~>-<~
Obsidian found herself in the catacombs underneath the Crystal Palace again... but this time, there was a stillness and quiet that felt rather ominous. The tunnels weren't as she recalled them, but was instead a twisting, turning single tunnel leading towards an eerie green glow within a chamber at the end.
She couldn't see into the chamber... but she had a feeling of trepidation that she couldn't shake. The tunnel behind her was sealed; nowhere to go but forward.
Obsidian recalled that she didn't have so many 'interesting' dreams, back in the old days - at least until she had amassed a few dead siblings. Was it some kind of punishment? It would make her feel considerably more relieved if she could at least trust that Princess Luna would come and save her if something went wrong...
She moved forward. There was no other option, at least when discounting the option to stay put and wait.
She found herself once more inside Jade's chamber, but the green mist that was merely prevalent earlier was now everywhere along the floor; it felt cold and itchy when she crossed through it, and she got the impression that something decidedly slimy was touching her.
The crystal shard was still being held by chains, drenched in acid, and had a light green glow to it that seemed to fill the room entirely.
Y̨̞̗o̙͈u͖͇͘.̜̞͝
It was a single word, but it felt as though it dripped through her ears and oozed into her brain.
Wḥ̟͡a͏̥̬t͚͍͞ ͈̰͘d̸o̪̺̦ ͈̕y͖̮̭ou͎͚̱ w̙̩̭a̻̜̯n̜̕ͅt̡̖̳ ̪̝͙f̟̠͉r̭̝͘o̦̦͓m̲̞̙ ̤̟̺m̰̭̻e̸̼̺.̛̼̪.̕.͍͔̺
It felt as if the curse (and subsequent torture) tainted not only Jade's body and mind, but even his very spirit. Did he feel her presence in the catacombs? Or was it merely just another nightmare? Obsidian couldn't be sure about that - so many of her dreams lately had turned out to be annoyingly real.
"Nothing from you. I want something for you... I want to help you, brother," she said to him earnestly.
Y͈̤͡o̝̺ư.̗̬͟..̬ ͏̺̳w̸̺̖a̧̟͖n͍̼͘t̹͖̞ ͟t̞̳̮ò̜̟ ̣͍̀H̥̻̺E͈̗͟L̻͕P̴̥ ̪̺̠m̧̙̺e͍,̖̰̬ ̼̘̜y͜o̵̞̟u̖͉̹ sa҉͔̫̮y̡̭͉.̣.̪͍ͅ.
The voice was deep, resonant and echoed through her dreamform as if it were a hollow bell.
I̮̬̟ ͈̞̙d͔̲͙o̖̱ ̣͎͟n̻o̴͍ͅt̞̼ͅ ̵̰̻ḓ̮̀e̢̜̼s̥͕e̯̮̯r̞̣͉v͝e̙̣̯ ͚h̼̭͇e͙͔̺l̲̣ͅp̸.͇ ̵͚̮ ̮̝͞I͏̬͇ ̪̰̘a̶̬̺m̨̖ ̭̠̝a ҉MONSTER҉
The words felt as though they were eating away at her soul like the acid that was coating the shard.
N͓̤͕ọ̰͔̜̼̀ ͈̖̯h́e̦͓̫̮̱͔ͅl̮̘̘͖͍̠̜͘p͕̩̫.̻͎̮͇ ̮͎̬̮ͅ ̳̣̖̙̳̙Ṇ̗̱͞o͞ ̬͟ͅt̳̜͙͙̼̦͟ͅe̦̜͍͞ͅa̲͍͖̗r̠̘̻̤̟̩͠s̬̼̣̙̮̻.̱̙̰͡ ̤̖͈̤̞͘ ̳̺̻̰̳ͅI͘ ̡̩d̳o͉̲̳̲̗̙͠ͅ ̵ͅŃ͙͍̟ͅͅO̹͢T̼̭ ̯̹̜̜̞d̩e̥̯ͅs͓͇͉͔̮͈e̴rv̩̫͖͔̫̱͔͞e҉̪̖̠̩̗͉ ̗̤s҉̠u҉̳͈͇̱͖c̼̣̪̼̤h̞͘ ̦̳̺̥̩t̻͙̻͇̪̳͖ḩ̩̘̥͙̭̙͕i̜̪̜n͔g̳̯̗̗s̷.̪͟
He felt cold. Obviously, her Father had really outdone himself this time. She knew that the slaves were terribly afraid of him - but this time, he had done it to a shard of his own soul.
"You are not a monster, my brother - you are the victim of a monster! A monster that has already been defeated three times! And I refuse to let him have the last laugh..."
L̻̮͠e̶t͚̖͠ ̟͈̳m̺̖̪e͇̥̕ ̷͈RO̲͎͕T̘ͅ;̝̗͞ ̯̙F̟̰͎a̴͙̞t͏͇̰h̥͍̙er̠̪͔ ̷̰̼w̨a̗͍͇s͍̥̳ ̘̙͈r̴̼̼i̠g̣͉ͅh̳͉͎t̞͈͢,̳͢ͅ ̨̭͔and̵ ͓̙͖y̳o̷̰̣u̢ ̙̮̝a̯̞̕r̛͇͙e͍̫̞ ҉̯̞W̮̭͎R̤̦̲O̹̫̳N͎͔͢G̣̦̭.̪͢ͅ
The shard began to seep streams of crimson, and the bright green glow became a dark, sickly green one.
