” Sombra yelped jumping up onto his hooves, “Just trying to figure out what groceries I need to buy tomorrow,” he lamely covered.
“Right, trying to remember if you need to pick up milk or not,” Lyra smirked.
“Yeah, something like that,” Sombra said scratching the back of his head.
Lyra softly giggled and shook her head, “Come on let’s go find a good seat. Nightmare’s show starts soon and I want a good seat before the crowd gets here,” she said with a smile.
“Sure sounds good,” he said surveying the surroundings, “How bout there?” he pointed to a closed nearby café that had a few tables set out on its patio.
“Oh, that’s perfect! Come on let’s go,” she said before trotting away to the table.
Sombra followed and took the seat across from her at the small round patio table. Lyra smiled at him and Sombra gave her a shy little half grin. Lyra looked away and began tapping her hooves against the table, “Sooooo, Are you the stallion that burned down the orphanage?” she asked turning her head quickly back to him.
Sombra stared down at the table, “Well uhh you see,” Sombra scratched the back of his neck and looked back up at Lyra. “Yes I am,” he said with a grimace.
“Good, I never liked Heart and what she was doing to those foals,” Lyra shuddered. “She deserved to die like that.”
Sombra stared at her and shock then began to chuckle, “I’m sure a lot of ponies agreed to it once they found out about her little hobby,” he said with a dark smile.
Lyra returned the smile, “So Sombra what do you do?”
“Hi Dad,” an orange blur said as it interrupted Sombra and collided with his chest.
“Scootaloo, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with your friends?” Sombra asked prying the orange filly off his chest and placing her in his lap.
“Oh, they’re right over there,” she said pointing to the gathering crowd in front of the stage, “I saw you over here so I asked if it was okay if I sat with you during the show.”
“And was it okay?”
“Well Minuette didn’t care, but Derpy said she would feel more comfortable if I stayed with the group. So I sneaked over here without her knowing,” Scootaloo smiled up at Sombra.
“That’s my girl,” he said ruffling her mane.
“Well how’s it going squirt?” Lyra called from across the table.
Scootaloo’s ears perked up and she looked across the table, “Miss Heartstrings what are you doing here?” she exclaimed excitedly.
Lyra smirked and looked at Sombra, “I’m your dad's partner for tonight festivities.”
“That’s cool! I really like your costume.”
“Yours has me beat kiddo. Did your dad help you make that?”
“Mhmm, he cast a couple of-”
“Hold on how do you two know each other?” Sombra interjected.
Scootaloo looked up at her dad like he just asked why Rainbow Dash is the best flyer in Equestria, “Miss Heartstrings is the music teacher at school,” she deadpanned.
“She is?” Sombra asked looking at Lyra.
“I am,” Lyra smiled.
“Come on Dad I’ve told you several times that my music teacher is called Miss Heartstrings,” Scootaloo glared.
“You have?” Sombra questioned looking confused.
“Yea! I swear you never listen to me sometimes,” Scootaloo said rolling her eyes.
“Well in my defense you normally talk about Rainbow Dash all the time. So I must have tuned it out thinking you were going on about Rainbow again,” Sombra smirked at his daughter.
“Hmph,” Scootaloo pouted and looked away from Sombra.
“You two are cute together,” Lyra giggled at them.
Both Sombra and Scootaloo blushed and diverted their gaze from her. Making Lyra to burst out in a fit of giggles, causing Sombra and Scootaloo too blush even deeper, both having their own reasons for doing so.
“I’m not cute,” Scootaloo grumbled.
Sombra forced his blush away with some help from his dark magic and cleared his throat, “So you’re a music teacher?”
“Yup I’m the music teacher at good old Ponyville Element-” she stopped; distracted by an eerie fog that began to issue forth from the stage, “Hold on. It looks like the show is about to start,” she grinned turning to the stage and as if waiting for her cue a ball of green fire flashed on the stage engulfing it.
“Well, well, well, look at all the tasty ponies just waiting to be gobbled up,” Princess Luna said, her voice echoing into every pony’s ears.
Sombra payed no mind to this though. He didn’t even flinch when the green fire started to spew little flaming skulls as Princess Luna emerged from within it. He didn’t even listen to Luna’s speech. Why would he? He already knew the story of Nightmare Night. In fact it can even be debated that he was the cause for the creation of Nightmare Moon, but that is a debate for the scholars. Not Sombra, he honestly doesn’t care if he accidently created this holiday in some way. That’s in the past.
