//------------------------------//
// Thirty Eight: A Dream(?) / Manehattan Melodies 
// Story: Obsidian: Shards Of Sombra 
// by Randimaxis 
//------------------------------//


~>-<~


The sheer cliffs were breathtaking to behold... and one Tartarus of a long way down.

Obsidian felt her stomach lurch at the sheer miles she could see beneath her; if she didn't know any better, she'd swear she was falling from the moon!

Wait... not falling; dangling.

She was tethered to some sort of rope, which was in turn tied to the pony climbing above her.  They were decked out in heavy weather gear, and for good reason... everywhere she turned, Obsidian saw nothing but snow and ice. It felt like there was a blizzard whipping her mane about as if it were made of yarn, and she could even feel the occasional sting as a strand would violently whip across her muzzle, back or shoulders.

Above her, the unknown pony continued to climb.  "You sure this was where the map said it would be?" The voice was young and strong... but strangely somewhat familiar, though for what reason, she couldn't quite fathom yet.

Then, she heard herself speak... yet it wasn't her voice.

"No, I'm not - but we don't have any other leads, so this is the best I can come up with!  Don't worry; we're tied off, so we won't fall far if we do!" That came from her, but it wasn't her.

Was it a dream?  A real, normal dream - one not filled with dead ponies?  What an interesting turn.  It had truly been quite some time since she'd been dreaming about anything that wasn't connected to her family.  Just what was this, though?  Where was she?  Who were these ponies?

Or perhaps it wasn't just a simple product of her tired mind.  This dream... was it some kind of memory?  Ruby's?  Maybe Onyx's?

No - she should identify their voices without any trouble.  If she had to hazard a guess as to where she currently might be, she'd think they were somewhere around the Crystal Empire.  If only she could clearly see the pony above her!  She tried to force her phantom, dreamy body to look at the unknown climber above.

But from what she could tell, she was only able to experience only whatever had been experienced by whomever was sharing this... thought?  Memory?  Dream?  Who could tell?  But try as she might, the view only remained where it was, either carefully watching the rope she was climbing, or occasionally glancing out at an icy wall or a frighteningly massive expanse of snowy air, with no ground in sight.

A few more minutes of jostling and ascending, and Obsidian found herself exceedingly glad that this body she was in was as bundled up as it was; the rope itself was growing small, thorn-like icicles sideways as it stretched taut between her and her savior above.

"I still don't know if this is safe enough!  If they're really able to do what all those books said they could do, they might be trapped to Tartarus and back!  Why didn't you bring a blade for BOTH of us?  What if we get attacked by guardian wards? Or curses, what about curses?  What if we get lost in a labyrinth, and we never find them OR get home?"  Her voice grew increasingly higher-pitched as she she called out; the two had to yell to clear the sound of the moaning, gusting wind all around them.

"We'll FIND them, and you'll figure out what to do from there - like you always do!  Stop being so very suspicious - you cannot continue through life believing that everyone and everything is out to get you!"  The laughter from above was mocking, but only a little bit; they were apparently at least somewhat familiar with each other, these two.

"Yes, well... it's kept me alive so far," she heard herself mutter under her breath.

Suddenly, she jerked to a stop. "I found something!"

There was a bit of movement above, and something else was yelled down... but the windflow was too fierce here; there was nothing to stop the arctic winds from howilng across them at that moment, ripping those words away.

Her body turned, took firm hold of the rope and like a professional climber, she shimmied her way up it surprisingly quickly.  Reaching the top, Obsidian finally had a decent view of the pony she'd been trying to figure out for the past few minutes. 

Which was a shame, as they wore enough clothing to obscure whoever they may have been - she couldn't even tell what pony race they were.

"WHAT did you say?" her host yelled.

"... aaaaat?" came back as almost an echo as the wind peeled back a bit.

"I SAID, WHAT.  DID.  YOU.  SAY?"

The other pony turned and pointed at a chunk of frost-encrusted rock above where they both dangled.  On a depression in the wall, there was an almost perfect circle with strange markings and glyphs, standing out from the ice with their slightly red glow.  Each rune was wickedly slashed and yet eerily precise as they formed a circle that spiraled inward.  In fact, there were a number of them which looked like some of her father's personal runes, which she'd occasionally seen during her training... but these looked much, much older.

"... might be a map to the cave!" the other pony - from what she could tell, a stallion - called to her as the gusts died down enough to hear.

"Where?" she asked, "WHAT map? WHAT cave?"

The other pony reached out and braced their hindlegs on the lip of the circle, then reached out to tap the place on the 'map' they were talking about...

And fell right through, as the entire circle shattered instantly while gravity carried him into an open tunnel behind it.

It was kind of funny, for all of six seconds; that's how long it took Obsidian to realize she was tethered to the fool before she followed suit, jerked bodily into the hole - smacking her head on the upper curve.  They shot downward for a bit, twin screams filling the air until the aperture opened out into a massive spiral cavern.

The only light coming from above them, it seemed as though the cave was both reflecting light from glassy surfaces along the walls and ceiling, and yet drinking it in at the same time.

And the Darkness was thirsty.

There was a sharp thud from beneath her, then a loud "OOOOF!!!" as she came to a quick, yet soft stop, surrounded by some rather spongy fungi.  The body she was in simply lay there after impact, panting as she fought to bring her heart back into normal beating parameters.

