//------------------------------// // Four: Midnight Star // Story: Obsidian: Shards Of Sombra // by Randimaxis //------------------------------// "All abooooooard!" the conductor shouted, and more creatures began to enter the train... but there had been no old griffons or scrawny princes! How could she have missed them? Granted, there had been a number of individuals here, but it wasn't supposed to be this difficult! Steam hissed out of the train, and as it pulled off from the station, the platform was covered in a thick cloud for a moment. However, through the din, Obsidian heard a voice... "*cough, cough* What a ridiculous way to get here! In my heyday, it'd been nothing to fly to Equestria! Get your flank in gear, Star! The bags are down at the other end! Come on, chop chop!" That sounded like a cranky old griffon. Ah, trains; when Siddy saw the first one in her life, she'd tried to cast a shield to protect herself from the metal monstrosity, just to be sure - a rather embarrassing memory, really. Luckily, she'd gotten a few explanations that they were NOT monsters and she really should just relax. Mortifying, yes... but informative. Oh, here go their guests... where were they? Obsidian waited for the steam to dissipate, her eyes scanning for movement. The clouds evaporated, and standing there was what looked to be the oldest griffon she'd ever laid her eyes on. He was stooped and hunched, and his legs looked crooked with age. His feathers were a uniform grey, save for his belly which was a slight shade of brown; what must have been his natural color about, say, 300 years ago. He wore a threadbare denim vest, and glasses so thick his milky white eyes looked as big as an owl's, along with a worn brown bowler atop his balding head. He sniffed the air a bit, then gave a sigh. "A pampered dignitary, no doubt, come to see me to the palace - your thick, nauseating soap smell gave you away... you and..." he sniffed at the air again, "... your equally pampered friend." Wart said nothing; she wasn't about to rise to his jibes. "So," he grumbled, "are you going to say anything, or am I gonna have to make the entire conversation up as we go? Well? Say something, ya muttonhead!" Ohhhhhh, what fun. The griffon stood alone; Star assumedly gone for their baggage. He looked like a relic, really; a thing from the ancient times, just like Obsidian herself. They would surely become besties in no time, complaining that kids these days behaved so rudely and without any responsibility, with their garish clothes and loud music. Though she did make note of how sharp his sense of smell was. "I'm glad to welcome you to Ponyville, Mister Garrison. I hope there were no problems on your way here. If I may ask, where's the prince?" Yes indeed, this was going to be fun. The griffon gave a snort of derision. "Gathering the bags, of course! Did you expect me to be carrying them! For someone sent to fetch a dignitary as important as I am, you're rather dull, aren't you? No matter," he waved a creaky wing in her direction, "I'll be rid of you, soon enough. From your accent, you sound like one of those goody-goody Crystal Empire prats - and I can't stand goody-goody prats." Well, he really was a grumpy one, wasn't he? In a way, Obsidian was pleased with him - it was almost like being with her own father, in her fonder memories... though with more complaining and less pain. Of course her father wasn't near-blind, or didn't have such a keen nose... but he had been the only one able to abuse her verbally with such speed and skill. Really, since her revival in Equestria, only Cup and Lemon had managed to insult her so thorougly (and she was now a marefriend to one of them... strange times, eh?), but they had done so more or less by accident; this griffon, though... aaaaah, it felt like home. Also, it was still a bit surprising to be called a goody-goody. He sniifed at the air again, then moved over close to Obsidian, holding out a claw. "Well? I know you're somewhat dense, but I was hoping you'd notice my issues and actually, you know, do your job and escort me! Well go on!" He waved his wing a bit. "Take it, stupid! Or do you expect a nearly blind griffon to find his way to the palace by smell alone!?" "Gavin," a smooth, rich and deep voice spoke up from behind them, "remember your heart; don't get yourself worked up over nothing." The stallion standing there was... exquisite. He had an almost dark velvet