The room's curtains had been pulled shut; there was only the light from a small table lamp to show anything of the interior. There was a wastebasket filled with used and discarded tissues next to the royal bed, and a wheezing, rattling breathing could be heard from within the bed itself. All around the room were get well cards, bouquets of flowers and other such fare... but, reading a card or three in passing, Siddy discovered that - save for a few - they were ALL from his mother.
"Hunh?" The sound came from the bed. "Who'sere? Whassat?" He sounded just as lethargic as Clap had been... and he looked about as fit, too. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his wings drooped from under the blanket and onto the floor on either side of him.
His head wobbled a bit as he turned to look at them both. "Schtally... an' Obshidian? Whash th' meanin' of dis?"
Obsidian's life would be far, far more difficult if she hadn't gone that extra mile and defied all of the negative expectations Lemon had about her; having an ally in the higher ranks of the local administration was quite useful! Without his help, her actions would have probably been quite limited... if she'd have been allowed to do anything at all.
She went inside without any hesistation, immediately noticing the terrifying amount of gifts; when did Princess Twilight have the time to get all of these?
"I just want to help. I've heard about your state..." It wasn't a lie, technically - she just kept to herself the fact that she'd mostly wanted to help Thunderclap.
Okay, thinking... thinking... well, it had to be connected with both Thunderclap and Midnight themselves - if it was just a normal spell with a wider area of effect, then Obsidian, Mica and Stalwart would have gotten hit with it as well.
"I would never have guessed I'd ever see an alicorn in such a state..." She trotted closer to closely inspect the prince for any traces of magic in him; there had to be something useful she could find here!
Midnight's eyes opened as he looked at her. "I'm sho shorry, Mish Obshidian; I should be in bedder form than thisch. I juscht feel scho... tired..." He gave a big yawn and a stretch, which left him shivering at the end of it. "What're you two doin' here?"
Wart stepped forward, and her voice was soft and calm - a rarity for the little mare. "Midnight, we have reason to believe there may be a curse involved... and we wanted to know if there was anything you could tell us that might assist in our plight?"
The alicorn groaned, and rubbed his eyes with his hooves. "A cursh? What kinda cursh? I dunno anythin' 'bout no..."
He blinked, then turned to look at them both. "Wait. Waaaaaaaaiiiiiiit... What kinda cursh?"
Wart looked to Obsidian.
Oh yes, I'd be grateful if you would stay quiet about the situation - that was exactly what Obsidian had asked Stalwart to do earlier, right? And that's precisely what Stalwart did NOT do, in front of the pony that shouldn't hear about it! The same one who shouldn't know that Obsidian knew anything about his strange activities! Damn. damn, damn!
If Stalwart wouldn't have mentioned 'assisting in their plight' and so on, Obsidian would have been DELIGHTED to turn the tables against her and quickly lie that it was just a blunder - that the word Stalwart wanted to use was 'crush', and that the little guard wanted to see Midnight because she had an adorable little crush on him and was worried about him.
"Something to do with Dark Magic, unfortunately. I've felt something strange since this morning, and the moment I'd heard about your state, I wanted to check you over. Sadly, I'm not aware of too many practicioners of this kind of magic..." Damn, that big mouth of Stalwart's! "This exhaustion is obviously not natural - did you see anything suspicious today or yesterday after we'd parted ways? Or perhaps you had some form of nightmare...?"
"Nightmaresh?" Midnight squeaked, and his eyes grew w-i-d-e.
Wart looked as though she was starting to lose hope for him, and there was a trickle of fear in her expression. "It seems as though you do know something about that; please, what can you tell us?"
His eyes looked back and forth at them both, then he slowly slid himself under the covers, with only his eyes, horn and ears poking out. "I... n-n-no, no nightmaresh. Really. Honesht."
The little mare leaned in closer. "Midnight! You're avoiding answering, aren't you? I've seen that look over and over, and it means there are things you'd rather not discuss... but this is important, Midnight! This could be how we find a cure for you!"
"... I... well, I did... uhm... h-have a... a nightmare," Midnight eventually muttered.
"About what, pray tell?" Wart asked directly.
He slowly let his eyes wander over to look hesitantly at Obsidian. "... y-you."
