Obsidian: Daughter of Sombra

by Randimaxis

First published 5th of January, 2020

Discovered after a thousand years, Obsidian awakens to a world she knows nothing of and has to learn the magic of friendship - will she be changed by Equestria? Or follow in her father's footsteps to change Equestria instead?

In an alternate timeline, roughly 30 years after the reappearance of the Crystal Empire, Obsidian, a unicorn with Dark Magic at her command, is awoken from her slumber in a secret chamber, only to discover the world has changed greatly since her time under her father's heavy hoof. As she is integrated into society, she is commanded by the Princess of Friendship to make friends and learn how to adapt to the new world around her.

Though she has her... issues... she ends up meeting some interesting individuals, and begins to acclimate to pony society. But the question remains: will she be changed by Equestria... or will she rise to change Equestria herself?

{Cover art by the wonderful hand of Lord Valtasar}

One: Welcome To The Future

Obsidian didn't know where she was being taken.

Oh, she knew that she'd made a mistake. As soon as she felt the binds of magic falling off from her body, she decided to greet the pony who - she thought - had just set her free. In her stupidity and hastiness, she did it while still half-blind after a prolonged magical exile into the frozen wastelands - and thus, doomed herself.

"Greetings, my most honourable father," she said obediently, unaware of the fact that her parent was not actually present. The young princess realized her mistake only when she blinked a few times to clear her vision - and saw guards around her, and a white, elder unicorn with a blue yet graying mane, elegant armor and a small diadem on his head in front of her.

She did not receive any answers - nor asked for them. It would be pointless; armed guards from unknown nations aren't exactly 'welcoming' to princesses if they are in no mood to talk. Considering the fact that she couldn't see her father anywhere, she had very bad feelings about this. A thought about resisting appeared in her mind for a while - would it be the best possible option to stand, fight and hopefully die with dignity and glory?

Yet... Obsidian hesitated, not out of any sort of cowardace, but by the realization that only as a living pony could she find out what was going on, or where her father was.

For a few moments, the elder unicorn was asking all the questions. She did not respond with words, simply shaking or nodding her head to indicate a 'yes' or 'no'. They knew she was aware of 'Slave Lord Sombra'... but not to what extent. They also realized she was just a mere teenager, just a few steps from reaching adulthood... and it seemed to ease the tension, as if they were expecting her to attack them at any moment.

They took her... somewhere. Teleportation, coupled with a ride in a chariot, left her disoriented. Yet eventually, she was brought into a strange palace of interesting and shockingly alien (at least to her) architecture - and that was where she and the guards escorting her stopped in the hall, as if waiting for something... or someone.

Obsidian was starting to feel a rather unfamiliar feeling - hope. They weren't torturing her. They weren't even brutal. True, they were insulting her father, calling him a 'tyrant', but as long as her body and mind were intact, she was able to fight. For him. For herself.

Her appearance was anything but plain. As a princess of the Slave Lord's empire, she had been treated rather harshly by her father; he was always claiming that 'crown princesses need to learn the hardships of life to rule properly', hence her mane and coat weren't as well-cared for as most would expect. Originally, she'd been born with stark white fur and a red mane, but the Dark Magic lessons given to her by her father started to leave a mark on her - it turned her fur gray, and there were black patches in her mane. Even her horn was slightly curved - not as much as her father's, but enough to be... noticeable.

When the door opened, the unicorn stallion that appeared there didn't look like royalty - he looked like a paper-pusher.

He had a tan coat that was well-enough kept and trimmed, trimmed hooves, a pair of spectacles that sat primly on his muzzle and the posture of a military stallion. He wore a white collared shirt with a belt that held small pouches, and had a notepad hanging from a silver chain around his neck, with a pencil in his chest pocket.

His mane, however, was something to see; it was floofy, curly, large, and hot pink. BRIGHT hot pink. He gave her a passing look, then spoke to the guards with a voice that held a somewhat authoritarian nature, yet sounded as if he were tired of having to deal with situations such as this.

"She doesn't look that dangerous; let's see what we can do from here. Shall we go to the Rarity Suite?"

The guards saluted, then began to escort both her and her 'guest' along the hallway. He looked over at her again, and then adjusted his glasses as he refocused on where he was going.

This stallion was starting to remind Obsidian of a few particular slaves from the castle, namely the ones that were overseeing the finances, production and so on - but far more healthy-looking than the ones her father had used. His mane was especially strange - back in the Empire, King Sombra would probably have ordered him to be shaved bald, just to avoid any reason to look at this eyesore.

However... he'd insulted her. 'Doesn't look dangerous'? Did he know whom he was talking to? If there weren't guards so close by, she would be more than happy to show him how dangerous she was... but, alas, it would be a foolish thing to risk any injury in this situation. She was still without any proper knowledge about her current status; she just knew that a lot of things were very, very wrong.

"Rarity suite..?" she asked eventually, the very first words she'd spoken in quite a while. The stallion gave her a sidelong glance.

"She speaks."

Of course she speaks - she wasn't a dumb mule! Was he trying to insult her even more?

He turned to look at her, addressing her directly.

"Yes, the Rarity Suite - one of the finest suites in the castle. In fact, I'd dare say one of the most opulent in all of Equestria - after all, Aunt Rarity wouldn't want anyone to think she wasn't worth the very best, hmmm?"

He gave the smallest of smug smiles.

"And I'd rather prefer a comfortable atmosphere while I ask questions - it helps bring forth more honest answers, I've discovered. And, when it comes to finding things out, you'll discover that I'm very good at it."

He looked directly at her. "Of course, it all depends on your cooperation - as long as you answer my questions, things will be fine." His look then darkened, and the small smile vanished as his stare bored into her.

"I wouldn't make things... 'not-fine'. Understood?"

Was he trying to intentionally anger her to make her cast some of her Dark Magic? Bah, even if he was, it was completely and utterly futile; she was trained to deal with her emotions by her most honourable father... if HE wouldn't know how to deal with his own anger, the whole world would probably already be under his iron hoof... or simply burned away.

Aunt Rarity - that sounded important. If her suite was really that good, then maybe she was a local noblemare? Just who was this stallion, then? He said something about questions, so she expected some form of torture... but at the moment, nothing really indicated they would do so; apparently, their interrogation techniques were somewhat different from those used by her most honourable father.

"It's all up to you," she replied in a calm, collected voice.

He smiled more broadly at that. "Good, good - glad to see you're putting me in charge, here."

They finally stopped at a room with an ornate, iron-wrought door. It was carved and shaped to include swirls, curves, and a LOT of the color purple. The three blue diamonds that graced the handle looked to be the final nail to give the doorway all the elegance of a gilded coffin.

"In you go - and me as well."

He turned to the guards. "Two here, two at each end of the hallway, and one outside the window. Have six unicorns in reserve, in case things... go south. Otherwise, I'll take it from here."

Was he truly so incompetent as to give orders to the guards right in front of her? Perhaps it was some form of code, or intentionally misleading... or, he was an idiot. Obsidian was beginning to suspect the third option was the more likely one.

The guards saluted, then took the positions they were told to. The tan stallion then reached over and opened the doorway.

"After you," he said with a silky smooth smile.

Whoever this stallion was, however, she just mentally blacklisted him. She was determined to find a way to deal with his attitude, sooner or later. Maybe even experiment a bit with some of the more interesting spells she knew, perhaps. He was just too annoying for his own good; a proper lesson of humility in the face of a true princess would be a blessing for him.

At least he acknowledged that he needed a number unicorns to deal with her, 'just in case'.

And BLEAH, the room was distasteful. Horrid. The purple and white motif was an eyesore to her, as was the rather flagrantly decadent four-post bed, the exceedingly scrimshawed and fanciful wooden dressers and bureaus, and the overall appearance of some court fop's nightmare. It was nearly as much of an eyesore as this stallion's mane was.

Some nobles seemed to like this kind of decadent luxury, but it was merely a sign of rot in their very souls. Whoever this Rarity was, she was probably already corrupt - a victim of her own greed for fancy things. After all, who would need so many carpets? Tapestries? This entire room was practically screaming that its owner liked to waste resources.

Obsidian already didn't like this 'Rarity', whomever she was.

She sighed and entered anyway; the sooner they were finished, the better. Besides, she wanted to gain a bit of knowledge herself. The stallion followed in after her and, with a knowing look to the guards, he closed the door behind him.

"Alright, I suppose this would be a place to begin... best as I'll get, I'd wager. Please, have a seat... or not, no skin off my flank."

No skin off... what? What did he mean? Was that yet another insult? Regardless, she took a seat anyway. This stallion had already gotten under her skin, so it didn't change his standing with her too much, regardless of whether or not he could annoy her even more.

He waved vaguely to the furniture as he lifted his notepad with a hoof and examined some writing on one of the pages. When she risked a glance at the notebook, she could swear it just looked like so much gibberish scrawled on the page.

"My name is Lemon Custard, and I am here today because you are a problem we have to handle, somehow. As the leaders of Equestria and the Crystal Empire have stated, you are NOT to simply be 'dealt with', as that isn't how we handle things here."

He looked at the paper again, and smirked. "We're not very keen on torture here, unlike some ponies."

Ok, so she wasn't about to be tortured... that sounded quite good, and it meant that her captors were probably weak in their mercy. Alternatively, they perhaps simply wanted to keep her as a hostage, out of fear of her father, and wanted to mask it as mercy - she had to be careful to not underestimate them.

Returning his gaze to her, he lifted an eyebrow.

"Before we begin, I'm required by my position to ask you if there's anything you'd need, or perhaps anything you'd wish to say before I start?"

He looked at her with a poker face; there was no telling what he was thinking at the moment.

"One thing: exactly how many days have passed since my most honourable father fought with Celestia and Luna?"

She had asked the very first thing that came to her mind - after all, she was curious how much time passed since King Sombra decided to hide her, to avoid any... interruptions while he was dealing with the incoming invaders.

Lemon gave her a solid, weighty and serious look as he answered.

"We discovered you within Sombra's vaults, locked away tightly and undisturbed during your time there. The battle with your father took quite some time, but eventually our Princesses emerged victorious... but your father would have none of it, and selfishly cursed the entire Crystal Empire into a limbo-like dimension..."

He closed his eyes and gave the softest of sighs.

"A curse that lasted for a thousand years."

When he looked at her now there was no mockery or judgmental stare... there was only a weary sort of empathy. "You have been asleep for quite a long time, madam."

A.... thousand years? It was impossible... it was a lie... there was no possible way she had been displaced for so long! She showed no outward sign of distress at this, but inwardly she was having a difficult time merely accepting what this obviously foolish stallion was trying to tell her... but, if he was right...

That was quite a big number to bear; if it was only a year or two, maybe even ten years, Obsidian would be very concerned about it, but a thousand years? She had problems with the mere comprehension of this fact, let alone facing it properly. She blinked quickly a few times as she was processing this new information.

A thousand years... locked in the vault, while the world was changing around her... a thousand years...

Her father was wise. That was probably a part of his plan and she simply didn't understand its meaning, but...

A THOUSAND YEARS!

Why? How? Where was her most honourable father right now? Why didn't HE find her first if he still had enough power to curse an entire country?

She had many questions - but at the moment was too dumbstruck to ask any of them.

The stallion looked at her for a moment.

"Speechless, I see. Not surprising; were I to encounter such a development, I'm sure I wouldn't know what to say about it, either."

Of course she was speechless - she'd just learned that ten whole centuries had passed during her sleep! He turned a few pages in his notebook, then Lemon cleared his throat and spoke in a formal manner.

"My beginning question to you would be for you to state your name and occupation. Though we may have it on Royal record, I still have to ask this question first. Protocol, don't you know?"

So many things to learn about, so much knowledge to catch up on... Obsidian didn't lose any friends or acquaintances during her hiatus from reality... mostly because she didn't have any... but she was also terrified that so many things she knew were probably obsolete, and yet excited to learn about new discoveries.

She was just damn good at hiding it.

"Princess Obsidian, under the Honourable Lord King Sombra, and heir to the Crystal Empire. Currently not occupying any country."

Occupation... it was a strange question, wasn't it? She fully understood the meaning of protocol, though - after all, procedures were important; they were made to make life more ordered, and Obsidian really, really liked order.

"Excellent, good, wonderful. I'm sure Princess Cadence will just love to hear that." He took up his pencil and jotted down what looked to be notes... yet it only looked like more scribble. Finishing, he set down the writing utensil and looked at her again.

His eyes were a sharp teal color; they almost shined, they were so bright. Totally in opposition to his (mostly) neat and serious appearance. That mane, though...

"Second question: What are your immediate intentions? Do you plan to follow in your father's hoofsteps, or are you more interested in something more... modern?"

Intentions? As in, what she wanted to do right now? Well, the most obvious answer would be 'wait for my father'... but she had no idea how much time that would take. In the meantime... she had to do something. As in, choose it herself. Without any input from her father, teachers and so on.

Now THAT was something completely new.

Normally tomorrow would be fencing lessons, and after that either etiquette or history. After that, meditation...

"It's every child's duty to follow their parent's hoofsteps. I... do not know any modern alternatives," she replied after a moment. Well, perhaps she did, but it wasn't clear yet as to which ones were viable, and which were not.

Lemon frowned distinctly at her words.

"I... wouldn't recommend that course of action. Your father was certainly present here a number of years back; when the empire reappeared, he did as well. The Crystal Heart - not to mention the Element Bearers and Master Spike - valiantly fought against him."

He now gave her a direct look. "And won."

He made another scribble-note, then looked to her again.

"As for what's available... that's understandable. We'll be more than happy to do what we can to integrate you into society as smoothly as possible."

His eyes narrowed a bit. "So long as you behave yourself, of course."

His glare vanished as he went on. "What skills or assets do you possess? After all, we can hardly be expected to assist you in rejoining Equestria without knowing where you'll likely fit best, now can we, Obsidian?"

"Princess Obsidian," she corrected him. As long as he was referring to her as 'you' it was all fine... but her name was to be used only with her title. It was important to her. "I was learning fencing, magic, etiquette and several liberal arts. Custom education for an heir apparent, as far as I know."

Hmm... Crystal Heart, Element Bearers, Spike (whoever that was) - it had taken a lot to take down her father, then? She had no doubts that his so-called 'defeat' was only short-lived; she merely had to wait until his grand return, and then Equestria will shatter before his might!

But wait... that meant that HER Crystal Empire was under foreign rule? Now, that was annoying... and effectively changed her title to 'Princess In Exile', as well. Humph.

"What happened with my father after this... fight you've mentioned," she asked him eventually. She peeked at her own cutie mark - a Crystal Heart, surrounded by a Dark Magic aura.

"Princess," he spoke up, "is a title for those who are royalty... and, according to my records, you no longer are. So, I hope you'll understand if I don't attach the... 'title'... to your name. Obsidian."

He didn't seem as if he was amused; he looked as though he were trying to deal with an unruly child, instead of a lovely young princess like herself.

"Your father's fate... hmmmm..."

He pondered for a moment, then said simply, "He was defeated - by the very Crystal Heart you bear on your flank."

After a moment, he added, genuinely, "My sympathies. He may have been a monster, but losing a parent is no fun."

He then straightened, wrote more notes, then looked back at her again.

"Fencing... not much market, as there hasn't been much call for it since Equestria came to peace. Etiquette, we have too many teachers for. Liberal arts... you may have to elaborate, there. But there's always a use for magic... unless..."

He sighed. "I assume your father must have bestowed some Dark Magic unto you, else your coat wouldn't look as... shaded... as it is. Which, of course, Dark Magic is illegal in Equestria. Consider yourself informed."

He made a number of notes now, and took up two pages doing so.

"Obsidian, DO you want to reintegrate into Equestrian society? I mean, it's your decision to make... and it's an important one. You do want to be social, don't you?"

More and more annoying news. As far as Obsidian was concerned she didn't learn anything positive since she woke up. What's worse, she was slowly getting hungry - after all, her last meal was... well, more than thousand years ago. She could handle it for now, but the growing void in her stomach was irritating her almost as much as this stallion.

"Legal children of royalty are royalty as well, so as long as my honourable father didn't disinherit me, I am royalty. It's not as if it is a job one can quit," she replied with an utter deadpan look plastered on her muzzle. It didn't seem as though she was concerned about the news of her parent's (supposed) demise.

"Liberal arts are septem artes liberales. Grammar, logics, math, history, geometry, astronomy and the arts... and it doesn't sound as if I have any possible alternatives to reintegration, am I correct?"

She most certainly wasn't used to be asked what she wanted to do. As far as she was concerned, most of her life consisted of what others were choosing for her - mainly her father, of course.

"Legally, Sombra was seen as a tyrant," Lemon said, "and his royalty status was revoked by court decision, along with Chrysalis and a number of others. YOU have no kingdom, no subjects, and no palace. As far as Equestria is concerned, you're just a pampered citizen of a long-gone era. And I don't have time for foppishness, nor supposed entitlements of dispossessed regality."

He gave her a long look. "Obsidian."

He was a dead pony. Ooooh, so much a dead pony! Not only he was insulting her in many ways, especially not paying the proper respect to her royal status, but he also dared to call her 'pampered'! She only knew this damnable word from the dictionary; it had no basis in the sort of life she had led. For the first time since she came here, she showed her irritation, squinting her eyes at the rude stallion.

He cleared his throat again, and after a few more jotted notes, he returned his gaze to her.

"And there are alternatives, of course... I hear 'exile' is fairly popular this season, as is 'statuing' you up, or even just an 'apartment' in Tartarus could be arranged..."

He sighed, shut his eyes, and spoke earnestly.

"You are the child of a mad former monarch, and as such, we have to observe you to be CERTAIN you aren't about to do as your daddy did - a likely reason you were assigned to an Equestrian location rather than falling under the purview of the Crystal Empire. Therefore, if you do work with us until we're sure you're safe, we can likely talk about other alternatives such as living in other countries, or in solitude if you like..."

"But we can't just let you go, no. Behave, and we'll talk. Misbehave, and well..." he shook his head, "we have ways of handling that, as well."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then scribbled another note and looked up.

"Is there possibly a profession you have experience with, or am I to assume you never worked a job before?"

She continued to glare at Lemon as she replied. "I was supposed to take up some royal duties after reaching adulthood, but nothing like that before this date. So... no."

He sighed, nodded, jotted another note.

"Of course, you have no job experience. It would have been FAR too easy if you had, and I keep getting the distinct feeling this assignment is going to be anything but easy."

"Alright, then - we will have to find you a place to live, a job, and possibly enroll you in an appropriate school. For now, you are allowed to use the Rarity Suite as your bedroom, but I wouldn't get too attached to it; once we find a place for you, we can work with what comes after that."

Wonderful. Her revenge was going to take a while, apparently, but she had to get to it quick, before they put some sort of burden not fit for a princess on her. It was bad enough that they were going to put her in this dreadful, terrible room.

"For now, you'll sleep here. The Map Room, Royal Library and Princess Twilight's personal chambers are all restricted areas, so I'll thank you to stay out of them - they will be labelled as such. Food can be found either in the dining hall or the kitchen, should you have the ability to cook your own food."

