He looked almost exactly like the drawing Diamond had made of him; he even had the same monocle! However, the drawing had been in simple charcoal, and hadn't prepared her for... for...
The suit he wore was an exquisitely crafted, double-breasted number with smooth seams, excellent cut and second-to-none design. It was a stunning masterpiece of the loom, an artwork worthy of hanging in any international gallery. It was also neon purple, with tangerine trim and a baby blue lining. With mint green stripes. And sequins that lined his lapels.
The tailoring outshined even Eloquence's work... but the colors made it resemble a garden of vomit.
Of course, there was a simple explanation for these colors - perhaps Quartz was colorblind? Or maybe it was just a fashion issue, as if the unruly clashing of colors was done especially to attract attention or... or...
By Darkness! Obsidian had hoped that their meeting would happen within the circumstances she chose, instead of being forced into a family reunion in a room smelling like carrot cake! It did smell delicious, though, Cup was right about that. Maybe they should ask Pound and Pumpkin to cater their wedding...
"Yes, you are correct, dear brother; I'm pleased to finally meet you in the horseflesh. Princess Celestia spoke quite highly of you." She bowed her head politely, even though she was still a bit wary. Hopefully they could avoid a battle... especially as it would be a shame to sully or damage her outfit.
Quartz smiled, and the effect was like watching the sun rise with your heart; the room seemed to light up at this simple gesture... and he returned her bow. "And I am also exquisitely charmed to finally lay eyes on my 'secret sister', after all this time and all these long years... and to be honest, I'm absolutely flattered that you would find my little get-together to be important enough to wear an Eloquence Original to it; I thank you most kindly for the compliment, intended or otherwise."
He then focused his attention on Cupcake. "And I believe that this handsome fellow would be the much-lauded Cupcake Sprinkles, am I correct? Of Pie fame, and a known contributor to the, eh, Siddy Six, was it? A pleasure to meet you as well, good sir." And he bowed to Cup.
Cupcake, not exactly sure what to do, gave a slight bow in return. "Um... yes. Hi."
Quartz smiled and looked at Obsidian again. "Strange; he was never purported to be a stallion of few words - or is this an exaggeration? I mean, they have to sell papers, I get that, but..." He was smirking just a bit.
Could it be that Obsidian might actually be having a meeting with a sibling... that WOULDN'T be violent or tearful? The fact that they weren't already trying to kill each other meant that this meeting was far, far better than her first encounter with Tourmy... or Amy, for that matter.
"Oh, he's just impressed, methinks - we didn't expect to just bump into you accidentially, dear brother of mine. You look precisely like Diamond pictured you, though... so I feel actually a bit embarrassed we didn't recognize you a moment sooner." She relaxed a bit. It... it wasn't going badly - at least, not yet. And if it did, they shouldn't have too many issues with finding something sharp around a kitchen.
The stallion's eyebrows lifted. "Diamond? Shades of night, you've found his drawings? I thought Onyx had burned that; if it's the one I recall, I do remember him doing quite an excellent rendition of me... of course, practically all renditions of me are a slice of perfection!"
He gave a light laugh that seemed to bring a carefree feeling with it. "And don't feel disheartened by not recognizing me sooner - often, I try to oversee as much as I can during a bash like this. Leaving it in the hooves of others can, er, complicate things, so I simply forego that and see to it myself. Granted, a bit more work, but... well, quality matters to me."
He seemed quite genuine, and the smile he held seemed as if it were for no one else but the gathered few here. "So, since 'hanging out' in the kitchen isn't exactly seen as classy, shall we go to my private balcony to chat? Get to know each other, as it were? After all, I have so many, many questions for you... if you don't mind my picking your brain, that is?"
"As long as that won't be literal; that would be more Amethyst's taste, of course," Obsidian mused. "Let's go, then."
Damnation, she should really find a way to make more bracelets like the ones she had with Flurry! It would have been pretty handy to just contact Stalwart and tell her that they'd met Quartz already, and he didn't seem to be dangerous.
