Obsidian blinked. Then blinked again. She looked at the mare's unharmed flank, then at Pinkie, then again at her flank...

"... WHY?" This mare was crazy, right? Why were they all THAT crazy-sad if she was fine?

Pinkie dabbed a hoof into the red on her blanket, then tasted it. "Mmmm, strawberry!" Then she turned to Obsidian and sighed.

"You've met my kiddos, right? Do they really look like the type to work together very much? Well, they don't - not unless... well, something really bad happens."

"When I got here to check on them," she began, "they were so busy arguing and yelling and being mean siblings to each other that they almost died! They couldn't even set their petty differences aside long enough to save each other's lives! I couldn't believe it!"

"But when I tripped and fell, they all came to check on me... which gave me the idea to 'pretend' I'd gotten badly hurt; as soon as they saw that I was 'injured', they all banded together to get me and the others down here as fast and safe as possible."

She looked Obsidian in the eye. "If I hadn't, then we would have been overrun with those nasty things, and we'd all be ghosties because they would rather argue than assist!"

She sat down. "So. I need you to let them know that I may recover, but the wounds I've taken are pretty bad. I need them to rally together, because that's how they're the strongest. I don't want them to die - and if this is the only way they'll do it, then a mare's gotta do what a mare's gotta do." Her eyes turned to Obsidian, pleading silently.

"I Pinkie Promise, I'll tell them everything after this is over and everyone's safe; until then, my children need a reason to work together, and their shared feelings of worry and anger at the gruesomes will do exactly that." She smiled sheepishly. "I hope you don't think less of me for this, but it's the only way that's worked."

Obsidian stared... then, she glared at the pink mare. Was one of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony lying to manipulate her own children? Using them as... as tools?

"So in other words, the Bearer of the Element of Laughter made multiple ponies soul-crushingly sad... oh, the absolute irony," Obsidian was not amused, "including Cupcake, whom I happen to be very particular about."

A few hours ago, Obsidian was holding her own sister's cooling body in her hooves... and here Pinkie was playing mind games? "Ponies are not tools to play with," she growled quietly. "Besides, I wanted to evacuate you all to the castle and I'm not really able to do that if they'll think you're too hurt to walk!"

"I'm not playing with anypony here; I tried to get them to listen to reason when I first got here, but Lemon was trying to tell Blue what to do, which she hates, while Cupcake was busy telling Licorice about how he'd finally kissed a mare," she smirked at Obsidian for a moment, "and nopony was even paying attention to Patty, who was trying to point out which direction those things were coming from! It was chaos, but the bad kind of chaos! I tried and tried to get them to work together, but it's like herding manticores, I swear!"

Oh... so Obsidian was Cupcake's first with this whole kissing thing? It was good to hear that, even if she wasn't exactly sure why it felt so nice.

Pinkie Pie now looked angry, but not at Obsidian. "A friend taught me, a while back, that sometimes you need a push in the right direction to prepare for the worst. I didn't like it when HE did it, either - but in the end, it got the results that we needed, and nopony got killed."

"No, it's not the bestest idea ever... but I've already tried talking to them, signalling them, explaining to them and even tried some semaphore... Nothing. Else. WORKED." She looked up at her now, eyes serious but not angry; they were seeking understanding. "If a lie can save my children's lives, then why shouldn't I do it?"

"Because, uh, it's lying? Dishonest? I don't really know - I'm still a touch green with this whole friendship and harmony thing... I suppose just have my own personal reasons to be annoyed when I think there's a manipulation going on."

Obsidian then sighed, and shrugged with resignation. "But I would still like to move you all to the castle, especially Cupcake. What if... oh, fine; I'll tell them that your life is no longer threatened, but we need to evacuate and that you still can get worse? It won't be a lie... technically speaking..."

She pondered that for a moment, then gave a smile. "Okie dokie lokie - but I'll leave it to you to deal with them, then!" With that, she turned and started gathering up a bunch of seemingly needless things: packs of uninflated balloons; spools of kite string; a pouch of jacks; hoofuls of streamers; bags of confetti... and more, each making seemingly less sense than the last.

Don't question it, don't question it... Equestrians were crazy. And with that thought, Obsidian turned around and left the mare to rejoin the others.