I͔̥̱̞ͅ ҉͚͚̯̳͇d̷͖̻e̪s̢̝̪̫̹e͎̜̳̯ṟ̠v͓͈̥̥̹̼͇e̦ ͍͈̜̻̻͈ͅth̫̜̩̙̹e̢͍̣̬̹ ̴̝͔̞͓̣͙̝fa̜͎̺̻̲ͅte̹̲͍̞͓̟ I͚͕͚ ̷̘̦̫͙͕ͅh̴̹̭͚̦̹a̞̬͢v̻̩̭̭̙̥ͅe̪̤̬̘ ̶̭̲͔̤͙͇̗b̘͕̮̘͕͍e̵̯͓̟e̖ń̖̞̞ ͎͚̥̺̬͙̣ḏe͔̟̩a̟͙̱l̘̹͖͖̹t̲.̝ ̜̙̩ ̗̬͇͚̖̦T̲̹̮̣͉̭̥͠ḫ̯̘̟̰̫e̲͈r͙̭̮͙̤̥e̳̳̼ͅ ̴͖̤̣̺͍̖̞i͍̩͕̗̼̗s̢̫ ̢̘Ṉ̠̪͓̣͔O̠̣ ̱̺̙͝ḤO̮͔̼̼͕P̀E̦̜͉̹ ҉̻ͅf̝̪o͉̤͍͠r͚̣͡ ̰̻͙͢m҉̤e͔.̻
The voice sounded as though it was on the verge of tears... but still had an unnerving quality to it.
"Our father was wrong in many, many ways, my brother... I am sometimes wrong, but in this case I can't be mistaken - YOU ARE NOT A MONSTER! And the only pony around that will be left to rot will be Him. I will avenge you, brother - and know that, once you are saved, each time you step on a blade of green grass, eat a cake or laugh with your friends or siblings... it will be a reminder. Proof that we are finally safe from this petty, cruel tyrant," she stepped forward.
N̢̨̒̏͗͆Ö́̈͋͐̉̿͘͡.͋ͣ̅̄̒̈̑
The word rang out as if screamed in a Royal Canterlot Voice.
Y̹̰͜o҉͈͕̱u̸͇̗ ̸a͎ͅr̩̲̩e̴ͅ ͕̯̝N͍̘͘Ó̗̫Ṱ̵͈ ̪͎̠a̻͔͈b̜̘͝l҉̺̜͕e̴̠̥ ̡̭̪t҉̜̣ò͔̟ ̺͔͖ș̥̀a̟͉̝v̛̮̼e͔͉ ̭͈̬m̫̲̮ȩ,̶̬͉ ̵̞̬O̜̼ͅb̹͎̰s̀i̶̹̲d̫̻͘i͍͠a҉͍̲͔n̡̺̱ ̟̥͈S̪h̞̫̥a̘͇͜r̝̮͈d̯̀.͎̺͡ ̝ ͓̳Y̲͉̘o̤͚ͅu̴ ̛̣̱a̙͇͚r̲̹̳e͚̖ͅ n̷̩o̹͘t͖͖̤͎̩ͅ ̹͙̮̩̥̻c̭̳̳̯̜̰͉͟ḁ̖p̧̞̰̬̟̥͔̱a̦͘b̫̮̖̘̜̙̕l̶̠̼̯e̛͎ ̶̣̬o̰̞̤̼̞͇f̺ ͎̟͢u̘̯̠̲͉̠͠n̰ḑ͕̼̳̖̣̦ͅę̤̺̦͖r͏̼̠̼s̳̫ͅt̨̖͓̜͖̙a̦̫̼̞͈̲͜n͙̤̰͙̳̰d̖͘i͙̻͈̗n̜̤͈͔̞g̷͔͖͇̙͈ ̷̜my p͎̩̰̥͕͈̝a͍͔͇̥͈͡i͕̝̻͖̲ṇ̲̺̠͚ͅ,͓̤ ̝̤̪̯͍̺̕m̥̥̹̞͎͈͉y̱̬̫̤ ̮͇̪̖f̩͈̘͈͟e̹͉̥a̺̟̙͚̱̰̼r̮̣͕̀,͇͉̝̲̮ ̗̜̗m̵̱̝̝̮͖̱̩y̻̻̫̪͓ ͓̣͈̞s̳͔̩͉͉͇͇o̯̲̹u̱͈͚̬͟ͅͅḻ̰̝̣̫.
He sounded as if he were trying to talk her out of it.
