Obsidian: Daughter of Sombra

by Randimaxis

Thirty: An Element Falls

Gypsy suddenly lifted his head, cocking it slightly to allow his ears a better angle. "Th-th-this one hears a s-sc-s-sc-s-scream!"

Do not be Stalwart, do not be Stalwart, do not be Stalwart, PLEASE do not be Stalwart... Mica turned and charged up the hallway, the others in tow. Reaching the Northern gate, he made his way to one of the windows overlooking it, his attention riveted to the bridge beneath them.

Stalwart Stance looked as though she'd been wrestling with a manticore... and slowly but steadily losing. From where she had held them back at the middle of the bridge earlier, she was now backed almost all the way to the gate itself. She was still fighting like a pony possessed... but now, it looked as though the superior numbers were finally starting to wear her down.

To be fair, there were so many Umbral bodies surrounding the bridge, they could have possibly just climbed them to reach the doors. And the bridge itself was no longer visible under the carpet of broken bodies and viscuous slime.

Stalwart was one Tartarus of a fighter, that much was certain; Obsidian hoped she would never be on the wrong side of her blade...

But, as it goes, first things first.

She cast a shield spell to separate Wart from her enemies, and to give her at least a moment's respite - and then tried to push the shield forward, with the clear intention of seeing how many Umbrals could be knocked completely off of the bridge. Plus, it would be nice to get rid of all these bodies too, considering they probably had to walk through this mess.

As soon as the shield went up (which was surprisingly easy) and the Umbrals began to slam against it, Wart fell to a knee and began panting like an overachiever at the Running of the Leaves.

"LUX INVICTA!" Obsidian screamed a new war cry as she took her lance and charged. Her horn surged with light as she tried to cast the familiar light missile spell from earlier - the one that had worked so nicely at Sugarcube Corner.

When Obsidian charged, not only did she begin to glow with a blue aura, but the missiles that she created weren't just three like before; she now had eight swirling balls of light orbiting her, and each one produced five shots each!

If Stalwart's attack had been impressive, then Obsidian's charge was awe-inspiring. Umbrals flew apart in great chunks, limbs and ichor flying in every direction as she tore through them like they were rice paper! By the time she reached the head of the bridge, the river of dark, nasty undead had become a slight trickle... then, just like that, they simply stopped coming.

Wait... why have they stopped? "Why'd they stop?" Cupcake intoned.

"Either they were waiting for me to come here, or perhaps my Light Magic has scared them away?" she tried to guess, looking around and reinforcing her shield, just to be sure. After all, both Tourmaline and Amethyst preferred surprise attacks, right?

"Stalwart, were you wounded? Let me check you..." She moved closer to her, to examine and, if necessary, heal the brave little mare.

She shines... like... a star... Wart looked up at her, her eyes wide as she did... yet, with a shake of her head, she refocused herself.

"I... did not... f-fail you, Lady Obsidian." She tried to stand, then winced and returned to her knee-bent position, taking in a sharp breath as she grit her teeth against her pain.

Not good... not good at all. "Obsidian," Mica said, "the incoming Umbrals have stopped; I don't like this. At all."

That's when she felt it: One of the Elements had fallen.

Almost immediately after that sensation, a massive burst of purple energy domed out from the center of Ponyville, and threw off arcs of violet lightning as whatever was happening there intensified.

BY THE DARKNESS FROM THE DEEPEST PITS OF TARTARUS!

"Something... s-something has happened to Princess Twilight and the Element Bearers!" Obsidian shouted, not caring if she caused a panic or not - all she knew was that something very, very bad was going on and they had to help somehow!

"Stalwart Stance! We need your help, here and now, so tell me about even the smallest scratch..." She lowered her horn - perhaps she could transfer some of this energy to her? She had to do something, and QUICKLY!

Wart, seeing the energy dome in Ponyville, rallied herself and s-l-o-w-l-y got to her hooves. "I... c-cannot... rest, until... all are... safe..." The mare had multiple small cuts, bruises and a few open wounds - and was apparently missing a tooth. However, none of these wounds would be any trouble for Obsidian - especially now that she had a humongous charge in the amulet!

She cast a healing spell... no, she cast THE Healing Spell - the mother of all healing spells, hoping to take care of all Wart's minor wounds in one single shot. Time was of the essence, and there was no telling how much they had left.

There was a flash as bright as the sun... and in its' wake, Stalwart Stance was completely unharmed.

What in the wide, wide world of Equestria was THAT!?
By the blades on my cutie mark...
Incredible... a historic moment, for certain!
HOLY SCHPAMOLI!!!!!

Stalwart looked down at herself, shocked, then back up at Obsidian.

"Your Majesty... I..." Her eyes narrowed and her jaw set firmly. "I feel like I could take on the entire Umbral armada!"

"Well, you'll get your wish, if we don't get-"

>BA-BOOOOOM!<

The first of Pinkie Pie's fireworks suddenly swooshed off the rooftop of Twilight's palace and burst loudly in the sky; even in daylight, they made one heckuva show!

"Siddy," Cupcake spoke anxiously, "I think we might need to join Clap - we may actually be needed!"

"Yes! Quickly!" She didn't dart towards the center of Ponyville alone, though - she kept up with her friends, and they began to run together. Especially as the formation had plenty of strategical advantages, and they would cover her back as she would cover theirs, and they wouldn't be overwhelmed easily. The five friends charged across the bridge and made their way toward Ponyville.

