//------------------------------// // Fourteen: Thunderstruck // Story: Obsidian: Daughter of Sombra // by Randimaxis //------------------------------// Starlight waved to her as she left, and in the office outside, Bold Verdana was still seated at her desk. "Your friends," she said without looking away from her monitor, "are waiting in the hallway; they seem eager for your return." Ah, her friends were being impatient... well, she couldn't exactly blame them - standing in the hallway and waiting for her surely wasn't the most interesting thing in the world. She'd had to deal with her fair share of punishment before she learned that being impatient did NOT please her most honourable father. But as she opened the door and went to leave, someone else walked right into her, coming in. Obsidian's head collided with the other's, who fell against the door frame. "OH!" came from the other victim, the voice being pitched enough to identify as a mare. "I am SO sorry! I-I-I thought... I mean, I... I'm so sorry!" The mare was about the same age as she was, a unicorn as well, and was rather well-groomed and stylish, but in a subdued manner. She looked mortified at having such a social faux-pas, taking a moment to check on Obsidian before she straightened her mane. "Are you alright?" The mare was physically similar to Obsidian in a number of ways; long legs, sleek figure, and an ash grey coat with a long, luxurious black mane which faded into red tips, with colors to match in her short, neat tail. She had deep, sensual blue eyes, and held herself with poise. Her voice... there was something about it that Obsidian noticed. It wasn't exactly a familiar voice, but something about the voice was bugging her; she couldn't seem to pin it down. And then suddenly she stopped thinking about it, as for the first time in this new, modern Equestria she was feeling real, physical pain. She stumbled backwards, slightly stunned, and rubbed her temple with a hoof. "OW. I, uh..." she shook her head - which was a mistake, as it made her pain worse. "... unless doors suddenly open with alarming frequency, then I'm sure it's not too difficult to notice somepony walking out," she growled, annoyed, "but yes, I'm used to worse things - who are you?" Maybe she had heard her talking in passing before? She had frankly no idea where she might have heard the voice from - maybe it was similar voice to of one of her friends? Her smile was clear and wide. "I'm Looking Glass - I'm sorry our foreheads met before we did." She wore a simple barding, with a single saddlebag on her right side, and a silver bracelet on each forehoof. Though she wasn't dressed and styled like a princess, she certainly looked and unconsciously acted like one. "A-again, I'm terribly sorry - I normally watch where I'm going; I'm just afraid I had more on my mind than I thought..." THAT was it! She was speaking with the slightest hint of a Crystal Empire accent - like she herself had! Well, maybe she was sorry... but this time, Obsidian didn't have any reasons to have to accept these apologies. Without Mica, and with Cupcake and Clap saying that they were only 'acquaintances', she actually had less 'friends' than she thought she had yesterday! "You're... from the Crystal Empire too?" Obsidian asked. The mare's accent was only a small hint, but it was familiar in such an alien world. And thanks to her father's magic, there hadn't been much time to adjust. After all, most ponies in the Empire were in a somewhat similar situation to Obsidian's... weren't they? Displaced in time, and having to adjust to modern ways? This one, however, seemed to be young enough to be born after her father's demise. "Eh... nevermind - I won't keep you occupied, if you're too busy." Looking Glass just had to take a small, tiny step to the side to let Obsidian leave the room. Talking in a doorway felt strange, anyhow. Glass gave a surprised smile. "Oh! I thought your voice sounded familiar! Yes I am, as a matter of fact," she nodded, "and it's grand to meet a fellow Crystallian!" She fully entered the room, but kept focused on Obsidian. "There aren't many of us here at the school, so we tend to stay together when we... hey! I actually have a few friends that would love to meet you, when you have time." She reached into her saddlebag with her magic (a lovely rose color), and brought out a pencil and a small piece of yellow paper. Jotting a note on it hastily, she floated it over to Obsidian. "Here - we meet there every Friday, after school; you'd be welcome to join us, if you like!" Ah, more friends... and from the Crystal Empire, no less! Frankly, Obsidian wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not, as she'd already rejected one proposition of a social meeting anyway - even though in this case, she'd done it mostly because of Jinx and the strange, mysterious game they wanted to play. "I'll consider it. Can I take my liaison if he isn't from the Empire?" she asked, just to be sure. The mare's muzzle fell a bit. "Well... do you have to? I mean, we've kept it reserved for Crystal Imperials for so long... it would be a bit... awkward..." She sighed, then her smile returned. "But, if you have no choice, then I suppose we'll accept them if it comes down to that. It's not like we'd turn YOU away, and if he absolutely HAS to be with you, then I see little choice in the matter." "I'll have to ask Princess Twilight Sparkle if he MUST be with me all the time, so perhaps I won't have to..." Obsidian admitted. That mare was pretty cheerful for a pony that, seemingly, had a lot on her mind... and who had just run into her head first. It was making her feel rather awkward, to be honest. She grinned. "With you, that'll make five of us here! Oh, WOW! What an opportunity! I have GOT to tell the others I met you today! They'll be so pleased!" "Very well; as I said, I'll consider it. Farewell, Looking Glass." Obsidian nodded primly, looking to get back to her entourage. The other mare nodded and made her way toward the headmare's office, smiling as she waved. "Thanks - we'd love to have you! Sorry about the bump!" Between Cupcake's practiced and frequent introductions to others and the light throb in her head from the collision, Obsidian hadn't even had the thought of introducing herself. In the hallway, Obsidian found Cupcake standing on a chair and singing at the top of his lungs, while Thunderclap watched with passing interest, and Gypsy was sitting and behaving politely, watching more passers-by than the earth pony with a volume problem. "... fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshiiiiHEY! There you are! I was just passing some time, singing for the others!" Clap gave a smarmy