Obsidian: Legacy Of Sombra

by Randimaxis

Four: How D'Ya Like THEM Apples?

Wart was still standing at attention downstairs, and let loose with a severe glower at Obsidian as she entered the room.

"I assume that you have been sufficiently cleaned now," she spoke in an accusatory tone, "so, if it doesn't interfere with your romantic life, it would be a fine idea to perhaps do what you'd said we would do..." Her eyes narrowed. "... two hours ago."

Huh? "Er..." For a moment, Obsidian was truly speechless for more than a single reason; did she really miss Cup that much? Did she really make Stalwart wait that long? Did they break a record? Well, uh... yes. Yes they did - at least a personal one. "Ah... s-sorry?"

Wart humphed, turned and went to the door. When she reached it and opened it up, she just barely glanced over her flank at Obsidian. "Are you following?" she asked with just a hint of snark.

"Oh, yes! Yes!" Obsidian squeaked as she trotted quickly after Stalwart. Well, whatever topics she wanted to discuss with her little friend, it seemed that it was no longer the best time for that.

The two of them hit the street, and it was still a glum sight to behold. Ponyville looked abandoned; boarded up windows, locked doors and a pronounced lack of anyone else made the normally bright and cheery town look almost like a haunted house attraction - but with a whole townful of houses.

"Since Amber's coup," Wart spoke low and softly to Obsidian, "most of the remaining citizens of Ponyville have been hiding out inside their homes, or staying with us - but the cameras showed that a goodly portion of the town's population all gained that glow in their eyes, and headed north out of town."

They passed the central fountain which was still filled with water, but the sprayer was turned off. It looked stagnant and cold.

"Thunderclap has sighted a number of small, mobile armies of ponies headed northward," Wart continued, "and she assumes they may be headed to the Crystal Empire... yet, with your information about this 'Tambelon' place, it makes me wonder if that is where they may be headed? Tell me of this 'Tambelon', Lady Siddy; prepare me for the future that may lie ahead."

It seemed as though Stalwart was choosing not to hold a grudge for the long wait - good; at least Obsidian wasn't getting 'The Talk'. On another hoof, their surroundings weren't too inviting to any sort of discussion about anypony's sexuality or romance choices.

Ponyville was a terribly sorry sight at the moment, and Obsidian could barely believe that it was the same happy, cozy little village that she started to like so much during the last few weeks. At least it wasn't terribly damaged - well, not in any immediately visible way - and one day, the ponies of this town should be able to return here. And even if it would be severely damaged by then, Obsidian had seen with her own two eyes that Equestrians were able to build practically brand-new towns quite quickly.

"It's the Umbral capital, Stalwart - a city that was already ancient when the Crystal Empire was first born, and more grandiose than Canterlot. It's in an enormous cavern, found not too far from the Empire's borders... but one needs to climb up a steep incline in rather unpleasant conditions. The doors to this place are next to the Umbral Altars, where I and the rest of my siblings were created. Wart, it... the city itself looked interested in me and Amber when she dragged us there. Almost as if the buildings themselves were leaning towards us..."

Wart's expression grew firm. "Not a good sign, I believe... such a place sounds cursed, to me. However, if this is indeed where you recall Amber being, then perhaps she is using the Crystal Empire as a diversion? To allow the resistance to believe she is there, and waste their resources getting to her decoy... then perhaps to attack and wipe them out mercilessly."

She sighed. "It is a sound tactic - one we must stay vigilant of, else we will be duped again... and perhaps this time, there will be no pleasant ending to the tale."

They reached her street, and found her home locked tightly and unmolested, thankfully. The house looked lonely, with no lights in the basement, nor open curtains in the attic. Amethyst and Tourmaline... She never would have thought, back when she'd first met them both, that she'd be missing them right now.

"We have arrived," Wart said, "I shall remain vigilant outside while you fetch what you require; should an issue arise, I will make certain to let you know."

"We can't be sure about anything in this case, Wart - perhaps it IS a decoy, or maybe she's planning something terrible for the Empire and its citizens." Obsidian said after a moment of consideration.

Damnation, why was it that the baddies wouldn't just surrender and save them all that unnecessary sweat? She would love to just go home and stop worrying about everything. "Every historical moment in Equestria has a happy ending, Stalwart - it's practically a rule," she added as she trotted inside the familiar building to get Onyx's shards and take a peek into Tourmy's room. She had Sombra's diary, now she just needed Onyx's to compliment it...

The package addressed from the museum was on the couch in the living room, along with a few bits of junk mail; it was easy enough to recover, so she did. Down the stairs to Tourmaline's room, then.

It was still the way she'd last seen it; hammock, table, radio. Otherwise, mostly just bits of furniture he never seemed to use. It took a bit, but she found Onyx's diary under the radio; it was juuuuuuuuust big enough to hide the book, but she'd noticed the gap when she was looking under the small end table next to his 'bed'.

Onyx's diary? Check. Onyx's, eh... it felt creepy to say 'remains', but... check. Was there anything else she needed? On thinking it over, Obsidian grabbed Whisper's and Ivy Blossom's letters - it wouldn't hurt to keep them with her. Then, with a heavy heart, she sighed deeply as she left her house again, hoping to see it soon.

Wart was standing outside, watching the streets as Obsidian returned. "Lady Siddy," she whispered, "I have seen harnesses further along the street - I believe it would be wise to take an alternate route back to Sugarcube Corner." Sure enough, she could hear the distant whine of servos as the Umbral Harnesses stomped their way down the street. They hadn't seen the two ponies - yet - but they would be coming this way very soon.

"I had hoped we could go straight to the Acres from here," Obsidian mused with annoyance, "but you're right. Let's go, before they notice us."

Wart led the way as they crept around the back of the house and down an alleyway, headed for the center of town. As they moved along, Wart kept her eyes moving almost constantly, seeking out even the slightest of movements before stepping forward, making certain to keep Obsidian behind her.

Reaching the end of the alley, Wart carefully poked her head around the corner at ground level. Her brow furrowed, and she slid back to where Obsidian was. "There is another patrol, but this one only has two; if we can take them down quickly, our path will be clear to go - but if we leave one long enough, it will howl for others to join them. And an onslaught, we cannot best - not alone."

Walking through Ponyville became a less pleasant experience since all the enemies showed up. Obsidian had just managed to get used to this little town - and the fact that she couldn't even wander around anymore without worrying about ancient zombies supported by power of modern technology... well, it was annoying her. Hopefully, it would be annoying enough to fuel at least a bit of her Dark Magic - especially as they apparently had to defeat these two harnesses quickly.

