The visit with the princesses had went well - better than she could have hoped for, even with all her social blunders. Obsidian hoped she'd be able to meet with them more often, in far more pleasant circumstances; perhaps next time, she wouldn't have to feel like she was leeching off their power shamelessly. They surely hadn't retired to waste their time on an old enemy's spawns.
"We... should probably go and meet with the ponies who invited us here in the first place," Obsidian suggested, "and find a place to stay for the night, as riding here from Ponyville takes quite a bit of time. And perhaps we should send a message back home to let them know things went well? There is a post office or something like that around here, I would assume?" Hopefully there would at least be messenger pigeons or something of the sort...
"A P-P-Pony Express, this one believes," Gypsy said as he pointed towards the building itself, where the familiar pegasus-in-flight logo was printed on a small sign in one of the front windows.
Obsidian tapped her chin. "Express? Well, hopefully it'll reach Ponyville before our return - otherwise there's little point in it... but let's check it out, to be sure."
The front hall of the central building was actually quite large; it looked more like an exhibit hall than a senior's center, with banners, framed photos and displays in glass cases all around the walls. There was quite a bit of history here, it seemed...
And Gypsy was lost to her as he stared, his eyes practically bulging from their sockets as he stared all around the hall, transfixed in place by the sheer amount of history that resided in this place. Slowly, he began with a single footstep, then another, and another as he seemed almost hypnotized by the displays.
"Yazzum?" came a voice from the direction of the front desk. All Obsidian could see was the pipe-like shape of a top hat, peeking just slightly enough to notice.
Now, what could this word mean? It didn't resemble any word Obsidian knew; was it just hideously changed by some kind of strange accent? Perhaps it was just a foreign word...
"We're looking for Mister Short Round and Miss Whisper Winds. I assume they are playing the bingo," she replied carefully, despite not quite understanding the question.
The top hat bobbed a bit, though Obsidian couldn't make out the polarity of the response, as the hat seemed to bobble at it's own accord.
"Datchadoo jezzrite dere," came from below the desktop, and then out stepped what had to be the oldest physical specimen of ponyhood she'd ever seen in her lifetime. He was almost a walking wrinkle, as there wasn't an inch of him that wasn't warped with age, liver-spotted, white-fuzz frosted... every possible sign of age was on display in this pony who looked as though a solid sneeze might kill him. His eyes seemed squeezed shut, but he looked up at her and tilted his head to the left as he spoke again, saying who knew what.
"Demmre in dayah, shor'bee shootun! Mightchoo bedat whaaan deze taggaboud whus deys dunmett in Poneveeule?"
... what?
"I'm, er... terribly sorry, I didn't quite understand you..." Not a single word, nope. At this point, she was going to need a translator. He said... something... about Ponyville, but her language skills ended at that point.
He gave a snort, then came around the desk and looked her up and down, scrutinizing every inch of her closely. After a bit of this, somewhat making a show of looking her over, he stepped back around, cleared his throat, and tried again.
"Choo don loooook domb, anneye KNO'D choo ayno thredda ME, bud choo sowf an lawng, anmee? Hi lyeksdat, uh-HONH! So, we seeziff wheekan finda weyda commun'caydt!"
"Wh-what?" came from back towards the displays, and Gypsy's ears perked up as he looked around the corner. "D-did he say he w-w-wanted to communicate?"
It was a bit more understandable, but she still was guessing at every one in two words.
"Perhaps writing?" she asked as she desperately tried to guess on a way to understand him. Okay, 'choo' meant 'you', right? Or perhaps it was a more ancient dialect of the imperial language? It would be somewhat ironic to use this language in the middle of Equestria, though.
He seemed to look at her for a moment (his eyes hadn't been visibly open even once this entire time), then he slowly sighed and grew a bit of an irritated look on his muzzle.
"Haicann ceedat wheegon' havvusah heccuva probbum ifweeze gahwnna havvus a cheet-chyat."
"No, sir... n-no problems, here," Gypsy spoke up, now walking over. "Th-this one can underst-stand you."
The elderly stallion looked at the diamond dog and lifted an eyebrow. "Fo'reew? Duhwuun widda studdah idda wuunwidda eerfur it?"
Gypsy jumped a bit. "H-h-hey..."
He held up a hoof. "Funnin'zawl, dawggay; donmeenno harum byyut. An'howe, choo gitzma langoh, dayen?"
He nodded, then shrugged. "This one a-a-asks that you not m-make fun of such a th-thing again, p-pl-p-please. But y-yes, this one g-gets your lingo, s-sir."
"Gypsy, please help me - I understand almost half of the words at the best..." By Darkness, how was Gypsy able to make out anything from this garbled and mangled manner of speech?
The diamond dog looked and at her, then nodded. "Of c-c-course, friend; he a-asked if I could underst-stand him, and that m-means he can understand us."
The elder pony nodded. "HeeYUP, dazzit rydare! So, howkeen ahz hewpyooz?"
"He s-says that was it, r-right there, and asks how he c-c-can help us."
"I'm, uh, looking for Mister Short Round and Miss Whisper Winds. We'd like to know if it's possible to rent a room or two around here. And, I'm sorry I couldn't, ah... understand you, sir," she added with an honest apology at the end.
He nodded, answered in his peculiar patois, which Gypsy translated to be confirmation that the ponies in question most certainly were in the bingo parlor, that there were visitor's quarters on the top floor, and that he accepted the apology.
"I thank you kindly, most venerable elder." It was perhaps a more archaic salutation, but Obsidian was fairly certain it was appropriate in these circumstances. She hadn't felt that way even around Celestia and Luna, though it might have perhaps been because they still looked rather young.
As they left to find the game room, the strange old stallion gave a chuckle and a wave. "Shoo gedd lawzt, y'cummon bakta me'hyear - I'ze ayn'gowan noowhar hanee-tyme soon, hah!" The gnarled little stallion nodded to himself, then disappeared behind the huge desk again, only the top of the hat he wore could be seen bobbling around as he apparently sat back down.
The bingo hall turned out to be the fourth door on the right, down the east hallway - it was where she could hear the numbers being randomly called out. She suspected they might still be playing bingo, so everything was fine; they weren't just waiting around for her to get there.
"So, Gypsy," she said to her friend, "let's deal with the Pony Express first, shall we?"
The Pony Express office (which was luckily only two doors down from them) was about the size of a walk-in closet, and the back half of it was taken up with a desk and multiple, multiple hanging folders, filled with papers of all sorts. There was a clutter of order sheets, reports, transfers, and even receipts... but Obsidian noticed two particular things:
First, was that not a single paper was on the floor; it was cluttered, but tidy.
Second, not a single paper here was an envelope; not a bit of mail to be seen - and in this small space, there was little place to hide.