"This suite has a bathroom with a walk-in tub; I'd advise you utilize that as soon as we're done here. Once I leave, you'll be set up with a liaison to escort you." He stared at her. "Don't. Ditch. Them. You don't want to know what sort of thing happens to those who break our trust."

He sat back. "Do you prefer a mare or a stallion as a liaison?"

"I have no preferences in this matter," she replied truthfully before she realized she heard something very, very interesting.

She focused properly on the stallion in front of her. "Wait. Of all places in this castle, I'm restricted from the library?" She had an almost pleading quality to her voice.... almost. For her, anyway, it was practically like begging.

He absently nodded. "Yes, from the library as well - Princess Twilight has a number of magic books ensconced within, and with no clue as to your true intentions, I'm afraid we simply can't risk you learning new tricks. Prove our trust in you is warranted, and that will change, most likely."

He glanced up at her. "Seeing a re-occurring theme, here?"

He made a few more notes, stood up and looked her over once more.

"I'll attempt to arrange for some clothing for you - we're not barbarians, after all. And I'll send a liaison I can trust to keep an eye on you, as well as answer questions you may have, direct you to places you need to go, blah blah blah."

He stood there, looking at her for a moment more with a very steady, serious gaze.

"Any further questions for me, or are you as eager for me to depart as I am?"

She needed to get to the books... any books! Her knowledge was one thousand years obsolete, and she simply couldn't walk around not knowing anything! As far as she was concerned, without her father she could just sit in the library as much as she wanted to. Wouldn't that be a perfect life? But alas - as a princess, she had her duties - so luxuries like that were outside of her reach.

Wait... Princess Twilight? Maybe it was Celestia's or Luna's descendant...

"Questions later," she replied shortly. Now, where was this bathroom..?

Lemon nodded to himself. "Very well - until we speak again, Obsidian... behave yourself, and these occasions will be few and far between." With that, he left.

GAH! The bathroom was just as frou-frou as the bedroom! Lacy toilet covers, a silver and gold inlay sink basin, and the bathtub itself was carved with more needless scrimshaw. There was a massive mirror over a marble and oak vanity table, and there were a few bits of makeup within the drawers.

Too bad they weren't her color.

Author's Notes:

This is lovingly adapted from a roleplay between myself and Wungiel; hopefully, it reads out better after editing.

The original roleplay with Obsidian lasted... I'd estimate a little over a year. When we'd finished it, I took a cue from Illiad Easle, my dear friend and fellow co-author of A Cultural Exchange, and decided to write it out so that everyone could enjoy it. Ultimately, my want to entertain won out, and here we are.

Lemon Custard, I created to act as a pressure point for the opener; someone who would help define where we were starting at. He's very much one of those types who's seen enough to be a touch jaded, so his interactions here are more about him chalking up another concern. Hence his sourness. More on him later, though; you'll see.

Two: Meanie

Who wastes so many resources on a bathroom?

Whoever created this room had to be insane. She was missing her Crystal Empire, where nopony would make something as terribly, wastefully opulent as this place was! Slaves were too poor and too busy to think about it, and her honourable father was too intelligent to waste his precious time.

Still, she was only interested in bathing - it was almost a luxury, but she was feeling dirty after walking around so much today. And of any sort of make-up... who cared? She'd never had any sort of female role model, and it's not like her father would have taught her how to use it. The bath, at least, was wonderful - the water warm, the tub roomy, and even if the decor wasn't exactly to her liking, it still muffled noise enough to make it a quiet bath as well.

Though the soak was most certainly exquisite, it was only about five minutes in before she heard a knock at the suite door. The knock was rapid and staccato, like a woodpecker trying to get at a grub. Worse? It didn't stop; after about a minute, it was obvious that it wasn't going to stop until there was some sort of response from within.

Worse than that, it was slowly growing louder...

She had wasted FAR too much time here; it should have been a quick bath - get in, clean herself up, get out. She practically jumped out of the tub, drying herself with one of the frilly towels hanging nearby.

"I'm on my way! Wait a moment!" she shouted, hopeful that it would be enough. Who was that? If it was her liaison, then they would already know that she was in here! As quickly as possible, not even bothering to make anything decent out of her soaking wet mane, Obsidian trotted to the doors to open them.

When she opened them, standing there was an incredibly muscular orange mare, flanked by what had to be the most handsome stallion Obsidian had ever laid eyes on before.

The stallion had a sky blue coat, and large green eyes that shined like emeralds. His mane was short, neat and plain, and his horn was average sized, but seemed to have an extra-sharp point. He had muscle, but compact and wiry instead of bulky.

The bulky muscle was on the mare. Standing nearly two heads taller than the unicorn, she looked more like a bodybuilder than anything - and her coat and hooves bore the telltale signs of being a hard-working sort. Her amber eyes were about the only visibly soft thing about her.

The unicorn stallion's hoof was the one lifted to the door, still knocking in midair for a moment before he realized what he was doing and put his hoof down, sheepishly.

"Miss Obsidian, ma'am..?" The strong earth pony mare's drawl was thick, making it sound like she spoke slowly. "We were told to see to you and yer needs. So we're here ta do that. I'm Butter Churn, and this here's-"

"Cupcake Sprinkles! Nice ta meetcha!" The unicorn smiled broadly, revealing what appeared to be candy bits stuck between his teeth - just enough to give them a bit of color, but not enough to look disgustingly unkempt.

Churn gave a short chuckle. "Don't mind him - he's always onna sugar rush, but he's also just as sweet."

Cupcake rolled his eyes with a grin. "And don't mind her - she's slow but steady, and is as reliable as the day is long!"

They both stood there, waiting for her response.

Wonderful - now they had a numerical advantage! Well, to be fair, they'd had it before as well, especially with the large number of unicorns guarding her, but this time two ponies were talking to her at once. And talking a lot.

She was already missing her wonderful Crystal Empire; such a quiet & calm place, where nopony was talking without her father's approval...

It was strange to think that for her those times were literally hours ago, not a thousand years.

So... these two were servants? They surely didn't look like liaison officers... or maybe they did? After all, she had never really seen one before. However, they were talking about her needs, so they had to be servants... right?

"Are you... liaisons?" she asked eventually, a bit discouraged by their intrusive explosion of speech.

The two of them exchanged a look, then grinned.

"Well, that's YOUR choice, ma'am. If'n ya want me ta stay fer it, I can. I was sent to make sure you got what you need," Churn drawled.

"Or you could pick me, and I'd be happy as a pig in mud to talk all about the kingdom, the Mane Six, Ponyville, the various castles... whatever you'd like! I LOOOOOOOVE to talk!"

Churn rolled her eyes and nodded, but with a smile.

"We're here fer you ta pick from... though I'm purdy sure if you pick one, th' other'll be around, once inna while."

"Yeah! We're SFOMs!" Cupcake said with enthusiasm.

Churn gave a chuckle. "He means Siblings From Other Mothers; we're kinda close pals, me an' him."

"Yeah! But there's always room for more friends! Like you, for example! I can hardly wait to see what sort of stuff you come up with as presents for Hearthswarming!"

"Cup," Churn said, "we don't even know if'n she likes us yet - hold yer horses."

One way or another she was going to suffer, Obsidian realized. The mare was speaking less (but still far too much for her tastes), but she was barely able to understand that thick accent. On the other hoof, the weird stallion seemed to be very enthusiastic to talk about the world outside, but at the same time he was SO ANNOYING! She was going to have a headache if he was here for much longer.

But... she had to choose. If she had to have a servant - no, not a servant, a liaison - then at least both of them looked somewhat qualified. The first one could provide her with her needs, the second one with information, and considering that she didn't have any access to the library here...

Obviously she didn't like them, but she could at least put one of them to good use.

"My choice, correct? Then you, methinks," she nodded at Cupcake, with a grim realization that she is going to loathe herself for it... but she needed this knowledge.

The stallion's smile threatened to split his skull in half. "AWESOME! I just KNEW you were gonna pick me! I had this feeling, see? Like, my right front hoof was itchy, so that meant you had me in mind the entire time! Crazy-cool, am I right?"

Churn gave a soft chuckle. "Hope you ain't a fan o' silence, ma'am."

She then turned to Cupcake. "Alright, Cup - now, don't be drivin' Miss Obsidian nuts with yer river o' words, okay? She may wanna hear about the world around her an' stuff, but I'm purdy sure she ain't gonna wanna hear it all today, y'understand?"

Cupcake giggled like a schoolfilly. "Yeah, yeah, yeahyeahyeah! I know! I mean, I'll try not to overdo it..." he grinned at Obsidian, "but I got a LOOOOOT to say!"

Obsidian already regretted her choice.

Churn rolled her eyes with a smile, then faced the young nob-... the young EX-noble.

"Ma'am, even though yer choosin' Cup, that don't mean I ain't gonna do nothin' for ya at'all - I'm just not gonna be around as much as Cup will. He's excitable, but a good pony - y'ain't got nothin' ta worry about with him."

"Oh, stoooooop it! We'll be just fine, Churn! You have GOT to lighten up a bit more around company! After all, if you'd have been a bit more cordial and stuff, YOU would be the one leading her around and telling her stuff she should know!"

The large earth pony lifted an eyebrow at Obsidian. "Anythin' I can try ta find for ya? I'm purdy good at findin' stuff, so it might not be as much of a fail as you'd think. I can work on that while you an' Cup tour the castle... which I'm mighty sure Cup will want."

Alas, she just happened to be a big 'fan' of silence, but she was also a 'fan' of knowledge; in this particular case, it was impossible to get both at the same time, it seemed... so it was the most obvious choice. But this stallion was really, really loud and obnoxious. She wasn't sure what exactly Butter meant by 'good pony' - quite probably her own meaning for this term was a bit different than Obsidian's. If a pony was serving well, he was good pony - and that was all.

A quick flash of suffering passed over Obsidian's muzzle.

"At the moment I only want - and need - books. My knowledge may be a bit... er... obsolete, and I feel as though I need to correct this problem," she asked patiently of the earth pony mare.

Churn pondered for a moment. "Well... I got a few books, I reckon - I can try ta bring 'em by later on today, if'n ya like?"

Just... how old were these two? They were acting more like children than adults - at least children that had never met noble King Sombra, of course.

"Yeah, sure, okay... just leave them on the doorstep - I'm pretty sure we're gonna be busy today! Right?" Cupcake slipped her a wink and a smile; he apparently had plans to be as talkative as possible.

Oh. Joy.

"Welp... guess I best get back to the farm - you behave yerself now, ya hear me, Cupcake?"

He nodded vigorously, then gave the large mare a quick hug. "Later on, Cornpone."

She smiled and hugged back. "You bet yer fur." She turned to Obsidian and gave a polite nod. "Ma'am."

With that, the muscular-looking mare stepped quietly out of the room, closing the door behind her. However, this seemed to be some sort of cue, and Cupcake suddenly leapt into the air and tossed up a hoofful of confetti.

"Yay, new friend is NEW! Awesome! So!"

He sat on the edge of the bed, bouncing a bit as he did. His cutie mark, now that she could see it, was a cupcake, loaded with so many sprinkles there were a few loose ones at the base of the yummy-looking pastry.

"Whatcha wanna know about, Siddy!? Can I call you Siddy? I bet I can't, so I shouldn't, but it still sounds SO nifty! Ha ha HA, listen to me go on! Okay, so... you say you need information, and I'd be MORE than happy to give you information! So... whatwhatwhat you wanna knooooowwwww!!!!!"

His enthusiasm threatened to make Obsidian's headache into a migrane.

Perhaps killing him wouldn't be an entirely bad idea. Everypony might possibly forgive her, or maybe even celebrate it... no, Lemon Custard didn't seem like a pony that could let it slip. Nope. She probably wouldn't be allowed to even scratch him. Too bad; maybe it could help encourage him enough to get him into a more useful state of mind.

"Do you have to behave that way?" It was obvious that pure, unrestrained enthusiasm was exceedingly rare among Sombra's slaves, and she was beginning to understand why her father preferred to terrorize his servants into obedience.

Cupcake gave her a curious look. "Wh-what do you mean? I mean, what way am I behaving? Is it a way that you find fun and silly, to where you might be wanting to help me throw a 'Welcome Obsidian' party? OH! That would be fun! We could set up decorations, paper lanterns, streamers, balloons..."

He was looking at her as he spoke... which meant, as he listed off the things he suggested for a party, he watched the disapproval and discomfort slowly become more and more evident. His list petered out, and he lifted an eyebrow in curiosity.

"... you... aren't asking because you like the way I'm behaving... are you?"

He looked apprehensive, and perhaps a bit mollified by Obsidian's question.

"You are speaking more words in a single minute than I was normally hearing within a single day," Obsidian responded dryly. It seemed that her disapproving stare worked and she was, more or less, satisfied. Hopefully it would make him abandon his threat of a 'Welcome Obsidian party', whatever he may have been planning for that.

She didn't even want to know what streamers or balloons were.

Cupcake looked... hurt, at first. But he blinked a bit, then gave a smile. One that was a bit... smaller... than the last one, but a smile nonetheless. "Okaaaaaaay, so... I have to... what, speak slowly? Oh! Okay, I can do tha- I mean..."

He cleared his throat. "I... can... do... that... miss... Ob... sid... eee... an."

Obsidian's list of ponies to kill was growing rapidly. In the case of this particular stallion, however, killing him would be probably a mercy. His impaired and addled brain would probably welcome this release from the prison of his body.

It was truly an achievement considering that, up to this single annoying day, her list of ponies to kill was nonexistent.

"Speak less - not slowly. And not as loudly, either. Were you trying to shout me into confusion before?" She was really getting angry... and with Dark Magic illegal, that could possibly be fairly problematic soon enough.

Cupcake looked confused. "Speak... less? But not slowly? And not loud?" He scratched his mane a bit, then shrugged and sat back on the bed, taking a more relaxed pose and taking a deep breath.

"Okay. What, then?"

There was a look in his eye... one that said there may possibly be some sort of mischief a-hoof.

Did he finally understand what she was gently and kindly asking for? Obsidian could barely believe it, but maybe something finally managed to drill its' way into his thick skull. She even started to calm down, not realizing that there was a puckish look on his muzzle; her social skills weren't quite good enough to notice such a thing. Truth be told, she didn't really have any social skills to speak of; one has to be social to develop those skills, after all.

"Good. Much better. Now, whom is the owner of this castle?"

"A princess," he said... and nothing else. But he smiled.

Good enough, she supposed. "Which princess?"

"The one who lives here." Still grinning.

Never mind, he was still an idiot. Obsidian just wasn't sure if he was mocking her, or stupid enough to get into this sort of tautology.

"What is her name?" Maybe she just had to be more precise...

His smile grew. "The one she was given." Now there was a slight light in his eyes; he'd just found a new game.

Obsidian's right eye twitched. Cupcake gave her a look for a moment, then spoke up.

"Y'know... if you're really, reeeeeally trying to fit into the world around you, it probably isn't such a good idea to be so pushy about what others say to you. I mean, if you're gonna learn about someone, then it isn't a good idea to, like, stifle them."

He gave a stretch. "I mean, I didn't just blurt out, 'why are you so angry' at you, did I? That's called 'tact', and it's a pretty useful thing to have. Like, if you'd have just said, 'can you please slow down?', then I would be FAR more likely to cooperate."

He leaned up and put his muzzle right in front of hers. "Or, be not-so-nice, and get a runaround like you got just now. I'm a good pone... but I don't think I have to stand for being disrespected, and I won't."

He stood up. "Now, we wanna start over, with me not-so-rapid-fire, and you not so grumpy?"

Maybe that option of exile into Tartarus or turning into a statue wasn't so bad. This world was filled with crazy ponies, doing crazy things, and without any respect for their betters! She had only just learned that her whole world is gone as well as her father (temporarily, of course), and she already had enough of everything.

What's worse, she was getting angry, and that was most certainly a very bad thing; her most honourable father had punished her more than once for not controlling her emotions... and yet here she was, doing it again.

Obsidian sighed deeply, closed her eyes and counted to ten. Didn't help too terribly much, but it was better than nothing at all.

"Grumpy? I'm as calm as possible, all things considered!" She was really doing her best to say it as calmly as she could, but this stallion had struck a nerve inside her.

The stallion shook his head and sighed. "Okay. Keep telling yourself that. But my right ear itches, and that means that you're pretty peeved right now. Plus, the eye twitch gave it away."

He spread his forehooves wide. "Why are you so angry? I mean, you're getting all worked up because I talk a lot? Siddy, if you think I'M bad, you'll never make it out there," he pointed out the window, "because there are so many chatty pones in Ponyville alone who'd gab your ears off... 'specially my mom. She's the bestest, but..."

He glanced around conspiratorially before whispering to her. "... where do you think I got it from?"

Well, at least he started telling something useful. Ponyville... and avoid his mother like the plague. Maybe it wasn't too much, but it was still more informative than literally anything he told her before.

"But yeah," he sat back down, gesturing to her, "you obviously have some sort of issues going on in your noggin. Stuff that's bugging you, hardcore." He gave her a gentle, careful smile. "Care to talk about it?"

"Let's start with the most obvious: My father is, apparently, dead, my home is not my home anymore, and I've slept through the last thousand years. Oh, and I was informed that I'm not considered royalty anymore, as well..."

Maybe her voice was a bit more bitter than before, but she didn't exactly care right now.

Cupcake sat back a bit, eyes widening. "WHOA... that's some harsh juju, right there. No wonder you're all Funk Punk and stuff - that... well that sounds like it's absolutely NO fun at all."

His green eyes were almost electric, they were so bright as he looked at her with sympathy - not pity, but actual empathy.

But just what was this 'funk punk'? This stallion was speaking strange and alien in more ways than one - did language change that much? But it seemed that he, at last, understood that his behavior was annoying her.

"Okay, so you're dealing with a LOOOOOT right now. So, I guess the best way to start getting you back to being yourself would be for me to ask the questions for a bitty-bit, and we can try to at least help you get through what's happened."

Before, he looked like a giddy idiot, with his smile and his constant talking and moving around... but now, he was calm and collected, and though he still spoke a good bit, his voice was softer, more conversational than the blaring party pony he'd been mere moments ago.

"Right, so," he began, "would it be okay if I asked you what your father was like?"

"He was the wisest and the strongest pony I've ever known." She spoke proudly. "Stern, just and powerful. His lessons were valuable beyond gold and diamonds..." If he was asking for questions, there was no point in silence; she turned her head a bit to the side, observing him carefully. "Exactly how old are you?"

"Me?" He made a show of counting, making little symbols in the air as he tried to figure it out. "... carry the two... I'd saaaaaaaaaaay... nineteen summers. Yeah, that's about right, because that's how many birthday parties I've had. Easy to keep track THAT way, especially when Mom makes them so special!"

Birthday parties? Obsidian was somewhat familiar with this idea, but as far as she was concerned it was a complete and utter waste of time. A perfect entertainment for lesser ponies, though; it's not like they were able to make any other joy in their miserable lives, except for the enjoyment of service, that is.

Still... this stallion was three years older than her, but was behaving far, far less maturely. She wasn't sure what to think about that - was it a norm here?