G͖̥̣͎̕ơ̮ ̱l̬̣̫̜̀ḭ̭̮͚̰v̴̳̰̺͕̟̺ͅe̺̠̦ ̥̘ͅa ̳͔̱̥̲̪͓L̶̦͍̫̮̘̠̳ị͉f̥͓e̙͎̻̺.̨ ̙̗͔̟̣̩ ̲̹̰̖͠Be̛̠̰̥̪͉̟̪ ̭̫̩̘͖͚ͅf̷r̗̳̫͎̪e̵͓̝e̴͚͔̺.̶̦̩ ̤ ̯̺̫͉ͅL̤͕̪͔͎͙͙͝o͍v̷̟͉̘͖͓ẹ̮ ́y͚o̲͇ú̬̥̞r͓̰ ̳͖̱͖͕͡ͅs̴͈͉͙̭͈̟̹t̼͓a͙̙̠̮l̴l̫̝̫̜͔i̗͔͙̖͉͓o̷̼n̗̫ͅ.̴͖̩̳
The shard gave a small hiss, then cracked.
T̹̤̝͝h̜e̦͓̱͙͕ ̧̬̮͖̯b̬̮̭̺͈̝̺e̳̖͈̭̗s̼̣̱t̬͇̩̫͢ͅ ͈͓I̵̥̞̝ ̲̣̺̤̞̩̠͠c̖͠an͙̮ ͈̜͞g̮̻͓̳̪̲i̸v͍̪̩̱e̙̭̪͇̯̟ t͇̺͓͚̫̺̬͘o͘ ̘̮͔̫͚̗̱y͉͕͇͉o͉̹̮ù̮̺͉̖̳͎ ̧͖͖͚͎i̤̝̞̤̤̥͚s͉̣͙̥ ̩͉͇̺̠̖p͔̰̫͠e̱̞̗a̟c̸̝e̴̼̲̥,̩ ͓̖̼̭͇͕̜f͔͉̰̮̭̹̫r̻̰͉͖͠ee ̢̫̻͖͉̜̩o͉̖̪͖̯̺f̵̟̬̗̬ ͓̘͖̠̫͞m͕͎͜y͖̭͉ ̸̻t͍̣̹͔a͔̖̹̪͓ḭ͍̖́n͔̩̞̝̬ͅt̳̳̖̦̫̥̻.͉̭̮̞̗̹
"I will save you, Jade... and you won't talk me out of it. I live a life, I love my stallion, and there is still plenty of room left for my siblings in this world. Even if I'm not able to understand what you've been through, I can at least try to ease your pain and end your fear." This was hardly an enjoyable discussion...
N̶͎ͅo̢̗ͅ.̵̫͙ ҉͎͉̹ ͈̣I̛̭ ̪̘͔m̜u̡̙̮s̱̭͎t͚̱͇ ̢͖̺S̬͍̝U̲̰͠F̟͡F͏̲̹E̩͖͕R̶̖͙.͉̙̻ ͚̥ͅ ̹̳͜Ị͖̺ ̷͔̱ḁ͓̮m̲͖ ͈̗̰ą̦̱ ̳̜̗MO̮͕͜N͔̩̠S̷͍̖T̺͖E̛̯͎R̨̩̳,̪̪̠ ͏̗̺y̬̙̣o̳ṷ ̫̬ḷ̼̪i̠̭̗t҉̠t̟l̟̜͡e̞͓ͅ ̖̦̦f̴̥̪o̕o̸̩̫l͕̤̖.̧̺ͅ
The cracks in the shard grew deeper, and there was a rigning in her ears that seemed to be getting louder.
F̡̼ͅr͓ẹ̷͓e ̴̝͉m̡e, a̜̝n̙̼d҉ ̭A̶͚̥̹̳̜̲ͅL̺̰L͉̮ ̛̞̤̘͉̗w̵̱͈̯̫͎̖i̵̫̺̥l̫͙l̞͓͉̖͓ ̞s͔̳͇̞͝ṷ̺͙̝̯f͔͙̥̬̱̺f̠̭e̝̪̝r̰̻̟̖̤ ̹̱̗̫͍͍w̺͎͇̠̱͢i̫̣̯͉t̬̮̰̻͞ḫ͟ ̸̰͕̪̘͉m̤̰e.
It sounded more like a warning than a threat.
