"Hey," Cupcake nudged Obsidian from her dream, nuzzling her cheek to gently wake her up. "Hey, Siddy... time to wake up. Today's the day, and we have to meet with the others before we head to the show tonight!"
It had been two whole weeks since the events of that fateful day.
When she finally awoke, it was in the bed that she now shared with Cupcake; the Pie family had gladly accepted her, but it had taken only one week for them BOTH to tire of Pinkie's constant spying, so they'd moved into a house of their very own, using Cupcake's savings. Now, she got to wake up every day to Cup's snuggles - it was a paradise she hadn't expected.
"C'mon, sleepyhead," he teased gently, "if we don't make it on time, they're gonna be disappointed."
Could be worse... could be far worse. She was learning a lot, very quickly, and could only hope she'd catch up with the insanity called 'a normal modern life'. It didn't help that she had decided to have a crush on a pony who was basically the antithesis of her entire past life and, believe it or not, was one of the most normal ponies in his own family! At least she was cured of her phobias about being touched; if she'd still suffered from that, her life would have been completely, utterly insufferable.
"Yes, yes, I'm moving," she muttered, getting out of the bed and stretching. Maybe she should follow her habits from the good old days and spend some time fasting, training and doing anything she could to maintain physical and mental fitness?
Downstairs in the kitchen, the table was set with a number of Cup's culinary delights, all hoofmade - and one or two dishes made just for her, of course.
At the sink, Amethyst grumbled as she washed the dishes and pans, a rag in her hoof as the mare scrubbed them down. The grey horn on her head didn't even spark once; the ring she'd been ordered to wear meant her magic had been locked away until she 'redeemed herself', however long it would take.
"This would be so much easier if I had my magic, y'know," she groused.
Cup just grinned. "I'm sure... but you know you have to earn that right back. Auntie Twily's decision, don't you know? Just make sure you get it done before the ceremony - you are invited, you know."
"Yeah, I know," she growled, "don't rub it in." As she went on with her dishwashing, she gave Obsidian a slight look as she entered. "Did you get yesterday's homework assignment? 'Cause I have no clue what a 'crush' is, and I don't think I'll be able to write about the one in that miserable storybook until I figure it out! Why does this always happen to me?"
Cup grinned at Siddy. To be fair, the fact that Amethyst had access to their culinary utensils was making Obsidian somewhat worried - tool or not, she proved herself to be rather deadly with knives, didn't she? Luckily without her magic, and with a constant threat of being so brainwashed that she'd be hugging even trees and houses, she seemed to be somewhat less dangerous.
Obsidian shrugged slightly. "Ask Tourmy first, Amy - I'm really interested what he'd answer for that one."
What could she say, 'a crush means that you can live through hugs even if you hated it before, and there was also this lips thing too'?
Her muzzle soured. "I'd rather ask that one jackass outside of town to discuss Equestrian politics," she grumbled.
"Hey, don't slander Cranky," Cup spoke up, "he's momma's friend."
Amethyst waved a forehoof at him and resumed washing dishes. Of her two siblings, Amy had been having the rougher time of things; Tourmaline, strangely, had adapted to Ponyville life fairly quickly, and had even made a single friend - Gunther Gadfly, the griffon. The two of them spent a lot of time talking about everything under the sun.
Amy still didn't have any friends; she had a long way to go, but she still might one day finally let go of her own past. Until then, she lived in their attic and did her schoolwork and chores like she was told. Most of her free time was still seemingly dedicated to herself... but hopefully, it wouldn't last forever.
Breakfast was, as always, delicious. She ate her fill, as did Cupcake and even her sister, and after clean up, Cup insisted that she get ready for tonight's big night.
And what a night it was going to be.
Once she was ready, Cupcake smiled at her. "Okay, we have to go by Sugarcube Corner and gather Mica up, then we go by the school and fetch Gypsy from his studies. After that, it should be close to time for the presentation - then the show!" He gave her a tiny kiss on the cheek. "You ready?"
To be fair, all things considered, Amy could ask Cranky - not about politics, but about this crush thing, considering what she'd heard about him. The fact that he ended up with a wife seemed to indicate he understood this topic pretty well, or at least much better than Obsidian and, of course, Amethyst.