Oh? Now that was interesting - and as far as Obsidian could tell, his reaction seemed to be rather natural and honest (not that she was any sort of expert, really - especially considering that her upbringing messed with her social skills considerably, and she hadn't lived in Ponyville long enough to fix that yet). It was especially strange, considering that Obsidian had also gone though a nightmare concerning Midnight...
"Is this so? Tell me more, if you would, because that's something new - I consider myself the last pony others would have nightmares about." Especially compared to her father, of course. To be fair, Obsidian didn't think initially that Midnight would really have any nightmares - she just added it to her question on a whim, as she recollected details of her own dream. With this new aspect, however... it was most certainly getting interesting.
The alicorn looked around, then reached out and took a tissue from the nightstand. Under the blanket, he gave his snout a loud HONK as he blew it clear, then dropped in into the overflowing wastebasket.
"It... it wash like I wash looking owt at Ponyville... b-but it wash all... blashted. Mish Obshidian, you were all shorts of evil dere, flyin' 'round an' blashtin' othersh with beams o' darknesh. An' dere wash dis one udder pony dere, who wash tellin' me dat it wash gonna be a bad thing if I didn't... uh... do shometing."
Wart gave Obsidian a worried look.
Obsidian blinked. And then she blinked again. What in Tartarus... that was way too similar to her own dream. Either he knew about it or there was something more scary around than she thought initially.
"Flying? Well, it has been a while since I had wings in a dream... anyhow, do you remember any particular details about this other pony? Did anything stand out?"
Midnight groaned, but he tried his best to sit upright in the bed... something he failed at, but the attempt was there. "It wash... a shtallion. He, um... h-had a long black mane, an' he kept adjustshting his glasshes as he shpoke... like it was a habit 'r' shomething... and he tol' me dat he knew-"
Suddenly, Midnight began to have racking, heaving coughs that brought him into a sitting-up position. Wart looked panicky, but she leaned him forward and patted his back with a hoof. "Midnight?"
"... he... h-he hadda gray coat... anna kinda-curvy horn, too. He shed he wash waiting for... for..." Midnight looked like he was trying to remember something... but he shivered and sat back again, his muzzle a picture of defeat. "... I can't remember..."
Did this possibly mean that yet another of her damned siblings survived the Equestrian attempts to root them out, create a cult and was planning to bring havoc to Equestria? Damn, she'd hoped for a bit more of a normal life after that annoying mess with the Umbral zombies!
"That's... quite helpful.... and rather worrisome." Waiting for something. And according to Midnight, it had to do something with her. Was he really being honest with this talk about her destroying Ponyville? For that matter, was the Ruby in her own dream real? But what could this mysterious enemy possibly get from convincing Obsidian to befriend Midnight?
Gah - was it too much to ask that at least ONCE, something in her life could be simple!?
"Thank you, prince - you've helped quite a lot. Please, rest - and stay assured that I don't plan to destroy anything nor anyone in Ponyville." Even if she did turn against her current hosts, she would prefer to enslave everypony; after all, killing and destroying was such a waste of resources.
Midnight muttered something about sleep, then shortly joined it, as she heard soft snores before the two even left the room. Though Wart had a look as though she had something to say on her muzzle, she was interrupted before she could speak.
"STOP. RIGHT. THERE."
Outside in the hallway, standing with a look on her muzzle that said 'this had better be good' was Princess Twilight Sparkle. She looked as though she'd been having a rough day, and had exceedingly little patience for whatever was going on here. Wart automatically saluted and stood at attention.
Twilight looked back and forth between the two for a moment... then her angry expression softened as she sighed heavily. "Obsidian, I don't know what you were doing in Midnight's chambers, but... I assume you're trying to help?"
At first, Obsidian thought about scolding Princess Twilight for using such a loud voice while her son tried to sleep - but she quickly realized it wouldn't end good for her. Not at all.
"Yes, princess. Could we talk outside? The prince just fell asleep." Perhaps the princess herself would know something more... though Obsidian doubted that she had too much experience when it came to Dark Magic.
Twilight gave a sigh of exasperation... but she nodded and turned, headed down the hallway flanked by guards. And Wart. She motioned for Obsidian to follow.