quality to his coat, which seemed to have a sheen at the right angles. He was tall - taller than Obsidian - and had a form and figure that sent her heart fluttering with his obvious strength, and his luxurious mane and tail seemed to flow like Luna's... except it was a deep violet color, and seemed to drift behind him instead of beside. His eyes were rich and silver - and no spectacles in sight. He had a strong, chiseled look to his muzzle that spoke well of his... his utter maleness... and his wings and horn were just a shade blacker than his coat. Or, as Clap would have probably said, wow, whatta hunk! "After all, would you want word getting back that you literally grumped yourself to death?" he teased. Gavin Garrison gave another grumpy sound, yet said nothing else for the moment. The regal and royal-looking prince turned to face her. "Midnight Star, madam - a pleasure to meet you and your..." He blinked. "Is that... Stalwart Stance?" Wart's muzzle lit up like the sun. Wow. It seemed as if Twilight's son certanly got over his appearance problems - in fact, he was as distant from Stalwart's description as possible! This alicorn prince looked regal and handsome, and there was not a single taint on the perfection of his appearance that Obsidian could visibly see. Not bad... not bad at all. And he seemed to be more than capable of dealing with the grumpy griff himself. She bowed her head a tiny bit. "Obsidian, and the pleasure is all mine. I'm glad to see you remember my friend, as well." With introductions done, she could do the right thing and help the blind old griffon with walking in the right direction. Since she was asked to do this, she decided she would lead him to the castle... even if he would demand to be carried here. Midnight smiled, and it made him all the more handsome. "A pleasure to meet you, Obsidian. And not to sound off-putting, but how could I ever forget my dearest friend? We spent a lot of time together, and she even saved my tail a number of times." He turned to Wart and gave her a deep, honorable bow. "Stally, I'm so glad you've come - I missed you terribly. I'd even hug you, if you didn't look so lovely; a day at the spa, I ta-" Wart stepped forward and, almost electric in her salute, she smiled broadly at him. "Permission to hug granted, your majesty!" They both then shared a laugh and an embrace, which was obviously warm and happy. "FEH," Garrison grumped, "you ponies and your silly friendships... much more of this, and I swear, I'll die of diabetes!" He turned in Obsidian's direction. "TELL me you aren't all saccharine sweet like this, for the love of Griffonstone!" "Just LOOK at you!" Midnight said, "you look beautiful! And you certainly grew up to be a lovely mare, didn't you?" And then, realizing what he'd just said, he actually blushed! Wart laughed aloud, a joyous sound to come out of the little mare. "Myself? Midnight, what about YOU!? Just look at you! You don't even look like the same pony anymore!" He laughed. "Thank goodness for that, too! It took me a number of years - and countless harassments - to finally grow into myself, so to speak. My sight got better with time, my teeth finally got straight, and the work I put in on Gavin's farm helped make me into what you see now." Gavin grumped. "Yeah, and that work finally got better than sub-par, after a few years, that's all!" The prince laughed merrily. "Oh, you know you're grateful for my help, you old buzzard! You might fool some folks, but I know you actually car-" "Don't you say it!" the griffon growled dangerously. Midnight simply smiled. "And so... I suppose we'd best get moving, eh?" Good thing he was an alicorn - with all this talk of how much he'd changed, Obsidian would start to suspect that he was an impostor, sent there by griffons plotting an invasion! Luckily, it would be rather hard to glue a horn and wings to the body in a realistic manner. And he and Stalwart got along together like chains and shackles, so that was nice too. Getting her to the spa was great idea - hopefully it would turn out to be one of the best ideas in Obsidian's life. "Don't worry, sir - I still tend to behave in a not-so-sweet fashion," she assured the old griffon. Really, if he would behave just a bit more like her father, she would be already be charging her horn to strike him down! "And yes, let's get moving. So, about the bags..." "Oh, don't worry about those - I think I can manage it." Midnight's horn lit up with a bright silver glow, and three suitcases and a large trunk hovered into view, lifted effortlessly by the prince. He floated them over and settled them down on his broad back, his shoulders and flank flexing as he settled them into place and bound them with a band of silvery magic. "There. They should be fine, and no," he raised a hoof, "I'd rather carry them myself; far be it for me to tax such lovely mares with so great a burden." Gavin scoffed. "Hah! 