chuckle. "One of his mother's tunes - he doesn't have her voice, but he's got the spirit for it, I guess." "EEEEEEEEE-YUP!" He beamed brilliantly. Obsidian had never felt so lucky that she'd left Cupcake for a moment. Still, hearing Cupcake sing was a strange experience, watching him doing it in a middle of a corridor felt even worse. "So, what'd she say?" Thunderclap leaned forward and looked curious. "Classes start at eight, but before that I need to visit the guidance councilor to receive specific information as to what classes I should be attending. I also received a map... well, another one." She showed it to them, then hid it away in the saddlebag she'd gotten from Thunderclap. "I also asked if there were any jobs I could do in the library. However, there were no definite prospects yet." Cupcake jumped down off the seat and dashed right up to Obsidian... then stood there, eyes wide and practically running in place for a moment, mere inches from her, before finally reaching next to him and grabbing Gypsy up in a huge hug that seemed to squeeze the air out of the diamond dog instantly as his eyes bugged out. "Woof!" "YOU ENROLLED, YAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!! I'm so happy I wanna hug ya, but you don't wanna be hugged, so I'll just hug a puppy until I'm over it already, but oh wow, you'll be in school with us, I KNEW you'd want to, squeeeeee..." "... C-C-Cup..." "We'll have to sit together at lunch, and we'll hang out between classes, and join the same clubs - OOH! We could make our OWN club!" "... c-can't..." "There'll be crystal collecting, and we can learn to write backwards, and we can make TONS of cookies, and there'll be folks who talk about us all the time, saying how there goes the coolest club in the entire school!" "... br-br-breeeeeathe..." "We're gonna have SO MUCH FUN!!!!!" "Cup," Clap smirked, "Gypsy's turning blue." "Hunh? OH! Sorry about that, buddy!" He let go of the excited death-squeeze his forelegs had around the diamond dog. When Cupcake released Gypsy, the canine took in a huge inhale of oxygen. "*GASP* Ohhhh... this o-one... loves... the a-a-air..." He hit the ground and just stayed put for a moment, breathing with great relish as Cupcake giggled with glee. "Still - ISN'T IT EXCITING!?!?" The blue unicorn stallion looked ready to explode on his own. Cupcake seemed to be as dangerous to his allies as he was to his enemies! At least he was wise enough to notice that Obsidian pretty much didn't want hugs - especially in such a bonecrushing manner. She even nearly turned back to tell the headmare that she'd changed her mind; watching a supremely enthusiastic Cupcake was a truly terrifying experience... aaaaaaaaaand it was sort of her fault that he'd just tried to accidentally murder Gypsy right in front of her. "I don't even know what this 'club' thing is that you speak of; all I know is that miss headmare and miss guidance councilor will try to set me up to have classes with one or two of you... or Butter Churn, Licorice or Stalwart." Thunderclap grinned. "Welp, sounds like you've got things taken care of here; school enrolled, head honchos spoken to, and now we just gotta see to it you're ready for school... which brings me to what I wanna do!" She stood up, stretched, then smiled just slightly. "We're going... shopping." Cupcake lifted an eyebrow. "Again? Didn't you go just a couple of days ago?" Clap laughed and waved a hoof at Cupcake. "Eh, there's always time to shop - plus, I think Siddy should have a couple of nice outfits to wear tomorrow. And ya know what?" She looked at the princess, grinning. "... I'll even buy 'em myself!" Shopping? That was, in a way, a new concept for her - until now, she'd been used to 'trade' as something happening between states, as a part of an economy. Obviously, lowly subjects were able to do it as well - but as a royal, Obsidian was fully expecting that these kinds of things would be done by her servants, sooner or later. Outfits, though? Well, to be completely and utterly fair, she always wanted to have a cape like her most honourable father. Also, Obsidian had been certain that Thunderclap would've liked to do something more... athletic. "Well, I don't believe it would work any other way, as I, uh..." Obsidian shrugged, "don't have any capital of my own, actually." She rubbed her temple; a princess with debt... The Princess of Debts... damnable Equestrians! Hadn't her father owned anything that could be passed to her as an inheritance? Even if she didn't really think he was dead, he was a king! Maybe he was deposed, but there should have been... something! Thunderclap laughed. "A broke princess? NOW, I've heard everything! It's okay - I gotcha! You've got nothing to worry about there." Obsidian shot Thunderclap a very nasty glare. So she was doing her best to cheer her up - even if the chosen activity was of her choosing - and now she was mocking her? What an annoying creature... in fact, compounded with the two times when she touched Obsidian without permission, she was already moving towards the top of the list of annoying friends and acquaintances - possibly threatening to surpass Cupcake, who at least had proved his worth. Meanwhile, Thunderclap had only... given her a fancy saddlebag. And had paid for her earlier meal. And had offered to buy her clothes. Yes, well... maybe it was quite generous of her, but Obsidian still didn't like that she was laughing at her shoddy financial situation. It wasn't her fault, after all! "Th-th-this one could... c-c-could use some m-more p-p-paper..." "Oh, this should be FUN!" The unicorn started to skip along again, when a voice cut through the air. "Cupcake Sprinkles!" Cup froze, then smiled broadly. "Sister, is that you?" He turned to face two mares that stood side by side; one had an almost electric blue coat and a deep violet mane, styled into a mohawk that gave her a punkish appearance, with a black vinyl jacket to match, the other had a tan coat with a few dark brown dappled spots, a black bowler hat, a little bowtie and a massively curly red mane. The blue mare strolled right up to Cupcake, getting muzzle-to-muzzle with him as she spoke. "Cup, did you forget about the stupid birthday party you told Mom you'd help out with? She's almost got everything ready, but she's gonna need your help to get it moved, you dink." "Nice to see you too, sis!" Cupcake seemed unfazed by her attitude. The other mare simply waved politely and sat down, watching the proceedings with interest. "Princess Obsidian," Cupcake started, "I'd like to introduce my darling sisters: this is Blue Raspberry..." "Yeah, yeah... princess or not, I don't really care," the blue mare grumbled. "... and this is