Hopefully, the Pizza Launcher would help her out a bit. "Have you fought Umbral harnesses before? I've only fought with the vacant harnesses which were at Opal's factory." Obsidian mentioned, "Any tips, perhaps?"

Stalwart's little eyes narrowed. "Yes - remember that even if your magic cannot harm them, they are still very vulnerable to physical damage. This means to utilize anything available that may become a weapon; chairs, rocks, sticks, benches, buckets... whatever you may lift with your magic, you can throw or beat them with."

She then grinned ferally. "I shall corral the one on the left, if you will deal with the one on the right..."

Okay, it sounded like a plan. The pilot could be hurt. The harness could be dealt with using what few spells she knew - especially the water one. With help of her new weapon, she could actually have a lot of fun with this enemy.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," Obsidian mused, "so let's squash these vermin, shall we?"

The trigger mechanism for the launcher had two bite-levers; one was very obvious and up-front, while the second one was a bit further down, and had a small gauge next to it; the gauge only had three things listed on it, from left to right:

<REFILL> - <BAKING> - <LOADED>

Right now, the little needle on the gauge was pointed directly at the LOADED spot.

Stalwart's horn gave a glow, and a nearby bench simply lifted up and slammed down on top of the harness, followed quickly by Wart herself as she wordlessly leapt from the corner and, moving like greased lightning, she leapt up onto the harness itself and turned to buck the undead pilot right in the muzzle. Obsidian saw its' jaw go sailing off into the gutter. That accomplished, she jumped off and gathered a hoofful of dirt, which was instantly thrown in the Umbral's face as she darted between its' legs and bucked HARD, straight up.

If the harness had been alive, it would have wished it wasn't. The pelvis of the thing cracked, and one leg went completely limp; Wart jumped on its' torso as it fell, and began kicking the pilot like a mare possessed... though, to be fair, Obsidian had already witnessed Stalwart fighting like a mare possessed - and didn't exactly survive it. If not for Diamond's awesome healing skills...

Ah, but at least this time the little mare's fury was directed at the creatures who fully deserved it - not by their actions, but by their very nature, by being unnatural mockeries of creatures known for their evil and malevolence. Destroying them was the solemn duty of every sentient creature in the world - Obsidian included.

She joined Stalwart, practically jumping into the fray and aiming at the Umbral in the other harness - and she was more than happy to test the offensive capabilities of her new weapon. She hoped that it would be wickedly destructive... or that at least the pizza would cover the Umbral's eyes for her.

The Launcher, when triggered, gave out a 'sproing' sound... but it didn't launch a pizza.

What flew out of the end of the narrow nozzle was a charred and blackened circle of doom with flames rolling from it, spinning death that flew directly to its' mark and actually knocked a chunk off the harness' frame! On top of THAT, the 'pizza' stuck like glue to its' target and set it on fire... and as soon as the flames touched the Umbral inside, it gave out a gibbering, insane chittering sound as it struggled in vain to get away from it.

Launcher as a weapon = confirmed!

It would need additional tests and plenty of exercise... but for now, Obsidian was pretty happy with the results. So for now, she merely grabbed the biggest thing nearby with her magic to throw at the incapacitated Umbral, to finish it for good; a nearby dumpster would suffice.

When she dropped it on the harness, it sounded like an iron giant punched through a steel wall. The harness crumpled a bit, but three more wallops from the heavy dumpster was all it took to silence the Umbral for good.

Wart stepped back from her own opponent, whose head was a greasy black stain in the broken harness. She turned to Obsidian, panting yet smiling. "I would dare say that device of yours is deadly... what manner of armament is that?"

And now, the dumpster was on fire; in a way, it was very satisfying to Obsidian. "Oh, it's merely a Party Pizza Launcher; as you can no doubt see, it's probably not too safe to use during actual parties, though," Obsidian chuckled darkly. "Okay, let's get back to our hideout. Then, onward to Sweet Apple Acres."

Wart nodded, and the two of them crept along until they reached Sugarcube Corner again. Carefully knocking, they were let in by a green stallion with a harmonica for a cutie mark, and made their way down the chute and into the basement hideaway.

As soon as they walked in the door, Cupcake zoomed over to Siddy to give her a tight hug and a nuzzle. "I'm SO glad you made it back okay!" He glanced over. "You too, Warty - glad you're both safe."

"And with good timing," Mica said as he walked into the large warehouse from the monitor room. "I have good news and bad news... which one first?"

So many things to do, so little time... and of course, Obsidian had to trust herself that she didn't forget any important details or vital information. At least she was sure she wouldn't forget her lovely Pie stallion; she returned the embrace, happy with this little piece of normality in such a crazed world.

By Darkness. She was considering Cupcake to be normal; a few weeks ago, she wouldn't have ever believed it. "Bad first - ruin my mood, then improve it, Mica."

Mica nodded. "Most of Equestria is besieged by the Umbral Harnesses, yet there is a HUGE concentration of them up north, near the Crystal Empire. The odds are against the entire nation, as there are now enough harnessed undead to outnumber Equestrians, at a two-to-one ratio."

Cup winced at that, but Mica continued. "Amber has started a line of slaves towards a number of locations, all possessed by her, who seem to be mining gemstones like crazy - even the cracked and flawed ones are being kept. And there's no telling what she's doing with them."

He continued on as he began to pace. "By now, every city in the nation is a copy of Ponyville; numerous hourly patrols and boarded-up doorways. Though the Umbrals have yet to really go hunting for stragglers, they are most certainly in position to do so."

"And last, but not least," Mica held up a hoof, "there are rumours of a great tower of stone that has arisen outside of the Crystal Empire - it's ten stories tall, and has all the hallmarks of Dark Magic all over it, as well as being surrounded by over three thousand harnesses."

Obsidian blanched a bit. So many things to do, yet so little time... "I assume this information about this grand and towering tower wasn't part of the good news, was it?"

Mica shook his head. "I think that's where Amber is, actually. And it's made of minerals that seem to be preventing any sort of magical augury; not a single spell seems to be able to strike it... I assume that'll be Amber's doing, as well." Mica shrugged. "It's on top of a small mountain nearby - lots of snow, as it's outside of the Empire's protective barrier. But that's all I know about it."

"At least she doesn't sit on the throne of Tambelon; who knows what ancient secrets she'd be able to find in that place," Obsidian mused with worry - after all, she'd prefer to find them first. "And what is the good news?"

