Rocky Introductions
"We're going to make rock candy necklaces together!" Pinkie exclaimed ecstatically, her eyes squeezed shut out of sheer excitement. She gasped loudly as she put her hooves to her face and squished her cheeks together as she realized something, her pupils dilating to starry blackness. "Did I tell you how it's a family tradition?"
"Yes, dear, you have," Sombra replied flatly, then added quietly, "multiple times..."
Sombra was sitting next to his eccentric marefriend on the train platform, his eyes half-lidded in annoyed impatience as Pinkie continued to bounce erratically. Despite being extremely fond of the party pony, his patience was wearing beyond thin.
"We've done it ever since we were fillies!" Pinkie continued, oblivious to Sombra's annoyance as she bounced in place, "She taught me how to make the secret Pie family rock candy with a secret ingredient!"
"And let me guess..." Sombra said, his eyes closed as he resisted the urge to snap at her, "the secret ingredient is rocks?"
"Yeah!" Pinkie chirped, then quirked a brow upwards as she looked at him incredulously, "Wow, are you psychic?"
"No, I'm not psy--" Sombra stopped himself as he thought better of his reply and smiled humorlessly, "Yes, Pinkie, I have the ability to see into the future and read minds."
Pinkie gasped. "Really?!"
Sombra groaned as he smacked a hoof to his forehead in irritation. "Why do I like you so much...?" he grumbled, dragging his hoof down his face.
Pinkie giggled and pulled him into a side hug with her foreleg. "Because I'm fun!" she replied enthusiastically, then added slyly, "And because of this..."
Sombra wasn't prepared for Pinkie planting a kiss on his cheek, his aggravatedly down turned ears perking upwards as her action fully registered within his mind. A faint blush covered his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, making him resemble Pinkie, in a strange sense.
Sombra sighed in surrender and turned to look at her with a small smile. "You make it difficult to hate you," he told her, nuzzling her nose affectionately with his.
"Aw, you're so sweet!" Pinkie exclaimed, returning the action, then stopped as she added, "I think."
Sombra chuckled. "Take it as a compliment, Pinks," he said, leaning his forehead against hers.
Pinkie leaned in return and planted a kiss on his nose. "Let's just hope Maud thinks so," she said, looking off to the side worriedly, "I mean, she's great and all, but--"
"Don't worry," he interrupted, putting a hoof to her lips to silence her, "if she's as easy-going as you say, then what do we have to worry about?"
Pinkie smiled at him. "Thank you, Sombry," she told him, but her smile wavered briefly, "But Maud can be really--"
She was interrupted by the sound of the train whistle resonating through the station, the sound growing louder as the train grew closer. Pinkie's eyes widened and gasped dramatically as she released Sombra, the force of her action knocking Sombra onto his back.
"She's here!" Pinkie cried, putting her hooves to her face excitedly, "Maud's here!"
Sombra let out an annoyed huff as he got up from the platform floor. "She better be worth the fuss..." Sombra grumbled, brushing off his shoulder.
Pinkie ignored him as she continued to bounce around erratically, letting out excited squeals as she appeared in random area of the train station. Sombra sighed as he sat down once more, trying hard not to comment on how annoying his special somepony was being.
"Ooo, I can't wait 'til she meets you!" she exclaimed, appearing above Sombra's head upside down, "I mean, she's super fun and you're super fun!"
Pinkie appeared next to him, leaning out from nowhere as she pulled at his cheek affectionately.
"She's going to love you!" she cried, moving his cheek up and down, "I mean, you're adorable!"
Sombra didn't have time to smack her hoof away as she appeared on the other side of him, her neck stretched out to a frightening length.
"But, she can be really overbearing with my coltfriends," she admitted, her expression losing it mirthfulness, "I mean, like back when Baritone and I were dating! She nearly scared the poor guy off!"
Sombra scoffed at the mention of Pinkie's ex, who he had the misfortune of meeting on the previous Hearts and Hooves Day, along with his new marefriend, Bell Perin. Despite claiming his faithfulness to Pinkie before their separation, Baritone had gone and gotten a new mare to be with once he moved to Canterlot, who he had the intention to propose to.
