Fifty Three: Duck & Cover
~>-<~
The Delvar Libratorium. She found herself standing outside of the massive building, in a world which was tinged with a light greenish haze. Apparently, it was time to have a chat with Brother Peridot... which was only fair, as she'd missed him last time due to Onyx. Now she would gladly enjoy some special bonding time with her wiser brother. She trotted happily up the marble steps and into the grim building.
The entrance atrium was just as grand as it had been in the Empire's heyday; regal, quiet and solemn. When she'd been here in Modern Times, it was less grandiose, more subdued, and a number of walls had been put in to separate sections. In the past, however, the entire library was open; the only walls to be seen were the ones holding up the ceiling - otherwise, you could see from one end to the other without obstruction.
And seated at one of the tables in the center was Peridot, his glasses off and intently reading some random book. His ears twitched in her direction as she enetered, but he didn't look up from what he was reading.
"Salutations," he said warmly, "we should speak."
"I agree, dear brother - I'm so glad to see you," Obsidian said as she trotted over and took an unoccupied seat at the table.
Long ago, this place was truly something... grim and scary, but impressive.
With her seated, Peri placed a bookmark with a tassel into the tome, and closed it carefully, setting it aside as if it were an old friend.
"I... am always glad to see you, dear sister. However, tonight's visit is..." He thought for a moment. "... possibly going to be one that will not bring much joy. Though I'm certain you'll be glad for part of it... however, I am certain, within a 99.4% accuracy, that there will be at least ONE part you will not enjoy hearing."
He sighed. "But, before I begin... it is GOOD to see you again, Obsidian." Now, he gave a smile; as rare as it was for him, it had the effect of making his entire being brighten a bit.
Alas, she should've expected that; knowledge rarely brought joy for her, especially when it was about things as grim and important as her family. "I'd hoped to visit you last time, but I ended up spending far too much time with Onyx," she said as she returned the smile. "What do you want to talk about, then? Opal? Sapphire? Amber? Umbrals?" None of these topics would bring her too much joy at the moment.
He looked at her firmly. "First, I will give you the news you will like," he said as he stood up and began to walk about the library, examining random shelves and books. "Obsidian... do you recall what you were told about the contents of the libraries within your mind? About what they contained?"
"Everything you wanted to learn about, yes?" she replied plainly - though, considering who she was talking to, she could outright say 'everything in the world', and she'd probably be accurate. And Peri could even define HOW accurate, she was certain.
Peridot shook his head. "No, Obsidian - not everything... specifically, the books that exist in this strange headspace are all made up of nothing but whatever knowledge YOU have taken in. Nothing exists here that you have not seen before..."
He then stopped walking, and gave a small grin. "... which means everything you have ever read or even just seen is within the pages of a book within your mind."
Oh... well, Obsidian had thought that he was talking specifically about the ACTUAL Libratorium, not the library in her mental version of the Librat-...
For a moment, she could only stare at him in shock... until finally, a wide smile appeared on her muzzle. "So the Shard Simulacrum Spell is safe." Strange - she thought that hearing such news would make her happier, perhaps even outright enthusiastic... however, all she felt was mostly relief.
Peridot sighed. "Yes... and no."
He walked over to look at her up close. "The spell IS safe - and in it's entirety - within your head. Every single line and ingredient is there, yes..." He closed his eyes and sighed. "But it has been sequestered away from me... and, I assume Ruby, as well..." He opened them again, and looked her right in the eyes. "... because it has become a book that can ONLY be checked out by one individual..."
No. It couldn't be...
"... The Head Librarian," Peridot finished gravely.
Obsidian deadpanned. She thought that she would like hearing the news he had for her - in fact, he'd outright said so! Why, then, could he have thought that about anything concering Onyx, she had no idea.
"So our dear, lovely sister Onyx is the only pony around who can see it," she stated plainly... and perhaps a bit petulantly.
"She has sequestered the information, yes - I assume it's through our shared familial connection, with a 2.4% chance of error, that she managed to gather the spell and deposit it into her own memory or soul... whatever it is that has us here... for safekeeping." He began to pace a bit, looking unnerved. "And that is not all... I believe I have felt some... let's call them ripples... through your head. Both going AND receiving, like echo location, but from TWO sources instead of merely one."
Peridot sighed. "To put it bluntly, I believe Onyx is not as cut off from the rest of the world as we assumed she was."
Obsidian was glad that she was already sitting down; otherwise, she'd need to do so anyway. She hid her face in hooves, silent.
Onyx... wasn't cut off from the rest of the world? Hopefully the glyphs around Amber would stop her, otherwise who knew how terrible the results could be? Gah! She was foolish for believing that a dead Onyx was any less dangerous than a living one!
But what could she do, except for outright killing Amber and storing her and Onyx in the same place? They could chat as much as they wanted to... safe within the depths of her mind. But even this plan was risky, as Amber was dangerous - Obsidian wouldn't dare release her from her shard without the proper preparations in place.
"I am sorry to be the bearer of such revelations, but I felt it imperative to inform you of such - especially in the wake of what I HAVE been feeling, as of the past day? Time is irrelevant here, so I am unsure..." Peri sat down again, looking right at her. "But I believe that Amber has made a power play of some sort; I cannot tell for certain what has happened, but my advice is to deal with Opal as quickly as possible, then make your way to the remaining shards to investigate. However, something has changed... and I am 100% certain it is a BAD change."
By Darkness, it was getting worse and worse with each passing minute! "Let me brace myself for the next bit of information, brother; exactly how much bad news do you have for me today?"
He looked at her for a moment, then closed his eyes. "I cannot feel Sapphire's mental energies. I am aware that you have seen her, yet... even then, I could not sense her at all. As she has been doing much of the proverbial 'dirty work', it leaves her as an unknown factor in all of this. Will she stand against you? With you? There is no way to tell... but I felt you should be informed of this as well."
He put a hoof to his temple and rubbed it. "To hear voices all the time for so long, it is deafening when one of the few voices left you WANT to hear goes silent."
What could it possibly mean? Sapphire was apparently very skilled with magical energies - Obsidian had heard such. As far as she was aware though, it mostly seemed to mean 'control over the elements'. Did it mean she was able to hide herself from the world at large, including Peridot? Or had something terrible happened to her? She'd said that she wasn't Obsidian's sister...
"Does it mean you can hear sister Opal as well?" Obsidian ventured.
"Her, I can hear... and she knows you and your friends are in town. I have felt a barely-controlled panic in her, I assume because she fully believes you are capable of putting her plans down." He folded his forelegs over his barrel. "You DO recall what Quartz informed you of, in regards to Opal?"
"Do you mean the situation concerning the color of her eyes?" she tried to guess.
Peri nodded. "Yes, that is exactly what I meant. Opal herself is sweet, and can actually be kind and caring, should she let her neuroses go... but Lapo is an altogether different situation."
He now began to gesture as he spoke. "Opal loves sweets, is vastly intelligent, and will most likely come across as mostly harmless... Lapo loves her self-claimed superority, is vastly egotistical, and will most likely try to kill you all." He fixed a stare at Siddy. "Starting with you, of course."
"That's a good thing I guess - it means I won't have to see her murdering my friends," she shrugged with resignation. It could be considered a boon, right? Onyx wouldn't shup up about her plans to mutiliate and torture everypony and was rather annoying... but Amber...
Damnation, so many dangers... and just when she thought that she'd neutralized one, another one reared its head, usually worse than the ones before it.
Peri set his hooves on the table, and gave her his full attention. "Obsidian, we have an opportunity here; we are conversing with no eavesdropping and no consequences... NOW would be the time to discuss what your plans are, and how we might be able to convince Onyx to allow you access to Hope's Spellbook."
Plans? Plans. Plans... dealing with Amber... finding Opal... convicing Onyx...
Did she really have any plans? Until now, she felt as though she was merely reacting to the moves of her siblings - trying to catch up to them, but forever a few steps behind.
"If everything went perfectly - and I already know it won't - I would go back to Ponyville where Princess Twilight would hopefully already have wards in place around Amber's shard, to contain her abilities. Then we would gather up plenty of lead, build barricades, get doctors and magicians together from all sides of Equestria and attempt to free Jade with no casualties. I also wanted to look for kirin, as I've met one that used Grey Magic, and Whistlewhite mentioned them while I was living through Hope's memories."
