Obsidian: Legacy Of Sombra

Chapters

One: Good Morning, Siddy
Two: Jaded
Three: Ashes
Four: How D'Ya Like THEM Apples?
Five: Family Matters
Six: Paradise Found
Seven: Factory Settings
Eight: The Gathering Storm
Nine: Doggone Sneaky
Ten: Recoveries & Discoveries
Eleven: Why The Tartarus Not?
Twelve: Love Is Love
Thirteen: Dire

One: Good Morning, Siddy

Equestria was in peril.

The machinations of Amber, the mind-controlling shard of Sombra, have turned the entire nation upside down. Twilight and the other former element bearers are captured, Princess Cadence has been murdered, and much of the nation was either in hiding, or defending their homes from the vile Umbral Harnesses - a nightmarish collaboration of Quartz's magic-soaking suits, Opal's Labor Harnesses, and vicious undead Umbral corpses.

But there was hope.

Obsidian, daughter of Sombra, had survived so much... and now, armed with the full knowledge of her heritage and her destiny, she was back with her friends, The Siddy Six, once more. And it was time to finally put this entire business to a close... to stop Amber's mad reach for power, and to put a final end to the horrific curse of The Umbra, once and for all.

Having recently been freed from her time as a crystal shard, Obsidian had been welcomed by her friends again, and was now in the process of doing something that a simple shard would never have really appreciated...

Obsidian was in the shower, and the warm water rolling down her body felt wonderful.

Being a shard had quite a few advantages, but having a real, living body was better than anything ever. What could beat the ability to prepare her own shower and then enjoy the tickling of the hot water running through her fur? Nothing, obviously.

When was the last time she actually had the chance to enjoy this sensation? Hmmmm... it was before they left to get Aqua, wasn't it? Of course, she'd gotten something even better from Cupcake. Later, she'd been much too focused on dreaming of the answers to her questions or fighting for her life...

Okay, the giant mechanical spider had been awesome, though; Obsidian really hoped that Opal and Quartz would work together to make something cool for her and her friends. Magical suits with nifty gadgets, maybe? With outfits like those, they could become a really deadly force to be reckoned with!

Hopefully, the anti-mind controlling glyphs would be simple enough to put on a suit. What could be a better sign that she hated treating others like tools than putting something preventing mind control on her clothes?

It was really easy to think when showering; thoughts were sliding through her head without even any effort on her side.

As she enjoyed the warm water running down her form, she heard the door open.

"Ummm... you got a towel?" Cupcake asked over the volume of the water washing down onto her. "'Cause I found you one that wasn't being used to cover the windows - I can leave it here, if you want me to..." There was a slight pause. "Or, uh... I could join you, and... wash your back, maybe?"

Cupcake had been quite affectionate with her after she'd made it back to them, but he'd been holding himself back so the others could have time with her, too... maybe now was a time he would be able to focus on her more? Then again, with the shower so soothing and warm... maybe she wanted to enjoy it alone, at least for a bit longer? After all, she'd been around others SO MUCH lately...

Still, it did prove that she was loved... and that part felt grand.

On the one hoof, Obsidian sort of wanted to be alone... yet on another hoof, she was fine with being alone with Cup - if he was her other half, then technically he practically counted as a part of her! "Come on in, Cup... the only thing better than a warm shower, is warm shower with you." She turned around to smile at him lovingly.

He slid the curtain aside, and with his own smile, he stepped in and immediately embraced her, soaking himself down as he held her tightly to him. "Ahhhhhhhhhhh... showers just aren't as nice without you, love."

Even in the shower, he smelled slightly sweet - and his close presence was warm and welcome. He stepped back (as much as the shower stall would allow) and took hold of a bristled brush - made for showering - and with a little shampoo, he started to scrub her back slowly and firmly, in small circles, working from her rump upwards.

"I missed you SO much," he spoke as he scrubbed her, "and I mean more than anything. After all that had happened to us, we sort of found each other in town... and all of us had a good cry at being duped."

Now, he began to work her shoulders into the routine, adding a touch of massage to his activity. "But that's all behind us, now," and to demonstrate, he lightly gave her rump a teasing pop with the brush. "Now, it's all about being the best team we can be, and kicking the crap out of whatever stands against us... and spreading some love, too..." He leaned in close and gave her ear a loving, gentle nip.

Okay, so it wasn't quite the right time to tell any of them that they had technically killed her - especially him, especially now. It would kind of kill the mood. She just... just didn't want to get separated from him, ever again. She was simply happy, just by being in his presence - and it was just the tip of an iceberg (that's the correct idiom, right?), as they were rarely limited to just being together.

Massage, mmmmmmmmmm... she really didn't deserve him.

"Oh? Well, there's no time like the present, then..." she purred when he mentioned spreading love. "Do you want me to brush your back and other surroundings, too...?"

Cupcake smiled sweetly at her, but kept right on scrubbing. "I would love that... but later, maybe. YOU have been through too much lately, and as your fiancee, I now make my demands that you be scrubbed, pampered and thoroughly comforted before you even think of spending one more minute on anyone else, love."

He nuzzled her. "This is YOUR time, right now... you just stand there and be beautiful, while I enjoy loving you."

Now, he took the brush to her neck and face (gently), while he moved up next to her and placed his hooves on her back, and began to massagggdmnc&vnlsxm*xmj6@mf... it was like he had tight-muscle-seeking powers, as his hooves found the right spots to start working her tension out with unerring accuracy.

And she had ZERO intentions of complaining about his point; after everything that had happened lately, she was actually QUITE certain that she deserved it and she could actually believe that she'd already more than earned everything good that had happened to her lately - Cup included.

"You're making up for all the time I spent in the ancient Crystal Empire, aren't you Cuppy?" she asked lazily. Ooooh, by Darkness, this was absolutely perfect...

He smiled. "I'm making up for a lifetime of bad things, by providing a reeeeeally good thing, as much as possible, for nobody else but you, love." His hooves worked like little construction workers, building miniature spas at each place they touched, sending ripples of relief through her entire being.

"Besides," he grinned impishly, "any chance I have to get my hooves on you, I'll take!"

"Oh, that's good... because I love having your hooves on me." Except when he'd wanted to kill her, of course, but that had been a rather different situation. Besides, he hadn't wanted to kill her, but her murderer instead - which Amber had trapped her in the illusion of, through her mind-chicanery.

Shards didn't have muscles, so they couldn't be massaged; she certainly preferred an actual body.

After a number of heavenly minutes, Cup finally finished his routine on her, then turned off the shower. "Out," he said gently, and pulled the curtain back for her. As soon as they were out, he grabbed a colorful towel from the sink basin, and unfolded it. He then began to towel her off, caressing her coat with the fuzzy fabric.

"Don't you do a thing; I'M in charge here, madame." he said with a light lilt to his speech as he did.

Ha, so he was in charge? It was a bit unexpected... but not at all unwanted. Obsidian stepped out, exposing herself to the influence of his towel. "Mmmmmmm... as you wish, Mister Sprinkles," she confirmed with an expression that was half-dreamy and half-sultry.

Cupcake lovingly made certain that every part of her - every part - was thoroughly dried and caressed. Then, he managed to scoop her up in his forelimbs, standing on his rear legs, and carried her from the bathroom into the bedroom.

Carefully, he laid her down on the mattress and slid in next to her. He then gently rolled her onto her belly, and his hooves were soon giving her a wonderful backrub.

"If I can't treat my queen the way she should be treated," he softly spoke, "then I don't deserve to be her king. So there." He planted a soft line of kisses along the back of her neck, burying his muzzle in her mane and inhaling deeply.

Obsidian was really growing to enjoy the fact that he liked her mane so much. Of course, he liked ALL of her, but it was just one little bit that made her care so much more about it. And considering his affection for her mane had ultimately saved Siddy's life, she was glad it had happened. "Oh Cuppy, you DO deserve it - we each deserve each other," she purred lovingly.

He snuggled up close to her and kissed her deeply. "I think we do, too. I love you, Obsidian... thank you for showing me what love really is."

"Thank you for showing me what life really is, Cup", she just had to - and did - outbid him, didn't she?

The unicorn stallion settled in, his forelegs wrapped around her lovingly, his smile broad and sweet as he slowly began to drift off with his love at his side.

Oh, umm... he just wanted just to, er, sleep? She had been fairly certain he would have wanted to spread some love, like he'd been saying...

Strange, but she wasn't going to complain; with everything that had occurred to her in just the past few days, Obsidian had been pushed to the brink, stressed, wounded, blasted and many, many other nasty, painful things.

She deserved a nap too.

~>-<~

She was standing in the middle of Ponyville again... but something felt off.

The town was as it usually was - barren of life - but still a perfect recreation of the whole village... well, at least what she already knew of, anyway. Houses, streets, shoppes, the fountain... the same as it always was.

But... no one seemed to be waiting to greet her. Normally, this was where she'd find Ruby, her sweetheart of a sister, waiting for her with a hug, a smile... aaaaaand usually some bad news. But there was no Ruby; even the light pink tint was missing from the town.

Where was everypony at? Where was Ruby? Strange. Hopefully it wasn't another of Amber's tricks.

She expected that Ruby would like to have a bit of a chat about revent events - as did Siddy herself. Was she hiding inside one of the houses? Perhaps she was sleeping somewhere else? Could she even sleep at all?

Obsidian's search was cold and lonely; there wasn't a single, solitary soul to be found there - and on a whim, nor in the palace library, either - it all looked neat and tidy, but utterly abandoned. There was not a single trace of Ruby, nor of Onyx... was Peridot missing as well?

If Onyx had done something to them, then it meant Obsidian had no plans brewing against Amber, and no geniuses around to plot the way for her.

She mentally shifted herself to the Delvar Libratorium, to check on Peri.

The Libratorium... was wrong.

What she saw in her dreams was the modern version she'd encountered during her fight with PeriMidnight in the Empire - and not the ancient one that her brother seemingly preferred. In its' modernized form, it looked dull, like the version it once was had been beaten into a shell of its' former self. It still stood proud and tall... but it looked sterile. Neutered, somehow.

And not a single trace of Peridot to be found, inside OR out.

By Darkness, what was wrong with her mind? She tried to move herself into Hope's research lab, which she'd seen during her previous dreams - perhaps she could feel at least one presence in her mind, maybe?

A shifting of scenery around her, and she was standing within the hidden laboratory of her long lost mother. The place was filled with charts, diagrams, bottles and other items one would find in an alchemy lab... except for an alchemist. No sign of anyone having been here; the burners were cold, and the candles unlit and solid. No layer of dust, but nothing new either.

She was supposed to have three or four entities in her head to chat with... but where WERE they?

Granted, Obsidian was fairly sure she wouldn't meet anypony else around here - after all, she never did get a chance to meet Hope, and it would be a bit too weird if she would do so right now - but any sign of her presence would calm her nerves at this point, though.

"RUBY? ONYX? PERIDOT?" She simply called out to them, hoping for at least some form of reply.

She felt something... yet it wasn't anything she recognized, but she most certainly felt something pull her in the direction of... Twilight's Palace? Why did she want to go there? Was one of her siblings trying to contact her from that dreamscape location?

It was a no-brainer, as she had literally no other clue. She focused on a mental image of the throne room she'd seen before...

... and she was there.

Twilight's throne room was as regal as ever, complete with banners and insignia and lush carpeting. There were sconces on the walls, tables bearing fine antiquities, and tapestries depicting the legends of the Mane Six.

But there was something in this room that didn't belong here, as far as she knew; sitting next to the throne and playing with what looked like a stuffed purple dragon toy was an absolutley adorable little filly.

Her coat was clean and well-kept, and a soft brown color - like milk chocolate - but with a few dark and light dapples here and there, with her right eye surrpounded by a brown patch, and her left rear leg was fully white from hoof to flank, like a long sock. Her eyes were big, luminous and mismatched - the left eye was a bright, vibrant green, while the other was a cool, serene blue. Her mane was brushed back and full, tied into three braids; one on each side, and one in the middle; her mane's coloration was fascinating, as the brown and grey patterns kept slowly shifting and moving around each other, like a lava lamp (Cup had showed her one of those), and her tail was the same way. Her most notable feature was her little wings and her little horn, which both looked utterly adorable on her.

Honestly, she might have been the cutest filly Obsidian had ever seen before in her life. Not that she'd seen many fillies in her life... but she was still somewhat interested in her, nonetheless. Especially as she was yet another being inside the walls of her mind, born out of nowhere... and an alicorn, to boot.

Just who was she? She didn't resemble any of her fallen siblings - especially as none of them had grown wings and a horn lately.

"You... aren't Princess Cadance, are you?" she asked hesistantly. The pink Princess of Love was the only alicorn that had died recently, after all. Or perhaps it was yet another incarnation of Whistlewhite? Or...

"Do I look that old?" The little filly sounded almost insulted as she carefully placed the stuffed dragon on the throne. "I'm not Peridot or Onyx, either... buuuut I AM Ruby!"

Obsidian lifted an eyebrow. "Oh. Well, you look a bit different than when I last sa-"

"Ruby Chocolate, to be more precise!" The filly stepped back, her eyes fixed on the adorable little toy. She nodded with satisfaction, then gave the most solemn of bows before it. "All hail, King Spike The Best!"

What was THIS new development? Was this another possible sibling who hadn't revealed themselves yet? Was it some leftover from Amber's control? Was it maybe a portion of Hope, trying to communicate? Maybe King Sombra had cheated (in a manner of speaking) on Radiant Hope? Was it a ponysonification of Amber's innocence, or possibly even another strange leftover of her brutal mind control?

Was it that 'questionably fresh' boxed fruit pie she'd had?

"Indeed - hail, hail," she agreed with the filly, even giving a mock salute. "So, if you don't mind, could you, er..."

"I think so," the filly suddenly replied, interrupting before Siddy could even get the thought out. It took her aback.

"What do you mean, 'you think so'?"
"I think I could... but what do YOU mean?"

Obsidian groaned quietly, wondering why this new presence in her mind had decided to annoy her so much. Did all foals behave like this?

"Are you possibly another one of my siblings?" She decided to cut straight to the chase.

Filly chuckled in reply; what was more, her laughter sounded alarmingly familiar - but where had Obsidian heard it before?

"No - I'm pretty sure my mum is not your mum, and my papa is not your papa. I can't really say who I am, but don't worry - I have some, um... really good reasons to be on your side."

It looked as if this 'Ruby Chocolate' had bit her tongue at the last moment, avoiding saying a few words too many. Obsidian sighed - it was just another average day, again. She didn't expect to meet yet another presence in her mind... but she had to stay calm. Radiant Hope didn't look anything like that, and it was likely that Amber would prefer a more sadistic approach.

She simply didn't have the first clue who she was.

"So... are you the reason why my siblings aren't available?" she let loose with another important question.

The little alicorn filly shook her head. "Naaaaah... they're dead."

"I know that they are," Obsidian deadpanned.

"Oh, no, no! I mean like, dead-dead." The filly looked up at her. "They helped out A-... A-Amethyst and Tourmaline, right? They... uh, what was the word... sah-cry-fy-ceed themselves!"

The Grey Princess' blood ran cold.

Peridot... gone? Just... pulled from her head, in order to save her other siblings? Onyx... well, she might have been just getting used to her, but it was still a loss - especially right after she'd FINALLY seen the Light. Ruby...

"B-but don't worry, M-... Miss Obsidian!" It seemed as if the filly once again corrected herself at the last possible moment.
"Just ask... your brother about that; I think he could help them!"

"Which brother - I do have a few," Obsidian asked carefully, struggling to maintain a calm posture and expression on her muzzle. It was harder than she thought; the mere idea that not one, not two, but three of her siblings were gone now, just to help her...

It was a soul-crushing experience; Obsidian had to fight the urge to cry in front of the little filly.

"The griffy one!" Ruby Chocolate finished cheerfully as she climbed up onto the throne and sat next to her dragon toy. She spread her wings out to make her look bigger and more regal.

"Now... you have heard enough!" She pointed a hoof towards the sky. "I command you to go and save the world!... or, uh, something like that."

It was absolutely devastating news... but this filly was just so gosh-darn cute.

"The, er, 'griffy' one?" Who was the griffy one, and what could she possibly mean by that? Well, if she meant 'griffon', then it might mean someone sulky and moody, like Gavin Garrison was.

Oh great - now she just had to figure out which sibling was the grumpy one she'd referred to... FUCK, she'd be guessing all day!

"Er... griffy?" Obsidian repeated.

"Yus yus! U-... ummmm, he has a griffon-friend!" Ruby waved her hooves emphatically. "Griffy! Is that enough?"

"I think so, yes," Obsidian mused. That would explain a bit - now the advice was far more clear. "I'll ask Tourmaline, then. Thank you kindly." She still didn't know who this mysterious filly was.

"DUH! I told you to go save the world! You know, those big, mean zombies in armor? Evil A-... Amber? Really, how much can one mare sleep?!" Ruby looked a bit flustered, but it only added to her near-lethal levels of cuteness.

She was a bit impetuous, perhaps... but the little filly was undeniably adorable, so it sort of balanced out. Tourmaline... he'd been there when they'd done what they'd done... so perhaps he had some further insight as to what happened?

But the question remained; could it be UNdone? Could she get her siblings back? Would they be in her head, or would she have to find new bodies for them? Maybe they were just... hiding?

No; Ruby Chocolate said they were... gone; it might be some sort of manipulation, but then why did this little filly's presence feel so good to her?

"Oh, and Miss Whistlewhite said to tell you that she says 'hi'!" the alicorn filly added with an innocent and cheerful voice - along with a rather smug look on her muzzle.

Wait, what?

~>O<~

She heard her door open slowly; with everything that had gone down with her lately, a little paranoia was to be expected; Obsidian most certainly had the feeling she was being watched...

Three of her siblings were gone, her head had a new tenant of some sort and Whistlewhite was still messing with her a bit - though most likely in a rather loving way. Ruby Chocolate seemed to be too cute to be a spawn of The Umbra, didn't she? So perhaps-

Intruder. Maybe she should pretend that she was still sleeping. She laid perfectly still, trying to hear anything that would indicate who had just entered her room.

There were what had to be the softest hoofsteps she'd ever heard that tracked across the floor, and what sounded like a few deep breaths. Then a few more steps, and a pressure on the blanket next to her... a hoof.

A small hoof.

"... you cannot know," said a low, whispering, and very familiar voice next to her, "how much you mean to me. To us. You cannot fathom how very important you are... to all of us, yes, but..."

Wart sighed softly. "I had never known the honor of true friendship, before you. My mother and my quest for physical perfection left me... alone. All alone. Others knew who I was, yet they barely paid any attention to me... which incuded the Royal Guard."

"Yet it wasn't just me: Cupcake was spending all his time with his mother, Clap and Mica were outsiders together, and Gypsy was a footnote in the background. None of us really knew each other very well... but then you came, and turned our worlds upside-down... which, in the end, we ALL truly needed. You were the catalyst that begat this group, this gathering of souls... and you are our heart, Obsidian. The beating, living and marvellous heart of our band of heroes."

She sighed, then brought her hoof back down to the floor again. "Though I still feel that I do not deserve your friendship... I shall accept it. And honor it, as long as breath still enters my body. You are more beloved than you even know, my dear friend... and it's the way things should be."

Wart's soft steps went towards the door again. "Good night to you, Lady Obsidian Greyheart; I look forward to being at your side, no matter the challenge... because, with you? We shall be victorious; in my mind, there is no doubt of that."

Obsidian was kind of sure she heard something like this before from her miniature friend... but if Stalwart needed to say it again, then good for her. Obsidian wasn't going to stop her, though the problem with the small mare lie in the fact that she kept praising her so much; she wanted to deny it all and explain she was not that important. Being placed atop of a group like that felt rather selfish.

"Stalwart... thank you," Obsidian said as she opened her eyes and raised head a bit.

Wart paused at the door. "No, my lady... thank you." And with that, she left.

Stalwart Stance - a more loyal and strong friend would be impossible to find. She was apparently still upset over what had happened when Amber had mind-controlled them to see her as her murderer; they'd practically killed her. The little mare had even cut off a part of her own ear, in some form of penitence for the horrible crime of doing the same to Obsidian; Siddy's ear had grown back, true, but the little mare still had her half-ear.

Wart was hard on herself... but that was also what made her so very vicious and determined as a warrior, so it was simply something she would have to get over, sooner or later. Hopefully sooner.

Cupcake gave a soft mumble of gibberish, then snuggled tighter against Obsidian. Well, either she could try to return to sleep... or she could try to see what was next for her intrepid band of fighters; either way, she was now awake in a room with a sleeping Cuppy by her side.

Snuggling with Cupcake was pleasant, but the filly from her strange dream was right - she had a world to save. What was worse, snuggling was far more pleasant when the other side was snuggling back like he was, and she didn't want to wake him up.

So Obsidian carefully got up, doing her best not to wake her fiancee. She could use a bit of a chat with Gypsy, and perhaps plan a trip to visit Brother Tourmaline. As she unwound herself from Cupcake's embrace, he mumbled again and went to wrap his hooves around her middle... aaaaaaaand got her pillow instead. She watched as he smiled and gave the pillow a kiss in his sleep, then nuzzled it warmly.

Missed opportunities... well, she could always make them up later, right?

Leaving the room, she found herself upstairs in Sugarcube Corner; they hadn't been able to get back to their house yet, but Cup was simply using his old room here - which used to be his mother's room, but he'd thoroughly made it his own. A bit unkempt... but still his own.

The others had taken over various rooms here; Clap and Mica were sharing the master bedroom, while Gypsy was sleeping curled in a ball on the couch in the sitting room. Nobody knew where Wart slept, but she didn't seem to be listless or tired, so it was assumed she was sleeping, at least. It was quite early, and the sun was barely beginning to peek out from over the first rooftop. Breakfast might be in order - after all, at least a third of the dowstairs area was a kitchen, so it should be doable.

Okay, it was time to take a risk; perhaps she could make breakfast for everypony? That was quite a sound idea, yes! It was time to embrace the mystical path of cooking... or at least prepare some basic foodstuffs.

She didn't want to burn the place down, after all.

Checking their supplies in the well-used kitchen, there was hay bacon, biscuit mix, milk, eggs, pancake flour, bean-curd sausages, lettuce, oranges, carrots, celery, loaved bread... just about anything that could be made for breakfast (within typical fare) was here... now all she had to do was prepare it.

She'd been watching Cup prepare breakfast a few times, so it shouldn't be too difficult, right? Right?

She prepared a little something for herself first, though - just to be sure that she wouldn't waste too much food, in the case of a complete kitchen disaster.

Some things were fairly easy; oranges were simple to squeeze, though the seeds had to be removed from the pitcher when she was done. Toast was easy - there was a toaster already available. And small salads were a snap, with carrot slices in them.

The biscuit mix... not so much. She didn't use a lot of it, but it didn't seem like dough that she had to pour into the pan seemed right. Sure enough, they were goopy puddles, even after baking; too much milk.

On the other hoof, there was the hay bacon... the horrible hay bacon. It curled when it was cooked in the frying pan... and the long, lovely strips of hay were soon crispy little balls of bacon in the pan. She'd tried to straighten them, but the hay bacon would have NONE of it; it defied her, and left her with a number of hay bacon balls, instead of lovely strips.

Her adventure into the world of pancakes was... sort of a success? She'd managed to produce about twenty of them that were fairly good-looking... but the mess left behind was awful, and stuck to almost everything it touched - including her mane.

Okay, it was obviously pointless to try to emulate such an accomplished chef as Cupcake. She wasted more time and resources than she would have if she'd simply waited for more competent cooks to wake up. And she needed another bath, damnation! Perhaps her experiments were edible - but she doubted that it would be any better than the food she'd been eating in the Empire, back in the old days...

Which meant that it was likely going to be terrible.

Pouting a bit, Obsidian immediately got to cleaning all evidence of the war crimes she'd commited against pancakes. Good thing that there was no Princess of Cooking; otherwise, she would have made a mortal enemy out of them today.

As she was cleaning up, she heard a sniffing sound, then Gypsy poked his head around the corner and looked at her with a hopeful smile.

"Would th-this be a breakf-fast this one smells? Oh, he is a h-h-hungry pup..." Even though he was mostly standing around the corner, Obsidian kept catching glimpses of his wagging tail as it whipped by.

"Yes, Gypsy - please, help yourself. I think it's edible... though I would be rather wary, were I you," Obsidian said with a resigned voice. "And good morning. Did you sleep well, my friend?"

He made his way into the kitchen with a smile on his muzzle. "Y-y-yes, this one slept s-soundly, thank you. Did you sleep as w-w-well, yes?"

He wandered towards the counter where the foodstuffs were, and eyed the hay bacon balls before grabbing one up and popping it into his mouth. "Mmmmmmmm... it is good! Th-thank you for the foodst-stuffs; he likes it very much. But, what are you th-throwing out?"

He took up a pancake in passing, and came over to watch her for a moment. Then, without even asking, he took hold of a nearby washcloth and began to wipe down the countertops, ridding them of the pancake batter spilled all over them.

"On the subject of my quality of sleep, I'd say... it was kind of restful? I've discovered another presence in my head in place of Onyx, Ruby and Peridot - a little filly who told me that they were gone, but that Tourmaline could somehow help with that... then mentioned that the Moochick said 'hello'. A rather confusing night, methinks," Obsidian admitted.

He was so kind to assist... but frankly, Gypsy had to help her; she'd turned the bakery's kitchen into a pancake slaughterhouse. "Thanks," she muttered as she wiped a glob of nearly-dry batter from the side of one of the ovens.

The diamond dog looked over his shoulder at her. "Again, y-you mention The Moochick; th-this one believes it may be a s-sign, though he still is unc-certain what sort of s-sign it may be. He hopes it is a g-good one, though."

He continued to wipe down the countertops, thinking a bit as he did. "And you s-say that your head-siblings are g-g-gone? How can this b-be so? And what would Brother T-Tourmaline have to d-do with them?"

"They helped us - myself, Amy and Tourmy - escape from the Umbral Harnesses that had been sent to stop our retreat. It was apparently a bit too much for them, so they disappeared." Though the resignation wasn't disappearing from Obsidian's voice. She discovered it was rather hard to talk about the sudden, sibling-shaped voids in her head. "I have no idea why Tourmy would be able to help, though... but Ruby Chocolate didn't say anything else. She was an alicorn filly; does that remind you anything from your historical knowledge?"

Gypsy pondered for a moment, then shrugged. "As Thunderclap would s-say, this one's got nothing, unf-fortunately; many ap-p-pologies, Obsidian. But he can research th-this, possibly - alicorn fillies that have any s-significance in historical m-matters."

He finished with the counters, then went and took up a broom and dustpan and began sweeping. "So, they have s-sacrificed themselves to save your l-lives; a noble thing - and s-s-surprising to hear about Onyx - but a loss, all the s-same. And you say Tourmaline has some c-c-c-connection? This one was w-wondering where the rest of your s-siblings had gotten to."

"Ghastly Gorge," Obsidian answered instantly. "All gathered at Washburn Washington's hideout. I do hope that stallion is more inclined towards a normal, pleasant discussion than he was before."

Okay, there - almost done, but it still was unnecessary work, if she'd have waited for someone else to do it. Well, it seemed as if she would need to take another shower - at least as long as she didn't want Cup to get messy when he went to play with her mane...

And he would. She was sure of that.

Gypsy swept until the floor was clear, then dumped the dustpan in the trash bin and put the tools back where they belonged. Turning back to Obsidian, he placed a paw on his chin in thought. "Making your way out t-t-to Ghastly Gorge might be a f-feat; Thunderclap can fly, wh-which is wh-why she was out as far as she was..."

He looked at her earnestly. "After what h-happened, we were ALL seeking you out; no st-stone left unturned. And she found you... which was g-g-good news, indeed. But the trip b-back will be a long one, unless you ha-have transportation?"

"I can't really think of any, off-hoof," Obsidian admitted. "Perhaps we could find a car we could use, here in Ponyville? Or maybe we could use Miss Pie's firework cart? Granted, it was a bit damaged during my fight with Mica and Clap... but it looked like it would make a good mobile base. What do you think?" Nice of them to look for her; though if Amber's plan had gone through, they wouldn't have even found her body.

Gypsy pondered a bit more, then he snapped his fingers (a move that most Equestrians flinched at, thanks to Discord) and smiled. "AH! Perhaps Cupcake might have access t-to the airship, do you r-r-remember it? If you were t-to get enough altitude, the harnesses c-c-couldn't reach you!"

"Yes, that makes sense - I completely forgot about such things," Obsidian admitted. It would be an even better mobile base - though she had no idea how this thing was fueled - would they be at risk of being stranded?

"Do you think it would be safe? What about any possible sky-based accidents?"

Speaking of snapping... "Did Amber possibly get to Jynx and Discord as well, by the way?

Gypsy pondered her first question... yet he shuddered as she asked the second one. "Airship travel is p-p-perfectly safe," he assured her, "as m-much of it is d-done electronically now - no fire, but magical b-batteries, instead. Accidents? Well, as there is l-litte in the air to run into, this o-one would say that the chances are s-slim."

Then he cleared his throat and spoke far more softly. "This o-o-one d-does not kn-know of th-the f-f-f-fate of J-J-J-J... of those t-two, n-no."

Damnation. Well, perhaps the others might know...

"I'll ask Cup as soon as possible about those things," she assured the canine. "Is there anything else I should know? Or perhaps anything you'd like to know?"

She almost forgot that she'd originally made this breakfast for herself; she grabbed a pancake.

Gypsy looked at her for a moment... then his ears sagged slightly. "This one... h-he wants to ask if... i-if you are o-o-okay... after..."

What they had done to her under Amber's influence had bothered them all quite deeply; it was heartwarming to know they cared so much... yet it was also a bit sad, also knowing they all had issues they would probably need to talk out with her. Cup seemed okay... and Wart was, well, managing... and Clap had gotten hers out already. It seemed that Gypsy was going through a bit as well. Would Mica have similar issues, too?

"... a-a-after what happened? N-not just physically, but... b-but mentally, too?" he finished, looking at Siddy eagerly for a response.

Hmmm... all things considered, it didn't taste too bad. She had certainly expected something far, far worse.

"I have a lot to digest and I'm rather frustrated that there is still another dangerous enemy that wants our blood, but... meh, I'll survive."

They'd gone through worse. They'd eventually bested each and every enemy they'd faced, and they even had Harmony itself (or The Moochick, or Whistlewhite, or whatever) on their side. The loss of Onyx, Ruby and Peridot was terrible, but Tourmy could apparently do something about it. There was also the issue of the recently released Jade...

Obsidian looked over at him. "...and if you're asking anything about our fight, I really don't mind what the lot of you did to me, too much. You were under mind control - and that's all. I bear no grudge or ill will, my friend."

Gypsy seemed to accept that. "It is g-g-good; if he had h-harmed you badly, this o-one might have never f-f-forgiven himself. You are n-not only his friend... you are his packmate."

She wasn't certain what the distinction between the two was... but it sounded like it was important to the diamond dog, at least.

"Still... it m-makes this one w-wonder, is there any m-magic that might be cap-p-pable of preventng this from h-happening again?" He took up another hay bacon ball, and away into his hungry maw it went.

So he was considering her a part of his... er, family, for a lack of better understanding? "Thank you, Gypsy - I consider it quite a big honor," she replied kindly, as even if she didn't know the exact meaning of his words, she understood their spirit.

"And yes, Gypsy... we do. We need to research those prison cell glyphs; if we can, we need to find Princess Twilight Sparkle or any trace of her communications with Manehattan, as they had something in that prison that was able to stop Amber's influence on Quartz. Too bad I don't have any official status; they didn't want to tell me what those glyphs were," she sighed deeply.

"After this issue is solved, I'll have to ask the princess to consider us all... I don't know, secret agents? Special forces?
Pretty much anything that might actually be able to get ponies to work with us. We could've avoided it all completely if Manehattan's police would have simply given us the knowledge we needed, without the need for a princess to deal with it."

Gypsy shrugged. "Or... w-we could use the secret t-t-tunnel to Twilight's Palace, and see if we c-c-can't find the glyphs th-there?"

"I think that would count as either our first or third option, to be fair. Is the palace safe, though? I know that my toxic brother was released, and he was inside when it occurred..." Poor Jade; a tortured soul, imprisoned in a tormented body, she simply had to help him... but at the moment, his salvation semed to be further away than ever before. Without Onyx, without Peridot, without any sort of organized state's help...

And it was quite likely that the unecessary and cruel death of Princess Cadance was also probably haunting him too. Poor, poor Jade.

Gypsy looked at her. "Th-there is f-f-footage of his act-tivities once he left the p-palace... and yes, the p-path he took is still... hot?... yes, hot. But he did n-not roam the palace, so this one believes it w-would be safe." He sighed. "It st-stands abandoned, for the m-moment; there would be n-no encounters within it, this one b-believes."

He started for the door, grabbing another pancake as he passed them. "He can get s-someone to sh-show you the camera footage, if you w-w-wish to see him."

"Yes, I want to see him," she replied almost instantly, "as he's just another victim of the cruelty that befell us all, Gypsy. I need to see him; I have to do my utmost best to see a brother in him."

The diamond dog nodded. "Follow," he said simply.

Author's Note

Obsidian, Daughter of Sombra

-=[ * ]=-

So, here we are again - but now, the stakes are high, the team is assembled, and the final story in the Sombra Arc is ready to begin. A nice little warmup to allow you fine folks to ease yourselves back into the water, so to speak... let you get your feet (or hooves) wet.

And what's this? No siblings present in Obsidian's skullscape? Can it be true? Welp, it sure is - seems like that sacrifice made to save Siddy and the others was more than a choice of just showing up to put their two bits worth in. Exactly HOW MUCH did it cost them?

Obsidian and breakfast; bitter enemies 'til the end. *chuckle*

And so, with only a vague idea given from a mysterious new ally, Obsidian is now headed to finally bear witness to her cursed brother Jade - whch means the lot of you get the chance as well. Here's hoping y'all enjoy this, because it's only gonna get better from here on out.

Damnation, it's good to be back! }:D

Two: Jaded

Two cookie jar shifts and a ball pit later, they made their way into Pinkie's camera-monitoring room... where they found Mica Chip, sitting in Pinkie's chair and studying the monitors with his head leaning on his hoof; eerily, it was a very similar pose to the one he'd had in the dream she'd seen of his, as he'd watched the two Siddys arguing onstage.

He glanced back at them as they entered, and gave a single nod. "Hey."

Gypsy nodded in return. "H-hello, friend Mica - Obsidian wishes to s-s-see the footage of Jade, if you p-please?"

Mica looked at them both with a somber expression for a moment, then turned to face Siddy. "Alright... let me load it up."

He swiveled the chair to face the keyboards and tapped away surprisingly daintily for a moment before the multiple screens went dark, then the middle one lit up with an image.

The camera was focused on the walkway within the science hall; at the far end, the huge double doors to the testing lab buckled once, twice... then seemed to simply melt away from the frame, which warped a bit as well.

Then, slowly and hesitantly, her cursed brother stepped into view.

Jade was quite a tall and muscular pony - he was HUGE - but every inch of his massive frame was glowing a bright green color, and he had an aura about him of the same hue. His mane and tail were limp and greasy-looking, unkempt and filthy. His coat had what looked like small clusters of sores in various places, and every now and then, one would drip a greenish pus onto the floor... where it began smoking.

His face, though...

He had the firm jawline of a strong and mighty warhorse, but those exquisitely beautiful emerald eyes of his were an absolute mirror of misery; green tears ran down his muzzle as he gazed back into the room behind him (which, thankfully, the camera couldn't see into), then faced down the hallway and, looking as though each step was a trial unto itself, he began to walk forward.

As he did, anything around him that was susceptible either melted of caught fire before melting; it was as if he was a living flame of Dark Magic, twisting and befouling everything around him without even trying.

Walking to the doors at the end of the hall, he lifted a hoof to them and found them locked. He then sighed heavily (no sound, but she could see his barrel rise and fall), and turning around, he suddenly let loose with a buck that knocked both doors clean off their hinges! Thankfully, not a guard or guest was in sight.

He walked the hall through the palace, headed for the front doorway; around him, tables warped and blackened at his passing, tapestries caught fire temporarily before becoming ash, and the carpet under his hooves blackened wherever he stepped.

Reaching the front doors, he didn't even have to open them; they simply bowed and folded down from the top, like a banana peel, until they puddled at the threshold. Seeing this, Jade simply walked out into the daylight.

"I really, really want to help him. I didn't even suspect that Amber would be that cruel, to use him as a living weapon," Obsidian said, her throat choked with emotion. For a pony made from the spirit of Sombra's Independence, he was a truly sorry sight, sentenced to eternal wandering.

"At least it should be easy to track him," she said softly.

The camera feed switched to an external one... one with audio.

Stepping out into the daylight, he looked up at the sun for a moment, then he began moving slowly forward, walking to who knew where.

As he reached the gates, three ponies wearing Royal Guard armor came around the corner, and stopped in their tracks at the sight of Jade. Two of them looked uncertain, but one of them spoke up.

"It's another pony, but... he looks diseased..." said a stallion with a lieutenant's insignia on his armor.

The second stallion gasped as he made a connection. "He looks like he's something the Umbrals brought in! Ferry, we have to KILL it before it makes its' way to the others!"

The third, a mare, simply seemed to be waiting for orders, but her maroon eyes were WIDE as they stared in creeping horror at the cursed pony in front of them.

"Halt where you are, abomination!" the second one yelled, and Jade looked up at them with anguish in his big, beautiful eyes.

"A͇̩̫̜͓̙b̞͕o͓m̤i̞n͖̘̬͍̝͇a̮tiͅo̖̥͕̬n̬̪̞̤̦̙̫.͉̮̯̳͚͙̳.̳͚̞̘̼.̺̝̙̲ ͖̲̖̗̬a͙͕p͇̰̘̙̻͔p͎͉̞͈̼̖r̦̖͎̰̮ͅo̖p̪͇͉r̫͖i̪̘̱̲͈̺a̲̯̗͉̯t̝̙̯̪̭̼̼e̪͍̗͚̼ ̺͓͖̼̮͍ͅw͇̱͇̣͓ͅo̪̩̰r̞͙̣̟͉̞d͙̩ͅs̫̦͍,̫͍̱͚͚̩ ̪̝͖̦̤̼͚ỵ̠̝̼̣es̥̦̺͇̺." His voice sounded like it had in Obsidian's dream; cracked, oozing and rather terrifying... yet, he kept walking, seeming to ignore the challenge from the shouting guard.

"I said HALT!" the guard repeated, but Jade continued away from them, headed towards the edge of town. With the offender not obeying a direct order, the three all looked at each other... then, pulling his sword, the second guard ran at Jade with a battle cry.

... which died on his lips as he got within three pony lengths from him.

The guard's armor began to twist and melt onto his coat, which brought a shrill scream from him that made Jade turn his head to look back... and the cursed stallion actually winced at the sight.

The guard, still far too close, then began to smoulder as his coat began to scorch and his flesh quickly began to smoke and blister, and finally he burst into flames and gave a high-pitched, steam-whistle-like scream that petered out quickly before he simply fell over - a lump of blackened and smoking flesh and bone, accented with melted steel rivulets.

.̷".̕.͙͓ ̦̱an̩d͈̟̙ ̷͈̪l̴̜͖ọ͔̀,̵̙̹ ̫̘͖a͎͍͎n̩̰͢o̦̗͢ṯ͝h҉̩͎̙er̴͎̣ ̦̯͞f͈̹͟ḁc̺̝e̼̺ ̟ṱ̣͢ọ̻̲ ̻̰͕wi͍̦͠t́n̯ͅͅe͞ss҉̯̦̪ i̧̜̥n̨̬̲ ̤̟̥m̘̱ͅy ̧̬̝ni̢̻̟g̟̭̗h̦̯͢t͎͘ͅm̧͙a҉̹̤͈r͇̣̪è̳̲s̩̞̙.͙̥.͏̘̹.̖͖̹" He seemed to weep silently for the loss, while the other two guards just stared in abject horror, the mare visibly wetting herself on camera from sheer fear.

Jade looked to them both. "Es̳̠̹c̢̳á̘ͅp͜e.͎̟̗ ̶͉̰ F͓͉͟l̮ḙ̪é̳͕.̮͠ ҉R͚͓̙U̖͔̘͖N̰͕̣͕̳̺ͅ, ̲̬̩̲̻da̘̺̜̯m̳ͅn̘̼̰͕̟͙̹ ͓̬̮y̮ou͙̭.̘.͉͉̙ͅͅ.̯"

The two took off like a shot, in tandem with each other's hoofbeats as they let out twin, oddly-harmonizing screams of terror. Jade watched them go, and with a sigh that conveyed centuries of suffering, he continued onward.

This curse was a piece of art, truly; well-planned, well-executed, and terribly cruel. He didn't even do anything - he just had to exist for this spell to torment him in more ways than one. He didn't do a single wrong thing to those guards - he didn't rage at the guards, and he obviously didn't want anypony to die... they just didn't listen to his words of warning. That was all.

"We need to find him, as soon as we can... but I believe I'll need my siblings for that." While she would love to leave right away to claim her suffering brother, it would be a fool's errand without a proper way to deal with his curse.

As they watched, Jade eventually reached the edge of Ponyville. He looked out over one of the makeshift barricades as it burned and melted around him, witnessing the patrols of the gathered groups of Umbral Harnesses. He slowly shook his head - left, right, then center - and then, he simply vanished from view.

"And that's the last he's been seen, since this footage." Mica said as he turned in the seat to face her. "Obsidian... is Jade the type to hide away from others, or do you think Amber would force him to walk through the middle of any town she pleased?"

"Both," she said grimly. "It doesn't matter what type of soul he is; he won't try to hurt anypony on his own, but his thoughts and feelings don't matter to that brazen bitch."

Mica nodded, as if he'd figured as much. "Then Jade may not be our first priority, but he IS a priority; we need to see if there's any trace of that curse's effects anywhere else. Thankfully, I am familiar with Aunt Pinkie's system, so I can probably scout from here. Should I find anything, I'll let you know."

He then turned back towards the monitors... but paused, and glanced back over his shoulder at her. "And my thanks for not holding a grudge; we all felt awful. Glad to see you're okay."

Oh, come on, Mica - a grudge? "I don't hold a grudge towards the pony who, of their own volition, tried to kill me a few times and put a knife in Ruby's back, just because she was acting under Onyx's command. And they all - Onyx and Sombra included - were working for another vile power. Why do you think I would hold a grudge against my helplessly mind-controlled friends?"

Mica blinked. "I don't; I just wanted to show my appreciation for the fact you know better. So... thanks."

Gypsy looked at them both. "N-now, what is it we are sup-p-p-posed to do at this p-point? Your s-siblings, perhaps - should w-we visit them?"

Obsidian trotted to Mica and patted his shoulder to show her appreciation. "Glyphs in the castle... siblings... then we will see what we can accomplish from there," Obsidian said.

Then her muzzle fell. "And we should collect Princess Cadance's... remains... and bury her properly." She deserved that.

Mica and Gypsy's expressions fell to the floor at the mention of the lost Princess of Love, but Mica nodded solemnly. "Yes. That would only be right. Poor Flurry Heart... and poor Shining Armor, as well - if he doesn't know already, he'll be devastated."

Gypsy added, "And a-a-ANGRY."

Mica turned back to the monitors. "If you are headed to the castle, I can watch you from here - possibly even warn you, maybe? Still, I'm on it - I'll do what I can from here, but I still don't know what ALL the buttons do... but Cup does. When he wakes up, I can get him down here to help out."

Gypsy motioned with a paw. "Come - let th-this one show you the p-p-p-passage."

Let's hope that Amber wouldn't be doing something with Shining Armor that would end with his death as well... or his possible suicide, after the return of his mental freedom. Obsidian tried not to think about anything that Amber could possibly be doing right now to the current rulers of the Crystal Empire.

Getting angry or worried might have been pointless... but she was worried anyway.

"Did Miss Pie implement anything that lets us interact with the ponies on the other side of the monitor?" Such an assurance from Mica still wasn't making this whole system any less weird - it was quite a strange thing to find in your future mother-in-law's basement. "I suppose we shall see - thank you, Mica."

As she followed Gypsy, Mica gave a quick wave, then went back to studying the monitors.

The diamond dog made his way back through the warehouse, winding through the seemingly endless shelves to reach what looked like a large cooler, one that was once yellow, but was now spotted with rust; otherwise, it was fairly clean. Gypsy opened the door to it... and instead of shelving and treats, there was a passageway where cool, dank air blew out from.

"This leads to the p-p-palace; whenever you are p-pr-properly pr-prepared, this one will gladly lead the w-way," he offered with a grin and a light wag.

This whole place was just one big can of surprises, wasn't it? A secret passage to the royal palace... hidden in a basement warehouse. What other secrets was Miss Pie hiding here? Hopefully, none of them would turn out to be too creepy or weird...

Obsidian glared into the darkness. Well, if Gypsy told her that the palace was on another side, then she was going to go right ahead and believe him.

"... I think I need a shower first," she admitted, reminding herself of the disastrous kitchen adventure. At least everypony was nice enough not to comment on her current appearance; she had a reason to avoid Clap for a moment.

Gypsy looked at her with a smile. "Would it not be m-more efficient to b-b-bathe after the sneaking and th-the travel?"

Right - she would obviously need another shower after that, of course.

"Perhaps I'll be able to pretend that I'm a pancake - that would shock our enemies, for certain," she shrugged slightly with resignation. She started to try to consider what they could possibly do with the princess' body when Obsidian realized that, well...

"I... I'm sorry, but I don't know what to do with Cadance's remains. I really don't; I'm not familiar with any passage rites or funeral customs that the Crystal Empire might employ. At the moment, the best I think I could do would be to dig a hole for her... but that's hardly better than leaving her in the room where she met her fate." To think that her brother's curse was powerful enough to kill an alicorn!

Gypsy nodded solemnly. "This one kn-knows of some of the traditional ways to lay a b-body to rest, and would be honored to d-d-do so for her." He ducked his head as he stepped in, and brought out a small flashlight from his pocket. Turning it on, he held it upward, pointing at the ceiling which lit a good portion of the cavern.

"Sh-shall we go?" he asked.

Siddy was going to say they might need shovels... then she realized she was talking to a diamond dog. "Yes... let's."

The two of them made their way into the darkness of the tunnels, and they were mostly rock at first... then, little by little, she began to see more and more crystal of the type that Twilight's Palace was made of, lining the walls and slowly replacing the rock and dirt they'd first encountered.

Eventually, they came to what appeared to be a large stone disk in the ceiling, and a sturdy-looking ladder reaching up towards it. Gypsy smiled as he walked over to a junction of rocks, then stuck a paw in between them and seemed to pull on something there. The disk slid sideways with a quiet grinding sound, and light from above shone down. Gypsy went up first, as he had a better means to defend himself with claws instead of hooves, should they not be alone.

Who came up with this idea of a secret tunnel? Princess Twilight, after yet another enemy attempted to conquer Equestria? Miss Pie, to easily plan the famous surprise parties Obsidian had heard about? Both - and they met mid-way? Obsidian could only guess. She followed Gypsy up into the room above... though as a pony, she was less used to ladders, so it took a moment.

Reaching the top, she found herself in what looked to be a room pre-prepared for a party... except there was a bed here, which was decorated to look like a giant cake, complete with frosting-colored sheets and peppermint-colored pillows. There was a dresser that resembled a giant boxed present, and a mirror vanity table that was COVERED in little yellow sticky notes, each one with some sort of reminder or recipe or some other bit of information. The walls were filled with pictures of balloons, confetti and streamers, and the floor was carpeted to look like it was a huge plate - which the hole was centered in.

No doubt about it - they were in the Pinkie Suite.

It looked a bit less chaotic than Obsidian had expected. In fact, it looked quite nice for a room where the main decoration theme revolved around sugary stuff and baked treats. She trotted over to the mirror vanity table to take a peek at the notes, just in case; Destiny sometimes had strange ways to tell her what she should do, after all.

[Remember to give Gummy his medicine! NOON]
[Don't eat the Yellow cupcakes; those are for CRANKY!]
[Find a decent replacement accordion for CHEESY'S BD!]
[Send Cupcake to find Patty at the fair next week]
[Black licorice = nummy pudding!]
[Don't forget The P.P.L. in the closet!]
[Eat slowly; tummy digests better that way]
[CS + PP = <3]
[Get Blue to doctor's; shots (yucko)]
[Buy last volume of D.D. for R.D.'s BD! ASAP!]
[Restock balloons for Fluttershy's Wedding (and DON'T TELL!)]
[Eat more celery - heart healthy!]
[Blue's Guitar Recital: DON'T FORGET!]
[Press Limey for little Stalwart's favorite flavor of ice cream]
[Meeting w/Rares over dresses for party]
[10 PM - Cider at AJs!]
[Cheese's eye exam 3 PM DON'T FORGET!]
[Look for better deal on cannon confetti]
[The cake is a lie - but PINKIE makes it TRUE!]
[Get 3 bags - Puffed Grass for Loocey]
[Polish Twi's crown while she's sleeping; needs a waxing, too]
[Crusaders coming Tuesday - PARTY TIME!]
[Thunderclap tryouts for WBs; oil propello-cycle for trip.]
[Check Twilight's room for the prison glyphs!]
[Ask Discord for recipe for Upside-Downside-Outside-In Cake]
[Button Mash VG Tourney - DON'T FORGET!]
[Yaks visit tomorrow - get stuff to smash!]
[Gummy medicine - I told you don't forget!]
[Read 'Canterlot Tales' when time permits]
[Granny Smith funeral tomorrow; AJ needs you]
[Middle names for new baby: Alphonse, Albert, Alfred, Aloysius, Aragorn]
[Make time for LICKY'S LICE CHECK!]
[Get lice shampoo at pharmacy]
[Restock lice shampoo]
[Pizza Party for Licorice - LICE FREE!]
[Change out filter on oven vent]
[Restock lice shampoo - and check heads before any parties!]
[Milk, eggs, flour, nitro gycerine, food coloring, sugar]
[A lot of notes, isn't it?]
[Wake up 7 AM - Maud's BD!]

There were more, but they all had similar cryptic writing on them.

That was a lot of notes, and it seemed as if most of them were pretty much out of date. Who were these 'crusaders' she was speaking of? A wedding, birthdays, middle names for Cupcake... and exactly where did she even get that idea? As far as Obsidian was aware, none of them had any real meaning - was it some kind of modern naming convention?. Wait, lice? Nitro gylcerine?

"We need to go to the princess' room," Obsidian said aloud after finally reading all the presented notes. She hadn't missed the note about the prison gylphs - as improbable as it was - and to be fair, she had kind of hoped that she would be able to take a quick peek in there.

So she was curious, so what!? But it was nice to have a good excuse to do so at hoof.

Gypsy nodded. "It is th-this way," he said as he began to make his way to the door and opened it slowly, trying not to make noise...

... which was absolutely ruined when a speaker IN the Pinkie Suite cut on.

The mare's voice echoed down the halls, quite loudly... but luckily, there was no response. None at all.

Gypsy, who had yelped and hid behind Siddy, now crept out with a light blush on his muzzle. "Th-that did not happen, y-y-yes?"

With that, he now poked his snout into the hall, sniffed... then cocked his head at an angle. "There is a scent... w-w-we are not alone w-within the palace." He stepped lightly into the hall, sniffed again... then suddenly made a face. "... and s-s-s-something else. Something n-nasty."

By Darkness! It was always the same with the Pie family - expect the unexpected! Who would have thought that Miss Pie would hide a speaker here? There were guests, from time to time! Obsidian herself spent some time in at least three out of five of the suites - what possessed the pink party pony to think it would be a good idea to scare the living Tartarus out of ponies like that!? Damn, she could've at least placed a note on the mirror!

"Let's avoid running into this... nasty, whatever-it-is. Is it the only thing around that you can identify? How many of these nasty things are nearby? Do you think we could completely avoid them with your nose's help?"

"This one sh-shall ask his nose..." He sniffed about, then made a slow circle on all fours around the area around them. After a moment, he stood up again and came back over to her, speaking softly. "To our l-l-left smells burnt, rotten, foul... l-l-likely where Jade was w-walking. To the right, this one sm-smells a pony... and that p-pony is Stonewall P-P-Peavine; the nose does n-not lie."

"Of all ponies, what is HE doing here?" Obsidian asked, dumbfounded. Could it be possible that he was under Amber's influence as well? Or maybe he was simply looting the palace? For some reason, Obsidian automatically assumed that he probably wasn't doing anything useful.

"Which way we will take us closer to Princess Twilight's chambers?" She had to choose between a path of destruction... and a meeting with an idiot. In this case, she could simply avoid the choice and find out which path would be shorter.

Gypsy looked at her with an apologetic expression. "Towards P-P-Peavine, this one is s-sorry to s-s-say..."

Of course. Had she really expected any other answer? "Let's go to the right, then," she sighed.

They headed down the path to the right, which led to the main hallway. In here, there was a bit of a change.

The large, ornate front doors of the palace had been ripped away from their hinges, it seemed; they were lying in the middle of the Grand Hall Entrance. All over the floor were small metal rivets - thousands of them - and there were little holes all over the once-regal walls.

Obsidian also noted a number of utterly destroyed Umbral Harnesses, their pilots unresponsive, chunks of steel all over the place - Princess Twilight hadn't made it easy for them, that much was apparent. The destruction led all the way to the Throne Room doors, which were smashed inward and broken.

Gypsy's ears and tail drooped when he saw the destruction. "Th-this is... is not g-g-good..."

Well, it seemed that, at least this time, the Siddy Six weren't there to save the day. To be fair, it was probably a good thing for them - Obsidian doubted they would have been too useful against the Umbral Harnesses... at least until they found a way to damage them with alternate means of magic, or possibly acquire some nice, flashy weapons from Opal, or at least they should make sure that they wouldn't be mind-controlled first.

"Carefully, carefully," she said under her breath. She could probably deal with a few harnesses, thanks to the Dark Magic she already knew, but she needed more extensive training to thrash them as easily as Amethyst could.

But it was just a place; the things within could be replaced; Obsidian was more concerned about finding any bodies at their destination...

The Throne Room was a mess. There were rivets and jagged chunks of blasted machinery everywhere, plus a scorchmark that stretched across the back wall, slicing through tapestries and leaving three stained glass windows shattered into pieces.

There was also an occasional splash of blood... and two corpses wearing Royal Guard helmets. One was utterly burnt to a crisp... and the other was missing her head and part of her torso. If Wart had been on duty when this had occurred...

The throne itself bore a blackened magic scar across the back of it, but was otherwise unharmed. There was a doorway towards the back of the throne room, but it was COVERED with furniture and other items, creating a barricade that neither of them could see through.

Thankfully, there were no other bodies; the two guards were all they had found.

They still hadn't found Stonewall - unless he was one of the dead guards. However, Obsidian doubted that was the case; otherwise, Gypsy probably wouldn't have been able to smell him - the stench of his burnt body would cover anything else from him.

"You know, I thought that Amber would have been able to take over in a more or less peaceful manner, due to her mind control being powerful enough to end just about any sort of resistance. I guess I either overestimated her, or Amethyst syphoned off more of her magic than I originally thought," Obsidian mused as she trotted closer to the throne to inspect it. Why was the damage on the back of it - did somepony hide behind it and miss their target very, very badly?

Behind the throne, on closer inspection, were two things: A pair of red-lensed goggles, and what appeared to be a puddle of... something yellow.

Gypsy wrinkled his snout at the sight. "The n-nose tells this one, th-th-that is urine..." The diamond dog then went over to one of the guards' corpses, and holding out a paw over it, he began to chant softly to himself.

The red goggles were putting off magic - she could feel it - but otherwise were unremarkable... except for some letters scratched onto the inside of the rubber headband: P. P.

Hopefully it meant 'Pinkie Pie'... on another hoof, it would most certainly mean that her future mother-in-law had some frankly terrifying skills in the realm of clairvoyancy. She grabbed it with her magic, respectfully avoiding the puddle of piss (not that she blamed whatever poor bastard that had left it - Umbrals were terrifying, their harnesses were terrifying, and whoever it was got both at once). Then, lifting the goggles up, she carefully put them on over her eyes.

Thankfully, they slipped on easily enough. As soon as they were on, everything around her gained a red tint to it, but what was extrraordinary was looking at Gypsy through them; he had an aura of bright blue around him, and a diagram above his head identified him as a [Diamond Dog, Adolescent, Healthy]... and then began to give Obsidian a view of his skeletal structure, overlapped on Gypsy's form to move with him.

Then, little points began to appear on him, with lines that led to the sides of her view. These lines read things such as: [Head] - [Torso] - [Left Leg] - [Right Leg] - [Left Arm] - [Right Arm]... and then, the goggles began to list off the kinds of materials that could reinforce his current outfit.

Obsidian took off the strange goggles, peeked at Gypsy again with her bare eyes, then put them back on. Huh, quite neat. Pretty useful little things, especially if it would be able to point out weak points in the harnesses. And if not, then Opal and/or Patty would surely appreciate a tool like this that could obviously help them greatly with their tinkering.

But now, it was time to address part of the reason Obsidian had originally come here for to begin with. She looked straight at the bodies of the two guards, wanting to identify them, if possible. They were heroes who had died to defend others; they deserved at least a bit of respect, even if Obsidian and Gypsy were in a rush.

[Pegasus, Adult, Deceased]
[Earth Pony, Adult, Deceased]

After a moment of looking at them, more readouts came:

[CAUSE: Magical Destruction]
[CAUSE: Decaptiation]

After that, little readouts began to point out the damage sustained to the armored suits, and the materials needed to repair them... but it said nothing further on the ponies themselves.

