~>-<~
The polished and well-crafted oak doors in front of her flew open as she stormed through them, headed into a hallway with a pace that spoke of a mare on a mission. Guards that she passed stayed well out of her way, and avoided eye contact with her as she stomped down the hall, headed for what looked to be the doors to the Crystal Palace's throne room.
Obsidian was having another one of those dream/memory things... but was there an emergency? There must have been, because she could feel her heart hammering in her chest. Well, not exactly her own chest... and ah, hello Radiant Hope - nopony missed you, but it seems as if you don't really care about hijacking someone's sweet dreams to show off your old memories, eh?
Of course, now that Obsidian was starting to suspect that she could be connected to the missing mare far more than the rest of her siblings, she was actually trying to pay more focused attention to everything that was happening to Hope's body. This feeling in her chest... was it familiar? Her eyes - did she observe the world in the same way?
By Darkness, Obsidian had just gotten used to the fact that Sombra had crafted her to be similar to his old friend; the uncomfortable facts about her memories or his attempts to 'restore her' threw this simple (but creepy) vision into a new state of disarray.
She continued to storm her way forward, throwing the double doors to the Throne Room open with her magic; she'd done so hard enough for both doors to bang off the walls behind them. Sombra, now the visible age of adulthood, was there in a royal-looking outfit, crimson and black; honestly, he looked regal. He looked noble. He looked...
... utterly exhausted, with dark circles of sleeplessness under his eyes. But he was there, leaned on his stone table, with three advisors around him - all of whom bowed to her as soon as she entered the room.
"Your Grace," one of them began, "is ther-"
"Sombra. We. Need. To talk. Now." The voice that came out sounded as if it were barely biting back on tightly-stored outrage.
The monarch looked up in alarm, stood and addressed his advisors. "Leave us - when my High Magus says she needs to speak with me, it is imperative."
One of the advisors spoke up. "Your Majesty, the bids on this work are-"
"Are able to wait for a moment more, Winkyn; pipes don't just build themselves, you know," Sombra said softly. The advisors all bowed, while Hope stood there, heart hammering, blood rushing. They left, taking their sweet time to head outside.
When the last one closed the door behind him, Sombra turned to her. "Hope, what's wrong? Are the Yaks breaking the accord already?"
"No, Sombra..." she said tightly.
He stepped forward with a slight look of alarm. "Then did the dam not set as it should have? If that river reverts to where it was, it'll be outside of the Crystal Heart's warmth and-"
"No," she practically snarked.
He looked at her closely. "Then are you saying that the draconequus sightings we've had recen-"
"Sombra," Hope said firmly, "you promised."
With that spoken, understanding came into his eyes... and he groaned. "Hope, I TOLD you, I'd be willing to get to it next week-"
She cut him off. "Oh, yes, you said that... OVER TWO MONTHS AGO!"
Behind King Sombra was a regal full-length mirror, and Obsidian caught a flash of herself/Hope in it... and the mare looked completely livid.
"You keep pushing it off and pushing it off and ignoring me when I remind you! You're so busy with your public works 'for the subjects' that you don't even MAKE time for anything else!" she blasted at him, her voice hard and heavy with anger.
Oh, he'd probably made plenty of promises - and broke plenty of them as well. Why was she so upset? Was it connected to the Umbral Altar? Obsidian could only watch with curiosity, hoping for even the smallest nugget of clarity.
"Hope - listen to me; I've been doing so much, I can barely sleep without having to sign decrees, make decisions and stop the corruption I find. YOU and I, WE have been at this for years now... and look what we've accomplished!" He walked to the balcony and gestured out at the Crystal City... and Obsidian's non-existent breath caught in her throat.
It was the Crystal City... but it was spectacular.
So many buildings, works of art on display everywhere over walls and set into concrete displays, lush and green trees and well-trimmed hedges lining the roads, with Crystal Ponies all walking around in what looked like a state of Harmonic Bliss. It was miles from any previous view she'd ever had of it before... and she would never see it quite the same again.
Sombra spoke softly, as if seeking understanding from his friend. "They're not starving anymore, Hope. The homeless population is down to two thousand - a very small number, in comparison to our time! Disease is all but unheard of! Lush fields of produce - which YOU helped plant - are feeding not only our empire, but even our neighbors if Equestria is asking for trade routes!"
Hope just glared at him; undaunted, he continued. "This is everything our people needed, Hope - this is the security, the shelter, the LOVE they needed to prosper; there is no nation on the face of Equus which even holds a candle to the magic of our Cryst-"
"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to be ready to cast the spell with? DO YOU!?" Hope would not be deterred, it seemed. "Sombra, you've been a king for long enough; can't you be my friend again for just an hour? Just a simple, measly HOUR?"
The monarch closed his eyes and placed a hoof to his forehead. "By Tartarus, Hope - when would I have time for such? Every hour of my life is currently accounted for! I don't really even get to do what I want; protocol and general public morale depends on me to-"
"I am TIRED of your excuses!" she yelled at him, and Obsidian could see Sombra's own anger coming forth in his muzzle.
"Well, I apologize that my excuses saved lives!" he snapped back.
"What about making a life, Sombra!?" she countered.
For crying out loud, JUST SCREW ALREADY! It's not that hard! Instead of dragging him to those dreadful Umbral Altars, why can't you just go somewhere private, have a little Snugglebunny Playtime, then wait! Really, it's not that complicated, and even if Hope had some real reasons to avoid the typical manner of creating life - like problems with fertility or being sickly - then perhaps she should have USED THIS POWERFUL MAGIC TO FIX IT, INSTEAD OF FUCKING WITH LIFE ITSELF.