Even though there were countless conversations, grumblings and arguments... every single one of them stopped cold as Obsidian spoke, and all eyes were very suddenly pointed directly at her.

"Your mother's life is no longer threatened... and she can move about freely. However," she held up a hoof, "I did what I could, but it would be... preferable... to move her to a safer place - somewhere that would be easier to defend... with more medicine and supplies. You know, just in case of any side-effects from the, er... wound."

There was a moment of pure silence. Then, with a shake of his head, Lemon came back to life first. "Okay, you heard her! We need to move our little family reunion to Twilight's Palace! Auntie Limestone, Auntie Marble and Auntie Maud? I need you three next to Mother, and stay together for safety!"

The cranky mare, the skittish mare and the stoic mare all nodded and moved almost as one toward the area behind her, to join their sister.

"Licorice! Peppermint! Cupcake! I want you three to flank Obsidian, and watch her back as we head outside," he glanced at her, smirking, "she can hold her own, but the more, the merrier - and I'm sure she'd appreciate the backup!"

The dark stallion on her left, the quiet mare on her right... and Cupcake directly behind her, looking ready for a rumble with a big, smarmy grin plastered to his muzzle.

"Blue..." The mare may have made a distasteful expression, but she waited for him to speak. "I need you up front... with me." She looked at him for a moment, surprised... then gave a solemn nod.

Turning, Lemon began to make his way towards the front of the group, and his sister fell into step next to him. The wicked grin was still there on Blue's muzzle... but now, there might have been just a smidgen of pride, as well.

Lemon cleared his throat and began to speak as they moved. "Now, we Pies aren't here because we want to be, nor are we here because it's what is best for us... but we are here. And since we're here..."

He looked to each of his family members... and smiled. "... then we are here to PARTY!"

That drew smiles and chuckles of approval from the Pies, and Obsidian could feel that tingle again; Hope. Courage. Strength. Connection. And yes, even Love.

"By Twilight's Crown, we will ROCK this party to the ground! Are you with me!?" The next thing Obsidian knew, she and the others were making their way out of the hidden doors at the rear of Sugarcube Corner, innocently disguised as a small toolshed. The Pies seemingly marched in formation, a surging energy surrounding her that Obsidian might not have been able to identify... but she could most certainly feel.

As they reached the outside, they were treated to the sight of countless Umbral undead, amassed at the sides of the sweets shop and in the process of breaking it open like a pinata. However, as soon as the group left the tunnel, the Umbrals began to take notice of the new arrivals.

Hopefully, Clap was already safe in the Castle and enjoying some relaxation after covering Obsidian's passage into the sweets shop. Such a shame these creatures were going to ruin it; hopefully Onyx had gathered enough assets to pay for its rebuild after all this mess!

But first things first. These beasts returned in numbers and while Obsidian would gladly dance with them a bit, she had their entire group to escort into safety - and to do that... she tried to cast a shield over all the amassed Pies, hoping to use this energy surge they were creating.

Not only was she able to tap into the energy around her... it surged into her shields and doubled their effectiveness! It was like feeling those energies harden and reinforce themselves as they came into existence, without even a need to even try very hard - it just felt natural to her, and the energies seemed to simply accept her directions.

The Umbrals that saw their presence seemed to hunker down as if to prepare for an explosion of activity, and they began to surge towards the lot of them, all Tartarus-bent on tearing the entire Pie family - Obsidian too - into tiny, bite-sized flesh gobbets that would either dry in the sun, or rot inside a corpse's shell!

As the elder Pie sisters - Pinkie included - joined them from the tunnel, Lemon yelled his order, and all of his siblings lined up next to each other, side by side, in a line. All facing toward the oncoming hordes of wicked, horrific undead pony-things.

Now, each pie reached behind them and pulled out... what in the name of Father's crystals..?

Licorice Twist brought out a party cannon; it had an iron black barrel with white, loopy scrimshaw across the rim and large, dark red wheels underneath - it looked as if it were made of brooding thoughts. He gave a grin that would melt any mare's heart and slammed in down in front of him.

Peppermint Patty brought out a party cannon; it was a severe bell shape, with an almost tiny back end supported by what appeared to be train wheels, and a wide-mouthed cannon at the front, covered in brass gears and pistons, a little steam whistle at the top giving a toot of readiness. She smiled fiercely and lowered her goggles into place.

