Obsidian: Daughter of Sombra

by Randimaxis

Ten: A Bookish Sort

"Where IS that stupid tome!" came a cultured, regal voice with just a hint of distress.

"If the card catalogue says it's here, it has to be here. Calm down, okay?"

"I swear, if you tell me to 'calm down' one more time..."

Two stallions, their muzzles buried in piles of non-fiction books that were currently not at all on the massive shelf where they belonged; if she had to organize all of these, she'd be busy 'til midnight!

One stallion was impeccably dressed, in a suit of a deep pine green with golden trim and a simply divine overcoat of what looked like ermine. Definitely a fashion plate. Otherwise, he appeared to be lean and wiry, made more for speed than muscle.

The second one had a velvety-black coat, and was chiseled and firm. Honestly, he looked as sturdy and proud as her father once had... except this stallion was not her father. He wore a simple barding, but one made to fit a workhorse... which, if his powerful frame were any indicator, he was.

Thunderclap instantly blanched. "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh- how does my mane look! Cup! Do I look okay? I don't wanna be caught looking frumpy by... by..."

Cupcake rolled his eyes. "Eloquence hasn't even seen us yet, Clap - calm down!"

Cup had called them 'aquaintances'... was this a betrayal? At the moment of triumph? Did it meant that, to gain "more" friends, she would have to get even more than she initially thought - to make up for Cupcake and Thunderclap being only 'acquaintances'?

Truly, she was going to remember that treachery and one day... one day... perhaps she will understand what Cupcake was talking about enough to decide whether or not it was worth punishment.

Oh, wait - he wasn't her slave, so she wasn't in any position to punish him.

And besides, she could always ask about it later to get a far better explanation from him. After all, making friends was HER punishment for her crime of walking around without liasion, and she didn't feel like she could properly explain to Princess Twilight why she had ignored it.

However, Obsidian's mood quickly got better as soon as she saw the library. She had never seen so many books in a single place before - which was not exactly surprising, as she'd never seen much of a world before - but it was enough to stun her for a moment.

Of course, she wasn't very talkative anyway, so Cup and Clap would hardly notice much change.

"Shouldn't we first report ourselves to the library's supervisor?" she asked as Cup was leading them inside, to the non-fiction section... however, it seemed that there was now a new problem:

Other ponies.

Of course, it was normal; they were surrounded by so many creatures... but these two got a strong reaction out of Clap - and out of Obsidian, as at the first sight of the sturdy black-coated stallion, she stepped back for a moment before she got ahold of herself.

"... what's happening with Thunderclap, Cupcake? Who are these ponies?", she asked, slightly nervous.

Cupcake smiled broadly. "The one wearing the fancy-schmancy outfit is Eloquence-"

"The most together and hip fashionisto in all of Equestria!" Clap practically sang, her eyes looking rather soft and UN-Clap-like.

Cupcake chuckled. "And he happens to be the child of another Element Bearer, Rarity! He certainly gets a lot from his mother, but he's also his own pone, so to speak. The other one..."

Cupcake grinned even wider. "That's Licorice Twist. He's a ladies' stallion, all suave and stuff - that's his trademark. The fillies all swoon over him, and he's always schmoozing somewhere around. He's just like that. A liiiiiiittle on the dull side of the knife, but he's not dumb by a long shot."

Cupcake then walked over and tapped the black stallion on his flank. The stallion lifted his head from the pile... which revealed a rather attractive male muzzle. That muzzle looked curious until those dark violet eyes locked on Cupcake; the look was replaced with a small, collected smile.

"Brother... what are you doing here?"

"Brother? Which one? Is it Lemon, because HE would know what I'm looking for..."

The other stallion lifted his head, and-GWWAH!!

"Oh, it's Cupcake. Salutations."

The primly dressed stallion was as ugly as sin! His eyes were mismatched and off-centered, his teeth crooked, his lip split and his nostrils were two different sizes! He was hideous!

And she was certain she wasn't related to Licorice - a good thing; for a moment she was really worried about... well, about something not really specific, but it was enough to stop her heartbeat for a moment. Luckily her, uh, aquaintances quickly explained everything.

Obsidian liked explanations. Getting into new situations without any prior knowledge was scary, annoying, stressful or outright infuriating, after all. However they didn't explain what was happening to Thunderclap. It was strange. Nopony used any sort of spell on her, right? However, she hadn't known her for too long, so maybe it wasn't as strange as she thought it was...