And okay, Obsidian may have hated to admit it, but this version of the Crystal Empire was not bad. Not bad at all.
Sombra's eyes now began to show a light wisp of purple at the edges, indicating the level of his irritation. "What about all the lives down there!? Do they no longer matter to you, who were among them - with me - not that long ago? Don't you want to be sure we make this the best kingd-"
"YOU. PROMISED!!!"
"I DIDN'T KNOW I COULDN'T KEEP IT!"
Silence. The two of them stared at each other for a long, searingly flared moment...
"... I wish I'd never found those damnable altars," Hope muttered darkly.
Sombra's face went into a shocked look. "HOPE! With all the good we've done for the empire-"
"WHAT ABOUT US, SOMBRA!? Don't we deserve SOMETHING for all the hard work we've done! THAT I'VE DONE?" Hope shrieked at him.
Sombra now stopped in place looking shocked, and gazed at her with consideration. "Hope... do you think I haven't provided for you? Do you feel like your work isn't worthwhile?"
"Sombra... I've been working on this one single, solitary spell since I was a filly... and now that I've not only completed the spell, but I have it READY TO GO... YOU can't find the time to even go with me!" Her muzzle took on almost a pleading quality. "I've worked so hard on this - SO HARD - and you've SEEN it!"
"Hope, I can't-" Sombra tried.
"NO! NO MORE EXCUSES! I won't tolerate any more lies or stalling from you over thi-"
The slight purple wisps flowing from his eyes suddenly blazed into existence, and he stepped forward towards her with a heavy gait. "YOU shall tolerate whatever you are COMMANDED to, WITCH!"
That voice sent chills down Obsidian's non-existent spine; THAT was the voice she'd recalled from her lessons, from her training... and from her beatings. THAT was the voice she once knew as 'father'.
It was time, Obsidian guessed; it was now that moment. That very moment where Hope 'argued' with Sombra and later ran to the Altars to use them by herself, right? And it had to be the moment where Sombra showed his true face to the entire world, finally giving up and turning into the monster everyone knew. And to think, everything could have been prevented, simply by a proper rutting.
Hope narrowed her eyes and slowly walked up to Sombra until she was muzzle to muzzle with him. "... and you. You don't frighten me, you foul black leech."
Sombra's expression ground into a furious grimace, and he growled menacingly at her - but she continued, undaunted.
"I've known the truth about you for about a year now... and I am going to find a way to obliterate you for what you're doing to my friend... mark... my... words, parasite."
"We OWN it, we CREATED it... and we shall use it to conquer... to DESSSSSSSTROYYYY... to leave nothing in the wake of the Second Umbral Dynasty!"
Hope stepped back and regarded Sombra coolly. "He's NOT your TOOL, you DISGUSTING little DISEASE."
Why did that sound so much like... Tourmaline?
King Sombra smiled wickedly. "He was ALWAYS our tool, filth."
... fascinating. Did she... did she, as well as everypony else, get everything wrong?
"He is OURSSSSSSS..." the dark thing growled with a sound like broken shards of glass grinding together.
"He deserves a life of his own, you cowardly cur!" Hope screamed back into the face of The Umbra; If anything else, Obsidian had to admit - Hope had nerves of steel to face down something ancient and evil like that.
"And you deserve DEEEEEAAAAA-AAAAAagh!" The purple mist promptly vanished, and Sombra grabbed his head in his hooves. Hope, regardless of what was currently between them, took a few steps towards him, reaching out a hoof for comfort...
"Hope, get out." ... that sank at those words.
"Sombra... I j-just wanted us to-"
"STOP IT, HOPE! You're just making me have... h-have to fight it HARDER."
Obsidian actually had not the slightest idea what was happening here, or what to think about it. Proto-Tourmy's voice, The Umbra, possession... calling Sombra a 'tool'. Fascinating...
She tried to say something... anything... but before she could, the stricken monarch pointed a hoof at the door. "Leave. Me. ALONE, Hope - we'll talk later, I pro-"
"Sombra, I-"
"We. Will talk. LATER." His voice sounded strained, tired... but firm.
She felt her throat tighten, the tears running down her muzzle as Hope walked calmly to the door and, with one last look back at her Soul Friend... she left, the throne room doors echoing their shuttering thump down the hall, like a death knell.
Hope just walked along slowly for a moment... then, she began to whisper to herself aloud. "... it could work... I would only need a small portion... just enough to register as a part of him..."
She then reached under her cloak and pulled out a twine-bound notebook that, when flipped open contained a number of notes, written clearly in Ancient Crystallian, that held the title at the top of 'Crystal Shard Simulacrum Spell'.
It was the spell! The one that created them all! She could possibly recreate Ruby with this! It was what she'd been dreaming of for-
~>O<~
"... CLEARWATERRRRRRRR! DISEMBARK FOR CLEARWATERRRRRRRR!" the conductor cried out as he stepped into the range of the open windows.
What? No! No no NO! It couldn't have been ten hours already - there was no way that such a short dream could take up this much time! In her desperation, Obsidian refused to open her eyes, doing everything she could to gather back the shattered remains of the dream.
"{Sister Obsidyan! Look at this place! It is soooooo preeettyyyy!}"
Nope - there it went. El poof.