Well, Obsidian could safely assume this wasn't their first trip; for starters, they hadn't died yet.  Hopefully they would both survive - she didn't need any more emotional distress, especially not while she was sleeping.  The sensation of falling had been bad enough; she knew that it may have been just some stray dream or memory, but it still felt real.  Too real. 

Harmony forbid, if anything happened to her host; pain would surely be an unpleasant thing to fear from her dreams.

After a moment, her host spoke with a grunt.  "Unf... that cave, I guess... are you okay?  Where are you?"

There was a long, low moan from beneath her.  Her host gave a light gasp, then scrambled to her hooves quickly and stepped back to reveal the other pony underneath where she'd landed, face-down in a thicket of spongy green algae, both somewhat flattened.

"... you aimed for me, didn't you?"  The form on the floor's muffled voice groaned into the fluffy fungi.

Obsidian's host rolled her eyes, smiled, then reached down and helped him up. "I swear, had I gone alone, I'd have already found them and come back to get you..." her host went on, admonishing her company, but only lightly - there was no real malice in it.

"Why certainly," the other pony's voice - definitely a stallion - went on, "and you would have made that simple climb as well, yes?"

Her host went quiet and sullen, and the stallion chuckled. "Ah, the very face of reason, you are... such a fierce pout; Mister Board shall surely roll over in his bed tonight!"

"That stallion," her host spoke up, "isn't here right now, is he?  Besides, if he even had an inkling of a clue we were here, we would BOTH be in a world of trouble!"

The stallion turned to face her... and was wearing a muffler and what appeared to be goggles, though of a style she'd never seen before - even in Modern Equestria.  Unfortunately, not a trace of his muzzle was visible. "Chasing foal's dreams, my flank - they HAVE to be here - everything I've discovered SAID they were, so now we just have to look around..."

"Right," the other stallion began, "because they would most certainly leave them out to... t-to be... dis... cov... ered..."

She felt a light tap on her shoulder, and when her host turned, he was pointing towards the center of the cavern.  There, bathed in light that was beaming in though the hole they'd made, was a rasied dias with three altars on it...

Three very familiar-looking altars. The two of them just stared for a moment.

Mister Board?  That could possibly be a nice clue - Obsidian could always check for this name in the record books, or perhaps even simply ask around.  Whoever this stallion was, he was apparently connected to one of her siblings, it seemed, and...

...altars.

Three of them.

No way.

Wait... if this was... and she was... then could it possibly mean that this stallion was...?

Her host moved forward first, hesitantly, as if they were afraid... then, slowly, they began to go up the small set of chiseled-out stairs, the stallion mere steps behind her. "... I... I think... this HAS to be..."

Sure enough, when she topped the stairs, there they were.  Three altars, carved with strange and unknowable runes, made from a stone that was black with grey marbling.  They were precisely chiseled, and their corners and edges were as sharp as if they'd been carved yesterday... yet there was an exceedingly thick layer of dust that covered them.

The host she was in stepped forward to the middle altar, and reached into a saddlebag to bring out a cloth, which she used to wipe away some of the dust. Beneath, more carved runes were now visible, though their words were a mystery to Obsidian.

"... we found them."  Her host's voice slowly raised as her excitement took over. "You and I, WE found them, Sombra!  This is the Umbral Altar!"

The stallion stepped up to her side, and looked over the altar's surface as well. "Can you believe it?" he said, his voice filled with awe, "All this time, they've just been sitting here, so close to the city, and yet nopony knew!  Astounding..." 

Her host smirked.  "Sometimes, the answer is right beneath your muzzle-"

"Or, as in this case, over it," the stallion quipped, and her host gave a giggle of amusement before she went back to admiring the altar. There was not a single imperfection to be found; the altars were smooth and flawless, even to Obsidian's trained eye - these were Royal Worthy, of that there was no doubt.

The mare she was in couldn't take her eyes off the things.  "One more step complete.  Now that we've located the altar, we can use it to harness enough power to put the spell to the test!"

There was a sigh from the stallion, and he turned to face her again. "You still have every intention of casting that spell?  I'd have thought that making such a discovery would have superceded-"

"Are you serious?  As soon as I SAW these things, I started planning how to use them!"

That last presence in her mind... It seemed that somehow, Obsidian had ended up with the memories of Radiant Hope - at least, some of them.  And it was quite possible that she was going to see the process of Onyx's conception... ew.

But that was hardly important - the most important things were sitting right in front of her - the altars!  The cave!  Next to the city!  She could find them too, especially with Diamond's help...

And now, right now - she could learn more about Sombra's reasons to use them!  Speak, you miserable fool!  Gloat about your evil plan!  Tell the world why you wanted to create twisted minds like Onyx and Amber!  Explain why your mind began to rot with evil so thoroughly that you had to be put down like a mad dog, three times in a row!

Her host looked at the stallion.  "I know the spell will work... it just HAS to."

The stallion looked away a bit.  "But... it gives me chills, thinking of you doing... that... to yourself, spell or no."

Now her host sighed.  "First of all, it's FAR cold enough to give us both chills, so stop that.  Secondly, it's my body, and I shall do with it as I please.  And third..." She now took on a more humble tone.  "... it's STILL not quite ready yet."

Now, the host turned back to face the stallion directly, and placed a hoof on his shoulder as she looked into his goggled eyes. "I cannot do this without you - the spell, I mean; from what I figured out, it will take TWO to cast it properly... and of every single stallion in the entirety of the Crystal Empire, there is no one I would trust more for the honor of being the very first magical father in history!"