Lemon Custard brought out a party cannon; it was black-and-white checkered, but splotched with garish, rainbow-colored splashes of paint, almost looking like a paint store exploded around it, all standing on two caterpillar treads that were well-oiled and sturdy-looking... and mustard yellow, like his coat.

Blue Raspberry brought out a party cannon; it was cast-iron black, but covered in graffiti and skater stickers, with a spiked band wrapped around the middle and steel-belted radial tires as supports. She climbed aboard it and revved her hooves in mid-air; the cannon under her roared like a motorcycle, with no evidence of any sort of engine.

Cupcake Sprinkles brought out a party cannon; it was the tall cupcake on it's side, with huge, sugar-frosted donuts as wheels, as she'd seen before. She was fairly certain they were simply made to look like food, and weren't made of food... but there was still a bite taken out of one wheel.

The thunder of the first shot from each cannon going off simultaneously echoed across Ponyville - possibly across all of Equestria! An entire row of Umbrals went down, bursting rottenly and flailing as the next rows surged forward... but they weren't making a single inch of headway, as the Pie children all began blasting a path through the oncoming hordes towards the castle.

Non-unicorn artillery? A wonderful idea, really - it wasn't dependent on magic and every pony tribe could use it! Obsidian was trying to help, using her own magical missiles, but very carefully - her priority was upholding the shields. Hopefully they wouldn't run out of ammo before reaching the castle.

The might of the Pie Army continued to blast its' way through the masses of swarming undead until they reached the palace grounds. There, it became a different story...

The entire palace was utterly surrounded with Umbral undead things, charging forth as they pressed in on all sides, trying to surmount the moats and defenses. Luckily, those seemed to be holding up just fine - each shuttered window doing its' job and keeping out anything that wasn't welcome. The only two directions that seemed to have any chance of entering would be the north and south gates.

South seemed to have a number of defenses in place - including some of the previously unseen Royal Guards - but the North was supposed to be where they might find the best way inside, at the hardest end to defend.

Stalwart needed support - besides, Obsidian was sure they'd all be able to defend themselves perfectly as soon as they reached the bridge. Perhaps she could even seal this path afterwards? Could she even cast crystals with Light Magic?

But no time for experiments - she had to escort this group to safety first. But if the Umbrals broke in, they would be doomed anyway. Too bad they had to destroy these undead creatures - they were such wonderful machines of destruction!

"To the north - we can make our way in through there, and shore up our defenses once we're in!" Obsidian called over to Lemon, who nodded and readjusted his glasses as he bellowed out more orders.

The Pie Brigade did exactly that, continuing their rolling wall of bombardment as they forged ahead, making way toward the north bridge.

As they reached the point where they could see it, the guardhouse doors swung wide, slamming into the walls on either side as a lone defender came strolling out.

Stalwart Stance wore only light armor barding, but a captain's cloak flowed out behind her, tied at the neck and waist, and on her head - slightly too big but padded to fit - was a helm of the Equestrian Royal Guard.

There was a confidence, a physical assured-ness, that the fight to come was a foregone conclusion - in her favor. At her sides hovered two greatswords, both many times larger than she was, and wielded in a dual-hoof style in her magic.

She strode to the middle of the bridge, facing the oncoming hordes and completely oblivious of Obsidian and her crew.

"Lo, tremble and quake, you foes of all that is right and good in this world! Know this, that you stand before Stalwart Stance, defender of Equestria - for evil such as thee, there shall be no quarter given, no mercy spent, no chance in Tartarus of victory on this day!"

As she spoke, a surge of undead horrors continued to charge towards the bridge; when they were nearly on top of her, she threw back her head and her voice blasted with power before her, as if she had found her own Royal Canterlot Voice:

And with those words, she began to tear into the horde with her greatswords, slashing and thrashing like a mare possessed! She leapt back and forth, pummeling Umbrals with her hooves as she ducked and jumped over her own blades, tearing them apart faster than they could reach her.

As Obsidian watched, the horde kept coming until Wart was forced to use the blades as gates, holding back the enormous flood of foul creatures until one of the swords broke in half! She pressed her shoulder against the other, straining to hold the horde at bay, until she spoke up in a voice that screamed thunderously:

Her cutie mark, a green tower shield with twin longswords crossed behind it, suddenly BLAZED to life with a blue aura that matched the one in Obsidian's necklace; it almost looked as if it were on fire as she met the massive wave of Umbrals head-on... and undead pieces and chunks went flying in every direction!