"I was crafted ready, Cupcake," Obsidian said with a calm voice. Yes, that fasting idea should be pretty good. She already looked much fatter than before, courtesy of the Light amulet making up for her malnourishment. At this pace, she would look like a shameless, obese hedonist soon! The amount of food that modern ponies were eating was insane, at least in comparision to the meals she used to eat in the Empire...
The two of them headed for the doorway, though before they could get through it, that door opened and Tourmaline himself walked in, talking over his flank.
"... and then she tackled me! I mean, sure, points fr bravery, but- OH!" He stopped short of bumping into Cupcake. "I didn't know you were heading out - my apologies."
"Hey-o," Gunther waved from behind Tourmaline, "you kids doin' okay?"
"Of course they are!" Tourmy grinned. "They have help indoors fom my charming sister-"
"Oh, HA HA," from the kitchen.
"... and outdoors help from yours truly; what more could they ask for?"
Gunther laughed. "Prolly some peace an' quiet, I'll bet!"
Tourmy rolled his eyes and smirked. Since his own change of heart, he'd become more and more sociable; it gave Obsidian something to smile about, and had led to some interesting and eye-opening conversations between the two. Honestly, he was beginning to turn out to be the big brother she'd hoped he'd be - it was actually nice to chat with him. And he NEVER spoke THIS way ANYmore.
"Tonight's the night, correct?" Cup answered with a vigorous nodding, and her brother chuckled merrily. "Well then, I'll just grab a bath, and I'll be along with Amy later on."
"Yeah, right," from the kitchen again.
Did Tourmaline got into a fight? Wait... maybe he was talking about his altercation with Wart? It seemed that, eventually, Ruby turned out to be correct; Tourmaline, as soon as he stopped trying to crush her bones, seemed to integrate fairly well. And he even didn't want to try to kill Amy anymore. And he'd made a friend! To be fair, considering how merrily he was spending his time here, Obsidian could suspect he was integrating better than she herself had. Too bad Onyx wouldn't ever see it.
"If she wouldn't like to go, be gentle; sedatives instead of violence, and so on."
Tourmy waved a hoof at her and rolled his eyes playfully. "Yes, yes - I know. Her choice, of course."
Even though his own horn had been ringed as well, he seemed to miss it far less than Amy did. He'd gotten to working in the small yard they had, and he was beginning to show some muscle. In fact, it was a fair bet that if he continued doing as he was, he'd have the eye of a few mares on him, sooner or later.
"Okay, T-Line," Gunther said, "I gotta get home an' get ready myself - don't think I'm missin' this fer the world!"
"Fine and dandy, my friend," Tourmaline retorted, "I'll see you there - save me a seat!"
"You betcha!" The griffon said as he took off. Tourmy gave them both a slight wave and headed downstairs to his room.
The walk through town was actually rather pleasant; the repairs had been going so smoothly, it was hard to tell that less than a month ago, the place had been besieged by an undead horde.
Cupcake skipped merrily along, talking rapid-fire about his cooking, his mother's promised gift of a new party cannon for his birthday, Obsidian's test scores (which, coincidentally, were quite high), and anything else he could jabber on about. To be honest, even if he was babbling, just the sound of his voice warmed Obsidian's heart.
They reached Sugarcube Corner, where Maud, Mudbriar and Mica all were busily sweeping the shop out.
"Oh, it's you guys," Maud said in her typical monotone, "hey."
"Yes, hello there," Mudbriar followed. Mica's father was... kind of boring... but nice enough, in his own way.
"Hey, Siddy," Mica said, giving a small nod. "Mom, may I..?"
"Sure," she said, totally deadpan, "you kids have fun. Oh, Boulder says hi."
Cupcake smiled, "Tell him I said HI right back!" Maud nodded, and Mica moved to join the two as they walked along.
"Big night tonight, right?" Mica seemed the tiniest bit more animated than usual; which, in his family, meant he was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement.
Everypony was thrilled about tonight, right? At least Mica would remember to put this on his calendar and avoid unnecessary asking. But at least Cupcake was going to get a new cannon; his combat competence should increase after that. Of course, no undead armies had been spotted lately, but it would be far better to be armed than not. "Yes. Gypsy now, I assume?"
Cup nodded. "Yeah - he's probably in the library. Again." Mica rolled his eyes and nodded, but with a tiny smile to accent his expression.