Gypsy finished his first blessing, then moved to the other one and, trying not to look at the headless corpse, he extended his paw again and began chanting once more.

[Unicorn - Adult - Dehydrated] suddenly popped up as her view rolled idly past the barricade piled in front of the doorway at the back.

Well, it helped a bit with their identification... but just a bit. But it was good enough, at least for now. However, on the other side of that debris-stacked doorway, they were going to meet somepony they really didn't want to meet with. "I suppose we must get this over with - shall we?" she asked, sounding utterly dejected and resigned to having to encounter the petty pastry thief.

It had been a while since she was able to see the effects of warfare so closely, and all because Amber was completely insane, yet too mentally weak to take over everything instantly.

Eh. No matter how much Obsidian disliked Peavine, it wasn't fair to keep him waiting. She made a mental note to check these new goggles out on one of harnesses later - but for now, she started to magically tear down the barricade, piece by piece.

Strange... why it was barred from this side? She would have expected it built on the other side where the survivor was hiding.

"NO! Stay away from me, you rotten, foul abominations! BEGONE!" Panic was prevalent in his voice, but it was Peavine Stonewall, alright... and he sounded terrified.

A glow began to issue from behind the barricade. "Stay back! I HAVE A GUN!" he cried out, and Gypsy instantly flinched back when he heard that.

"Then put it down please, as I don't want to get shot. You're in need of assistance, Stonewall," Obsidian said with a calm voice. It figured - of all the ponies around, she had to find him. "And I'm fairly sure I'm not a rotten, foul abomination."

"... Obsidian? Get me OUT of here! Princess Twilight barricaded me in here when SHE showed up, a-a-and I can't get out!" Peavine sounded somewhere between desperate and irritated, and the glow receded as he spoke.

Gypsy looked at her with a smirk. "M-m-must we?" But of course, as soon as he said it, he went to the pile to help move things to get the obnoxious stallion free.

Of all ponies around, Twilight had saved him? Why - was he her secret lover or something? In fact, she realized that she had no idea who Midnight's father was. Some of the resulting visions that appeared in her head made her fairly sick to her stomach.

"Did she say why she chose you to remain here?" she asked as she returned to tearing down the barricade again.

"GET ME OUT!!!" Well, he apparently wasn't in the mood to talk just yet.

Gypsy pulled away a lot of debris, but upon reaching the doorway, they came upon the remains of an Umbral Harness jammed tightly into the doorway; probably the reason Peavine was still inside Twilight's room...

Wait - he was in Twilight's chambers! Maybe he saw the glyph in there!

Obsidian looked down and used this opportunity to glare at the harness, to check to see if her goggles would work on it. Especially as she was a bit nervous at the discovery of the mechanical-undead abomination stuck in the doorway. After all, things that weren't alive could turn out to still be active - and she wanted to be absolutely sure that this thing wouldn't try to kill them after digging it out.

[Mechanoid Hybrid - Ancient - Deceased] Well that answered that question, but Obsidian was still careful. She was quite aware that it was deceased; it was undead, after all. The fact that the goggles were showing possible adjustments could come in handy if they could list repairs and potential upgrades.

"OUT OUT OUT OUT OUUUUUUUUUUT!!!!!" Gyspy covered his ears and gave Siddy a look that said they should either get him out... or seal him up in there.

This bastard was going to bring disaster upon them if he wasn't quiet! "Shut up in there! We're working as quickly as possible!" Obsidian growled as she kept doing her best to drag away the broken harness from the doorframe. It finally gave with her magic and Gypsy's paws pulling, and it fell into pieces as soon as it hit the floor.

And Stonewall Peavine followed shortly after it. He looked positively ragged; his mane and tail were a mess, his eyes wide and looking everywhere, his gait nervous... and his suit definitely showed telltale signs of wetting himself. But the most notable thing he had with him was what looked like a steel tube with strange nubs and other things attached to it.

"Are they gone!?" he said shakily as he swept the front of this 'gun' in each direction he looked in.

"We believe so - now put that thing down before you hurt somepony," Obsidian glared, not in the best mood to deal with him. "Why did the princess put you back there? Is there any specific reason?"

Peavine looked at her for a moment, then slowly lowered the gun to point it at the floor. "N-no... I had been sent to procure some glyph scrolls at Her Majesty's request, but when I showed up with them, I barely had a chance to say a word before... before..."

He steadied himself, then continued. "... when they got to the Throne Room, Princess Twilight magically shoved me into her quarters, then sealed the door with whatever she could cram into the doorway. I couldn't see what was happening, but apparently Princess Flurry Heart is attempting a COUP! How could this BE? Princess Twilight is her AUNT!"

"Oh, that's not Princess Flurry Heart - it's something far, far worse that possessed her body," Obsidian explained as she attempted to calm him down. "Do you still happen to have those scrolls, as I require them... and did the princess happen to say anything else? Did you hear what became of her, mayhaps?"

Peavine gave her a skeptical look. "You... you need them? But Princess Twilight Sparkle ordered them specifically from the Penitentary Center - these aren't for civilian eyes!"

Gypsy facepawed, then stepped forward and gently placed his paws on Peavine's collar, straightening it a bit for him. "P-p-pony, we are the only backup y-you can expect, and should you n-n-not wish to help us, th-then we are under ZERO oblig-gation to protect or save you... and we shall l-l-leave you here, among the d-debris, for when she returns."

Gypsy would do no such thing, and Obsidian knew it; he was too kind-hearted, to caring to ever allow anyone to have to endure such a thing alone. But Peavine didn't know that.

The stallion's face blanched, and he numbly reached into the vest of his armor, and brought out a fancy scroll casing. "... h-here," he said in shock, holding it out.

"Th-thank you," Gypsy responded as he looked to Obsidian with a nod.

"I know that they aren't for civilian eyes - which annoys me terribly. We wouldn't even be in this mess if I'd gotten my hooves on them back in Manehattan," Obsidian huffed as she reached out and took the scroll, which she then opened immediately to make sure it was what she hoped it was.

The scroll contained a grand total of sixteen different protection glyphs - and she had not a single idea of which one was the key element, as ALL of them were magical blockers of some sort.

Peavine looked at them both for a moment, then hurriedly made his way to the door.

"You sh-should not go out there w-w-without one of us!" Gypsy warned... and surprisingly, the guard stopped at the threshhold. He looked back at them both, his expression somewhere between nervous and impatient.

"Fine, yes, a good point, now can we go? I have had FAR enough of being stuck, and I need a shower, a meal and a bed, in that exact order - and I do NOT want to wait long for it. If you have things to do, then do them... just hurry!" He aimed his gun at the open doorway and paced, too unnerved to stand still.

"Is it wh-what you seek?" the diamond dog asked her.

By Darkness, it was never easy, was it? Now they had to either find some way to paint all of these glyphs on their armors, chariots and so on, or they would have to take the time to try to figure out which one was the correct one. Obsidian's dream of using an anti-mind controlling glyph as some kind of resistance symbol - which would logically mean that everypony who stood against Amber, by definition, was safe from her most powerful weapon - would have to wait a bit.

"I think so, yes. I will check the princess' chambers; Stonewall, you've waited for this long, so you can wait a little bit longer. And please don't go out there on your own, as it's certainly not safe around here."

Actually, there was one other thing to see to. "We still have one task to do while we're here in the palace - the scroll wasn't the only thing we'd come here for."

Peavine practically panicked at hearing that they weren't done. "NO! No no no no NOOOO! I do NOT want to stay here another second! There's NO REASON to - Princess Twilight is GONE! Her visitors are GONE! NOBODY is left here, so we can LEAVE!"

Gypsy stepped forward and locked the unicorn with a HARD stare. "NO. We will d-do as we came t-t-to."

"What in the wide, wide world of Equestria could be so damned important!?!?" Peavine shrieked angrily.

The diamond dog stepped forward and took hold of the guardpone's collar again... but not so gently, this time. He shoved him backwards until he connected with the wall, and came muzzle-to-muzzle with him.

"Because Cadence's remains will not stay HERE!" he yelled into the stallion's face, tears now rolling down his cheeks... and, unknown to him, he didn't stutter a word of it - it meant that much to him.

Peavine's entire body language shifted at once, and all the fight seemed to just fizzle out of him. He stared at Gypsy in total shock. "... Cadence's... remains?"

Gypsy let go of his collar and turned away, covering his face with hs paws and facing away from them. Peavine just stood there, stunned for a moment, before he looked to Obsidian.

"I... I'm sorry, I... y-yes, of course, it would only be..." He stopped talking; he knew he'd said enough.

Obsidian nodded grimly. Gathering herself up, she made her way into Princess Twilight's room. Just a quick peek, as they didn't really have the time to explore it properly - and besides, it would be somewhat disrespectful. She just hoped that something useful would catch her eye.

The room was just like one of the suites, except it was themed to the alicorn herself; shades of purple were all over, and the general feeling she got was that it was supposed to be neat and orderly...

Supposed to be.

Instead, things were a bit disheveled; the bed was unmade and shoved against the wall, the dresser was on top of it, and a few chairs were scattered about. The chaise lounge was in the far back corner, and smelled vaguely of pee - probably where the unicorn had been sleeping. Otherwise, the only thing that might be interesting was her desk; it was untouched, except for what looked like little metal tubes lined up in rows on it's surface.

The drawers held very little of interest until she reached the main drawer; it had two books and a pencil case, and not much else of interest... unless Obsidian was after paper clips or a slide rule.

The first book looked well-worn and cared for, was bright purple, and had the words 'Twilight's Diary' written on the cover... and a hefty-looking padlock.

The second book, however, was a black-bound ledger that looked positively ancient... and had Sombra's banner on the cover.

The pencil case had pencils, yes... but inside it was also a key of some sort, its' purpose unknown. And it didn't fit the lock on the diary. Not that she tried it; nope, nuh-uh, not a bit... well... okay, at least it was good to know it didn't fit THAT lock. Don't judge.

If that second book was what Obsidian thought it was - and she certainly doubted that it wasn't - then it was her family's property. Princess Twilight wasn't around right now to keep her out of it, and as far as Obsidian was concerned, Amber hadn't read it, so it was practically her DUTY to keep this book out of her hooves! She immediately checked the key from the pencil case, impatiently attempting to finally get her hooves on Sombra's diary.

Since the ledger had no lock, it was simple enough to check... and lo and behold, the first words written inside were:

If I have to rite, then I will rite whatever I want in here - Hope said I needed to improv my skills, so she got me this thing to rite in. How do I tell her I don't know what to say? It's like talking to yourself; no one else will ever reed it, so why am I bothering? Becase SHE told me I shuld... and I trust Hope completly. Still, it seems REALY pointles to rite to yourself. Well, at least this shuld keep her off my back for a bit, yes?

It was written out in simple, shaky block lettering; his penmanship was okay, but obviously not complete.

Well, that certainly seemed like the Sombra she'd seen in her dreams - the real one, not the parasitic monster living within his body. In a way, it was Obsidian's first actual contact (well, except for the snippets of Hope's memories she kept dreaming - and in all honesty, she hadn't appreciated him very much during those visions) with the pony that unknowingly gave her life and then saved it. It was a strange feeling; almost as if her throat was choking - but it was coming from her chest.

Obsidian took up the key and Sombra's diary and stashed them away before returning the princess' diary and pencil case to the drawer. "Okay - now, let's make our way towards the testing labs." She was ready; glyphs, her father's diary, and even a rescued pony... she had accomplished much.

When she left the room, Gypsy was wiping his eyes on his hoodie sleeve, and Peavine just glanced at her, but said nothing. The three of them made their way back down the hall, past the Suites... and towards the main hallway. Obsidian smelled something acrid as they got close - then, she saw the hoofprints.

Jade's steps, measured and even, were blackened spots on the carpet where he'd passed. Around them on the walls were the remains of decorative tapestries and framed pictures; all burnt to blackened and tattered remains. Then, they made it to the doors to the Scientific Wing... or what was left of them. They were a melted heap on the floor, and Gypsy held up his paw as they drew close.

"Stop... the nose t-tells him that th-this is... still w-warm..." Sure enough, even Obsidian felt the lightest bit of heat coming from the glob of steel in front of them - how could it still be putting off heat?

Fascinating... but they didn't really have the time to investigate it properly. Whatever curse was put onto Jade, its residual effects were even more terrifying than Obsidian had initially thought. In fact, she was concerned if they would even find any remains of the murdered princess...

She'd been misled into thinking that the cursed shard was her hurt child; she could've been trying to embrace him.

And the longer Obsidian thought about it, the more she wanted to experiment to see if she could forcefully tear Sombra's and Hope's energies from Amber's soul and let them return to their proper owners. "Give me a moment," she muttered with irritation as she focused herself, trying to cast a Water Spell directly onto the doors to cool them off.

It took a moment, as the spell worked faster with the given element present... but eventually, a light magical rain began to fall above the hunk of twisted steel - and it gave off a loud, fierce hissssss as steam instantly rose from it.

Gypsy placed a paw on Obsidian's barrel and pressed her gently back a step, making certain they avoided the steam. "It smells... st-st-strange..." Peavine hadn't said a word, but he took note of their activity and took two steps back, just to be certain. The steam just kept coming; it didn't seem like any amount of water was cooling it off; every drop continued to turn to hissing steam - even after a minute-long deluge.

"Bah! This would work much faster if we could simply blast open another hole next to the doors!" Obsidian growled, becoming more and more frustrated with each uneventful second as she watched the water continue to turn to steam. "Peavine! You've supposedly spent more time within this castle than either of us; are there any other ways to get inside the laboratory area?"

"Yes... yes there is, in fact; this way," he said, then turned back out into the hall and went out of a side exit, into the palace gardens. The covered area where her father's statue had been dragged out of looked as though there had been something grinding up dirt in the area - it seemed as though somepone had been made to drag it out of the magically protected shelter it had been in. Aside from that, nothing else seemed to have been molested; even the statue of 'The Villainous Trio' was still there.

Peavine led them along the path, and back around to the castle's far side where there was a small, iron-wrought gate. "This is Her Majesty Princess Twilight's entrance to her personal laboratory... if you'll wait a bit, I can try to pick the lock; I am unfortunately quite certain that she had the only key."

Who could have possibly moved that statue? Well, now that she considered it, Amber had access to plenty of industrial-purposed mechanical harnesses and kept a number of zombie Umbrals on her side; it shouldn't have been all that difficult to move it from where it was to where it had ended up. She wouldn't even have had to mind-control anypony.

"By any chance, would it happen to be this key?" Obsidian pulled out the key she'd 'acquired' from Twilight's pencil case and showed it to Peavine.

The unicorn stallion stared at it as his jaw dropped open. "H-how... how did you-"

Gypsy smirked and patted him lightly on top of his head. "She d-d-does that; you shall get used t-to it, in t-time."

Author's Note

Jade, Son of Sombra

]==-O-==[

Jade's camera scenes were completely influenced by the song "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons; from the first thump of the drums to the last echo of the lyrics, this is how I saw the scene play out in my mind. Hopefully, it translated well.

And with the showing of the Pinkie Suite, we've seen all six of the much-lauded Harmony Suites - and it only took three books to do it!

Of all the characters that could have been trapped within the palace, OF COURSE it had to be Stonewall Peavine - at least he served a purpose, and was the reason Siddy now has those sigils, right? TOTALLY worth having to ~~suffer~~ enjoy his company, yeah?

Three: Ashes

Still thunderstruck, Peavine took the key in his magic and used it to unlock the door, and after a thorough look inside, he nodded to Siddy and Gypsy, and made his way in.

The lab itself wasn't huge, but everything it had was top-of-the-line, and it was neat as a pin - a place for everything, and everything in its' place. Rows of glass beakers and shelves labeled with notebooks, test tubes of varying sizes, and various other lab implements. Gypsy kept gazing around at the lab itself, while Peavine crept his way through to the door on the other side of the lab, presumably where it would lead where they needed to go.

The truth was, Obsidian had only taken the key because she thought it would be useful later; in any other circumstance it would be called 'theft', to be completely and utterly fair. Luckily in this situation, she could pass it off as a 'requisition of strategical resources'.

Too bad they couldn't take Patty or Opal with them, as Obsidian was sure they would find some sort of use for all the equipment here. Sadly, she had no idea about them at the moment, so she followed Stonewall... and she remembered something important. She used her magic to try to form a small ball of water, held within a magical field. The water ball actually gathered from the nearby sink basin, rolling out of the tap to bring about a nice-sized ball of liquid. Smart thinking.

Sure enough, the lab opened into the hallway, which most certainly was the sight she had seen in the cameras underneath Sugarcube Corner; the walls were a bit melty, the light sconces were dark, and the floor held the path Jade had taken from the holding room he'd been placed in.

And where the Princess of Love met her tragic end.

Gypsy manuevered them through the hall, avoiding the worst of the heat... but Obsidian got the impression they should finish this business as quickly as possible, whether they avoided the weirdly hot spots or not. What sort of terrible power had been placed upon her poor brother?

"Peavine, here - you're a bit dehydrated," Obsidian murmured, levitating the ball of water closer to him.

The guardpone looked at her, surprised again. "... y-yes. Th-..." and he actually seemed to lighten his expression a bit, "... thank you." It wasn't a smile, but it was a start. He drank a portion of it, careful to sip instead of gulp. Gypsy, meanwhile, looked directly at her and smiled kindly, nodding his head in approval.

Reaching what was left of the doors, they managed to avoid the debris enough to at least see inside before they moved.

It was a cylendrical chamber with a high ceiling. The walls had one particular feature to them; lines of glyphs in neat patterns circled the room in bands. In the center was a reinforced platform/table, and it looked as though it had once held a stand of some manner. Now, the tabletop was covered in metal goop, hardened again into the likeness of melted candles. The table was slightly bowed in the middle, as if it had tried to melt - and there was a thick, hot and humid air in the room. The floor in here had four heavy hoofprints on the floor in front of the table, where Jade had first stepped to the ground.

And lying behind the table, on the floor, was a golden tiara, stained with soot... the rest of which must have been behind the table itself, thankfully out of sight.

Obsidian couldn't believe her eyes. Not the destruction - that was to be expected, as she saw the terrifying effects of Jade's curse for herself. However, she didn't expect...

"... is this all? Please tell me that either of you can see more than I currently can," she practically pleaded to Peavine and Gypsy.

Stonewall Peavine stepped over the metal sludge and into the chamber itself, and made his way around the table, hesitantly. In only a few steps around it, he squeezed his eyes shut and a look of anguish crossed his features. "... sweet Twilight's crown, no..."

He visibly shuddered, then turned and vomited up all the water he'd just drank. He hung his head for a moment, coughing lightly, before wiping his mouth and looking up at them. "I... I shall gather..." he closed his eyes again, "... j-just let me handle this. Please."

Gypsy nodded, then led Siddy back into the hallway a bit, his ears drooping but concern on his muzzle as he got both of them away from what would certainly be a grisly task for the guardpony. So Obsidian's worry that the crown was the only thing left of Cadence was... not exactly correct - much to Stonewall's anguish.

"Let's hope that, among the other things in the laboratory, there is something to... t-to collect her remains in," Obsidian said with a dead, emotionless voice. It was apparently a good thing that they brought Peavine along with them; she didn't even want to think what she would find there.

Even the sight of Cadance's crown was a bit too much, as it was just so... final.

Gypsy reached over and put his forearms around her, giving her a gentle embrace. "It is f-fuel for the f-f-fire that will push us t-to victory against Amber; she w-w-will regret this act, among c-countless others... let th-this not become a constant p-pain in the heart as much as a f-fire in one's belly to see j-justice done."

Roughly ten minutes (and another round of puking) later, Stonewall Peavine came out from the room, looking quite emotionally drained. With him, he had a bundle on his back, wrapped in his own Royal Guard cape; it had been neatly packed and tied, but it seemed there was barely enough for half a pony there. He said not a word to them, but gave a baleful and harrowed glance towards them as he passed, headed for the doors, no longer caring if anything would be waiting for them.

"Amber... she will pay for the loss of Princess Cadance... and for forcing Flurry to watch it happen... and for using Jade to do it," Obsidian promised - herself, Gypsy, the entire world. Oh, there were already other crimes Amber would certainly have to answer for - but at the moment, this one was the most important. And it was Obsidian's task to be sure that she wouldn't commit any more.

She turned and quickly followed Stonewall as he returned with... such a terribly small something packed away in his cape. Obsidian was regretting her earlier worries now - it would have been much, much better if Cadance would simply have turned completely to ash - this was ...brutal.

They took the same path back, carefully winding their way around the debris, then through the garden, and back into the palace itself. Neither Gypsy nor Peavine said a single word as they went on their silent sojourn.

Coming to the rooms, they made their way into the Pinkie Suite once more. Again, the mass of sticky notes drew her attention; how much did the pink mare know, and just how much of a prophet was she? One of the notes came unglued and fell to the floor as they entered the room:

[Don't forget THE P.P.L. in the closet!]

...oh? What was this? The note was so, well, generic that Obsidian had overlooked it at first. "Go ahead and leave first, please - I think I need to check something out," she said as she looked around to find the closet. What could be this 'P.P.L' be?

Right now, any distraction from her current, grim reality was welcome.

The closet turned out to be the cabinet which was painted to look like a giant present, complete with a bow on top. The garish colors were bright and happy; not at all matching to the current mood.

When she opened it up, there could be no mistaking what the P.P.L. was: There were a few dresses, some boxes of peanut butter cookies and a comically overly-large Stetson hat. Those were the only other things present in the closet aside from the thing that Siddy first laid eyes on.

It looked like a large metal tube that had been mostly flattened, and had a cannister-looking thing attached to it. There was a harness strapped to it that looked like it would fit on any pony - even holes for wings - and it was shiny and clean, as if it had never been used before.

Across the side read the following words: [Pinkie Pie's Party Pizza Launcher]

Miss Pie was the best mother-in-law in the world - Obsidian had no idea how it was possible that she got her hooves on a harness, or how she might have smuggled it into the castle, or how she knew to make a note - but did it matter? No, not at all; at the moment, the only important thing was the fact that she would get an opportunity to test this device. Obsidian quickly and enthusiastically tried to put it on.

It was simple enough in its' design that she could easily do so, and it felt like it was made for her. It sat comfortably on her back, and the straps in front made sure it was tight enough not to slide around on her. When it was done, there wasn't much extra weight on her, and a retractable mouth-trigger was next to her jaw; one bite would probably fire it, from the looks of it.

Gypsy watched her with interest... but Peavine just watched the floor.

It felt good on her back, like she had a weapon of her own now; gun-pones, beware... Obsidian had pizza pies of DOOOOOOOM! And of course, it could be a pretty dangerous weapon on its own - especially if those pizzas were still FROZEN - but perhaps it would be possible to load something else into it... or maybe ask Patty or Opal to take a peek. It wasn't quite enough firepower to defeat Amber outright, but it should at least make fighting a bit easier - and hopefully, more entertaining.

Then, sadly, she reminded herself of their task. "So, Mister Stonewall... do you want me to levitate you down, to keep your... um, c-cargo... safe?" she asked, embarrassed.

The guard stallion held up a hoof. "No. I chose this burden; I will see it to the end, alone, as my honor within the Royal Guard demands that I do this duty for... for her." He then carefully took hold of the ladder and climbed his way down.

Gypsy offered Obsidian to go next, as he would have the easiest time getting down, and wanted to offer his friend help, should she need it.

Obsidian waited carefully for Stonewall finish descending. "Yes, thank you, Gypsy... though I'm not sure if you'll be able to catch me if I fall down with this thing strapped to me," she offered him an uneasy smile. Maybe she should just jump down instead of bothering with the ladder?

Gypsy gave her some assistance, but the ladder wasn't as difficult to negotiate as she'd thought it would be; Pinkie had put it in to use for climbing, so it was pony-friendly... more or less.

As they regrouped and made their way through the tunnel, Peavine poked his head up a bit and looked around at where they were. He was obviously curious, yet he kept quiet while they made their way through the passageway. Reaching the other end, they came back out into the warehouse, out of the same fridge they'd first entered. Gypsy closed the doorway behind them, and Peavine looked around with a puzzled look on his muzzle.

"It's Sugarcube Corner," Obsidian informed him, wondering what could they do with Cadance's remains. Bury her, yes, that was obvious... but what were the ceremonies involved? The habits to be followed? Traditions to be observed? She knew about none of them, so she simply had to rely on her friends in this case; it certainly didn't help that the fallen princess wasn't going to receive a burial worthy of her status.

"What will we do with the princess? We're going to leave Ponyville soon, and I'm sure we could try to find a proper coffin while we gather supplies for our expedition," Siddy suggested quietly.

"Sugarcube Corner?" Peavine said incredulously, "There's a breach in the palace's defenses HERE!?" He now seemed to take on more of an expression she was used to seeing on him. "When all of this is done with, I will be making a report on this, and we'll have it sealed up immediately," he spoke to himself, "there won't be anymore breaches like this, I guarantee..."

Gypsy simply rolled his eyes and looked to Obsidian. "There are w-w-ways to proceed w-with burial that th-this one is familiar w-with; there can be a p-prayer spoken, a-a-and a ritual to perform which is t-to put her soul at rest... until we can inter her p-p-properly within the Crystal Empire."

Good luck with that, Peavine; Obsidian would be quite surprised if Miss Pie had only one way to smuggle herself into Twilight's Palace. "So... you'll take care of her soul. Good. But what about her body?"

Peavine looked over at them. "The diamond dog speaks true of what can be done to quell her lost soul, but until we arrive within the Crystal Empire, her remains are to be placed somewhere safe; I am aware of burial and rites criteria, so I am certain I can find a suitable container somewhere in this... this..."

He shook his head in wonder. "HOW is all of this connected to Sugarcube Corner? The building isn't that big, so..." He puzzled a moment, then looked at them both. "... underground?"

Gypsy nodded in confirmation, and Peavine nodded as well. "Hmmmmmm... very interesting; I believe Royal Guard Security will be having a long and detailed chat with Miss Pie, once this is done with." She had to give some credit; he was certain that Equestria would win out, it was just a matter of when. The confidence in the eventual win may have been a bit arrogant, but at the same time it spoke of his loyalty and trust in his nation.

Gypsy looked at him and nodded. "This one offers t-t-to assist in locating a p-proper container, if you w-wish?"

The unicorn looked at him, then at Obsidian... then, with a sigh, all that bravado simply leaked out of him. "Yes, yes... very well. As long as she doesn't end up in a bread box, then I'm sure it will suffice."

Gypsy looked to Obsidian. "And where are y-you headed now, Ob-bsidian?"

"Just remember to put a proper sign on whatever you find to store her in, Gypsy - we don't want anypony to find her by accident," she warned them - just in case. She doubted that Gypsy would forget so important a detail as that, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"As for myself, I will... uh, I will... will..." she pondered. They had to go on an expedition to get back to Washington's hideout, and to do that they had to prepare. What would they need? Perhaps she should take Onyx's shard chunks that she'd had sent from the museum in Manehattan? She could also check to see if Torumaline had left Onyx's notebook in his room.

And, considering they were headed to Washburn's... "I will talk with Cup and the others to see if they know the whereabouts of Butter and her family."

Gypsy nodded to her, then walked next to Peavine as he began to search the shelves. "What sort of organization is this? This is hardly alphabetical order..."

As they began to wander the shelves, Obsidian made her way back into the wrehouse proper, and reached the back area with the couch and the fireplace.

Sitting on the couch was Thunderclap Dash, who was busily eating a plate of what looked like some of the breakfast she'd made earlier - the pegasus seemed to be enjoying it just fine, with a few pancakes still waiting to be eaten.

Over in the corner, there was a line of armored pieces that were on some of the tables; Stalwart Stance was busy polishing them up, making sure they shined properly. Neither one of them seemed to see her - but then, there were a few other ponies here as well that she didn't recognize, too.

Other ponies were all around her, and here she was with her mane dirty. Damn her cooking adventures! She needed a shower, quickly! But even dirty, Obsidian was still looking around rather curiously; she was well aware that she didn't know too many ponies here, but it was a flaw she hoped to fix, sooner or later.

And then Peridot had attacked... and then she had to deal with smuggling Diamond and the rest out... and then Quartz... and then Aqua... and then...

Obsidian really felt as if her 'civilian' life had happened over a thousand years ago, and had lasted for all of a week or two, at best. She walked straight to Stalwart. "Pssst..." she said softly in the little mare's direction, which instantly caught her attention.

Wart glanced over her shoulder at Obsidian, and turned to give her a proper bow. "Good morning, Lady Siddy," she said, as per her usual businesslike manner, "I have managed to ensure each suit of armor displayed here is in working condition, complete and presentable. There is alos a table with bladed weapons, which I have oiled and properly sharpened for use."

She then walked over and s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d up to take hold of a dollop of dried batter on Obsidian's mane, gently removing it. "And your breakfast was quite a hit with the refugees, by the way."

Refugees? Breakfast? Considering her cooking skills, she expected that at least some of the survivors wouldn't see the light of day. "When did they get here? And is there anypony I know among them?" she asked with interest.

Wart glanced over her flank at the others milling about, then looked back at her friend. "I do not believe so, Lady Siddy - there are some here that none of us know, yet they know of others. After..."

She sighed, then continued. "... after our attempt on your life, and we reconveined here in Ponyville, we came across a number of ponies who were not under mind control and were quite lost. It was Cupcake and Gypsy who begged to allow them to stay here, and the rest of us agreed. They are mostly staying in the warehouse, as there is not enough room above for such a gathering; I believe that, at last count, we have taken in thirty-fi-..."

"Thirty-seven," Clap corrected through a mouthful of pancake, and waved at Siddy.

"... thirty-seven others, including four yaks, two kirin, another diamond dog and a dragon. There is enough food in storage for a number of parties, so we are distributing it among them. I am certain they will be sick of cake before the week is out."

Obsidian looked at her with shock. Thirty seven other creatures? "... a kirin? A-and a dragon?" she asked with incredulity in her voice. "That's a small army, to be honest - especially after our successful recovery of the anti-mind control ward glyphs."

Wart actually gave a smirk. "A clever deception, on Amber's part - she may have the power of an alicorn, yet she has none of the control; she managed to take the minds of important figures, yet she could not extend her control to EVERYONE, as she had tried to lead us to believe; there are pockets of refugees all over Equestria."

Clap swallowed her mouthful of pancake and added, "Yeah, I found 'em while I was searching for you, Siddy! And they say there's more in a number of locations - Manehattan, Deltrot, Appleloosa, Los Pegs... and guess who's been coordinating the refugees?"

Wart nodded. "Lady Luna has been guiding them through their dreams, which has proven to be effective against Amber's eavesdropping; there is a gathering of around six thousand creatures in hiding at the moment... and we are trying to figure out a way to communicate with them all."

"Peridot and Opal will surely figure something out, I'm sure of it," Obsidian said with confidence, conveniently ignoring the fact that Peri was - as far as she was aware - gone. However, if he was to be gone for good, the mysterious filly in her dreams wouldn't be asking her to talk to Tourmaline, right? Obsidian had already seen enough strange things to know that there were hardly any feats that were completely impossible.

"Or perhaps Patty, but well... we don't exactly know where Cup's siblings are at the moment, do we?" she asked, her ears flattening against her head.

Wart also drooped her own ears. "Worse - Patty was in the middle of a visit to Princess Twilight when things happened; there has been no word yet as to the situation in the palace, but there was talk of an attack..."

She looked up at Obsidian. "Cupcake's siblings are missing... and Thunderclap's mother, Mica's parents... no trace of their whereabouts remains. This... includes my own mother, as well."

Clap looked over at them and sighed. "Yeah... and nobody knows where Amber's hiding out; the Crystal Empire's sealed off with a dome of some kinda energy, so no one can even see inside to know what's happening. It's freaky."

Obsidian had a feeling that Amber's location wasn't within the empire - after all, there was another captial city near there; Obsidian had seen it for herself, thanks to Amber... and she knew where it was, thanks to Whistlewhite.

"Amber is most likely in Tambelon," Obsidian spoke outright - there was no reason to hide it from her two friends, and if anything happened to her... well, it was better if somepony else knew about it. "and I happen to know the way to the city."

Wart looked at her with a quizzical expression. "Tambelon? I have never heard of such a place before..." She looked to the pegasus, who shrugged with a mouthful of her last pancake. "Yet you say you know the way there... however, I would state that we are woefully under-prepared to take on Amber at the moment; we would require a functional army to handle the Umbral Harnesses... otherwise, they would overwhelm us quickly."

"Yeah," Clap added after swallowing, "and there's been additions, Sids - there's a hooful of harnesses that have propellers, now, too. Not a lot, and they're easy enough to take down, but..."

Wart nodded. "Yes - it bodes ill that modifications are being made which could be disastrous in the future."

Modifications? Who could be making them? Did Amber put Patty to work to replace (the stupidly sacrificed) Opal? Or perhaps it was one of the last innovations of her sibling's work before Amber decided she didn't need her anymore?

"We will gather an army, liberate Equestria and the Empire, and eventually strike back against Amber in her own house. Hopefully, sooner than later..." Poor, poor Flurry Heart...

Obsidian sighed. "Is there anything else I need to know? If not, then I'll start preparing for a quick visit home; I need to recover Onyx's diary - assuming Tourmy didn't have it with him when he was captured - and her shard's remains. I'd also like to visit Sweet Apple Acres; do you know anything about the situation there?"

Clap stood up and stretched. "Yeah, the Acres are boarded up from the outside, but there's a few refugees holding out there; Big MacIntosh is in charge, and even at his age, he's a powerhouse - and they trust him. There's a bunch hiding in the root cellar, and twelve in the barn, I think."

Wart nodded. "We have also recieved word from Lady Luna, via Gypsy - her army of Thestrals has been reduced, as she has sent them to aid some refugee camps, but it still stands at ten thousand strong... and I shall accompany you to your home, Lady Siddy, as the streets are only moderately safe - some harness patrols occasionally scout the interior of the town, though they have yet to leave once we discover them."

Clap smiled. "Yeah, 'cause Wart's a smashin', thrashin' and bashin' machine!"

Obsidian nodded shortly to Stalwart. "Good; as you can see, I've found Miss Pie's pizza harness inside the palace, but I have yet to test its abilities - any help would be greatly appreciated."

So many things to do, so little time... and only two of Amber's asscheeks to kick - and so many creatures dreaming about doing it. "I hope that, after pacifying the last of my siblings, I won't discover the existence of any aunts or uncles..."

"Or worse, MORE brothers and sisters," Clap added as she stretched her wings out, "'cause, no offense, your family's a HOOFUL, Sids. Well, I gotta hit the air - might as well patrol a bit for more lost pones, right?" Then she got a closer look at what she had strapped to her back. "Nice weaponry, Siddy - that looks like some kinda connon or something... what's it do?"

Wart looked as well. "... Party Pizza Launcher? Pray tell, are we to feed the enemy to death?"

"Well, I'm aware of the idiom of 'feeding our enemies steel', meaning stabbing them and so on... but I don't think it can be used when talking about pizza, unfortunately," Obsidian had to admit. "However, I think that it won't be too hard to create a few pizza-shaped projectiles that will fit into this launcher and turn the last moments of our enemies' lives into an ocean of pain, torment and regret."

Clap grinned. "Heh... I like that one, Sids - pepperoni-flavored destruction!"

Wart, meanwhile, put on one of the armor-plated chestpieces and picked up another, bringing it to Clap. "Wear this, Thunderclap - and keep it on, this time."

Clap groaned. "But it weighs me down, Warty! How can I dodge stuff when I'm too slow?"

Wart looked unimpressed with her pleas. "If the armor is good enough, you won't have to worry about dodging. Now," she turned to Obsidian as Clap glared at Wart, unwillingly donning the chestplate, "shall we go, Lady Siddy?"

Obsidian thought about it. "I wish to shower first; I think I may have too much dough on me," she admitted sheepishly.

Wart nodded. "Then I shall await you upstairs." She turned smartly and made her way towards the entry area, and as soon as she was out of sight, Clap dumped the armored chestplate onto the couch and sighed with relief.

"Just, uh... tell her it didn't fit," she blushed as she took off before Obsidian could complain.

Obsidian thought about it for a moment - and glared after the departing Thunderclap. Perhaps in armor, she will be slow enough for her head to catch up with her sometimes unfortunate and dangerous ideas. "Didn't fit, eh? Well, it seems that a diet might be in order, then?" she grinned mischievously to herself.

Once she got back upstairs, she heard (and smelled) what would be none other than her fiancee` in the kitchen; it seemed as though he was making more food to go with the breakfast she'd already made. Otherwise, the upstairs area was mostly clear of other ponies - except for Wart, standing at attention next to the front door.

Shower or Cup, shower or Cup... well, the choice was obvious; she happily trotted into the kitchen.

There was the pile of dishes she'd presented her attempts at breakfast on... and they were absolutely barren of food. Apparently, it had been enjoyed more than she thought it would be. At least it meant she wasn't a total failure in the kitchen.

Next to Cupcake Sprinkles, however... the counter space was filled with different foodstuffs, of all manner and kinds; soups, loaves, platters, dishes, desserts, pies, cakes... all sorts of things that all smelled of incredible flavors.

As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, Cup's muzzle lit up happily. "Hey you! Those pancakes were delicious; thanks love! It inspired me to make all this!" He had several different pots and pans going, and was tending to each of them equally as he spoke to her. "Sleep well? I sure did... I mean, since you were there."

Obsidian practically beamed at the sight - after her short trip to the palace, it was nice to see that some things didn't change, and that Cupcake was still the benevolent ruler in a kingdom of cooking.

She made a mental note to work on her metaphors.

"Hmmmm... well, I've visited the place in my dreams where my siblings usually await my arrival, but none of them were there. Instead, there was a small alicorn filly named Ruby Chocolate, who told me that they were gone and that I should discuss it with Tourmy. It's hardly anything unusual, though," she shrugged with a just a little bit of resignation. "I'll be going to our home soon and after that, I want to visit Sweet Apple Acres. We've found Washburn Washington there, so I decided that we have to inform the Apples of it, Umbral invasion or no."

At the words 'siblings', Cupcake seemed to deflate. "Y-yeah..." he muttered as he seemed to be having an internal struggle for a moment. Then with a quick swipe of his foreleg across his eyes, he smiled at her again - though it seemed a bit pained. Dammit, Siddy - did you have to say 'siblings' in front of a stallion who was terribly missing his own?

"... s-so, you mean... Ruby? Peridot? Even Onyx? They're all... gone? A-and what's with 'Ruby Chocolate'? Though I DO like the name..." Then he goggled at her when she finished. "Washburn Washington's ALIVE!? Oh, Butter will be beside herself over that - especially as it's just her and Big Mac at Sweet Apple Acres... is he okay?"

Damnation, she didn't consider her words before she spoke; she knew better than to say explicitly hurtful things, even by accident - but she still had issues with avoiding topics that could pain others, like bringing up a mention of something they were missing. She reacted in the only way she could come up with and hugged him tightly.

"Yes, Cup - they're all gone. And Ruby was, hmmmm... a little alicorn who seemed to be playing in Princess Twilght's throne room. She had a toy dragon, and was calling him 'Spike the Best'." She explained everything as well as she could - including her interesting appearance.

"And, um, Washburn is okay.... maybe not too social, though. And he's lost a leg... though I left him with Opal, so I sort of expect that he might already be forced to wear a mechanical replacement or such." She decided to omit the little detail that he'd tried to sculpt her with a chisel.

Cup returned the hug eagerly, then looked at her very seriously. "We've gotta do whatever we can to keep spirits up - can't have ponies giving up when it looks blackest, because then we'll never get back to brighter days. I'm doing that with cooking, so I'm making it happen in my own way... and you doing stuff helps too; folks here believe in you, Siddy - you give them hope, even though they don't even know of ALL you've done..."

He grinned. "But they know you're doing something, and that encourages them to hold onto that hope for just a bit longer."

"Well, I'll be doing a lot of things, frankly - after all, we have to take the entire nation of Equestria back, right?" It sounded kind of epic - even more epic than her previous adventures! Too bad that Amber had immediately set a very grim tone, otherwise it would be far easier to enjoy it. "But first things first - I need to take a shower. Do you possibly want to help me with my mane?" she added innocently.

Cupcake's smile got a bit bigger. "I... would love to help you with your mane, love." With that, he made one grand gesture towards the stove's controls, and shut everything off. Glancing at the filled counter, he gave a light chuckle. "I think they'll be okay if I don't finish what's cooking just yet. Besides," he winked, "I was so happy to see you, we didn't really do much else but sleep... but if we wanted to take a little bit to, y'know, 'celebrate your being alive', maybe we could-"

From the front foyer, Wart cleared her throat loudly, and Cup sighed.

"Well," he said with a shrug, "I'm still gonna help you with your mane - regardless of what some smol pones think would be better!"

There was a small humph from the front, but nothing more.

Ah ah aaah, Wart... what were you doing? Why were you standing in the path to her and Cuppy's happiness? He was her fiancee`, and one day he would become her husband! Well, considering that Stalwart was ready to join her on her small trip to her house, perhaps Obsidian could ask her then?

"To the bathroom," she nodded, though a bit less enthusiastically than she would without the small mare nearby. They both went upstairs, though Obsidian could swear that Wart's eyes were on them as they entered the washroom.

Cup got the shower started, then spent a few minutes kissing her as the water warmed up... and WOW, was he eager for those kisses! He seemed intent to plant as many of them as possible on her before they hopped into the water... Which, kissing led to hugging... which led to caressing lovingly... which was beginning to get a bit heated when she realized they were still outside of the water itself.

"Cup, we're... w-wasting... water..." Obsidian had to admit between kisses. No matter how much she liked it, they were in a state of war - so they couldn't affort being that prodigal. Besides, snuggles between two wet ponies were interesting as well.

He smiled. "You are absolutely right," he said as he led her into the shower stall, "so let's fix that..."

In the actual shower itself under the hot water, Cupcake got much bolder, nuzzling and kissing and even giving her ear a light, loving nip. The stall was filled with steam, and it was like a combination of the spa's sauna and her colfriend's attention - and both at the same time felt quite lovely.

He was always improving her mood - so Obsidian didn't shrink from getting quite bold as well. She wanted to have fun, he wanted to have fun... well, it was pretty obvious that they should use any opportunity they got in these dark times to enjoy each other.

Excuse or not, it was terribly grim thought.

Things continued to escalate between them both, and soon she barely noticed the shower was on at all. "... I love you with every piece of my soul," Cupcake gushed, "and I never, ever, ever want to experience the world without you again - you're more important to me than anything ever in the history of evers..."

NOW, he was getting bold!

"... let's make it a pact; no dying without the other's approval from now on, okay? That goes for the BOTH of us..."

Ohhhhhhh, so bold...

"... I love you, my sweet Dark Princess..." He was now kissing her deeply and hungrily, his hooves in - OOOH - sensitive places as he bathed her with his love, his heart the soap that meant to cleanse the dirt of their grim reality from her coat.

Good thing he wanted to make this pact before her death - though they would both have to find a way to become alicorns, because she was sure that neither of them would ever approve of the other's demise anytime within this century. "I love you too, my laughter and my happiness," she purred, submitting to his tender hooves and greedy lips.

They spent a good deal more time in the shower than they should have... and they were thoroughly clean when they were done, as not a single inch of either of them remained untouched. Some parts most certainly touched more than others.

Stepping out of the stall, Cupcake lovingly dried his marefriend off with a towel, even giving her rump a light nip as he did, grinning ear to ear. "I bet Wart's about to either explode, or she's asleep," he chuckled with a slight blush.

"Or she patiently waits and plans a very serious discussion with me, considering that we are going to the house," Obsidian replied, blushing a bit as well. Or, well... maybe not that such a little 'bit'; after all - with her fur - she had to be very red to make it noticable, and yet... it most certainly was.

"But we both enjoyed it, and that's all that matters for now," she said as she smiled and kissed his cheek.

Cupcake kissed hers in return. "And when this is over, we're going to have the BIGGEST wedding in Equestria... oh, u-unless you want a small one; it's pretty much for us, anyway - we can figure out what we want together!"

One last nuzzle, and he headed out of the steamy bathroom. "I'll get back to the kitchen - and YOU be careful out there, love." Then, out the door and down the stairs for him.

Inside, she was still shivering at how wonderful the whole thing had been; Wart wasn't their mother - it wasn't her job to foalsit them.

Though to be fair, Obsidian technically had her mother in her head, the whole time. Maybe in a rather diminished form, but still... it certainly didn't help that, in a way, Obsidian - technically speaking - was her own mother.

Actually, now that she had learned so much about all of her siblings and both parents... maybe it was finally time to try to figure out who the parents of Radiant Hope were? In the Crystal Empire lived ponies that were born thousand years ago; sooner or later, she could earnestly attempt to track down any further potential relatives.

But first things first. So for now, Obsidian left the bathroom to find the little guard mare, intent on getting home... and hoping there wasn't going to be a speech on decency and morality in her immediate future.

Author's Note

Ruby, Daughter of Sombra

<8=\*W\*=8>

Y'know... even with all the hate that Peavine generates, I can't help but feel for him a bit here. Jerkface or not, he chose to spare Siddy and Gypsy the sight of what was obviously some rather gory remains, and took on the responsibility for Cadence himself. I'd say, at the very least, it's a point for him in the story where he proves he's actually a Royal Guard. He might be hate-bait... but this one time, he actually shines a bit.

The Party Pizza Launcher was an idea I'd actually come up with YEARS ago, when I ran a game of the RPG 'Toon'; I felt it would make for a fun little addition to the story, so I tossed it at Siddy. And as you'll see, it does come in handy... (or would that be 'hoofy'?)

And so, a quick jaunt to the house before going in search of Apples; hope y'all are looking forward to it!

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:

- -

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.

Five: Family Matters

From the looks of things, the horde seemed to be focused on the airship; some stragglers broke off, but only a few - and with the way the barn's residents were armed, they wouldn't last long.

The airship slowly began to pick up speed, and even with Butter stalking back and forth in frustration, she seemed to lighten up a bit once the horde fell behind the much-faster craft.

"I don't even WANT to know how many rivets are in the bottom of this thing," Cup remarked. However, now a small flock of flying cubes were following them as they made their way off from the larger grouping.

Rivets? Chances were, probably a lot; there would be a lot of repairs later. Getting some weapons mounted on this thing was going to be a priority... but first things first. Obsidian aimed at the cubes with her PPL, waiting for an opportunity to send some baked destruction their way.

DING!< The gauge's needle was now pointed at the indicator, and she could smell something burning.

Butter saw the cubes and growled, then scooped up a hoofful of rivets from the deck and slung them at the cubes. "Y'all GIT! We don't need no escort!" The rivets mostly missed, though a few pinged off of some of the cubes... with nothing resulting, except a change of formation, where they spread out a bit more from each other.

Obsidian launched another pineapple pizza at the cubes, slightly annoyed that they'd changed formation - she had hoped she could get all of them with a single shot. To rectify this, she levitated one of the many rivets on the deck, preparing to launch it at them with her magic.

Maybe they were resistant to Light Magic - but were they resistant to magic-propelled pieces of metal? Hopefully not.

The PPL gave a loud >ka-CHUNG!<, and a spinning disc of flaming doom flew forth. The circle of destruction went through three of the cubes... which all exploded like dynamite! Their spread was far enough that the resulting booms didn't take any of the rest out...

But now she knew what was what; if those things reached the ship... or worse, the balloon above...

The gauge was still set at ; did this thing have multiple shots? Well, time to check. Obsidian launched again... and perhaps even once more, assuming she'd still have remaining ammo and enough enemies to shoot at. Hopefully it was more efficient than she thought initially - it would be great to bring doom to the Umbrals on the ground!

The PPL did have multiple shots - she launched out five more disks of fiery death, and was rewarded with the demise of several cubes, all exploding in mid-air with a fantastic burst of flame and smoke. After the sixth shot, however... the needle on the gauge went to , and the top of the PPL's hopper popped open to allow ingredients to be inserted...

But what ingredients did she have?

She had to refill - no argument with that. However, what could she possibly put inside? What were the limits of Miss Pie's work of art? "Cup, do we have anything on board - aside from more rivets - that could be used to restock my ammo?"

Considering her complete lack of knowledge about their supplies, she had to ask... that, or simply try to feed the PPL with little pieces of metal, which she was ready to do - she had already grabbed some rivets and was preparing herself to throw them into the cannon's hopper. She simply wasn't sure if it could handle them.

Cup was busily steering and trying to get more speed from the airship. "Uhhhhh... I don't know! There's probably some in the kitchen cabin!"

Butter then noticed what Siddy had on her back, and balked. "Hang on - is that Aunt Pinkie's Party Pizza Launcher!? Sweet sassafrass, that thang's dangerous! Nearly killed ponies when she brought it to muh 8th birthday party - she said she was gonna fix it t'where it didn't do that no more, but... heck, I guess it's better'n nothin'! Still, you keep that thang away from me!"

Cup then looked at Butter. "You could go to the kitchen and grab stuff, though!"

A single, thoughtful look, and Butter raced to the cabin door, pounding through it to get downstairs. Cup then looked at his love. "You've got rivets? Try those!"

Dangerous? Well, she could see why. She couldn't help but worry about how badly this thing had apparently messed Butter's birthday party - the mere idea of Miss Pie accidentially ruining a party was... painful. Was it this famous 'empathy' thing she'd read in a book once?

First things first, though; she put the hoofful of rivets into the efficient little hopper.

The rivets rattled their way down into the guts of the thing, and after three or four hooffuls, the hopper closed on its' own. The gauge's needle went to , and she could smell the tang of molten steel after a minute or two.

Meanwhile, one of the cubes caught up with the ship. It few in close, then affixed itself to the side, and began to glow a bright red color - but only for a moment, as it then exploded, taking a chunk out of the side of the bow. It wasn't enough damage to bring the ship down... but it wouldn't be able to take many of those, she thou-...

Underneath the shiny and glitzy chunk that had been blown off was what looked to be plate steel, and it was mostly unmarred; it seemed this ship was sturdier than it looked!

Obsidian admittedly had kind of underestimated Celestia's engineers; she'd assumed that they would be too busy preening the ship's appearance to prepare it for unexpected situations like this - but here she was, on a well-armored airship that was able to withstand an explosion.

Burning pizzas were pretty dangerous, but... well, it was a PIZZA LAUNCHER; she had a few reasons to believe that this machine could handle what had been fed into it. For the record, the smell of molten metal made her rather anxious, as she was fully aware that it was right next to her body - a body that would be no match for a flood of molten metal. If there was a single breakdown or accident, she would have to say bye-bye to her hoof... or possibly more.

Just as Butter stormed up the stairs with a basket loaded with food stuffs on her back, the PPL went >DING!< and the gauge slipped over to the sign. Butter dropped the basket at Obsidian's hooves. "I jus' grabbed whatever ah could find - ah hope it'll do ya!"

There were pizza ingredients in there, sure... but there were also a number of foods in there that really shouldn't go on a pizza - like celery, cauliflower, whole potatoes, green beans, rice. She'd apparently just grabbed whatever was in the cupboards. However, cauliflower in the PPL wouldn't be more dangerous than molten metal.

What in the wide, wide world of Equestria was Miss Pie thinking? Why did her (admittedly awesome) party harness have enough power to melt steel rivets? Obsidian was thankful for its destructive powers - don't get her wrong - but it was designed as a party tool!

Thoughts later - action NOW. Obsidian gripped the trigger in her mouth and fired.

ka-CHONK!< The pitch of sound was different, but the spinning disk of steel that flew out of the front was a sight to behold. It looked like a ponyhole cover, but was slinging droplets of liquid steel from the edges as it spun; the disk itself took out two, but the drops of molten steel struck another three - and they reacted to the heat and blew up promptly.

There were now only six cubes following them, but these were spread sufficiently wide; each one would take a separate shot.

Obsidian would pay a fortune for some nice projectile weapons, like those she saw with the police force; at least she found out she could shoot molten metal pizzas without killing herself. It was always nice to know that your own weapon wouldn't kill you.

She had no choice but to continue shooting - she had to take down all of these cubes, after all. While she was at it, she did her best to fire at least once at the Umbrals at the ground, with the hope that they would be close enough to each other to take some serious losses.

Her shots flew mostly true, with four out of six kills - on the ground, the disk of steely doom slammed into a harness and almost instantly crippled it, bringing it down as it flew into chunks, decapitated mid-section! Now, there were only two following them.

However, it was still a bad situation; if these things brought Umbral Harnesses wherever they went, they would HAVE to be dealt with before they followed the airship all the way to Washburn's hidey-hole in Ghastly Gorge; revealing the location of her siblings was most certainly NOT a good thing.

Butter reached into the basket and grabbed a cantalope, then turned and slung it at one of the cubes. It grazed it, but enough to bend a propeller, which sent it to the ground rapidly, where a small >BOOM< went off as it hit the dirt.

"YEE-HAW!" she cried out, "now THAT is what ah call a 'one in a melon' shot!" Cupcake giggled at the joke.

Firing at the last little cube with the devastating pizza launcher would most likely be a bit of overkill; instead, Obsidian grabbed a single bunch of cauliflower with her magic, and simply threw it at the thing.

The cube lightly dodged the throw, then kicked into a faster speed as it headed straight up towards the balloon!

Oh, damnation! Obsidian kind of panicked a bit, and quickly threw some of the foodstuffs from the basket into the hungry maw of the launcher as she continued throwing whatever things she could find at the last cube, in a desperate attempt to save their balloon. And themselves, by proxy.

Butter saw it headed up, and grew a firm look on her muzzle. "Oh NO you don't!"

Reaching into her saddlebags, she brought out a length of rope with a lasso at the end, and began to swing it around her head as she held it in her teeth. With a flick of her neck, she tossed the loop.

As soon as the orb was inside the lasso's loop, Butter yanked back, drawing the lasso closed around the propellor stem, which stopped its' flight and brought it down towards the three of them. Butter quickly slung the rope to the side, and the sphere followed, making a >BOOM< as it struck the side of the airship... FAR from the precious balloon above.

"Whew!" Butter said as she began to gather the rope into her bag again, "glad I learned how ta lasso - we'd've been falling like apples offa bucked tree if'n that thang hit th' windbag up there!"

Well, they were once again only mere moments away from a rather painful death... or at least it would hamper their logistical abilities - unless they'd also found out that the balloon was ALSO properly protected by whatever engineers had put it together. At this point, she may have believed it anyway.

"As soon as we get to Ghastly Gorge, I'll ask the orginal creator of these things if she knows how to destroy them any easier," Obsidian said aloud to no specific pony; she'd just wanted to proclaim it out aloud, to better remember. Then, to save time, she started to collect the many, many rivets around them with her magic.

She might need them.

Having dealt with the flying cubes and left the Umbral Harnesses behind, it was smooth sailing over Equestria until they reached Ghastly Gorge. As they sailed above the canyon below, Butter leaned on the wall (that was left) and looked out over the area.

"Y'know... I ain't seen muh brother in a long time... even after me an' Uncle Mac kinda gave up, Mama didn't. She always just sorta felt that he was out here somewheres... an' we jus' thought it was her bein' hopeful. But, t'know he's really alive..."

Her expression fell just a touch. "I wish Mama was here t'see this."

Cup came over to her and put a hoof around her shoulders. "I know, Butter... I know. Me too. Wash was never going to be on the chess team or anything, but... but he was a cool colt, from what I remember. I'll bet he'll be glad to see you though..."

Butter smirked. "You bet yer fur."

Reaching the place where the cactus had once stood (now replaced by a shrubbery), they brought the craft down slowly and safely, Butter practically jumping off the skiff as she looked around for her brother. Cup and Siddy left the craft in time for them both to hear words coming up from the ground below them.

"I say, is there somebody present? I'm hoping you're friendly, but in case you are not, then I shall inform you that I have a sword in my possession..." That was Quartz; no doubt in Obsidian's mind about it.

Their first voyage, and their airship was already a bit battered - and it was merely ONE single encounter with the enemy! It didn't bode well for the future, once again reminding Obsidian of her decision to arm themselves as soon as possible. Luckily, they didn't get into any other fights and - to Obsidian's great relief - they managed to get to the Gorge without further incident.

She didn't do much during the trip, except for taking care of the ship's steering wheel and acting as a sentry. She didn't feel right to insert herself into the middle of Butter and Cup's conversation.

She honestly didn't know very much at all about her; a bit ironic, considering the role she almost got.

"Just... brace yourself - he only has three legs now. Though I left him with both Diamond and Opal, so I wouldn't be surprised if the status of his leg has changed already," she warned Butter as she stepped up to the gangplank.

"That's a good thing, dear brother - I was just looking for somepony with a sword... or to be more precise, for you. And for the rest of our little family," she grinned, suppressing the inner desire to tease him a bit.

A nearby rock suddenly stood up, and the grey exterior faded as Quartz was revealed. He placed his sword into his belt, and stepped forward. "Obsidian! Excellent! Glad to see you again... and with your fine fiancee in tow, no less! And who is your newest companion, pray tell?"

"Mah name's Butter Churn - you know where muh brother is?" She was direct, wasn't she?

"Brother? Er... ah, you must mean dear Washburn, yes? Please follow me..." The stately pony turned and headed toward the shrubbery, then simply leaned it to on side. He looked back at Obsidian. "We've added a rope ladder in your absence; easier than 'controlled falling', eh?"

Butter was next to descend, then Cup came to the edge. "You need a hoof, love? Or do you think you can make it?"

Well, the last time Obsidian went underground, she was being carried as a shard. She had no way to compare the act of 'controlled falling' and using the ladder. "I think I should be able to climb down on my own, Cup." Obsidian sighed; as long as it wouldn't damage the PPL, everything should be fine, right? Thankfully, she was slowly getting used to the harness. The PPL was tricky to get into the hole, but the ladder was sturdy and she managed to get down without issue.