And, oh, wonderful, another brother of Cupcake's! How big was his family? His mother probably deserved a medal for birthing new slaves taxpayers and friendship-bringers... and hopefully the other pony didn't have any brothers and sisters. It wasn't right, to spread around genes that could result in something like THAT.

Despite that she followed Cupcake, hoping for him to introduce her. She was supposed to be meeting new ponies... but there were too many of them, and she still didn't know how to exactly welcome one! Until now she was either welcomed by them (just like with her first meeting with Cupcake and Churn) or introduced by her companions.

Hopefully she would never have to go through this process alone...

Cup smiled. "Licky? Elo? This is Princess Obsidian, of the Crystal Empire!" He made a grand, sweeping gesture as he did his utmost best to give as grand an introduction as he could.

"Princess?" The ugly stallion pondered, "Crystal Empire, you say? She doesn't look like one of Cadence's children - too dark - but she certainly has the regal posture of one... and those cheekbones, oh darling! You would be simply smashing in something crimson or royal purple - maybe even orange could work, though it would have to be for a Fall ensemble..."

As Eloquence spoke, Clap simply stared at him with dreamy-eyed awe. What Thunderclap Dash saw in such a stallion, there was no telling.

Meanwhile, Licorice gave Obsidian a short, neat bow. "A pleasure." His eyes lingered a moment on her, but he managed to pull them away to look at his brother once again. Strangely, side-by-side, she could now see a family resemblance between them - but she'd have never guessed unless she'd seen them both together.

"My dear, have you ever considered the world of 'Modeling'? With your looks, I'd dare say you would be all the rave this season! Perhaps brush a few kinks out of the mane and tail, a good coat-scrubbing, maybe even a horn polish..." he chuckled, "Oh, yes - you'd be quite the heartthrob, I assure you. Lick?" He looked to the dark stallion, "you may have some competition here, with the 'dark and broody' look. And I believe she would pull it off better than you do."

Licorice simply gave a half-hearted shrug. "Whatever - I never said I claimed a monopoly on brooding, Elo."

Eloquence gave Licorice a flat stare. "You know, when I'm actually trying to get a rise out of you, it would work so much better if, y'know, you actually got offended."

A shrug from the handsome stallion. "So you're trying to offend me?"

Elo rolled his eyes and muttered, "Yes and no, darling - yes because it gets the blood flowing, and no because you are my friend. I just sometimes wish my friends were easier to rile up."

Licorice simply shrugged again.

... oh damn, they were talking. A lot. Again.

That was a serious downside of being introduced to new ponies by Cupcake and the other 'acquaintances' of hers - each time it happened, they already knew each other and were talking, laughing and carrying on. For a moment, Obsidian felt like an intruder... or like an invader - which, in her eyes, was a far more favorable term.

"I'm not Princess Cadence's child; I am an heir of her predecessor, the most honourable and illustrious King Sombra," she explained calmly, trying to get first things first. It would be a shame if somepony would think she belonged to the usurper's dynasty.

"And... thank you?"

At least she thought that this comment about cheekbones was a compliment. What did he want from her? Well, her father DID like crimson...

It was hard to believe, at least for the moment, that the handsome stallion could be related to Cupcake - and to Lemon! She wouldn't complain as much if his brother would talk as much as he did... also, black licorice was one of her favourite rare sweets. Not that she'd tasted too many of them in her life...

Frankly, her father hadn't given her much of a choice.

"I'm not even sure what modeling is, I'm afraid.. which by extension means that I have no idea what you want to do with my coat and horn... or why."

Future ponies were strange. And what did 'heartthrob' mean? Was that an idiom?

"Darling. Pookie. Sweetheart. Are... a-a-are you serious?"

"Uh, Elo?" Cupcake began, worry writ large on his muzzle, "She isn't-"

"Modeling," he began with a grand flourish, "is what all the properly beautiful mares and stallions do, of course! To wear the latest and greatest fashions, to have your photo taken & printed in fashionable magazines, to be seen all over the world! My dearest, Modeling... is...life!" He struck a dramatic pose, and held it firmly... until Cupcake gave a short giggle, then Elo straightened himself and smoothed his mane back.

He may have looked ugly, but Elo seemed like he had enough personality to make up for his physical shortcomings... in spades.

"What I want, simply put, is for you to consider taking up Modeling - after all, I have access to some pristine fashions, and I am quite the shutterbug; it would be an honor for such an exquisite creature as yourself to allow humble little me to take your photos and share them with all of Equestria! Why, I daresay with a face like yours? You could conquer Equestria by looks alone!"