"...fuck." It was always the same - always! She'd been so close to finding out the answers for a number of mysteries! And yet - as always - she was left with even more questions than she'd had before... Why? Why? WHYYYYY?!
When she finally did open her eyes, Diamond was standing up on the back of the seat, looking down at her with wide and excited eyes, with Pancho on his head suspended solely by the stallion's ears.
"{You must come and see this incredible sight! I am amazed at the incredible beauty of it - never have I beheld such wonder in a single place... thank you, thank you, THANK you for bringing me here! You are the Best Sister EVER!}" His cuteness might possibly save his life right now... possibly.
It must have been nice to maintain such innocence and enthusiasm to the world; it was likely connected to the fact that (Obsidian assumed) Diamond wasn't dreaming about Sombra and Hope's arguments.
"{Brother, do you ever dream of Radiant Hope?}" She managed to ask without groaning... well, without groaning too much. She managed to get to her hooves, begrudgingly ready to face whatever lie ahead. So long, sleep... it was nice visiting you.
Obsidian felt exceedingly groggy; it was like the world around her was filled with molasses, and she was trying to move through it.
Diamond's jovial mood faltered a bit, and he looked at her rather seriously. "{Obsidyan... we ALL dream of mother; it is the only thing we can do, as she is no longer with us.}"
"{I mean it quite literally, Diamond - dreaming of her memories. You don't have those?}" If she had been able to see just a bit more.... she didn't even have a chance to peek at the spell! Whatever force was sending these dreams to her, it was apparently somewhat sadistic. And why did Hope even have this spell; they were all created after she was gone. Did she actually manage to cast it?
Diamond looked at her for a solid minute without saying a word, his muzzle contemplative... then, he stood up and came around the seats to where she was, and hugged her. "{I have not, dear sister - my dreams are... different. Yet I am still sorry you are haunted by such things - please, may we speak more of this later? This is not a subject for public consumption, dear sister.}"
Of course, there was a chance that 'later' would be busy and they would forget about it, or something else would come up to distract them.
She returned the hug anyway. "Let's face the world, then," she mused with a tired voice.
What were you trying to do, Hope? What did you seek to achieve with such a spell? Was it just the result of your own foolishness, or did you have other possible motives?
When she stepped off the train, she was greeted by trees.... lots and lots and lots of trees.
Clearwater, apparently, was a quiet little forest town; it felt rustic and relaxed. There was a General Store, the town hall, a row of other shops, a diner by the name of 'Flo-Jo's', and a few other non-descript buildings, and they were all arranged to give the entire town a very centered feel.
And trees, HUGE ones, bordered the entire town almost like a fence - she couldn't see anything past them except the sky directly above, and the tall shadow of Mount Arris to the southwest. There were very few ponies walking around here; most of them looked to be in the middle of shopping, so not much attention was paid to the newcomers.
Clap gave a few flaps to get above the town proper, looked around a bit, then glanced down at her friends. "The entire town's surrounded by trees - and they're thicker than the Everfree!"
Towards the center of town, there was a large, gaily-colored tent standing there, with what looked to be a somewhat small crowd gathered inside. The sign outside proclaimed:
[BROTHER CREEDENCE'S FAITH REVIVAL! Behold the power of CELESTIA!]
"Uh-oh," Cup said, "I think this might be one of those 'Celestia Is Our Holy Goddess' types - so I'm not sure if we should involve ourselves there or not... those folks can be a little... well, weird." If CUPCAKE was calling them weird...
"Well, I'm not sure about her 'holiness'... but she is pretty great, though," Obsidian mused, looking around to get a better idea of the surroundings. So many trees... didn't they have any industry here? There were plenty of resources around; either they were saving them for later, or... or... eh, well, maybe they just really liked trees?
Mica looked around and gave a slight nod. "Well, we're here - now we just need to find way to Ditch's Grove. Let's not waste too much time with sightseeing."
Well, Obsidian could use a good meal... but they were in hurry, the earth pony was right.
Passing the tent, the lot of them made their way down the street to the General Store; Mica further rationalized that, if anyone would know where to look for something local, the store ponies would possibly have the best chance of knowing whom they could ask. That in mind, they chose to go into the building with the sign outside proclaiming it to be the 'General Store'.
The shop's door had a bell over it that dinged merrily as they stepped inside. There were shelves upon shelves of merchandise, from seed to feed, and just about everything in between. Behind the counter was... well, Obsidian wasn't exactly sure. It looked a bit like a cat, but it was standing upright, using it's paws to write out what seemed to be an inventory list of what was on the shelves behind them.
Another unknown species she hadn't met yet? Oooh, how interesting! It looked like a cat, but only in the same way that Gypsy looked like a dog. At first, she wanted to trot straight up to the counter, but then decided against it and grabbed something to eat from a shelf - soda crackers packaged with a small block of cheese. After a ten-hour-long train ride, she was certainly feeling a little hungry. Only then, with her purchase in hoof, did she approach the big cat.
The feline didn't even look up from the pad. "Hiya, dere - howyadoin'? You're new in town, 'cause I ain't seen the likesa you in here before, don't ya know? Wonderin' what'cher lookin' for, in a quiet lil' burg like Clearwater, now..."
By Darkness... ACCENTS. "We're looking for someone who could guide us to Ditch's Grove, and possibly tell us about the recent forest fires around here." She didn't want to prolong this interrogation any further than she had to. She took out her purse to pay for the food, simply waiting to be told how much it would be.