Behind the desk, with the back of her chair against the rear wall, was an older pegasus mare, with a silver and a purple mane going to grey. She looked all-military as she glanced up at them, years of dedicated service drawn long, weary lines on her muzzle. The placard on the desk read a faded, 'Skyline Shear'.
"Ma'am?" she said simply.
Plenty of paper, but nothing available to the clients - at least not without paying for it, probably. It hardly surprised Obsidian - after all, there weren't too many things completely for free; the payment always seemed to come through one means or another.
Aaaaand another elderly pony... not surprising though; until that very day, Obsidian had never seen so many ancient beings within the course of a single afternoon! "Good day, madam. We'd like to send a message to Ponyville; may I purchase some paper here?" Now that she thought about it, this was technically the first postal office she had ever visited in her entire life!
It was... a bit less interesting than she thought it would be.
The mare nickered. "Yes, ma'am - messages are two bits per three pages, direct express messages are an extra five to ten bits, according to distance; Ponyville would be rougly six bits, rounded down. Regular mail is free, but is only delivered on Thursdays, every week, rain or shine, guaranteed." She was very direct and professional.
It shouldn't be that hard, it seemed. Obsidian had planned to get back to the village before Thursday, so she knew she would have to pay for a direct message. Three pages should be more than enough.
"Well, I'd like to purchase three pages, then. Gypsy, would you like to write something as well?" She turned a bit to look back at him as she took her purse from her saddlebag. She really had to learn to start taking better care of her money; she simply wasn't used to it, and had the sinking feeling she was spending more than she should be, as of late...
The mare nodded, opened a lower drawer with a precise kick, and took out three sheets of paper, along with a pen and an envelope. "Envelopes are free with any purchase of paper," the mailmare explained.
The diamond dog considered for a moment, then shook his head. "Th-this one knows that there are f-f-few in his clan who c-care to read; he will visit h-home soon enough."
He then gave her a toothy grin. "B-but thank you for asking... a-a-and this one will be happy t-to take any leftover p-paper; crowns take a l-lot of l-l-layers."
He smiled then, and his tail wagged as he was no doubt thinking of how the two alicorns had pet, hugged and treated him so very kindly after he'd made crowns for them both. Those had been what had finally broken the uneasy feelings that earlier conversations had brought to this visitation.
Gypsy was sometimes far too kind for his outer shell to ever truly show.
Obsidian smiled softly at his enthusiasm. Bringing him here was a marvellous idea - she just enjoyed the sight when her friends were in a good mood, and at the moment Gypsy was truly seeming to have enjoyed this entire trip.
The fact that he had also proven to be very useful was hardly important compared to that fact - after all, he was her friend, not some tool; judging poni-... er, creatures only by their utility was something her father did. She didn't want to repeat the same mistakes that put him in stone - especially as the alternative was far more pleasant.
"We'll see about leftovers, Gypsy..." She smiled as she took the pen and started to write.
Hmmmmm... what should she say? She started with a hearty reassurance to Cup that she already missed him - which was the complete, 100% truth; it was an interesting sensation, to crave somepony's presence this much... then few short sentences about Celestia's and Luna's favorable reactions to her request.
'I almost feel bad for using them so much, but I doubt I could accomplish very much without their help.'
She added a quick mention about her surprise visit to the Crystal Empire, and that she would spend night here, and hopefully return tomorrow or the day after tomorrow from the Empire, barring any unnecessary delays. After that, she quickly added everything she'd learned about Opal and Quartz; that the latter was hopefully not dangerous, and perhaps - PERHAPS - he just wanted to live a life of his own, without making any dark plans. There was also another mention that Luna would know how to deal with Jade and his, uh... low opinion of himself. Eventually, she thought a moment and quickly scribed that she, of course, missed the rest of the gang too.
There - that should be enough.
Once folded and tucked away in the envelope, the mailmare looked up at her and nodded. "Ponyville, directly; may I ask whom it's going to?"
"Cupcake Sprinkles," she said as she quickly added the address.
Gypsy smiled at that, and the mailmare nodded, then got right up and grabbed a knapsack that had the word 'Liner' stitched into it, and headed for the door. "Special deliveries on demand; please exit so I can lock up & head out."
Well, that was fast. Obsidian left the place feeling a bit better; this time, she didn't want to leave her coltfriend waiting, after all - and Mica could use this information, as well. "Wonderful. Let's check on this, uhhh... bingo... thing?... is that it? Then, after meeting up with our friends, we can check into the guest room situation," she said happily.
As soon as the two left the small office, they were followed out by the mailmare, who gave them a smart salute before she turned and took off like a shot, headed in the direction of Ponyville... wait. Did they have only a single, retired mailmare on staff here, and were they forcing her to deliver the post all by herself? Of course, she did seem to be pretty fast... but it was still a long way from here, and older ponies surely didn't have as much stamina as the younger ones did.
Gypsy and Siddy made their way towards the door specified by the elder pony with the strange speech, and opened it. Inside, Obsidian was treated to what looked like a seniors collection. There were so many aged ponies here, it was a small wonder they all fit into the same room! Every imaginable sign of aging was here in spades, and not a single solitary pony here was under the age of fifty summers.
"I... 19..." a very flat-muzzled and bored-looking stallion with a flat voice spoke into a microphone, and his voice echoed throughout the entire room. A very flat-muzzled and bored-sounding voice.
The seniors, as one, bowed their heads to look at the table in front of them, some making marks on what looked like cards in front of them. A strange ritual, to be certain... yet it was at the far end of the room that Obsidian spotted Whisper Winds and Short Round, both looking over their own cards... but Whisper seemed to have SIX of those cards in front of her, while her husband only had his single one.
"G... 42..." the droning voice went on, causing another round of 'stare at the cards'.
Were they going to interrupt some sort of religious ceremony? "Is this... it?" she whispered sidelong to Gypsy. He looked around a bit, then turned back to Obsidian and shrugged.
"B... 54..."
Whisper's muzzle lit up like a small sun, and she lifted a cowbell into the air and rang it loud and hard! The caller looked up slowly and blinked as the rest of the gathered audience groaned in despair.
"Another win for Whisper Winds, fillies and gentlecolts," the caller said with just as much fervor as he'd been announcing the strange letter and number sets. "Let's give her a hoof. She wins the fifty bit prize for the night. The next round is for the thirty bit prize. Five minutes until we begin the fun, folks." He sounded as though this job were anything BUT fun.
There was some scattered applause (and one or two scornful glances at the elderly couple) but Whisper looked like she was having the time of her life. She leaned over and planted a quick peck on Short's cheek, then got back to arranging new cards, while most of the old ones were dumped into the wastebasket at the end of the table by her kind husband.