Eloquence pulled out a notepad and began jotting notes with the pen held aloft by his horn, but Licorice stepped a bit closer.

"King Sombra? So... you're from... another time?" Licorice's voice was silken and deep, it was like chocolate for her ears.

Ok, so modeling was wearing fashions. Now she only had to learn what 'fashions' were... and fashionable magazines... aaaaand photos. Maybe not now, perhaps - it would be probably be a more wise decision to ask about it from somepony who wasn't so much into it.

... but conquering Equestria? Yes, that something she could appreciate!

She made a mental note to talk to Eloquence later, she could always avenge her father's defeat by placing herself on an Equestrian throne. Maybe modeling was some kind of warfare?

She nodded to Licorice. "Yes. My last memory before waking up here was apparently from the day when my most honourable father was planning a battle against the Equestrian princesses," she explained to him.

Licorice looked intrigued. "So that would mean... you've been suspended for a little over a thousand years?" He considered that for a moment. "Wow. I'll bet there's so much that's new to you, it all seems so much to take in. And I'm sure being placed with my crazy brother hasn't helped much, has it?"

He regarded her solemnly for a bit. "I'm sorry you're having to go through so much change at once; I'm surprised you're even able to be out & about, with so much new around you."

"Darling," Elo spoke without looking up from his pad, "the princess looks to me to be as soft and squishy as a diamond; she's made of firmer stuff than anyone's giving her credit for, I'm certain."

Cupcake nudged Clap. "You're drooling."

Clap jumped as if she'd been bitten, then quickly wiped her lip and straightened her stance... though her eyes were still locked firmly on the horrific visage of the suave fashionisto.

Licorice cocked his head a bit. "And you're here now, trying to do what? I mean, broad goals... not book-fixing."

Ugh. Hearing this line yet again about 'a thousand years' hurt. She knew it was a long, long time, but hearing it aloud hurt her each and every single time she heard it. Even Lemon had dropped his mockeries for a second, after she heard it for the first time and reacted as if she had been struck with a mace.

"Yes, that long," she sighed, "Cupcake is as different as possible from anything from my old life, so being placed with him is, in a way, oddly balancing; no matter what happens, I can be sure that I won't be any more shocked than during my first meeting with him." The way he'd behaved during their first meeting was still a sore point for her, but she managed to deal with it, for the most part.

Really, what was wrong with Thunderclap? She wasn't sick, was she?

"Now? Well... I shall survive and learn, one would assume. I woke up yesterday only to find out that everything I knew is gone, so I'm not really in a proper mindframe to have any other goals as of yet. I believe I'll need more information about the modern world first." Of course, it was quite possible that 'conquer Equestria with modeling' had a firm chance of becoming a means to an end.

Licorice nodded. "I see. Well, a school would be the right place to look for that sort of stuff - the library? Doubly so."

"OH!" Elo suddenly jumped and turned back to another stack of books. "I almost forgot I was looking for... something..." With the ugly muzzle hidden away again, Elo searched through pile after pile.

"As for Cupcake," Licorice continued, "I would have to say you're the first being to ever put 'Cupcake' and 'balancing' in the same sentence." He gave a rich chuckle, then turned back to face his brother.

"I see Thunderclap still has a crush on Eloquence..."

Crush? Did Thunderclap... want to... crush Eloquence? No, it couldn't be that; Obsidian doubted she would react that way if she simply wanted to hurt him. Modern ponies were strange, and it surely didn't help that she was a princess and they were... well, from the lower classes. Maybe not too low, as they were related to local nobility, but lower than her, still.

"DO NOT!" She looked ready to fight the black stallion, but he just raised a hoof and grinned. Elo, judging by the fact he didn't seem to react to his name being used, was probably too involved in looking to notice.

"Okay, my bad, you're right -" he was grinning, "you're just standing there drooling because your I.Q. is that low, then?"

"HEY!"

"Kidding, geez." He looked to Obsidian. "So... you need to learn more to make better goals? Maybe I could help out there?"

"I don't think so, that's something I need to figure out myself, at least partially. Oh, right! Would you like to become my friend?" She practically beamed as she realized that she could get one step closer to the meeting the terms of her punishment.

Licorice raised an eyebrow, his muzzle turning stoic. "Why would you wanna be friends with a stallion like me?"

From the pile behind them came a groan. "Oh, sweet Luna's plot," Eloquence grumbled, "here it comes..."