"I don't know what else to do, Obsidian; he's been like that since he woke up this morning, and he isn't responding to medicine or magics - what's worse, I recieved word that somepony else is also stumbling around and looking tired, but nopony could give me a name. Still, if this is the first sign of an infection, then it will be one the likes of which we've never seen before."
They came at length to the Throne Room, where Twilight made her way to her seat. The guards looked at Obsidian, but one glare from Wart sent them both outside to guard the doors. "Please tell me you know something? Anything?"
Hah, 'somepony else', eh? At least it was only one of them - and right now Obsidian would just love to ask Clap if she had experienced any nightmares as well...
"Yes, princess, we know. It's not an infection, but a curse - with Dark Magic origins. The other pony that was mentioned is Thunderclap Dash, but I sent her to rest at my home as soon as I'd noticed her state. At the moment, the best lead I have is the fact that Prince Midnight had a nightmare tonight... one eerily similar to the one I had. In it, he apparently saw a unicorn stallion with a curved horn, gray coat and glasses - sadly, I don't know anypony who looks like that, but that curved horn... I just wonder if I could possibly have another sibling running around."
Twilight's muzzle fell. "Another sibling? Obsidian, I don't know if Equestria can take another Onyx, lying around in wait! This is bad, this is BAD..."
She took a calming breath and began to pace nervously. "I have next to nothing about Dark Magic Curses, and what little I DO have comes from the Crystal Empire; your father had some notes, but there was nothing in them about a curse like this..."
She then stopped. "Wait... LUNA! I'm sure she might be able to figure out at least something more here - I can ask her to take a look into Midnight's dreams! That way, she can tell us what she sees going on, and maybe she can even figure out a key to the cause."
"Obsidian," she went on, "make sure to keep an eye on Thunderclap tonight; don't let her stay alone. Meanwhile, I'll get in touch with Luna, and figure out what she can do for us." She pondered for a moment. "Maybe she could cast her spell that links dreams together, and I could see for myself what's happening with Midnight and Thunderclap."
Wart shifted in her armor, and Twilight looked at her. "Stalwart, if you have something to add, I wouldn't mind hearing you out; you don't have to stay silent."
Wart nodded. "Your Majesty, I find it alarming that you would put yourself, the only monarch in Equestria, at risk by taking such a measure; should we not perhaps leave such a thing to Princess Luna?"
Twilight nodded grudgingly. "You're... you're right, Stalwart. I shouldn't put myself at risk when there's already enough trouble going on... but..."
She now looked right at Siddy. "Maybe you could work with Luna?"
To be fair, Obsidian was already wondering how to reach to Prin-... er, Luna; her memories about her last dream visit were still fresh. Whoever was trying to mess with Midnight's dreams was going to have a Very Bad Time soon - hopefully.
"Yes, princess. I had already wanted to propose that, as I had met her not too long after my arrival to Ponyville, and I hope that her powers could help us with this mysterious stranger. My brother is currently taking care of Thunderclap, and Cupcake promised to get home as quickly as possible - meanwhile, I'd like to check out a few sources at the library; I think I could find something useful there."
Curious - could this mystery unicorn also appear in Clap's dreams? Perhaps it was the same stallion... and a similar vision.
Twilight nodded. "Very well; it sounds as though we have a plan. I can get in touch with Luna, and I'll tell her to make her way to you when you go to sleep tonight. For the duration of this incident, I'd like to have Stalwart remain with you; she is comfortable with you, and I expect she will be a good defense if anything should go wrong."
Wart's stance got a little taller at the surprise praise from a royal.
"Meanwhile, I'm waiting for my assistant to get back - we're going to see if Zecora might know anything that could help... but if this is Dark Magic at work, I don't know if she can. Still, it can't hurt to try."
She softly added, "... I hope."
Twilight looked to Obsidian. "Please be careful, and let me know as soon as you find something out - hopefully, your Grey Magic might be able to discover something we keep missing."
For the moment, Obsidian doubted that Grey Magic could find its own metaphorical plot. For all this talk about Grey Magic coming from everypony - from Twilight to Ruby - she still considered it at best as a nuisance in comparision to the powers she had initially, or what she'd experienced after obtaining that wonderful Light amulet. Especially that second point - THAT had been most interesting.