What was the point of this strange game? Were there any tactics? Strategies? Was it merely a game of luck? At least it seemed that her new friends were succesful gamblers - and as such, they probably had a nice share of savings. Maybe that's why they were able to afford such things as visits to Ponyville and paying for Obsidian's pastries...
"Okay, we have five minutes; let's just quickly slip in, ask them if we can still visit with them, and during the next round we should have plenty of time to book the guest rooms for ourselves. Though it looks like Miss Whisper is quickly becoming rich..."
Okay, so there were plenty of ponies, and she didn't know most of them... well, she just had to try to ignore everypony except for Whisper and Short. Of course, it didn't mean she was going to ignore-ignore the rest; she was just psyching herself up to wade into the sea of geriatrics... and eventually, she did exactly that.
Only a few heads turned their way as they entered the room... at first. Then, a single call from a nearby table caused quite a few others to look up, right at them.
"Ohhhh, look at the cute doggo!"
Gypsy's ears perked up, and an elderly mare in a wheelchair-looking-thing made her way over to the diamond dog.
"Oh, aren't you just adorable? And such a handsome boy, too!"
"M-m-madam," Gypy started to say, "this one is n-not-"
Then she reached up and began to scratch somewhere behind his left ear... and Gypsy stopped talking, his eyes rolling upward and closing as she apparently found a weak spot of some power. His tongue lolled out of his mouth, and he leaned into the scratching as the mare cooed over him.
"Oh, such a good boy, too! He likes his scritchies, yes him does!"
The elderly mare's announcement had a number of other seniors looking at Gypsy, and even more were headed over to apparently do some petting as well. Gypsy's eyes didn't reopen; instead, his right rear paw began to softly pat on the floor as a smile, big and dopey, grew across his features.
Gypsy was now the center of attention... which left Obsidian plenty of room to get to the elderly couple she sought.
By Darkness! Should... should she help him? It wasn't a place for diamond dogs to simply appear in, it seemed. What a terrifying show of disrespect for another sentient creature! But still... at the moment, Gypsy looked rather happy... and Obsidian now had an opportunity to get to Short and Whisper. So, assuming her friend was more or less safe among his cooing admirers, she quickly trotted over to the elderly couple.
Whisper's eyes were glued to the cards, but Short Round looked up as soon as Obsidian approached. He smiled and waved, then nudged his mare. "Hon, it looks like we been found!"
Whisper glanced up quickly, then did a double take as she smiled and blushed shyly, giving Obsidian a small wave.
"Whisper's havin' another winnin' night, so she's kinda pumped 'bout all th' proceedin's - but if'n yer done with yer talk with Celly and Lulu, then I s'pose we could just back outta th' next game an' git you two back t'our place?" Whisper looked a bit crestfallen, but she smiled at Obsidian and nodded.
"Unless..." Short drawled, "y'all wanna learn how ta BINGO?"
Whisper's eyes shot wide open, and her smile seemed to redouble on itself.
Oh... umm... well, now. It hardly looked all that interesting to her, but Whisper seemed to be so happy at the thought of showing what was apparently her favorite game to someone. Obsidian felt that whatever she decided, she would regret it.
"How much time does one game take?" She asked for more data to make a more conscious decision.
"Meh, roughly ten minutes, give 'r' take," Short replied.
"Then there's no need to back out of the next game; Gypsy and I can book a guest room in the meantime, and we can meet afterwards in the front hall."
Whisper looked a bit saddened at that, but Short Round just chuckled and patted his love on the back. "S'okay, Whispy - not ev'ryone's gonna play th' same game, but we all get ta enjoy time t'gether, an' that's what matters, right?" She nodded, then smiled at Siddy before she went back to her cards.
Short just tossed Obsidian a wink, then got back to his own, single card. "Do what'cha gotta do, girl - though we'd be happy ta take y'all in fer a night, if'n that's what'cha need. We even got a spare bedroom an' ev'rything."
Ah, Equestrians; they were far too nice and generous to everycreature around them. "I, uh, well... we don't want to be a burden..."
Short Round, without looking up, held up a hoof. "Now, ain't no reason fer you ta deal with Shaky more'n ya gotta - pretty sure y'prolly needed the pup ta tell what he was sayin', anyhow - his speech's atrocious, if'n ya ask me. Still, ain't gonna be no harm in lettin' ya have th' other bedroom, you an' the pupster. Gotta couch innit that he'd prolly find ta be a slice o' paradise."
Right now, judging by the look on his muzzle, Gypsy was already enjoying a proverbial CAKE'S worth of paradise, as there were now no less than four mares petting him, all at different soft spots, and his tail was wagging fast enough to almost make a little Sonic Rainboom of its' own.
"Then... um, in this case I think... mayhaps, I could try to play this," she admitted. "I'll only tell Gypsy that there'll be a change of plans. I thank you sincerely for your hospitality."
Whisper looked up with stars in her eyes, and Short gave a laugh. "You done it now; yer in fer a learnin' experience, girl."
Whisper took Obsidian's hoof and sat her down next to her. She then took one of her six cards and slid it over to Obsidian, and placed what looked like a very fat marker in front of her. She then pointed to the bored stallion caller, and then her own ear. She the pointed down to the card; it had a row of letters that spelled out B-I-N-G-O across the top of the card, and each letter had a row of numbers underneath them.
She then nudged Short, who spoke as if he knew what to say by heart. "Caller calls a letter an' a number; if'n ya have that sp'cific number under the sp'cific letter, then mark it with yer marker. If'n ya get one under each letter, ya yell out 'BINGO!', an' they check yer card ta make sure ya won. If'n yer stuff's right, y'win. Simple's that."
Whisper nodded eagerly, excited to be showing Obsidian something new.
"So... it's a pure luck game?" Then how could Whisper could be winning so many times in a row? "It doesn't sound too complicated..."
==================[Two Hours Later]==================
Entering the door of the lovely little cottage, Short Round laughed again. "An' I STILL say y'done bit off more'n y'can chew with this mare, hon!"
Whisper followed her husband in, looking petulant as she turned her snout up at her husband, who only laughed in response.
As he came inside, Gypsy looked back at Obsidian with awe in his eyes. "But, this o-one still doesn't underst-st-stand how Siddy could've won s-so many times!"
It had been true; after the first game, it almsost seemed like Obsidian couldn't lose; it had been an easy game to pick up, yes... but once she'd gotten into it, Obsidian had won every time she'd played. So much so that Whisper had given her some stern looks, and eventually had given up - which had brought them to finally leaving.
While he'd been there, Gypsy had gotten some prime-time petting, and he was in fine fetter as they entered the cottage.