The look on the dark stallion's muzzle got heavy and brooding. "You wouldn't want to be friends with someone so lost and alone as me..." He put on an extra layer of brood, looking stern and pouty. "I don't know that you'll actually get any enjoyment out of-"

"For crying out loud, Lick, just say yes!" Eloquence sounded as if he, himself, would squash the two of them together if they didn't find a compromise.

Licorice stopped abruptly, then gave the smallest of blushes as he said, "Uh, yes. S-sure."

Cupcake grinned. "He takes a minute to pick up on stuff... but that's my little brother!"

Little? Cupcake was barely half his size! How could he have been the older sibling? And how many Pie heirs were there?!?

Wonderful - another friend! Princess Twilight should be most satisfied with this development!

"I'm not looking for enjoyment, I'm looking for friendship," she explained calmly. Besides, if she would want 'enjoyment' she would either just sit in her room and read (according to her own definition of the word) or just rely on Cupcake (according to more modern definitions).

"I'm certain we shall do many friendly things... as soon as I can figure out what is friendly and what is not." She peeked at Eloquence and his piles. "Please, ah... Eloquence?.. what book are you seeking?"

"Academia In Fashion; A Treatsie By Rarity; it's one of my mother's best sellers, right after 'For Spike' and 'How To Tame A Diamond Dog'. The fershlugginer thing should be right... in... here... SOMEwhere..."

Actually, from where she was standing, she could see the book in question; it was on a shelf that wasn't in order, gathering dust. Not far above Eloquence's styled and braided tail.

Licorice gave Obsidian a look. "You really don't know much about friendship at all, do you? Maybe you should; I'm sure it'll help you in the future, and I'd be... available to help you learn. And I promise I won't make fun of you for not knowing."

"No promises here, darling," Elo quipped, "if I see something bad, I'll say what comes to mind."

"He will," Cupcake agreed. "He does so quite frequently."

Yes... she already noticed that he was talking quite a lot. And apparently trying to annoy Licorice, at least a bit. Well, in her case she could always just... no. No Dark Magics allowed. Damnation! "I can take a critique... as long as it's reasonable," she assured both of them.

Reasonable being somewhere between her father and Cupcake; something like Lemon Custard's idea of such would be right out.

"Here, I have found what you seek."

Without a second thought, she levitated the book in question from the shelf, towards the Eloquence. Her horn flashed with unhealthy looking dark light (even though it should be, in theory, impossible). While she wasn't used to using her dark magic for such a simple task as moving a book, she still had little other experience with anything but what she had.

"What was that thing about diamond dogs? I've met only the one, and I wasn't even aware of their existence before - I would gladly enjoy learning more of them."

Four sets of eyes watched the book levitate over to Eloquence, and the unicorn stallion in question took it... but he wore a somewhat shocked look on his muzzle. They all did.

"Siddy... is... i-is that your magic? Why does it look so... so..."

"Dark Magic, darling," Eloquence said, almost reverently. "always looks like that. Chic and hip, maybe, but... Dark Magic itself is forbidden. But that wasn't exactly 'dark', bringing me a single book?"

"I thought it looked interesting," Licorice intoned.

"Of course it did, dearie," Elo said, "there's been no Dark Magic in Equestria for quite some time; I'd daresay that Obsidian here may be the last living bastion of Dark Magic in all of Equestria."

Cupcake balked, "That can't be-... there's no way-... how could they-..."

"The last known utilizer of such magics," Elo continued, "was Stygian, before his reformation." He looked to Obsidian. "Though he's gone well on his way; no need to look for him, as you won't find him in Equestria. He travels abroad, teaching an spreading the joys of Harmony. At least, that's what the general rumours say."

"Stygian? You mean The Pony Of Shadows?" Licorice chimed in.

"The two were separate creatures, Lick - don't forget that - and Stygian had mercy and compassion; the dark entity that had twisted him did not. That's why the entity is gone, yet the Stygian remains. Separating him from that darkness was a challenge, but success was had, so now we have only the one."

He looked at Obsidian, smiling. "I'd dare say you're possibly the very last caster of any sort of Dark Magic in the known world."

Dark Magic? It wasn't any sort of complicated spell or concentrated energy; she didn't even have to power herself up with anger or fear or...

Wait. Waaaaaaaiiiiit... surely they didn't mean that even her 'normal' magical aura was too dark for public use? Would that mean that she couldn't use her magic AT ALL?

"That is merely the color of my magical aura; you haven't seen much Dark Magic in your life, have you? Dark magic looks like it's... um, boiling. Yes, boiling. Angrily."

