//------------------------------// // Fourteen: A Flurry Of Activity // Story: Obsidian: Shards Of Sombra // by Randimaxis //------------------------------// She awoke with a start to find herself in her living room, on the floor on a palette of blankets, surrounded by pillows. Around her, Clap sleapt peacefully. As did Wart. And, with an empty teacup in his lap, so did Cupcake. She had to move fast; she knew Cupcake was a heavy sleeper, so she simply lit up her horn and stung his flank with a pinprick of magic. Just a little jolt to wake him up - almost playfully. Luckily, she still didn't quite understand about flirting; she needed him awake NOW. "AYY!" Cup yelped as he leapt out of the chair, hit the ceiling, then landed back in his chair, only for it to break under him and spill him into the floor. Sitting in the pile of broken wood and cloth, he looked up at her. "THAT was really shi-... wait, OH NO!" He jumped up, and looked like he was trying to hold in his panic. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I must have fallen asleep, DAMN this peaceful tea, I'm SO sorry, are you okay, what's going on, were you successful!?" Really shi-... what? Did her coltfriend just try to swear? And how did he manage to wake up this fast? At least he was alert and fully operative for an emergency. "Midnight is possessed by my dead brother's spirit, who wants to murder the entire world just to keep others from disturbing his reading time - and we need to stop him. Please awaken and inform the others, would you?" She turned around to leave the house. She would have to sprint to the palace. ... just how much time did she have before Peridot would gain full control of Twilight's son and unleash some Curse of Mass Destruction? To his credit, Cupcake didn't gape, didn't ask 'what', and didn't just stand there; even as she left, she could hear him rousing the others and getting them up and active. The run to the palace was a bit more lengthy than expected, so by the time she arrived there, she was panting a great deal herself. She may not have been overweight, but she most certainly wasn't used to such physical strain. The guards at their post saw her coming, and by the time she got to the doors, Spike was already poking his head out; he looked a bit bleary-eyed, but he looked at her with all seriousness as she approached. "Obsidian? You're a teensy bit early for the train to the Crystal Empire - like, six hours early. What gives?" By Darkness, was the path here always this long? Or perhaps she was still tired from the busy day she'd been having? Or, Darkness forbid, her condition was getting worse due to her new, comfortable life. "MyBrotherWantsToPossessMidnightAndKillEveryoneWeNeedToStopHimNOW," she informed Spike in a single breath. "CallThemAllTwilightLuna... Ce... lest... ia..." she gasped as she found herself in dire need of oxygen. Spike's eyes widened. "WHAT!? Aw, come on! Why are these things never easy!?" He turned and looked to the guards. "Raise the alarms! If there's something going on here, then we-" "Master Spike," one of them began, "are you sure that this mare is telling the tru-" Spike let loose a squirt of green flame that passed so close to the guard's snout, she could see his shorthairs crisp. His eyes went wide, and he looked at the dragon. "I. Said. Raise. The. ALARMS!" he told the incredulous guard, who spun around and ran into the palace, calling for all guards to get to the throne room immediately. Spike turned back to Obsidian. "Sorry; sometimes you gotta give 'em a scare to get 'em moving, but the royal guard is really more efficient than that. C'mon - we gotta get to Midnight's room, and quickly!" As she ran (and he flew next to her), Spike asked, "So how did you find this out? Did you finally manage to find the source of all this? And why would Tourmaline want to do such a thing; I thought he was trying to reform!" "No no no, my DEAD brother, Peridot!" In the heat of the moment, she almost forgot that her other brother was still alive, not crazy anymore and even came here to deliver the news. "He's behind the curse! And now, he wants to use Midnight's alicorn-level power to decimate everyone in the world! Good thing I thought ahead about those magic inhibitors; it should give us a moment." It had been a really good idea, it seemed - she was proud of herself. "OH! And I forgot to mention Cadance - yes, call Cadance too! If Peridot escapes, he will most certainly go directly to the Crystal Empire - straight to the Delvar Libratorium," she added as she realized she hadn't listed all of the alicorn princesses. When they turned the corner to reach the room she'd seen Midnight in, there was a burst of bluish energy that came rolling out of the doorway, taking the door, the guards next to it, and what seemed to be another unicorn and flinging them away like so much waste paper. The glow persisted as it grew, and the guards moaned as they started to get up... but then fell back down, every sign of Peridot's curse visible all over them. From inside came what sounded like a double-layered voice... and one of them was the voice she had just been hearing in her dreams. "No. It will NOT end so simply," the voices said in perfect unity. Midnight stood there, no longer looking even the least bit ill. The only obvious change that could be seen was the bright red eyes that now glared out from his head, with a rolling mist of red energy pouring from them as he regarded the scene before him. "Waste..." they said, and that was when Spike groaned next to her, and sagged against the wall, barely managing to stay upright. From behind her, Obsidian felt a tingle of energy, and then a shield enveloped her. "SISter..." a voice groaned, "you HAVE.. to