Friendship was magic... and magic was power. Thus, friendship was power. Wasn't there a villain that tried to claim the title of 'Empress of Friendship' or something like that? It sounded as if she'd gotten that idea right.
"Perhaps Miss Zecora will be able to find a way to at least mitigate the effects of this spell. I've already met Spike on my way here and told him everything I knew at the time." Hmmm... so with this development, she had to check in Onyx's diary. Perhaps Midnight was guilty of starting this problem, in some way...
"I wish you the best of luck," Twilight said as she stopped pacing and, with a flash of a teleportation spell, she now had a quill, parchment and ink in front of her. With her magic, she began to write. Wart saluted, then motioned for Obsidian to follow as she made her way into the hall again.
Teleportation was a rather useful spell, wasn't it? Obsidian bowed respectfully and followed Stalwart, leaving the palace.
"To the library, then - my library. I'm sure we will find something there - my late sister surely kept a number of useful things, and I doubt anypony short of my father knew so much about Dark Magic as she did."
Then it hit her - maybe they could wake Sombra from the stone? After a short yet intense interrogation, he would surely help them discover the... naaaah, it was too foolish to say out loud, even as a jest.
Wart nodded, and followed Obsidian as she made her way back across town. There were a number of other ponies about, all looking glum about the cancelled festivities. Obsidian even saw a few gaily wrapped giftboxes... in a trashcan, awaiting pickup. The general feeling all around was one of sorrow and worry; a number of ponies seemed to be talking all about poor Prince Midnight, and many hoped he would feel better soon.
Waste. So much waste. Plenty of ponies' hard work was ruined, which was quite bad enough on itself... but they were also throwing away gifts? What kind of wasteful madness was that? Obsidian growled angrily under her breath at the sight.
Sorrow, worry - yes, she understood it, all right... but there was just no reason to get rid of everything in the most decadent manner, as if Midnight's sickness suddenly rendered all these ornamentations and gifts useless. She wondered what happened with all the food that was surely prepared as well - was it going to be thrown out too? Of course, the princess could most certainly order her servants to do it, as the ultimate ruler of the entire country... but Obsidian didn't like waste, no matter if it was about lives or gifts. She didn't like parties too much in the first place, but she could still count it as a waste... or even a double waste.
"Lady Siddy... I'm pleased Princess Twilight has assigned us together," she gave a small grin, "since my job began, I have missed your company. Though it is everything I'd hoped it would be... I admit, I miss my best friend."
Bah! And all these talks about the prince's health - fools! Utter fools, all of them! Did they think that alicorns were as fragile as other ponies? Even the princess - if she cared so much about Midnight to just ruin the celebration for the entire town, then why did she send him away for so long? Couldn't she have done something besides seemingly exiling him to an entirely different country?!
"Perhaps we should spend more time together after work, then. Despite your initial protests, you seemed to enjoy our spa visit a lot," she snapped herself away from this state of growing annoyance, just in time to reply Stalwart.
Wart grinned. "Thank you so very kindly... I admit that I had gone simply to ensure you were okay, yet I did find myself enjoying the experience." She then leaned in closer to speak softly. "However, should you wish for something else to do, I am certain we can come up with something other than pampering ourselves. Honestly, it felt like something of that nature could happen once a month - yet Thunderclap arranges one of those every week."
Once they arrived at the school, the magic key Obsidian was given to the library let them both inside. The room was hushed and quiet, even quieter than Twilight's library had been. Wart followed alongside as they made their way towards the back. "I hope that we can find what we're looking for here, Lady Siddy."
Once a week, eh? Well then, Miss Dash apparently earned more cash than Obsidian had thought, considering the prices in the spa. Clap was quite an interesting pony - so many different things that, at first sight, wouldn't seem to be able to mix too well.
"Yes, maybe we should come up with something different. We'd have to think about it, though - in my free time, I'm usually either with someone from our group, reading or spending time with Cupcake." Technically, the third point was included in the first one... but considering that they were a pair, Obsidian decided to distinguish it separately.
