//------------------------------// // Nineteen: Party Time! Excellent! // Story: Obsidian: Shards Of Sombra // by Randimaxis //------------------------------// In the hallway, there were a few ponies of various jobs milling about, tending to their work. It wouldn't have been too difficult to ask about where the kitchen was, but before she could even form a word of her question, Obsidian smelled something in the air... something good... something wonderful... Something that most definitely smelled like Cupcake's baking. The divine scent trail would lead right to the royal kitchen doors, where there were a number of cooks and a few servants all standing around, observing the unicorn stallion as he pulled a tray of his incredible cupcakes out of the oven. He was all smiles as he set them down on the counter gently and, with a quick swipe of his hoof, had the icing bag in his grip. He made short work of each one, giving them just the right amount of frosting, before presenting the entire finished tray with a flourish. "Ta-da-daaaaa! Cupcakes a la Cupcake!" The gathered servants all gave a respectable amount of applause. The kitchen was a strange place to look for Prince Shining Armor, wasn't it? Maybe Cupcake just got lost... or more likely, he got hungry. Then again, perhaps he simply couldn't waste an opportunity to further his fame as a purveyor of tastes great and grand? Without a word, she waved at him to get his attention.... wait, just how long was she talking with Flurry for? Was it even possible to make cupcakes so quickly? Was he maybe using magic to affect the flow of time? Cup's smile brightened as he saw her, and he excused himself to get through the crowd to where she was standing. When he reached her position, he gave her a light nuzzle then looked at her kindly. "So - top secret girly-stuff done with, right? I hope so, because the train'll be here in about half an hour; we'll get there on time if we go now." "Yes indeed, Cup - we've plotted and schemed, so that Equestria will be a much safer place now," Obsidian chuckled a bit. She would eventually have to talk about the shards with Cupcake as well - but not now, and surely not here. Probably not at home either, as she didn't want Amy to overhear anything. Maybe she could take him for a romantic walk around the Everfree? It should give her just enough time to explain everything. "... so, do we have to run?" she asked, concerned that she'd spent longer talking than she'd actually expected to. He smiled. "Only if you want to; the train station's not far. We could race, but Clap's not here, so it wouldn't be as much fun without her, I think." "Not really, no. And besides, Clap does have an annoying tendancy of trying to race to places I don't even know about." If anything, Clap's 'races' were only useful as a way to sideline her for a moment, so she could have a conversation with someone else. Even better was the fact that Obsidian didn't even have to feel guilty about it, as Clap was doing that completely on her own; the Grey Princess was truly innocent! ... but no, really, if she wanted to race, then she should explain where the finishing line was first. "In fact, the only time when I was going to run with her on her morning jog, I was attacked by my own brother." Obsidian pondered a moment. "Hmmm... you know, I seem to recall that we were planning to jog together every morning. Oh, well - best intentions and such. Anyway, let's go - I do not want to miss the train." The train station wasn't far at all, and after only a few moments in the station itself, the two of them were soon on their way home. Cup took the chance to snuggle Obsidian in their seats while they idly chatted, and was nestled against her and smiling sweetly by the time they got to Ponyville. But when they arrived, there was a small contingent of Royal Guards waiting at the station, and when she got off the train, Obsidian was approached directly. The one standing in front of the unit cleared her throat and spoke up. "Miss Obsidian! Princess Twilight requests your presence at her castle at once! We are here to make sure you get there promptly and safely!" Cup, strangely enough, just gave a small smile. "Oooooh, they sound serious, Siddy; maybe you should do what they say, huh? Don't worry about me - I'll catch up, okay?" The smirk he wore said he knew something... but spoke nothing of what it was he knew. 'Requests your presence'... from a contingent of Royal Guards. If Cup hadn't been smiling, Obsidian would be worried that perhaps Midnight had actually died on his way home, Princess Twilight had pulled a full-on Nightmare mode, and she was captured and sentenced to be hanged at dawn... or, er, something like that. Of course, she'd planned to visit the castle later anyway... but it was still a bit surprising to find herself 'escorted' there. "Fine, fine... I'm coming, yes," she sighed. Good thing they didn't go with Markannus to the nightclub - otherwise, the poor guards would have neen waiting here for quite a bit more than they'd been expecting. The guards flanked her, and Cup waved as she went with them. Strangely, Ponyville itself was uncharacteristically quiet. She didn't see any other ponies running around, and a number of shops were closed. It was still Ponyville, sure... but it felt strange and alien to see it so... quiet. When they reached the castle, two guards opened the doors to allow her entry, and the same two followed her in. "This way, please," one of them said as he guided her towards Twilight's Throne Room. Hopefully it wasn't a case of Amber freeing herself, mind controlling the entire populace of Ponyville and luring her into a trap. It would be a rather pitiful ending to Obsidian's story - getting murdered as soon as she thought she'd earned at least a few days to relax. And let's not forget to hope that it wasn't another Umbral invasion, either. Whatever was waiting for her in the throne room, she braced herself for it. An empty Ponyville, guards escorting her directly to the castle, a dramatic fight with Peridot... she had a feeling she knew what was coming, so she simply trotted forward towards her destiny. When she reached the throne room doors, the guards took up on either side, and opened them together... And that's when the cheering started. The entire room was filled with all manner of ponies! It looked like evryone in Ponyville was here, and each and every single soul in that throne room was looking at her and cheering their hearts out. At the throne itself was