The place was cozy and homey; it felt like someplace that grandparents would live in. The door they entered opened into a small yet efficient and cheery kitchen. Short led them back toward the living room, where Short plopped himself into a very worn but comfy-looking cushioned chair. Whisper headed to a short hallway, where she presumably entered the bathroom. Gypsy sat quietly on the sofa nearby, and Short motioned for Siddy to follow suit.
"Most times," Short said, "we jus' sit here'n enjoy the telly a bit, then head ta bed... but seein' as we got us some comp'ny, it'd be fine ta sit an' yammer for a while. An' don't mind Whispy, none - she'll get over herself an' be right as rain in jus' a bit, I promise ya."
Truth be told, Obsidian also had no idea how she was able to win like that as well. Beginner's luck? Or perhaps she was just a lucky mare overall... but it seemed that her acceptance to play that first round hardly warmed Whisper to her, considering the stern looks she was receiving... but it was really not her fault she was winning!
What an interesting place to visit for two creatures without grandparents. Obsidian could feel that this place should feel familiar, but she didn't exactly know why. It just... looked like an older version of her own cozy little house.
"I, uh, hope so... I didn't expect that I would win even once," Obsidian shyly admitted. "So, is there anything I could do for you while we're in your home? Chores like dishes or such? Dusting?"
Short gave a chuckle. "Well, talk t'us. We ain't had much fer comp'ny since our lil' Heartfire left home, so we actu'lly love t'have us someone else ta talk to. B'sides, my Whisper ain't much on talkin' out loud, y'know... so, we jus' wouldn't mind chewing some words wit'cha fer a spell."
Oh, wasn't this wonderful? Obsidian had never really considered herself a talktative mare - of course, there were a few times where she was speaking quite a lot, but... most of the time, she was thinking more than talking. What's worse, making small-talk with her friends was something completely different than talking with the first elderly couple she'd really ever met in her entire life!
"Well... I'm still grateful for the money you gave me for those pastries. Our friend who'd ordered them was currently cursed by a powerful entity, and we were able to cheer her up a bit with them. Luckily, everything ended fairly well, and she's already hearty and healthy again." Her mind grabbed the first topic that came to her. "It was a pretty crazy day, overall. That pony who tried to make away with the first bag of pastries we'd bought? Thankfully, he later turned out to be completely unimportant, compared to everything else that had happened afterward."
"Hunh. Cursed, ya say? Sounds like yer still doin' the hero thing, missy - an' that's good, 'cause it suits ya!"
Whisper came into the living room and sat on the couch, gave Short a cold look... then, her smile peeked out, and she gave a silent giggle as Short merely gave her a wink. She then looked at Obsidian, lifted her hooves, and clapped softly.
Short grinned. "Y'see? She's even bein' a good sport 'bout it! Well, she is now," he gently chided as she stuck her tongue out at him, then giggled silently behind a hoof. "Well, we're glad ta hear that you helped yer friend; honestly, we just saw someone in need, and we could help. Plus, you bein' a bonafide hero got our attention too, so there's that. Still, we're mighty glad you're on Equestria's side, what with bein' big an' bad enough ta stop ol' Sombrero."
What an interesting pair these two were to watch. "Oh, I'm surely not big and bad enough for that recognition alone; we simply had an advantage in numbers, the Magic of Friendship and an exceedingly useful spell that cut off his magic. My father never expected this turn of events."
Not at all; she sometimes wondered how he would feel about it - knowing he'd been bested by his own creation... his tool?
"And of course, I'm still doing the hero-thing; somepony has to, and it seems that I and my friends are pretty well-suited for this sort of work."
"Darn tootin'!" Short exclaimed. "You an' yer pals remind me of the Mane Six themselves, an' how they used ta save Equestria from all kinds o' bad stuff! Heck, I remember th' time they stood up ta Tirek - blasted that ol' so an' so all the way back ta Tartarus!"
Whisper nodded and smiled.
"An' then, there's that time that all o' Ponyville hada big ol' shared dream, an' we all got ta all sorts o' mischief, like giant bunnies an' princess stallions!" He laughed heartily, and slapped the arm of his chair in amusement. "Whoo, them were some days, y'know?"
The Mane Six... well, apparently Obsidian herself was reminding some ponies (including a pair of alicorn princesses) of Twilight Sparkle. It was hardly a surprise, though... but why did each famous team in Equestrian history seem to consist of six creatures?
Mane Six. Those six students that stopped Cozy Glow. The Pillars of Equestria. And now... them.
Of course, sometimes there were additions - like Lemon Custard or Miss Starlight - but they were more like tag-alongs. Now that she thought about it, she really should be a little more friendly towards ponies outside of her own circle... including ponies such as Butter Churn. For a supposed 'sibling from another mother', her coltfriend didn't seem to be paying her too much attention. She also had to visit Eloquence... ohhhhhh, so many things to do, so little time to do them!
But... first things first.
"I don't think I've heard about this 'shared dream' before," Obsidian admitted, "and didn't the fight with Tirek consist mainly of a massive magical duel between him and Princess Twilight?"
Hey, HEY... Tirek knew how to absorb magic, didn't he? He even taught Cozy Glow how to do t, if she recalled correctly. So perhaps there was still a way to neutralize Amber and the other dangerous siblings of hers? Ah, but sadly, Tirek probably wasn't in much of a mood to talk. Being stone and all.
"Lulu herself was havin' guilty dreams, an' it took alla Ponyville ta send her bad vibes packin'! An' it were fun, at that! Nothin' like a dream ta letcha take control fer a spell, an' help ya feel like yer powerful an' stuff!"
Whisper nodded as she pet Gypsy idly; the diamond dog resumed his smiles and sighs of contentedness.
"Whelp, Tirek an' Princess Twilight did have themselves a heckuva scrap - cost Ponyville the Golden Oak, but stopped that bad'un in his tracks... least 'til they all teamed up 'n' tried to take Canterlot. Almost worked, too..."
Whisper gave a slow, solemn nod.
"But Equestria's always been lucky when it comes ta defenders - we just seem ta have th' right folks step into place when the manure hits the fan, so ta speak," Short chuckled softly, "an' maybe that's just part o' Harmony's Magic, y'know? Jus' havin' folks ready at the right time, inna right place, an' they always seem ta have the right stuff in 'em, too."
He smiled kindly. "Like you 'n' yer Siddy Six, fer instance."
"That's what I told my siblings; they can plot, fight, plan and struggle as much as they want... but as soon as they decide to strike, something will be ready for them. At least, it has worked out that way every time, so far." It was especially visible with Peridot - after all, it was a small miracle that Obsidian had gotten his notebook when she did. "Harmony is apparently just that powerful."