Wart became a tiny dynamo, smashing, slashing and crashing through the masses as if she were a one-mare army! The roar of triumph that came from her shouldn't have been physically possible from a mare of her size - yet it rivaled a lion's! Scores of vicious horrors flew to pieces as the victims of Stalwart's onslaught began to amass at her hooves while she tore through them like they were made of clay and straw.

It was quite a sight to behold, truly - Obsidian almost regretted picking a lance herself after seeing how easy it was for Wart to use those massive greatswords! The bravado speech she had given may have been wasted on enemies that were literally already dead, but eh - at least it seemed to bolster Stalwart's confidence.

"To the bridge! Crush everything in our path!" Obsidian exclaimed with enthusiasm. Blocking the enemy's escape path was usually considered a tactical mistake, as it typically made them fight more desperately... but Umbrals were dead - they had no morale or emotions...

It took a moment, especially for Lemon Custard, who was just staring, open-mouthed, at the tiny mare's incredible feat of warrior-hood; he shook himself out of it, but it was certain the sight of what she could do had not been lost on him.

The Pies rallied, and began blasting their way towards the bridge as Obsidian covered the rear, sides and wherever else they came from. Eventually, they managed to cut off the stream headed to the bridge, and they met up with Stalwart as she cleared the last of them from the bridge.

Seeing the Pies and Obsidian, Wart visibly sighed with relief... but only briefly, as she went completely professional again. "Your Majesty, the North Gate is held, as well as the East and West gates. The Southern Gate may be breachable, but as the majority of the remaining guards are there, I find it highly unlikely. And our friends are safe, as of the last time I checked on them."

She then actually bowed on one knee to Obsidian! "Shall I escort you all inside?" She looked up at the Light Princess; from what she could see under the helmet, it looked as though the mare was feeling more alive than she had in her entire life.

Well, at least one of the gang managed to somewhat achieve her dream - terrifyingly effectively. Good for her - and for the rest of ponies inside, as it seemed that the horrific creatures summoned by Obsidian's vile sister were too weak to defeat her in a fair fight. "What about Thunderclap? Has she already returned?" Mica would kill Obsidian if she returned without the pegasus...

Wart shook her head. "No, I have not seen her come this way - but I have seen her on occasion, flying around Ponyville. I believe she may have decided to stop by and check on Princess Twilight Sparkle and company." Wart then cracked a smile. "It would be just like her to try to check up on her mother, mid-fight."

That was when her eyes glanced over at the elder Pie sisters... and they suddenly grew wide. "M-mother?"

Stalwart smiled back, and saluted her... then turned to Obsidian, who could feel her horn tingling again. "Your orders... Lady Obsidian?"

Wow, so Stalwart was ALSO related to the Pie family? That left... hmmm... Gypsy, Clap and Obsidian herself out of the lineup. However, considering that Mica got kissy-kissy with Thunderclap, she could technically also be included into their house as well.

Obsidian herself had no idea if she was intimidated by this fact, especially as her current knowledge about crushes, relationships, marriages and so on was... misty, at best. After all, she didn't even react to the teasing about her sleeping with Cupcake or their kisses - even when his own brother was asking if she were doing this 'sex' thing or his own mother was smirking at poor Siddy...

"We need somepony to guard the bridge; we've smashed plenty of these beasts, but they are too quiet for my own tastes, so we'd need a volunteer... Stalwart, escort those who aren't fighting," she turned to look at the pink mare with a pointed expression, "especially miss Pinkie Pie, who can walk only after my treatment..." it wasn't technically a lie, right? "inside and join us in our room. Peppermint, can you come with us? We need to know where these creatures are coming from and Gypsy could gladly use some help, methinks... Cupcake and I shall join the rest, but I just want to quickly check on where Thunderclap is... and then, I'm going back to get her."

Wart saluted smartly, and motioned to the Pie sisters. "Mother, if you would all follow me, I'll get you to safety as quickly as possible."

Limestone nodded, then turned to her siblings. "Okay, get inside! The LAST thing we want is another injury! Follow my daughter - and show her some respect, y'got me?"