"But what if the spell goes wrong?"  The stallion sounded concerned.  "Nopony's ever made a child from magic alone before!  And yes, you are extremely talented, but... but you're creating Life from a spell.  How is that, in any sense, natural?"

She kept her eyes locked on his goggle lenses. "And if I were able to provide families a chance they may not ever have had before?  What of helping to swell the populace of a caravan, once it finally settles?  And what about Soul Friends like you & I?"

He chuckled nervously.  "I am wholly certain there are other ways to make a foal-"

They both then looked at each other; she felt her host's heat rise just a bit as she must have been blushing. "W-well, of course there's that way... but we BOTH agree that act is messy and... I mean, you are my other half, but I couldn't see us doing-"

"YES, yes, er... 'that'.  No, I could not see that, either; you are my closest friend, and that would merely feel..." 

They both nodded, though neither of them finished the sentence.

"It would give a chance at Life for others," her host insisted.

Obsidian was both disguisted and intrigued at the moment; so using this spell turned out to be Radiant's idea, then?  So Little Miss 'Sombra's-Only-Friend' wanted to experiment with life itself, without any concerns for morality?  Then it wasn't surprising that it had seemingly backfired so badly.

And, ick - what was this whole talk about 'Soul Friends'?

They were simply strange - if they didn't want to make foals, then perhaps it would be wise to NOT make foals instead of using ancient and dangerous magic to create them?

The stallion gave another sigh.  "I know, I know... but... but tell me, why do they deserve such a chance?"  Her host balked a bt at that, but he continued; not angry, but a little bitter. "You are effectively making it so that neither you nor I would stand a chance at adoption - do you ever want out of that place!?  We would be relegated to remaining there for the rest of our days, as every family would wanted a foal could have one, even if they were barren..."

"And what's so bad about wanting to stay with those you know, with those you care about?  Is it so bad that you-"

"I have nothing... or have you forgotten that fact?"

"How can I, when you harp on it all the time!" Her host stepped back, and put a hoof to her brow in mockery. "O tempora!  O mores! I am but an orphan, see my darkness within, and SHUUUUUNNNNN...."

She then dropped the act, and walked over next to him, giving him an honest-to-Darkness Thunderclap style thump on the shoulder, but gentler than the pegasus typically did. "Besides, we have to test it with something we DO know first.  And I believe I have just the incantation in mind..."

She removed a small, weather-beaten and tied-together book from her robes, and held it up where the stallion could see it.  "Your favorite," she smiled beatifically.

The stallion stared at her for a moment.  "You mean... the 'Kayfadd Spell'?  But... that only works in town; and it gets us all the scraps we could want.  What would you-"

"Imagine the possibilities," she strode forward, speaking animatedly as she got excited, "especially as the Umbral Altar is supposed to amplify the effects of a spell... if we used the Kayfadd Spell..."

The stallion gave her a long look... then, with another sigh, he reached up and took his hood and scarf down, and lifted the goggles to rest on his forehead. "... then maybe we could get the same treatment every day, forever?  Sounds good to me."

It was him - her father!  But... he was hardly her own age!  He may even have been a summer or two behind her.

He was most certainly handsome, in a dark and brooding way; his mane was black as night, his coat a pale grey, and his eyes a deep crimson color.  He had a few small scars on his muzzle, and a notch missing from one ear. But he was so very young!

He gave her a slight, hesitant smile.  "So, is this what you're going to cast?  On me, I assume?"

She now felt her host give a smirk.  "Of course, My Little Guinea Pig."

How glorious; not only were they planning to mass produce magic foals, but their first idea of trying the altars out was casting a spell on one of them.  She had no idea what this 'Kayfadd spell' was, but she didn't doubt that practically any spell, when misused, could be harmful - and they wanted to test it on a living pony!

Obsidian had to face that fact - both of her 'parents' didn't seem to be too bright.

And 'orphanage'... sigh.  To be fair, perhaps it was better that she didn't have any grandparents - they would probably turn out to be as dissapointing as her creators.  Now, everything would be much different if she could get access to these altars...

Young Sombra looked at her a bit, his eyebrow quirked.  "... you don't possibly mean right now?"

She gave a sharp bark of a laugh.  "NO!  Of course not!  There's research to be done - better to have an idea of what might happen, first.  Did you think I would-"

He grinned.  She gave him a flat look in return. "... you give me so little credit."

He chuckled and shook his head.  "More than you know, Hope - more than you know."

She started looking the altar over, eagerly taking in rune after rune as if they were entirely new civilizations in their own right.  Her companion began to look over the rest of the room, examining the walls and celing of the chamber they were in.

Okay, so maybe they weren't completely dim... but Radiant had still turned up dead, missing or something like that.  And Sombra... well, everypony knew how Sombra ended up, so it was obvious that this must have bitten them in the plot anyway.  Obsidian did her best to at least try to remember the runes she was seeing.  They didn't seem to be too modern - but perhaps she could find something useful about them in her books... or even Onyx's notebook, mayhaps?

Hope was so locked into examining the altar, that she completely missed something happen in her peripheral vision; something Obsidian could see as clear as a moonlight and cloudless night.