Short Round smiled. "It really is, darlin'. Harmony's gotta balance in mind, an' she's gonna have that balance - come heck 'r' high water. Sometimes, it means stuff's gotta change ta let 'er get done what she needs done... an' sometimes, it's justa sign that other things're comin' soon."
Whisper looked up and grew a sad frown as she saw he husband sigh. "Miss Applejack, rest her soul, might just be one o' them signs. Th' Mane Six ain't ever gonna be the same again, without 'er... an' maybe this's th' sign that makes it so. Maybe you 'n' yers are gonna be new Element Bearers, 'r' somethin'... but whatever plans fer th' future that Harmony's got, it's obvious it ain't gonna have much ta do with the Mane Six n'more."
Applejack... stupid Onyx.
"Well, considering that last time, one of the Element Bearers became an alicorn... I surely wouldn't complain if we ended up getting those stones, that's for sure," Obsidian mused. "And the rest of Mane Six deserves some form of... retirement. They've saved the world enough; let them enjoy what time they have now."
Short nodded. "It happens ev'ry so many years... seems ta be comin' quicker, this time - o'course, seein's how th' Mane Six were th' first in... oh, a thousand 'r' so years, I'd say somethin' HARD s'comin' 'round th' bend."
He looked at Obsidian with concern writ large on his muzzle. "You an' yers gonna be up fer it? I mean, it's a responsibility, y'know. An' a BIG one, too - means you folks are gonna be put through some tryin' times... can't be overlookin' that possibility."
"If not me, then who?" Obsidian shrugged slightly with resignation. "At the point where we survived an assassination attempt, a direct attack with the use of our brainwashed friends, a kidnapping, a 'yes-this-really-happened' zombie invasion, an entrapment in the bowels of our own nightmares, then another round with the zombies, the attack from my furious sister, meeting with an even more furious father, then some withering curses, a genocidal alicorn... and one case of sugar overdose, for my coltfriend."
She gave the elder stallion a serious look. "We are used to 'tryin' times', sir."
Short Round stared at her for a moment, then burst out into rich, slightly wheezy laughter. "Sounds like you already got this down pat, girl!" he laughed, "an' here I was, worryin' 'boutcha - an' you're already full o' spit an' vinegar, ready ta take on all comers!"
He glanced over at Whisper. "Remind you o' anybody, hon?"
Whisper flashed a smile, nodded, and sighed softly.
"Eeyep," Short continued, "yer a lot like 'er; she'd have loved ta pal around with you, I'll bet."
"Full of... what... and vinegar? I'm... afraid I'm not familiar with this idiom," Obsidian admitted. She still had some slight problems with the accents, but idioms? Idioms were something completely different. "And, if I may ask, whom do I remind you of?"
"Full o' vinegar jus' means you got yerself some fire in ya, an' it shows!" Short Round chuckled.
In response to Obsidian's question, Whisper sighed and looked to the fireplace, where there were some framed photographs. Short gave a little smile, then turned back to the conversation.
"Yer a lot like Hope Heartfire... our lil' filly. Ain't seen 'er in a dog's age - no 'fense, mister Gypsy - since she lit out fer adventure, 'bout, oh, fifteen years back. We usedta get letters ev'ry now an' again, but fer the past few years..."
Whisper sighed longlingly again, then looked down at Gypsy and focused on petting him again.
Short took off his glasses and gave a wipe at his eyes. "Eeyep. She were a good girl, never did nothin' we ever saw as bad, always wantin' ta help other folk. She set out lookin' fer adventure, since me an' Whispy was always tellin' her 'bout our own... an' she were determined ta have a few in her own right. Can't say we blame her, but..."
Now it was his turn to sigh. "We sure do miss 'er."
Now that was just sad. The mere idea of the doubt and fear this couple had to endure when their daughter stopped writing...
Maybe she was still alive? Perhaps there was still a chance? Obsidian didn't know too much about these kinds of things, but she was certain that it was possible for ponies to get stranded in places where they can't call out to anypony anymore. It was also yet another reason why she felt she really should continue her research about the magic of life and death.
If only she could bring back fallen ponies... make new bodies for their spirits to inhabit... ah, wouldn't it be ironic if her father's research would form the base for a form of magic that could change everypony's lives for the better?
"I'm terribly sorry to hear that," she said with sympathy in her voice.
Whisper gave a sad smile, and Short just gave a light chuckle. "Oh, yer a good'un fer sayin' it. but we figger she's jes' havin' the time o' her life, is all. She'd be..." he seemed to calculate a bit, "... 52 summers, by now. Bet she's jus' climbin' mountains, 'r' maybe explorin' a forest - she loved trees - 'r' somethin' of th' sort. She never was one ta keep stuff like us in mind fer long. Always thinkin', always laughin', always carryin' on like th' world was hers ta enjoy."
"Where was she when she sent her latest letter, if I may ask...?" Fifty-two years old? Wow - she almost forgot how terribly old this pair was! A shame she couldn't bring them any grandfoals to make their lives more pleasant...
"Last letter came 'bout four years ago... might've been from... Basalt Beach, I reckon? She were down south, an' even sent us a picture of her an' a crab she'd found!"
Whisper got up from the couch, gave Gypsy a final pat, then went to the fireplace and took down a framed picture from over the mantle. She brought it to Obsidian and held it out for her.
In the picture, there was a rather lovely older (but not yet elder) mare who wore a sunny smile, a bathing suit and a stripe of sunscreen on her muzzle. She was hloding up a hoof, and in it was a tiny little crab, pincers up and on display. The mare looked like someone Obsidian would have liked meeting - she seemed carefree and kind, as she was careful about how she held up the little crab.
Even at her pronounced age, she looked quite lovely and would possibly still be able to attract the attention of stallions far younger than her. Her mane was honey-colored and curly, her muzzle was dotted with freckles, and her eyes held merriment and wonder in them.
"Eeyep - that's our lil' Hopey, alright," Short Round said with a mix of pride and sadness in his voice.
Down south... now where was Mount Arris? Perhaps she could use some time to check that out - assuming she was right and Arris was south. Perhaps she was wrong - she really didn't exactly know where Basalt Beach was. "Lovely," she told Whisper.
Damnation - hopefully it wouldn't turn out to be yet another of her siblings' crimes; the chances for that may have been slim, but she was rather paranoid when it came to her thoughts about them.
Whisper gave a sad little smile, then kissed the picture lightly before returning it to the mantle.
"Eeyep. She were the apple o' many a stallion's eye, back when we was all younger; had ta chase a few off, m'self. Confounded fly-by-night suitors, all jus' tryin' ta get all up in her-"
Whisper stomped a hoof, and gave her husband a look that said such talk wasn't welcome. Short held up a hoof and chuckled. "Arright, arright... too much info, I getcha, hon. Anyhoo, far as it goes, we jus' hope that, wherever she's gotten to, she's happy. That's th' important part."