Now, she wasn't sure if he had some hidden goal in his question... or maybe he was just talking. It would be quite easy to just write him off as an irritating idiot, but that pony that brought her there wouldn't possibly choose somepony stupid to take care of her, right?

He pondered her earlier words for a moment before he spoke again. "I'd always heard about how Sombra was a mean, vicious stallion with a heart of stone and a tendency to enslave ponies. That... doesn't exactly appeal to me much. But YOUR description does! I like YOUR Sombra better than THEIR Sombra."

"Oh, but of course he was vicious, with a heart of stone and of course he was enslaving ponies. I'm not sure about 'mean' part, especially as you were quite mean just a moment before..."

"Whaaaaaaaaa..?" Cupcake's eyes went wide, and he looked positively shocked.

"I wasn't MEAN! How was I MEAN? I was never MEAN! Okay, so I talk a bunch and I'm energetic and stuff - and I get that you don't like that, yeah..."

Suddenly, he leveled a stare at her. A hard one.

"... but you aren't the boss of me. Or anyone else. And if you want to make friends and live here in Equestria, I'd really thank you if you took that STICK out of your BUTT and started acting like someone who was raised royally, instead of a whiny, angst-ridden debutante who would just be another tyrant, given half a chance!"

He glared. "If you reeeeeeally want mean, I'm no stranger to it - but I don't like being mean. So, if I'm going to have ANY chance to help you, then you need to stop with the I'm-better-than-you-all attitude and act like you were raised with some sort of manners, instead of just rattling on about 'oh, woe is me' and all but demanding I act different, just for little ol' YOU."

He gave a huff. "I'm supposed to HELP you... not babysit a spoiled brat. Understood?"

Well, THIS was certainly a change in attitude!

"Now..." he smoothed back his mane (which popped right back up) and gave a long, drawn-out sigh while extending a hoof; it almost seemed like a personal meditation pose.

"... let's go back to the part before all the hullabaloo, okie dokie lokie? I'd rather be fun than angry, after all."

Now that was a lot of words. Once again Obsidian had to remind herself that she was dealing with a simpleton, that couldn't realize a value of a brief speech and was wasting far too much air...

And that he was offending her. Maybe she should try to get down to his level.

"Ah, I understand... so you are treating me in a similar fashion as you would like to be treated if you woke up surrounded by armed ponies in a strange, alien world and then find out that your father is dead?"

Wait, maybe this sarcasm would be too much for him to comprehend. Of all ponies, maybe he would enjoy getting such treatment in a similar situation? From what she could tell, it was quite possible that he would dance on her grave and walk around telling jokes about her cold, dead body, had he the chance...

She was actually getting rather angry - too many things in too short of a time. Not good.

"So yes, woe is me. Maybe you would enjoy losing everything and finding out that the world outside... it... well, I don't know, banned birthday parties or set up a daily limit for spoken words... but I do NOT consider myself to be in any sort of a comfortable situation - and DO excuse me if I'm not too keen to enjoy your antics, you... you..."

Brain-dead, useless, conceited simpleton...

Really? REALLY!? If that was the best she could come up with in her rage, then she just embarrassed herself.

However, she was trying to calm down - shouting profanities at this scatterbrain wouldn't help her current situation. Her entire body was shaking ever so slightly; most honourable King Sombra would be furious to see her behaving in such a manner!

At the word 'meanie', Cupcake's expression dropped like a slippery plate.

"M... M-m-m... M-m-meanie?" He sounded incredulous, like he'd just been slapped in the muzzle by his own mother.
"I'm n-not... I mean... i-i-it..."

Tears forming in his eyes, Cupcake jumped up and hit the door running, taking off down the hallway at a breakneck pace, heading away from Obsidian as fast as he could.

Huh, well that was unexpected.

Truth be told, it was the last reaction she would expect from an adult (barely, though) stallion. Were all future ponies that spoiled and pampered? And worse, she still didn't know anything. What a shame. The pony had been talking too much, but actually saying too little - at least she knew how to deal with this... obstacle... for future reference.

Unfortunately, it meant she had to wait for the other one to get any more basic info... and that assuming she wouldn't behave in a similar manner. After all, if she could get so angry that this simpleton ran away crying... well, that wouldn't be pleasant. So, for now, she decided to simply wait; she couldn't sneak away without her liaison, that's what the pony with the ridiculous mane had told her. A shame.

But NOW what?

The answer to that question came in the form of a voice making its' way down the hall, towards the Rarity Suite. A mare, the voice low and almost sultry, was speaking to someone, though there was no return talking to tell.

"... with me just standin' there, can you believe it? I mean, if you're gonna to insult someone, you should at least have the common courtesy to wait 'til they leave the room! Just because they don't understand doesn't mean they can just say whatever they want!"

"Mmm-hmmm." There was another voice - a stallion, from the sound of it.

"I mean, there IS such a thing as tact, y'know - something a LOT of ponies would do well to keep in mind; the way they act sometimes... you'd think they were raised in a friggin' BARN! Don't they have any shame? Decency? Sense of friggin' decorum?"

"Eh."

"What... do you think I'm overdoing it a bit? After all, they were talking about me, and ANY publicity is good publicity, right? I mean, my name is being spread around, but... do I want it to be lumped in with the words of those three?"

"Mmm-mmm."

"Exactly! They're just jealous, I guess - I mean, not everypony can look this good, can they?"

"Uh-uh."

The conversation drew closer and closer.

She heard those voices, loud and clear. Only then she realized that she should've closed the doors after Cupcake's tearful escape. Now, she just had to wait for those two ponies to walk away.

Author's Notes:

When we reached the point of 'liaisons', I gave a choice; Butter Churn or Cupcake Sprinkles. When Cupcake was chosen, I just KNEW I was gonna have some fun. Due to what comes later in the story, I'm glad I did - though a story with Butter as her guide may have gone much differently...

It should be obvious by now who Cupcake's mother is, and if it isn't, allow me to introduce you to a show called 'My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'... *chuckle*

WHY did the word 'meanie' break Cup? Simple enough: what's, like, the WORST thing that Cupcake's mother has ever said about someone? Well, that would have been impressed on a young Cup that it was the WORST thing EVER... so, even with it sounding lame to Obsidian, it was the ONE thing she could have called him to really send him packing.

"Meanie" artwork by Naiya The Brony, a talented artist who captured the emotional moment well, I thought. https://www.deviantart.com/nihithebrony

Three: Liaisons 'R' Us

The voices and hoofsteps stopped outside her doorway.

"The Rarity Suite's open? When did THAT happen? Usually, they only open it for foreign dignitaries and VIPs... and it's never just left sitting open like this! Ooooh, maybe there's a burglar! Oh, I really hope so! You got my flank, Mica?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"Great! Awesome! Now, brace yourself - I'm going IN!"

The mare came flying through the doorway to land almost dead-center in the middle of the floor, her hooves raised in a martial-arts style defensive position.

"Nobody move! Thunderclap Dash is HERE!"

The pegasus mare was undeniably athletic - she had muscles to spare, and stood almost a head taller than Butter Churn had been. She had a deep blue coat with a bright yellow mane and tail, both of which became rainbow-colored right before they reached their roots. She also looked dressed to the nines, so to speak, and was wearing fashionable workout clothing. Her cutie mark was what appeared to be a sports thermos with a tri-colored lightning bolt on the label.

The stallion simply stepped inside and gave Obsidian a deadpan look. He had a grey coat, with a light brown short-cropped mane and braided tail. He looked utterly dull, especially with Thunderclap standing right next to him. However, he was handsome in a bookish manner, and he certainly didn't waste words, either. His cutie mark was what looked like a pickaxe with a golden handle.

"Mica Chip, what the heck are you doing?"

"Observing." The first actual word he'd spoken yet. He merely leveled a look at her as Thunderclap stood down. The massive mare seemed to relax a bit and sat on one of the opulent cushioned benches, looking at Obsidian with a bit of wonder and a touch of wariness.

"Unicorn... definitely don't look like some crook... and no burglary tools. Hmmp. Well, there goes my 'incredible capture', I guess..." The mare seemed crestfallen at the realization there wasn't about to be any fighting.

The stallion rolled his eyes, then looked at Obsidian. "Hey. You lost?"

Ah, finally a pony that wasn't flapping his tongue around! It was somewhat annoying that these two barged in without asking, but this mare sounded as if she was a guardian - if Lemon Custard hadn't told everypony in this place about her, then it wasn't surprising that some ponies could act with such a suspicious nature.

"No. Lemon Custard told me to use this room as bedroom for now and my last guest... ah, forgot to close the doors as he left."

The mare gave a chuckle as Lemon's name was mentioned. "So Custard has a new project, eh? HA!" She gave a short bark of a laugh. "He's suspicious of EVERYPONY, don't worry - not at all like his brother, Cupcake. Lemon'll give you the creeps for a bit, but s'long as you're okay, then you've got nothin' to worry about!"

Now wait a second... brother? Cupcake? The egocentric idiot was Lemon's brother? Now it sounded somewhat bad; Obsidian doubted that their family was similar to hers, so if the moron decided to complain, then Lemon probably wouldn't laugh it off and order him to get a spine.

She looked at the newcomers. Hmmmm... for guards, they didn't seem to be armed. "So... who might you be?" she asked as she tried to solve this issue in a more diplomatic manner.

The stallion nodded his head and addressed Obsidian. "Mica. Clap already introduced herself, so... yeah."

Thunderclap flexed some of her muscles, then struck a pose. "Hey, a rock hard body like this needs no introduction!" She flexed a bit more, murmuring 'awwww, yeah' as she stared into the mirror across from the bed.

Mica came closer, looking her over... especially her horn. "And who're you, all set up in the Rarity Suite?"

"Princess Obsidian. I was arrested... or kidnapped; I'm still somewhat confused about my current situation." Nope, surely they were not guards. Of course, this pegasus mare seemed to be big and strong enough to handle any burglar she encountered... but did she have the right to do so?

"Do you work here, or perhaps this is where you live?" she tried to guess.

"Princess?" Thunderclap said in shock. "Wait a minute - nopony said there'd be any Princesses visiting today! WOW! Totes awes!"

The muscular mare sat down on the extravagant couch, looking out-of-place among the finery with her rough-looking nature. "Mom didn't tell me there'd be Princesses!"

Mica rolled his eyes. "Probably because you'd act all starstruck, Clap."

He then turned to face her again. "Princess? Of what kindgom?"

Hmmm, they didn't answer her question. How rude.

"I'm a daughter of the honourable King Sombra, of the Crystal Empire. The only heir... as far as I'm aware," she admitted with some hesitation. For most of time Obsidian was stuck in her rooms in the palace, so she could only hope that she didn't have any siblings in a similar situation. Her father wasn't exactly a 'family pony', but if he had her, then he could possibly have had more children as well...

"However, I was told that a lot changed since my most honourable father decided to hide me underground... a thousand years ago."

Both of them stood there for a moment, silent and unblinking. Then...

"Weeeeeelllllllll, this has been interesting, good meeting you and all, let's not keep you busy, come on Mica, we gotta go now..."

The strong-looking mare was making her way toward the door, making sure not to break eye contact with Obsidian as she made her way towards leaving.

"No."

Thunderclap froze. "Uh, Mica? You DID hear what she said, right?"

Mica looked at his friend. "I heard her. No."

Thunderclap gave a look as though she were trying to stop herself from yelling at him about what a dunce he was being... but Mica just turned back to face Obsidian again. "I'd rather stay. She seems okay."

"SHE'S SOM-..." she glanced around furtively as she lowered her voice to a whisper. "... she's Sombra's daughter, Mica!"

"... and?"

Thunderclap sputtered a bit at that, but Mica pressed on.

"Has she done anything bad since we got here?"

"Mmmmmmmm... n-no, not really, BUT-"

"... conjured any Dark Magic?"

"N-not really, BUT MICA-"

"Threatened your life?"

Thunderclap sighed and threw up her hooves. "Fine, FINE! Point MADE! All RIGHT!" She made her way back into the room and returned to the couch... though she was now a bit more... alert. Prepared. Apprehensive.

Mica, however, simply went on as if Obsidian had said she was a baker or a dentist. "To answer your question, we have family that comes here. Thunderclap's mother and my auntie show up here; we're not guards."

Well, well, well... so it seemed that ponies were still afraid of her father? It seemed that even if he was really 'defeated', he was still considered dangerous. It was quite a soothing realization for Obsidian, as she was starting to fear that nopony would treat her with any respect in this accursed place.

"This castle seems to be quite... lively. Quite a few ponies showing up and so on; is this normal?"

After all, her father's palace was a little bit less popular and nopony really wanted to visit it. Granted, some ponies were forced to do so, but none of them were ever happy about it.

"Yes, it is." Mica answered.

"Yeah," Thunderclap continued, "lots of pones make the rounds here, especially when Princess Twilight's about - plus, like, GREAT hangout, too! Lots of room here... not like at the Friendship Academy." She rolled her eyes.

"Still," Mica said, "lots of active ponies here. Especially in the library."

And yet she was forbidden to go to the library. Of all ponies, she wasn't allowed to check out the books of the local ruler! What a terrible shame.

... Wait, what? What in Tartarus did the mare say?

"... what's a... Friendship Academy?" Obsidian didn't have too much experience with schools and academies, but it sounded somewhat suspicious...

Well, at least those two already told her more than the moron before, despite saying less than one-tenth of the words he used.

Thunderclap sighed and began speaking as if she were repeating something by rote... and was utterly tired of hearing it.

"...groan ... Equestria's Friendship Academy is a place of learning and discovery... about how friendships are formed, as well as a standard curricular of advanced learning for those who have graduated from regular elementary school... we have fun learning, as we learn to have fuuuuuuuuuun..."

The last word was apparently meant to be said enthusiastically, but Thunderclap seemed anything but excited about it.
"Basically, it's more classes - yawnfest." To illustrate, she gave a large, loud yawn and stretch.

Mica simply shook his head. "Clap doesn't like school; I do. It's pretty much what she said. Ponies learning more about both education and friendship."

That sounded completely, utterly ridiculous and absurd; did future ponies really make an academy dedicated to basically teaching young minds how to waste time? Why would anypony be learning about friendship?

Was that something that only the commoners were learning?

Thunderclap then gave a small smile, "Heyyyyy... wait. You sayin' you're interested in going?"

Mica, with a curious look on his muzzle, raised an eyebrow at Obsidian. "Are you?"

"I... don't know. I don't know of any other alternatives yet, or even if it would be possible. As far as I am aware at the moment, I'm not even supposed to leave this very room without my liaison - so for the time being, any enrollment to a school would be somewhat... difficult."

"Oh, if you're a lost princess with nowhere else to go, with the family history YOU got, I'm pretty sure they're gonna MAKE you go there!" Thunderclap shrugged.

Mica sighed, then nodded. "Yeah. Probably. But it's not so bad."

Another groan and eyeroll combo from the muscular mare. "Says YOU, Egghead."

Mica didn't flinch. "That's right, Musclebrain."

Thunderclap looked a bit angry at first... but her stare dissolved into laughter as she clapped Mica on the back. "Yeah, yeah, yeah... so maybe it won't be that bad, sure - but if you're anything like me," she smiled smugly, "then you don't really need it."

Mica slowly, sadly shook his head. "Better to be smart; easier to keep up with in old age."

Thunderclap just gave him a skeptical look, then tousled his mane. "You're a RIOT, Mica!"

Unflinching, he said, "I know; I get it from my Mom." He turned back to Obsidian. "A liaison? Maybe we would count?"

"Hey, yeah," the mare chimed in as it dawned on her, "WE could be your lee-... liayz-... lee-... your guards!"

They would make her go to the 'Friendship Academy'? Granted, the thought of attending a real academy sounded good - but friendship sounded wholly ridiculous. However, with the utter lack of any other ideas about her options, it was as good as any other goal in her life. She couldn't just waste her time waiting for the inevitable return of her most honourable father, could she?

"I'm not sure if Lemon Custard would approve of it. Besides, I'm waiting for Butter Churn, as I've asked her for some books from the library." Eh, why these ponies forbid her from going there? They could just forbid her from taking books about magic and so on - it would work just as well.

"Butter Churn!" Thunderclap smiled broadly. "If she said she was comin' back, then she is - that one is as honest as her mom, but stronger!"

"Well," Mica pondered, "we could wait with you, if you want."

"Or we could just cut out the middle-mare and take you to the library ourselves!" Clap's grin doubled in size. "Wouldn't be a problem; we could just say we were acting as a leeay-... uh, guards... and if there's any trouble, I'd be happy to take the blame!"

Mica lifted an eyebrow. Clap actively ignored him.

"Besides, it's gotta be BOOOORRRRRR-ing, sitting here with nothing to do; you look like you need some adventure!"

Mica shrugged. "I guess we could - if you want. Maybe we'd meet Churn on the way." Clap laughed and gave Mica another swat on the back; he seemed unfazed, as if she did this a lot.

So everypony knew each other here, hmm? Perhaps there weren't too many servants... or it was just a coincidence.
Oh, and everypony was FAR too enthusiastic for her tastes. It seemed as if it would be quite easy to manipulate them into doing things for her... but, on the other hoof, it was also somewhat irritating... but hopefully nopony would be as bad as Cupcake.

"I'm not allowed into the library," she said. That should explain everything - nopony would insist on taking her to the place that was forbidden to her, right? And... boring? Boredom was a sign of weak minds; it was becoming more and more obvious that Clap wasn't exactly the brightest pony around, but she shouldn't practically brag about it!

"Allowed, shmallowed! You'd be under MY watch, and no one would have a thing to worry about!"

"... plus, Lemon isn't really in charge here - he just thinks he is," Mica added with a nod. "He has some authority... but I'm pretty sure Aunt Twilight wouldn't approve of just shutting you into a room like this."

"See? There! We'd be poor friends if we just let you waste away here for nothing! I say we forget Custard and take Siddy here to the Egghead Emporium!"

"Don't call her 'Siddy'; she's a princess, remember?"

"And?" Clap tilted her head a bit. "Friends give each other nicknames, right? So, if we're gonna be her first friends, then we gotta do stuff like that! Mom says nicknames are a sign of friendship!"

"... or a lack of couth," Mica muttered, sotto voce, to Obsidian.

"So, whatcha say? Are we headed to the library now? I mean, I don't care for it, but that hardly means anyone else doesn't. Wait..." Clap stepped closer and examined Obsidian from mane to hooves.

Mica facehoofed, sighed, then remarked, "Probably not." Then, facing Obsidian again, "So. We going?"

So Lemon wasn't as important as he was trying to appear to be, eh? It was an important lesson; Obsidian had witnessed it once or twice - servants trying to use the little power they've got from her most honourable father to improve their lives or boss around other servants.

That never lasted too long...

And who was this 'Siddy'? What's a 'nickname'? Who was 'aunt Twilight'? Surely, they weren't talking about the local princess, right?

"... no, I'm the princess of the Crystal Empire. In this case I think I can... risk..." she said this word with a great dose of hesitation, "... going to the Academy. Not to the library, as it was explicitly forbidden. Also... is this 'Aunt Twilight' you are talking about the local princess? And who is Siddy?"

