Six: Twilight Time
Hours passed.
By the time she had finished reading the fifth history book, she now had at least a fair and passing knowledge of how history had unfurled since the days she knew. Pony wars, pony peace talks, pony civilization, pony events... so much had occurred since she was last a part of this world, and it was mind-boggling just how much had happened.
Not surprisingly, there were many tomes that spoke of the importance of Harmony and Friendship, and how the two had helped to shape the Equestria of today. The Six Virtues, the Elements of Harmony, had been quite powerful in their own rights - but what they had accomplished in merely a decade or so was... impressive.
There had even been mention of her most honourable father's return... and his subsequent and unimaginable defeat, at the unlikely hands of a dragon who sealed his fate with the same crystal heart she bore on her flank. And nothing further, as if his appearance was merely a footnote, and unworthy of an entire tome! She was a bit... disappointed... by that. However, if he had returned once, he could surely do so again, yes?
The latest book added an interesting fact to what knowledge there was of these Elements; since the revelation of Grogar's false appearance and the Fall of The Villainous Trio, the Elements hadn't been seen in years... and the former bearers didn't speak one way or another about them. Were the Elements of Harmony no longer under the control of their previous bearers? From what she read, it certainly seemed that way.
All in all, it was an impressive history, to say the least. So many monsters attacking Equestria - and so many successful defenses. It seemed that, somehow, this borderline anarchistic state was able to survive and thrive... and even spread its corrupted values.
How it was possible? According to Obsidian's knowledge, at least changelings should have been able to defeat these ponies. Of course, it seemed that Equestria had plenty of luck - just like with the story of her father's... uh... temporary defeat. The Crystal Heart caught in the last possible second by a thrown alicorn? It was almost like cheating! Her father had been brilliant, and was always prepared for anything - except for such acts of madness...
Truly, it looked like Equestria was quite often on a brink of a total defeat - and their victories were connected with these Elements of Harmony. That was a promising start - now she knew what she'd have to study more thoroughly. And since she knew the offspring of at least some of these 'Bearers'...
Obsidian's lips curved upward a bit, imitating a cheerful smile. Perhaps they would be more useful tools than she thought?
Suddenly and without knocking, the door opened and two royal guardponies stepped inside... followed by a tall, very purple alicorn whose mane flowed regally behind her. The look on her muzzle was one of seriousness, and she stopped a fair distance from Obsidian, seemingly out of respect for personal space. The alicorn was most certainly the most royal being she'd seen since her awakening, and with just her presence nearby, Obsidian could feel the power of this being within.
"Greetings," she began, "I felt that it would be proper of me to speak with you at some point, seeing as you're a guest in my home. Princess... Obsidian, is it?"
Truth to be told, Obsidian didn't expect any more guests today - and she expected even less that they could not knock. And even, even, EVEN less that it would be the ruler of the entire realm herself!
Truly, this day was full of surprises.
She gave a slow, regal bow. "I am Princess Twilight Sparkle. And I am here to witness for myself, the daughter of Sombra. At least, that's what I was told - and from the look of your horn, I'd say they were correct."
She glanced about a bit. "Are your accommodations appropriate?"
To say the least, Obsidian was shocked - but she maintained enough clarity of mind to carefully put down a book she was currently reading, quickly get up and bow respectfully. Maybe it wasn't her father... but it was royalty. Very powerful royalty, at that. It was only obvious that she, an untrained heir apparent, had to treat her with a certain level of respect.
Even if she was the enemy.
"Yes, your majesty; I am Princess Obsidian. I feel honored that you would consider me worthy of your attentions," she replied quickly. So much power... it was hard to believe that she couldn't feel that she had been approaching her room. "And, t-truth be told..." she glanced quickly sideways. Her father had always valued direct honesty - even when he had to punish her for whatever foolish things she had spouted.
"... I'd say it's a bit too big and too luxurious, your majesty."
The alicorn took in Obsidian's greeting, nodding in return. However, when she spoke about her ostentatious surroundings... the princess gave a small, almost shy chuckle.
"That doesn't surprise me, actually - Rarity has always been fashionable, but not everyone is into fashion as much as she is. If it's too much in here, I'd be happy to let my guards know you require a room that's more... down-to-earth, so to speak."
She turned to her royal guards. "Vista, please make sure to let the quartermaster know that our guest will be moving to another room, more suited to her tastes. Grim, the door please."
The mare saluted smartly, and the stallion trotted over to the door and opened it, holding it at the ready for them both.
