A wastefully decadent place... Obsidian really hoped that Quartz wouldn't ruin this day. Otherwise it was possibly going to be one of the most relaxing and decadent days in her entire life. Obviously, she'd had a few perfect days (proposing to her coltfriend tends to make a day's rating much, much higher), but today could possibly be even better!
"Being a hero is always the right thing to do... but it doesn't change fact that I love that we can get pampered by so much!" she said with a hopeful grin on her muzzle. She trotted over to Cup to see the kitchen with her own two eyes.
It was indeed a sight; everything as he claimed was here, and it was all in sleek chrome and subdued greys and blacks. The dark marble countertop held a number of appliances, and the fridge was a chilled machine, sitting at the back and waiting patiently.
"Siddy, I GOTTA use this stuff while we're here! You and Clap and Wart and Mica and-..." A look crossed his muzzle; he was missing Gypsy, too. "... but, I plan on making a feast for the ages, maybe as soon as tomorrow night! That is, uh," he paused his jubilance, "if we don't run into any Dark Magic problems."
There was a gasp from the hallway, outside the still-open door; the bellhop was still standing there, for some reason.
Poor Gypsy was really missing out on a lot of fun... poor pup. "We won't, Cup - we don't have to run into problems during every single vacation, do we?" she asked cheerfully, giving him a sweet look. She quickly turned around and trotted to the doors, to nod respectfully to their bellhop and close them.
Just before she closed the door, Clap's hoof slipped between the door and frame. "Whoa, Siddy - hang on a sec..."
She opened the door again and looked at the bellhop, who looked a bit defeated, but hope emerged reborn when they opened it again. Clap reached out with a hoof, a number of bits in it. "Here ya go; we didn't forget ya, buddy."
Joy threatened to devour his entire muzzle as he gladly took the money, tipped his hat, and headed off towards the elevator.
Clap just chuckled as she closed the door herself, then looked at Obsidian. "It's called a tip - in Manehattan, it's how folks thank people for good service, and at the Rockhoof, it's ALL good service. Plus, makes us a more priority client, if we tip well."
To be completely fair, Obsidian didn't know about this tradition, and wouldn't have any idea that they could afford tipping ponies in such a fancy place. After all, she would bet they were earning more in three months than she could earn in an entire year! Well... discounting all the bonuses she kept receiving as a savior of Equestria, of course.
"We won't be priority clients for too long, though", she took note.
Before either of them could walk away, there was another knock on the door. "Okay," Clap bristled, "I can dig being generous, but come on, now..." She went to the door and opened it, ready to give the greedy bellhop a piece of her mind - and instead, she gasped.
"Hello, neighbor," said Mica Chip from the door, the slightest of grins on his muzzle.
Clap threw her forehooves around him and hugged him tightly, which he returned. "Hey, Mica!" Cup laughed, "good to see you! LOVE the hotel; choice pick!"
"Salutations, Mica; I am glad you are well," Wart greeted him.
"Mica! I had no cluethat hotels could be this luxurious! Thank you for a valuable lesson, my friend!" Obsidian joined the chorus of greetings with a wide grin on her muzzle.
The bland grey stallion nodded, then closed the door behind him and looked to the whole group. "I have news, both good and bad, and I'm glad you're all finally-... wait... where's Gypsy?"
"Taking care of Diamond, back home," said Cup, looking eager to hear what Mica might have to say.
Mica sighed. "A shame. Well, I can still let the rest of you know what I found, and we can fill him in later. Should we get to it?"
"Awwww, C'MON," Clap whined, "we just GOT here, and we haven't even had time to get in our bags yet! Siddy, tell him - do we gotta do the Siddy Six stuff NOW?"
"Sadly, yes we do, Clap. After all, being lazy while we sit around the penthouse is not our goal, contrary to dealing with Quartz... no matter how much it saddens me," Obsidian whined a bit as well. Unfortunately, no matter how grand this place was, her sense of duty was too strong.
Mica nodded, the directed them all to the living room, where they each sat down (except for Wart, who chose to stand). Once everyone was comfortable, he began.
"To start with, don't thank me for the hotel; it turns out that a well-placed visit and chat with Eloquence was all I needed to get access to his and his mother's suites here. They have them from her travels to and from her boutique in Manehattan."
"Clever you!" Cup laughed.
Nodding, he continued. "I've listened to a lot of passing talk, read through a number of papers, and asked around as I acted like a typical tourist. I discovered that our friend Quartz is currently the hottest thing since Twilight brought the sun too close. He's got a number of fashion lines out right now, and each one is selling like crazy - which is weird, because the colors are awful; polka dot capes, plaid business suits, and so forth. But they still sell."
"He's also been doing a lot of night time shipping, it seems; after hours, I saw him make his way into the small dressmaker's factory he has here... and a truck showed up, roughly an hour later. I couldn't figure out what they were shipping, but whatever it was, it was all handled by a single pony. I never saw anyone get out of or into the truck itself. He then leaves early, then shows up for regular work at about two o'clock - like he didn't work any overtime at all. And from general talk, he's been designing and creating fashions for three years, Obsidian; no telling what's been going on before you came into the picture."
Mica lifted an eyebrow. "But he's holding a soiree tonight, to introduce his latest fashion line. It's supposedly the talk of the town."
