"Sombra, what's going on?" Twilight called out, barely managing to keep up with Sombra's strides.

"Conscience is in danger!" Sombra shouted back, "And if he's in trouble, then we've got big problems coming our way!"

'And Pinkie could be hurt,' he added to himself silently, but he refused to believe it. Conscience would get her out of there. He Pinkie Promised he would.

Suddenly, a loud, ear piercing scream broke through the halls, causing Sombra to feel his entire being to freeze in horror. That was Conscience! But, then that meant...

"Pinkie," Sombra breathed, "no..."

Twilight rushed up to Sombra's rigid being. "Sombra, we gotta hurry! Something bad is happening!"

Sombra blinked, his senses returning to him. He resumed his sprint, adamant on getting to Pinkie no matter the cost.

"Sombry?"

Sombra blinked. "Er, sorry, Pinks... I didn't hear what you said."

Pinkie frowned at him. "You've been quiet for most of the morning... Were the girls being mean during the tour?"

Sombra shook his head. "No, they were fine." He blinked. "Wait, you were there, so why are you asking?"

Pinkie cocked her head to the side. "Ask what?"

"You just asked about the girls during the tour and you were there for the tour," Sombra told her, "so why are you asking about what happened?"

"Why are we talking about the tour?" Pinkie asked.

"Because you asked about it!" Sombra replied.

"Did I?" Pinkie questioned, her brow arching in confusion, "Huh..."

Sombra sighed. "Alright, something's going on with you... Don't know what it is, but it's something..."

"What were we talking about?" Pinkie asked suddenly, "Was it cupcakes? Or maybe just cakes?"

Sombra put a hoof to his face. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? You're doing that thing you do to purposefully make me confused for your amusement..."

Pinkie frowned. "I don't do that!" She paused. "Or do I...?"

Cloudy Quartz poked her head in. "Hello, you two. How was the tour?"

"It was fine," Sombra replied.

"What tour?" Pinkie asked at the same time.

Cloudy blinked. "Er, alright then. Anyway, I was just going to send the girls to go into town and was wondering if Sombra would like to go with? I need Pinkie to stay for... something."

"What for?" Pinkie asked, her eyes fluttering obliviously.

Cloudy shifted uneasily. "For that... thing we need."

Pinkie cocked her head to the side. "What thing? The thing thing or the thing with the thing?"

"Er... the thing with the thing?" Cloudy said, not sounding sure.

"Oh, that thing!" Pinkie answered, "Okie dokie lokie!"

As Pinkie bounced off, Cloudy sighed to herself. "That girl..."

Sombra nodded. "I know." He furrowed his brows. "She's not usually so forgetful... Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing's the matter," Cloudy answered, perhaps a bit too quickly.

Sombra arched a brow. "Are you sure? Because she's been acting really strange for the past couple of days..."

"Yes, yes, fine, absolutely fine." Cloudy shifted backwards. "Oh, I really oughtta check on the... thing with the thing."

As Cloudy rushed out of the room, Sombra arched a brow confusedly. "What is with this family?"

"Pinkie, you have to be careful," Cloudy hissed after she shut the door to the sewing room.

"Mom, I don't mean to!" Pinkie protested, "I can't help being forgetful! It just happens!"

"Listen, Pinkie, I wasn't sure before, but now I am," Cloudy said, "and believe me when I say, this isn't going to end well in secrecy."

"What's not going to end well in secrecy?" Pinkie asked.

Cloudy sighed. "Listen, you have to say something sooner or later! I don't want things happening like last time!"

"I pick later!" Pinkie answered, "Later is the best time for everything!"

"Not this, it isn't!" Cloudy protested, "Please, it's one thing keeping an engagement a secret, but pregnancy is a whole 'nother thing altogether!"

"Oooooh, is that what we were talking about?" Pinkie asked, "OK, I understand now!" She was silent for a moment. "Wait a minute..." She gasped. "Oooooooooh... this is bad..."

"Yes, it is," Cloudy said with a sigh, "And I've made matters worse by helping you keep it a secret!" She shook her head disapprovingly. "Listen, we'll figure this out later... We just have to find out a way to break this to everypony in a calm, gentle manner..."

"OK..." Pinkie said. She gasped. "Hey, I'm not forgetting anything!"

Cloudy sighed. "The phases come and go... Sometimes they pass quickly, but for now, we'll just be careful... We better get back before Sombra wonders what we're doing and gets suspicious. He's going to wonder what that whole business is about and the less time we give him to think, the better."

"To think about what?" Pinkie asked.

Cloudy sighed. "And we're back..." She looked up the heavens. "Celestia grant me patience..."

"So, what is it you do? Pinkie says you're a librarian?" Marble questioned. She flanked Sombra's right side, while Limestone was on his left.

Sombra turned to Marble. "I'm actually just one of Twilight's assistants. Things have gotten rather hard for Spike ever since the move to the new castle."

"Any clue what the castle is made of?" Limestone asked. She had to stand up extra straight to make up for her short stature and her strides were quick in order to keep up with the long legged gait of her sister and Sombra.