She then returned her gaze to Obsidian. "If you have nothing here to gather, I would be happy to escort you to more fitting quarters, if you like? I won't have my guests saying I was a poor hostess." She smiled, warmth apparent in her eyes as she looked on Obsidian without either fear nor judgment.
Oh, so asking for better quarters went smoothly... well, that was good. It also seemed that Princess Twilight wasn't interested in getting rid of her - at least not enough to execute her on spot. "The only things I have here are these books, your majesty," she admitted, levitating them with her. Maybe a room that would look more similar to her old one would calm her down a bit...
Twilight looked over the books. "Ah, I see... books from my library, no less."
Before Obsidian could speak, the alicorn gave another soft laugh. "Though you were told not to go to the library, I just can't find it in my heart to be angry about anypony wishing to learn; we had requested that more in respect for how you would take it, as we were afraid you wouldn't have handled it well if you took on more information than you were ready for. However, you seem to be just fine - I'll have the library ban rescinded, and you should be able to go there whenever you like."
They left the room and began making their way down the extravagant hallway, flanked on either side by the royal guards. Twilight even moved regally; she seemed as though she were the epitome of alicorn royalty.
"Now, I would like to ask about something that came to my attention, as of a few minutes ago. Apparently, you had managed to make your way over to the School of Friendship - without your liaison, no less - and seen it for yourself. Tell me: what did you think of it?"
Obsidian's heart froze for a moment - a very, very long moment. Did this princess believe that she actually went into the library herself? And... a-and yes, she ALSO went into the school without her liaison! Perhaps she could blame Clap and Mica for that...?
But no, it was her decision, her fault, her blame! SHE WAS COMPLETELY GUILTY!
To say that Obsidian became very nervous and uncomfortable would be an understatement; after all, she was taught well by her father about the painful price of disobedience. Modern Equestrians had probably invented new ways since her slumber to punish those daring to break the law!
"It... it looks like a respectable place of knowledge," she answered hesitantly, "as at least a few subjects taught there seem to be similar to ones I had back home." She swallowed loudly. "And yes, your majesty, I ignored my liaison. I'm aware of my crime and ready to receive my fair and just punishment. However, I didn't go into your library, I swear! I merely asked somepony to get these books - I wasn't forbidden to do that, a-at least as far as I was informed!"
Hopefully, her punsihment wouldn't be too harsh; the world around her was quite interesting, and she couldn't learn more about it as soon as she'd wanted if she received too severe of a beating.
Twilight gave a raised eyebrow. "Ready for punishment, you say? Hmmmm..."
The alicorn actually looked as though she were considering it; oh, what would it be? Chains? Holding up buckets for hours on end? The whip? Starvation? Or maybe just an old-fashioned beating?
However, the alicorn gave a slight smirk. "Yes, your punishment for breaking my rules. It will have to be considered carefully - I'll have an answer for you before I leave your presence. But for now," she stopped and gestured to another door, "let's get a look at this room, and see what you think of it."
Oh, so she was cruel enough to keep her in a state of doubt and fear? That was a good tactic to deal with unruly subjects, as her father had taught her - especially as their own fear was able to fuel Dark Magic, basically forcing them to 'fund' their own punishments. However, considering that Dark Magic was apparently illegal, Princess Twilight couldn't do it... could she? Or perhaps, as in a despotic monarchy, she was above the law and thus able to disregard this ban?
Pushing open the door, the first thing Obsidian noticed was a complete lack of frills; the whole room looked utilitarian and simple. The only thing that seemed off about it was the apple symbol that seemed to make appearances throughout the room, though it was still nowhere near as garish as the Rarity Suite.
There was a simple four-post bed with a wooden frame, with matching dresser and end tables, and simple tan curtains that hid the view - as well they should. There was also a small desk with a chair, towards the corner. Otherwise, the apple motif was about the only other thing present.
"This is the Applejack Suite; is this more to your liking?"
At least the room seemed to be far, far better. It was still very big (at least in Obsidian's opinion), but it wasn't as over-the-top as the last one. Also, desk would be useful. "Yes, your majesty", she replied shortly.
"Very well, then... welcome to your new quarters. I hope this will be sufficient until you can afford your own place, of course. But I won't have you homeless; you'll be expected to work off your debt while you stay here... but I promise, it won't be anything you can't handle."
She seemed so royal, yet... her kindness... was it merely a trait of Equestrians?