A new fashion line? Obsidian hoped it would look better than these other 'fashion lines' Mica was talking about. "I'd like to see these awful clothes - perhaps there is something 'fishy' about them," she mused aloud... but why he would risk using magic on clothing? "Is this the first time he's made such strange color choices? Or were his old designs any better?"
Factory. Regular lifestyle. Soiree. Well, well, well... they certainly had plenty of things to do tonight, it seemed.
Mica shrugged. "From what I've found, he's always colored them like that, maybe you could ask Tourmaline if he was like that before, as well. At any rate, with the soiree tonight, I did a lot of asking around, and decided that if we wanted to know more..."
He reached into his sadlebag and produced what appeared to be six silver-ribbon-bound scrolls. "... we'd have the best chance in the flesh."
Clap's jaw nearly hit the floor. "H-h-how did you-"
"Eloquence," he smirked, "owes me for lots of Buckball bets; he was happy to oblige, especially when he heard that Siddy AND Cup were going to be here together." He now looked Siddy dead in the eye, with that tiny grin in place. "He sent your outfits to my room; you're already ready for tonight, you and Cup."
Cupcake practically hit the ceiling. "I got nice clothes from Elo!? Oh WOW! We have GOT to thank him when we get back, love!"
"At this rate, we'll have surrender our hero titles to Eloquence - seems like he's helping us with practically everything," Obsidian noted, looking at the scrolls. Buckball bets (whatever those were) couldn't possibly be worth all of this cash and effort!
She then chuckled. "Without his help, we'd have FAR more issues with investigating my brother; I'm so very pleased at this development, and I must remember to thank him later."
Clothes... sometimes, in places like Ponyville, she could forget that ponies wore clothes. Of course, she had the things she'd bought during her shopping trip with Clap ages ago, but... really, it was some kind of miracle that Rarity had managed to profit from her boutique in what was essentially a nudist village.
Mica handed out a scroll to each of them... then awkwardly looked at the scroll that had been undoubtedly meant for Gypsy.
"Y'know, if Gypsy was here," Cup slowly smiled, "I bet he'd tell us the history of why they need these little silver scrolls for invitations."
Clap grinned. "Yeah... history lessons, right?" Though she looked as if she might not have minded one so much, at this moment in time.
Wart nodded. "Then, he would sniff out the nearest food trailer, and would politely ask to stop there, fully intent on getting a treat," she lightly grinned.
Mica nodded, quiet. "I miss him."
It was actually the first time so many of them had been together directly in a while... but, as Mica had been missing last time, now the weight of their doggo companion's responsibility began to weigh on them all.
Mica cleared his throat to gather their attention again. "Well, the sooner we get through this, the sooner we can all go home together, and we'll have a group gathering - just the six of us."
"Yeah," Clap's grin widened at the thought, "The Siddy Six!"
Wart looked to the Grey Princess. "Lady Siddy, I do not believe you ever approved of that name; shall I allow it to stand, or do you wish me to remove it from every paper I can locate?"
Obsidian hadn't had too much time to properly miss Gypsy, seeing as how she'd already had her own solo adventure with him. However, she could agree that it would've been nice to bring him along with the rest. Sadly, acting as Diamond's liaison was important, and they simply couldn't leave her brother with someone who didn't speak ancient Crystallian.
As for the 'Siddy Six' thing, she'd never actually thought about it; she'd been kind of surprised by this term at the beginning, but she never gave it a second thought. "Now that I think about it, it IS rather focused on me, isn't it? We are all equally important to this team, after all..."
Wart smartly nodded. "Yes, but we would never have been close, were it not for you."
Clap started to interject... then shrugged. "Y'know? I can't argue with that."
Mica looked to her. "It took some convincing on her part, to reach me, but... gotta admit, I'm not regretting it."
Cupcake's reply was a soft sweet kiss on Obsidian's horn, then a goofy grin to everyone else as he sighed lovingly at her.
Mica nodded. "So - the soiree is in ten hours from now; go ahead and get some sleep, clean up, or whatever it is you want to do - as long as you're bck here by 7 tonight. The party isn't until 9, but we'll have to get ready and get there."
Cup nodded with excitement. "It's a fashion par-taaaaaayyyyy!!!!!"
Mica sighed. "Cup, not that kind of party; it's for show, not for fun." Cupcake looked confused.
'The Siddy Six' was a simple name, but... it could be improved, right? With the amount of Pie children or relatives the team was sporting, they could be 'The Pie Gang'... or maybe 'The Next Gen Six'... in theory, she seemed to be the central point of the team, but Cup knew them all before she even appeared here... 'The Cup Six'?
"Any ideas, anyone?" Obsidian asked, "Are we going to do something together, or split up? I'd love to to visit a bookstore or two, but I didn't think about any further plans than meeting with my dear brother."
Clap looked at Mica. "Well, unlike you two, I don't gotta fancy outfit with me of THIS caliber! I'll have to hit the stores, and I'm draggin' YOU with me, Mikey..."
She smiled sweetly and evilly at Mica, who looked her right in the eye and didn't flinch. "Looking forward to it."
Clap laughed, bear hugged Mica, then - shyly and a bit awkwardly - tried to give Mica a kiss like Cup and Siddy gave each other. Though it looked utterly cringeworthy, Mica still smiled and seemed to enjoy it.
Wart, shaking her head at the display of affection, looked to Siddy. "And I shall accompany you, Lady Siddy, for the city is dark and full of threats; I remain your guardian and protector."