E͎͇͖̳̼̻̺q̻̭̯̞̤̟u͏͙es̼̲͉t͇̣r̟͙̹̙i͍̙͓̗̝ͅa̼̮̭̳͎̖̼.̜͓͘.̝͈̪͘.̲͙ ̖̥̖͍́t̸̘̣̦̭͎͎̲h͞e͔͖̺̤ͅ ̖̼̱e̦̯̹̯̤͍̖ṉ͙̘͇͓͉̀t̻̭̤̪̤̀i̸̬͎͚r̮̻͖̹ͅe̗̱̮͠ ̯̩̬̲̩w̹̖̱̝̩̞͠ͅo͢r̢ḻ͖̰̖̫͡d͏̬̻͚̮.̯̹͎͟ͅ.̴͔̦̠͎̭͚.̣͞ͅ ̳̫̞̭̦̦͘e͎͕v҉̺̮̻͍̭̤̬ḙr̯̬̙̦y҉̰̥͍̜̦th̞in̗̩g͇͍̖̩̺̥ ҉͕̥̮i̩̠̟̗̝n̮͎̟͠ ̞i̗̖͇͞t͓͙͚͕ ̵͚̖w̨͔͙̻̺̝͔i̡l̳͖͉̬͠l̷͍͉̱̤̭̱ͅ w̢̠̻͔͎͕i̸͓̫̞͍ṭ̙̹̣̖̲͟ͅh͙̻̬ę̠͈̱r͠ ̼̩͞a̧̞n̯̣̻d͔͉͔̣̙ ̢̜̭͈di̘͎̟̝͟e͈̗̜͔ ̘̀a͈͈̼̼͠t̸ ̖͕͇̻̪͔m͎̩̜̳͠y̧͕ͅ ̸͍̤t̡̬̰͚̖̤̬ͅo̮͕͖̭̻̩̥u̩c̞͓̗̜̟͙͖h̻͔̘͠.̝̮̰
"... but nopony should suffer like this, my dear brother." The curse - if only Peridot were still alive... but no. She had to research this from scratch.
The green glow suddenly went out, and left Obsidian in darkness she was not comfortable within.
F͍̻̠o̰͚̫o͓͖͞l̦̯̞.̗ ͈̖ ͡L̘̖̠e͠t̬̩͝ ̮̜t̹͓͡h̭̟o̲͍͟ś̤̰ę̦͔ ̟̥̖w҉͇͇ho̶͙̻ ́d҉̝̻e̵̩͈s̷̪̝e͚̘͔r͏̤̪v̛̩̭e̖̦͕ ͉̼L̗͍̬i̷̖͓f̮̲͈e̩͕͡ ̦̯̬L̺̙͇I͉̫͕VE͏̮̣.̹̦͞.̹͚͇.̧̹ ̗̮̙a̫͔͜n̠͍̗d l̙e͏͎̖a͎̱ͅv̱̗͟e͏͔̪ m̮̯̫e̘͎̪ ͔͓̤b̳̮͢e̡.͉͈
It felt like the darkness was trying to flow into her very being... but just as it began to sink it's way into her, a soft blue glow began to take its' place, and she soon saw that she wasn't in Jade's chamber anymore. It was Diamond's shard she was now standing in front of, and the light she saw (and felt) was warm, soft and kind.
It wouldn't simply be a product of her unconscious mind - it was far too specific, far too scary to be her own imagination. Exactly how was this happening?
"Diamond, yes?" she aked cautiously, "I've heard a lot of good things about you..."
When the new voice spoke, it sounded and felt like the exact opposite of Jade's own.
{I... know you... I can feel your connection to me... but... who are you?}
Waves of pleasant feelings washed though her; victory over her Father, Cup's passionate kiss, Ruby's sweet smile... it was as if she were floating in an ocean of good tidings.
{Are you another of Father's creations?}
"Indeed, I am," Obsidian grinned, "your younger sister, Obsidian." It felt nice - too nice for what would be King Sombra's son. She had seen with her own eyes what the tyrant was capable of and how he treated those beneath him... so how in Tartarus could Diamond be such a bastion of good? It was a touch suspicious, but maybe it was simply a fluke? She'd have to tread carefully here, but she held out hope that this one would be more like Ruby than Amethyst.
{Ob... sid... ian?} The voice was unsure, as if it was a word he'd never pronounced before. {A sister? I have... another sister?} A pause, and then... {You are... the Lost Sister, then. Another sliver of who He once was... oh, how He has whittled himself down to the core, all to create us...}
His blue light began to dim a bit, as well as the sensations she was feeling. {Please, tell me, Obsidyan... what has become of him? Do you know?}
"You have a total of twelve siblings, Diamond. As for our father, he was defeated - three times in a row; the last time, he was thoroughly neutralized. He is no longer a threat to anyone anymore, brother."
Poor Father, eh? That was the last term she would ever use.
{Oh... oh...} Now the blue crystal visibly began to shed tears of bright blue energy in small rivulets that dripped down its' sides. {Poor, poor Father... first, Radiant Hope, then all his preparations, and now... now he is no more?}
There was a moment of heart-wrenching sorrow that she felt from the shard. {I forgave him long ago, no matter his treatment of us... and to hear of such? Oh, please, Obsidyan - is there any way to save him?}
He was good - too good. Did her Father create and brainwash him to end up with a creature that would love him more than fear him? Was it some sort of a trick, some half-baked emergency plan to create a servant with undying loyalty?
"I... don't think so, no." Even if he could be freed, Obsidian would hardly call it 'saving' him; he was far too power-hungry and cruel to be worth the attempt, and nopony would be able to save him from himself. "May I ask... what do you know of Radiant Hope?"
{She... she was the one who helped him to create us, Obsidyan. Her voice, her touch, her kindness... it was she who taught him to salvage his soul through us. And yet, when her own spell went wrong... oh...}
The light began to fade, but she could still hear him, as if from a distance.