"But, considering that we already know that Amber and Onyx are plotting something, and a turn for the worse is coming..." She got quiet. "well... I honestly have no idea. As far as I'm able to tell, it could be an invasion by anti-magic machines, or something even worse. I don't think I'll be able to gather enough information before it's too late."
Peridot nodded. "Then what we have to plan for is what we might do to protect ourselves... and perhaps set up a trap or two as well."
He stood up and went to one of the shelves, pulled down a book, then came back to the table and laid it in front of her... and it was a rather familiar book. "Onyx may have access to everything you know... but that would mean the same, in reverse." Onyx's diary lay in front of her; the original was still in hiding, but this one was right here, right now.
"I have already perused it... and it's a fascinating read. There's a vanity to Onyx that she didn't have to begin with - it only started developing after a few years under father's tutelage. But in general, you might wish to know that Onyx has a loyalty to Sombra that is unshakable..."
His look turned grim. "But Amber, being one of the latter creations, has no such bond. It's part of the reason Onyx was using her - to try to get her to want father back - but I fear there is more in store than even SHE realizes..."
"So Amber could possibly have her own agenda?" While normally it could be a good thing that her sibling didn't have much loyalty to Sombra... in Amber's case, it could actually turn the situation worse. Far, far worse.
Peridot nodded. "Consider what you might attempt, had you a well-equipped armada while you're safely ensconced within a crystal shard, and the only one who ranks higher than you is... shall we say, 'indisposed'?" He gave her a grim look. "Everything is being set for father to simply step into control... but that means that, techncally, ANYONE could step into that role."
"Empress Amber..." Obsidian muttered; nope - it didn't sound good at all; it lacked majesty. If she was in Amber's shoes, she would consider either changing her name or using only her title. "And with her powers, she is the only one who can pull it off. Onyx was too loyal to Sombra, and the rest of us... well, let's say I can't imagine any one of us submitting willingly to one of the rest."
Peri adjusted his glasses. "But someone who can FORCE compliance, as she can? Yes... very disconcerting, I concur." He stopped pacing for a moment. "Wait. If I recall correctly, did Princess Luna not pledge the possibility of her Batpony armada to your cause? Perhaps when you return to the waking world, you might wish to communicate back that NOW would be the time to prepare..."
He then looked at Obsidian with curiosity. "I wonder... mayhaps if Onyx was informed of this oversight and convinced that Amber has her eyes on the throne, she might decide to allow access to Hope's Spell. Perhaps, if we are lucky, she may even decide to join our side - at least temporarily - to deal with Amber."
It was a good thing they'd had the messenger spell put on Gypsy. "I don't intend to use Hope's spell until we deal with the various dangers to Equestria. A short-term alliance could be useful, but for now I have no need to bargain for Onyx's knowledge." The fact that it was safe in her head - even if only for the token value of 'someone's head' - was enough for now. "Peridot, if I may ask... do you think that Onyx was possibly created by Radiant Hope?"
Peridot blinked at Obsidian owlishly. "Er... no, Obsidian - she was created by father. We ALL were, to the best of my recollection... including you, of course. There was no discrepancy to wonder about - though, for a while, Diamond did keep calling Whistlewhite 'Vanchay', or 'second mother' in our Crystallian language, so it was speculated she might have been a surrogate at one time... but Onyx herself confirmed that she wasn't."
He raised an eyebrow. "Actually... I would like you to consider bringing at least ONE of our siblings back for this situation, because the ability to teleport would come in extremely handy, do you not think so?" Was he saying what she thought he was saying?
"I'm saying that I believe you require Ruby," Peridot confirmed.
The last time Obsidian needed Ruby to teleport it ended... well, how exactly had it ended? Ah, that's right - with a big, knife-shaped growth in Ruby's back. Teleportation was a skill that would be extremely useful in her own personal inventory, instead of hoping the one who had it was with you when you needed it most. Well... okay, perhaps making similar bracelets as she had with Flurry would solve that trouble - but it still was a skill that she needed to learn for herself!
Obsidian looked puzzled. "But... Hope did cast a life-creating spell, the one that you saw! She did it using a stolen portion of Sombra's essence..."
Oh, and by the way - taking a sliver of somepony's soul to make them a 'father' against their wishes? Not very nice, Hope.... not very nice at all.
"...and offering herself as a sacrifice. Perhaps there is - or was - another artificial pony? And yeah, it would be nice to bring back Sister Ruby... but I don't think that bringing her back would be easier and faster than simply learning a Teleportation Spell myself."
Peri stood up and walked around the table to face her directly, actually even going so far as to place a hoof gently on her shoulder. "Teleportation is one thing... but I believe the morale and the extra support would also do you a world of good; I saw the scene with you and your Cupcake, and I could tell how much it upset you - and I think it would be good to have a family member not only capable of hearing and responding to that properly... but one who is already on your side. Tourmaline, Amethyst, Quartz, Diamond and Aquamarine all have TWO things in common: They're all children of Sombra... and they aren't Ruby."
He looked at the book with interest. "If you like, I may try to figure out the spell myself - perhaps we could even sequester assistance from Ruby? I am certain she would know more about it than I would."
"How could Ruby know more about it than you?" Obsidian expressed her surprise.
Peridot now put on a rare, full smile. "Do you not recall SHE was the researcher? And also, the spell she used to separate herself into a mirror - THAT had its' basis in Hope's work... because it was Ruby who discovered Hope's magical workshop, after all."
Obsidian closed her eyes. To be fair, she'd kind of forgotten about that fact; after all, she knew Ruby only very briefly before her untimely death, and they never discussed...well, anything much beyond their feelings together. Besides, she was standing next to the family genius - it was easy to forget that other ponies could research things as well.
"You have a point, brother of mine," she admitted, "and I think I will mention a word or two to her during our next meeting. However, I've also mentioned that Hope herself actually used the spell..."
"Hope was a magical genius," Peri said, "and Ruby was the one who proved it to me. The spell used to create life? It was just a basis - her magical skills far surpassed anyone else in her generation, and she had an entire spellbook's worth of theoretical spells that all were based off her FIRST spell... 'The Crystal Shard Simulacrum Spell'."
Peridot looked at Obsidian squarely. "Part of the reason she was so desperate to use the spell was because it was going to unlock the potential for so many more spells if it worked. Spells that she had created from scratch."
"Such as the Soul Separation Spell - one that Ruby practiced a number of times in the workshop, and almost caused a real situation when her Dark Side nearly escaped her. She's the one who took Hope's notes and diagrams and managed to decypher the spells for herself. None of us ever had the actual spellbook, but Ruby didn't need to find it after a few years; she'd mastered as much of Hope's work as she could on her own."
Now, Peri gave a light smirk. "Onyx was indeed foolish to underestimate Ruby's capabilities - and, as you witnessed firsthoof, it led to your triumph... and her defeat."
Obsidian closed her eyes; she was starting to get a headache - metaphorical, not physical. Was it even possible to have headaches in a dream?
"She said she was going to make Sombra a father... right before she used the Umbral Altar to enhance the spell." Was it Onyx? Was there something else? Did it outright fail? But Whistlewhite herself told her to do it... and she seemed to be powerful enough to keep from wasting a life over a failure. Or perhaps Obsidian was simply too blind to realize what the answer was to her questions?
Now, the studious stallion grew a puzzled expression. "Obsidian... we were NOT alive during that moment - NONE of us ever met Radiant Hope, as she was gone before our arrival... how do you know what she said?"
Busted.
Damnation! She was talking with so many different ponies, and revealing (and keeping) so many secrets that she forgot that Peri couldn't possibly know what she was talking about. "I... well, I was able to view what appeared to be her memories, in my dreams," she explained before she quickly described the last dream she had to him.
"I thought you already knew, considering that you're obviously aware that I'd found the spell," she admitted.
He blinked. Twice. "You... are living through..."
He sat down. HARD. "... sweet blanket of Darkness..." he almost gasped, as he suddenly looked exceedingly pale. "Obsidian... do you... dream of Hope's life? I ask this because... when I was alive, I dreamed as well..."
He looked at her pointedly. "But it wasn't Hope's life... it was Father's. The dreams were vivid, as if I was standing in his horseshoes... yet, I could change or interact with NOTHING, because it was all set in stone..."