The cat-thing's eyes widened. "Oh, well now... you're gonna have yerself a hard time with dat one, don'cha know? Ditch's Grove's been abuzz with activity lately, ya see? That, and mosta the folks around here, why they don't want no trouble, nosirree - and that stuff with the Royal Guards? Oh, you'll havva hard time with that one, I'm afraid, there."
Then, a look crossed the cat's features, and she gave a friendly smirk. "O'course, if you might be tempted ta, oh I dunno, maybe buy a lil' somethin' somethin' more, I might be able to tell ya where you can find a body'll take ya out to the Grove, sure. Perhaps, even."
Obsidian looked at her food - this wasn't enough? Well, she always could buy something else for later... and for the rest of her friends, as they were probably hungry as well. She turned around and once again trotted over to the shelves to find more foodstuffs.
A bit more food on the counter later, and the cat smiled approvingly. "Okie dokie, there - since you're bein' so generous and all, I can tell ya that nobody in this whole entire town can get you ta Ditch's Grove, on accounta they're bein' spooked and all, don'cha know?"
Clap rolled her eyes and sighed. "GREAT. Now we'll never-"
"Now, wait, whoa, hold yer ponies there, now..." the cat-lady said with a friendly smirk, "I said nobody in town... but, if ya go south outta town, turn up the muddiest dirt road yah ever seen, an' keep following it 'til ya find the big ol' field o' red flowers - that's where you'll find th' only one around here dat's crazy enough to do somethin' like whatcha want, okay?"
"Do they have a name?" Mica asked directly.
"Oh, sure, yah." The cat glanced around the store a bit, then leaned in closely, lowering her voice to a purr. "Her name's Humble - Humble Pie."
Cupcake's sudden grin went from ear to ear.
Well that was a rather familiar name, wasn't it? Obsidian peeked at Cup, then gave a glance to Mica; so she was going to accidentially attend a small Pie family reunion, eh? "Thank you for your cooperation, miss. The muddiest path, you say?" She would most likely need a bath afterwards. "Good thing you made so many cookies, Cupcake - tell me, is this your aunt? Cousin, perhaps?" she tried to guess while she paid for her current purchases.
"Third cousin, twice removed," he answered happily, "and she's LOADS of fun! A little rough around the edges, but a good mare!"
The cat lifted an eyebrow... but made no protests as they rang up the sale, took the pay and bagged the foodstuffs in paper sacks. "Okay, there... hope ya find whatcher lookin' for, don'cha know? Best o' luck to ya, there! And come back and see us sometime - we can always use the company, not ta mention the sales, ya know?"
Back on the street, Diamond and Gypsy both were transfixed by the sights of all the trees surrounding the township... and a few of the locals were now paying a bit more attention to them, as well. At the huge tent, there was a group of nicely-dressed ponies gathered outside; a number of them were now looking at her group with some degree of curiosity - they seemed to especially have eyes for the small stallion and the lanky diamond dog.
Loads of fun? Rough around the edges? Oh, it was going to be interesting, that much was certain. Luckily, it was for their own good - they needed a guide, and Obsidian needed to get used to the Pies as much as possible - after all, she was planning to marry into their family.
Though come to think of it, 'Obsidian Pie' didn't sound very good... OR appetizing.
"This cat-lady was quite nice... a bit of a strange accent, though," she mentioned off-hoofedly.
Gypsy nodded. "Felinicans, y-yes - our two races did n-not get along for quite some time, yet they have amended their differences in the last f-fifty years. They are a proud and intelligent people, and are r-responsible for much of the f-fine fabrics available to Equestria in m-modern times."
Diamond spoke up softly to his sister. "{Obsidyan... those ponies are staring at us.}"
From over in the direction of the tent, there was now a group standing in a circle; in the middle was what looked to be a stallion in his late middle-age, wearing a white knit sweater and a white fedora hat. He most certainly was looking at them, but the look was indecypherable - she couldn't tell if he was curious or suspicious or what...
So they lived like cats and dogs in Harmony, eh? That was the correct saying, right?
"{Diamond, as long as he doesn't work for Aqua, I don't think there's any reason to be worried about them,}" she stated as she dismissed her brother's concern. He'd spent most of his life within the Empire, and didn't know very much about the Modern World - of course he'd be surprised that somepony could stare at them without any sort of reason.
The stallion and the folks surrounding him watched them all walk past them in silence... but one of the smaller ponies in the group - a pegasus - gave a shy wave to them before they all went inside the tent as a group.
Clap shivered. "Ugh... Creepytown."
Reaching the southern end of town (thanks to Thunderclap, they didn't need a compass), it was only a five minute walk before they came across what looked like a path that was made of nothing but slick, wet and very red mud.
"I have a feeling this might be the dirt road that was mentioned," Mica deadpanned.
They'd faced Umbrals, curses, Nightmare Spells, Sombra himself and eye-bleeding fashion - and Clap considered some ponies who were merely staring at them to be creepy? Obsidian thought the pegasus was able to keep her composure better than that. Well, it was certainly a good thing she didn't wear any fancy clothes this time. And why was this dirt so red? Was the mud mixed with blood or what?
"I don't see anything muddier, so... shall we press onward?" she sighed quietly. Her previous thoughts returned with a vengeance; they'd faced so much already, so there was little point in fussing about a splash or two of mud.