As they walked along, Obsidian realized that tonight would also mark the two week anniversary of Mica declaring his heart to Thunderclap... and her later declaration of her own heart to him. They'd been seriously dating ever since then, and she'd even seen them exchange a kiss - when Clap though no one was looking, of course.
Cup and Mica made most of the small talk until they reached the School of Friendship; it was a place of learning, but more than that, it was a place of friendship - something Siddy had considerably more interest in since two weeks prior. The surge of power she'd felt back then had yet to manifest as boldly again, but she'd grown to understand that her power was now sourced in it. Which, of course, meant she'd studied it quite a bit now.
In fact, it was rapidly becoming a favored subject, though she still had much to learn. One thing she could certainly say about it - it wasn't nearly as boring as she'd thought it would be.
Sure enough, they found the diamond dog with his snout in a book, with a small stack nearby, reading and taking notes. When they approached, his ears perked up and when he looked, his tail began wagging happily. "Salut-t-tations, friends. This one guesses you're here t-to gather him up for tonight, c-correct?"
Considering that Thunderclap and Mica had known each other for quite a while, Mica had withheld his crush on her for a long time. Yet they were much more estabilished in Ponyville than Obsidian herself, and the fact that they were only kissing each other from time to time and dating a bit (though they were dating 'seriously', whatever that meant in this context) was making her think that maybe that living with Cupcake in the same house was perhaps a bit too... rushed? Add to this the fact that her ideas of 'family love' were still somewhat confused by the idea that she still somewhat craved the attention of her weak, yet cruel father, certainly didn't help.
"Yes, hello Gypsy. I see that being a part of history didn't sate your hunger for it," she said bemusedly. Maybe defeating another Sombra-class villain would cure Gypsy's stuttering for good? She wondered sometimes if his biggest dream was still about him being a lecturer; it most certainly wouldn't hurt his chances if he could get over this one little obstacle... but he was as he was, and frankly, she accepted him anyway.
He smiled. "This one is uncertain i-if history would r-remember him... but he still wishes to know, and it shall n-not escape his s-searching eyes! This one will know it ALL!"
Mica gave a light chuckle. "If it were anyone else, I'd be skeptical - for you, however... I'd say you have a chance."
Gypsy gathered his varied books and stored them in his knapsack, joining them as they exited the library. As they made their way through the hallowed halls, they passed Headmare Starlight and Councilor Trixie, who waved to them all in passing.
"They've come a long way, don't you think?" Trixie asked the Headmare.
Starlight Glimmer smiled. "I think she's the one who's come the farthest. Good on her for it, too."
Trixie turned to her friend. "'Farthest?' Is that even a real word?"
The group of the four of them now made their way through the other side of town, headed towards Twilight's Palace for the ceremony in question. In fact, there were a number of folks headed that way; it was supposed to be a large ceremony lead by the Princess herself, followed afterwards by a show from the Wonderbolts. Clap had raved about the famed pegasus team enough to pique Obsidian's curiosity; stunt flying sounded intriguing. She'd find out soon enough, she supposed.
As they walked along, Mica and Cup began to chat again. Meanwhile, Gypsy fell back next to Obsidian.
"This one w-was thinking of you last night, and made you a p-present." He reached into the floppy sleeve of his hoodie, and brought out an origami alicorn, which the diamond dog had colored to resemble her from their shared 'nightmare'; it was clearly Obsidian, and it was just as clear that he'd spent a great deal of time coloring it properly. He handed it over to her. "For you, friend," he grinned.
That actually managed to make Obsidian chuckle a bit as she thanked him for it. In a sudden fit of fantasy (or perhaps mild insanity), she actually put it on her head, next to the ear, even using a bit of magic to keep it in place and not lose it by accident. Sadly, at the moment Obsidian herself could only fold paper into... well, wasted paper, but sooner or later she'd catch up... ooooor get bored with her attempts. Of course she had plenty of other things to do, so she couldn't practice it too often...
Cup, Mica, Gypsy, Obsidian... and Wart and Clap surely would be waiting for them at the castle.