Princess Twilight Sparkle... as well as Spike, Wart, Clap, Gypsy and Mica. Each of them were dressed to their very best - even Gypsy was wearing some sort of suit. The princess waited for the cheers to die down (which took a moment), then spoke clearly. "Obsidian. Please come forward to meet me." She knew it - of course, with so much hard work lately, it could only possibly end this way. Well, there was also the option that Miss Pie would be preparing her a surprise party... but that could be a bit too much - Obsidian wasn't sure if she could handle it, even after so much time spent in Ponyville... ... with so many ponies... ... staaaaaring at her... Okay, technically speaking, she could simply turn around and run; it would probably be very rude, but she could feel the absolute weight of those stares. Though, really... she DID deserve some appreciation, right? Tense and on guard, Obsidian came forward, exactly as the princess had ordered. The Princess of Friendship stood up, and walked down to meet her at the bottom of the dias. "Obsidian, you have only been among us for a short while, yet in that time, you have proven yourself to be a hero, and that is not something I take lightly. You have saved everyone here from the darkness of the Umbrals, and now you have saved my only child from harm as well. Though I know you have been pressured by the trials of adjusting to life in this moden time and place, you have proven that not all which comes from darkness is destined to stay there. The citizens of Ponyville have much to thank you for, as do I." She turned to the crowd. "From this moment forward, I officially publicly recognize Obsidian as a citizen of Equestria, and grant her all the benefits therein as a member of my people. You are recognized as a hero, and it will be known that you are not only accpeted among us... but welcome, as well." Clap was excitedly jumping in place, even hovering on occasion. Wart stood proudly smilling. Gypsy was wagging his tail as fast as he could. Mica was giving her a soft grin. Spike gave her a thumbs-up. "Equestria welcomes you... and so does her people. Thank you for being the kind of pony that stands out as an individual, and brings hope to those who have none left. May your presence be among us for as long as you live." "THREE CHEERS FOR SIDDY!" Thunderclap shouted, and the audience followed suit, roaring her name. The doors opened again, and an enormous cake was wheeled in on a cart, right up to where the throne's dias was. Around it, the words 'WE LOVE OBSIDIAN' were written in pink icing, and the whole thing smelled of blueberries and chocolate. Twilight smiled. "Thank you for all your hard work; we all accept you into our hearts, forever more." Wait. Waaaaaaiiiit... she wasn't considered a citizen of Equestria before? What was her official status, then? A stateless pony? Apparently, Equestrian citizenship was quite difficult to acquire - after all, it was the second time she'd ended up saving the nation. So she got a citizenship and a cake... and plenty of love, apparently; if she were a changeling, it would probably be quite the feast. She had no idea how to react, so she simply bowed in response. "I... appreciate that." Twilight rasied an eyebrow, yet smiled back warmly. Clap almost bowled her over as she tacklehugged Siddy. "You're a bonafide hero, Siddy! I just knew this day would come! Well, I thought it might, anyway... but it DID!" "I told Twilight about everything you'd been doing," Spike added, "and told her you deserved a bit of recognition for it all. I think she agreed, don't you?" Gypsy bowed. "This one is p-pleased to see you getting wh-what you mosy certainly d-deserved. C-c-congratulations, Obsidian." Wart stood at full attention, and gave Siddy an official royal salute, a gleam of pride in her eyes. Mica simply lifted his hooves and gave a reserved clap, his small smile never wavering. The cake, however, started to wobble... then, a pair of hooves appeared, and Cupcake Sprinkles leapt out deftly, landing on his hooves and giving a big flourish. "Ta-da-daaaa! I wasn't gonna miss this for anything, so I baked this entire cake for you! Of course, I'm pretty sure you'll share it, right?" He leaned in close and whispered, "Don't worry; the part I jumped out of is separate from the cake itself - no Cupcake fur, I promise!" She had to act properly in public... however, she didn't really know how to handle this much attention. The presence of her friends was doing little to calm her down; if anything, she was afraid she was going to start to stutter like Gypsy. And of course Obsidian never expected to be tackled here - Clap was a bit rowdy, eh? At least Obsidian was sure that the curse was gone for good. Mica seemed to be fine as well. "... Cupcake, you never cease to amaze me," she spoke softly. It was all a bit overwhelming, honestly. "According to everyone here," he said as he hugged her, "neither do you!" There was much merriment to be had, and there were a great number of others who came to congratulate and thank Obsidian directly; she was now the mare of the hour, and there was music, laughter, and a general atmosphere of bonhomie all around her. Among them was a very particular elderly couple who were smiling brightly as they came to her. "An' here I thought we was gonna haveta dance in our livin' room... but you got a real shindig goin' on here, missy!" Short Round said with a grin as he and Whisper Winds came up to her and bowed politely. "I figger me an' the missus'll have ourselves a fine time here t'night!" An enormous plethora of ponies - for a mare who, not so long ago, considered a group of five friends to be quite a large gathering, it was just a smidge overwhelming. She knew at least a few of these ponies; faces she used to see each morning and afternoon. Just how many ponies lived in this town? She wondered if the Bearers of the Elements were somewhere around as well... which also reminded her that Stalwart was worried about her status within the Royal Guard. "Tonight? Is something planned?" She was a little confused by Short's words... not to mention his accent was as thick as Tartarus. "Good afternoon, Mister Round and Missus Winds. I still hope to visit you soon," It would have been quite rude not to welcome them properly, especially after what they'd done for her. Short chuckled. "I'm fair ta say they're probably gonna party all day an' into the night fer this one, sweetheart! I mean, you won't haveta be here fer ALL of it, I'm sure... but it's all gonna