The path was exceedingly slippery due to the mud, and it actually slowed them down considerably - however, after two hours and many slips and falls into the wet dirt, they finally reached the top of the ridge they'd been walking along next to.
Reaching the other side of the ridge, Diamond gasped in awe. Down the steep slope was a field, nestled in a bowl plateau, with some of the most vividly RED flowers she'd ever seen in her entire life. There looked to be THOUSANDS of them, grown and healthy, looking like something taken straight out of a Whistlewhite painting.
At the far back of the plateau, there was what looked to be a rickety, rattletrap house that was leaning precariously over the cliff's edge, seeming to hang out over nothing but a drop... and from the look of the 'foundation', it almost appeared as if it would collapse down the mountainside if you just looked at it wrong.
"{It's beauuuuuuutifuuuuuullllll...}" Diamond gushed. Honestly? With the field of flowers, the hoofmade home, and the breathtaking view down the rest of the mountain from here... it sorta was.
By Darkness, two hours, though! Two long, mud-filled hours! She had started to doubt if this had been the right way - after all, who would live that far from the township? Unless Humble Pie was a pegasus...
Ugh. Hopefully, Ditch's Grove was close to this field; Obsidian REALLY didn't want to have to go all the way back... especially through all that thick, cakey mud. She was just happy that Diamond didn't drown in it.
"Indeed, it is," she agreed with an exhausted sigh. How in the world was Diamond able to stay so cheerful and happy through all of this? The landscape in front of them was great... but there was just a bit too much of said landscape on her hooves, coat, mane and tail to enjoy it as much as he apparently was. He was an artist, of course - it seemed he appreciated things like that far more than she did.
Mica sighed. "At least it's not more mud - I don't think I could deal with any more mud."
"OR bugs," Clap said as she swatted at the gnats around her.
"Or s-st-s-strange scents," Gypsy said, sniffing at the air.
"Or walking," Cup said as he shook out his hooves, one at a time.
"Or tresspassers," said a new voice from behind them.
"Or wasting time... wait." Siddy blinked. "We didn't meet up with any tresspassers..."
Obsidian suddenly realized with a start that there was one pony too many here among them. Somepony had managed to sneak up on them; had Stalwart been here, it would have been impossible! One MORE reason she was sorely missed. Obsidian looked behind the group, an expression of mild surprise on her muddy muzzle.
Standing there was a mare who looked like she meant business. Her wild orange mane looked like it meant business, her wicked smirk meant business, her tall, thin but wiry build meant business, her ratty green jacket meant business, her slick yellow eyes meant business...
But mostly, the large, cobbled-together-looking party cannon aimed at all of them looked like it meant business.
"Hoi," the mare said, "I'mma give you ten seconds ta give me a good reason as t'why you're on mah property... an' then, 'Ol' Crackpot' here's gonna turn ya into a fine red mist, ESPECIALLY if you're revenuers of any sort." She pointed a scuffed and unkempt hoof at them all. "And don'chu lie ta me - I can smell lies..."
Cupcake, however, smiled broadly. "Cousin Humble!"
The mare squinted at Cup for a moment, then her muzzle lit up like a Hearthswarming Tree. "Well, slap mah flank and call me 'Bugaboo'! Cupcake Albert Sprinkles! How you been, you ol' crazy kook?"
Cup and Humble ran to each other, embraced, then stepped back and they both engaged in a rapid series of complex hoofbumps, then laughed as if they'd just made a grand joke. "Ain'choo a sight fer sore eyes! Whut, they your friends here, Cuppers?" She looked them all over in turn.
"Eeyup! But this one," he pointed at Siddy, "is also my marefriend!"
Humble lifted a bushy eyebrow and gave Obsidian a look over. "Well, she sure is a sleek an' sassy lil' number, I give ya that!"
"Yeah!" Cup went on, "and this is Mica, Thunderclap, Gypsy and Diamond!"
Diamond bowed. "{I am pleased to meet you, o Wild Mare of Cleared Waters; your home is beautiful!}"
Humble furrowed her brow at Diamond, then looked at the others unsurely. "He ain't, eh... 'touched in the head', izzy? I dunno about dealin' with pones like that... but he shore is a CUTE lil' fellah!"
By Darkness, ACCENTS!!! How in Tartarus was it possible that in one single country - in one single FAMILY - ponies could speak so differently? Luckily, the party cannon spoke for itself. Obsidian felt rather weary of threats - including how this mare had outright threatened to murder them.
Some happy family, eh?
"He can't speak Equestrian; he said he finds your home to be quite beautiful. A pleasure to meet you, miss Humble." Damnation, they were just a bunch of tired teenagers; threatening them with a quick execution was utter overkill - completely unnecessary.
Humble chuckled. "Eh, it's a decent place - long as I can protect m'poppies, I'm fine with it. Say, you folks seem tuckered out a mite - here, why don't we take this indoors, alright?" As she passed Diamond, she touseled his mane. "And youre right nice for noticin' the pretty place here - thank ya kindly, lil' fella."
Diamond smiled. "{She likes me! Do I have another new friend now?}"
Humble led the way toward the rickety-looking shack at the far end. "Come on, now - don't dally in the poppies none, or I promise ya, you'll be soooooo-reeeeee..."
Cup lifted an eyebrow at her laugh, but Mica's eyebrows soared. "Did..." the earth pony asked hesitantly, "... did she say... poppies?"