"Well, now... I just need to find a few books." And find a way to send Stalwart off for long enough to grab Onyx's notes. Obsidian really didn't want anypony to know about that stash - it was her own little secret, and she wanted to keep it that way.
"Lady Siddy, I would be honored to assist in the search." Wart made her way over to the first row of shelves. "I assume I'm looking for anything pertaining to Dark Magic? Very well, I shall use the titles to help me find what I am able to." With that, Wart started scrutinizing the shelves... leaving Siddy ample time to do whatever she needed to.
Let's see... with Stalwart gone, Obsidian quietly took Onyx's diary from her secret stash. Now though, there was yet another problem - she had to hide it, more or less... she didn't know if such secrecy was really necessary with Stalwart, but it was better to be safe than sorry, right? So she simply took up a blank piece of paper, quickly folding it into a kind of cover flap and putting it on the diary - Done. It was hardly the best cover she'd seen in her life, but it helped maintain a minimum of secrecy.
But... did she really need it, though? Princess Twilight had ordered her to research Gray Magic, after all. However, this way Obsidian could be sure that no pony that shouldn't know about this book would learn about its' existence. She quickly started to skim through the diary, looking for any mentions about any alicorns learning Dark Magic, male siblings or any Dark spells that would look similar to the curse put on Midnight and Clap.
Fortunately for her, there was a whole section on Dark Magic... but it was far too wordy for her to skim lightly; she'd have to take time to read it properly. However, there was a page that stood out to her as she almost passed it. It was written out like a list:
[Onyx - Aquamarine - Jade - Peridot - Tourmaline - Amber - Diamond - Sapphire - Ruby - Opal - Amethyst - Quartz - Obsidian]
Each name had a page number next to it - Onyx was definitely intelligent enough to make an index like that... but otherwise, unless she delved further into the book, she wasn't finding anything that seemed to help her sit-
Wait. Waaaaaaaaaiiiit...
Each of the gem-names had a page number next to it, and turning to the page number listed under Onyx revealed an entire page on her.
{Myself, the persistent shard. My predilection for magical manipulation is only proceeded by my passion for raising Father from the dead, and I have discovered most of the necessary tools to do so. I shall merely require Ruby to fill the pendants with power, from both sides of the magical moral compass... though I'm unsure that she'll be up to the task. Amethyst is impulsive and hot-headed, and Tourmaline is an idiot. But no matter - the best path will reveal itself, I'm certain. I haven't gone through all this trouble for nothing, and I refuse to let the opportunity slip away from me. I may be a bit ambitious, but that's because Father always taught me that a Princess must be constantly striving to accomplish things; what sort of princess would I be if I didn't endeavor to grow beyond the purview of the Crystal Empire's borders?}
The narrative went on a bit, but eventually Siddy realized that, in her description, Onyx basically told about her strengths and what she focused on; curses, sadly, were not among them. But that particular type of magic might be under another, maybe?
Stalwart continued to scour the shelves, occasionally taking a book and placing it gently on the floor next to its original bookcase, as if making note that these specific books may hold something important.
Obsidian could almost hear her own heart fluttering as she noticed that tiny bit prepared by Onyx. Perhaps her sister was an evil, annoying, smug and utterly condescending creature that failed to smoothly bring back their father due to turning Obsidian into her enemy, and then she died a most horrific death because of it... but the (not so) Dark Princess still felt a bit strange after seeing notes about her siblings. All of them. And herself, of course.
Considering their history, it felt almost like a family photo or other keepsake. In fact she felt a sudden urge to copy these pages and take them back home... or something of the sort.
Let's be honest, here: at the moment, most of Siddy's siblings turned out to be rather vile and hostile, but she still felt a sting of sadness at the thought that most of them might have perished before she could meet them at all. Let's see which ones were stallions... how did this unicorn from Midnight's dream look again? He had glasses, right? Hopefully, Onyx had noted that their father screwed up somepony's eyes during the process of creation.
Among the names, there were symbols next to them; the males all had the same sigil, and they were as follows:
[Aquamarine - Jade - Peridot - Tourmaline - Diamond - Quartz]
She had six brothers... well, had was possibly the operative word here, but the revelation of it was intense. From there, she saw that each one's page had a quick list of things therein that each brother was known for.