As the sisters passed Obsidian, Pinkie let go with a single, sly wink at her; she apparently appreciated the act, and approved of Obsidian's taking charge. Peppermint, still bedecked in her goggles and vest, nodded and saluted Obsidian before putting her own cannon away (where in Tartarus did they put them!?) and sidling up next to her.

Lemon, Blue and Licorice grouped up, and he looked towards her before he spoke. "As it stands, I believe we may be capable of holding the line at the Southern bridge," he then smirked at his sister, "unless Blue here needs a breather?"

"Ah, blow it out yer feedbag," Blue snarked with a grin. Licorice simply smiled and waved at Obsidian, then gave Peppermint a quick, tight hug as he passed her. The three headed through the palace to the Southern bridge, where they would probably set up their cannons for the next wave.

Okay, everypony had something useful to do; good - and hopefully Gypsy would appreciate the help.

"She volunteered to distract the Umbrals to allow me sneak into your shop. They can't fly as far as I can tell, so when I saw her last time she was having an absolute blast... but now I need to check the Monitor Spell to get a more precise location."

The spheres of the Monitor Spell were still working when they arrived at the room. In Clap's sphere, she was zipping back and forth alongside her mother, and the two of them were seemingly playing a game of 'who can kick an Umbral head the highest'. From the spectacular kick she witnessed as she took in what was going on, it would seem that Rainbow Dash was the winner so far.

A good thing, as Obsidian was worried she'd see her friend's torn and broken body... but it seemed everything was okay so far. It would be nice to have her with them, but at least she wasn't in any current danger. After all, her mother should take care of her, right? At least Obsidian thought so; she admittedly didn't have too much experience with moms. "So... Gypsy, did you find something new? Any important news we missed during our little rescue mission?"

The diamond dog was still seated at the little table, but he was surrounded by notes, all scribbled with different colored markers. He looked up as she spoke, his tail wagging as he saw her. "OH! This one has b-been busy translating lots of p-p-prophecy and sp-p-peculation, as well as much of the Umbral social standp-points, and there has been quite a lot of mention as to how they t-tr-treated their so-called 'subjects'; they were incredibly f-f-fond of ritual sacrifice, especially anything that was gory or loud. They have a seemingly tribal na-"

The pup smiled. "As a m-m-matter of f-f-fact, yes th-this one has!" He turned and held out a sheaf of pages, all marked in red marker. "These are sp-sp-spells that have been known t-to stand ag-gainst the Umbral p-p-p-powers... t-try them!"

Ritual sacrifices... but were they for a purpose? Or were they cruel just for the sake of cruelty? Obsidian really hoped that her most honourable father wasn't trying to bring back an empire that was so incredibly wasteful.

She levitated the pages closer to examine the spells - hopefully there would be something really useful. Onyx would make such a funny face if she discovered that her better, wiser and more beautiful sister had wrecked her entire army!

There were spells against rot, spells to combat the undead, spells to seal off Dark Magic, spells to summon... oh, THAT was certainly not a Light Magic thing to do... spells to cleanse a corpse to ensure they couldn't rise as one of the Umbral, spells to turn water into the equivalent of Umbral acid...

A spell to seal off Dark Magic? Now that could be useful indeed when she found her siblings! Spells to combat the undead were surely quite useful as well. Turning water into acid - that would require a very specific set of circumstances, but Obsidian was sure it could be a wonderful spell of a mass destruction! Cleansing a corpse... well, hopefully they wouldn't need it, as well as the spell against rot... but lately, Obsidian's wishes meant less than zero, so it could be important too.

"That's wonderful, Gypsy! It should greatly increase our chances to survive this battle, that's for sure. Peppermint, did you find, perchance, where these creatures are coming from?"

Peppermint nodded vigorously, then whipped out a piece of chalk and wrote quickly on the table in front of them: {Originates from Everfree Forest, from a portal}

Hmmm... well, if she were mute, that would explain why Obsidian didn't hear her speak even once - and here she thought that Peppermint was merely shy.

"P-portal?" Gypsy grimaced. "That can't b-b-b-be good. Th-that would m-mean we might have t-t-to go through the p-p-portal to get to wherever th-they are."

"Of course... it makes sense, considering the size of my foolish sister's Black Pool. She couldn't just build it near Ponyville, as somepony would notice that an underground fortress filled with Dark Magic was being constructed. And," she looked at Gypsy. "I think it's something we should do together. All six of us. How do you feel about that, Gypsy?"