Twilight's Castle was already bustling with activity when they arrived, and they followed the crowd until they reached the great hall, where the ceremony was to take place. As they shuffled in and got to their seats, a few of the Royal Library regulars waved to Obsidian; taking the job as Royal Librarian for Twilight Sparkle had been more work than she'd imagined; how could a single mare have so many books!? But she'd adjusted fairly enough, and was even seen as a boon to the regular library-goers, due to her knowledge of where things were, and her totally awesome method of sorting, which had gained some minor fame for her.
They shuffled down the rows to their seats, and took them as the ceremony began. Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped out onto the stage, looking regal in her tiara and a gown of great beauty and style; in the wings were Miss Rarity and Eloquence, her son - both looking proud as could be. Eloquence was even sharing his mother's hankercheif to wipe his eyes with.
"My little ponies," she began, "I come to you tonight with the hope of tomorrow held high, making ourselves safer and more secure than ever before."
"Recently, there was quite a stir here in Equestria, and we have done our utmost best to rebuild and recover from those events. Though we lost some dear, dear friends," she took a deep, steadying breath before continuing, "we made even more."
With this, her eyes moved to look at Obsidian and her crew, and she smiled.
"And now, this batch of Royal Guard hopefuls have finished their preliminary training, and are here to dedicate themselves to not only myself, but to all of Equestria in their service to defend and serve each of us as they strive to become full-fledged Knights."
"I will now introduce to you one of my greatest trainers, Lemon Custard, who will commence the sworn oath ceremony. Lemon, if you please?"
Lemon Custard, dressed impeccably with medals in full view, proudly marched onstage and came to the podium as Princess Twilight retreated into the wings, looking on beside Rarity and Eloquence. He brought a list from his inner coat pocket, and began to look it over as he lifted his voice to speak loudly enough to fill the room.
"Steeleye Grimshaw..." A strong and capable-looking stallion made his way onstage, marching his way over to the podium before standing at attention next to it, his newly-minted armor gleaming.
"Pillar O'Strength..." A mare, muscular and sure, followed suit, her armor polished and shining.
Lemon continued to name names, and soldiers continued to step out onstage and stand for all of Equestria to see. Though Cupcake made snoring noises (softly), Mica nudged him and Gypsy occupied himself, folding soldiers to match the ones onstage.
The list continued for fifteen minutes, until a long line of Guards-In-Training had amassed upon the stage. Lemon then claered his throat and spoke up again. "And last, but hardly least, Stalwart Stance."
The tiny mare came strolling out from behind the curtain, bedecked in her own Royal Guard armor, made specifically to her size dimensions. She marched perfectly towards the line and took her place, standing at full attention...
... but wore an enormous smile, and had tears running down her cheeks as she stood as tall and proud as her little form would let her.
"YAAAAY, WARTY!!!" Cupcake cheered, which brought forth a few chuckles from the rest of the audience, and a redoubling of Wart's grin... and a glare from Lemon. Twilight Sparkle smiled warmly.
Lemon adjusted his spectacles, then gave a subdued smile as he spoke once more. "May I present the latest class of Royal Guard Trainees; may their honor and duty serve Equestria well, and may they grow to become the Knights they aspire to be." The audience cheered, their applause rattling the rafters.
Truth be told, to Obsidian that smile on Wart's muzzle was almost bigger than she was... which, taken literally, would break laws of the universe - but of course, she meant it figuratively. But it was a well-deserverd reward; after all, how many guards could say that they were as useful? Or that they had single-hoofely defended a bridge from an incoming Umbral horde? Or that they helped to take down King Sombra himself? Not too many.
To be honest, probably the only other guardian that could say that last thing was Prince Shining Armor himself, so the bar was set pretty high. Hopefully, Wart's newfound duties wouldn't be a problem for their little gang of friends. Obsidian joined in the raucous cheers... in her own, rather subdued way. Of course, in comparision to Cupcake, everypony was subdued, as he howled and stomped with fervor for their little friend.
The ceremony went on, where Lemon made them all swear their loyalty and fealty to Equestria and its' rulers, but that part of the ceremony went slowly... another hour, and it was finally over and done. When everything was finished, Wart came from behind the curtain and went to the seats to greet her friends.
When she arrived, she accepted hugs from each of them, and gave them in return. When she reached Siddy, she bowed deeply.
"Lady Siddy... were it not for you, I would never have been noticed by Lemon Custard; his testimony alone made today a reality for me. I thank you with ALL of my heart!" Then, she leapt up and hugged Siddy tightly, whispering, "you are my best friend, ever," in Siddy's ear.