{Will... will you and I meet someday...?}
The light began to shift from a soft blue color... to one that was a filthy yellowish-orange hue.
{OBSIDYAN! RUN! LEAVE NOW! QUICKLY!}
The light began to feel as if it were trying to rip open her skull, to feast on the mind within.
Come to me. Come to me NOW...
She helped Sombra? Interesting... and something went wrong? Even more interesting...
And then Obsidian heard Amber.
She frankly didn't need any encouragement - she just turned and ran as if the entirety of Tartarus was tailing her! But there was nowhere to run to, as Obsidian found herself in the chamber with the Amber Shard; it felt as though her brain were being gouged with a dagger, and she felt herself beginning to crack, just like Jade had.
... what is a Cupcake? TELL ME NOW. Wait... not a what... a who...
NOT good!
... and a Thunderclap... and... a Wart?
She HAD to wake up!
... and... a Gypsy...
Obsidian! Wake up! Wa-
~>O<~
"-ke up! Siddy!? Obsidian!" Cupcake was holding her, shaking her lightly, and looked like he was scared to death for her. "Stop screaming! Wake up, Obsidian!"
Y'know... sometimes, Obsidian really hated her family. Like, really, really. Waking up screaming was hardly a pleasant thing, and it seemed as if Cupcake didn't expect so either. So many murderous psychopaths with Dark powers, so little time. She was used to the concept and practice of mind control, just not exactly experienced with participating in it - especially not as the submissive party. Ugh - what a terrible feeling.
"G-good... good morning, Cup..."
Cupcake looked at her as if he was afraid she'd fade into nothingness right in front of him... then embraced her fiercely. She could feel him shaking a bit as he held her.
"What happened? What in the wide, wide world of Equestria were you dreaming about!? Good gravy, love - you were screaming! I woke up to it, and you were thrashing about, hooves to your head and screaming as if Tartarus itself was swallowing you whole!"
Shaking, he backed up from her and his eyes seemed to be looking over every inch for any sign of harm. "Siddy, love... are you okay?"
Cupcake's shaking was not the problem - her own shaking, she now noticed, was resonating quite nicely with his. Damned Amber - how was such a thing even possible!? It had to be one of the traits of the shards themselves; otherwise, it would be impossible for her to reach to Obsidian in her dreams like that.
"I'm... not sure, Cup; I've found three more siblings of mine in their shard forms two days ago, in the Crystal Empire... and apparently, Mica noticed signs of what might be three more of them, alive and awake in Equestria. Even better, I've had dreams about the shards - one of my brothers seemed a bit too nice, which is rather suspicious considering that we were raised by our thrice-damned father... another one is only dangerous because my father made him physically dangerous to everything around him by magically cursing him... and one of my sisters has apparently mastered mind control, and isn't very kind with it." Well, that should explain everything.
"That's all, I think," she sighed, "and I am officially sick of my siblings already."
Cup just stared for a moment, then he sat back and just looked at her. "You... you found three of them? A-and you say three more are loose in Equestria!? Great gumdrops! What are we going to do? What CAN we do?"
His muzzle shifted a bit, and his eyes grew hard and flinty. "Oh, I know what we'll do - we'll smash them into tiny pieces, that's what we'll do! NOBODY messes with my Princess and gets away with it! We'll grind them into fine powder! They'll be DUST by the time I'm done with... with..."
The fire left his eyes, but was replaced by tears. "... Sombra was hurting your brother? B-but WHY!? Why would he DO such a thing? Oh, Siddy - we have to HELP him, then! We should do what we can to... to..."
He stopped, closed his eyes, took a d-e-e-p breath, and looked at her with far more calm than he'd had mere moments ago. "Okay, sorry, no... I... I'm just... this is a LOT to take in. We need to think before we act, and you're better at that than I am. I just... I just feel so..."
He huffed a sigh, then looked her in the eyes. "Okay, whatever you want to do, that's what I'll do. Whatever you need me for, I'll be there. You've gotta have some sort of idea by now; you're the smart one here. So, I'm listening... what's the plan?"
Okay, if anything happened to her, then Cupcake would at least avenge her death. Not that it would help her too much; if anything, Obsidian would prefer not dying too young.
"My siblings in the Crystal Empire are under Flurry Heart's care at the moment. They shouldn't cause any problems, considering that they currently lack limbs, eyes and other things ponies are supposed to have... but I thought they would be safer there."
She stood up, leaving the bed - so many things to do, so little time... and first things first.
"My brother Jade apparently made Father extremely angry - it may have been a theft of some sort - and was severely punished for it. He was cursed into being some kind of toxic, acidic monster that kills simply by being in his presence... so I'll need to find a way to lift this curse as soon as possible, considering that his mental health is in shambles."
She turned to Cup. "Today, I'm going to investigate one of these loose siblings of mine. Apparently, Pola Industrial - whatever that is - has quite a number of orders for some Dark Magic spells. I'm leaving with Gypsy for Silver Sands to see if I can gather some more information." She really had the urge to check Onyx's notes.