Peppermint Patty!" The tan mare simply smiled bashfully and waved at everyone else. Cupcake turned to face Obsidian. "Blue's a snarky, impatient rascal, and Pepper's the quiet genius of the family!" "Rascal... sure, okay - are you comin' or not, dork?" Cupcake looked back and forth between Obsidian and his sisters. "Uhmmmm... oh, good grief... uh, princess? I'm supposed to be your liaison, but I did make a promise to my mom. Is... there any chance you'd be okay with Clap while I go do this? Or would you rather I not go?" Blue rolled her eyes. "C'mon, hurry up. Make a decision, crown-butt." By Darkness, how many siblings did Cupcake Sprinkles have? And why were they so very different from one another? Maybe there were so many that no one would notice if a particular blue mare went missing? For some reason, Obsidian immediately disliked her. "If you'll go, then I'll put all the blame on you if Princess Twilight Sparkle questions me about it," she warned him, "or I can just lock myself in my room - this way, you'll be able to keep your promise, and I won't have to walk around without a liaison. But we would have to delay shopping... unless there's there any chance we'd be able to do it later?" Obviously, she had no idea how long shops stayed open, or how long it would take for Cup to deal with all this 'birthday party' stuff. The last alternative would be Obsidian going with Cup, but she didn't really want to meet his mother. She really didn't think it would be a good idea. Blue glared at Obsidian for a moment. "I don't think I like you very much, prissy pants." Cupcake, however, just rolled his eyes with a smile. "Blue Raspberry doesn't like someone... oh, call the papers and stop the presses!" That statement was rewarded with a chilly glare from the blue sister, and a silent giggle from the bowtied one. Cupcake sighed, then looked at them both. "Blue, let Momma know I'm doing something special; direct orders from Princess Twilight and all... aaaaaaaand that I'm sorry I couldn't ma-" "Yeah, yeah, ditching her to go make out with your marefriends, I got it, buzz off then, stupid. Stop wastin' my time, which I already HAD to waste to come and find YOU, dork..." Thunderclap gave a slight grin. "Say, Blue... anyone ever tell you you've got a porcupine stuck to your head?" "Anyone ever tell YOU," Blue replied, "that your mom's getting old and slow in her senior years?" Thunderclap bristled. "Glad to see you're still just as spiteful as ever, jerkmuzzle." Blue grinned wickedly. "I learned from the best, snail-brain. C'mon, Patty - since Cup's bailing, we'll have to be the ones to pick up his slack. I'll make sure mom knows you don't care about that promise, and that you didn't want anything more to do with her stupid parties!" When she turned to leave, Patty looked back and winked at Cup... who winked back. Once they left, he let another smile fly. "Blue might try to start something, but Patty'll let her know the truth; I'll be fine." He paused for all of a single breath. "I think." "Anything to get away from that dipstick... how in the world could she be related to you, Cupper?" He shrugged. "You can't pick family; you just gotta endure 'em." "You know, a bit of dark magic and she would behave properly until her very last breath," Obsidian said with a grim glare at Blue as she departed. Cup gave a giggle. "You miiiiiiiiiight wanna think about that, first - she's pretty tough. I mean, REALLY tough. She's a meanie who can take all sorts of fighting. She usually starts it, honestly. Mom tried for years to straighten her out, but it just made her rebel even more. Finally, mom just decided she'd grow up on her own." "C-c-c-could she be a s-s-s-senior c-citizen... n-now, please?" Cup chuckled. "Don't let Blue rattle you, princess; it's what she does for fun. If she sees she can get under your coat, she'll do it every time." "Yeah," Clap growled, "sorry about her. She's kinda... my... fault." "Thunderclap used to be a big bully, and Blue followed her around a lot. One day, she just decides to be a jerk... and here we are. But no, please," Cup said, "no hoopajoo magic for sister Blue." "Well... it would be illegal, anyway. And even if I didn't care about that, I'd have to be brain damaged to try it in a place where your princess could send me straight into Tartarus in ten seconds! And... AND..." Obsidian stopped - she was very angry, of course... but it didn't change the fact that she was still thinking. Granted, she was mostly thinking of how she could punish Blue, but it was somewhat connected. Sort of. "Princess Twilight told me that her doors were always open; we can check to see if she's there, and possbily ask her to do something with this liaison-thing. Then hopefully, you will be able to go help your mother, we will go shopping and I won't have to be punished for ditching my liaison again." "I appreciate it," Cup began, "but that'd take too long; I was already behind, and to do all that would make it waaaaaaaaaaaaay later than that! It's okay, I... Momma'll understand. I know she will. After all, it's about being a good friend, right? Mom would never get upset over making friends!" "And don't let Blue get to you," Clap added, "because it's not worth it. She's mean and nasty, but only because she wants to be; don't allow her to make you mean and nasty, too. Then, she wins." Gypsy stepped up next to Obsidian and held out a small paper pony. "You c-c-can use this t-t-t-t-to help; p-p-pr-pretend it's her." He offered the folded paper to her. He'd even colored it blue, to help with the effect. It was a fair bet that Cupcake knew his mother well enough. Obsidian wasn't too happy that her attempt to deal with all their problems at once wasn't carried out, but there was always a chance that Princess Twilight would visit her again, sooner or later. She also knew that Twilight wasn't supposed to act in place of her father, but she was still surprised that she found herself angry enough to propose bothering a higher authority figure with her pathetic issues! "I'm fine, and we can go. Gypsy, I won't vent my frustration at a paper pon-... wait." She blinked. "How... h-how did you do that so quickly?" He didn't have his own brand of diamond dog magic, did he? Gypsy blushed slightly. "This o-one is d-d-deft." He then held up his paws, and she could see a number of colored markers just inside his hoodie's floppy sleeves. "... and prep-p-pared." Apparently, it seemed that Gypsy wasn't just doing it because it was relaxing - he was a true artist. An interesting skill, even though not terribly useful - at least not in a grand scheme of things - but low-borns weren't too concerned about their usefulness to the state. Without slavery