Compared to the Stalwart that Obsidian met two weeks ago, the change was striking. From a very obedient mare that had been lying to herself that one day her dream will come true... she had become a (still) very obedient, yet far more friendly mare who had achieved that dream.
The world was insane, truly; without a zombie invasion and King Sombra's return, Wart just wouldn't have had any opportunity to prove to the whole of Equestria that she was a serious fighting machine - just a bit compressed. And it seemed that compressing those fighting skills of hers was a good idea.
"Oh?" Obsidian replied with a smirk, "Then perhaps will you join myself and Thunderclap during our upcoming Spa visit?" She still had no idea what was so interesting in other ponies taking care of your fur and so on, but she DID promise she'd try it, right? "And without you, Equestria would be in chains - so I guess we're even, yes?"
Wart gave a chuckle. "As you wish, Lady Siddy - far be it for me to miss a chance to protect you from the evils that a spa may or may not have!"
"Speaking of which," Mica said with a grin, "if we're going to catch my Clappie flying with the 'Bolts tonight, we should make our way to the Royal Gardens here, right away; I'm certain she'll be stoked to see us all."
"What're we waiting for?" Cupcake asked, "Let's shake a leg or four!"
They issued out of the rear doors, as everyone else had, and made their way to Twilight's Royal Gardens in the back. The plants there were tall and well-kept, and her flower gardens rivaled even the ones in Canterlot. As they made their way through, they did make a single stop, for Obsidian.
Her Father's statue was still where Twilight had placed him; facing the sunrise, looking stoic and proud, refusing to be turned to stone in any sort of cowardly pose. Though he was sealed in stone and his magic locked away beyond that, he still looked menacing. Powerful. Tyrannical.
"You, uh, want a moment alone with him, or..?" Cup allowed his words to trail off.
"For what, Cup? To talk with a pillar of cold stone? Do I look crazed enough for that?" Obsidian shrugged, though rather bitterly. Her Father had lost his magic - or, to be more precise, his youngest daughter had locked it away.
Still, placing him here as a statue felt pointless - or worse, possibly damaging. There were so many things they could do to him... that Obsidian could do. For the moment, he'd just barely escaped her grasp; as far as she was concerned, Princess Twilight had gone surprisingly soft on him, and prevented anypony from learning more about him, his plans or his past. He moved from being a menacing, terrifying villain straight into the position of being a menacing, terrifying statue. What a shame.
But Obsidian was more or less sure that she could find a way to bring him back... if she'd ever actually want to. After all, as history had shown, the position of a librarian was perfect for plotting.
Mica stepped close to her. "You know... someday, we might actually be able to reach him. After all, he never had to be an evil ruler, if he so chose. Maybe one day, he'll be ready to understand."
Obsidian was less interested in his understanding than in his utter submission to her power. His compliance. She had shown him the power she held, and had used it to take away his prized Dark Magic. She had triumphed! But she still didn't understand why he was seemingly rewarded by turning him into a piece of art.
"But for now, he really does make a pretty decorative pigeon-toilet," Cup chuckled.
They walked onward, headed towards the area prepared for the show. There were bleachers that had been moved in for this occasion, all enchanted to ensure they did no damage to the grounds or the foliage here; each one floated mere inches off the dirt, ensuring no unsightly marks left behind. The bleachers were mostly packed already (it almost seemed as if there were more in attendance here than there were at the ceremony), but Siddy and her friends found a spot where they could sit together, and took it.
Things seemed to settle in, but after a few moments, a pegasus wearing a 'Security' shirt flew over the crowd and seemed to search for a moment before zeroing in on Obsidian and flew over to her.
"Obsidian, right?" he said, "Your presence is requested backstage - alone, if you please. Miss Dash requires you for something, and NO I don't know what, but I was sent to fetch you. You comin'?"
The last time anypony asked her to come alone, she was ambushed by Tourmaline and almost killed after learning that underestimating an opponent is always a bad idea, and that her shields were not as powerful as she once thought. However, the last two weeks had been rather peaceful - and there was no pony around that could supposedly endanger her. To risk fighting with a mare that had saved Equestria? HA!
So, Obsidian just nodded and followed the security stallion.