The cave was... a little different than the last time she'd seen it.

There were now a number of pipes, supports and other cobbled-together framework that now covered the walls (and part of the floor), and steam hissed and gurgled from a makeshift boiler towards the back. Standing there, using magic to tighten screws in the latest construction, was Opal - humming happily to herself as she worked at what she was doing.

Obsidian could also see Tourmaline and Aquamarine, playing some sort of card game in the far corner - but both turned their attention to the new arrivals as they descended the ladder.

"{Obsidyan! Cupcakes!}" Diamond smiled happily as he made his way to them, giving their front legs a hug when he got close enough. "{I am so pleased you are alright! And you are yourself again - happy day!}"

Cupcake chuckled. "I'll bet you're happy to see her in her proper form, right little buddy?" He tousled Mundy's mane, and the little unicorn smiled.

Butter, meanwhile, was paying almost ZERO attention to anything around her. "Y'all said Wash was here - but ah don't see 'im yet!"

Quartz just grinned. "I can take you to him... yet, Obsidian? I'd ask you to accompany, as there's a... development... I'd like to share with you."

His grin got wider as he began to walk towards the rear of the cave. "Now, please stay as silent as you can... at least until you get to see what I have to show you. Come," he beckoned, "let us go and visit Mr. Washington, shall we?"

Butter had a skeptical look on her muzzle, but followed along anyhow.

If Quartz was smiling, it meant that either Obsidian would be pleased with the development... or that he was possessed by Amber again, and they were all going to die - very, very quickly.

The cavern looked exactly as she'd expected, with Opal around - so she could at least risk thinking that all of them were of a normal mindset, controlled ONLY by themselves and free from any kinds of mental manipulation. She opened her muzzle to respond... but eventually settled on merely nodding.

After all, he did ask her to be quiet, right?

Reaching the rear, he slowly seemed to slip sideways and vanish... but when he poked his head back out, Obsidian could see that there was actually another passage within the cavern; it blended in so well with the wall, you wouldn't see it unless you knew where to look. And thanks to Quartz, she now knew where to look.

Creeping along, she began to hear a voice... a familiar voice...

"... to this one; interconnecting scars just make for a better story. Of course, nothing I have on me comes close to a missing leg - you win that one."

There was a deep, throaty chuckle, and the next words spoken made Butter Churn put a hoof over her mouth in shock. "Eeyup - Timberwolves're nasty critters, but they ain't too sturdy - one good kick's all it'll take ta git 'em."

Looking around the corner, there were two things that caught her attention:

The first was an ENORMOUS mural on the wall of what looked to be Sweet Apple Acres, all made out of gems and precious stones, all cut to fit perfectly into the mural. It was breathtakingly beautiful, and even fine details were included in the art, such as a milk can made of quartz, and what looked like an orange pony wearing a hat out in the orchard. It must've taken years to do... and now Obsidian realized what he was going to carve into her for; she'd have been a part of this mural, had he succeeded.

The second thing was Washburn himself - untied and wearing what looked like a piecemeal mechanical leg, most likely courtesy of Opal. And seated next to him was Amethyst, wearing a bit of a smile as they both chatted.

Quartz grinned. "They've been talking for over three hours now," he whispered, "and I do believe they've both found something worth chatting about together. I think perhaps my violent and angst-ridden sister has found herself a crush."

HA! Obsidian had been one hundred percent correct about his leg! She simply knew that Opal wouldn't be able to stop herself from making a replacement for him. Siddy was regretting that she didn't make any bets about this - she could have been rich!

However, it wasn't the most interesting thing to see here. Even the grand and well-made mural didn't attract her attention as much as... well...

Obsidian looked at Quartz with silent shock on her muzzle. Now this was quite an abrupt change - in one moment, Amy was... well, Amy... and in another, she was Mare-Do-Well... then she became a loving sister, and now...

And now she might end up in the Apple family? Obsidian had gotten her hooves on Miss Pie's colt... Amy was smiling fondly at Applejack's child... you know, it would be funny if they all managed to find themselves involved with the children of the Mane Six, but she kind of doubted that would be possible... unless Onyx somehow managed to seduce Midnight. Blech.

"... Wash?" Butter said aloud, and both of the ponies conversing instantly went silent.

The stallion looked towards where they were hiding, and his own eyes went wide. Butter, meanwhile, started walking towards him... then trotting... then almost went into a full gallop as she crossed the span between them. Washburn's eyes began to tear up, and he looked intently towards her. She too looked as though she were next to tears as she came up on him...

And slapped him across the muzzle with her hoof! "Washburn Wilson Washington! Whut in tarnation do you think yer doin' out here!? You got any idea how SICK you made us all, worryin' 'bout you - then thinkin' y'all were just plain DEAD!? How could you do that t'Mama!? T'Uncle Mac? How could ya do that t'ME!?!?"

He stared at her, and she stared back... until she finally burst into tears and wrapped her forehooves around him. "Wash, consarn it... I am SO glad t'see ya, ya big galoot..."

He stood there stunned for a moment... before wrapping his real forehoof around her and squeezing her tightly.

Amethyst, looking a little flushed herself, looked over at Siddy and Quartz. "Obsidian! You, uhh... you're whole again. G-good," she said directly, trying not to blush or fidget... and failing at both.

Ah, a touching family reunion. Obsidian could only watch in awe at this pure and wholesome display of family values, longing and even a little bit of well-earned violence. Who would ever have thought that, only a few days ago, she would ever have found the long lost member of the Apple clan? Nopoony, that's who.

World was truly an amazing place, where every single bit of information, sooner or later, seemed to come in handy.

She still couldn't really understand why he decided that falsifying his death would be any sort of a good idea.

However- first things first; she turned to face Amethyst with a completely serious look on her muzzle. "Amy... You. Me. Sisterly hug. Right now."

Amethyst looked at her for a moment, then glanced unsurely at Cupcake, who nodded vigorously. She then returned her gaze to Obsidian...

And smirked. And came over to her. And hugged her.

"I am SO glad I didn't manage to kill you," she whispered in her sister's ear, "because I think I needed someone like you. I think we ALL did..." She then looked right into Obsidian's eyes. "... thank you... sister."

"EEOUUUFF!" Quartz let out a grunt as Cupcake hoisted him into the air with a hug, giddily giggling as the prim & proper Quartz goggled and struggled a bit... then, with a resigned sigh, he simply hung there.

"Everyone else is hugging, so I wanted to too!" Cup gushed.

"... I noticed," Quartz groaned.

HA! Another family member hugged, converted completely to her side, assimilated into modernity - Obsidianed! With this simple act, Amy had now confirmed her new role as... well, as a sister who wouldn't be known mostly for her hostile behaviour towards Obsidian.

"I'm glad you survived our first few meetings as well, sister," Obsidian pulled out of the hug and nudged Amy slightly.

"... and Cuppy, you could have simply waited for your turn, you know?" she smirked.

Cup grinned and set Quartz down (much to his relief) and threw his forelegs around both of the shard sisters. Now it was their turn to gasp as his hug was surprisingly strong!

Meanwhile, Butter separated from Wash and looked over towards the gathered group, specifically at Obsidian. "Y'all don't know whut this means t'me... with all th' Apple family's been through lately, this is a ray of sunshine in a world that was goin' dark. T'have muh brother back... ah can't even begin t'thank ya..."

She then smiled sweetly. "Mama'd be proud t' call ya a friend o' th' family... and I am, too. You ever need anythang, sugarcube - we're there."

"Eeyup," Washburn added with a smirk.

"All well and good," Quartz said as he straightened his suit, "but right now, I'd say the best assistance we could request would be a helping hoof in dealing with our erstwhile sister Amber... or, to be more prcise, her armada of walking dead."

Butter and Washburn both nodded. "Then, y'got it - just tell us where, an' we'll be there faster'n a jackrabbit onna lettuce patch. We'll even spread th' word, so's we can try ta gather a few more folks fer this brawl!" She then turned to Wash. "Now... you an' me got a few thangs t'catch up on... includin'..."

The sorrowful look that crossed her features said that she and her brother would probably need some time alone.

Gaaaah... Cup's hugs were far better when they were one-on-one, Obsidian mused; they tended to be more tender and loving... and a lot less reliant on brute force. But, ah - the Apples once again had her attention when Butter decided to thank them.

Obsidian was perhaps a bit skeptical when Washburn confirmed that they would 'be there'; she still was rather wary of him - after all, their first meeting almost ended terribly... but she appreciated it. That was why she brought Butter here in the first place - to raise their spirits, especially after the Umbrals had ended Applejack's life during this terrible tragedy.

A jackrabbit on a lettuce patch? What, uh... a-anyway, the Apple children apparently needed some time alone. Besides, Obsidian wanted to talk with her siblings too - especially Tourmaline and Opal.

"Oh - yes, of course. Come on, family; let's give them a bit of space." She turned around to return to the main... er, room? Cave? Atrium? Her family followed her out of the cavern to give the Apples their private time, and they made their way back out to the main area.

When they arrived, Tourmaline was leaning against the wall and grinning at them. "Glad to see you up and ambulatory," he smirked, "you're easier to talk to when I can see your muzzle."

"Yeah, yeah... good you're YOU again," Aqua grumped, but his tiny grin was still visible on his aged face.

Opal, meanwhile, turned back and looked at them all with a bit of surprise. "Oh, ah... h-hello there, umm, Obsidian, yes, it's good to, ah, see you walking around, true."

"It's nice to see you all as well, dear siblings of mine." Who would have ever thought that she could put most of her siblings into a single room without massive amounts of angst and bloodshed? Nopony, that's who.

However, she didn't come here just to exchange pleasantries or to integrate with her dear family, unfortunately.

"Tourmaline, I..." It felt strange, to talk about three of her siblings this way, but there was no other way to tell it - they were gone. For now.

Oh, she hoped so much that it was only 'for now'.

"...I c-couldn't contact Ruby, Onyx or Peridot since our escape from Amber's clutches. Some strange alicorn filly told me in my dreams that they were gone for now, but that I should ask you about it. Do you know of anything that could change this situation, possibly?"

Tourmaline blinked, then he stood off the wall and walked over to her. Reaching back to his own pouch, he brought it forward and opened it, holding it out for Obsidian to look into.

Inside the pouch was a bunch of small gemstones; red ones, green ones and a few scant purple ones. "When they... appeared to help Amy and I through the tunnels, I... well, I just felt it was important to scoop up a hoofful every time they... um, fell apart," he shrugged, "just had this feeling it was important, was all. I guess... this is what's left of them?"

To be honest Obsidian had no idea, but considering that it was the only possibility she had, she could safely bet that the filly alicorn had meant these. Hopefully, it would be enough, and by Darkness, the spell to re-create the bodies of her siblings was lost along Peridot and Onyx... at least until she might be able to locate it in one of his books, perhaps. How could they fix this?

"Opal, I was told by a very powerful and wise being that you should be able to create some modern machinery able to restore the lost bodies of our siblings, creating new forms for the souls hiding within my mind. I also had some contact with the spell used to create all of us, and even though it was enhanced by the Umbral altars, your inventions should be able to replace that need. Do you possibly know what I'm mos likely talking about?"

Opal grinned and nodded. "Er, oh yes, heh, we've been studying, yes, some of the magics, hmmm, and we've discovered, right, that we can possibly do, gee, what you're suggesting..." She then gave a bit of a frightened look. "But well, er, that is to say that we, eep, might be able to do, hrm, such a thing... but, eh, we could only do it, umm, once, yes, as the materials are very difficult, sigh, to come by anymore."

"Sounds like you'd have to choose carefully, Siddy," Cup said, "but what about the other two?"

"Well, you see, umm, in time, perhaps, we could possibly duplicate the effects... but, like, for the near future, we'll have to settle, oh my, for ONE."

Amethyst shrugged. "Well... isn't there some way to get in contact with them through these?"

Opal gave Amy a glare. "Have you ever been, maybe, in pieces before?"

Amethyst went quiet... but Tourmaline spoke up. "These came from YOU, Obsidian... maybe... if you... well..."

"Swallowed them?" Cup guessed.

Tourmy nodded hesitantly. "R-right... that."

Opal's way of talking was a bit... well, annoying. With each sound that wasn't an informative word, Obsidian's brain kept shutting down bit by bit... which was actually a good thing, as the only alternative was for her to grow more and more irritated with each 'um' and 'ah' her sister muttered.

"Well, the choice is rather obvious, isn't it? Peridot doesn't want to be revived at all, unless we find a way to silence the voices he hears, and I think I'd prefer to keep Onyx safely hidden away in my mind, acting as an advisor to our small resistance." That, and Obsidian would sleep far better knowing that she wasn't walking around. The current situation was already rather stressful enough.

"...so that leaves Ruby as the first candidate." At the beginning of her path, Obsidian had wanted to bring Onyx back first - but as a research project. Now... well, she'd become a bit less malevolent towards her oldest sister.

Tourmaline looked into the bag and sighed. "Well... I suppose we'll have to sort them out by color - wouldn't want Ruby to have Peri's headaches."

"Yeah," Amethyst added, "and I don't want EITHER of them to have even a sliver of Onyx in them."

"Give me a bit," Tourmaline said as he moved to the table and cautiously dumped them out, "and I should have them sorted enough to try to test out 'eating' theory; purple or green first?"

"I'd think green," Cup spoke up, "since Peridot doesn't like it out here in the world. If it works, he'll be back in your head in no time!"

"And if it doesn't?" Aqua chimed in.

Cup shrugged. "Well, then... we just have to, eh... wait a while... and we should get them back, right?"

Quartz made a disgusted face. Cup shrugged. "Hey, I didn't say it would be pretty..."

At this point, Obsidian would think the easier option might be asking Diamond to cut open her stomach, look for the shards and remove them - that would be far cleaner than waiting for the 'natural' method.

"I agree; I think I'd prefer to try Peridot first. Opal, what resources do you need to build this machine of yours? Oh, and I wanted to move you - all of you - to Ponyville. Spreading our forces would make more sense only if we didn't have them so thinly dispersed already. In a more whole gathering, we should all be safer."

Amethyst, Tourmaline, Diamond and Quartz all seemed to approve of the idea to move... but Aquamarine scowled, and Opal simply blushed and fidgeted.

"In case you haven't noticed," Aqua said, "I'm not exactly a very sociable type; can you GUARANTEE that nobody there will irritate me? And what about Opal? Will they still accept us if Lapo makes an appearance?"

"Of course they will," Opal said as her eyes shifted to red, "as they won't have much choice in the matter; genius before stupidity, after all - and we cannot be bothered to deal with such plebian rabble... they'll simply accept and leave us alone. We'll give them no chance to say otherwise!"

Aqua lifted an eyebrow at Obsidian, as if to say 'see my point'.

"{Obsidyan... would there be anyplace else for us to gather? OH! What about your home? It would have space for all of us, and it looked wonderful to me!}"

"Your own home?" Quartz smirked. "My my, already have your own real estate? And you've only been active in the modern world for how long?"

Meanwhile, ~~Opal~~ Lapo began gathering materials and stuffing them into her saddlebags. "We already have all the necessary items to build the device with; what we shall require will be different.... you see, as much as we're certain it strains your brain to imagine it, we will need to set up the device somwhere we can syphon off the energy necessary to complete the mixture... and, unfortunately, grow the crystals needed to make the shard itself."

She then shrugged and gave a cynical laugh. "Unless, of course, you would just so happen to have any pieces of shard simply lying around somewhere - which we sincerely doubt you do."

Well, they had a point. However, she was sure that the advantages of having a genius like Opal around would outweigh any potential problems, and... well, her home sounded like a good place for them to live for the moment. After securing Ponyville, they should be able to relocate to Princess Twilight's castle, maybe?

... or would that count as a coup?

But first things first - and at the moment, the firstest thing of all was bringing back Ruby. And of course, showing Lapo her place. With a smirk, Obsidian reached to her saddlebags to produce Onyx's shards, the remains from the last battle of Ponyville. "Learn to believe, dear sister."

Lapo looked... and INSTANTLY, her eyes went a bright blue. "OH! That's marvellous! These are, ha, perfect for, yes, what I need to do!"

She gently took the shards from Obsidian and inspected them carefully. "Yes... these are... p-perfect..."

A slow look crossed her features; one of concern. Her eyes tilted up to look at her slowly. "These... are actual, eh, shard pieces... who-"

"Onyx," Cupcake answered, and Opal gasped. "It's what the museum found; they put it in Siddy's care, and now we know why."

"Know?" Tourmaline asked, "what do you mean? Did you see this coming or something?"

Cup just looked at his love and smiled. "The impossible always seems to happen around my Siddy!"

Opal nodded, then turned and carefully placed the shards into her saddlebags. "Yes, well, um, er... good. Now that we have these, hmm, we can certainly put this idea, yes, into motion... but..." She looked at them all now. "The device, ooh, will have to be constructed, yes, in an appropriate place... a place, my oh my, where we can gather energy, mmm, from a viable source, yes, of Dark Magic..."

Quartz stepped back. "You don't mean..."

"We're, ah, afraid so..." she looked at Obsidian, "... we'll have to, erm, use the Umbral Altars, oh geez, for this - but only for their energy, yes - no rituals, by Darkness no."

Cup looked at Obsidian with a touch of worry.

Rats. Sending Lapo packing was less satisfying than Obsidian thought it would be. In fact, she'd hoped to see at least the look on her muzzle when she realized that yes, Obsidian had exactly what she had needed.

"Well Tourmy, let's just say that I've already learned to believe in destiny. A number of things that happen around me turn out to have some hidden use or deeper meaning," she nodded. Now that she thought about it, she should probably try to maintain a more constant vigilance. Everything could be important!

But at the moment, the most important thing was something that Opal said. Dark Magic? Viable source?

...Umbral altars?

"Dear, dear, deardeardear sister of mine... allow me to confirm that I heard your words correctly." She cleared her throat. "We need to go right to the gates of Tambelon, not too far from the place where our crazy, murderous and horribly bitchy relative has fashioned herself a cozy little tower, to syphon some magical energy from an ancient artifact that took part in the corruption of our father. Did I get that right?"

Opal gave a sheepish grin. "Er, um, ah... y-yes?"

Quartz and Tourmy looked at her cautiously, however. "Ancient artifact that... Obsidian, exactly how much research have you been doing on this? You say these things corrupted our father... are you certain?" Quartz asked, looking as if he were a bit shocked.

"{If Obsidyan says she is certain, then I believe her,}" Diamond added in, but Quartz remained a bit hesitant.

"I trust your judgement, of course, but... perhaps you could enlighten us as to how you know these things?"

Cup smiled a bit. "Siddy just finds things ou-"

"Nope," Aqua insisted, "ain't buyin' it'; spill the beans, filly. Tell us where you learned this stuff from."

Well - it was story time, eh? "Soooooooo... ah. how should I put this... does anypony here know about a legendary being called The Moochick?" she asked, as this knowledge beforehoof could make the discussion far more smoothly.

The gathered crowd looked around at each other; nope, not the first sign of recognition.

It brought a sigh of relief from her; Obsidian had been a bit worried that her lack of knowledge about such powerful and ancient beings meant that she was just ignorant.

"So... I've... spent quite a few nights dreaming of Radiant Hope's memories. I've seen how she and our father found the Umbral Altars, wanting to test her pet-project spell to produce a magically-crafted offspring... but to test it, they gained power in the Crystal Empire through another spell. Then, throughout his apparently benevolent rule, I saw her grow weary and impatient for our father's lack of time - so she decided to steal a fraction of his Dark soul to try this spell herself - without him. To say the least, it went awry, and she ended up trapped inside a shard. However, The Moochick, an ancient being of Harmony, was there with her! Then, while Amber had turned me into a shard, this being visited me more directly to explain some things about all this to me. While our father was Umbral - at least partially - he used most of his normal, ponylike being to create us, attempting to free Radiant Hope. Each time he was getting more... controlled by The Umbra in his mind. What's worse, Radiant's fate was part of Umbra's plan - this creature had subtly tricked her into sacrificing first her Destiny, and then herself... oh, and I also saw all of our creations. It was a rather strange experience, to be fair."

Amy leaned in towards Tourmy. "... I told you not to drop her..."

"{Shhhhhh! Obsidyan is speaking - and she deserves some respect!}" Diamond scolded them, then turned back to face her again. "{Please, tell of the creations, Obsidyan - I do not remember mine.}"

"Nor I," added Quartz, "what did we look like?"

"Er, if I might ask, please, a bit more clarification on , mmm, how this 'Moochick', hee hee, got to Hope's side?"

"Yeah," Aqua gave her a slight sidelong glance, "and how have you been dreamin' about all of this, when all WE get is bits and pieces of dreams; the mares get Hope's dreams, and us stallions get Sombra... but it's always so jangled up!"

To be fair, Obsidian also would have preferred to not be dropped.

"Oh, that's fairly simple, Aquamarine: all of you were created out of the original shard when our father was trying to free our mother. I was created from everything that was left of this shard, afterwards. That's also the reason why I happen to be able to store our souls in case of death, like in Ruby's, Onyx's or Peri's cases. I'm the closest thing to the original Radiant Hope left after so many rituals mutilated her essence," Obsidian explained quickly.

"And The Moochick appeared in the Empire as Whistlewhite, the painter. And, well... we all first formed as, I'd say... ten years old? Diamond was even smaller than that, and you, dear brother Quartz - you looked rather lanky."

Quartz seemed to take a mock umbrage at her words, but then spoke up to her. "Wait... you're saying that Whistlewhite, the Crystal Empire's most renowned artist, was this 'Moochick' deal? What, was it some sort of honorary title or something? What was the significance... was she significant? Eh, besides her artwork, that is?"

Tourmy then gave a sigh from where he was seated. "Well... that's the best I'll get them separated; these gems are sorted out by color now." On the table was a healthy pile of little red stones, a smaller pile of green stones... and a woefully small pile of purple ones.

"There's what we've got," he stated.

"Wait - so... Radiant Hope WASN'T there for our creation?" Aqua tried to guess, but Amy spoke up.

"No - she was the SHARD, right? The one that became Obsidian?"

"Ludicrous!" Lapo threw in her two bits worth, "Such a thing is empirically impossible! If the shard contained Radiant Hope, then it wouldn't possibly have room for your soul as well, Obsidian; two souls cannot fit within the same shard - we have researched this!"

These piles were... well now. "You didn't lose any significant bits of them, did you, Tourmy?" Obsidian asked, eyeing the purple pile. Could they bring them back at all? Or perhaps they would appear without body parts? Or younger...

"Oh, well - do remember, sister Opal, that Hope's soul was in shambles at this point. There was also a bit of our father's soul too, methinks. We are all products of the union between the pieces of souls of two ponies; like, uh... some kind of mystical conception, but with souls instead of sperm and egg." That was the best comparison she could come up with.

"Wait... why did you research it?" she asked Opal/Lapo.

Lapo rolled her eyes. "Oh, for crying out loud - Obsidian, we were trying to discover ways to resurrect father WITHOUT one of us needing to explode like Onyx did; manufacturing a shard was only ONE of our brilliant ideas, as well as researching the possibility of holding two souls within a single shard."

She then sighed as her eyes shifted back to blue. "And well, it was not possible, true, to do such a thing as that, right. It's where we, er, got the idea for creating shards, okay, in the first place."

Tourmy shrugged. "Kinda hard to scoop up little crystals when you're running for your life; this was the best I could do - I'm sorry."

Okay, it made sense... though she was kind of surprised that Opal had found time for research while working for Amber.

"Well, let's hope it'll be enough, Tourmy. So, does it mean it's time for a snack?" Let's hope they had some clean water here; Obsidian doubted that Onyx would go down without fight. Heheheheh.

Tourmaline stepped away from the table and gestured to the piles. "Pick your poison," he said... though she could tell he regretted it as soon as he had said it. "I mean, er... here you go."

Opal went to one of her many tubes - one of which sported a spigot - and with a few lever pulls and dial twists, she produced a cupful of slightly murky water... slightly murky cold water, she noticed. "Well, we're still working on getting, um, the filters installed properly, but they are treated for, yes, disease so you won't get, hmm, sick from it, okay?"

Okay. Time to go green. What was the worst thing that would happen?

Actually, there were plenty of potentially terrible side-effects; after all, they were shards containing bits of soul from her already dead brother, created with help of Umbral Magic! Oh, and the water was rather murky, too.

She eyed all of the tubes. There were plenty of them, to say the least. "Tube number seven, there - does it produce the least murky water?" she asked a bit nervously as she levitated the pile of green shards into the air with her magic.

Opal lifted an eyebrow. "Obsidian, um, they're all, uhhinterconnected, you nitwit - or are you incapable of following the lengths of tube with your eyes?"

"Hey," Amy bristled, "watch it, Two-Fer."

Lapo herself glared at Amy... but was quiet. For now.

Was Lapo some kind of magical disease? A mental sickness? A side-effect of something? Whatever it was, Obsidian was kind of hoping to take care of it soon... in a very permanent way.

"Well... here goes nothing." With that, she swallowed Peridot.

The stones went down without a problem... however, it was strange to note that Peridot tasted sort of like some of Cup's sour candy; sweet with a touch of bitter. At least he didn't taste like poison or some such thing.

"{Obsidyan... has it worked? Is brother Peridot back inside your head?}"

Quartz looked at her as well. "Well... how do we go about testing this theory? Can he speak to you like this? Do you hear him at this very moment?"

"Did he taste like candy?" Cup asked earnestly.

"Like sour candy, to be fair - rather strange. And normally, I kept meeting him in my dreams, so perhaps... I should take a nap?" Obsidian wondered. "A quick one - half hour, at best. In fact, it wouldn't hurt at all; we are in a safe place now and usually our adventures are rather exhausting. We should take an opportunity to rest whenever it's possible, right?"

There was a general air of disappointment from her siblings, but each of them agreed it might be best to actually get some rest for a bit. Many of them went to different parts of the cave to sleep - except for Amy, who waited at the rear for Butter & Wash to finish their talk, and Opal/Lapo, who was busy looking over the tubes and pipes to make even more connections.

Cupcake led Obsidian toward the side, where the makeshift couch was, and sat down on it. He smiled as he patted the 'cushion' next to him, then laid out in a way that not only gave her room to join him... but had the extra bonus of giving her quite a view of her fiancee's wiry body. His grin went wide and soft as he held out his forelegs.

"C'mere, my beautiful Dark Princess," he smiled, "I've been hankering for a nuzzle for too long!"

Did they expect her to immediately want a discussion with Peri? She never talked with him outside of the realm of dreams before! There was no way to check without going there, unless he turned out to have a much stronger connection with her after devouring him... which, to be fair, might be logical.

But for now, first things first. Obsidian happily joined Cup on the ratty couch, going straight for a snuggle. She was really lucky to score him.

He cuddled her closely and nuzzled her neck lovingly... and gave her rump a light pat with a hoof, as well. "I'm so glad we're together here... heck, when we're together anywhere, really. Even among all this stuff happening to us, I feel like you're the one steady rock in my stream of consciousness, y'know what I mean?"

He kissed her deeply... then did it again. Nestling down into the couch, Cupcake settled his muzzle into her chest floof and sighed... then lifted his head juuuuuust slightly to allow him to sniff at her mane once or twice before settling back against her chest with a deep, contented sigh.

Nearby, Amy looked in their direction, then turned her attention elsewhere - she enjoyed the sight of her sister being snuggled, but she was making sure not to be downright nosy. Cup's sigh felt like a cool breeze on a hot day.

"And you are the best thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life... but you already know that, don't you?" She blushed a bit at the pat - he was rather bold, especially considering that Amy was still around. The rest was more acceptable, and let's be fair - Amethyst should be more or less used to their cuddles.

Obsidian closed her eyes, pulling herself a bit closer to Cup. Now she could only hope that she would meet Peri here... or perhaps one particularly cute little alicorn? She still had no idea who she was, and she'd kind of forgotten to ask her siblings about that.

Perhaps one of them would be able to identify her? There weren't that many alicorns around, after all.

Author's Note

Tourmaline, Son of Sombra

-=)))@(((=-

Sorry this one took so long to get to; been working on a few different projects, even though I did try to get a bit done each day. Hopefully, it won't take as long for the next one. The story is still going - just been working other errata as well.

Apples reunited! I enjoyed giving them this bit, as they'd pretty much been the subject of a lot of trauma; this was one way I tried to make up for it.

Re-enter the siblings! And so, the Shards return to the tale, and are now being gathered together - soon, we'll see them all gathering together, like a thunderhead before the storm breaks. Will it be enough? Well, they ARE the Shards of Sombra; they're gonna be getting involved, so maybe Amber should start writing out her Last Will now, right?

Washburn an' Amethyst, sittin' in a tree... K-I-S-S-I-N-G...

And so... now, we get to see if gulping down a bunch of crystals will help Obsidian retain her lost siblings once again. Do you think it'll work? Will she find her poor brother Peridot where she'd last seen him... or will there be something new awaiting discovery?

Ah, it's good to say it again... no spoilers. :raritywink:

Six: Paradise Found

~>-<~

She was... where was she?

In front of her within the dreamscape, there was a large, two-building manor-type house that seemed to stretch back beyond itself and out of sight; whatever edges it had stretched back father than her dream eyes could see. Though it was only two stories tall, it looked as though there were no visible end to the two structures on either side. The roofing, windows and walls were all done in some sort of material she'd never seen before, and looked both thick as iron and cute as a baby alicorn - there were many different designs to be seen, including hearts and stars, seemingly all part of the structure itself.

From where she was standing (which appeared to be in some manner of cloud or fog), she could see what looked to be an enormous swimming pool between the two buildings, complete with deck chairs and tables arranged around it, and three diving boards at differing heights.

She saw this through a large, ornate and golden front gate, the top of which had a scrimshawed and stylized verion of a single word:

] PARADISE [

This was new, that much was certain. The gate connected to a high brick wall that surrounded the entire area, covered with beautful runners of ivy and honeysuckle vine.

Okay, wait... what?

Of all places... of all dreams... this was perhaps the most unexpected. Obsidian had lived long enough to know that she should always expect the unexpected, but this was beyond all of her available mental capacity. Was it just a normal dream? Did her near-death experience let her to peek into the afterworld? Did Cup possibly snuggle her too hard, and had actually killed her?

What in Tartarus was going on here?

She also briefly felt a twinge of sadness that her artistic skills were woefully underdeveloped, as this sight before her would make one beautiful picture.

Obsidian trotted towards the strange gate, more and more confused with each step. Did ponies believe in paradise at all? She had no idea.

Reaching the gate, she found it open. Inside, there was the aforementioned pool, with chairs and tables to spare... and seated at one of the tables was none other than...

"Even though I assumed a redigestion would be, at best, a 17.2% chance of reintegration... I find myself in the wrong. Gladly so, in this case."

Peridot. Whole and ali-... well, whole, anyway.

The stallion stood up and smiled, stepping towards her to meet her directly. He seemed to be exactly as he'd been the last time; only the location was different. "Salutations, Obsidian... and congratulations... and thank you ever so kindly."

Wonderful! Perfect! Obsidian wasted no time - she practically charged at her brother to hug him. After all - this time, she was really afraid that he was gone for good.

"Oh, I doubt you were wrong, brother; we were just lucky, it seems! But... why are we in this place?" She was a bit more used to the Delvar Libratorium.

Peri hugged her tightly, and gave a bit of a chuckle as he stepped back. "I would like to know that as well - though I assume by your question that you know nothing of Paradise and what it meant to ancient ponies? Well, good - because I do happen to know, and I am eager to share with my sister. Come; walk with me."

He began to walk lazily around the enormous pool as he spoke.

"Ponykind originated from the long-lost outpost known as Dream Castle... but when it fell to vile forces, ponykind had noplace to live at all... until Paradise; it's an estate that spans much farther than it appears to... and is technically the actual home of ALL of modern ponykind, farther back in history even than Celestia, Luna OR the Crystal Empire..."

He then gave her a meaningful grin. "It was a gift to the homeridden ponies of Dream Castle... from a being known as The Moochick. It became the ancestral home of ponykind; from Dream Castle, ponies rarely strayed... but it was HERE, in Paradise, that they began to expand their horizons, and explore more of the world at large."

"Supposedly, Paradise was lost to time; once they left the gates for good, nopony ever found it again... nor was the likes of it ever available; it served its' purpose for our ancestors, and then it was no longer needed as we began to explore and create townships of our own."

Peridot then shrugged. "As to what it's doing inside your head, I haven't the first clue, honestly."

By Darkness - another mystery. What cruel beings kept puttting more and more mysterious things into her skull? First she had nightmares about being possessed by her father... then she suddenly found that she could talk with Ruby here... then - boom - Ponyville and the Crystal Empire... a filly alicorn...

And now, the inexplicable presence of the ancient ancestral home of all ponies. Lovely.

"If you don't know, then I'm afraid to even think about it - I don't think my grip on sanity is strong enough for that." She placed a hoof on her chin in thought. "It kind of reminds me Tambelon, to be fair; ancient, lost in time... but simply GOOD instead of EVIL."

"Tambelon..." Peri's eyes looked distant as he spoke those words, "the ancient Umbral capitol. The height of father's searches, and the one thing he swore he was destined to do - to rule Tambelon. Though he didn't mention it much at first, he spoke more and more of Tambelon as he sunk deeper and deeper into the studies of it."

"Paradise," he continued, "I feel is more a representation within your own head of how you've changed... and how I have changed as well. I don't hear the voices here, Obsidian - not even the first one... like it was before in your mind, except instead of my Delvar Libratorium, it's this place."

He stopped at the pool's edge and dipped a hoof into it, then nodded. "Warm. And inviting. I daresay someone has bestowed a miracle upon you - and I believe you may know whom did such a feat in your favor..."

It wasn't that surprising that Peridot wasn't hearing voices here - he was safely trapped in her head. However, his mention that 'someone' did it made her suspect one specific Tree had something to do with this.

"Well, we found Tambelon, and I'm interested in exploring it as soon as we send its' undead inhabitants back to their graves," Obsidian admitted. Ruling Tambelon... laying claim to a place more ancient than the entire Crystal Empire OR Equestria... that thought was quite charming.

"Wouldn't you prefer to be back in your beloved Libratorium, though?" she asked curiously.

"I'm not sure, really..." he said as he walked around the pool, "though the Libratorium was what I knew best, I admit that there are actually books here that you've never read before... and that intrigues me. I'm quite pleased to explore the place, and I daresay that there is probably more here than meets the eye."

He stopped right outside a beautiful pair of stained-glass double doors that led inside the manor itself.

"Besides, it's very much a change of pace for me; remember, I was stuck in the Delvar Libratorium in your mind since my passing - this is refreshing, not to mention a new twist to the idea that what lies in your head can be used by us as a weapon. In this case, a research weapon."

Books she'd never read before? Exactly what was this place? It surely wasn't a typical piece of her mind, sculpted into a strange and utterly alien shape. Why did she have a connection here?

"A research weapon... have you found anything interesting already? Or possilby something that could expidiate Onyx's chances for reintegration?" Obsidian tilted her head. "Or maybe about a filly alicorn?"

Peridot lifted an eyebrow. "A filly alicorn? What's this about? And Onyx's..."

He then grew a thoughtful look. "Well, I do know that both Ruby and I impressed upon her how important it was to make sure that Amethyst, Tourmaline and your shard would make it out alive from the caverns... but once Ruby decided to take matters into her own hooves and vanished, I ALSO recall Onyx looking quite worried."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Even as I prepared to sacrifice myself for your benefit, I admit that Onyx didn't want me to go; she didn't want to be alone. Which struck me as strange... until I realized that she had NEVER been alone before. Onyx had always been around father, and even when they came to the modern world, she'd had Amethyst and Tourmaline with her, as well as the others in touch at the drop of a hoof."

He then scratched his head. "But it sounds as though you're implying that she made the same sacrifice we all did... yet I seem to be here anyway. Where is Onyx?"

"I haven't, er... e-eaten her crystals yet," Obsidian answered plainly. So Onyx didn't want to be alone? Poor mare; she'd spent so much time in the mind library. Perhaps she could walk more freely around this 'paradise', so she could meet with Peridot? That could be enlighten-... wait.

"Wait - what do you mean 'she looked worried'? I thought none of you were capable of meeting each other in my head?"

"We weren't," he grinned, "but when you became a shard, we could communicate with each other, thanks to Ruby's research."

He looked at her with a small grin. "That mare sometimes makes me feel inferior; she'd spent time looking into ways to communicate with us without crossing borders - and she'd found it. The moment you went under, she called out to us and we could hear and see each other, albeit in our respective worlds and we couldn't touch each other."

"That was where both Onyx and I found out from Ruby that you were returned to shard form - though the spell she described should have vaporized you - and that our siblings needed help. She spoke earnestly about saving lives, then she seemed to concentrate, and poof... she was gone."

"When she didn't return, I naturally stepped up to take her place... which worked, I believe. After all, you're still here, yes? At any rate, Onyx begged me not to go, but I told her you were worth the risk."

He shook his head sadly. "I think Onyx was shocked, because nobody had ever told her that she was worth the risks... but inside, she knew I was right. There's something about you, Obsidian, that not a single other one of your siblings can duplicate or understand, yet I believe I do..."

He looked her squarely in the eyes. "I believe you are the only one of us that is capable of actually generating friendship and kindness; not a one of the rest of your family is capable of even holding a candle to what you have instilled in us all. You are the guidance we need, the heart we lack..."

He shrugged. "It's almost as if it's always been fated to be YOU who unites us all."

Obsidian focused on the part aboout 'vaporization'; she sat down hard and pressed a hoof to her chest, next to her heart, with a rather shocked look on her muzzle. And here, she'd thought that Amber had intentionally put her there - but it seemed that it had been a legitimate attempt to end her life that was unsuccesful only because of some kind of miracle.

Lately, it seemed as if she were staying alive mostly because of random miracles - and she didn't care for the fact that she seemed to be dependent on something she truly couldn't control.

"Yes, Peridot - Onyx emerged as well. And you know, Ruby, as far as I'm aware, seemed to be able to make friendships as well. She even got a coltfriend or two, if I remember correctly. And I feel that the reason why I was 'fated' is because I happen to inhabit the true remains of Radiant Hope's body, and we all have parts of her soul within us. It's only natural that those scraps gravitate towards their original source."

At least, that was as far as she felt she knew and understood about her current situation.

"Ruby was able to... fascinating... so you say. Well, that throws my theory right out the window, then."

He shrugged. "Then I have no idea; you seem to just be able to gather others to you, and rally their spirits. If it's NOT exclusive to you, then I have to go back to the proverbial drawing board and start over."

He wore a bit of an irritated look. "And I do NOT like it when I make such a mistake."

With a sigh, he turned to look out past the gates that said ] PARADISE [.

"I am still up for the challenge of discovering the secret to all of this... yet, I admit, for once I would like for something to go exactly as planned. Would it be too much to ask the world to allow me to gauge correctly, for once? Even in my blind pain, I couldn't manage to best you... and in the end, I didn't even want to. How can I equate THAT to all that's happened to you?"

Peridot turned and emphatically gave the wall a bump with the top of his head, avoiding marring the surface with his horn. "I only wish I knew more... but I suppose it may not be for me to discover."

"Er... The Moochick was a variable you didn't account for, methinks... a-and I'm able to gather others because I'm stubborn and - from time to time - outright suicidal with my many attempts to be a good sister," Obsidian admitted.

Stubborn. That was a good word for it.

"Stubborn, you most certainly are," Peri grinned.

He looked at the huge, stately manor house and shrugged. "If nothing more, it will possibly be a fine place to explore... and I look forward to it. Hopefully, with Ruby and Onyx as well. Do you plan to, eh... 'ingest' them as well?"

Obsidian shook her head. "Not all of them; Onyx is next in line, but Ruby... well, we believe we could actually get her back."

She quickly explained Opal's plan with the Umbral Altars, as best as she understood it.

Peridot listened carefully and nodded as he grew to understand. Then, when she was finished explaining, he looked as though he were on the verge of laughter. "Opal is a genius, of course - and if she says that she has what it takes to re-create a shard, then I believe her. More than that, though... I'm actually somewhat proud of her. Honestly? If you have her on your side - Lapo or not - you have a fair chance of winning this war, Obsidian."

He then reached over and gave her a firm hug. "Now... if she's right, then Opal will most likely require support to make her plans come to fruition; my suggestion is to rally the others around her, and to try to get them all to work together, for the common benefit. If you spearhead that idea, they'll go with it - regardless of what they may say."

He placed a hoof on her shoulder and gave her a warm smile. "Obsidian, you're the-"

~>O<~

"-wake yet? Here we are, doing thorough and exhausting calculations, and she's over there sleeping! Honestly, it's as if OUR work isn't worthy enough, yet HER work seems to be all you fools talk about!"

"Yes, it is... and I would say that a large portion of that very reason is due to the fact that she doesn't see herself as superior to her siblings. A lesson you could take to heart, my dear Lapo."

"{Obsidyan? Are you awake yet?}" She felt herself being gently shaken.

Like Peridot would do, Obsidian calculated that she had probably missed a compliment, by an 81.38% chance. Meh, could be worse, really.

"Peridot... is fine and well. And I apparently have the ancient homeland of ponykind in my head now, too," she muttered as she gave a stretch. Diamond looked at her strangely, but slowly nodded as if he was unsure that doing anything else was a good idea. Cup was still snuggled down, of course - but it seemed as though ~~Opal~~ Lapo and Mundy were awake, as well as Quartz.

"Ah, excellent to hear," her fashionable (?) brother spoke up, "and welcome back to the land of the waking nightmare."

"{Quartz. Be nice.}"

He bowed lightly. "I am always nice - it's the rest of the world that defines that state, not I. Still, have you managed to work out what has happened, Obsidian? And will you be leaving us soon to trek forth into the world to cease the uprising of the wicked Queen Amber?"

"He is always nice," Obsidian confirmed, finally opening her eyes. It was a fact - he was nice even when he had been trying (not) to kill her. The entire world would be so much better if all her enemies would behave in this manner... instead of cackling maniacally or screaming about skinning others alive. "Yes, Quartz; I plan to free all of our friends and family members, and then find her. And end her."

She started to untangle herself from Cup's delightful snuggles. "For now, we need to free Cup's sister Patty from Opal's factory. She managed to modify the Umbral Harnesses for flying... and I'm afraid what else she could do, under Amber's control."

Cup murmured as she wiggled away from him, then smiled sweetly and sighed in his sleep. "... zzzzzzz... yesh, I wanna marshmallow howzepet... zzzzzzz..."

Quartz lifted an eyebrow. "Your sweetheart sounds as if he's quite the charmer in his dreams."

She felt rested enough, but... oddly enough, something didn't quite feel right, either; it was like something was nagging at her heart... something she forgot, perhaps? No, no... maybe it was something she didn't know about yet? Whatever the case was, she knew that the longer she spent here, the longer Patty had to create more devices that they'd all regret later.

It was time to get moving.

Obsidian remembered the time she visitied Cupcake's dreams with Luna. She smiled at this distant memory; she was so very different back then.

"Yes indeed, Quartz - and it leaves only one matter... okay, well, TWO matters. First of all, I'll need to ask Opal to come with us to the factory; I think her help in her own home would be invaluable. Besides, I need to ask her to take a peek at our airship."

"Secondly... do any of us know much about glyphs? I've been given a number of them, and one is supposed to defend against mind control - unfortunately, I'm not certain which one it is. Given our situation, it's obviously very important... especially as I wonder if it could be used as more of a weapon. Imagine baiting Amber to a location surrounded by these glyphs, so she would have to surrender her control over Flurry Heart." She sighed - if only it could be so easy!

But it was never that easy.

Quartz nodded. "I can see the merit in bringing Opal along with you, indeed. However... do you believe you can control Lapo, should she pop out? After all, you'll be going into the factory she took an entire year to build... and Lapo is diabolically clever; who's to say if she has any backup plans in place for situations such as these? And who says whether or not she truly believes in you yet?"

Then, his smile broadened. "As for glyphs of warding and such... that would be my forte, as you're speaking of protection wards - which happen to be my specialty, dear sister. If you have your hooves on some of the same glyphs that protected me in my prison cell, then by all means, please share! I'd be MORE than happy to utilize them to our benefit!"

"If she does end up believing in me, everything will be fine... and if she doesn't, she needs to start believing, sooner or later; this should be a good oppoortunity for that." At least, Obsidiann hoped so. "And even if that's not the case, I need to hope that she'd prefer fighting Amber instead of joining her. After all, Equestria gives FAR more opportunities than a mind controlling, practically psychotic tyrant."

Obsidian moved her saddlebags closer with her magic to grab the glyphs and show them to Quartz. Her hirsuite brother looked over the glyphs rather quickly, and carefully selected three from the entire stack. "These seem to be what we're looking for! Give me two jingles of a slaves shackles, and I'll-..."

He paused, then looked at Obsidian and spoke far more softly. "I suppose I shouldn't use idioms like that, eh? Well, all the same... give me a few moments, and I should be able to prepare the proper glyphs for your journey; present me with an article of clothing I can stitch into, and I'll place the protections on them."

"Oh, don't worry - I still use those from time to time... I mean, everyone keeps giving me strange looks when I do but... meh, it happens," Obsidian shrugged lightly. As long as her idioms sounded logical, they were fine; Modern Equestrian idioms were simply strange.

He glanced over at where he saw his blonde and bespectacled sister working, and sighed lightly. "If you'll be so kind as to fetch Opal's lab coat, I'll put the glyphs inside that as well."

"Article of clothing - right. I guess you didn't have either the time or materials in prison to make hero suits for us," Obsidian mused. "Would my scarf be good enough, mayhaps?"

Quartz grinned. "Indeed it would... and truly, now that I'm free, I'll be working on those outfits you requested. I daresay I could have them ready within a day or two... after all, I have been speed-producing for a few years now; wouldn't be quite a stretch as Amber put upon me, I promise you."

He gently took her scarf in his magic and floated it to himself, eyeballing it as he did. "This is exceedingly well-crafted; by chance, is this your own creation? If so, you're more talented than you've let on, dear sister..."

Obsidian chuckled. "It's a gift, actually - from Aqua's parents-in-law. I'd met them a while ago, and I would dearly appreciate some protection, dear brother; something to make our fight against the Umbrals a bit more even. I would think that a nicely made super-suit should do the trick... especially if we look stylish."

Then, however, she suddenly reminded herself about one more detail. "There's... a question I've wanted to ask you for a while now, dear brother: How are you choosing the colours for your designs?" she tried to ask as gently as possible.

Quartz lifted an eyebrow in curiosity. "The same way as I always do; with forethought and concern for pattern placement, eye-attraction and psychological impact. Colours are far more than mere decoration, after all. They encompass certain parts of the brain's chemistry, and there is a deep connection to the subconscious through the proper usage of such in modern designs."

He then gave her a sly grin. "Of course, those who don't know any better merely assume I have an awful taste for coloration... yet, have you possibly noticed that they still speak of my creations? What one stallion claims is an eyesore, I claim as having successfully caught someone's eye, and left an impact great enough to warrant speaking about it."

A smug smile on his lips, he took her scarf over towards one of the makeshift tables and removed a needle and thread from his own lapel. "Of course, far be it for me to correct the social masses - whatever they wish to believe, they may. As long as they're buying my creations, they can claim them to be as ugly as they like... no fur off my flank."

By Darkness - so many words, and she understood so few of them! So basically... he was using this 'design feature' to advertise himself? "...hunh... o... kaaaaay. Do you plan to design our suits in the proper way to, uhm... l-leave enough impact to warrant speaking about them, then?"

As long as they'd be functional, it should be fine... but it was always better to go with style.

Quartz's grin redoubled. "I think I plan to have them make an impact of their own, yes... no worries, Obsidian; I know more about style than Amethyst knows about anatomy."

As she watched, his magic began to make the needle flit about rapidly, and his stitching began. It was far more artful and coordinated than Amber's sloppy controlled sewing; there was a delicacy and focus to him that made it seem less like a chore, and more like fun.

Obsidian felt there was no point in needling him any further - she felt that she was already pushing her luck, as implying to a lauded fashion designer that his colours were unacceptable could possibly (though not likely) end with her being skewered by his blade.

But first things first; Obsidian trotted to Opal for her coat.

Her tinkering sister was quietly humming to herself as she worked, intent on the pipes she was working on with a rusty yet still usable tool in her magical grip. When she noticed Obsidian, her humming stopped, and she stepped back from her work for a moment. "Um, hello, right, Obsidian... is there, maybe, something I can help you, perhaps, with, eh?"

"Quartz would like to borrow your lab coat to sew a few protection glyphs into it... and I'd also like to ask you to join us on our current little voyage to your factory; there's an important pony we need to save who's being held there. Also, this way we could try to get to know each other a little bit more," Obsidian smiled as gently as she could; no need to trigger Lapo's appearance.

Opal sort of gave a slight grimace. "Er, m-my... factory, you say, yes? Hmmmm... well I did want, yes, to go back to it, ah, so I could gather a few, uhm, things. So I would, sure, most definitely wish to, quite, accompany you."

Her magic floated the tool down onto the table, and she began to look around in earnest as she magically removed her lab coat and drifted it to Obsidian. Opal's own fur was a pale tan color, but now that the lab coat was off of her, Obsidian could see her very thin and slight frame. She had a few small scars around her hooves, and her ribs were as visible as Obsidian's own had been when she'd first come back in this modern world... and Opal had been here for a few years already.

Plus, not for the first time, she also noticed the crack near the base of Opal's horn, as well as finally seeing her cutie mark for the first time: a crystal heart like her own, except instead of Dark Magic surrounding it, it had a hollow in the center which held a mass of cogs and gears, as if the heart itself was filled with clockwork.

"Here... Quartz is, ah, quite good at what he does, indeed; I expect, really, that it won't take, um, too long."

Gather a few things, eh? Whatever could help them win against Amber; in other circumstances, Obsidian would be rather paranoid about it - and rightly so - but now, in the midst of a war against a mind-controlling beast, and after besting Opal once already, she was able to let it slide.

And oh dear... yet another sibling which Amber had treated terribly.

"Dear sister of mine... have you asked Diamond if he could possibly help you with your horn? It... well, it doesn't... look so good," Obsidian admitted hesistantly.

Opal looked at her and blinked, then went cross-eyed as she looked at her own horn and gave a soft sigh.

"Oh, he already knows about that, yes... that was a reminder, quite, from Father - not Amber, no ma'am - a reminder to never, yeeeeaaah, let Lapo speak in his presence, nope..."

It wasn't exactly an actual answer to Obsidian's question; she wanted to know if Diamond could possibly fix it, not how did she get it. Unless, of course, she was suggesting that she wanted to keep a reminder of the wicked entity that had possessed the body of their father.

She took up some sturdy saddlebags in her magic, and secured them to herself as all manner of tools were levitated into them. Once full, she tied the cover flaps down, and brought her coat to where Quartz was working. "Eh, here, yes - is this what you wanted, hmmm?" she asked, and got a smile in return from him.

"That will do just fine; almost done here..." Already? Quartz DID work fast.

"So... did you actually manage to ask Diamond about it, my sister?" Obsidian asked.

She looked a bit distantly at the cavern's inner walls for a moment. "Er, y-yes... and he, um, told us that... that..."

Her expression hardened then, but she shrugged nonchalantly. "... that it was most certainly feasible, yes - but we aren't interested. Now, if you would stop wasting our time and allow us to get moving towards Cincineighti, we would be MOST appreciative."

Now that Obsidian thought about it, Lapo was quite annoying. She seemed to be aggresive, obstructive and probably more then a bit insane - and while those facts alone wouldn't normally be too dangerous, Lapo also possessed an exceedingly brilliant mind.

Quartz sat back with a grin, and levitated Obsidian's scarf to her. "Here you are, dear sister - one glyph against mind control, as requested." Sure enough, on the purple scarf, there was a deeper purple sigil that was neatly stitched into the center of it. The stallion grinned at her, then lifted the lab coat with his magic and began working on it.

Obsidian glared at Lapo, then quickly put on her scarf; the less danger of being randomly mind-controlled, the better.

"A question if I may, Quartz? Do you think it might be possible to make some sort of mobile trap, using these glyphs - one which could be used to free Flurry Heart from Amber's control?"

She'd just wanted to know if that crack on her sister's horn could be repaired; was it too much for Lapo to handle?

The stallion considered it for a moment, then shrugged. "I suppose such a thing is possible... however, it would take more than a single glyph on a sheet or such; I daresay it might take a lot more work to trap an alicorn than to merely keep one out of one's brain."

He finished up a few more stitches, then glanced over at Lapo and gave a soft sigh, then motioned Obsidian closer to him and spoke quietly. "Lapo may be under the belief that fixing Opal's horn might bring an end to her completely... which is why she seems to be so, er... testy about it. She's still warming up to you, dearest Obsidian; give her a bit more time."

So... Lapo was more or less afraid that healing Opal's injury would possibly destroy her. Honestly, Obsidian wouldn't complain, to be fair - as soon as they defeated Amber, she wouldn't need to 'defend' her anymore. Even during their own conflict, Lapo had been a kind of wild card. No tears would be shed by the Grey Princess if Lapo were to disappear for good.

"Well, it's not just for Flurry; it could be useful to bring back any of our friends or relatives that could find themselves under Amber's mind control. It's her most terrifying skill, and we need to prepare accordingly," Obsidian noticed. After all, they were going to rescue Patty; Obsidian doubted that she was working for Amber out of her own free will. "And... okay, Quartz... more time for her to grow on me, I suppose."

Her brother nodded, then grew a thoughtful look. "Hmmmmm... now that I have the proper glyphs, I believe it may be time to begin working on those uniforms you asked about; I can incorporate them into the suit itself, thereby making it that much more difficult to break."

He then grinned. "And, of course, they'll be all the rage in fashion, once this fiasco is done with. I'll also see if there's something I can cook up for Amber to deal with, while I'm at it."

Meanwhile, Tourmaline was seated at the table, staring thoughtfully at the small pile of purple stones there; Ruby's pile had already been gathered up by Opal... but the rather comparitively miniscule collection of little purple stones seemed to worry him a bit.

"Thank you, brother - perhaps we could think about something utilizing Amber's stolen ingenuity? Little flying machines with glyphs, able to create anti-mind control fields," Obsidian mused, her faith in the power of technology and magic remained unshaken - even despite the fact that she managed to beat one of its' finest examples.

She couldn't wait to see what sort of super-suits Quartz would come up with; for now, the amazing P.P.L. was doing its work as a supreme source of firepower. With Quartz's suits and glyphs, she would be practically invicible!

"I'll go check on the progress, then." She turned around to trot over to Tourmy. The purple pile in front of him was, uh... er.... damnation. They had to bring her back; Obsidian had already thought that she'd lost her for good once; she didn't want to relive the experience.

Tourmaline looked up as she approached, then returned his gaze to the pile and sighed. "Obsidian... are we becoming weak?"

He held up a hoof to stave off her protests as he explained. "I mean... here is what's left of Onyx; with everything she did to me - the yelling, the orders, the many applications of the Nightmare Spell - and yet, I actually feel bad for not having gathered more of her. I'm genuinely sorry that this is such a small pile."

He then looked at her. "But... should I feel bad for her? I mean, since you've been a part of all this, you've taught us that it was okay to care. But, honestly speaking, Father would call that a weakness in us - forgiveness and such."

He closed his eyes. "Are we growing weak in our various mercies?"

Well, then. Obsidian once again reminded herself of their first meeting - and couldn't be more amazed by the contrast.
"Do you mean our father as in King Sombra, or as in the body possessed by the Umbral parasite that wanted to kill us?" she asked, just to be sure. "Because as much as I've seen about our real father, I doubt he would dislike forgiveness."

Tourmy looked at her strangely for a moment... then seemed to think it over a bit. "I suppose I should think about it that way, shouldn't I? I mean, there was a point in time where I actually spoke to... um, 'Good King Sombra'... before his complete change. And you're right of course..."

He sighed again. "But, really - does it make me weak to forgive Onyx? I mean, shouldn't there be some sort of punishment for her?"

"I'd think," Aquamarine said as he walked out from his corner and came to the table, "that watching her precious plans being stolen from her, as well as seeing Amber destroy father's statue might have been one Tartarus of a punishment, don't you?"

"Yes, but is it enough?" Tourmy stressed.

Aqua looked firmly into his brother's eyes. "I dunno - how much pain & suffering do you think is enough for someone?"

"She will be punished, there's no doubt about that - assuming she will reappear in the flesh someday soon, with her memories and personality intact. She did invade Equestria, which led to the death of many ponies..."

She stopped talking for a moment - what was the difference between Onyx and Amy?

"Yourself and Amethyst were practically forced to integrate. Her crimes are rather more severe, considering that she was in control for quite some time. But justice can go alongside forgiveness... and forgiveness does not imply weakness. We're family, after all."

He seemed to take a small comfort in her words, as he smiled a bit... but the smile fell as he looked at the tiny pile of rocks.
"I just hope there's enough left to actually count as Onyx anymore - if she's gone 'simple' because of my lack for gathering-"

"We'll whip that slave when we reach them," Aqua said softly, "but for now, it's just something we'll have to wait and see what goes on. Hopefully, she'll be whole, then she'll get some sort of a trial, maybe... where, I hope, Obsidian could possibly stand up for her behalf. Until then..."

Aqua also sighed at the small pile. "We'll just have to hope, won't we?"

Ah, it felt nice to stand among other ponies who know how to use proper idioms without flinching.

At this point, Cupcake sidled up next to Obsidian and laid a hoof on her shoulder. "Love? The airship's ready and stocked - we can leave whenever you're ready."

