MLP Trinity

I woke up back at my shop and wondered if the last day were no more than a dream. After all, I was alone.

Thankfully, that thought faded instantly upon seeing a note in Ink's newly renovated script.

The note read as follows; "Obsidian and I will meet you at his place, whenever you get up. -Ink"

I figured that the sooner I got back with my friends, the better, so I attached my new wings and stepped outside. Flying to Obsidian's mansion would be much faster than walking, so I bent myself into what I hoped would be a good form to take off from.With my goggles on, I spread my wings into life, and kicked off with all my might. Ready to be at one with the sky.

In actuality I just catapulted myself forward a few feet and then arced straight into the ground. Maybe they’ll name the new crater after me. Suddenly walking didn't seem like such a bad idea.

I eventually made it to Obsidian's mansion, and knocked on the door.
"Oh! He’s finally here," I heard Ink’s voice from inside.

A moment later the door burst open and Ink smiled at me. "There you are! I was wondering if you'd ever make it out of bed.“

I ignored the comment on my lateness and responded with the usual greetings. I was being led into the living room, and I heard Obsidian carrying on a conversation with someone whose voice I didn't recognize.

"Hiya Metal!" Obsidian turned to me as I entered the room.

I said “Hi” back and noticed who he was just talking to. A Pegasus with light green hair, a short, blonde, well-trimmed mane, and a suit long enough to obscure his mark.

Ink introduced us: "This is Metal Wing; he's the pony I was talking about. Metal, this is my brother, Lime."

He and I exchanged greetings with a hoofbump.

"Lime, why don't you tell Metal a bit more about yourself?" Ink encouraged.

"Well, I'm a jeweler by trade. I visit places around the world, and my sister sounds like my mother right now."

It took Ink a moment to notice the comment, at which she rolled her eyes. "Like he said, Lime travels all over the world, collecting new stones to use in his works. I swear he has a story for every last one."

"And Ink wants to turn my tales into novels," Lime concluded.

I complimented Ink’s idea, and needed to satisfy a curiosity of mine. "So why the name Lime?"

He answered with a quizzical look on his face, "It's short for Limestone, Lime is just a nickname, "

Something about that answer seemed, off to me. By Ink's expression, I wasn't alone in that thought. She leaned over and began whispering,"Metal, his name isn't Limestone it's-"

"So, any chance I could see those wings of yours in action?" Lime interrupted.

I looked over at Ink. She didn't mind being interrupted, and hinted that I should agree.

We departed toward the cliff. Outside, the sun hung low in the sky, reminding me how long I had slept in. Obsidian approached me, noticing my lack of conversation.

"Everything alright, Metal? You haven’t said a word since we left.”

I breathed a heavy sigh, and responded. “It’s Ink’s brother. I think he’s hiding something from me.”

Obsidian chuckled, “Really, Lime? He’s practically an open book!”

“If he’s so open, then why isn’t he telling us his real name?” I exclaimed.

Obsidian seemed offended by the comment “Where’d you get that idea?”

I told him exactly what Ink told me. He told me not to make anything of it, and then proceeded to join Ink in her ongoing conversation with her brother. I figured that I’d get answers soon enough, and did as I was told for the rest of the short journey.

Arriving at the edge of the cliff, everyone scattered to give me room for the run up. I found the right spot, deployed my wings, and dug my hooves in. Just like yesterday, I galloped at top speed then leapt off the ground, beginning to soar, unable to contain a primal shout of pure joy. I snatched a quick look back at my audience. Ink and Obsidian seemed to be just fine, but Limestone looked incredibly unwell.

I pulled a ‘180’ and began reducing my speed. I wanted to land next to Lime so I could ask if everything was alright. But as I approached he seemed to be shouting, and it wasn't in joy or anger; it seemed to be some other emotion entirely.

Just before landing, Lime backed up and took off running back down the hillside, yelling the whole way. Ink ran off after him and as I landed, I gave Obsidian a confused look, hoping for some kind of explanation.

"Don't worry about it Metal, You get used to it, ponies running away in fear," Obsidian said smugly.

Of course, it was that ‘fear’ thing again. "Wait, run away in fear?"

"You know, when you're scared by something, you naturally run away from it," Obsidian stated.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, still no less confused.

Obsidian was starting to get annoyed, "How can I put it any simpler terms?! It's how you respond when you're AFRAID OF SOMETHING!"

I needed to calm him down immediately, before we had another lightning fiasco. "Wait calm down, Obsidian. Remember my condition? I don't get what you mean!”

Obsidian seemed to calm down a bit, yet was still livid. "It's when you feel unsafe, and want to run away from a situation, just like how EVERYONE wants to run away from me when I 'lash-out' like this!" Obsidian barked.

I still didn't understand, but pretended to for both of our sakes. "Well, I don't run away from you," I spoke softly, trying desperately to get Obsidian to calm down.

"WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?! You don't even FEEL FEAR! After all it's not like you comforting me like a little colt is going to get rid of these 'moments' for more than a short while! And a temporary fix isn't enough to please HIM!” Obsidian bellowed.

"Who? Who are you trying to please, Obsidian?" I asked, as calmly as I could after being insulted like that. It wasn’t easy...

"Warlock. My dad," Obsidian said, then abruptly stormed off.

I was straining to hold back my own anger. I just stood where I was, and tried to make sense of all the information shoved at me by Obsidian. Then I heard a familiar voice, but with a distinctive hint of annoyance.