He looked down at Scootaloo. The little filly enthralled in Princess Luna’s little stage show. He faintly smiled at her. He glanced over at Lyra and caught her looking at him in the corner of her eye. She quickly diverted her gaze back to the stage and Sombra noticed a faint blush on her cheeks. Sombra turned back to the stage, but not really looking at it, with a blush of his own.
The show had ended and Scootaloo excused herself so she could sneak back into her nightmare nighting group leaving Sombra alone with Lyra once again. They both sat in silence watching as the crowd dispersed to other parts of town to participate in other activities. Once the crowd had greatly thinned out Sombra turned to Lyra, “Shall we?” he asked.
Lyra flicked her hood back up over her head, “Let's,” she replied.
“So we had just finished performing for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna at the royal concert hall. And right after the ovation for me and the kids. Diamond Tiera lets out this massive fart that was heard all the way in the balconies. Of course the whole audience bursts out in laughter. I’ll be honest I didn’t even know that the vast majority of Canterlot nobles were capable of laughter. So there I am holding back my own laughter. I actually had to walk off the stage before I started laughing at her as well. Because as an educator it would look bad if I also laughed at her in public, even if she did deserve it,” Lyra said to Sombra as they walked through the Ponyville Park on their way to their designated candy pick up point. Sombra had asked her about her job and had led her to recall one of her most difficult experience as Ponyville Elementary resident music teacher, “On the ride back to Ponyville she had the gall to try and blame it on little Dinky but we all knew it was her. She’s such a little shit.” she chuckled.
“Yeah I know. I have personal experience with the little brat,” Sombra darkly chuckled with her.
“She’s not picking on Scootaloo again is she?” she asked in concern.
“Not anymore,” he grinned, showing off his fangs.
Lyra stopped and looked at Sombra, “You’re not the reason why she and her best friend are in therapy for night terrors are you?” She questioned leering at him with a raised eyebrow.
Sombra’s cocky grin quickly turned into a nervous one under Lyra’s gaze. “I uhh…can neither confirm nor deny that question,” he mumbled.
Lyra continued to glare at him until he started to sweat from the pressure. She then smiled, “Good, I always believed those two needed some tough love. But as their teacher I can’t really condone your actions of attacking their fragile minds,” She frowned and snarled, “So you’re not doing it any more are you?”
“No mam,” he squeaked shaking his head as fast as he could.
She smiled again and patted him on the head, “Good boy, you’re rather cute and I really didn’t want to kick your flank tonight,” she said before turning around and continuing on her way through the park.
Sombra stood there watching her walk away. He smiled and ran to catch up with her. “So what made you want to become a teacher?” he asked once he caught back up to her.
“In all honesty I kind of just fell in to it. My parents were pushing me to declare a second major and I just kind of took teaching classes just to satisfy them. Seriously didn’t think I would be making a career out of it, but hey I enjoy it so it’s whatever, and seeing how happy I make the kids is always a bonus.” she shrugged.
“What else did you study?”
“Well my minor was in music of course, and my other major was in Theoretical Interdimensional Anthropology.”
Sombra stopped in his tracks, “Theoretical what now?”
Lyra stopped as well and blushed, “It’s this weird off shoot of anthropology were we theorize how life might of evolved in other dimesons of reality. It’s not taken seriously as a real science at the moment since there is no real way to prove our theories. Most ponies laugh at us and call us crazy when we try to discuss our field in the scientific community,” she said awkwardly looking away.
“Hmm,” Sombra hummed scratching his chin. “You modern ponies have some interesting ways of thinking back in my time we wouldn’t have even thought of making a field of study on hypothetical creatures. Of course back then we were too busy trying to kill each other and study magic that shouldn’t be studied. Ahh the memories,” he smiled.
“How old are you again?”
“That doesn’t matter,” he waved off the question. “So the reason you’re all considered a bunch a quacks is because you can’t travel between dimensions to prove your theories?”
“Pretty much, I was just given a huge grant by the Equestrian Council of Scientific Advancement to try and put together this interdimensional gate I’ve been working on but the damn think keeps exploding in the basement. It’s really starting to annoy my roommate…and Princess Twilight.”
“Wait, are you the cause of all the earthquakes we been getting these past few months?”
“Yeah,” Lyra scratched the back of her head. “My magic isn’t strong enough to keep the internal matrix core intact. I’ve tried everything I even brought in ten other unicorns to see if our magic combined could keep it together but it still blew up in our faces,” she sighed.