Cup looked back and forth between them, then shrugged and fell into step next to Obsidian, as the three of them walked out through the service tunnel, and back into the party through the same door they'd come in from.
"Yes, Amethyst!" Quartz laughed, "The eternally angry sibling. Honestly, you would think that after such a LONG nap, the mare would be a bit calmer by now. Still, such as she is, she's also among the better fighters in our dysfunctional little family; I'm actually glad she was given a chance... the poor thing would look terrible in granite!"
Better? Then Amy wasn't the best? A concerning idea, that was for sure. However, with each passing moment, she was warming up to Quartz. He seemed to be well-liked, quite charming, and his private area was safe from surprise attacks... well, not attacking him at first sight was apparently a good idea.
Chuckling, he led them through throngs of ponies who seemed to all want to speak with Quartz, yet he gave a few wrods to each, and sent them away pleased. Not a one of them was upset after having heard from him. Was this some form of magic?
Near the far end, they came to a set of velvet ropes, and a suited (yet rather intimidating) griffon stood guard. His face was dour, but lit up when he laid eyes on Quartz. "Sir - enjoying the party?" he spoke kindly.
"Yes, Gordon; everything's under control, and you've got the cushiest job in the whole place." Quartz then gave a concerned look. "You haven't been standing the entire time, have you?"
Gordon laughed. "No sir - got my stool off to the side for now. But much appreciated, Mr. Quartz; thanks for thinking of me."
"But of course! If you're less tired on your feet, you'll be better prepared in case there IS an emergency... common sense, is all." Quartz lifted a hoof for emphasis. "Plus, it never hurts to make sure one's staff are doing well. The mark of a good leader is the condition of those under his banner, after all!"
The griffon moved the velvet rope, and the three of them, 'ladies first', headed upstairs to a more subdued and private area, though still within full view of the stage and open to the public. Which meant no 'hidden attacks while away from public'; signs kept getting better and better...
He offered them a chair, then sat down himself. "Now, welcome to my little soiree, my dear sister."
"Thank you, my brother," Obsidian returned kindly. "Now, I assume you are up-to-date with the recent events in Ponyville, yes?"
He chuckled warmly. "Not that it could be helped; word of your victory has spread throughout the entire continent - and even beyond, truthfully! For about two weeks, The Siddy Six were the talk of the town; I'm surprised you haven't encountered any fans or paparazzi yet!"
"Uhhh... we kinda did," Cup spoke up, "but it wasn't, um... a nice experience, let's say."
Quartz looked stunned. "Really!? How absolutely appalling! I'd have thought for certain that you lot would be treated with the utmost respect! Well, on behalf of Manehattan, I apologize profusely for the actions of my fellow Applecorians."
He gave a low bow, then straightened up and sighed. "A shame, by the way... about poor Onyx; she was harsh, but... I do not believe she deserved THAT, honestly speaking. Still give me shudders, just thinking about it." And as if conjured, Quartz shuddered in his loud suit.
While Obsidian could have reassured him that Onyx was already feeling better... she decided to keep her mouth shut about it, at least for now. While Quartz was quite likable, he was still Sombra's son and Onyx's brother; nopony with a family like that could be completely trusted.
"We also lost Ruby, sadly," she said with a soft, pained voice.
He looked up at her swiftly. "Ruby..?" He sat back in his chair and rasied a hoof to his forehead. "No... no, not..."
Tears began to flow down his cheeks, his visage one of a quiet, sad dignity. "Poor Ruby - such a bright spot among the lot of us, she was so kind, even when we didn't deserve it. Granted, Diamond was the kindest of us all, but Ruby had been our heart. Well... I always saw her as such... oh, poor, poor Ruby..."
Cup now leaned forward and placed a hoof on Quartz's shoulder. "Yeah, it... it was hard on a few of us..." He then looked at Siddy curiously; he also knew about the siblings in her head, but he was following her lead and keeping quiet about it, bless him.
Granted, he could be faking his behaviour - she had no idea why he would, but it was a possibility, right? Though his tears did look quite authentic... and it was rather hard to start crying on the spot.