"Give me just a moment, Cupcake. I wonder if I should go ahead and try to eat Onyx..." She looked over at Tourmaline. "We won't find anymore of them for now, will we? I don't think it would be wise to return to that same, specific tunnel..."

Tourmy shrugged. "I mean, if we feel like going all the way back to those escape tunnels, possibly running into the harnesses again, maybe even tipping off Amber to our presence if she's still there..."

"Purple gemstones?" came the deep, rough voice of Washburn Washington as he and his sister came from the back area. "Ah'm purdy good at findin' gemstones; I could look fer 'em, if'n ya like?"

Butter nodded. "Shucks, we can both go look, which could give y'all time ta head to Cincineighti; by th' time y'get back, we might've found enough ta make it a decent-sized pile!"

Tourmaline stood up, looking at them both. "Well, I could... s-show you where we were running for our lives..."

Both Butter and Wash nodded vigorously.

Obsidian considered the idea with her hoof tapping her cheek; should she, should she not? "Actually, I think Tourmaline is right - it's too dangerous, and I promised I'd bring both of you back to your home. Unless..."

She looked over at Amy. "I think with Amethyst's help you could be safe, more or less. And of course, you'll need some protection glyphs from Quartz."

Amy, trailing along behind the two apples, gave a slow smile. "Yeah... that wouldn't be too much of a strain, I'd think - and if Quartzy can make sure we don't become zombies for Amber, then I'm pretty sure I can get us back to where we were."

Tourmaline looked at Obsidian. "Do I really come across as that level of inept and unable? I'm almost insulted..." Almost, because she was pretty sure he was secretly glad he didn't have to go back there, regardless of who was with him.

Amethyst chuckled. "Well then, you're an eyesore of an idiot - now, you should be insulted."

Tourmy glared at her for a moment, as she returned a smug smile... then, his expression melted away as they both broke into laughter. Quartz, on the sidelines, nudged Obsidian and smiled.

"Alright, alright," Tourmaline grinned sheepishly, "I guess I should listen to the sister who can kick my flank, eh? Fine then - while you two are busy gathering rocks, I can get a look at those glyphs myself; maybe I can figure out some other ways to use them."

"Good luck with that," Quartz replied, "because I'll be rather busy, getting outfits together for everyone here... as well as creating more for the group gathered with Obsidian's other friends."

Aqua lifted an eyebrow. "Yeah... and what about me?"

"Well, you're a fine fighter, dear brother of mine... but in this case, I think that Amy's stealth skills would be a bit more useful. After all, she is Mare Do-Well, and I'd prefer to keep the squad for this task as small as possible," she explained quickly to Tourmy, just in case he felt that he was insulted, "And for you, dear brother Aqua; I'd like you to take care of our defenses here - Quartz will be working, Tourmy wants to do research, and Diamond isn't really into violence... that leaves you as our best choice for protection here."

When Obsidian spoke of Mare-Do-Well, three things happened:

Butter Churn's eyes went wide as saucers. "She's WHUT, now? Mare-Do-Well?"

Washburn turned and looked over at Amy and gave a low chuckle. "Guess that 'splains how y'got a few o' them there scars, missy..."

Amethyst's eyes bugged out as she STARED at Obsidian intently... and not happily.

Tourmaline, however, gave a hearty laugh, then trotted past them all, speaking sotto voce to Obsidian in passing: "I think she wanted that to be a secret, dear sister."

Oops. Damnation. "S-sorry, Amy," Obsidian smiled sheepishly. Well, until now, most of the ponies around her already knew about that little secret - now everypony here knew. She just kinda forgot that Butter was a pony from 'outside' their usual circle.

Aqua stretched and grinned. "Yeah, I can hold down things here - good call. Besides, when ol' Washy over there gets back, we can have a rematch... hoof-wrestling, to be precise. Unless he's chicken..."

Washburn smirked at Aqua. "Wouldn't wanna hurt ya none, gramps."

Aqua cackled merrily. "You neither, fetus!"

They gave each other a rival's grin.

"It seems as if that's about it for the planning," Obsidian spoke up, "Anything more before we head out?"

Quartz stopped his stitching, set down his needle, and rose from the table to walk over to Obsidian... and embrace her in a hug. "Thank you," he said softly.

Slowly, he was joined by Tourmaline, Aquamarine and Amethyst, who all hugged their sister kindly.

"Thank you, Siddy."
"Yeah... thanks."
"Thank you... really."

There was a groan from ~~Opal~~ Lapo behind them. "Oh, for the love of proton diffusers, ENOUGH already! Shall we go, or must I endure more of this saccharine sweet nonsense?"

Quartz's embrace wasn't surprising... Aqua had plenty of time to get used to his life outside of Empire, and was a rather kind (if somewhat crotchety) grandpa now... Tourmy had already liked her for a while now... Amy wasn't exactly surprising either, considering all things they'd been through together.

The fact that they decided to give her a group hug, though? Now that was surprising. She gladly returned the favour.

"Okay, okay, Opal! I'm going!", she shouted back to her double-sister, as she pulled herself from the hug. "Tell Diamond to be ready for anything, okay?" she added before she trotted out to the airship.

When she reached the ship, she found Cupcake there... as well as Diamond.

The little medic was standing on the ship's gangplank, a firm and determined look on his muzzle as Cup seemed to be trying to reason with him. "Mundy, you can't go with us! I'll be, like, reeeeeeeeally dangerous!"

The small stallion looked over to Obsidian and Opal as they entered. "{Obsidyan, tell Cupcakes that I am more than capable of handling myself in a fight! Does he not recall when I used those exploding rocks from the back of the Police Chariot?}"

"Siddy," Cup begged, "tell Mundy he can't go with us; he has to stay here for the others, just in case - that, and he's just too little!"

Opal/Lapo simply facehoofed.

That would explain why the little medic wasn't there for the group hug - though perhaps it was better that way; after all, nopony could tell how he might react to Amy's attempt to pull him closer to her. They'd spent a lot of time together, of course, but memories and instincts are funny things...

"Diamond, I'm afraid Cup is right. You should be here, just in case this place might be attacked, and there's always the possibility that Amy, Butter or Wash could get hurt during their mission. If anything happens to us, I know some healing spells; we should be fine." Hopefully, she didn't say.

Diamond bristled. "{Yet I was important enough to accompany you to the hotel, where we spoke of many things, and we were attacked! And survived!}"

Cupcake groaned, then looked at his fiancee. "Do I get that bad? I mean, I couldn't posibly be that bad... am I?"

Diamond glared at Cupcake. "Coopkayk... zhuzh!"

Cup stared with a bit of a shocked look on his muzzle, while somewhere in the distance, Obsidian could almost swear she heard Wart laughing. Hopefully it was just her imagination, and not Stalwart's sneaking into the airship to accompany them on this dangerous mission.

"No one is bad here, Cupcake... and Diamond, when we took you to the hotel, we weren't afraid that Ponyville could be attacked with nopony around to heal any wounds..."

Cup looked at the smaller stallion and sighed. "Mundy... the situation was a bit different before."

Diamond looked to his sister. "{Going to a place where you are bound and determined to save someone from the machinations of a sister while under a touch of stress?}"

Cupcake lifted an eyebrow. "I don't know what he said, but... it didn't sound like 'okay, as you wish'."

"{How do you know I will not be needed to heal the Pattee?}" he asked, calmly.

Obsidian considered his words, trying to count the advantages and disadvantages of this plan. If everything went well, Amy and the Apples won't even meet any resistance. However, she and Cup would surely be getting into trouble. What's worse, it was a rescue mission, and nopony had any idea what Amber could have done to Patty. However, she'd already told Diamond quite a few times that he should stay there. She might appear to be weak if she changed her mind now...

Well, she'd just talked with Tourmy about weakness.

"Cup? I think he has a point; this place will be guarded, that's for sure. What's worse, we have no idea what we'll find there."

Cupcake looked at her in surprise, but the smol stallion gave a smug grin as he turned and walked the rest of the gangplank, entering the gondola of the airship. "{Thank you, sister - I am confident that you are making the wise choice.}"

Cupcake gave a soft sigh. "Well... I'm still not sure it's a good idea, but..." he then smiled at Obsidian, "how can I say no to such a cute mare like you?" He gave her a nuzzle as he passed her to enter the ship.

Behind her, she heard a giggle as Opal came last upon the gangplank. "The, uh, interactions between you and Cupcake, heh, are utterly adorable, for the record, y'know?"

She made her way onto the ship, then looked around at it with interest. "Well, this is certainly, yes, quite a unique way to travel, indeed! With this vehicle, hmm, I believe we'll be in, er, Cincineighti in no time, yes!"

She then eyeballed the damaged side and the few blast marks. "If it doesn't fall right out of the air first, that is..."

While lately her opinion about Sombra's children had improved somewhat, her opinion about herself had not - and the assurance that Cupcake wouldn't protest because she was a cute mare hardly made her feel more confident in her own leadership skills.

At least Opal had considered it to be cute.

"Well, yes, sister - we are engaged, after all... and these are dangerous times. We need to..." she peeked at Cup. "...enjoy every moment. And to be fair, I hoped that you would like the airship, and perhaps take a look at it later. I'm sure you could upgrade it in your free time."

Opal looked it over a bit... then Lapo shrugged. "Meh... a royal airship such as this is probably so delicate that any improvements I might be tempted to make are FAR overshadowed by the sheer pompousity of the thing - I mean, truly, GOLD trim? How much tackier can an airship become than to boast such a flagrant display of wealth and waste? I would MUCH rather use that gold for circuitryconnections... BAH, such a foppish waste..."

With that, she made her way to the crew cabin. Cupcake, still at the anchor levers, watched her leave, then turned to look at his fiancee. "Is it bad that I like Opal, but I hope Lapo falls overboard?"

"Kind of," Obsidian admitted. "She does have a point here; it's a luxury airship, and not the war machine we need."

Author's Note

Peridot, Son of Sombra

{==I O I==}

Yes, the 'Paradise' referred to here is the Paradise Estate, of MLP past glory. I have done some plumbing through the depths of the series, and felt that this was too good to pass up. But why it exists in Obsidian's head is ANYONE'S guess...

Quartz and the protection glyphs; this was one of the most underrated, yet more important moments in the story. Those glyphs are extremely useful, and will become moreso as the tale progresses... as well as making Quartz invaluable to the resistance.

Lapo: love or hate her, she's coming along for the ride. N-joi.

And so - onward to revisit Cincineighti, and to hopefully rescue Peppermint Patty from the clutches of Amber's machinations. Hopefully, there'll be a way to save her... but there might be a complicaton or two as well. Here's hoping their luck holds out!

Seven: Factory Settings

The anchor was brought up, and they were soon on their way once more.

Below, they passed over a number of places where the fighting was beginning to show; a small village where buildings were abandoned and collapsed, more burnt bridges, a farmer losing the hordes in his cornfields, a barricade destroyed at a river crossing, trees being cut down to block the path of an oncoming unit of harnesses...

Equestria wouldn't be able to stand up to this assault for too long; it was already starting to seem as though it was losing some of its' color and warmth. At this rate, there would be nothing left of it within a month.

Opal spent most of her time looking off the sides or amassing spare parts; she had filled at least three laundry hampers with stuff she'd found just lying around (at least, Obsidian HOPED they had been loose parts), and had brought all of them topside. She hadn't made any modifications yet, but it also meant that she as so busy thinking that Lapo had grown dormant for now. Small miracles.

Diamond had brought himself to Cupcake, who was at the wheel, and was asking a million questions a minute... and even though Cup couldn't understand a word he was saying, he simply started making small talk (no pun intended) with the little stallion. Strangely enough, Cup always seemed to answer whatever question Diamond asked; not because he understood, or because Mundy was speaking Equestrian... more like Cup's responses just happened to be the right ones. Pies were weird.

However, as they got close to their destination, Obsidian saw something that was not a good sight: There was a procession of carts, all pulled by teams of two ponies, and every last one of the mares and stallions - and some colts and fillies - were all displaying yellow-orange glows from their eyes. The carts were big enough to require teams of at least four... but it was only two ponies pulling at a time, and a very slow procesion of tarp-covered carts.

Stupid Amber. If Obsidian would have had her levels of power and an alicorn body, Equestria would be conquered in one, single swoop. In fact, there would be hardly any work to conquer it - a swift mind control over Twilight, one rushed marriage with Midnight, and she would be able to start transforming the entire nation from the inside, acting like the power behind the throne, until there would be no opposition to her rule.

Amber, meanwhile, was - at best - destined to rule over fields of ash and soot.

"Cuppy, do you possibly have binoculars or a lunette I could use?" she asked quietly when she noticed the carts. Foolish, foolish Amber... she'd had Opal before, and now she could use Patty's genius mind - so why was she so stupid to rely on inefficient slave work like this?

Cup reached behind him and pulled forth a pair of fancy opera glasses, then held them out to Obsidian. "Will these do?"

Diamond blinked. "{Obsidyan... where did he get those from? I do not even see any pockets..?}"

"Magic, Diamond - simply magic," she replied with a smirk as she put the opera glasses to her eyes, looking down on the carts for any details that could be useful.

The carts were all sturdy steel ones, but the tarps over them kept their contents a secret... for the time being, anyhow. The procession was a solid line of carts that were all going directly into the large open bay doors of Opal's factory. A factory that was now spewing forth thick, black smoke from the once-clean-burning smokestacks.

The sky around the place was thick with smog, and there was a growing pile of ashes near the base of each chimney. The carts were pulled along, up the rise, past the shuttered and boarded candy factory and into the huge doors. Within minutes, each cart came back out through the opposite side - empty.

The line then continued back the way the others had come from, forming two lanes of carts. Those pulling the carts looked to be exhausted, yet they had no other choice but to carry on; as she watched, a stallion fell over onto the ground next to the mare he was pulling with. Her eyes ceased their glow for a moment, and she took one look at the fallen stallion and sobbed loudly... but only for a moment, before the glow in her eyes resumed, and another mare stepped out of the factory to take the stallion's place. His unmoving body was left in the dirt as the two mares pulled the heavy cart, tears streaming down the muzzle of the one who'd suffered his loss.

"That malicious BITCH!" Lapo suddenly spoke up from beside her. "The very NERVE of bypassing my Clean-Air Scrubber System like that! Certainly, it would be more efficient to do things the nasty way, but then it would leave a smog-filled cesspool to rule over! Who does she think she is?"

"Queen Amber," Cupcake intoned in a low and growling voice.

Unneccesary loss of pony lives, toxic damage to the environment, wide-spreaded destruction of property and industry... eeyup, that was Amber's rule for you.

"She incorrectly thinks herself brilliant; why is it that every single invader tries to conquer Equestria in some stupid, arrogant and wasteful way? Do they want to rule over a barren wasteland? Are they all so sadistic? Or perhaps they were simply too stupid to walk and breathe in the same time?" Obsidian growled angrily. "Opal, we need to get into the factory quickly - did you have any possible useful secrets that we could use right now?"

Opal didn't reply... but Lapo did. "Of course we do - we ALWAYS have contingencies in case things turn out other than what we'd planned - or was our Mecha-Arachnid not proof enough?"

She pointed towards the rear of the facility with a hoof. "Between Release Valve number seven and the firewall, there should be a passage big enough to allow a single-file entry to the main factory floor; from there, we should be able to easily reach the Fabrication Center, where all of our tools and resources are kept."

"Patty... we're coming, honey," Cup said, but Lapo looked at him with disdain.

"This 'Patty'... we certainly hope she's not the kind who would misuse or abuse our toolkits or equipment; frankly, from what we have already seen from the Pie family, it would perturb but not surprise us to learn she had baked them all into some fool cake!"

Cup blinked... then, he got his 'annoyed' voice. "Now just one minute there, Doctor Frankenpone... are you implying that my family doesn't know what they're doing?"

Lapo gave him a smug smirk. "Not at all... we're openly stating it, not merely implying."

Obsidian heard Cup grind his teeth together. Not good.

"In fact, we daresay that your entire family consists of-"

"{There will be SILENCE!}" Mundy spat the words at her and stared into her eyes... and, after a moment, Lapo looked away and her eyes went to blue.

"Ah, th-thank you, brother, yeah..." Opal stammered out.

"You haven't actually seen enough of the Pie family," Obsidian noted. A secret passage to the heart of the factory? She certainly liked the sound of that. "Did you possibly have any other contingencies that could be useful?"

Lapo gave a smug smirk. "Why, yes indeed - ALL to be revealed as necessary, as we're still not certain as to how close we shall be working with you lot; no need to hamstring ourselves needlessly." Even Diamond gave her a disapproving glance at that.

The airship would normally have been seen quite easily... but the pollutants in the air seemed to hide the ship admirably, if pollution could ever be considered 'admirable.' With directing from Lapo/Opal, they set the ship down on one of the smaller building rooftops. The (mad) scientist led them to a juncture bewteen a chimney and some unidentifiable machinery, and whipping out a few small tools, quickly opened a hatch that held a ladder descending into the factory itself.

"Quickly! Before we're spotted!" Lapo took the lead, practically sliding down the ladder to get to the factory floor. Diamond loked down... and gulped. But Cupcake surrounded him with his 'magic sprinkles', and gently lowered him down, offering the next egress to Obsidian.

"Milady?" he intoned sweetly.

Walking around in a scarf when it wasn't winter felt a little bit weird; in the airship, she didn't pay too much attention - they'd had other problems, after all - but now on the ground, she could feel her neck was getting a bit warm. Hopefully she'd replace it soon with one of Quartz's suits.

"Yes, yes - I'm going in." Stupid, stupid Amber and her stupid, stupid plans...

Obsidian trotted to the hatch in order to climb down.

The ladder led to a catwalk which was subtly out of the way, above the factory floor. The carts were being drawn in and separated near the front; Obsidian saw what looked like minotaurs, eyes aglow with Amber's control, directing the carts in one of two directions.

Most of the carts were sent towards the machinery floor, where large hoppers were grinding away as tarps were pulled off, revealing metallic minerals which were then tilted and poured into the chutes, where they were undoubtedly being made into materials for more harnesses. The minotaurs looked just as exhausted as everyone else, and there was a general air of sorrow that hung here.

As she watched a minotaur peeked under a tarp, and sent that cart down the side towards a path underneath the hoppers. Down there, the doors to several blast furnaces were standing open, with more minotaurs enslaved down here to shovel fuel into the heat and fires, keeping the hoppers above working at full tilt.

The cart in question came down the ramp and stopped at the bottom; the two mares who brought it here got on one side and tilted the contents out of it and onto the floor in front of the workforce. It was lumber - chopped piles of lumber that the minotaurs began hefting into the furnaces at a rapid pace. But Obsidian's mind picked out a detail - one she never thought she would be able to unsee...

Among the grey and brown logs, there was an occasional log or branch which stood out among them... because the wood was a stark, pure white color.

Damnation... there goes Obsidian's plans to place an invitation to her wedding within the Harmony Tree's roots. Hopefully this time, The Moochick would choose a bit more of a mobile appearance; she had no idea of the extent of his... her... its powers, but she had expected something a little more resistant to attack.

To see such a fantasical being turned into simple, wasteful fuel was a bit disheartening... more than a bit disheartening, actually. Were simple saws and axes enough to take down the Harmony Tree? Did they have to wait for The Moochick's rebirth now? Was The Moochick already present in Equestria again, free from the shackles of its lumber-based body?

She had little doubt that Harmony was still around - if it would have been THAT easy to rid of it, someone would probably have already done it.

It didn't stop her from feeling a heavy mix of sadness, anger and a bit of anxiety at the sight of the pale wood, though.

"Opal - we need to sabotage the furnace and try to grab as much of this white wood as possible, I think." She didn't feel any different; Applejack's death had immediately gotten her attention...

No, even the destruction of the Tree of Harmony couldn't hurt The Moochick; to think otherwise would be absurd.

Lapo turned to face Obsidian, her eyes wide. "We shall do no such thing! We did not put two years of our lives into the creation of those furnaces, simply for some disheartened vagabond of a sibling to come along and tell us to SABOTAGE them!"

She heard Cup gritting his teeth again.

"... however, there ARE cutoff valves; that would be far more accomidating than DESTROYING or BREAKING our inventions, you shallow heel!"

She gave an exaperated sigh, then spoke to Obsidian as if she were a foal. "Since you cannot seem to appreciate machinery properly, then you and your ridiculous coltfriend go find this 'Patty', while we and Diamond will go to the cutoff valves and utilize the PROPER way to stop expensive and delicate equipment. Come, brother - let us go do something WORTH doing."

Lapo began to make her way further down the catwalk, and Diamond - after a sigh & a shrug - followed along behind her.

Once she was out of earshot, Cup grumbled, "I wonder if we could ask Amber about a trade..."

Well, it seemed that after a while, Obsidian found that she was actually getting used to Lapo; she just needed to remember to focus on what the mare was talking about, and ignore how she was saying it. Sadly, ~~Opal~~ Lapo left before she managed to tell her that using cutoff valves was, in fact, a rather effective way to sabotage furnaces.

Stupid Lapo.

"No, Cuppie... no matter how tempting," she grumbled a bit as she started to look around, wondering where they should go. "Let's try to do this quietly; I'd prefer to save any possible violence for rescuing the remnants of the Tree of Harmony."

Cup blinked. "The... what now?"

However, the answer to that question was cut off by the hiss of steam that filled the passage right above them; walking across the gangplank above was a clatter of hooves and voices.

"... almost prepared for your chariot, my most beautiful mistress!" A stallion's voice called out from above them.

"Good... and the modifications are in full swing with the harnesses; soon, that little whelp will have my entire armada AIRBORNE! Oh, I can hardly wait to see the looks on their faces when we storm CLOUDSDALE!"

That was Flurry's voice - AMBER WAS HERE.

"Yes, your majesty, of course! The foolish pegasi will never see it coming!" the wheedling, whimpering voice returned.

"That's fine - now get out of my sight, before I have you walk into a furnace!"

"Y-y-YES, ma'am! Getting lost right now, ma'am!" Hoofsteps scampered away.

Cupcake whispered to Obsidian. "She has lackeys? Of their own free will?"

Damnation! What was she doing here? Obsidian could hope it was some sort of modern technology, or a magical projection, or... well, anything else other than the possibility that they would meet Amber personally!

"Working under the threat of walking into a furnace isn't exactly a working display of free will, you know," she whispered in return to Cupcake, trying to be as quiet as possible. She'd simply love the chance to snap Amber's shard in half, but they had other problems to deal with at the moment. Suddenly, stealth had now become far more important in their current quest - they couldn't afford to fight with a Celestia-damned alicorn!

Obsidian off-hoovedly made a mental note to send a sufficient warning to Cloudsdale.

The hooves above continued on down the length of the catwalk, then paused directly above where she and Cupcake were hiding. "Ah, the sound of my Empire being forged... speaking of forges, I say we should go and check on the little Pie, shouldn't we?"

There was a pause, then a smarmy chuckle. "Oh, I'm sure you'd LOVE to do that personally wouldn't you, Princess? But no no noooo... you'll spend the rest of your rather long life life under MY hoof, MY lead, MY control... or should I find a way to do to your Daddy what I did to your Mommy?"

She cackled loudly, then began to make her way down the line. Cupcake (who looked furious) turned to her and whispered, "If she's headed to Patty, we could follow Amber right to her!"

Obsidian nodded - it was risky, but they would probably find Cup's sister more quickly this way... and then worry about the rest. If this was Amber setting a a trap...

Well, Obsidian reasoned, I'll just have to hope that she's as stupid as she always is.

They crept along carefully underneath the alicorn as she made her way along the lines.

"Oh, that doesn't even sound biologically possible... and how very UNladylike of you to suggest such!" She laughed aloud, then made a non-committed sound. "Bah, I'm not worried in the least bit about the usurpers - after all, they-"

She stopped mid-sentence, then a low growl escaped her throat.

"Yes, by all means, rub THAT in my face! Amethyst got LUCKY with that damnable dagger, and that was ALL! It doesn't matter if I lost a few minds... I have the Element Bearers - which means no goody-goody types coming into the mix to spoil my fun!"

Silence again, then a bark of a cynical chortle.

"HA! Don't make me laugh... she's a joke, and one with a punchline I'll gladly deliver, as soon as I find out where she took my other siblings! It'll really only be over after they're all dead, mind you... and YOU are in this for the long haul, my dear!"

Flurry was still in there, still fighting! Good; to be fair, if Obsidian was in her position, she'd probably already have given up... well, at least she wouldn't have used any offensive language. If this was a trap, then it was not a very good one. but now, she had a few confirmations; Amber had admitted that she gotten hold of the Element Bearers, and that she really did intend to kill her siblings...

And Obsidian did not like it when others messed with her family.

Amber/Flurry made her way down another side passage, and came to a stop. "Well?" A knock came, followed by a sigh and a wrenching sound for the front doorway. "Never mind; you take too long!" More hoofsteps, then...

"Hello, my little pony! Good to see you sooooooo hard at work! Of course, not that you have any choice, but it's still good to see the progress on MY armada."

"Okay, let's wait a bit for her to leave first," she muttered to Cup. They now knew where Patty was - so the easy part of their quest was already done.

There were hoofsteps, then... "And what's this..? OH! Oh, that will be NASTY, once they're in the air! You have such a creative mind - I'm so glad I OWN IT!"

More maniacal laughter, then the sound petered out as a large hiss of steam issued from somewhere below them.

"Wait. Hold on just a moment... why is the boiler pressure declining? That's not right... unless..."

It was silent for a moment... then there came a slow and wicked laughter. "Well... well... well... of all the ponies I could ever expect to feel the presence of, I never imagined this sort of intrusion in a million years... or at least a thousand."

Hoofsteps began to make their way back in the direction they had come from. "I think perhaps I should go and see this for myself... and maybe, once I get my claws into his brain, then Diamond can tell me why he's here... and who that is with him..." Cupcake blanched, but stayed where he was hiding.

Okay, truth time - whatever Patty had made, Obsidian really wanted it - at least, to keep it out of Amber's hooves. And, come on - who laughs that much, and so maniacally? Amber was a rather sick individual - in many ways, apparently.

However, first things first; they'd be able to better consider Amber's mental problems when she was completely and utterly destroyed. For now, Obsidian had other problems to deal with.

Diamond and Opal were, as far as she was concerned, safe from mind control; Opal had her glyphs, and Diamond was Diamond. It still didn't change the fact that they had to hurry, unless they wanted to finish a rescue mission with two additional ponies to rescue.

"Cupcake," Obsidian whispered quietly, "do you happen to have have any excessively noisy tools in your miraculous storage space that could possibly attract her attention?"

Cupcake slowly smiled... and pointed a hoof at what looked like a small box that was below them on the wall in the corridor... a small box that had the words [FIRE ALARM] written on it.

"I think the tools we need are already here," he said as he climbed off the catwalk they were on and inched his way down to the floor below, where he marched right up to the box, then grabbed the lever with his magic and yanked on it HARD.

A nerve-shattering klaxon alarm began to wail, and Cup grimaced as he began to try to climb back up... but, due to the way the secret catwalk was positioned, he couldn't quite manuver to it. He glanced around in a bit of a panic, then looked back up at Obsidian. "Get Patty! I'll go get the airship started so we can take off quickly! Try to spot Opal and Diamond on the way! I LOVE YOUUUU!"

He then took off like a shot, headed in the opposite direction from where Amber/Flurry had been; now Obsidian was alone, and had the screech of an alarm in her ears... and a Peppermint Patty to save.

To be completely fair, she didn't exactly mean for him to activate this noisemaker right this very minute! She'd wanted to check in on Patty first, plan an escape, prepare for-...

Regardless, the deed was done. She'd loved to have been able to reply, 'I love you too' or 'be careful' in response... but she doubted her voice would carry over the blaring siren.

Adrenaline was pumping through her veins, and her heart was beating as fast as equinely possible without killing her. They were deep in enemy territory, the Tree of Harmony was going to be used as mere fuel, they still hadn't dragged Patty out of her prison and - damnation - Amber was here!

Fantastic.

First things first - steps. One after another. No time to worry. She practically darted to where Patty was.

Reaching the portion of the catwalk that led under the doorway, she found the way blocked by a concrete wall; there was a maintenence ladder, however, that brought her up to where she could get inside the room. The door was automatic, and let out a hydraulic hiss as it opened...

It was Opal's workshop - it had to be, due to the number of tools and supplies lying around. There were also a few harnesses in the room, but without Umbrals inside them, they were just Labor Harnesses.

Labor Harnesses that Peppermint Patty was installing flight propellers on.

The poor mare looked like she'd been worked constantly since Obsidian had last laid eyes on her; deep circles under her eyes, her bright red mane hanging limp and greasy, worn spots and chips on her hooves, and the telltale amber glow in her vision as she desperately worked to get the propeller in correctly, holding the generator that would spin it in place with her own hooves - no magic for the earth pony mare - as she attempted to screw the boltplate down at the same time.

She looked as though Amber's possession was the only thing keeping her upright; it was Quartz, all over again.

Her vile sister was an intensely foolish evil mare; an inventor like Patty needed resources and help - one can't expect a brilliant mind to do this sort of laborious work all by herself! One or two of the minotaurs Obsidian had seen earlier should be here, ready to help with the heavy lifting, as well as a unicorn to do the more delicate operations... and all the while, she would be well-fed and cared for. That way, she would work faster, more focused... and more importantly, any 'rescue' parties would be terribly surprised to discover that she didn't want to leave before finishing her steady and rewarding job! She would want to finish, because she would be proud of her achievements.

Obsidian was getting so frustrated that sooner or later, she might try to take over Equestria herself, just to show all these idiots how to do it properly!

The Grey Princess trotted quickly to her sister-in-law. "Peppermint Patty! We are leaving... right now," she said as she took off her scarf, placing it around Patty's neck.

Patty looked at her blankly... then, when the scarf slipped around her neck and the glow was cut clean from her eyes, she let out a thin squeak and threw her forelegs around Obsidian, hugging her tightly.

Then, she glared back at the harness she'd been working on and gave it a firm kick across the room. It smashed against shelving that sent tools toppling to the floor. Patty grabbed up a number of them, quickly stuffing them into a saddlebag that she threw onto her shoulder as she led the way out of the rear door of the workshop.

The factory was in chaos as the alarms were going off, and there were a number of ponies whose amber glows had also vanished from sight - and they were panicking... or rioting?... she couldn't tell, but there was no peace on the factory floor at all.

Patty was headed toward what looked like a sewage grating, but she had no clue that there was an airship here!

Obsidian had officially changed her mind; the scarf was totally awesome as a weapon against mind control. Quartz's suits would be useful as well... but at the moment, she was considering her simple, homemade and glyph-stitched scarf to be the best thing ever.

If she hadn't had it, she probably would have had to shake Patty physically, then try to remind her of Miss Pinkie, Cupcake, Blue and so on, until she would finally break herself free of mind control... or Amber would come back and kill them all, either way.

"Patty, wait - we have an airship!" She stopped Patty in her tracks and quickly explained how they'd gotten here. "Cup is already preparing to launch, so we need to be fast!"

Maybe in all of this chaos, she could snag at least a single branch of the Harmony Tree?

Peppermint Patty came to a dead stop, and the look of incredulity on her muzzle turned to one of sheer, utter excitement as the word 'airship' hit her brainpan. She darted back to Obsidian and jogged excitedly in place as she looked around for said airship, looking giddy as a schoolfilly for the chance to see such a marvelous device in the horseflesh.

Meanwhile, there was an explosion from deeper within the factory, followed by triumphant laughter and screamed words.
"A thief can emulate greatness, but only the ORIGINAL can prove the shallow depth of a cheap copy! FEEL THE WRATH OF OUR MECHANICAL VENGEANCE!"

It was Lapo's voice, and it was followed by a very different alarm, and words which came across the loudspeakers:

[Warning - evacuate the premesis immediately - generator meltdown in... five... minutes, and counting...]

The words were followed by a shriek of pure, unadulterated HATRED that came in the voice of the only alicorn present. It seeed as if Opal was having some fun... but it was a call for escape, though. Obsidian didn't know what the phrase 'generator meltdown' meant, exactly... but she didn't want to be here to find out. She ran after Patty.

The two of them seemed a bit lost, until they cleared the scaffolding and heard: "{OBSIDYAN!! PATTEE!! THE LADDER!!}"

Sure enough, there was a rope ladder which was swinging through what was now an enormous hole in the factory's ceiling... however, the ladder was still too far up to reach...

But Patty was undeterred.

As Obsidian watched, the mare pulled out a hammer from her tool satchel, and with a speed so fast her form seemed to blur, she used random scrap laying around to rapidly construct a metal staircase right before the Dark Princess' eyes!

She was done within the space of twenty seconds, and it reached up high enough to catch the ladder. Patty motioned to the metal staircase, then quickly climbed it and took hold of the ladder, making her way up partially before turning back to wait for Obsidian.

[Oh, what fresh fucking bullshit is THIS!?]

Oh no.

["Obsidian!?! What the fuck are YOU doing here!?"]

She now felt the unmistakable YANK of her skull to the left, supposedly indicatng that Amber was trying to take control of her! Perhaps giving her scarf to Patty wasn't the most brilliant idea, as Obsidian had initially thought. She'd hoped that Amber wouldn't notice her presence here...

"Gah!" Obsidian yelped as she grabbed her head in her hooves, trying to fight the control as much as she could. Perhaps it took twenty seconds to build the stairs, but it was twenty seconds too long; Obsidian hit herself in the face, hoping that the busrt of pain would help her keep focus on staying in charge of her own mind.

"Patty... the scarf! I... I need it...!" she desperately ran towards the staircase. More glyphs - next time, they definitely needed to take more glyphs.

Patty looked down at Obsidian, and understanding broke out across her features just as Amber's slimy mental touch wormed into her skull!

[HA! Now, we'll just make you slaughter every-]

Patty leaned down and dropped the scarf onto Obsidian's horn, and Amber's words cut off in mid-threat. Of course, this was followed by an enraged scream, and a blast of pure Dark Magic roared out of a nearby door, taking out a corner of the roof just as the ladder with Patty on it began to ascend.

Obsidian made it to the top of the staircase and, with a stretch, she reached out and managed to grab hold of Patty's outstretched hoof. The earth pony pulled the unicorn to the ladder, and the airship above them began to rise... albeit FAR too slowly.

"Will you cease your slow progress and come aboard, already!? We daresay that this entre plant will be razed to the ground VERY soon! Move your flanks!" Lapo yelled down at them from the airship's rail-... well, where the rails were supposed to be, anyway.

But... but the Tree of Harmony... DAMNATION! Obsidian followed her sister's order and moved her flank; well, after the factory was gone, it wouldn't be used to fuel Amber's warmachines anytime soon.

The two of them climbed rapidly up the rope ladder, and piled ono the ship's deck as Cupcake made to steer it, pushing the throttle as far forward as he could!

He saw them both, and smiled broadly. "Siddy! PATTY! Catch, Pats!"

He then reached back into his 'dimensional pocket' and threw something at Patty, which she caught; it was her black bowler hat, a glyph of warding stitched into the hatband. "Quartz says hiya!" he intoned, and she smiled as she donned it directly.

Diamond gave a cheer from his place at the anchor levers, but Opal - sorry, Lapo - came strolling over and examined Patty with her own two red eyes.

"Is THIS whom we came to fetch?" she asked, sounding offended.

Patty looked at Lapo, smiled and offered a hoof... which Lapo stared at and ignored.

"You're telling us that this EARTH PONY is the whole reason we went through this modern nightmare?!? What a waste of time!"

Patty looked at Lapo and frowned.

"And now, our entire factory will be debris - for what? AN EARTH PONY!"

Patty marched up to her and pointed back behind them where Umbral Harnesses were beginning to take off in groups of four to eaight, propellors turning as they made their way towards the airship and those contained onboard it.

Lapo looked at Patty. "This is YOUR fault! How could we have been so blind as to not have seen this coming!"

"Siddy!" Cup yelled, "We've got harnesses, coming in fast! We'll never be able to best THAT!"

Lapo sneered. "Not unless WE build a superior engine to outrun the damnable things, they shan't! Useless Earth Pony - repare to be AMAZED!"

Instead, Patty shoved her hat forward on her head and pushed her bottom lip out.

Lapo took notice and stared back at her. "Oh - are we going to prove how much of a builder you are NOT!?"

Patty spat over the side, then cracked her neck.

"Can't you possibly focus on building something together, and settle who's the better LATER!?" she asked in desperation. "And you will get your factory back one day, Opal - bigger and better than ever before - but please... first we need to actually succeed!"

Lapo scoffed when Obsidian spoke up. "US!? Working with such a plebian as Earth Pony Pie? That shall not even be DIGNIFIED with a response!"

Then, Patty stamped a hoof and stared at Lapo... who stared back at her... and the bowler-topped mare stuck her tongue out.

Lapo gave a wicked smile. "Oh? So you'd rather have us humiliate you in front of your sibling? Then, by all means, bring your sorry hide to lose!"

With a flash from Lapo's horn, her cavalcade of tools levitated from her own saddlebags, and each was surrounded in a blue glow of energy.

Patty, however, simply dipped into her own saddlebags and brought out her hammer once more, a look of determination in her eyes.

Both geniuses then ran to opposite ends of the airship and began to build like mad.

Lapo started moving at a rapid, yet smooth pace. She gathered spare parts from all around her, leaving much of the ornamental parts as being what she was working with. She seemed to be putting together some sort of deck-bound machine...

Meanwhile, at the other end, Patty was zipping back and forth between her own creation, some sort of barrel, and random places on the deck where she too was using ornamental pieces and fashioning them into something else entirely.

Behind them, Obsidian now saw what looked to be flying harnesses, all drifting up from the factory below and giving chase, though at as slow a progression as the airship was making... until they seemed to catch a breeze and started floating faster towards the hapless crew of what was to be the S.S. Debris!

After only a few scant minutes, Lapo stepped back and smiled broadly at her work - whatever it was - and reached over to spin a few dials and pull a large gold lever.

FWOOOOSH!!!< Twin blasts of fire roared out from the device, and the entire ship lurched forward, throwing Cupcake against the wheel and sending Diamond sprawling onto the rear cabin's front door with an "OOF!" that was the same in ANY language.

Laughing, she then turned to look over at Patty. "Well now, Earth Pony - we have successfully made this ship more powerful, and with only a fraction of the effort involved!"

She then laid a skeptical eye on the largish trash can Patty seemed to be making. "And what, pray tell, is THIS pile of garbage?"

Patty stepped back and grabbed up a bottle of something labeled 'washer fluid', and poured it into the top of the cobbled-together can, then gave it a firm but careful kick that made it begin rattling and chugging. It then grew wheels, and rolled forward - and right off the side of the airship.

Lapo laughed. "WORTHLESS! Your attempt was pathet-"

Patty held up a hoof, and pointed downward.

The barrel-thing was rolling along the hull, as if magnetized, until it reached the bottom, where it then extended what looked like the barrel of a gun. Suddenly, the barrel began to fire at the oncoming harnesses... and encased them in what appeared to be large soap bubbles.

One of the harnesses tried to shoot through the bubble's wall - and was rewarded with the sheer destruction of 500 rivets all bouncing around inside the apparently impenetrable bubble! The harness and it's undead occupant were torn to shreds in seconds.

As the bubble barrel did its' thing, Patty turned and gave Lapo a smug smile... and Lapo looked livid.

Patty turned and began to work on what seemed to be another device, while Lapo simply glared at her for a moment, before turning and starting work on another project herself - determined not to be upstaged.

Now, the harnesses that weren't being encased were picking up a LOT of speed, and streams of rivets began to ping off the hull, as well as other places around the little crew onboard - only the two builders seemed to be unfazed by this.

There now - that's how a free market should work; a competition of two brilliant ponies working in the same field, leading to the greater satisfaction of their client and innovation borne of necessity. And the possible development of better tools of war, as well.

It was extremely satisfying to see Lapo proven wrong, as well as a complete overwhelming of the flying Umbral Harnesses. Obsidian sparked her horn up and cast her shield on the deck, to protect the other ponies onboard - normally, she'd be collecting rivets to load her PPL with, but right now she was pretty sure that her sister and sister-in-law would deal with it marvelously.

Lapo glared at Patty a moment longer... then a slow smile spread across her features. She then turned and began working on another project as well... and began to magically take parts from Patty's device to do so.

Patty didn't notice at first... then, when she finally saw a piece drift past her vision (quite possibly deliberately), the earth pony mare glared back at the smug unicorn.

And with a zip of motion, she snatched a piece off Lapo's work!

Within moments, both inventors were constantly snatching parts fro each other, back and forth, in a somewhat comical display of spite on both ends - parts being grabbed up and shuffled back and forth until it was clear that neither one of them were making even a bit of headway in their inventions.

"Your creations are mud and sticks, compared to our own!" Lapo bellowed, "We suggest you simply allow us to build, and standing aside for a superior mind is no shame! We would at least allow others to think you may actually have some intellect!"

Patty stuck out her tongue and made a very rude gesture towards the unicorn mare before snagging another piece of her project and dashing off to her own with it.

Lapo growled, and with a flick of her horn, a hammer flew over to Patty's project and slammed down on a jutting piece, snapping it off at the base. Patty, seeing this, tossed a wrench behind her and bucked it into the device Lapo was working on, leaving a moderately-sized hole where it went through.

The two of them suddenly dropped all pretense, and came muzzle-to-muzzle, each one gritting their teeth and glaring daggers at each other.

"Waifbrained polyp!"
"Thp-p-p-p-p-p-p-th!"
"You DARE stick your tongue out at us!?"
"MMM-HMMM!"
"Why you-"

And that was when a stream of rivets finally found a vulnerable target... and the dirgible balloon above BURST.

And they began to fall.

Cupcake screamed as he frantically jerked and pulled on the now unresponsive wheel. Diamond whimpered and dove at Obsidian, wrapping himself around her left foreleg and shivering with fear.

"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!" Cupcake shrieked.

And right when Obsidian had thought that everything would go smoothly, those two started to fight and bicker like unruly foals... and instead of getting two wonderful pieces of technological marvelousness, they got a rivet to their balloon (further proof that this airship wasn't quite fitting for their needs). If she wasn't so livid at Patty and Opal, she would be utterly terrified of their incoming death.

Patty and Lapo looked at each other for only a moment... then, without a single word, Patty became a whirlwind of activity, as Lapo's tools quickly went to work amidst the middle of the tornado. Right in front of Obsidian's very eyes, the two inventors built a massive propellor from scratch - including an engine for it - and sparks flew from it as it began to whir to life; they had accomplished this in seconds flat.

But would it be enough?

As the ground came rushing at them, she felt Cupcake put his forelegs around her barrel, and he kissed her fiercely as... as...

As they narrowly missed the ground, and the entire gondola leveled out and began to rise, barely clearing the treetops and now travelling at a decent clip.

"Ha! Ha-HAA!" Lapo turned and looked to Patty and smiled. "OUTSTANDING!"

Patty smiled back, and tipped her bowler to the unicorn.

"Well, if our genius is truly going to be blessed with a partner who actually understands it - then let us make the best of it, yes?"

Patty nodded firmly.

The two, now working in perfect Harmony, began to put their skills together, and started building in earnest all around the hapless crew.

Cupcake finally let the kiss end, and looked around. "We're... not all gonna die?"

Luckily, in face of a quick demise, the two geniuses seemed to work out their differences and - in a ridiculously short amount of time - they built something together and saved them all.

Well, at least she got a kiss from her Cuppy... though she was a little less happy about Diamond's wrapping around her leg - he was strong, after all.

"It appears that we are not," she glared a warning at both Lapo and Patty... just in case. "Now, I hope you two will continue working together, as I'd like to turn this airship into something more useful. And... where are all the Umbrals?" She looked around to find the last of their attackers.

She could hope that perhaps Amber believed that they'd died after the balloon was damaged? As far as she could see, there were no harnesses pursuing them... possibly they were unable to, as the airship was now speeding along rather quickly - far faster than it was previously capable of.

Lapo looked over at Obsidian and gave a light grin. "Well, nobody told us directly that the Earth Pony possessed such a talented mind; had we a demonstration of such, then there would have been less issue with it!"

She then looked to Patty, who gave back a grin of her own.

Lapo's eyes shifted to blue, and Opal smiled sweetly. "She has quite a way, yes, with invention, right? Such is the, er, way things will sometimes go, heh."

Patty lifted an eyebrow at the sudden change in her construction partner, but Opal simply picked up her tools in her bright red magic, and began to take up directly where Lapo had left off.

The Pie inventor watched Opal work for a moment, then shrugged and simply started doing whatever needed to be done.

Slowly, Obsidian felt the blood rush back into her hoof as Diamond let go of her foreleg and sighed with relief. "{That was NOT pleasant... please, do not bring me with you again, if you are going to gather these two together.}"

"{To be fair, dear brother Diamond, I would prefer to keep our two most brilliant technical minds at our hideout, preparing defenses and inventing useful equipment for our missions. I believe they should be able to do quite a lot of good together.}" Obsidian replied to her brother, for a change using good, old imperial language.

"Well, let's get back home... by the way, did anypony manage to at least touch the remains of the Harmony Tree? No? What a shame," she quickly replied to her own question and sighed.

Cupcake gave a little grin, reached behind him and pulled out a single small white twig, which he placed lovingly behind her ear. "Well, I... kinda got that on the way out; does it count?" he smiled sheepishly.

Obsidian sighed again, this time with relief. "It counts, yes; thank you, Cupcake." It was either the very last remainder of the Tree of Harmony... or the beginning of something new. For now, it was good enough for her.

The newly boosted airship - should it still be called an airship? - made it's way back to Washburn's hideout; by the time it arrived, it was also sporting two more propellers, a catapult and a fully contained pilot's cabin, along with several bubble cannons and the beginnings of a magnetic repelling system to use against the exploding spheres.

Opal and Patty chose to remain onboard to continue their work, though they sequestered Diamond to bring them supplies, which the little stallion was more than happy to do - now that they were safe on the ground, of course.

As they re-entered the underground cavern, Obsidian could hear what sounded like talking. "... as much as we could! We still don't know where the rest of them went, but if they followed us back here, in any capacity-"

"C'mon now, Tourmy! We ain't that dense! We knowed them thangs'd track us t'th' end o' th world an' back - I toldja we were FINE out there!"

"Then explain to me why I got hurt?"

"Look, ah said ah was sorry - but as many o' them thangs showed up, ah don't thank we coulda done much better'n we did!"

"Right - you saved each other, but somehow, you're saying I just happened to get spotted?"

"Ain't our fault you wouldn't hush up none!"

"I was supPOSed to BE proTECted!"

"Yyyyyyyeeahhh... an' yer s'posed ta stay with US, too..."

"Look, can we jus' agree ta disagree, an' get this all fixed up afore Miss Obsidian comes back? I'm sure she'd be AWFUL sore that you got yer leg broke."

"SHE'S sore!?!?"

Oh, by Darkness, who broke a leg!? To say that Obsidian's steps got much faster would be an understatement. Wasn't Tourmy just supposed to be researching?

Coming around the corner, Obsidian found Washburn, Butter and Tourmaline all grouped together - and as soon as she came in, the two Apples stepped in closer around him.

"Uh - MISS OBSIDIAN!" Butter yelped.
"Ulp!" Wash gulped.

"Uhhhhh... hhheeeeyyyy, sister! Umm... were you successful in getting Cupcake's sister back? I mean, you can tell me from over there, right?"

The Apples stood between her and Tourmaline, both smiling nervously.

There was something suspicious going on here... a lot of suspicious things, actually. Obsidian put on a pleasant smile and trotted forward to see what were they hiding Tourmaline from her. "Oh, of course I can... but I want to see all of my dear siblings up close and personal - Tourmaline included. We managed to gather up Patty, so no problems there. How about you?" she asked cheerfully.

Wash tried to move in the way... but Butter gave a hefty sigh, and held a hoof against her brother's barrel. "Miss Obsidian? I gotta be straight with you... Amethyst couldn't find where y'all had escaped from, so we came back an' got Tourmaline here, so he could show us..."

She then sighed. "We found it, alright... an' it was plum COVERED in them harness-thangs. We tried ta leave right off th' bat, but yer brother-"

"I saw purple stones," Tourmaline filled in the blank, "and I had to get as many as I could. So... I did."

"Yeah, an' it almost cost you yer LIFE, you dummy!" Butter yelled back at him. She then turned and stepped aside.

Tourmaline was laying on one of the makeshift tables, looking a bit dirty but otherwise okay... except that his right rear leg was bent in four different ways that legs shouldn't bend, and had part of a bone jutting out of his knee.

"... but I got more stones," he said with a grimace. "And now that Mundy's back..." he added with emphasis.

Well, now - that was a sight that Obsidian couldn't even begin forgetting about; it looked terribly painful.

"Oh, all right - I'll get him," she stepped back, to quickly fetch their medically gifted brother. It seemed like the Apples were right; she was feeling both sore and sorry, just looking at this anatomical horror.

But they got more of Onyx!

One quick explanation later, and Diamond was by Tourmaline's side, his horn healing the greivous wound. Tourmy grit his teeth and moaned as it happened, while Mundy looked a bit upset.

"{And what will we do next time we have to go on a dangerous mission?}"

"We'll... uuurgh... take care not to... RRRGH... get seen..."

"{Yes, Tourmaline - that is correct; you will NOT foolishly run to your goal immediately, will you?}"

"RRRRRGH!... n-n-no..."

"{That is correct, my brother - no more risking yourself for others!}"

Tourmaline groaned and laid back, trying not to grimace too much.

Butter Churn hung her head. "M'sorry we wasn't fast enough t'get to him first; them thangs were all over him like newborn fleas on an old dawg. Wash made short work of 'em, but there was still a heap of 'em there when we left."

She gave a worried look. "Ah hope she wasn't looking fer 'em, too..."

"Do you mean Amethyst isn't here?" Obsidian asked with a sudden touch of worry in her voice. Luckily, she knew that Amber was with Patty while Amethyst and the rest had ventured to look for Onyx's crystals - but Umbrals were dangerous in their own right, and even such a great warrior as Amy could possibly be hurt during the battle.

"Amethyst's kinda put-out by whut happened; she says she wanted ta train summore; she's out in th' Gorge, lookin' fer Rockworms. She said she'd handled one afore, so I figgered she knew whut she was doin'..."

Was she talking about - the giant thing Amy had killed while Obsidian had been sharded?

"Obsidian!" Quartz's voice called out, "That would be you, yes? Splendid! I've made some more articles of clothing to wear for blocking out mind control - yet I still haven't finished any of the suits you asked for just yet; I could use more material, however... perchance do you know of somewhere I could find more and better material?"

"Okay, Amethyst may be capable enough to handle rockworms, but I'll be still going to look for her. And yes, Quartz - I know!" she raised her voice, so he could hear her. "I want us all to go back to Ponyville. I'm sure Miss Rarity won't mind sacking her Carousel Boutique a little bit..."

The search didn't take very long; Obsidian only had to follow the trail of carnage for a small distance before she reached a rocky clearing where there were a pile of worm-things lying dead... along with some horrific-looking birds, some timberwolf remains and what looked to be a young adult hydra - each one, stone cold dead.

Amethyst sat atop the pile of bodies, staring out at the rest of the Gorge... yet, her ear flicked towards Obsidian as she approached. Without turning, she spoke. "You get Diamond to Tourmaline?"

So that's how she was spending her time without Obsidian - having fun and playing out in the wilderness! Obsidian had wanted to take her on a hunting trip to spend some quality time together... of course, Obsidian was only jokingly irritated - in reality, she was rather relieved that Amy was just fine.

"Oh yes, dear sister of mine - that injury to his leg looked rather painful. So, how are you? I hope you weren't too bored, waiting for our return?" she asked.

Amethyst was quiet for a moment, then spoke softly. "Obsidian... what's gonna happen to us?"

She sighed. "I mean... what, are we just going to exist in Equestria like this? What about the Crystal Empire... will we be there? What's the future of our existence? Are we just gonna BE here? What will be expected of us? Why can't we-"

She suddenly stopped, then s-l-o-w-l-y lowered herself towards the ground, and began to creep towards Obsidian.

"... don't... move..." Amy whispered as she began to stalk towards where Obsidian was at.

"The future? That shall be whatever we will want it to be, dear sister! There will be no master over us; all of us will be known as saviours of Equestria," Obsidian said with a dreamy voice. "The gates of Tambelon will open before us, we will be lauded as heroes and-... oop," she froze, not daring to move even a single muscle.

Amethyst crept up closely, then paused for a moment. Just as Obsidian was beginning to wonder if she'd ever get to move again, Amethyst's horn gave a quick flash, and a broken chunk of Timberwolf from the pile was flung into the bushes, which produced an 'eep' sound as Amethyst made for them.

Wait. Waaaaaaaait... bushes didn't 'eep'.

Amy landed in the middle of the scrubby shrub, and Obsidian heard another yelp, then a hoof-connecting smack... and something small, bundled in rags, came rolling out towards her.

"Obsidian! Stomp on it!" Amy yelled.

What came to rest at her hooves looked up at her with big, fear-filled blue eyes, and quivered in its' little ball. "NOH! Noh, pleeze, no stompies!" it whimpered up at her.

For a moment Obsidian couldn't help but wonder if this creature, whatever it was, would hurt her - poison, claws, quills, teeth... there were plenty of things that it could possibly do to her. She did not expect, however, that it would speak.

"Amy, stop! No stompies!" she repeated after the quivering ball, slightly shocked that anything they could find here was able to produce coherent speech!

Amy froze where she was, but continued to eyeball the thing in front of her. Slowly, the little ball unfurled, and it turned out to be... a diamond dog?

Yes, a diamond dog - but a very young one. The creature couldn't have been more than six summers; it had brownish fur with grey bands at the ankles and wrists, a mane that was done up in mismatched pigtails and a cute little muzzle that wore a long, jagged scar directly down the center of it. All of this topped off with what looked to be a very piecemealed outfit of rags and belts, barely holding together.

Big blue eyes looked up at her from the creature, and it trembled where it lie. "Is not hurtingz yu - pleeze, iz no hurtingz diz pup! Iz heer tu findz YU..."

The poor thing was trembling with fear as it... she?... lay there in fear.

"Awwww... don't worry, little one. We were only afraid you might have been dangerous; we won't hurt you. Did my sister hit you too hard? Do you need healing?" Obsidian had a soft spot in her heart for creatures like this one - especially as it was far, far more scared of her than it should have been.

"If you like, you can ride on my back?" she offered.

Amethyst looked at her sister for a moment. "Is... i-is this what we're doing here? I just... wanna be sure we're not killing anything here, right?"

The little ball of diamond dog whimpered when she said 'kill', but then slowly began to get up and looked at the Grey Princess with a bit of awe. Then, she gave a cute but wary little curtsy.

"Iz okay, Miz Obziddiun... diz pup noh hurted; iz been battied by badder thingz den poneez! Iz pleezed to meetchu - diz pup iz 'Biscuit', an' iz been looking for yu!"

She brought her little paws up front and fidgeted with them as she spoke, looking down at the ground. "Iz went tu go find Bruvver Gypsy, but iz no poneez in Poneetown - even doh diz pup smellz Bruvver Gypsy dere - but noh finded him! Soh, diz pup sez 'de NOZE noze', an' she find scent of Miz Obsiddiun in pritty howze wif Bruvver Gypsy scent... so, follow to lotza placez, 'til find noze bringz HEER..."

She now looked up timidly. "Bruvver Gypsy is breathingz still, yah? Pleeze, yah?"

Oh, no - not accents. Accents were terrible, annoying things; why couldn't the entire world speak in the normal, standard Equestrian... or even Imperial, that would be fine too. But Obsidian had already experienced enough to understand what the little pup was saying and-... wait, brother?

"Yes, Amy - 'killing' is hardly the first choice we have. Or second. Third... well, perhaps." Obsidian thought that was already obvious; she wasn't leaving a heap of dead bodies in her wake, was she? "And dear Gypsy is fine and well; we can take you right to him, okay?"

Her little muzzle lit up like a small sun. "OHH! Iz so nice! Iz just like Bruvver Gypsy sez yu iz - nice an' smard an' pritty! Yis yis, iz goh to Bruvver, pleeze!"

She then held up her little arms towards Obsidian. "An' if iz okies, wood like tu ride like yu offur, pleeze!"

Amethyst cocked an eyebrow skeptically, but the look became a slight grin as she watched the pup cheer. "Okay, so maybe... maybe that's kind of, er... 'cute'? Is that the right word?"

"Yis," Biscuit answered, "iz rite word, yis."

"Yes, Amy - that's the right word." Obsidian surrounded Biscuit with her magic and lifted her gently up, planting her steadily on her back. "So let's go back to the airship, and then we head to Ponyville. Say, what about the rest of the diamond dogs, Biscuit? Are they okay?" she asked as she started to trot back towards the hideout.

"Airshipz? Miz Obsiddiun, yu haz AIRSHIPZ?" However, with her question about the other diamond dogs, Biscuit's ears drooped. "... noh, Miz Obsiddiun... deyz NOH fine..."

She looked at them both as she spoke. "Iz been bad - dayz ago, sum uv us gets a goldey-glowey in dere eyez, an dey leef Howler Hollow... an dey noh comez home. Biscuit poppie iz wun whut gone..."

She sniffled, but continued. "Den, poneez go poofsy, an noh find dem too - den, dragons go poofsy, an DAT iz bad stuff, cuz dragon noh go poofsy for anywun afore... den, juz today, diz pup seez dragons in sky again - an' poneez ryde on bax! Diz pup hopez dat poneez find dogs, tu - did poneez find dogs?"

She had such a look of hope on her little muzzle...