GET... outSIDE... of... HERE..." Lying on the floor beneath the door was Tourmaline, who looked as sickly as Clap had been when she'd last seen her... and the ring on his horn was cracked. The shield was coming from HIM. "GO... and GET... his... NOTE... book..." Tourmy rattled out through raspy coughs. Peridot/Midnight's eyes narrowed. "NO." Tourmaline hissed in defiant anger at the alicorn pretender. "YESSSS!" Spike cried out, "RUN!" Obsidian ran. Was she simply too late; was Midnight's power already too strong to be contained by magic inhibitors? There had to be some way... or did they fail to comply with her request to begin with? Notebook, notebook... but how she was going to get back to the Crystal Empire? Trains, carriages... teleportation... She will get there, by Darkness - even if she would have to hijack somepony! But at the moment, she mostly hoped that she'd manage to meet the local princess on her way out. Twilight Sparkle herself was making her way up the hallway, towards her son's room with several guards in tow, and they all stood at the ready to defend as Obsidian rounded the corner. "Obsidian? What's going-" "Waste." The guards around her quickly slumped and staggered to the floor, and the alicorn princess herself tried to generate a shield... but even as it popped into existence, Obsidian could see the telltale dark bags forming under her eyes anyway. "Ohhh... Ob-shidian? Whash... happunning?" Peridot/Midnight was making his way up the hall, striding with purpose as his red eyes locked on the Grey Princess herself. "I shall NOT stand idly by any longer; I will END them all, and there will be no more pain." Twilight added Obsidian and her guards to her shield, but it wouldn't be much longer before she too would collapse to the horrible curse. Damnation! Obsidian lit up her horn to add her own power to the princess' shield. "End of the world, I'm afraid. I need to get to the Crystal Empire, NOW!" Oh please, please, please, at least let Twilight do something effective in this entire fiasco... Twilight Sparkle looked at Obsidian firmly, then gave a single nod. "I don't... know... whadsch going... on here... bud... bud I truscht you... know... whad you're... doing..." There was an overglow that enveloped Twilight's horn, and her eyes began to glow brightly. Peridot/Midnight strode forward and his face wore a very angry look. "WASTE!" he yelled out in a Royal Canterlot Voice that shattered Twilight's shield, just as- >POP< Obsidian now stood on the very same Crystal Palace balcony that she'd joined Peridot on in her dreams... except this time, there was an entire kingdon full of subjects below her - living, breathing and carrying on with their lives. But that wasn't all... Obsidian... didn't feel so good... Guards... she had to find the guards... by Darkness, please - let it just be the effects of post-teleportation sickness... she didn't want to go through another living Tartarus, like she had with Onyx... but there was no time to waste. First things first. Obsidian tried to get off the balcony as quickly as she could. Cadance, Shining... frankly, any of the usurpers would do; she just needed a bit of help with her situation. Her first step was wobbly... and so was the next one... and the next one... Dammit. He'd gotten her. It was like trying to swim through thick mud... and that was just the thinking part. It felt like her entire being was slowly hardening like concrete; eventually, she just wouldn't be able to move at all. That would be bad. "Hey... hey, what the..?" It was a voice that sounded like it was surprised at such an appearance. Eventually, a young mare trotted her way over towards Obsidian from one of the nearby hallways. She was thin and shapely, but was wearing a hoodie and seemed to have the hood up, even though she was indoors. She stepped close, but still held back out of reach. "What... w-what's going on here? Are you... are you sick? You look really sick..." There was genuine concern in her voice, and a look of worry on her curious muzzle. "What's up, yo?" "...curshe," Obsidian slurred, "Schon of Schom..." she coughed, "... Schombra ish c-coming... I need heeelllp..." The Bastard; she was here alone, with no friends, in a practically alien place and suffering like she was in the midst of a full-blown fever... He could actually win this fight. "... oh, shit." The mare's horn lit up, and she ducked down to get a better look at Siddy. "Wait... YOU look AWFUL! And what's all this fuckery about Sombra? He's a statue in the Palace Gardens near Ponyville... unless someone's broken him out! Oh, shitshitshitfuckSHIIIIIT!" The mare then placed a wing around Obsidian and began to lead her down a hallway. "Look, we HAVE to get word out about something like this - but you look like you're about to fall OVER! Let's get you to a seat, then we'll call for the guards - but first, I need you to breathe, focus, and tell me what's going on, okay? When they get here, I'll repeat it to them, but you don't look like you'll make it that long!" Clap had it so much easier... or mayhaps in an alicorn body, Peridot's Curse was simply stronger, more potent? "Schombra's schon... Peridot... Delvar Libratorium... he hasch a nodebook dere... an' we neeeed it to schtop him. He posheshhed da body of Twilightsch's schon... and wantsch to kill everypony. Schee teleporded me, bud I god hid before..." Of course, it wasn't that simple, but it was the best she could do with her lips feeling like gruel, and her horrid sickly-lisp. The mare's eyes widened. "Wait... the Delvar Libra- I was just fucking there!" She stood up and looked at Obsidian with shock running across her features. "Are you telling me that Auntie Twilight is in danger, and we have to get to the Libratorium in order to