When they finally arrived, the small village was... not doing well.

Houses and buildings were ruined; whole walls taken down, rooftops caved in, fires in some of the debris, broken plumbing shooting water into the air...

And there were bodies. Not scores of them, thankfully - but there were enough to turn even Cupcake's muzzle sour as they passed them. Each one looked either shredded, pulled apart or just plain broken - the Umbrals were vicious; that much was certain.

Reaching near the center, they all began to hear desperate screaming coming from the town square...

"RRRRRRAAAAGGGHHH!!!!!" Princess Twilight stood there, generating the massive field while also throwing wicked purple magical bolts at the amassed Umbrals. There were even more undead bodies here than there were at the bridge!

Behind them, the town hall stood firmly, windows shuttered and boarded... although, inside, Obsidian could see the townsponies watching the carnage, scared to death that what was out there would get in here. She could also make out the forms of Professor Fluttershy and Rarity, trying their best to keep the others safe and calm... even as they both looked extremely distressed.

Twilight Sparkle was holding a shield, directing her bolts of damage... and shedding a river of tears.

If it was Rainbow Dash... then Thunderclap would be devastated. Were it Applejack, then poor Butter Churn. Pinkie was in the castle, so it couldn't have been her. Rarity and Fluttershy were with the townsponies. And Princess Twilight was right in front of them.

Whatever happened, whoever had fallen - Obsidian was more than eager to avenge the death, and make these damnable Umbrals pay! Especially as she still hadn't seen Thunderclap yet...

Her horn flashed as she started to cast her explosive Light Missiles, to get the monsters' attention. "Tight formation around me! Cover the sides! If something attacks from another angle, I will cast shields!" She tried to formulate a plan and give some proper orders, albeit a bit nervously. "Stalwart, do you see any strategically advantageous position for you?"

Stalwart nodded with a grimace of determination. "Indeed, Lady Obsidian - THE FRONT!!!"

Wart charged out only far enough to be at the limit of Twilight's shield dome, drawing her sword as she did, and became a pony whirling dervish; Umbrals, here by the droves, fell like so much detrius as she made short work of the ones around her, then began to move along the edge of the dome, slaughtering Umbrals left and right as she made her way around, clearing the borders.

Cupcake and Mica flanked her easily, covering the sides like professionals... but Gypsy leapt up and literally dove into the ground! The moment he vanished under the dirt, she could see him burrowing with lightning quickness towards the Umbral hordes...

An undead thing who was among the masses suddenly sank down into the ground, and became encased in dirt from the waist down. A clawed forepaw shoved its' way through from beneath, impaling the head on sharp, earth-rending claws before pulling the whole undead corpse beneath the surface. As she watched, it happened again... and again... and yet again.

It was almost terrifying how efficient her friends were in a fight! With Obsidian as their center, they were able to push forward - and bring plenty of damage to the invading army. Just how many of these disgusting creatures did her sister bring forth from that Black Pool? It already felt as if they'd wrecked a million or two... yet they just kept coming! Obsidian put some shields around Stalwart, to keep her sides safe from attack, while she led the rest to advance.

There was no strategical advantage in staying away from Princess Twilight - especially as she would be the most likely one to know where Thunderclap was. Also, if they could possibly combine their shields and magical missiles... well, these rotten Umbrals would have one Tartarus of a time, that was for sure!

"Momma..." The voice was soft, wavery and wracked with pain.

Behind Twilight, down in the dirt, was Butter Churn... who was kneeling over a limp orange pony, unmoving on the ground.

"... oh, momma..." Churn's mighty figure looked like it was trying to melt off of her; she was inconsolable, her hooves holding up her mother's head as she stared down at her in abject misery. And there, next to Churn and holding her tightly in both forelegs was Thunderclap Dash.

Applejack's eyes were closed, and she showed no signs of breathing. Of life. There was a single, bloody hole in the side of her barrel, and what looked like a shard of black bone was jutting out at an angle.

The Element of Honesty had fallen.

As her daughter was crying over her corpse, Princess Twilight Sparkle raged at the Umbrals for taking her dear friend from her. Meanwhile, Clap was doing her best, amidst her own tears, to console the poor Apple.

"Churnie, I wish I could've stopped 'em! I tried, I really, really-"

"Ah know, s-sugarcube," Butter intoned morosely, "ah know. Momma just... j-just..."

"She saved our lives, that's what she did! If she hadn't been there when I swooped down to rescue you-"

"Oh, momma..." Butter Churn's voice was heartbreaking... And OH, could Obsidian feel it! PAIN in her heart, unlike anything she'd ever experienced before! The poor mare was devastated... and to the Light-empowered Obsidian, the residual empathy felt as though someone was trying to rip her own heart out through her ribcage while she was still alive.

The longer the fighting continued, the less Obsidian wanted to keep her stupid, moronic sister alive; not only she was too incompetent to defeat Equestria with a single strike, because she managed to lose her greatest strategical advantages, but also she was killing ponies Obsidian liked!

The death of Applejack was both a mistake and a sin - and for that, Onyx had to pay.

That pain could have brought so much Dark Magic... but she was unable to do it! All because it had been stolen from her by her stupid, stupid, stuuuuupid sister, and replaced with something entirely different. So Obsidian just had to grit her teeth and keep pushing forward - the sooner this place was cleared of the Umbral threat, the more quickly they could confront Onyx... hopefully before they lost any more good ponies.

Twilight Sparkle, on the other hoof...