Damnation! Amber, even with her lack of intelligence, was still a dangerous enemy. A mass-production of mind-warding glyphs was going to become a top priority soon enough; otherwise, they'd risk terribly high fatality rates. Considering the number of mistreated creatures Obsidian had seen at the factory, she had no doubt that Amber's 'rule' was poised to be a complete disaster.

"No, Biscuit, we didn't... but we will save them. We will save the entire nation of Equestria - as always," she said to the little pup.

Biscuit hung her head and gave a soft, sad little whimper.

Amethyst wore a look of slight anxiety... but stepped closer to Obsidian and gently reached out a hoof to awkwardly pat the little pup on her head. "UH, er... there there, I guess... uhh, it'll be, um... o-okay? I mean, they're probably NOT dead-"

Biscuit's eyes went wide, then began to water. "I MEAN, uh... A-Amber's probably not killing them-"

The pup sniffled loudly. "... NO, I mean, she's probably just working them to death, not-"

Biscuit began to cry, and Amethyst shut her mouth and picked up her pace. "How do you DO it?" she whispered to Obsidian as she caught up to her.

Well, at least Amy was trying to be nice; it was a promising start, even if, at the moment, she was truly terrible at it. Good thing that Obsidian herself didn't have to deal with this kind of trouble at the beginning of her modern history - otherwise, she would've turned out to be as bad at it as Amy apparently was.

"Just a thought, here... but I usually avoid talking about death, Amy," she whispered back to her.

"Biscuit, you really don't need to worry - we know how to stop the glow in their eyes, and as soon as we apply the cure, they'll be free again. I promise, we will find them and bring them back home," she assured little pup in an attempt to cheer her up.

Biscuit looked up from her paws, her eyes all watery and blue. "Yu dooz? An it makez the goldey-glowey go way, an nevur comez bax?" She nodded, then gave one more sniffle and wiped her eyes with a ragged sleeve. "Diz pup iz thankiez you, Miz Obsiddiun... an, um, Miz Ponee..."

"Amethyst," she supplied.

Biscuit nodded hesitantly. "R-rite... 'Amy-Fist'... diz pup thanx yu so much; iz all Bruvver Gyspy sez yu waz... an more." From where she was perched on Obsidian's back, she leaned down and gave her spine a little hug that felt warm and fluffy.

Amethyst looked a bit jealous that her sister could ease things so simply, but she just shook her head and shrugged, continuing with them back to the cavern.

When they arrived, Tourmaline was walking about gladly, shaking his once-busted leg every few steps for good measure. He looked up as they came in. "Obsidian, Amethyst... and who is-"

Suddenly, there was a gasp. "{OH MY GOSH, LOOK AT THE CUTE PUPPY!}"

In an instant, Diamond's magic whisked Biscuit off Obsidian's back with another 'eep', and brought her directly to Diamond's embrace, where she looked rather shocked at the development. "{Oh look at those little paws those ears those BIG blue eyes oh how aDORable you are sister look isn't she adorable oh WOW you are so unbelievably cute I want to name you Margarite and make little coats and hats for you oh my GOOOOOOSH!!!}"

Amethyst paused next to Obsidian. "I think Diamond might like her... just a little bit."

Well... that was unexpected. And perhaps a bit insulting towards diamond dogs; they were real, living, sentient creatures - not toys or slaves, after all. "Her name is Biscuit, Diamond. And she's the sister of your liaison," she informed her small sibling, "and, uh... perhaps you shouldn't squeeze her that hard, I think."

The trip so far had ended rather well; the factory destroyed, Patty saved, their airship upgraded, nopony was hurt and they had even met Gypsy's sister. Great!

Now, there was one thing left to ask about. "Sister Amy... did you manage to find any more of sister Onyx?"

Amethyst sighed. "No... I couldn't find where we'd come out of the tunnels from..."

"But I did!" Tourmaline spoke up, "And it almost cost me my leg, but the pile is at least twice the size it was before!"

Diamond set Biscuit down, but his eyes were locked onto the little diamond dog. Biscuit looked at him for a moment, then smiled sweetly. "Mistur Ponee, yu ar very smol, like diz pup!"

Diamond let out a squee. "{And she can speak too!?}"

Biscuit blinked at him, then laughed. "Yis, diz pup can speek! Iz the DUH!"

Diamond laughed too. "{And you are so very, very adorable, little one! Gypsee has the BEST little sister diamond dog of all time!}"

Biscuit blushed and gave another curtsy. "Thanx yu very much!"

Tourmaline looked back at the two of them as he sidled up next to Siddy and Amy. "I'm not sure what's more astounding; how they both just seem to be little versions of bigger things, or how the diamond pup can understand Crystallian."

"She's the sister of Gypsy Rover; I don't think it's that surprising that she's a genius too," Obsidian admitted. Perhaps her special talent, had she been a pony, would be connected with language? Learning ancient Crystallian was not an easy feat... and sadly, not an important one, either.

"Anyway... I think it's a good time to start packing. Before we leave, I'll devour Onyx; I'll have some time to take a nap during the trip, so I'll know if it worked or not."

Tourmaline and Amethyst both chuckled.

"Never thought I'd see the day where I'd hear about Onyx being devoured - typically, she was the one who talked about devouring others!" Tourmy grinned.

"Maybe the experience will cure her of it?" Amethyst pondered.

"Maybe - okay, we'll start getting everyone to the airship; there's a glass of water on the table already, so help yourself." Tourmy offered.

"And good luck," Amy added. With that, they both headed back into the cave to share the news.

"{Would you like to meet my dear friend Pancho?}" Diamond smiled at Biscuit, who nodded vigorously in return as he led her back into the caverns as well.

The irony wasn't lost on Obsidian; what else was it that sister Onyx had liked to talk about? Skinning, enslaving, wearing vests made out of others... to be fair, none of these options sounded too interesting for the Grey Princess.

"Thanks," she said simply with a small smile on her muzzle as she trotted to the table to do the deed - and show Onyx that's she was so literally above her in the pecking order that she was going to literally peck her! Well, almost literally.

The pile was there... and though it was bigger, it was still a smaller pile than Peridot's or Ruby's had been - would it be enough? Taking the stones in hoof, there were just enough of them to require at least two mouthfuls of water to swallow them all; the stones had a not-unpleasant fruity flavor to them, like candy almost...

Then, it was done. Obsidian felt a burp come up, but nothing more than that; she would have to wait until she slept to see what results were to be had... and to discover whether or not they had found enough of her to matter.

Hopefully it would be enough; Sister Onyx was not exactly the nicest pony around, but she was still her sister - and she had some care in her heart, contrary to Amber. Also, there was her great strategical skill and vast knowledge. Until Obsidian could read Sombra's diary for herself, she'd like to have easy access to the information there.

But, well... first things first. She decided to go check on the others and see if they were preparing to go.

Making her way through the cavern, she could see a number of things that were memories of their own; the hole in the ceiling, the varied pipes and tubes that now lined the walls, and the mural she was almost a part of in the back... er, then again, maybe it was a GOOD thing to leave it behind; after all, whenever she looked at the chisel lying on the table nearby...

So, outside, right?

As she got topside, she could hear giggling laughter coming from the airship itself as she saw Mundy levitating Pancho in little circles around Biscuit, making the diamond pup happy as she chased it merrily.

By Darkness, Diamond was cute... Diamond with Pancho was even cuter... Diamond playing with Biscuit and Pancho? Keep beating, heart... and don't stop just because you're overloaded with sweetness, please!

Opal and Patty were now working on what appeared to be armored plating for a cabin they'd built around the steering wheel - in fact, it seemed as if they'd replated the entire top deck, making it safe to walk about on even in the midst of a storm.

Tourmaline and Amethyst were both helping Butter and Wash pack a few more things onboard - mostly scrap metal, for the inventors' use, most likely.

Aquamarine was standing at the bow and looking up at the lack of an air balloon. "This thing'll never get off the ground! There's NO WAY IN TARTARUS!" he griped.

Quartz, she assumed, was probably below deck, working away once more. In a way, he hadn't changed jobs - only bosses. But Obsidian doubted he was being worked as hard as he had been.

Well, everything seemed to be fine for now; time to get back home and plan their next steps. There were so many things to do! Save the innocent. Save the Element Bearers. Save Jade. Bring back Ruby. Learn more about magic, and maybe try to see what she could do with the Tree's single remnant - maybe eat it? It worked with her siblings...

Once again, Obsidian was feeling a bit overwhelmed... but the fact that they'd just scored an important victory was keeping her spirits up for the moment. Right now, Obsidian went to help Tourmy and Amy with packing, as she had hardly any other ideas.

=====[Twenty Minutes Later]=====

"How? Just... just HOW!?"

Aqua was at the bow of the airship, looking back and forth between the propellers and the booster machine, his eyes agog at the fact that they very much were airborne... despite the lack of a balloon.

They were now making their way across Equestria once more, headed for Ponyville as the sun began to set in the west; she'd heard somewhere that Celestia & Luna had once controlled the sun and moon, but that their brilliant pupil/replacement had arranged for it to be controlled by a perpetual shifting spell; both day and night now lasted for equal amounts of time, and it took a good part of the responsibility off of Twilight's shoulders.

A good thing, too - there'd be no telling what sorts of calamities would have happened, were they simply left where they were once the princess and her friends (the remaining ones, anyway) had been captured.

Ponyville was now in sight, but... why was there smoke coming from there?

Obsidian smirked at Aqua's surprise, hearing his disbelief. "Opal is wonderful, brother... and Patty is wonderful, too. Both of them together? Well... you see the effects!" she said happily, enjoying the trip far more than before. The airship was not only faster and safer, but now it was also armed! At this pace, they'd be able to assault Amber just with this flying fortress!

"Prepare for battle, everypony; whatever caused that smoke, we will eradicate it," she said with a grim voice, masking her intense worry.

Author's Note

Opal, Daughter of Sombra

=+=[@]=+=

Returning to Cincineighti and seeing what had become of the factory? Yeah, rough stuff. Especially with the revelation of the fate of the once-magnificent Tree. Such things happen when a land is in the grip of war...

Opal and Patty - two of the greatest inventors in Equestria... and watching them at work is HIGHLY entertaining! (Yes, even the rivalry.) It's okay, folks - just keep an eye on those two a bit. More surprises incoming later...

Biscuit - adorable, yis. Diamond Dog, yis. Heart-stealer, oh yis.

So... a return to Ponyville, just to find a trail of smoke to greet them? Is it Amber? A cadre of harnesses? Possessed townsfolk? Something completely innocuous?

Eeyup... no spoilers. :raritywink:

Eight: The Gathering Storm

As the ship grew closer, however...

What she saw was a HUGE pile of broken and burning Umbral Harnesses, gathered together for the occasion. She also noticed the barricades were down, and there were a number of ponies milling about outside.

The thing that was the most noticeable were the dragons that were seated around Sugarcube Corner; eight of them, all VERY large and intimidating, all encircling the sweets shop with their bodies and tails, almost like a wall. As the airship came in closer, she could pick out three individuals that were smaller than the massive dragons, all standing with each other near the front doors of the Corner...

A blue pegasus mare with a blonde mane. A more compact purple dragon. And a mustard yellow unicorn stallion with an eyesore of a pink mane.

They weren't in trouble; they had been the trouble. For the harnesses.

Good - Lemon was back! And he wasn't alone, it seemed - the wonderful, clever bastard had managed to bring some serious firepower with him who should TOTALLY be presented with some nice, safe glyphs... because Obsidian wouldn't want Amber to get her scuzzy hooves even on a single one of them.

She stood proudly on deck, watching the situation below with growing excitement; this time, they had the upper hoof - and by Darkness, they were going to use it to turn these haunted harnesses into weapons of war for winning!

"Opal, Patty... do you think we could recycle these harnesses for use?" she asked, hungrily eyeballing the pile.

The two of them came to the rail's edge and looked it over. Patty pondered for a moment, then happily nodded as she came to her own conclusions. Opal was... uhhh...

Obsidian caught Opal staring at Patty... staring at her in the same way she'd caught Cupcake staring at herself, on occasion. However, once she noticed Obsidian had spoken to her, she jumped and blinked rapidly.

"OH! Uh, well, I, heh, yes, umm, gosh, er, we, ahem, could, yes, sure, right!" And what was this development?

At any rate, apparently they most certainly were salvagable - and Patty seemed to already have a few ideas, as she was gathering materials already. Opal watched her for a moment, then stepped over and began to help pull pieces fom the pile of junk Butter and Wash had brought along - a pile that was dwindling since they'd left.

Looking up, the three figures outside waved at the airship - with Clap darting right over immediately. "Whoa-ho-HOOOO, Siddy! Look at this thing! You must've got the DELUXE upgrade, hunh? Lookin' good, Sids!"

"Yes, I have to admit, this looks FAR more like the warship we need, than the pleasure barge we once had; greetings, Obsidian," Lemon piped up as he drew close.

Spike goggled at it for a moment. "Wow - you really did a number on Celestia's old ship; this thing looks like it's ready for a fight!"

So... any unsuccesful raid done by Amber's harness-bound forces would possibly result in the strenghtening of their own ranks, due to Patty and Opal using it to their own advantage? Good... very, very good.

"Greetings," Obsidian said calmly as she stepped down from the ship, feeling more like a hero than ever before. Her own airship, victorious battles... who could ask for anything more? "Oh, it most certainly IS ready to fight, I assure you; it's already faster than the harnesses, has decent armour and a powerful weapon. Now, we will be able to use it as a mobile base to destroy Amber as quickly as possible!"

She looked around, enjoying the view of the more-or-less free Ponyville. "Anything important that missed me - except for your triumph, of course?"

Lemon grinned. "Well, for starters, we-"

"Siddy, you shoulda SEEN it!" Clap interrupted, "The dragons all came in, and it was like WHAM! FOOSH! KERPLOW! And they turned those Umbrals into so much scrap! And like, when they landed, they let Lemon down... but Wart..."

"Stalwart," Lemon counter-interrupted (looking a bit chagrined), "was quite the hit with Queen Ember... after a bit of proving, that is. We were sent home with these fine individuals, as well as a decree from the Queen that we will receive assistance when we need it."

Spike gave a grim look. "And we'll need it; Amber's got Canterlot under her hoof... as well as Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity and-"

He stopped, and a pained look crossed all three of their features before he continued.

"... and Ember thinks they might be in the Canterlot dungeons. But we're working on a plan for that, so you guys need to focus on taking Amber out - we've got the rescuing part."

Thunderclap still seemed as though her mother was on her mind, but Lemon - ever the professional - nodded and turned to look at Obsidian directly. "There are also some representatives who have arrived to speak with you - three hippogriffs who brought Licorice back with them, two griffons you might recognize, and a mother and son who have been asking for you quite profusely..."

Lemon now gave a stoic grin. "Honestly? I'm somewhat proud to see how far you've come, Obsidian - quite the accomplishment for a refugee from the past."

"HA! Y'think that's hard, try living for another thirty years first!" Aquamarine said as he came down the gangplank and strolled up to Lemon. "And looks like you're still in one piece, Guard Colt," he grinned.

Lemon returned the grin with a fierce glint in his eye. "And it seems as if you're STILL alive and kicking, Old One."

So the decision to send Stalwart to the dragonlands was a good one; Obsidian had a gut feeling that they'd be impressed by the small warrior - and that her miniscule size would make it even easier to amaze them, as they probably wouldn't have appreciated her at first.

"Aaaaand, I have some diplomatic stuff to do. It seems that my life-long wish... well, the one I had until I'd defeated my own father - to be a ruler got realized, in a way," she sighed slightly. Hippogrifs, griffons... and a mother and son? "Could you tell me more about the griffons... and I might recognize the mother and son? No need to be cryptic here, Lemon"

Lemon chuckled. "The griffon ambassador, Gavin Garrison, for one - and secondly, Gunther Gadfly, from the school. Those two have been getting along like... well, like griffons."

Oh no... not Gavin.

He then grew a pondering look. "The mother and son are both earth ponies, but they have been most insistant on seeing you, specifically - and won't say why. But they..."

He stared for a moment; the diamond dog pup he was staring at stared back at him. He then turned his attention back to Obsidian. "... well. Obsidian... who is this?"

Biscuit's eyes widened a bit at all the others here, and she shied back behind Siddy's hindlegs a bit.

"Oh, that's Gypsy's sister, Biscuit - say hello to Mr. Lemon Custard, Biscuit," she gave the diamond pup a pat on her back to calm her a bit.

Biscuit held up a little paw and gave a quick wave. "H'lo."

Lemon lifted an eyebrow. "Gypsy Rover, eh? Well then," he said, turning and stooping to look at her on the same level, "I suppose we're in good company then, as your brother is quite the scholar and hero among us."

Biscuit's eyes grew even wider, but not with fear. "Bruvver Gypsy iz heroh?"

Lemon nodded. "Indeed - he deciphered ancient Umbral runes, and helped Obsidian here to find spells to combat the enemy; he's been a very useful and kind asset to our side."

"OOH! Iz he heer? I haz queztiun for GYPSYYYYYYY!!!" she asked as she clapped her paws together with excitement.

Lemon nodded. "He is - among a number of others, as well. If you like, I can show you some of them, if you like?"

Biscuit's tail began to wag rapidly, and she clapped her paws in excited jubilation again. Lemon looked at Obsidian with a small smirk. "That is, if she has permission?"

"Oh, but of course she does - and I'd like to see our own little team too, before any other meetings." She'd hoped for a nap after their return, but it seemed that would have to wait. "By the way, my dear soon-to-be brother in law... do you know anypony with a special talent pertaining to trees? Plants? That kind of thing?"

Lemon gave her a smirk as she addressed him, then grew thoughtful for a moment. "Well, if you're looking for someone who knows things about plants, then I'd say you should go and speak to Miss Tree Hugger, who arrived with the wave of refugees we got earlier... however, if you're looking for something a bit different than the simple effects plants would have... there's a zebra mare meditating upstairs in Sugarcube Corner; she might know."

With that, he turned to the diamond pup. "Now... how would you like to meet Spike The Mighty, here?"

Spike, blushing, grinned and waved a claw dismissively. "Aww... I haven't gone by THAT in a long time!"

But little Biscuit's eyes were abloom for the purple dragon as soon as she saw him. "Yu iz a heroh too?"

Spike began speaking (with just a touch of pride) as they walked towards the rickety form of Sugarcube Corner; it had honestly seen much better days, but hopefuly there would be plenty of repairs, once this was all over with.

Lemon started to speak, but Clap beat him to it. "Siddy Six Group Meeting - GOT IT!" With that, she darted inside the little building.

Lemon simply shook his head, then looked to Obsidian again. "You have no idea how many refugees are asking about 'The Siddy Six'; some of them even speak with reverence usually reserved for alicorns."

Hmmmm... well, while talking to a zebra could be interesting, Obsidian was currently concerned about plants... specifically, about trees... and to be even more precise, she wanted to know if there was any bit of life left in the poor Harmony Tree's miniscule remains. There was always hope, right?

"Reverence? Is that so?" she asked, somewhat surprised and not really knowing what to do with this information. She was a hero, right... but she was certainly no alicorn. In fact, she'd spent most of her time lately merely tidying up after her siblings, and while being well-known was nice, outright reverence was... something else. "Were Princess Twilight and her friends treated in a similar fashion?"

Lemon gave her a bit of a look. "Well, they most certainly had their tribulations, yes... however, I would dare say that having Equestria taken over by a crazed sibling with a deathwish up her sphincter is a new one by me... so, no - there's really not much of a precedent for such a thing. Princess Twilight and the other Bearers slowly amassed their blessings over a few years... but to have come so far on your own?"

Now, he turned to walk back inside. "I dare say you've gotten the attention of the entire nation. In record time. But, having known you... it doesn't really surprise me."

Cupcake sidled up next to her and gave her a hug. "Siddy, have you seen the way Opal's been looking at Patty?"

"Yes indeed - hopefully, Lapo won't feel such a need to constantly insult her anymore," Obsidian replied shortly as she turned to walk into Sugarcube Corner.

Inside, there was a LOT more activity than had previously been. The place was filled with ponies, all seemingly having different conversations. What was more, there were a few other races involved, such as griffons, one or two kirin, a few yaks, and even a hippogriff was present!

It was just like her first day at the Friendship Academy... except maybe about a fifth of the space, but it felt like the same amount of diversity.

"Obsidian, Cup..." she heard the smooth, suave tones of Licorice Twist's voice grace her ears as he slipped out of the crowd... flanked on either side by two very lovely hippogriff mares. "Good to see you both again; this is Shelly and Pearlescent - my, er, 'friends' from Mount Arris."

The two 'griffs bowed politely... but both kept a forehoof around the black stallion.

"I brought a few of these lovely ladies back here with me - they act as representatives of the Hippogriff Community; hopefully, they'll back us when the manure finally hits the fan."

Ooooh, kirin! She really had to study this innate Grey Magic of theirs... but there was so little time, and so many things to do! With just a bit of luck, one of them would possibly know a bit more about the subject as, at the moment, Obsidian wasn't quite ready to take a trip to one of their villages.

And, ah yes - Licorice being Licorice. It would probably be a good idea to try to find him a wife - one that would keep him on a short leash. "Hello Licorice, greetings Shelly and Pearlescent. "You wanted to talk to me, as far as I've heard?"

Licky grinned, then peeked sidelong at his companions. "Oh, ahem... well, these two are perfectly content just walking about with me..." then he put on his brooding muzzle, "... I just don't understand WHY they would want to-"

"Can it, pretty-pretty," Pearlescent spoke up, stopping Licorice's broody rant in mid-brood, "we came to offer the Hippogriff Nation's support - to her."

"Yeah," Shelly giggled, "studs are nice... but we need LEADERS."

Licorice seemed to pout just a bit at being put off like that... but honestly, the support of another race in this mounting war was a great relief.

"Well... support will always be appreciated, especially in the current situation; Equestria will not forget," Or so Obsidian hoped. "But...shouldn't there be someone else? I've heard about three hippogriffs visiting."

The two looked at each other with a grimace, and Licorice sighed. "Y-yes... but he's nowhere near as pleasant as these two - I promise you, you're better off not speaking with him. Just trust me."

Cupcake eyed him for a moment. "Is it because these two are maybe his daughters or something?"

All three froze in place, until Licky muttered "something like that" between his teeth. Cupcake gave his brother a bit of a disapproving look, but still asked, "So, then... who's the one we ARE looking for?"

"YO!" Clap called out, "I got all but you two in here!" she said from one of the rooms.

Cup shrugged. "Reunion time, or did you wanna see about the others, first?"

"I can deal with an unpleasant Licorice; I'll have a talk with him after our reunion," Obsidian assured him, giving the dark stallion a disapproving look as well. Amy might be a good partner for him - there would be no way he could be bold enough to step out of the line with HER looking through his shoulder.

That... was the correct idiom, right?

"But first things first," she added as she turned to head to Sugarcube Corner to meet with Clap and the rest.

The room was simply one of the storage rooms for baking goods, but the contents were all transferred downstairs; now it was just a table and six seats. Clap was sitting in the chair closest to the door, and smiled as they entered. "Yeah, we knew you'd be back - you always come back, even when you, like, die and stuff!"

Mica sat next to her, and lifted an eyebrow in response to Obsidian's entry - good enough as a smile from him. "Good to see you. We have information to discuss, so the sooner we get down to it, the sooner we can get to action."

Gypsy was next to him, but the diamond dog looked troubled; all the same, he gave a small smile and wave as he saw them enter the little room. "Th-this one is p-pl-pleased to see y-you again, Ob-b-bsidian."

Wart was in the chair next to Gyspy... and she looked quite the sight, as she was bedecked by gold necklaces, laden with gems and other riches, as well as bracelets, twin sword scabbards of exquisite craftsmanship, and... was that a crown? "Greetings, Lady Siddy; suffice it to say, I was well-received by the dragons."

Cup sat down in the next open chair, and patted the seat next to him with a grin.

They were all together again... and, like before, she could feel that strange tingling in her horn as she took in the sight of her friends.

Ah, her dear friends! It felt good to be with them all again. Obsidian smiled at the entire group, and chuckled lightly at the sight of Stalwart - she'd always heard that it was rather hard to separarate a dragon from his/her luxuries, so apparently the little mare was the best ambassador Obsidian could have chosen.

"Discussion? Right away, without at least a small group hug? Oh, fine," she chuckled again and sat down next to Cup. "It seems I'm going to be doing some talking before the next quest... oh, and Gypsy! Your sister is here!"
She was glad she'd reminded herself to mention that little detail; he looked a bit off, after all.

Gypsy leapt up from the chair, a look of utter shock on his muzzle. "B-B-BISCUIT!? Sh-sh-she i-i-is... H-HERE!?"

Mica held out a hoof to his friend. "Easy, Gypsy... that was actually one of the things I was going to discuss with you; he returned home to Howler's Hollow, but found it completely empty of his fellow diamond dogs, not to mention his family. But it seems as if you've found one of them."

"P-P-P-PLEASE! I-i-is sh-she ok-k-kay? I-i-is sh-sh-she h-hurt o-o-or..."

"Biscuit's fine - and cute as a strawberry button! Gypsy, why didn't you ever mention your adorable little sister before? She's with Spike, by the way - I'd say she's in good hoov-... er, claws." Cupcake filled in.

Gypsy sat back down with tears forming in his eyes. "Th-th-this one can n-never th-thank you e-e-e-enough, Ob-b-bsidian... he i-is SO happy th-that she's s-s-safe!"

Mica nodded, then looked back at Obsidian. "From all the info I've gathered, we've made a good bit of progress with gathering up forces to help defeat Amber and her army of Umbrals."

He grew a thoughtful look as he spoke. "So far, we have the refugees here in Ponyville, plus the dragons, plus the kirin. We've gotten word from Licorice that the hippogriffs send their support, and Ambassador Garrison assures me that the griffon nation is with us, too."

"The last we heard from Luna, she and her sister support us... however, they've been having a Tartarus of a time defending Silver Shores, so they might not be available - at least until they clear things up. Plus, we have word that we also have the support of the yaks, as they hate the Umbrals as much as we do."

He now gave the tiniest of grins. "We have a fair-sized army who can help us make it through this stormfront of death... anything else to add?"

Hmmmmm... they had pony survivors, yaks, dragons, griffons, hippogriffs...

"Well, Amber is known for her magic, and not for her strategical acumen or diplomacy. We may need to relieve Silver Shores as soon as possible... but as soon as we'll do that, we might actually have an advantage over her. At least as long as we'll remember to keep all of us glyphed against mind control."

Mica nodded, but it was Wart who spoke up next.

"The dragons have volunteered a number of weapons and other necessities to our cause, as Amber has already tried forging a path through the dragonlands - and was nearly successful in doing such. They have taken surprising losses, and are quite angry with those developments; as a result, they are foregoing their typical hoarding so that Equestria will, in turn, help rid their homelands of harnesses as well. This, I have sworn to uphold - and they trust me implicitly."

Clap chuckled. "Yeah... now, let me add to that about Cloudsdale! The pegasi are behind ya 120%, Sids - and that means the Wonderbolts too. They've been moving the city around so Amber can't lock down on it... unfortunately, those harnesses now got some sort of flying devices on 'em, and the Weather Factory is out of commission for the near future and stuff."

She grinned wickedly. "Which means we've got access to their entire stockplie of lightning rods for the fight! I figure we could put some of 'em with the dragons, and maybe attach a few to your awesome warship out there!"

Obsidian winced at the mention of the lightning rods; she'd kind of had a rather nasty personal experience with those.

"Er... y-yes, good. Amber had mentioned that she was going to assault Cloudsdale anyhow, so I'm happy to hear that they're taking counter-measures already. I hope she'll actually be foolish enough to try to carry out the attack, giving us a chance to crush her current batch of Umbral Harnesses - and with no factory or technological geniuses backing her, she should have quite a lot of headache ahead of her for rebuilding her fighting capabilities."

"If Licorice is back, does it mean we have access to the Pies' airship once more?" she asked.

Mica nodded. "We do... though we may have to sneak it away from him, as he's sort of made it into his own personal party-boat. But that shouldn't be too difficult; we'd just need to find some pretty mares to distract him with. But, if we need it, it is here, yes."

Cupcake then spoke up with a grin. "On top of all that, Siddy brought her brothers and sisters - the good ones - here with us, so they should be able to add to the solution here. Quartz has the glyphy-thingies, and he's gonna need a space to work in, along with material to work with - then, he can make wards against mind-control for everyone!"

"Not only that," Mica mused, "but with them having actual combat training, I'm sure they could possibly help out with training the townsponies how to fight. From what we've seen, the harnesses are just about magic-proof, but they're vulnerable to physical attacks - if one or two of your siblings feel up for it, maybe they could help with the training?"

Distract him, eh? For crying out loud, they were in a state of war; if the airship was needed for the fight, as far as Obsidian saw it, there was no need to do anything besides walking in, taking the ship and glaring figurative daggers at anypony who would dare protest - especially Licorice himself.

"I'm sure that Amethyst and Tourmaline wouldn't mind engaging in some training. Perhaps even Aqua too, though he's a berserker... an old one maybe, but it might still be risky to place him with any of our rookies."

Mica nodded, then put on his proverbial thinking cap as he sat back to ponder what else could be done. However, it was Cupcake who then leaned forward and, with a smile, looked at the others gathered here. "So... how're you all doing?"

Clap chuckled. "Holdin' up, Cupper - I miss my Mom, but I'm sure we'll find her and the others soon enough. I mean, I'm pretty sure Amber wouldn't-"

But that's where she stopped. Nobody said it, but the fate of Princess Cadence hung in the air like a heavy stormcloud, ready to burst.

"We SHALL find them, Thunderclap," Wart assured her, "and we will be victorious over Queen Amber and her loathsome creations. And Equestria shall rise from these ashes to become even stronger than before. Mark my words."

Clap gave a smirk at that. "Heh... thanks, Warty."

Gypsy, who had been quiet for much of this time, now looked about at the others, his eyes coming to rest on Obsidian. "I-i-is it too m-much of th-this one to a-a-ask if the group hug th-that was offered earlier is s-s-still available?"

"Group hugs are always available, Gypsy," Obsidian assured him with a smile.

That was all they needed to hear; within moments, all six of the friends were gathered around each other and hugging tightly. And again, somewhere inside Obsidian, she felt that pull and tingle of some sort of force, rising within her very soul. Every time she'd had contact with all of them at once like this, it had made the same sensation evidence within her.

It felt good. Better than Dark Magic, better than praise, better than even Cupcake's loving attentions... it was a sensation that felt as though it was warming her entire being from the state of cold she'd known for most of her life.

Quite bluntly, good simply felt good - the ultimate evidence that the universe itself was rigged from the start in Harmony's favour. Nothing that Obsidian had ever experienced during her history in those ancient days was even comparable to this... not to mention the firepower it brought. Too bad she never figured out how to repeat that trick she used beating Sombra, or where she purified an entire Umbral wave with a single spell...

"Alright, I feel that we've managed to steel our resolve properly... now," Obsidian nodded, "let's go save Equestria again, shall we?"

All of them agreeing, they left the room to go do what was required of them... but they each seemed to have a bit more of a spark in their eyes for the experience.

Gypsy sniffed the air, the frantically headed off in the direction of his little sister. Clap and Wart went towards the airship, which Obsidian's siblings were departing. Mica headed for the front counter, and went back underground with a single tilt of a cookie jar.

Cupcake turned and planted a firm kiss upon her cheek. "I've got to say, Siddy - you've come a long way, and I'm glad I had the chance to be a part it!"

"Excuse me," a blue mare with an adolescent green colt moved up to greet them, "Miss Obsidian? Hi - we've been waiting for you since we arrived. Glad to see you're still up and about, miss."

Well, nothing improved one's mood as much as some good old-fashioned friendship! Now that they were practically soaked in goody-goody goodness, Obsidian was glad to see that they seemed a bit more enthusiastic and optimistic about the whole situation. In fact, she was having fewer doubts about the entire situation, herself; would Equestria suffer more? Of course. Would that suffering be brought to an end - a happy one? Also obviously.

Even without a Tree of Harmony... there was a seed of hope.

"Oh, my apologies - I had a number of things to do, b-but I didn't forget about you, I swear." A random, unrecognized mare and her colt - and who could these two be? "Yes, please - I'm available for a moment; what did you possibly wish to discuss with me?"

The colt looked at her and smirked. "Biology," he said, simply.

Obsidian looked at the colt, then sighed with relief. "We were quite worried about your injuries, you know... you could have sent word you were going to recover."

He grinned and nodded. "I was kinda battered about, yes... but worse was the fact that those harness-things found our hive. I'd barely had a chance to heal when those things came slamming at our door... we had to evacuate, but we left a parting gift of a collapsed ceiling."

The blue mare smiled sweetly at Cupcake. "And hello to you too, Mister Cupcake."

Cup grinned at her like he would anyone else. "Hiya, Queen Ve-"

"SHHHHHHHHH!!!" Both colt and mare shushed him at the same time, which sounded a lot like a dual steam valve letting pressure off simultaneously.

"The general thought is that we are deceased," the Markannus-colt went on, "and we plan to use that to our advantage; the fewer know about our status, the fewer chances you-know-who will find out."

"Yes," the blue mare chimed in, "and she seems like the type to hold a grudge. So, please - keep this tidbit to yourself." She then grinned at Obsidian. "Just know that, when it all goes down, my people will have your back."

So now the changelings were going to support them too? Yessssss!

"Amber has a few scant collaborators that aren't mind-controlled; that could be used to infiltrate her ranks, I think," she informed the incognito queen. "And Quartz hads access to some potent anti-mind controlling glyphs."

Well, they now had... how many races on their side? Quite a few. Not to mention the technological might of Patty and Opal, too. It was actually starting to look like this war was balancing out more, and they just might be able to win this thing. Perhaps not today or tomorrow... but sooner or later, Amber would find out what happened when you pissed off an entire nation of typically sweet and loving creatures.

The blue mare gave a light sigh. "Good to know that Quartz's talent isn't going to waste... oh, and if it isn't too much to ask, do you possibly know of someplace that has a good bit of room to allow a hive of misplaced changelings to live?"

The colt sighed as well. "Yes... the Everfree Forest isn't exactly the friendliest of places to live, even if we have spooked all the local timberwolves into hiding."

Cup's ears drooped. "You... don't have a home? At all?"

They both shook their heads slowly.

"Well, umm... I already sort of... offered our house to my siblings... a-and Sugarcube Corner is sort of full... but maybe Twilight's Palace would have the room you'd require, right? Cup, what do you think?"

At first, she'd wanted to ask about the Carousel Boutique... but she doubted Miss Rarity would appreciate that - even if she was the Bearer of the Element of Generosity.

Cup quirked an eyebrow. "Well... I don't know that they'd be able to stay there, once this is over with... OOH! But what about some tunnels in Ghastly Gorge? I mean, if Washburn's going back to HIS place at Sweet Apple Acres, and all your brothers and sisters are here... why can't they just stay there?"

"Ghastly Gorge?" the hidden queen pondered, "Well, I have to admit it sounds appealing - especially with all those rumours about ghosts wandering the gorge; it would keep most others away from my subjects..."

Markannus-colt smiled. "That actually sounds like a terrific idea - would we be allowed to do so, Obsidian?"

Well, obviously the castle was only meant to be a temporary place to stay... but Ghastly Gorge, however...

"Well... I expect that we'll have to ask Washburn if he minds, but I'm pretty sure that if he's returning to the farm, he shouldn't mind so much; I'd say it's probably the best option currently available."

The queen and her loyal guard both bowed low to Obsidian and Cupcake.

"Thank you ever so much for your help - we changelings will owe you quite a debt of gratitude for this. A debt we plan to repay in spades against that awful Amber bitch. And, er... by the way? May I ask where your charming brother Quartz is hiding at?"

Mark-coltus looked to his queen/mother. "Are we asking for some of those glyphs, perhaps?"

She gave a sinful smile. "Well... that too, I suppose."

Before an answer could be had, there came more words - the pitch and timbre being of words which were practically thrown in Obsidian's face.

"About time we found you! Foolish hornheads everywhere I turn, and not a ONE of them could tell me where you were skulking around at!"

Gavin. Lovely.

"Well? You gonna say anything intelligent, or am I just-"

"Uncle Gavin, stow it! She's been through a heckuva lot, an' it don't take a genius ta see she's kinda up to her neck innit!"

And Gunther, as well... wait, Uncle?

"Yeah, yeah, yeah - poor excuses, if you ask me... so? You go mute as well as stupid, 'Obstinance'?"

Don't forget to ask Washburn to... to... ARRRGH! She was already forgetting, because without even giving her a single, solitary moment to breathe, another creature was humbly asking for an audience.

Well, not really humbly... or asking.

"It's 'Obsidian'", she said forcing herself to be calm. "And as I'm sure you can tell, I'm as mute as you think I am stupid. What's the griffon nation offering us to help bring an end to this war?"

Gavin eyeballed her. "I know your name - and if you ask me, it's nothing but trouble!"

"Yo!" Gunther stepped closer to Gavin, and went beak to beak with the elderly griffon. "I think I recall sayin' ya oughtta go easy on her... y'know, b'fore I knock yer block off, y'old buzzard!"

Gavin stared back with his milky eyes, undaunted. "Oh, so now she's too soft to stand up and do her own defense, is that it? You decide you're going to be the voice of the Equestrian Idiot Nation, then?"

Gunther turned to Obsidian and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout dat - gimme a mo' here, 'kay?"

He then turned back to face Gavin, and his expression was once again one of anger. "You dumb featherbrain! If you actually had a single amount of brainpower in the twisted bone you call a skull, you'd see that she's been workin' her flank off!"

Gavin glanced at Obsidian. "Nope - it's still there... and getting fatter every time I see her!"

"Psssssst..."

Marcoltus nudged Obsidian gently, then whispered softly to her as the two griffons kept arguing. "If I were you, I'd get right in his face, and give back as good as you're getting - otherwise, he'll never respect you."

He then grinned knowingly. "I learned that as Gearbox Gyroscope."

Actually, talking back to the aged griffon would be a lot easier without witnesses... and hiding a body would be far less stressful...

"I'm thinking of how to do so without accidentally declaring a war," she replied shortly.

Markannus sighed. "Griffons don't like being arbitrarily nice, as a general rule... show him you have some backbone, and he'll likely find you to be worth his time; show him up a bit, and he might actually consider you a friend. I mean, you see how he deals with his nephew, right?"

"... and you've got the worst flying abilities in the whole town!" Gavin finished his rant at Gunther, then wheeled around to look at Obsidian.

"Now, you wanna know what 'The Griffon Nation' has to offer? Well, maybe I want to know first if you're even worth my time! So how about it, 'Obs-idiot?' You got any reason whatsoever for me to even try talking to the Griffon Counsel about your sorry hide?"

Cupcake, meanwhile, was beginning to grind his teeth together, glaring at the old griffon...

For her entire life, Obsidian had been taught to be respectful to her elders; it didn't help that most of them had already borne a higher rank than she did - hardly surprising, as she was apparently originally meant to be a replacement body for an Umbral-possessed king, then she'd ended up as an Equestrian prisoner... sorta.

She sighed deeply, trying to calm down a bit for what was bound to be a headache of a conversation, she was sure.

"For the last time, GAV... my name is 'Obsidian'; I'm not sure if you can't remember it properly because of your dementia, or if you can't hear it correctly because of your advanced deafness... however, you should at least learn to spell it correctly, rather than ridicule yourself like that."

She came closer and put a hoof on his shoulder. "And you want to hear my reasons? Very well - consider the idea that, without working together, you griffons will become either a slave species, or will be slaughtered to extinction. You, of course, will hardly have much choice in this matter, as you're far too old to be a slave... I'd say, at best, you'll be turned into fodder for the Umbrals. Is THAT a good enough reason, Gav? Clue me in, here."

Gavin, Gunther and Cupcake all stared at her with wide eyes and surprised expressions. Markannus just grinned and took his leave.

"... I'll give YOU fodder, ya crazy hornhead!" Gavin yelled as he suddenly got his resolve back. "You wanna see a slave species? Go look at your own siblings, dummy! The lot of you, no good for anything but causing trouble!"

He then gave the slightest hint of a smile.

"But you say it's either that or extinction? HA! Fine - you're so convinced we're not up to par with you dumb ponies? We'll show you who's ready for what! You want griffons in the air for your little war? YOU'VE GOT 'EM! Just be ready to hang your head in shame as we beat you to the punch on smacking that crass crackpot around!"

Cupcake, unseen by Gavin, looked at Obsidian... and slowly began to smile as he figured out what was going on here. Gunther was already grinning, and made a motion with his claw for her to keep going, hidden from Gavin's view.

"Now, you think you have the guts to DARE yell at me like I'm some sort of unruly child? I'll have you know that I could outfight you ANY day of the week, young whelp! It'd be like fighting a crippled parasprite - with a boxful of fireworks! You say your 'Equestrian War' is worth our time?"

"Oh, I'm only yelling because I want to be absolutely sure that your ancient ears can catch every single word." She gave him the sweetest of smiles, completely divorced from the look in her eyes.

"And you? Outfighting us? How so? By falling to the ground and whining shrilly about your advanced age? Oh, perhaps by begging all of the younger griffons to fight for you?" She shook her head sadly. "Now I'm wondering whether you're worthy of even joining the 'Equestrian War', as you call it. Back in the good old days - when I was young and your great-great-grandparents weren't even eggs - griffons were terrifying opponents, warriors that were known throughout the entire world for their military prowess. Sic transit gloria mundi, eh?"

Gavin's eyes, milky and elderly, seemed to sparkle a bit.

"Oh-HO! Is that so, you sullen little upstart! Well, frustra operam frustrai, if you ask me! Such a big, proud opinion of yourself, for what? Sleeping for a millennia counts as bravery to you, these days? I have more fighting experience in my gnarled left wing than you have in your whole family tree!"

He spun around and glared at Gunther. "GUNNY! You - me - the Council! NOW!!! There's no way in Tartarus I'm going to put up with such insolence as this stupid mare's incessant insults! We're gonna show HER who's slacking off when it comes to martial superiority!"

He then turned and gave Siddy a slight bow. "YOU, I'll see later, Obsidian... and you'll eat those words for breakfast!" He stormed off, Gunther giving her a broad smile as they both went to find this council, and tell them that Obsidian was worth their time.

Cupcake came up next to her. "Ummm... d-do you need a hug after all that?"

"Bye Gav! Bye Gunther!" Obsidian waved to them as they were leaving.

Well, THAT went well; even if they wouldn't support her, she'd just mocked another creature and felt good about it.

...okay, no, perhaps it didn't go that well, and in fact it was rather disconcerting; she was supposed to be a good mare! What if the old griffon's weak, fragile little mind broke under the might of her witty and genius snark?

She was doing it again; at least this time it wasn't out loud.

"Why, Cuppy? I mean, your hugs are always appreciated, but I see no reason why I would need one at this specific moment."

Cup blinked. "Well, you... y-you just seemed like you were getting... y'know, angry."

Actually... strangely enough, Obsidian could now feel what was a tiny tickle at the back of her horn. A familiar tickle. A Dark tickle.

... but one that felt controlled, subdued and withheld.

"Though I'm still all up for that hug," he grinned.

Is that what Whistlewhite had been talking about, when she told Obsidian she could 'refill her tanks' however she wished? Was that a tickle of returning Dark Magic, brought on by her irritation and reaction to Gavin?

Maybe. Maybe it was, at that. Maybe there WAS more than just Light Magic to be had for her?

Hardly a pleasant thought... OR a pleasant feeling, for that matter; Dark Magic had ruined most of her life, brought by emotions that were a stark contrast to the ideals of Harmony and friendship.

Sadly, a specific murderous bitch happened to have created an Umbral army resistant to Light Magic.

Fun.

"Bring it on, Cup - and don't be too lenient; if you hug me hard enough to make me faint, I'll simply use the opportunity to check to see if Onyx is already back up to par."

Cup chuckled a bit, but gave her a good, firm hug that sent shivers up her spine... particularly as he also took the opportunity to give her ear a light nip.

"Do I have to put you to bed to check on your formerly-stupid sister?" he said with a mischievous grin.

An offer like that from Cupcake was tempting... granted, they were in the midst of preparing for war, but... well...

He gave her a light kiss on the tip of her snout. "Or maybe we just wait until tonight, hmmmm?"

"Er... ah, y-yes, I still need to meet the Hippogriff representative... then get our airship back from Licorice... oh, I should also ask Wash if he would give up his hideout to make a new Hive from.... and probably... do... more stuff I can't remember right now," she sighed.

A short trip to Paradise would be interesting... the one in her dreams.

THE OTHER KIND would come later...

Cup grinned, then turned to head off on his own. "And I need to check on Patty, then go look in on Lemmy - and don't worry about Licky; I'll check on him, and he'll give us whatever we need... including Momma's airship."

He seemed a bit sad for a moment, but he sighed and shook it off for the time being; he missed his mother very much, but he knew he had to be strong for everyone else right now.

However... he did give Obsidian's shapely rump a quick kiss as he passed her, headed in the other direction.

"But I'm STILL gonna want some serious cuddles later - and if I have to, I'll sneak up on ya in my Stealth Suit!"

By Darkness, that suit on him...

But first things first.

She left to look for the most important hippo around... hippoGRIFF, that was. Sugarcube Corner was packed with individuals, so it was difficult to locate any one being. But, as she was searching, she came across something else...

"... an it waz a BAD thingz! Bud diz pup wazna scared, NOH! She sez 'yu noh good', an she RANZ, an she DIGZ, an she make-ed it tu Poneetown... bud noh waz dere, Bruvver! Why noh waz dere?"

"B-because, th-this one was underground... i-i-inside a b-basement."

"Wat iz bazemint?"

"... it is l-like a c-c-cavern in the g-ground, but with p-pr-proper walls and f-floors."

"Ohhhh... an poneez LIVE dere?"

"S-sometimes, yes. But, if B-Biscuit managed to g-g-get away, then wh-what has bec-c-come of the rest?"

A whimper. "Masheenz take demz, and doze what not took waz run'wayz."

Well, it seemed like it was time to witness how siblings usually interacted when raised in more normal circumstances than Siddy herself had been... and maybe it was possible that Gypsy could point her in the right direction for the hippo-lord.

In the stairwell, Gypsy was seated on the topmost step, and little Biscuit was seated on one of his knees, looking up at him with wide eyes. Both of the diamond dogs' ears tilted towards her before they looked up to see Obsidian. And as soon as she was seen, she also saw two tails wagging happily, almost in unison.

"Obsideeun! Bruvver Gypsy tells dat yu iz BEEG powah - an dat yu can uze powah to help us pups, yis?"

Gypsy smiled at Biscuit. "Y-y-yes... she will d-do so as soon as sh-sh-she can. Obsid-d-dian is a g-good friend, and she will n-not allow our f-f-family to suffer."

Biscuit's smile was so bright, Obsidian felt her magic tingle.

"Th-this one will look int-t-to where his f-family may have b-been taken; once he d-di-dis-dis-discovers their location, he will a-a-ask you t-to join him to rescue th-them. He w-will have that s-s-support, yes?"

"Yis?" Biscuit echoed.

Ah, brother with younger sister, none of them trying to kill each other or trying to pretend that they weren't mass murderers... no threats of mind control... no eyesore suit designs. How idyllic.

"But of course, I plan to help your family, Biscuit - that's my job after all, isn't it? And you're my friend, Gypsy - so that's a double yes," she smiled to both the dogs. "Now, have you possibly seen a representative of hippogriff nation around here somewhere?"

"You sp-speak of C-C-Captain Hirsuite, y-yes? Th-this one last saw him a-a-at..."

Gypsy didn't get much further, as Biscuit leapt from his lap and wrapped her forepaws around Obsidian's neck, giggling madly. "YIS! Diz pup knowz yu waz gonna help! She knowz it!"

Gypsy gave a light chuckle, then reached over and plucked her from the unicorn's neck. "Yes, yes... it is q-qu-q-qu-quite good, and they both th-thank you, friend. But, as y-you had asked, Captain H-Hirsuite should m-most likely be outside, as h-he seemed the type t-t-to be alert a-and ready."

Gypsy then leaned in closely. "He r-r-reminds this one of Stalwart; b-be prepared."

Leaned in closely like this was the perfect opportunity for Biscuit to lean out from her brother's arms and give Siddy's cheek a lick. "Thankies, Obsideeun!"

Obsidian giggled at the lick, leaned in herself and kissed Biscuit's forehead gently. "Now, you take care of your brother, okay? He needs to have plenty of energy for our adventures. I'll prepare other important things in the meantime."

What a cute pup, really; even if Obsidian didn't want to save the diamond dogs, she simply couldn't say 'no' to her.

But first things first; hopefully this time, she'd avoid the nonsense she'd had to suffer with Gavin. She trotted to the exit from Sugarcuber Corner, looking for this 'Captain Hirsuite'.

Gypsy's accompanying smile as she kissed the pup's forehead was just as bright as Biscuit's was. They both gave a wave as she set outside to find this hippogriff.

It didn't take long.

Though much of the immediate area was filled with individuals all talking and carousing (as well as several large dragons, acting as walls as they sat), there was only one hippogriff in immediate sight.

He was tall, had a deep purple coat with wings that seemed to almost glow in the light of day. His mane and crest were a crimson color, and his eyes a vivid green. He wore a look of no-nonsense on his muzzle, and he strode proudly along the walkways... but he seemed to be interested only in scouting the area; he didn't even notice his regal gait.

Some foals ran by, laughing as they were chased by a yak who was smiling ear to ear. The hippogriff turned his head to watch them go... and gave a small smirk at the sight.

He looked capable. He looked powerful. He looked dreamy...

Now that was strange. Had any other male around made her feel like that before? Midnight didn't look too bad, and without the unnerving fact that Licorice kept reminding her of father, she might have considered him good-looking too. But this guy? Perhaps it was his stance?

Until today she hadn't ever seen any hippogriff before - perhaps all of them looked like that?

She trotted straight to him. "Captain Hirsuite, I presume...?"

The hippogriff halted in his stride and looked her over with a skeptical eye. "Aye, that is my name and title," he said with a rich baritone, "and whom are thee, and why do I have thy attentions?"

"I am Obsidian, sir," she held out her hoof. Now, that was a deep voice. "As far as I'm concerned, we should discuss a few details about the possible cooperation between our resistance and the Hippogriff nation."

He looked at it for a moment, before cautiously reaching out and taking it. "Ah... then YOU are the Obsidian that The Interloper speaks such of, eh? I dare say, though his manners are atrocious, his description was rather fairly accurate - if, perhaps, a bit flattering."

He stepped back from her a bit and nodded perfunctorily. "Yes, an alliance seems to be what is necessary to absolve ourselves of this crazed and foul individual who DARES to refer to herself by the liar's title of 'Queen Amber'."

His eyes narrowed tightly. "Would that I had the griffpower, I daresay her headquarters would be stormed and besieged by now - alas, we are not as numerous as 'twould be needed to overpower her infernal contraptions!"

He looked to the sunset in the distance. "Should I discover any connection to that heinous philistine, I shall slash through to the heart of such, and tear said organ out with my-..."

He stopped, then looked to Obsidian and shook himself from it.

"Do forgive my fury, Obsidian - my Queen, along with several other important members of our governing body, have all been spirited away with the Yellow Gaze of Control; I hold great contempt for anything of a similar nature."

He cleared his throat. "And so, you wish to discuss details of an allegiance, yes? Very well - inform me of what you would wish of the Hippogriffs."

"A bit flattering?" Obsidian deadpanned, unable to help herself. "And I'd prefer if you wouldn't slash any of the others connected to Amber, as all of her siblings are standing against her - myself included. She murdered our father and tried to kill us as well, so I assure you we hold very little love for her." Better to speak about this outright than to risk the chance he might discover such later... and take serious offense.

"Most importantly, we'll give you access to our knowledge of glyphs that make it possible to defend oneself from her mind control - and stop it COLD. If you find any prisoners under Amber's control, you will simply need to put the glyph on them - it could be on a cap or on a scarf - and they will be free. Beyond that, we are preparing to assault her position near the Crystal Empire, so any military help would be appreciated, especially airships. The path to the Empire is long and local conditions are rather harsh, so I'd hoped that we could use an airship for quick transport and for possible mobile command centers."

Hirsuite seemed to swell up a bit as she spoke of being a relation to Amber, yet he said nothing as she continued. Once she finished laying out the plans, he cleared his throat.

"You come forward with the information of your relation to her - as such, I respect your honesty, and shall take what you say at face value. But know that I shall be observant for lies among you and your other siblings - and should I discover any, I shall immediately assume lies in retrospect, and you and your family shall be my FIRST targets."

He narrowed his eyes. "Only returning your honesty, there. Should you all prove worthy, then there shall be no issues."

He then settled into a more conversational tone. "As for airships, we have a few remaining, yes - The Bitch Queen made certain to cripple our fleet, yet even her forces could not take them all out. We have a total of eighteen left in our armada..."

He sighed, "... which once stood at one-hundred and five..."

He refocused. "... but these are fully equipped and ready to go. We currently are using twelve of them to patrol the skies of Mount Arris, yet those in reserve can be sequestered for use by your resistance fighters. As it is, we have had word of a rather effective warship within your own ranks, and some of our engineers would be quite grateful to see it for themselves."

He began to walk slowly, making certain to keep a pace Obsidian could keep up with easily. "My people require our Queen's safe return, as well as our esteemed councilors. Otherwise, we have no need for other gains that may be acquired, save for sharing technological advancements that may assist both of our peoples."

He then lifted an eyebrow, and frowned a bit. "And as for The Interloper and his praises, he went on for quite some time about your beauty and charm; they are, indeed, evident within you - his description, though quite praiseworthy and generous, was not incorrect, I notice."

She didn't pay much attention to the idle threats, and the mere acknowledgment that she looked fine helped her with her discontent after hearing this 'flattering' mention. It was always nice to be complimented by a such fine specimen as Licorice.

"Did Amber destroy those airships or take them for herself instead?" she asked. Knowledge of whether or not they would have to face almost a hundred airships was kind of important, wasn't it?

"And of course, we will do our best to share our technology - especially the upgrades of our airship. At the moment, it's faster than the enemy's flying forces, and has enough firepower to deal with smaller groups of harnesses. I expect that, after the next upgrades and acquiring additional units, we'll be able to get an upper hoof in this war at last."

Hirsuite frowned. "The airships were destroyed outright; those loathsome machines have their own flight capabilities, and were apparently charged with sabotage of our forces. Not a single one of our crafts were unaccounted for - trust in me when I say they were all checked thoroughly."

He continued walking along the streets of Ponyville as he spoke.

"We still hold a naval advantage, yet we believe that her forces are amassed near the Crystal Empire - and as far as I am aware, there are no inlets nor waterways that would allow us to provide aquatic reinforcements... yet we are in the process of crafting some of our seaworthy crafts into makeshift airships, at least for the interim. This process will take some time, yet they should be producing the first modified ships in a few days from today."

He looked at her earnestly. "Obsidian, I was always under the belief that alicorns ruled Equestria proper, yet from what I hear from multiple sources, you are the one whom many believe to be in charge here. Without wanting to sound rude nor insolent, might I ask what credentials you may have to warrant their claims?"

Well, makeshift airships were better than no airships at all... especially if Patty and Opal would be allowed to take a peek at them. The more ships they have before their invasion of the Crystal Empire, the better. While in theory, they could try attack with only airborne forces - pegasi, griffon and so on - Obsidian doubted that they would be in fighting shape after flying so far on their own strength.

No - airships were the only answer she could see.

But they weren't an answer to his current question... in fact, she herself was a bit surprised that a tired teen was apparently forged unknowingly into the de-facto and de-iure leader of the resistance.

"Well, there are no alicorns nearby and due to their absence, it's my duty as a princess of the Crystal Empire, a hero who saved Equestria twice already and as the local librarian to take care of this situation. It also helps that my friends, my family and I are all very actively participating in the organization of the resistance."

He blinked at her, then cocked his head at an angle that bespoke of his curiosity.

"A princess of the Crystal Empire would most certainly fit the bill - at least, one who is not possessed by a malignant and disgusting spirit... as well as a tried-and-true hero, as I have also heard the claims..."

He then gave the smallest hint of a grin. "But I would daresay your claim of being a 'local librarian' is a bit much for my standards; of the three, THAT job has the potential to be far more important than the rest, as one would not only have to act as custodian for all of the contained knowledge of the ages, but would also be responsible for seeing to the proper passing of said information onto the coming generation."

He now stood up tall and proud. "After all - I have much respect for books, as they retain the knowledge of the ages, and knowledge is power, after all. To be certain, the entire trifecta of Princess, hero AND librarian would make you quite a desirable leader... not to mention one who would most certainly be a desirable mate as well."

Was... was he flirting with her?

"All the same," he continued with far more gravitas, "to know that NONE of Equestria's ruling class are standing forward in this time of crisis? That is exceedingly disheartening, and leads me to believe that perhaps the Age of Alicorns is at an end. Not something that brings forth confidence in me, but potentially something that could signify a new beginning for the realms. One that it may indeed need."

Well, if he was flirting with her, then he really didn't have any moral ground to complain about Licorice's behaviour, all things considered. Quite the contrary, as Licorice at least was more or less in the same age category of his victims.

"I appreciate the good intentions," she nodded quickly, "but is it really an end to anything? I have to notice that your own queen has disappeared as well. We stand against a powerful enemy with horrible powers, but it isn't a reason to discard a well-known political system. I sincerely doubt that, after this, we'll find any more crazy villains able to possess alicorns."