Mica sighed, then looked up at her with his best non-smile. "On the other side of that coin... we've found the locations of Cupcake's siblings."

Cup hopped up and down excitedly.

"Each one is, thankfully, still alive - and they're not alone, either..." He continued to pace as he spoke. "Blue Raspberry was sighted in the Diamond Mines nearby; she's been seen dragging supplies into the caverns, but we don't know why she'd need as much as she's been seen bringing in."

"Lemon Custard is somehow in the Dragonlands, and he has seemingly made allies with Princess Ember and her lot - dragons we could possibly ask to join our cause... if Lemon himself hasn't asked already."

"Licorice Twist has been sighted at Mount Arris... in the company of some hippogriff females, no less."

Cupcake grinned. "That's my little brother!"

Then, Mica's muzzle darkened. "As for Peppermint Patty... I'm sorry to say it, but Amber has her."

Cup's expression fell through the floor.

"There's word that a few spies saw her at work in Opal's factory; they say she's being pushed constantly to modify Umbral Harnesses to do all sorts of extraneous things... like, for example, to fly." Wart visibly shuddered at the thought.

"Now, we do have options here - especially as we have contact with every city in Equestria right now. Many of them are allied together already, and seem to just be waiting for a leader to rise up." He stopped pacing in front of Obsidian. "And I believe that should be YOU."

The top of the mountain? So it could be connected to Tambelon itself, as far as Obsidian was concerned - but at least the good news was really good. The fact that her future siblings-in-law were still alive was a great relief, even if Patty was captured.

Well, the coming results were kind of a no-brainer. "I don't know too much about hippogriffs; what do we know about their strategical value?" Even if Lemon wasn't around the dragons, Obsidian would feel much better with him cooperating directly with them.

"M-me? The leader of the Equestrian uprising?" That was an alluring idea, but she doubted she was knowledgable or charismatic enough for that position.

Mica still nodded. "You'd make an excellent visible figurehead for the cause, and I'm certain it would be nothing but good for your image - besides, Equestria needs heroes right now, and I can't think of anyone better to step up to the proverbial plate."

Cupcake looked at her with a slight smile. "I know I'd follow you anywhere, love."

Mica nodded. "Hippogriffs have wings, Siddy - arial support would be a grand boon right now."

Just a figurehead? So in case of a victory, she would be forgotten... but in the case of their defeat, she would be blamed for it? Hey, it was almost like her old life!

"Well, dragons have wings also, so I guess it means that hippogriffs are just a bit less important," she concluded her thought train. "Normally, I'd be worried that Amber would focus on a self-proclaimed resistance leader... but to be fair, I think she doesn't like me anyway."

Obsidian rubbed her chin in thought. "I'm sure she'll be quite surprised that I'm not trapped in a shard anymore."

Mica gave the smallest of grins. "Exactly. If we can gather more allies to the cause, you can lead us all into battle.... Amber can't possibly keep us all controlled."

"Didja tell her what else we've got now?" Clap said as she flapped into the room and sat down. "'Cause I'll bet Sids'll love it!"

Mica nodded. "We also discovered the Royal Storage Hall... which, among everything inside it, happens to have-"

"AN AIRSHIP!" Clap blurted out, "An honest-to-Twilight AIRSHIP!"

Oh. Wow. Umm... "But... don't we have an airship already?"

Mica shook his head. "No - our first one is currently in the possession of Licorice Twist, as he used it to leave Ponyville & take his father with him. I still haven't found the other Element Bearers... which is worrisome. But I'm also still looking."

Cup turned to Obsidian. "We're gonna save Patty... right?"

Well, they had said earlier that they would probably use the airship - nice of them to inform her that it was no longer an option. So it was a good thing they'd found a replacement.

"Of course, Cup," she reassured him as she reached over to gently pat his back. "She's on our priority list. She's not only a dangerous asset in Amber's hooves, and not only she will be a great ally to have... but as part of the family, she will be saved, have no fear. But I'd like to get a bit more support before getting to her. Preferably, I'll probably require Opal's help."

Cupcake squeezed her with a smile. "Thanks - it means the world to me that you're gonna help Patty... heck, you'll help ALL of them, I bet!"

Mica nodded. "Obsidian, I'll take a shot in the dark here and assume your own siblings are where you were found, so I imagine it shouldn't be difficult to locate them - maybe they would be safer here? Maybe you could bring them..."

Wart looked up. "Or perhaps 'twould be best to leave them where they are; should this headquarters be stormed, it would be a good idea to have somewhere remote and unknown to retreat to."

Mica shrugged. "Use your best judgement, Siddy - whichever you think is best."

"Cupcake," Obsidian gently deadpanned, "your family is my family - or at least I consider them that way. I think it should be obvious that saving them would be very important to me."

In fact, he should be taking that fact for granted; even if they were the most useless ponies in Equestria (in a strategic sense), rescuing them would STILL be her priority. But then Mica made her think a bit more about it...

"To be fair, if this headquarters is going to be stormed, it would be nice to have a berserker pony or Mare-Do-Well on our side - not to mention fewer problems with communication as well. And of course, as soon as we rescue Patty, she and Opal will work together to give us the best tools of war in the known world." It made sense to her; thinning their already meager forces could only bring doom to their cause.

Mica blinked. "Wait... Mare-Do-Well is with your family? I... I don't understand..."

"What's there to understand right now, Mikey?" Clap stepped forward, "We've got an airship - a ROYAL one at that - and Mare-Do-Well on our side? I'd say the odds just got better!"

Cup looked at his fiancee` for a moment, then something seemed to dawn over his features, and he leaned in close to her. "... Amethyst?"

Obsidian smiled at Cup. "Bingo; her anti-magical ring never worked to begin with, and then she accidentially found the suit. From there, she just sort of... became a hero."

Cupcake's grin redoubled. "So... that dresser that used to belong to Auntie Rarity...?"

Meanwhile, Clap and Mica shared a few words, then a sweet kiss... then, both blushing, they went their opposite ways: Mica towards the monitor room, and Clap back into the shelving and towards the rear.

Wart stepped forward. "Lady Siddy - what is our next move?"

Awwww - it was good to know that everything was going fine between Mica and Clap. Not that Obsidian was worried about it so much, as she just liked to know that their relationship was doing just fine. "Sweet Apple Acres. We found Washburn Washington, and they need to know about that."

Wart nodded... then her eyes grew wide. "Washburn... he was missing for so long, the Apples already have a grave for him. I am certain that such news will bring great happiness to them. I would be honored to-"

"Stop right there, Wart," Cup grinned, "I actually have a mission for you."