His eyes shifted to her. "... and you say, you're witnessing the OTHER SIDE of it? From HER perspective?" He looked shaken... but also a bit excited, as well.
Finally, he realized what she was talking about! She nodded eagerly, hoping to hear his opinion about this phenomenon before she woke up. "I never had any similar dreams about Sombra," she added.
It was strange... but to see Peridot in such an animated state was... well, he looked happy to be handed a puzzle like this, and was eager to see where it went. "And I, never about Hope - but I'm certain that, if we can put our heads togeth-"
~>O<~
The sudden explosion tore a hole through the wall, and covered Cup and Siddy with plaster dust and debris.
"OBSIDIAN! SPEAK TO ME!" came Cup's voice through the cloud of smoke and dust around her - meaning he wasn't wounded, she hoped.
Presumedly, Peridot would spend some time trying to figure it out, and hopefully Obsidian would survive long enough to speak with him about his conclusions. Normally, she would be rather annoyed that she'd woken up before the best part of her dream... but let's be honest; this time, the situation was a bit too serious.
"CUP!" she called out as she immediately cast a shield around herself before she got to her hooves, trying to gather enough focus to figure out what was happening right now.
Chances were good that it probably wasn't the arrival of Stalwart or Patty.
There was a stuttering, rattling sound, and suddenly sparks began jumping from the side of her shield facing the hole; small metal things were pinging off the barrier quite rapidly. She could probably hold her ground against them without pressure, one at a time; with them being poured on like this, she'd have to concentrate to keep the force field up. Which meant she couldn't cast anything else until the barrage stopped.
At the back of her shield, she saw Cupcake cut through the smoke with a pillowcase over his snout, and bump muzzlefirst into her shield. Recognizing it, he knocked on it frantically. Luckily, he was on the other side of the shield from the incoming projectiles; unfortunately, it meant her shield almost gave out, as it was technically an assault on it from two different directions!
By Darkness, who was attacking them in the middle of the city!? Sapphire used Elemental Magic; Opal was apparently supposed to be 'harmless'... unless Obsidian's mere presence made her turn into this 'Lapo' business, and even then she had only her machines.
So what was this? Did she already start an invasion? Found some mercenaries to do her dirty work? Or perhaps it was yet another party?
Everything and anything was possible; Obsidian hoped to find out soon enough, assuming she wouldn't die because her coltfriend was ruining her concentration on her shield.
"TO THE DOORS, CUPPY!" she shouted, frantically trying to maintain her shield long enough to step away from the hole. Were they being attacked from the ground level, or up higher? Everything was MUCH easier in Manehattan - including the fact that their rooms there were on such a high level that nopony would have been able to attack them from outside!
Cup barged out into the hallway in enough time to catch Mica, Gypsy and Diamond all exiting their rooms as well.
"Where's Thunderclap!?" Mica shouted over the din; whatever was shooting the metal things at her was still at it.
From outside, there came a loud >CRUNCH<... and the rattling sound stopped.
"HA! Nothin' but garbage!" came from outside, sounding suspiciously like Thunderclap Dash; Mica was through the door and out on the street in a moment. Obsidian followed, immediately taking down her shield as soon as shooting stopped - she could only hope that there was not a second attacker... or a third.
If Modern Equestria had weapons like that, then why the Tartarus did they have to defend the damned castle in Ponyville with swords and spears during the Umbral attacks!?
Out on the street, Clap was standing next to a heap of junk; it looked like it had been some sort of stationary machine, designed to simply keep spraying out projectiles until it ran out of... of... what had it been firing?
"I got this all under control, Siddy," Clap said confidently as smoke began to rise from the heap of machinery.
Under control or not, Obsidian cast a shield around them anyway. "What in Tartarus is that?" she asked as she stepped closer to investigate this strange artifact. Was this an example of Opal's ingenuity? Truly, her sister was amazing - too bad that she'd decided to target Obsidian and her friends. It was some sort of machine, complete with gears and wires... otherwise, it was mostly scrap now.
"Yeah, as soon as I heard something, I was in the air," Clap boasted, "and outside in five seconds flat. I saw the tin can, but it didn't see me... so, I grabbed the first thing I saw and KER-PLOW, I smashed it!" She pointed at one of the decorative steel flowerboxes from next to the entranceway, which was lying on its' side, bent in numerous places and looking ready to be recycled itself.
A hissing sound began to issue from the pile of junk, and it got very hot standing near it. As they backed away carefully, the pile began to glow a bright, hot white... then, it simply melted into useless, unidentifiable slag.
"Awwwww... I wanted a piece of it for a trophy!" Clap groaned.
"My sister... is a genius," Obsidian stated plainly. They didn't even have time to inspect it closely - did it have wheels? Was it teleported in? Did somepony else have to place it here?
They had no idea, and wouldn't be able to find out because this damnable thing was able to self-destruct in a very thorough manner.
"There could be more of these things around us - Opal couldn't possibly think that a single machine would be enough to kill us all." She looked around to be sure that it was safe to drop her shield and reunite with the rest of her group.
As far as Siddy could tell, there were no other turrets like this in the area - they were relatively safe, at least for now; she saw nothing and nobody else... except for the police car headed their way at a rapid pace, its siren wailing into the night.
Mica went to Clap and checked on her... but of course, she was unharmed. "Take it easy, Mikey! I'm fine, yeesh!"
Mica had on his neutral expression... but Obsidian could see the worry packed into his eyes as he checked her over thoroughly. "I know, I know - I'm just making sure; relax."
The police car screeched to a halt, where two officers - a peagsus mare and an earth pony stallion - got out and headed towards them quickly as they looked around.
"Is anyone hurt? What's the situation?" the pegasus spoke up.
"Do we need backup?" followed the earth pone.
Good thing they had police support; too bad that they showed up a bit late. "Nopony seems to be hurt; we were attacked by some kind of... automated turret? It had enough firepower to blow a hole in the wall. Clap managed to stop it, but as for the remains... well..." She pointed at the molten leftovers of their attacker.
Damnation, Opal was good.
The officers talked to each other for a moment, and as other tenants at the hotel finally began to make their way outside to see what the commotion was, one of the cops returned to their squad car to call for backup, while the other one made sure the other residents were okay.
Cup threw his forelegs around his fiancee. "Oh, Praise Twilight you're okay!"
Obsidian gladly returned the hug, but rather quickly looked to see if Cupcake was okay. "Er... Praise Twilight? That's a... unique one, Cuppy," she mused.
She was acting completely on automatic pilot, too tense at the moment to come off her guard. After checking on Cupcake, she immediately went to examine the rest of her group. Apparently, it seemed that they possibly would need Diamond on this leg of their quest.
Cup was quite dusty - a shame, since she'd just bathed him - but otherwise unhurt. The same went for Clap, Mica and Gypsy; rattled, but otherwise fine.
"Well, I mean... folks used to say 'Praise Celestia', so I just figured it was Auntie Twily's turn, is all!" Cup grinned, simply glad that no one was injured.
Diamond was also fine, but he was over at the hole in the wall, examining the ground... or more like something on the ground.
Well, in that context, 'Praise Twilight' would make sense - but it still sounded strange; Princess Twilight wasn't as legendary or ancient as Princess Celestia was. While Obsidian had practically spent many of her modern days learning about the great deeds of the former, she'd spent her entire life - including her ancient past - learning about the latter.
"Ah... Diamond?" she asked quietly, approaching him - what did he find here?
The little stallion reached down into the shadows next to the wall, and there was a metallic clinking sound. He then lifted his hoof and looked into it, then held it out for her perusal.
In it were a number of... nails? Sort of - they were squat like screws, but had no threading on them. Weird.
Mica and Clap made their way over; as soon as Mica saw what was in Mundy's hoof, he spoke up. "Those are... rivets. Industrial-grade rivets, I'd wager. They're normally used to bond steel paneling together - however, if someone weaponized a rivet gun, then they would make for some nasty projectile weaponry."
She had to agree with the 'nasty' part; the idea of taking even one of them to the belly made Obsidian squirm inside a bit. "So... either sister Opal was improvising to come up with a weapon to kill us with, or she's already prepared most of her industrial tools to be easily weaponized."