"And Cup? Mica also knows about everything; we had a long talk yesterday, so if anything happens, he should know what to do next. At the moment, do you think you could possibly find a way to, er... well... smuggle and hide my brother, Diamond, into Ponyville? He's the nice one I mentioned, and I'd like to release him as soon as possible, as Flurry fears that the other princesses would seal the place where we've found them, out of fear for the worst outcome. After that is handled, we can worry about the two other shards..."
She sighed deeply. Diamond shouldn't make any problems, right? By Darkness, and let's hope that Quartz only wanted to make clothes - that it wasn't some kind of cover for some terrible magical trap to sacrifice ponies to the ancient gods of evil or something. Oh, please, please...
"Gypsy told me that we'd be leaving by noon, which means I need to put in for another day off, and visit my library to check on a few things. If he shows up, you send him to me, okay?"
She then thought for a moment. "Where exactly is it that Mica lives, actually? Is there any chance I'd be able to pass by there on my way to the castle?"
He listened intently through the entire rant, bless him; she meant everything to him, and he was determined to do the best he could by her. When she finished, he looked a bit overwhelmed... but he simply nodded and started thinking.
"Wow, that's... a lot. But let's see..." He stood up and began to pace as he thought and talked. "Okay, so first off, Flur's in this? I take it that's what you two were talking about at the palace? And here, I thought it was filly-stuff... but that's okay; I understand now."
He paced to the left. "So, Jade is under some sort of curse, and we need to find a way to break it? Well, maybe I could ask a few folks I know about that stuff - and if they can't find it, I'll bet Mica would know where to start looking. I'm not a fast reader, but I'm dedicated to helping with this, so if I have to dive into some tomes or stuff, I will."
He paced back to the right. "Pola Industrial? That sounds kind of dangerous - industrial stuff can hurt others, if they're not careful, and industrial stuff with Dark Magic possibly attached to it? THAT sounds nasty - I'm kinda worried about you with that one... but Gypsy'd help you out, so I d- WAIT!"
He paused in his pacing, "My sister could help you out! Peppermint Patty is whizbang with mechanical stuff! She could be a real help on that one! You might wanna stop by Sugarcube Corner and see if she's able to go with you two!"
He resumed pacing, to the left now. "Smuggle Diamond into Ponyville? Not that I don't trust your instincts, love... but are you sure? I mean, Ruby notwithstanding, your siblings don't exactly have a history of being... well... stable. I'll trust you on it, but are you completely sure? If you are, I'll find a way to do it - don't you worry."
Back to the right again. "When Gypsy shows up, I'll send him your way, no problem - and Mica? He lives with his Mom and Dad, in Maud's Cave. That might be a bit out of your way... but I could maybe go over there and speak directly to him about it, if you like?"
Cup was willing to do so much for her; she picked the RIGHT stallion for a coltfriend, that was for sure.
"At the moment, we are merely visiting Princess Celestia to notify her that apparently she personally approved the purchase of a large amount of Dark Magic scrolls for, ahem... 'research purposes'. I'd love to meet with Patty later, though - she could probably help quite a lot in this venture."
"As for going to speak with Mica... I'm not sure yet, Cup; I need to check some ideas out, but I'd like to have a few things prepared in advance - for a change, you know."
Obsidian rubbed her temple, thinking deeply. "... I think I'll pass on breakfast; I need to hurry and besides, it's not like a few skipped meals will hurt me. And I think I would like you to meet with Mica... and perhaps tell him that it'd be nice if Eloquence and Clap could possibly start researching a fashion designer who coincidentally looks just like one of my brothers, as well as sharing his name. It would be nice to find out that he just wants to live a peaceful life, but you know how it goes with my siblings; his fashion boutique can host an army of undead, or perhaps his clothes are cursed, such and so forth."
Damn it all - it just felt like so much to keep up with. She trotted to get the communication bracelet she'd gotten from Flurry and put it on her hoof. "I think that's all at the moment. I really hoped that after the Peridot Affair, we would have at least a few days of peace," Obsidian sighed sadly.
"Wait..." Cupcake trotted over to her and gave her a gentle kiss. "At least get in a quick shower; I'll make you a sack breakfast to take with you; I want you to be in top condition for all this, and brekky is the MOST important meal of the day, y'know? So, you clean, I'll cook - it'll be ready for you when you come down, okay?"
He held up a hoof. "No, no complaints; I won't let you leave this house without something for your tummy. Now go on - get clean, and I'll meet you afterwards." He went downstairs and began to clatter around in the kitchen.
It sounded like a better idea than going hungry, to be fair. And perhaps she could eat her breakfast and read in the library at the same time. It was a terrible way to read, as falling food could threaten the book... but the situation demanded sacrifices. With that thought, she went for a shower.
When that was done and she was clean, Cup was true to his word; he was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with a heavenly scent filling the little kitchen. He hoofed over a sack, then kissed her again. "Good luck, be careful, and trust your heart as much as I do, love. Stay safe." With that (and a quick nuzzle for her coltfriend), she left.