fucking save her!?" A look of pure fierce determination came over her muzzle, and she looked at Obsidian again. "Okay, look - hop on my back, and I'll get us there as quick as I can! If what you're saying is right, we may not have TIME to grab a guard or two!" She turned and spread her rather impressive wingspan. "Climb on! I know where it is by heart!" Obsidian didn't have too much of a choice; she really wasn't even in the shape to properly think about it. She simply had to trust the... er, pegasus?... so she somehow managed to crawl onto her back and held on as tightly as her aching body would let her. The mare adjusted to ensure Obsidian didn't fall off, then ran for the balcony and took off into the night. Normally, the Grey Princess might have enjoyed flying again; this time, however, she felt as though she just wanted to sleep, and sleep forever... "Hang on! We're gonna be there shortly! You can make it!" By Darkness, it was like her veins were filled with molasses and ground glass! "Around this turn, then just a quick jaunt north!" Peridot had been so reserved, so quiet-seeming, so bookish... how could he have accomplished something as perilous as this? "Don't you die on me, Twi-Dammit! HOLD ON!" Oh, she wasn't going to die, duh... she just had to... well, maybe... take a short nap... that would be all... "Notebook... Peridot..." she kept muttering as her mind felt like it was drifting off into the void, "...brother..." Their arial path brought them around a bend, and that was when the world seemed to shift lazily to one side. They came down right in front of a large, old-looking stone building with a number of stains from centuries of weather-wear on it. There was a sign next to it, but Obsidian couldn't make out a single word it said. The mare she was riding didn't even slow down to open the doors; one blast from her horn tore the doors off their hinges and sent them flying as the two of them slid to a stop inside. The mare carefully got Siddy off her back, then looked at her in shock and a bit of panic. "Okay, this notebook, yo - where is it?" Wait. Waaaaaiiiiiit... Horn... AND wings? So, she wasn't just a pegasus after all, huh? Thinking was getting to be really hard. "No idea... Midnight found it... id'sch god to be eeschay to noticsch..." Hmmm... it would mean her random ally was probably an alicorn; those had both wings and horns, right? "Wait - Midnight? He was here, a few years ago... and he said he was studying... ummmm..." She looked around frantically for a moment, then gave an exasperated sigh. "Luna fuck me with the moon, where did he say he was at!?" Then, the blue light outside the front door grew MUCH brighter, and a voice that boomed like thunder spoke up. "No. I forbid it." The mare's jaw dropped, but she took hold of Obsidian with her magic and darted for the main atrium, leaving the foyer behind and shutting the doors quickly behind them. "Oh shit, was that Midnight? What the ever-loving flying FUCK happened to him!? What- NO. NO PANICKING, I AM NOT AUNTIE FUCKING TWILIGHT!" She glanced around a bit, thinking on her hooves... then her eyes widened. "Wait! He was here studying magical applications - maybe the Elder Tomes section would have something like that! Come on, sickly savior; we're going notebook hunting!" "STOP." The doors of the atrium splintered as a blast of blue energy slammed into them, making toothpicks out of them as Peridot/Midnight stepped through. The mystery mare dashed her way towards another section, Obsidian in tow. "WASTE." his voice rang out. "I fucking recycle, jackass!" the mare screamed over her flank as she kicked another door closed behind them, then her horn glowed. The sound of her running went left; she and Obsidian went right. "Seriously, what in the bloody blue FUCK is going on here!?" she smouldered as she checked shelves rapidly, still moving. She was a little foul-mouthed, wasn't she? "Viral curse... he is... insane..." It was all so tiresome; Midnight/Peridot was going to win this battle easily. Something could possibly stop him sooner or later, but right now he was going to catch up with them. There could be no victory here... yet Obsidian found that she still didn't really want to give up. "Great, juuuuuust great. Leave it to ME to find the burglar who's NOT a fuckin' burglar, and to have to deal with the possessed body of an alicorn who is, by your words, insane." The mare huffed out a short sigh. "Well, Dad always said I had a nose for trouble; guess he was more right than he knew..." She turned and began quickly looking over different display cases, searching for something she wasn't even sure she could identify. "Okay, focus - stay with me here. Talk to me, tell me who you are, keep your eyes open, all that good shit... just talk to me, okay? No sleepytimes on my watch, got it?" But... what if she didn't want to talk to her? Really, a nap was a great idea... she'd just close eyes for a second and... no. No. NO! She shook herself semi-awake. "I need... to learn... a Teleportashun schpell... or schome... messchage schpells... laderrr..." she muttered. "I'm... Obshiddian..." She certainly wasn't enjoying the sensations she was feeling; was this how sickness felt like? She'd never actually been sick in her entire life, to her recollection... The mare stopped cold. "Whoawhoawhoa... YOU'RE Obsidian? Like, the Obsidian that was found in the catacombs? The Obsidian that Dad was freaking the fuck out over? The Obsidian who saved Ponyville from Sombra?" She blinked. "You're... the same age as me, practically... whoa..." She then shook her head rapidly, and resumed her search. "Well, we can have a decent little chat later, 'kay? Right now, you gotta tell me what this Tia-Damned notebook looks like, or this