Stalwart's eyebrows shot up on her forehead. "You? Have a mission for me?"

Cup grinned. "Yes, indeed... I need you to help us out here, and go get Lemon from the dragonlands - we won't have time to gather them all one at a time, so we'll need YOU to help us out."

Wart looked surprised. "That... is actually rather sound, Cupcake."

Cup grinned. "Every now and again, I get some good ones." He winked at his fiancee`.

"Meanwhile, I assume the two of you will deal with Sweet Apple Acres?" she asked.

"Eeyup," Cup confirmed, "then, we're gonna head back to Cincineighti, and see what we can do about Patty... if you're okay with that, love?"

To be fair, Obsidian wanted to see the legendary dragonlands with her own two eyes but... well, first things first. And in this case, sightseeing was fairly low on her priority list. "Yes, that's a good plan, Cup. But of course, first we need to gather my dear siblings. And Stalwart, do you think you would be able to help Lemon with his negotiations with the dragons, if need be?"

Wart nodded. "Lemon Custard can be a masterful negotiator, when the need arises; it would be a pleasure to assist in gaining the help of our draconic neighbors, Lady Siddy." It was actually an important assignment, and Wart looked proud to be considered for the job. Of course, essentially it was a fetch mission, but if the little mare seemed so pleased with it, who would tell her otherwise? She saluted them both before turning and heading towards the monitor room, probably to get advice from Mica as to how to approach the task.

Cup turned to Obsidian and gave her a quick kiss. "There - now it can just be you and me... oh, and Opal too, I suppose. I figure, the fewer folks we take with us, the less chance of problems popping up, right? So, the three of us on a Royal Airship - you excited to see what it's like?"

He then chuckled. "I mean, you've been on one before... but a ROYAL one?"

As far as Obsidian was aware (though she knew that she could be very, very wrong), dragons appreciated strength - and she knew no mare with a better fit for that than Stalwart Stance... even if her height might make the mission a bit harder at the beginning.

"Yes, Cup - the less, the better. And the sooner we get Opal and Patty working together, the sooner we'll get the technological advantage over Amber," Obsidian smiled slightly. "And during our trip, I can probably research the glyphs we got from Princess Twilight. Honestly, I'd prefer to avoid another harsh case of mind control," she mused, her smile dropping from her muzzle.

Let's be honest, it was a terrifying power.

And a royal airship, eh? Interesting. "I doubt Princess Twilight would make it too luxurious..."

==[ Ten Minutes Later ]==

If had been Twilight's ship, it would have been very subtle and simple...

The massive balloon-boat was more like a gondola, and was not only big enough to be a small cruise ship, but had a lovely gold-and-cream trim that accented the bright white chassis beautifully. It was all curves and angles that were pleasing to the eye, and appreared sleek and statuesque when it was in the sky.

This wasn't Twilight's airship; it was Celestia's, held in storage where Clap had originally located it. And though there were a few scant cobwebs and some faded carpets, the ship still operated as smoothly as if it had been oiled yesterday.

"I oiled it up yesterday," Cup said as he steered the ship from the helm's big, ornate wheel, "and once I got a few burners going, it just seemed to want to be in the air! Thankfully, Momma's airship worked on a number of the same ideas, so it wasn't hard to figure out at all - plus, it gave me a chance to look it over... and WOW, whatta ride!"

Okay, while Obsidian would never suspect of Celestia of being outright decadent, it was obvious that the nature of position she held (after all, she ruled the entire land for over a thousand years, as well as taking care of the orderly movement of celestial bodies) meant that her airship simply had to differ from Princess Twilight's.

Hopefully, it wouldn't attract too much attention their way.

They were only about five minutes in the air, but already they had a massive view of the area, which Cupcake kept watching to ensure they were headed in the right direction. "Okay, so... Ghastly Gorge, right?"

"Sweet Apple Acres, love," she reminded him. They were going to foster an Apple family reunion... by Darkness, they just had to. It didn't help that she'd spent so much of her time in Ponyville, and hadn't even seen the Acres yet, despite their fame. Honestly, she was a bit curious.

Cup nodded. "Oh, yeah yeah... sorry - guess I'm just enjoying flying this thing! It handles sooooooooo smooth, and it's like..."

Suddenly, he gave a slow, broad smile. "Siddy... would you like to try it?" Cupcake was always happy to share, and he looked excited at the prospect of his wife-to-be piloting an airship of this caliber.

Obsidian looked at Cup, looked at steering wheel, looked at Cup. "...It's better to know something than to not know it, I suppose. Very well, then - yes, I'd like to try."

Cup clapped his hooves together, then stepped to one side. "Okay, get up on your hindlegs and lean on the wheel - use the handles that are most comfy for you." He reached over and held out a hoof as he guided her to the wheel itself; it was actually sturdier than it looked, and held her weight easily. "Okay, now... slowly spin the wheel to one side - your choice - and watch what happens!"

Even though it was obvious the ship would steer into that direction, Cupcake's excitement was a tad catchy, as he seemed like a colt, experiencing this for the first time with her.

The mere idea that she could move an entire airship like this one with a single gesture on a wheel was... kind of magical, really. The moment found her rather excited, and it was even better that she was doing this with her Cupcake. With him by her side, any traces of nerves or reservation were rapidly dissapearing as she knew that in his presencec she was simply... safe? Appreciated? It didn't resemble the old 'lessons' with King Sombra - not at all. She did her best to move wheel very carefully to the left.

Slowly, she saw the gilded fins on either side of the bow change their position, as well as the tilt of the rudder behind them slowly shifting in the proper direction. Then, she felt it move beneath her hooves, and though it was a bit disconcerting for a moment, Obsidian also could feel the control she had over such an enormous craft... with a simple turn of a wheel, at her hooves.

The wind whistled past her, billowing her black and red mane out behind her in the draft as the ship lightly listed to the left. Enough to turn and feel turned, but not enough to jerk her off the wheel - she was even pretty certain she could walk the deck while it turned, it was that smooth a shift.

"Can you feel that?" Cup whispered in her ear from behind her, "The power behind that wheel, and how it can just call to you? Momma let me fly hers when I was only seven summers, but I did a GREAT job of it, and I've never crashed an airship - ot even once by mistake."

He grinned at her. "And right now, you're doing just as good as I was, Siddy - and I LOVE it... like I love you." He snuggled behind her, being careful not to block her movements; he sure did bury his muzzle in her blown-back mane, though.