The stallion suddenly and silently jerked backwards, and he shut his eyes as he covered his muzzle with his forehooves.  However, even covering his visage, something escaped from his attempt: A wisp of purple smoke.  From his eyes.  He seemed to be struggling with himself for a moment... then, after only mere seconds, he stood straight once more and opened his eyes - which were now fine.

Not now, he seemed to mouth to himself as he placed a hoof on his chest.

Hope gazed at the runes, duly impressed.  "There are seventeen different runes depicted on this altar - unless some of them are combined, then it will be fewer - and I'm eager to see how they match up with the other two... or even if they match up at all!  If we have enough, we may actually have a functioning cipher here!"

He shook his head, sighed, and came over to her, acting as though nothing had happened. "An Umbral Cipher?  The Empire would be amazed, Hope... if, of course, King Crest would allow such knowledge to spread through HIS empire..."  Sombra got a look of smouldering anger on his muzzle, but Hope continued undaunted.

Hope chuckled.  "With the sheer, raw POWER these altars are reputed to hold, I daresay that a corrupt king is soon to be the very least of our worries, my friend."

"Good," he growled, "I'm sick of watching us all starve to death."

A corrupt king?  Hmmmmm... now that she thought about it, Obsidian had never heard anything about the reigning monarchy before her father decided that slavery, cruelty and terror were his favorite hobbies.  Of course she knew quite well about the history of the Empire in his aftermath... but before?  Nothing.

And as for the Umbral altars being used as a cipher... after everything that Obsidian had seen about the Umbrals, it hardly seemed to be a good idea to play with their magic or their artifacts.  Too bad that these two fools didn't know that yet.

And apparently they were starving to death, but Hope was planning to cast a spell which involved producing more foals.  Why - to eat them?  Or to watch them starve too?  This was hardly a good plan!

Hope looked to the next altar... and froze as she saw her reflection in the stone that was polished so smooth. The muzzle reflected was Obsidian's.

And she saw her.

"... w-what..?"  She simply stared for a moment, then slowly brought up a single hoof to her cheek, touching it carefully, as if she half-expected it not to exist.

"... Hope?" Sombra inquired.

She blinked, then quickly looked at anything but her own reflection. "Y-yes, I-... something looked... odd, was all." She began to throw herself into reading the runes on the second altar.

Was THAT a part of the memory?  Or was it simply warped by Obsidian's own mind?  Was it Hope's dream?  Or a vision?

Honestly, it didn't matter.  Right now, Obsidian simply wanted to learn more about the altars... especially since it hardly seemed that she would learn anything useful here about her creators.  Obsidian continued to sulk as she watched the proceedings carefully.

Hope examined the altar a bit more... then, her eyes went back to the reflective surface, seeking answers where she couldn't find them. The reflection was no longer Obsidian; instead, it was a uncorn mare with a soft purple coat and a long, silvery mane.  Her eyes were such a soft and pale blue, they were practically platinum. Anything else was covered by the cold weather gear.

Obsidian now began to notice that, as Hope was carefully examining each rune individually, Sombra kept pacing nervously and throwing glances her way, as if he were spooked.

"I hear your clopping; what ails you?" she said without looking away from the runes.

"Are you not satisfied, at least for now?  I believe we should go, and return after you've finished studying these runes."  He sounded a bit apprehensive.

"Eager to leave already?"  Hope teased, but he shuddered and held his chest for a moment again.

"Yes, actually..." he muttered, still looking about curiously, but now with an edge of wariness.

That was when a single rune stood out on the middle altar to Obsidian; she'd seen it, carved lightly and neatly onto an item she had a familiarity with, a trinket she still had, wrapped in a silk cloth and kept in a box in her drawer, towards the back...

It had been carved into the back of Ruby's hoof mirror, she was SURE of it.

And what was more, this mare hardly looked like Obsidian - or at least she wasn't able to notice many similarities in the reflection.  To be fair, it was probably a good thing - the lack of resemblance was making her father a bit less of a pervert than she'd originally thought.

It seemed that Obsidian herself had an object with an Umbral rune in her possession.  On the one hoof, it was a bit scary - but on another, it was a chance to study it closer and understand it better.

Didn't Ruby say she'd split part of her own soul?  That could be useful - she just had no idea how, at least for now.  Maybe there was a precedent here, where she could learn to perhaps mutilate souls of the others, to force them into being good against their will?

Nah.  Probably not the best of ideas.

Hope suddenly gasped.  "Wait - THIS rune... I think I recognize it..."

Sombra was almost instantly behind her.  "Which one?"

"This one," she pointed a hoof at the very rune Obsidian recognized "it means-"


~>O<~


"MAAAAAAAANE-hat-TAAAAAAAAAAN STATION!  Last stop!"  The station steward's voice rang out clearly, and Obsidian heard Clap's moan of disgust.

"Fi' mo' minz, Mooooommmm..." she mumbled in her mostly-still-alseep voice.

OF COURSE!  BUT OF COURSE EVERY HARMONY-DAMNED DREAM HAS TO END AT THE MOST INTERESTING MOMENT! 
THE WORLD AROUND HER WOULD APPARENTLY BE TOO BORING IF OBSIDIAN COULD SIMPLY GET THE ANSWERS TO HER QUESTIONS WITHOUT ASKING, DIGGING, SEARCHING AND AVOIDING PAINFUL DEATHS!

GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

"Clap, wake up before I drag your plot off the train with the darkest magic possible," Obsidian growled with annoyance as she got up.  It was not hard to notice that the sudden end of her dream had left her somewhat fucking aggrivated, as Flurry would put it.

Clap blearily sat up, and promptly fell right onto the floor with a solid thump.  She groaned loudly, then began the process of dragging herself onto her hooves.

Wart was already awake, of course - she was positioned at the front of the car, watching everything happening from her seat.  She nodded to Siddy when they made eye contact; she was always ready.

"Goooooooooood morning, love!"  Cup began, "Isn't it a lovely da-" He saw her muzzle, and worry rolled across his own. "... um... day... my... sun... shine?"

The amount of sheer frustration painted on Obsidian's muzzle paled a bit when she saw Cupcake.  Of course - she couldn't stay too angry at the whole world, seeing her coltfriend.  Right now she was just a bit, er... cranky.

"I think Radiant Hope is the last presence in my mind, Cup - I believe I just experienced one of her memories," she said shortly and trotted towards the front to depart from the train.  Not that they were good memories, of course - and couldn't that damned, dead mare wait and send her this vision when she could check out the mirror in her drawer?  Oh nooooooo - she had to play these trifling games when Obsidian had an important task that saw her a LOOOOOONG way away from her home!

How utterly annoying.

Cupcake trailed after her. "Wait, what?  You shouldn't just drop info like that and walk off!  Wait up!"  Behind them, Clap and Wart were still making their way off the train.

Manehattan Station.  It was rather large, especially compared to the rather pedestrian Ponyville one.  There were multi-tiered walkways, all heading to doorways leading out.  There were also a number of benches, consession stand and even a few shopfronts, looking to make a quick bit.

But the sheer volume of ponies, all in one place, was overwhelming.

Still, Cup walked next to her, dipping and dodging without even looking away from his marefriend. "How?  How could something like that just... I mean, it can't be that... what did you do about... I mean..."

He gave a frustrated sigh, then blinked and looked at her. "... ohhhhhhhh.  I think I get it now."

The universe itself was screwing with her, she was sure of it!  Just dangling a tasty piece of information in front of her, only to snatch it away, merely teasing her taste for mysteries!

... wow.  This was a lot of ponies.  More than in the Crystal Empire?  Possibly.

Obsidian now better understood the warning about thieves - in this place, it wouldn't be as easy to deal with as it had been with Peavine.  With so many ponies around, she might as well bid farewell to her purse for good.

"Then plase, by all means, explain to me what you think you 'got'.  I'll gladly listen to your way of thinking," she practically ordered him as she kept looking around.  With the crowds like this, it would be wise to keep Stalwart close.  Maybe she should ride on one of their backs?  Otherwise, she could possibly get lost... especially as Obsidian herself was staring to feel that way.

Cupcake looked at her for a moment... then, his muzzle screwed up like he was thinking hard, complete with his tongue hanging out.

"Well..." he started slowly, "what I got is that my Siddy's in need of a breakfast to help fuel her sleepy head for thinking - that's what I got right now, and I'll have more as I think it." He smiled warmly at her; he may not have known what all was bothering her, but he was willing to try to help however he could.

Clap, on the other hoof, looked terrible.  "Coffee..." she grumbled as she plodded forward, her bags slung onto her back... along with Cup's and Siddy's as well.  Her face looked like a thundercloud ready to storm, and her eyes were bleary and glaring directly forward.

The three of them were... wait, where was Wart?

"Have at you, vile fiend!"  The yell came from behind them, and a somewhat disheveled-looking earth pony stallion gave a yelp as he leapt into the air, holding his rump.

"Keep your hooves to yourself, ruffian!" She couldn't see Wart, but she could definitely hear her...

Perhaps it wasn't a bad idea to keep track of Stalwart.... though if anypony was doing anything strange with their hooves around Wart, then they deserved whatever they got from the small mare.  Of course, there was a small, yet significant chance that Stalwart, being from a place like Ponyville, could simply misinterpret the behaviour of ponies around her and give them trouble.

"Stalwart first, then breakfast and coffee.  Quickly - we should gather her with us before we really will need a lawyer," Obsidian quickly suggested, diving into the crowd to find her heroic little friend.

Wart was standing at full guard, an umbrella in her magical grip, held like a sword with the point at the throat of the skeevy pony Obsidian had seen jump. "You will cease and desist, this instant!" she bellowed, sounding much bigger than she actually was.

The earth pony looked terrified of the little mare.  "Yeah, no, yeah, I gots it, I gots it!"

Wart bristled.  "No, you do not 'gots' it; I kept you from lifting my bitpurse - there fore, you most assuredly DO NOT 'gots' it!"

"Look, I'm stahvin' heah!  I ain't had nuttin' ta eat since last Tuesday!"

Cupcake zipped up next to the pony, smiled, then pointed at the pony's coat pocket.  "Then what's that?" Hanging from the pocket was what looked like the wrapper for a candy bar, half sticking out.

The earth pony's muzzle hardened. "Yeah, well YOUSE TOURISTS are alda same!  Y'keep all dat grub fer yerself, an' won't-"

"Yo," Thunderclap said, holding out a stack of bits in her hoof, "go eat.  And don't let me catch you buying cider, you hear me?"

The earth pony looked like he was going to say something more... but then, he just took the bits and headed down the street at a rapid pace, weaving through the hoof traffic like it wasn't even there.