"I appreciate that, Stalwart - my faithful and trusted guardian and friend," Obsidian bowed her head respectfully, though she was wearing a smile after she lifted up again. "Okay, guys - let's have some fun! I mean, maybe it's not the normal way we do things, but... pleasure first, work second!"
Clap cheered, "Shopping spreeeeeee!!!!!" She then promptly zipped out of the penthouse doorway.
Mica, still standing there, simply gave his tiny grin, waved at them all, and in a flash of blue and blonde, Clap streaked back in and gathered her coltfriend, darting right back out the door, it slamming shut from her velocity alone.
Cup laughed and clapped his hooves together. "I think they're gonna be a really active couple... not to mention, I think Clap's gonna try to make it a competition, somehow. But... would it be fun?"
"I'd say they're already an active couple," Obsidian pointed out with a smirk. After all, they had the advantage over her and Cup; one side of their relationship didn't have to figure out how to live in the Modern World first. And they probably already knew about... uhhhh, a few other things. Yeah. Snugglebu-... yeah. THOSE things.
Wart suddenly paled, her eyes going wide... then, she slowly turned to face Obsidian and Cupcake. "It... has occurred to me... that I have... not... any sort of proper outfit for such an event. Oh... oh, goodness."
"Oh, it's fine, Wart - you could just wear your Royal Guard ar-..." Oh. Wart hadn't brought her armor; she'd only had her ratty saddlebags. And now that she thought about it, a fashion show was probably not the proper place for plate armor, Royal or not. Which meant...
"We'll have to find you something - that's all there is to it," Obsidian nodded firmly.
Wart still looked a bit crestfallen, but gave a slight nod and remained at attention as Cup strolled up next to her. "I'll bet we could ask Red Carpet at the door what bookstores exist here in the big city? Maybe she could send us to a spellbook store, even?"
Wart cleared her throat. "Lady Siddy... there is also the idea that we might try to at least venture past this factory, so that we might get a lay of the land before we arrive tonight," she suggested. "Though... this does not have to be our first stop."
"We could, yes..." Obsidian quirked a grin, "but an outfit for my dear friend Stalwart is far more important, methinks - we'll have to get this issue solved first." The little knight tried not to show it, but she couldn't help but grin at her best friend's making her a priority. She stood a bit taller, and focused more on looking firm rather than concerned.
"We could also check on my brother's designs, while we're at it; maybe there is smething magical to them?" Obsidian sighed deeply; apparently, work had caught up to her anyway - even here. "Then, we could possibly take a peek at this factory Mica mentioned... and eventually, we should get some rest, too. We're going to have a busy night, so we need to be awake, alert and well-rested."
Cup grinned and nodded. "Well then, what are we waiting for! Let's take Manehattan by storm!" He posed dramatically.
Wart gave a flat look. "Or, we might consider a bus."
"I'd say that depends - how far are the places we should visit?" Truth be told, Obsidian had no idea, herself. Cupcake, being apparently new to Manehattan, wouldn't have known about buses here, to be fair. Which didn't explain how Wart knew... unless she'd travelled a lot.
Cup shrugged. "I have no idea," he intoned, a bit disheartened to relize they didn't have a clue between them.
Wart, however, smiled broadly. "Then I suppose it is fortuitous that I made a round of the lobby, and gathered some of these..."
She brought some tourist brochures from her saddlebag, spreading them on the table in the living room. There was one for the House Of Wax, one for the Statue of Friendship, and one for the Trotsonian Museum of Modern History; all three had maps of Manehattan inside them, though the one for the museum had street names as well.
"Warty!" Cup gave her a quick hug. "You are a bonafide genius!"
Wart smiled, but simply said, "I am merely glad to be of service, of course."
Statue of Friendship... Wax... wait, wax?... oooh, there was a Museum! Granted, at the moment, Obsidian was mostly concerned about procuring an outfit for Wart...
Thus, she immediately grabbed the brochure for Trotsonian Museum, studying it with the hope that there might be at least ONE single clothing shop around it. For Wart.
She was pleased to find that there were actually quite a few shops along the way - one even supposedly sponsoring the museum itself. There was a section that was labeled 'Fashion Square' which sounded promising, and it was right next to the area where her brother's clothing factory was located. This was turning out to be a cinch.
Wart and Cup both took one of the other brochures, each putting them away in a suddlebag for later perusal. "I think we should take the bus anyway; I don't think Siddy's ever been on one before!"
"I haven't; what are buses?" Obsidian inquired with a tilt of her head.
Wart began to speak, but Cup covered her mouth. "No - you should see for yourself," he grinned.
They gathered their things and made their way downstairs. After a brief chat with Red Carpet, they were directed to the Number 72 bus stop, which would take them on a route that would hit all three of the places they had maps for, plus a number of others in bewteen. Wart didn't look very pleased to be stuck riding on Cup's back for much of the trip, but she at least didn't complain about it; she was a bit busy looking around at the sights of the big city.
When they reached the stop Carpet had indicated, there were a number of ponies there, all waiting for something.
Cup smiled at her. "Y'know, it sure would be great if we only had a means of getting from place to place, without having to worry about stuff like where to park!"
Wart rolled her eyes, then looked at Siddy. "He is being a doofus, Lady Siddy; a bus is like a carriage, but it's made to carry multiple passengers at once."