Perhaps they should have suggested that Lemon let Aquamarine come with them? They could use the raw superior firepower, and as far as Obsidian surmised, he would be able to protect himself with his magic as well. Sadly, it was a foregone conclusion.
"What hour is it?" Siddy asked with a yawn, now the the adrenaline was wearing off.
Cup looked at the sky for a moment, then simply said, "Six A.M."
Mica gave him a skeptical glance. "Cupcake - there's no way you could tell that; the sun isn't even up yet."
"I know," Cup smiled, "it's only Six A.M., Mica - of course the sun's not up yet!" Mica rolled his eyes, but in good humour.
"Ob-b-b-b-b... O-O-Ob-ob-b-b-bsid-d-dian???" came from the street, where the diamond dog was simply staring at the shot-up hotel. He lifted a paw and pointed at it. From where he was, Gypsy got a perfect view of the entire area... and was looking at something about the hotel itself.
By Darkness, what was it now? What did he sniff out or see? Obsidian, still feeling tense as Tartarus, trotted over to him to inspect what he wanted to show her a bit more closely; hopefully it wouldn't be the rivet-ridden bodies of Patty and Stalwart near the doors...
Gypsy pointed to the side of the hotel in earnest. The rivet holes left behind by the contraption seemed a bit too... uniform... for a moment. Then, as if she were staring at a picture that had another picture hidden inside, it clicked for her - and it was now obvious why nobody else had seen it...
Stitched into the walls with rivets were the words,
GET OUT
... written in Ancient Crystallian. Gypsy looked at Obsidian and whimpered slightly.
"You know, she could have just sent us a letter," Obsidian muttered, amazed at the lengths that Opal was willing to go to just communicate the idea to leave her alone - though, to be fair, they certainly were out. Outside, that was...
Stalwart and Patty were still not here... their rooms were trashed... and they still didn't have any sort of formulated plan.
Bah - Gypsy couldn't even check to see if this machine smelled familiar in any way, because it was completely melted!
She simply had to talk with Onyx, sooner or later; her siblings (as always) were still a few steps ahead of her, and she could only hope that she had the capacity to catch up to them.
=====[One Hour Later]=====
The hotel, by order of Police Chief Big Thunder Mountain, moved Obsidian and her crew to other rooms... on the upper floor, and on an inside hall - they had no windows, but they were also centralized within the hotel itself, meaning that Opal might use other methods to get at them, but this one wouldn't work again.
Room Service had brought them all beverages, sending the bill to the Royal Treasury; Siddy and her friends wouldn't be paying for any of the damages, and that was a relief. However, due to availability, they were now down to three rooms - for now, that worked... but when Patty and Wart showed up, it could be a bit cramped for at least two groups.
Speaking of which, where were they? If the train trip from Ponyville wasn't that far, then why hadn't they turned up yet?
Cup sighed. "It's seven in the morning; after last night, I don't think I'm gonna sleep anytime soon. Maybe we should get the others up and go ahead to Opal's factory? Businesses open early, right?"
Seven A.M. - and no Patty or Stalwart in sight; they had to have been attacked already. Oh, this mission was going to be fun - and she didn't even know what to do next. They'd simply gotten here, hoping that everything would work out just fine and go off without a single hitch - which was not exactly the smartest assumption.
"Let's wait for just a bit more, Cuppy - we were just attacked, and on her own turf, Opal could be even more dangerous. I mean, we could try to do something like we did with Quartz - just waltz in and show her that I'm simply happy to meet another sister - but I get the feeling it wouldn't turn out too well," she said as she scratched her chin in thought. "And we need an expert - give me just a moment, as I need to ask Gypsy about something..."
She checked to make certain she had paper in her saddlebags; Obsidian felt it was time that Princess Luna was informed about a few of the goings-on around here.
Gypsy was outside of his room, pacing a bit. He looked up when Siddy came out, and he grinned... but the grin didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Hello, f-friend," he said as she walked over to him, "this one is s-s-simply giving Diamond s-some room, as he r-r-requested. He seems a bit... d-d-distant, since your chat at the police s-st-station. S-something seems to be b-bothering him."
"Hopefully he will tell me what bothers him when he's ready... or do you think I should try to talk to him again?" Sending a letter to the princess was important, of course - but Diamond was important as well.
Gypsy nodded softly. "H-he is bothered by something - he needs someone to t-talk to... and he will not sp-speak to this one about the s-subject. It worries this one, ab-bout it... and n-not meeting with St-Stalwart or P-P-Patty is also w-worrisome..."
He looked at her. "Obsidian... i-is there anything more this o-one can do to make things b-better? He feels as if... th-things are not w-well."
The Grey Princess sighed in exasperation. "Because they aren't well, Gypsy; we're dealing with yet another danger that has tried to kill us, and we don't know the details of our enemies' plans..."
Obsidian groaned quietly; now that she said it aloud, it sounded even worse.
"You know, when my family plans to attack Equestria, they're simply too overwhelming - with Onyx and Sombra, we had a few very intense days. With Peridot, I was running around like crazy trying to fix things because it was happening so quickly. Now, we've had our third trip in a row..."
She then gave a soft, reserved grin. "And yes, you can help - I actually wanted to send a letter to Princess Luna, and to ask you if you possibly know of an entity known by the name 'Moochick'; it might not help us out immediately, but it could be useful in the future."
The diamond dog nodded at the letter request, though he did stick his tongue out a bit about it... however, at the word 'Moochick', his eyes went W-I-D-E.
"Th-th-th-the MOOCHICK!? Ob-b-bsidian, h-how do you know of The Moochick? He was a protector of c-creatures, many, many, many millenia ago... and had magical p-powers and abilities that f-far surpassed anything ponykind had kn-known at the time. This was in the time of the earliest r-recorded pony histories, and he had a reput-tation for being a bit eccentric, yet he only had the b-best intentions in mind for them."
"It is said that he was the one who first p-presented the Rainbow of Light to the f-first ponies... a magic that was powerful enough to d-defeat Tirek during his earliest days, and protected them from harm at the p-paws of the vile sorceress Katryna."
The diamond dog was so enthusiastic about the subject, he was barely stuttering at all. "He was also responsible for the legendary manor house called 'The Paradise Estate', where the p-ponies first migrated t-to Equestria from; its location is unknown today, yet there are st-stories of such, should one dig deep enough. Oh, The Moochick is one of the m-most important non-ponies in all of Pony Hist-t-tory!"
Now Obsidian felt ashamed; she should have learned about him a thousand years ago - but she hadn't been taught. Why? Did she forget ithe lesson, or perhaps missed it? If this creature was that important to history, then she should have already known about it!
Obsidian hesitantly replied, "I, um... I saw her. Kind of."
Gypsy looked at her solidly for a moment... then, he leaned forward and sniffed at her for a bit. After a moment of sniffing, he backed up, looked at her... and his muzzle relaxed. "This one... b-believes you. But... he asks, h-h-how you have seen such an entity th-that hasn't been present in P-Pony History for ages? There are n-no records which exist of The Moochick's f-fate... please, tell this p-poor one how it c-can be so?"
Obsidian took a deep breath. "I've spent my last number of dreams reliving Radiant Hope's memories - not as a spirit or an observer, no... I've been in her body, living through past events. During her last day of life, she met with Whistlewhite who was... radiating with power and knowledge. She said that one of her past names, given to her by ponykind, was 'The Moochick."
She thought for a moment. "She also seemed to know that I was there, looking at her and seeing the events unfold... a-and when she touched Hope's body, I was instantly filled with joy - I can't even describe the sensation. I have no doubt that Whistlewhite was not a normal pony."
Gypsy's jaw dropped. "Obsidian," he spoke slowly, making sure his stutter didn't muddy his speech, "are you... t-telling this one... that... Whistlewhite... the artist... was... The Moochick?" He sat down on his haunches slowly, his muzzle a mask of disbelief and shock. Obsidian simply nodded - judging by his reaction, it was apparently rather surprising news to him.
"This m-means... The Moochick was h-here... in Equestria... during the rule of S-Sombra? But... then w-why didn't he... sh-she... DO s-s-something about him? His s-sl-slavery? His c-cruelty? Why did she allow that t-t-to happen?" He put his paw to his head. "This... m-makes the head hurt-t-t."