"Your caitiff of an ex might have been intimidated by your sister," Sombra said, looking to Pinkie at his side, "but you forget who you're with. I am the King of Fear itself, darling. I brought fear and darkness upon an entire race, who still shiver at the sheer mention of my name."
Pinkie frowned. "Yeaaaaah, you might wanna keep that to yourself," she told him, joining him in sitting down by his side, "Maud might get a teensy weensy bit worried if she finds out I'm dating the ex-ruler of a recently returned kingdom... Who I happen to be the reformer of."
Sombra chuckled. "If you're worried I'm going to start spouting off about ruling the Empire, you shouldn't," he told her, leaning over to her, "I've grown rather fond of this town, despite the ruggedness and grapevine social life it holds."
Pinkie smiled and leaned towards him in return. "That's good to hear," she said.
"Perhaps a reward is in order...?" Sombra suggested, his nose touching hers, "I've been nothing less of good, you know."
Pinkie giggled. "Looks like you've earned something sweet..." she told him, closing her eyes as she leaned towards him.
"Pinkie Pie?" they heard a voice say, totally devoid of emotion.
PInkie froze as her eyes popped open, her gaze immediately darting over to the arrived train car.
"MAUD!" she cried, pushing away from Sombra as she darted towards her older sister.
Sombra let out a surprised yell as he tumbled to the train platform once more, his eyes lolling about as he tried to regain his sense of composure. With a shake of his head, Sombra finally got rid of the dizziness and stood up, brushing himself off again as he looked over to the train car.
Pinkie excitedly bounced around a mare who Sombra could only assume to be Maud, who remained unfazed by her younger sibling's antics. Her flat, grayish violet mane clashed against Pinkie's curly, vibrant magenta, while her coat was a Persian blueish gray, covered by a blue smock, adorned by a solid black belt.
"You're here, you're here, you're here!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing with every word, "I'm so, so, so excited!"
Maud didn't even smile at her sister, her gaze only following Pinkie stoically as she remained expressionless. Once Pinkie bounced around her a couple more times, Maud's gaze flickered over to Sombra, her expression not even twitching as she looked him over.
"You must be Sombra," she said, no emotion in her tone, "Pinkie mentioned you in her letters."
Sombra resisted the urge to frown at how Pinkie told him over and over again about how Maud and Pinkie exchanged letters with one another, discussing the things that went on in their life. Pinkie had mentioned to him several times how Maud had been interested in meeting him, though he was beginning to doubt that as their meeting continued.
"Pinkie told me about how you two write to one another," Sombra told her, then added, "you two must be very close."
Maud blinked, her eyes completely solid as she continued to stare at him. "Yes," she replied simply, "we've been close since we were fillies."
Sombra quirked a brow upwards as he looked at Maud, then at Pinkie, who was bouncing around like she normally did, then back at Maud, who remained stoic. It was so strange to see two ponies of the same bloodline act so different, especially since one of them didn't live up to the description of the other's. No matter how many times it was told.
'Maybe she's shy...?' Sombra thought, remembering how Fluttershy had been the same way. Granted, he had tried to bite her in their first meaning, but it was still the same, nonetheless.
"Come on, let's head on down to Sugarcube Corner!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing towards Sombra, "I want to show Maud all the rock candy!"
Without a second's hesitation, Pinkie hopped onto Sombra's back, resting at his neck as she snuggled into his mane. Maud remained unfazed by Pinkie's behavior, despite the fact she was getting cozy with Sombra in front of her.
"Onward forth, Sombry!" Pinkie cried, pointing a hoof forward dramatically as she leaned forward.
Sombra chuckled and shook his head, but his smile showed his amusement. "You're such a dork," he told her, looking up at her.
Pinkie frowned as she looked down at him. "Am not!"
"Are, too," Sombra said simply, "I refuse to argue with you on the matter."