is gonna take longer than we have, honeybunch." Oh, how nice; her grand glory preceeded her, it seemed - it was good to hear that she was able, even unknowingly, to spread such a reputation. "It'sch... ummm, old. My brother... usched it... a thouschand yearsch ago... to contain his spirit..." Damn, did she actually know anything at all about this damned notebook? "... I've, um... n-never scheen id. Id wasch here... da whole time..." The mare spun to look at her. "Are you fucking kidding me!? You're here to find a notebook, and you don't even know what it looks like? Oh, Celestia sodomize me with a horn, what the fuck do you expect ME to do, then?" "WASTE," a voice suggested, and the solid-looking doors of the Elder Tomes section crumbled to ash right in front of her eyes. Peridot/Midnight stepped through, and turned his gaze onto Obsidian and the new mare. He opened his mouth to speak again, but the mare's horn sparked up, and he got a wad of crumpled paper from a nearby wastebasket shot into his open mouth, making him momentarily gag. The mare took hold of Obsidian again, and flew through the open doors to the right, entering into a hallway that was displaying a number of historical documents in display cases among the bookshelves. "How... could you... not know... what the... fucking thing... looks like!?" She gasped between breaths. Hmmm... historical documents. Maybe it could be here? After all, it was technically historical. "I'd... juscht learned aboud id... very recshently..." She felt like she was completely useless now; she couldn't even deal with a simple curse. It was kind of pathetic... maybe there could be a trailing scent of Dark Magic on it? She had to do something... "I'd kind of hoped... that the magic... inhibitorsch... would work for... ad leascht a bit..." She was looking around with her weary eyes. Notebook, notebook... "Midnight... didn't schay... anything more to you?" Maybe she could make a last stand, or at least cast a shield? Peridot... you damned insane bastard... She gave Obsidian a wry look. "Hey, don't judge me - I'm trying to recall the details of a convo I had years ago! Just give me a minute..." "WASTE." "FUUUUUCK!" The mare unceremoniously dumped Obsidian under a table behind a stand depicting ancient drawings and diagrams, and toppled some chairs over the front of it in an attempt to give Obsidian a place to hide; meanwhile, the mare herself darted up to the ceiling of the room and gathered a shelf's worth of books with her magic, watching the ash-transformed doors as Peridot/Midnight strolled in. She didn't give a catchphrase or snarky comment; she began pelting him with the books, and when he brought up a shield after the third one, she shredded the pages out of the remaining books and slung them about until sight was almost completely obscured by flying paper. "STOP! Do NOT mistreat the books!" he bellowed. "Kiss my puckered asshole, you possession-parading prick!" the mare yelled. Peridot/Midnight whirled to face where the voice had come from, only to miss the mare darting behind another nearby shelf behind him. Apparently, she was good at misdirection. "Obsidian. Surrender. I still offer you a chance to see my world firsthoof." That was when Obsidian noticed the display for diagrams that she was sitting under. Among the displayed works, there was one that was stored in a glass case; what looked to be an almost crumbling sheaf of papers, bound by what looked like twine, that were actively displaying... what was... Amethyst's dagger. It was unmistakable, as Obsidian had stared at the dagger that had killed Ruby for hours before it was confiscated and taken away to the royal vaults. It was a rather detailed drawing, as if the artist had taken their time making certain it was done correctly. What were the odds? Peridot/Midnight, having not yet noticed Siddy, kept scanning the shelves for any sign of the wily mare... who was still staying out of his sight path. So far. It was madness... but nopony could ever tell Obsidian the odds and convince her that a situation was hopeless. She was found in the catacombs after a thousand years of slumber, which was a small miracle on itself... she managed to get a group of wonderful friends, who somehow were tolerant to her antics - even during her very first day out - and didn't simply tell her to shove everything into the place that the Sun never shines upon. Bah, she stood with these very same friends against monsters straight out of a nightmare made by her sister... and somehow, still prevailed. She and her friends met her father, and she thought he was the greatest warlock in the entire known history of Equus... he had an undead army on his side, he could have had her on his side if he hadn't treated her so badly when it was important... and yet, they defeated him, and he was cast into stone... Let's be honest; the universe was cheating on Equestria's behalf - so Obsidian very carefully checked if Peridot was looking in her direction and reached towards the display case. If only she could get it before he'd notice... The case wasn't light; it was a struggle just to get it off the display stand, and felt like a tug of war to get it under the table with her. Yet, there it was. It wasn't an entire notebook; much of what was here looked as though it was salvaged as best as possible... there may have been all sorts of information that was missing here, and that was a bit of a shame. The writing she did see was neat and orderly, small but quite clear to see - kind of like Peridot himself. The drawing was highly detailed, and the description underneath was factual and concise. But unfortunately, nowhere in the drawing was there anything about ending a curse; she'd have to get the pages out of