be fer you, an' all you've done fer us." Whisper leaned over and spoke into her husband's ear, and he smiled. "Whisper here says you're always welcome ta visit, an' she'll make up a batch o' cookies fer ya when you show up. An' trust me, you don't wanna miss her cookies!" Party? This was a party, was it? She'd wanted to ask the princess about that birthday party of hers... but she didn't expect that she was going to end up in one! She had plans for today, after all. "Oh, I assure you that I won't," she promised. "I still don't know very much about living in Equestria, so visiting ponies who are far more experienced than I will surely help me learn how to blend in a bit more." As an idle thought, was Tourmaline still in prison? Short gave a laugh, then gave Siddy a gentle pat on the back. "We'll be lookin' forward to yer visit, then! An' don't get us started; I'm fairly sure we'll talk yer ears off, if'n ya give us a chance!" She felt that, for this kind couple, was able to risk her ears. With a fond farewell, the two moved off to the dance floor, where they started dancing with the others that were already doing so. They looked happy, and Whisper even gave Short Round a kiss on his snout, which made him smile broadly as they danced close and slow, regardless of the music's tempo. "Obsidian! Well met, young mare," said Lemon Custard as he came up to meet her, followed by Peppermint and Licorice, who all gave her a bow of respect. "I daresay you've gone through quite a bit since our first meeting, wouldn't you?" The longer she was stuck in this party, the more she felt as if she might not be able to handle living around this many ponies after all. Even going full Dark Magic and setting up her own kingdom to rule wouldn't help much, as she had no idea how to run a fief in the first place! Obsidian bowed in response to Lemon and his siblings. "I can't argue with that - my only hope is that I'll run out of hidden siblings as soon as possible." Lemon got a grave look on his muzzle. "Yes... I agree. And I hope that if you learn anything more about them, you would let me know as soon as you can; being prepared for such a thing would help make certain fewer citizens get hurt. And, as always, it would be better to know than not to." Licorice stepped up, and a clump of young mares sighed at the sight of him. He put on a smile that could melt icebergs, and bowed low before her. "Thanks, Obsidian - we're glad you came here. We, uh... we're happy to have you." Peppermint walked up, bowed as well, then offered a hoof bump to her. And what could be better than a sign of appreciation from the quiet genius of the Pie family? She hoof-bumped Peppermint, smirking as she did. "And now that we are speaking about siblings... might I ask, where are my brother and sister? Did they join this... er, celebration?" Lemon gave a stern look. "Amethyst was invited... yet she chose to remain at home, for some reason. Persoanlly, I'm glad she did; it would be difficult to keep tabs on her with all these others about. Still, the offer was extended, yes." "As for Tourmaline... he's managed to charm a number of my guards, and has been swapping jokes with them for the past few hours. His restraint ring is being recast as we speak, and he shall be back in your home by tonight, at the latest." "Tourmaline is not a danger anymore; if anything, I'm sure that my friends and I could be his liaisons, if he would like to join us..." For a pony that literally tried to shatter her bones and make her into a pony-shaped jelly blob, Tourmaline was rather trustworthy. Besides, if he would try to scheme anything, she could use Gunther against him. "Lemon, uhhh..." Licorice looked over at the group of mares, "you mind if I..?" Lemon rolled his eyes and sighed. "Go ahead." Licky smiled, waved to Obsidian, then made his way over to the grouped mares, who had eyes for no one but him. Lemon shook his head, then gave Obsidian a small grin. "Enjoy today's festivities, Obsidian - you've earned them." Patty gave her a playful salute as the two wandered back into the crowd. "Hey there, sugarcube." Was that..? No, it couldn't be... and it wasn't. Butter Churn looked a LOT like her mother in that hat, but Churn was bigger and more muscular. Still, the sad little smile on her muzzle seemed to be quite an improvement from before. "I reckon you've done good, Siddy. Glad you got Midnight back to his ol' self again." Well now. Between Ruby and Peridot, Obsidian was used to meeting dead ponies, and for a moment she'd thought that Miss Applejack decided to visit her. "Oh, h-hello, Butter... really, I just had plenty of luck," she admitted. Of course, this luck was reinforced by her hard work... but without at least a bit of luck, she would never have found Peri's notebook. And she wouldn't have had to destroy it, along with all the wonderful secrets that might have been hidden inside. "Luck might have a bit t'do with it, sure," Butter chuckled softly, "but it's probably more like ya got the right stuff, the gumption, ta get things done. Y'made a real impression on folks, girl - an' I can't think o' anyone here who deserves a hero's welcome more'n you do." She gave Obsidian a respectful bow, then shuffled her way back into the crowd... but her smile never quite seemed to reach her eyes. "Uhhhhh... Obsidian?" And now, standing there was Rainbow Dash herself, who looked rather embarrassed. "... hi. Ummm, can I say something?" Without waiting for the okay, she continued. "I was... well, you know how I... uh, I mean... I was a real..." "Meanie?" Cup offered. "Y-yeah... a meanie..." "A pain?" Wart offered. "Yeah, a real pain..." "A butt?" Clap snarked. "Okay, okay, yes! I was a real meanie, a pain AND a butt yesterday... a-and I wanted to, uh... to apolgize for all those things I said. I was just, y'know, worried about Thunderclap, but..." She sighed. "That didn't mean I was right to act like that. I'm really sorry I did all that," she glanced at Stalwart, "and you too. I just..." "Lost your head?" Said Twilight as she stepped over to join them. "Yeeeaaaahhh... that." "Acted like a meanie-bo-beanie?" Pinkie Pie offered as she joined them. "Uh, y-yeah..." "Behaved like a crazed visigoth?" Rarity snarked as she sauntered over with Eloquence in tow. "Rrrrrgh... yes, like a... what now?" "Gave in to your temper?" Professor Fluttershy added as she strolled up. "... yeah, yeah, yeah. I really do mean it, though - I'm very, very sorry. Can you please forgive me?" Oh, look what cat dragged in (there were