Being Sombra's daughter she didn't know too much about the existence of nicknames. And she certainly would never think that anypony would try to give one to her.

Clap and Mica both stared at her for a moment. Then, slowly, Mica turned to his companion and spoke softly.

"That's... somewhat sad."

"You don't know what a nickname is? What, did you live under a rock your whole-"

"No - she was Sombra's daughter," Mica cut Clap off before she said something else stupid. The words, once there, hung in the air for a moment, nopony saying a word.

"Nicknames," Mica cut the silence, "are a form of familiarization between friends; it's something friends call each other, rather than using their full name, over and over again."

"Yeah, like me - Mica calls me Clap, because we're friends and I kinda like it. And it's sometimes - but not always - something to do with the proper name, so... instead of Obsidian, I figure you could go by Siddy! Pretty cool, right?"

Mica sighed, then turned to face the princess. "And yes, Aunt Twilight is the Princess of Friendship here in Equestria. She governs along with her council-"

"Which my mom's a part of!" Clap interrupted.

Mica just nodded, his muzzle remaining expressionless as always. "Right. Each one holds a title of 'Element Bearer', but the only one who ascended to alicornhood was Aunt Twilight."

"Or Twily, as Shining Armor calls her!" Clap added with a grin.

Oh... so 'Clap' was not just a shortened version of 'Thunderclap', it was an entire nickname?

"Siddy sounds like 'seedy'," she noticed. It wasn't a protest, or taking offense or anything like that - she just noticed it and wanted to bring it to their attention.

Ascended to alicornhood... Shining Armor... who was that pony?

"... does it mean you are royalty too? Is this Shining Armor princess Twilight's husband?" She tried to guess.

Everything - literally everything - would be far, far easier if she could just lock herself in the library for a few hours, but noooooo... they had to forbid it, so she had to ask about everything. Her distinct lack of knowledge was humiliating...

Clap burst into peals of loud, hearty laughter. "NO! EWW! Shiny is Twily's brother!"

"She didn't know that," Mica tried to explain, but Clap was so amused at the thought that she continued to laugh aloud.

Obsidian shot Clap a glare; not knowing something was bad enough - being laughed at by anypony from a lower class than her was even worse (of course it meant that the only pony who could laugh at her was her most honourable father).

With a roll of his eyes, Mica went on, "Technically, I suppose Rainbow Dash and the other council members would be more considered..." he eyeballed Obsidian for a moment, "... barons, so to speak. If that analogy works for you. So, no - she's not a princess. And my aunt Pinkie is on the council, but my mother - Maud - is not. She is Pinkie's sister, however, so that makes us cousins."

Clap paused from her gigglefest to think over what else 'Siddy' had said. When she realized the comment about the nickname, she spoke up.

"Sounds like 'seedy'? No, not Seedy - that's rude! I said Siddy!"

Sighing, Mica returned to his conversation. "So, no - not royalty. In fact, there is a princess at the Academy; her name is-"

"Awwwwww, not Hurry Fart!" Clap groaned and made a show of rolling her eyes exaggeratedly.

Mica made a small, almost chuckle-like sound before saying, "... yes. Princess Flurry Heart." He slid his gaze sideways toward Obsidian. "Of the Crystal Empire."

Internal politics of the Equestrian Nation probably weren't too complicated, but the mere fact that Obsidian wasn't allowed to just calmly read about it was annoying. She would pretty much prefer to just, well, read all about this council, princesses, their family trees and so on - and only then have a small-talk with these ponies, being on an equal footing. Right now, she was only making a fool of herself!

"... I assume 'Hurry Fart' is another nickname. It doesn't sound too friendly, however." Princess... with all princesses around did it mean she was a ruler of the Crystal Empire? Or perhaps she was a daughter of the new queen?

"Oh, Celestia," Clap groaned, "you have no idea how much of a brat she is! Always dressed to the nines-"

"Like top-of-the-line gym clothing?" Mica cut in, pointedly staring at Clap's highly fashionable sportswear.

"... and how she's always trying to be the center of attention and stuff!" Clap continued.

"Sounds familiar," Mica added, looking at the boisterous and loud Thunderclap.

"... and she just seems to think she's got the whole of Equestria under her hoof!" Clap ended with a huff. "I mean, yeah, her mom's in charge, whoop-de-doo, but really, she's SO... STUCK... UP!"

"Technically," Mica said, "she does stand to rule the Crystal Empire when she's old enough. But that's hardly all of Equestria. And no, she isn't all that spolied - you two just don't like each other."

Clap bristled a bit, then breathed a sigh and relaxed visibly, as if trying not to show how it got to her. "Well, we can agree to disagree, Chippie."

"And yes," Mica turned to Obsidian again, "sometimes nicknames can be purposefully hurtful - like, for instance, 'Chippie'," he glanced at Clap, only to have her smile and tousle his mane a bit.

"Yeah, sure, okay... but I mean Siddy as a GOOD thing, Siddy!"

She might not have been bright, but Thunderclap seemed truly sincere; she meant no harm to Obsidian - she was merely familiarizing herself.

So some ponies didn't like this 'princess' and she seemed to be... rather decadent? It was terrible that such a lowly creature was under the impression that she would rule anything! Luckily, Obsidian wasn't planning to just leave it that way.

Crystal ponies will be glad to learn that their true rulers have returned.

"... I will keep it all in mind. And, perhaps, we could at least leave a note for Churn, if we are going to this whole Academy."

Mica nodded. "I can leave a note."

"Yeah, hey!" Clap smiled enthusiastically, "Why not show Siddy the Academy! I mean, it's not that far from here, and since classes are over for the day, it'd just be us and whoever's still doing club-type-stuff! C'mon, you two! Let's DASH!"

Mica shook his head bemusedly, then took a sheet of paper and a pen from his small satchel and began to write. Meanwhile, Clap trotted out the door, then came back and said, "Come oooooooonnnnnnn, Mica! Churn doesn't need a whole BOOK!"

Mica finished, then set the letter down on the bed where it could be seen easily, and turned to the door. He then made a sweeping motion with a hoof. "After you, princess - ladies first."

"Race ya!" And, with that, Clap was off like a shot, flying exceedingly fast towards the front hall, presumably to beat them outside. Mica simply looked after her, then turned to face Obsidian.

"Now that my loud companion is elsewhere, maybe we can talk." He now gave the tiniest of grins; it had the effect of making his whole muzzle light up, as it was the first time she'd seen him with any facial expression whatsoever.

"Is there anything else you want to know about, or would you prefer companionable silence for the trip - because I'm certain there will not be much of it left when we finally catch up to Thunderclap."

Author's Notes:

Thunderclap Dash is fun to write for; I enjoy giving her a sense of pride and ego, yet at the same time she's got some kind qualities about her. In my mind, she's her mother's daughter, all the way around... though perhaps not as self-absorbed as her mother was. Is. You know what I mean.

Mica Chip... started out as simply an idea for someone to keep Clap in line... but as the story progressed, he started to show me (because characters CAN take on their own lives, so to speak) that he was a voice of wisdom. As things progressed, he became more of the comedic straightman that I could use to counterbalance, say, Cup's antics or Clap's pride. And I wanted something to do with his mother, because I am a fan of hers.

'Princess of Eggheads' artwork by Ariida-Chi, who certainly brought the scene into the forefront with their style - and their expressions are perfect! Thank you ever so kindly, my friend!

Four: Additions & Sweet Treats

So the easiest way to get rid of Thunderclap was proposing a race and then ignoring it? Good to know. With that thought she left the suite.

"I want to know about... everything. But I suppose that's a bit too much for a short discussion, I'm afraid. However, could you remind me how old are you two...?" She wasn't sure if they told her in first place, though. Had they? She was still reeling a bit from Cupcake's display earlier, so she wasn't exactly certain if she'd asked at all.

Mica nodded, his smile slipping back into his neutral expression.

"Thunderclap is fifteen summers, going on five," he shook his head, "and I am just recently of seventeen summers, myself. For all her bravado and brashness, I do hope you don't see Clap too unkindly; she's loud and somewhat arrogant, but I promise you, if you're ever in trouble, she will most likely be the first one to stand up for you."

He sighed again. "Her first impressions may be... less than stellar... but she has heart where it counts." He then cocked his head a bit. "So, since we're relaying information... may I ask how many summers you've seen?" He gave a slight shrug. "Apart from the 'frozen-in-time' moments, that is?"

After meeting Cupcake, Obsidian wasn't going to dislike Clap... too much. It wasn't her fault she was born a simpleton, even if her mother was a member of lesser nobility. She didn't say that aloud, though.

"Sixteen... at least as far as I am aware of," she admitted with some hesitation.

Mica nodded. "I guessed you were about the same age as we were. I'm glad to hear it - there's always room for more friends around here. If you're actually interested in friendship; with your particular background, I wouldn't be surprised if you said you didn't have any interest in it at all."

He nodded. "I would be disappointed if you didn't want me as your friend... but I would respect your decision."

Friends, friendship, friendly... unfortunately for Mica, Obsidian had heard this particular word today more times than during her entire life before. What was the meaning of that? The purpose? How could anypony be interested in friendship? Probably, these commoners had their mysterious, lowly reasons, but as a princess Obsidian had to see the world in more... precise ways.

"As far as I'm concerned, I don't even know what's so alluring in this 'friendship' you are talking about. And truly, even if I could understand it, the current circumstances would be probably inadequate for discussing it".

It wasn't 'no'. It wasn't 'yes'. At best, it was a 'maybe'.

Mica lifted an eyebrow. "I suppose the most succinct answer I can give you is that friendship is its' own reward. Clap and I have been friends for quite some time, and though she may be... challenging to deal with at times, she's still worth knowing."

He didn't look as though he was trying to instruct or belittle her words; he seemed to be making an earnest attempt to give Obsidian an idea of what the subject was about.

"Friends... tend to be concerned for your welfare, and can ally with you against trouble. They can help you solve problems. Plus, honestly? It does feel good not to be alone. And I should know - I was... highly studious, shall we say? And I spent my time pouring myself into learning, barely coming out of my room or the library."

Mica now gave a tiny smirk. "Thunderclap changed that for me. She discovered me by accident, then seemed to be determined to annoy me constantly until I came outside to join her in playing games. For fun."

"At first, it was slow going, and I really didn't want to make time for this... foolishness either. But she was persistent, and eventually I decided to humour her one time, just to get her to leave me alone."

Lost in thought, a full smile spread across his features - and he seemed to enjoy it.

"The problem was... I had fun. I actually ended up being quite entertained by not only the games we played, but by Clap's shenanigans also. She made me laugh - out loud - and I discovered I had more enjoyment when I was around her than when I went back to my studies."

"I began looking forward to her visits, and soon I found myself going to visit her. We became good friends, and I truly have her to thank for helping to bring me out of my proverbial shell."

He sighed, the smile melting away as he looked at Obsidian again.

"But I had to come to that conclusion myself - and not everypony, or anyONE, will have the same feelings and experiences as I did. As I said, I'd understand if you wanted nothing to do with the concept of friends..."

He looked to the distance. "But I will say you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't try it at all, Obsidian. Just food for thought."

It left Obsidian a bit distressed, though not for any 'friendship' or 'fun' reasons. "What for thought? I don't have any food..."

Mica reached back into his satchel and brought out a shiny red apple. Holding it out to her, he simply sighed. "You'll figure it out for yourself, I'm certain. Just keep an open mind."

And so, he had food. It made everything even less understandable than before!

"No, I don't need any food. You just said... nevermind." She looked forward, to see how far they were from the main hall. "Let's advance; I think your friend may be already at the academy, considering her speed."

The academy itself was... opulent. It looked as though it would be the college of royalty alone... yet there were so many others here. And not just ponies, either!

Griffons, hippogriffs, changelings, yaks... even dragons!... were all here, milling about, or headed to classes, or even just chatting in groups. There were beings everywhere!

What were these creatures? Some of them looked familiar - but most of them didn't. Were they even discovered by ponies during her sleep? Or perhaps she just never got her education up to where she would learn about them? She wondered if her illustrious father had this knowledge.

Was it possible to gather so many creatures in a single building? None of them were wearing slave collars! While it was obvious that this world of future was different, she still had trouble understanding how much different it was. It was making her a tiny bit anxious - and, though she didn't realize it, she was trying subconsciously to walk closer to Mica. It also took some effort on her side to walk upright.

She had never seen so many creatures so closely.

At the front doors, there stood Thunderclap... along with two others. One was a tall, lanky-looking and dog-like biped, and the other was a rather short unicorn mare who appeared to have a scowl on her muzzle. When Obsidian approached, Clap rolled her eyes and groaned. "You two didn't even try, did you!? I mean, I know I'm GOOD... but it's no fun when you give up before I can win!"

Mica gave Clap a glance. "But this way, you're still the best, yes?"

"Doesn't mean much when you're the only one competing," Clap grumbled.

The scowling mare's eyes flicked between Mica and Obsidian before she spoke. "Is this who you were talking about, Thunderclap?"

The large pegasus nodded. "Yeah, that's Siddy - she's all royal and stuff, so be nice."

"Royalty?" The mare gave Clap a skeptical look, but turned to face Obsidian. "How? What's your lineage?"

The little mare could have passed for a filly... save for those eyes, which were intent and mature. She had a grey-colored coat, and a stark white mane and tail that was trim and short. Her cutie mark was a pair of longswords crossed behind a tower shield; fitting, as she looked as though she might be somewhat combative.

The dog, a male, simply gave a sheepish, shy wave. Was this bipedal creature next to her sentient? Just what was it? Obsidian was starting to regret leaving her room... oh, and how wonderful; it seemed that Clap was already spreading rumors about her.

"I'm the daughter of the illustrious and honourable King Sombra. And who are you...?", she focused her eyes on this unknown little unicorn. She didn't seem half as 'friendly' as Mica or Clap were.

The unicorn's eyes widened... then narrowed quickly. "Sombra!? You'd-"

"Before you EVEN get started, Wart," Clap interrupted, "we already went through all that, me and Mica. She's NOT evil, she's new to here and confused, and she's coming to Friendship School too. So don't even start with the speeches or talk about 'if you don't behave' stuff - she probably already got all that from Custard, honestly."

The unicorn seemed to ponder this for a moment, then simply said, "Fine... but I'm watching you." Her eyes, a vibrant green, said that this pony meant what she said.

Mica nodded. "She knows that, and I'm sure she appreciates you saying it," he said with a roll of his own eyes and a reassuring glance at Obsidian.

The dog-being lifted his paw... but seemed to crumple at the last second and shuffle a bit more behind Thunderclap.

"Gypsy," the large pegasus turned and spoke, "there's no need to be scared or stuff like that - it's just SIDDY, for cryin' out loud - she's not here to enslave everyone or some junk like that. She's here to learn how to be a friend!"

The dog (Gypsy, was it?) stepped out a bit from behind the towering mare.

"... th-this one will w-w-wait to be addressed, p-p-please. H-he wishes not to i-i-intrude." He looked nervous, but repeated the little wave again.

The little unicorn didn't reply to her question - which was rude, and Obsidian didn't like when others were rude to her... at least, as long as they didn't have the authority to behave that way, like her father did. At least it seemed that this... uh, strange creature was both sentient and well-behaved. The princess wasn't used to the others behaving like that in her presence, but it was easier that way.

And, hmm, enslave everyone? She never even thought about that... perhaps she should?

"Watch me as much as you'd like, I am quite used to it. However, you didn't respond to my question," Obsidian said to the unicorn mare in a somewhat bored voice.

The unicorn closed her eyes and took a deep breath, seemingly to calm herself, before she spoke again... this time, with a calmer tone. Those eyes, though, were piercing.

"Stalwart Stance. I'm in training for the Royal Guard, so it's best that I know of royalty as they show up. And, though your... heritage... has some dark history behind it... a princess is a princess." Surprisingly, Stalwart then bowed to Obsidian. "Understand that it's my duty to stay vigilant... but that..." she sighed, "... hardly excuses being rude. I'll try to keep it in mind. Princess."

Clap laughed, "Don't worry about Wart, Siddy - she's just all gung-ho for being a royal guardspony. Honestly, she's not gonna hurt ya."

Stalwart balked. "CLAP! I... I w-would never-"

"Yeah, yeah... we know. 'I would never harm any hair upon a royal head, except for those who stand against my country'. We get it.'" Clap sighed.

Obsidian glanced at the creature next to Thunderclap. "Do you want to say something... uh... Gypsy?".

As 'Wart' was now shooting angry looks at Thunderclap, Gypsy took a single step towards Obsidian and nervously smiled.

"Th-this one is... Gypsy Rover. He w-wishes to greet y-y-you, and h-he would b-be quite interested i-i-in asking ab-b-bout your l-lineage, as he i-is currently tr-tr-trying to m-master pony h-history."

"Gypsy," Clap groaned, "I don't want to have to sit through a history lecture! I wanna show Siddy around the school! Y'know, since she'll be here and stuff, she might as well see what she's in for!"

"You two can always talk later, if Obsidian doesn't mind, of course," Mica spoke up, nodding to Gypsy who returned the gesture.

"A-as you s-say, Mica."

Ah, so finally she's met two pon... er, creatures that were able to behave in a proper way in her presence. It was nice to feel acknowledged - especially after she was treated in such a less-than-royal way by Lemon and his brother. Two insolent, rude fools...

"Wonderful. I am pleased to meet you both," she said, honestly relieved. Being in presence of four familiar creatures was easing her anxiety a bit... though standing there was still wrecking her nerves, with so many others walking around her. "I can reply to any questions you have, Gypsy... but later. Especially as I have a thousand years of pony history to catch up on."

Gypsy's eyes lit up like little stars. "Oh! This one w-would be very happy to sp-p-peak about Pony History! I-if she wishes, th-this one w-w-would be m-more than honored to assist her in learning about what has taken place s-since the days of Sombra!" Gypsy's tail was wagging madly behind him; was that how they showed excitement?

"Y'know," Clap started, "you don't always stutter - like, when it comes to boring ol' history, you barely do it at all."

Gypsy blushed a bit. "Th-this one... knows this, C-c-clap."

Almost everything that Obsidian had seen in this odd world of the future was strange, distressing or outright utterly alien and confusing - but learning? That was something she knew and liked, quite a lot. Of course, up to this moment in her life she was used to learning either with her most honourable father or with teachers chosen by him, but Gypsy's offer was good enough.

Even if listening to him was a bit painful.

Obsidian has never explored so much - but it seemed that it was only a beginning.

Mica looked to them all. "Well, now that we've arrived, we should show you around."

"Yeah!" Clap grinned. "Classes might be kinda boring, but this place is at least 20% cooler than the grimy ol' schoolhouse! C'mon!"

With that, Clap, Mica, Wart and Gypsy all looked to Obsidian. The small unicorn mare stepped forward and opened the doors, gesturing inside while the rest waited for Obsidian to go first.

She followed the rest of her, uh... pack? Acquaintances? Entourage?

The grand hall was... well, grand.