"I also received word that you were seen in the company of others - very particular others that I happen to know of. Since you seem to be meeting others already, I would like to hear your thoughts on them."
Was... w-was that an order? Debt... oh, to think that an heir apparent such as herself could be suddenly so deep in someone's debt! O tempora, o mores!
"By your command, your majesty. I consider Lemon Custard rather unpleasant and I felt as if he was behaving in deliberately antagonistic manner. I didn't spend too much time with Butter Churn, but she seems to be a solid and useful pony. However, I have some small problems with her... manner of speech. Nothing too hard, however, as we didn't have any problems with talking to each other, it was just surprising a bit. Cupcake Sprinkles..."
She hesitated for a moment.
"... is very strange, I don't think I understand him too much. I thought a talkative liaison would be useful, but right now I think that we are pretty much opposites when it comes to... well, everything. Mica is very calm and collected. Thunderclap is pretty much the exact polar opposite of him, and it surprises me that those two get along so well. Stalwart was the most useful of all ponies here. Also, finally, Gypsy is probably the most interesting creature I've met - especially considering that I've never even heard about diamond dogs before, or about this origami thing he likes to do."
Hopefully it would do. "... I can write a more proper reply in a form of written treatise, if you so desire."
Though Princess Twilight seemed to earnestly consider Obsidian's offer, she eventually waved it away. "That won't be necessary; I was just curious as to how you saw them. I know my subjects well, as royalty should, and I'm interested in what you might have had to say about them."
She began to pace a bit. "Lemon Custard is antagonistic, yes... but he also gets the job done, and his abrasiveness has made those under his scrutiny reveal more about themselves than they would have otherwise. Yourself included. Still, I also find his attitude less than pleasant. So you're not alone, there."
"Butter Churn is fairly simple - though she's far from dumb. She tends to be of the 'slow and steady' variety. Cupcake is... well, he takes a lot after his mother - unlike his brother Custard - and he's easily excitable. He does have his moods, though - but if you like, I'll have a talk with him about it."
"Mica and Thunderclap do make a strange pair, but that's what makes their friendship so unique - and they seem to like it that way. She's brash and headstrong, and he's aloof and steady... they balance each other out, I suppose."
"Stalwart Stance is a very serious pony - she wants so much to be a royal guard. You've seen her size, though - unless she gets any bigger, I don't know that she'll be able to wear the armor, much less do the necessary duties expected of the guard. I'm still hoping she'll get taller... but each year, it seems like the only thing that grows is her desire to be a royal guardpony."
"Gypsy... Gypsy Rover? Yes, he's one of our few diamond dog students at the School of Friendship; we're hoping that his experience here will prove to his community that the school is a good thing, and that they may send more to enroll next year. And yes, the origami he does is rather neat - he made an airship for me when we first met."
She turned to look at the dark princess. "I'm glad to see that you're finding friends, Obsidian - those are far more important than you know, especially in this day and age. Here's to hoping you make even more. In fact..." she gave a small, mischievous grin, "I think that would make an appropriate punishment for you. Princess Obsidian," she said regally, "I charge you, as an act of penance, to..."
Smiling kindly now, she leaned in closely. "... make more friends."
Friends? No, they were just ponies (and a diamond dog) who happened to be nearby; they weren't her friends! She still didn't even know what it truly meant! Obsidian already wanted to correct that mistake in Princess Twilight's reasoning, but stopped as soon as she declared her punishment.
... oh.
"T... that's all, your majesty? I am used to more... direct punishments..." Perhaps there was something more? "And no, your majesty, I don't think that Cupcake needs any more talks about his moods right now, but I humbly thank you for this offer."
So there were more diamond dogs around... except that Obsidian didn't really learn of anything else... except the current status of Stalwart Stance. Perhaps if she wasn't going to be big enough to become a royal guardian, she could make a useful assassin? Her size and magic could create a very dangerous murderer on the monarchy's leash...
Twilight gave her a solemn look. "With how we found you, and what it says about you in Sombra's personal records, I was worried as to what sort of pony you were... but if you're hanging out with the likes of Mica, Thunderclap and Gypsy? Well, I suppose that speaks well of you. And certainly gives me hope that you'll find your place here, as well."
She took on a wistful, distant smile. "Once upon a time, I was under the impression that I didn't even need friends... but Princess Celestia sent me to Ponyville, and that's where I met my most favorite ponies of all. More than that, though - through our friendship, rocky as it may have been to start with, I discovered my own purpose... and they discovered theirs as well. And if it hadn't been for us supporting each other, well..." she shrugged, "we wouldn't be having this conversation right now - most likely, you'd still be in suspended animation."