Simple moves didn't look too hard to accomplish. However, Obsidian was fairly aware that some of the more problematic actions - landing, take-off, warfare - would be far less relaxing. She had to learn this, though - what if Cupcake wouldn't be available to help her next time? Amber was a dangerous enemy, and Obsidian didn't want to risk everything once again. She was almost defeated, after all...

"I doubt I'm even one percent as good as you, my dear fiancee`... but I'll probably need to learn it eventually. Especially landing and take-off." She sighed contentedly when he buried his muzzle in her mane. She...

Well... she liked it!

As proof of the craft's sleek speed, it was only a few more minutes before rows and rows of apple trees began to roll out beneath the ship, seemingly for miles. The apple orchards even dwarfed Ponyville's entire cityline!

"Sweet Apple Acres," Cupcake said as he gazed out over the side, the ship sliding towards the farmhouse and massive barn that foretold of the home of the best apple cider in the entirety of Equestria - perhaps even beyond. Then, his happy face tinged with a touch of pain.

"Mama AJ... she never said so out loud, but I remember seeing her expression as Momma and I took her and the other Elements over Equestria, back when I was still a colt." He sighed, smiling even as tears formed at the edges of his eyes. "She absolutely loved the sight of this farm from above, and never took her eyes off it until was gone over the visible horizon. I wish she was here... she'd know how to handle this, better than any of us - maybe even Auntie Twily."

He then looked over at Obsidian, and despite the tears he wiped away, his smile grew. "And I think she would've ended up liking you, too - I just know she would've."

Ahhhh, so that's how the famous Acres looked! This place had seen a lot of Equestrian history - the birth of Ponyville, the adventures of the bearers of the famed Elements of Harmony... it was a beautiful place, in a very natural way - and as far as Obsidian could say, she didn't notice any Umbral Harnesses that could ruin the serenity of this view.

Too bad that Miss Applejack didn't live long enough to attend the reunion with her long-lost colt.

"Well, I think I have at least somewhat good relations with each of the bearers," Obsidian rolled her eyes, "barring Rainbow Dash, of course. Cup, how do we actually land this thing?"

Cupcake looked back at her. "First, pull back slowly on the wheel; the magics in the mechanisms will correct the momentum from inside - you'll feel it, too! And then, we go for the anchor..." Then, his face grew a bit pensive. "And, um... s-secondly? I really, really think you and Rainy should have a talk - honestly. Clap's one of our best friends, Siddy... and even though it was pretty bad, you and she both know she screwed up."

He then gave a small smirk. "Or are we just so busy forgiving our murderous siblings to give someone who only panicked because her only child was at risk another chance, too?"

Of course, the details were already rather fuzzy in Obsidian's mind - a lot of things had happened since then. But she was sure that she wouldn't get angry over something so simple. In fact, she remembered that she was giddy about the idea of a confrontation with Rainbow Dash... which meant the pegasus was surely rude.

"Family is family, Cup. Besides, I forgive them after beating them," she noted as she started to slooowly pull back the wheel. "But I think I'll spare Miss Dash that; I simply got defensive during our last meeting because she surrounded me with her friends and I was feeling forced - that's all."

Cup grinned a bit more. "Then maybe, we all could go with you when you meet with her? That way, you'd have us all backing you up!"

Obsidian shook her head. "No, no... it's merely a simple issue; there's no need to treat it that seriously."

The ship calmly and smoothly came to a stop over the farmland below, above the pathway that led to the property's housing and storage. Cup made his way towards the rear, and stopped next to what looked to be two levers sticking out of some sort of mechanism. "Okay, the left lever raises the anchor chain up and down, but the right lever unlocks the anchor from the ship - to make sure it doesn't fall out on its own. Right lever first, wait for the thump, then use the left one slowly... okay?"

Lever... first right, then left, uh-huh, she got it! Now she just had to land...

The >THUMP< was loud, but she didn't feel a thing through the pale and cream-colored floorboards. Then, when she began to press on the left lever, she heard a metallic, almost melodic clanking sound from over the side of the deck where she was. Cup looked over the side.

"Easy, easyyyyy..." Then, the clanking paused for a moment... before it began again, but with more rattling. "Okay, we're anchored; pull that lever until it's not going either way; that's the neutral position, okay? Now, when we land, you should remember to pull the right lever again, to lock the ship in place, okay?"

He then walked to the wheel again, and pressed his hoof on the ornate (and apparently functional) centerknob, and the ship began to sink downward, like the elevator car in Manehattan felt when it descended - but on a much bigger elevator, so to speak. When she saw the ship come to a stop, a gangplank magically unfolded to allow them to exit the magnificent craft.

Cupcake pranced to the exit, then turned and bowed before her. "Ladies first, my Dark Princess," he grinned.

Hunh... she... did it? Yeah... yeah, she did it! She managed to land without damaging the airship OR destroying anything on the ground! It was thrilling - perhaps not enough to make Obsidian outright LOVE flying, but at least she was confident that perhaps she would be able to land the ship if Cupcake wasn't around.

"I think I need to work on that title a bit... I should focus on Grey Magic and try to maintain the appearance I'd gotten after I was overflowing with Light Magic," she mused, as she went first - exactly like Cup told her to.

The actual sight of the farm was... different than it had been from above.

The cute farmhouse was boarded up - every window as well as the front door had a steel plate fixed to it. The chimney had an iron cone over it, and there was no smoke visible at all. Some of the fences were broken and ignored, with a few scattered parts and bolts here and there, along with tracks from obvious machinery; they had been here.

However, all things considered, the barn looked like a fortress - and one that had withstood an assault or two. Concrete blocks surrounded the base, and sandbags on top of those. There were a number of rakes and shovels and other impliments of destruction affixed to the fronts, pointed outward towards where the enemy would rush from.

The wooden portion of the barn itself was riddled with rivet holes, including a number of said rivets still poking out of the woodwork - yet, it still looked sturdy enough to withstand even more attacks. Whomever raised this barn must've been quite good at it.

They sure knew what they were doing - this farm seemed to be cleared of most of the important and/or fragile machinery, while all the buildings looked to be reinforced. Good for them! That way they could defend themselves long enough to damage those harnesses!

And, even without Light Magic on the Apple family tree (or any magic at all, for that matter), they should be strong enough to fight against the darkness. Now, carefully, Obsidian just had to walk through this place slowly, hoping that any observing Apples would ask questions first, THEN shoot second...

The barn doors were thickly reinforced with sheet metal and a few clay bricks towards the floor - it must've been very heavy, yet the hinges and frame didn't even seem to be straining. Someone really raised this barn... maybe multiple someones, whom together raised this barn?