This place was certainly befitting of a princess; it seemed no expense was spared in its' making, and each and every hallway, classroom and section was tastefully opulent and beautiful.

The classes were... interesting, to say the least. Certainly, there were maths and writings and history... but there were also classes on things like 'teamwork' and 'introductions' and 'listening' - which seemed quite unlike an average school.

Though, granted, this was no average school.

All the while, the others surrounding her interacted with each other in ways Obsidian hadn't experienced before: Thunderclap lightly teased, Mica made observant remarks, Wart seemed to be all business and Gypsy stuttered his way through explaining things.

And all of them interacted with her from time to time; they weren't trying to overwhelm her, but each gave her a portion of their attention during the rather eclectic tour.

At the lunchroom, Gypsy sniffed the air and licked his lips.

"Th-this one smells something d-d-delicious... could his n-nose be r-right? Does he sm-sm-smell..." he sniffed deeply, closing his eyes to savor the scent... then, they popped W-I-D-E open.

"... cupcakes!"

He took off like a shot, towards the cafeteria. The others looked after him, then Clap looked to Obsidian.

"Siddy, you hungry? They always have good stuff in here - it might be one of the baking clubs, doing some extra credit work... and I loooooove eating me some mistakes!" Clap trotted off after Gypsy, and Mica and Wart turned to her.

"Are we following? Or would you rather not?" Mica asked.

It wasn't the kind of school Obsidian was used to - after all, during her education she was the only young pony around as she didn't know about any other foals in the castle and young slaves were, obviously, not learning with her - but it was... vaguely familiar. Some of the classes more than the others - 'math' and 'history' were, obviously, known to her. 'Listening', though? Why would anypony want to learn that?

However, in a way, her most honourable father had taught her to listen. Oh yes, he taught her well...

... and what was this smell? ... wait, what? WHAT did the dog just say?

Though Obsidian was a little bit hungry, she immediately lost her appetite as soon as Gypsy spoke his word and immediately ran away from them.

"... I, uh...", Obsidian stuttered, not sure what she should do. This future world was surely strange, and each time when she thought she understands it, something confusing was happening. "... I can't say I liked Cupcake, but I don't think that baking and eating him was an acceptable idea."

Were these ponies cannibals?

The two stared at her for a moment.

"Obsidian," Mica said slowly, "cupcakes are a baked sweet treat."

Oh.

Wart cleared her throat and spoke up, "They're a bit sweet for my tastes, but as royalty, you might find them delectable." She shrugged. "After all, Princess Celestia loves her cake, and cupcakes are no exception."

"They're called cupcakes because they're usually contained in little paper cups - be sure not to eat those," Mica warned.

Oh. It was now starting to make more sense. And now she knew why Cupcake was named like that... though it didn't change the fact that her cheeks were burning right now.

"Oh. Oooh. Erm... well, I can try that, I suppose," she coughed a bit to clear her throat. "And... Princess Celestia? She is still alive? Wouldn't that make her..."

... more than a thousand years old? Perhaps she slept most of it as well.... Obsidian had already heard ponies swearing with her name, but it was still a bit surprising to hear about Celestia in present tense.

"Well over a thousand years old, yes," Mica finished for her. "She retired from her position as ruler of Equestria about ten years previously. Lives in Silver Shores, now."

Retired? Royals can retire? Alicorns can retire? It just couldn't click in Obsidian's mind - one is usually royalty until death. Perhaps it was different for creatures that can, well, live far longer than an average pony? At least she learned where she lives now - it would come in handy, if she would ever want to avenge her fallen father or something like that.

Beating an old, retired alicorn wouldn't be too glorious, but, eh... a victory is a victory, right?

The three of them began making their way to the kitchen, where the sounds of talking could be heard. She could pick out Clap's laughter, and even an embarrassed giggle that might've been Gypsy. Wart led the way into the kitchen, with Mica gesturing to Obsidian to enter before him.

The kitchen itself was quite large; big enough to be a classroom on its' own!

There were multiple ovens and grills, and what looked to be a walk-in pantry (where someone was currently digging through ingredients), and a massive rack of hanging pots, pans, and other baking paraphernalia hung within reach of the stove areas.

At one of the ovens, Clap and Gypsy were standing there; the diamond dog's entire muzzle was smeared with what looked like colored sauce and crumbs, while the large pegasus laughed at his dishevelment. They were eating what looked like fat mushrooms with colors on top that didn't look like natur-

Then, the scent hit her nostrils.

It was the first time in Obsidian's life when she had ever walked into a kitchen. Obviously, back in the crystal palace, she wasn't allowed near it - or, to be more precise, she was told it was beneath her. That it was a place for slaves, and she shouldn't waste her precious time near it. As such, she was completely unprepared for the mix of scents, heat and noise.

However, it also reminded her that she is a bit hungry - but she tried to stay cool. "So... those are the cupcakes you were talking about, I assume?" She moved closer.

Clap turned to the group. "Siddy! You have GOT to try these! They're incredible!"

She strolled over to the three of them and held out a cupcake with lime green... stuff... swirled on top of it.

"Here," she offered, smiling, "I usually love the green ones, but you can have it - it'd be cool to share a favorite cupcake!"

Wart looked to Gypsy. "Clean yourself up! That's no way to appear in front of royalty!"

Gypsy blushed, then extended his tongue - a very dark purple color - and swished it around his muzzle madly, licking clean even the slightest hint of his food. Clap laughed, Wart sighed disdainfully, and Mica just shook his head.

"C'mon - it won't bite!" Clap waggled the cupcake in front of her.

It probably won't bite - though Gypsy looked as if a whole pack of these things had attacked him. Obsidian carefully took the offered green cupcake with her magic, checking it out. So... a baked treat.

She took a bite.

...

It was overwhelmingly, utterly, completely sweet. Frankly, it was the first time in her entire life when she had something so sweet in her mouth. It was almost as if she poured sugar onto her tongue. She swallowed. Maybe the second bite would be easier... it took her a while, but she eventually finished it, leaving only a paper cup.

"... interesting, that's for sure." Especially this green stuff. Frankly, it was so sweet that she was feeling a bit sick right now.

"Are you kidding!?" Clap looked incredulous. "Cupcakes are, like, only the best thing ever!!! I mean, really, you just can't go wrong with them! They can be made to fit any occasion! They can be super-sweet, not-so-sweet or even slightly sweet, and they'd still be absolutely awesome!"

"Thunderclap!" Wart spoke up. "You can't talk to royalty that way! That's almost insulting!"

Clap looked at Stalwart. "And? I mean, it's Siddy; what, I can't be all friendly-like to her? I figure she should try some of the others, after maybe a sip of punch!"

She motioned to a pitcher, half-filled with blue water. Exceedingly blue water.

"Blueberry punch?" Mica asked, and Clap nodded. Mica shrugged and got one of the plastic cups from the countertop, pouring some of the blue water into it, then offered it to Obsidian.

"Here - in case the cupcake was too much."

Obsidian was starting to like Stalwart - the little unicorn mare was very respectful, and it was making Sombra's daughter feel better. She gracefully took the offered cup and took a sip.

Strange... the blue water didn't taste like water. If anything, it was very sweet too - but not as much as the cupcakes had been. Still, she was thirsty after eating it, so she quickly dried the cup.

"Is there anything... less sweet, perchance? I won't be able to stomach anything else so very... cupcakey, methinks," she muttered, feeling a little bit strange. Hopefully she didn't overdose on pure sugar...

"Well, I guess that'd be up to the baker..." Clap pointed a hoof towards the pantry, where somepony was backing out.

"... okay, that should do the trick!"

She knew that voice...

The stallion turned as he spoke. "Now I should have enough ingredients to..."

He stopped short as he saw Obsidian... it was Cupcake Sprinkles!

Author's Notes:

Stalwart Stance - she turned out to be one of my favorite characters from this thing. I've always been a fan of the 'dynamite in a small package' trope, and she's my example of it here. Dedicated to duty, she's tougher than a strongbox of steel rocks - but doesn't exactly have much in the way of sociable skills, as seen here. Still, out of all of the characters I created for this story, she's one that holds a special place in my heart as a warrior, through and through.

I also wanted to throw a little diversity in the mix, so it wasn't ALL pony, pony, pony all the time. And out of ALL the races on MLP:FiM, I feel that the diamond dogs were done the greatest disservice by only being spotlighted in a SINGLE episode, as Rarity's kidnappers/victims. Enter Gypsy Rover, who I named after a folk song my father used to sing and play for me on his guitar, when I was just a bacon bit. The stutter I added mostly to allow his lines to stick out from the rest of the dialogue... and it's an endearing quirk that helps him to be unique... that, and his third-person (or third-dog?) manner of self-reference.

Five: Knowing One's Place

The stallion's muzzle went from happy to sorrowful, and his ears drooped low as soon as he saw her. "... you..." The others seemed completely surprised by his reaction.

Clap, however, wasn't known for being subtle. "Wait... you know her already!?"

"I..." Cupcake looked close to tears again already.

"Cupcake," Mica asked, "what is this?"

"I... I..." he took a deep breath.

"I was supposed to be a liaison to her, but we had an argument, and I got mad then so did she, and I said bad things to her, and she called me a MEANIE and I wasn't trying to be a meanie, I just thought she was being rude first, but I think I messed up, so I came here to bake, because baking calms me down, but now she's here too, and I don't wanna be mean anymore, but I don't know if she'll ever forgive me, and I-"

"BREATHE, Cup!" Clap interjected. "Jeez!"

"Wait - you yelled at a PRINCESS!?" Wart sounded equally shocked and agitated.

"Yeah, but... I didn't mean to! I was so excited to meet someone new, but then I got all mad, and then I... I..." Cupcake's bottom lip wobbled.

"Obsidian," Mica asked calmly, "is this true?"

Obsidian's eyes narrowed at the sound of his voice. It wasn't a sound she found good; it was loud and obnoxious - just like Cupcake Sprinkles. And obviously he was talking way, wayyyyy too much, as usual. "Yes. He was behaving in a deliberately insulting manner, taking advantage of my temporal adjustments, even when I calmly asked him to stop!" She practically hissed the words; right now, Cupcake was the last pony she would ever want to see.

Perhaps baking and eating him wasn't that bad of an idea... or more like just the baking part.

"Cupcake! You can't BE like that around royals! I can't believe that you, of all ponies, behaved in such a manner! What were you thinking!?" Wart seemed almost as angry as Obsidian was, her green eyes almost seeming to flash with rage.

"Stalwart," Mica tried to calmly interject, "hold on. Maybe we just need to calm down and go over things again. Sometimes better judgment is seen in retrospect."

Clap looked back and forth between them. "So, that's a yes to you two knowing each other, right?"

Gypsy facepawed.

"Look, I... I'm really, really sorry, okay? My mom says I keep letting my brain get ahead of my heart, and I just thought you were insulting me back there - and I lost my head and said a lot of stupid things. I just... I didn't mean... I... I..."

Clap looked at them both, then shrugged. "Okay, you didn't mean it. You apologized." She looked at Obsidian. "Siddy, this is a good moment to learn something about friendship, here. Cup screwed up, yeah - but he apologized, and he obviously didn't mean... whatever he said to you. This is where you accept the apology and try to just move on as if it never happened."

"That," Mica spoke up, "would be up to Obsidian to decide if she forgives him or not." He turned to her. "For what it's worth, Cupcake is my actual cousin, and I've known him for much of my life. He means well, but can be... grandiose... when he makes a mistake. Still, it's up to you whether or not you accept the apology."

"Inexcusable!" Wart said, eyes firmly locked on the sad visage of Cupcake. "You'd best bow and beg for a royal acceptance from her!"

"Wart," Mica said, "shush."

The unicorn glared at Mica Chip... but said nothing more.

Cupcake was annoying, but he truly looked remorseful for the way he'd acted. However, there was always the idea that she truly didn't need to forgive anypony at all... but there was this whole 'friendship' thing she was going to be put through, whether she liked it or not.

Holding a grudge was a new idea for Obsidian - but accepting apologies was completely different for her as well. Until her recent awakening, she either didn't have to care about insults or wasn't in a position to hold a grudge - it all depended on if she was accidentally offended by a slave (in which case said slave was usually quickly removed from the castle, never to be seen again) or by her father (in which case she had to obediently and humbly accept it as a lesson from a mind much brighter and better than her own).

... still, he was, unfortunately, her liaison.

"Next time try to be more calm when you meet a pony that just woke up after a thousand years of sleep and learned that her entire known family is dead", she couldn't stop herself from making a rather painful jab right into his feelings. "... but apologies accepted."

It was quiet for all of a single heartbeat. Then...

"Okay, then! Apology accepted, and all you gotta do is be calm and stuff!" Clap smiled broadly, then made her way over to Obsidian and gave her a meaty pat on the back. "See, Siddy? It wasn't all that hard at all, was it? I think you'll do just fine here at the academy!"

She gave Thunderclap a nasty glare as she patted her back; what in Tartarus was that? Why did she touch her?

Mica looked as though he was pondering the situation... but he nodded to her and looked at Cupcake. "You understand, right?"

Cupcake nodded rapidly, though his expression was still repentant.

Wart, however, shot Cupcake a look of irritation. "You... and I... will speak... later."

The stallion nodded, sighed, then looked back at Obsidian once more. "I was... I really was being a meanie, I guess. I really am sorry."

"Point made, Cup - enough of that." Clap simply went on as though there'd been no problem here. "You gonna bake anything else?"

Cupcake looked longingly at the oven... then at Obsidian, then at the floor. "I... sh-should probably go." He began to make his way towards the pantry again, but turned back to give Obsidian a look of shame over his flank. "I'll... meet you at your room tomorrow, okay?"

With that, he entered the walk-in pantry and began returning ingredients to their places on the shelves.

Gypsy's ears drooped s he saw Cupcake putting the ingredients back. "This one i-i-is... going t-to miss the t-t-tasty treats. Perh-haps an-n-n-nother time."

"Royalty is held to a high standard; it was very generous of you to forgive him." Wart said to her. "It does me proud to see a royal treating others so well..." Her eyes narrowed at Cupcake. "Even if they don't deserve it," she muttered.

Mica sighed, then looked up at the princess. "It does bode well that you did that; you may have a promising future here, after all."

It was more logical to 'forgive' him than not - after all, she (mistakenly) chose him as her liaison. There was no point in antagonizing him, even if she truly couldn't stand his blathering. Hopefully from this point on, he would behave more rationally - and if anything happens, it should be possible to sic Stalwart on him. She would be a good vassal. But didn't change the fact that Obsidian's mood had soured somewhat.

"... I still would like to look for something less sweet; my last true meal was over a thousand years ago," she said as she attempted to change the topic. Yes, she said she accepted the idiot stallion's apologies - but it didn't mean she was going to like it, or want to talk about it more.

"Ummmm... I could... make you something... if you want?" came from the pantry. "I mean, I'm a pretty good cook... a-and I could make you a really good meal, fit for a queen, even. And... it would help me make things up to you."

Mica looked toward the pantry, pondering. "He is a good cook."

"How about we wait out in the lunchroom," Clap offered, "and you do what you do, okay?"

There was a renewed shuffling from the pantry. "Y-yeah... okay, I can do that. Yeah!" As he spoke, it sounded as though he was slowly regaining his previous chipper attitude. Wonderful. At least he'd be in here while they were out there. Making their way out, Clap and Gypsy made themselves at home by taking a seat. Mica simply leaned against a wall, casually. Wart, ever helpful, pulled out a chair for Obsidian.

Yes, waiting in the lunchroom was a better idea; the further she was from this stallion, especially when he was in a good mood, the better.

"So, hey," Clap began hesitantly, "was... was all that... I mean, I don't think you're lying or anything, but..." she leaned in a bit.
"Was all that true? Being missing for a thousand years? That... sounds like it sucks."

"Thunderclap," Wart began.

"No, really - I mean, I guess I'm just curious, but... what was it like for you? Y'know, all that long ago?"

Mica looked to the pegasus. "She might not want to talk about it, Clap."

"And maybe she does," the mare countered. "Uhm... do you?"

"Yes, it was true. And no, I don't really want to talk about it right now." She rubbed her temples - this day was far more... exciting than she was used to. And she met more named ponies than during her entire lifetime; until now, most of creatures in the Crystal Palace were far beneath her - more like tools than living beings. "Maybe later. Perhaps. Or not."

Accepting apologies didn't make her very happy, apparently.

Thunderclap looked a bit put out, but she heaved a sigh and simply sat back in her chair, rear hooves on the table as she put her forelegs behind her head. "Okay - so Wart, I'll bet you're all sorts of happy that you've got another royal to play with, eh?"

Stalwart gave Clap a narrow stare. "I don't play, Thunderclap - being a royal guardpony is serious business. They have to be seen after and meticulously protected from any and all threats they might encounter. Not to mention..."

As Wart continued, Clap began to silently mimic her words, mocking her as she spoke at length about the duties guards had to be certain of when they took up the 'mantle of responsibility' for taking care of royalty. Honestly, though it worked in Obsidian's favor, Wart did seem to go on and on about it. Gypsy, meanwhile, sat cautiously at the end of the table. He reached a paw into the pocket of his hooded sweater, removing several small slips of paper from it. He then started to carefully fold them in strange ways, all the while concentrating on what he was doing.

Mica simply sat there, looking at everyone else with a pondering look on his muzzle.

Wart's discussion (and Clap's mocking) quickly turned into a kind of background noise - as soon as the unicorn's words stopped carrying any interesting or useful information, Obsidian lost interest in listening to her. However, the only non-pony creature was apparently doing something far more interesting. She leaned forward with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"What is that you're doing?" Perhaps it was a cultural thing?

Gypsy looked up at Obsidian shyly. "Er... th-this one does this t-t-to stave off the b-b-boredom."

His paws twisted around the little folded piece of paper, and then he reached out gingerly and placed it in front of her. It looked like... a swan. Gypsy had folded and creased the paper slip until it resembled a swan, complete with beak and wings. He gave a small smile. "He c-can do o-oth-others too. W-would she l-l-like to s-see?"

An art... made of paper? Interesting... her magic wrapped around the sculpture of a bird placed in front of her and levitated it closer, so she could check it out more thoroughly. It seemed that this creature's paws were more agile than she thought. "Yes, I'd like to - it's quite interesting. Does this type of art have a name?"

Gypsy smiled, his mouth filled with sharp teeth, but the kindness in it staving off the fear-inducing points. Of course, considering Obsidian's father's own teeth, she had no reason to be scared of Gypsy's smile. If anything, she wondered from time to time why her own teeth were not as sharp as King Sombra's.

"It d-d-does. This i-is called 'origami', which is an ancient form of art that was passed down through g-generations of creatures from distant eastern shores. It was first taught to the diamond dogs roughly two hundred years ago, and is a major form of entertainment f-for us."

As he spoke, he worked his paws over the other pieces of folded paper, producing a tiger, a manticore, a dragon, and finally an alicorn - complete with wings, mane and tail. "This one's chosen great-father taught him to make the folds just s-so," he said as he began to fold another piece in his curious way. "And this one is p-pleased the princess likes th-them."