the case before she could see anything else on them. Peridot/Midnight was now using his horn's magic to fling shelves aside, looking for the foul-mouthed mare. Said mare, meanwhile, was circling around to the far end of the room, watching the possessed alicorn with razor-sharp attention. Now she had to open it. Problem Number One - Peridot was around. Problem Number Two - she had no time to waste. Problem Number Three - she had no focus necessary to operate with any sort of precision. Obsidian did her best to force the case open using her magic, trying not to break the glass, as it would surely attract the alicorn stallion's attention - though hopefully, this whole shelf-flinging display would give her a room for a small mistake. The very second that the casing cracked open, Peridot/Midnight's head swiveled to look directly at Obsidian. "NO," he said simply, and began to speak again... however, at that moment, the mare shoved over a bookshelf, which toppled against another, then another, and like a line of dominoes they cascaded towards the alicorn. Peridot/Midnight simply put up a shield, but it was enough to keep him busy as the same mare then blasted above him with her horn, shattering the skylights above and sending a rain of sharp glass down onto the entire room. Being under the table, Obsidian was safe, and the shield meant HE wasn't going to be hurt... but the sound was jangling, and LOUD enough to perhaps distract him? The alicorn mare had bought her some time, at least. It was a shame that Obsidian herself wasn't in any shape to fight... but she could at least get the notebook out of the case, and look for a potential way to escape. She really doubted she could simply look for information in these wrinkled pages in a middle of fight, but perhaps in another place... Was the alicorn even close enough to help her get away from Peridot? "Your fight is futile. STOP," the dual voice said simply, yet loud enough to rattle Obsidian's bones, "You know nothing of the power I hold..." A blast of energy tore into the floor in front of him. "Okay, listen to ME, you sack of warmed-over foal shit! You're nothing but a blowhard bully, and you need to crawl back between your mama's fuckflaps and gestate for a while more, because it's OBVIOUS you were brain-damaged at birth! Fuck you, fuck your plans, fuck your possession - because apparently, you can't even do the job yourself!" "STOP TAUNTING ME!" the voice screamed, "IT HURTS!" "GOOD, SHITHEAP! LET IT FUCKIN' ACHE, YOU MISERABLE COCKSUCKER!" Peridot/Midnight was distracted... but to what end? Obsidian hadn't even gotten the pages out of the case yet! Well now - Obsidian was certainly learning a few new vulgar words! That mare sure was creative. ... wait, what did he say? 'It hurts'? Was he really insane enough that taunts were THAT distracting to him? Apparently he'd found himself a worthy opponent in this mare, as she was taunting him with a skill of an elderly sailor who just found that his alcohol was replaced with saltwater. If she was looking to find anything in those pages, Obsidian couldn't dream of a better opportunity - she quickly got the diary out of the display case, using whatever means she could. Of course, she would prefer to do it quickly... but if her magic wouldn't allow her to do so easily, then she could simply break the case open. As she did, she waved to her new friend to get her attention. It was locked solidly tight... but for what it was worth, the case itself was made more for display than safety. Though it felt like trying to throw a punch through tar, she managed to crack, chip, then smash the glass casing while the mare continued to berate the alicorn. The pages felt like dry leaves in her hooves; so much so that a small chunk came off, falling to the floor. At that exact moment, Peridot/Midnight let out a shriek of pain, then tuned to look at Obsidian with full attention... and the look on his face was ANGRY. Before a single word escaped his lips, however, the mare suddenly threw the Crystal Empire royal flag over him, and cinched it up tighty around his head. "Eat it, you cock-hungry butt-stallion!" she roared, and with that, she actually leapt onto his back! She looked over at Obsidian, her face a pleading quiery as to what to do now, as Peridot/Midnight began to buck. Didn't she know any stunning spells? Or perhaps something to cut off his oxygen? Damn, she could just try to choke him from where she was! Come on, Obsidian was barely standing on her own legs, and she had no idea what her new friend could possibly do; at least once, she would gladly be relieved of command and just let the alicorn fight in a way she liked! "Disorient... him... schomehow... and help me... GED AWAY FROM HERE!" The curse had to be somewhere in the middle of the mass of pages - she had to find it! And hopefully in a way that won't destroy the entire notebook in the process. She just needed a moment or two! "NO!" There was a blast of energy, and the mare flew off Peridot/Midnight's back and hit the floor, skidding to a stop near Obsidian; the flag disintegrated, leaving a very angry alicorn standing there, regarding the two of them together. "PUT. THAT. DOWN. NOW." The alicorn mare's head swung to the side and looked at the aged, crinkled pages in Obsidian's hooves... and something sparked behind her eyes. She reached over and, with a quickness, she yanked on a corner of the drawing. With a brittle rip, it came off. Peridot/Midnight jerked backwards, and let out a howl of pain. The mare looked at Obsidian directly. "The notebook! He's tied to the-" Her words were choked off as a blue ring of energy appeared around her throat, and jerked her upwards. Slowly, she floated out towards him, until they were muzzle to