Cupcake grinned. "Yupper, pupper! We all gather together like the Element Bearers, and we go take the fight right to Onyx, and BAM! POW!, we make 'em surrender to our incredible might!"

Obsidian tapped her chin, thinking. "On one hoof, considering how this Light Magic amulet gathers energy from our companionship, it seems like the best option. It would also mean we would have a very versatile team of combatants, each with a different fighting style and advantages that could be used to protect the rest. A team of six creatures should still be small enough to be able to sneak into a portal without attracting too much attention..."

"Yet, on the other hoof... we are just a bunch of teenagers. However, it's either that, or prolonging the fight and trying to destroy all the Umbrals in the village, and counter-attacking with the help of the Bearers of Harmony and any remaining guards... however, it would possibly mean plenty of needless property destruction and, Darkness forbid, giving my siblings time to either escape or use other ancient rituals."

Mica simply shook his head. "It... makes for a plan of attack, at least. And if we can all band together, then it's far more likely we'll be able to keep each other safe, like she said. I say, why not?"

Gypsy looked apprehensive, but stood up and joined them, pocketing a number of sheets of scrawl-covered paper as he did.

Cupcake, Mica, Gypsy... Wart had returned to guarding the Northern bridge, so she was nearby... and Clap was towards the center of Ponyville. Gathering them all in one place shouldn't be too hard, right?

It would be far easier if they simply had another pegasus to get Thunderclap back. Now, how to get her attention... maybe she could make an enormous illusion of Mica kissing Clap? That would surely catch her eye and make her return to the castle! Or at least a very, very big message of 'CLAP, COME BACK', projected into the sky. It seemed to be a safer option than moving through the Umbral army - though Obsidian wasn't even sure if she would be able to cast illusions, especially that big.

"So, Mica, Gypsy... you should look for some nice, sturdy armor and weapons for yourselves. Cupcake, you too... but first, can we talk... in private?"

Mica nodded and began looking over the pile of armor he'd brought... but Gypsy's eyes went wide, and his tail and ears drooped low. However, Mica saw it, and moved in close to the diamond dog. "Don't worry, Gypsy - we'll be together, and we'll keep you safe. I promise, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you don't get hurt."

"B-b-but th-this one i-i-sn't w-worried ab-b-b-bout hi-hi-himself... h-he w-w-w-worries ab-b-bout a-all of y-y-you."

Mica blinked at that... then smiled kindly. "Thanks, Gypsy - but I think we'll be just fine, as long as we're together." The diamond dog gave a small grin in return, and his ears lifted as he also began shuffling through the available armor - now with Mica's help.

Cupcake gave Obsidian a curious look. "Okay, uh... sure. It seems important, so I'll guess it is. We can, ummm..." he suddenly smiled, "... use the CLOSET! YES!" Without another word, Cup swept both himself and Obsidian into the closet - which was okay, as it turned out to be one of the walk-in varieties.

As long as Gypsy was worried about everypony around... well, he should be able to carry on, right? Obsidian wasn't really sure if taking him along was that great of an idea, but what other choice did she have? They couldn't just walk into Onyx's lair incomplete... and if they left Gypsy alone in the castle, he would be even more worried! Poor diamond dog; hopefully everything would end soon, and then he'd get a really nice, long chance to relax.

However, first things first - and right now, the firstest thing of all was Cupcake. She didn't even give him any chance to protest - she just hugged him without mercy (or any real experience - but hey, that's thought that counts, right?).

"I just wanted to say that I'm glad I've chosen you as my liaison; I thought initially that it was a big mistake, as you've been completely different from anything I've ever known... but it turned out to be a good thing. And I need you, not just as a liaison..."

To be fair, she was still firmly set that his behaviour at the beginning was really annoying, and she would still get mad if he acted that way even now... but she was fairly certain that was behind them both.

She raised her head to look at him. "I also think I may have this 'crush' thing on you... however, I'm not sure if I understand this idea correctly. But both Thunderclap and Lemon seemed to be sure about it, though."

Cupcake was stunned by the hug (though he DID return it, after a moment)... but he was floored by her confession. He simply stared at her for a moment. But before she could voice any doubts, his muzzle turned bright red, and his smile went sweet and wide.