'Great burden', indeed! A few coats, some hats and one or two nice pieces of jewelry, and he says it's some 'great burden'! You'd do well to remember lifting that tractor back home, ya upstart!" Midnight chuckled deeply. "Oh, don't think I'm forgetting that anytime soon, Gavin - you practically crowed how proud you were of me when I finally got it out of that quicksand pit!" "Humph!" Gavin Garrison grumped. Great burden, indeed; he obviously hadn't seen Stalwart casually smacking zombies around with not one, but two swords at the same time! Still, as she witnessed, Midnight was quite skilled with moving things around with his magic - so Obsidian didn't see any reason to protest that he wanted to carry their things by himself. As they began walking from the platform, Obsidian noticed even more eyes on them... except now, she and her friend were practically invisible next to the regal stallion walking with them; this time, as they passed a familiar-looking couple, the stallion shoved his marefriend as she stared, open-mouthed, at the alicorn's... er, passage. "Midnight, I'm finally training to be on the Royal Guard!" Wart's expression was uncommonly excited as she spoke of her grand accomplishment. The alicorn's muzzle brightened even more. "Really!? Oh, Stally - it's what you wanted worse than anything! Is it everything you wanted it to be?" Wart nodded. "Oh, all that and more! I'm so happy with it, and it never would have been possible if it hadn't been for Lady Obsidian!" "Lady Obsidian?" The handsome stallion looked at her. "Stally doesn't add titles willy-nilly, last I knew - does this mean you're royalty, miss Obsidian?" "I'm a daughter of King Sombra of the Crystal Empire," she explained casually. The reaction to such a declaration was instantaneous. Midnight's eyes widened, and he stopped where he was, though he maintained his grip on the luggage. "Really?" He said, obviously impressed. "Well, I have to say, that is quite a lineage to boast!" Gavin, however... "Whaaaaaaaaat!?!?" The griffon yowled, and jerked his claw right away from Obsidian as if he expected her to eat it. "Sombra the Slave Weasel!? Is THAT who Equestria's encouraging to meet foreign dignitaries? Leftover scraps from the table of the most foul and dastardly pony in known history!?" "Gavin!" Midnight admonished, "she's NOT Sombra, and from her manner, I'd say she has little to do with him! Don't judge others based on their ancestry!" The griffon pointed a claw rather accurately at Obsidian. "You'd best not try me, Slave-Witch! I'll slice you from butt to gut! Don't you touch me!" "Gavin! Stop it!" The prince grew a look of irritation at the old griffon. "The nerve of you! Shall I regale these fine mares with the tales of your own father's deeds? Is that how you want to be known, as the son of-" "Alright, alriiiiiight!" The griffon growled... then, though he supposedly couldn't see, he turned to almost perfectly face Obsidian. "But you'd better not even fart wrong in my presence, or I'll-" "YOU SHALL CALM YOURSELF, IS WHAT YOU'LL DO." Wow, Midnight's Royal Canterlot Voice was powerful! Gavin and the prince went muzzle-to-beak for a moment... then, with a huff, Gavin backed down and, with a few reaches in her direction, took hold of Siddy's shoulder once again. "... yelling at me like that, where do you get off with that, ya royal pain..." His grumbling rolled on, but he now didn't seem to show even the slightest hesitation any longer. Midnight looked at Obsidian with a bit of shame in his eyes. "I apologize for such a brusque reaction; it's been a long train trip." "Humph!" "I would like to speak with you later, though - if that's alright with you, of course," Midnight inquired. Obsidian actually giggled. "Please, don't worry about this, Prince Midnight; it brings back old memories from the long lessons with my dear father... just much less painful." There were so many other things she could say. Oooh, she was so tempted