The trip to the library left Siddy with enough time to think about her situation... but with SO much to think about, it was difficult to focus. When she reached her destination, it was as quiet as usual, with only one or two ponies inside poring over books. Her office was a quiet refuge... even if it once was the office of her sister Onyx.
She'd earned this place. She was climbing up the societal ladder, using the bodies of her siblings as stepping stones, and By Darkness, she wasn't going to let anypony - brothers, sisters or someone else completely different - ruin it. If only she could continue her research in peace, or at least be so powerful as to be sure that nopony would threaten her or her friends during said research!
Diamond. Quartz. Jade. Amber. Opal. She went to her Secret Stash, brought out Onyx's diary and began to seek out information about them. Luckily, she already knew where to look...
First, Diamond: Father was a FOOL for letting such an inferior stallion hold the secrets to Healing Magic! The whimpering little thing can't be long for this world... except that he seems to just deal with Father's anger, and move on. It's infuriating! That such an important magical aspect would fall on the head of the most spineless, softest member of our little 'family' makes me retch! If I could just work some of my manipulation on his magics, they'd be all mine... and Father can decide what to do with this mewling little pest!
Quartz: Quartz's ego will get the better of him in the end, if he isn't careful; such a prissy boy, and so very convinced that his magics will bring about a new era for the Empire; more likely, he'll just continue to strut and preen like some sort of diva. Father might be all-intelligent, but to have crafted Quartz? Well, I suppose everypony makes mistakes. Still, the Armor Magics he possesses would be quite a boon to Father's plans - so I suppose I'll just have to settle for his prancing about... at least, for a while longer, if anything.
Jade: Stupid, stupid, STUPID! Sending him after Father's diary would have ended SO much better if he had shared the contents with me! Now, Father has Peridot working on a curse that'll, to quote him, 'ensure that Jade never has close confidants again'. I have not the first clue what that might mean... but honestly, any thief who gets caught at what he does DESERVES to be struck down! And I never even got to SEE the damnable diary! STUPID! He deserves whatever he gets!
Amber: I'm growing worried - Amber's been doing that thing where she just stares at me, then smiles again. It's HORRIBLY unnerving, and if I could just get my hooves on her Mind Control magics, I could easily arrange an end to it. I get this feeling that she's invading my dreams - the bond we all share would allow for such a thing, and it worries me just how much she knows...
Opal: Opal showed up today to show me one of her newest little 'trinkets'; a mechanical housefly, of all things! Granted, it's a work of some repute... but her need for reassurance and praise is annoying! If she could just get over her self-doubt, she'd be as effective as I am... well, mostly, anyway. But that red-eyed part of her psyche? THAT is dangerous - and Father knows it. Maybe he'll find a way to purge that part of her mind... but if he cannot, then I suppose I should start working on ways to seal her mind for good. After I get my hooves on her Mechanical Magics. THOSE are too good to let go of - if she ever applied herself, she would be exceedingly dangerous!
There they were, all laid bare for Obsidian's perusal... and the prospects looked a bit grim. Wonderful. So Obsidian had to deal with a brute that even Onyx (a rather sadistic pony herself) called 'cruel' and with a psycho that even Onyx (an incarnation of many bad traits within their family) called 'unnerving'.
Okay, let's think it over first - apparently Diamond was a nice pony. Healing magics. Whimpering, weakling, Ruby liked him... he should be fine, then. Quartz didn't seem to be too dangerous as well, at least assuming he was working alone - as long as he didn't join forces with the others, his defense magic couldn't threaten anypony too much. Jade... ah-ha, so it was Onyx's fault he was in such a sorry state? Of course it was. Stupid Onyx. However, there was also Amber and Opal.
Luna lived in the Silver Sands Community as well, right? Maybe Obsidian could ask her for help again... though she somewhat failed during the fight against Peridot, sadly. Annoyingly, Opal sounded quite nice except for this mention of the 'red-eyed part of her psyche'. Just great. She quickly checked if there are any mentions in the diary about the magic that allowed Onyx to use their sibling's powers. It could be useful... very useful indeed.
One of the first entries in the diary helped clarify things a bit:
Father says I'm his first AND his favorite! He says my abilities to manipulate magics is a KEY to what he has planned! Oh, I'm SO very thankful that my Father is so proud of me; he even has a lesson plan set up for me to practice... and I can hardly wait to try out some of the ways he spoke of for me to change a magic's source to make it my own! It doesn't sound as if it's really very difficult... but Father assures me it's the MOST important thing I can do to exercise that ability to the highest degree! Don't worry, my most powerful Father - I will do you proud!
That damned scoundrel of a mare didn't even have to learn other kinds of magic - it was her innate skill! Sometimes Obsidian really regretted that Onyx could only die once... assuming that her dreams of holding control over life and death would indeed turn out to be merely dreams.
Obsidian growled, clearly annoyed, and picked up the two books about Dark Magic she had found along with Onyx's diary. Maybe there would be... well, something useful. Dark magic. Curses. Mind control. Her father had known it all - she just had to emulate him and learn it for herself. The fact that she wasn't born with any innate knowledge about mind magic, cursing ponies or mimicking others' magic didn't mean she couldn't learn how to do it, right? It was just going to be a bit more difficult than she'd hoped it would be.