Pinkie frowned at him for another moment, but then grinned cheekily. "Okie dokie lokie!" she said, snuggling back into him.
Maud walked over to his side, still emotionally stoic as she did so. "I can't wait," she told them, her tone lacking in the excitement Sombra thought she meant to convey.
Sombra quirked a brow upwards once more, but decided that questioning a possible future-in-law would be less than wise, especially since first impressions can't be done over.
'Besides,' he thought, 'what's the worse that could happen?'
* * *
'I can't believe we're finally here,' Sombra thought, relief washing over him, 'I thought that walk would never end!'
To say the travel to Sugarcube Corner was less than awkward would be a lie, especially coming from Sombra, who was at the epicenter of the interaction. He had been praying for the bakery to come into his sights as the discomfort of the situation began to grow for him, but not for the two mares accompanying him.
'Thank the gods Pinkie is sociable,' he prayed silently, 'she at least managed to keep it from being quiet.'
"Oooo, the bakery!" Pinkie exclaimed, perching atop Sombra's head, "We're here!"
Sombra fought against his urge to show his relief visibly, not wanting Maud to feel as though she were bothering him. Although Sombra wasn't sure if she was capable of being able to feel anything, he didn't want to risk getting on her bad side.
With a little more of canter to his step, Sombra walked over to the bakery and entered with Pinkie and Maud, the former of the two leaping off of him.
"So, while we're here, we can-- Holy Mandy, that's a lot of candy!" Sombra exclaimed, his eyes widening as they took in the mountainous heaps of multi-colored rock candy.
'Curse you, Pinkie...' he thought, resisting the urge to frown, 'you're rhyming nature has rubbed off on me...'
Pinkie laughed. "Yeah, I went a little overboard..." she said, rubbing the back of her head nervously, "I just wanted to make sure we had enough to make necklaces."
Sombra gave her a deadpan look. "Pinks, we have enough rock candy to end world hunger," he told her, raising his eyebrows, "remind me to bring this to a donation center later on."
"You do charity work?" Maud questioned, though her tone gave no indication of it being one.
Sombra shrugged. "Not necessarily, no," he told her, then froze as he realized that one of the few things he had said to her since their meeting at the station.
"I see," Maud said, her tone holding nothing for him to go on.
"Oh, I gotta tell the Cakes that you're here!" Pinkie exclaimed, clapping her hooves excitedly, "They've been dying to meet you!"
"Er, are you sure it can't wait until--" Sombra trailed off as Pinkie bounced out of the room, totally ignoring him. With a wary gaze, Sombra turned to look at Maud, who remained emotionless, which was starting worry Sombra to a degree.
'Come on, Sombra, say something,' he told himself, putting on a determined look, 'You've faced worse things than this. You ruled an entire Empire, for Tartarus' sake!'
"So..." he started, feeling uncomfortable, "Pinkie tells me you that study rocks?"
Maud blinked slowly in response. "I think you and I both know that that's not what this is about," she said, her tone and expression unchanging.
Sombra blinked in surprise. "Beg pardon?" he questioned, taken aback by her statement.
Maud walked over to him, her expressionless face making her seem even more intimidating than having a negative expression. In no time, she was in front of him, her light turquoise eyes bearing a stoic malice within their depths.
"Pinkie tells me everything that goes on in her life in her letters," she told him, her tone never shifting.
"E-Everything?" Sombra stammered, uncharacteristically unnerved by Maud's implication.
Maud nodded rigidly. "Pinkie is rather fond of you," she said, "I can see why. You're handsome, well-toned and let's not forget the stuff you can do between the sheets."
Sombra's jaw dropped. "She told you about that?!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide with horror.
Maud nodded once more. "She's rather... descriptive," she said, pausing for a moment as she looked off to the side briefly, as if she were coming to terms with what she just said, though she remained stoic.
Sombra's face turned a brilliant shade of red as he tried to process what he just heard, his shock taking over him.
"But, those things mean nothing to me," she told him, "I think about the aspects of a pony. And by Pinkie's letters, you appear to display some... negative qualities."