Her other friends looked a bit curious (especially Mica), but she didn't have to wave them away as she followed the pegasus. She was led to an area sectioned off for Wonderbolt use, or so the signs said, and he brought her to a single door. The stallion gestured, knocked, then flew off to go do his job.
The door opened, and there was Thunderclap Dash, wearing a Wonderbolts training outfit... and a VERY worried expression on her muzzle. "SIDDY! Get your flank in here, girl!"
The muscular pegasus reached out and yanked her into the room, shutting the door behind her. She simply stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, before turning and looking at her with fear in her eyes.
"Siddy, I... I don't know if I can DO this!" She began to pace as she talked. "I mean, I've been trying to train for this, like, all my life, and what if I still can't pull it off!? I mean, it's a freaking Sonic Rainboom! I'm the one who should be completely stoked to do this, but... I mean, LOOK at me! I'm a... a-a FREAK! How in Tartarus am I supposed to be able to pull this off, Sids?"
Deja vu...
Whew, Obsidian heard Clap's full name so rarely that she practically forgot that term "Miss Dash" could mean her friend as well. It could have been worse, really - after all, they were using her nickname so often that Obsidian could possibly forget her name at all.
There was also another issue - Clap had some problems with trusting her skills and spirit, and instead of calling her coltfriend (yes, Obsidian finally got to learn this term and what it implied) to support her, or maybe a constantly cheerful Cupcake... she asked specifically for Obsidian?
"Well, Clap, I had wings only for a few minutes, and it was a dream at that... but I'd say, fly very, very fast."
Technically it was a correct answer, right?
"Imagine that one of the distant clouds is my Father's muzzle, and remind yourself about how much you'd like to hit him hard enough to rattle his bones; the rest will be just a matter of working up the proper momentum." Obsidian patted Thunderclap on the back, though with nowhere near the same enthusiasm as she did to her friends - mostly because she wasn't that physically strong.
"Besides, you are not a freak; you are a mare that's going to achieve her dreams today, just like Stalwart did moments before, and your performance shall give Gypsy another thing to write about in the future book he shall doubtless write about our glorious adventures. We believe in you, girl."
Obsidian had learned a lot about friendship speeches and such in the past few weeks; faith and believing in yourself, you are not alone, et cetera. Truly, it was like a game of throwing darts - she just had to strike upon the proper combinations.
"You're... you're sure?" She seemed skeptical still, and looked toward the door anxiously. "Well, I mean... I don't know, but..."
She looked over at Obsidian. "Y'know, I had a dream like this once... that's kinda why I called you here instead of any of the others. I just, well, it felt right, and I figured you would have a way to put it that could work for me."
She paced a bit as she pondered her friend's advice. "Hmmmmm... Sombra's muzzle, eh?" She chuckled. "You've come a heckuva long way since that first day, Sids... and I'm glad you did. You're one great friend, y'know that?"
She came over and gave Obsidian a hug that lifted her off the ground, then set her down and huffed a sigh of resignation. "HO-kay! I guess I'm gonna do this, yeah? Make sure Gypsy gets something to write on ready, 'cuz this mare's about to make history!"
She opened the door for Obsidian, but before she could leave, Clap said, "Thanks, Obsidian - love ya, girl! Now go get a good seat - this is gonna be awesome!"
Hopefully, Clap would manage to do the Sonic Rainboom correctly - it would be quite embarrassing if she would fail because she called the wrong pony, all because the famed Princess of the Night decided to engage in a dream tour with the daughter of her greatest enemy.
"You can do it and you will do it, Clap. And don't forget to have fun," Obsidian said with her calm voice, as soon as her internal organs got better after the hug (group hugs with Thunderclap were fine, but as soon as she had an opportunity to lift someony in the air... there just had to be some internal damage).
Now she just had to get to a good seat - and by 'good seat' she meant 'a seat with her friends'. Truly, it would be nice of Equestrians to keep prepared places for them - after all, they were heroes and royalty, even if her own Father had discarded that claim. Luckily, she didn't have to pay any heed to fallen, villainous ponies. It didn't matter what her father meant; she was his daughter and, as such, she was as royal as he was. So there.
She got back to her friends just as the announcer's voice kicked in through the loudspeakers.