"There's one!" Cup exclaimed. Whoa. The thing was long, shiny and steel. It has wheels that were neatly placed at the four corners it seemed, at it rolled smoothly to a stop in front of them, where the other ponies began to board.
Ah, so a bus was merely... oh. Well, then. Obsidian had already seen trains; compared to those monstrosities, this 'bus' was hardly impressive. "Do we require tickets, perhaps?"
Cup shook his head. "Just two bits; you'll see."
The bus was a bit crowded, but still had a few seats open. Cup dropped two bits into the metal box up front, then four more for Siddy and Wart before he got onboard proper. The bus driver was a pale orange stallion who looked completely and utterly bored.
There were only a few seats available, but Cupcake made sure to offer one to his sweetheart before he sat down. Wart seemed determined to stand on her own hooves, which left her standing next to a large, sweaty stallion who smelled like cheese - and her face was on the same level as his rear end.
Wart didn't seem to care for buses very much.
When the entire bus lurched off the corner, Obsidian felt others lean against her in the seat; this bus ride was going to be uncomfortably close. Siddy noted that it was most likely that Wart's size properly explained why she didn't seem to enjoy riding buses. If anything, she felt a bit sorry for her... and when she was feeling sorry for someone, then the entire world could burn.
"Pssst, Wart - would you prefer to sit down?" she asked in a hushed voice.
Wart looked up at her and nodded, trying to lean away from the cheesy stallion's buttocks.
Siddy did the most logical and friendly thing she could come up with - she offered her own seat to Wart. After all, she could stand with the others like an average pone; Wart seemed to be in dire danger of being cheesed on. She stood up as the bus rumbled along, and there was a warm, stuffy ball of air she drifted into that was hard to breathe... but not impossible. Plus, it didn't seem like anyone was opening a window anytime soon, so it would be a moment before any sort of comfort was available.
To be fair, Obsidian was starting to dislike buses as well.
Wart gave her a momentary glance that told Siddy the little mare was glad to have chosen her as her best friend, and actually gave a smile as she clambered up onto the seat... then moved over. "Lady Siddy, I do not take up much room; if you do not mind our flanks pressed together, I would glady move aside for you?"
Cupcake grinned, leaned over and spoke softly. "You can, uh... sit on my lap, if you like?"
Obsidian didn't see anything strange about pressing flanks together on a seat; she'd already gotten used to being touched. Though not too long a time ago, she would rather have committed murder than allow anypony to hug her. She chose Wart's option - it sounded more comfortable than sitting in Cup's lap, anyway - for both of them.
Wart skcooched over as far as she could go, and it actually wasn't too uncomfortable. The little mare wiggled herself into the seat, and gave Siddy a pert nod once she was settled.
Now that the seating wasn't such a big deal, there was some free time to look out of the windows... and oh, what a sight!
They were passing by even bigger buildings than she'd first seen! How big did Manehattan get!? But even with all the hustle and bustle, there was something majestic about the tall skyscrapers, towering over the citizens and providing them with places to live, to work and to keep things. It wasn't something she would want for the Crystal Empire, but...
Just the sight of the massive buildings alone made the trip interesting; there was no telling what else might happen.
The bus rolled along, making stops every now and again, until they reached a district with what looked like a hundred different shops - all along the main road, so they wouldn't have to go far to get back to the bus.
If they wanted to get back on the bus.
As far as Obsidian was concerned, they were going to the museum (and the shops placed next to it), and she could only hope that Cup knew when they were going to leave. The bus seemed to be fairly fast, all things concerned, and while it was obviously a fine transport for those who couldn't afford their own carriages, it had some advantages.
But by Darkness, how terribly big WAS this city? It was more akin to a hive than to any sort of cities Obsidian knew of. Who let this place grow so large, and where did they get all the citizens to fill it with?
The bus groaned onward to a number of stops in between, then they went through a momentary stall when an elderly mare wanted to argue with the driver about the price of getting onboard for a good ten minutes, before the driver simply alowed her on... and as her first action aboard the vehicle, she nearly sat on Wart.
Once they were moving again, it wasn't too long before they reached the museum district; there were a number of different kinds of ponies here, as well as two or three griffons, a dragon and a diamond dog walking together, and what looked like at least twenty colts and fillies being led by an obvious teacher-type.
All of this outside of a block of buildings that all were museums of some fashion or other. There was one or Natural History, one for Equestrian Heroes, and one for Magic. The middle museum, bordered by the other three, was the one with the more seasonal displays... and this season, according to the banners gracing the archway, was 'A Look At The Crystal Empire'. From the number of others going in and out of it, the exhibit was apparently a popular one.
A somewhat worrisome amount of mental hunger appeared in Obsidian's eyes. So much knowledge...
"I want it all," the husky, almost sensual whisper crawled out of her throat unbidden.
The act of piling off the bus was comical, at best; a number of others were headed here too, and for a moment she thought they might all just be forever stuck in the doorway, forced to sit here within this metal shell for all eternity. But eventually, they managed to disembark (though they did have to go back in for Wart), and when the bus roared away, Cup watched it for a moment, then promptly sighed.
"Yeah, so... taxis from now on." Wart seemed to emphatically agree.
The museums were right there in front of her, just within hooves' reach! "Let's see the Magic exhibit; work first, pleasure second," Obsidian proposed, still displaying that greedy look on her muzzle. Of course, in her case, museums of magic were both about the job and about the pleasure - and about her hobby, and her history, and... well, everything!