Her stance was one of sheer aggression; with each lash of sparking, powerful energy at the Umbral forces, her eyes flashed with power. Her muzzle was a rictus of pure RAGE, and her tears and screams of anger kept coming again and again.

However, what Obsidian noticed most was the growing red glow that was beginning to come into her energy aura, and the red mist that was beginning to seep out from the edges of her eyes.

I'LL DESTROY YOU ALL! EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU! THEN I'LL DESTROY YOUR CONTROLLER! YOUR NATION! YOUR HISTORY! I'LL LAY WASTE TO EVERYTHING YOU EVER KNEW!

If those were Twilight's thoughts... well, let's just say that Obsidian had an exquisitely personal knowledge of what could happen here.

On the one hoof, it would be interesting to see Dark Magic cast by an alicorn - it could possibly solve all of their problems quite quickly and efficiently! Twilight could simply destroy all Umbrals in a span of mere minutes, capture Onyx, punish her and who knows - maybe she would even be willing to learn some necromancy!

However, there was the small detail that Obsidian herself would be considered a part of Umbral history - considering her connections to them and to their last ruler. Besides, Dark Queen Twilight probably wouldn't be too... well... Harmonious. And of course, there was always the rather high chance that she would forego fighting the slippery slope of darkness, and leap of her own free will into the abyss.

Obsidian herself could request a hug from Cupcake to calm her when she was feeling the pull of Dark Magic's siren call - did Princess Twilight perhaps have a husband? A child? Anyone?

"Princess! Calm thyself, or you run the risk of becoming like my father!" Where were Celestia and Luna? At this point, she would even accept Discord! Why was this murderous crisis in the heart of Equestria happening to begin with?

Twilight turned to face Obsidian, seething with anger. "YOU DARE COMPARE ME TO HIM!?"

"Well yeah! LOOK at ya!" Clap yelled from where she was holding Butter Churn, who was still crying. "Ya LOOK like you're gonna EXPLODE!"

Twilight's eyes went wide as those words broke through her fury, and she shuddered as she visibly made an effort to rein herself in.

But the moment she did so... down came the dome.

Umbrals from every angle surged in the very millisecond that the dome vanished; Obsidian lost sight of Wart almost immediately, and the fighting on both sides of her began in earnest. By Darkness, they were EVERYWHERE! Magic flashed, blades swung, hooves struck... yet for every one that fell, three more took their place - they would be overrun if this continued!

They would all die! Civilians! The Princess! Her friends! The remaining Element Bearers!

And they couldn't waste any more time, if they wanted to find and defeat Onyx before she got another stupid plan in mind, or possibly even escape!

Spells to combat the undead, eh? Well, whatever had been discovered, it was Obsidian's best bet right now - so she tried to cast one of the spells found by Gypsy earlier, putting into it as much power as she could possibly muster.

She was the avatar of light - Lux Invicta - phos epiphanes!

AND LIGHT! IS NOT! AFRAID! OF DARKNESS!

The ripple of pure white energy that rolled out from Obsidian's hooves passed harmlessly over her, her friends and the rest as it sent the ring of light outward, a halo of power that seemed to roll all the way out of Ponyville!

But the Umbrals...

As each Umbral corpse was touched by the ring, it simply dissipated into ashes, falling to the ground with a small cloud of dust in its' wake to mark the passing. In mere seconds, the horde that had been threatening to crush them underhoof was now so much dust and ash on the ground.

Then, it was quiet... except for the sniffles of Butter Churn. "Was... w-was that it?" Cupcake asked.

The malevolent chuckle that filled the air said otherwise.

"Obssssssssidian..."

It was the voice of Onyx... and she sounded as though she had found her own Royal Canterlot Voice.

"I... didn't know I could... c-could DO that..." She truly hadn't - if she had, she would have done it immediately, so as to save as many lives as she could... possibly including poor Applejack, had she gotten here in time. She wouldn't have had to walk into this madness to save the lives of her friends.

But - first things first.

Onyx. Right now she was the most important and pressing issue. Later on, perhaps... well, anything goes, right? Maybe she could try healing mortal wounds or missing limbs? Raise the dead?

Well, not exactly right now, obviously - if she failed, it would make her quite gloomy, dampening her fighting abilities and spirit. That was the last thing they needed right now, honestly.

"Does anyone else hear where that came from?" Obsidian had very little patience for her most stupid sister right now.

"Hear what, exactly?" Mica asked. Was it possible that nobody had heard Onyx except Obsidian?

Cupcake looked her in the eye. "Siddy... did you hear somethi-"

Onyx's words drowned out any and all sound around her as that voice, that oily voice, rang in her head.

"You mussssssst be congratulated; I've never KNOWN so much power, and it ALL came from you! And to think, I'd believed that I needed YOU here by my side! If I'd have known it was THIS easy, I'd have done it sooner!"

"...an't hear you, Cup. She seems to be focused on something el-"

"If you wish to end thisssssss... then, by all meansssssss, come to me. You can even bring your little 'pals'. I DO feel a bit peckish..."

"...ight it, Siddy! Don't let her control your act-"

"And wouldn't it be lovely to have a Cupcake for dessert!? HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAA!"

"...ack to us, Siddy! Come back to me!"

... that was maddening, truly - just how stupid was Onyx? Truly, it seemed a small miracle she was able to walk and breathe at the same time! And to think Tourmaline and Amethyst had such high opinions of her - it was sad, really. They apparently hadn't spent enough time with their most honourable father if they thought that Onyx was worth anything besides contempt.