"She did," Obsidian confirmed. Did Mica have trouble understanding her? Maybe he had issues with accents too. "Say, Mica - isn't she your cousin as well?" If Cup and Mica were cousins, and Humble was Cup's cousin three times removed... unless they were somehow related through Cheese Sandwich... family math was hard.
Mica stared at the flowers a bit more... then hurriedly began to make his way to the house, avoiding them distinctly. "Everyone, get away from those flowers, NOW."
Clap looked at the fields. "But they're pretty... and I kinda wondered what they smelled li-"
"NO," Mica said quickly, "No. Sniffing. The FLOWERS, Clap."
She scratched her head, then shrugged and headed for the rickety house. Gypsy and Diamond whispered to each other a bit, then followed along as well. Cup looked at Obsidian and smiled. "Well, Ditch's Grove, here we come!"
She was sure he'd explain himself later - for now, less asking, more getting away from the flowers; Obsidian was too savvy to disregard Mica's advice. "Yes, here we come," she agreed. "I hope we'll also find a moment to scrub this mud off our fur, though."
Outside of the rusty shackhouse, there was a rickety table and chair set, all underneath the most patchworked umbrella she'd ever laid eyes on... however, it kept the sun perfectly off the table and its' seats.
Humble motioned to the chairs. "Have a sit, take a load off, an' let me go grab some tea for you folks - y'gotta be thirsty after a trek like that... betcha you came all the way from Clearwater, 'zat right?"
"Yup yup yup!" Cup said brightly, "It was a nifty town! They had a cat in the General Store, and a biiiiiig tent, and trees all over the place!"
Humble nodded. "Welp, the trees've always been here - they got a right to th' place afore WE do - an' that cat's name is Yowler; she's sweet, but she can be a bit of a slick one when it comes ta sellin' stuff. As fer the tent..."
She gave a huff of a sigh. "That there's the work o' Blessed Creedence, the local Celly Preacher. He's always about 'Celestia this', and 'Celestia that'; personally, I don't see why he's so gung-ho 'bout a retired mare over in Silver Shores... but ain't my poppies, ain't my 'shine."
"Shine?" Mica inquired. "As in, 'moonshine'?"
"I didn't hear that, sonny," Humble said with a pitched warning in her voice, "because the law says I can't do that n'more - so I can't DO that n'more..." She then gave a smirk. "But, yer right on the money, Mister Chip. It's how I make mah living - even though I don't do it, got me?"
Obsidian felt that she wasn't getting the context of this story - the place looked nice and well-cared for, even if it seemed that everything had been repaired at least a thousand times already. "So what are poppies and moonshine?" she asked innocently.
"GIH!" Humble said, then she glowered at Obsidian a moment before speaking slowly. "You havin' sport with me, City Filly?"
Cup raised his hooves to ward off any further reaction. "No, no, Humble! She really doesn't know what those are - she's asking because she wants an explanation, I promise!"
Humble looked at her for a moment... then shrugged. "All right, then - Moonshine, Miss Siddy, is a drink made with just the right mix of stuff, an' drinkin' it makes you feel WHOOOO-DAWGIEES like you could beat up the entire Dragon Nation by yerself! It makes you feel invinced-ible, an' you can take any pain or live through any disaster widdit!"
"Actually," Mica cut in, "it's an alcoholic-type beverage, and it intoxicates you... and in the case of Moonshine itself, it's usually RATHER potent."
"HA!" Humble guffawed, "That's one way o' puttin' it - another way's how the sheriff came down on m'head, on accounta some local fools drank theyselves blind fer a day or two... ain't MY fault they didn't lissen when I said to take it easy on the jug, ya know?"
"And those red flowers outside are poppies," Mica went on, "they put out a pollen that can be used to make painkillers... and other numbing agents."
"Like 'Shine!" Humble cackled.
Mica stared at her. "You make your moonshine... out of poppies?"
Humble grinned at him. "Betcher last acorn, I do!" she said proudly.
Mica visibly balked, his eyes practically bugging out of his head in disbelief.
At first, Obsidian's eyes practically glowed with interest - the idea of a magical potion that could be quite useful in a fight was exceedigly alluring... but sadly, Mica ruined everything with the truth. "So... Humble's Poppy Moonshine is an alcoholic painkiller?" she tried to guess.
Humble winked at her. "Somethin' like that, eeyup." She went inside the place, and they could all hear it creaking and groaning as if it would fall down the mountainside at any moment. Eventually, she returned with some old-looking glass jars and a pitcher of brownish liquid.
"Arright, now," Humbla said as she poured the brownish fluid into each of the jars and passed them to the others, "I'm pretty sure you folk didn't come alla way out t'mah little shack ta chitter-chatter at me; why'd ya'll make your way up here in the first place?"
Obsidian really didn't know too much about alcohol, except that it made ponies feel strange... perhaps she should try it sometime? "We need to get to Ditch's Grove; Yowler told us you know the way, and could possibly take us there."
"Ditch's Grove?" Humble mused, "Sure, I can take ya there - y'know it's haunted, right?"
Cup's eyes went wide. "H-h-h-haunted?"
"Yassir," Humble grinned as she sipped some of the liquid from the pitcher directly, "been haunted for close onta fifty years or so. Mean sunuvagun too - been causing all sortsa problems fer trading folks passing through. That's why most take the train ta Clearwater, and not the roads."
"Interesting... and y-you would still t-t-take us there?" Gypsy asked as Diamond tasted his drink, stared at it in disbelief, then commenced gulping down the rest of it in a single go.