to say, 'I have no use for such old slaves, even as sacrifices'... or maybe, 'I'd burn your soul to fuel my magic, but you apparently already sold it'... or, or... or perhaps 'should old griffons talk this way about a young mare's butt?' Alas, Lemon asked her to behave. Too bad. "And of course, it would be fine. You two can also see the newest addition to the royal gardens - a rather particular statue of my father. Quite breathtaking." Sooner or later she'd eclipse her father, and creatures would no longer think of her as 'the daughter of Sombra'... but of Sombra as 'the father of Obsidian'. Gavin and Midnight both looked surprised. "Sombra returned?" Midnight said with shock, "And was dealt with, no less? Amazing." "Meh," Gavin grumped, "they probably blasted him with rainbows, or some such nonsense. Anyway, I don't really care to see a statue - especially because I can hardly see anything, you numbwit - but I'm much more interested in getting to the palace so I can sit myself down... hopefully away from any ponies, at least for a minute!" Okay, Gavin seemingly had a point with calling her a numbwit this time - though Obsidian almost told him that he could feel it with his paws - after all, her father wouldn't get offended by a bit of close physical contact anymore, now would he? Midnight rolled his eyes, but turned his attentions back to Obsidian. "Still... such a thing to happen, it must have been quite an event. Did everyone turn out okay?" Oh, no... he hadn't heard about Applejack, had he? How much did the griffons know? It had been almost a month since the event, and it was quite a big thing... had they not heard? Obsidian put on a worried and pained expression. "You, uh... you didn't hear anything? There was quite a desperate battle with an invading horde... nay, an armada of undead. Erm... Miss Applejack didn't... didn't make it, I'm sorry to say." Both Midnight and Gavin drew pained looks on their faces. "I'm... sorry to hear that," Gavin said with obvious reverence, "she was the most honest individual I'd ever met - worthy of her Element. I wish it wasn't so." The griffon seemed actually saddened by the news, which was probably rare from the old grump. Midnight, however, tightened his mouth into a firm line and looked down. "Griffonstone doesn't get news very swiftly, I'm afraid." Gavin continued, "And what we do get is sometimes garbled or misinterpreted. We'd heard there'd been some struggles lately, but we had no idea that... well, damnation, that's just awful." "Thunderclap Dash even managed a Sonic Rainboom in her honor," Wart said softly. Midnight's eyes came back up from the ground, and they were sizzling with anger. "Thunderclap Dash? That bully? Oh, just wait until I see her again! I remember her well, you'd best believe THAT!" "Wait, no! Midnight, she's changed!" Wart spoke up quickly. "She's no bully anymore - she hasn't been for YEARS, now! I'm sure she'd even apologize to you for everything she did when we were young! Please, don't be upset with her, Mid!" The prince's eyes had a hard flint to them... but he closed them and gave a huff of a sigh. "Stally, I... I apologize. It's just... she was so spiteful back then, and mocking and hateful and... and..." "Yes, but we have all grown since we were last together, Mid. Mica Chip helped even her out." "Mica? Really? He's still in Ponyville? I'd have thought, with his brains, he'd be studying in Canterlot College by now!" "He was chosen to," Wart said, "but he turned it down." "What? Why would he turn it down?" Midnight balked. Wart's voice was tiny when she said, "He wanted to stay around Clap." That dark look crossed the prince's muzzle again, but Midnight said nothing, simply continuing his walk toward his mother's palace. "Are we there yet?" Gavin grumped. "I'm getting achy." "It seems you have a lot to catch up, prince; I know that feeling... but first things first. Clap not only managed to accomplish a Sonic Rainboom, but helped a great deal with defeating my father, as well as saving Equestria... and overall, she's a fine friend. I don't know how she was behaving in the past, but I assure you that right now, she is simply grand." It seemed that not taking Thunderclap with them was a good idea - Mica would agree as well, most likely. "... it's still a bit further," Obsidian told the griffon, "would you wish for me to use some healing magic to make you feel better, sir?" Who would ever imagine that