Now she was worried. Pony of Shadows? That sounded somewhat familiar; didn't she hear some kind of legends about this creature? Ones from her own time?

This world was so very mysterious. Maybe it was possible that an ancient creature such as this could rise in this modern era - just like her. And she surely wasn't to be the last? After all, her father had to be somewhere, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

"The last caster of the most illegal kind of magic... unfortunately, I don't think THAT helps me very much," she said somewhat dryly. Her mood soured at the mere idea of getting this kind of reaction - or worse - every time she used her magic.

"It just... looks so angry," Clap said. She looked a bit put off by the fact, but Licorice and Cupcake seemed to handle it well... and Eloquence seemed to know more about it than the others surrounding her.

"Obsidian? It's... i-it's okay, really. I mean, so, there's a bit of Dark Magic in your aura, so what?" Cupcake tried to smooth it over. "I mean, it's not at all like you want to enslave Equestria and take over like your father tried to do, right?"

"Hey, yeah," Clap began warming to the idea, "Siddy's okay - she's not evil or anything, so even if her magic shows some... uh, stuff... no one'll judge her for it, right?"

Eloquence sighed loudly, while the other two simply looked on.

"... right?" Thunderclap asked them, then turned and repeated the question to Obsidian. "They'll know you're not evil, right? Y-you're... not... evil... r-right?"

Cupcake now got a look of umbrage, and stepped forward to stand next to Obsidian. "Clap! NO! She's not evil, you know that! Why would you even THINK such a thing! She might be a bit moody, but everyone is from time to time! Plus, a thousand years removed from society! Did you forget that?"

"Hey, whoa, whoa!" Clap put up her hooves and sat down. "I just... I mean, I didn't mean anything bad by asking, I just-"

"Thunderclap Dash, I..." Cup took a deep breath. "I know you didn't mean any harm, but you don't just ask others if they're evil like that! Aside from being rude, it's mean!"

Clap sighed and huffed, "Okay, geez, got it. Calm your bridle, Cup."

Licorice stepped closer; she could almost smell the candy in question as he leaned in to speak softly. "For the record, I think your darkness is... nifty. I've never seen anything like it before."

Oh, so another strange discussion about her morals started, whether or not she was evil and so on. No, she didn't really plan to enslave Equestria - conquer it at the most, but only with MODELING! - and that was something Eloquence offered her himself! Why they weren't discussing if he wasn't some kind of evil wizard or something like that?

Obsidian scowled, more than a bit annoyed. "Oh yes, I'm so evil that, when we walked into the kitchen for the first time, I thought that we were going to eat Cupcake and was terrified with this idea," she said dryly. "I may not adhere to the same morals and values as you are in the futu-... in modern times, but I wouldn't call myself 'evil'."

Of course, she wouldn't call her own father 'evil' either - which meant that her definition of the word was perhaps a bit different from theirs. The unicorn mare stepped back half a step after Licorice approached and said his opinion. It made her strangely uncomfortable... and she wasn't quite certain as to why.

Probably some kind of friendship thing or something.

"Erm... thank you, Licorice? So now, that we are hopefully finished talking about how terribly evil I am, perhaps we could do... something else? I still hope to meet up with Gypsy and Mica later, and possibly meet with madam headmare again, as well."

Clap took the hint; she simply sat there, staring a hole in the floor as she tried to think up some way to apologize. That might take a moment or two. Cupcake, however, nodded then turned to face the shelf.

"Well... we are here to do something else - organizing these books, remember? C'mon - the sooner we get started, the sooner we'll finish!"

Seeing an opportunity, Thunderclap got up and started gathering books into neat piles. She still didn't say anything, but she was determined to get something done right. Though her handling of the books was a little... rough... she was still gathering them quickly and stacking them efficiently.

Eloquence, his snout buried in the book he'd been given - an improvement to the scenery, to be sure - waved a hoof towards the three of them. "Darlings, so good to see you - Obsidian, dear, you simply must consider my offer of stardom; no rush, but I simply find it hard to wait to see you in some of my more regal works!"

Licorice looked up towards Elo. "We'll... catch up later, Cup. I hope we meet again, Obsidian."

"Very well, my fine friends. Excelsior and such, darlings - TTFN!" With that, he made an exit just as exaggerated as the introduction earlier. Licorice just waved as they left, looking smooth and silky as he walked out after his unicorn friend.

"So..." Cupcake looked at the piles being formed, "how are we gonna organize this stuff, Siddy?"

She looked at the pile. Then at Cupcake. Then at the pile again.