The diamond dog sighed. "This is news that must b-be digested s-sl-s-slowly; it is too m-much to take in at the moment for th-this one..." He then stood himself up and looked at her earnestly and kindly. "But this does n-not mean that this o-o-one will let it d-distract him - a letter to P-Princess Luna, yes."
"I have no idea what's really going on, Gypsy... but considering the sheer craziness of everything happening around us, perhaps you'll be able to ask her about it yourself, before this is all over with." To be fair, it wouldn't be the strangest thing that had ever happened to her.
"But yes, let's focus on the letter first." Obsidian levitated paper and a pencil out of her saddlebag and started writing, informing the retired princess that they'd arrived in the city and were immediately attacked, and that they were planning to investigate the Pola Industrial warehouse. She also added that her bat armada should be ready to mobilize, as Peridot had advised her. At the end, after a short consideration, she asked if Princess Luna knew anything about the fates of Stalwart and Patty, since Obsidian asked for their support but nopony came or answered yet.
"Okay - I think that's all. What do you think, Gypsy?" she asked, finishing her own last words on the parchment.
He nodded. "This one thinks you h-have covered all the b-b-bases..." He then sighed. "Must this o-one EAT the paper? It seems such a m-mean thing to do t-to the scroll which h-h-holds our words for us-s..."
"Sadly so, yes," she reassured him, "but worry not - it doesn't destroy it, after all; it just moves it to another place." Though Obsidian herself would have preferred if it could happen in a bit of a more dignified way for her canine companion.
He took her hoofwritten note, looked at it for a moment... then, the diamond dog gave a slight smirk. "Obsidian... w-was the scroll you rec-c-ceived earlier wet with sp-p-pittle? If not, th-then there are... ideas..."
Gypsy then proceeded to begin folding the note, performing his origami on it, until her communication was sculpted into the shape of a dragon - the words were on the outside, so it was obvious that this was a note, not just a decoration. He looked at it and grinned. "P-P-Princess Luna may get a g-good g-g-giggle about this note, i-if it makes it through t-to her in the same shape."
With that, he simply threw it into the air and caught it in his mouth. He then lifted an eyebrow as he simply swallowed. "It... i-it is gone," he said in wonder, "and n-not within the b-belly. Incredible..."
Obsidian actually giggled at Gypsy's antics; it was starting to make sense that the princess had chosen him - not only did he have a bigger mouth than typical ponies usually did, but also had skills which would make it more... Interesting.
"Thanks, Gypsy," she reached out to him with her hoof to pull him into a hug, feeling a sudden urge to show him that she cared about him. "You are a good friend and companion."
Gypsy gladly took the hug, and returned it. "And you, d-dear friend, are like a s-s-sister t-to this one... and s-so, one is g-glad to be of s-service." His paws were on her shoulders this way, and his padded palms and fingers felt different... but not bad; they were certainly something that was uniquely diamond doggish in nature, but was an interesting sensation for a pony. His touch was warm and kind, and she actually felt some of her own stress slide back about an inch or two.
And, of course, his wagging tail was going a mile a minute; adorable.
Such a good pup. "I think I'll speak with Diamond now; I hope he'll be able to tell me something more. I chatted with brother Peridot during my nap, so I think I have a bit of a clearer picture of our situation now."
Gypsy nodded, then patted her shoulder encouragingly. "Remember... he is old-d-der than he acts. This one thinks it is b-because he has healed so m-much pain, he hides his own; we have sp-poken much these p-past few d-d-days, and he is m-most certainly sm-smarter than this one is ab-ble to keep up with, rest assured-d."
He smiled at her. "Be you, Obsidian - perhaps you b-both need th-that?"
"Well, if he is smarter than you, then he's far smarter than I am," she sighed deeply. A smart pony would have already solved this mess. "But I'll keep it in mind. I won't be able to do too much about his private pain, at least until we deal with my hostile siblings... but I'll do my best." Obsidian pulled from the hug and trotted to the doors.
Knock knock.
The door opened just a crack, and one of Diamond's pale blue eyes looked back at her. "{Yes, Obsidyan? Do you require healing, or...}" His voice sounded unlike the chipper one she'd come to know from him; this one sounded a bit deeper, and FAR more tired. He didn't finish the question, but she could see that he understood what might be coming.
"{Or,}" she said softly, lowering her head a bit. "{Would you let me in, dear brother?}"
She could see both trepidation and fear in that eye... but he stepped back from the door, and walked across the room to the padded chair in the corner, where he had to almost climb onto it to sit down. He looked so small and fragile, sitting in the big, plush chair. He couldn't look at her as she came in; the floor seemed very interesting today, for some reason.
Dear oh dear, this sight was worrisome. "Brother... I hope you know that I love you as my sibling; did I disrespect you or insult you with some aspect of my behaviour?"
"{N-no, Obsidyan, no.}" He sighed, then shifted a bit in the big chair. At first, she thought she'd have to say something more... then, he began to talk, in a voice that was FAR older than the body that held it.
"{The very first night I can recall, in my earliest memories, is the night I had to heal Sister Amethyst for the very first time. She had been training with Father, and he had been very insistent on her. He had been practicing with her resistances, and as a result, her horn had cracked... and the Dark Magic that had poured out had torn off her entire left flank. Leg and all.}"
He closed his eyes and shuddered. "{I started there. Even though my powers to heal are strong... it took almost an entire hour to grow the bone from scratch, to shape the muscle tendons, to fill in the gaps with tissue and fat, and to cover it with flesh - to say nothing of growing an entire hoof at nearly the same time.}"
He looked up at her now, and his eyes were haunted, almost dead and cold. "{My Healing Spell is powerful indeed... but back when I was still learning of my abilities, it did not numb the pain one feels.}"
He looked down again, continuing in the same drone. "{During that entire hour, she screamed and cried and howled. At one point, she threatened to kill me if I didn't stop - and five minutes later, she was pleading with me to just kill her. It was all I could do to concentrate on the healing magics; any slight waver of my focus, and the healing would stop... and if the healing magic stopped, things like blood and unsealed muscle would simply fall away from the skeleton.}"
Tears began to slide down his cheeks. "{And the entire time, in the back of my mind, all I can think of is this: I haven't even gotten to her horn yet; she still feels that, too.}" He didn't sob, nor did his voice waver - but tears continued to flow down his cheeks freely and rapidly. "{THAT is why she loathes me, Obsidyan - it is her first real memory of me. And I hate it.}"
So it wasn't merely sadism on Amy's part; she'd experienced a terrible trauma with Diamond, and that made for one Tartarus of a reason - or an excuse - to torment him. Whatever the real reason was, she had to talk with Amy about it as soon as she could - but at the moment, she was mostly concerned with Diamond. Why was he bringing up this memory right now? She trotted over to him to hug him; obviously, he seemed to need it.
However, before she could, the little stallion held up a hoof to stop her. "{N-no... I am... not done.}"
Diamond took a slow, shaky breath and continued. "{She was pushed so hard to conquer all sorts of bindings and entrapments - there are very few that can hold her for long, and IT was sure to push her too hard... which happened more and more, as more of us came to be. Then, the day came that I had to heal her again... yet this time, I did not have the power to do so. That... thing had nearly killed her with magical bond training, and the damage done was beyond my ability to be able to repair.}"
Now, for a brief moment, came a small smile. "{Then Whistle came. She didn't ask what had happened, nor what she could do - she simply walked in, closed the door... then asked if I could keep a secret. I said I could. So... she showed me that she was a healer, as well - and far better than I could ever hope to achieve. I saw... Light... from her eyes... b-but I could not look at it for long, as it was so bright...}"
The awe faded from his features, and he sighed... then looked Obsidian DIRECTLY in the eye, a firm look of authority in them now... one that reminded her a bit too much of the father she knew.
"{And that THING inside our father KILLED her. Lined her up with the others at the guillotine... not even mentioned by name, she was a faceless statistic that got tossed into a hole with the rest and buried.}"
Now, his look softened a bit. "{Obsidyan, I can clearly see the spite and hate you have for Father, but know this - do not mistake that THING for our Father... and I...}" His look went firm again, and it was scary how intense the little stallion could be. "{And I demand that you stop confusing the two - or I shall leave your company.}"
At first Obsidian stepped back, surprised and a bit agitated; she came here to check on him, to make amends, to cheer him up... and he was demanding her to stop referring to the monster she knew as a monster? She saw no difference between this 'THING' and her 'father'; to her, both words had the very same meaning.