Origami, hm? And it was invented by creatures from... distant eastern shores? Obsidian wondered what he could be talking about; it seemed that Equestria discovered even more lands than she thought initially.

Fascinating.

"... diamond dogs? Is that what your species is called?" That was a promising start. She really would love to lock herself in library and just catch up with everything that was invented or discovered during her time asleep.

"Y-yes," he replied, "we are named such due to our love of g-g-gemstones... most prominently, diamonds. We d-do love our sh-shiny rocks, yes. B-but since the first of our kind began appearing in Equestria, we have been mostly stand-offish with p-ponies, but that h-has recently changed in favor of being all-inclusive to this school."

Perhaps these diamond dogs would be useful allies... or rather vassals... for her most honourable father? As far as she could tell, it seemed that their 'love for shiny rocks' would have attracted them to the Crystal Empire.

He gave a short chuckle. "Before such, most diamond dogs k-kept themselves apart from ponies... mostly due to their attitudes. P-ponies, not dogs." As he spoke, he folded two more slips of paper to go with the one he was currently holding, then folded them out to reveal a palm tree, a pineapple and a griffon - which he perched perfectly in the palm tree.

"But, this one is s-so glad the p-p-p-ponies invited everybeing t-to attend this school. Th-this one has made these f-f-friends, and is l-looking f-f-f-forward to making m-more. Hopefully, a p-princess am-mong them?" He smiled sheepishly at her.

... and then he started about 'friends'. The more Obsidian heard about it, the more it sounded like an STD - and everypony around her was interested in getting her sick as well. It didn't sound very useful - at the moment, she saw it more like some kind of strange union between creatures to indulge themselves. No hierarchy, no real goal, only 'fun'.

Why would anypony need something like that?

"We'll see when I understand more of what this term means," she said as a diplomatic parry.

"Oh," was all he said. He went back to his folding, though he no longer seemed to feel like chatting about it, as he became quiet once again. These creatures were really crazy about this whole 'friendship' thing, eh? It seemed as though it was addictive - like a drug - and they didn't like not receiving it. She really should avoid it, to keep a clear mind...

It wasn't long before there was a... tantalizing aroma that began to drift from the kitchen; the tang of spice, the savory scent of mouth-watering proportions that filled the room. Then, with a slight spring to his step, Cupcake brought out a bowl filled with... chopped vegetables? But they smelled exquisite...

"Appetizer course - sizzling broccoli and cheese, a local favorite!"

"You can say THAT again!" Clap practically ate the bowlful with her eyes alone. "Got any more?"

Cupcake grinned. "Sure - but she gets the first helping. Lemme get back in there - I still have more to do!"

Cup returned to the kitchen, followed by a slightly drooling Thunderclap. Mica leaned forward. "Go ahead - tell us what you think."

It was hard to keep her mind separated, as for the moment her stomach overtook any higher functions of her brain. She had never smelled anything like that - but it seemed that it was going to be at least fairly good. What's more, it also seemed that she was going to get it first, without having to fight for her own helping.

Obsidian didn't waste a second, and there was no reason to encourage her - she quickly helped herself with this 'broccoli' thing. She took a single bite.

...

For a moment she was purely dumbfounded, almost forgetting that she was supposed to be keeping her cool; that taste... as far as she was concerned, this dish was as rich in flavor as her father was rich in power!

"I've... never eaten... anything that good before," she whispered, overwhelmed by the incredible experience.
Mica simply nodded, as if he'd expected the reaction... but Wart looked curious.

"But... royalty usually has the best of the best at their table. Cupcake, for all his faults, is a good cook, but... I'm sure you've had plenty of rich, wonderful foodstuffs before, have you not?"

She should have rich and wonderful foodstuffs like this? Why had nopony told her before? Her life would have been far more pleasant, had she known this sort of delicacy!

Mica looked over. "New tastes are new tastes, Stalwart - maybe she's simply never had this sort of cooking before."

Wart seemed mollified at that. "Well... it's a good thing to see you enjoy it, princess."

Within another few moments, Cupcake returned with second bowl, this one a touch bigger. In it was what appeared to be some sort of... soup?... but a soup with a simply delectable aroma to it. And he brought even more food?

"Stir-fry, with water chestnuts, bamboo chunks and snow peas! Carefully stewed in soy sauce, lovingly sprinkled with a bit of paprika, a squirt of lemon, and just the teensyest dash of pepper! Enjoy!" He turned and practically skipped his way back to the kitchen, pleased that his food was so well-received. Perhaps he could have some uses, after all... as long as she could keep a gag on him.

"No, not really," she spoke in answer to Stalwart's question, "my father always told me that 'luxuries' are like a poison to the mind, and none who were both a royal and a warlock should have a weak mind. In this case, it meant that my food was mostly..." she tried to conjure a word that could describe it properly, "... edible. Well, after a day or two of fasting it tasted well enough. Anyway, I'm not used to sweets... or this amount of food... or to anything that could have such a pleasant taste."

In this case, should she eat it at all? When she was going there to sate her hunger, Obsidian had no idea that she would find a veritable banquet fit for a true royal instead of a humble meal for a princess-in-training. Her most honourable father would probably disapprove.

The lot of them simply stared at her for a bit; no one spoke a word. Then Chip spoke up. "I'll bet your father was practically swimming in luxury... so, what would that say about him?"

The others turned to look at Mica... and were shocked to see an actual expression on his muzzle... smouldering anger.
"I don't like the way it sounds like you were treated. Not... at... all."

Thunderclap's eyes went wide. "Whoa... that's something you don't see everyday. Mica, y-you okay, there?"

"Tell me," he continued, "did he treat you like a daughter... or-"

Wart interrupted. "And what business is it of yours how she was treated? Royalty usually has a plan for whatever is to come, and perhaps he simply was preparing her for the worst possible outcome?"

"You think Celestia OR Luna would've treated her like that?" he retorted.

Wart visibly flinched, but stood her ground. "You didn't make the rules - he did."

"Wait," Clap bristled, "are you siding with Sombra?"

"I side with ROYALTY, Thunderclap, and I'm surprised you forgot that." Wart leveled a stern gaze at the pegasus. "It's not our call to judge-"

"He was a tyrant, you blockhead!" Clap practically shouted.

"Tyrants, however distasteful, are STILL royalty, numbskull."

Now the two were glaring daggers at each other. Mica still looked upset, but now his own muzzle evened out and he looked to Obsidian.

"I apologize... I just do not like the idea that anypony was treated such a way, especially by their own parent." He cocked his head slightly. "Do you believe he did the right thing?" The group as a whole looked to her for her answer.

Obviously commoners born in the modern age just couldn't understand the idea behind her upbringing. With the overwhelming amount of personal freedoms they had and the inane focus on unnecessary pleasures like 'friendship', they were just unaware of their true destiny. They were tools... just like everypony around, herself included. Good tools at least were aware of that and kept striving to improve themselves.

"My most honourable father was shaping me in a way he considered fitting, and I'm not in a position to place any doubt upon his wisdom," she replied calmly, though she glared a bit at Mica... and at Wart, for even if she had defended King Sombra, she still called his supposed tyranny 'distasteful'.

Wart gave Clap a smug look. "You see? She approves."

Thunderclap shot an annoyed look back at Stalwart. "Brainwashing isn't approval; it's forced enjoyment of being treated like dirt." She looked at Obsidian. "Siddy, don't tell me you actually enjoy being treated like dirt?"

"How dare you!" Wart cried, looking ready to fight at the drop of a hoof.

Their quarrel was becoming annoying - why would commoners ever be allowed to argue about monarchy? Especially in a way that would be demeaning to a monarch and everything he stood for? Wart, at least, had a lot of potential to become a very passionate, useful vassal - but as far as Obsidian was concerned, Thunderclap and Mica both had already more than overstepped the boundaries of her patience.

"This isn't doing any good..." Mica observed. "We can discuss this without-"

"Oh yeah? I'll dare, alright! I'll dare ta knock your block off, Wart!"

The two of them went muzzle to muzzle, each one growling fiercely as they sized each other up. And it was quite likely they would've fought right then and there, if a voice from the back spoke up.

"B-but she had a p-p-parent."

Heads turned to look at Gypsy, who was now on the other side of the room, away from the aggressive emotions and ponies. "Though you m-may not agree with what was d-d-done, this one n-notes that she still had a parent... and she gi-gives that parent resp-p-pect." His gaze slid across all those within the room as he made his point.

"Obsidian knew what it w-was like to want to imp-p-press a p-p-parent, to love a p-parent, to be tended to b-b-by a parent. Perhaps her treatment was f-fair, perhaps not - but it is clear t-t-to this one that she still loves her f-father. And to t-t-tear him down in f-front of her is... it is c-c-c-cruel and thoughtless."

Gypsy gave a soft sigh. "This one w-w-wishes he knew his t-true p-parents."

An awkward silence filled the gap, and even Wart & Clap looked somewhat ashamed of themselves. Gypsy set down the current paper-folding he'd been working on (which looked like the castle at Canterlot) and sighed softly before looking up at the princess. "Tell us... how d-d-did you see your f-father, princess? Was he m-m-mean, nice, or something in bet-t-tween?"

"Although you may consider my most honourable father tyrannical, your conclusions are flawed. Mean? Nice? Enjoyment? Love? Those are but empty words, merely masquerading self-indulgences, a perspective that there could possibly be something more important than duty. And... there... is... NOT!" She raised her voice as she spoke, anger flaring to the surface of her carefully controlled manner. "I may not enjoy my upbringing, but it means nothing in the face of the world! I was being prepared for my duty, and being taught to be useful!"

Obsidian cleared her throat and got up; she was full anyway, and she shouldn't eat too much.

Silence.

Thunderclap looked as though she'd been slapped. Mica's eyebrows raised... then lowered as his muzzle took on that totally neutral look. Gypsy tucked his tail between his legs and couldn't look up from the floor.

"My most honourable father was aware of the nature of this world and was treating every creature accordingly, and I have only respect for him for that... whether you do or not. Stalwart, I wish to go back to my current accomodations; will you accompany me?"

While it might have sounded like a question, Obsidian would be quite surprised if the unicorn mare refused. But Stalwart Stance seemed to be the only one who was completely unsurprised. "Of course, princess - as you wish."

Cupcake entered from the kitchen again, this time with a trayfull of edible things... but he looked around and quickly ascertained something was amiss. "Uhm... I didn't mess up again, did I?"

"No," Mica said quietly, glowering at Obsidian as he stood up abruptly, "but we might have. Come on, Clap."

"... y-yeah..." the pegasus said with little conviction as she followed her friend out through a different doorway. Gypsy, unsure as to what to do, simply sat down at the end of the table again and began folding once more, a sorrowful look on his muzzle.

"Th-this o-o-one... on-n-n-nly w-w-want-t-t-ed t-to... t-t-t-t... t-t-t..."

He shut his mouth and focused on his origami, an embarrassed blush crawling across his cheeks.

Good - if they felt shame and personal pain, then maybe they would behave better the next time they'd meet. For now, Obsidian was fed up with their attempts to befriend her and with their short quarrel over if her most honourable father was 'tyrannical' or even a bad parent. As if kings could afford as much lackadasial nonsense as commoners could, when it came to preparing their offspring for their future roles. This world was crazed, but Obsidian had to resist its influence.

Wart went to the door and held it open for Obsidian. "Right this way, princess."

At least Stalwart was a promising start. Obsidian, without another sentiment to these commoners, made her way out.

"They tend talk a lot, don't they?" she said aloud, though not truly caring if unicorn mare would respond or not. At the moment she only cared if Butter Churn had gotten her the books she had asked for. It seemed that she would have to catch up a lot and...

Damn, she was walking without her liaison again. It was a violation of the rules set upon her and she was already feeling ashamed for that. It didn't matter that these rules were made by her enemies - she was already behaving like an anarchist!

Stalwart said nothing for a moment... then, softly: "They're only upset because they believe you were treated unfairly, princess; they meant no harm - even the birdbrain."

She kept her eyes forward, and continued to escort Obsidian until she reached the Rarity Suite once again. Outside the room, carefully stacked, was a small pile of tomes, each one titled with something about history.

Books... they were just waiting there for her, all fully available. And so many of them!

Under her most honourable father's care, Obsidian was never allowed to just go into library or his rooms, pick up a book and read it. No, everything was carefully planned by the king; at best, she could ask for something supplementary - and only hope that he would provide it. But, right now, there was no one to order her to read a specific thing. She was, at least in this matter, completely FREE.

Wart made her way to the door and opened it for Obsidian. "Would the princess care for anything further, or shall I leave?"
Her muzzle was inscrutable; there was no way to tell if she'd been upset or not by the outburst, but she was determined to continue to act the part of a royal guard until she was dismissed.

... ah, Wart said something.

"Their views on the world, parenthood and personal values don't seem too compatible with my own... I don't need anything else, and if you want to leave, I won't stop you."

Wart stood there for a moment. "As I believe I have nothing more to offer you, princess, I will leave you alone... as you apparently desire to be." With that, she stepped out of the door and into the hallway, gently closing it behind her; Obsidian could hear her measured hoofsteps as she walked away.

Now... Obsidian now had a number of books to read through... and at her own leisure, no less! And without interruption, either; she'd managed to ditch her annoying liaison and the far-too-chatty others that had been taking up her attention.

Now, she was as alone as she had been in her old room... this one simply looked nicer... or perhaps 'nicer' wasn't the best term. The more appropriate would be... more flatulent, if such a term could be used to describe rooms. Ah, but at least it was providing the perfect conditions to learn! It would be nice to have something to write with, to make notes, but at the moment she would just be glad to read, read and read, until she could read no further.

Truly, books were great tools. Valuable, patient... quiet...

Author's Notes:

Noooooooo... way too early for the six of them to become Six yet, if you catch my drift. Besides, if you think back, there's probably a few instances in your own life where you met someone who started off as a jerk, then you ended up becoming good friends with. Unfortunately, you gotta go through the bad to get to the better, so here's the social slap in the muzzle, so to speak.

Plus, it was a good way to give a bit of character interaction between them all; as it should be, it's chaotic and awkward, as first meetings have a habit of being. Trust me, as things progress, they'll figure it all out... hopefully before anything BAD happens...

No spoilers.

Six: Twilight Time

Hours passed.

By the time she had finished reading the fifth history book, she now had at least a fair and passing knowledge of how history had unfurled since the days she knew. Pony wars, pony peace talks, pony civilization, pony events... so much had occurred since she was last a part of this world, and it was mind-boggling just how much had happened.

Not surprisingly, there were many tomes that spoke of the importance of Harmony and Friendship, and how the two had helped to shape the Equestria of today. The Six Virtues, the Elements of Harmony, had been quite powerful in their own rights - but what they had accomplished in merely a decade or so was... impressive.

There had even been mention of her most honourable father's return... and his subsequent and unimaginable defeat, at the unlikely hands of a dragon who sealed his fate with the same crystal heart she bore on her flank. And nothing further, as if his appearance was merely a footnote, and unworthy of an entire tome! She was a bit... disappointed... by that. However, if he had returned once, he could surely do so again, yes?

The latest book added an interesting fact to what knowledge there was of these Elements; since the revelation of Grogar's false appearance and the Fall of The Villainous Trio, the Elements hadn't been seen in years... and the former bearers didn't speak one way or another about them. Were the Elements of Harmony no longer under the control of their previous bearers? From what she read, it certainly seemed that way.

All in all, it was an impressive history, to say the least. So many monsters attacking Equestria - and so many successful defenses. It seemed that, somehow, this borderline anarchistic state was able to survive and thrive... and even spread its corrupted values.

How it was possible? According to Obsidian's knowledge, at least changelings should have been able to defeat these ponies. Of course, it seemed that Equestria had plenty of luck - just like with the story of her father's... uh... temporary defeat. The Crystal Heart caught in the last possible second by a thrown alicorn? It was almost like cheating! Her father had been brilliant, and was always prepared for anything - except for such acts of madness...

Truly, it looked like Equestria was quite often on a brink of a total defeat - and their victories were connected with these Elements of Harmony. That was a promising start - now she knew what she'd have to study more thoroughly. And since she knew the offspring of at least some of these 'Bearers'...

Obsidian's lips curved upward a bit, imitating a cheerful smile. Perhaps they would be more useful tools than she thought?

Suddenly and without knocking, the door opened and two royal guardponies stepped inside... followed by a tall, very purple alicorn whose mane flowed regally behind her. The look on her muzzle was one of seriousness, and she stopped a fair distance from Obsidian, seemingly out of respect for personal space. The alicorn was most certainly the most royal being she'd seen since her awakening, and with just her presence nearby, Obsidian could feel the power of this being within.

"Greetings," she began, "I felt that it would be proper of me to speak with you at some point, seeing as you're a guest in my home. Princess... Obsidian, is it?"

Truth to be told, Obsidian didn't expect any more guests today - and she expected even less that they could not knock. And even, even, EVEN less that it would be the ruler of the entire realm herself!

Truly, this day was full of surprises.

She gave a slow, regal bow. "I am Princess Twilight Sparkle. And I am here to witness for myself, the daughter of Sombra. At least, that's what I was told - and from the look of your horn, I'd say they were correct."

She glanced about a bit. "Are your accommodations appropriate?"

To say the least, Obsidian was shocked - but she maintained enough clarity of mind to carefully put down a book she was currently reading, quickly get up and bow respectfully. Maybe it wasn't her father... but it was royalty. Very powerful royalty, at that. It was only obvious that she, an untrained heir apparent, had to treat her with a certain level of respect.

Even if she was the enemy.

"Yes, your majesty; I am Princess Obsidian. I feel honored that you would consider me worthy of your attentions," she replied quickly. So much power... it was hard to believe that she couldn't feel that she had been approaching her room. "And, t-truth be told..." she glanced quickly sideways. Her father had always valued direct honesty - even when he had to punish her for whatever foolish things she had spouted.

"... I'd say it's a bit too big and too luxurious, your majesty."

The alicorn took in Obsidian's greeting, nodding in return. However, when she spoke about her ostentatious surroundings... the princess gave a small, almost shy chuckle.

"That doesn't surprise me, actually - Rarity has always been fashionable, but not everyone is into fashion as much as she is. If it's too much in here, I'd be happy to let my guards know you require a room that's more... down-to-earth, so to speak."

She turned to her royal guards. "Vista, please make sure to let the quartermaster know that our guest will be moving to another room, more suited to her tastes. Grim, the door please."

The mare saluted smartly, and the stallion trotted over to the door and opened it, holding it at the ready for them both.

She then returned her gaze to Obsidian. "If you have nothing here to gather, I would be happy to escort you to more fitting quarters, if you like? I won't have my guests saying I was a poor hostess." She smiled, warmth apparent in her eyes as she looked on Obsidian without either fear nor judgment.

Oh, so asking for better quarters went smoothly... well, that was good. It also seemed that Princess Twilight wasn't interested in getting rid of her - at least not enough to execute her on spot. "The only things I have here are these books, your majesty," she admitted, levitating them with her. Maybe a room that would look more similar to her old one would calm her down a bit...

Twilight looked over the books. "Ah, I see... books from my library, no less."