The Museum of Magic had a grand entrance hall that was quite large - which was a good thing, because the floating display was impressive; it was a number of bricks, logs, wire and a few other sundry items, all suspended in midair by magic alone - no gimmicks here. This was the real thing - and she could feel it in her horn, which meant it wasn't just real, but potent.
The magical display above their heads even had a full-sized anvil, a grand piano and what looked like some sort of engine, all hovering overhead along with cups, clipboards and a shopping cart... but none of them were going anywhere, anytime soon.
At the front kiosk was a stand for brochures, a line for the tour and a number of benches and seats for public use.
Well, this museum was only one step away from a disaster, it seemed. She was a bit curious about how they managed to put so many objects in the air like that; while telekinesis was hardly rare (not with so many unicorns around), even that one, little detail was making her exceedingly curious.
"This is gonna be a fun museum, right?" Cup asked brightly.
"Hopefully, Cup." Obsidian grinned, which faded a bit as she grew a worried look. "Er... have you ever visited a museum before? It's my first time in one, I'm afraid..."
Cup shook his head. "Nuh-uh... I was hoping you had some experience..."
Wart stepped forward, grinning. "Lady Siddy, Cup... I have expeience within a museum, and it would be an honor to lead the two of you."
Obsidian nodded as she walked to the kiosk for a brochure. They were miniature maps, and had all the sections laid out in them, neat and organized for their perusal. There were a total of five sections: ancient, modern, unicorns, spellcraft and legendary.
Ancient! Modern! Unicorns! Spellcraft! LEGENDARY! Obsidian wasn't joking when she said she wanted it all - she was going to learn as much as she possibly could about magic here, even if it would take them all day lo-
"Considering the current enthusiasm I'm feeling for this museusm, I think we should get Wart a suit for the party first - otherwise, we'd risk running out of time... and it's the most important task on our list at the moment." The realization might have been a bit of a party pooper, but Siddy was determined that her little friend would be properly attired before they did any serious looking around.
Cup looked a bit deflated. "Awwww... we gotta shop for clothes?"
Wart fidgeted a bit. "Lady Siddy, i-is it truly imp-"
"Wart," Cup began, giving her a look, "you're important, for cryin' out loud - we want you to look good too! Don't you sit there and think you're not worth it!"
The little mare did her best to hide her grin. "Well, I... suppose it is, then."
"It is important that we do this necessary shopping. Though we are surely at a loss due to Thunderclap's absence, I'm certain we shall do our best not to purchase a social blunder of an outfit," Obsidian sighed.
The shops that Red Carpet had told them about were right where she said they'd be; there were a number of clothing shops, all seeming to cater to a number of wealthy individuals, judging by the prices she could see. There were shops that looked extravagant, shops that seemed to cater to certain races, shops that sold conservative clothing and shops that had display windows filled with the equivalent of cloth garbage, in Siddy's opinion.
The shop at the end of the row had a sign that caught Obsidian's attention, however: The Warrior Princess. There was even a carving of a mare in armor with a sword on the sign.
"What about that one?" she pointed with a hoof. "Does it look like a good place to start?"
Wart looked at the sign... then gave a small smirk as she nodded. "Yes - I do believe the name of the shop does appeal to me."
Cup laughed. "Wart, you're our Warrior Princess, and you always will be." Cup grinned as he gave her a pat on the back, making the little mare smile more fully.
Making their way to the shop, Obsidian could smell the tang of forgefires from within; maybe this was an armory instead? If so, maybe they could find a suitable suit of spiffy armor to put her in?
Upon first walking in the door, she saw that the place had a number of suits of armor, yes... but there were also racks of clothing as well, each rack seeming to be arranged by color and size. The walls were lined with many different weapons and shields, all looking old and worn - but not a one with a price tag on it. The ceiling was covered in canvas strips, which gave the shop the same feel as a trading caravan tent, and it smelled faintly of old steel and fresh oil.
Behind the counter was a grey and blue earth pony stallion wearing an eyepatch, who was apparently reading a rather aged book. He didn't look up at them at all as he spoke up. "Got questions, ask 'em. No haggling. Ask if you don't see what you want."
Obsidian saw plenty of things, yet nothing that she could really understand, fashion-wise. Preparing for a battle - she understood that. Preparing for a fancy fashion gala? She was a proverbial fish out of water, in just about every possible way.
"Do you see anything that appeals to you, Wart?" she asked softly, hoping at least the little mare knew what was and wasn't acceptable at such a soiree.
Wart shrugged non-comittedly and started to look through the racks, while Cup sidled up next to her. "You wanna look around for anything here? I mean, it may be a store tailor made for Wart, but that wouldn't mean you couldn't find anything here worthwhile, too - right?"
A number of outfits here all seemed to be battle-ready, or at least tailored not to get in the way. The fabrics looked sturdy, and the colors were mostly muted earth tones; easy to maintain, difficult to wear out quickly. Whomever had put this place together had done a fine job, indeed.
"It could be useful to have something both fashionable and able to withstand a dagger in the back," Obsidian mused as she agreed with Cup... and with that, she went between the racks herself. Normally the easiest way would be putting a hauberk below her dress - though to be fair, normally she wouldn't be inclined to wear any sort of fancy dress, anyway.
Obsidian spent a few good minutes searching the racks for something that would wear well on her. Something that would accent and highlight her best traits, and appeal to her own sensibilities...