"It's crystal, no doubt," Sombra answered, "can't make a guess as to what kind, however. It's not any kind I've ever seen."

"Maybe it's a new kind!" Marble piped up, "Oh, I wish I could see it for myself! I love crystals!"

Limestone rolled her eyes. "Here we go again..."

Sombra tried not to sigh. The trip to town seemed to be taking longer than he anticipated, and the two mares bickering wasn't making it better for him. Never mind the fact that he was literally in between them, he was becoming annoyed.

Marble frowned at her sister, but she continued on. "When I found out about the Crystal Empire, I was so excited! An entirely new place, probably filled to the brim with all sorts of crystals!" She faltered. "But, I won't be able to go anytime soon... Pa still needs help around the farm and he hasn't gotten around to hiring any helpers, even though it would help plenty."

"Maybe you can plan a family trip?" Sombra suggested.

Limestone snorted. "Please. Our family on vacation is not fun at all."

Sombra frowned. "Why not?"

Marble sighed. "Together?"

"Yep," Limestone concurred, though Sombra wasn't sure what about.

"Mama gets trainsick," Marble said.

"And Pa gets cranky," Limestone added.

"Limey get stuffy--"

"--and Marble's language gets tangy."

"Are you two rhym--" Sombra attempted to ask, but was not heard.

"Pinkie gets tired," Marble continued.

"Mama drinks coffee," Limestone added.

"And ends up wired."

"While Pinkie gets poppy," Limestone finished.

Sombra paused, his gaze flickering between the two sisters. Finally, he said, "Did you two plan that?"

"Yep," Limestone answered, "we came up with rhymes for every weird situation our family gets into."

"Maud got super into it, but all she writes about are rocks," Marble added. She rolled her eyes. "Overachiever."

"Pinks likes to rhyme, too," Sombra answered, "though, it's mostly about her surroundings and cupcakes." He pondered it for a moment. "Mostly cupcakes."

Limestone spared Sombra an interested look. "I figured Pinkie would go for somepony a little more... exuberant, like her."

Sombra almost faltered in his step at that.

"Limestone!" Marble hissed, her tone sharp.

"What? Was it something I said?" Limestone asked, her eyes blinking obliviously.

Sombra tried not to appear as unhinged as he felt. "It's... hard to explain. Pinkie and I didn't really get along when we first met--"

'Because I was still up to my tyrannical ways.'

"--and things were rather hard for both of us at the time."

'Because she was my assigned reformer and I was her unwilling reformee.'

"But, we ended up having a connection after a rather... strange incident."

'She tried to greet somepony new to town and it ended in me covered in cake batter, which led to me having a revelation about my past and discovery about a me that studied dark magic and created an inner darkness that ruled with an iron hoof.'

"Afterwards, things began to fall into place--"

'Chaos and unrequited hilarity ensued for both of us until we saw this odd string of fate that insisted on our torture, especially at my own hoof.'

"--and we ended up together despite all of it."

'Pinkie surprisingly forgave me and despite the extreme dysfunctional thing I am, she took me as I am, even though I put her, her friends' and the whole of the nation at risk with my stupidity and pride.'

Limestone arched a brow. "How did you two meet, anyway? They don't really elaborate on that in the papers."

Sombra froze. That was a question he hadn't been anticipating.

Marble rolled her eyes. "Do you not remember the letters Pinkie sent? They met through the Princess, dummy."

Sombra relaxed. "Yes, the Princess. Twilight introduced me to Pinkie."

"Oh, that makes sense!" Limestone said, "The Princess and Pinkie are supposed to best friends, right?"

"They knew each other before she was Princess," Marble said with an eye roll.

Sombra, thankful that the sisters weren't paying him any mind, paid attention to the path ahead. But, as he continued to see a span of grainy, rocky terrain that lacked differentiation, he found his mind wondering to where it normally did: Pinkie.

'Perhaps something is going on with Pinks...' Sombra mused, his instinctive worrying kicking in. He arched a brow in remembrance of her forgetfulness, a trait he wasn't used to seeing from her. How she managed to remember every little thing about everypony was a wonder to him.

"Because everypony's my friend, and I love seeing my friends smile!" Pinkie had answered.

And it was true. Pinkie had a knack for remembering dates, to the second no less. If he had asked when Twilight's birthday was, she'd not only give the date, but the time allotted between then and the present. If he asked what Rarity's favorite flavor of cake was, she'd tell him that Rarity loved vanilla oat, but would rather have something healthy for her figure. On one occasion, he had jokingly asked her when Princess Luna's birthday was, thinking that not even she would know.

He had been wrong.

"October 30th, the night before Nightmare Night!" She giggled. "That's three times the night!"

'Yet, now she's forgetting little things...' Sombra pondered. He paused. 'And just last week, she forgot our one year anniversary...'

That rattled Sombra. Pinkie may spend her time talking to a walleyed alligator, add glitter to any and every one of his and her belongings, and even count confetti, but she never, ever forgot.