"On another hoof - we found brother Diamond, he seems to like modern Equestria quite a lot", she added to try to cheer him up. Fascinating - he didn't know about Ruby's fate? Perhaps he didn't know too much about Onyx's team; otherwise, he would surely have noticed that somepony wasn't walking around Ponyville anymore, doing friendship stuff...
Quartz sniffled a bit, then removed a garishly bright yellow hankerchief with brown trim from his pocket - it looked like a flat banana - and dabbed at his eyes daintily with it.
"Ohh... oh, my... wait, you.. you say you've found Diamond? A-and he's out of his shard form? How could-..." He stopped, dabbed at his eyes once more and put the gaudy hankerchief away. "... of course; I'll bet 'twas your magic that freed him, eh? As according to Perry himself, only an alicorn or a shard-born can release another shard, so it would make perfect sense."
He shook his head slowly. "By Darkness, there's so much more that I don't even know about, isn't there? And here I've been, for the past three years, making a name for myself among the scrapers of the sky, a busy little flower amongst a garden of redwoods..."
With those colors, he was most certainly the most noticeable flower, that much was clear.
"But still, it sounds as if my life has been a picnic in the glade, compared to what you have had to deal with, dear sister! Please, might you kindly regale me with what you've been up to since helping to make our most honourable father into a most honourable garden gnome?"
Alicorn or shard-born... it was starting to make sense that Amber was trying so hard to brainwash her fellow siblings, then - it was the easiest option. She couldn't really hope to get Twilight's help, especially as she was still packed into this nice, little coffin that Flim & Flam had prepared for her shard. Still, it wouldn't hurt to inform Twilight that shards weren't that easy to set free.
And, hah... garden gnome.
"Oh, not too much; Peridot possessed an alicorn and attempted to kill almost every pony on the planet, with the exception of his siblings. We're doing our best to make Amethyst feel like a bit more welcome in Ponyville... though at the moment, nothing really seems to be working. Oh, and I've gotten engaged, too." Doubtless, he would have noticed their necklaces anyway.
He stared a moment, then sighed. "That... actually isn't as hard to believe as one might think, knowing Perry as I did; he was always in pain, always muttering about how others around him were so loud... even in absolute quiet. Maybe I never truly understood that pain, but I most certainly saw its' effects on him."
At news of Amy's fate, Quartz gave a smirk. "Give that mare something to hunt, kill and gut, and you'll have a smiling Amethyst in no time flat; she wasn't made for the foppishness of court, no - she was styling herself to be father's next warlord, of course. Though, to have that title solidly, she would have had to face off against Aquamarine..."
He then sighed softly, his expression turning somber. "... poor Aqua. If only he'd have made it back to the Empire before father's curse took hold, we might know where to find him today. Alas, his shard was outside, in the snow, when we were all shunted forth in time. Now... well, history would know more than I do, I'm afraid."
Then, he realized what she'd finished with, and his merry smile returned... with reinforcements. "Darkness preserve! You're engaged to wed? HUZZAH and congratulatons! I do hope you remember to invite me among your guests; I'd be honored to attend such a thing!"
At his 'huzzah', Siddy lightly tapped her own necklace and then pointed to Cup's matching one; it should be enough for Quartz to realize that they weren't matching without good reason.
He smiled. "It's strange, really... you were the worst kept secret among the rest of us, you know? Father never acknowledged that you existed, but we all found out about you, in our own ways..." he sighed, "some more painful than others," then grinned again, "but we couldn't FIND you, as much as some of us searched our little hearts out for you. Ruby was one of them, you know - as were Diamond and Opal... and, admittedly, myself..."
He looked her over appreciatively. "Wherever he had hidden you, it was well-done. Reminds me of us trying to find Whistlewhite's quarters..."
"Now, it's funny that you say that, actually... for my entire early life, I was sure that I was an only child. Oh, and from certain discoveries I've made, he did indeed put me in Whistlewhite's old quarters," she admitted.
"HA!" he laughed, "Of course he would have! We never found her room either, so naturally, he would use it again - it makes perfect sense!"