"Sure she would!" Cup smiled. "She's awesome when it comes to kicking flank, so she's not afraid of anything like that, are you?"
Humble chuckled. "Aw, I ain't really alla that big uvva deal, now... but I ain't 'fraid o' no ghost."
"Hmmmm - I think that may be connected with our reason for coming in the first place," Obsidian admitted. Mean and isolated? It had to be Aquamarine.... but had he really been sitting here in Clearwater for fifty years? That's... a long time. "Were there any problems with fires and explosions before?" she asked attentively.
Humble looked at her carefully. "Well, now... maybe we've got ourselves a detective here, right? Seems like you already got a grip on some things goin' on around here." She then nodded in confirmation. "Yaz'm - little pops all the way up to big ol' kablooeys. O'course, nobody got hurt TOO bad, but that didn't mean folks weren't spooked by it a mite."
She then looked as if she was pondering. "Honest, though... them booms stopped happenin' almost, what, two or three years back... and then, outta nowhere, there's bangs in the woods, then there's a fire." She shrugged. "O' course, I arredy checked it out - weren't nothing but a big ol' bonfire, ta me. Cleared back from the treeline and ever'thing; wasn't spreadin', and wasn't hurtin' nobody. Had the townsfolks spooked, though - they sent off ta Princess Twilight fer some help, 'cause they think the big, bad ghost is back."
"Unfortunately, that certainly sounds like my brother as far as I'm concerned. It means we have to quickly get to him and talk with Lemon and his guards to try to come back to Ponyville without bloodshed." Hopefully it would be that easy - she sincerely doubted it, though. "How far away is this grove from your home here?"
"Lemon? Lemon Custard?" Humble chuckled. "Cuppers, if your brother's here ta catch the ghost, you might wanna go back 'im up on that one." She then looked at Siddy. "'Bout a twenny minute walk from here, give 'r take a step."
Clap looked at her. "If it's that close, could you go ahead and take us there? Please?"
Humble grinned. "Sure 'nuff - any friends o' Cupcake's a friend o' mine; I'd be happy as a pig in a wallow to take ya there, arright? Just say the word."
"Yes, let's go head and make our way there already - we'll clean ourselves off after a stunning victory over any miscreant revenant plaguing these fair lands." Berserker... but if he was there for so long, why did he start the destruction again? Did he feel Onyx's presence or Amber's control?
Humble shrugged as if it were no big deal, then turned and began to trot lightly along the path through the middle of the poppy field. "Arrite then - folla me, and we'll get there lickety-split! Just try ta keep up, okie dokie lokie?" She headed blithely down the pathway towards the edge of the woods, where their own muddy path had led them.
Wll, so long as they didn't sniff the flowers or drown in the excessive mud, everything would be fine. "Okay everyone," she said while getting up, "it's time to save Lemon."
The lot of them, muddy and a bit grumbly, all fell into step behind Humble, who kept an even pace for her stride - which was good on flat areas, as she was easy to keep up with... but when she could maintain the same pace over roots, around rocks and through the mud, she sometimes had to wait for the others to catch up.
The only one who wasn't really affected much was Thunderclap, who had taken hold of Diamond and was arrying him along, with many squeals and giggles of delight coming from the stallion. "{Obsidyan! I AM FLYING!}" he called out to her, though they were only about ten stones off the ground.
"I don't know what he said," Clap grinned, "but I'll bet it has to do with flying being awesome!"
Sure enough, after only a few minutes they reached what looked like a clearing around a thick copse of woods - they couldn't even see through the treeline at all. At the far end, Obsidian could make out what looked like tents - one of which was bearing the coat of arms for the Equestrian Royal Guard.
Twenty minutes? Right - maybe for mountain goats or pegasi... because there was no possible chance that an average pony could get through this place so quickly. The more Obsidian found close contact with nature, the less she liked it; cities at least were cleaner than this. But luckily, they eventually managed to come across the familiar presence of the Royal Guard.
"Oh, thank Darkness," she muttered under her breath.
Reaching the campsite, the two guards seated at the small firepit both stood up, pikes at the ready. "HALT!" said one of them, "Who goes-"
Humble moved like greased lightning, closed the distance rapidly, and became a flurry of movement before she was standing right behind the guards, their pikes stuck in the ground behind her, each one now holding a thin and unimposing twig.
"'Nuff o' that," Humble said smoothly, "We're not here ta bring problems - we're here ta bring solutions!"
One of the guards looked at the oncoming group and sighed with relief. "It's okay, Barrel - it's Lady Siddy; we're safe."
The other guard eyeballed Humble for a moment, then turned to the rest and saluted. "Ma'am - we were told you'd be coming, and to expect you. Sorry about the jumpiness, but we've had all sorts of problems since we got here. But I'm pleased to report that Lemon Custard and Hard Looker have managed to locate the closest source of the problem, and are currently doing recon on the location."
Humble looked at them, then back at Siddy's group. "Wait - you folks are here from Princess Twilight, too? You really need THIS many ta deal with a single ghostie?"
The guard referred to as Barrel spoke up. "Ma'am, with all due respect - the way it destroyed our cart, I'd say we're in for a Tartarus of a fight."
Sometimes it's good to have a proper reputation that allows you to be immediately recognized - even when appearing in the middle of nowhere covered in mud and sweat. Compared to the luxuries she'd experienced in Manehattan, this place was terrible. As far as she could say, her opinion about nature was steadily getting worse with each passing second.