{Fillies and gentlecolts! Welcome to the Wonderbolts Air Show! If you'll look to the east, you'll see our beloved flyers coming in right now!}
Sure enough, streaks of blue and gold shot by the bleachers so impressively fast that they nearly took Obsidian's little paper Siddy with them! They banked, they rolled, they made some very impressive maneuvers in mid-air, often coming dangerously close to hitting each other... but like the professionals they were, they had not a single flaw or mishap.
{And presenting, as part of a special request performance, the talented daughter of our Wonderbolts' leader - 'Bolt In Training, THUNDERCLAP DAAAAAAAAASH!!!!!}
The cheers went up as Clap strolled out to the center field like she owned it, a microphone in her hoof. She didn't wave (though she did drop a wink toward her friends), she simply put her goggles on. She seemed to take a moment to decide what she was going to say - perhaps something bold and brash - but instead, she closed her eyes and when she spoke, the speakers allowed her voice to reach everyone present.
"This is dedicated to the memory of Applejack," she said with great gravitas.
With that, she dropped the microphone and shot straight up into the air. As the Wonderbolts began to fly an orbit around her, she started heading off towards the distance, presumably to get room to gather speed.
While she did, Obsidian saw Tourmy and Gunther in a closer row... and Amy, surpisingly, on the other side of the bleachers, forelegs crossed but still watching with interest.
The crowd could now make out the sight of the Wonderbolts circling around a single speck that began to outpace them, and they fell behind as that speck picked up more and more speed, until-
>>>>>sssssSSSSSSS-BOOOOOOOOOM!<<<<<
It... was... beautiful...
The ring that travelled outward was a bit different than Obsidian had seen in her dreams; this one was a ring of pure, bright gold, with trails of rainbow colors blasting outward behind it. It was most certainly something that only Thunderclap would have been able to achieve; it reminded her of the pegasus' hair, golden blonde with colored roots. Totally Clap.
It was really a shame that the Magic of Friendship hadn't been powerful enough to bring back the deceased, otherwise they wouldn't have had to do anything 'in memory of Applejack'. Clap had given herself no other option but to succeed - trying to make a Sonic Rainboom to honor a fallen mare and failing would be worthy of writing into history books, but not in any positive sense.
As Obsidian looked on, something caught her eye; at the back of the stage, there was a ghostly image in pink - a unicorn mare with a lovely mane and tail, and a smile on her muzzle. And next to her, pouting morosely, was another spectre... another unicorn, this one with a slight purple hue - but she wore a scowl, and had her forelegs crossed over her barrel. The pink ghost waved, and wrapped a forehoof around the purple one, who rolled her eyes before they both vanished.
Obsidian balked mentally; was... was that Ruby? And Onyx? But... b-but HOW!? How had they appeared like this? What was the meaning of this? She blinked and looked at where they were... but there was no evidence of them having been there at all - but she knew she'd seen them!
Could there possibly be a way to find the fallen some new bodies? Her father had apparently sculpted living ponies from crystal and had infused them with his own soul - would it be logical to repeat the entire process and use portions of deceased spirits, like the ones she'd just seen? Obsidian had no idea how it would work with things like their memories and so on, but the idea was promising.
The Dark Princess (or, considering that she had beaten down Sombra, QUEEN) was thinking about the possibilities so deeply that she almost forgot about cheering on Thunderclap.
But the pegasus mare had done it - she truly managed to fly very, very fast. It looked wonderful.
So, she had to find out more about crystals, as she doubted that merely any crystal would work for the situation. Maybe there was something among Onyx's books she could learn... but to properly research them safely, she'd have to find a calm place. Unfortunately, her home was 'Cupcaked', so it was not exactly calm.
There were also her other two siblings, as well - the living ones. They probably couldn't help too much, as Onyx seemed to use them only as dumb muscle, but she could certainly investigate to see if there was more to them than that.
Maybe the answer would be to work overtime in her librarian position? Nopony seemed to complain that she worked hard. She could only wonder if Onyx's more personal books were in the library at all. If the legends about the fabled Mirror Pool were at least partially true, she could probably use it to copy them and place the originals back. Alas, some of the titles she owned were probably her private property, at least assuming Princess Twilight wasn't interested in claiming them for her vaults. Obsidian wasn't interested in the gorier ones, true, but she needed knowledge...
And of course, probably Dark Magic. Perhaps Light Magic, too. And cryssssstalssssss...