"I'd say we should ask the librarian about that; I'm sure there is some kind of system of organizing, and it would be a waste of time to try to figure it ourselves or do it in a wrong way and then have to fix it all."

Otherwise it would be probably the best idea to sort it by authors' last names, and then by books' names, but she really didn't like wasting her time.

Cupcake nodded. "Then we need the Librarian! Oh, Libr-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-rian!" Cupcake yelled out. "Yoo hoo! I'll betcha if I keep talking loudly, that you'll-"

Just like that, there was a unicorn standing behind Cupcake, a solemn look of duty on her muzzle. She was appropriately bookish, with huge-lensed glasses on her muzzle, and had a look on her face that could have made a Manticore slink away behind the trees in reproach.

"SHHH."

"Hey, you're th-"

"SHHH."

"Aren't yo-"

"SHHH."

"But wha-"

"SHHH."

The Librarian now looked over at the other two, and her firm gaze came to rest on Obsidian. "What. Do. You. Want?"

That was a highly unorthodox method of calling for a librarian. Very Cupcake-y, but also somewhat dangerous - it really showed that he was raised in a very, very different place than Sombra's Crystal Empire. If he would try to attract an overseer's attention that way... or, worse, her father... no, she couldn't even finish this thought. She wasn't squeamish, not by far... but she didn't want to think about Cupcake's possible fate, were it the situation at hoof.

"Yes, er... we're here because Lemon Custard sent us, and we-"

"Ah, you must be here for the sorting; he sent a message ahead, so I've been expecting assistance."

Obsidian bowed lightly to the guardian of knowledge, overseer of temple of wisdom. "We just wanted to ask how we should organize the books... and I apologize for my liaison's loud behaviour."

After all, a good ruler can take the blame and - oh, right. She didn't rule him. He didn't tell her his plan for calling out, or even gave her a chance to stop him. It was a completely different situation from yesterday, when she absolutely couldn't blame Mica and Thunderclap for allowing her to walk around without her liaison - after all, it was her fault.

This time it wasn't. She hoped.

It suddenly dawned on her that she'd forgotten to ask Eloquence if he would be her friend too; a greivously wasted opportunity, especially if he was supposedly going to help her with the conquest of Equestria. Not that she was really planning for it too seriously before, but if the opportunity arose...

The librarian looked at Cupcake with a glare of spite, then turned and gave a neutral muzzle to Obsidian. "Thank you for being polite."

She glanced over the books, then straightened her huge glasses and spoke sternly. "These books should be organized in alphabetical order, from top to bottom, left to right. In case of discrepancies with titles, use the Dewey Decimal mark to place them - the numbers will tell you the order."

She looked at Thunderclap. "And no racing."

Clap innocently looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Glowering at the pegasus, she turned to face Obsidian again. "At least YOU seem capable. Just keep these two out of trouble while you work, and keep the noise down."

Cup opened his mouth to speak, but the librarian covered it with a hoof.

"SHHH."

With that, she then turned and began to make her way back towards the front desk. "I'll be back to check in twenty minutes."

When she left, Cupcake looked to the princess with a dour expression. "I'll bet she hates anything that isn't BOOK-related," he pouted.

"So?" Clap said with a smirk. "Who cares what she thinks! Let's get busy here - the sooner we're done, the sooner we can leave!""

So... she was tasked with overseeing these two as well. Eh, too bad that Mica or Gypsy weren't there - the former wouldn't make any troubles and the latter would be useful with paws and height. However, she had to make do with what she had.

And... racing? In the library? Obsidian glared silently at Thunderclap for a brief moment before she turned to the pile of books and stretched her neck strongly to the left, then to the right. Properly warmed up, she now began to concentrate.

Fires of growing enthusiasm for this work were heating up in her soul. She would turn this chaos into order! Find the rightful place for these books! That's what TRUE rulers were supposed to do - though normally with ponies, not with books. Still, it was good enough for her.

"And we have only to organize these two shelves? A shame; I almost wish I could do the entire library..."

Her eyes were almost burning with zeal as she envisioned her goal. Then her horn flashed with her 'boiling' magic, and the books began to levitate off the floor.

Cupcake and Clap simply watched, amazed as they saw the books making their way from the piles and floating in circles around her, allowing her to see the titles correctly and send them on their way to the shelves. To Obsidian, it may have been a simple task; to her two observers, it was a show of what power could be, were it properly motivated and cultivated.

"Whoa..." Clap whispered softly.