"... so, shall we meet in the Everfree, Onyx?" She was determined to find her and end this stupidity, once and for all.

"I believe the slaves call it 'The Palace of the Two Sisters... appropriate, don't you think sssssssssssso?'"

"...ant to hold you forever! You can't leave me! I just disco-"

"As I said, feel free to bring your toysssssssssss with you; bring anyone more, and I PROMISSSSSSSSSSE you, you'll find out why I was Father's favorite!"

"... ove you, and I wanna make foals with yo-"

"Now... allow me to send a SECOND wave as incentive!"

All of those had only been a single wave!? How many WERE there!?

"...eeeeeease come back to meeeee, Siddy!!!"

What did Cupcake say about... foals? NO, NO, NO, NO, not now! What was Cupcake saying while she was talking with that stupid sister of hers - she went into the closet to talk with him privately FOR A REASON!

"Then our father had the single flaw of having very bad taste," she growled as she tried to focus on Cupcake's voice - even if she did it so she could be certain he didn't say TOO much about their newfound relationship.

"Cupcake? Gypsy? Princess Twilight? ...hello?"

"SIDDYYYYY!!!" Cupcake crushed her in a hug that was similar to the one she'd given him earlier... he was even crying a bit. "Obsidian, what happened? Your eyes went pitch black, and you were speaking that Crystallian stuff!"

Twilight Sparkle seemed to have gathered herself under the given situation, and though the Light Princess could still feel her pain, she was now controlling herself the way an alicorn properly should. Of course, her break was understandable; if Siddy had lost, say, Gypsy to the Umbrals... or Cupcake... or Wart...

"Cup! Stand down, dude!" Clap said, standing up from Butter Churn's side and coming over, most likely to jerk the stallion away from her.

GAAK! Was he trying to kill her? Did he become an Umbral agent while she was chatting with her lovely sister? It wasn't just a hug - it was a direct frontal assault!

"We... don't... talk about... foals... before... the fifth date... understood?" She managed to squeeze the words out of her embrace-crushed throat, desperate to address this very important issue. "Onyx... in the Castle of... Two Sisters... second wave... incoming..."

Cup let go of her, blushing hotly, while Princess Twilight grew a determined look. "Then she has to be dealt with - right now. I'll gather my..." she struggled to choke back a sob, "... friends... and we'll head for it right away; I know EXACTLY where that is!"

"Yo, Princess!" Clap broke in. "This is SIDDY'S evil sister, y'know? Might be a better idea to let her handle it?"

"No," Twilight stubbornly shook her head, "this is my kingdom, and I won't have anyone step in to do my job as protector for me!"

"With all due respect, Princess," Mica said flatly, "I think your job would be more towards protecting the ponies inside the town hall. They're your subjects, right?"

"But-"

"P-p-p-princess... they n-need you, far m-m-more th-than WE do, at the m-moment."

She glanced over at Gypsy. "You don't under-"

"Your Royal Highness, we most certainly DO understand... which is why we are offering to deal with this particular quest in your stead!" Wart stood proud, backing Obsidian's play.

"You too, Stalwart?"

"Princess Twilight," Cupcake said earnestly, "if it were Uncle Shiny who was corrupt, but Celestia was still in charge... how would you feel?"

She sighed, then after a moment, she looked at Obsidian as she spoke. "Very well... Obsidian, you have chosen your friends wisely, and as long as they stand behind you on this, then you have my permission - and my prayers for luck - to accompany you to the castle. Do you know wher-"

"Bet your fur I do!" Clap said.

"Very well," she sighed, "but please, be cautious - Onyx is nopony to be underestimated."

Well, the option to allow Twilight and her friends to deal with this whole mess wouldn't be so bad... if they were complete. However, there was now a breach in their ranks. Obsidian might try to find a way to bring Applejack, Ruby and potentially the rest of the fallen ponies back... but until then, the Element Bearers might not be the best choice for this mission.

"Please, Princess... stay here with your citizens. If you wish, I can provide some magic to help restore the dome before the next assault arrives. And I will not underestimate my sister." She was stupid, of course - but it didn't change the fact she was still quite dangerous.

"I'll bring her justice - in any capacity I can," Even if it meant destroying her forever.

Twilight reluctantly nodded, then slowly made her way over to Butter Churn. With infinite care, she gently lifted the orange mare's body with her magic, placing her upon her own back as she moved to put a hoof around Butter's neck. "Come on, Butter. Let's take her inside; she wouldn't want us to be out here when they come back."

Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, had just lost one of her best friends... but she was trying to be strong for Butter. Her strength, however, couldn't hide her own tears. They ambled over to the town hall and opened the door. With one last look back at Obsidian and her group, she went inside and shut the doors.

"... rrrrrRRRRRRRAAAAGH!" Clap kicked at a fallen chunk of rooftop, sending it flying. "If I hadn't gone after Butter, Mama AJ would still be ALIVE!"

"And Butter would be dead. I think you did the right thing," Mica looked at her solemnly.

Clap glared at him. "Yeah, well... tell that to my aching heart. I knew Mama AJ all my life! So did you!"

Mica sighed. "Yes... and it does hurt. But Clap, she died protecting those she loved - and I'm certain Mama AJ would tan your flank if she heard you talking like that."

Clap looked down, tears standing in her eyes. "Maybe... but she's dead, so it doesn't matter anymore."