"Obsidian... you're not like anyone I've ever known. You're from a whole 'nother time, and you know darkness well, and you're not really silly or loud... but..."

He looked straight into her eyes. "... but I think I have a crush on you, too. I mean," he chuckled, "I KNOW I do. It's been weird, as I don't really think I've felt this way about anypony before... it's like, whenever I see you, my heart wants to sing and dance, even if you're mad at me. I don't even know when it started, it's just... b-been going on for a while, now."

"I never really had an interest in anyone before... not like the interest I have in you. Heck, I don't even know what to expect or say or do or..." He leaned over and hugged her again... and this time, he planted a lingering kiss on her delicate lips.

Once done, he gave a sheepish, embarrassed grin. "I didn't know if you... felt the same. Then, you hugged me - and THAT was wonderful, honestly! It let me know that you DO have a heart, and that I was reaching it! It felt so good to know it, but... but then, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I mean, REALLY I couldn't! You're just so... you!!!"

His smile was now broad, and he looked at her in a way she'd never seen him look before. "So... I guess this means that, when all this is done with, we should do stuff together? Like a... d-d-date?"

Well, he was still talking quite a lot... however, having a crush on somepony more quiet would be probably pretty boring, and she was learning a lot from him.

She smiled back at Cupcake. "Of course I have a heart, silly pony! It's a very important organ; I would be dead otherwise!" To be fair, did anypony ever check to be certain of that? After all, she was an artificial pony...

"And yes, I think, to your 'date' idea; just remember we also planned to do something together as a group. And you have this game with Jinx. And of course..." she lowered voice. "... uhm, what actually are dates? It's not something about foals, I hope?"

Cup's blush threatened to overtake his whole body, but he just gave a nervous chuckle. "A-actually, foal-making is usually something that married couples do, Siddy. Dates, however, are just time together with a Special Somepony, whether it's out at a movie, or getting food, or shopping, or even just being together at the park; it's about being-... uhm... well, we can talk more about it after all this is done. But now, we both have to realize that we now have an obligation to NOT die during all this; if one of us goes, the other will be sad."

He nuzzled her gently. "And I can't stand the thought of losing you... not after we just realized we have something nice together! So now, we both have to try extra hard not to get hurt, okie dokie lokie?"

Ha, so her previous knowledge was right - first marriage, then heirs! At least that ancient right was still true. "Of course, Cup; I'll do my best to avoid any deaths on our side, both of us included," Obsidian promised him. "So... You'll need a weapon now. Or at least some sort of armor..."

"Oh, armor, yeah... but I already have a weapon!" Once again, he reached behind himself and (how does he do that?) retrieved his Party Cannon from seemingly nowhere, putting it on the ground with a >THUMP<.

He patted the cannon's bell. "This baby'll get me through a lot, and when it can't, I can always use my horn!" His horn began to glow... and the glow, unlike the typical fare, was not the same color as his eyes; it was white, with little multi-colored dots floating around inside it. His magic was full of sprinkles! "But yeah, I'll grab some armor and put it on; I'm in no hurry to get nicked by one of those things!"

"Wonderful. Let's get out of the closet then, shall we? Unless... you want another kiss, of course," she added invitingly. After all, it was quick, right?

The warmth and sheer POWER she felt was almost intoxicating, but even though the amulet simply put off the same blue glow, there was now a richness and a depth to it... and even if it wasn't a spectacular change, she could certainly FEEL it!

When the kiss was done, Cupcake exited the closet with a bit of a goofy grin on his muzzle. Mica looked over and lifted an eyebrow, then gave Obsidian a questioning look... but said nothing. Cup went straight to the pile of armor and started digging.

Meanwhile, Gypsy had found something... and was wearing it. Sort of. It was half a chestplate, and two chainmail sleeves that stuck out of his hoodie. The chestplate had been fashioned for ponies; diamond dogs would just have to make due.

He looked at her with an embarrassed grin. "This o-o-one has st-st-strapped armor t-to hims-s-s-self. He hopes i-i-i-it will h-ho-h-hold."

Mica nodded. "With how I tied it to you, you should be fine. Now," he turned to Cup and Obsidian, "we have to fetch Wart and Clap, then we should be set to do... whatever it is we're doing."