The books held... some very disconcerting spells. Spells that turned ponies into horrible abominations. Spells that made their blood boil. Spells that effectively turned them inside-out. Unfortunately, nothing in the parts she looked over seemed to offer much in the way of helping her in this manner; if she had more time, she might find at least something she could use... but that could take hours, and she seemed to only have minutes to spare.
Though, being able to make a pony collapse from pure magical exhaustion? That could be helpful; the ability to neutralize a magical foe would be quite useful, so she peeked into this specific spell. Her life would be much easier if her enemies would be simply end up fainting in front of her, right?
The spell effectively made a being's magic overpower itself and burn out quickly, but the boost it would provide might make an enemy more deadly... if only for a moment. Then the burnout would occur, and the magic would be unavailable to that being until they rested long enough. Which, if the spell was done correctly, might take days, weeks or even months...
Or possibly forever, should that magic-user push themselves too hard from the boost.
On second thought, it didn't sound as good as Obsidian initially believed. However... she was curious what it could do when coupled with Diamond's healing skills. Besides, it could be incredibly useful in many, many cases. Considering that Quartz apparently wasn't known for his offensive skills, it could turn out to be an easy way to take him down. If anything, only Amber and Aquamarine would run the risk of becoming too dangerous after being treated with this spell. So Obsidian checked it out a bit more carefully.
The spell basically amplified the magics of the subject, but far too quickly for them to properly adjust in time for a massive burnout. It was like sending a flood of water through a small hose; the water pressure would be incredible... right before the hose burst. The spell didn't say anything about ponies bursting, though; that was a different spell in the book. But it did mention that this spell had a drawback; if the spellcaster wasn't careful, or didn't properly focus, the spell's effects might also affect them as well... leading to the same conclusion.
Obsidian facehoofed; so this spell was going to be rather dangerous, either way. Only for desperate moments, then. Not to be used lightly. She had plenty of focus, but didn't want to risk it without the need to. Being turned into what amounted to an Earth pony with a weird bone on their head would be humiliating.
Gypsy still wasn't here yet - maybe there would be something more in these books... it would be a touch easier with a proper table of contents, though.
Instant Death Spells. Brain Exploding Spells. Blinding Spells. Limb Removing Spells. Skull Crushing Spells. Blood-To-Acid Spells. Lung Popping Spells. Balefire Spells. Bowel Fire Spells.
Spells for raising the dead- Wait, what was that? Oh... as zombies only. Never mind.
Eyeball Melting Spells. Soul Capturing Spells. Instant Pregnancy Spells... that bred monsters. Flesh Melting Spells. Fur Scorching Spells. Bone Shattering Spells. The search was a gruesome one, and yielded... mixed results.
Oh dear, oooooh dear... it was quite an exciting read. Plenty of these spells were rather gruesome and lethal... and Obsidian really hated unnecessary waste... but some of them were quite interesting. Instant pregnancy? That surely didn't sound too nice, though Obsidian had a rather foggy knowledge of what pregnancy really was (not surprising considering that she technically wasn't born at all).
Soul Capturing? Hmmmmm... could it potentially be used to prepare the souls of Ruby and Onyx for transfer into a new body? Obsidian decided to take a closer read of this one.
Soul Capturing Spells were meant for draining the souls from live bodies and sealing them away inside a focus; crystals were preferred, but anything could be used to do so. However, the more flimsy and commonplace the object, the more of a chance the soul would just fade away into nothing - sometimes within years, sometimes within minutes. It was all-important that the object have some sort of connection to the soul to be placed inside it.
It wasn't what she'd hoped for... but maybe it was a place to start? Yes, it was... though she doubted she could move beyond the theoretical phase of her research - not without an uncomfortable amount of questions like 'why have ponies started to dissapear' or 'how did you get this specific clock that random pegasus #5 got from his dying grandpa', and so forth.
However, she still didn't get anything much that could help her with Jade or Amber - at least until she could make a replacement body for her poor brother. Which, frankly speaking, would be very interesting.
She had access to two books about Dark Magic and Onyx's diary. She had to find something... but then, Obsidian got a brilliant idea: what if Onyx had written something about Radiant Hope in her diary? The Dark Princess didn't have to rescue Jade today or immediately start her fight against Amber; she could afford wasting some time to look for a bit of personal information about her father's life... and her own archetype, as well.
At that moment, there was a knock at her door; a timid one, but a knock all the same.
"Obsidian?" Gypsy's voice was questioning and soft. "Are y-you there? This one was t-t-told by Cupcake to come here t-to meet with you?"
By Darkness, it was only twenty minutes to noon! How long had she been studying these books!?
"Y-yes! Yes, Gypsy, just give me a moment..." Breakfast - she'd completely forgotten about it. She would have to eat on the train. Obsidian quickly hid the books back in her Secret Stash, then quickly made her way to the doors to meet her diamond dog friend.