With that, Mica also looked down. Clap buried her muzzle in her hooves and began to cry... which was when Mica simply walked to her and held her while she sobbed. Mica's eyes weren't exactly dry, either.

Cupcake let his own tears fall, yet he kept himself standing straight and true. "C'mon - we need to get to the Palace of the Two Sisters. We'll have time for memorials later, I promise... okay?"

Clap, still held by Mica, nodded and backed up, wiping her eyes. "Yeah... yeah. We need to go and flush that pile of manure. For Mama AJ."

Wart added, "For Equestria," as she sidled up to Obsidian, taking up the opposite side as Cupcake.

Cup looked at the Light Princess. "For Siddy."

Gypsy made his way over, covered in dirt. "F-f-f-for Siddy."

Wart nodded. "For Lady Obsidian too."

Mica looked over at them. "For Siddy," he agreed.

Looking at her, even with pain in her eyes, Clap gave one of her best smirks. "Yeah. For Siddy."

Onyx's sadism was hurting far too many ponies and diminishing her chances for victory. When their father ruled, did he unleash hordes of zombies against the Crystal Empire? No - he turned it into a tool to further his own goals and magic.

Onyx was wasteful. The Umbrals were wasteful. Even if Obsidian was on their side, she would have been disgusted by the sheer lack of efficiency, especially as she was certain it would be possible to take over Ponyville without destroying more than half of it.

Well, it seemed that the ruined floor in the Applejack Suite wasn't going to be as much of an urgent problem anymore.

"For minimalising losses and bringing justice," she offered as her own addition. "So, how we get there without running into entire waves of Umbrals? I'm not sure if I can repeat the trick with turning them all into ash, I'm afraid..."

Mica gave her a pondering look. "Well... can you teleport?"

"WHOA! Nah nah NAH NAH NAH nah! Nooooooo way!" Clap vehemently shook her head and waved her forelegs in front of her in a negative manner. "I've done that before with Aunt Twilight, and it makes me sick every single time!"

"Well, then are you gonna fly all of us there?" Cup questioned. Clap went to say something, even opening her mouth to speak... then just sighed and shook her head, pouting.

"Okay, I suppose it's up to whether or not Obsidian feels she can do it." Mica looked at her. "You wanna try, or no? Either way, it's okay."

"Well... my father didn't exactly like the idea of teaching me anything that would, er... let me leave the palace so easily, I'm afraid," Obsidian admitted hesitantly.

Mica shrugged. "Well, then I suppose we'd best get to wal-"

"Wait - I have an idea. And it's something that Momma can help with! Quick, to the palace!" And with that, Cup turned and sped off towards Twilight's Palace, pausing long enough only to yell out over his flank, "C'MON!"

Wart glanced at Obsidian. "Why does that make me feel... apprehensive?"

-={+}=-

The airship sliced through the sky like a hot knife through cottony butter, and tufts of cloud went wafting away from the bow as they sailed the sky over the Everfree Forest, searching for the ruins of what remained of Celestia and Luna's ancestral home.

Mica paced the floor, trying to come up with possible strategies or backup plans, just in case. Clap alternated from flying along with the airship and scouting around below, looking for the proper path in case they had to land. Cupcake spent much of his time speaking with (and sneakily snuggling) Obsidian. Wart, who apparently wasn't fond of heights, stayed well away from the side rails, much more focused on cleaning her armor and blades. Gypsy simply had stuck his head out of the side, his tongue flapping in the breeze while his tail wagged happily.

Truth be told, Obsidian was behaving mostly like Wart; doing her best to stay away from any side rails, objects that could move suddenly and so on. She didn't know that she wouldn't like flying - at least, flying on an artificial machine that could... could... ugh.

At least Cupcake was doing his best to divert her attention from the fact that they could fall out of the sky and die at any moment.

To be fair, why didn't she see any of these airships before - especially now? They could be used as a moving weapon platform, or at least a scouting vessel! Did these Equestrians want to die, that they weren't using any of the supposed technological or strategical advantages that they could?

"... couldn't we just bomb this castle from the air as soon as we get there?" she muttered.

Cup chuckled at her. "That'd make it a lot easier... but no, I don't think we have enough fireworks to even damage the place, let alone bring it down."

However, as they brought the airship around toward the southern end of the forest, Obsidian could see distant, broken spires that jutted up from the forest canopy. She could also see what looked like creeks and rivers of Umbral undead, all flowing from the castle ruins.

Mica looked down over the side. "Clap!" he yelled to her as she passed, "Can you go get a peek and see how bad it is, and if there's a way in that doesn't involve Umbrals?" Clap saluted, then sped down and dove through the canopy, vanishing from sight.

A few tense moments later, she spiraled up out of the forest, and touched down on the airship's side railing. "I think I saw a cave, but there's NO way we're getting through the palace's ground floors - they're swamped with Umbrals. Smells dis-GUS-ting!"

Explosives. Explosives were an answer to everything. "Cave?" Obsidian asked aloud, "Does anypony possibly know what's in this cave?" Ugh, maybe singular Umbrals were rather weak soldiers, but Onyx was compensating with sheer numbers.

Just how many of these creatures were there? Was the whole Everfree forest some kind of ancient graveyard for them? It may have been sizable, but it STILL didn't seem possible to fit so many Umbral bodies in the place where Obsidian first met Onyx!