no cats around, but she remembered this idiom from a book... or maybe from school?). Rainbow Dash. With friends. And while they were teasing the pegasus about yesterday events, Obsidian felt as if they were here to gang up on her. She'd hoped to deal with the mare privately, without being peer-pressured into 'forgiving her' - at least not without making her very, very sorry for her misgivings and mistakes. They were in public. Even without that, Rainbow was surrounded by her friends and Obsidian's companions. It was simply not fair. The boisterous pegasus mare deserved punishment! "Well, I've forgiven Tourmaline for shattering my ribs, and Amethyst for killing Ruby..." Obsidian hated lying... but half-truths were fine. Dash started to look relieved... until Mica spoke up. "I would actually suggest you take this up with Obsidian privately, Miss Dash; it feels like you're forcing her hoof, here." Dash's eyes went wide. "Whaaaaaat? What do you mean, I'm-" "I mean," he continued, "that this isn't the same generation as your own." He gestured to the other Element Bearers. "Surrounded by your friends, gathered together here and somewhat teasing you on the subject - it's a recipe for forgiveness. One that Obsidian should decide, instead of one that lets you off the proverbial hook." Pinkie looked confused, Rarity seemed slightly shocked, Fluttershy looked a bit guilty, and Twilight simply stared... but Rainbow Dash looked skeptical. "But... I'm apologizing. And I mean it." "You might," Mica went on, "but that doesn't mean it all wraps up in a tidy little box with a bow, Miss Dash. This isn't a cartoon, you know." Twilight's muzzle took on a look of thought as Dash simply... blinked. "If you're truly sincere, then it would be important to take her feelings into account on the matter, and apologize directly, in private. Or at least not somewhere where she would be seen as 'stone-hearted' if she refused." Dash's jaw dropped open... but Twilight gave a solemn nod. "Dash... he's right. This is something that shouldn't be a 'last minute effort' to make up for what I've heard about. If you really are sorry, then there's no harm in saying it again at a later time, is there?" Dash turned to face the princess. "B-b-but Twi... I know what I did was stupid! I didn't-" "The act of forgiveness is important in the practice of friendship, Rainbow Dash - and it should be freely given... not coerced." Twilight spoke like a teacher, making sure the lesson was properly addressed. Dash's face fell. She looked at Obsidian, then at her friends... then at the floor. "Oh. Yeah, o-okay... you're..." "Rainbow, darling," Rarity spoke up, "don't feel so down; think of it as more of a 'rescheduling' than anything." Mica gave Obsidian a short nod. Ah, dear Mica - this way, Rainbow didn't have any chance to notice that Obsidian didn't say a single word about forgiving her assault on Siddy's house and the fight with her friends while they were taking care of her daughter. That was something that Obsidian, of course, could forgive - she wasn't used to holding a grudge - but not before explaining to the Rainbow pegasus how she was a terrible pony. That way, she would be certain to remember that lesson. As far as Obsidian was aware of, Rainbow was not exactly a very bright pony. "Thanks, Mica, you're a real friend," Obsidian smiled, "and I'm glad to see you are in fine fetter." He gave a small smirk. "Thank you. We should speak later." Rainbow looked confused, as well as a bit downhearted, but she turned back to Obsidian. "Okay. R-right, so... I guess I'll... yeah..." "Oh, it's alright, Dashie," Fluttershy said as she put a foreleg around her and guided her away. "Not everyone will accept an apology the way we hope they will; sometimes, it takes a bit more to make up for things." The two pegasi moved away, but Twilight stepped closer. "Dash came to me and told me... well, quite a bit. But we've seen her mad before, and we know she doesn't think when she's upset. For what it's worth, I apologize for my friend's behavior - from what I know of her, it must have been a doozy." "She and Wart got in a fight!" Clap exclaimed. "I'd never seen anything like that before!" "Thunderclap, darling... I promise you, she's gotten much calmer since she had you," Rarity sighed, "She used to be far worse." Pinkie shook her head. "Temper, temper... that's why I try NOT to lose my head." "Except for candy," Cup added. "Except for candy!" She agreed. Calmer? Used to be worse? By Darkness, it was a miracle she survived so long! Perhaps she was famously fast because she had to escape angry ponies a lot? "I don't like when ponies whom I try to help make it harder for me... especially when it ends in an assault on my friends and implying that I'm responsible for the death of... a certain pony," Obsidian scoffed. As far as she was concerned, she was responsible for only a single death... and that happened yesterday. Besides, she was just defending herself - he was already dead anyway, so she simply finished what had been started a thousand years ago, right? Twilight sadly shook her head. "Dash... didn't mean it, whatever she said. I'm sorry you had to deal with that from her. It wasn't right, and I'll have a talk with her before you two meet up." "Just try to keep in mind," Rarity added, "that it was all because she was worried about Thunderclap - and she probably panicked a bit." Wart gave a quiet humph, but said nothing. "I shall keep it in mind, and I will forgive her... eventually. I just hope that this way, Miss Dash will remember the lesson here for a long time; attacking ponies that are trying to cure her daughter isn't the best way to help." Oh, and Rainbow surely meant it - she really should trust the honesty of a nervous pony. The number of insults she'd been throwing at Obsidian meant that at least some of those might have been in her head already and prepared beforehoof. "By the way, princess... are you sure it's absolutely necessary to keep my brother in a cell?" Twilight nodded. "He may be showing signs of changing his ways, but until we know for certain, I'd rather not have him able to cast any magic - and, without a restraint ring, that can be best accomplished in an anti-magic cell." Rarity shivered at that, then looked back at Eloquence. "Dearie, did you want to speak to Obsidian?" Eloquence bowed low before her, and smiled broadly... even if he was still quite ugly, the act showed his inner charm. "My dearest Obsidian, I would like to thank you for all you've done for