Sombra closed his gaping maw as he frowned at her. "No one's perfect," he argued gently, not wanting to push his luck with her.
Maud nodded in acknowledgement. "I realize that," she answered stoically, "but Pinkie's my sister. She deserves nothing less of perfection."
Sombra gave her an incredulous look. "Wow, you're overprotective," he told her, his eyes wide, "Pinkie wasn't kidding."
"I love my sister," she said flatly, "I care about her and I want what's best for her."
Sombra gave her a hard look. "I care about her, too," he told her, "and I want her to be happy more than anything."
Maud gave him a long stare before she said, "Strange. I recall Baritone saying the same thing."
Sombra gaped at her once more, totally caught off-guard by her implication.
"And we all know how that ended," Maud said, "he ran off with another mare, ready to propose, even though he said he wanted to be with Pinkie."
"I am nothing like that coward," Sombra growled, "I don't get cold hooves when I see another pretty face walk by."
Maud continued to stare at him. "There's that temper Pinkie mentioned," she mused aloud, "she was right when she said your nose scrunches up when you're upset. I can't make the same claim on it being 'the most adorable thing ever', however."
Sombra stopped glowering at her as he self-consciously put a hoof to his nose. "She said it was adorable?" he repeated, poking at his nose softly.
Maud blinked slowly. "I'm surprised you two have gotten this far," she told him, but her expression held no sign of the before mentioned emotion, "despite your physical appeal, I see nothing for you to offer emotionally wise."
Sombra glared at her and opened his mouth to respond, but closed it when he saw Pinkie making her way back into the room.
"We'll finish this discussion later," he said quietly, his eyes narrowed.
"No need," Maud told him, "I already have all I need to know."
"Hi, guys!" Pinkie chirped, hopping over to Sombra's side, "Whatcha talkin' about?"
Sombra was tempted to tell her about their discussion, but his eyes cut across to Maud, whose face remained stoic, but her eyes held something else. It prevented him from wanting to share his concerns and thoughts on her, putting a small spike of fear into his heart.
He was genuinely terrified of the mare before him.
"Er, nothing," he told Pinkie, looking back at her with a nervous smile, "we were talking about great we think you are."
"Aw!" Pinkie exclaimed, pulling him into a hug, "You're so sweet!"
Sombra laughed nervously. "Right... Sweet..." he repeated, looking over her shoulder at Maud.
Pinkie pulled away and giggled as she looked at him. "You're so cute!" she said randomly, nuzzling his nose.
Sombra glanced over at Maud once more as Pinkie affectionately nuzzled him, not sure how to respond with Maud watching them.
"Is something the matter?" Pinkie asked, pulling away as she quirked a brow in questioning.
Sombra laughed nervously again. "No, nothing!" he said quickly, "I just, uh..."
'Dammit, why am I being so flustered?' he thought irritably, 'Damn you, Maud! You did this to me!'
"You're worried about Twilight wondering where you are, aren't you?" Pinkie questioned, giving him a knowing look.
"Er, right!" he replied, "I think Sparkler's probably wondering where I am now!"
'Thank the gods...' he thought, looking up to the Heavens briefly.
"You should probably get going," Pinkie told him, giving him a small smile, "I'll see you later, OK?"
Sombra nodded and smiled in return. "I'll be sure to," he replied.
Pinkie giggled and leaned over, her lips brushing across his cheek lightly. "Bye, Sombry!"
"Bye, Pinks," he told her, nuzzling into her head lightly with his, hoping to make up for not returning her Eskimo kiss from earlier.
Without another word, Sombra got up from his spot on the floor and walked out of the rock candy filled bakery, praying to the gods above that Maud wouldn't be apart of his day again.
* * *
'Alright, so Sparkler wasn't at the library,' Sombra thought as he walked through the town, 'I don't know what that princess is up to, but something tells me Maud is involved somehow.'
By what Sombra had so far from Maud, it wouldn't be so much of a surprise if everypony else was uncomfortable with her lack of emotion and movement in general. That, and her no-bars-to-hold-her-back honesty.