"C-c-c-cave?" Gypsy's ears perked up, and he turned to address the group. "If th-there's a cave, then it must be the one set up by Luna as a d-d-defense mechanism, back when she and h-her sister used to live here; rumour has it th-that she was prankish in her younger years, a-a-and she used it in conjunction with other devices and such t-to make all sorts of jests and such."

"That sounds a lot like, 'this place is booby-trapped'." Clap sighed. "Please tell me it isn't."

Gypsy shrugged. Clap sighed louder.

"Booby-trapped sounds better than Umbral-filled, methinks." Obsidian wondered if she could turn herself into a shadow or something like that - was there any Light Magic spell to increase her mobility? She'd have to check that out later...

Cupcake nodded and made his way to the steering wheel; it was his mother's airship, so of course he was the one who knew how to fly to it. He brought them down carefully, along the edge of the ruins, so as to block sight of them from the undead hordes. They disembarked and walked only a short distance, and Obsidian was very appreciative for the ride.

When they reached their destination, it was a small cave set back into the rock at such an angle as to look invisible from the ground; Clap was the one to show everyone where it was. They shuffled in, one by one, until they all got themselves inside.

The cavern was big - though nowhere near as big as the one Obsidian had seen - but along the walls and ceiling, there were small veins of dark crystals that seemed to widen as the cave progressed downward and onward.

So... that's it, eh? The path for the final fight, the ultimate trial, light versus darkness - and due to the whim of fate or the stupidity of Onyx, Obsidian was standing on quite a different side she would have first imagined. She trotted closer to the vein of dark crysssssstals; were they connected to the ones in Onyx's lair? She tried to analyze them, to learn something more. If only she still had any of her Dark Magic...

There were a number of little cracks in these crystals, which may have meant they were unstable; they weren't useless, because they could vary in power and ability, but they were a luck-of-the-draw variety, and one would have to search for days before finding enough to make any significant difference.

And yet...

There was a familiarity to the feel of their magical pressure; it made her think of blood and smoke, but not in such a way as to choke her. On the contrary, it was a scent she was well-familiar with, during time in training. Oddly soothing, with everything else happening around her.

Which is why she felt the interloper before he spoke... but only seconds before.

"... and SO... here you are." Tourmaline's icy voice sent a shiver down her spine; now that she was 'filled with Light', he sounded... more sinister. More vile.

Instantly, her friends tightened up around her, save for Wart and Clap, the latter taking to the air. Gypsy began to growl softly in the back of his throat; it was a delightfully threatening rumble that would be worthy of a warhound. Cupcake's horn flashed its' sprinkly-white aura. Mica stood back coolly and yet his eyes were taut and alert, tracking every movement within his sight range. Thunderclap hovered above, looking ready to knock some sense into a pony. Wart took her defensive stance, standing about four meters out, sword at the ready.

She couldn't see Tourmaline, but ohhhhhh, she could sense him.

"I'm actually glad you came, believe it or not... I didn't want it to be over that easily." She could almost hear him smirking.

Ah, so the loving family reunion was about to begin. Obsidian didn't wait - she immediately put up shields around the entire gang. Considering his love for crushed bones, it was better to be safe than sorry with her sibling.

"I'm happy to hear you, little brother; I was afraid you were already discarded by Onyx. Don't worry, your sister is not angry that you tried to kill her - especially as I obviously wasn't in danger," she welcomed him in the most friendly, family-like and cheerful manner she could.

Which, in this specific case, was not actually too family-like or cheerful, but hey - she was doing her best! It's not her fault her experiences with family issues were rather poor!

"Are you here to surrender? It would be very wise of you to leave our dim older sister, I daresay."

There was a great, big sigh from the unicorn stallion. "I am... weary... of all this, to be honest," Tourmaline huffed, "it's just another day under Father's plan. As the day before. And before that. And before that. It makes me sick; waiting all this time, and now? I don't even get a front seat to the carnage."

He merely stepped out from the shadows, looking as tired of the whole event as he sounded. "I don't want to go with you, 'dear sister'... but I'm sick and tired of her. Besides... she won't let me kill Amethyst, and hasn't allowed it for years - and that was one of my FAV-o-RITE PAST times!"

A ripple of black energy rolled across his form... yet he just sighed and gave Obsidian and her friends a disinterested look.

"If you really want to come at me, then do so - far be it for me to deny you a death - but I would much rather ignore you and your little friends," he singsonged, "and focus on doing what I want to do. For once."

Now what was that? "So... Instead of wasting your time with us you just want to... go to the city and entertain yourself with all these guards, Umbrals and the rest?" Honestly, she didn't really expect that... or that he would say he was sick of Onyx.

"And what was that about killing sister Amethyst being a past-time? Perhaps do you mean wounding her mortally, healing the wound and repeating the process, just with different spells?" Lovely family.

He leveled a flat stare at her. "I mean to create an existence where she no longer lives and breathes. This existence, hopefully."

Wart glowered at him. "I would not trust this situation for even a moment; he would backstab you in a hoofbeat, Your Majesty."

"However," Mica added, "it would be one less problem to deal with; possibly two less problems, if he goes after your other sister."

Well, he could enjoy it for far longer with healing magic; after all, why just kill somepony once if you can make them suffer for hours or days at a time?

Uh, n-not that Obsidian would be interested in that, of course. Totally not. Nope.

"Do you happen to know where Amethyst is?" Obsidian was considering the option... and it was a HARD choice.

His smile grew, and he chuckled. "Why, looking for you, of course! She was upset that she wasn't able to kill you... but she did seem to be a bit surprised about Ruby's fate. Did you know, we felt her die? Frankly, I didn't really care," he waved a hoof dismissedly, "but Onyx gave her the fifth degree over it. Something about an amulet..."