And there it was.
It was simply hanging on the rack, from a commonplace hanger, left to its' own devices among the other outfits there. It was long and sliky, and seemed to shimmer in the light as she looked at it, as if it had some sort of shiny inlay. It was a cape - a blood red cape.
"Hey, I thought they discontinued this style of jerkin - and they have it here? I'll have to let Momma know about this place... she could certainly use somewhere like this for her costumes!" Cup spoke up from the other end of the store.
Wart was nowhere to be seen, but she could hear someone searching the racks, and she hadn't seen anyone but the worker at the desk.
Obsidian approached the cape as if it could bite her. However, despite her pronounced lack of warm feelings towards her father, she still considered at least some things related to him as more or less interesting. His style was among them.
As soon as she was sure the cape wouldn't try to kill her, she looked for the price tag. "Cup, do you think I'd look good in this?"
Cupcake grinned. "I think you'd look good in honey with little bits of donut stuck to you - I'm kinda biased, Siddy. But, for what it's worth, it looks really pretty." He glanced it over, then nodded to himself. "Fancy. Smooth. And quite an eyeful... just like you, love."
The price tag wasn't too horrible,and it looked to be her size as well. What were the odds?
"That's a Feldspar original," the stallion behind the counter said, "but if you pay for it, you can say it's by Princess Twilight herself, if you want."
The name didn't tell her anything - as long as it wasn't Rarity's or Quartz's, she simply wouldn't know any prominent names in the fashion world. The only thing she cared about was that it would look so perfect on her. Hopefully she wouldn't start muttering 'cryssssstals' under her breath afterwards.
"Too bad we didn't check Elo's outfits before we left - then I'd know if it would clash or not," she said, looking the cape over appreciatively.
The stallion behind the counter looked up. "Elo? As in Eloquence, Rarity's colt?" The eye-patched stallion stood up now, giving Obsidian a wary, unfathomable look. "THAT Elo?"
Cup looked as though he was a bit surprised by the reaction, while Wart subtly took a defensive stance, ready to spring at a single word's notice.
Well, the world was a small place, it seemed. "Yes," she replied simply.
The stallion's muzzle lightened, and he gave a chuckle. "You must be from P-Ville, then? Well, any friend of that fashionisto is a friend of mine - I owe his mother for helping me out of a financial nightmare; it'd be peanuts to help out one of his friends." Now his expression eased up, and he looked as though he was more like an elderly uncle than a sour old stallion. "You need anything?"
"Yes!" Came Wart's voice from the back of the shop, "I require assistance!"
The stallion lifted an eye brow, yet rose to go back to meet with Wart.
Friendship is indeed magic. And thus, they were standing on the shoulders of the giants of the past, reaping the fruits of their hard labour, simply by the act of being their companions... amazing.
"Let's see what Stalwart needs," Obsidian said to Cup and immediately followed the other stallion towards the rear of the shop.
When the three rached the back, Wart was standing on top of a group of boxes, stacked together to almost reach the topmost shelf.
When they arrived, she pointed to the highest display shelf. "Sir! I wish to examine the article of silver, on the topmost shelf, near the back, please?"
The stallion looked at the shelf, then back at Wart. "The... article of silver?... is on THAT shelf?"
Wart nodded, and the stallion sighed and fetched a ladder. Once he did, he shimmied up it, only to pause at the top for a bit before looking back down at them all.
"How in the wide, wide world of Equestria did you see THIS all the way from where you were? Well, I'll give you this much; you have excellent taste; this is a Soapstone classic - and Soap's been deceased for almost two hundred years. I wonder if anyone else'll notice whom you're wearing..."
He clambered back down, holding a silvery piece of material in one hoof. "If you're wanting this outfit, it'll have to be tailored to fit you, miss."
"Every outfit I own requires special measurements," Wart stated, "and so this is nothing that I will lament over."
Well, it wasn't an emergency that would require their assistance. Still, how in Tartarus DID Stalwart see this cloth?
Perhaps she built the tower of boxes first, and only then she had seen it?
"Wart, do you need help with getting back down?" The teetering stack certainly didn't look too stable.
Wart then leapt up into the air, turning a somersault before she landed deftly on her hooves. "Though I appreciate the sentiment, Lady Siddy," she grinned as she began to unstack the pile, "I am well within my capabilities."
Cup grinned. "Never lacking, are you Warty?"
She now put on a full smile. "As long as you are never boring, Cupcake."
The eyepatched stallion took the silver cloth to the back, and Cup and Wart then turned to Siddy. "That cape would put a regal touch to any wardrobe, and it would certainly do you justice, Lady Siddy."
"A 'regal touch', you say?" Obsidian grinned. "That's exactly what I was thinking about." She looked over the cape; it would certainly garner her some attention, she was sure of it. "It... brings back some memories."
Cupcake reached out and felt the material with a hoof. "Oooooh! It's so silky..." He then pressed a part of it to his muzzle, and rubbed it across his cheek as he smiled. "Oh, this is nice fabric! It feels almost like water on my fur - but I'm not wet!"
"Then that settles it - I'll buy it. If I want to get my brother's attention, having a similar appearance to our creator will surely do the trick. Besides, it'll be easy to hide something under it... just in case."
Cupcake smiled. "You could probably wear that at home, too... y'know, if we... well, snuggle, I'm sure that cape would make a wonderful blanket!"