Cup simply walked up and knocked on the door, in his rapid-fire staccato manner... and didn't stop, of course. After a moment, the massive door actually shrugged open a few inches, and a single green eye looked out at them.

"... eeyup?" came the reply from the other side.

Good - nopony was shooting at them. What a relief! For a moment, Obsidian was deeply concerned that they might be even better prepared to defend themselves than she'd originally thought.

"Erm, good morning... Mister Big Macintosh, I presume?" she started with a relieved voice. "We're coming from Sugarcube Corner, and we want to know more about your current situation, any survivors and, well... we found Washburn Washington in Ghastly Gorge."

The eye on the other side went HUGE.

"WHUT!?" came from the other side, a more feminine voice. A familiar voice...

The door was shoved open by the powerful shoulder of Butter Churn as her muscles flexed enough to allow a path in. And there she stood - tall and muscular, the perfect example of a worker and a farmhoof. Her muzzle was shocked, and she looked at them both with a wide-eyed expression.

"Miss Obsidian! Cup! Git in here now, you two, afore yer spotted by them flyin' thangs!" She stepped aside, and motioned frantically with her hoof as her eyes panned across the skies above them. Cup gave Siddy a worried look, and hurried inside.

Flying? Were the modifications to the harnesses finished by Patty already? Oh dear - it meant that they had to be far, far more careful aboard the airship now. Obsidian had no idea if it was armed, but in this situation she had to check.

But first things first; she went inside after Cup.

At the moment, the potential damage to their airship wouldn't hurt that much - she was sure they could walk back home from the Acres. The trip to Ghastly Gorge would be... a bit harder, though.

Well. It had been ages since she last saw Butter Churn; for being the fiancee` to her best friend, she apparently didn't pay enough attention to this poor mare - especially as Obsidian didn't know how to treat somepony who'd lost her mother. A bit ironic, considering that Obsidian herself seemed to be losing her parents all the time.

The barn had at least twenty ponies inside, most of them somewhat older or outright elderly. However, every last one of them was prepared for a fight, wearing bandoliers of knives, holsters with swords in them, makeshift armor and the like. No wonder they'd survived; these ponies looked like they could kick some serious flank.

Butter Churn grabbed a hank of hanging rope between her teeth and pulled, and the huge doors swung shut again. She spat it out and fixed her gaze on the two of them. "Now... whut in tarnation were you sayin' about Washy? Did ah hear you correct, that you... you FOUND him?"

"Yup yup yup!" Cupcake chirped. "He was hiding out in a cave in Ghastly Gorge; he's there now with Siddy's brothers and sisters - the GOOD ones - and he's safe and alive!"

Butter's eyes began to water. "Ah... ah d-don't know whut ta say, Cupper... Miss Obsidian... I n-never thought..."

A red stallion who stood taller than Butter herself came up from behind her, and placed a hoof around her middle as he nuzzled her softly. She sniffled a bit and returned the hug and nuzzle. "Uncle Mac, ya hear that? Wash is alive..."

"And well!" Cup added.

"Hey... ah know that voice!" Another mare's words rang out, and a number of steps were heard coming in their direction. Around the corner came three mares, each one different but with matching cutie marks... which was odd to see, honestly. One was a rather lovely unicorn, and held herself like a lady even as she looked curious. The second one was more intent, and had the tiniest pair of wings she'd ever seen on a pegasus.

The third one, wearing a big red bow, was the one who came right up to Cupcake and hugged him tightly, pulling him up off the ground and swinging him about; she was an Earth pony, and deceptively strong! "Cupcake Sprinkles! As ah live an' breathe!" she said fondly as Cup himself began to smile.

It seemed that the Apples had acquired themselves a nice bunch of refugees. Sadly, Obsidian didn't know how many of Ponyville's population was completely safe - she didn't know enough, both about the former and the current situation, to make any snap judgements.

However, she was very well aware that it wasn't really an issue - after all, her main task of defeating Amber hadn't changed. Not at all. Granted, she would still prefer more ponies to be saved than fewer... but at least Obsidian's sense of self-worth got an instant reward after Butter reacted to the news about Washburn, and... uhh...

Did she know these three ponies? No, she didn't - but one of them was certainly an Apple, and she'd captured Cupcake. "Give me one moment, please," Obsidian said to Butter as she stepped a bit to the side, waiting patiently for this unknown mare to release her hostage.

Cupcake laughed as the mare put him down, then turned to face her. "Obsidian... meet The Cutie Mark Crusaders! This one's Sweetie Belle,"

"Pleased to meet you," Sweetie curtsied in a lady-like manner.

"And this is Scootaloo," he continued.

The mare with the tiny wings gave her a casual salute. "Yo. 'Sup?"

"And this filly right here is Apple Bloom, Butter's Auntie and one of my foalsitters!" he finished.

"Cuppers," Apple Bloom said with a smirk, "we ain't fillies no more, if y'didn't notice! Feels like it took ferever t'grow up, too!"

Sweetie smiled. "Well, we did learn a bit about that , too - if you recall correctly."

Scootaloo chuckled. "Yeah - and what a lesson, right?"

Cupcake then turned to face them all. "Girls? This is Princess Obsidian... my fiancee!"

All three mares' eyes went wide, and ther smiles were twice as big.

"Awwwwww... Cup, you're actually getting married? WOW!" Sweetie gushed.

"Yeah, 'cause we never thought anyone would be able to handle-" Scootlaloo began, but was cut off by Apple Bloom.

"Shush, Scoots! Don't scare her off!" She gave a laugh, then turned back to face them both. "Anyhoo, ah'm glad y'all got here okay - seems there ain't a day goes by that we don't gotta deal with them ornery machines and them nasties what's inside 'em..."

The large red stallion moved closer to the group, and seemed to tower over the threesome in front of him. However, his muzzle expression was one of kindness, and as BIG as he was, she felt no ill will from him at all.

"... but does that mean y'all are here 'cause y'gotta plan?" Bloom finished.

Obsidian would swear she'd heard about them before - mostly in the form of whispers or scary stories from the ancient past (well, twenty years ago, anyway) - but she didn't remember any of the little details very well. At least she was aware that they were an important part of local history - even if that was all she knew.

She smiled and bowed her head slightly when Cupcake introduced her. It sounded a bit suspicious when Scootaloo mentioned 'handling', but she could guess it was about his temperament and... his quirks. Luckily, she already experienced most of them - including his sugar rush.