He shrugged, then looked at her group with disinterest. "So, are your little toys wanting a fight, or are we done here?"

"I'll toy you, ya lunkhead," Clap muttered.

Obsidian chuckled. Ah, yes... the amulet. HA! Foolish, stupid sisters! And to think, Onyx just had to say a word or two about their plans and Obsidian would be standing in the palace this very instant, smiling wickedly above the cooling body of Princess Twilight Sparkle...

"Well, I talked with Ruby two or three hours ago - she died, but she then got better." Obsidian was telling the complete truth, right? "I'd love to help you and bond over the hunt for Amethyst, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. By all means, go get her... and try not to get hurt, okay?"

Tourmaline looked at her with uncertainty for a moment, then simply shrugged. "No fur off my back - I'd rather hunt a sister I hate then one who just irks me. Just stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours... for as long as I feel like it, anyway."

With that, her brother slipped back into the shadows, and blended with them easily.

"I do not like this," Wart said with thick apprehension, "it leaves an enemy behind us - one with power - and he even claimed he might still come after you! I do not think that was a wise decision," she sighed, "however, I shall not question royalty; I shall follow orders."

"Yeah, Siddy," Clap added, lighting on the ground once more, "that jerk ambushed you once already... who says he won't do it again?"

Cupcake cleared his throat. "Right, because she totally plans to put him completely out of her mind and never suspect anything from him, ever again." He rolled his eyes. "Of course she expects him back - but this way, we can save up our strength until we need it, instead of getting worn down before we reach Onyx. C'mon - give Siddy a little faith!"

"My faith, she has," Mica chimed in, "it's Tourmaline I don't trust."

"Ruby said she believes in him, so I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, we ARE in a hurry, right?" Hopefully, it wouldn't be a mistake; Obsidian figured that it might buy them some time and keep her murderous siblings occupied - long enough for her to finish this 'game' with Onyx, and possibly give her a chance to get between Amethyst and Tourmaline... mayhaps even try to help them see the other side of things?

"The quicker we stop the Umbral assault on Ponyville, the better - if we win, Tourmaline won't be much of a concern with all of Equestria behind us. Now, let us go."

They continued down the tunnel, all the more apprehensive for the encounter with the very strange Tourmaline. Though he'd seemed to be a staunch enemy, he simply turned out to be bored with her.

Or... was it something else? Maybe he really did care about Obsidian, under his exterior of madness? Maybe he really did want to be an older brother to her? Maybe...

Naaaaah, couldn't be. But at least he wasn't a problem right now.

The tunnels began to grow cold; the temperature sunk as they progressed, to the point where Gypsy tightened his hood around his head, keeping his ears warm. The crystals grew in number, but their size wasn't much bigger. It was almost as if they'd been harvested...

"Th-th-this one smells m-m-more Umbrals ahead," the diamond dog spoke softly.

"Well, they'll just have to be ready to get turned into ash, 'cuz Siddy is on her way to crash that party, Gypper!" Clap grinned with a wild gleam in her eye.

The tunnel narrowed, all the way down to a single door, set into the cavern itself. It appeared to have chunks of Dark Crysssssstals all over it, as if it had been chiseled free from the growth. Had this doorway been hiding under the crystals, and if so, how long had it been there?

"Ohhhh... th-those are pre-dated Equestrian runic g-glyphs!" Gypsy pointed out some strange-looking symbols etched into the door itself. "They're sigils of... w-warning, and... containment. Most likely, this has b-b-been here for millennia - at least, if this one is a-aging it correctly."

"If it's containing something, should we be opening it?" Mica asked.

"Wasn't it supposed to be a part of some sort of defense mechanism, you said?" Obsidian really hoped it would be an escape tunnel - and that's all. Of course, things always had to be more complicated. "We haven't seen any other possible path inside, have we?"

Cupcake shrugged. "I can try to open it up!" He whipped out his Party Cannon again. "It'd be a BLAST!!!"

"Wait!" Gypsy threw his paws up. "This one m-m-might be able to read the glyphs, if you g-g-give him long en-n-nough!"

Clap groaned. "UGH! Why can't we just kick some flank, already!?"

"Because we want to be sure that our flanks won't be kicked first, Clap." Mica, of course, being the level-headed one. "We've saved some time avoiding the fight with Tourmaline, so I'd say you can spend a few minutes on these glyphs, Gypsy."

The diamond dog's tail wagging happily, he made his way over to the door and began looking at all the different symbols there, studying them intently while Thunderclap rolled her eyes and sat down in a huff.

"Fine. Guess we could just sit on our butts while Auntie Twi and company hold off the Umbral hordes and stuff. Not like time is of the essence or anything like that..."

"Clap, don't pout - act your age." Mica admonished. Clap simply stuck her tongue out at him in response.

Wart began pacing a patrol while Gypsy decoded. While that happened, Cup reached into whatever pocket he was pulling things from and brought out a plate of cupcakes, all coated with sprinkles. "Here - in case anyone's hungry!"

"Cup... where do you put all this stuff?" Clap asked curiously.

He grinned impishly. "Momma's secret place; she taught me when I was a foal how to do the kinda stuff she does. That's what makes me the one most like her!"

Thunderclap chuckled. "Yeah, peas in a pod, you two."