Hirsuite gave a grim expression. "One would hope, but I am not one to sit idly by and just ignore the fact that none of the so-called powerhouses of Equestria are showing up to defend their peoples... in the case of Twilight Sparkle, she has supposedly been taken along with her friends, so that is understandable, if regrettable..."

He then turned to face her. "Yet, where are Celestia and Luna? Where is Midnight Star? THREE extremely powerful beings, yet not a sign of their concern anywhere to be seen - and that sticks in my proverbial craw, Obsidian. Why are they not present? Why are their people suffering without a word from these supposed 'pillars of strength'?"

He gave a huff of a sigh. "I will stand behind ONLY those who prove worthy of my allegiance... and those who act as fops or tyrants are my MORTAL enemies. If you can explain why they are not present, I shall listen... but I wonder, can you explain it?"

"Luna's forces are currently defending another settlement... admittedly, I don't know where Princess Celestia or Prince Midnight are... but in the first case, I suspect she is with her sister. We are planning to relieve the siege of Silver Shores as soon as possible, to free up her Thestral army."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Silver Shores, you say? THAT is information I can use, Obsidian."

He now looked a bit more attentive. "As they border the ocean, I am quite capable of ordering our naval forces to converge on Silver Shores, and assist with any possible battle that may be taking place there; this will help bring the finality necessary to bring the alicorns to the forefront, I shall assume, and so it will be a priority for Hippogriff forces."

He then gave a light bow. "Very well, then - you have informed me of your plight, and I shall respond accordingly. I shall summon the remaining airships to Ponyville for the duration, and direct our naval forces unto Silver Shores for assistance in the battles there. If Luna does have her Thestral Armada at the ready, then we shall endeavor to join the forces here as soon as the battle is won."

He gave Obsidian a look. "You are indeed more than one would assume, even with the reputation that proceeds you. Were I not married already, I would find you to be quite an intriguing and desirable mare - however, my wife holds my heart, and I am always loyal, no matter the odds."

He then gave a bit of a grumble. "However, I would suggest that you steer your heart clear of The Interloper, as his mind - along with other parts of him - seems to sport a tendency to wander. And should he continue to allow things to 'wander' over my daughters, he will discover what happens when wanders are brought to a sharp end."

Obsidian didn't even blink. "I'm glad to hear she holds your heart, captain... as my fiancé holds mine. And rest assured that I'd prefer it if my soon-to-be brother-in-law would finally settle down with a single mare and stop interloping as well."

Now, the hippogriff DID let out a smile, and it brightened his features admirably.

"I am pleased to see we are both loyal to our hearts... and that you recognize the infidelity in The Interloper. Rest assured, if he so dares as to put one of my daughters with foal... he WILL be settling. PERIOD."

The two of them made their way back towards Sugarcube Corner, where there was a bit of commotion going on. As she drew close, she could hear the voice of Thunderclap Dash speaking with a decent amount of volume.

"... and they've got a lot of captives there! Now, if any of you think you can handle it, I'm gonna need a buncha volunteers to help me handle this, okay? If you can't FIGHT, don't step up - we need you HERE, to help the others. But if you've got a good, strong buncha muscles, I'd love the helping hoof! Or... claw, or paw... whatever ya got!"

What was this, now? It seemed that during her short discussion, somepony had returned with more information. Obsidian trotted with enthusiasm to Sugarcube Corner, to find out what Clap was talking about.

When they arrived, Thunderclap Dash was hovering in midair, addressing a number of others who were amassed around her. "C'mon - someone's gotta be brave enough! I mean, I'm not just gonna let them stay like that - and you shouldn't either! I just need a few of ya, so I'm not going in alone; if we can figure out where the line's going, we can maybe FREE a buncha folks! There's no tel- SIDDY!"

She swooped over and landed next to Obsidian deftly. "Sids, we found a line of carts bein' pulled by Amber-heads, an' I'm trying to get a bunch together to go see if we can help 'em out! Quartzy's makin' those glyph-things, and I figure we could use 'em to get these folks back, and put a monkeywrench in the works while we're at it!"

Captain Hirsuite lifted an eyebrow. "You discovered somewhere that slaves are being used? Where? If you could speak of such, then what direction are they in? I could send word, and amass my-"

Clap rolled her eyes and shook her head. "We don't have time for that! That line used to be two lines, but now it's just one... and if we don't HURRY, we'll lose that line too!"

It sounded as if Clap had found where the Cincineighti cart line was coming from... and she was determined to set them free. Obsidian could still remember how these slaves had looked: Mind controlled. Exhausted. Used as tools by a mad mare...

"I'll prepare the airship; we'll bring them back. But please, tell the captain here where they are, so that even if regular units might be too slow to save them, they could still secure the area afterwards."

Clap made a quick spiral of celebration in the air. "YES! Siddy to the rescue! I just KNEW I could count on you! Okay, so - the trail I saw was headed right into the Everfree Forest, towards this little canyon or something like that. Looked like some kinda cave from where I was."

The hippogriff slowly widened his stare. "A cavern... in the Everfree... By The Pearl, you don't mean The Cave Of Harmony, do you!?"

Clap blinked. "I dunno... do I?"

The Captain turned to Obsidian. "If that is indeed where they are coming from, then time is of the ESSENCE! They must not harm the Tree Of Harmony, else all could already be lost!"

"Ummmm, captain..?" Obsidian absolutely hated to break his heart, but she turned her head to show him the stark white twig behind her ear. "It's... already gone. This twig is all that was left... oh, and a seed. Which I hope to plant soon," she informed him, trying to use her calm as a counterpoint to his aggrivation.

He stared at it for a long moment... and Obsidian could see the hope drain out of his entire being as understanding settled in. "It... it's already gone? Then... she has won."

Others around them who heard Obsidian's words also began to surrender to their sadness; some ponies began to cry, a yak hung it's head, two kirin held each other as their tears came, and a general feeling of giving up began to fill the circle.

In fact, as she watched, color began to drain from those around them.

Only Clap seemed unaffected. "Sids, that's WHY we gotta go do this! I'm not gonna let Amber-Pamber get the better of me! But we gotta HURRY!"

"Too late..." Hirsuite said as his own color began to dull and fade, "... it's too late..."

As word of Obsidian's revelation began to spread, it was like watching a ripple of pure misery work its' way outward from where she stood... and it was draining the life from those collected there.

Obsidian sighed. "Everypony calm down, everything will be fine. Clap, find Stalwart and tell Cupcake to prepare the airship, okay? Get Quartz too - we'll need his glyphs."

Considering that ponies around her seemed as if something was outright drained from them, she had to plant this seed now. Would THIS count as 'the bleakest moment'? To be fair, everything seemed to have been going rather smoothly, until this sudden explosion of sadness...

That was when it happened.

The front door to Sugarcube Corner burst open, and standing there was Cupcake Sprinkles. He was wearing a serious look on his muzzle that stretched from ear to ear, and he stepped out into the street as he looked around... and then...

If you think it's near the end
and you haven't got a friend
and the misery you're feeling's closing in...

He stepped over towards the dimming crowd, and placed a hoof underneath a crying unicorn's chin to lift her gaze to eye level.

Well I'm gladly here to say
We're NOT beaten yet, today
And this loss you're feeling's gonna be a WIIIIIIIIIIN...

He spun around, and when he stopped, Cupcake was done up in a bright white suit with a matching straw hat and cane.

They don't know friendshiiiiiip, they don't know love
They don't know wonder at the twinkly stars above
It doesn't matter if we're in a dire cir-cum-stance
'Cause our enemy aaaaaaiiiin't got a CHANCE!

He began to do a snappy little two-step as he started to make his way through the crowd, his voice loud enough to carry across the entire block.

You gotta get up off your knees
Shake the ache of this disease
And don't give in to the shadows in your heaaaaarrrt!

We gotta prove we're sterner stuff
And her best ain't good enough
Because she's always been outnumbered from the staaaaaarrrrt!

Amazingly, one or two of the washed-out ponies looked up and smiled as Cup sang... and as she watched, the color began to slowly return to them as they joined the chorus.

They don't know friendshiiiiiip, they don't know hope
They don't know how to be alive and never mope
It doesn't matter if we're in a dire cir-cum-stance
'Cause our enemy aaaaaaiiiin't got a CHANCE!

The tune began to waft through the audience, and Obsidian watched as others began to join in. Just when things were looking down, everything was saved by her Cupcake with his powers of laughter and joy. And his nice singing voice.

Obsidian only smiled and stood up, making her way towards the airship. With Cuppy keeping the homefront situation in hoof, she had some slaves to rescue...

Author's Note

Amethyst, Daughter of Sombra

Eeyup. It ain't dead. }:)

Sorry this took so long to put out, but I've gotten involved with ANOTHER story here on FimFic as well, and I kiiiiiiiinda got sucked into it hard enough for the updates to have fallen behind. But I plan to FINISH this story, y'all... Siddy & company deserve a proper ending.

So, forces on the gather, Siddy Six reunited, help enlisted from a FEW sources and at least the outline of a battle plan. Eeyup, Siddy's got things coming to a head, and the forces of good might have a shot at this, after all. Here's hoping, right?

Cupcake's number written by ME... at roughly 4 in the morning. With little sleep. And no coffee. I never thought of myself as a songwriter, so I hope it's not too cheesy. (Of course, considering who his father is, 'too cheesy' might be just right.)

Nine: Doggone Sneaky

Thunderclap followed along with Obsidian as Cupcake continued his song, with color slowly returning to the masses as the two friends moved to the side.

"Okay, Siddy - I guess Cup's busy, but you an' me make a GREAT team! So, I say we fire up that airship of yours, and we go get those poor souls outta there!"

"Actually," Mica Chip spoke up as he stepped toward the two of them, "you're needed here, Clap; the Wonderbolts need some coordination, not to mention the fact that if anything happens, YOU are the fastest communication we possibly have."

Clap's muzzle fell. "Awwwww... but-"

"No buts," he admonished, but gently, "we need you HERE, Clap. Because you ARE awesome when it comes to stuff like this; it'd be a shame if you're needed here, but unavailable. Besides... I'LL go with her."

Clap balked. "Mikey! I couldn't let you go and deal with this stuff! It'd be-"

"Thunderclap, you know I can take care of myself, yes?"

"Well... YEAH, but-"

"And that needs come before wants, correct?"

"Well, sure Mica, but I-"

"And that I'm going to be stubborn about this until you finally give in, because you know I have a good point?"

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Rrrrrrgh... fine. FINE. But you'd better make it back here in one piece, or I'll break you into EVEN MORE pieces!"

Mica nodded. "If it's in the Everfree where you say it is, then I know how to get there; my father kept taking Twiggy on walks there to show him what he could grow up to potentially be."

Clap looked back and forth between them both. "You realize this means I gotta let my sweetheart and my best friend go off somewhere together without me, into something that's probably gonna be dangerous?"

Mica nodded. "You'll survive... right, Obsidian?"

Damnation - each change meant that they had to adapt their plans, and an exchange of Thunderclap for Mica WAS a big change. She knew that he was aware of how to take care of himself, but fighting alongside an earth pony was far different than fighting with a pegasus by your side. Especially this specific pegasus.

"We are experts in survival, aren't we? And, er... Twiggy? Do you possibly have a currently unheard-of brother?"

Mica gave a polite cough. "Stepbrother, so to speak."

Clap looked at both of them... then grabbed them both up in a big hug. "Aw, I'm gonna miss you guys! You two be REAL careful, okay? I mean, like, super-duper careful, okay?"

Mica nodded. "Super-duper; you bet." He then turned to Obsidian. "We should get moving... before Clap here decides to give us another hug or four."

He turned and began heading towards where the airship was parked at, while Clap looked on with a sigh, then turned to head back towards where Cupcake's musical number was winding up to a big finish.

She was certain she could hear multiple voices joining him now; that was her Cupcake, after all - not the bleakest moment. Unfortunately, with all of the tragedy that had happened in Obsidian's life, she really didn't know what would count as a 'bleakest moment'. There was always the risk she'd simply mistake it for another average day of being a hero in Equestria.

"So, have you seen all of Opal and Patty's upgrades?" she asked Mica as she walked alongside him to the Airship.

"Actually, I haven't seen them, no... but Cupcake did tell me about them. A solid booster, augmented armor plating, a massive propeller and... what did he call them... bubble cannons?"

He gave a small smirk. "Sounds like they were pretty busy, to me. Cup even told me they saved everyone when the balloon burst - that must have been a sight to see, I'd wager?"

He then gave a nod. "Besides, I've seen your sister eyeballing my cousin a bit - do you think it's possible that Opal has some feelings for Patty? She certainly seemed as if she did."

Hunh... 'Bubble Cannons' was a good, indicative name. In fact, it should stick. She liked it.

"Oh, most certainly - for a moment, I was absolutely sure that we were about to die, because those two were arguing over materials. And, er... feelings? Come on - they spent an hour together, and it started with Opal insulting her almost constantly. For the moment, I'll just be happy if my sister's bad side doesn't try to assassinate her for some strange, mysterious reason that would make sense only to her."

Mica nodded again as they reached the airship. He got onboard and began to look over the changes that had been put into place. "Yes... Opal is a bit different than your other siblings. In fact, all of them are fairly unique in their own way, have you noticed? Frankly, I'm just glad they're not cookie-cutter Sombra clones; each one is an interesting study in and of themselves, don't you think?"

"Well... every pony is unique in their own way, isn't it true? But yes, I sort of noticed that my own brothers and sisters are rather interesting, yes," Obsidian smirked a bit, though she really couldn't stop herself - Mica was practically begging for this kind of response, in her eyes.

He made his way to the anchor level box. "I take it you'll be doing the flying, so I'm ready to do the levers. If, er..." he looked at the box sheepishly, "if you can tell me what does what?"

Oh, by Darkness, he didn't even know that much? Obsidian had kind of hoped he'd already had a little bit of experience, here....

She sighed and started to work on informing him of the levers. It was going to be an interesting trip, as Mica was completely inexperienced and Obsidian herself had only piloted the thing once. And that was BEFORE the upgrade.

Mica, thankfully, only had to be told once - he picked up quickly, and soon they were airborne. The process was a bit different, as she now had to steer up and down using the huge propeller instead of the gentle balloon...

However, once they were in the air, the booster kicked in, and it went MUCH faster than it did before!

"My siblings were all fashioned from a number of different emotions from our father, though - it's only natural that they're as different as they are."

"Different emotions, you say?" Mica asked. "Well... now would be as good a time as any to tell me about it. I honestly am curious about the rest of your family, and I'd like a bit of insight as to their origins."

He smirked then. "If that's okay with YOU, of course."

"Oh, I'm fine with it. Basically, we were all created while Sombra was attempting to revive what was left of our mother, each time using bits of his own soul and a generous helping of corrupting Umbral Magic. I'm... er, sort of an exception in a way, as I was created with the remnants of her body, and without any Umbral Magic whatsoever," she explained cheerfully.

Mica nodded. "Mmmhmm... so, what you're saying is that your siblings all represent different aspects of your father AND Umbral magic?"

He pondered this for a moment. "Well... would you mind terribly if I asked which parts went into making them? I mean, I can already guess that Amy came from anger, yes? Am I on the right track here? What about the rest of them?"

It seemed as though Mica was genuinely interested in finding out; he wasn't mocking or simply letting her go on; he was honestly wanting to know about them. She considered where to begin...

"Onyx was a product of His Power... Aqua was His Strength... poor Jade was supposed to be His Independence... Peridot was His Logic, and Tourmaline - my dear brother who tried to turn me into jelly during our first meeting - was an example of His Wisdom... Amber, of course, was His damned Willpower... Diamond was, of course, His Kindness... poor Sapphire was His Heart, though I'm not sure how she's supposed to work, especially as we haven't found her yet... Ruby was His Hope, Opal was Ingenuity, Quartz was Charisma, and Amy, as you correctly guessed, was His Anger."

Mica put a hoof to his chin in thought for a moment.

"Onyx being power... I can see that; she certainly wielded it effectively enough. Even if you kept calling her 'stupid', she proved to be strong enough to best us a few times. Aquamarine as strength - yes, that makes sense. But strength without guidance... at least, until he found his wife. SHE must've been his calm, his own control."

"Peridot makes sense as logic; taking an alicorn to utilize for your return would certainly count as logical. Too bad his head was a sponge for rogue thoughts; he might have made an interesting study partner for me."

He then gave a light chuckle. "Tourmy as wisdom? Well... he DID manage to ambush you, and he was smart enough to realize that fighting you wasn't worth the risk, back when we came across him in the cavern. Plus, he was the first one to actually integrate - a few steps ahead of Amy, I mean."

"Jade... has anyone seen him since this all began? I mean, there was the view on the monitors as he left, but there's been zero sign of him since. I certainly hope he hasn't allied himself with Amber."

"Amber... willpower. Yes, you'd need a LOT of that to take over an alicorn - especially one as feisty as Flurry Heart." He then sighed. "That poor mare - I can't even imagine what she's feeling right now; I still wish we could comfort her."

"And yes, kindness fits Mundy to a 'T'; I think I've only known a few ponies who were that level of kind, and he certainly seems to fit that bill well."

"And I noticed that you spoke of Sapphire... yet, aside from the bit at Quartz's factory, she's not been seen... though I get the feeling she's still active, anyway. If she's his Heart, then maybe she's at a different plan... one that might be better in the long run, mayhaps."

To be fair, Obsidian had first thought that Sapphire would have been imprisoned with them, back in Tambelon. That, and she'd hardly had much time to think about her to begin with; first, she'd been dying... then later on, she'd been transformed into a shard... then there'd been the full realization of war against Amber...

It was no small wonder that Sapphire had ended up fairly low on her priority list. Even lower than Jade, as her poor brother was in a state of constant torment, while Sapphire's main problem was connected to Amber's mind control.

"Ruby being Hope - that makes a lot of sense." Mica continued. "Opal, Quartz and Amy not being surprising in the least, but... it leads me to wonder, Obsidian..."

He looked at her. "Are you the true daughter of Sombra and Hope?"

Now, what was the definition of 'true'?

"Well, that's... a rather complicated issue, isn't it? I was literally made from her 'remains', while her soul is still somewhere in my head, and I'm only alive because Harmony intervened at the last possible moment. I honestly believe I'm just as artificial as the rest of my siblings."

Mica lifted both eyebrows - quite a feat.

"Harmony itself intervened? Siddy, between hearing that, plus the fact that you were created without Umbral Magic as your siblings were, plus all I've already gathered about you from talking to the others..."

He now gave her a full-on smile; it looked good on him.

"I would actually say you're not artificial: you're a miracle. And you should remind yourself of that whenever you start feeling down, like you sometimes do. You came to be ONLY because of a direct set of circumstances, and you seem to be more real than many other mares or stallions I've met in the past."

He placed a hoof on her shoulder. "You're the miracle that Equestria needs right now, here in the horseflesh; use that to your own advantage, because with all I've seen? You're amazing."

He then smirked. "Just don't let Clap know I said all of that; she gets jealous, even if she doesn't say it."

"Being artificial and being a miracle don't exactly contradict each other," Obsidian noticed. "And being artificial doesn't mean I don't feel real. I mean, I know that my life is hardly average - just ask Peridot what the odds are that Harmony itself would help with turning a shard of crystal and the righteous fury of a possessed king into a mare that would hook up with a stallion born a thousand years after her creation. I assure you that the number he'd come up with would be terribly, absurdly low. And to think, it's not even the strangest thing that has ever happened in my life, either... like, for instance, the fact that I currently hold the ancient homeland of all ponykind in my head."

Her very presence in modern times AT ALL was a miracle unto itself.

"Don't worry - I won't tell Clappy about this little chat," she smirked.

Mica nodded. "And that is just further proof that I made the right call in sticking with you. That and, honestly? All of what's happened to us... it most certainly hasn't been dull. Not one bit."

He then sighed and looked into the distance. "I just wish there were fewer casualties..."

With the speed of the airship, it didn't take long to spot the tail-end of the cart trail; sure enough, the line was only one way now - and it was moving into the Everfree Forest. With the sun setting, she could see the telltale yellow-orange glow still coming from the eyes of those pulling the carts - Amber still had their minds under her hoof, apparently. The line wasn't hard to follow, and Mica gave a hard look at the sight of their path.

"From what I can tell," he said, "they're not just going into the Everfree... Siddy, I think they might be going into the Cave of Harmony. NOT good."

Into the Everfree... aaaaaand... "Damnation - we forgot to bring Quartz!"

Mica grinned. "No worries - way ahead of you, there." He reached back to his saddlebags and opened the flap, revealing a bunch of, er... hankerchiefs?

Yes, hankerchiefs... ALL monogrammed with the same glyph Obsidian wore on her scarf.

"Since I was originally going to pass these out among the others, I just figured I'd bring them with us instead. Quartz will have to make up the loss... but I got the feeling he was just enjoying being useful, and not to the other side."

Oh, good; considering the last-minute swap with Thunderclap and the fact they didn't manage to locate Quartz before they left, Obsidian had thought that their entire adventure might have been doomed from the start.

He lifted an eyebrow. "Do you think we'll still need his direct support?"

"No, no... my apologies for my outburst," she said with relief. "Okay then - let's get a bit closer to the Cave of Harmony. Look for more Umbrals or mind-controlled guards. Do you have any idea how to use these bubble cannons? Because I'm... er, I'm afraid I don't."

Mica shrugged in response. "I don't even know how to steer this thing, much less use anything it's got on it. But I think there's a clearing large enough for the airship near where we're headed; if you can land it there, we could make our way down to where it is... from that point, I have no idea what we'll do - but I'm all up for it, whatever it may be."

Sure enough, the line of carts went down into what almost looked like a small canyon, and into a cavern at the bottom. No carts, however, were coming out.

Near the top, there was just enough space to put the airship down without damaging it.

Apparently, they were down to straight improvisation, all over again. They had absolutely no idea what was waiting for them inside, except for the fact that the cavern would be filled with mind-slaves...

What was Amber doing? As far as Obsidian was concerned, the only interesting thing inside was the Tree of Harmony... and that was gone, if what she saw at Opal's factory was any indicator. Was Amber planning to use the roots too? Or perhaps she'd just decided 'hey, this is a decent cave - let's build factory here'?

Once they had landed safely and (mostly) quietly, the two ponies made their way to the lip of the canyon, looking down into it as the last few carts were making their way into the cave. Oddly, they both noticed that the last three carts in line apparently had something inside them, as they had tarps over them - just like they had while going to the factory.

Were they returning some of the wood? That didn't make sense...

Also from here, Obsidian and Mica could both see sections of the forest that had been cleared back; undoubtedly more of Amber's work... well, more like her mind-slaves' work.

"Do you see any guards?" Obsidian whispered.

Mica scanned the line. "No... I don't see any-... wait." His eyes widened a bit, and he pointed a hoof towards the cave's entrance.

She saw what he was looking at; next to the cave's opening, she could see someone standing there with that telltale glow coming from their wide, large eyes as they numbly watched the last of the procession enter.

It was a diamond dog.

Splendid - another mission where they could achieve multiple goals at once! They'd free some diamond dogs, stop any further clearing of the forest, save Amber's mind-slaves... then they could discover what in Tartarus Amber may have been planning.

"Okay, let's try to sneak up to them from the side, and I can quietly put those glyph-hankies on them with my magic. It shouldn't be too dangerous, and as soon as we can free this particular dog, we can question him about further information. Shall we?"

They crept closer and closer to the entrance, but just as they got there, they saw the diamond dog in question move back from the mouth of the cave and go deeper inside, leaving the way in unguarded.

Mica's eyes remained riveted to the cavern entrance. "I don't like this... something's not right, here - and I mean more than the mental slavery. Why do I get this feeling that the way in is being left open on purpose?"

If it was a trap, then Amber was an even more annoying enemy than Obsidian had ever suspected of her. "How did Clap find out about this? Did she notice it in passing, or did somepony tell her about it?"

Mica pursed his lips before speaking. "While you and Cup were gone to get Patty back, Clap's been flying a lookout over the surrounding area - I'm pretty sure she'd seen this herself, and probably came back to ask for volunteers to check it out. However, with just the TWO of us, it could mean that we'd have an easier time than a whole group would..."

He then set his jaw firmly. "Then again... with only TWO of us, we're that much more vulnerable as well. Balances out on both sides of the equation. So... do we go in, or do we try something else?"

Obsidian looked at the cave; she knew nothing about this place... "Are there any other ways in?"

"I don't think so... I mean, it's the Cave of Harmony; the Element Bearers might know other ways in, but I don't. Now, it's possible that unstable tectonic shifts have created another fissure we might use to get inside, but..."

He shrugged. "We'd have to spend time looking for it - and I've got a feeling that time is of the essence, here."

Time was of the essence, eh? This wasn't going to end well, she could feel it...

"We go in."

The two of them snuck their way down to the cavern's entrance, then - after making sure there were no guards - they went inside.

Immediately, they came across signs of what had happened in here; much of the rock walls were carved away, revealing the remainders of ore veins of various types. Mica himself noted several of them to be metals - undoubtedly where Amber had been getting the materials for the harnesses.

There were lines of carts here, with the three covered ones all the way at the back end, where the two stealthy pones were coming from. Mica crept quietly up to one of the carts and, lifting the tarp up, he peeked inside...

And his eyes got W-I-D-E.

"They're... they're full of dynamite," he whispered incredulously.

"So, if we survive this, we'll at least gain plenty of explosives for our trouble," Obsidian joked grimly. She kept looking around, trying to figure out what the deal was with this place; was Amber simply storing supplies here, or did she have more sinister plans in mind?

"Did you notice any more diamond dogs?" she asked her companion.

Mica pointed to the dirt floor of the cave... and sure enough, there were paw prints along with the hooves' pathways into the tunnel further. "Looks like it - seems like either it's one dog doing a LOT of walking... or there's multiple dogs here. I think I heard something about Gypsy's family being missing - what if they're here?"

Cautiously, he began to make his way further into the cavern, making sure not to lose track of Obsidian. They eventually came to a large antechamber, where...

Sweet Darkness...

The cavern was filled with ponies in the center, all simply standing there with dull expressions on their muzzles. They looked exhausted, overworked and malnourished... but their eyes were still aglow, as well. Surrounding them, lining the walls, were at least three dozen diamond dogs, also all sporting the same glow as they simply stood there... doing nothing.

At the center of the room was a gigantic white stump, cut almost to the ground, surrounded by sawdust and stray slivers of wood. And on the center of the stump was what looked to be some sort of small book, just lying there on top of the remains of the Tree of Harmony.

Mica looked around at those present in the chamber, and shook his head slowly. "Not... good."

So many slaves... and all of them looking to be in a rather sorry state. Amber certainly didn't take very good care of her servants. Truly annoying, as it was well known that well-treated slaves had a tendency to last longer, be more productive, and so on.

There was, however, a book - and Obsidian was very curious about that.

"So, how many glyphs DO we have available to us?" she asked idly.

Mica looked at the mass of ponies again, then turned to Obsidian. "Quartz said there were about fifty of them in the bundle I brought - and I only passed out five. It's a lot... but not enough for everyone here, unfortunately. Maybe we should prioritize the diamond dogs first? After all, if the cavern IS going to be sealed, they can always dig a way out."

"And they're apparently the guardians here, so the more dogs we free, the less fighting we could be looking at." They really needed to find a better way to put these glyphs on the mind-slaves. She didn't have much time to talk with Opal or Patty - perhaps they could build machines that could spray the glyphs?

Siddy had high hopes for the power of modern technology.

"Very well, then - we need to keep the advantage of surprise with at least the first few diamond dogs; even if the rest try to attack us from underground, those who we've freed will be able to counter them."

Mica nodded, and they began to make their way towards the first of the diamond dogs.

The one they approached looked almost elderly; he had a lot of grey and white in his muzzle and coat, and wore a thick vest that was faded with age and had numerous patches on it. His left ear was curled in on itself, as if it had been the victim of a rough fight, but his right ear had three silver rings in it.

Mica moved up as close as he dared to, and took one of the handkerchiefs from his bag, then turned to Obsidian. "I can either sneak over to put it on him, or you can use your magic; of the two, the magic approach would be safer."

As much as Obsidian had experienced the incredibly strange and convenient rules of the universe, this diamond dog would probably turn out to be related to Gypsy...

"Magic, Mica. Magic." She carefully took up the handkerchief in her magical grip and placed it into a vest pocket; as soon as it touched him, the amber glow in his eyes dissipated quickly.

The dog blinked rapidly, then looked around curiously for a moment before spotting Obsidian and Mica. Seeing them, he didn't speak out loud - but it was obvious he wanted to know what was going on.

"Another glyph please, Mica," she whispered.

Mica began to pull the glypherchiefs from his bags, while the diamond dog walked calmly over to the two of them.

"Strange," he said as he approached them, "but now that the suffering is done, this one wants to help - you have freed him from the AmberBitch, and he is grateful yes... but he will not leave his clan behind. And there are many here." He looked down at the hankie in his pocket, then back at them. "How can this one be of assistance?"

Amber wouldn't be winning any popularity contests in Equestria, considering the spectrum of names that everyone kept calling her.

"We need to put these glyphs on all others; in theory, it should be enough just to touch them until it makes the glow disappear," she explained quickly, handing the old dog a few new handkerchiefs. "We need to save all the slaves here... oh, and as a side note, do you know how to handle explosives?"

The dog took the cloth saviors and looked about at the others gathered. "He will assist. And yes, he knows of explosives - and what they are capable of. He suggests not to play with them."

He then turned and began to walk along the wall. As soon as he placed a glyph on another dog, he instantly silenced them with his paw to their lips, then pointed back towards Obsidian and Mica. With nods of understanding, they each began to make their way towards the two, looking at them curiously... but keeping quiet as mice.

There were still ponies to free, though.

"Okay, Mica - let's try to free some of the unicorns to help us, and let's check if just simple contact with a glyph is enough to stop the mind control. Patty didn't need to wear my glyph-stitched scarf all the time, so as long as Amber isn't here, it should work." Truthfully, she'd expected that Amber would have put Patty under a stronger spell; she'd seemed to have been a key pony in her war machine efforts.

Single touches seemed to do the trick to allow the hold to be broken. However, the first pony she touched blinked, then spoke loudly. "Wha... WHAT? What happened? Where am I? What's going ON here?"

The moment he spoke, the entire roomful of possessed ponies and dogs all turned to face Obsidian and Mica... and began to applaud.

"NOT... GOOD." Mica intoned gravely.

And THAT was when the carts in the cavern behind them exploded.

BOOOOM!<

Dirt and rock rained down from above as the antechamber shook with the massive force of the blast, and Obsidian and Mica were both bodily thrown backwards into the cavern. Obsidian was caught by the elder diamond dog, but Mica flew headfirst into a group of ponies gathered near the middle.

The roof in the cavern was shaken... but held; the path they'd come in from, however, was completely collapsed - they were all trapped now.

What's more, now the possessed ponies began to turn on the freed dogs and started attacking them directly.

Damnation! Obsidian had hoped that all the freed slaves would be as calm as the diamond dog had! She had no idea how it felt to be under this kind of mind control, so she didn't know if the elder creature was simply restrained... or perhaps this particular pony was prone to panic?

Whatever the reason was, everything went south very quickly. Explosions, the numerical advantage of the enemy, Dark Magic...

"HIT THE POSSESSED PONIES WITH THE HANKERCHIEFS!" she shouted, so that every other freed creature would hear her and know what to do. With the battlecry still on her lips, she got back on all fours and ran into the largest group of slaves, smacking them with her cloth weapon of choice.

The attackers were fierce, but their numbers quickly dwindled as the hankies were used as the oddest, yet most effective weapons ever.

It was only a short-lived attack before the glyphs had passed around enough to free the remainder from their eyeglowy bonds. Now, ponies all stood around and looked at each other in surprise and worry, while the diamond dogs gathered together - away from the ponies, she noticed.

"You there!" One of the ponies called out, "What in the wide, wide world of Equestria is going on here? Why are we all dirty and tired, and where are we? Answer me!"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND SHOW SOME RESPECT!" A familiar voice yelled out.

The stallion who was speaking turned to face the group behind him. "Who in the blazes would dare-"

"ME!" Blue Raspberry, looking like she'd been working as hard as any of them, stormed over and got right in the stallion's face.

"I dunno what's going on either - but when I see HER," she pointed a hoof at Obsidian, "I know shit's going down... and that she's probably the one who saved our flanks! So STOW the attitude... or I'll put MY attitude on display for ya! Got it?"

The stallion nodded; he got it.

Blue then turned and looked at them. "Siddy... Mica... why do I get the feeling we're in deep, deep shit right now?"

"Because we are, Blue. So, to explain everything quickly: the mind-controlling daughter of Sombra - not me; I don't even know how to control myself, let alone others - took over Equestria, brought back the Umbrals and overall acts like a complete and total bitch. We're currently doing our best to send her straight to Tartarus... but it's going to take a while. All of you were mind-controlled, but we used these magical glyphs to set you all free. Any questions?"

Even as she was talking, she was walking towards the stump of Tree of Harmony. To see it destroyed like that... well, it was more hurtful than finding the chopped wood at Opal's Factory. Here... it hit home. HARD.

Of course, there was this small, interesting book still lying on the stump.

"Well, shit... I don't even know WHAT to say to that," Blue sighed, "but I guess we just get outta here and go fight her bitchass, right?"

"One problem," Mica spoke up, "we're stuck in here. There were carts loaded with dynamite at the entrance, and that big rumbling, explosion-y thing was the way out being sealed off."

Blue let out an exasperated groan. "Perfect."

The elder diamond dog made his way over to them and raised a paw to get their attention. "If this one may say, whomever made this trap was foolish indeed - for they buried you with the best diggers in all of Howler's Hollow. It should be no issue at all to make holes for leaving, and quickly too."

"We'd counted on that," Obsidian said, her eyes focused on the prize. What was this book doing here? Preparations for some kind of ritual? A mocking parody? Amber's autobiography? She walked closer to take a peek.

The book was small, with a red cover that looked weathered and old. There was no title on the cover, nor on the spine.

"Good, great, wonderful," Blue sighed, "so, any chance we could go ahead and get out of here?"

"Oh... so iz NOW time for poneez to NEED diamond dogs, hunh?" One of the dogs stepped forward... and he was big.

He was wearing what looked like a pair of overalls, with goggles on his head that stuck out of his bright red mane. His big eyes were almost a silvery grey, and he had two sharp-looking teeth jutting up from his bottom jaw. He had muscles to spare, and he walked over to stare down at Blue with contempt in those eyes.

"So, we juz DO what yu SEZ, an dat's dat, hunh? No one notize dogs until we NEEDID, hunh? We all work an we all TIRED... butchoo don care, do yu?"

He snorted loudly. "Maybe diamond dogs juz dig tunnel owt for uz, yah? Maybe leev poneez heer to see whut happunz when yu ONLY take an not giv, hunh?"

Blue, undaunted, stared right back up at him. "Oh, give me a break - we're ALL stuck here together, in case you haven't noticed... which means we're ALL tired and overworked! I'll get in there and kick rocks with the rest of you, but it's obvious who the better diggers are!"

"Yah, we see dat," the dog growled, "an we see dat YU juz wanz OWT, an don't care bout uz at a-"

"Bonzo, noh." The elder finally spoke up. "This is not how we do things..."

"Shuddup, Skipper!" The bigger dog yelled back. "Iz time for NOO leader - an I sez ME should be in charge now! STOOPID poneez juz wantz yuuz uz, an don't care what happen ta uz afterwards!"

"That's not the case, dumbass!" Blue tried to speak up.

"Den how cum wez not told bout AmberBitch powers!?" Bonzo bellowed back at her.

By Darkness, accents! She'd need Gypsy just to discuss things with them properly, it seemed! Why was it that so many creatures around were butchering Equestrian with every twitch of their tongues? Perhaps it was connected to their teeth? Maybe fangs were making it harder to enunciate?

"Is that not what I just did for everyone present?" Obsidian said aloud, picking the book up to inspect it closer. "And as far as I'm concerned, you diamond dogs can dig much, much faster and better than average ponies - I've seen it for myself."

Granted, it was while Gypsy was chasing her through Ponyville... but it was probably for the best NOT to say that part out loud.

"And while I have your attention, is Gypsy Rover's family here? He and his sister are worried sick," she added, both to defuse the tension and to try to solve the mystery.

Both of the speaking diamond dogs reacted. "You... you are Gypsy Rover's friends, yes? Then this one thinks... you are Obsidian, yes?" Skipper said plainly.

Bonzo stormed right over to Obsidian and nearly got in her face. "WHERE IZ BISCUIT!? WHERE IZ MY DAUGHTER!?"

The book didn't say anything on the outside, but maybe the inside had something to say... and, surprise surprise, it did; written in red ink on the front page was a single word that Obsidian could see...

Gotcha.

As soon as she read it, a plume of sickly green smoke began to pour out of the book itself, and as soon as it touched her coat, Obsidian began to feel very ill...

Everyone else backed away from it instantly... except for Mica, who made his way over to grab Obsidian by her rear hoof and haul her back and away from the foul book. Slowly, the spray of gas began to expand outward; at the rate it was coming out of the book, the entire cavern would be filled with it in less than fifteen minutes!

Obsidian felt as though she'd been hit with something that was making her stomach twist into knots inside her, and had her eyes watering as well; there would be no way she would be able to cast a spell like this - even a simple one.

Apparently, Amber knew about her weakness for books... and had set quite a clever trap for her. NOW, they were not only stuck in this cave, but they were all going to breathe in this stuff and die here.

Lovely.

Planting traps in the books? Obsidian just got another reason to slaughter Amber. It was cruel! Blasphemous!

... and admittedly pretty clever, all things considered, but COME ON!

"... d-dig, please," she squeezed out of her throat, doing her best to keep her lunch down and her eyelids up.

Bonzo backed away from the fog like it was poison... which, to be fair, it totally was... but Skipper gave three LOUD barks, and the rest of the diamond dogs turned and began to tear away at the dirt near the collapsed entrance.

After a few moments, Blue made her way over and started digging too, as best as she could with hooves. "Well? What are you waiting for?" She looked at the gawking ponies. "GET YOUR FLANKS IN GEAR!" she shouted.

The gathered ponies began to join them, all digging frantically at the dirt and rocks that stood between them and their freedom. Except for Bonzo, who began digging where he was... and throwing the dirt on top of the book, and Mica who was looking Obsidian over as he tried to figure out what to do.

Her stomach felt like it was rolling inside her barrel, her vision was blurry, and her head began to pound like a sledgehammer as the sounds around her began to become muffled and dim. Pain coursed through her, and her lungs began to hitch.

Shit shit shit shit SHIT! Breathing was getting more and more painful - which was rather bad, considering that Obsidian was starting to hyperventilate due to the panic that was starting to creep into her dizzy, oxygen-starved brain. What in Tartarus was going on? What did Amber put into this terrible book? How was it even possible that she was related to this tome-defiling monster?

"Mica...", she whispered. "If I become... a bit too dead... th-the seed... in my bags... on the ground... say 'friendship is m-magic'...."

Mica stared as she spoke, then began to frantically rifle through her bags. "Seed, have to find a seed, must be a seed, seed, DAMMIT SEED, where's the seed?"

Her vision began to grow dim, her hearing muffled, her breathing such a chore, so very tired...

"There's no seed IN here, Obsidian! OBSIDIAN!?"

Just to close her eyes... for a few moments, that would be all... just a few... moments...

"No... SIDDY NO... n o y o u c a n ' t g i v e u p . . . . . . O b s i -

Author's Note

Aquamarine, Son of Sombra

=]OO-I-OO[=

And so, a feat of Necromancy was in order, it seems.

Eeyup, another chapter! It's NOT dead! Just in a very, very slow format as I continue to be busier than I want to be. BUT... I haven't given up on this. The story WILL be finished!

So, a nice little side trip with Mica, which turned out to lead to what was once the Tree of Harmony. *sigh* A sad thing, to be certain - but only further proof of Amber's madness.

And that book - with Siddy's fondness for them, it was a completely in-SIDDY-ous trap, was it not? (I'll show myself out, thanks...)

So - what now? Is she dead? Imprisoned? Most likely going to have another dream sequence?

... okay, yeah, most likely the third option.

Ten: Recoveries & Discoveries

~>-<~

... dammit.

And here she was once more, standing outside of the gates with the large, metal proclamation of [PARADISE] over them.

At least she could breathe now... well, IF she was breathing, of course. She might have been dead - again - but she couldn't tell; as far as she knew, she'd just been put under by Amber - again - and there was no way to know for certain if she would ever wake up.

The gate creaked lightly open, and Peridot stuck his head out, looking at her. "Ah. There you are. I was wondering if you would show up here or not - it was literally a 50% chance, clear down the median."

Now that was an interesting thought; as far as she was concerned, everything was happening inside her head. If she died, this ancient and magical place follow suit?

"Good afternoon, Peridot. It's, eh... let's say an 'emergency visit'. Amber poisoned me," she admitted, resigned and a touch chagrined.

Peridot nodded. "Yes, yes - we saw it on the television. I admit, I never believed diamond dogs had their own society; interesting to see it directly like that. Please, do come in... we've got a few things to discuss with you."

He opened the gate, and once again, Obsidian was treated to the sight of Paradise - the massive pool, the deck chairs, the parasol-wielding tables, et cetera.

He began to make his way to a pair of glass doors that led into the manor itself.

'We' - so Onyx was here, apparently. What a relief! Obsidian followed Peridot, looking at the marvels around her. All of this surely wasn't just inside her head - she would never have been able to dream up luxuries such as these.

The interior was especially beautiful. Everything looked clean and modernized - which was interesting, as this place had existed long, long ago, supposedly. Sleek and shiny steel cabinets, cool and crisp conditioned air, elegant carpet and well-laid tile, and beautiful murals of flowers and such all over each wall.

There seemed to be planter boxes in every room, as fresh flowers were all over the place, and the furniture was so cozy and comfy-looking... and all of this was for ponies in ancient times? Why would they have ever wanted to leave such a home in the first place?

It looked like something that was decades ahead of the Equestria she currently knew... but how could it have been this way? If this place really was the ancient home of all ponykind, either someone here was really being innovative, or Equestria had somehow lost all this technology along the way somewhere.

In the rather spacious living room, there was a circular couch that was a light blue color; it fit well with the rest of the decor. Centered in it was a small table, and on that was a tea tray, complete with cups and saucers, as well as a teapot. Across from that - on the wall, no less - was a large monitor with the words [Technical Difficulties: Please Stand By] on it.

And seated at the table was...

"Hello, Obsidian... I was wondering when you'd..."

It was Onyx.

"... um... sh-show up to... uhhh... check on me."

... wasn't it?

"ONYX!" Obsidian cried as she glomped her. "I would have come so much sooner, but there's been a LOT going on lately! I'm so glad to see you again, my sister!" Obsidian chirped.

Onyx hugged back, nodding. "Yes, I'm most certainly... um... mo... m-most certainly back. Peri and I have been catching..."

Her eyes went semi-blank for a moment, as if lost in thought... then, she blinked out of it. "... catching up with each other. It's been interesting, I'll say that much."

Peridot came over to the circle couch and sat down across from the two of them. "So, now that we all have a moment, perhaps now would be a good time to discuss what the actual game plan is, and whether or not we can help you in that regard."

Onyx nodded. "Of course, we've been talking it over, and... er..."

Peridot sighed. "And to bring that up, as well."

"... y-yes, to bring up certain points." Onyx seemed a bit... off, somehow.

"But first," Peridot nodded, "I suppose we'll have to discuss what can be done with your current situation."

"Well, my current situation is as thus: either Mica will save me, or I'm stone-cold dead," she shrugged with somewhat nihilistic resignation. "If it's been deemed that I shall survive, I expect we'll probably get a few more airships and while the rest will try their best to save the Element Bearers, I was possibly thinking I might look for Jade. But... first things first, sister; what's wrong with you?" Obsidian asked with worry. "Was it the lack of material to work with, from your shard?"

Onyx gave an irritated sigh. "I'm not sure, honestly; it just feels like... l-like, uhhhh..."

Peridot motioned to her with a hoof. "And she's been like that since she showed up here. Pausing to gather her thoughts like that - I would say there's a 86.4% chance that her loss of self has something to do with it, yes."

"... l-like I have to concentrate to keep my train... t-train of thought." she finished.

"Still, for what it's worth, she's still brilliant," Peridot interjected with a kind grin, " if perhaps just a bit-"

"Slower, yes," Onyx finished with a chagrined look on her muzzle. "I think she gets it."

Poor Onyx. Hopefully this setback wouldn't stop her, and hopefully she could return to form, given enough time. At the moment, she was practically crippled - and it wasn't lost on Obsidian that it was at least somewhat her fault.

Peridot nodded, then turned back to face Obsidian. "As for your situation, rest assured that your friend Mica Chip is intelligent enough to figure out ways to keep you alive. Of course, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be admonished just a bit for falling for that book trap."

"Left on the stump of the Tree of Harmony, and you... eh... y-you just had to pick it up and read it. Honestly, I thought you would have... w-would have..."

She spaced out for a moment, then shook herself out of it. "... w-would have learned from the LAST time you trusted a book's contents. Such as the spell that brought you to the Black Pool?"

Okay, so they had a point.

"I thought it might be... I don't know, the last words of the Moochick, o-or perhaps something hint that Amber wanted to use this specific source of wood in a ritual or... something," she admitted.

"Well, if you would be so kind as to practice a little bit more caution in the... the, err... th-the future, as WE have to live within YOU, it would be much appreciated." Onyx admonished her a bit, but it had nowhere near the same snark as when she was taunting her as a villain.

Peridot nodded. "That being said, I believe part of your issue is your tendency to underestimate your foes, Obsidian. You seem to get stuck on the idea that your opponents are 'stupid', which leads you to doubt their ability to best you..."

"Which brings you here, more often than not." Onyx finished.

"So, my first advice to you would be to take your opponents just a bit more seriously - particularly Amber."

Onyx blinked blankly for a moment, then sat back and rubbed her forehead with a hoof. "Yes... she was one of His favorites for a reason, you know. Amber always had a penchant for making others suf-... uhh, s-suffer... so you'd do well to take note of that fact."

"Aside from that," Peri continued, "we should also discuss Sapphire, or to be more precise, the pronounced lack of her lately."

"Well, this obsession Amber has with suffering is the bit that explains why I consider her stupid; if she would care less about making everypony miserable and more about outright defeating her enemies, I would likely be rotting in a mass grave already! Or even on her side!" Obsidian scoffed. As far as she was aware, she was overestimating Amber! "And I know absolutely nothing about Sapphire. Nothing; a complete and utter lack of data."

Onyx and Peridot exchanged a worrisome look, then looked back at her.

Peridot sighed. "That's the thing - as far as I am aware, Sapphire has all but vanished off the face of Equestria. In ancient times, she was always headstrong and dedicated to the ideals that He raised us to have; she felt that it was working for those ideals that would make Father love us more."

"But when I awoke her in modern Equestria, she just wanted to help us bring... uh, b-bring..." Onyx hesitated.

"Bring Father back, yes." Peri finished for her. "From what Onyx has told me, she simply kept working hard to help bring about The Plan, and after Onyx's demise, Amber simply worked her harder and harder."

"Yes - no rest for the wicked, indeed. But all I was doing was having her deal with deliveries - and nowhere NEAR the breakneck schedule that... that Amber, er... th-that she had her on. Even I had standards, after all."

Peri sighed. "She had always held Father in high regard, because she had known just a fraction of his affection... yet always yearned for more. She somewhat understood that He and Father were not the same, and was one who tried to help things along with the idea that He might release Father someday."

Onyx scoffed. "As if IT even would - but that was MY thought, too, so I suppose I shouldn't... sh-sh-shouldn't, umm... shouldn't judge her for it."

Peridot nodded. "What's more, it seems as if there's more treachery ahead from Amber... and we're afraid she may have already done something to Sapphire - hence her absence."

"All but vanished," Obsidian mused, wondering about whatever fate Amber prepared for Sapphire. "Her ability... it was about controlling the elements, wasn't it? As far as I recall, I heard that she could even fly?" She tried to focus on the various and random bits of information she'd already heard before. "She outright discarded Opal, even after the mare successfully diverted our attention from Ponyville long enough for Flurry's possession to take place..."

Poor Flurry Heart...

Obsidian winced only for a moment, then continued. "Do you believe that she could potentially have other plans for Sapphire? She really doesn't seem to be the type that takes care of her toys..."

Onyx frowned. "No, she won't. I may have been a bit... a b-bit... umm..."

"Insensitive?" Peridot offered.

"Y-y-y-... th-that works, yes... insensitive... but at least I still had plans for Amethyst & Tourmaline to HAVE a future. Amber doesn't care WHO she crushes, as long as she gets her way. A distinct difference to make between... uh..."

Peridot nodded. "Yes, an important distinction to be made. Amber is far more dangerous, because she simply seems to be putting Equestria to the torch; nihilism at its' most rampant."

Obsidian put a hoof to her cheek. "So why would she keep Sapphire? I don't know many specifics about our lost sister's powers or abilities - I only know that she was working herself senseless along with Quartz, and... well, that's actually about it. I didn't even recognize her back when we first met, and it didn't help that she lied about being related."

Siddy recalled she'd had a haunted look on her muzzle, back then.

Peridot pondered. "Honestly, I have no clue what she would need her for..."

"IF she even needed her at all," Onyx spoke up, "because, for all WE know, she may have... uhh... mmm... mmmmmay have already done away with her. Though the loss of her elemental powers would be senseless, not to mention incredibly foolhardy."

"She could have done ANYTHING with her. After all, we're not exactly speaking of someone whose mind is stable and predictable." Peri sighed and shook his head slowly.

Onyx shrugged. "For all we know, Sapphire could be executing her OWN plans!"

"To be certain, the loss of Opal's genius mind alone would have been senseless... but she'd intended to throw her into the ring at the Umbral Colosseum with the rest of us!" Obsidian noticed that at least Amber had seemed to hate them all equally.

Sapphire executing her own plans... hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

She frowned. "From the looks of it, we actually aren't really able to do much of anything about Sapphire, except to hope we'll hear something more?"

"Seems that way," Peridot said with a sigh of irritated acquiescence.

Onyx got up from the couch and went to the glass doors, her eyes somewhere outside as she pondered. "Well... since we're both in the same place now, Peri and I can work on a plan for what comes next - and between our collective genius, I'm s-... uh... s-sure... we can figure out something."

Peridot looked at Obsidian. "Anything else to bring up, while you're here?"

Well, least they'd be working together; as far as Obsidian was concerned, she could rely on these two to process all the information she could dig up, leaving more of her own conscious mind to focus on other, more immediate things - like ambushes. Or spells. Or anything that concerned saving her current existence.

Not that she couldn't think on her own, nope... just... well, she trusted their collective genius. Particularly the fact that Peri could keep an eye on her dark sister. Y'know, just in case, no big deal.

Well then - what else needed to be addressed? The airship fleet. Locating Jade. Using the Umbral Altars to (hopefully) resurrect Ruby. Amber's tower. What else had to be brought up?

"The Tree of Harmony is no more. We have a seed that we're supposed to plant in the ground 'in our bleakest hour' while saying the phrase 'Friendship is Magic', but... well, frankly speaking, we still seem to have some room to fall. Do you think there's any chance of salvaging what was left of the tree?"

Onyx raised an eyebrow. "The Tree of Harmony... gone? Heh... I have to admit, I should've thought of that myself."

But Peridot blanched at the words. "G-GONE? Obsidian... that's BAD."

He stood up and began to pace. "During my studies while I was alive, I ran across enough evidence that the Tree itself was a protector, a force that kept ponies alive, even in the worst of times. There's even some books which spoke of a connection to Harmony which dated back beyond written pony history."

"Sort of like... l-like..." Onyx spaced out again, and her blank look was alarming.

"... like?" Peri prompted, and she seemed to snap out of it.

"... like THIS place? 'Paradise'?" she finally finished.

"The Tree of Harmony was only the most recent incarnation of The Moochick, and I sincerely doubt that he... she... it would be so readily damaged by a bunch of simple axes and saws. After all, Whistlewhite also died, and yet I still spoke with her a bit... though that was a bit disconcerting," Obsidian mused.

Hearing Onyx's stutter sent cracks through her heart, every time.

"Could there possibly be more information about Harmony hidden somewhere in here? Within Paradise itself?"

"We've already been checking," Onyx said, "and there's a library here - much to Peridot's liking..."

Peri at least had the decency to blush slightly.

"... and we've found a number of books that don't... d-dont, um... do not..."

"Exist, anymore," he finished for her, "and I, for one, am overjoyed to have been reading them - especially the stories about Firefly, one of the first pegasi ponies ever spoken of in Pony history!"

"Y-yes... and did you know there was always an Applejack among the various gatherings of ponies in the past?" Onyx said, finally getting her focus back.

"Indeed - there are SO MANY of our own ancestors who were lost to time - and now, we can read about them ALL!"

"The 'Moochick', you say?" Onyx pondered that for a moment. "There's... a bit on that individual, but he wasn't a pony."

Peridot nodded. "Yes - The Moochick was a gnome, and lived in his Mushram, in what would NOW be known as the Everfree Forest. Though there's nothing that says where that Mushram might be..."

Onyx waved the thought away. "Meh, not important right now; what we can do is search the stacks, and see what... wh-what..."

"What we CAN find and try to report it to you when next you sleep." Peridot grew a concerned look across his features. "IF you wake up, that is... admittedly, I'm beginning to worry a bit."

Obsidian shrugged lightly. "Either I shall wake up sooner or later to continue The Good Fight... or I'll die from the poison - in which case, we should probably try to appreciate our last moments together, right?" She was trying to cheer them up a bit, using the darkest humor she could think of.

Admittedly, she doubted it would work.

It was MADDENING, even trying to conceptualize the idea that stupid, stupid Amber had won the war, all because Obsidian couldn't keep her hooves off a damned book!

What could possibly wait for her, after death? Was there any kind of afterlife for a shard like herself? Soul or no soul, what waited for the lot of them, beyond the veil of mortality?

... wait, no. N-no... she wouldn't actually die, right? She had a destiny to fulfil, legendary deeds yet to be known for, songs yet to be written about her...

"Does this mean we should have our own Applejack, too? Interesting... and The Moochick was a pony as well - Whistlewhite, to be more precise. And the Tree of Harmony, apparently. Maybe... he chose this place because it reminded him of home?" she added, attempting to put the thoughts of these being her last moments behind her.

Peridot faced her again. "Actually, Paradise wasn't the FIRST home for ponykind; Dream Valley and Dream Castle were where we ponies all have our origins - even the Crystal Empire's original settlers came from there."

Onyx nodded. "... y-yes, but it was overrun by a creature known as the Smooze, and as ponykind had nowhere to go, The Moochick created Paradise Estate as a shelter for them. To hear that he was also... uhh..."

Peridot picked up from there. "The Moochick, Whistlewhite, the Tree of Harmony... are they truly all the same entity? THAT would be a fascinating being to speak to, I imagine!" He looked excited over the prospect. "What was he-... I mean, SHE like?"

Onyx, snapping back and seeing herself not-so-much in the conversation, turned and used her magic (which was noticably dimmer than Obsidian recalled) to lift a small, flat & grey little box from the table, and pointed it at the large television screen.

There was a >click!<, and Obsidian heard what sounded like muffled words coming from it, along with a VERY blurry picture.

"So then, Dream Castle wasn't far from the Crystal Empire? I mean, any sort of settlers wouldn't get too far in the notoriously arctic climate... unless it was far warmer back then and-..." Obsidian stopped when she saw the screen pop to life. Supposedly, the view would have been through her eyes... so she was, in her dreams, looking through her own eyes?

Surreal. She decided to observe what was going on in the waking world, leaving her thought unfinished.

Onyx fiddled with the little box a bit, and the sounds began to become clearer.

"... uv diz pony! Iz no need for her!"

"You shut your mouth!" That was... Mica? He sounded LIVID! "If it wasn't for her, you would all be DEAD, right now! Do you hear me, you mangy mutt!?"

A loud growl was the response, but then another voice broke in.

"Please... no name-calling; it belittles us both."

"Skipper, DIS IZ STOOPID! Howler's Heart iz NOH for poneez! IZ FOR DOGS ONLEE! NOH give it to her!"

"Even AFTER she saved your daughter, you ungrateful moron!?" A deep breath, then, "Mister Skipper, please, I BEG you... give her the potion, if you think it will cure her! Please!"

"Hmmmmm... this one is thinking about a trade, yes? He knows of you, Pony Chip, and knows of your mother, Pony Pie, who knows rocks, yes... do you know rocks?"

A beat. "I... know something about minerals, yes."

"Skipper! Dis IZ-"

"Quiet, Bonzo - dogs say that this one is in charge still, as vote was taken. You are still under this one's command."

A quiet growl... but no more protest. At least, not yet.

"I don't think I very much like this 'Bonzo'," Onyx muttered.

"Admittedly, it's been quite a while since I've heard Mica even half that angry," Obsidian added. "But unfortunately, Bonzo is in the best position to hold negotiations. He holds all the aces, while we have nary a one. It's understandable that he would want to get as much as possible from this situation." At worst, she might have to deal with them later.

"A question, Pony Chip - when you two came to the tunnel, did you KNOW diamond dogs would be there?"

"Yah," Bonzo spoke up, "waz it cuz yu KNEW we waz dere arreddy? Cuz if so, dat meanz yu was comin tu save UZ... if not, den yu was comin tu save PONEEZ, an juzt PONEES."

Onyx smirked, "Oh, this will be a very efficient lie, I'm sure - your friend can win this argument right now, if he's smart."

Peridot just looked at Obsidian with a questioning look. "IS he clever enough to know what to say here?"