muzzle. "ENOUGH." The mare's eyes bugged out as the ring began to tighten. She scrabbled her hooves at it, but then the alicorn prince spoke. "WASTE!" he practically screamed, and the mare instantly grew dark circles under her eyes, and her struggles grew weaker and weaker. She'd been afraid that might happen. Obsidian had hoped - really, really hoped - that she could find said curse and simply remove it, freeing Midnight in the process and letting her brother fade away peacefully, leaving his notes behind him to read, remember and understand. Sadly, when it concerned her family, Obsidian very rarely got any of the results she craved. She turned away from him - just to cover notebook with her own body - and started to demolish it, with hooves, magic and damn it, she would even bite it, just to save the alicorn mare in time. In the process, she was destroying the wisdom of the ages that could potentially help her with her own resesarch, the most important belongings of her deceased brother... and sadly, the very thing that was keeping him here. She at least tried not to destroy the picture of Amethyst's blade. The shrieks from behind her were at the same time both sickening and terrifying. It sounded as if Peridot himself was being shredded just the same as his notes were. Sobbing, wailing words ground against her ears as he shrieked through his pain. "OBSIDIAN! AAAGH! ST-STOP IT! STOOOOOOP! IT- I-I-IT HUUUURTS! RRRRAGH! OHH! YAAAAAGGHH! STOOOOOOOOOP IIIIIIIIT!" Bursts of blue energy continued to splash and arc outwards, smashing shelves and sending nasty blackened lines up and down the walls. "STOOOOP! PLEEEEEASE! PLEASE, NO! KILL M-ME, BUT SPARE MY NOTES! PLEEEEEEASEEE!" By Darkness, she hoped Midnight would survive. She looked behind herself, but continued to tear pages in the notebook, just to keep him occupied. "FREE MY FRIEND AND THISCH BODY!" she demanded with a shaking, tired voice - watching her brother's torment, even if he was an insane maniac... or maybe because he was just insane, not fit for this world... was still gut-wrenching. "I don't want to deschtroy it... bud you leave me no choische! Releasche Midnight or elsche!" It would have sounded better if she wasn't still lisping. The possessed alicorn was quiet for all of a moment, then... "... do it." The dual voice sounded resigned, weary, and tear-filled. "If I cannot make this world as I NEED it to be, to live without pain... then END it. I have lived far longer than I should, and I just want my pain to stop. END IT." There was a choked sob... then the next words were a rage of anguish. "DO IIIIT!!!" The voice sounded as if he was right behind her. "... f-farewell, my brother..." Her horn became surrounded by a magical spell aura, and his notebook flashed with the light of a star. A ring of blue energy rolled outward from behind her... and the moment it happened, Obsidian instantly felt her body expel the illness that she'd been suffering from. Her sight cleared, her muscles stopped resisting her, and her fever vanished. She was back to normal, physically. How she felt about it all was another story entirely. "OH! Me, Luna and Celestia in a filthy-fucking-THREEWAY, that sucked!" The mare, apparently, was okay... and, Obsidian now noticed clearly, was an alicorn herself! "Well, that... was interesting. FUCK, I don't wanna have to do all that again! It was just... ohshitMidnightareyouokay???" The groan from behind her had only a single voice in it. "I think... I want... to lie down... for a few... millennia..." The alicorn mare looked over at Obsidian. "How about you; you okay?" Once again, Obsidian was completely and utterly back to normal - no sign of sickness, no Dark Magic muddling her mind and no insane villains trying to kill her. It absolutely didn't change the fact that as soon as she regained full clarity of mind, she immediately felt that she wanted to throw up. "... I just... came back home to... t-to kill my brother.... I..." Damnation... she really did it; she had killed him. Of his own wishes - or he would otherwise kill everyone around him, and she had to somehow free Midnight from the possession... but still, she had ended her brother's life. Her own brother. It seemed to be far simpler and more innocent when she was just destroying the notebook, but now... now that the deed was done, it felt like almost like a physical weight. "I managed to keep our Father alive. I saved my sister's life, despite all that she did to me. I protected my other brother... but I never..." She was staring at the wall in front of her, but it was clear that she didn't actually see it; she was focused on something completely different. To add insult to injury, there wasn't even a body - no remains to mourn. He had passed like a rogue wind, and she couldn't do anything about it. "Can..." she tried her best to simply speak without sorrow, "... can anyone get in touch with Ponyville? I'd like to know if everyone there is... okay..." The mare made her way over to her, and hesitantly placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Your broth-... oh yeah, you said that. I... I'm so sorry. I mean, I can't even imagine what it must..." The mare stopped; no point in rehashing things. She gave a small sigh, then turned back towards Midnight. "Mids... you look like you just fucked a manticore. The HARD way." "I... I r-remember... parts of it, but... but it's hazy..." "Don't strain yourself, Mids - I got this feeling you've already been through a shitstorm. You sit down, and let me get hold of Dad; you'll be okay..." She made her way back to Obsidian. "Ummm, Obsidian? Yo? You feel like staying here with Mids until I can get some help?" "Yes, I... y-yes..." Obsidian waved her hoof distractedly, still thinking deeply - but hey, it's not like Midnight really needed any immediate medical care. Even in her current state, she would notice if something extreme were to happen to him, so it was probably good enough. "Go on, er... would you happen to be Flurry Heart of the Crystal Empire, perchance? Or did I miss the existence of any other siblings?" she asked suddenly, trying to guess. To be fair, as far as she remembered, Flurry was born even before Cupcake was... and the mare had said that they were of a similar age. Hm, perhaps she was a younger sister..? She gave a smirk. "My rep gets ahead of me... heh, cool. Yeah, that's me - in the fur. And Radiant Heartshine's off in Yakyakistan right now, so... you got the more capable sister. Imagine that?" She stood up and headed for the cracked doorway. "You two just hunker down, and I'll be back faster than a jackrabbit's fuck!" She darted out, flying for the palace. Midnight, meanwhile, looked over at Obsidian with a worried muzzle. "Obsidian?" "She was using quite a number of words I don't really understand... but I think I shouldn't repeat them in front of your mother. Or anypony else, for that matter," Obsidian concluded - and stood up. "So, do you feel alright? Horn, wings, everything working correctly? Basic mental capabilities in evidence?" He gave a groan, and rubbed his eyes. "Well, I can actually DO stuff in my own body again, so I guess I'm okay. I don't feel sick anymore, and that's grand. I remember... a lot of pain. I mean, mental pain - every time someone got near me, it was like someone was shaking a can full of glass chunks next t my ears... and everytime someone else came along, the sound just got louder and harder. When you and Stally came to see me, just the two of you there felt like I was being overwhelmed." He then looked down. "I want you to know, though... he was... glad, in the end. H-he wanted to... make the world more quiet. But if he couldn't do it, then he was just as happy to... t-t-to... you know..." His gaze went back to Obsidian. "If that intensity was what HE was feeling all the time... then I understand why he wanted to do what he wanted to do. I get it. It was... it was impossible to live with, at least for me. I can't even imagine what that was like for him, if that's what he felt from the world around him." "I'm sorry it happened. I'm sorry I looked those pages over. I'm sorry I ever got any of you dragged into this mess. But, really, I had NO IDEA that anything was wrong with me, after reading those notes! There was nothing but this... itch... that I felt from time to time, but... how was I to know what it really was? I'm just... just... sorry, Obsidian." So he was feeling fine - good. Otherwise, she would have inform Princess Twilight that her son unfortunately got maimed right after his return. His words were failing to cheer her up, though. She understood that Peridot somehow really suffered around others, and that turned him into a mad pony, wasting his potential. But it didn't change the fact that she would have liked to save him. To truly help him. Not give up on him and... murder him. Midnight... he was the one who technically started all of this... "Your feelings towards Thunderclap activated this curse. Without that, my brother wouldn't ever have returned," she said after a moment with a calm voice. Perhaps a bit too calm. Midnight huffed a sigh. "Yes, I get that. But I don't have a lot of closure from all that - and it still hurts, even to this day. Maybe it's easier for ponies like you to just let things like that go, but for me? It was what sent me away from those I cared about, to live in another country under the guise of 'expanding my horizons'. My mother was furious that I wouldn't tell her about it, and she was determined to make certain I was safe." "But my time there? I spent a lot of it stewing over what Thunderclap had done to me. Probably TOO much time on it, as I dabbled a bit into Dark Magic because of it - but just to protect myself. Heck, those pages? I was studying the dagger design for one of my classes; I never even had revenge on my mind until... u-u-ntil I saw her." "That night, I dreamed about you and her, and he showed up, telling me he'd calculated the odds of teaching her a lesson while we worked together. He never lied - he simply didn't tell me his plans, long-term. And for what it's worth, he did seem kinda nice, if a bit... I don't know, distant? Preoccupied?" "But yeah, even if it WAS my anger that triggered him... I honestly had no possible way of knowing what would happen, as I apparently picked up that curse from studies that had NOTHING to do with revenge." He hung his head. "But it still cost you a member of your family... and for that, I am truly sorry, Obsidian. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me... just like I'll have to find it in MY heart to forgive Thunderclap Dash." "I usually don't hold grudges, Midnight; I doubt you will be an exception. However, I hope you most certainly will mend your ways with Clap, who is truly a completely different pony now, and who also had some rather traumatic experiences in her foalhood..." She glared at him. Hard. "... Because, unless you do... I doubt we will ever be friends." Midnight nodded. "I... guess I get that now. After years of trying to bury my feelings, seeing her just... just..." He sighed. "But you're right. It's time to let bygones be bygones, and to just let go of the past. Holding onto it isn't doing anyone any good, and who knows? Maybe she really will turn out to be a decent friend to me now. It won't exactly be easy, but..." He looked at Siddy. "I guess if YOU can partner up with Flurry Heart to save Equestria, then I guess I can put aside my foalhood traumas and fears. It seems