But no, really, where was he keeping it? Was it even hygenic to eat them? Strange, really - and to think that his mother could do it as well; she wasn't even a unicorn! Obsidian could easily accept, as a fact, that a unicorn could be able to create small pocket reality to stash things there... but an earth pony?

No, enough - she had to focus. Light magic, her awesome lance, five friends... and Onyx with her Umbral armada standing against them. She'd probably have a few thousand Umbral bodyguards, as well as the entirety of Obsidian's Dark Magic... the filthy thief!

And to think that she could have simply ASKED - it wouldn't even have been difficult: 'Cupcake, can you check if there are any sweets on my desk? And Miss Obsidian, I think I have a book that would interest you...'

A few minutes after that, Obsidian would have simply joined them as a sibling, but noooooooo... Onyx had to try to kill her. Foolish, idiotic, STUUUUUPID sister!

It took roughly fifteen minutes, but when Gypsy let out a yip of excited glee, it was clear he most certainly could decode in a relatively short amount of time. He jumped up and with his tail threatening to wag itself right off his backside, he began to relate what he'd discovered.

"This is IT!!! This is where the final resting place of the Umbral beings is! The glyphs speak of holding b-b-back the dark things within, and it claims to keep them contained... but we know that isn't true, as we've seen th-them firstpaw! Er," he smiled, "this o-one means, firsthoof, if y-you please."

Clap made a gesture for him to go on, and Gypsy nodded before continuing. "B-but if this is meant to contain, b-b-b-but it doesn't, then that means th-they had to find another way around it s-somehow; if they g-g-got around it, then we can t-too!"

Mica mused on the thought. "Or, accordingly, if they aren't using this entrance, then they wouldn't expect us from this direction, would they?"

Clap sighed heavily. "Go around, go through... can we just decide on something already?"

It would be a waste of time to just decode this entire thing, then decide that their best option was to walk around. Umbrals were already crawling all around Equestria, so using any way they were using was probably going to be far more dangerous.

"I say we go through - if there are any entrances the Umbrals are actually using, then I'd prefer to avoid them. I don't want to accidentially stumble upon a few million zombies, even after that stunt I've pulled back in Ponyville. So, Cupcake, you've mentioned your artillery, right...?"

Cupcake's grin redoubled, and turned the teensyest bit vicious-looking. "Oh-ho-ho-HOOOO, yeah!"

Once more, the cupcake cannon came out, and he flattened the barrel against the doorway as Gypsy's eyes widened and he dove into the ground, making a little foxhole before poking his head up to watch the proceedings. Wart and Mica both stood a respectable distance back, eyeballing the cannon suspiciously. Thunderclap simply covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.

Oooooh, EXPLOSIVES! Explosions always work; it's like a law of nature - if you don't know what to do during a war, blow something up! Walls, bridges, ancient mysterious paths towards the final showdown - it worked for everything, and always seemed to drastically change a situation! Hopefully, in their own favour...

Cupcake jumped onto his cupcake cannon and, with a wild whoop, grabbed the firing cord in his mouth and gave a firm yank, his eyes manic and wild with excitement. "Fuhr en duf HOOOOOOLF!" he muttered through his clenched teeth.

>Ska-DOOM!!!!<

The cannon flew backwards, taking a laughing Cupcake with it as it smacked into the opposite wall and sent the stallion onboard flying! He curled up into a little ball and ricocheted from wall to wall, little bursts of sprinkles spraying out from every place he bounced off of!

The door, though smoking and blackened, was still in place... until Cup struck it, when it simply gave way and broke into chunks as he smashed right through it like it was glass!

On the other side, the tunnel Obsidian saw looked almost exactly like the one she'd been in before... it even smelled the same.

"Well... that's one way to do it, I guess," Clap said, impressed, as she started through the entrance after Cupcake. Gypsy followed, curiously looking about as Mica accompanied him.

Wart looked over to Obsidian and gave a grin, gesturing lightly. "Royalty first, Lady Obsidian," she offered.

What in Tartarus happened just now? For a moment, Obsidian thought that her request to blow up the doors just killed the poor unicorn, but instead he... he...

Obsidian didn't even know she could open her eyes THAT wide... or keep them open for so long. In fact, they started to dry out before Wart forced her to shake off her utter and complete shock. Trying to look at least somewhat diginified, as if she hadn't just experienced a short circuit in her brain, Obsidian entered the dark tunnel.

Author's Note:

I apologize profusely for the fallen Element of Harmony, but I felt that the circle had to be broken somehow. I labeled a six-sided die with each pony's name, and gave it a toss; number three came up, and guess who that was? I left it fair on purpose, as I think I might have brought myself to do the horrid deed to any of them... but honestly? Some were harder choices than others; hence the die casting. But my apologies to the fans of her; she will be missed.

With all that's happened, have the six heroes finally found their center in Obsidian? Have they made their way to the last proverbial checkpoint before the Boss Level? Will THIS coming chapter be the final showdown between the forces of Light and Darkness?

You know the tune, friends: No spoilers.

'Lux Invicta' is once again by the marvelous Rutkotka, who really shows us why Light is not afraid of Darkness. Bravo once again, dear friend; an amazing piece, to be certain!

Comments

[Edguy0009]

For that... Amythest shall BURN!

There's never a group of Fatboy MK Is around when you need them, Demolishers supporting them wouldn't hurt, though a Mavor or a Duke battery wouldn't hurt either, or a TOS-1A battery, but an angry Kratus would be just as effective at laying waste to the army.