{Aquamarine, you foul little braggart. Each encounter I've had with him proves that he was self-centered and cruel, but his abilities with explosive and attack-focused spells is second to none. When he blasts-} Nope - not this one.
{Jade is a master thief, and his ability to either blend in or become fully invisible is useful for what our plans-} Nuh uh. Not that one either.
{Peridot spent his life researching curses, and it shows in his work.}
Bingo.
{He had always been known by Father's slaves to inflict this sort of suffering on others, but not because he wanted to - but because he wanted first-hoof knowledge on what sort of damage the spells could do. Maybe he had his reasons, but still my sources tell me he fell anyway. The Crystal Empire was no fan of Father's, and they systematically found and attempted to destroy us. Fortunately, Father had prepared for such an instance, and had many of us buried away in shard form.}
{Unfortunately for Peridot, this happened far too late to save him from being torn apart by an angry mob, right in front of the Delvar Libratorium; his curses had spread from mere slaves to the rest of the populace, and the public had decided they weren't going to take this abuse any longer... impudent fools, as they did not own the land they lived on, so they did not own themselves enough to complain!}
{Yet, all the same, it was the death of Peridot that led to each of us being stored away in shards, as that seemed the best alternative to the fate that Peridot suffered. A shame, as I was never able to collect his essence - his power is gone.}
Curious. What if good old Peridot managed to do something that was even beyond the reach of their father - to transcend the boundaries of reality and cast off the shackles of his mortal form? Dark Magic was powerful, and Obsidian was sure that a clever curse could work for Peridot even after the demise of his body.
Their father had decided to hide his soul within his 'children'... Ruby survived in the mirror and amulet, and then shown up as a ghost, then in her dreams... or perhaps Siddy was just daydreaming? For now, this case was still had too many questions to answer - so she really shouldn't taint her investigation with fairy tales about cheating death.
The Delvar Libratorium... what was that? Obsidian continued to read the diary; maybe there would be something more about Peridot... or maybe Dark Magic cultists who apparently knew an alicorn.
The page continued. {Though there have been a number of different curses that have been invented during Peridot's time, I wonder if he would still be a part of that particular branch of magic. He seemed to have at least a fledgeling interest in mind control as well, though nowhere near the likes of Amber's power level. But, as many of us shards have proven, we are far more capable than others believe...}
{Since the days of Peridot, there have been a few researchers who have braved the Crystal Empire to study some of the works within, including those who have shown an interest in Peridot's studies. During my time in freedom, I have learned that only three individuals have sought out his works and notes; one is a griffon, and therefore harmless - griffons can't cast magic, so I have no doubt that it was either curiousity, or simple research that was probably simplistic and foolishly angry. One is an accomplished healer and probably has designs to take poor Peridot's work and use it to undermine any sort of curse that may come along later - something the stallion himself would never approve of.}
{The third, believe it or not, was (reportedly) an alicorn, though the extent of this study was unknown; the deed was apparently done while I was in shard form and by the time I managed to get this knowledge, it was almost a decade old. I assume it was one of the princesses, trying to gather information to undoubtedly save the day... yet, when I ask my 'innocent' questions of them in my disguise, they seem to know nothing about the Delvar Libratorium. I have to be careful not to bring it up again, in case they're using it as a means to weed out the rest of us shards... but it infuriates me that my contact could barely recall an alicorn. I mean, really - how many of them are there?}
{Still, the fact that only three instances of Peridot's work being reviewed occurred... it makes me wonder if we'll see his power rise once more - even without his presence.}
A griffon as well? Oh, how wonderful - completely by coincidence, Obsidian knew that Ponyville currently had an alicorn that was practically raised up by griffons! Too bad there weren't any details about this supposed griffon - it would be far easier if Onyx would either write more about him, or at least about the methods she used to learn about him. However, sadly it seemed that Onyx and her contact didn't know very much about the identity either. Perhaps it would be wise to visit this place... who knows what ancient knowledge she could find here? Who could be this contact? Onyx was writing it in her own diary; she really didn't have to be oh-so-mysterious.