and dark magic, there weren't too many options to force them to take a more useful course. Not that she truly wanted to enslave Gypsy... but perhaps enslaving all the rest of the town would surely soothe Obsidian's nerves? Thunderclap turned and led the way, as the four friends journeyed out of the school and towards town proper. There were a number of houses and other ponies along the way, but many of them had their own lives that they were involved in, so nobody gave the lot of them much notice. They eventually came to a double row of shops, all along the main street on either side... and there were a number of different articles of clothing on display. From conservative overalls to fancy-schmancy petticoats and practically everything in between! "We can start wherever you wanna - there's shops here for just about any kind of clothing you'd want; tell me what you like, and I'll take you where they've got it!" Clap enthused. Just how many creatures were there? How could they stay sane in such a crowded place? It was madness! Obsidian was doing her best to stay as close to her group as possible; one could even say she was clinging to them - but it was only a natural reaction of a mare that was stunned with her first contact with a full-blown and active city like this. All the information about trade, local economy and so on seemed far more organized when she was reading about them. "... maybe some decent plate armor and a cape..." she muttered, remembering the preferred clothing of the only pony that had any kind of worthwhile clothes in the Empire - her most honourable father, of course. Why would anypony need any clothing that wasn't already armored? The climate was quite pleasant, and most of ponies were wearing nothing anyway! These Future/Modern Ponies were a strange breed. Thunderclap laughed as if she'd just told a grand joke. "You kiddin'? Plate armor is for wartime, not strolling around town! And capes? So last century," she joked, her eyes taking in the surrounding shops and tallying what might be available (and reasonable) for a recently unearthed princess. Cupcake and Gypsy seemed more drawn to the store window displays than the shops themselves. There was one for Fall fashions, including scarves, jackets and caps, and another one with summer fashions like swimsuits and large, floppy hats... no winter displays yet, but it wouldn't be long; the summer was nearing its' end, and the seasons would be changing soon. "I say we start with a decent coat; weather'll be getting chillier soon, and I'm sure you don't wanna be shivering all winter long. Whaddya say?" Clap had her eye on a shop by the name of "Beauteous Concessions", display windows filled with sleek, fashionable outfits. With Obsidian's mental attempts to fit friendship into warfare terms, it wouldn't have been too out of character for her to wear armor from time to time - especially during future attempts to make up with Mica - and capes? Being so last century, they were still more modern than she was. "I'll go with whatever you say, Thunderclap; in these matters, I am less than a novice," she admitted somewhat shyly. Regardless of her upbringing, she was still somewhat subdued by the surroundings and her complete and utter lack of experience with this situation. Clap grinned. "It's fine - I got enough experience for BOTH of us! C'mon!" Obsidian was led into the Beauteous Concessions store, and was instantly surrounded by fabrics beautiful and bold, sweet and subdued, precious and powerful. Even with her time in royal court, Obsidian had never seen so many rare and valuable fabrics in a single place - in her time, such things were rare indeed to come across... Here, they were all on display, all part of fully-formed outfits, all merely a reach of a hoof away. Clap took a few minutes and got a glance around the shop; it didn't take long before she'd returned to Obsidian with three outfits, all made from rich and tasteful materials. One was a traveller's outfit, consisting of a blouse, leggings and a well-tailored coat, all a deep, royal violet color. The second was a bit more colorful, with greens and blues featured throughout the dress and overcoat that accompanied it. The third one was a red and black outfit that was made to fit tightly, with a large red overcoat that looked to be the pinnacle of fashion. "Any of these appeal, or is my fashion sense off?" Clap asked. Clap's experience was the only thing between Obsidian and being naked all the time... or being an utter and complete eyesore. Hopefully, she knew as much about clothing as she claimed to. And as soon as she returned with three sets of clothes, young princess immediately noticed the one that looked the most familiar... even if this familiarity was very sparse. "Um... this one, perhaps?" she pointed at the third outfit, her ears laying flat; for a pony that had survived Sombra's tutoring, she seemed to feel rather nervous in a simple clothing store. Clap looked at her for a moment, then turned and poked Cupcake's flank. As he turned, she spoke to him directly while looking at Obsidian. "Cupster, you and Gypper go look at hoodies - Siddy an' I have to try on stuff." Cupcake nodded absent-mindedly; he'd gotten his own eyes locked on something he saw as desirable, delicious and delectable... the ice cream stand on the far side of the shopping center. He made his way in that direction, Gypsy right behind him. This done, Clap took up the outfits and led Obsidian back to the changing rooms... but when she got there, she entered one of the stalls and reached out, pulling the dark princess in with her! Inside, there was more room than initially surmised, the two of them in here without needing to bump into each other; a good thing, as Thunderclap Dash was no small filly. "Okay, Siddy... you look like you're all nerves and shivers; what gives? I mean, we're out here shopping, and you look like you're waiting for ghosts to start popping outta the woodwork! Why are you so spooked, girl?" So many things to learn... though she'd prefer to simply read about them in a book or two, or something like that. Getting empirical experience first hoof was... strange. To be fair, shouldn't her liaison stick with her? Of course, as Headmare Starlight proved earlier, it seemed that it was rather easy to lure him away as soon as he noticed something sweet and tasty. However, it also seemed that Thunderclap wasn't too thrilled to see Obsidian's current mental state. The Dark Princess shivered for a moment, looking around in dazed confusion before addressing the pegasus softly, as if she was afraid to be overheard. "I... I apologize for my behaviour, Thunderclap. I, uh... believe that I may just be