Whisper nodded, and went back to petting Gypsy, who was now curled up and seemed asleep at the foot of the couch; his muzzle crickled in a smile as she continued her petting.
"But what 'bout you, ma'am? Are YOU happy?"
Obsidian smiled; now that was a simple question to answer. "Of course - very happy, in fact."
Short's muzzle lit up with a smile. "Glad ta hear it, missy! After whatcha did fer Equestria, you deserve ta be happy, an' I'm glad ta see ya smile. I'll betcha when you first showed up in P-Ville, ya didn't expect ta have so many folks make friends witcha, eh?"
He chuckled, then glanced down at Gypsy, sleeping peacefully. "So, how'd you an' th' pup meet? How'd you two make friends?"
She would possibly have to carry him to the bed, or wake him up to let him prepare for sleep with a shower, fang-brushing and so on...
"Mister Short, when I showed up in Ponyville I didn't even know what 'friendship' was. And Gypsy..." She peeked at the sleeping pup. Strange - she never thought about the possibility of petting him. Of course, she had pat-patted him before, but it didn't mean anything; she had pat-patted plenty of creatures. "We simply met, and I thought he would be useful to me. When I was eventually forced to realize that a creature's worth doesn't depend on their utility, well... we were already friends."
Short chuckled. "Sounds like you already got a good head start on what friendship is, missy; maybe ya didn't know anything 'bout it when you showed up, but looks to me like it didn't take ya long ta figger it out. Just the same kinda thing Princess Twilight hadta deal with, too; she didn't have ANY friends when she came ta P-Ville, but it took her less than a day ta make some."
Whisper stroked Gypsy's head, and his ears seemed to reflexively part for her hoof to glide by.
"An' them other friends ya got... eh, Cupcake Sprinkles... Stalwart Stallion-... wait, no Stance... umm, Maud's colt? Mica, was it? An' Thunderclap Dash, too - that one's a hoot! An' there's this fella here," he said as he looked at Gypsy. "You made any other friends yet, or are you stickin' ta these alone? 'Cause, I dunno if you realize it yet, but you got friends right here, in me an' th' missus."
Whisper looked up and nodded her agreement.
It was strange to think that Princess Twilight hadn't been a princess all the time, and that she used to be just another normal unicorn - even worse, a socially awkward unicorn. Good thing she found out about friendship - otherwise, Equestria would already be permanently bathed in eternal night. Or ruled by chaos. Or by king Sombra. Or something else even worse.
"Yes, they are good friends... and though I have a few other friends, I'm not spending as much time with them as I do with the group you've mentioned. And thank you, Mister Short, Miss Whisper, for your friendship. Also, um..." Only now, Obsidian realized she was a bit rude by not offering it immediately. "you really can call me by my name - no need for 'missy' and so on," she said, a bit embarrassed.
Short gave a smile. "Aw, we're ol' fashioned, hon - we jus' call folks whatever comes ta mind. But I'll keep that in mind from now on... Obsidian." He gave a chuckle. "Well, that name's a right mouthful! Still, gotta admit a stand-out name's what's best fer a stand-out mare like yerself!"
Whisper suddenly gave a tiny gasp, then got up and headed toward the hallway, leading to the rest of the house. Short raised an eyebrow, then looked back over at Obsidian. "Shorty an' Whispy will do jus' fine fer us; we never were no big shakes on full an' proper titles an' such. That's more towards royalty an' stuff, an' me an' th' missus ain't really royal material. Well," he said with a longing smile towards where his wife went, "at least I ain't; that mare's all sortsa royal and beautiful, in my book anyhoo."
The longing in his eyes was quite similar to looks she'd seen Cup give to her; longing, lightheartedness and love. If this was what she had to look forward to, then it would be nice to grow older in Cup's company, it seemed.
"Could you tell me something more about you two, then? I'm fairly inexperienced when it comes to relationships... and yet, I've somehow managed to get one. I was planning to have a long discussion with Miss Pinkie Pie about my questions, though..." Her curiosity got best of her about these two adorable elder pones.
"Me an' Whispy? Awwww, I'd LOVE ta!" He settled back in his chair and sighed as he decided where to begin.
"Come around, oh, 'bout sixty summers back, I'd reckon. I was just a downright tempermental sort, an' had myself a nasty habit o' yellin' at folks, mostly 'cause I was a royal guardpone. I was real good at th' yellin' part."
"Well, Whispy was an aspirin' Wonderbolt, an' was present at th' annual Wonderbolts Air Show... but she waddn't IN th' show, really - she was still in trainin', an' had jus' come t'support her buddies. Still, she was showin' off, an' drawin' a crowd that was blockin' off others from gettin' t'their seats."
"So I was sent ta break it up. Mind ya, I was all sorts o' set to do me some prime yellin' at this so-an-so who thought they were the entire show themselves! I was all sorts o' ready ta commence the angry words..."
His smile grew a bit. "But she wasn't intimidated one whit, nuh-uh. When I yelled 'bout th' ruckus bein' caused, she just lit down like a feather, then did herself a lil' strut over t'me an' leaned up ta whisper in mah ear, like she does now."
"She whispered t'me that she liked m'voice, an' that she thought I was kinda cute. Wellsir, that shut me RIGHT up, as I'd never had a mare - or ANYONE, fer that matter - tell me they thought I was cute afore."
"From that day forw'rd, me an' her was inseperable; she an' I stuck together through all sortsa stuff, an' eventually we married each other. Mostly figgred she took me in 'cause waddn't nopone else gonna do it, an' I jus' couldn't bear ta be without her in mah life."
Whisper returned with a small box, which she held out to Obsidian. "Looks like she wants ta give ya somethin'," he chuckled.
Too bad Obsidian didn't think about taking notes. When the idea appeared in her mind, the stallion was already in the middle of the story. He'd been a guardspone, he'd been good at yelling (though it was hard to believe at the moment). Oooooh, and the Wonderbolts were already a thing back th- wait... the Wonderbolts were quite an old group, so it shouldn't surprise her. She really should spend more time with Thunderclap, that way Obsidian would learn more about them...
Obsidian chuckled at the idea of telling a yelling guard that he's cute. Poor Short - it had surely shocked him. "Aww, that was quite the romantic story. Makes me feel rather hopeful, as I almost immediately started to yell at Cupcake after meeting-... oh?"
A box? It made Obsidian stop with in a middle of sentencec. "Um... thank you?" she said as she carefully took it from Whisper's hooves, curious what she wanted to show her.
Inside the box was a lovely necklace. It had a light silver chain, and looked to be of high quality. The chain itself was braided, and it shone like it was just smelted yesterday. It gave a slight glint from the ambient light present, and looked as though it would fit perfectly around her own neck. The pendant, encased in the same silver, was an obsidian stone, cut and faceted, and darkly beautiful to behold.