Equestria, and I offer you a token of my thanks; come by the Boutique, and I shall create an original dress worthy of such beauty as yours!" It was a ceremony for her, and yet they were keeping her brother cell-bound only because he accidentially got free when he trying to help the Equestrians? It really wasn't fair - did they really think he could be that dangerous? That he would risk his newly-won freedom? They could at least ask him if he'd wanted to come... An original-designed dress... she still wasn't exactly into things like that (at least not as much as Clap was), but it wouldn't be a bad idea to have at least one nice outfit. After all, Cup seemed to appreciate when she looked more dressy than normal - though to be fair, he appreciated her when she was just herself, too. "I'll surely visit, Eloquence; thank you kindly." Cup liked to amaze and surprise her - why couldn't she could do the same for him? Damnation, there were still so many ponies around! Should she ask him something? Make some small-talk? Hopefully Flurry wasn't wearing the communication bracelet, otherwise she could possibly hear Obsidian's panicked and paranoid thoughts. "Well, darling, do enjoy your party - if you will please excuse me, I have a few potential customers to speak with. Elo, darling?" Elo smiled, bowed again, and followed his mother away as she walked to where there was a gathering of distinguish ponies chatting amicably. As they left, Pinkie turned to Obsidian. "So, you like the party? Cup's idea, but I helped out! Are there enough balloons?" There were quite a few across the ceiling, all shades of black and red, with a few grey ones in between. Pinkie leaned in close. "You would not believe how hard it was to find GREY balloons! But we did!" Okay, Obsidian could believe that it wasn't simple to find balloons in that specific color. She did spend some time with Cup, after all... though she was a bit surprised that he would think it was a good idea to welcome her in this way, right after a rather difficult fight with her brother. "It's... grand, Miss Pie. And yes, I do believe there are enough balloons." Was anypony, well, doing anything with them? Except for a few colts and fillies, nopony seemed to care too much about the grey balloons. "May I have a few questions with you later?" Pinkie smiled. "Of course you can! You can have all the questions you wa-" "She probably means answers to her questions, Mom," Cup cut in, giving his mother a kindly look. Pinkie's eyes went wide with realization. "OH... well, sure! I don't see why not!" Cup rolled his eyes and chuckled, while the rest of her friends all grinned in some manner or fashion. Gypsy looked down and brushed some lint off his nice suit - it was a bit foppish for the diamond dog, but the color purple did look good on him. "You stickin' around, Siddy? Or you wanna try to get out of here, before the autographs begin?" Clap joked. Obsidian paled below the fur. "Autographs?" she squeaked. Mica nodded. "I expected that answer; if you like, you can slip out through the servant's entrance; I doubt anyone will see you doing so, if you're sneaky about it." Clap grinned widely. "Or, like... do you need a distraction?" Gypsy looked around a bit. "This one c-c-could dig a way out, if the floor w-was not st-stone..." "If you wish to leave, Lady Siddy, then I will be happy to create a path outside for you," Wart added. Cup just smiled. "Or we can hide you in the cake, and wheel you towards the back hall?" All her friends were offering their help... just like true friends would. Each option seemed to be more ridiculous than the last... and without even knowing what it might be, she was SURE she didn't want Clap's distraction. If anything, it meant that her staying at the party would save ponies around from the shock of getting Thunderclapped. "I, uh, th-think we can stay a bit longer. If I'd like to escape, I'll simply claim that I need some fresh air and quickly run away. You don't need to worry about me..." All of her friends were here. Which left Obsidian curious... "Strange - I thought you would be with Midnight, Wart." Wart did blush a bit, but cleared her throat and stood straighter. "I... am here to celebrate you, Lady Siddy - Midnight shall be fine, at least after your victory over your erstwhile sibling. Today is YOUR day." Cup smirked. "Oh? Does our Stalwart have-" "DO NOT SAY IT." Wart warned. Cup shrugged... but Clap's grin got even bigger. "A crush? Holy schnikes, is it true, Siddy!? Is our little Wart finally growing into a mare?" Wart groaned at the statement, and facehooved. For all the time that she'd spent with her friends was worth, Obsidian was still pretty clueless from time to time. Especially when it included idioms. "But... she is already a mare, is she not?" she said hesistantly, trying to figure out what Clap meant. Gypsy and Clap began to laugh merrily, while Mica simply shook his head and Cup giggled like a filly. Wart, however, blushed hotly, and gave Clap a stare that could curdle lava. "It's a jest, Obsidian," Mica told her, "stating that she's reaching mature marehood by having her first crush - they're teasing her." Wart didn't look amused... but Clap and Gypsy sure did. "Oh. Well. That makes sense, then." Idioms - it was sometimes hard to realize what was actually meant literally and what was not. "But Stalwart, you have to admit you two would be a cute pair!" It probably wasn't going to improve the situation, but she couldn't help herself. Wart's evil look slid over to Siddy. "Oh, not you too?" Pinkie and Cup both began to prance circles around Wart. "Kissy-kissy-loooooveeeey! Kissy-kissy-looooooveeeeeey!" they sang out (in harmony, no less) as they did so. Mica stepped closer to Obsidian. "I regret that I wasn't present yesterday, but I've been doing some research into a few things... and, if we can speak about it later, I'd be happy to fill you in." Clap now tried to join in, but she was waaaay off-key. It made Gypsy laugh harder, though. Obsidian didn't expect that Miss Pie would join in as well; poor Stalwart didn't stand a chance. It should help her with improving her patience, though. "I'd like to hear it as soon as possible, Mica - even right now, if you wish. The rest of the palace should be more-or-less empty, as well as surroundings... so it should be safe to talk there." Mica looked at her solemnly. "Maybe not for public discussion, actually - better to do so at home, yours or mine." "Perhaps you're right... but before we depart, first things first..."" She