a healing spell, initially used with her Dark Magic, would get even better with a bit of Light Magic? As far as Obsidian was concerned, it could possibly help with aches and pains. Oh, if only she had at least a tiny bit of her magic when Ruby was dying in her embrace... The griffon grumbled, "It'd help worlds more if we could have had a taxi waiting for me when we got here. But I suppose that's a bit much to ask from you, isn't it? I'll bet you're a hornhead, aren't you? You sound snooty and dumb enough to qualify..." Midnight gave her a curious look. "Healing magics? Those aren't exactly easy to learn - I take it you've done a great deal of studying, haven't you? It sounds as though you must have an interesting catalog of spells at your disposal - I'd like to perhaps compare abilities sometime, see what you're capable of, if that would be alright with you, miss Obsidian?" Siddy caught a side-glance at Wart, and it seemed the little mare was looking at Midnight with a bit of yearning; she was wanting to talk with her long-lost friend, but he seemed to be interested in Siddy and her magics. Still, as a good guard, she said nothing to interrupt either of them. But the look on her muzzle said she wished he would speak with her some more. Perhaps it was simply that he was interested in the newcomer, and he would possibly re-connect with her later? And, pray tell, what was this 'taxi' thing, and why had nopony told her about it before? "Yes, I'm a unicorn, that's why I offered some magic, sir... and yes, prince, I know plenty of spells, courtesy of my dear father, and I see no reason not to share my personal catalogue with you." Only then, Obsidian noticed how Stalwart looked at Midnight - maybe there was a reason? Though she'd made improvements, it still seemed as if she was still needing a bit of work to correctly read ponies' moods. Should she think of how to convince this prince to spend some time with Stalwart later? "We can certainly discuss further details once we reach the palace... but I've heard you've spent a long time in foreign lands, prince. Pray tell, how much time has passed since you left?" Maybe moving the topic of discussion to old memories would help... Midnight gave a slight grin. "I've been away in the griffon lands for almost an entire decade - eight years, three months and sixteen days, to be precise." Yes, this most certainly was Twilight Sparkle's child. "Much of that time was spent trying to improve myself; magic training, physical training, mental training... so much training, I can hardly believe I survived it! But I did survive, and thrive as well!" Training... ah, that was interesting and fine, yes - training every aspect of the body and mind was an important duty of each individual, and Obsidian herself was doing everything she could to keep up with hers properly; jogging with Clap, reading books, lessons with Lemon... soon though, her own regimen would be joined by Dark Magic training, based on the books she'd found. Maybe some fencing with Stalwart as well, if her petite friend would agree to help. And, of course, friendship training, as it would be quite foolish to ignore any form of power that helped her effortlessly defeat her dear father. Midnight now looked back at Stalwart, "Stally, do you remember the day I left? I don't think I'd ever cried so hard in all my life - and I was, admittedly, a bit of a weeper." Elated to join the conversation again, Wart piped up, "Indeed, I do! I stood on that platform and watched until the train disappeared; all I could think was that I was losing my dearest friend." Midnight smiled sweetly at her. "Same here - all I could think of was how I'd have to fend for myself now; no Stalwart Stance to save my scrawny flanks! And it WAS scary, for a time... but I managed to make my way, and eventually it became easier." "Oh, it was easy, was it?" Gavin grumped, "I'll have to make sure it's a teeny bit rougher for you when we go back, then!" Midnight laughed, rich and deep. "I said easy-er, you old bird - I didn't say it was a walk in the park, did I?" "Humph! I still say you're gonna get soft while we're here, bucko." "And mayhaps I will; I expect you'll work that out of me soon enough, won't you? So relax, Gavin... we're both considered VIPs, and I'm sure you'll not turn down the doubtlessly scrumptuous meal being planned for the celebration?" The griffon grumbled a bit, but said nothing coherent. "So," Midnight