“Have you considered using dark magic on it?” Sombra asked as he continued walking again.
Lyra followed, “I haven’t, I have considered it though but I don’t know any and neither do any of my colleagues. And do you know how hard it is to learn dark magic? First you got to take an eight week long class just to receive a permit that allows you to learn it. Then it’s a two year long class just to learn the most basic spells and then you have to take another class to receive another permit to allow you to learn the next level of spells. I mean I understand why the princesses have the system set up that way but who has that kind of time to learn advance dark magic? Did you have to go through all that to learn dark magic?”
“No, I just had to steal some forbidden books from the crystal library, sell my soul to some demons, then kill said demons, kill a few dozen ponies, devour their hearts, and boom I was the embodiment of the dark arcane arts.”
“See that sounds way simpler then the few hundred pages of paperwork a pony has to go through just to sign up for the first permit class.”
“Would you like me to take a look at it?”
“At the paperwork? Nah, I gave up on that.”
“No I mean your gate thing. Would you like me to take a look at that?”
“Would you?” she happily asked.
“Sure. I can’t guarantee I’d be a great help, but maybe I could help you get in the right direction.”
“Really? That would be a great help actually. Thanks Sombra!” she exclaimed grabbing him into a hug.
Sombra hesitantly returned the hug, “Don’t mention it.”
Lyra jumped from their embrace and looked around the park, “I think our pick up point is somewhere around here.”
“I see the statue over there,” Sombra said pointing a hoof further down their path.
“How? All I see is dark. How can you tell,” Lyra asked peering off in the direction Sombra pointed at.
Sombra lit up the white of his eyes turning them into a sickly green color and stared at Lyra with a look that screamed, “Really?”
“Oh hush it’s not every day I hang out with a vessel of pure darkness,” Lyra huffed.
Sombra chuckled.
Sombra and Lyra approached the Nightmare Moon statue that was put up for the night’s festivities and noticed something was missing.
“Hey Sombra?”
“Yeah?”
“What time is it?”
“A little bit past nine.”
“And what time were the children supposed to drop off the candy?”
“Around 8:40ish”
“So where’s the candy,” Lyra asked.
“I don’t know Lyra, but we are going to find out,” Sombra said casting a spell that illuminated the tracks of anypony that had passed through the area in the past couple of hours.
“A tracking spell, nice,” Lyra praised.
“I always found that it is best to have a spell for every occasion that may occur,” Sombra said while examining the hoof prints around him. “The small hoof prints leading to and away from the statue are clearly the foals, but there are also several sets of larger hoof prints leading away from the statue in the opposite direction.”
“Think they belong to whoever took the candy?”
“Only one way to find out, come on Lyra,” he said following the tracks with Lyra tailing closely behind.
They crept along in silence with only the sickly red glow of Sombra’s horn giving them light as they left the lit path of the park and ventured into the darker parts of Ponyville Park; which oddly enough eventually leads to the decently lighted Ponyville Residential District.
“I think we’re getting close,” Sombra whispered.
“What makes you say that?” Lyra whispered.
“Hey bro, toss me some of that candy we stole from the nightmare moon statue,” Somepony shouted.
“Call it a hunch.”
Lyra rolled her eyes as they rounded a corner and entered a normal looking cul-de-sac. Well normal if your idea of normal suburbian housing included a smash egg motif on a good 70% of the neighboring houses. Then yes normal, but Sombra and Lyra didn’t find this normal. In fact this made Sombra a little upset.
“What are you colts doing?!” Sombra shouted at the three teenage colts that were standing in the middle of the cul-de-sac.
All three of the colts jumped at the voice and turned around. One colt, a unicorn, in attempt to save face with his group of friends put on a tough face and stepped forward, “You better walk away Pops if you know what’s good for ya!”
“Pops?” Sombra said stopping in his tracks confused. “Was that supposed to be threating?” He asked looking at Lyra.
Lyra shrugged giving him a baffled look.
The colt snorted and tried to look menacing, “Look Pops just take your girl and get out of here. You don’t want to mess with us. We’re the Three Camel Gang! Perhaps you’ve heard of us,” he finished with pride in his voice.
“But you’re not camels. You’re a unicorn and two earth ponies…also since when does Ponyville have a gang problem?” Lyra questioned.
“Yeah, what she said,” Sombra added confused himself.
“Jus…just shut up! We’ve already stole Nightmare Moon’s candy tonight. Who knows what we might do next. We might even kill a pony!” the teenage unicorn stammered.