"Mica is far more intelligent than I am... er, not that it's a difficult thing," Obsidian admitted sheepishly, "and we didn't come here to save ponies, but to save slaves. We were well aware that they were of mixed races. Besides, we noticed the diamond dog guards before we decided to go in - he doesn't need to lie at all."

There was a sigh... then:

"When we came this way, we were following a line of carts - led by ponies, yes-"

"HAH! See, Skipper! DEY-"

"SHUT UP FOR A MINUTE!"

"Yes, Bonzo... shut the gaping hole, so Pony Chip can finish."

"But-"

"THIS ONE CALLS FOR SILENCE, PUP!" It sounded like the elder diamond dog had his own Royal Canterlot Voice! There was a whack, then a whimper... then another sigh.

"Continue, please."

"... but when we saw that diamond dogs were also here, we both agreed to save everyone - not just ponies. Besides, we had recently heard that Gypsy Rover's family had gone missing, from a pup that Obsidian rescued... Biscuit, to be exact."

There was silence for a moment.

"We intended to save everyone, yes... but I won't lie to tell you we knew you were here."

"Hmmmmmmmm..."

Blurry shapes moved around on the screen.

"This one appreciates your honesty, Pony Chip. It makes the difference here, yes; you chose it over pleasing Bonzo, which is admirable. And Bonzo, you owe this mare a debt of gratitude for saving little Biscuit."

A muttered growl in return.

"Then we make a deal, yes? Pony Chip, you help diamond dogs find good ore, yes? Promise to this one - and he will give the potion to Obsidian."

"I promise on my mother's good name, Mister Skipper!"

"Please - no 'misters' here; only dog and pony show, yes? Help dogs find good ore for... eh, THREE summers... is fair?"

"Onlee THREE!?"

"Bonzo... shush."

"Three summers is nothing compared to what Obsidian means to us, my friends and I. I give you my solemn oath that I will do so."

"And because Pony Chip did not lie, this one shall accept your promise."

"But-"

"BONZO, HEEL!" Another whimper.

"Thank you, oh thank you!"

"Of course - besides, this one would not be a good Greatfather to Gypsy Rover if he said no."

Onyx looked at Obsidian. "Greatfather? What is that?"

"The father of a parent, I believe?" Obsidian replied. Did Mica just sell himself to slavery, in a manner of speaking? Obsidian could feel her stomach clenching a bit just at the thought of it. The fact that he was doing this in the first place was making her feel exceedingly guilty - not to mention MORE than a little angry.

"...well, we do tend towards a disturbing lack of granparents, ourselves... unless we can track Radiant Hope's parentage."

This was not going unaddressed... three summers? THREE!?

While seated on the couch in her mind, she suddenly felt something cool and wet sliding down her throat, though it wasn't blocking her airway.

The television screen in front of them brightened a bit, but still not much for definition. However...

"Amazing... simply amazing..."

"Yes, Pony Chip - Howler's Heart is the elixir he made to save diamond dogs from the Four Plagues; in the end, his own life was given so that diamond dogs would survive them. This was many, many summers back - and this bottle is the only one left. This is why there were only drops for her - we must preserve it as much as we..."

Skipper paused, then simply said. "Oh."

"Oh? What oh? What do you mean, oh?"

"Very interesting - the glow in the belly, you see it, yes?"

"Y-yes... isn't that where the potion is?"

"Yes... but Howler's Heart only glows when it heals life. Obsidian was glowing, yes?"

Suspiciously, "Yyyyyeeeeessss..?"

"Then, so do those healed... without and within."

"Wait... hold on... do you mean-"

"Yes, Pony Chip - both she and her foal will be well."

Both Onyx and Peridot's jaws dropped open, and they turned to look directly at their sister.

...

Obsidian blinked, completely dumbfounded. What a strange thing to say... they said it as if she was-

...

She turned her head to look at Peridot, her eyes wide open in shock. She wasn't angry, furious or worried... simply stunned.

Mica's voice sputtered. "... I... I don't... uh..."

"Is your pup?"

"NO! Nooooo no no no! Not mine, but... well, I know whose it probably is... and I'll bet he's gonna be overjoyed to hear it. But, uh..."

"Yes?"

"... I'm not sure how safe it would be to TELL her, with what we're dealing with. The LAST thing that needs to happen is Amber discovering this. She'd probably try to either take it, or..."

There was an audible gulp. "No... no, Amber must NEVER know. But... that just seems wrong..."

"So... no telling ponee she haz pup?"

A pause. "I... don't know if she could keep it to herself; news like this? It would be written all over her muzzle, even if she said NOTHING about it. She's... not very good at hiding her emotions, at times..."

Onyx barked a laugh. "Ah, yes - he's got you there, you know. That, and your talk about 'rubbing stuff' gave you away before."

"A shard, with child?" Peridot still seemed lost on that subject.

"I... I don't know... she should know, but... I want to protect her, too... what do I do, Mist-... er, Skipper?"

"Your heart will tell you... or, the mare shall already know. Either way, be her friend."

"Always, sir. Thank you so much..."

That's when the screen began to clear, focus and seemingly move closer to her, as well... the screen getting nearer and nearer to her face...

Until she was there, blinking up at Skipper, Bonzo and Mica Chip - who looked relieved as he realized she was AWAKE.

"Siddy! Oh, by Twilight's Crown, thank goodness you're okay! Thank goodness - and diamond dogs!"

"Greetings, Obsidian," Skipper smiled, "How are the feelings of your body?"

Well, now they had proof that Shards were fertile... or that at least she was. After all, her body was the closest thing to Radiant Hope that they had. They'd need to have a few more experiments with the rest of the group to be sure - both stallions and mares - to make sure they-...

...what in Tartarus was she thinking about?!

"How long is a typical equine pregnancy?" she asked plainly.

Mica's jaw dropped open, Skipper smiled kindly... and Bonzo just started laughing.

"Yu know - ponee maybee WURTH saving, if she so smart!" he guffawed.

"This one sees that it is a very recent pregnancy - it will be an entire summer before your foal is born; you have plenty of time to prepare, Obsidian."

Mica looked a bit ashamed, but still immensely pleased to see her up and about in... in...

Where the Tartarus WAS she?

She seemed to be inside a room that was surrounded by rock and dirt, but with strips of cloth and colorful decorations everywhere. It was a wide room, but not a tall one, and the decor looked suited best to a diamond dogs' physique. There were trinkets and such all over the walls and hanging from the ceiling, and a dirt floor that looked well-travelled.

"Poison is gone from you; you shall be well," Skipper said as he stepped back from her.

"I promise you that I'm not that smart; I simply regained consciousness close to the end of your conversation over me," she muttered as she got up. Okay, whatever that potion was, it was incredible - she hadn't felt this good since the last time she was under Diamond's care.

"So, this is your home, then?" she said as Obsidian glanced around her. She'd never truly considered what a diamond dog's home would look like; rather interesting, to say the least.

Skipper smiled at her. "Welcome to Howler's Hollow, Obsidian; we brought you here after we escape from the tunnels. Bonzo burying the bad book kept the gasses at bay, while pony and dog dig together to get out. Afterward, bring here because there was a cure..."

Bonzo glowered a bit at that but said nothing.

"... and we administered it. Now, you and foal are well, yes... and dogs are safe. Ponies, too - they have gone to the Ponyville, as suggested by the Pony Chip."

"Y-yeah... I sent them with Blue Raspberry; they should make it easily in the airship." Mica offered.

"Obsideeun..." Bonzo stepped forward to meet her - and he was still quite tall. "I haz tu thanx yu for Biscuit's rezque - she meenz the world tu me. She iz all I haz of hur mama, now... an I am... grateful... for yu help for hur."

"Yes, yes," Skipper said, "but now, you are headed to the Ponyville again, this one expects?"

If Blue took the airship, she should be safe, then. She'd given thanks, asked questions... probably better not to mention that Amethyst kicked Biscuit from the bushes... er, in fact? Obsidian herself didn't really do much of anything to 'rescue' her... except for giving her a pony ride, perhaps.

"Yes, I'd like to head there... but first, let's discuss some more important things, such as are you and yours going to be safe here, and how many diamond dogs are still missing?"

Skipper sighed at that. "A few... but most of our home is back now; we will send searchers to gather the rest, if we can find them. And with glyph symbol cloths, we can stay safe fom AmberBitch, yes."

He held up a single claw. "We has the shamans, and they would be very interested to learn the glyph magics - symbol alone does nothing; needs must have right spell to go with them."

Mica looked at her. "This place is a short walk from Ponyville; if the Friendship Train was still running, we could take it there, but... well, Amber has everything shut down."

"But," Skipper continued, "yes, we are safe here; we shall NOT fall for AmberBitch again so easily."

"How long was I unconscious, then?" Only a short walk, perhaps... but they were coming from the Everfree Forest, and she had no idea how long she had already been here. Would it be nightfall by now?

But she made a mental note to get the Glyph-Ward Spell to the Diamond Dogs here, as soon as she was able to relay the message.

Skipper nodded. "Eh... an entire cycle, or... one day, yes?"

Mica confirmed. "A whole day, yes - and I'm pretty sure our respective sweethearts are probably worried sick by now. We should stock up and get moving; it's after noon, but the sun is still up right now. We could probably make it back before dark, if we leave soon."

"I come wif yu," Bonzo said, "cuz I wanna see my daughter... an my Chozin Son."

"Wait... does that make you Gyspy's father, then?" Mica asked.

The diamond dog nodded. "Yis - but I iz Chozin Father, an he iz Chozin Son; I think he NOH BELONG wif poneez... bud I nod stop him from go tu Ponee Skool. Him urn dat."

Obsidian didn't remember how much the others knew about Gypsy's family situation - she remembered that he had family, and that they weren't too happy with him going to Ponyville, but that was pretty much all she knew.

"He's saved the entire world... at least twice," she added. "And he's the best friend we could ask for."

Now, there was only one thing left to discuss.

"Now, if I may... what exactly were your terms for these 'three summers' you had mentioned, regarding Mica?" she asked as calmly as possible.

Mica blinked. "It..." His muzzle then went back to his neutral look. "... it's my business, Obsidian - I agreed to it, and I stick by my word."

"Now, Pony Chip - concern is written on Obsidian's face; friendship and such, yes?" Skipper made his way over to a chair (where she noticed he walked with a pronounced limp) and took a seat.

"With what has happened, dogs now have fewer places to find ores, yes? Taken by AmberBitch, for making metal monsters, yes? So where is ore left for us now?"

He looked at Mica. "Dogs good at finding ore, but not so much ore to find, yes? So, take on help from knowledgeable Pony Chip, of Maud Pie family. Maud Pie WELL known for knowledge of rocks and ore; Mica Chip shall help dogs find more ore, so they can survive and thrive until mess is sorted out. It is NOT the slavery, Obsidian - it is more the 'extra job', so to speak. Pony Chip will be paid for work with foods and drinks, occasionally money. But work with us for three summers - by that time, many others will be fine."

"Summer as in 'season', or Summer as in 'year'?" Obsidian asked, a bit growly. The insistence that it wouldn't exactly be slavery didn't ease her mind much. He was a student at the Friendship School, he was a free pony, and she didn't care if it was 'his' business or not.

Skipper grinned. "Assist on days off from the Friendship School... calling them 'weekends'?... when needed. We will not make him come every day, no - we need help, not do all for us."

He then held up a bottle that was a third of the way filled with a lightly glowing blue liquid. "Howler's Heart is worth help; not a question, but a fact. This is all we have left, so-"

"So yu shuld be GREYTFULL, ponee!" Bonzo stepped forward.

Mica also stepped forth. "Plus, Obsidian? It was MY decision; as far as I'm concerned, if they ask me to do things, I'll do them - having you alive is worth that much to me."

"Pluz, nod YUR deel," Bonzo added with a firm grump.

"Oh, don't get me wrong - I'm very grateful. Doubly so, even," she said as she put a forehoof on her chest.

To think that something like this could happen to her... and in the middle of what was for all intents and purposes, a war... oh, there was so much she didn't know.

"...but, Mica, my dear friend? Rest assured that if you need anything during your time working for them, just tell me; I'll do whatever I can to ease that burden you've taken upon yourself in my stead."

She paused for a moment, then grinned. "I mean, in our stead."

Well, at least she'd quickly accepted the facts of the matter.

"Besides," she smirked. "it's in my best interests to help you with this; I imagine that Clap won't be too happy to hear that you're working every Summer weekend."

Mica nodded. "I... can accept help, should I need it. Thank you, Siddy."

Skipper smiled, then turned and looked to Bonzo. "Now, you behave yourself, Bonzo - no getting ponies angry or scared of you, understand?"

Bonzo gave a quick nod. "Yis, papa. I be gud for poneez, shoor."

He nodded again. "Good boi. Now, when you go, Bonzo can lead you out easily, then you stick to the roads - timberwolves are not friendly here, no. Follow back to your home, and take Bonzo to Biscuit."

"Yis... yis, pleeze," Bonzo whined softly.

Obsidian rubbed her chin - might as well move on; there were other things to worry about now. "Very well - let's go, then. I thank you once again for your help, Elder Skipper. If your Diamond Dogs need anything, I'll do my best to assist you, too. Er... without need for a binding agreement, though."

Skipper smiled, and his tail behind him gave a weak but happy wag. "This one believes you will. Have care, and may your roof stay high."

Leaving the elder's home, Obsidian now saw that they were inside some sort of underground village - and it was amazing.

Everywhere she looked, there were other dwellings like Skipper's; all built from carved out stone and dirt, shored up with lumber and steel, and all of them decorated separately and distinctly, yet all seeming to fit together, despite the variety.
There were also thick, braided cords that stretched from one end to the other, across the high ceilings and connecting the upper floors of multiple structures. And almost everything in here was bedecked with gemstones of some sort or another - they were all over the place, and even set into poles at each home where the gem on top glowed bright enough to easily see by.

To all of those who thought diamond dogs were just squatters and scavengers... this town proved that they were, indeed, a full blown society of their own.

Mica didn't say much, but Bonzo seemed to be quite chatty.

"Diz iz Howler's Hollow - bilt ovur two-hunnit summers ago, an we juz kepp addin tu id, tu make id bedder an bedder... until id iz tooday, th BESS dog-home dere iz, pawz down! We gotz wadur, an we gotz gardinz, an we gotz even sum lectricitty, tu - but nod in all homez yed; we still wurx on dat. But we iz cloze, tho!"

The underground city was truly remarkable - an in working order, as well. Quite modern, as far as she was concerned, with many interesting examples of the canines' local culture in evidence. She couldn't help but feel a bit mesmerized by the sight.

"You know, Diamond Dogs and ponies working together could make some truly wonderful things," she mused. "Undergrounds cities would work well as a means to stop overpopulation, or perhaps to keep some industries in a safer place. Possibly even underground trains, which could mean more access to the Equestrian market and better resources.
Tell me, how are your relations with Equestria? Are you considered an independent commune?"

Bonzo looked at her for a moment, then seemed to think hard... then slowly nodded.

"Yyyyyyyyyis... iz independund. Mostly cuz poneez noh bin guud tu uz, evur sinze 'The Day Uv Manee Winez', where BAD dogs dun BAD thingz, an mayde a ponee MAD enuff to wine an drive dem crazee. Sinz den, poneez noh truss dogz, and viza-verza... dey leeve uz lone, we leeve dem lone."

He then gave a slight frown. "DAT why I sez tu Gypsy, 'noh go tu Ponee Skool, cuz poneez iz trubble'. An yu know what he tol me?"

Mica shook his head. Bonzo gave a chuff of a chuckle, then looked at Obsidian.

"He sez, 'fremship iz majik, an iz a majik dat dogs desurrv to hav, cuz fremship shood be for evreewun'. Me, I still don geddit, bud... HE gedzit, so I sez 'okay den go'."

He then smiled a bit. "An he shoze me papur whut sez he gotz a PURFEKT SKOR, so I iz happee for him. An he sez iz a guud place, an I sez I iz glad, an he sez he can't wait tu share fremship wid diamond dogs."

He kept walking along. "I juz howp dat iz so."

It was beginning to make sense; some past incident that led to a separation of Diamond Dogs from Pony society at large. And their self-sufficiency, though admirable, meant there was even less reason for them to even want to make contact with the rest of the world.

"I hope that, at least from now on, the Diamond Dogs might be willing to see Ponies in a different light - the world is losing quite a lot of innovation from this lack of trust."

Bonzo looked at her for a moment, then just made a 'hunh' sound and kept walking with them. It took about twenty more minutes of walking before she finally saw the light of outside at the cave's entrance... and it was near sunset.

"Uhm... I might have miscalculated a bit," Mica admitted, "but I think we could still make it to Ponyville before night truly falls."

Bonzo looked at him with a smirk. "Heh... yu think dat, ponee, yu think dat."

And, sure enough, they were only walking for about ten more minutes before the sun finally sank over the horizon in the distance.

"Oh, yah - we gonna make it guud tu Ponytown, for dark comez," the diamond dog smirked at Mica, who seemed to be getting a bit irked at Bonzo's antics.

"We'll have to make sure the train system is up and running," Obsidian noticed, not really fazed by the darkness, "because this walk certainly wouldn't encourage much travel without it."

There were timberwolves here, right? Well... timber burns. Besides, she had a lot to think about...

She was apparently pregnant; though she didn't see the results of the telltale glow with her own eyes, she had no reason to mistrust Skipper, nor to doubt that the dog would know the legends better than she would have.

"You know, Mica... I think I need to tell our entire group about... er, that. Nopony else, not even miss Pie, nor my siblings. At least until we've torn Amber's head from her neck."

A beat. "Ah, her real head - not Flurry's, to be precise."

The words 'pregnancy' and it's derivatives weren't exactly easy to speak aloud for her just yet.

Then it hit her. "Wait a minute, Mica Chip - what did you mean by stating that you probably knows whose it is?"

Mica looked at her and blinked. "Well, to be fair, we have been dealing with someone who can control minds; there was always that infantismal chance that she'd done something vile and nasty to you, and none of us knew about it - but my bet is on Cupcake Sprinkles being the soon-to-be-proud papa."

Obsidian's muzzle turned from irritation into a mask of sheer horror. She felt sick at the concept of what Amber might have been capable of; they NEEDED to free Flurry Heart before she was traumatized beyond the breaking point.

Bonzo looked confused. "Wait - diz stallyun iz the PIE colt? Dat wun hoo talked Gypsy intu trying Pony Skool? Bloo an haz a cake cannun? DAT Cupcake Sprinklez?"

Mica nodded, and Bonzo turned to look at her with a droop of his ears. "I'z feel SO sorree for yu rite now, Siddyun. SO sorree."

"And exactly what is wrong with Cupcake being the father, Mr. Bonzo?" Obsidian asked, "He happens to be the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Bonzo shook his head sadly. "Dere iz a thing what happen when dogs eet the CrazeeRoot whut growz in sum placez; dey ged all sorda weerd an goofee, lyke dey iz gon dumm or somefinz - dey noh guud for work OR play; dey juz gotta cloudee hed."

He then sighed. "Cupcakez iz godda cloudee hed ALL da time; he awways weerd an sillee and he talkee tu much... lyke HE eeted the CrazeeRoot, himsef."

"He's friendly, responsible, hard-working and serious when the need calls - I swear to you, he's not silly all the time," Obsidian pouted as she got defensive.

Bonzo still just shook his head. "If papa iz weerd, pup will be weerd; if yu iz powurful, and he iz weerd... den pup gonna be a LODDA work an worree."

"Which Obsidian and Cupcake will handle just fine," Mica spoke up, with a nod to Siddy on the side. "Speaking of which, Gypsy keeps saying that he's an orphan - care to explain that?"

Nice subject change, Mica.

The big diamond dog sighed and nodded. "Yup - hiz mama and papa diddun hav time or room for him, az dey waz travelz for finding dog cavez - iz a hard job, an no rest evur, cuz diamong dogs awways need placez to live. Dey diddun wan dat for Gypsy, an dey truss me... so, dey asked if I culd be a Chozin Father. And I sez yis. Soh, he my Chozin Son, now."

He gave a slight grin. "Dat waz wen Sugar Sand wuz still alive; she luv him soh mush, but she awways luv, so iz noh supprize dere. Bud I luv tu, cuz he wuz kyoot pup. Awways drawingz - on wallz, on floorz, evun on ceelingz sumtimez!"

He sighed, and his ears drooped again. "Den... Sugar gotz pregnunt, but alzo god sick, an Howler's Heart no culd fix; Skipper tried, bud onlee sav liddle wun. Gypsy was reel qwiet for long timez... an me tu, cuz I miz her hard."

Then his smile broke through. "Bud den, he hep rayz Biscuit, an dey was gud palz, yis. Wen Cupcakez talk aboud Ponee Skool, Biscuit sez Gypsy shuld goh - an he agreed. I sez id waz stoopid, but I noh stop him. Den, me an Biscuit became gud palz, tu."

Even though Bonzo was a bit rough around the edges, it was obvious he was a good parent - at least, by diamond dog standards.

Well, better than King Sombra, that's for sure.

"So his biological parents are still around? Alive?" Obsidian asked, hopeful.

Bonzo shrugged. "Dunno - we not seed dem sinze dey leev Gypsy wid me; dey mebbe in Griffunlanz, mebbe in Dragunlanz, mebbe in somewherez elze... mebbe ded, tu. Jus dunno. Sumtimez, thingz happun an no dog evur knowz - juz bezt not tu think bouddit."

Mica now shook his head. "That seems so... defeated. Like you just gave up on-"

"HEY," Bonzo bristled, "NOH givvup... juz don THINK boudddit! Or... uh..."

He gave a grim, weary sigh. "Try nod tu think bouddit. Can't hep sometimez... bud TRY nod tu."

Obsidian sighed. "Well Mica, all things considering, they simply don't have a way to know. But there's always a chance of discovering the truth, sooner or later."

Just like she did with... well, pretty much everything since she woke up in this time period.

"So, Mica - did you ever find that seed in my bags?"

Mica shook his head. "No, Obsidian - I didn't find any seeds in your bags. Just your stuff; I even pulled everything out to search while you were asleep, but there was no seed to be found."

He sighed and looked at her. "You said Whistlewhite gave it to you in your dreams - are you sure it was real, or did it never come out of your dreamscape?"

Now that she thought about it...

"I'll look for it myself, later. I'm pretty sure it was in my dream, and I have a distinct feeling that it was very real. However, I was turned into a shard at the time, so I had a few other priorities... for instance, like figuring out how to communicate with my siblings who were not shards."

The fact that something had appeared to her in a magically-induced dream didn't mean it wasn't real.

Mica nodded to her as they continued on... but still held a slightly worried look on his muzzle.

Author's Note

Onyx, Daughter of Sombra

~~I=O=I~~

Been a while, but I'm not down for the count just yet.

As I've been focusing on a completely different and separate story from this one lately, my focus hasn't been the best. But, over time I HAVE been working on it - even if some days, all I do is edit a single sentence.

However, baby steps forward are STILL steps forward.

The revelations in this chapter are certainly something to see... and we now know the reason Siddy's been dreaming of a cute little filly. Now, all she has to do to give her a good future is defeat Amber and save the world.

Easy-peasy-Lemon-squeezy, right?

Oh, and Happy 46th Birthday to me; instead of getting a present, I give this chapter to y'all; n-joi.

}:)

Eleven: Why The Tartarus Not?

The three of them walked for what seemed to be about an hour or so before they started to reach the ridge where Ponyville was. Coming over the top, Obsidian, Mica and Bonzo all saw something that made them stop in their tracks...

All of Ponyville was lit up with lanterns, and there was a mass of singing and sounds of merriment coming from the main square. The three could pick out laughter, cheers, and even what sounded like an instrument or two...

They were having a party?

"Somehow," Mica intoned, "I have a feeling this is connected to Cupcake."

Bonzo just looked down at the town. "Poneez - inna middul uvva WAR, an dey make a partee tyme. Crazee, crazee, crazee."

"I would say it's a rather fun way to relieve tension, personally." Obsidian objected to the blatant accusation of insanity. "As long as the party doesn't directly hamper our war effort - using valuable resources we need elsewhere or a lack of proper security - it should boost morale, which is in desperate need about now. Come - let's see if we can find the others."

Bonzo just rolled his eyes and muttered something about 'poneez beinz poneez', but followed along as they went into town.

When they reached the outskirts, a voice spoke up in the darkness. A familiar voice. "HALT! State your name and purpose, or I shall bring the wrath of Twilight down on your head!"

A voice that sounded a lot like Stonewall Peavine.

Mica spoke up first. "Mica Chip, alog with Bonzo the Diamond Dog and Obsidian," he called out.

"Obsidian!?" Peavine cried out, "You're back!? Well, this ridiculous celebration will certainly get louder after YOU make your presence known..."

Then, the familiar snark. "... goody goody gumdrops, even more to add to my already mounting headache."

He came out from the shadows near a building, his armor all coated with black, flat paint. He looked rather haggard, honestly, as if he hadn't been sleeping well. Of course, with what he was doing the last time she saw him, it wasn't much of a surprise.

"And who is this 'Bonzo' dog? Are you telling me he's safe to bring into town?"

Bonzo's muzzle wrinkled in irritation. "Figgers - poneez noh invide diamond dogs; no surpryze dere."

"As safe as you or I," Obsidian replied. After a moment's thought, she added, "In fact, I'd say he's safer."

Of all the ponies around, they had to meet him. What a pain.

She sighed, then continued. "Now, is there a specific reason for this party, or did Cuppy go a bit overboard after we left?"

Peavine gave a humph. "Well, apparently there were some rather low feelings throughout the town, and Cupcake Sprinkles started singing a song... some silly little thing about how the Amber mare didn't stand a chance... and supposedly, it simply devolved from there into debauchery, lollygagging and all-out frippery."

He sighed. "They've been at it like THIS since yesterday, but tonight apparently has some sort of 'concert' in the middle of town. The stubborn fools - do they not realize that this would be the PERFECT moment for that foul devil to invade us? To infiltrate our ranks and poison our food and drink?"

He grumped. "NO. They do NOT care - in fact, aside from myself, Stalwart Stance and a few noteworthy others, there's no one else guarding the town!"

Mica looked at Obsidian. "Parties, I get, but... NOT good."

Peavine held a hoof out to Mica. "That's what I said!"

And just as she'd been trying to paint him as serious, responsible pony - damnation, Cup.

"Okay, well... let's go crash a party, then," she suggested as she sighed deeply. "Not literally, though. We'll need more guards active before the manure strikes the... er..."

Confounded idioms!

"... thing that spreads it everywhere. Come on."

Peavine gestured at the lively town. "Be my guest, Obsidian - meanwhile, I will stay here and keep to my duties, thank you very much; I've no need for all that... that... nonsense!"

Mica rolled his eyes. "Yes, you do that - thank you for doing so."

Peavine gave another humph, swiveled on his hooves and returned to his place in the shadows.

As they walked off, Bonzo slid his eyes sideways at Obsidian and smirked. "Iz frendlee, responseebull an hard-wurkinz. Two of dem, I can plainlee see, heh."

Now she understood why Mica was getting irked at the diamond dog earlier.

As they walked into the town proper, where the lanterns were, ponies around them began to recognize them - more specifically Obsidian - and called out to them, cheered, or even just waved at them in passing.

It seemed like the whole TOWN was here! More than that, because there were yaks here too, and griffons, and hippogriffs, and kirin, and all sorts of examples of nearly all the races in Equestria! There most certainly was music and dancing and food and...

Damnation; Peavine was right. Didn't that bite?

Did Cupcake possibly get possessed by Amber? It could surely explain a lot and save him from a genuine scolding. Perhaps this spurt of paranoia was from the sinking feeling that Peavine and Bonzo were a bit too right in this case.

She had to ask where her friends were; luckily there were plenty of creatures around for the purpose.

"Oh, Obsidian! Hiya! I've heard SOOOOO much about ya! The rest of the Siddy Six? Well, I don't know about the others, but I believe I saw Thunderclap Dash at Sugarcube Corner!"

"Hmmmm... is good to meet the Obsidian, yis. Finding Siddy Six, you are? Yis, seen the one they call Gypsy at Sugarcube Corner... very smart dog."

"Ooooooooohhhhh... such a lovely thing you are! Well, if you're looking for the Life of the Party, Mister Cupcake's baking goods at Sugarcube Corner, if you're interested!"

"Uh, excuse me... h-h-hi there. I uh, just wanted to tell you that... ohmygosh... that you're really awesome, Miss Obsidian. The Siddy Six? I don't know for sure, but I, um, think that I witnessed Miss Stalwart headed towards Sugarcube Corner. A-about ten minutes ago."

The passing partygoers were varied, but helpful. Apparently, they were all gathered in one place - how convenient.

Well, it was nice to know that she was famous. With the recent influx of refugees, most of these ponies only knew her as some nebulous hero - not a mare living in the here and now, alongside them. She hadn't really known too many other ponies in town before; to have all these folks approaching her, calling her by name? It felt kind of awkward.

As it seemed all the citizen reports indicated Sugarcube Corner, then that's where they should go. She made her way there, Mica and Bonzo staying close by, observing the town around them.

The entire square was filled with lanterns, foodstuffs and a circle of musicians who were playing something mellow but sweet - almost a lullaby. Two stallions, one with a lute and one with a small drum, and an elderly mare with a cello were all playing in perfect Harmony with each other, and the gathered crowd was riveted to their performance.

The doors to Sugarcube Corner were wide open as Obsidian and Mica stepped inside; Bonzo elected to stay outdoors for the moment - he said something about the smells from inside being 'too sweed for diz noze'.

Entering the building, they saw Stalwart seated in the center, looking very much stern and serious. When she saw them, her eyes widened slighty... then returned to their stern gaze.

"Ob-... Obsidian. Mica. Good - glad to see you both."

She sounded... strange, somehow. As if she were in the middle of her guard duty shift.

"Please - follow me. I am certain that Cupcake will be pleased to serve you. Both of you."

She stood up and headed for the kitchen, almost like a mechanical golem. Mica shot Obsidian a concerned look, but said nothing as he followed along.

In the kitchen, sure enough, was Gypsy, Thunderclap and Cupcake, who was busily baking as usual... but aside from a slight gasp from Clap, none of them made even the slightest move towards Mica or Siddy.

"Oh - there you are," Cupcake spoke calmly and evenly, as if he was reading from a cue card. "We've been worried about you two; please, come in and have a cupcake."

He then held out a tray towards the two of them; it contained some lovely-smelling green-frosted cupcakes, all laid out in neat rows.

"Please - have one," Cup said with a plastic-looking smile on his muzzle, while both Wart and Clap exchanged a strange glance. Gypsy said nothing... but eyeballed them both.

"Come on - have one," Cup repeated.

By Darkness, Stonewall might have been even more correct than she'd first thought. But how would the infiltrator have gotten in? Or perhaps it was a disguise within a disguise - a group of possessed changelings?

Well, there was only one way to find out for certain - and that way was to put her scarf on Cup... which she tried to do.

Cupcake stepped back a single step and frowned a bit. "Obsidian," he said uncharacteristically firmly, "have a cupcake."

Wart now stepped forward slowly, her horn giving off the slightest of glows; Clap spread her wings, eyeing them both carefully - especially Mica; Gypsy stood and came around the table, headed to cut them off from the door.

However, amidst ALL of this... Obsidian wasn't getting even a single peep of Dark Magic... and their eyes weren't glowing either. She wasn't sure WHAT was happening...

But whatever it was, she noticed that Wart was still wearing one of Quartz's symbols on her armor.

"Have a friggin' cupcake, Sids," Clap muttered through gritted teeth.

There were moments when Obsidian didn't know whether or not she was properly paranoid or too paranoid; whatever was going on here, she didn't like it - not in the slightest. Their behaviour was giving her the creeps and she had no idea why they were behaving in such a manner.

Everything would be so much easier if she could simply call upon Peridot and ask him for a situational analysis. She didn't feel anything strange, but they were behaving strange. Why? WHY?!

She grabbed a cupcake with her magic and peeked at Mica with a slight look of panic in her eyes. Clap had called her 'Sids' though, so either she was the real deal, or a changeling infiltrator had learned more about her behaviour than Cup's changeling had... or something like that.

She did NOT want to get poisoned twice in one day!

Obsidian sniffed at the cupcake carefully... green frosting? She was feeling nervously sick just from thinking about them.

The whole room tensed up, and everyone froze... except for Mica, who took a cupcake in hoof, then gave it a light sniff as well. It smelled delicious, just like Cupcake always made them.

Mica looked at her, then shrugged; she was sure that if she ate it, he would too - though there was no way to know what this was all about.

"Lady Siddy. EAT. The CUPCAKE." Wart seemed to insist.

There was no dark magic... no glowing eyes present... and that glyph on Wart's armour...

"If you all got possessed while I was out..." she growled as she finally took a bite.

It was... scrumptious. Quite good, actually. Mica followed suit and took a bite from his own.

There were a few seconds, then...

"SIDDY! IT'S YOUUUUU!" Cupcake dropped the tray onto the table nearby and threw himself at her, wrapping his forelegs around her and hugging her fiercely; next to her, Mica was getting a similar treatment from Clap, while both Gypsy and Wart relaxed and breathed twin sighs of relief.

"By Twilight's Crown, that was intense!" Wart spoke up, then smiled. "Good to have you back, Lady Siddy!"

Cupcake covered her muzzle in quick kisses, then just looked at her lovingly. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you for not being possessed! We had no idea if you'd been taken over, but we knew how to find out!"

Mica, amidst Clap's bone-jarring hug, squeaked out, "Glad... to... see... you... too..."

"Yes, it was quite intense... and if not for the glyph I saw on Stalwart's armor, I'd have assumed you were all possessed changelings, here to ambush the last two members of our group. Would anyone care to explain what that was about?"

To say that Obsidian was somewhat irritated would be a bit of an understatement. "After all, I AM wearing my scarf with the glyph sewn into it!"

Cupcake smiled. "Yeah, but we didn't know WHAT might've happened to you, so I had to use my SECRET WEAPONS!"

Gypsy smiled. "Y-yes... Quartz a-and Cupcake worked together, and c-c-cr-created a spell to put the glyph in f-foodstuffs; the cupcakes had the spell in the f-f-frosting under the green; had you been p-possessed, it would have broken the sp-spell's h-hold upon you."

"Not just THAT," Clap grinned, "but those paper lanterns out there? Yeah, they TOTALLY show off anyone who's here with bad vibes in their heads - they send Amber's mind-control packing!"

Wart nodded. "We have already caught four infiltrators tonight and rid them of her influence with Quartz's clothing - in fact, everyone here is wearing something of his creation, each with a glyph of protection on it somewhere."

"Sorry about all that, love," Cup snuggled her tightly, "but we HAD to be sure - and where have you been!?"

Gypsy then sniffed the air... then got close to Siddy and Mica and sniffed again... then, his eyes went wide. "This one smells... i-i-is th-that this o-o-one's Chosen Father!?!?"

"Well, that certainly explains why you weren't sure if Mica and I were possessed or not," Obsidian grumbled, still a touch irked. "Why are there so few guards outside? And yes Gypsy, Mr. Bonzo came back with us - didn't Blue tell you anything? The airship did make it back here safely, yes?"

Cupcake grinned and nodded. "Yeah, they showed up last night - and WOW, was Blue glad to see ME!"

Clap nodded. "Yeah... she even hugged him!"

Wart looked firmly at Obsidian. "Lady Siddy, two of the infiltrators avoided many of the initial lanterns, but were caught by the food scattered around Ponyville; you could have avoided both safeguards-"

"Don't forget the drinks!" Clap added.

"... yes, and the drinks as well; we were making certain to be cautious - because this entire party is actually a trap."

Cupcake grinned. "In fact, it was Tourmaline's idea! He said that if we made a big scene and prepared for trouble, then we could possibly get some of the possessed ponies and others back from her mental grip - and REALLY honk her off at the same time!"

"The four we found were all exhausted, and quite grateful to be rescued - in fact, they were so grateful, they gave us Amber's exact location. AND shared what plans she had in motion." Wart explained.

"Spy onto others," Clap started.

"As they spy onto US!" Cup finished, with a brohoof between them to celebrate.

At least everything seemed to be fine - Obsidian was particularly impressed about everything going according to Tourmy's plan, which was actually rather well-thought out. Their airship wasn't intercepted by Amber's forces, there were no terrorist attacks on Ponyville while she was out...

Which, of course, left one thing to do, at this very moment.

"I'll gladly listen to all you have to say about Amber's location and her plans, but first I'd like to discuss something else, if that's okay? Something not really connected to this whole resistance thing we're doing..."

Here it comes...

"...but I would really, really need all of you to keep quiet about this - at least until we've dealt with Amber and made things safe for everyone again, okay?"

Mica gave her a look that said he wasn't sure this would be a good idea... however, he didn't stop her; he knew it was her own decision, and he chose to respect it, doubtful or not.

"What's up, love?"
"Yeah, whatcha got Siddy?"
"Is th-this one's Chosen Father ok-k-k-kay?"
"Tell us, Lady Siddy - we are listening."

She had to tell them; they had to know.

"I mean it; I really need you ALL to promise me you will stay quiet about it - especially you, Cup. Not a word to anypony."

Cup blinked at her. "Me? Well... y-yeah, Siddy, okay. I mean, I'm not my mother when it comes to secrets!"

Clap looked at Mica. "Is this... do you know what this is, Mikey?"

"Yes, I do," Mica spoke gently, "but it's not for me to say; this is hers to impart."

Gypsy was fidgeting but nodded.

Clap lifted an eyebrow, but also nodded.

Wart placed her hoof over her heart. "You have my solemn oath that I shall not breathe a word of whatever this is."

"Okay, good. Great. Sooooooo... I'm pregnant."

Well. There it was.

The four friends all just stared at her for a moment.

Stalwart found her voice first. "By Twilight's Crown... Your Majesty..."

Then she wheeled on Cupcake Sprinkles. "YOU! You shall marry Lady Obsidian as soon as possible! For SHAME that you should do such a thing out of wedlock! To a Princess, no less! You are worse than LICORICE TWIST!"

Clap gave a chuckle that quickly escalated into a full-blown laugh. "Sids... ohmygosh, SIDS! REALLY!? REALLY REALLY!? Oh... OH YEAH! HA HAAAA! Way to go, Siddy!!!"

Gypsy blinked, then spread a kind smile across his muzzle. "Congratulations, Ob-b-bsidian; this one is pl-pleased to hear you shall b-b-b-bring more like yourself int-t-to the world!"

Cupcake just stared. "You... you... you..."

Then, he began to cry as his smile stretched across his entire face. "... I love you, Obsidian," he said through the tears as he hugged her again, but this time, it was a warm and loving hug that was gentle and nuzzly.

Well, they weren't exactly 'quiet' about it... though their reactions were understandable. Ironically, it seemed as if Cup was the most contained and calm one. Who'da thunk?

Wait... more like herself into the world? Oh dear. More like her, but with Pie lineage? The world wouldn't know what hit it.

Obsidian returned the hug eagerly, hiding her muzzle in Cup's fur.

"We'll have to work hard and fast to beat Amber now, before she learns of this." She sighed, then pondered as she held her stallion close. "I was actually considering such, about getting married... but it could be done privately, then we can all celebrate properly after defeating my stupid sister. I don't know too much about Equestrian rituals, laws and ceremonies when it comes to that subject, but I thought we could figure it out together, maybe?"

Cupcake nodded as he simply buried his muzzle in her mane and cried softly at the same time as he chuckled heartily.

"Right! Yes! GOOD!" Wart spoke up, then looked to Obsidian, "I agree wholeheartedly with this idea - in fact, you could do so tonight!"

Clap's grin was enormous. "Hey, YEAH! We could be your, uhh... your... your witnesses, yeah! That way, it's totes legit! We can even, like, throw you a private, all-Siddy-Six-only party! Right here at Sugarcube Corner!"

Gypsy was simply smiling softly... but his tail was wagging hard enough to be threatening to violently knock over anything that dared to stand behind him.

Mica simply bowed. "It would be an honor to witness your marriage to Cupcake... but, we have one single problem... not a one of us is qualified to perform the proper ceremony. Even in private."

"Well, like - who the heck qualifies?" Clap asked in exasperation.

"That's a good question - who DOES qualify? Bureaucrats? Princesses?" she tried to guess. "As far as I'm concerned, we can even get married according to Diamond Dog or even Dragon law; I don't care about the details."

A quick, quiet marriage - that would be perfect. They just needed someone who could do it.

Wart slowly grinned. "Actually... I believe I know exactly who would qualify for the role. Someone who managed to get here just this morning, in fact."

Clap slowly began to smile broadly. "Hey, YEAH... he'd be PERFECT!"

Gypsy lifted an eyebrow... yet he also began to grin. "Yes... y-yes, that would do n-n-nicely."

Cupcake looked up at them all, so hard struck by the news that he still seemed lost in the moment. "Hunh? Who? Who would be-..."

Then, his own smile spread out like light at sunrise. "Oh... him!"

Mica looked at them all. "Him who?"

~>+<~

"Dearly beloved," Midnight Star spoke solemnly, but with a pleasant grin on his muzzle, "we are gathered here today to join these two within the bonds of Blessed Maretrimony. To join the souls of Cupcake Sprinkles, and Obsidian... ummm..."

"Greyheart," Wart softly prompted.

"... r-right. Cupcake Sprinkles and Obsidian Greyheart, to bond them in their hearts and souls as one. I, as acting current Ruler of Equestria in-..."

He sighed softly. "... in my mother's absence..."

Then he shook himself out of it. "... shall perform this covenant as per my sacred duty to my subjects." He then spoke softly to the six gathered around him. "It feels weird to call you all my subjects..."

Wart nodded grimly. "And yet, we are, Star - at least until we rescue Princess Twilight and the others. Do not give up hope, my friend."

He smiled. "Thanks, Stally. Now, where was- OH!"

He cleared his throat. "Cupcake Sprinkles, do you take Obsidian Greyheart to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, until death do you part?"

"I do," he said instantly, "and even beyond death... 'cause she's done that before, so I just wanted to clarify that."

Midnight nodded, then turned to Obsidian.

"Obsidian Greyheart, do you take Cupcake Sprinkles to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, until death do you part?"

Well, it was good to know that Midnight was proofed against possession now... but wait a second; was this 'Greyheart' thing official now? Why was it even necessary at all? Obsidian's mind couldn't quite wrap around it.

But regardless of all that... first things first.

"I do... and even beyond death," she smiled softly.

She could feel shivers running laps up and down her spine - it was really happening!

Midnight smiled. "Then, by the power invested in me as the Ruler of Equestria..."

Here it comes...

"... I now pronounce you..."

This was it...

"... husband and wife. Cupcake, you may kiss your bri-"

She never heard the end of that word; Cupcake's kiss was better than he'd ever kissed her before. Even after lovemaking. Even when she came back from shard-ifying. Even after death itself had (temporarily) claimed her.

It was a kiss that shut out the entire world around them both, as she felt something deep inside her heart come together... and pure, unadulterated, unmitigated happiness burst forth from her very soul.

And, from somewhere in the depths of her mind, she heard a soft filly's giggle.

Ruby Chocolate isn't such a bad name for your first daughter - right, mom?

What in the wide, wide world of-

...

...did it matter right now? This was a happy moment - the happiest she'd ever known - and she certainly was used to strange things.

As Cup broke the kiss finally, the world almost seemed to pop back into place and pace.

"... atulations, you two; I think it's going to turn out to be just perfect. I mean, you're the mare who finally got through to Cupcake," Midnight smiled.

"And HE is the one who brought Obsidian out of her darkness," Mica added, "though the rest of us helped."

Wart was now all smiles. "Married... as you should be. Truly, I am glad to hear that you are happy, and I am happy FOR you, Lady Siddy... and Lord Cupcake."

"Hey, yeah," Clap said with a smirk, "technically, this makes you a Prince, ya know?"

Cupcake just stood there, his grin plastered all over his muzzle as he just gazed at Obsidian, love evident in every piece of him.

"{Obsidian... this one's heart rejoices for you both; he can say that you both deserve the happiness you shall bring each other for the rest of your lives together.}" Gypsy spoke in Crystallian, so that his stutter wouldn't make the words awkward.

"To be fair," Obsidian smirked, "I was technically kicked out of the Darkness by my siblings, then all of you helped to keep me here in the light." If not for Tourmy's first attack, there'd be no telling where she'd be now.

She smiled sweetly at Cup. "Now, my dear husband..." she said, practically tasting the word, "we did it!"

He laughed heartily. "Regardless of everything else in the world going on right now... we DID do it!"

Clap rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah - I mean, you're-..."

She looked sidelong at Midnight, then chuckled.

"... married, so of COURSE you did it!" From the look on her muzzle, she had been VERY close to spilling the beans about their little secret - but Clap had caught herself at the last moment. Obsidian would have to keep a close ear on Thunderclap Dash, to be certain; they would have to win quickly, before her pregnancy would be too visible... and before Clap would spill the potatoes.

That was the correct idiom, right?

She turned to Midnight. "Thank you for your help," she said, highly grateful.

Midnight grinned back. "When Gavin sent word that you needed help, they sent me along with the first wing of griffons; I'd been worried sick about my Mother, but she told me to stay put in Griffonstone until I received word to return.
Of course, she didn't tell me to wait for HER word to return, so I just took it as a sign it was time to go home. Stally filled me in on what you'd been up to, and I even got to meet some of your siblings."

He then looked around a bit, then leaned in closely. "You know that your sister Opal is a bit, em... different, right?"

Obsidian gave him a flat look. "All of us are different - on average, we are not average."

"Riiiiiight... well, all the same, I'm glad I got to meet them - after all, I very much owe their sister a debt of gratitude, right? You did save me from, er... what was his name again? Periwinkle, or..?"

"Peridot," Mica corrected, "his name is-... er, was Peridot."

Mica accompanied this 'correction' with a firm look at Obsidian; it was plainly obvious that he thought it would be a bad idea to inform the alicorn prin-... KING of Equestria that the stallion who had cursed him was still existing in Obsidian's noggin.

The fact Mica didn't actually LIE about it either was also a bonus.

"Well, I'm just glad that part is OVER with," Midnight sighed, "and that we can get on with solving Equestria's latest thorn in its' side - this Amber mare - who, by name alone, seems to ALSO be related to you."

He gave her a tired but amused look. "When your siblings are good, they're very, very good... but when they're bad, they're horrid."

"Well, she's our sister, yes," Obsidian admitted. "And for some strange reason, it turns out that the slave tyrant of the Crystal Empire raised some rather unhinged foals."

She smiled at him. "Now, it seems I've missed a bit while I was visiting the diamond dogs - any chance you could tell me something more about your return?"

Midnight nodded. "Well, after the whole thing happened with you and... Peridot?... Mom sent me back to Griffonstone to finish my college studies at the University of Feather Bay. I was there for all of a week before more tales kept coming in about your exploits."

"Hiring Flim & Flam to smuggle crystals from the Empire... confronting Smoky Quartz... and putting the kibosh on Pola Industrial... those things were news all over Griffonstone... but then, word got back about Princess Cadence, and I..."

He hung his head for a moment. "She really didn't deserve what happened to her. I'd known her mostly through Flurry Heart, who was my foalsitter; I never even imagined someone would be so cruel as to end her life."

When he looked up, she saw fire in his eyes. "And because of that - and a number of other offenses to all of Equestria - I'm sorry to inform you... but as Regent for the kingdom, I will declare that Amber is to suffer the same fate; if we manage to get our hooves on her, I shall order Equestria's FIRST execution."

He seemed to seethe over it a bit - and she even saw the slight purple mist peek out of the corners of his eyes. "And if she DARES to harm my Mother... I shall do the deed MYSELF."

So he'd been studying abroad? That would explain why they didn't meet up with him again after the whole mess with Peridot. At least he was up to date with current events, though Obsidian was a bit concerned about the fact that it was common knowledge that Flim & Flam had been hired to smuggle crystals.

She looked squarely at Midnight. "Do you truly think Amber would be worth committing the first public execution in Equestrian history? To convey that the defeat over an enemy that stood against everything this country is known for should be celebrated by discarding the rules and kindhearted morality that led this land for ages?" she objected. "I'm not saying she shouldn't die, no... but why drag the apparent authority of the state into this, or make it such a spectacle?"

"Because, Obsidian - look at the evidence; our foes are getting more and more dangerous and it seems to stem from the idea that we, as a nation, are SOFT on criminals. This is no longer a day and age of Harmony - from what I hear, the Tree of Harmony ITSELF was torn down by Amber - and an example must be made to assure the rest of Equus that we will NO LONGER put up with this!"

He stepped away from her, pacing as he spoke.

"I am TIRED of burying good ponies; Applejack would still be alive if it weren't for Onyx, and Cadence because of Amber - Obsidian, this nation needs to ENSURE those who would follow them that this will no longer be tolerated, and that Equestria will NOT stand for villainy ever again!"

Was this possibly a side-effect of the Tree of Harmony's loss? Obsidian was beginning to see what Whistlewhite might have been alluding to - she'd said she'd been watching over ponies for millennia... was she also protecting them from themselves, perhaps?

"My decision will remain as it is, Obsidian - Amber will go down in history as the moment where Equestria said 'the line must be drawn here! THIS far, and NO FURTHER.'"

"Your foes aren't getting more dangerous; these were simply enemies that had been kept removed for quite a long time, gathering their strength and preparing their assault. They would've struck with the same strength, no matter if Equestria was a kingdom of cruelty or harmony. But in the end, wasn't it Harmony that won last time?" Obsidian noted.

Damnation, she needed to look for that seed...

"If Sombra had stood against a brutal and cold nation, he would have WON because he would have outstripped them by far... but he didn't. That's why he was reduced to a statue in the Royal Gardens - which Amber further reduced to gravel. Equestria never stood for anything so heartless... and it shouldn't start now."

He spun to face her... and he looked angry. "You don't understand - this is not up for debate, Obsidian."

He began to walk towards her, his gaze boring holes in her head. "This WILL happen as it needs to - I have a LOT of others depending on me to defend them, and the era of the Bearers of Harmony is GONE! OVER! The circle was broken with the needless, senseless death of Honesty's bearer, and I don't see either YOU or your FRIENDS bearing any Elements."

He stopped short of bumping into her, closed his eyes and let out a LONG sigh. "So... even if it changes the nature of this nation, I refuse to allow another pointless death by simply slapping the enemy on the wrist. In many other cases, things have been different... but NO ONE has ever been straight-out murdered before."

He opened his eyes... and they were calm and steady. And unwavering. "And if I have to take that horrible role in history... for the lives of my subjects... so be it."

He looked at Obsidian with a bit of irritation, but he spoke softly. "I'm glad to have performed this rite today; it was my first act as Regent - something kind and good. I am glad... because I feel that my rule will have to be a bit darker than I'd like; at least THIS moment will be known as good in my history."

He turned and began to walk away. "If YOU can stop her, good - if not, then I will."

Oh, dear. Obsidian had hoped that getting an alicorn on their side would make everything easier; now she was afraid it might actually hamper their efforts... or change all of Equestria for the worse.

"Well, that's yet another reason to end this quickly," she muttered.

Her friends were waiting outside, at the party... at what might possibly be the LAST real celebration of innocence Equestria might ever know. Things were going to get dark very quickly... unless Obsidian, daughter of Sombra, took up the reins of responsibility - and hope - and dealt with her most evil sister.

Well, she'd already said this same thing before to Onyx and Peridot, that they had to enjoy these moments while they could, just in case it turned out to be the last opportunity to do so.

She trotted back to join her friends - and husband. She still LOVED the sound of that thought!

She would have to explain herself to her siblings when they found out about the marriage, most likely. She hoped that one day, they could ALL celebrate this marriage properly, officially...

But now, she had no idea when... or even IF... that day would ever come.

Author's Note

Sapphire, Daughter of Sombra

<=(@)=>

Still here - still working through it. Just slower.

In the most extreme of situations, sometimes you need SOMETHING to grab onto, to keep from drowning in the rest of the world. For Obsidian and Cupcake, this was it. With this done (and truths revealed), now there's nothing standing between them and a Happily Ever After.

Except, of course, for Amber.

Now, there's an inherent darkness seeping into Equestria, brought on by Amber's machinations... how would Equestria - even the rest of the world - react to something like that? Just a straight-out execution? A number of things have happened in this story, but there's still a path back, right?

Right?

And for those of you who caught the Star Trek reference... you're welcome. }:)

Twelve: Love Is Love

Out in the square, her friends had joined the musicians, and the tempo had gotten much more lively.

Mica was actually dancing with Thunderclap, and despite her HUGE blush, she was smiling from ear to ear, her form looming over her coltfriend, but his steps not faltering, nor his loving gaze at her deterred.

Gypsy Rover was seated in the circle, with Biscuit on his knee and Bonzo sitting beside him, the three of them all sharing a laugh together about something that only they would know.

Stalwart Stance was standing at the sidelnes... but she had a smile on her muzzle as she seemed to just lose herself in the music of the moment; for once, not being weighed down with responsibility - just enjoying life.

And in the center, among the musicians themselves, was her Cupcake. He had an accordion in his hooves - who knows where it came from - and was merrily accompanying the other three musicians as they all enjoyed the melody.

It was a moment, to be sure - even in the midst of all that Amber had done to them... here they were, enjoying the simple act of living.

"They seem at peace, don't they?" Tourmaline's voice spoke up from behind her as she was watching her friends. "Even with all that's happening... they're just happy to be happy. There's a lot to be said in that, you know."

"Well, laughter is one of the elements of Harmony for a reason... it runs in the blood of the Equestrian nation, methinks," Obsidian replied. "And let's be honest, letting Amber spoil our happiness would be a victory to her, and a defeat for us. Have I missed anything among our siblings, dear brother?"

Tourmy grinned softly. "Well... Quartz has been working like a slave on his last chance, but he's been actually enjoying it - not like under Amber's hoof. He's got a number of fans who love watching him do his thing... and apparently, there's a mare who has his eye, and she's been acting as a clothes horse for him. Might be love, actually."

"Speaking of working, Opal and the mare with the bowler hat - Patty, was it? - have also been going hard at inventing and building some fantastic machines, some of them placed around Ponyville for protection purposes. They say - well, OPAL says - that if anything nasty comes to Ponyville now, it'll have to get through what she calls a 'plasma shield', whatever that is, and that the entire town will fall under its' protection. She also seems like she's a bit, er... 'taken' with Patty, as I've caught her staring at the mare like she was an advanced technical display."

"Aqua and Amethyst have been busy teaching fighting techniques to many of the stallions and mares who are able-bodied - he does the talking, while she does the demonstrations. Amy says it was Aqua's idea, as it would keep him from going berserk, but still bring his valuable wisdom into play. And Amy still puts on that purple getup & stalks Ponyville at night for a few hours... though I get the feeling it's more to boost morale than anything, as she's letting others catch glimpses of her in that outfit more frequently than before."

"Mundy, meanwhile, has become THE number one foalsitter in all of Ponyville; he gladly watches them romp and play, he heals scrapes and other various 'boo-boos', and he even feeds and rocks the foals to sleep. The mares ALL love the little guy, and he's quite the hit - especially with single mothers - but he STILL has eyes for no one but 'Stalwaat'." He chuckled.

"Adorable - that's our little brother, alright," Obsidian chuckled. "I'm glad to hear that you all managed to fit in here in Ponyville without any trouble. And I'd be rather interested to learn more about this mare who has caught Quartz's attention... though I'd be careful with calling it love so soon." After their initial meeting (which had been a total bust), she'd started to like Cup rather quickly. To be fair, though - she'd been under a lot of stress at the time.

"You know, now that I think about it... I wonder where Eloquence is? There are so many friends here that I simply have no time to check on them all," she said as she scratched her chin in ponderance. "I do hope he's somewhere around here; he would be invaluable to Quartz."

"The fashionisto, as he's referred to? I'm sure he could be of great help, too - his muzzle could certainly scare off the enemy, I'd wager." Tourmaline chuckled.

Come to think of it, he hadn't mentioned himself during the update - how was Tourmaline keeping busy?

"So... how about you, sister? What kept you away for a whole day, and why does your entire group seem so very chipper, as of a few minutes ago?" He grinned at her slyly and elbowed her gently. "Did you and Cupcake get married on the sly, or are you pregnant with his foal?"

By Darkness... he was joking with her, but... but...

Well, he was made from their Father's wisdom, after all.

"Talk to me - what have YOU been up to, sneaky sister of mine?"

"Well, during an attempt to save a number of Amber's mindslaves, I foolishly walked directly into her trap; she poisoned a book with magic and left it in the middle of the Harmony Tree's cavern... and I, of course, simply had to pick it up, because I tend to put FAR too much trust into books. Then, I spent the rest of that time trying not to die. Luckily, the diamond dogs we liberated saved me while Peridot and Onyx entertained me in Paradise."

Not a single lie here.

"And you know, I was just going to tell you about the marriage, dear brother - you spoiled the surprise," she said while shaking her head. "The celebrations will have to wait until we're done with this mess, of course."

Tourmaline blinked... than gave a low and reserved chuckle.

"Frankly, I'm actually more surprised that I guessed it, rather than at you having done so. With things the way they are, I'm pretty sure something like a wedding - especially yours - would be too much for Amber to resist messing with; she might have used explosives for that one."

He nodded. "So I get it - and don't worry; I'll keep quiet about it. You don't need Cupcake becoming a further target of Amber's than he already is, so I'll just hold onto that knowledge until you tell me it's safe to speak of."

He then gave a light sigh. "I did get to see Gunther for a bit... but then he was sent back to Griffonstone to deliver a very important letter," he gave Obsidian a mock-glare, then sighed, "Still... maybe someday, when we can afford to, he and I will marry as well. I'd certainly like that."