Before Obsidian could speak, the alicorn gave another soft laugh. "Though you were told not to go to the library, I just can't find it in my heart to be angry about anypony wishing to learn; we had requested that more in respect for how you would take it, as we were afraid you wouldn't have handled it well if you took on more information than you were ready for. However, you seem to be just fine - I'll have the library ban rescinded, and you should be able to go there whenever you like."

They left the room and began making their way down the extravagant hallway, flanked on either side by the royal guards. Twilight even moved regally; she seemed as though she were the epitome of alicorn royalty.

"Now, I would like to ask about something that came to my attention, as of a few minutes ago. Apparently, you had managed to make your way over to the School of Friendship - without your liaison, no less - and seen it for yourself. Tell me: what did you think of it?"

Obsidian's heart froze for a moment - a very, very long moment. Did this princess believe that she actually went into the library herself? And... a-and yes, she ALSO went into the school without her liaison! Perhaps she could blame Clap and Mica for that...?

But no, it was her decision, her fault, her blame! SHE WAS COMPLETELY GUILTY!

To say that Obsidian became very nervous and uncomfortable would be an understatement; after all, she was taught well by her father about the painful price of disobedience. Modern Equestrians had probably invented new ways since her slumber to punish those daring to break the law!

"It... it looks like a respectable place of knowledge," she answered hesitantly, "as at least a few subjects taught there seem to be similar to ones I had back home." She swallowed loudly. "And yes, your majesty, I ignored my liaison. I'm aware of my crime and ready to receive my fair and just punishment. However, I didn't go into your library, I swear! I merely asked somepony to get these books - I wasn't forbidden to do that, a-at least as far as I was informed!"

Hopefully, her punsihment wouldn't be too harsh; the world around her was quite interesting, and she couldn't learn more about it as soon as she'd wanted if she received too severe of a beating.

Twilight gave a raised eyebrow. "Ready for punishment, you say? Hmmmm..."

The alicorn actually looked as though she were considering it; oh, what would it be? Chains? Holding up buckets for hours on end? The whip? Starvation? Or maybe just an old-fashioned beating?

However, the alicorn gave a slight smirk. "Yes, your punishment for breaking my rules. It will have to be considered carefully - I'll have an answer for you before I leave your presence. But for now," she stopped and gestured to another door, "let's get a look at this room, and see what you think of it."

Oh, so she was cruel enough to keep her in a state of doubt and fear? That was a good tactic to deal with unruly subjects, as her father had taught her - especially as their own fear was able to fuel Dark Magic, basically forcing them to 'fund' their own punishments. However, considering that Dark Magic was apparently illegal, Princess Twilight couldn't do it... could she? Or perhaps, as in a despotic monarchy, she was above the law and thus able to disregard this ban?

Pushing open the door, the first thing Obsidian noticed was a complete lack of frills; the whole room looked utilitarian and simple. The only thing that seemed off about it was the apple symbol that seemed to make appearances throughout the room, though it was still nowhere near as garish as the Rarity Suite.

There was a simple four-post bed with a wooden frame, with matching dresser and end tables, and simple tan curtains that hid the view - as well they should. There was also a small desk with a chair, towards the corner. Otherwise, the apple motif was about the only other thing present.

"This is the Applejack Suite; is this more to your liking?"

At least the room seemed to be far, far better. It was still very big (at least in Obsidian's opinion), but it wasn't as over-the-top as the last one. Also, desk would be useful. "Yes, your majesty", she replied shortly.

"Very well, then... welcome to your new quarters. I hope this will be sufficient until you can afford your own place, of course. But I won't have you homeless; you'll be expected to work off your debt while you stay here... but I promise, it won't be anything you can't handle."

She seemed so royal, yet... her kindness... was it merely a trait of Equestrians?

"I also received word that you were seen in the company of others - very particular others that I happen to know of. Since you seem to be meeting others already, I would like to hear your thoughts on them."

Was... w-was that an order? Debt... oh, to think that an heir apparent such as herself could be suddenly so deep in someone's debt! O tempora, o mores!

"By your command, your majesty. I consider Lemon Custard rather unpleasant and I felt as if he was behaving in deliberately antagonistic manner. I didn't spend too much time with Butter Churn, but she seems to be a solid and useful pony. However, I have some small problems with her... manner of speech. Nothing too hard, however, as we didn't have any problems with talking to each other, it was just surprising a bit. Cupcake Sprinkles..."

She hesitated for a moment.

"... is very strange, I don't think I understand him too much. I thought a talkative liaison would be useful, but right now I think that we are pretty much opposites when it comes to... well, everything. Mica is very calm and collected. Thunderclap is pretty much the exact polar opposite of him, and it surprises me that those two get along so well. Stalwart was the most useful of all ponies here. Also, finally, Gypsy is probably the most interesting creature I've met - especially considering that I've never even heard about diamond dogs before, or about this origami thing he likes to do."

Hopefully it would do. "... I can write a more proper reply in a form of written treatise, if you so desire."

Though Princess Twilight seemed to earnestly consider Obsidian's offer, she eventually waved it away. "That won't be necessary; I was just curious as to how you saw them. I know my subjects well, as royalty should, and I'm interested in what you might have had to say about them."

She began to pace a bit. "Lemon Custard is antagonistic, yes... but he also gets the job done, and his abrasiveness has made those under his scrutiny reveal more about themselves than they would have otherwise. Yourself included. Still, I also find his attitude less than pleasant. So you're not alone, there."

"Butter Churn is fairly simple - though she's far from dumb. She tends to be of the 'slow and steady' variety. Cupcake is... well, he takes a lot after his mother - unlike his brother Custard - and he's easily excitable. He does have his moods, though - but if you like, I'll have a talk with him about it."

"Mica and Thunderclap do make a strange pair, but that's what makes their friendship so unique - and they seem to like it that way. She's brash and headstrong, and he's aloof and steady... they balance each other out, I suppose."

"Stalwart Stance is a very serious pony - she wants so much to be a royal guard. You've seen her size, though - unless she gets any bigger, I don't know that she'll be able to wear the armor, much less do the necessary duties expected of the guard. I'm still hoping she'll get taller... but each year, it seems like the only thing that grows is her desire to be a royal guardpony."

"Gypsy... Gypsy Rover? Yes, he's one of our few diamond dog students at the School of Friendship; we're hoping that his experience here will prove to his community that the school is a good thing, and that they may send more to enroll next year. And yes, the origami he does is rather neat - he made an airship for me when we first met."

She turned to look at the dark princess. "I'm glad to see that you're finding friends, Obsidian - those are far more important than you know, especially in this day and age. Here's to hoping you make even more. In fact..." she gave a small, mischievous grin, "I think that would make an appropriate punishment for you. Princess Obsidian," she said regally, "I charge you, as an act of penance, to..."

Smiling kindly now, she leaned in closely. "... make more friends."

Friends? No, they were just ponies (and a diamond dog) who happened to be nearby; they weren't her friends! She still didn't even know what it truly meant! Obsidian already wanted to correct that mistake in Princess Twilight's reasoning, but stopped as soon as she declared her punishment.

... oh.

"T... that's all, your majesty? I am used to more... direct punishments..." Perhaps there was something more? "And no, your majesty, I don't think that Cupcake needs any more talks about his moods right now, but I humbly thank you for this offer."

So there were more diamond dogs around... except that Obsidian didn't really learn of anything else... except the current status of Stalwart Stance. Perhaps if she wasn't going to be big enough to become a royal guardian, she could make a useful assassin? Her size and magic could create a very dangerous murderer on the monarchy's leash...

Twilight gave her a solemn look. "With how we found you, and what it says about you in Sombra's personal records, I was worried as to what sort of pony you were... but if you're hanging out with the likes of Mica, Thunderclap and Gypsy? Well, I suppose that speaks well of you. And certainly gives me hope that you'll find your place here, as well."

She took on a wistful, distant smile. "Once upon a time, I was under the impression that I didn't even need friends... but Princess Celestia sent me to Ponyville, and that's where I met my most favorite ponies of all. More than that, though - through our friendship, rocky as it may have been to start with, I discovered my own purpose... and they discovered theirs as well. And if it hadn't been for us supporting each other, well..." she shrugged, "we wouldn't be having this conversation right now - most likely, you'd still be in suspended animation."

She stepped lightly toward the window, gazing out as she spoke more.

"I hope the experience you have here is one that you will enjoy - or grow to enjoy - over time. And I also hope that the friends you make will be at least as wonderful as my own are."

She looked at her knowingly. "But angry outbursts won't do much good towards that, you know. Still, they didn't have any right to push the way they did; my sincerest apologies. I hope they didn't deter you from having their friendship?"

Wait... his personal records? Did they find some writings of her most honourable father? While Obsidian was indignant at the fact that they basically stole the written personal thoughts of King Sombra, she was at least a bit curious what her parent wrote about her. She had been doing her best to satisfy all of his demands - was it enough for him? Or perhaps there was something about... her mother? Maybe it wasn't the most important issue in the world, but she was, for obvious reasons, interested in it.

But, alas, there were more pressing matters ahoof - the fate of her father, of course, and her punishment. Considering that apparently 'friendship was magic' maybe she could try to understand it a bit more, too.

"Um, an angry outburst? Your majesty, I merely corrected a few mistakes they made. I assure you that this last discussion we had didn't change my attitude towards them, I swear it." It would be hard to change it, though - after all, she was treating them quite coldly at the moment, all according to King Sombra's lessons, of course.

"Well, it may not have changed your attitude much... but I'd be worried that it may have changed their attitudes towards you. Maybe it's a good thing we found you; it seems like the School of Friendship could do you some good in that measure."

She nodded to the guards, who then made their way towards the door.

"Princess Obsidian, I look forward to seeing how you fit into this new world around you; if you should have any issues or questions, my door is always open... and if you cannot find my door, ask anyone here - they know where to find me. For now, however, I have to depart; dignitaries from Yakyakistan are coming tonight, and I have to make certain everything is ready for their arrival."

She took a few steps towards Obsidian, a look in her eyes that said she was trying not to pity the dark princess... but why she wore that look, Obsidian couldn't tell.

"And don't worry - I'll send Cupcake to meet you here... tomorrow; read, rest, and prepare yourself for the morning. Good night, princess."

With that, she gave a slight bow and left the room, the guard closing the door behind them swiftly and quietly.

Yakyakistan? It sounded as if... the yaks had made a civilization for themselves? Well, they did have a thousand years for that, but it was surprising nonetheless. Just another reminder that this world was a bit different from one she knew.

She bowed humbly as the alicorn princess was leaving and... well, she was free to do anything she wanted again.

And, of course, she wanted to read. A lot.

So the local ruler wasn't half as scary as her most honourable father, even though she was probably as powerful as he was. As far as Obsidian was concerned, she had nothing to worry about - it seemed that a transgression worth any painful punishment back home would be almost unnoticeable here.

Thus Obsidian sat down in front of the desk to read comfortably - she didn't want to face the world unprepared, so she had to learn, learn, LEA...

...

Zzzzz....

Author's Notes:

Allow me to add some explanation:

In THIS alternate universe, Sombra never reappeared with the others who would become the Villainous Trio - and therefore, the Tree of Harmony was never destroyed. In my own head, it simply continued to exist where it was, housing the Elements of Harmony until they were needed once again. Note: Their reappearance doesn't happen here, in case you were wondering; another tale, another time.

I'm always nervous when I THINK about writing as a canon character, because I want to make sure I capture the essence of that character; when I actually get into the role, I submerge into it and do my utmost best to BECOME that character in my head, so I can write it as close to loyal portrayal as I can. Wungi told me I did a good job with Twily - I hope he's right on that one.

Seven: Take Two

"Your place is HERE."

The jingle of chains ground against her ears like sandpaper.

"Your POWER is the KEY."

She could swear she heard the crack of a whip.

"You WILL obey me."

The stomp of an angry hoof echoed in her head.

"MY will be done!"

Pain... a seemingly endless flow of pain...

"You WILL be properly prepared for the future..."

Bright red eyes with green energy pouring from them, wisps of purple mist issuing from them, in the darkness, staring at HER.

"MY FUTURE!"

Were those teeth, tearing at her flank?

"Because YOU have NONE."

One long, roaring, terrifying scream of conquest, triumph, POWER...

There was a slight, meek knock at the door to the Applejack Suite; was it morning already?

Ah, for a moment she felt almost as if she were back home. The constant mental assault, sounds of chains, overwhelming dark magic and the voice of her most honourable father all around her...

There was no doubt that she would be proud of being a child of such a powerful king as he was - or that she wouldn't do anything she could to fullfill his dark will. To think otherwise would be foolish, and fools weren't known to live very long in her Father's Crystal Palace. She had to live to ensure she didn't let him down. In his presence, she felt... she was... nothing but a dust mote...

... knocking?

It seemed that she fell asleep at the desk - apparently she was more tired than she initially thought, and unfortunately it seemed that sleeping in a chair wasn't too effective. Still, she stood up. "I hear you..." she said with sleep thick in her voice as she trotted over to the door.

Outside stood Cupcake... but he looked as though he was about two seconds from crying. "Um... h-hiya."

He fidgeted for a moment, looking like he was half-expecting her to just start yelling at him. "I, um... made... uh, breakfast. I-if you're hungry, that is. I mean, if you're NOT hungry, we can skip it, it's okay to skip it, we don't have to do anything you don't want to... but I figured, since you seemed to like my cooking yesterday... well, I thought maybe you'd like more of it today, before everything gets started?"

Even when he was feeling miserable, he apparently still had to speak as much as possible, it seemed. Obsidian barely managed to stifle a yawn. She was used to sleeping in rather uncomfortable conditions, but the hard wooden chair was even worse... and using a book as a pillow didn't help either.

"Good morning. Why, yes, I am hungry; how very considerate of you. I need a moment to refresh myself, though, as I just woke up." It seemed as if she didn't even notice his current state... at least until she rubbed her eyes, to wake herself a bit more. Then she saw his expression, and quirked an eyebrow.

"Is everything fine? You seem to be behaving strangely. You aren't sick, I hope?"

It was a very important question, in her opinion. After all, a sick pony could potentailly infect her... and there was no telling what sorts of maladies and viruses might exist in this era.

Cupcake looked at her for a moment, seeming shocked. He then looked outside the door again, then back at her. "This... is the Applejack Suite, right? A-and you... you're Princess Obsidian, right? You..." he gave her a skeptical look, "... Markannus, is that you??? Are you messing with me again?" He looked the dark princess over. "If it is you, Markannus... you're doing an amazing job! You even got the frazzled mane right!"

What was going on? And who was this 'Markannus' he mentioned?

If Cupcake had any doubts about her, they vanished after the glare that Obsidian pinned him with. It was a very glare-y glare. It helped that she was still tired and, thus, she didn't have to work too hard to look unfriendly and irritated.

"What did you say about my mane?"

His eyes grew wide, and he took enough steps back to bump the bed. "OH! That... th-that's m-more like what I was expecting..." He ran a hoof nervously through his mane, and looked at her with a mix of embarrassment and apprehension.

"Well, I mean... your mane always looks so... um, f-frazzled. Like you don't brush it out at all. I mean, yeah, you've only been awake for, like, a single day... but still, I mean..." he gestured to the mirror at the back of the room, "look at it! Honestly, you should take better care of your mane... you are a princess, right? It's just... I've never seen a royal mane so unkempt and... a-and... uhm, fr-frazzled." He looked down a bit. "I'm not meaning to make fun or anything; I'm just surprised, is all. I swear, I'm not being a m-meanie."

Brushing? Hm, it sounded like a waste of time; she was fine with her looks - it was easy to keep and it didn't disturb her lessons.

"One day, perhaps, I'll get the same shadowy mane as my most honourable father has and... oh, right, I forgot. Dark magic is illegal, so that won't happen anytime soon," she growled quietly. Maybe it would be a good idea to at least wash it before going out...

"And I know you aren't being a meanie. However, you failed to reply to my question - you aren't sick, are you?".

"No... N-NO! I just, well..." he sighed, "after yesterday, I wasn't expecting... um..."

His voice got tiny and quiet. "... I wasn't expecting you to be so... um, nice." He blushed and looked down at the floor. "It made me think my changeling friend was playing a prank on me. But no, no..." he gulped as he looked up, "you're you."

The sheepish grin he put on was sincere.

She was behaving... nicely? It seemed that she had to be more careful - otherwise they were going to think that she was becoming fri-

...endly, ah, but there was that punishment given to her by princess Twilight, which meant that she probably HAD to behave that way, right? Obsidian briefly wondered how much truth was actually in the words 'friendship is magic' and how many friends she'd have to get before noticing a difference with her own magic. Perhaps her father would be impressed with Obsidian - Empress of Friendship! What could go wrong?

"Changeling... friend?" It shouldn't surprise her, considering how diverse this place was, but it did anyway. However... it was an opportunity to learn a bit more, perhaps. "I've never heard of one before; I might like to meet him later. However, right now... I need a moment. Excuse me," she apologized before leaving to the bathroom; she probably shouldn't just walk out without at least refreshing herself a bit.

Cupcake nodded (exceedingly glad he wasn't about to be destroyed), and stepped out into the hall. "When you're ready, I'll be waiting out here - we'll head to breakfast as soon as you're ready. After that..." He gave a groan. "After that, I'm supposed to take you to Lemon. For your work assignment. Sorry." The door shut, and she was alone again.

Oh no. Not Lemon. He was, from her experience, NOT a friendly pony. And she didn't want to do some piddling, pointless work! What happened with 'you don't have to do anything you don't want to'? Maybe she should threaten him once again or something... Princess Twilight didn't forbid her threatening others, right?

After moping a few minutes in the bathroom while she cleaned herself up, she came out looking a bit better than before. "... fine. I'm ready. Any ideas what your brother may have prepared for me?"

Cupcake nodded approvingly at her changes... yet he still eyeballed her mane, even if only for a moment, before he began to lead her down the hallway. "Knowing him? Lemon's probably got some mundane little thing to keep you busy - I doubt Princess Twily would make you do anything too hard. But Lemon does like to push his authority around; likely, he'll try to make you nervous about it before he gives you the assignment."

He made a grumpy face. "Lemon, by the by, is a bit of a meanie - just in case you hadn't noticed. But I'm sure you did, 'cause you're pretty smart. And he's a jerky-jerk-face."

Cupcake led her around the corner, and already the smells of his cooking were floating on the breeze. Whatever it was, it smelled like pure ambrosia - mouth-watering and delectable. "I made you some honey-basted biscuits, lemongrass toast with blueberry jam, and some strips of hay bacon - and a tall, cool glass of OJ to wash it down! I hope you'll like it!"

They reached the dining hall, where the spread he'd spoken of was all set out, ready to eat. Aside from the two of them, there was no one else in the big, roomy hall.

The blowhard stallion trying to make Obsidian nervous right now probably wouldn't work out very well for him, or would possibly end quite badly - especially as Obsidian learned that Lemon didn't have as much authority as he wanted others to believe he would have and not even his princess or his own brother seem to think too highly of him. If anything, dealing with him could be, potentially, relaxing for Obsidian... ah, right - no dark magic; such a shame.