to be the least I can do, after all this." He slowly stood up, dusting himself off carefully. "And I'd rather be friends with you than not - after all, I think YOU will be about the only other being I can talk to about Dark Magic without getting suckered into doing something wrong, or stealing my soul, or stuff like that... and I kinda need someone to ask questions to. I hope... h-hope that you'd be okay with that?" Did that mean she could have access to her own Dark Magic-using alicorn? One that possibly knew many things still unknown to herself? Probably without any hostile agenda? Not bad. "Dark Magic is dangerous... but I have to continue my studies with it as well. To better understand Grey Magic, you see." That big joke of magic, bleah. "Now, let's move to more serious topics - do you like Stalwart?" Midnight blinked. "Stally? Well, yeah - she's one of the best friends I ever had when I was a colt; she always defended me, and she always knew how to make me smile or laugh.... she was like a sister to me, i-if I had a sister, that is. Why would you-..." His eyes widened; NOW, he got it. "I... well, I uh... never considered her like that before. I mean, she's still a great friend... and she's not ugly, not at all. She's smart, and brave - VERY brave - and kind, and..." He gave a chuckle. "Y'know what? I never considered her like that before... but she wouldn't be a bad marefriend, would she?" "Perhaps; I'm not really very knowledgable about this topic, but I think she deserves a bit of attention for her hard work today," A satisfying ending, it seemed; good won, evil was punished and... And as long as Obsidian wasn't thinking about it too hard, she could actually avoid tormenting herself about Peridot's fate. Midnight gave a thoughtful smile. "Maybe. She DOES like anything dealing with royalty... maybe I could bring her here for a tour of the Crystal Palace? I mean, if she hasn't already had one, that is." He gave a stretch, then looked at Obsidian. "Though honestly? If Cupcake wasn't already snuggling up to you, I'd already have asked you about a date; you're more my style, honestly." He blushed a bit, but still smiled at her. Well, she was working hard too - she deserved a bit of attention as well. Heh, Cupcake would surely be able to help her relax. "You are well-informed for a pony who just came back to Ponyville," she noticed. Hm, she didn't tell that him before, right? It would be good for Stalwart to have her very own prince to protect, eh? He chuckled. "More like Cupcake couldn't keep quiet about you; he's pretty crazy about you, y'know. If I thought for a minute he wasn't up to par as a coltfriend..." Midnight shook his magnificent head. "But I know he's about the best choice you could have. He'll treat you with respect and real love, so I'm not worried about how you'll be treated - he'll love you like you should be loved." He then gave a half-lidded, smooth smile. "If things don't work out, feel free to give me a ring..." then he laughed, "unless things DO happen between Stally and I!" He gave a wistful grin, then looked to the windows. "I always called her Stally... because I kinda think calling her a 'Wart' just never sounded right to me." When he looked up, the muzzle he wore looked intensely relieved. "And I wanted to thank you for all you've done; I know it wasn't exactly for ME, but... I am truly grateful that you came to my rescue, as it were." Obsidian tilted her head a bit to the side... which, fairly speaking, was kind of cute. "Ring?" Oh yes, she could guess Cup would tell him plenty of things. She simply had no idea that they'd met elsewhere at some point today or yesterday - her coltfriend didn't mention that, and today Midnight had been dearly sick. "Oh, well... it's kind of my job. Saving Equestria, bringing justice to villains, spreading harmony, friendship and laughter everywhere and so on." Especially as Applejack's death broke the circle of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony... which meant that Obsidian and her little gang really were important as a line of defense for Equestria. Midnight gave a chuckle. "Well, you're in good company among the citizens of Ponyville - I swear, a number of others there have had their hoof in saving everyone as well... but that's-" "Obsidian." It was a voice she hadn't heard in quite some time. "I expect that all this has an explanation?" Sure enough, standing at the doors was a contingent of royal guards... and in front of them, the older pony who had last seen her when she was fresh from the catacombs. Shining Armor, they had called him, and his armor certainly was shiny enough. Well, he still hadn't explained what he meant by 'ring'; was it an idiom? Some custom? She really had no idea about many things, and it was sometimes strange to realize that other ponies may not know she couldn't always understand them. But the guards were here. Pretty late, to be fair. You know, if they were always this 'useful', then perhaps the princess should abolish this branch of military for good. She turned to the usurper... but, should she bow? Or not? A short bow it is, then. "Good evening; we were stopping an insane pony from destroying all of ponykind," she explained briefly. "Yes..." he intoned, "my daughter said something to that effect." He gave a very pointed look around. "And from the look of it, she made quite a mess in here, too. I assume it wasn't you, as I've heard from my sister that you are just almost as studious as she is. Which is a mean feat, to be sure." He seemed to accept her... but Obsidian couldn't shake the feeling that she was being closely observed right now. "This is where we escort you to the palace, and you tell me everything that's going on here. And I mean everything."