She stepped lightly toward the window, gazing out as she spoke more.
"I hope the experience you have here is one that you will enjoy - or grow to enjoy - over time. And I also hope that the friends you make will be at least as wonderful as my own are."
She looked at her knowingly. "But angry outbursts won't do much good towards that, you know. Still, they didn't have any right to push the way they did; my sincerest apologies. I hope they didn't deter you from having their friendship?"
Wait... his personal records? Did they find some writings of her most honourable father? While Obsidian was indignant at the fact that they basically stole the written personal thoughts of King Sombra, she was at least a bit curious what her parent wrote about her. She had been doing her best to satisfy all of his demands - was it enough for him? Or perhaps there was something about... her mother? Maybe it wasn't the most important issue in the world, but she was, for obvious reasons, interested in it.
But, alas, there were more pressing matters ahoof - the fate of her father, of course, and her punishment. Considering that apparently 'friendship was magic' maybe she could try to understand it a bit more, too.
"Um, an angry outburst? Your majesty, I merely corrected a few mistakes they made. I assure you that this last discussion we had didn't change my attitude towards them, I swear it." It would be hard to change it, though - after all, she was treating them quite coldly at the moment, all according to King Sombra's lessons, of course.
"Well, it may not have changed your attitude much... but I'd be worried that it may have changed their attitudes towards you. Maybe it's a good thing we found you; it seems like the School of Friendship could do you some good in that measure."
She nodded to the guards, who then made their way towards the door.
"Princess Obsidian, I look forward to seeing how you fit into this new world around you; if you should have any issues or questions, my door is always open... and if you cannot find my door, ask anyone here - they know where to find me. For now, however, I have to depart; dignitaries from Yakyakistan are coming tonight, and I have to make certain everything is ready for their arrival."
She took a few steps towards Obsidian, a look in her eyes that said she was trying not to pity the dark princess... but why she wore that look, Obsidian couldn't tell.
"And don't worry - I'll send Cupcake to meet you here... tomorrow; read, rest, and prepare yourself for the morning. Good night, princess."
With that, she gave a slight bow and left the room, the guard closing the door behind them swiftly and quietly.
Yakyakistan? It sounded as if... the yaks had made a civilization for themselves? Well, they did have a thousand years for that, but it was surprising nonetheless. Just another reminder that this world was a bit different from one she knew.
She bowed humbly as the alicorn princess was leaving and... well, she was free to do anything she wanted again.
And, of course, she wanted to read. A lot.
So the local ruler wasn't half as scary as her most honourable father, even though she was probably as powerful as he was. As far as Obsidian was concerned, she had nothing to worry about - it seemed that a transgression worth any painful punishment back home would be almost unnoticeable here.
Thus Obsidian sat down in front of the desk to read comfortably - she didn't want to face the world unprepared, so she had to learn, learn, LEA...
...
Zzzzz....
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You did fine. The only thing that I thought was a bit odd was that Twilight kept Obsidian in suspense about her punishment, but if she grew up to be more like Celestia, then I can understand why she seems to have gained a habit of teasing her subjects.
At first, I read that as airstrip that last part was fairly amusing.
>. But I won't have you homeless; you'll be expected to work off your debt while you stay here...
>She seemed so royal, yet... her kindness... was it merely a trait of Equestrians?
So let me get this straight... Twilight found Obsidian - or at least, was informed about her discovery - forced her to stay at her castle and study at her school, lathering on debts to her, and then expected her to pay for the debts SHE forced her to take on? That’s pretty based for Twilight, very manipulative. But I wouldn’t call it kind.
Thank you for changing up the return of Sombra. They really butchered his character in season 9, and I’m assuming you’re not using the season 9 interpretation. That’s a huge relief to me.
The debt-thing is more of a paranoia of Obsidian's; it was merely a motivator to ensure Siddy wasn't just going to start taking everything for granted; at this point, Twi doesn't really know much about her, except that she's Sombra's daughter, and hasn't done anything bad *yet*. And she didn't exactly force her to stay at the palace - she was pretty much giving her temporary space to sleep in while they sorted things out.
And yes, the actions of Sombra in Season 9 do not exist in this story; I also disliked his portrayal, and felt that it was an utter waste of a good villain. Keep a eye on the entire arc; I do my best to give it a proper spin, and I can hardly wait for folks to see it unfold.