He chuckled a bit at this, then looked over at them both with a smile. "The two of you seem to be quite a charming couple; not only do I finally get to meet my lost sister, but I also get to meet my future brother-in-law! I DO apologize, Mister Sprinkles, if I am dominating the conversation... if you wish to speak, by all means, do so!"
Cup smiled at his Siddy. "A-actually... Siddy's been waiting to meet you for, like, a long time, so... I'm okay with just listening to you two talk!"
Quartz glanced to Obsidian with an approving smirk. "I think I'm beginning to see why he was chosen; how thoughtful of you, sir. My thanks to your deferral."
Cup just grinned, especially at his Dark Princess.
"Well then, with that under our collective belts, might I ask what brings you to The Big Applecore, as they call it? The sights? The sounds? The adventure?"
"Oh, it was all about you, dear brother of mine; thanks to Diamond's picture, I discovered that I had yet another sibling, and I simply had to come here and meet you, muzzle to muzzle. When I found about this gala, I prepared for it with a bit of Eloquence's help... and now, here I am."
She gave him her the most charming smile. "The cape was my own idea, though."
"As well as those utterly lovely necklaces you two are sporting, no doubt?" He looked her outft over again. "Ah, I do so love a decent cape; brings out the general in all of us, does it not? Plus, if you chose it yourself, I daresay you might be some competition for me someday!"
He leaned in conspiritorially close. "Don't think for a second that means I'll go easy on you, milday; you'll have to earn it!"
He winked, smirking as he sat back again. "But to know that you actually converse with Eloquence on a personal basis? I must say, legacy fashionistos are hard to come by, and that stallion proves that style knows no gender or bias! Honestly, he's been courted by Manehattan for quite some time now, yet he only shows for his mother's Fall Fashion lineup - and then, only to sell her outfits."
He gave Siddy a warm grin. "Unless, of course, a kind and caring sibling might be willing to drop my name to him, possibly for the purpose of a collaboration, of sorts?" He then gave a wry chuckle. "Not that I'm wanting to use you for such things; honestly, I'm simply pleased to meet you at last. The Lost Child of Sombra."
His smile dimmed, but stayed put. "Whistle would have truly doted over you, I'm sure... after all, you do resemble the works I've seen of our mother, just a bit."
Small-talk, fashion-talk, compliments, jokes... everything paled in comparison and fell away like sand when he dropped one, simple word.
"... M... M-Mother?" Obsidian practically whispered, her eyes zeroing in on Quartz's own.
His small smile became a bit tight, yet still stayed put. "Yes... I'm afraid I never actually got to meet her, as she was gone before the first of us came into existence... but Whistlewhite knew her well. To hear that mare speak so highly of someone..."
"Radiant Hope was father's most trusted ally and confidant. She was instrumental in helping to depose the callous King Crest, who had allowed his kingdom to fall to shambles... and though it was Father who was placed upon the throne, it was Mother who held the Empire's heart."
"She became the Grand Magus of his court, and was the one who arbitrated disputes, who dealt with magical dilemmas and generally took care of directly interacting with the subjects, while Father was the planner and financier who was rebuilding the kingdom itself."
"Whistlewhite herself owed her living to Hope, as she'd taken the poor, homeless mare in after seeing one of her incredible artworks. She was a close friend to both Mother AND Father, and was responsible for ALL of the many paintings that used to grace the walls of the Crystal Palace..."
Now, the smile slipped away, replaced not by a frown, but by an utterly hollow look that was strangely worse.
"Then... Hope just... vanished. Something to do with magic, and the Umbral Altars... but Father would never say. Once she vanished, I surmise that he created each of us in turn to either replace her or perhaps even find her. But I suppose each of us were disappointments, in some fashion or another, and the more of us he created, the worse he became... until the day he finally snapped, and allowed the darkness within him to take control."
He closed his eyes. "And Onyx saw it all. She was the first of us created, and was with him for each of our own creations, from what I gather; she acted as she did because she saw, firsthoof, what Father was doing to himself... and chose to remain loyal to him, no matter what. A choice... she paid for with her life."
He sighed grandly. "As did Whistlewhite, with her own choices."