a bit... nervous, as I've never stepped hoof outside of the Crystal Palace before and there are so many creatures here and... I-I'm not sure, everything is just so new to me... I apologize profusely." Thunderclap looked at her for a moment, then gave a nod. "Okay, first off, y'don't need to apologize - you didn't do anything wrong, so don't offer up an apology unless you know you did something wrong." "Secondly," she began to pace a bit, "nervousness is something I can try to help with. Look, shopping for clothes is supposed to be fun... and a large part of that is how outfits make you feel. I mean, c'mon - the blue/green one I brought? I mostly brought it to show off different styles; those colors clash so hard with your appearance, there's no way I'd have let you buy that one." "But it's also a measure of personal taste... a measure that girls like us should be proud of! Heck, when you put on an outfit, you're supposed to look at yourself in the mirror and picture yourself in a moment of real pride - like winning a race or something - and picture what everyone would be thinking or saying about you in that outfit." "It's all about having the right attitude towards clothes. Anyone can just wear some old clothes and be perfectly comfy with that... but mares like you and I? We should be admired for who we are! And nothing says, 'I am big, bold and beautiful' like a sweet new outfit and some swagger to go with it!" She paused. "Swagger means attitude, by the by. The knowing smirk, the fabulous walk, the effortless style... all stuff we need to help you practice, Siddy! I swear, it's as easy as simply imagining yourself as being..." she chuckled, "... as already being a queen." She grinned. "Here - put on this AWESOME red and black one, then check yourself out in the mirror... tell me what you see." Why did it seem as though modern ponies had found a way to make even the simple act of buying clothes FAR more complicated than it needed to be? She couldn't possibly have imagined that shopping itself could be considered entertainment, let alone trying on said clothes. Attitude, posturing in a mirror, clashing with appearances... Obsidian was so green in these matters, she may as well have been a potted plant! But she had been the one to offer Thunderclap an opportunity to share something she enjoyed; nopony had forced her to. What's worse, as they were apparently friends, Obsidian had to remember to act friendly - and even though she still didn't exactly know what that truly meant, she had to try. Act according to the role; become the friend. Obsidian nodded and took the clothing. It took a bit longer than she'd expected, as she'd usually had simpler garments to wear... but eventually, she triumphed over the outfit. Then, she turned to the mirror. Well, perhaps not exactly what she was used to wearing, nor how she'd picture herself as a queen, but... it didn't look bad, honestly. The colours were fitting for her coat and mane, that was certain... and the overcoat almost felt like a cape. She turned a bit to the side to see more. She pictured herself in a moment of great pride... her father standing tall, saying 'you have done well, my daughter'; that's what she wanted to hear, yet at the same time her mind wouldn't allow the complete mental image to fully coalesce. "Is it possibly connected to this whole 'modeling' thing which Eloquence was talking about?" Something clicked in her head - all the blocks fell into the right places as she connected his words before, and all she knew about his mother, and the fact that modern ponies seemed to enjoy clothes SO MUCH. But how in Tartarus would she be able to conquer Equestria with it? "Picture it," Clap held out a hoof, "you come strolling out of the palace, looking like a proper monarch, your subjects all bowing before you as you pass, their eyes unable to meet yours, because they know YOU are special!" She smiled broadly as she affected a bit of an accented voice: "Ho! The queen approaches! Hearken to prostrate yourselves, in awe to the power and the glory that is..." She turned Obsidian to face the mirror again. "... Queen Obsidian, the Dark Princess!" Clap then put her hooves over her mouth and made a sound similar to ponies cheering. "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Our grand and regal queen! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay! Our powerful leader! HUZZAH!" She leaned in. "Imagine it - nothing but rows of bowed heads, all in reverence to their ruler supreme! HOLD that feeling! Keep it in your head! When you feel nervous in public again, just imagine being part of a royal parade, with YOU as it's most important pony!" Clap's smile was genuine. "Sometimes self-confidence is just pretending you have it all, even when you don't. Instead of fear, show them pride! Pride in who you are, what you do, and how you look... and right now, Siddy?" She motioned towards the mirror. "You look mahvelous!" "See... THAT is what Elo meant by 'conquering Equestria with fashion'! If you look even half as good in high fashion as you do now, then Equestria itself will celebrate you, and you'll have the admiration of soooooooooo many folks! They'll LOVE ya, I just know it!" Maybe Thunderclap was trying to help Obsidian... but in the unicorn mare's mind, everything she could imagine inevitably included a vision of her most honourable father. Power, glory, status - everything that he had... and yet, she did not. But at least she looked nice. "I think I understand..." she answered simply, still checking herself out in the mirror. "It won't be easy to follow your advice - at least, without dark magic - but I'll remember it. Do you think Gypsy and Cupcake would approve this outfit?" Clap chuckled. "Gypsy probably would; he's got an eye for artsy-type things, and would probably be the one to most likely enjoy the little details in the trimmings and stuff... but Cupcake?" She gave a sharp laugh. "That stallion wouldn't notice a good outfit if it walked up and bit him on the flank - he's no fashion horse, not like me!" Clap looked Obsidian over. "Wow... you really do have a good look for fashion, y'know? Sleek, elegant, and even exotic... I think you'd be an absolute hit as a model, personally. You even-..." She made a big show of looking around, ensuring nobody was listening in. "... you even outdo ME - but don't tell anyone I said that!" Well, seeing as how Obsidian's interest in modeling had fallen sharply when she realized that it wasn't connected to warfare, being a 'hit' didn't really hold any military advantage. A conqueror's appearance wasn't that important, after all... "I shall not utter a word of it," Obsidian promised. Who would she tell