"Cup," Wart said kindly, "that might ruin the cape." Cupcake looked at the cape again, and his ears fell a bit.
"But..." She continued, "however, I am certain that type of material should not be too difficult to find, should you wish to have a blanket made from similar material."
Cup seemed to consider this for a bit. "... maybe we could get a set of sheets made from it?"
From the back, they all heard the stallion clear his throat. "Little Miss? I'll need you back here for a quick measurement!"
Wart nodded. "Should I not return by tomorrow, then be sure to make my memorial statue tall," she said with a jovial grin before heading for the back.
Cup watched her go, then smiled. "You know, Siddy - I don't ever think I've seen Stalwart smile so much, since she met you. I mean, I smile all the time, yeah... but that mare needs to smile more. Thanks for making her happy..." He leaned in. "Thanks also for making ME happy, but I can thank you in a more cuddly manner later, my princess." He gave her cheek a light kiss.
"Not too cuddly, though - while Clap can go to Mica's room, Stalwart will be staying in the same place as we do, remember," she reminded him, yet she also giggled slightly at the cheek of the suggestion.
She had to agree with Cup, though; Clap and Mica were still pretty much the same ponies they were when she'd met them. Cup was mostly the same as well, and Gypsy... well, it did seem as if he was in far better shape than when she'd met him for the first time, that's for sure - he'd needed friends too, it seemed.
But Wart? She had changed the most (well, not counting Obsidian herself - change from 'evil tyrant's spawn' to 'hero of Equestria' was considerable, after all), and it was a moment of personal pride when Siddy thought about how much good her presence had done for her little friend.
"So, do you think Gypsy could make the memorial statue?" Siddy grinned wryly. "I'm sure it would break some world record for origami making."
Cup laughed at the thought. "He'd have to use, like, a year's worth of newspapers! But I still think he'd try, though - and I bet it'd look just like her, too."
There was a sudden gasp from the back, followed by a low chuckle. "I take it that's an approval?" the stallion's voice spoke.
"... it's... beautiful..."
"Soapstone never made anything that was less than incredible - I'm surprised you found it; I thought for sure I'd sold all my Soap works already... guess it was meant to be yours."
"I..." the stoic Wart sounded as if she were mystified, "... I look like a Royal..."
Cup looked at Siddy. "Oh, now I wanna see it!"
"Little Miss? You do realize you'll still have to pay for the outfit?"
"Oh, yes of course, I would nev-"
It suddenly went deathly quiet.
"... it is a Soapstone original..."
More silence.
"... worth every bit."
Still, silence held tightly.
"One-of-a-kind, I promise you that."
Now, there was a single sound; a forlorn sigh. "... I... appreciate... your efforts, good sir. I shall... search elsewhere."
"We can do payments, if you-"
"I... no, that will be unecessary. Thank you..."
Wart came out from the back... and she looked crushed. "We shall have to continue our search at another establishment, Lady Siddy; this store, though filled with wondrous outfits, is a bit too... regal... for my own status. I should have an outfit closer to my own station, and should not presume to disguise my true standing."
She sounded the same as usual... but after knowing Wart for a bit now, Obsidian could tell the little mare was fighting herself to remain proud. Even if she couldn't afford to dress nobly.
One would think that Twilight would pay enough to her guards to afford some luxury from time to time, especially when they were heroes of Equestria as well. Obsidian wasn't going to simply let this stand. "How much do you need, Stalwart?" she asked outright.
Wart shook her head vehemently. "I cannot... not for THAT amount."
Cup quirked his eyebrows at her. "Wart... how much IS the silly thing? It can't be as bad as you're making it out to be..."
"Ahem," Eyepatch cleared his throat loudly, and pointed a hoof at the pile of silver material he'd placed on the counter.
Cup strolled over and took up the tag, looking it over. "It's not we can't afford to heAH-HOO-WHOA..."
Cup dropped the tag like it was red, scalding hot. "Uhhh..." he looked at Wart, a stunned expression on his muzzle, "y-yeah... there's other shops we can look at, s-sure." He was sweating... how bad WAS it?
Obsidian didn't know too much about finances - only enough to know that she had to pay for things. She was simply not aware of what the value of many things were - from time to time, she had a feeling that some things were too cheap or too expensive. Well, it was time to check for herself. She trotted to the counter and lifted the price tag to take a peek.
There were FIVE digits... and the first one was not a one.
Obsidian blinked. Her generosity and paycheck weren't going that far. "By Darkness."
The stallion behind the counter now leaned on it, holding himself forward as he began to speak. "Flowerpot Soapstone was always considered a bit of a dim bulb in his community, but he turned out to be extremely gifted with needle and cloth; when he began, he was making hankerchiefs and doilies... but by the time he passed away at the age of 88 summers, he had become a legend among tailors."
He eyeballed the outfit himself, again. "You know... when I first started here, Rarity's shop sold more product weekly than I'd even handle in a year. I didn't think I'd be able to survive, let alone compete. Do you know what she did?"
"Did she play Buckball until someone won?" Cup asked.
Only slightly derailed, Eyepatch continued. "Y-yeah, well... what she did do was hold her next fashion line for six whole months, just to give my store a chance to catch up and make our own name."
He looked down at Wart. "And you look like you're in the same boat, Little Miss. Trying to stand out in a world that just won't meet your goals as evenly as you do." He put a hoof to his chin. "We could work out a deal?"