However, the news from the guards was hardly pleasant either; apparently they were already attacked and lost a cart... and Lemon decided it would be a good idea to go on recon? Gah! They came here to help him - he could at least sit down and wait for them!
"It's not a 'ghostie', Miss Humble... I'm afraid it could be my brother, a rather nasty creation of Sombra's magic. He won't be an easy target," Obsidian scratched her chin. This wasn't going to be easy. "Where did Lemon go? Is it far from here?"
Humble's eyes slowly widened as her mind put two and two together... "Wait... doezzat mean you're a chile o' Sombra?" ... and she didn't seem to like the four she got.
"Humble, hold on," Cup held up a hoof to stop her, "let me explain - she's a HERO in Ponyville, and she actually fought against her father! We ALL did!" Clap, Mica and Gypsy nodded... wait...
WAIT...
One, two, three, four, five... oh sweet Darkness, where was Diamond?
"Clap, where's Diamond?" Obsidian spoke up, the tension in her voice palpable.
Clap looked at her. "I set him down, he was..." She looked around. Mica began looking as well, but Gypsy simply sniffed the air... and, with a soft whimper, he pointed towards the thick copse of trees.
"DAMNATION!" Siddy growled... then gave a resigned sigh. "Let's go, then - quickly."
Why did he go in there on his own? He didn't even say anything to them - not a single word! Why, Diamond, WHY?!
The guards looked as if they wanted to tell them to stop... but this was Obsidian, or as Stalwart called her, 'Lady Siddy'; they had heard so much about the unicorn from Wart's stories that she actually had a bit of a reputation among the Royal Guard. They didn't feel like they had the right to stop her.
Gypsy got down on all fours and began to track the scent, Clap staying in the air only a few stones off the ground, Cup and Mica taking the sides as they searched. The copse of trees were all bunched together - as if they'd been planted that way. But this close to them, they could slip between the massive trunks and work their way inside. In the treeline, it was dark and foreboding, and felt as if they were slowly headed towards certain doom...
"Gypsy, stay vigilant; I'd prefer to avoid any surprise attacks," she said quietly, carefully looking around. She had no experience with forests, so she didn't notice anything very different about the trees they slowly started to slip between. However, she was on guard - Aquamarine was here, somewhere...
Who knew how long he'd been living here; he probably knew a lot about this place, which included possible chokepoints and other areas of strategical value. Why did Diamond leave? Did he possibly notice their brother and went to meet with him?
Only a few minutes passed before Gypsy suddenly stood bolt upright, a look of pure alarm on his features. "Th-th-this one s-sm-smells... ch-charred flesh..."
Cupcake looked somewhere between fainting and exploding, but Thunderclap landed behind him and placed her hooves on his shoulders. "Cuppie, it's OH-KAY; chill out..."
Gypsy snuffled around a bit, then made a sound that may or may not have been a short 'woof' before galloping on all fours in a single direction. Clap was right behind him, and everyone else followed suit.
At length, they reached a smaller, more precisely edged clearing with what looked like the foundation of a watch tower... but it was burnt to an absolute crisp. From what she could see, all that remained were the foundation borders; they were blackened wood. And the wrapped block of char in the center... it looked like it had once been some sort of blanket or quilt, as it had been durable cloth; now, having been wrapped around something and set ablaze, it looked like a leftover charcoal briquette after the big pineapple roast.
The sinking feeling inside Obsidian sunk lower as her diligent mind pointed out how the block of char was about the same size as a pony would be...
It had been a while since Obsidian felt like this; not even being in Quartz's mercy made her as self-conscious about her surroundings and the fragility of her life as the words spoken by Gypsy, the smell of char, the sight in front of them...
Obsidian's horn flashed as she cast a shield spell - it had worked on Tourmaline's spells, so perhaps it would work this time too.
"I'm going in... the rest of you, stay here and cover me," she said as calmly as possible in this situation - as she carefully started to approach. Damnation, she could feel her stomach getting way too close her throat.
She reached the foundation... and her hoof bumped something. Looking down, Obsidian saw a small flower vase, hoofmade, with the remains of a flower of some sort in it. Next to that was a small stone, carefully carved into the shape of a heart, and what looked to be a pair of spectacles, cracked and old.
Wood, arranged and burnt... vase... heart-shaped rock... glasses... It came home to Siddy slowly, but firmly - this wasn't a disaster scene; these were the remains of a funeral pyre.
At first, Obsidian's heart stopped cold - but she forced herself to calm down. Lemon's glasses didn't look like that; the style of glasses he wore were more modern, and these glasses looked like they may have been in style a few decades ago... possibly even authentic glasses from that period in time!
No, these weren't Lemon's glasses - they were someone else's. But that raised a few questions as well: who was this, then? Why in the middle of the woods like this? And who would do something like this?
Clap and Mica were standing close, almost back to back while Cup kept his eyes on Obsidian, and Gypsy sniffed at the air, occasionally following his nose to a different area. The diamond dog eventually sniffed his way towards the snuffed pyre, and was about halfway between the group and the pyre when one of thr trees next to him simply exploded.
The wooden shrapnel flew outwards from it, and the sheer force of it sent the dog reeling to the ground. He held his muzzle and whimpered, but he didn't seem to be badly injured - though the rest of the group went right to him, of course.
"GET AWAY FROM MY WIFE. NOW." The words came at Obsidian from beyond the treeline; the voice that used them sounded like gravel being ground roughly together.