anyway... and why? "so... what happens now?" Clap grinned. "Now... we check the racks, and find more outfits that say 'hey, I belong on a beautiful pony like Siddy', then you try 'em on, and if they look as awesome as they make you feel, then those are the ones we buy!" She slipped out of the curtain, motioning for Obsidian to follow her. "So much fashion, so little time to try it all on!" For the next two hours, Thunderclap Dash took Obsidian from store to store, encouraging her to try on different things, to pose in front of the mirror to see them properly, and even made an effort to try to teach Siddy how to walk in a saucy manner, one hoof in front of the other. Clap wasn't exactly any sort of petite little mare, but she did have some style and class to her that wasn't immediately obvious... but over time, Obsidian could see that Clap, for all her faults, was actually rather astute when it came to clothing... and confidence. To demonstrate, she even found a bright yellow sweatsuit and put it on herself; it looked awful on the rack, but on the pegasus mare, it actually looked acceptable... even interesting. All from what she wore and her attitude when she wore it - in a way, it was fascinating. With all this, Clap continuously did her best to try to bolster Obsidian's mood and courage - she even led her to a beauty boutique, where she began talking to the mares behind the desk about 'a spa day'. "Okay, Siddy?" Clap asked. "I can arrange us a couple of spa relaxation packages, but only if you're okay with the idea of somepony else touching you. Like, your back and stuff. I regularly get rub-downs each week, and let me tell you, they do wonders for your state of mind. Trust me, it's totally worthwhile, and I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't know it was completely safe." She gave her a questioning look. "So... spa day? Believe me, it's woooooooorth iiiiiiiiiiiiiit..." By Darkness, these ponies were really able to turn even the most boring and unimportant events into a chore on its own! Before today, Obsidian couldn't even have imagined spending so much time on shopping for clothes - but here she was, spending these very long hours with Thunderclap - and without her liaison; Princess Twilight would surely run out of patience one day, and order her execution! Luckily, Obsidian was taught very well by her father to deal with things like boredom or impatience, so she was able to deal with Thunderclap without being off-putting... but as soon as she started to talk about 'being touched', the unicorn felt her nervousness returning once more. It was her body, and she didn't want anypony to get closer than she wanted them to get; touching was completely out of the question - completely. To her experience, it had never ended well and she would have to be out of her mind to just allow anypony to do so - thus, she very vigorously shook her head. Clap's muzzle fell, as she seemed eager to share the experience... but it didn't stay down for long. "Well... eh, okay, besides, maybe it's just not for you... no big deal, s'okay - we still have a number of shops, and-... wait. Waaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiit..." A grin slowly marched across Clap's muzzle until it stretched all the way across her features. "Say... I'll bet you like jewelry, right? What if we, oh I dunno, went over to the jewelry store over there; I think I see someone we know there, anyhoof!" There was, indeed, a gem and jeweler shop across the street... and Gypsy was there, his muzzle pressed against the window as he took in the sight of a rather large diamond on display. His eyes were round and wide, staring at it as though it were a full meal, and he was a starving manticore. "You wanna check and see if they have anything there worth a princess' time? I'll bet Gyp could tell you a few things about gems..." How did Clap get an idea that Obsidian might like jewelry? She never paid any attention to it - she wasn't even wearing it! Why would anypony think that she was interested in such pointless baubles? "I never was interested in jewels - more in crystals, though only as a part of my magical studies. What reason would I have to like such a thing?" When Obsidian had offered to spend time with her as a way to improve her mood after The Mica Affair, she really didn't think that their interests would be so wildly different. Clap lifted an eyebrow. "I... I'd have thought that you'd maybe, I dunno... like a tiara or something? A sort-of crown? I mean, you're the one who was going on about ruling, and conquering, and... and..." Clap sighed, then looked at Obsidian with concern. "I'm... messing this up, aren't I? I mean, here I thought we could, y'know, enjoy shopping or spa treatments, or..." She looked down the street at all the shops there, and something in her eyes said she might have felt... inadequate. "Well, pshaw, don't worry about it, then. It's no big deal, right? I mean, I'm sure the others'll find stuff you'll like, and I can just learn from their examples. Yeah, that's..." She gave another, quick sigh. "Yeah, okay, so... since this is apparently SO not your scene, how about we just meet up with the boys and... well... do... something else, okay? No big deal, y'know?" The look in Clap's eyes said it may possibly be a big deal, but the pegasus wasn't about to force her idea of a good time on anyone. "So, yeah," she said, headed for the door, "let's go see what the boys are up to, 'kay?" Obsidian felt she'd messed up again. She didn't know how exactly, how much she'd messed up or how she could have prevented it - in fact, why did she even care about her feelings at all? It was the first time she was choosing to spend her 'free' time with another pony, of their own free will and so on... she shouldn't really mind if the pegasus was upset, should she? She very, very reluctantly stepped forward, sighed lightly and carefully patted Thunderclap on the shoulder. "I... I apologize, I sincerely hoped it would... um, lift your spirits. If you truly wish to, we can go to this jewerly shop - it's really not an issue." This whole 'friendly' thing was so difficult to keep in mind, and it didn't help that Clap was apparently expecting her to enjoy things she didn't even know were considered as entertainment! Clap looked at her for a moment, then began to study the floor intently. "Siddy... I just wanted us to have fun. But it's kinda obvious you're not having fun. Not like I do. And, well... I don't wanna make you do stuff you find boring. I hate boring stuff, and I really hate being the one who's doing boring stuff." She looked at Obsidian. "You're, like, from an entirely different era, y'know? Here I am, trying to get