"What manner of deal?" Wart asked suspiciously, leading Eyepatch to laugh.
"No worries - all above-board, so to speak. If you'd be willing to advertise my business to everyone and anyone who approaches you about that dress, then... perhaps I can work with you. I'll call it 'revenue generation', and might even be able to wrte off such a thing on my taxes!"
Wart looked as though hope were beginning to spring forth in her again. "Does... does this mean..?"
Eyepatch smiled. "It means you'll be the talk of the town after all, Little Miss. As long as you promote my shop, then I'll call myself even with Rarity or her kind gesture; no telling HOW much loss she suffered for holding back for me."
Obsidian didn't quite get it; holding fashion line production, taking an outfit worth so much and simply giving it away... it was all kind of surreal. As long as it worked in their favour though, Obsidian wasn't going to complain.
Wart stared at Eyepatch. "But... but it's so expensive..."
He chuckled. "If you saw it from all the way down there, young Miss, it was made for you. Soapstone himself would bless you and give it to you - as he never charged a single bit for any one of his works."
Cup looked at Siddy. "Wow... and I thought I was flighty!"
Eyepatch laughed at that. "He traded them to others for kindnesses; a meal here, an entertaining story there, a place to sleep, and so on. He was a big proponent of kind acts, which is part of the reason a Soapstone original is so expensive - they were made out of love, not out of profit, and many believe that's what makes them stand out so much."
Wart's smile was a thing of beauty, and she actually gave Eyepatch a salute. "I shall see to it that not a single soul will wonder where this incredible outfit came from. They shall be speaking your shoppe's name for years to come!"
He grinned. "I hope so - you make a perfect billboard, so to speak, as it's difficult NOT to notice you in that dress." Wart blushed brightly.
Eyepatch then looked over at Obsidian. "But the cape? That's my work - and I'm under no impressions of being the next big legend. 75 bits, and it's yours."
"So... you are Feldspar?" Obsidian asked with a raised eyebrow.
He chuckled. "Thrasher Feldspar, at your service, madam - how very astute of you."
Cup looked at him. "You don't look like a tailor; you look more like a retired Royal Guardpony to me."
Thrasher grinned. "That would be because I am a former memeber of Equestria's elite."
Wart was instantly at the counter again, her little head just barely peeking over it. "YOU were in the Royal Guard? Then I salute you, for I am also in their ranks!"
The gruff old stallion grinned. "I had a feeling..."
Cupcake looked to Obsidian. "Okay - Wart's outfit is taken care of, I guess... so, now what?"
Thrasher leaned back in his seat. "If you're interested, I do custom orders as well - clothing AND armor, if you feel the need for some plate mail."
Cupcake grinned. "She's always in the mood for plate mail!"
"And to answer your question, Cup - I'll buy this cape and then we can head directly back to the museum," she replied briefly. Still, it shook her a bit; this little slip of silver for Wart cost more than she'd probably ever be able to afford... even if she worked for her entire lifetime.
She was beginning to wonder if she could petition to get Eloquence sainted.
Bits were exchanged, and two packages were in Siddy's saddlebags as they left The Warrior Princess; Wart's dress and Siddy's new cape. Something inside the mare was bugging her to wear it right now, but without a proper outfit to go with it, she'd look ridiculous. Feldspar wished them well as they left, giving Wart a smirking wink as they departed.
The museum was right there in front of them, almost daring them to enter its' hallowed halls...
However, once outside again, Obsidian couldn't shake the slightly unsettling feeling she had; she could swear on her life that, for whatever reason, they were all being watched...
Cupcake simply skipped merrily along, greeting the stall vendors and sidewalk folks equally. Wart, however, got a curious look on her muzzle, and began to glance around casually... though nothing about Stalwart could be considered 'casual'.
Was there somepony else there? The question itself was silly - they were surrounded by literally hundreds of other ponies! No matter where she turned, there would be another unknown muzzle, staring back ay her. Yet she still had this nagging feeling that they were being watched. By Quartz's minions? Another side of the conflict?
Whoever this pony was, they didn't have a very hard task; it's not as if they were hiding, after all. "Let's check the ancient magic, okay? And, er... Wart..." she lowered her voice. "Do you feel that we are being followed?"
Wart's expression remained cool and casual as she replied, "Oh, without a doubt, Lady Siddy... and I am pleased to hear you feel it as well."
"Feel what?" Cup asked.
Wart simply shook her head softly. "Someone or someones are watching us, Cupcake."
He looked around - quite blatantly - and then looked back to them and shrugged. "There's a LOT of ponies here; there's probably at least twenty folks watching her, right now!"
Wart simply sighed. "Onward to ancient magics, Cup." The stallion grinned and skipped ahead, while Stalwart leaned in towards Siddy to whisper to her. "He's not dull, by any means, yet... sometimes, you just have to wonder at his naivete," she said.
"Oh, he is not dull at all - he's exceedingly bright, but he's not exactly a light bulb, so to speak; he's more like a lighthouse, not shining in every direction, but focused where it's needed most."
Obsidian sighed a bit. Still, it worked out in her favour - Cup was good at giving her a different perspective from her own. That, and she loved him... no matter how clever he was at the time.
"Anyway," Obsidian grinned, "onto the magic! I also hope we manage to make it to the Crystal Empire display, as well - I'm curious to see what it holds."
With that, the three friends made their way towards the museum's doors.