“Right…here this is what you are going to do you’r-”
Suddenly the teenage unicorn lashed a spell at Sombra!
Sombra raise a brow in annoyance and simply deflected the red bolt of energy aside into a nearby bush setting it aflame. The unicorn frowned in defiance and started to launch more spells at Sombra, while his two friends decided to leave the candy behind and bolt for it. They knew a lost cause when they saw it. Sombra sighed and deflected all of the teenage colts attacks with ease, sending the rest of the neighborhoods shrubs aflame as well. The teenager paused in his attack for a second in his attack giving Sombra an opening. He fired a spell at the teenagers’ horn sealing his magic.
“Now let me tell you what’s going to happen,” Sombra said glaring at the teenage colt as he approached him. “First you’re going to give me back the candy you stole, second you’re going to put out these fires, and three,” he grabbed the colt with his magic and yanked him towards him so he could glower directly into the colts eyes, “you are going to clean the eggs off of that house,” he said pointing at an egg covered house.
“Why …tha…that house?” the Colt meekly questioned, trembling in fear from Sombra’s gaze.
“CAUSE IT IS MY HOUSE!”
Luna snorted in agitation, “Where in Equestria is your father?” she asked, looking down at the sleeping form of Scootaloo.
Scootaloo replied with a snore and snuggled deeper into her candy bag that she was currently using as a pillow.
“No fare your aunt wants to sleep too. Wake up and be miserable with me,” she said poking Scootaloo in the side.
Scootaloo ignored her and rolled over.
“Princess would you like me to go looking for Sombra and Miss Heartstrings?” one of her guards asked.
“No let’s give them another five minutes before we send out the search parties,” she sighed. “Go gather the men and tell them to prepare for it, just in case though.”
The guard saluted and walked off.
Luna sighed again, “I do-” she stopped her ears perking up from an approaching sound.
“Oh Celestia that face he made when you told him he missed a spot. I was so sure he was going to piss himself,” Lyra laughed.
“I’m pretty sure he did a little bit,” Sombra chuckled as they walked side by side down the street heading towards Luna.
“There you two are!” Luna shouted, “Do you have any idea how worried I was.”
“Sorry Nightmare,” Sombra apologized. “We hit a little snag and it delayed us a bit,” he said levitating the bag of candy onto the back of a guard.
“A snag?”
“Nothing you need to worry about Mam,” Lyra giggled.
Luna raised a questioning eyebrow at her.
“Where’s Scootaloo?” Sombra asked looking around.
“Sleeping with her bag of candy,” she said gesturing to sleeping filly at her side. “When you didn’t show up when you were supposed to Miss Derpy and Colgate asked if I would watch her till you showed up.”
“I’m sorry, were you waiting long?”
“Only about an hour,” Luna deadpanned.
“Hehe,” Sombra nervously chuckled. “I’ll buy you lunch tomorrow at work to make it up to you,” he quickly said as he levitated Scootaloo and her candy onto his back. “See you tomorrow, come on Lyra I’ll walk you home,” he said walking away as quickly and nonchalantly as he could with Lyra on his tail.
Luna watched them go and frowned.
“Is everything alright Princess?” one of her guards asked.
“Luna snorted. “Yes I’m just tired. I’ll leave the rest to you. I’m heading home and heading to bed,” she said taking flight and soaring through her night sky.
“I think she’s mad at you,” Lyra whispered to him once she caught up to him.
“Yup, I’m probably going to be buying her lunch all week,” Sombra sighed.
They walked in comfortable silence with only the occasional gentle snoring of the slumbering Scootaloo breaking it. Every now and then Sombra would glance over at Lyra only to catch her looking at him as well. She would quickly look away and lightly blush. Sombra did the same. It wasn’t long till they reached the candy store/ apartment that Lyra resided in.
Lyra turned to Sombra, “Well this is me.”
“Yeah,” Sombra said, scratching his head carefully as to not disturb the sleeping filly on his back. “I had fun tonight.”
“Same here,” Lyra smiled.
“Soooooooo…”
“Hmm?”
“Would yo-,” Sombra coughed clearing his throat, “Would you like to go out…sometime?”
“Like a date?”
“Um, yes”
“Sure I love too,” she said leaning in to give Sombra a kiss on the cheek. She pulled back and gave Sombra a wink before opening her door and slipping inside.
She closed the door leaving a dumbfounded Sombra behind. He just stood there unblinking and unmoving. Until a very loud snore from Scootaloo brought him back to his senses, he smiled and started to make his way back home.