There were too many things Obsidian still didn't know, but she was sure of one thing - more evil had been spawned from Sombra and Hope's dangerous tomfoolery with ancient magics than good. By all means, they could have been saints before they started this whole child-making-enslaving-torturing business... but eventually, their legacy turned out to consist only of pain and terror. And for that, she wasn't ever going to forgive them.
At the moment however, she was mostly trying to keep a straight face - and mentioning Onyx didn't help.
"So nopony really knows what happened to her..." she muttered. It seemed that she'd apparently learned a bit more than the rest of her siblings through Hope's memories that were stuck in her head, burdening her with their foolishness which was already over a thousand years in the past.
"No... except for Father, and... well," Quartz shrugged, making the colors of his suit battle each other for a moment, "nothing ever came from that end."
The conversation went quiet for a moment, until Cupcake, hunkered down low with only the top of his head and his eyes poking up over the edge of the table, looked at the fashion designer and spoke in a soft, awe-filled voice. "Who was Whistlewhite to you?"
Quartz looked over at him and chuckled. Sitting up, he tried to shrug off his sad feelings. "Whistlewhite practically raised many of us; she acted as our nanny, so to speak, and she's the one who tried to teach us things Father wouldn't. It's because of her that some of us know what friendship really is, you see... she never lied, never spoke ill of anyone, and always seemed to bring a stability and harmony to her surroundings. She was... truly magical..."
He then looked at Cup. "And you, sir - I can see why my darling sister wants to have you all to herself; you're quite a funny fellow, Mr. Sprinkles!"
Cup blushed and sat back down. "I'm just lucky she picked me, that's all - the luckiest stallion in the world!"
Quartz seemed to grin a bit more at that. "Well, I'd daresay you aren't the only lucky one involved, I'd wager?" He shot a smirk at Obsidian.
Nanny, stability, friendship... Quartz may have been enamoured by the artist, but at least in the cases of Amy and Onyx, she'd failed miserably. "We are both quite lucky - in fact, I would possibly even call it destiny, considering how many things had to work out in our favour to make it happen..."
She sat a bit more comfortably. "You mentioned that sister Opal was one of those who was looking for me too, dear brother?"
"Well, in the younger days, she did... Opal was quite a diligent sort. She never did like to leave questions unanswered... almost as much as she liked sweets." He chuckled. "That mare was crazy about candies! Father never allowed them, of course, but that didn't stop Whistle from making sure we got to taste some... well, those of us who liked her, anyway."
He shook his head. "Ah, yes... Opal, our genius little tinkerhoof," he sighed... but Obsidian could tell something bothered him on that subject; Quartz was too expressive for his own good. "Well, it was like a treasure hunt, you see? The Search For The Lost Sister! It was quite the adventure, and even though we didn't really expect to find you... well, it's something that helped some of us bond. All in the name of searching for you, my sister. To think, even with everything between us, you were there among us in spirit - we even spoke about what we thought you'd look like..."
He smirked. "Diamond wins that bet, I'd say; he said you would be the most beautiful mare the Empire had ever seen, and that you would be more powerful than even Father was... and that you would be the best of us all." He sighed happily. "I'm glad to discover my littlest brother was right."
Obsidian scoffed slightly. Yeah, yeah, beautiful, powerful... of course, it would be nice to have this power show itself more often. Perhaps coupled with a bit of inherent wisdom and knowledge about spells, too? Her beauty was also a bit overestimated ...though obviously, she was more concerned about this little strange reaction to Opal. What did Quartz know?
"Thanks for the compliment." More powerful, eh? If that would be the case, she should have been able to trash his sorry ass without any help. "So, dear brother... you said you have some questions as well?" She had to ask him about a few more things... but that could hold for later.
He looked up, grinning flawlessly. "Indeed I do, my sister - I certainly hope they don't bore you, of course; they are somewhat pedestrian."
Cup blinked. "Your questions walk?"
Quartz gave a light, airy chuckle. "No, no, Mr. Sprinkles! It means the questions will be very average and commonplace - at least, to her they might seem that way."