"{Oh? Would you explain the differences between them, then? Did you ever see our 'Father' without 'It', that you distinguish the two of them so easily? Are you dreaming 'Father's' dreams, like Peridot?}" She had to force herself to be calm; she needed answers, no matter how angry he was starting to make her.
Diamond's look never wavered. "{Yes... I have.}"
His expression grew grim and serious. "{Father used to be allowed to appear to us - he would speak to us, ask questions, speculate. He would tell us that we were ALL special, and that we were worthy of this world. He spoke of how each and every one of us were incredible worlds unto ourselves...}"
He now shut his eyes for a moment. "{I am sorry you never got that - that you never had the chance to know him - but IT devoured what control he had left, and by the time we learned of your existence... he was no longer available to us.}"
His eyes reopened, and he stared back at her not with the look of a playful little stallion - but of a battle-weary and grizzled medic, who had seen more creature's insides than Obsidian had seen outsides. "{But if you wish to fool yourself into thinking there is NOTHING in Father worth missing, keep it to yourself. I LOVE our father... and I will NOT stand for any further blight on his name.}"
It was getting harder to stay calm - who would have ever thought that she'd have to calm herself down so much in Diamond's presence? He kept daring to talk to her about dead ponies that she'd never even met, and suggesting that such a thing should be the reason for forgiving the wicked and cruel King Sombra for his misdeeds!
"{Well, you said it yourself, I've never met him - never known the pony you keep referring to as 'Father'. As is such, my ire is pointed only at the creature that raised me.}" And so, there was a second sibling who relived Sombra's life, apparently?
Diamond stared for a moment. "{... THAT...}" his expression softened, "... is true. You... cannot miss what you... never knew...}"
Then, he sighed. "{And I am sorry you did not get to know what he was like... that you were robbed of that opportunity. That THING inside him, it robbed us ALL... especially Father. It...}"
His expression evened out a bit. "{It is not fair... but Life is never guaranteed to be fair.}"
He now looked at her - he didn't seem angry any more, but he still wore a firm look. "{If we have come to this, then all I ask is for you not to speak of Father in such a way in my presence... or at least blame that THING for his misdeeds. To me, it is as if I were berating Cupcake every time I saw him - how would YOU feel?}" He was still upset, but he was trying to communicate.
"{Well, that depends; would his body be possesed by a dark, cruel creature that would still use his name?}" Obsidian was starting to get rather annoyed with her brother. "{As I said, I know nothing of the pony you refer to as 'Father' - I only referred to him in this way because it was all I knew of him. I won't use this title again when referring to him - though he was always using the name 'Sombra' himself. How would you care for me to refer to it, then?}"
Diamond suddenly burst out, "{IT! THAT PARASITE! THAT FUCKING ASSHOLE, AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED! As long as you do not call IT our Father, I... I...}"
He closed his eyes and sighed, the rage gone as fast as it came. "{... perhaps I should leave; I am upsetting you, and you are upsetting me. I want to find a place where we can experience a harmony with this subject, but it is difficult when I speak so much of someone you have never known...}"
He then looked at her. "{And you speak so ill of someone I love.}"
Then go the fuck away and don't bother me any further, you weak, pacifistic midget! I will enjoy crushing every bit of your beloved father's body into gravel!
Obsidian shook her head rapidly; damnation, that was worrying. When was the last time she'd caught herself thinking like that? During her little talk with Amethyst? Obsidian took a mental step back, gathering her thoughts properly before speaking again.
"{I won't be calling IT 'Father', brother Diamond - in fact, it's been quite a while since I last used this title in regards to anypony.}" Of course, there was also the small issue that she considered Sombra and Hope to be a pair of moronic fools whose endeavors brought doom upon the whole of the Crystal Empire.
He seemed to accept that, and gave a slow nod, still keeping eye contact with her. "{... thank you, Obsidyan. It... when he was still among us, he was everything to me. All I ever had to look forward to in my entire existence was my time at the tower window... seeking the Lost Sister with the others... and speaking to Father.}"
He now sighed and broke eye contact, choosing the ground to look at. "{And it hurts when you unknowingly insult that memory.}"
He stood up and came over to where she was, looking up at her. "{I am sorry that I yelled at you, sister. Anger does not sit well with me; that is more a trait of Amethyst...}"
Good; a moment longer, and she would have said something she probably would have regretted... then, she'd definitely regret it even more when Sister Opal inevitably blew somepony's legs off, and she would be the sole reason for driving away the only member of team that could heal lost limbs.
Diamond grew a quizzical look. "{Obsidyan... may I ask a question about Sister Amethyst?}"
"{Yes brother, of course.}" When did she insult his memory in Diamond's presence? She couldn't recall...
"{I have taken notice of the magical restraint ring that Brother Tourmaline wears around his horn, due to his punishment... tell me, does Sister Amethyst wear the same ring?}"
He looked at her gravely. "{Because if it is the same type of ring, then you should be aware that Magic Restraint Rings were among the first of the bindings she learned how to break; if she wears a ring like this, then she has had access to her magic the entire time.}"
Obsidian blinked... then blinked again. She sat down with a shocked look on her muzzle. But... did she... did Amy... w-well, perhaps the older model of restraint rings were simply not as secure as modern ones were?
Mundy sighed. "{With your reaction, I assume that she does.}"
If she'd had her magic the whole time... why hadn't she killed them already? (Or at least Tourmaline?) She'd been complaining constantly about her magic being gone... and yet, she'd had access to it this whole time. Why hadn't she used it already?
"{When we return, Obsidyan," Diamond said quietly, "I suggest informing Princess Twilight of this at once; they will need stronger magic if they wish to hold her at bay.}"
"{Do we truly need it, though?}" Obsidian asked. "{If she'd wanted to use it against us, she would have already. I think she likes us more than she wants us to know,}" she said after digesting this news. Apparently, she didn't even have to ask the princess about restoring Amy's magic in the first place. "{Was that all you wanted to ask about her?}"
Diamond looked at her and blinked. "{You act as if this is not important news... why?}" He wasn't angry anymore; he was genuinely curious. "{Were I informed of this, I would no doubt be at least a bit frantic at the possibilities she would have, yet... you seem calm about such. Please explain, Obsidyan - is there more to this that I do not know?}"
He hadn't brought up any interest in Amethyst before - and now she knew why, but it apparently didn't stop his wondering about his cruel sister.
"{I... er, as I said, I think sister Amy actually likes us... or at least, kind of likes me. If she planned to use her
magic against us, she would have done so already. In fact, I was thinking that she could use a show of trust and... er... I kind of... asked Princess Twilight to remove her ring, as well as Tourmy's.}"
She held her hoof up. "{But the request for Amy was rejected immediately, though.}"
Diamond nodded, but it seemed as if his mind was already working. "{Everyone in the world deserves a second chance; perhaps she has finally begun to see the Light, and is deciding to see where it leads to, as opposed to her old habit of raging at anything that wasn't within her purview.}"
"{This... this is good news, I believe,}" he said as he gave a small smile, "{a change for Sister Amethyst? Perhaps this Modern World holds more worth than it first seems, if it makes someone like her change from her wicked ways.}"
"{I truly do want her to enjoy the Modern Age, too.}" Obsidian wanted to tell him more - about her empty room, the strange dresser, sleeping in the closet... but that had been private, between herself and Amy; she probably wouldn't appreciate that. "{May I ask you some questions of my own now, dear brother?}"
"{Yes... that is fair.}" He sat down on the floor - he was still so small, but now she'd had a taste of what was beneath the surface... and Mundy would be fine, if he was ever by himself. The conversation may have been a bit emotional, but it helped bring home to Obsidian more of who Diamond truly was. "{Though, if it is a question I cannot answer, I shall tell you so - and would ask that, should I say such, that we then move on to the next, please. But there is very little I will not speak of.}"
"{There was something you didn't want to say when I inquired about the possibility that Radiant Hope had created a new life by herself - am I right?}" Two siblings dreaming Sombra's dreams, while she was dreamt of Hope's... why?