'Perhaps she's just a bit frazzled. She tends to get out of sorts when travelling...'

But her forgetful bouts started before their trip, hadn't they? So perhaps it didn't have to do with travel, but rather something else entirely... What that was, he hadn't a clue.

"Hey, you alright?" Marble asked, "You looked worried for a second there."

Sombra blinked. "Er, yes, I'm fine... I was just thinking about, uh..." His gaze flickered to his surroundings, which lacked anything other than dirt and rocks. Finding no other alternative, he levitated a random rock from the ground and held it up for the sisters to see. "About different types of rocks! Like this one, for example. Sedimentary!"

'I cannot believe I just did that,' he thought, though he kept his fake smile plastered onto his face.

But, instead of being suspicious or even a bit unnerved, both sisters perked up at the sight of the rock. "Oh, I get it now! Pinkie likes you because you're a rock enthusiast!" Limestone said, her eyes sparkling.

Sombra chuckled, though he prayed it didn't sound nervous. "Yeah, yeah, rock enthusiast... We connected over our knowledge of rocks."

Marble leaned closer to the rock. "It's interesting how this sort of thing works, huh? The bottom is the oldest and the top is the newest." She narrowed her eyes in scrutiny. "I wonder which is which..."

"Duh, it's totally the light gray side!" Limestone said, her eyes rolling in a annoyed manner.

"Ugh, no, it's the dark gray side!" Marble argued.

"Light gray!"

"Dark gray!"

"Light gray!"

"Dark gray!"

Sombra sighed and let go of the magical hold on the rock as the two mares fought over it. 'Those two are going to be my in-laws... Celestia give me strength.'

"Hey, Mom, any idea where the flour is?" Pinkie asked.

"Please, Pinkie, you have enough flour in the bowl already," Cloudy Quartz said, worry lacing her tone, "Besides, we're all out now."

"Aw, but I wanted to make cupcakes!" Pinkie pouted and she crossed her forelegs. "I miss Sombry..."

"He's only been gone for an hour," Cloudy said, her brow arching in interest, "Why are you getting so upset?"

Pinkie straightened up. "Because I keep being forgetful and I can't remember anything and Dad's gonna notice and he's gonna get mad at Sombra and at you just like last time with Baritone!" She gasped and put her hooves to mouth in shock. "I just meant to say 'I don't know.' Why did all that come out?"

Cloudy's eyes widened in shock. "Pinkie... When was the last time you started to forget things?"

Pinkie shrugged. "Dunno. Wait, is it 'cause I forgot or because I don't know?" Her eyes widened in horror. "What's happening to me?"

Cloudy shifted uncomfortably. "Pinkie, what did I ask you?"

"When was the last time I started to forget things," Pinkie answered simply. She gasped. "Hey, I remembered!" She paused. "Wait, didn't you say that the phases came and went?"

"You remember that, too?" Cloudy's eyes widened. "Pinkie, I think the first phase is over now... And that means two things."

"What two things?" Pinkie asked, her eyes widening in anticipation.

Cloudy held up a hoof. "It means that you're further along than we thought and that the phases started slower than usual. That might not be a good thing, especially now."

"What about the second thing?" Pinkie questioned, her brow arching in interest.

Cloudy let out a hum of thought as she rubbed her chin. "I'm going to have to test it first... Pinkie, what's your full name?"

"Pinkamena Diane Pie," Pinkie answered, almost robotically and automatically. She gasped. "Whoa, weird, I didn't even think about it!"

Cloudy frowned. "Alright, let's see... Which one of your sisters decided to prank the neighbors down the trail back when you still lived here?"

"It was Limestone," Pinkie said automatically, "but she made me Pinkie Swear not to tell, and she gave me her Nightmare Night candy in return." She smacked a hoof over her mouth. "I wasn't supposed to say that! Oh, Limestone's gonna take my candy away from me now!"

Cloudy's brows furrowed in worry. "One last one... Have you and Sombra done anything that would be considered... inappropriate, especially since you two aren't married?"

"Yeah, we have!" Pinkie answered, "We have for about a year now, and we even did once before we were together!" She gasped audibly and she hid behind her forelegs. "Why am I saying this? We swore never to speak of it!"

Cloudy, who was trying not to faint or have a heart attack over what she just heard, took a deep breath. "I'm afraid we hit the next phase, Pinkie."

Pinkie's eyes widened. "What's the phase? Is it worse than the forgetful one?"

Cloudy nodded solemnly. "Unfortunately, yes. This phase is known as the 'truth serum phase'."

"What does that mean?" Pinkie was genuinely terrified.

"It means, that if somepony asks you a question, you can't lie," Cloudy told her, "and believe me when I say we are going to have to a whole lot of explaining to do."

Author's Notes:

I shamelessly listened to Rainbow Rocks while writing this... I REGRET NOTHING.

I HAVE A USE FOR THIS GIF, EVEN THOUGH IT DOESN'T FIT THE CONTEXT.

Friendly reminder of who is who:

Marble

Limestone

Sometimes they get mixed up for the other... I did that, too.