you involved in shopping, when you've probably never even seen such luxuries like these clothes..." She gave a humorless laugh. "I guess... with all this gallivanting around, acting silly over clothes, talking up confidence... heck, I probably come across as the dumb one, I'll bet. Heh, it'd be fitting." "I... I'm just trying what I know. I'm... sorry it's not what you like. You don't have to do this because of me; if you want, we can just go do... I dunno, something else. I just..." Her gaze returned to the floor. "I just wanted to help you feel welcome. I know I'm not as social as Cup, or as balanced as Mica, or even as in control of myself as Princess Twilight... but I was hoping you and me could, well... bond and stuff..." She huffed a sigh. "Yeah, okay, it's fine, it's good. What would you rather be doing right now? I'll make it happen, I promise." Oh no, no, no - that would not d-... wait, why was Obsidian even caring at all? It was just another pony, one of a lesser status at that, and she didn't even seem offended or anything - merely sad. As long as she wasn't going to stop serving Obsidian's purposes, nothing else mattered! She was just supposed to be a tool - and it didn't matter if tools were happy or sad, as long as they fulfilled their purpose! And yet... Obsidian felt uneasy, listening to Thunderclap and seeing the pain of failure on her muzzle. Not quite understanding why, she cleared her throat and spoke up. "Thunderclap, everything I've experienced since I woke up yesterday surrounded by guards has been rather overwhelming; I'm not used to the idea of 'free time' or 'free will' at all. I'm still getting used to everything around me. However, I will assure you that you have done your part to help me feel welcome." She tried, in her own way, to convince Thunderclap that everything was fine. "Please... Clap... there is no need to feel bad about this." Clap looked up at Obsidian. "You... yeah. I guess it IS a lot to take in, in such a short time. You haven't really had much time for... well, anything, I suppose. Maybe I'm just... trying too hard. Or something." The small smile she put on seemed less like her usual grin, but it was genuine; she wasn't trying to 'act tough'. "Well, maybe... maybe it'd be better if we tried this again after you get more acclimated to this world. Maybe you would like... some of this stuff... if you had time to absorb everything that's been going on with you." "So hey," she said, "we can do this stuff another time. I mean, we already hit a number of shops, and you've got a good start at a wardrobe with all we bought... nothing wrong with simply saying we'll hold off 'til another time, right?" She shrugged. "Besides, I'm... kinda at a loss, here. I shop and I race... and I get the feeling you don't race, either. So..." she shrugged again, as if to emphasize her point. Ok, it seemed as though she'd made things better - or at least Obsidian didn't feel as if the pegasus was still disappointed with her expectations... as much, anyhow. She felt as if she was becoming an expert at it - she was disappointing her father quite often, after all. And now, yet another pony was aware that she felt confused and disoriented in modern Equestria - wonderful. "A-actually, to be honest," Obsidian started cautiously, "I thought initially that we would be doing something more physically active; I didn't have any idea you liked things like this... and to be fair, I think that I could most certainly benefit from the physical training." "Yeah? You'd actually be up for something physical instead? I..." she gestured to Obsidian. "... well, you don't look like an active sort, but I guess it'd be something we could do next time, right? I mean, I'd be all sorts of stoked to help you get in shape... well, in better shape. Honestly, you have the kind of bod the stallions like..." She gave a slight chuckle. "I mean, they like mine too... but you're the more 'shapely' of us two, and I'm the one with more muscles. Still hot for some stallions, yeah, but you've got natural looks, girl. So, if we work on getting you even more toned and in shape..." As she spoke, Obsidian observed four members of the Royal Guard making their way down the street, looking in shops and around at the crowd. "Now, are you saying you wouldn't mind some help getting physical, or are you wanting to join me on my morning jogs?" Ooooh, guards - interesting. Were they looking for someone? Hopefully it wasn't a sign of something dangerous here... "Morning jogs? That sounds like a routine... and I DO like routines... very well; I am interested." Obsidian seemed to be almost cheerful. Well, cheerful in her own stoic, I-Was-Raised-By-An-Evil-Warlock kinda way. Then her expression dropped. "I feel I should inquire to Princess Twilight about this whole 'liaison' thing. So that you know, Cupcake is supposed to be with me all the time... and I'm not sure if he'd be interested in getting up early to jog with us." "Maybe..." Clap pondered aloud, "we could talk to Princess Twilight, and have the whole liaison-thing shuffled over to me for the duration of my morning exercises? This way, we could go jogging and work out, and Cup could sleep in and stuff. It sounds like a plan to me!" The guards now made their way down towards the area where she and Clap were at. One of the guard ponies saw Gypsy, and went over to him to speak to him directly. Though she couldn't hear words, the expression on Gypsy's muzzle said that whatever the guard asked him about, it made him nervous. He fidgeted with his sleeves for a moment, then Cupcake came out of the same shop and started speaking to the guards himself. "Okay, so we could possibly start this as soon as tomorrow morning. I mean, I'd just have to work you into my morning routine... with you staying at Twilight's castle, that actually puts you right in the path I take! Stopping by for you wouldn't take any time at all!" Clap continued on. One of the guards, idly looking about, spotted Obsidian and his eyes went wide. He then turned and poked his superior, who was still talking to Cupcake. The other guard turned, looked right at Obsidian, then nodded and spoke back. The four guards were now headed right towards Obsidian and Thunderclap. "... or maybe a turn on the obstacle course would help work some kinks out, y'know?" Clap seemed oblivious to the presence of the guards. "Obstacle course?" Obsidian asked, "I'd have to see it first, I think - I've never done anything quite like that... not without access to my magic, you understand. But yes, I think that having this duty shuffled to you would be a perfect idea. After all, Princess Twilight wants me to have many friends, so hopefully she won't object