"What was THAT all about? You could've really hurt Lime back there!" Ink demanded.

Trying to keep the bitterness from my voice, I replied, "He looked like something was wrong with him, and I just wanted to make sure he was alright!"

"By flying straight AT him?" she asked, truly taken aback.

"It was the fastest way to get back on land!" I could feel my anger beginning to flare up, and judging by Ink's response, so could she.

"Okay, let's just slow down for a bit. What did you think was so wrong with my brother that you flew back around so abruptly?” Ink asked calmly.

I took a deep breath and responded, "Okay, his expression seemed unnatural, like something was wrong with him. Does that help?"

Ink pondered for a moment. "He was just fine up until the moment you took off.”

“Well, when I looked back at him he didn’t look ‘fine,’” I explained.

Ink finally pieced things together. "Vertigo," she sighed “I forgot Lime had vertigo,”

I had to ask her what vertigo was. Big shock, it's another kind of fear.

"What happened to Lime anyway?" I asked Ink.

She sighed heavily and said, "He was a bit frazzled, but once I told him about your fear thing, he calmed down a bit. He said he’d be happy to regroup at my place once we got things sorted out here."

I acknowledged what she said, and we both fell into an awkward silence.

"By the way, what was going on between you and Obsidian? " Ink asked.

I explained what happened, leaving out the insult.

"Not Warlock again," Ink whispered to herself “Did you see where Obsidian ran off too? You need to hear something.”

With a nod, I lead Ink toward a tree at the bottom of the cliff.

We found Obsidian sitting at the foot of the tree. Calling him upset would be a massive understatement.

“Obsidian, I think Metal should hear about ‘him’.”

He looked up at us, eyes glazed over from tears, and barely managed an “alright,” Obsidian then righted himself, cleared his throat, and told his tale:

“My father and I have always had a, unique relationship. You see, he has the same problem that I do. Because of this, he's made it his life’s goal to ‘help’ me gain control of my outbursts. I always tried my best to contain myself when I got aggravated, but it always ended the same way. One day, he plain and simply had enough of my ‘episodes.’ I was still a colt. That day he burned those words into my memory...

"I can’t take it anymore, Mage! You shouldn’t be my son!"

With a twirl of his staff he cast me out of his sight. The spell was was blindingly powerful and before I knew it,I was on the doorstep of an orphanage. The mark on my flank, my staff split in two, serves as a reminder of the day everything fell apart.

I had lost everything. It was at my lowest point in life that the door to the orphanage opened and I was taken in by none other than Ink’s parents. Until my mother returned from coast guard and found me again, they were the only ponies I could call ‘family.’”

“My mother took up work at the orphanage, and Ink's family, my mother and I have been friends ever since,” Obsidian Mage concluded. He seemed relieved to get that off his chest.

"Wow, I never thought that any father could be so cruel to their own son," I lamented, secretly doubting that his father would act that way without reason.

"At least now it’s in the past. Maybe we should visit the orphanage sometime. We can all catch up, and Metal, you can meet Ink and my family."

“Definitely,” I confirmed. “But first, there are some loose ends I need to tie up with Lime. You mind coming along?”

Agreeing, Obsidian helped lead the way to Ink’s townhouse. I guess I expected it to be a bit more spectacular on arrival.

Limestone was waiting for us in the foyer, looking notably apologetic. “Hi Metal,” he said with a sigh. “I’m sorry for everything that happened this afternoon.”

“It’s nothing. Like Ink said, I can’t tell when somepony is afraid,” I reassured.

Unexpectedly, Lime folded his ears back, “Well, that’s only part of it,” he paused. “Thing is, I’ve been keeping something from you: My name isn’t ‘Limestone’; it’s Limelight.” He revealed his mark: A theater mask with a gemstone beside it. “I am indeed a jeweler, but in reality, I have a passion for theater,” Limelight lamented.

“That’s great Limelight! Why would you want to hide that?” I queried.

He sighed, “Because I’m not proud of it! Dad always says that he doesn’t like theater, and I feel like my interests are just disappointing him,” he groaned and tucked his head into his hooves.

Getting a look behind Limelight, I saw Ink rummaging through a box of what appeared to be vinyl records, and eventually pulled one out using her writing assist.

I never considered using my writing aid design as a gripping device. But in Ink’s case, it does seem like something she might have come up with.

Ink set the vinyl on the platter of a nearby record player, started the table turning, and carefully dropped the needle into the first groove.

What followed was a very softly spoken, heartfelt lullaby. It sang verses of tranquility, hope, and love from a father to his children.

Limelight rose his head from his hooves. “That’s...” he began.

"...the lullaby dad played for us almost every night," Ink explained softly.

We sat in blissful silence as the soothing sounds came to a close. I felt an amazing sense of calmness, as though there were no longer any problems in the world.

Limelight slowly rose, gently stepped over to his sister, and wrapped his hooves around her. “You can’t be afraid, Lime. You should tell dad how you feel. There’s not a doubt in my mind that he will support you, no matter what," Ink comforted.

Limelight promised he would, then left the room, thanking us for our time. I looked over at Obsidian. He appeared to be lost in thought.

"Something on your mind?"

He snapped back to reality. "Oh, I was just listening to the lullaby. It got me thinking about my dad. Wondering if there was a reason he sent me away."

"He must have. Maybe you should talk to him sometime, get a real talk," I suggested.

Obsidian nodded. "I will, someday.”