"Don't worry about that; I won't get scared off. In fact, I think we're already used to each other," she said as she gave another smile, "and yes, we have plans and options and possibilites. Amber will be defeated, I can promise that. We're here mostly because I wanted to learn about your current situation and, well... we are going to meet with Washburn, and to collect my siblings. I thought it would be a good gesture to find out if Butter would like to join us."

Huh, Mister Mac was big. Really big.

Butter gasped when Obsidian laid out her plans. "Y'mean... ah can go with ya an' see him NOW? Aww... awww, y'all are so nice ta offer... but, whut about-"

"Nuh-uh," Apple Bloom stopped her protest cold, "we got all this settled right here - an' there ain't NO reason y'can't go an' see yer brother! It ain't like the place'll fall apart without ya!"

"Eeyup," added Big Mac with a firm grin.

Butter looked at them skeptically, but Sweetie Belle stepped forward to her. "We've been holding out here for a while now - and you know how well we work together..."

"Yeah," Scootaloo piped up, "especially us three, right? We kick so much flank, we're in a class of our own!"

Apple gave Butter a firm look. "Now... you go out there an' find yer brother, an' bring him HOME, you hear me, Butter Smith Churn?"

The mare gave a slight smirk, then nodded. "Yes'm, Auntie Apple."

The bow-wearing mare smiled, nodded firmly, then turned back to face Obsidian and Cupcake. "An' you two make fer sure she gets back here in one piece... with her brother... y'got me?"

Cupcake smiled and gave a smart salute. "Aye-aye, Mon Cappy-tan!"

Obsidian nodded shortly. "But of course; it shouldn't be dangerous - just a quick trip."

To be utterly fair, Butter wasn't really needed for the journey, but it was just a decent thing to do that was forcing Obsidian to invite her. Oh, and she still had juuuuuust a touch of anxiety about facing the pony who almost sculpted her shard and was able to fight hoof-to-hoof with Aquamarine - without support.

Let's be fair - taking an Apple with them could actually make everything far easier.

"So, how's your overall situation? Do the lot of you have everything you need?" Obsidian inquired curiously.

Butter started to nod, then stopped. "Wait... one more thang..."

She walked over to what looked like a bedding setup near th hayloft, and grabbed up a familiar-looking Steton hat, placing it deftly on her head before turning back to them. Strangely enough, it seemed to make her look more... complete, even in comparison to her first meeting with the strong and broad mare.

"Alright," she nodded, "now, I'm ready. Let's git movin'!"

Cup discretely wiped away a tear, and smiled back at Butter. "Yeah... yeah, that's about right."

"Supplies - especially apples - we've got, don't you worry 'bout that!" Bloom said, and her two friends nodded in confirmation. "Clothes, weapons... an' we can cobble stuff together ta help armor folks up. We're good here, Miss Obsidian - how 'bout y'all? Y'need food?"

Ah, her hat... THE Hat. Good to know that it was here - or perhaps it was just a similar-looking one? Obsidian couldn't remember if Miss Applejack had it on during her funeral...

Siddy turned to face Cup. "Umm... I think this is question for you; I didn't look into our supply issues."

Cup grinned. "Well... we've got some food, but we keep getting more refugees. It'd be nice to have some apples to go with all the cakes, actually..."

Butter goggled at him. "They're only eatin' cake?"

Cup shrugged. "It's that or candy - and frankly, even I'M getting sick of sweet-stuff all the time..."

The entire gathered group all took a step back, shocked expressions on their muzzles as they stared at Cup.

"What? I can get tired of it all the time, you know," he said a bit petulantly.

Butter recovered first. "... a-alright then; Auntie Apple, you think you can get some of our food supplies t'Sugarcube Corner?"

She nodded. "Eeyup! Me an' the the Crusaders can make it a mission!"

"Apple Bloom, this entire ordeal feels like one long mission," Sweetie spoke up, "I mean, most of our doings tend to take about, I'd say, half an hour or so... but this is far more than just a mission, don't you think?"

Apple looked back at her. "Yeah, maybe so... but it ain't about anythin' but gettin' those folks fed properly - an' that makes it pretty gosh-darn important, ah think."

Big Mac nodded. "Eeyup."

"Besides," Scootaloo added, "we've got a rocket-powered scooter we can use; we can get there and back in no time! They wouldn't even know how to catch us!"

Apple looked at them both, then nodded and smiled. "Yeah, we got this," she said as she turned back to Siddy and Cup, "so y'all go git Washburn!"

Butter nodded to them all... then came over and gathered all three Crusaders and Big Mac in a huge group hug. "Ah love y'all - stay safe."

"Erk!" said Sweetie Belle.
"Ack!" said Scootaloo.
"Urf!" said Apple Bloom.
"Love ya too," said Big Mac, the only one NOT squashed by the embrace.

Hug done, she released them (and got three gasps for air as she did), then turned back to the two of them. "Alright, Cuppers... Miss Obsidian... let's git this show on the road!"

By Darkness, Cupcake admitting that even he could get tired of sweets? Now that was something Obsidian didn't expect to hear, though it made perfect sense. To be fair, she was almost missing the so-called 'food' from her ancient times in the Crystal Empire - perhaps it was bitter, without even a scrap of taste, and couldn't fill a stomach... but it wasn't sweet. Though, to be even more fair, apples were far sweeter than anything she used to eat.

But that didn't make a difference - all that mattered was that they'd managed to start this little trip perfectly, and even got a nice supply deal while they added Butter to their roster. Oh, and she learned how to land an airship! Now they just needed to get to Ghastly Gorge without any problems. And wow, Apples really put some heart into their hugs!

"Oh, yes - the sooner, the better. There's no time to waste," though she already felt as though she'd wasted too much of it already in the shower... uhhh... w-well, in all fairness, she didn't know that Cup had that kind of stamina.

She would need coffee - a lot of it. No rest for the wicked, it seemed. The three of them left the barn and the giant, heavy doors swung shut behind them with a >CLANK<.

Butter's eyes kept scanning the skies. "Alright... now we been seein' them flyin' balls all over th' place, an' as soon as one sees ya, them contraptions come a-runnin'; been that way each time one of us's been spotted. Ah hope y'all got somethin' ta move in that don't 'tract a lotta atten-..."

Then, she saw the airship. She tunred and looked at them both. "Really? Y'all had ta grab th' flashiest airship in alla Equestria fer this?"

Cup shrugged. "It was that or walk."

Butter sighed, then looked around even more anxiously. "Well, shucks - if'n that's all we got, then we gotta git in the air, right quick!"