"Well, now... ain't seen y'wearin' THAT beauty fer quite a while, hon. You givin' it ta our friend, here?" Whisper nodded eagerly, then motioned for Obsidian to put it on.
Woah - now that looked pretty good. And there was an obsidian stone in it! Ah, it reminded her of the Light Amulet she'd gotten from Ruby - perhaps it didn't look as familiar, but it looked like something of the sort of quality that could certainly be turned into a powerful artifact.
"I... well, thank you," she said with a cheerful voice - and with that, she put it on using her magic to carefully fasten it in place.
Whisper clapped her hooves together as Obsidian put on the necklace. It sat perfectly on her neck, displayed at just the right height. It almost seemed to twinkle in the light, and Short Round gave an appreciative low whistle.
"Missy, you make that thing look as though it were made fer ya! M'wife's got good taste, an' if'n she gave it to ya, then chances are she knows it'd look that good on ya!"
Whisper smiled and gave Obsidian a gentle hug. Short laughed a bit. "I gotta say - I never 'spected my home ta be graced by TWO lovely mares inna single day! But you got that look what other stallions like, an' I'm pretty sure that ol' Cuppie might haveta fight off a few suitors as well!"
Whisper gave a silent giggle, then smiled sweetly at Obsidian, and leaned in closely to her.
"As long as you love him," she whispered softly, "nothing will ever come between you."
Short quirked an eyebrow as Whisper leaned back, then grinned. "Heh, I'll bet she was tellin' ya how I always thought she was prettier than a star when she wore that necklace. An' now, you're next in line ta shine, lil' star!"
Short Round was right - it felt as if it was made for her. The size, the obsidian stone... this little thing practically had her name written all over it (or something like that - Obsidian was never too confident with idioms).
And GASP, Obsidian got to hear Whisper's soft, sweet voice! She gladly returned the hug; it felt good to be in their company. In fact, she was very, very glad she ran into them on this potentially scary day.
"Ah, I doubt he would have to - I don't think I could ever be interested in any other stallion," Obsidian chuckled light-heartedly. Midnight may have been an alicorn prince - and quite a handsome one - but he wasn't Cupcake Sprinkles, and that was all that mattered to Obsidian. She took off the beautiful necklace and gently returned it to its' box.
Short gave a wary chuckle. "All fine an' good... but you'd best keep yer eyes open; jus' 'cause you ain't lookin' ta get with nopone else, it don't mean other pones won't wanna get with YOU, hon. An' there's all sortsa ways folks can monkeywrench around with love and such... but, as Whispy likes ta say, long as ya love 'em, ain't nothin' gonna come between ya!"
Whisper smiled knowingly, then made her way towards the kitchen, stopping long enough to sweetly nuzzle her husband. He, in turn, turned in his seat to watch her exit the room.
"Celestia save me, I could watch that mare walk outta rooms all day long," he murmured, his eyes clearly glued to his wife's flank. Once she passed into the kitchen however, he turned back to Obsidian and actually had the sense of propriety to blush a bit.
"Shucks, ain't nothin' wrong with findin' m'wife ta be beautiful, y'know. 'Course, back in the day, I mighta had an eye on you too, missy," he laughed, "but I ain't no spring chicken n'more, an' ya couldn't pry me away from Whisper if ya tried. I love that mare somethin' fierce." He really seemed to, at that.
"Of course there's nothing wrong with it," Obsidian agreed. Anypony who would even think about getting between her and Cup would be very dissapointed. Idly, she recalled that, at one point, she thought Jynx could have had a crush on him - but that was a long time ago, when she had barely understood the idea. "You seem to have lived a life worth living; I hope I'll be so lucky as well."
"You'll do jus' fine, hon," Short patted her on the shoulder, "an' Cuppie, finally findin' hisself someone? THAT, missy, is a bit of a miracle. That colt had a number of interested fillies on him, but he was always about stuffin' his face or throwin' a party - so much like his momma, I tell ya, it's kinda scary."
Gypsy, from his place on the floor, sniffed at the air... and Obsidian could smell the scent of something buttery beginning to fill the living room. Short Round chuckled. "Well, it's official that Whispy likes you two - she's makin' biscuits, an' she'll only do that fer folks she likes! One taste, an' you'll learn why!"
Obsidian was sure she was going to gain some weight after today. First Celestia, now Whisper...
"I'm really glad I met you two, Short Round. I hope I'll be able to visit more often - that is, if you wouldn't mind?" she asked with a honest, pleasant smile on her muzzle. She could adopt them as her own grandparents; she didn't have a single one of her own - which was TOTALLY not fair!
Short Round gave a smile. "Hon, as far as me an' th' missus is concerned, yer welcome to pop on by any ol' time y'please. We don't get much comp'ny out here, an' it's nice ta chat with someone who don't smell like muscle cream an' mothballs!"
He gave a hearty laugh, then sat back in his chair and sighed contentedly. "Really, though - y'want a better idea of how me an' Whispy were? Take a gander at the pics on the walls; each an' every one, a moment it time fer us."
Ah, yes - photographs. It reminded her that she had to make copies of the photo from the Spa; she really didn't have time to think about it before, in the middle of all the craziness with Midnight.
Obsidian got up to take a closer look at the pictures. She was curious - after all, she rarely had an opportunity to see many of the details of a real, long-lasting relationship. Bah, she didn't even have time to talk about it with Miss Pinkie yet, or meet Cup's father properly - even though she hoped that the pink earth pony would one day be... Obsidian's mother? In law, of course... but it would still be quite nice to be able to call anypony 'mother'.
The pictures were obviously old, but lovingly framed and dusted. The first picture she looked at was one with a younger (and surprisingly cute) Short Round; he was standing next to a boat, in full Royal Guard regalia, and in the background she could see Celestia onboard, speaking to some other ponies while Short guarded the gangplank. He looked stoic and serious; Stalwart Stance couldn't have looked the part any better.
The next one had Whisper Winds in it, and she was quite beautiful. Even though she was pretty now, she'd been a stick of dynamite in comparison to how she looked back then. Her mane was braided back, and she wore a smile as she posed for the camera with three other mares, all in Wonderbolt uniforms. They were all posed as if they were super-spies, and it was a humorous picture.
Next came a lovely scene; both Short and Whisper in some sort of cart, coming out of a tunnel that had a sign proclaiming it to be the 'Tunnel Of Love'. Whisper looked as if she were caught mid-laughter, and Short had a clear lipstick kiss print on the end of his muzzle, and was staring at it cross-eyed, much to Whisper's apparent delight.