took out the scroll she had picked up from her room and headed towards her diamond dog friend to pass it on to him - he should love this opportunity to put his paws on something so ancient. "Pssst, Gypsy... I visited my old room and brought something back for you..." Gypsy stopped laughing, and his eyes went wide as he gingerly took the scroll from her. "Oh... th-this one is... honored... to have such a g-good friend as you! Might he ask wh-what it cont-t-tains? It looks so... ancient... thank you s-s-so much!" His tail would have possibly bruised someone, were they standing too close to it, due to the amount of wagging it was doing. "It's an old treatise, Gypsy... it's about the advantages of a despotic rule and the inherent flaws with the idea of self-rule. Something you'd expect from my father." Sombra or not, it was still historical and ancient. She then looked back at the earth pony. "Fine then, Mica," Obsidian looked around: party, plenty of ponies, balloons, cake, dancing... "Let's sneak out, then. You sound serious, and I'd prefer to hear any serious things as soon as possible." Cup and Pinkie were honestly causing enough of a show to almost guarantee she'd be able to get out. As her other friends continued to tease Wart, Mica and Obsidian slipped outside through the throne room doors, which were open to allow entry. The few guards they encountered all nodded to them, not saying anything or leaving their posts. When they reached the outside, Mica kept walking forward, yet spoke in his calm, even voice. "I've been digging into some deep research on the Umbrals and the Crystal Empire, and I've learned a few things. But that's peanuts, compared to what I learned afterwards. When we get someplace private, I'd be more than happy to share... as long as you'd answer a few questions I have for you as well?" Learning about Umbrals was peanuts? By Darkness, just how much bad news she could receive in only two days? Why she couldn't learn something good was coming... like, 'King Sombra's imprisonment means that Equestria will be forever happy from now on', or 'there's a way to bring back AJ, Ruby and all the other dead ponies', or maybe perhaps 'you are the true queen of the Crystal Empire, now let me pledge my eternal loyalty, but don't worry, I'm sure Cadance will abdicate peacefully'? "Of course, Mica - we are friends after all, right?" Obsidian replied with a somewhat resigned voice. He nodded. "You see, I've been scouring the records as to what information, if any, that might have something about Umbrals within it's pages. And I did find something... and it leads to my questions." When they reached Siddy's home (which was closer than Maud's Cave), he slipped inside, then sat down on the couch and looked at Siddy seriously. "Shall we talk yet... or would you prefer to check to make sure Amethyst isn't eavesdropping?" Obsidian pretty much preferred to check first... which included using magic to silence her hoofsteps at least a little bit, just to make surprising Amy a touch easier. Amy was in the kitchen, but she wasn't eavesdropping... "Ohhh..." hic "It's yooouuuu..." hic She was drinking what appeared to be a bottle of rather STRONG smelling liquid... and was getting drunk from it. "The hero returns... how-" hic "how nice." Obsidian had no idea that Amy was drinking stuff like that... or for that matter, that they had any of it in her house. However, it seemed that she was fine and they shouldn't be worried about her listening in. "Er... good afternoon, Amy," Obsidian simply greeted her before returning to Mica. All was clear. Mica looked at her and, with no problems apparent, began to speak. "Questions first. Exactly how much do you know about your siblings, and are you aware of how many of them there actually are? Because I may have found a list of them... but I want to be sure that I'm not incorrect." "Thirteen shards of Sombra were created," Obsidian replied immediately, "and I know a list of our names, but beyond that... hmmmm..." Obsidian herself, Onyx, Tourmy, Amy, Ruby, Peridot, Diamond, Amber, Jade, Aquamarine... oh, and there were also Quartz, Sapphire and Opal, but Obsidian hadn't had the time to read about any of those siblings. She only knew that Quartz was a stallion, and that Sapphire and Opal were mares - and that was it. "I know a bit about ten of us... up to this very date, I know that six of us - myself included - managed to get free and do something in the nation of Equestria... and usually, this 'something' wasn't exactly nice." Mica looked a bit surprised. "Thirteen? I've only learned about ten of them, myself... and here I thought I'd accomplished something..." He shrugged and continued. "But I digress - I've been looking through a number of books and scrolls, and have managed to decypher a few things from them. I was hoping that we could possibly pool our information... though it shouldn't surprise me that you know more than I do about this subject, I guess." "There have been some... mentions... about what some of your siblings are capable of, and through research, I've managed to find a few occurrences that have touched on three instances that seem... highly suspect, you could say. One is talk of a forest near Mount Arris that has recently been noting a strange occurance; tree stumps that don't look cut, but more like they burst at the same levels. All along the eastern side of said forest." He gave a slight nod. "Something that sounds suspiciously akin to one of your sibling's abilities." "Second, there's talk of a professional clothing fashion designer in Manehattan. A fairly recent newcomer - one whose fashions are under the label of 'Quartz Master Designs'; a long shot, but still something to examine, at least." "Third, I've been noticing a large quanitity of Dark Magic scrolls and mechanical parts have been ordered from a secure royal warehouse out near Appleoosa - purely scientific, says the order bill, and it's stamped by Princess Celestia herself, curiously. But as we've seen a bit of Dark Magic lately, I thought it was worth noting." "Honestly, I hope that we don't find out about any natural-born siblings of mine; dealing with the thirteen of us is annoying enough. I'd rather prefer to avoid the discovery of any additional siblings." Obsidian really liked that short period in her life between the death of Onyx and Peridot's attempt to genocide all sentient beings off the face of the world. She already had to deal with three of them, and now Mica found something that could be connected