Apparently, it was thievery; luckily, Stalwart was more than capable of defending herself and kept all her cash intact.  They had barely left the train and already their money had been at stake - what a terrible place this city must be!

"Under my father's reign, he would lose his hoof.  At least for the first offense," she mentioned while glaring at Thunderclap intensely.  After her short fight with Peavine, her patience for thieves was rather thin.  "Not that I applaud such a measure, of course... but why did you give him money, Clap?  I'm not certain... but to me, it looks like rewarding a criminal for his bad behaviour."

Clap shrugged.  "Hey, look - I've been hungry before, and I know what I'da done to eat, if I had to; he probably would've been in a bit better shape if he actually had money, so I figured he really was just hungry."

Wart turned up her snout.  "If he is able to pick pockets, he is able to get an actual profession," she said haughtily.

To Obsidian, pickpocketing a bunch of teenagers could have stranded them in Manehattan; one simple act of thievery could doom an innocent pony.  "Let's just find this place where Mica's staying first... er, does anypony know where it is?"

Clap gave a snark of a laugh.  "HA!  Just about every pony IN Manehattan knows where the Rockhoof is!  Including this one!  C'mon - follow me!"  Clap took to the air, then actually stayed with the group as she began to fly towards where the station's exit was.

Wart seemed to be looking for a way through, but Cup simply smiled and lifted her onto his back. "Cupcake!  This is humiliating!  I am not a fil-"

Cup leveled his gaze at her, looking a bit annoyed that she was a bit ungrateful.  "Wart, shush."  The little mare glared daggers at Cup... but she shushed.

To be fair, Cup could at least ask Stalwart about it first, and only then disturb her personal space... but effects were worth the hassle, as this way not only was the little unicorn safe from getting lost, but now Cup had a well-trained warrior to protect him from thieves and other ruffians.  Win-win, in Siddy's book.

Though it was one Tartarus of a time getting through the crowds, eventually the group made it out onto the sidewalk, and they saw it for all its' beauty and splendor... Manehattan.  The Big Applecore. The buildings threatened to rival the Crystal Mountains themselves, as they towered over everything around them... including some of their fellow buildings.  

There were lights, sounds, ponies, griffons, changelings, vehicles, construction workers drilling at the sidewalk, street vendors loudly hawking their wares, a mare on the corner playing a brass instrument while others put bits into her instrument case, a group of stallions standing on the corner in the same colored bandanas, bicycles, bells, whistles, screeches, knocking, pinging, talking, laughing...

SO.  MUCH.  ACTIVITY.

This place was like a beehive.  How could so many creatures live in such a place without going mad?  The Crystal Empire at least looked classy, but this place was merely a jungle made of concrete and steel with noise attacking them from every side!  Of course, the Empire was Obsidian's homeland, so she could be a bit biased... but it was still a bit too much to handle on an empty stomach. The Grey Princess could only hope that they could get to the Rockhoof as soon as possible, to regroup, gather Mica's recon intel and make plans to find her fashionable brother.

The streets were lined with shops, businesses, eateries, cafes, stores, offices... just about any and every kind of building there could be was here - except for a palace.  The city had no palace, as far as she could see.  Admittedly, though, she couldn't see too far; the buildings were in the way.

The streets were filled with a few carts, but mostly there were a number of machines that rumbled and purred, with ponies inside them, steering them and cursing anyone who got in their way.  There were even a few ponies on bicycles, with packages strapped to their backs, assumedly making deliveries.

Clap stayed aloft, flying at a slow pace to help guide her friends through the city. At one corner, there was a stallion with a saxophone who was playing his heart out, and listeners were tossing bits into his instrument case.  As Obsidian and the others passed, he blew a quick wolf whistle sound on his sax, and Clap struck a midair pose in response.  The gathered crowd laughed, and the music continued.

Then, as they came around the corner, Obsidian came face to face with her brother!

Well... not exactly.

The billboard was displayed prominently in the middle of a large roundabout area; it proclaimed tonight to be the advent of some sort of fashion show, and 'Smoky Quartz' was the headliner. His picture on the billboard was almost exactly like the one in Diamond's drawing; to her, there was no mistaking who it was.

He had on a straight face, but had a single eyebrow lifted, as if curious about whether or not you might be fancy enough to attend.  There was a charisma and charm that came from the expression, and he seemed to look like a sophisticated and regal stallion.

And the building that held that billboard just happened to be The Rookhoof Hotel... and it was huge.  The skyscraper itself looked to be at least forty stories tall, and loomed over Obsidian and her little group.

Ah, that dear brother of hers - he looked similar enough to make any connection between them obvious. Considering the fact that even princesses knew him was hopefully a confirmation that he wasn't dabbling into any dark arts too..

But first things first - just how DID Mica get into this rather glamourous hotel?

The doorpony saw them coming, and her bored look promptly vanished in a burst of enthusiasm. "Greetings, tourists!  Welcome to The Famous Rockhoof Hotel!" she said, brightly.

Now that was a good actress. "Clap?  Could you handle it, please?  You know places like this... and it's your coltfriend staying here," Obsidian asked her quietly.

Clap blushed a bit at mention of a coltfriend, but she cleared her throat and landed deftly in front of the doorpone. "Hey, thanks!  So, I gotta ask - you know everyone who comes through here?"