As far as Obsidian was concerned, the griffon could probably be written off as the culprit. Said alicorn (assuming that it really was Midnight, and not some mysterious new alicorn) was struck by a curse himself, so he was either innocent or had just botched a curse so badly that he got hit with it himself. An accomplished healer... Obsidian had learned a lot in a rather short amount of time. Sadly, the answers merely brought up new questions.
She quickly checked over the diary, to see if there were any pictures - maybe Onyx, somehow, managed to get some sort of artwork of her siblings?
In the back of the notebook, after the pages ran blank due to Onyx's untimely demise, there was a single square of what looked like wax paper... and inside the carefully folded paper was...
A drawing?
Yes, it was a drawing, and an old one at that. The drawing consisted of what appeared to be headshots of a number of different ponies - ten of them, to be exact. Each one was a unicorn, and each one bore at least a passing resemblance to Sombra, in some shape or form.
None of them were labeled... but Obsidian saw Ruby's smiling muzzle and picked it out almost instantly. Further along the parchment, there was Tourmaline, looking haughty and sullen... Amethyst, with her teeth bared in a glare... Onyx herself, wearing a self-important smile...
... and among them, a rather studious-looking stallion. Wearing spectacles.
Obsidian herself wasn't in the drawing, but with her separation from her siblings, it wasn't hard to determine why. Who had done such an artwork? There was no signature, but the level of detail was plain as day; the drawing was exquisitely done, and the faces looked so alive, she almost expected them to start moving!
Hopefully they WOULDN'T start moving - otherwise Obsidian would freak out juuuuust a little bit. A little, tiny bit. Yeah.
So... hello there, Mister Peridot.
She had to make a copy. She really had to. After all, it was the closest thing to 'family photo' she had. Hmmm... maybe Tourmaline would know who made this picture? To be fair, Obsidian already had to make a copy of the photo she had with Clap and Wart, after their visit to the spa - she could slash two enemies with a single sword and get copies of both photo and this picture.
But first things first - The Delvar Libratorium... perhaps she could find more informations about it's whereabouts...
Unfortunately, there wasn't any other mention nor directions to such a place; she might be able to ask around about it, and would likely get more answers from a citizen of the Crystal Empire than anyone else.
"Lady Siddy?" Wart asked from the library's larger room, "I... have found several titles that hold the phrase 'Dark Magic' within them... yet somehow, I do not feel as though they will bring us any closer to knowledge." She didn't come back this way, so Obsidian was still able to work... but what was the guard mare tallking about?
It would have been far too easy to just get an address, right? Considering that princesses apparently didn't know about that, it seemed that Obsidian would have to... well, go home to the Crystal Empire for this one.
Home. Though to be perfectly fair, she didn't know too much about the Crystal City and its current state. It was probably pretty different than the one from the time of her father's rule, and even then she was fairly isolated from its affairs.
"Why, Stalwart? Is something wrong with them?" Okay, one last quick check in the diary to see if there was more info about Peridot, and she would return to her friend and the books she'd found. Heh, to be fair, she should - as a proper librarian - scoff at her a bit for talking so loudly in the library. And herself too, while she was at it.
Wart was standing next to a shelf and pointed at it when she saw Siddy coming her way. "These... though I don't know if it's what we're seeking."
On the shelf were eight books that were lined up next to each other. Their titles were... not what was expected.
"Crinos: The Dark Magic of Lust"
"Crinos: The Dark Magic of Seduction"
"Crinos: The Dark Magic of Romance"
"Crinos: The Dark Magic of Desire"
... they were adolescent romance novels. From the cover arts, they were juvenile and somewhat tacky. Apparently, they were insipid little love stories for fillies and mares to get a thrill from. And Siddy was willing to bet that not a one of them had anything useful to tell her. Well... about REAL Dark Magic, anyways.
"Am I correct, Lady Siddy? These do not seem... as informative as one would hope." Poor Wart; she didn't even realize what they actually were; she had ony found titles with Dark Magic in them, but was lost on the concept of what they were.