Well, the idea of marriage that wasn't directly political or outright economical was alien for Obsidian towards the beginning of her new life. Then, she'd learned that it wasn't exactly legal to arrange marriages for family members anymore - not in a royal sense, anyhow. Then, she'd actually heard about the importance of marriage before foals.

Might have gotten a little ahead of herself, there...

In this crazy, mixed-up world of the future, she wasn't sure what should surprise her or not, to be fair.

"Thank you, my dear brother - I hope we can defeat Amber, so we shall be able to fully realize our plans - all of us - as quickly as possible."

Tourmy's look went grim at mention of their rogue sister. "Yes... Amber. Honestly, Siddy - even with how I knew her before, I had no idea that she was THIS bad... well, I mean, the potential was there; I never thought she'd ever have the chance to capitalize on it, is all."

He sighed and shook his head, then looked back at her. "To let you know, Opal says she's got everything she needs and is ready to set up her equipment at the Umbral Altars - as long as we can get her to them. She's shown me some the plans she has in store... but it's all over my head, honestly. So I mostly just nod and smile as she talks."

He shrugged. "And I suppose, when the time comes, we'll all be headed to the Crystal Empire to do this thing; I'm a bit nervous about the idea, but we have got to stop Amber - and soon, too."

Obsidian tapped her hoof as she digested the situation. The Umbral Altars... what a grim place for a rebirth.

How could they be ABSOLUTELY certain that Ruby wouldn't get corrupted by its' horrific and insidious force? Or that The Umbra wouldn't try to use this opportunity to get them ALL in one fell swoop? As far as she had experienced, every time those damnable Umbral Altars were concerned in any way, shape or form, disaster was bound to happen. The mere thought sickened her.

"R-right. I've heard that some of the infiltrators were talking about where Amber currently is and what she's planning," she realized. "Did you hear about the tower she's apparently building?"

Tourmaline nodded. "You mean... built?" he sighed. "The tower is complete, Siddy - it has been since last night, according to the spies we liberated..."

He then gave a small smirk. "By the by... did you like my trap idea? The whole party thing was a lure, and Amber took the bait multiple times. I thought it was rather inspired, myself." He then shook himself out of his prideful moment. "Still - we need to move fast and we need to move soon, or else she may become more powerful than we can imagine."

"Yes, I found out about it... and your trap almost gave me a heart attack; my friends were behaving so strangely that I nearly decided to attack first and ask questions later," Obsidian scoffed. "But yes - it worked quite well, it seems. What else did we learn?"

"Amber has her Umbral Harnesses amassing around that tower, and from last count we got..." he gave her a worried look, "... they number over two million, with the last few made before the factory was destroyed still trickling in.
Production has stopped on them, but it doesn't mean she's got nothing - there's still a group of ponies she has working day & night for her, endlessly toiling to build more of those spheres, as well as maintaining the harnesses already 'in play', so to speak."

"That and, well... I now personally know where the other Element Bearers are... and I haven't shared that knowledge yet, as it might send a number of individuals off on a suicide mission to try to rescue them."

He looked her right in the eyes, and spoke low and quiet. "Amber's using them to carry her throne - her STONE throne."

Two million? Siddy's side currently had two battleships, meaning each one would have to destroy a million on their own. They needed some very efficient weapons, perhaps with wide-area effects, definitely more ammunition...

DAMNATION, that was a lot of Umbrals.

Obsidian couldn't help but cringe at the fate of Equestria's former heroes.

"By Darkness, she really IS stupid - how can one waste so much opportunity and so many resources? My thought is, either she gets something useful out of all the constant torment she inflicts on others... or she is the most idiotic and heartless conqueror in the entire history of Equestria. Unfortunately for us, she's also likely the most powerful conqueror as well."

Five mares carrying an undoubtedly weighty granite throne... they'd have to be rescued quickly. In fact, she was half-amazed that they were apparently still alive.

"Well, my dear brother, fashioned from Father's wisdom... what do you think would be the best course of action here? We have Ruby to resurrect, Jade to worry about, Sapphire to find and a nation's worth of ponies to save. Oh, and a TON of Umbral Harnesses to destroy - your thoughts?"

He thought about it for a moment, then looked at her with all seriousness. "I say we do it tomorrow - as in, no more waiting. And I also say we go it alone."

He gestured around him. "These folks? They're ALL potential fodder for the machine; they won't stand a chance against the might of those mechanical monstrosities... but, between our siblings and your 'Siddy Six', we can do it ourselves, and counteract the loss of life. We'll gather every one of our trusted allies; you and your friends hit the army to keep them occupied, while we Shards take the airship and slip in behind them, get Opal and her stuff to the altars while the rest of us cover the entrance, and then send the airship to pick you up, then have you and your friends deal with Amber herself directly."

He nodded. "That way, we'll have Ruby back in time to celebrate your victory... or help us plan an escape."

"Sounds logical to me," Obsidian admitted after a moment of consideration. "We currently have two airships - Celestia's and the Pies - so we could use both. It might be a good idea to take Patty on our ship as well, to keep it repaired and upgraded with new weapons, if it becomes necessary."

She pondered a bit more. "I believe I'll need to speak with Opal, as well - I'm still entertaining the idea of her making autonomous machines that could actually carry the glyphs. Could be useful if we would get an opportunity to save anypony.... especially and particularly Flurry Heart."

He nodded. "I hope that poor alicorn isn't a lost cause... but we need to operate under the assumption that she'll get back to normal if Amber's defeated. How to do that," he looked at her with worry writ large in his eyes, "will be up to you and your friends; I have no clue as to how to defeat Amber as an alicorn... but you always seem to manage, so I have faith that you can win this, Siddy."

He then leaned over and gave her a warm hug. "Now... Opal's in the Corner's basement with Patty, Quartz is at our house, and Amy and Aqua are at the Town Hall - talk to whomever you need to, but we have GOT to get this thing going before Amber preempts us... and possibly kills many, MANY more before she can be stopped."

He looked at her and grinned. "Good luck, Obsidian."

"I'll likely need it," she replied without missing a beat. "And good luck to you as well. Oh, and one last thing... we haven't learned anything new about either Jade or Sapphire, have we?"

Tourmaline shrugged. "Jade's current situation, we know practically nothing about - but the spies also assure us that Amber's lost track of him too; nobody's seen him since he walked out of Ponyville. I figure with his nature, he's staying as far away from anyone as possible to keep from having anyone else die at his hooves. Frankly, as pissed off as Midnight Star seems to be, that's probably a good idea on his part."

"Sapphire..."

His expression turned sad. "Well, the last that was seen of her was a spy who said Amber had been making her work on different spells... but that Sapphire herself seems to have snuck off - and apparently took a bunch of magical items from Amber as well. Our wicked sister apparently said 'the stuff she stole no longer matters', and just seems to have completely forgotten her. I don't know if that's a good sign or not, but it does show that Sapphire is apparently no longer working with Amber. Which is nothing BUT good news, if you ask me."

Well, as long as they weren't mind-enslaved, it was good enough for Obsidian - for now, at least. Stupid Amber. She could have won easily, but instead she chose utter nihilism.

"Well, I'll get to gathering our siblings as soon as I get to spend a few minutes with my Cupcake... perhaps a dance? You must admit, we've earned it," she smirked.

Tourmaline grinned. "With all you two have done? You deserve the happiest ending the world could give you."

He gave her one last hug, then made his way towards town. Looking at him now, Tourmaline seemed nothing like he'd been when she first saw him on the outskirts of Ponyville, threatening her with death and doom. He was a changed stallion... and it was because of Obsidian.

... well, to be fair, Gunther too. A kinder, gentler Amethyst as well. Yes, her dear brother was no longer a crazed stooge; he had grown into a fine and wise brother.

However, before she could move to go get her Cupcake, she felt a gentle tug on her tail. "{Obsidyan? May I please have a moment of your precious time, dear sister?}"

Heh... speak of foalsitting, and look who shows up.

"{But of course, dear brother of mine - I was going to meet with you all anyway, so you've saved me a bit of time I'd have spent searching for you.}"

He smiled sweetly at her. "{Many are the thanks I have for you. Now, I have The Serious Request for you, Obsidyan - a thing that has been much long in coming, and can no longer await another time, according to my heart.}"

He gave a large sigh (large for his size, anyway), then looked her dead in the eye as he spoke.

"{Obsidyan? I require you to take me to Stalwaat, so that I may possibly ask her for The Date. She has bewitched my heart and soul, and I can no longer live with myself without at least asking her if she would ever have any interest in me. She is perfection, and I would be a fool for not taking the opportunity to tell her so.}"

He looked over at the miniature warrior now, as she stood smiling at the party's proceedings. "{Can you see how beautiful she is, right now? This would be the PERFECT moment to ask her for The Date, yes?}"

Well, he seemed to follow a similar reasoning as Obsidian; she'd just gotten married, so she would be the last pony to judge another's crushes. "{Keep in mind we're leaving on a mission to bring back Ruby soon... but I will gladly translate for you, my brother.}"

His smile threatened not only to devour his face... but have Siddy's heart for dessert. "{Oh, how I love you, my dearest sister - thank you!}"

The two of them made their way over to Stalwart, whose muzzle lit up as she saw Obsidian coming her way. "Lady Siddy! And..." she raised an eyebrow at her little little brother, "... a-and Diamond, I see. Might I assist you in some fashion?"

Diamond looked at Obsidian, then nodded as he stepped up to meet her - eye to eye, actually; a rarity for either of them.

"Stalwaat Stanze... {you are the most incredible, beautiful, intelligent and loyal mare I have ever seen in my entire life. Your honor is grand, your heart is enormous, and you have charmed my very soul with your exquisite existence. Might this stallion be made so very happy, as to ask of you to possibly accompany him on The Date?}"

Obsidian truthfully translated his words - albeit with a bit of a blush - and left none of his flowery prose unspoken.

When she finished, Siddy offered a sheepish smirk. "So, er... wh-what do you think, Stalwart? You do recall our little discussion about it on the train, yes?"

Wart blushed hotly, looking stunned at the request. Her eyes darted back and forth between them for a moment, until she finally closed them, took a breath, then re-opened them and locked her gaze on Diamond. And grinned.

"Diamond of the Greyheart... your words are flattering, and you have pursued me most doggedly. Such a dedication does not miss my attention, and I am quite taken with the idea that, perhaps, you and I would possibly make a... cute couple."

She then smiled widely. "Which means to say that, yes, I would be honored to accompany you upon one of these 'dates' I have heard so much about."

Diamond smiled broadly, and tears formed in his eyes. "... thaaaaankyoo, Stalwaat. Hye whanchew soh vurreh mush."

Wart blinked, then looked at Obsidian. "I... I think I understood that. A bit."

"Then you've got the advantage here, my friend," Obsidian chuckled, "I think I got the first two words... the rest are beyond me, I'm afraid."

DAMNABLE ACCENTS! But in some cases, she didn't really need to understand the words to understand their meaning. "I'd say it's quite a good sign - I'm certain you wouldn't want a tagalong translator for EVERY date."

Wart looked back at the smol Shard. "I have a feeling, Lady Siddy, that Diamond would STILL find a way to communicate, regardless."

Mundy then took her hoof in his, and gently reached down and placed a kiss on it.

And Stalwart Stance, hero of Equestria and fledgling member of the Royal Equestrian Guard... blushed prettily.

"Excellent," Obsidian grinned as she nodded her head in satisfaction. She had no idea what would've happened if Stalwart had said 'no' - or even worse, if she'd reacted outright negatively. Happily, it seemed that the best possible outcome had been realized here.

"{Now that you've gotten that bit of business out of the way, dear brother of mine... could we possibly talk a bit more privately? There's an rather important issue I need to inform you of...}"

Diamond's eyes were locked on Wart... and she was trying NOT to do the same back at him. And finding it difficult.

"Er... excuse me, Diamond?" Wart spoke up, "Um... y-your sister is speaking to you."

Mundy non-chalantly waved a hoof at Obsidian. "{It can wait, yes? Stalwaat is BLUSHING. For ME. Please, do not take me from this magical moment...}"

He looked so very drawn to the little mare; the two of them were just the right height to see eye to eye - and if kissing happened, they wouldn't have to climb or stoop to reach each other's lips.

Wart. Kissing someone. Eeyup - it HAD to be a sign of the end times if THAT was a possibility.

Obsidian chuckled, yet decided to wait patiently. After what had happened with Wart previously, having to wait on her and Cup in the shower... well, she sort of owed her.

"Iss nahd fhorr mee tyoo sahay... bhutt hye hamm... hablayz... fhorr hyew, Stalwaat..."

She blinked. "You... you say you are ablaze for me?"

He nodded vigorously... and Wart's lovely shade of pink went a darker hue of red. "OH... oh my... y-you sound like Lord Ferrangold in the 'Crinos' novels..."

Diamond's smile got wider. "{She reads the romance books? I read the romance books! Oh, Obsidyan - my heart flies on the winds of passion, and she likes the flowery words?}"

He seemed excited about the prospect; who knew, when Obsidian had jokingly told Stalwart she might enjoy those books that it would lead to such a conclusion?

Maybe those books were worth a read after all?

It was an unexpected turn of events, to say the least... and to think, she'd only suggested it because Stalwart had been treating it so ridiculously seriously that she simply couldn't stop herself from trying to pull a little prank on her. Wonders never cease - ironic wonders, even moreso.

"{You'll apparently need to read more Equestrian romances aloud to train your language skills,}" Siddy suggested.

He looked at her and nodded. "{Yes, yes - OH! Would you ask Stalwaat if I could read them TO her!?}"

He looked extremely excited by the idea... so much so that Wart was giving him strange, yet amused looks.

"I suggested he should read more romance novels - aloud, to broaden his vocabulary and train himself further in Equestrian. He... well, he wants to read them to you," Obsidian smirked.

Wart looked at her... then at him... then smiled sweetly at Diamond.

"I would love to share the Crinos series with you, sweet Diamond... and it would be an honor to assist you in learning to speak proper Equestrian. Especially with such, ah... vigorous prose being the focus of the stories."

Now Diamond was the one who was blushing.

"You have not only proven to be capable, but you are a healer - a profession I have MUCH respect for. You are also dedicated, determined and exceedingly loyal - such as I am certain Lady Obsidian herself would say of me."

She gave a small giggle. "And I believe teaching you to speak romantically would be a grand service to all of Equestria... but perhaps, more specifically, to me."

Well, now... perhaps Stalwart Stance would become a member of Obsidian's family after all?

Obsidian put hoof on her chest. Be still, beating heart... and she'd just gotten married herself!

It was beginning to become obvious that she might have to speak of her concerns later - these two were somewhat locked in each other's world at the moment; Mundy deserved this. As did Wart, honestly.

Besides - if Skipper had been correct, she had an entire YEAR to deal with what was coming. This, of course, based solely on the idea that she would survive the upcoming battle.

And well, if she didn't... the point was moot, wasn't it?

But if she did, there was the little issue that she had absolutely no idea about the ramifications of being pregnant. After all, it was her first time. Any strange physical sensations or reactions, any sort of disobedience of the body, and even the smallest injury - she would be continually afraid of possibly panicking for nothing, or a lackadaisical overlooking the MOST important thing...

But it seemed that, as usual, first things had to be first - and for Diamond, Stalwart was the firstest thing of them all.

Deciding to let love take the natural course she'd helped usher on, she smiled and went to search for her own sweetheart - Her Cupcake.

She found him at the edge of the musician's circle, just finishing up a lively polka - much to the elderly cello player's exhausted relief. He put his accordion away in that place Obsidian knew nothing about and looked up to see her - all smiles.

"Hiya, love," he said as he came over and kissed her cheek, "how you doing?"

"Me? Perfectly fine - I really have no other choice on a day like today, right?" She smiled at her coltfrie-
...er, fianc-
Husband.

... well, that was something she'd have to get used to, but she didn't even feel a single want to complain about it. "I've decided we deserve to spend a moment of our own, together. I can gather the war-party later... we should have some time to celebrate too."

Cupcake nuzzled her lovingly. "I think I like that idea; shall we just sit here and be sweet on each other? Or... do you wanna sneak home & sleep in our own bed tonight?"

Something told her he planned to do MORE than just 'sleep'... but then, it WAS their own bed, after all.

... okay, maybe it would take more than a few minutes. Why not? "Well, there's no better place for spending a moment together than our very own home, right?"

He grinned from ear to ear and took her hoof in his as they began to walk from the town square toward their little homestead. Ponyville had lanterns all over the place, which not only kept them safe, but had the added charm of being somewhat romantic as well.

Cupcake sighed. "Y'know... Life really IS beautiful, sometimes. How things can change, how others can change... and how, sometimes, it seems like everything in the entire, whole universe is connected somehow."

Whistlewhite's revelation of how Radiant Hope's research had eventually led to Spell Foals like Cupcake came to Siddy's mind; connections, indeed.

"I mean, a year ago, I never, ever, EEEEEVER thought I'd be together with a beautiful, intelligent and wonderful mare like you - I never had a clue. But, I'm kinda glad; Life always seems to have some of the BEST surprises!"

Obsidian chuckled. "A year ago, I... er, w-was a popsicle. I can barely fit everything that's happened to me so far into my own skull! Awakening, making friends, learning about history, fighting powerful enemies... meeting and getting to know you..."

Not to mention defeating Sombra, dealing with Peridot, Onyx's awful Nightmare Spell, the Umbrals, stupid, stupid Amber...

She sighed happily. "Just think of how statistically impossible our relationship is, Cuppy... and yet, here we are. Married."

He grinned. "Everyone always told my Momma that she did the impossible; I'm glad I found someone who can do that too. Even if you don't have a party cannon, or some weird storage thingy you can do, or even a set of insta-change outfits..."

He kissed her deeply enough for them to stop walking for a moment... and letting it end with a soft pop before they resumed, a goofy grin on both of their muzzles.

"... but you're YOU. YOU got Lemon's approval. YOU came back from death and being a crystal again. YOU defeated Onyx, Amethyst AND Tourmaline, then brought them ALL back to the 'good' side of the fence."

He sighed. "And you won the heart of the most clueless stallion in Ponyville. ALL that stuff... you're so special, there's not even the right words made yet to describe how special you are."

"Well, I know one very good word to describe how special I am - Obsidian." She smiled at him widely and rather teasingly, proud of herself for her clever wit. "And never forget that it's us, not me; without you - all of you - Equestria would be doomed already."

His eyes got a bit misty at that. "I think, in the grand cosmic scheme of things, we all needed each other. Clap needed someone to pal around with who wasn't secretly in love with her... Mica needed someone to shake him out of his routine... Gypsy needed someone to help him feel more important... and Wart needed someone to bring her out of her shell."

He chuckled lightly. "We ALL needed someone to touch our hearts... and that's what YOU did, my Dark Princess. You may have come from the Dark, but your presence in our lives has brought us so much Light..."

They reached their little house; except for the carefully boarded-up windows, it was still the same cottage - the same home - she remembered it to be.

"I think we all love you, in our own way... I was just the one lucky enough to get your heart."

"Well, some of my siblings tried to get to my heart too... especially Amy, with her dagger." Despite her ironic words, she nuzzled him a bit and enjoyed his presence. "I think Quartz might be working here, but it shouldn't be a problem. Let's just enjoy ourselves for a bit, without thinking about... well, anything."

Cupcake nodded and opened the door. "Ladies first," he said to her with a low bow.

Obsidian went first, rather teasingly brushing her tail against him as she went walking by. He shivered sweetly as she teased him while walking in to... uh...

Clothing.

Clothing everywhere.

Every possible flat surface was COVERED in folded piles of clothing. Shirts, skirts, blouses and belts, hats, scarves, stockings, vests, halter tops, sundresses, headbands, shawls, pants... every possible, conceivable article of clothing was present, in abundance.

"Whoa," Cupcake intoned, staring at all the piles of clothing, "I... guess Quarty's been a bit busy, hunh?"

With that, there was a rattling and jarring noise from the stairwell that led to the basement. Cupcake took a defensive stance next to Obsidian. The basement door suddenly flew open, and two ponies hit the ground, wrestling with each other vigorously...

Wait... waaaaaaiiiiiiit...

They weren't wrestling... they were... kissing?

Yes, they were - it was Quartz and... uhh, some mare?... and they were in a frenzied bout of smooching that seemed to have them both VERY hot and heavy with each other. Cupcake stared for a moment, then looked at his wife with a 'now what do we do' look.

By Darkness, she thought he'd be busy doing some little spiffy tailor-things with glyphs... not turning their entire house into a textiles warehouse!!

It seemed Quartz was quite busy. Obsidian didn't want to interrupt them - her brother was just old enough to seriously think about finding himself a wife and settling down, right? It was a bit quick, but perhaps he known her from his life before?

She pointed with her hoof to the stairs leading to their own room... what were Quartz and this strange mare doing in Tourmy's room?

Nope. Better not think about it.

Cupcake nodded and reached behind himself, pulling out two sets of bunny slippers. He put his own hooves in one set and offered the other to Obsidian.

However, at that moment, they both witnessed something they had NO CLUE how to describe...

From where they were on the floor, the mare suddenly flashed, and now Quartz was kissing a hippogriff mare with long, sensual wings that she wrapped around the stallion beneath her.

Cupcake blinked. Then looked at Obsidian. Then blinked again.

The two continued kissing, even bumping into a table and knocking a pile of shirts onto themselves. She heard Quartz laugh and shove the pile aside as there was another flash; when the clothing was cleared away, Quartz now had his forelegs around a female diamond dog!

Cupcake's mouth moved up and down, but not a sound came out.

The female grabbed Quartz and stared at him lustfully. "Oh, you're just such an animal, Q!"

He chuckled in reply. "Myself? I daresay you are the animal right now, my dearest!"

There was another flash... and now, straddling her brother was Queen Vexillarius, looking down at him with unabashed love in her eyes. "What can I say, hot stuff - you bring it out of me!"

She dipped down and the two of them continued kissing each other madly, rolling on the floor like a couple of warring children - but it seemed as if they would both win this war.

There were times Obsidian thought nothing else she would possibly see could surprise her... that fighting her power-mad sister who was possessing an alicorn body while carrying the ancient source of all ponykind in her head had made her... well, immune to the joys of novelty.

Well played, Reality. Well played.

Cupcake smiled brightly and motioned for Obsidian to follow him to the stairs to their room. It took her a moment to respond as she had to pull her attention from her musings, but she blinked and turned away, following her... Husband...

Wait... would this put Changelings in her Family Tree as well?

Climbing the stairs softly, they made it to their room without disturbing the two lovebirds, and Cup quietly closed (and locked) their bedroom door before making his way over to their bed and chuckling softly. "You know... come to think of it, I can't imagine anyone better for Quartz; she'd make the PERFECT dress model, wouldn't she?"

"You have a fair point," Obsidian acquiesced, though still in a touch of shock. Who would have thought it would happen; hadn't she been on the raid into his Manehattan tailor shop?

She walked slowly to their bed. "So... ahh, Cup? Maybe... how should I put this... would you believe, the very moment our marriage was officially proclaimed, I... h-heard a voice calling me... 'mom'?"

Cup looked at her seriously, then sat next to her on their bed and tilted his head. "Really? Was it another dream, maybe?"

She would normally ask how he knew about those... but frankly, after everything they'd been through together, Obsidian was starting to accept that he really was just his mother's son; she seemed to know a lot more than she let on, and so did he apparently.

And, by Darkness, she was getting used to it.

"I'd heard this voice earlier in a different dream - it was when I first learned that Onyx, Peridot and Ruby were gone from my mind." She'd told him that, a while ago - it felt like ages ago. "I was visited by that alicorn filly - Ruby Chocolate, remember? She called out to me, right after Midnight finished speaking... while I was fully awake."

He stared at her for a moment, then a slow smile spread across his features. "You mean... that cute little filly from your dreams was... is... I mean, will be..."

He gave a giggle, then put his forelegs around Obsidian and gave her a loving squeeze. "Like I said - Life is amazing."

He then blinked and looked at his wife with a mixture of wonder and apprehension. "Which means... you're gonna have an alicorn? I... I don't know what to say..."

Then, he smiled. "Except she's gonna be LOVED sooooooo much!"

Would she have an alicorn? It hardly made much sense to her... but then again, very few things in her life ever made any sense anymore. But there had to be some measure of normality, right?

"Well, I think I dreamed about her before she was... ah... conceived... so I don't think our foal could really be an alicorn," Obsidian tried to reassure Cup. And herself. Mostly herself.

"It was likely just, uhhh... aaaanother way for Harmony to play tricks on me, o-or perhaps our future daughter is so ambitious that she's already pictured herself as an alicorn... then again, it IS also entirely possible that perhaps I've just gone insane."

Regardless of the imminent situation, she gave a slight smile. "But you know what? Ruby Chocolate does sound good to me; it would certainly fit both branches of our family. Doesn't it sound like a dessert to you?"

Cupcake blushed. "Well, I don't know, really... but I can make it so, I'll bet!"

He snuggled warmly against her barrel as he settled into bed with her, putting his snout directly into her mane and taking a long, loving sniff before speaking again. "I'll bet I could make it a dessert with chocolate cake and raspberries... with a bit of chocolate cream in the center layer, maybe a dark chocolate and cherry icing? Oh, or what about raspberries AND strawberries together? Hmmmmmmm..."

He began to caress her lovingly with his hooves. "This may take some time to figure out properly."

Now his hooves were straying from the nice caress to a naughty caress. "Or maybe I could use some ruby grapefruit with the cake batter - with the proper amount of sugar, of course - and make it a bit more of a citrus-y treat?"

"Seems to me something like that may already exist... but that shall be a question for later," she smiled at him, her own hooves wandering over his sides and withers.

"After all, we are not in any sort of rush... right, my dear husband?" Obsidian purred.

"Absolutely, my delectable wife," he smiled broadly, his hooves now wandering into very naughty territory. "All the time in the world, right this moment..."

And slowly, his head sank beneath the covers and went low, low, and LOW...

Then, he began to do that thing that made Obsidian warble like a songbird and roll her eyes to the back of her head.

Author's Note

Quartz, Son of Sombra

[]==@==[]

I've always believed that love can change so many things - for better AND for worse - which makes it one of the most powerful forces in all of existence. In the instance of my own tales here, love heals and supports, and I tend to represent it in a far kinder light than some do. Which is fine: everyone has their own spin on the same record, you dig?

I hope folks enjoyed discovering Quartz's new assistant... and yeah, I think Cuppy's right - The Perfect Clotheshorse.

Admittedly, I almost took out the part where Diamond wanted a date, during the actual roleplay itself... but by that point, I'd wanted a touch of sweetness and whimsy, and Mundy's always good at providing that. I figured it was about time that he finally built up the courage... as well as Wart softening her Stance on him, too. Honestly? They are a totes dorbs ship, and I love the idea that they're having this moment here.

Thirteen: Dire

~>-<~

She was inside a throne room... but not in Canterlot. And not in the Crystal Palace, either.

This one was all black and grey stone, with silver-steel tables and chairs, velvet banners hanging from beautiful darkwood walls, grey marble floors, and in the center of it all there was a black stone throne on a raised dais, surrounded by jet black vines that seemed to grow down from the ceiling and onto the throne itself.

It was dark, foreboding... and utterly magnificent to behold.

Somehow, it didn't surprise Obsidian that she was whisked away to some exotic location once more as she slept. Stupid Amber and her insane war - she'd just gotten married! She deserved to catch a break! Everyone in Ponyville did!

Especially since tomorrow, they would be busy with saving... well, a LOT of things: Ruby, maybe the Element Bearers and hopefully poor Flurry Heart. She could only hope that there would be future opportunities she could use to Equestria's advantage.

What was this place? It wasn't Paradise, but then she hadn't had much chance to explore that area yet. Wherever she was, this place was beautiful to her - in a rather dark sense, as all the black stone brought a more somber and serious feel to it. Oh yes, there was also the throne itself - which she immediately walked straight towards to inspect it a little bit closer...

Possibly even consider the thought of maybe taking a chance to sit on it, juuuuuuuust a bit - to see how it felt, of course. That was all.

"And so... we meet at last!" Rucho's voice echoed loudly, slowly descending from the ceiling down to the throne on adorable pink wings, all while holding a rather irritated-looking white cat in her hooves and petting it slowlywhile smiling in a cutely menacing manner.

She brought herself down to sit directly on the huge throne, which dwarfed her adorably. The cat made a soft, rasping growl in the back of its' throat as it barely put up with its' fur being pet by the young filly; it had large, bright green eyes that were ringed with an orange-yellowish color... and it was not a happy camper, it seemed.

Obsidian pointed her hoof at a filly in a judging manner. "So, it was YOU!" she said with a grave, accusatory voice. Then her expression softened as she considered it. "Well, so... uhm, w-what's the reason for my presence here tonight? Why did you just... make such a show of it?"

"Frankly? I'm a kid, duuuuuh. I just wanted to be... dramatic," the little alicorn shrugged slightly, settling herself comfortably on the throne. Frowning at its squirming, she let the kitty go.

"So, you're surely wondering why such a need to meet your own daughter here in this dream, instead of my uncle or auntie, right? Or do you mean, why are you even dreaming about me at all?" she added.

Obsidian felt shivers running down her spine; was this really some kind of figurative representation of her future foal? The one that was right this very moment growing inside of her? But how was this even possible?

"That is the prominent question on my mind, Ruby," Siddy softly smiled.

"Good! Because I'm wondering about that too... no really, I have no idea! Really really! I mean, I think I was just conceived, so it'll be ages before I'll be able to actually speak like this!" Rucho raised her hooves desperately to the sky, though it hardly made her any bigger.

The cat leapt down and, with a contemptuous glare at the filly, it sat on the marble floor and began to thoroughly clean itself with great strokes of it's little pink tongue.

The Grey Princess was starting to feel a little touch of confusion. Normally during her dreams, she met with ponies (or ancient beings older than Equestria itself) who were far more wise than herself. This time, it seemed she was here, spending time with...

"So... you're really my... daughter? Mine and Cupcake's?" she asked, just to be clear.

In response she received another shrug - and that filly had two additional limbs to shrug with, which only added to the already toxic levels of Cute. "I... think so? I mean, I believe so, but... well, from my perspective, everything is rather blurry; I have a multitude of possibilities, countless branches of destiny are open for me, and I can practically feel the entire world being shaped around me. The more I grow in your tummy, the more of those possibilities that could turn into solid realities."

That, she could understand. She kept wondering about her old choices and options as well - what if Onyx had woken her up on time for her diabolical 'Master Plan'? Or if she would've woken up immediately after Sombra's second defeat? What if she would have chosen Butter Churn as her liaison? And from Ruby's perspective, she was apparently able to understand the flow of time changing with each choice.

It still didn't explain why they were here!

Finished with the self-bathing, the cat s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d and yawned, then ambled its' way over to Obsidian, where it sniffed around her hooves curiously for a moment. Then, with apparently even less to do than Obsidian and her apparent daughter, the little cat strolled over to the foot of the throne, curled into a little ball, and settled in for what looked like would be a nice nap.

What was this cute little furry creature doing? Was it planning an attack? Luckily, it seemed to be merely curious. Before Obsidian could choose a course of attack or defense, it wisely chose to retreat - intimidated by her sheer power, no doubt.

"So... we're here, but neither of us knows why." It was more of a statement than a question.

Rucho shook her head. "Nope - it's apparently just a strange way for the two of us to meet each other before, uh... well, before I get bigger. It'll take a while, but I'm sure I'll be worth it! You're going to be a great mum, Mum!"

A pointless dream featuring a filly that might become her real-life daughter, immediately after she learned she was pregnant. Obsidian sometimes would really rather prefer if the world around her would make just a bit more sense - she was fine with all the strange events, but she wanted to understand them as well.

Still... her daughter's encouragement certainly felt good.

"Just beat Auntie Amber's butt quickly and get yourself comfortable in Ponyville; I want to be spoiled senseless! Eat the best food, sleep a whole heckuva lot and if you don't have any ideas as to what to do with your free time, just borrow Uncle Tourmy's radio and play me some good music! I like heavy metal and classical symphonic music, so there's a broad choice - also tell my papa 'hi' from me! A-and tell him I can't wait to meet him! Oooooh, I love you two so much already!"

Rucho stroked her chin in thought, a gesture that was already quite familiar to Obsidian. "I'm, uh... not really sure I understand what that means yet, though."

Obsidian couldn't help herself but smile warmly. "And we love you too already."

The cat opened one eye, then gave a sigh and closed it again, preferring to be left to sleep.

"Oh, that's good - I've got a feeling that I'm gonna test that a lot," the little alicorn smiled mischievously and hopped off the throne. She trotted closer to Obsidian, who now had the chance to finally look at her future daughter a bit more closely.

Now, that she more or less knew who this little devil was, the unicorn mare started to notice a few different possible similarities to ponies she knew. Including herself, of course, but...

"Now, mum - please remember that you have something that Amber doesn't have. A lot of things Amber doesn't have. At best, she has the numerical advantage, yes. But you've already countered her ace skill, as well as taken key cogs out of her war machine to build your own resistance... and you know what? She's on the ropes, making her last attempts to be relevant in the world. From where she stands, it must seem like a terrible run of bad luck. But the truth is..."

She smirked. "The whole game was rigged from the start. She signed her own death warrant, the very moment she stood against the Siddy Six... and annoying the very Spirit of Harmony itself was only the cherry on top. So maybe don't worry so much? You just keep being awesome - okay, mum?"

Rucho reached out and hugged Obsidian tightly.

The Grey Princess had plenty of questions at that point: How did this little filly know all that stuff? Was she really going to be born as an alicorn? Why was she able to understand and properly conjugate full sentences at her effectively negative age?

However, the moment Rucho hugged her, all those questions were set aside.

First things first.

She wrapped her forelegs around the precious little filly and held her as close as she could; it would be something to look forward to, in the years that would pass as Rucho grew from a bitty, little thing into the sweetness she lovingly held in her warm embrace, right now.

Her daughter.

Who would be the granddaughter of Pinkie Pie and Sombra's lineage.

May Harmony have mercy upon Equestria.

"And I am fucking EATING this up!" said the cat, grinning fiercely.

As they watched, the feline stretched and grew before their very eyes into a unicorn mare who was about Siddy's size. She had a deep violet, short-cropped mane, a smattering of freckles and vivid eyes that were the same yellowish-orange color as the cat's had been.

"You two, I swear... you're so damned adorable, I feel like I gotta vomit!" she laughed cruelly, then turned her sight towards Obsidian.

"Hey there, shitheap! I'll give you three guesses as to who I am... and believe me, the first one's probably all you're gonna need, bitch."

Her smile was cruel and wicked, accented with sharp canines that glistened when she spoke. "Right now, you're both my bitches... and I plan to screw you both SO FUCKING HARD!"

She smirked. "You know... the kind of screwing that's sooooooo good... you could lose your SCARF over it!"

Both Obsidian and Rucho glowered at the sight of the mare, finally daring to show her muzzle. Her pointy, pointy muzzle.

"Better watch out, there - might cut yourself on all that edge," the little alicorn grumbled. "I mean, do you really think you're impressing anyone? Or are you simply so profoundly stupid that you feel the need to swear all the time - I bet you can't even SPELL those words, can you?"

Obsidian gave a tired sigh. "You are my insanely stupid sister, DUH."

Amber smiled wickedly. "Stupid, hunh? Soooooo unfazed by everything, are you? Well, I suppose I'll just have to up the fucking ante..."

Thunder crashed outside of the throne room, and the mare's horn lit up like a torch.

"... you know, an alicorn's pretty damned powerful; so powerful, they can even BOOST the powers of anyone they choose - including a crystal-bound entity like yours truly..."

Her eyes wandered sidelong to look at Rucho.

"... but there's always something to be said about having a FULL body... and even though I can't be the fucking daughter of the Princess of Love directly..."

A bolt flashed out of her horn, and connected to Rucho's, sending an INSTANT wave of pain into the little filly's skull.

"... I can always be reborn AS YOUR DAUGHTER!" she laughed cruelly.

Obsidian put up with a LOT of static from Amber, but normally she tried not to let it get to her. But now it was personal. Her worst sister apparently wanted to bother her daughter when she was nothing but a tiny bunch of cells in her womb... and a magical being in her dream, apparently.

"GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU BITCH!"

A beam of energy rushed straight at Amber - and a clearly furious Obsidian was now sporting a pair of wings as well.

Her dream. Her daughter. Her rules.

The blast from Obsidian was a twining of Dark and Light magics, and it slammed hard into Amber, knocking her backwards and severing the beam of energy between her and Rucho.

"Oh... ooohhhhh, you fucking CUNT..." She got up slowly, then looked at the change Obsidian had gone through... and frowned.

Wait - that was Grey Magic! In any other circumstances, Obsidian would have been overjoyed - she would probably have ended up taking notes and analyzing what just happened and why it happened at this very moment... but she didn't have time for that right now.

"Oh? Is that fucking SO!? Well fine, then..."

And her smile returned. "You know... if I can't have YOUR brat, I can always make one of my own." She chuckled huskily. "After all... I still have Prince Shining Armor... and for what it's worth? He's still kind of a hunk."

She redoubled her wicked smile. "And Flurry's young, feisty and fertile! Bet it wouldn't take much to make a foal from THOSE two, right? And since you won't give me the chance to call YOU 'mama'... then maybe it's time for Flurry to scream out 'YES, DADDY!'"

Her laughter was cold and callous... and her previous taunts about poor Cadence proved that, yes, Amber might just DO something that sick and depraved - just to make Equestria angry.

"You're nothing but a slave to your own whims, Amber - a parasite that tries to prolong its meaningless existence by feeding off of others. At least you can rest assured, no matter how badly your potential foal will be inbred that it shall still be less addled than you are." She shot her an angry glare - preparing to blast her again.

And she wasn't alone; Rucho, despite her rather pained expression, was standing next to her and preparing to enhance her power... just like Amber said.

The mental mare laughed. "Oh, you're SO much more fun when you're all pissed off! You should be thanking me, bitch! Without me, you'd be bored out of your skull! Without me, you'd be getting FAT and LAZY with your bitchass friends - who I plan to kill as SOON as I can - but most of all?"

She grinned grimly. "Without me? You never would have found out about that asshole Moochick's plan for you - and now I know that too, you numb fuck!"

She let out a crazed skitter of a laugh. "And me? Now I know about the true POWER of those Umbral Altars... and I plan to give my fucking soul to The Umbra, just to watch Equestria BURN!"

She began to fade from view as she waved at Obsidian and Rucho.

"Thanks for the tip, Sidster! I can't WAIT to meet the damned thing myself! HAAAAA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

And with that, she vanished.

...give her soul to the Umbra? Oh shit.

"By Darkness, I'm sorry I'm related to her," Obsidian muttered.

"Me too, mum. Well, are you sure grandpa didn't offer up his lameness when he made her?" Rucho's voice was far more angry than her mother's, but it was only to be expected - as a magical being, she didn't even know that she could feel pain; it was not a pleasant lesson.

"I need to go, Ruby - to stop my stupid sister. Preferably before she gives Flurry over to an ancient evil, because fu-..."

She realized at the moment that her daughter was FAR too young to hear swearing like that.

"Er... damnation, but I don't want her to be destroyed by somepony as pathetic as Amber."

"Okay, mum! I'll see you soon enough," Rucho smiled to her. "and don't worry - I'll treat my brothers and sisters real nice!"

Obsidian smiled. "Oh, well that's a good-... w-wait, your WHAAA-"

~>O<~

Cupcake shook Obsidian frantically.

"Siddy Siddy Siddy Siddy!" he said in a bit of a blur, "Siddy stop yelling what's going on Siddy wake up wake up WAKE UUUUUP!"

He looked utterly shocked and was trying desperately to rouse her from a sleep she'd already been roused from. When he realized she was awake, his worried look was not graced with a smile.

"SIDDY!" he hugged her, "Siddy, what happened? I was asleep, then I heard you mutter something about 'stupid idiots', then your HORN started glowing, but it was like it was in the Nightmare, it was all black AND white, are you okay?"

"No I'm not, Cuppy," Obsidian immediately got up, then reached down and grabbed her scarf off the floor next to the bed. Perhaps it would be a good idea to wear a few more glyphed items...

"Call our friends while I collect my siblings; Amber wants to bring back the Umbra - and plans to do so NOW. By Darkness, with her power, the entirety of Equestria would already be BOWING to me, were I her!" She growled with annoyance as she trotted out of the bedroom.

Perhaps she dropped down a stairway when she was small? Or perhaps she was simply suicidal? Contrary to Amethyst's case, Obsidian was more than willing to help her achieve that wish!

"She WHAT!?" That was all it took; Cupcake was up and right behind her and even absently helped her put her scarf back on properly.

"How did she-..." Cup started, then he looked at the scarf again and blushed a bit, "... oh."

They apparently been asleep long enough for Quartz to have gotten his, er... 'rest'... and gone back to work; she could hear the clicking of the sewing machine from down in the basement.

Cupcake looked at Obsidian seriously. "I'll go and get Wart and Gypsy - if you'll grab Clap and Mica, then we'll meet at the fountain."

"Obsidian?" Quartz's voice bubbled up from downstairs. "I'd like to speak with you for a moment, if you could please?"

Cup nodded. "Okay, Quarty first, THEN go get Clap and Mica!"

With that, he pressed a quick kiss to her lips, then he was out the door and gone.

Clap and Mica... she could do it, but she needed to gather all of her OTHER siblings too! Well, perhaps Quartz would be up to the task? She quickly trotted down the stairs to the room that he apparently took from Tourmaline. Obsidian was a bit curious if her other brother knew about this impromptu annexation, but at the moment it was rather low on her list of priorities.

She got to the door and stepped in quickly. "I wanted to speak to you as well, brother..."

Quartz raised a hoof as he met her at the door. "AH! Not one word more, dear sister... until you see..."

He stepped away from the door and gestured grandly to a table. "These!"

There were six suits on the large table - each one was jet black, with very subdued piping of six different colors that not only looked good, but they weren't eyesores. They were sleek and made of the same material that he'd used on the Umbral suits... but they seemed to shine with a light that didn't seem to come from anywhere, yet they simply looked that way - they weren't putting off light at all.

Five pony-shaped suits - one extra large, one petite - and one suit fit for a biped... like a diamond dog.

One suit had pink piping, and had a cupcake embroidered onto the front lapel; it had all sorts of pockets and was extra reinforced.

One suit had orange piping with a pickaxe on it, and had a small satchel sewn into it, along with hoofcovers for the front hooves.

The extra large suit had purple piping on it with a thermos and had holes for wings and some extra buckles and even a chain - it looked rather sporty and fashionable.

The extra small suit had blue piping on it with a shield, sporting twin scabbard loops sewn onto the sides, as well as some extra reinforcement around the chest and flanks.

The biped suit had yellow piping, with what looked like a paw print emblazoned on it and had a number of pockets, as well as a hood on the back.

And the last suit had red piping, a dark crystal heart and a detachable crimson cape on it - and it looked to be the finest one in the bunch.

And each one had the number '6' emblazoned on the back, with Quartz's glyph of warding in the number's circle.

"Behold... my masterpieces; the OFFICIAL uniforms for the Siddy Six!" Quartz gushed as dramatically as he could.

Ooooooh... so he really wasn't colorblind, it seemed! These costumes looked awesome; Obsidian could hardly wait to test them out during a real battle - hopefully, they would find them to be as awesome as they looked. They seemed to be practical, too... though she also hoped that what she could see with her eyes weren't the only additions her stylish brother had added.

"Woah," she exclaimed, "I knew it was a good idea to ask you about doing so, but now? It seems that was among the better choices I've made during these last few weeks," she pondered. "Okay, seeing the results in front of me, perhaps it was the best choice - well, excluding the choices I've made concerning Cupcake."

Quartz laughed. "Obsidian, consider these my thanks for saving our family - or at least, saving the parts we want to keep."

He placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Without you, who knows how badly things would have gone for us all, once the plan was executed? At BEST, we'd have been back in the thrall of The Umbra... and we never would have realized anything else COULD exist for us in this world!"

"YOU brought us peace, YOU brought us life, YOU brought us love... and ultimately, YOU brought us hope. There is no way I can ever think for us to repay you for the Light you've given us..."

... and Hope shall guide the Grey into the Light...

"Thank you, Obsidian... for everything." He reached over and hugged her fiercely.

Regardless of how much of a hurry they were in, she returned the hug as fiercely as it was given to her; she wanted to both show her appreciation for the gift and simply give her brother some of the proper sisterly attention that he truly deserved.

Now they could repay her, and she could repay Equestria... and Amber. With INTEREST.

"I only did what any other pony would have likely done in my place," she said humbly. "However, dear brother of mine... I'm afraid the manure has hit the fan."

That was the correct idiom! HA!

"Amber, being the stupid mare she is, has decided to try to strike a deal with The Umbra. Cup and I are gathering our friends, but could you gather the rest of our siblings for me, please? We need to reach her as soon as possible with as much firepower as we can muster."

Quartz's eyes went wide... then narrowed sharply. "We shall be ready in less than ten minutes, my sister - if Amber's madness has reached that point, we must HURRY!"

He grabbed up his needle and thread with his magic, and his sword with his mouth as he stowed them all in their proper places within his suit as he headed up the stairs. "We will take the Celestial Airship, as Opal knows how to operate it best; the Pie airship should still be in port, behind the Carousel Boutique - Darkness Preserve, Amber's gone insane..."

He broke into a gallop as soon as he reached the front door of the cottage, running as if his tail were on fire.

By Obsidian's standards, Amber was already insane, but it seemed as if things were even worse than usual now. The Umbra was evil and such, et cetera and so forth - but thankfully she'd met with the Spirit of Harmony already, or else she'd be truly afraid.

But she'd done so... and learned about her TRUE history. And right now? She simply wasn't in any shape to worry even a tiny bit more - mostly because she'd already gotten rid of any remaining fucks she had to give back in Tambelon and they'd had yet to replenish.

She quickly collected Quartz's suits with her magic and ran off to look for her friends. Mica's home was the same as his parents' home... which was a bit of a trek out of town. Clap's place, meanwhile, was in Cloudsdale. Both places seemed to be rather far away...

Good thing they were both still in Ponyville.

Last night's celebration had left the town square looking a bit rough - but frankly, no rougher than it had been lately.
Besides, the signs of merriment somewhat livened the place up a bit.

She found the two of them at Sugarcube Corner, seated out front with some of last night's desserts on a plate between them... kissing. Since she wasn't exactly sneaking, the two turned towards her as she made her way over.

"Yo, Siddy! What'd you think of..." she stopped speaking as soon as she saw Obsidian's muzzle.

"What's going on?" Mica instantly asked.

Such a shame that she had to break up this lovely scene... but after defeating Amber, they would have all the time in the world to do anything they wanted with their loved ones.

"Amber got pissy and wishes to free The Umbra; Cup's already on his way to fetch Gypsy and Stalwart. We need to hurry to the Pie Airship as soon as possible. By the way, have you perchance seen Peppermint Patty? We will need as much genius onboard as possible."

Mica and Clap both jumped up.

"WHAAAAAAT!? That dumb bimbo! She'll kill us all!" Clap gawked.

"I'm getting the impression that's the idea, Clap - we'll get to the airship and get it started." Mica headed that way quickly.

Clap blinked. "Patty? Uhh... wasn't she with Opal, last I saw her? I mean, they've been attached at the friggin' hip since you all came back from Cincineighti..."

"Attached at the what now?" Was it another idiom? Or perhaps she hadn't heard her correctly? "At any rate, Quartz will likely gather them both. I'm right behind you, I just..." she looked around, "... need to see if there are any others who can help us."

Aside from Clap and Mica, there was NO ONE outside, on the streets... maybe everyone else had gone home?

"Siddy... if Crazy Amber's talking about waking that thing up... from what you've told us?" Clap looked spooked. "We are SO screwed! How in the wide, wide world of Equestria are we supposed to stand up to both Amber AND Umber - I mean, Umbra!?"

Obsidian had hoped to catch Lemon Custard; he was good at thinking up the important stuff. Their reinforcements, the assault on Amber's tower, the rescue mission to save the Element Bearers, joining forces with Celestia and Luna, alerting everypony to the incoming danger... he would have known how to handle all that while Obsidian and the others headed off to the fight.

"Preferably, we should try to stop her from summoning the cursed thing. And if not, well... friendship is magic, remember?" She reached out with a hoof to give Thunderclap a reassuring pat on her shoulder.

Clap gave an uncertain chuckle... but she smiled, all the same. "Yeah, sure... we g-got this, right?"

She was trying to be chipper, but it was obvious the upcoming situation was weighing on her a good bit. Still, she began to make her way toward the Carousel Boutique, where the Pie airship was waiting for them.

Perhaps the fact that Obsidian (almost) died had changed her attitude, but for now she was aware that they had all been through so many terrible events and seemingly hopeless situations that-

Nope. She couldn't fool herself; it could always get worse. She could lose her friends, her husband... even possibly lose her child. She shuddered at the mere thought of it.

Amber was droll, insane and absolutely the Stupidest of the Stupid; the kind of enemy that was nowhere near invincible, but who would continue fight out of pure spite. One without any sort of plan in mind - just destructive for destruction's sake. But, lousy queen or not, if she paired herself with The Umbra...

Obsidian made her way towards her waiting transport... and while it was on her mind, she simply HAD to find that seed.

Reaching the ship, Mica was already onboard - and so was Cupcake, who was at the helm. Gypsy was fidgeting as he waited next to the gangplank, but his tail wagged lightly when he saw Obsidian and Thunderclap coming.

"Th-this one has h-h-heard," he greeted them, "and he is r-r-re-ready to g-go... as is-"

"Lady Siddy!" Wart cried out from the cabin door, "I am prepared to fight the good fight!"

She came out in her Royal Equestrian Guard armor, including her helmet, cape, and twin longswords. Though the situation was supposed to be grim, she was smiling jauntily from ear to ear. "And now, we shall endeavor to kick her flank so hard, she will end up with a mouthful of her own manure!" Wart laughed, a look of excitement in her eyes.

"That's the spirit!" Obsidian nodded - at least one of them wasn't in such a grim mood. In fact, Obsidian herself would prefer to simply return to her previous, slightly bored attitude where she was content just to insult Amber to her face.

"While it's on my mind, does anypony here have any spare glyphs available - just in case?" It didn't help that they weren't as fully prepared as they could have been, but time was of the essence. Obsidian took off her saddlebags to look through them; she HAD to locate the precious seed given to her by Whistlewhi-... er, the Moochi-...

The Spirit of Harmony. Yes, that worked.

Oh, there was also one more thing left to do...

"Everyone? Quartz made us some special suits, though we don't exactly have much time to test them out... but I believe we should wear them, all the same." She reached into her saddlebag to retrieve the outfits.

Cupcake rolled his eyes. "Oh no... we're gonna look like clow-..."

Then he saw them; they ALL did.

"WHOA-Ho-HOOOOOO NELLY! Look at that!" Clap admiringly cried out as she saw them. "Those are TOP-NOTCH, Siddy!"

"... I have to admit; they are pretty cool," Mica agreed.

"I-i-is... Is that for th-th-this one's use? Oh - i-it is hooded!" Gypsy smiled.

"Lady Siddy... are those... 'sixes' on the back?" Wart looked to her. "Are these our uniforms for being the Siddy Six?"

"... okay, I admit it," Cupcake grinned, "I COMPLETELY underestimated him; these are nifty!"

"Nifty!?" Clap stressed, "they're at least 20% cooler than just 'nifty!'"

"I was surprised too," Obsidian admitted, "as his previous designs for clothing were done simply because he was amused that, no matter how ugly, they still sold due to his growing fame."

She still didn't understand the motivations behind such a choice... but she wasn't Quartz, so she simply chalked it up as 'his mind, not mine' and let it go.

"And yes, Stalwart - for the Siddy Six." Well, it looked as though that ridiculous name had stuck. "Let's try them out. He says he made each of the suits proofed against Amber's magic... and yet, I wonder if they have any more surprises for us to discover?"

Each of her friends began to don their outfits, as did Obsidian herself.

"OOOH! Mine's got LOTSA pockets!"
"Hoof covers - nice."
"This fits like a glove, Sidster! Even my Wonderbolt training suit doesn't fit this good!
It's almost like I'm wearing nothing at all! WOW!"
"It... it fits me! Lady Siddy - did he already have our measurements? This fits WONDERFULLY!"
"Oh... ohhhhhhh, the p-p-pockets! It is l-like he knows what w-w-we needed!"

Each of her friends, wearing their suits, looked... well, they looked like heroes.

"I could get used to having this many pock-... p-pockets to... uhm... w-wow..." Cupcake tapered off his words, which prompted the rest to look up.

"Yo, Siddy... is that YOUR outfit!?" Clap's eyes went wide, as did her smile. "It looks TOTALLY AWESOME!"

"We all do!" Obsidian exclaimed happily. At least they'd stopped worrying so much about Amber and The Umbra... and if they were going to die, they'd do it looking sharp.

... oh THAT wasn't a nice thought. Nope. No thinking about death. Nope, nope, nope.

"Okay... let's go. To the Empire, my friends!"

A few lever pulls, and the anchor lifted; though the setup for such was far more 'showy' on Celestia's airship, the Pie ship (oddly enough) seemed to be more practical... plus, it was much faster to reel up.

"Okay," Mica gathered them around the wheel, so Cup could listen in too, "what's the plan here? How are we doing this? I have a few ideas, but I want to know what YOU have in mind, Siddy - so spill it. What are we doing, exactly?"

"Are we gonna sneak inside?" Cup asked.

Bold of them to assume she had any plan.

"My siblings are onboard Celestia's airship and hopefully, they shall have more luck with finding anypony else who could also be alerted and gathered. We need to get our airship as close to the cave with the Umbral Altars in it, where Amber may likely - it should be safer and quicker than climbing the ancient ropes there."

Seed. Glyphs. Important...

"Do any of you happen to have any additional glyphs? Or perhaps you know about any sort of weapons this ship has available? Cuppy, we can't plan ahead without knowledge of what we already have..."

Cupcake grinned. "We have exactly sixteen glyph-blankets, eighty-two pre-filled water balloons, twenty one bottle rockets, a dozen smoke bombs, and seven parachutes. Aside from that - we have... uhh, good intentions, a can-do attitude, and... minty-fresh breath?"

"And," Clap added, "I brought the duffel bag with the lightning rods in it, so we've got those, too!"

"I have brought only one other thing, aside from my equipment, Lady Siddy..." Wart's horn lit up, and a blanket-wrapped long object floated over to Obsidian. When it was right in front of her, the little mare whisked the blanket away to reveal...

It was a LANCE!

"Happy Hearthswarming," she said with a grin.

A LANCE!

Obsidian grabbed it and hugged it... then she grabbed Stalwart and hugged her too. "Thank you, Stalwart! I am now ready to groove a smiling face into Amber's shard!"

Wart grinned and returned the hug, "Aye, Your Majesty... and we shall do exactly that!"

She released her smol friend and turned to face them all. "It seems we have plenty of weapons that could be used to distract Amber. Remember, Flurry Heart is still in there, fighting to regain herself - we can actually try to use our glyph-blankets to possibly provide any bit of help we can to disrupt Amber's control over her. However, the main goal here is to stop her long enough for my siblings to join us. Together... well, I sincerely doubt even stupid Amber would be able to stop us!"

Hopefully. And there was also a chance that Opal could actually succeed and bring Ruby back to them.

Now, she just had to find that seed...

"Hey, nobody said we were supposed to bring presents," Mica joked in his typical deadpan manner.

"Yeah - but we brought some anyway!" Clap smirked. "I figured a whole bag full of lightning rods would be helpful!"

"True," Mica pondered, "but when-"

"E-e-excuse, please.... b-but you sh-should all come and s-see this..."

Beneath them, veritable rivers of Umbral Harnesses were following the ship from the ground... no, not following... they were all gathering somewhere ahead of them; somewhere like the Crystal Empire, perhaps?

"Hopefully they're not planning to combine into one gigantic Umbral Harness - I don't think we would be even the slightest bit prepared for something like that," Obsidian mused, both relieved that the morbid machines weren't coming after them... and worried that they were doing something else entirely. "Cup, what about the weapons already onboard this ship?"

Cupcake saluted with a smile. "Aside from what I listed before? Well... we can always throw Wart at the enemy, but I'd rather save her for the big push! She technically counts as an army all by herself!"

Wart grinned at that.

"But otherwise, we hav-"

BOOM!<

The airship shuddered, and everyone looked back to see what had caused to problem... and saw that their airship was being followed by flying orbs...

Thousands of them.

The air behind them was a black cloud of the winged explosives; the flood of harnesses beneath them were releasing the little balls of death into the air as they passed, and the whole mass of them were making their way towards the airship!

Clap gawked for a moment, then looked to Obsidian. "You guys keep this ship in the air; I'm gonna find us a place to land - the LAST thing we want is to get blown out of the air!"

With that, as if someone had proposed a race, the pegasus took off like a shot ahead of their flight path.

Author's Note

Amber, Daughter of Sombra

BITCH QUEEN OF EQUESTRIA

=[XOX]=

And here we go, friends - the final battle is rapidly approaching, and Obsidian and company are headed directly into the proverbial lion's den. They might not have an army of machines to do their bidding, nor access to alicorn magic... but they have the power of Friendship, and if you're ANY sort of fan of My Little Pony, you already know what THAT is capable of!

And finally, Amber reveals her true form - the picture here by Magfen does her absolute justice, and she looks incredibly visceral and wicked. I love the artwork of each of the shards, but this one has to be the most visual translation of a character I've ever seen.

Hold onto your butts, folks - this ride's about to get BUMPY.

};)