She leapt onboard, followed by Cup who made his way to the anchor levers. "Siddy, you go take the wheel; I'll bring up the anchor! You know how to fly it now, so we can share the piloting duties!"

By Darkness, it had to be the worst enemy that Obsidian had ever faced during her time in Equestria - accents! Choosing Cupcake as her liaison instead of Butter was apparently a great decision; not only she was forced to face Equestria modernity in its wild and crazy existence, but it meant she also didn't need to struggle with the patented Apple way of speaking. She could bet that she would have argued with Butter about that during her first or second day.

And of course, she liked having a fiancee`; she doubted that choosing Butter would have been better in any way.

"Our other airship was taken by Licorice, though I'm glad that we found this one - otherwise, our mobility would be seriously hampered." Obsidian was secretly glad that somepony else had a similar opinion about Celestia's taste in this matter.

She took the place behind the steering wheel. She was already able to land, and now she just had to reverse the process. "Okay, instruct me. Remember - it's my first time."

Cup smiled a bit of a naughty smile. "That sounds familiar..."

Butter Churn began walking the deck, looking around as if seeking something, but unable to find it while Cup released the anchor, then turned back towards her. "Press the center button on the wheel; hold it until we're well off the ground, and I'll reel the anchor in!" Center button, okay - she pressed it, so now she just had to-

It was about that point where Obsidian saw what looked to be one of Opal's flying goo-balls... except, instead of a ball, it had a black cube attatched to it. It flew, slow and steady, towards the airship, as if casually drifting in this direction.

"Cupcake, we've got company!" She pointed her hooves in the direction of the flying enemy gadgets. Damnation! She didn't want to see what would happen if these things collided with them. "Is this ship armed?" How many hits could it take before going down? For some reason, Obsidian doubted that Celestia had outfitted this airship for any military functionality.

Cupcake looked and saw the flying cube, and his ears drooped. "Oh, manure..."

However, Butter simply grabbed an ornamental chunk of the side, broke it off, then smoothly turned and tossed it into the air. She then wheeled around and kicked it, sending it flying perfectly into the little device, shattering it to pieces in one shot!

"Consarnit!" she cried out, "ain't there no weapons on this here barge? Ah been lookin', an' ah ain't seen hide nor hair o' anything that could possibly BE one! Was this thang meant fer just traipsin' around Equestria?"

"Ummmm..." Cupcake sheepishly answered, "... y-yes?"

They were aloft enough, and Cup brought the anchor in... just as they all began hearing the sound of servos and machinery, coming from the orchard below them.

"DANGIT, WE BEEN SPOTTED!" Butter yelled as she began to look around for more possible pieces to break off for the offense.

Oh for crying out-... stupid Umbrals! Stupid cruise airship! Obsidian was certain that they would find some tools of destruction on Miss Pie's ship; this one, though? Opal would need to take care of it; after a few repairs and upgrades, Celestia wouldn't be able to recognize it - but it would become the most dangerous airborne craft in all of Equestria!

"Cup, take the wheel! I need to put the PPL on!" she shouted to her coltfriend. It was time to check this thing out and see if it was able to fire ornamental debris...

Cup surged to the wheel and took the helm, steering them towards Ghastly Gulch as he pressed the wheel towards the front and the ship began its' smooth forward momentum. Below them, a swarm of Umbral Harnesses began to issue from under the tree cover, all of them headed for where the airship had landed... but when they found no way to get to it, they instead turned towards the next closest target: The Sweet Apple Acres Barn.

"Nuh-UH!" Butter bellowed, "y'all git yer flanks away from mah family!" Butter now just began kicking chunks of the sidewall off, sending them careening into the mass of machinery and being rewarded with broken chunks of harness flying from it.

The swarm began to turn back towards the airship, and rivets began flying as they started shooting at the airship. Cup was steering and moving as fast as the thing would go, and Butter was rapidly depleteing the ship of its' leftmost safety wall.

So they weren't the flying ones she'd had to deal with earlier... good. They could feel at least a little bit safer... well, as long as they didn't hit the giant balloon keeping them aloft. Though firing at it from the ground was harder than doing it from the air, so they had a chance.

Stupid safety wall; it was kind of useful as a safety precaution, but they had to get rid of it in order to defend the airship. "Give me a moment! I'm putting a shield on us!" she shouted as she did exactly that. She had more than one reason to do so; not only did she want to protect the balloon, but she also hoped that any rivets which fialed to to penetrate it could possibly be re-used as ammunition.

"If rivets fall to the deck, use those instead of the safety wall! I'll try to load my launcher with them too!" Obsidian spoke to Butter, hoping the mare would hear her suggestion.

The gauge on the launcher's handle had its' needle pointing to the <BAKING> indicator, and she could smell a thick aroma of cheese, peppers, onions and... pineapple?... as she begn to strap the device on once more.

Butter kept kicking at the sidewall... but when she ran out of wall, she gave a groan of frustraton and turned back to Cupcake. "Cuppers! Turn th' boat so's I can whack the other side at 'em!" she bellowed, but the unicorn shook his head.

"We don't need to destroy the ship before we even get where we're going! Just get somewhere where you'll be safe from the barrage, and I'll get us out of here!" Cup yelled back in reply.

What did she say about the safety wall? Safety was important; Obsidian didn't want ponies attempting their hooves at flying without wings at every sharp turn! Especially as they had a distict shortage of pegasi onboard!

"But it won't hurt to soften them up a bit, as we don't want the farm to be overrun!" Obsidian observed.

Author's Note:

Diamond, Son of Sombra

(and Pancho)

_-{<>}-_

And now we see why the P.P.L. was in the closet, and NOT a regular part of Pinkie's usual party gear; nifty devices are nifty, but sometimes there's a thing about going too far... which, in Pinkie's case, is par for the course. Plus, with it being a Pinkie Pie-grade weapon, it's bound to have a few surprises.

Transportation is quite an important part of any journey... however, stealth isn't even a part of the equation when you're built all white and golden, and happen to be the most expensive machine in the sky. However, Celestia wasn't known for being completely foppish, was she..?

Apples! And even a quick cameo by three particular mares - mostly because I enjoyed them in the show, so I figured it'd be fun to throw them into the mix. Hopefully, I captured enough of who they are for it to show through in the story; to fans of them, I do hope it was satisfactory.

Comments

[Edguy0009]

Let's discuss what things from our favorite fandoms can put the Umbral back to rest permanently!

Kidding, kidding.

[Truthseeker]

That ending got pretty intense. That poor airship is heading for hard times.