The doorpone smiled and nodded.  "It takes only a moment to look over the registry, and it's my job to know who all is coming or going... so yes, I have that knowledge."

"Great, okay, so... you know there's a Mica Chip who's-"

"Oh!  Mr. Chip!"  The doorpone smiled sweetly.  "Yes, I'm aware of him; he has a way with words, and he's quite friendly!  Say, he mentioned he might have some friends visit him... I suppose that would be you lot, yes?"

"Eeyup!  That's us!"  Clap beamed proudly.  "The Siddy Six!  Well... minus one," she said with a bit of hesitation.

The doorpone nodded.  "Well, if that's the case, please come inside!  Check with Carter at the front kiosk; he'll make sure Mr. Chip knows you're here - and don't pay any mind to his attitude; unless you're obviously filthy rich, he'll probably come across as a bit haughty... but I swear, he knows this place like the back of his hoof."

"Thanks!  Much appreciated, Miss..?"

"Carpet.  Red Carpet, a pleasure to meet you," she gave a grand bow, then turned and opened the door for them.  "After you, distinguished guests!"

Clap motioned for them to follow, and went inside. The lobby was enormous - larger than her father's banquet hall!  There were tasteful chairs and sofas, potted plants, and even a chandelier hanging from the ceiling that brought a touch of ritzy class to the whole room.

The kiosk desk was in the rear of the spacious atruim, and at it sat what looked to be a rather dour and sallow-faced stallion with a prim perm and sharp features.  He wore a fancy suit, and had a little mustache on his lip that made him look distinguished.

Clap motioned to the desk.  "I got the front; your turn, Sids.  I can chat with doorponies all day, but upper crust stuff never seems to work out for me."

Once upon a time, in theory, Obsidian was pretty sure she was going to own an entire Empire; did that count as being 'filthy rich'?  Probably not. Would've been nice, though...

As long as this 'Carter' was only a bit haughty, she should be able to stomach him. And the size of this place was impressive... which made it even more strange that Mica had managed to find a room here. Did he have a famous cousin here, or maybe he knew some rich friends?  Or perhaps Markannus was lurking somewhere nearby...

But just plain thinking wasn't going to solve anything, contrary to acting.  Obsidian walked happily up to the kiosk desk. "Good morning!  Mr. Carter, I presume?"

The stallion was looking over paperwork, but gave a gusty sigh as he heard her speak. "Yes, madam - I am Carter Blanche," he sounded as stuffy as a dignitary, "HEAD of The Rockhoof's Formal Staff.  And, if I may ask, how may I help-"

Then he looked up... and his eyes went wide. "You're Obsidian!" he gasped in surprise, "The mare who saved Ponyville, yes?  Oh, I cannot even BEGIN to tell you what a pure honor it is to meet you, madam!"

... wasn't he supposed to be haughty?

"My brother and sister were caught in Ponyville when those dreadful vile things attacked; they told me about your stand against King Sombra, and how you saved them from harm by disposing of him!  Oh, I owe you so very much, madam, as they are the only family I have!" He was now smiling, ear to ear, and he stepped into place at the front kiosk.

"Now, please... allow me to assist you in whatever manner I may be capable of, as I have the training and permissions possible to see to it that your stay with us is placed as high on the Priority List as it can go." He then leaned forward a bit, speaking low.  "I am eternally grateful to you - please, tell me what you need, and it shall become my driving focus." 

"Well, that was easy," Clap smirked.

This kind of attitude could explain how Mica got a room here in the first place - perhaps it was a grateful staff member's way to show him their gratitude?  Obsidian would love to get this kind of reaction more often, because not having to deal with the haughtiness of haughty ponies would make her attempts to stop Sombra's spawn much easier.

This way nopony would try to steal her cakes, like one particular greedy bastard of a guard.

"We're looking for Mica Chip, a stallion from our little team. We were told he had a room here," Obsidian explained quickly.

"Oh!  Mr. Chip did say he was expecting company... b-b-but he didn't say it would be YOU!  I shall have one of the staff see you personally to the penthouse suite where he's staying.  Might you be staying with us as well?" He looked around a bit, then leaned in more closely.  "If you like, I can set you up in the penthouse next to his?  Would this be to your liking, madam - or would you prefer our Princess Suite?  Normally, only royalty tends to use them... but I am quite certain that they wouldn't mind if you were to 'borrow' one for the extent of your stay in Manehattan?"

Obsidian quickly glanced at her friends. It seemed that she was correct - Mica was lucky enough to find a place where a top-tier pony was indebted to him.  Lucky Mica... and lucky them!

"A place next door to him would be preferable, thank you.  We are doing our best to stay together," she replied, relieved that everything seemed to be going fine... at least, for the moment.  "We are all here together - with the exception of Gypsy, who had to stay behind.  I'm not sure how long we're staying, however."

Carter nodded smartly.  "Then I shall have you escorted up to the Penthouse Suites.  If you have any luggage, I can have it ported to your room, and eatery service is listed next to the wall intercom, should you find yourself peckish."

He lifted a hoof into the air, and almost instantly, there were four bellhops standing in front of him.  Carter motioned to Obsidian and her entourage. "THIS is a highly-esteemed guest, and I shall NOT tolerate anything less that exemplary service for her and her companions, is this clear?"

They all saluted in tandem.  "We aim to please!" came from the four in unison.