Diamond sighed. "{Radiant Hope created something that the entire world had never known, and that led to all of us being created. But it cost her the very life she treasured... and it cost Father his greatest ally and companion, the only one who could have helped Father fight The Umbra within him.}" He sighed heavily. "{A fight that was rigged against him from the very start.}"
"{Whistlewhite told her to do it, brother - she met her when she was leaving the castle for the final time. What was this 'something' you're talking about? Do we have any other siblings?}" Siddy asked with a held breath.
He looked at her for a long time before he answered. "{Obsidyan... there are only the thirteen of us; there was nothing left of Father to create any more of us, and Hope vanished after casting her spell. I do not think there is another Lost Sibling out there...}"
He then slid his eyes to the side. "{Whistle spoke to me, and... she made me promise not to reveal what she told me. And I shall not. But I do not think that there is another Child of Sombra out there, no.}"
Obsidian sighed deeply; of course it wouldn't be that easy, of course The Moochick would ask Diamond to be quiet about whatever she'd told him. She needed to talk with Peri, it seemed - if only to find out what HIS conclusions were about this issue. Logically, Hope might have vanished because she'd sacrificed herself - she created a shard, Obsidian SAW it! If she utterly vanished, then it was only because the spell worked... which meant that the piece of soul that she'd stolen from Sombra was used.
"{I need to find out... I almost miss dreaming about her past.}" Obsidian may have lamented it at first, but now that she was neck-deep in this mystery, she wished she'd had paid more attention during those flashbacks.
Diamond nodded. "{If I may help, let me know... as long as it does not require me to betray a trust.}"
He looked up at her, seeming repentant. "{I feel bad that we fought, my sister... but I am glad I did not have to leave; I am serious when I say that this entire experience is wholly amazing - to be able to travel whenever we wish to? I could never have imagined what this would be like... nor could I have imagined how much I find myself enjoying your presence.}"
He smiled a full smile, the first since the police station. "{A presence I wish to enjoy for quite some time, if you allow it.}" Now, he sighed and put on a weary expression. "{So... how are we to tackle Opal?}"
"{Cupcake wanted to go and check out her factory... but I think it would be a bit too dangerous - especially without Stalwart or Patty - Cup's sister - who's a technology expert. I've sent a message to Princess Luna to check to see if she knows anything about them, as they should be already here... but that's all. Once they join us, I want to investigate Opal's warehouse; I'm hoping we'll possibly run into Sapphire there. Brother Peridot told me he can't sense her energies, which is... somewhat worrying.}"
Mundy stared at her for a moment, then he gave a small chuckle. "{I continue to forget that you have some of our siblings in your head... yet, it does worry me, that Stalwaat and Pattee have not arrived yet. Maybe their train is delayed? Perhaps Stalwaat has not been excused from her duties just yet? Perhaps Pattee is bulding something to assist us?}"
They were all valid possibilities... but why did Obsidian get the feeling that it was none of the above?
"{Besides... it seems as though Sister Opal has made the first move,}" Diamond said as he lifted an eyebrow, "{so are we to wait for her second one?}"
{"No, we are not; as soon as we get any confirmation about Stalwart and Patty's current status, we will act - no matter what it is.}" Were they stuck in Ponyville somehow? Were they already here, yet lost as to where to look for the rest of their group? "{I just... prefer us to go there as a group. And with somepony who would know what we're looking at.}"
He nooded. "{This is fair. If we can all mee-}"
The door opened quickly, and Mica stuck his head in and looked around. "Hunh," he said, "that's strange... Obsidian, Diamond... have you seen Thunderclap? I can't find her; she said she wanted to go take care of her business, so I assumed she meant the bathroom... but she hasn't come back yet. I even had a maid check the bathrooms in the lobby..." He looked concerned.
Oh, what NOW? "No, I haven't, Mica - not at all." She stood up immediately, almost as concerned as the earth pony stallion himself was. "{We'll talk later, Diamond; Clap is lost.}" Oh, this just kept getting better and better, she thought as she trotted off to the room.
"Did you ask Cupcake?" she inquired of Mica.
He nodded. "Yes - he hasn't seen her either; I last saw her about twenty minutes ago, myself. She typically doesn't take this lo-..."
Mica stopped where he was, mid-stride, and the color drained from his features. "Oh shit..."
He looked at Obsidian. "Siddy, Clap said after the incident that we were about to handle this business with Opal... you don't think..."
He facehoofed. "Of course she did! Dammit, I think she may have already gone to the FACTORY!"
"Oh, come on Mica - she wouldn't go there alone!" There was a moment of silence as Obsidian was trying to think once again about the words that had just escaped her mouth. "...would she?"
Mica looked at her with a deadpan expression. "Obsidian... we're talking about someone taking potshots at us. What does Clap do when her friends are threatened?"
"... she dives into trouble, head-first." Damnation! Just like the situation with Aquamarine - except this time, hopefully they wouldn't ruin any funeral pyres. "We need to get to the factory, quickly!"
She turned around and headed for the hallway to gather the rest of their group... FUCKA-FUCKITTY FUCKING FUCK!
They gathered everyone easily with four words: "Clap's at the factory!" Mica yelled out.
"Oh, n-n-n--no!"
"What? Oh for cryin' out loud..."
"{Then we must make haste.}"
"Should we inform Chief Mountain and the police?" Cup asked.
Obsidian had to make a quick decision. "Can we summon them, perhaps? Or do we need to send a messenger?"
Mica rushed to the front office. "I'll call for them; meet me outside!"
Cupcake looked at her with worry in his eyes. "Clap's probably mad that we got attacked in the first place... and she's not really big on 'patience'... or 'planning'... or 'thinking about consequences'... or sometimes even 'common sense'."
Gypsy was pacing, and Diamond was watching him do so. After a moment, Mundy came over to where they were. "{Obsidyan, I can cast an enchantment that can prevent us from being poisoned, at the very least; I will do this as soon as Micah returns from calling out to the police.}"
He then cocked an eyebrow. "{Will they be able to hear him, all the way at the station, from our hotel?}"
"We'll find her, Cup - though I would REALLY appreciate if she wouldn't do things like this!" Well, Clap was the one that had inadvertantly ruined Obsidian's first real discussion with Ruby, leading to her escape and a serious lack of data on Siddy's side... which had terrible repercusions later.
"{They will be... I think. He shouldn't do anything that doesn't make sense.}" Maybe this hotel had a similar magical armband to the one she had with Flurry, but it was connected to the police station? It would make logical sense, as it seemed to be an useful enchantment.
"{And what was that about poisoning? Is sister an Opal expert in this matter?}" Oh, BY DARKNESS, she hoped it wasn't the case here; machines alone were bad enough!
Diamond looked uncertain. "{I am unsure... but better to be safe than sorry, yes? Besides, I cannot do very much for our defenses - that was Brother Quartz's speciality - but it may yet help, perhaps?}"
Cupcake smirked. "Maybe Clap's a bit headstrong, but she means well - all she's probably thinking right now is something like, 'nobody's gonna shoot at MY friends', or such. She should work on her patience, though..."
Cupcake, Gypsy and Diamond were all out front with her; all three seemed nervous and worried... and with good reason. It was about five minutes before Mica managed to get out to them, and he wore a concerned look - one that almost threataned to break his normal deadpan demeanor. "The police are on their way there now - they're going to get into position, and they said they should be ready for us when we get there... however we manage to do that."
Obsidian peeked at Gypsy. "No reply from Princess Luna yet?"
"N-not even a b-burp," the diamond dog confirmed.
From where they were, they could see the damage to the front of the hotel; Opal's turret had practically made rubble of it with a barrelful of rivets... what might she have at her own factory for her defenses?
Cup raised a hoof, like he was in school. "Ummmm... question? If the police show up, en masse, at the Pola Industrial factory... how is your sister going to react?"
Diamond paled a bit. "{Obsidyan, Opal will not... but Lapo just might.}"
What in Tartarus was happening in Ponyville while they were here!? At the moment, they hadn't even seen any sign of Opal, except for her turret... but that could have been placed by magic, or teleportation, or by somepony else, or by another machine...
What if something had already happened back home? It really shouldn't take Stalwart and Patty this much time to reach them, and the princess could at least take a moment to reply, 'I don't know anything about this'.