that I would want to spend time with you." While Obsidian noticed the guards, she didn't care about them too much; she hadn't done anything wrong, so she had nothing to worry about... right? "So, how early should I wake up? Remember, I still have to visit Miss Trixie in the morning, as she has my schedule prepared." "Oh, I'm up at five in the morning! I get started at about six, so it should be fine - school doesn't start until eight, and my route takes me directly to school for the first bell. We shouldn't run into much trouble." So there was plenty of time, and she wouldn't even have to wake up any earlier than she was used to. Besides, if it turned out to be too bothersome or Thunderclap too obnoxious, she could always just quit. It wasn't like the exercises that were practically forced on her by her father - she had the freedom to leave, and at the worst she would risk disappointing Thunderclap. Which wouldn't be nice, but it was nothing compared to the consequences she was used to from her most honourable father. She smiled. "Heh - who'da thought we could bond over exercise? I mean, we-" "Excuse me, ma'am - Miss Obsidian, your presence is requested by Lemon Custard for questioning purposes. You are to accompany us immediately to speak to him." Clap looked back and forth for a moment, then simply looked at Obsidian. "Any idea what this is about, Siddy?" Strange... "Not really, Thunderclap... but, as I am required elsewhere, I suppose I shall see you in the morning." The unicorn mare nodded to the pegasus, then turned to the guards, ready to go. Why would Lemon want to meet with her? She had been behaving so perfectly today that it was almost scary. The guards made their way around her until she was surrounded. "Now, we shall dep-" "Hold up," Clap said, "we're coming with her." From behind the guards came, "You betcha!" and a softer, "Y-y-y-yes." Turning, the royal guards saw both Cupcake and Gypsy standing directly in their way. "This situation does not call for-" one guard began, but another leaned in and interrupted. "Sir? We weren't told to bring her alone... just to bring her." The guard pondered a moment, then looked at Cupcake for a moment before simply saying, "alright; let's go, Miss Obsidian." "Princess Obsidian," Cupcake reminded them. From the marketplace, the guards escorted Obsidian (and, by proxy, her three friends) back to the school's campus... to the main building... and eventually, they led her directly to the library once again. Waiting outside the door was Lemon Custard... who was speaking with Princess Twilight at length. It was actually quite kind of her friends to accompany her, even though they really didn't need to. After all, there was nothing she'd done wrong... well, overwhelmingly wrong; she did upset Mica so much that he didn't want to talk with her anymore. Considering that Princess Twilight was a ruler of friendship, was there a possibility that annoying her friends would be a punishable crime? Probably not... though seeing Princess Twilight in the company of Lemon Custard did make her question that thought. When he saw the arrival of the dark princess, Lemon gave the smallest of sighs before making his way over to where they were. "Well... a surprise to have to deal with this, Obsidian; here I thought you were trying to behave yourself, yet I find this, and it bothers me to no end." He glanced at Cupcake, who gave him a questioning look, but all he returned was an eerily grim glare. "Brother, you really should have gone to help mother with that party - if you had, you wouldn't have to be witness to this." As much as the words he spoke sounded formal, almost apologetic... the impression was easily had that he was in full-on professional mode. Princess Twilight looked at Obsidian, and her gaze was steady and inquisitive... yet she said nothing. Yet. "You should already know what you've done," Lemon said, "because the evidence is overwhelming. All the same, is there anything you'd like to own up to, before we reveal the truth to your friends?" The Mica Affair wasn't important enough to get attention from both Lemon and the ruler of the land... was it? Or perhaps it was about ditching her liaison during her shopping trip... Princess Twilight didn't seem to be quite as calm and welcoming as yesterday, that was for sure. "I... Princess, I apologize for ditching my liaison again. It wasn't intentional; we just spent a few hours shopping and I didn't pay too much attention, though we were still in the same area and he knew where I was. I should know better by now, and should have asked him to join us... even in the changing room, if you so command it!" She said the very first thing she thought, and she even managed to say it without stuttering. Even though situation was starting to make her more than a little bit nervous. Lemon's eyes flashed as she mentioned escaping her liaison. "So... left him behind, did we? Which is, if I recall, against the rules?" His stare was almost predatory. "Follow me, Obsidian, and we'll discuss things..." He began to walk... and, as she was led, her friends and the princess followed her along. "The point of having said liaison with you was to ensure we could monitor you at all times, to make certain that some of the more... unsavory elements of your family's history didn't rear their ugly heads. However, they most certainly did." He turned at the door to the library, walking through the lobby and headed for the back offices. "Your father's particular form of magic is unique, is it not? One of those things that could possibly be duplicated, but never exactly so? The sort of thing that's usually reserved for those within his own family line, if not directly from himself, correct?" Clap looked at Cupcake, who simply shrugged. "Th-th-there are st-t-tories of those who could d-d-d-do exactly that - but they all d-d-d-d-died out roughly a c-c-cen-c-century ago, so that would mean it is highly unl-l-l-l-likely. This o-one wonders why you s-s-s-say these things?" Gypsy was more vocal in his approach. "Because," Lemon said, his voice a rumbling growl, "of this." He opened the door to Miss Tome's office, and there she was... completely and utterly contained inside a mass of dark black crystals, held fast. Her eyes were open and wide, and she was in a position that said she'd tried to run when things happened. But Miss Tome was completely covered in crystals... and frozen in place. Dark Crystal magic. Lemon now sounded justified. "And, let's see, only a single instance of anyone with connections to dark magic... hmmmmm, I wonder who it could POSSIBLY be?" "OOOOOH! Is it Derpy?" Cupcake guessed. Lemon looked stunned. "What?" "... n-never mind," Cup said.