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.
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. 
But, if you guys are sad about the story ending, fret not! There will be more installments to the SombraPie saga, I assure you!
Stats
Page generated in 0.025 seconds
Total duration
1,044 users online
1,797,930 hits today, 1,960,719 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
F
ck you Igneous. Sombra and Pinkie have been through enough without your stupid ass trying to scare them apart.
You're treading on thin ice, Sombra.
5125662
He isn't going to scare them apart. He doesn't know Sombra very well and he heard Pinkie talk about her pregnancy, then about how Sombra is uneasy about the subject and it just makes him worried more than anything. He dealt with a situation like this before and it didn't end well, though it will be elaborated later on. Sombra has a reason for his unease, as Igneous will soon learn and as will everyone else.
So... Sombra was an accident from a freak magic chain reaction? Wow. Talk about shocking.
Another great chapter, I can't wait for the balloon to pop, so to speak. Also I noticed you got featured AGAIN! Congrats, you deserve this.
Wait... what??!!! When in the conversation that Igneous overheard did Pinkie even imply that Sombra hurt her?
Love the chapter.
Well, at least Igneous is going to give Sombra a chance.
5125882
No, but he did hear Pinkie talking about doubting being a father and having foals, which, friendly reminder, is the same thing that happened with Baritone and it nearly destroyed Pinkie the first time around.
5126526 Oh, okay.
I think that it's a natural to be nervous about fatherhood. Sombra didn't exactly have an ideal childhood at any rate so his only real interaction with children are the Cake twins. Not to mention his history. I can imagine how much his children could be teased for having a reformed Dark Lord as a father. Then again that would also be awesome.
This is gonna turn into one mell of a hess later on
Soo...Marble and Trixie...how did that even happened?!
I thought Trixie hated her time in the rock farm. Still, it was a good plot twist and a way to make Sombra more accepted into the family.
5127305
She hated work on the rock farm because it ended badly between the two of them.
5127321 I hope you reveal more about what happened to them in future chapters because you piqued my interest.
Ahhhh! That flashback!
33.media.tumblr.com/f919b71ee80b60af2acbe6d383c2ab3e/tumblr_mh01pnKkJK1qdrfj3o2_250.gif
5126457
Yep, he is willing to be reasonable, and is more than willing to do what he has to to keep Pinkie happy, and Sombra knows hes doomed if he hurts Pinkie, which is why he'd never do it, because, A, he could never forgive himself, B, a lot, of ponies would be pissed.
5126457
Yep, he is willing to be reasonable, and is more than willing to do what he has to to keep Pinkie happy, and Sombra knows hes doomed if he hurts Pinkie, which is why he'd never do it, because, A, he could never forgive himself, B, a lot, of ponies would be pissed.
5126457
Yep, he is willing to be reasonable, and is more than willing to do what he has to to keep Pinkie happy, and Sombra knows hes doomed if he hurts Pinkie, which is why he'd never do it, because, A, he could never forgive himself, B, a lot, of ponies would be pissed.
5126457
Yep, he is willing to be reasonable, and is more than willing to do what he has to to keep Pinkie happy, and Sombra knows hes doomed if he hurts Pinkie, which is why he'd never do it, because, A, he could never forgive himself, B, a lot, of ponies would be pissed.
5126457
Yep, he is willing to be reasonable, and is more than willing to do what he has to to keep Pinkie happy, and Sombra knows hes doomed if he hurts Pinkie, which is why he'd never do it, because, A, he could never forgive himself, B, a lot, of ponies would be pissed.
I'm hyped for more chapters
So what, only one foal on the road? Not two?
I Am Bamboozled
I have a strange feeling that Igneous is going to try to intimidate Sombra into leaving Pinkie...
Anybody else getting that vibe?
Me too... but i don't think it will work
... OR WILL IT
Just A "talk" right?
Her door opens the other way