continued, "I take it Aunt Pinkie's in charge of the decorating? I can't wait to see what she has planned!" "Yes, Miss Pie - or at least her children - are taking part in the preparations," she nodded. "Stalwart still continues her tradition of saving others, by the way; you should have witnessed her bravery during the undead invasion, defending the palace..." "Undead?" Midnight gave a bark of a laugh. "When things happen in Equestria, they spare no expense, do they? Necromantic ritualistic entities are nothing to be trifled with! But of course," he grinned at Wart, "it doesn't surprise me one bit that she was right in the middle of it! Stally as always been a protector, and just because we're older than we used to be, I figured she'd never lose that trait!" Wart beamed as if she'd been inducted into the Royal Guard all over again. "The Pies are all there? Oh, this should be interesting! Let me guess: Lemon's still sour, Blue is still a loner, Patty's still brilliant, Licorice is still a bit dense, and Cupcake is still insane, am I right?" Well, she had already mentioned the undead invasion once before, though it was likely overshadowed by the sad news about Miss Applejack's fate. "I'd say that Blue is sour and Lemon is just hard-working. Patty is brilliant, Licorice...", she glanced at Stalwart, not really knowing how to reply to that. Dense? "He is fine, as plenty of mares admire him. A lot. And Cup could be described by many adjectives, but... I'm not certain I would refer to him as 'insane', however." Midnight raised an eyebrow. "Okay, Blue being sour is news - she was always so sweet before, just kept to herself. Lemon being hard-working hardly surprises me; he's always been the responsible one. Good old Patty, heh. And Licorice is a mare's stallion, is he? Well let's hope he's gotten smarter to go with his looks, eh?" Wart giggled. "A bit, but he is still very much clueless." "So no change there," Midnight grinned, "and insane is sort of Cup's thing; I last recall him bouncing off the walls and talking so fast you could barely understand him - and that was before the sugar rush!" Obsidian paled, some color draining from her coat in abject fear. "Don't talk about sugar rushes - we don't talk about sugar rushes..." Such terrifying memories, from merely a week ago. She learned about existence of Buckball that day... and how to play it... while painted blue and green... and with this strange purple thing dangling from her horn. Not that she had even asked about it, nor had any interest;at least she more or less learned how many donuts Cupcake should have before reaching unholy levels of energy. Midnight laughed, a rich resonant sound, before looking back at Wart again. "So he's calmed down?" Wart smiled, "Well, he's not as hyperactive as he used to be, but he is still just as unpredictable!" "Now that," Midnight said, "sounds like the Cupcake Albert Sprinkles I know!" The foursome continued to move along (with Gavin Garrison grumping at intervals), and Midnight spoke of Griffonstone and how it had gone from mostly desolate to reviving within his years there, and occasionally poking back at the grumpy griffon. At length, they reached Twilight's Palace. Midnight looked it over and smiled. "It's... smaller... than I remember it being. Of course, I was also smaller as well, so maybe that's all it is. At any rate, I can't wait to see-" "MIDNIGHT!!!!!" There was a purple blur, and Midnight found himself in the fierce embrace of his mother. Princess Twilight was nuzzling and squeezing him as if he were a colt, yet she was smiling ear to ear and giggling like a schoolfilly to see her child again after so long. "Oh, I just couldn't wait to see you! I mean, I tried to wait, because I knew you'd want to surprise me, you always liked to surprise me, but I just couldn't contain myself when I saw you! Oh, Midnight, look how you've grown! Wow, you were so little and adorable back then, but now you're... you, eh... eh heh heh heh..." She looked around nervously, smiling sheepishly as she realized she was royalty, acting like a filly. "Great. Just great. Another numbwit," Garrison grumped. Twilight Sparkle smoothed her mane back, and took a deep breath before continuing in a much more dignified manner. "My sincerest apologies, Delegate Garrison; it has admittedly been a long time since I've seen my son, and I got a bit... carried away. Do forgive my lack of manners in thi-" "Yeah