"Oh," Cup simply wasn't expecting a direct answer, "well, that... makes sense."
"At any rate, I wanted to ask you about a number of things, such as how you got to Modern Equestria in the first place... or how did you manage to meet the rest of your 'Siddy Six'? How did you discover our siblings, and how, by shades of night, did you actually manage to best Father?" Quartz looked like he most certainly had more... but he wanted to know directly from the source, and possibly not second- or third-hoof.
"Well, I was found by Princess Twilight in Whistlewhite's room during her exploration of Sombra's catacombs. She took me to Equestria, where I was informed that everything had changed quite a bit and well," she thought about the next part of the question, "... the rest just happened, really. I met Cup, my liaison, then I met two random ponies who were interested what I was doing in the Rarity Suite. Then, I met a very short pony who really liked royalty, and a diamond dog who knew a lot about history and really liked making origami. Suddenly, boom - we were all friends."
Quartz gave a chuckle. "It may sound light to you, but do keep in mind that the rest of us were mostly busy bringing Onyx's plan to fruition; we didn't have time for such things as friendships..." He grinned. "Though I, myself, am not exactly easy to hide, as I'm sure you've witnessed. Ah, the price of being talented..."
He shook his head. "Anyhow, it sounds as if you managed to have quite an adventure, nearly straight off the bat! And... did I hear you correctly? A diamond dog... folding origami? I daresay that sounds as though your canine companion is quite talented! I believe the press called him, 'Gypsy'?"
He looked up, thinking. "As well as Thunderclap Dash, Mica Chip, Mr. Sprinkles of course, and... Stalwart? Stalwart Stand?"
"Stalwart Stance," she corrected him. "And if I may be so bold, what was your role in Onyx's plan, brother?"
"My role?" he asked, a bit of concern crossing his features for a moment. "Well... you see, my dear sister, the lot of us, for the most part, have already been loose from our crystal prisons for about four years, total. As was such, it took roughly a year for Onyx to organize and prepare a plan for Father's return; each of us that she had tabs on was to participate in different ways..."
He now sat up a bit straighter. "Myself, I happen to be an expert in defensive spells - foremost being Armor Spells and enchantments. Should her plan have succeeded, it would have been my job to not only fabricate outfits for the gathered slaves, but to enchant the suits so they could take a LOT of punishment; Onyx believed that Equestria would be an excellent place to mine for valuable gemstones and rescources for the Empire."
He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm actually relieved that her work was put to an end... it may have been wonderful for some of us, but the entire rest of Equus was going to suffer. And frankly? I rather like it here."
He gestured with his hooves animatedly as he spoke. "Ponies here aren't like in the Empire we know - they don't FEAR us, nor are they listless and sullen from grinding slavery, nor is it expected of us to constantly command and monitor anyone!"
Cup smiled; he apparently liked Quartz too.
"Though it takes a bit more work to live in Equestria... I daresay that it's completely worth every bead of sweat, to live in such a vibrant and alive world as this one. To have the mere option to have friends. To be able to choose so many things..."
Four years... a year of planning... so he didn't have any further role in Onyx's plan before it failed spectacularly? Good for him; considering that Celestia herself didn't seem to have a clue about his Dark heritage, Obsidian could easily believe that Quartz was honest with her about that.
"I was a bit disoriented at the beginning about having so many choices and options; fortunately, Onyx helped me to choose my allegiances correctly," she smiled a bit. Of course, her 'help' had consisted mainly of trying to kill her and her friends - and it was hard to support a side that tries to send you straight to Tartarus. "And I have to agree: ponies without chains and collars seem to be far more happy and interesting. Even better, the slaveless economy is actually better than one based on forced labor!"
"I concur - and I cannot tell you how good it feels to hear you saying such; I admit, I was a bit hesitant at first, as I was uncertain where you would stand on such a thing as slavery... though the wise bet was on NO, but better safe than sorry, eh?" Quartz shook his magnificent head. "Onyx... had a plan for everything, it seemed; she expected and correctly predicted a number of events, and she had full confidence that things would work out to her end. She..."