to another three... She was sure it wasn't going to be nice. Or safe. "Suspiciously enough, one of my brothers hold the name Quartz. I also know that my brother, Aquamarine, was able to utilize powerful Explosion Spells... so it's possible that he's responsible for the Mount Arris issue - and if this is correct, then we'll have to handle it quickly. Even Onyx called him cruel, so it would make him a priority." She then shrugged slightly. "Which leaves either Sapphire or Opal as the potential receiver of said scrolls... hopefully not both of them. However, didn't Princess Celestia retire?" Mechanical parts? Technology and Dark Magic... it could be dangerous. And very impressive. Hopefully this time, Obsidian wouldn't have to kill anypony. Mica actually fully smiled. "Clever Obsidian - she most certainly DID retire, but the order still went through. Which makes me believe that either Celestia's coming out of retirement to award random ponies rights to Dark Magic... or it's a forgery. My bits are on the latter. Still, it's worth metioning that there was a name for the location these things were sent to. And it's one that lines up QUITE well with your observation. The listed destination for the deliveries was in Cincineighti, at a place named POLA INDUSTRIAL. Which would be an anagram for..?" "Opal," Obsidian facehoofed. "Seriously, if you are right, then it means that my siblings - except for Onyx of course - are absolute failures when it comes to hiding themselves! Would it hurt them so much to make up names that wouldn't immediately make them suspicious? And of course it's a forgery... it could be useful, though. If we could somehow reach Princess Celestia quickly and show her the evidence, we could possibly get her help. Plenty of help, I'd say - a forgery of the royal stamp is surely a heinous crime. I'm certain that Equestria has some kind of intelligence or special forces that could investigate it, allowing us to focus on the rest of these strange events." Mica looked at her carefully. "Don't be so quick to discount them; after all, YOU are the only one who really knows anything about their existence, so I don't think they realize how easy it would be for YOU to find them; others who have no clue they exist? THAT would be deductive reasoning that would surpass most others... and they wouldn't even know to look, unless something happened to direct investigators towards them. For all intents and purposes, their covers are flawless... except to you, of course. So I wouldn't call them foolish so quickly. You just happen to have the advantage of knowing they exist, is all." "Well, perhaps this is true," the Dark Princess pondered, "but as soon as somepony knows anything about them, it becomes all too easy. The masquerade that fails as soon as somepony knows your name is a bad masquerade, period." Obsidian shook her head. "Besides, you said that this fashion designer is fairly new; if that's right, then he could possibly have heard about the recent events in Ponyville, and he still used his name as his brand's label! At least Opal has shown some restraint..." It was a simple mistake, really. "... and besides, it would take a few proper interrogations to force Amy or Tourmy to spill the rest of the names; they're safe only because Equestria is not as... rough... as my father was." Mica pondered for a moment. "Celestia lives with her sister Luna in Silver Shores; it's a small community next to a beach, and from what Mom says, it's lovely - my grandfather and grandmother live there as well, though in their own small rock farm nearby. The Silver Sands Community is a retirement village, and I'm sure visiting it would be no problem; they supposedly LOVE visitors." Silver Shores - Obsidian had already heard that name, but it felt like it was quite a long time ago. She couldn't really remember where, so it was nice to hear about it again. However, the next name was far more familiar. "Incidentially, I've met some ponies from Silver Sands Community today - and they invited me to visit. It would make a wonderful opportunity to speak to Princess Celestia, and to let her know that she apparently supports Dark Magic research lately," Obsidian smirked. Mica nodded. "It might at that. I suspect the elderly couple who were dancing their shoes off at your party are the ones you mean?" She nodded. "Precisely... and we can always ask Eloquence and Miss Rarity for some help with the investigation of this new fashion designer." Obsidian lowered her voice a bit. "It's rather lucky that I have portraits of my siblings, isn't it?" Mica lifted an eyebrow. "Really? Would I be able to see it, perhaps?" Obsidian nodded. One copy made for Amy, the original version and one copy made just for this very situation. She turned to get the second copy from her saddlebags. When she presented it to Mica, he pointed at one of the pictures; a smarmy-looking stallion with a braided lock of mane rolling down the back of his head, wearing a monocle. "This one... looks very much like a certain fashion designer I saw in the papers yesterday. How very interesting..." He looked over the rest, and pondered for a moment. "This artwork is very good - is it yours, maybe?" Obsidian chuckled and waved her hoof. "No, it was done by Diamond, my brother. One I've heard plenty of good things about, so I hope to meet him soon. I'd found this picture lately in the library, and immediately made a copy - just in case." "In the library? Are you telling me that, as your job as a libararian, you have some sort of secret notebook where you have tons of information that could save Equestria? Or am I just thinking you take after Onyx in that one way?" He grinned a bit; he was making a joke. Funny how it seemed like he'd be one of the last ones to joke about things. "You know, Onyx was working there for a little while... so it's only expected for me to find her things from time to time. I only hope that I won't find anything that could possibly kill me." Obsidian shrugged. "I didn't have time yesterday to talk about the picture, especially as part of our gang didn't exactly feel too well. Anyway, we now have plans for two of my siblings. Do we have any contacts near this Mount Arris you've mentioned?" Incidentially, Onyx did have a notebook that could potentially hold plenty of information that could save Equestria... it belonged to her now, though. "As a matter of fact," Mica nodded, "I have a cousin out there who might be willing to help. Humble Pie, my thrice-removed cousin has a home