'Applejack could take a lesson,' Sombra mused, the southern pony popping into his mind, 'I wonder if Pinkie will notice how the others will react...?'
Sombra shook his head as he dismissed that thought, remembering how Pinkie tended to be oblivious to others' feelings. Although she meant well with her actions, sometimes it was hard to remember with her quirky behavior and actions.
Sombra felt his heart drop a bit as he caught sight of the bakery, reminding him of his encounter with Maud. But, just as he was about to turn away, he looked back as he recognized Pinkie and her best friends, all of whom were surrounding the front door of the bakery as Pinkie stood in it.
'What are they all doing there?' he thought to himself, walking over to investigate. From where he was standing, he could barely make out the girls talking to Pinkie about something, the expressions on their faces showing that what they had to say wasn't positive.
But, when Sombra managed to get close enough, he saw Pinkie's voluminous, messy mane flatten out a bit, the fluffiness disappearing as Pinkie's smile did. Sombra felt alarm take over as he remembered all the times Pinkie's mane had flattened out, the results being nothing less of positive.
'I have to get over there!' he thought, rushing over to the bakery with determination. As he made his way over, Pinkie disappeared back into the bakery, her head hung low her poofy tail dragged against the ground in a pathetic manner.
Worried by the sight of his special somepony being depressed, Sombra dashed over to the bakery, not slowing down until he was within ten feet of the vicinity. Sombra slid to a stop as Twilight and the rest of the mares were about to leave, stopping just in front of the steps of Sugarcube Corner.
"Sombra?" Twilight questioned, her eyes wide with surprise, "What are you doing here?"
"Pinkie... Mane... Deflate..." he panted, leaping to his hooves, "What in Tartarus did you say to upset her?"
"We didn't mean to!" Applejack defended, stepping up, "It's just..."
"We were having a hard time getting along with Maud," Rarity told him, looking at her hooves, "And we didn't want to lie to Pinkie about it, so we told her about it."
The others nodded in agreement, letting out sounds of consent.
"You, too?" Sombra said, quirking a brow, "I guess I can find some comfort in knowing that."
"Maud was giving you a hard time?" Rainbow questioned, hovering over and near him, "I figured she'd be totally charmed by you!"
"Not even a little," Sombra said flatly, his ears turning downwards in annoyance, "she does not like me at all."
Twilight sighed. "She's Pinkie's sister," she told him, "she was just looking out for her."
Sombra's eyes widened as Twilight mentioned his special somepony and leaped to his hooves.
"Pinkie!" he exclaimed, rushing into the bakery.
Sombra looked left to right as he entered the bakery, the only thing in his gaze being the 200 pounds of multi-colored rock candy Pinkie had spent Tartarus knows how long making.
'All this fuss over Maud and she's the reason Pinkie's sad,' Sombra thought bitterly, glowering at the candy before him.
"Sombry?" he heard a voice say.
Sombra looked up as he found Pinkie at the top of the stairs, her mane hanging limply on her face and shoulders. Her normally bright eyes were dull and sad as she looked down at him, her surprise not as emotive as it could be.
"Are you alright?" he asked, rushing up the stairs. Sombra was in front of her in an instant, his eyes looking over her entire body with frantic worry. "I saw you outside the bakery and I--"
"It's fine, Sombry," she interrupted, holding up a hoof, "I'm fine."
Sombra frowned at her. "Liar," he said, wrapping a foreleg around her. He pulled her close to him, her head resting on his chest as wrapped his other foreleg around her small form in a hug.
"Sombry..." Pinkie said quietly, looking up at him, "I..."
"If talking makes you too upset, just don't say anything," he told her, looking down at her sad face, "I don't want you to start crying. It's not a good look for you."
Pinkie sighed as she snuggled her head into his chest, her forelegs wrapping around him as she closed her eyes. Whenever she was upset about something or just needed closure in general, she oftentimes found herself there, in Sombra's embrace. It was a frightening thing to realize that she loved it, especially because it was only the place she felt safe.