"I gotta admit, princess," Cup said with a smile, "you certainly have all the earmarks of Royal Power - especially the POWER part!"

It didn't take long at all. In close to ten minutes, the shelves were organized and correct, and Cupcake gave a light but excited clapping when the last book slid into place.

"Bra-VO! That was inc-"

"SHHH."

Again, there she was - no sound, no clue that she'd been anywhere around... and yet, before Cupcake's volume could get the better of them, she'd just sort of materialized next to him! Well, maybe not literally, but as fast as she'd shown up, one might as well say it.

She looked over the shelf accordingly, scrutinized carefully, then gave a short nod to herself. After that, she made her way over to Obsidian and gave her a disarmingly kind smile.

"Thank you, sincerely. As far as I'm concerned, you've done a grand job, here. I appreciate your efforts." Making a slight sweeping gesture to the library around them, she continued. "This library is meant to be a major repository of knowledges... and I am overjoyed to meet someone who has as much interest in history as I do. I am pleased to meet you - you may refer to me as Miss Tome."

She looked to the shelf again, admiring the work. "And you're welcome in this hallowed hall whenever you wish, should it fancy you."

That's it? It felt as if only a few seconds had passed. Frankly, she would gladly continue - it was an interesting exercise for her focus, as she had to constantly check all the books, sort them and move them into the proper places... and for her magic, as she was trying to keep up a truly terrifying pace. It was almost as if she was a biological sorting machine, and just found her purpose in life.

Too bad she already had her cutie mark!

And it seemed that she'd won a possibly valuable ally; a pony with so much power (after all knowledge IS power!) was going to be useful, quite possilbly.

"I'd gladly organize a few more shelves, should it be required," she admitted. So many books... so much organizing... If only she didn't have to make more friends due to her punishment, she could probably try to stay right here. Perhaps for more than a day.

"Thank you for your kind words, Miss Tome. I am Princess Obsidian, and I hope to be a frequent guest here."

So, now... Mica? Gypsy? Or maybe...

"Before I take my leave I... would like to find something about madam Headmare, Starlight Glimmer. I'm almost certain I'd read something about her yesterday... but sadly, I can't remember enough details."

"Princess... Obsidian?"

Miss Tome now looked somewhat surprised, bordering almost on shock. "You... wouldn't happen to be the mare that was discovered in the Crystal Dungeons a few days ago, would you?"

Cupcake, ever-so-helpful, answered before Obsidian could. "Yah-huh! It's her, all right! Princess Twi said that she was a... uhhh... a 'boney-fried' member of Dark-And-Slavey's entourage-"

"No. Not an entourage. In fact, she's not the only one, either... though she may well be the last one."

Clap scratched her mane. "Last what?"

Miss Tome looked up at Obsidian again, hearing her question. "Yes. Yes, we do. And perhaps more, depending on certain... factors..."

She pondered for a moment, then abruptly said, "I would like for you to return later, after school hours, if you're able to. I have... knowledge of certain things that you may be interested in."

"What," said Clap, "like, I dunno, princessy books or stuff?"

She was... what? A member of what? And what was this drivel about not being the only one, but the last one? Obsidian didn't expect to hear something like that in this place - how much did this librarian know? Did she get access to her father's personal records, or perhaps she had a close contact with Princess Twilight?

And what did she mean by 'not an enourage'? As far as Obsidian was concerned, that term would be fairly fitting for the gathering of 'friends' she had... or had she mistaken what Miss Tome had meant?

"I shall return, then. For now, I'd like to request specific reference material regarding the headmare, to learn more about her as soon as possible. Preferably, before my next meeting with her."

"Yes, I believe I have something..."

Miss Tome made her way over towards another non-fiction shelf, and motioned for Obsidian to follow. Reaching the shelf, the mare removed a book titled Friendship Is Magic: The Rise Of Twilight Sparkle.

"There are mentions and even a treatise on Starlight Glimmer in this book, if that would help. Otherwise, there are a few other books, but I'm afraid that many of them are dramatizations of the struggles between Starlight and Princess Twilight, not factual."

She pondered a moment. "I... may be able to come across some other forms of information, but I'll have to dig to get to them; when you return, I can possibly have what you need." She offered the book to Obsidian. "Mind the overly-scientific explanations in that one; there are quite a few of them."

Struggles between them? But how could a mere headmare 'struggle' with an alicorn princess? Was it some kind of administrational conflict? Had she requested more pay? Perhaps a disagreement over a student?