Aaaaaaah, so much power! But it was only a side-effect; Obsidian would hate herself for even thinking of using Cupcake (or any of her friends) as just a source of power... but it was a very, very nice side-effect, and there was no point in denying it.

She smiled proudly to Mica, before trotting to Gypsy to examine his... umm, 'armor'. Why was it that Princess Twilight didn't have any armour for diamond dogs? They seemed to be the perfect candidates for shock troops... or spies, considering the time he scouted the band of griffons.

"Well, we just have to stop my sister. It doesn't matter how many Umbrals are there - they are all under the control of a single pony. If we take that pony down, we win. It's practically like chess..."

Only they couldn't afford losing a single piece... but she didn't want to say that out loud.

"It would be good to locate and defeat my other siblings before meeting with Onyx, but it would be stupid of her to let them wander off." She pondered for a moment. "After all, there were supposedly thirteen shards - if those two are all that are left, then perhaps she's not quite as intelligent as she would have us think. Anypony want more weapons? Armor? Potions or books, perhaps? OH! We could certainly do with a few more healing potions..."

There's always some healing poultices in the kitchen, for burns and stuff! "Sure," Cupcake said aloud, "if we hit the kitchen before we go, there should be a few; they usually keep 'em there for burns and stuff!"

"Good, that should do nicely." Mica added. "Now, if we're all armored up and armed... let's go."

By Darkness, she didn't just hear his thoughts, did she? The last thing she wanted was an ability to read mind of her crush, that was also crushing on her. "Er... y-yes," she murmured.

Mica, Gypsy, Cupcake and Obsidian made their way through the palace. It wasn't as empty as originally surmised; there were guards here, though surprisingly few, and they were busy shoring up the areas that the Umbrals were trying to break through. They seemed to be holding up well enough, though they obviously couldn't last forever.

They also came across the occasional 'other'; a dragon here, a griffon there, and so on... but for the most part, the palace had been evacuated of the majority of average citizens. Most of those were possibly in Ponyville, which would certainly make it imperative that Twilight Sparkle and her friends were defending it.

With the exception of Pinkie Pie; she and her siblings had also armored up, but only Limestone held a sword. Marble looked ready to turn tail and run at any second, Maud seemed completely unfazed, and Pinkie herself simply seemed to be waiting for... something.

We're coming, love - hold on... "Alright," Mica spoke up, "to the Northern gate; the sooner we gather Wart, the sooner we can head to Ponyville to get Clap. Then, we're golden."

Should she perhaps ask her friends not to think so loudly - it was embarrassing to hear that! At least Cupcake wasn't thinking any shameful thoughts... besides, it would be much, much better to read minds of their enemies! Wouldn't it be just great to know everything that Onyx was thinking? (Or not thinking, considering her meager mental capabilities?)

"If I may, does anyone have any good ideas on how to call Clap from a distance?" If everything else failed, she could perhaps try one of those illusions she'd considered earlier...

FIREWORKS! "FIREWORKS!" Cupcake cheered, as he looked to his mother, who grinned brightly and (from somewhere behind her) produced a number of rocket-like devices.

"Which ones, Cuppie? Do you want the 'sploders, the twitchers, the shiners, the BOMP-BOMPers, the spazzers, the sparklers, the golden starburst, the big blue blast, the screamers, the laughers, the OHMYGOSH level extravaganza, the fireflies, the-"

Pinkie grinned. "Yeah, that certainly will get her attention, that's for sure! Marble, Maudacious, Limey - you three help me get to the roof to set up!"

"Limestone. It's Pinkie," Maud interrupted, "when it comes to fireworks, do you honestly think she's NOT serious?"

One look at the drab grey mare, and Limestone sighed. "FINE. I guess you are serious about it! Then okay, roof time; c'mon, you two."

Pinkie looked back at Cupcake, fixing him with a gaze that only a mother could have for her child. You make me so proud, Cupcake - you've grown up so much, and it's hard to realize you're not my little pony anymore. Your HERS. But I like her, so I think you'll be just fine.

Pinkie then turned and smirked at Obsidian. And hopefully, she'll learn how to control that telepathy of hers before you two try your hooves at foal-making. With a wink, she and her sisters headed down the hall and up the spiral stone staircase, roofbound.

Obsidian: Daughter of Sombra

by Randimaxis

Twenty-Nine: Bringing The Boom