Obsidian deadpanned. Her horn flashed as she took up one of the books, in this case 'The Dark Magic of Romance', and levitated it closer to her to check out the contents, ready to read a random sentence from the book. If Onyx was clever and tricky enough to hide books about Dark Magic in such a strange form, then it would be grand to discover. If they were simply romance novels, then at least they could get a laugh of it - and they honestly needed it, considering how grim their current situation was.
{"Oh please," the little mare trembled beneath the gaze of the mighty stallion, "I beseech thee, do not prey upon my helpless form, for I am merely a chambermare, and I beg thee not to go any further..."
"But your lips beckon me, my dear," Crinos rumbled softly in her ear, feeling the mare tense up next to him, shivering with the delight she hid from view, yet her body was deliciously expressing anyhow, "they call upon me to kiss them, and when I do, thou shalt be forever under my spell... my DARK spell..."
The mare's trembling redoubled, and she turned to face the mighty stallion. "Oh, and what of my betrothed? Shall he never know my love, for I should have it unto another? Neigh, neigh! Do not tempt me with thy muscles, or thy mane, or thy violet eyes of desire!"}
... FEH, this was awful.
Wart cocked her head and blinked a bit. "Is... i-is this what we were seeking?"
Too bad. It would be exceedingly funny if Onyx would have hidden something useful in these books. Nopony would ever think to check there, after all - unless some poor mare would actually look for campy, low-quality romance novels, of course.
"There is nothing informative in here about Dark Magic, and I already have a coltfriend so no - I don't think there is anything for me here," Obsidian chuckled slightly. "You, on another hoof... perhaps you'd want to borrow them? It's important to try new things in life - you already enjoyed the spa despite your initial protests, so maybe you'll enjoy these books as well?" she teased her slightly.
"Th-these books?" Wart stared at Siddy as if she'd lost her mind. "But... b-but they're not what we seek, yet you say they may do well by me?" She glanced at the shelf again, then grew a determined look on her muzzle. "If you suggest them, Lady Siddy, then I shall endeavor to try them. I still am not entirely certain as to why... but I shall, at the very least, read the first of the set."
She levitated Crinos: The Dark Magic of Lust from the shelf, and placed it carefully into her saddlebag. "I assume that you will make sure to record my borrowing of this book?" Always so serious. It was one of the things that made Stalwart who she was... and, on occasion, also made her somewhat adorable.
Obsidian struggled to keep a serious look on her muzzle - it was very, very hard. Living with Cupcake, she sometimes forgot that not everypony was able to get jokes as well as he did. And that teasing Stalwart could sometimes backfire, in a rather bizzare and/or hilarious way. She didn't stop her, though - after all, perhaps Stalwart would like it? The little mare was so obsessed about the royal guard - she really could use a hobby that wasn't connected with her job in any manner.
"Yes, I will make a note of it. I've already found some interesting notes while you were looking at the books here, so I think we can leave soon... and I also think we need to visit a bakery, to fetch fresh pastries for Clap. And I need to make a copy of a few things; do you possibly know of a scribe's corner, or perhaps someplace else that could handle this? You do realize, of course, that I'm still not quite up-to-date with modern services and technologies..."
Wart grinned. "Indeed! There is a shop, not far from here, that specializes in magical dupication of writings and other such paperwork! It would be an easy trip to make, and it is not but three doors down from Sugarcube Corner; we would be able to strike two targets with only one sword!"
Seeming satisfied with the plan, Wart made her way to the library doors. "If you so wish, I would be honored to see to the fetching of pastries, while you get your copies made? It would halve the time spent on this trip, and would accomplish much. Or shall I continue to stay at your side, Lady Siddy?"
"That's a good idea," Obsidian agreed, "Lemon Sherbets. Here, take this," Obsidian quickly gave her the bits she got from Short Round, that nice old stallion. "I just have to clear up a few things on my desk and record that borrowing of yours. Oh, and close the library back up, of course." So, it was that close to Sugarcube Corner? Good to know.
Stalwart gave a salute. "I shall not fail you, Lady Siddy! Those Lemon Sherbets shall never know what hit them!" With that, she made her way out of the library, headed toward town. Now, Obsidian had a few moments alone to do whatever she needed to do to prepare for whatever would come her way next.
The library was quiet and tranquil, and the sounds of the day were soft and muffled in here.