"It should be enough for now. As I said, I only want to quickly peruse some information about her - it's not truly proper research, just... a catching-up, especially after missing a thousand years," she admitted. Her own lack of knowledge was starting to vex her fiercely.

"Is there anything else I need to loan this book from here? Fill out a form? Sign something?"

Miss Tome's muzzle grew serious. "If you are Princess Obsidian, I daresay I will most certainly remember who you are and what book you have... it would be difficult to forget."

"Hey now," Clap started, stepping forward with a slight menace to her actions, "you're not tryin' to take a dig at Siddy, are you? 'Cause if you are..."

Miss Tome gave the pegasus a haunted look. "Comparitively? That would be a mercy." With that, she turned and made her way back to the front desk.

Cupcake looked at Clap, then Obsidian. "I... I don't like what that sounds like. Princess, if you're coming back here, then I should probably come with you, right? I mean, as someone who's trying to do the whole liaison-thing, it'd only be right... right?"

Who was this librarian? What did this 'if you are' mean? She knew who she was - it was transparently obvious. After all, there was only one daughter of the most honourable King Sombra in this entire school!

"Yes Cupcake, you should accompany me - I truly appreciate that. This... all of this is..."

She shook her head. She had come here only to sort books and find something interesting about the headmare, but instead she got what turned out to be the most mysterious and ominous permission ever to borrow a book.

"Let's go. Quickly, please..."

It was unbelievable - she was actually hurrying to leave the temple of knowledge! Even despite her all upbringing in the dark castle of King Sombra, she was spooked by a librarian! Miss Tome was surely the dark heart of many a Nightmare Night celebration.

Thunderclap and Cupcake were about as spooked as she was; they wasted no time in getting out of here.

"That was freaky-weird! I mean, I know the librarian's, like, bookish and eggheady and stuff, but... wow, that was... I mean..."

"Yeah," Cupcake shook himself to knock the shudder of fear loose. "I've seen Miss Tome a few times, but I think that's about the most I've ever heard from her. Ever!"

"Still, I mean, that was waaaaaaay too 'out there' for my tastes. I mean, is she trying to freak Siddy out, or is that just me?"

Cupcake frowned. "I honestly don't know."

Obsidian was afraid that she wasn't just 'trying to freak her out' - but that it was a genuine attempt to warn her about something. But what it could be? Did Princess Twilight have any plans for her? Did they know about her (potential) brothers and sisters? Or... by darkness... perhaps her father had already returned - and was not satisfied with her!

After school. She still didn't know when it was, but Cupcake would surely help her with it - she felt that she could hardly wait for that moment, to dispel any doubt and find out exactly what the creepy librarian meant.

It was at that point that Obsidian saw a familiar face in the crowds... well, more like off to the side of the crowds, folding little paper boats at a table by himself. He seemed preoccupied with his task and didn't look to be paying much attention to the interactions around him.

Well. First things first. While Obsidian was not a diamond dog specialist and could probably easily mistake one dog for another, there was probably little to no chance to mistake a paper-folding dog with anycreature else.

Thus, without waiting for Cupcake and Clap (after all, they would surely follow her) she trotted to her origami-making acquaintance.

Author's Note:

I've always loved the trope of 'ugly as sin, heart of gold', so I figured it would be fun if Rarity's son looked awful on the outside, but was very much his mother's child on the inside.

This FELT like it took forever to get through, being so long, but I felt that splitting the library experience would have diminished it somewhat - hopefully, you feel the same way. If not, my apologies.

Oh, and as for Miss Tome? No spoilers...

Comments

[Edguy0009]

He looked at Obsidian, smiling. "I'd dare say you're possibly the very last caster of any sort of Dark Magic in the known world."

My Bionicle OC on Equestrian Magic.

Dark: Yummy. or Thanks for the boost!

Light: Aaaah IT BURNS!

Chaos: I don't want to find out.

[Bookworm]

Interesting chapter, like usual
I still find weird how Siddy didn't raise the "evil because trying to take over the country" isn't it what cadance did with hers by killing the rightful king ?
Can't wait for the next chapter, good job.

[Amos Anon]

Licorice looked up towards Elo. "We'll... catch up later, Cup. I hope we meet again, Obsidian."

Everytime I see their name shortened to "Elo", I immediately start singing "Mr. Blue Sky" lol.

[Randimaxis]

10999849

Guess you just Can't Get It Out Of your Head, can you? };)

[Reclusive]

"Yes Cupcake, you should accompany me - I truly appreciate that. This... all of this is..."

Ah, shit. There goes the secret dark magic collab.