Quartz gave Obsidian a bit of a worried look. "I feel I must ask if you know what her plans for you were - if you don't know, I can always enlighten you..."
"Enlighten me, then, dear brother; I'm always happy to learn something more about my late sister," Obsidian smiled to him... which, considering the topic of their discussion, looked a bit creepy. Perhaps it would be better if he didn't find out about Onyx renting office space in her head just yet.
He nodded. "Well, her plan was to push poor Ruby until she decided to go rogue - as she was the one Onyx deducted would be the most likely - and then allow her to fill the Light Amulet, and lull her into a false sense of security... then, well..." He looked at her gravely. "It was her idea to locate you, then dupe you into hunting down Ruby to retireve the Light Amulet, and bring it to her. At which point, she would have ressurrected Father... and, well, she wasn't very forthcoming as to what would become of you then... my apologies, if this isn't enough information - but I figure, with Onyx gone, I can pretty much tell you whatever I want to, without fear of retaliation from her and her Nightmare Spell."
He shuddered. "Be glad you've not experienced that one."
Cup lifted a hoof. "A-actually..."
Quartz's eyes widened... then he looked pained. "Oh, shades and shadows... I am so sorry to hear that."
"Well, it almost went exactly how you said, except that instead of Ruby filling the Light Amulet, I did it. Ruby was killed by Amy," Obsidian admitted, "and we all became targets of Onyx's Nightmare Spell - which was hardly a pleasant experience."
The fashion designer closed his eyes and grimaced. "Amethyst... that makes sense, but she was never muderous of us before... why did she kill her? I don't understand that - Onyx was always a bit protective of us, especially around Father. Why would she..?"
Obsidian waved her hoof. "Oh, it was an accident - she was trying to kill me, but Ruby got in the way."
Quartz now looked pained. "I'll bet she regrets that... not that she'd ever say so, but Amy hides herself very well; it's how she survived Father's ruthless and brutal training. Amethyst had it rough, as she was put through so much for Father's training regimens... but she refused to cry in front of us."
He now looked at Obsidian earnestly. "I know it sounds exceedingly strange... but our little 'family' has more heart than most would recognize; we simply have little experience on how to live with others in peace. I dare not think of how we ALL would have ended up, were it not for Whistle and Slug..."
"Who's Slug?" Cup asked directly.
"Father's unfortunate Court Jester; he was the one who tried to teach us what laughter was, and how to make a joke in the first place. For example, 'what do you call a slave after ten hours of torture?' A three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle!"
He gave a polite chuckle, but Cupcake just blanched a bit, then turned to his fiancee. "Sounds like something you'd say..."
Obsidian couldn't help herself but laugh heartiliy at the joke. Jigsaw puzzle! Now it was clever, eh? A bit grim, though...
"*ahem* Well, we are trying to reach to Amy... a bit. It's not exactly easy, but I think we are making steady - if slow - progress."
Quartz gave a curious look. "Really? I daresay you'll have you work cut out for you, with that one... but I stll wish you luck, of course - though I do hope, for all your sakes, that she's had her pet dagger taken from her. It's a Foci Blade, and she can concentrate her already formidable magical abilities through it - and she's absolutely lethal with it in her possession."
He pondered for a moment. "Still... 'twould be easier than trying to reach, say, Onyx, Aquamarine, or even-"
He suddenly stopped, shutting his eyes for a moment and clearing his throat before looking at them again. "Sorry, sorry - so much talking and so little to drink!" He motioned to the side, and a server made his way over to them.
Quartz smiled at the stallion. "Good Evening, Herb - may we please get a bottle of Fitzrow '87, please? And three glasses," he smiled, "my family and I are thirsty."
The server (Herb, apparently) smiled back. "Yessir, Mr. Quartz! Gimme two shakes of a lamb's tail, and I'll be right back!"
Herb went off with purpose in mind, while Quartz simply sat back in his chair and smiled at them. "Now... I've been doing quite a bit of the talking, so far - perhaps you have further questions?"