Another picture showed a nice, two-story house with the two of them standing outside of it, in each other's embrace. In this picture, Whisper looked a bit fat, as if her belly had grown, but not the rest of her. They had no eyes for anything but each other.
Next to that one was a picture of what looked like a sickly Short Round, holding a foal at foreleg's length - a foal with no diaper. Said diaper was just below the shot, and thankfully no view of the foal's dirty deed. But if the look on Short's muzzle were any indicator, it was most foul indeed.
Next was a picture of a pretty little filly, seated at a kitchen table with Whisper, and both were engaged in building what looked like a model volcano. Whisper looked so much like a motherly figure, and the little foal's eyes seemed to shine as she looked to her.
Obsidian was melting inside. It was just so... real, so natural, so damned NORMAL! Two normal ponies, without any dark secrets, murderous siblings, tyrannical parents and so on... just living a life! Making a family! Having a foal! By Darkness, it was wonderful!
When she finished looking through the photos, her eyes were practically sparkling from the rumble of emotions beneath the surface. "They're... so beautiful..."
And yet, she had been unlucky enough to be created by a pony who would hardly win any 'father of the year' awards. It was a bit sad. Luckily, she still had plenty of time to fix his mistakes for herself.
Short Round got up and went to her side, placing a kind hoof on her back as he did. "Yeah... was just as beautiful when we lived it, too. Seemed like them days'd last forever. Then, ya get old an' realize those days 'r' the best you'll ever know. Not that me an' th' missus are lackin' anywhere now, but... them days were really somethin'."
He looked at her. "Cherish what time ya got here, Obsidian - it'll be moments like this'un that you'll have to look back on an' smile 'bout. Keep 'em close to yer heart. Never forget them what loves ya, and never hold onto a grudge; even pains o' the past get dimmer as ya move forward, but old pains can become good aches in time."
He then gave her a very serious look. "I heard 'bout how you was Sombra's child an' all, but you seem ta be anything good about him, all rolled inta a cute lil' package. But I get th' feelin' you didn't get much of a foalhood, m'I right?"
Those were words of wisdom! She was doing her best to follow them, even when she wasn't sure if she was properly understood why she did so. "No, not too much of one, I'm afraid. Father was hardly a pleasant parent - and yet, compared to some of my siblings, I was very lucky," she shrugged slightly again.
Poor Jade...
Short shook his head. "Well, I ain't gonna pass no judgment on no pone I ain't ever met. But we met you... and hon, we're pleased as punch that we did. Yer a good'un, and I dunno if you'd see it as strange 'r' not, but yer always welcome in our home; yer polite, thoughtful an' appreciative. Ya listen when I yammer on, an' ya hear what I'm tellin' ya, as well. That means somethin' to folks - someone who listens an' pays 'tention to the words we're sayin'."
"If'n you ever need a place ta go where you kin just get away from th' hustle 'n' bustle fer a spell, y'can consider this place a home away from home. We'd always love ta have ya... Siddy."
He seemed as though his eyes were a bit moist. "You remind me so danged much of Hopey; take it as a compliment, hon."
Truly, Short Round brought Obsidian to the verge of tears. Tears of happiness, as she very quickly became enamored with this pair. Maybe even a bit too quickly, but hey - an abused teen may sometimes want some appreciation and family warmth, right?
"Thank you. This is the kindest thing I've heard today... and we spent half of the day with two alicorn princesses."
He gave a chuckle, then gave her a light and slightly shaky embrace. "Yer welcome, hon. An' thank you, fer showin' a couple o'golden oldies like us some respect."
Gypsy's head suddenly popped up. "Done," was all he said before there was a soft >ding!< from the kitchen, and he was up and padding his way there in a hoofbeat.
Short laughed as he stepped back. "Well, I reckon the buscuits are done. Might wanna get there afore th' pup gets too wide-eyed fer Whispy ta keep from feedin' him ALL of 'em!"
With a chuckle and a spry click of his rear hooves, Short Round made his way towards the kitchen, where Obsidian could already hear Whisper's feathery giggle as she could bet that Gypsy was trying to play cute for a biscuit. He picked up on that skill at Bingo.
These old ponies were probably a bad influence on Gypsy; what would happen if every diamond dog found out they could get sweets by playing cute? The diamond dog civilization would collapse, and ponies would suffer from shortages of sugar.
Obsidian followed the rest to the kitchen. Biscuits? That sounded good... very, very good. It was almost unreal how nice these ponies were. She should strive to be just like them, Obsidian mused; having a twilight life such as this wouldn't be bad at all.
================[Four Hours Later]==================
"Like I said, stop worryin' s'much," Short spoke over his flank as he and Whisper pulled the final blanket into place on the bed, then smoothed it out, "ain't n'body gonna mind if'n ya sleep in our lil' sunroom, and ain't n'body used that pull-out bed since Hope last visited. Yer fine, don't worry!"
Whisper nodded as she turned back the bedcovers, leaving room for Siddy to slip into them easily. The bed was big enough for Gypsy to take one side, and her to have the other; it was wide enough for three ponies, to be honest.
"Now, you an' him get some sleep, okay? Y'all got a lot ahead of ya, an' a good sleep'll do ya better than ya know. Night, Siddy - sleep well."
Whisper leaned near and words felt as though they floated from her lips to Obsidian's ear. "Sweet dreams."
They both headed for the door, a foreleg around each other's shoulders.
Okay, perhaps she'd spent most of this day without Cupcake - and she was missing him dearly - but it was still one of the best days of her life. Wholesome, satisfying, interesting... and she'd learned sooooo much! She'd met two legendary princesses, prepared some plans for the future, was going to save her brother Diamond, had won some cash at Bingo and got to spend time with two wonderful ponies! This world was well worth her protection of it.
With that simple thought, she got into bed. She was going to have a busy day tomorrow, after all...
~>-<~
Ruby smiled at her. "I've been wai-"
~>O<~
She felt warmth against her back when she awoke, but turned only to find that Gypsy had curled up in a little ball, and was nestled against her spine comfortably. The room was quiet and peaceful; she could hear the clock ticking in the living room, and there was the sound of a television playing.
Obsidian suddenly curled up, almost as if she was physically struck or stabbed. This 'dream' had metaphorically slapped her; the sheer idea of passing on an opportunity to talk with Ruby - her lovely, sweet sister - was almost impossible to bear...
Yet, she did it - she had to. It was for the greater good - the less Amber knew about Obsidian's friends, the better, right? Dreaming right now wasn't a risk she was willing to take.
Yet it didn't really improve her mood. It took her a moment to get over the shock, and she stood up with a sickened look on her muzzle. Bathroom. She really needed to refresh herself now... and then, to the Empire.
As Luna had assured her, she felt fully rested... but at what cost?