"I'm glad I have you..." she told him, snuggled into his coat.
"You should be," he told her simply, "I put up with you more than I should, though."
Pinkie smiled weakly. "I must be sad if your sarcasm is making me feel better."
Sombra tightened his hold on her. "I don't want you to be sad. It hurts me to see you like this."
Pinkie sighed as she looked up at him. "I can't help it," she told him, her eyes shining with tears, "I just feel so..."
"Shh..." Sombra brushed his nose against hers, his eyes softening as he looked into hers, "remember what I said about talking?"
Pinkie let out a ragged breath as she rested her head against his chest once more, her hold on him tightening as she held him closer to her. She could hear his heartbeat, the rhythm soothing her fraying nerves and numbing her sadness. It felt so right to feel safe in his embrace, all the dangers in the world meaning nothing to her as she remained there.
"I love you," she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear her.
Sombra blinked in surprise. "What?"
Pinkie froze in his hold. "Did I say that out loud?" she asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.
Sombra grinned at her flustered expression and chuckled. "Yes, you did, Dork," he answered.
A dark blush took over her cheeks. "I wasn't supposed to say that!" she said quickly, "At least... not now, anyway."
Sombra smiled at her as he looked into her eyes. "I'm not very patient, you know," he told her, "so it's best you told me now."
Pinkie giggled, then stopped as she remembered the reason for her sadness. "Everypony is having trouble getting along with Maud, Sombry."
Sombra frowned as he heard this, but he held her nonetheless. "I know," he admitted, "I have, too."
Pinkie gave him a bewildered look, which then turned into a grin as she busted out into laughter.
"What?" Sombra questioned, not appreciating her reaction.
"She scared you, didn't she?" Pinkie asked, still laughing, "I knew something happened when I left the room!"
Sombra frowned. "She did not scare me," he told her, his eyes narrowed.
Pinkie quirked a brow upwards. "Really?"
"She did, however, intimidate me to extremes," Sombra admitted, "who knew Pie mares were so frightening?"
"You should know by now!" Pinkie teased him, playfully hitting his foreleg.
"Perhaps..." he said, his gaze going over to the side for a brief moment, "but maybe I'd know if you were actually scary!"
Pinkie let out a surprised squeal as Sombra tackled her to the floor, giggling as Sombra joined in on the laughter.
"I can be scary!" Pinkie whined, giving him a fake glare.
Sombra chuckled. "I honestly doubt that, Miss 'Giggle-At-The-Ghosties'."
Pinkie scrunched her nose up angrily. "Hey!"
"I'm just teasing you, Pinks," he told her, leaning towards her, "besides, you do it to me all the time!"
"Do not!" Pinkie argued.
"Do, too!" Sombra argued back, his nose pressing into hers.
"Do not!" Pinkie pressed into his nose in return.
"Alright, I'm tired of arguing," Sombra told her, "Let's just say I won, alright?"
Pinkie frowned. "No way!" she exclaimed, "That's not fair!"
"I said I'm tired of arguing," he said, leaning towards her, "but I do feel like doing something else..."
Pinkie wasn't prepared for Sombra kissing her, her eyes widening in surprise. While soft and tender at first, it grew in intensity as she leaned into it. A few moments of kissing later, Sombra pulled away, grinning at Pinkie with soft eyes.
"Ya wanna know something, Dork?" he asked her, his tone soft and sweet as his lips remained close to hers.
"Hmm?" Pinkie questioned, her eyes half-lidded as she remained dazed from Sombra's drug-like kiss.
"I love you, too," he whispered, pressing his lips against hers.
As the couple continued to enjoy their significant others' company, they were totally unaware of the pair of eyes watching them.
"Perhaps I was wrong about you, Sombra," Maud mused out loud, watching as Sombra and Pinkie continued to kiss. "You may not be perfect..."
A small smile graced her lips, the first she made that day.
"...but neither is she. And that's what makes it so special."
And with that, Maud left the couple alone, content with knowing her sister was in good hooves.