yeah, never mind the snow job, just get me to my quarters, will ya? My claws are killing me!" Without missing a beat, Twilight nodded. "Right away. Midnight, please tend to me later; for now, I'm certain miss Obsidian and Stalwart would be happy to accompany you to get a look around, to see what's changed!" Ouch - so now she became a part of his entourage? Well, she agreed to help Lemon and did so, but perhaps it wouldn't hurt to at least lead Midnight into the palace to look for Cupcake and Lemon... and maybe check to make sure that Clap didn't do something unseemly with Mica. The poor stallion really looked as if he was physically stunned... And there still was a lingering question - if Twilight loved her son so much, then why did she send him so far away, without even a visit in either direction? Considering all the happy little families in Ponyville - especially the Pies (who were occasionally a bit TOO happy for Obsidian's tastes) - it was strange. There had to be a reason, right? Probably simpler than Obsidian could think of on her own. "So... Prince, is there any place you'd like to see first?" she asked brightly. As Twilight guided Gavin the Grump inside, Midnight grinned. "Frankly, I'm sure Mom hasn't changed a single thing in there - I'm more eager to see how much Ponyville has changed! I spent so much time there, it was my favorite place as a colt! Is Sugarcube Corner still there? The Carousel Boutique? The Schoolhouse? I want to see for myself what's changed!" "Well, maybe we should-" Wart started, but was promptly interrupted by... "Whoa, nelly! Who in the wide, wide world of Equestria is THAT!?" ... Thunderclap Dash. "Yo, you're lookin' FOINE, mystery stallion! Fit and trim, I'm tellin' ya! WOW." Clap came out from the palace doors with Mica in tow. Considering that Obsidian's own behaviour with Cup was more or less based on advice and even teasing from Lemon and Thunderclap - as well as Thunderclap's behavior with Mica - it was quite surprising to see her willing to flirt with a completely unknown stallion... especially with Mica around. Was it normal? Was it not? Obsidian had no idea - she was mostly parroting others, usually with very little understanding of the gravity of their actions, or following others' ideas. Like... for quite some time, she didn't see anything strange with staying in a home with Cupcake and even sleeping next to him in their single bed - at least, until she'd heard a strange rumor or two. She didn't want more rumors; she wanted to understand! The drab grey stallion still looked mesmerized, but as his eyes focused on the alicorn, he blinked himself back to reality. "Wait..." he said, "I'd know those eyes anywhere, bespectacled or not..." Clap trotted over to the three of them... and Obsidian's horn tingled. Darkly. The pegasus looked him over appreciatively. "I mean, lean machine here is quite a-" "Thunderclap." The word came from Midnight's lips as though it were a curse word. "Yeah, that's me! Good to know my rep goes pretty far out there, y'know? So, you got a name handsome, or do I just call ya 'dreamboat' and be done with it?" She gave him a flirty look, but there wasn't even a single iota of acceptance in Midnight's angry-looking muzzle. "Clap," Mica spoke, "it's Midnight Star." Thunderclap did a double take. "Wha-... Star!?!? Whoa - look at YOU! Wow, what a difference! Hey, looks like you outgrew that old look - and I'm sor-" "SAVE YOUR SORRY." What is that feeling? Clap took a step back, raising her hooves as Midnight grit his teeth in rage. "Whoa. Cool down. Take it easy. I just-" "LEAVE ME ALONE... OR YOU SHALL REGRET IT." "Ho! Whoa there!" Clap looked like she was trying to back off, but the alicorn stallion stepped forward, glaring her down. "ONE WRONG WORD, AND I SHALL SHOW YOU WHAT I'VE LEARNED TO DEAL WITH PONIES LIKE YOU." It was quite strange that Clap had failed to recognize an ALICORN... or maybe there were more male alicorns around? But that wasn't important at the moment - not at all. First things first. Oh, sweet scent of Darkness... it was practically singing to her! She knew that feeling all too well, and it was probably the last thing she expected from any child of Princess Twilight! Just what did he learn in those distant lands? And who could - or would - teach him that? She recalled that she'd heard somewhere that the last Dark Magic users kind of... died off. It was enough to make a mare excited sick.