"Exquisite.  Now, please take Madam Obsidian and company up to Penthouse Six; I'm certain they're eager to get on with any activities they may have planned, and also inform Mr. Chip that his guests have arrived; I shall intercom ahead to tell him you are on your way, madam."

The bellhops all marched to the elevator and waited for Siddy and crew. Cupcake giggled a bit.  "It's like you're famous... kinda..."

"If there is ANYTHING I can do for you during your stay, turn the intercom's dial to Q; I shall be available for any and all issues, quieries and informations."  Carter gave a low bow of respect.

Penthouse... they were getting a personal penthouse!?  Ha!

When Cupcake first met her, he'd once called her 'spoiled' - which had actually been contrary to everything she'd already endured in her life up to that point.  In fact, she had been thoroughly annoyed that her suite was far too luxurious, which she had thought to have been a danger to her mental stability and ascetism...

In fact, there were probably slaves that had more freedom than her during her life in Empire.

...yet today, it seemed that it was time to get spoiled PROPERLY.

Even though she didn't really know what this 'penthouse' was, but she had a feeling that it would be spoil-worthy.

"Thank you kindly, Mr. Carter; I'll do my best to defend the innocent and protect Equestria in the future as well," she replied humbly... though in her head, she was simply hoping that this 'penthouse' had a nice bathtub.

The prim and proper stallion smiled beatifically at her.  "Madam, I expect no less from such as yourself."

The bellhops scattered, except for one who saluted them smartly, then led the way to the elevator.  It was roomy, yes - but with Obsidian, the bellhop, Cupcake, Wart (who was of little consequence) and Thunderclap (who more than made up for Wart's lacking), it was almost a bit cramped.

Reaching the top floor with a merry >ding!<, the bellhop led them out into a hallway that was tastefully dark and subdued, with lighting set into the ceiling that kept the hallway lit, yet subtly so.  The carpet was thick, and it felt good on her hooves as they walked to a room door with the number '6' on it in fancy scrimshaw. The bellhop motioned to the door, bowed, and waited politely.

"Whoa... nice digs; wonder what the ROOM looks like, if gettng there is this ritzy!" Clap said as she looked around, appreciating the rich surroundings.

Ah, darkness... sweet, lovely darkness.  This place kept looking better and better!  And now that she thought about it, perhaps Mica could take Thunderclap into his room for this trip?  Then Obsidian could (heh heh) be alone with Cup... well, as alone as they could possibly be with Stalwart around.  "A much better place than my old room, that's for certain," Obsidian joked, though no one here had ever seen her quarters; only Flurry Heart had that dubious honor.

The bellhop looked at them curiously until Clap said, "So?  Do we get to go in?"

The bellhop pulled out a key, unlocked the door, and held the key out to Obsidian. "Your key, madam," he said with a drawn and small voice, "and there are more available at the front deak; ask Mr. Carter, and he will arrange for more keys for the rest of you."

Clap chuckled.  "Key, schmee - lemme see this place!" Typical of Clap, she darted through the door and into the room itself... and then, Obsidian heard: "HOLY SCHNIKES!  Look at this place, willya!?"

Cupcake smiled, then made a sweeping gesture towards the door.  "Ladies first," he said with a wink.

Stalwart nodded and grinned with approval, while the bellhop continued to stand there, waiting.

Okay, considering that Clap was still able to shout, it most likely wasn't a trap.  She assumed the pegasus used to rather luxurious conditions (at least compared to Obsidian), so it was probably pretty nice.  Obsidian eagerly trotted inside.

The pegasus had not been exaggerating.

The entire room was the size of Obsidian and Cupcake's entire first floor!  And doors meant there was even more space available! The walls were a tasteful wood paneling, and swept in curves rather than flat; there were no corners, just circular ends of the room.  The lighting was recessed into the ceiling, so it held just enough light to see comfortably. There was a sunken portion in front of a HUGE television screen, with couches that looked as though they were made for royalty.  In front of them was a tasteful coffee table (also curved), and above them was an ornate ceiling fan, slowly rotating.

From here, Obsidian could also see what looked to be a complete kitchen, separated from the living room area by a bar-type table, complete with stools.  There was a fridge, a dishwasher, a stove - it was a complete kitchen, right in view of the sitting area. The carpet was thin, but silky smooth under her hooves.

"You know... I'm not sure if we should needlessly hurry to look for my brother... after all, it's not as if he knows we're coming and can therefore escape, right?"  Obsidian could almost FEEL the spoilful spoilfulness of spoilablilty oozing from every hyper-modern convenience.

"There's no big rush, and besides - we need to be cautious... t-take our... time..." Obsidian said with an awed voice as she started to look around in earnest.  This place looked deliciously decadent - the perfect place for lazy ponies who have too much cash in their purses and like to find numerous ways to waste it.

And Obsidian absolutely loved it.

Cupcake walked in and immediately went to the kitchen. "WOWZERS!  Siddy, look at this stuff!  This is a top-of-the-line cookstove!  And this oven?  OOOOH!  We have a blender here!  WOW, I'm gonna make us SUCH a dinner tonight!"

Clap was seated on the couch, her forehooves behid her head.  "Mom sometimes gets good suites when she travels... but THIS is CHOICE STUFF!"

Wart took a single step into the doorframe, looked around inside the room... and frowned.

"Wastefully decadent," she murmured to herself as she slipped inside, choosing to remain standing near the door as she eyeballed the entire room with slight disgust.