out there, and she'd be thrilled for the company. Though I warn you... she's feisty." A feisty Pie? Oh, sweet Darkness... "Otherwise, there's a small village nearby that might have a few folks who might have seen more than I discovered; you'd be welcome to check there, if you need to. In fact, I'd be happy to accompany you on the journey there, if you like?" "Of course, Mica; it would be good to have company, as I haven't really left Ponyville very much... at least not out of my own free will. I suspect I would get lost even before leaving. I'll require a giude, obviously." Obsidian didn't like to admit that there were things she couldn't do, but she was getting better in this respect since she was found by the Equestrians. "Eloquence invited me to the boutique to make me a dress; I'll remember to mention my brother to him. I'd also say that a visit to Princess Celestia is more important than checking Mount Arris - as far as I'm concerned, Aquamarine is a brute. Dangerous, yes... but I'm a bit more concerned about how my sister plays with technology, Dark Magic and forgeries." She shuddered. "Who knows what unholy horrors she's trying to construct..." The earth pony took on a grim look. "Yes, I agree. Perhaps we could possibly work on sending different members of the Siddy Six along with you for these outings? I figure that each of us could be useful, though having everyone go with you to all of them could get... difficult to plan." He looked at her with interest. "If you were to choose someone to go with you to each, who do you think would fit best for each situation? Or do you want my advice?" "I have my thoughts, but I'd like to hear your advice anyway - I'm curious to see if we have the same ideas." Thunderclap for Quartz, Gypsy for Princess Celestia... and of course, Mica for Aquamarine. Cupcake, possibly, in all three of them - it's always good to have a Pie with you. Especially a coltfriend Pie. Stalwart, however, could prove to be a bit busy with her duties... Mica cleared his throat before he began. "I'd take Wart along to find out about the Dark Magic Mechanical issue, as she'd be one heckuva backup in case things went wrong. Clap, as a fashion-savvy pony, would be ideal for finding out about Quartz. And I believe that either myself or Gypsy would be a good choice to accompany you to see Celestia; we both have knowledge to cull from... though Gypsy is better at being cute than I am, and the seniors would just love such a good pup among them, I'm sure." Obsidian nodded her head. "Well, we had rather similar plans, then. I assumed that Stalwart would be too busy to leave Ponyville for any extended length of time, though... and I'd include Cup in, well, every mission." She thought for a moment. "I'd also like to see if I can find out anything more about these siblings and then get to it as soon as possible. The sooner we deal with this danger, the better. Besides, even after handling these threats, there are still a few more siblings of mine... and sooner or later, we'll have to deal with them as well." Mica nodded, then grew a thoughful look. "You know... I'm sure some of Cup's siblings might be a good choice too; Pepper has a way with mechanicals that I can't fathom, but she could be a good choice for the Opal situation." "It's also occurred to me that it could be good to take Eloquence along to deal with Quartz - I just, you know, thought mainly about the friends who were with me when I bested my dear father." Obsidian smiled slightly. ... eh, there was no time like the present, eh? "Oh, and by the way, I've found three more of my siblings in the Empire - still trapped in their crystal forms," Obsidian lowered her voice, whispering to Mica. Of all the things she wanted to avoid, anypony hearing about it was among the top three. "They are not dangerous right now... but I need to get at least two of them out as soon as possible." His eyes widened. "Really? Shards like you were? Well, that certainly makes a difference, Siddy." He lowered his voice as well, matching her near-whisper. "I could look into some sort of containment spell, if you like? I can't cast it, but perhaps you could, or another unicorn you can trust... though I don't know if Cupcake would be a candidate; he does like to talk, and secrets can get the better of him." "Flurry Heart helped me with it as well. I'd love to just tell one of the princesses about the situation, and let them prepare reformation, rehabilitation... and in one brother's case, medical care... but Flurry was afraid that her parents would just seal them up in the catacombs, and I don't want to risk my siblings... at least, not the good ones; the third one is more... complicated. And I think we could ask Stalwart to learn this containment spell - she is very, very loyal after all, and doesn't tattle. It should be a safe bet." Mica chuckled. "The dreaded Flurry Heart, eh? I wouldn't mention her around Clap... unless you want to hear her complain about her for the next ten minutes or so. But she IS on the inside in the Crystal Empire, so she would be a good ally to have." "You know, I think I'm actually curious enough to mention her around Clap, if only to hear what exactly happened between them." Mentioning to Clap that, apparently, Flurry was her honorary sister, would be even more interesting. Mica then thought over what she'd said. "And... medical care? Is this particular brother wounded?" "He is cursed; Peridot, my late brother, turned him into some kind of green monster. My dear sibling was rather, er... unlucky when it came to his interactions with our father. Tortures, curses, even his shard his partially submerged in acid and he feels that pain all the time. We need to find a way to free him from the curse, and then we'll have to find him plenty of medical and mental care, because he is not going to be in good shape. A rather complicated case, as you can no doubt see," Obsidian sighed. Mica blanched a bit at that. "You... you mean Jade." He shuddered visibly, then spoke quietly. "I found some information about him... and from what I gather, he's... well, a monster. From the scrolls I read, Jade literally oozes toxins from every part of him, and almost every instance I read about, he causes death just by being near someone. I don't know if you should even think about moving him, much less releasing him into the world. Obsidian, I'm serious - the things written about... I mean, what he could..." He shuddered again. "I don't think it's a good idea to do ANYTHING with that one."