"Yes, actually - we are still looking for some of our siblings, so perhaps you could tell me something about Opal and Sapphire?" He didn't mention somepony; after the word 'even', he'd been planning to mention somepony... but instead, he stopped. Considering Obsidian's gathered knowledge of her brothers and sisters, there weren't too many names that would fit there...
"Opal? Well, she's been doing rather well for herself; she was going to be Father's inventor, but in lieu of his return, she also began making mining machinery. And if I'VE got a bevy of bits to my name, then that mare is loaded; she's made a fortune on her devices - enough to afford her own candy factory, in fact!"
Cupcake began to drool unconsciously.
"She's a bit, eh, eccentric... she's normally sweet as can be, but when she feels nervous or pressured, she can... change a bit. That side of her can be irrational and paranoid... not to mention deadly. Were I you, I would endeavor to make certain she feels calm and relaxed when you speak to her - as long as her eyes are blue, it's good for you... but if her eyes turn red," he spoke seriously, "you'll end up dead."
Okay, so don't make Opal nervous - or at least strike first before she had an opportunity to start a slaughter. Considering that Obsidian really didn't want to end up dead, it was probably a good plan. She didn't hold too much hope about that, though - by now, Obsidian had already learned from multiple experiences that if something can go wrong, it usually did go wrong.
Quartz then seemed to look a bit uncomfortable. "As for Sapphire? Well... she... she's dedicated, shall we say? She's not the kind who... uhm... well, she's difficult to explain."
Cup shot Siddy a light glance; he could tell something was off, too.
"Sapphie has always been a bit, er... 'odd', shall we say?... but in this Modern World we've been shunted into? She... hasn't adjusted well." Worry crept into his features. "Though she was quite into the idea at first... after a year passed, she seemed to become listless and spent much of her time just... well, existing; not socializing, not learning, just... doing what she was told. Now, it's two years after even that - and I'm a bit afraid to think of what she may be feeling now..."
"Listless..." Obsidian repeated after Quartz. "So I take it that's why she stays in your factory all the time?"
Quartz visibly blanched. "... well, if-"
"Fillies and gentlecolts," an announcer spoke up, "Manehattan Gallery Studios welcomes you to the event, where the stars are about to be outshined..."
"Ah!" Quartz sat up, looking quite relieved at having the interruption, "and so, the show begins. Unfortunately, this is where we have to part company for a bit, my dear sister, Mr. Sprinkles... I'll be needed back stage to make sure everything is going smoothly, not to mention afterwards as there will most likely be a number of well-to-dos who simply must get a picture with yours truly - of course, who can blame them, eh?"
He stood up, took Obsidian's hoof gently in his own and pressed it to his forehead in reverence as he gave a deep bow. "Please, feel free to stay here for the show - best seats in the house, I guarantee you that, and whatever you wish to eat or drink - and do give Herb my condolences, would you? I'll let Gordon know you're cleared for here... as well as your other three friends, should they wish to observe as well. We shall speak later - especially as I'm sure word will get around about you, and I'll know where you're at in no time."
Assuming, of course, that Mr. Herb didn't have orders to kill them right after his return, Obsidian was ready to provide Quartz's apology for sending him to fetch some beverages and then leaving before his return. Obsidian also really appreciated allowing them to stay in the balcony-booth; it was a nice little alcove with a clear view to the events below.
Although Quartz seemed as if he'd been a bit too relieved that he would have to leave them right now, though... what was he hiding? "Thank you, my brother. We'll wait for Mr. Herb, then go to gather our friends together..."
Hmmmm... so he knew that they'd left one of their group in Ponyville... interesting...
Quartz's grin became all charm and suaveness once again. "Absolutely - nothing but the best for my long sought-after, legendary and rather well-mannered sister and her beau. Adieu, aloha and ciao, my dears."
With that, he made his way downstairs and towards the back, pausing long enough to have a few quick words with Gordon, who looked back at Siddy and Cup and nodded, apparently informed of what was up.
Cup watched him go, then turned to her. "I'm kinda torn; I like him - a LOT, actually - but he's hiding something. Something he doesn't wanna talk about with us; it's not just being in public, I think."