"She'll start a war... in the middle of a densely populated city," Obsidian said, the look on her muzzle a bit blank from the realization - one that kept dawning on her far too often - that she had no idea what her siblings were planning. It certainly didn't help the situation (or Obsidian's nerves) that Peridot himself had told her that the situation was going to get worse.
"Let's go - quickly." Obsidian turned to her earth pony friend. "Mica? Was there anything in the files about her factory that we could use here? Perhaps how to get inside without attracting attention?"
Mica looked at her, "Yes, but there are only two ways, in or out, that I read about: The front doors to the lobby, and the HUGE loading bay doors on the factory floor - both in FULL view of the street."
Cup looked around and shrugged. "Well, I guess it's a good morning for a run..."
Mica looked at Cupcake, then back at Obsidian. "Siddy... the factory's twelve miles from here; don't tell me you think we can RUN that?"
Cup's eyes lit up. "Well, I do have one idea..."
So every entrance was exposed and dangerous - wonderful. "Okay, Cuppy - what's this idea? Anything's better than running twelve miles..."
Cup smiled. "We can ride my cannon into town!"
Mica and Gypsy just stared.
"All I gotta do is turn my party cannon around, and shoot behind me; we'll cruise down the street, and get to town in minutes!"
Gypsy blinked. Mica just closed his eyes and sighed.
Cupcake looked at his fiancee. "It would work! Plus, what other choice do we have right now?"
"I... am afraid I have to agree; we'd get to town in mere minutes... though I'm a bit concerned if our carcasses are going to be able to help Clap in any meaningful manner. I know that we have a very skilled doctor with us, but I'm not sure if Diamond learned any necromantic spells..."
It was Cupcake, and he may have been born to surprise her... however, even her supression of disbelief fell short on this idea.
"Awwwwww..." Cup said as he sighed, "so, that's a no?"
At that moment, a minivan came careening around the corner at a rapid pace, looking as though it was gong to crash directly into the midst of Siddy and her friends. Intstead, it came to a stop so close, Gypsy squawked and covered his head.
The minivan was grey, boring, and had a massive buffalo behind the wheel, as well as a stallion in the passenger seat.
Captain Storm leaned his head out of the window. "Obsidian! We were told about the upcoming situation; sorry about the ride in, but we just got up to prepare for our shift when we got the call - we're headed to the scene now. Need a ride?"
For a brief moment, Obsidian had hoped that it would be Markannus to their rescue again - it would have been the perfect moment to reintroduce him, to show that he was good and healthy. " Yes! Yes, thank you!" She didn't let this short disappointment bother her much - especially as it meant that they weren't going to be accidentially murdered by velocity with Cupcake's idea.
The rear door popped open, and they were treated to enough seats for everyone; Mica and Gypsy took the far back seats, leaving the middle for Cup and Siddy. The stallion upfront seemed like he was ready to deal with this situation; the buffalo was a BIG creature, crammed into the front seat of a minivan - he was practically wearing the vehicle, as his frame took up every inch of available driver space... and even a few inches that shouldn't be available.
"Okay, spill the beans ma'am - what are we trotting into, here?" Storm said, double-checking his gear as the chief steered the minivan like a seasoned taxi driver from Manehattan.
Okay, she could understand that they'd probably built the police station around the hulking buffalo... but her mind refused to believe that Chef Mountain could easily leave it without demolishing a wall first, and he wouldn't be able to enter this minivan without it being constructed around him as well!
"The possibility of facing an angry technological genius with enough firepower to level the city... one who apparently enjoys causing distress." Obsidian had to be honest, here. "Thunderclap Dash, our friend, decided to fly there alone... which means I will probably have to try to enter this facility as well, to face my sister. There's maybe a tiny chance she'll actually let me talk to her, but if not..."
"Yikes," came from Chief Mountain.
Storm nodded grimly. "Yeah - a bad situation, all around, that one. But we've got a lot of the force keyed-up since you've been here, so they should be more than ready to get this done. We've also insisted on rubber pellets and beanbag rounds in what guns we do have; non-lethal rounds, in case we have to fire on Miss Pearl."
He shook his head slowly. "Wow... never thought I'd ever hear myself say THAT; she's normally so nice..."
"Normally, but she may lapse. There's also the matter of mind control; it may be the same case as with brother Quartz. Opal - Shaded Pearl - could simply be forced to fight us, whether she wants to or not. At the moment, she's just..."
Oh, how Obsidian hated this word. "... a tool."
Storm's eyebrows went as far up on his forehead as they could go. "Whoa, there... slow down, hon - what's all this other stuff? Mind control? Nobody said anything about mind control! Are we dealing with alicorn-tier stuff here? Because, Mountain & I an't alicorns, if ya hadn't noticed - so we might need to call in EVEN BIGGER guns, so ta speak... just what in-"
"Safety," said Chief Mountain.
Storm nodded. "... you're right, boss - we gotta protect the townsfolk here. Which means the lot of you, as well. Are you saying you can handle stuff like that?"
"The possibility of mind control is most likely limited to the children of King Sombra; as long as my sister Amber doesn't appear here directly. Diamond is safe, so I should be safe as well. The only thing it changes is the fact that Opal may not be acting out of her own free will. That's an important point to make, because as soon as she thinks that she might lose her factory... well, she'll become MUCH more dangerous."
The buffalo nodded. "Thanks."
Storm continued. "Yeah, the heads-up is appreciated; I just hope we're ready for something like this... those Labor Harnesses'll be sorely missed, if Pola goes belly-up after this; I gotta brother in Winnipegasus, he's all sortsa happy over those things. Makes his mining work so much easier, not ta mention safer."
He sighed. "After this? Back to doing the work by hoof, I suppose."
"So let's be sure that sister Opal will survive, and that she will be considered innocent of any charges that might be pressed against her, on account of her being literally out of her mind during these criminal acts."
Obsidian sighed deeply. Dear oh dear, who would think that King Sombra would sire a daughter that would be able to choke the Equestrian economy so effectively?
Mica looked at her flatly. "Obsidian, if she really HURTS anyone, she will have to go to trial; whether or not she's guilty will be up to a jury - not to just decide beforehoof."
"You got that right," Storm confirmed, "but here's hoping we stop her before things get to that point."
"Justice," Mountain agreed.
"... not 'Just This'," Storm finished, and both the officers grinned.
"Well, in any case, I do happen to know of a good lawyer..." Hopefully, they'd avoid the worst case scenario.
The minivan closed the mileage quickly, and when they came around the corner at Industrial Way, there it was...
Pola Industrial was actually a somewhat compact building, as far as factories went; the main building was HUGE, but the surrounding additions were compairtively small; it almost gave one the impression of a fairy-tale castle, but with a huge garage in the center instead of a drawbridge.
The parking lot around it wasn't very big... however, at the moment, there were at least thirty police cars and riot vans, all in attendance, with officers surrounding the building and waiting behind their squad cars, all looking apprehensive and taut, as if on edge for the other horseshoe to drop.
There were even a few vans in the parking lot across the street: the Nest-Lee's Confectionary Factory. It was shaped like a chocolate bar, complete with a 'foil' lining around the base of the structure. Cupcake was already drooling over it.
There were so many officers here, it was doubtless that they'd been seen already - now, they were obviously preparing to storm the place, if necessary...
In other words, a wholly and completely threatening display of force.
They'd be lucky if Opal hadn't already gone completely batshit insane at the sight.
"We'll do our best to calm down sister Opal, so please don't use force before it's necessary, okay?" Obsidian looked through the van's windows and sighed deeply. "But if it IS necessary... well, you'll no doubt see... and hear... and possibly feel, as well."
They drove up to the candy factory's lot and parked out of harm's way. Storm practically leapt out of his seat, while Mountain had to pretty much pry himself out of the minivan.
The Captain turned to them. "Look, even though we've been instructed to help, we're both a bit concerned about sending a bunch of teenagers into a potentially lethal situation like this..."
"I'm usually rather concerned about it as well," Obsidian admitted. "You offered us some kind of armor, earlier... do you possibly have any spares around that we could use, perhaps?"
Storm grinned. "Spares? Hang on a moment, and we can set you up properly."
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That was fun! More please!
Crud. The excrement has just impacted the air current generator.