"You just spoke so very many words that I don't quite understand..." she admitted as she sat down to her breakfast. Lemongrass? Bacon? Jam? Everything was so new here... but, as her taste buds told her while she ate, utterly delicious. Frankly, if this was setting a precedent, she would gain a bit of weight... which honestly wouldn't hurt, as she was a bit skinny. She did attempt to eat slowly and with diginity, though; as good as it was, it didn't excuse her from her manners.

Cupcake was all smiles as he saw her enjoying the meal he'd prepared. "Y'know, it always makes me smile, smile, smile when I see others enjoying my cooking! I'm glad you like it so much! I'd be happy to make you lunch and dinner, as well, if you're interested?" He seemed so happy, just watching her devour his hard work... and it had to be hard work, because there was so much flavor! And plenty of food, too!

Well, having a personal chef was one of the advantages of being a princess, so she was coming to understand... it would only help her feel more like the proper royalty she should feel like.

"I am indeed interested," she said briefly. "and will the rest of group attend as well?"

Now that was an interesting thought - Princess Twilight told her to 'make more friends', but it was under the assumption that the ponies (and one diamond dog) she met were already friendly with her. However, she first had to be sure about that.

Cupcake lifted an eyebrow. "Uhhhh... they're all in school, right now. I don't think they'll be able to, at the moment. Plus, ummm..." he looked awkward, "... I don't know what it'll be like, after yesterday. I mean, yeah, they were being kinda rude, but..."

He sighed. "You may have hurt some feelings."

Hurt feelings? How could feelings be hurt? She just told them that her father was the greatest king in the world and they were all wrong! Ugh, these modern ponies (and the one diamond dog)...

Maybe it would be a better idea to give up on them and find other friends? Princess Twilight didn't set any sort of deadline, but Obsidian was afraid that she had to hurry - she just had to deal with this annoying thing and get back to the books, just as He liked from her... she assumed. She just had to decide what would be faster - finding new friends or fixing these 'hurt feelings'...

"Oh," she said, chewing on some of the toast with a dollop of jam. "Can you help me with it, then? I'm not sure how to deal with... hurt feelings."

He blinked for a moment, an incredulous look on his face before he said, in almost a whisper, "... haven't you ever had a friend? I mean, I just thought you had friends long ago, but they weren't, uh... a-around anymore. But... honestly, you've never had a friend before?"

His grin suddenly sparked to life. "Well, hey - the School of Friendship would be perfect for you, then! That's where they TEACH all that stuff, and you even get the chance to use it! But, hmmmm," he pondered, "dealing with hurt feelings... okay!"

He reached over, turned a chair around backwards and sat down in it, facing her. "Now, you remember what it felt like when they said all that stuff, right? That angry, angsty, no-goody-feeling? Well, they feel that, too - they're complete folks, too. So the key is to have what's called empathy; put yourself in their horseshoes, and try to imagine what it must've been like to get yelled at like that." He grinned. "That's the first step - because once you understand, you can apologize sincerely. All it takes is thinking like they did, or at least trying to understand what it was like for them. Try it!"

... but of course she didn't have a friend she could 'empathize' with. Where would she get one?

"Cupcake, when you are wondering how many friends I had in my life, remember my castle; the subjects there were either slaves that I couldn't befriend, or my most honourable father that... well, I do not believe anypony could call 'friendly'" she finished in a whisper, as if using the words 'father' and 'friendly' in the same sentence was a terrible curse, or at least a vulgar term.

So... empathy. Hmm. So they felt right about what they said, even though they were wrong? Silly ponies... and of course she didn't have to imagine what it was like to get yelled at - King Sombra wasn't exactly the most quiet teacher or parent in the universe.

"... so we need to steal their horseshoes, so that I may put myself in them. It doesn't sound very hygienic, honestly."

Cupcake gave a giggle. "No, no... not literally! It's like, put your perspective in their place; think what it felt like for them to be told that what they thought didn't matter... remember, they felt like they had the right idea. Have you ever felt what it was like to have your feelings, your opinion just shoved aside? Like, like..."

His muzzle suddenly took on a stern glare, but not at her. "I'll bet Lemon treated YOU like that, didn't he? Like your opinion didn't matter? You remember what that felt like? Well, that might be the way they feel, too." Come to think of it, there had been the whole 'princess' thing, where he'd not only refused to call her by her title, but he'd also told her she was no longer a princess at all, no matter how much she'd tried to say otherwise.

"Yeah," he pointed a hoof at her expression, "THAT is what I mean! I'll bet he was a real butt! I mean, I dunno what he said, but... he's always been like that, so I'll bet he made you mad too, right?" He then gave her a look of understanding. "Now... imagine that they felt the way you did when you effectively told them their opinion didn't matter."

There was a difference, though - her opinion mattered and she was right, while Lemon was stupid and wrong. And stupid.
She obviously didn't say it aloud, though - it would be a shame if Cupcake would realize that she really didn't get this whole 'empathy' thing.

"My most honourable father has been doing things like that to me constantly, so I think I have some insight here," she said. "I think I'm starting to understand, however... So who felt the most hurt? We can make a list, and go with whomever was the most upset first..."

She didn't feel she had to apologize, though - and didn't like this idea. However, it was for the greater good... maybe she'd be able to reach a compromise - or, at the very least, a compromise with herself.

Cupcake shrugged. "I... don't think it works that way, princess; the only one who really knows how it hurt them... is them. But, for what it's worth, we can try to find them and give a simple apology for upsetting them; we'll see where it goes from there. Hey, after all, maybe all it'll take is saying sorry, right?"

He then paused as he thought back on what she'd said. "Um, princess? I'm not gonna assume that your father was... whatever he was... but I do know that the things I've heard you say about how you were treated... well, I don't know what the plan was, but... well..." He sighed, then shook his head. "... never mind; I don't want to upset you again; I like Nice Obsidian! So, after breakfast, maybe we can see if we can work Lemon over a bit." He grinned like a colt stealing from the cookie jar. "When we finally see him, just follow my lead, mmkay?"

"Mmkay" - whatever that meant. She stood up. "I'm quite full already; I'm not used to eating that much. However, Cupcake, mind you - I've been nice Obsidian since I woke up... but if your brother pushes me too much, you will have the honor of seeing a very not nice Obsidian for the first time in your life," she assured him.

Of course even 'not nice Obsidian' wasn't going to be too threatening. After all, dark magic was illegal here. "So... I think it would be the best for us all if he didn't behave in the same manner as he did yesterday."

Cupcake sighed and went to put a hoof on her shoulder... then thought better of it, and simply lowered his hoof. "I can't speak for him, so I can't promise any change in his attitude... but, if you work with me, you'll get to see what can be done to outsmart him."

He grinned... the mischievous one.

He led her out of the dining hall (after cleaning up), and down through several hallways until he came to a row of offices. Following the line, he stopped outside one and, with a conspiratorial wink, knocked loudly and quickly. "Lemooooooooon! We're HEEEEEEE-eeeeeeeere!"

From inside, there was a hefty sigh, then, "Yes, come in."

Cupcake opened the door for Obsidian, then bounded in with more energy than he'd projected yesterday. "My faaaaaaaavorite brother! Didja see, I'm a liaison now! Didja? Didja, hunh? Didja?"

"CUP!" He growled loudly. "For Twilight's sake, how much candy have you had today?"

"Just my usual regimen!" His smile was bright enough to light a cavern.

"Good grief," Lemon groaned... then he saw Obsidian, and he gave a small smile. "So, Obsidian," he sat back in his chair and regarded her, "I take it you're ready for your assignment today, hmmmm?"

At least it seemed that Cupcake was finally learning how to treat her - as putting his hoof on her would be probably a big mistake. It was especially nice as she kept envisioning his ability to be an overly annoying, loud weapon of mass eardrum destruction - but pointed at Obsidian's enemy.

And hopefully Lemon wouldn't be too annoying, as right now even Obsidian was scared of Cupcake's abilities.

"Yes, I am," she walked into the proverbial lion's den, wondering about Cupcake's words. No, not the ones about outsmarting him or anything - rather about Lemon being his 'favorite brother'. Did... did it mean there were more than those two?

"Oh, she sure is!" Cupcake blurted. "She even managed to make some friends and see the school and read some books-"

"What!?" Lemon sat bolt upright. "I specifically said-"

"Didn't you get Princess Twilight's orders? She told Siddy she had access to the library now! If the orders aren't on your desk, you can ask her yoursel-"

"A nice try," Lemon began with a haughty grin, "but you'll never get me to buy tha-"

He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes locked on a rather full {INBOX} tray. He reached forward and took a paper from the top with a flick of his hoof, read it thoroughly... then, with a dark scowl, he gave a single grunt, and shoved the paper into a drawer, turning back to face them both.

"Fine." Lemon grumped, his muzzle carved in angry stone. "I don't see why she would allow such a thing, but... well, orders are orders. Though I still don't think it's a very good idea to give her access to potentially dangerous information!"

"But brother," Cupcake said, sounding wounded, "if she's working here in the castle, then it only makes sense that she get the chance to use the library! I mean, there's the one at the School, but she didn't seem to like that one very much..."

That brought a wicked little grin to Lemon's muzzle. "You... didn't like Princess Twilight's School of Friendship? Oh... oh that is perfect. Because, you see, your assignment is there, Obsidian!"

Cup placed his hooves on the sides of his muzzle in mock horror. "Lemon! NOOOOO! That's no way to treat a newcomer! I mean, it's not like she's a meanie or anything-"

"Oh yes," he grinned like the cat who ate the canary, "I'm certain the School of Friendship is EXACTLY where I want you to report to! When you get there, you're to go directly to the headmare's office - they'll keep you busy, I'm sure!"

"Lemon, pleeeeeeeeease don't send her there! She really didn't like it, and-"

"My mind," Lemon said slowly for emphasis, "is made up, Cup. That means she's school-bound... and you are too, o brother of mine."

Cupcake's entire face fell, his body language crumpling like a piece of used tissue paper, and he looked pathetic as he looked at his brother. "But... but Lemmyyyyy..."

"NEVER CALL ME THAT! NOT IN PUBLIC!"

Lemon looked like any satisfaction he might have gotten from bullying Obsidian was effectively stymied by Cup's antics. "Now, get out of my sight! Both of you! And you'd better be at that school, Obsidian! I don't want to hear you've skipped out on this!"

Cupcake hung his head as they walked out of the office... but as soon as the door was closed, he smiled broadly at Obsidian. "Ta-daaaa! Now, onto the school to find the others!" And he began skipping down the hallway, grinning like an idiot. But perhaps not as much of an idiot as he appeared to be?

Oh, so that was that. Obsidian really regretted right now that she couldn't feel other ponies emotions - at least except fear, of course... but, alas, dark magic was illegal, so even that was out of her reach.

Too bad - she was curious if Cupcake was really playing with Lemon that well, or if he was just going along with his brother's nudges and suggestions. Well, at least she didn't seem to get any real, physical work... and Friendship School was close to the place she was currently occupying. It was a welcome bonus.

"I admire your cruelty, Mr. Lemon," she said before she left the office. So now... headmare. And friends.

Oh Father, where art thou? Why couldn't you just come back and take over this entire place?

Author's Notes:

Because if anyone knows how to manipulate someone, it's a sibling.

Trying to explain morality to Obsidian was a daunting task; Sombra wasn't exactly Father of the Year material, so it wasn't like she KNEW what Equestrians considered 'good' or 'bad'; all she'd known was her poor little life in isolation, and whatever her father had impressed upon her. Morals and empathy are two of the biggest foils for her in this story, and this chapter helps define that pretty efficiently, I think.

And 'favorite brother?' No spoliers.

Eight: School Daze

The two of them made their way to the school, Cupcake skipping along - practically bouncing - as they reached the campus.
He held the door for her as they entered, and he began whistling a whimsical tune as they made their way through the halls and towards the main offices.

Inside the large office, there was a secretary's desk, a stack of filing cabinets, a typewriter, and two individuals chatting with each other. The mare behind the desk had a dark green coat with a violet mane and tail. She seemed bored... but was still constantly typing, not even looking at what she was writing; she changed papers without ever breaking eye contact with her guest.

Who was a griffon.

The griffon had tan and orange feathers, and there was a big white circle of feathers around his right eye. He wore a school uniform, but looked like he was almost too old to be in school anymore. He spoke with a confident tilt to his attitude. "... so's then, I sized him up an' said, 'look here - this ain't YOUR lunch, but if you don't back off, it'll be your fashion statement, as yer gonna be wearing it, bucko!"

"Sure," the mare said with a bored inflection, "then what?"

"Well, he thought he was big an' bad, so I just-" The griffon now noticed the two newcomers. "Oh, hey Cupcake... who's dis?"

"Princess Obsidian! Here on orders! With me!"

The griffon smiled and rolled his eyes. "Lucky her."

Frankly, she really wanted to try to find a map to this whole place - sooner or later, she would have to walk around without any help from liaisons. Cupcake could easily walk her into a trap and she wouldn't even take notice before she would be surrounded by earth ponies with swords... or something even worse and more modern!

Though, of course, Cupcake didn't look like a pony that would try something like that, luckily. This office where he had brought her, however... a mare and a griffon. Was she the headmare? And this half-bird seemed to be a bit too old for school...

"Good morning. Is... is this the headmare's office?" She could only guess where Cupcake brought her; as far as she was concerned, he could just want to come with her here only to greet his... ugh... friends or something like that. It didn't help that he didn't introduce those two to her.

The griffon smiled, revealing a long scar beneath his beak. "Name's Gunther - Gunther Gadfly. Nice ta meetcha." He thumbed over his shoulder at the typist. "That's Bold Verdana; she's the secretary here."

Bold, still not looking at her work, nodded to Obsidian and Cupcake. "Hiya."

"If yer lookin' for the headmare," Gunther said, "she's in her office."

"Awww, I know that!" Cupcake said. "The princess here has to report to her to find out what we're doing today!"

"Yeah, well - best'a luck with that, Cup. I'm sure it'll be a riot, whatever it is."

There was a buzz from the secretary's desk, then she said, just as disinterested as she'd been before, "I've buzzed you in; go ahead."

"Okie dokie lokie! Thanks a heap, Boldie!"

"Mmm-hmm."

Cup motioned her to follow him as he went into the office. Gunther gave Obsidian a grin and a wink. "Don't mind Cup too much, ma'am - he's hyper, but he can be a heckuva loyal friend, once you get ta know 'im."

Another strange accent... not too strange, though - as long as she was able to understand the basics of what he was saying, it was fine. She could only wonder how much griffon civilization changed since the good, old times that, to her, were only the day before yesterday.

"Well, it's a bit hard not to notice that," she replied to griffon's advice with a calm voice. Cupcake was 'hyper'? Oh, who would think that? After all, he was only speaking more words in a minute than she ever did in a day... and he wasn't even walking, but practically bouncing. Yup. Hyper.

Without any further questions or small-talk, she followed her (apparent) friend into the office.

The office was nice, but not ostentatious; it was professional enough... though the sight of a box kite hanging from the ceiling did lend it a slightly whimsical feel. When she came in, Obsidian found Cupcake talking rapidly to a pink mare with a purple mane, with what looked like some aqua in it to match the slightly creeping grey.

The mare looked past Cup and grinned at Obsidian. "I'll guess you're the one Cupcake here is talking about," she said, "hi there - my name's Starlight Glimmer; welcome to the School of Friendship. I'm the headmare here, and I'm happy to welcome you." She stood up, and it was obvious she was still somewhat spry, even though the marks of age were beginning to show.

"Of course, Princess Twilight already filled me in on what the situation would be... but, I have to admit, I didn't think I was going to see you here so soon." Cupcake grinned, but looked around innocently. Starlight looked skeptical, yet didn't say anything more about it.

"So, if Cupcake's right, you're here to do a little odd-jobbing? Don't worry - it's not like I'm going to ask you to wrangle Shock Bees or anything; just a few light tasks, and you'll be free to go."

"See?" Cup beamed. "Easy-peasy-Lemon-got-squeezied!"

"Lemon? As in your oldest brother, Lemon Squee-... I mean, Custard?" Starlight sighed. "He never did get very high marks in Friendship... and I take it he's still a bit of a bitter pill to deal with?"

Now there was a hard question that began to flit about in her head - should Obsidian bow or not? She wasn't a princess... however, she also wasn't a mere slave. Back in the Crystal Empire everything was far, far easier. Headmare wasn't a royalty, but she had authority over her, so obviously she should pay her respect - but how much?

She bowed eventually - just a bit.

"Good morning, miss headmare. Yes, Lemon assigned me to do some jobs here. Yes, he is behaving like a pony that got too much authority and is trying to get even more." Starlight Glimmer... wasn't there something about her in the history books? Obsidian tried to focus on it; too bad that she fell asleep in the middle of one...

"He's always been like that," Starlight sighed, "even though his mother did everything she could to help him find friends, he just... never saw any merit in it, I guess. I just can't help but feel like I failed him, somehow..."

"Oh no, Headmare! He's just a stick in the mud! He's my brother, though - so I still love him like one... I just don't like him very much!"

Starlight shook her head, then addressed Obsidian. "So, I have a delivery for the guidance councilor, a notice for one of our teachers, and reorganizing the first two shelves of the non-fiction section in the library... after that, I'll be happy to sign you off for the day." She leaned in closely, "Unless you're interested in attending? If so, we can start the paperwork when you're done?"

Well, if one would add Lemon to Cupcake and then divide by two, a result would be two completely normal, average ponies. It seemed, however, that little Cupcake took most of 'friendly' traits completely for himself.

The assignments didn't sound too hard, though. Obviously, she would need to rely on Cupcake's help, since to properly find any councilor or teacher she would need to know who they were first. Or know where to look for them. Or...

Ahem, anyway, she needed Cupcake. And it seemed that her freedom of choice was even bigger than she initially thought, as they were asking her if she wants to attend? Obsidian assumed it would be forced upon her, sooner or later!

"I..." she hesitated for a moment. "... I'm not sure, headmare. Since yesterday, my life changed a bit, and I'm still adjusting. Thus, I'm not even sure if I know enough about anything around me to make a conscientious decision about that."

"Trust me," Starlight said with a knowing smirk, "I understand being hesitant to embrace friendship... but okay, just let me know if you make the choice."

Cupcake smiled at Starlight. "Headmare, since I'm officially excused from class for now, it would be okay for me to accompany the princess around the place?"

Starlight chuckled, "I expect she'd need you to get around... or a map, which I most certainly have." Reaching into a desk drawer, she brought out a printout of the school's basic floor plan - pocket-sized. "Here... in case Cup gets, eh... 'distracted' away from you."

Cup held a hoof over his heart in mock horror. "Headmare Glimmer! I would never-"

Starlight, nonplussed, simply held up a peppermint candy in its' wrapper. Instantly, Cup cut off his sentence and chased it as she lightly tossed it out the door. She then turned to Obsidian once more. "Really, though - Cup's a good friend. Just not a calm or reserved one. Okay," she smiled, "my secretary, Bold, has the deliveries for you, and Cupcake knows where the head librarian is. You should be all set for today. OH! And if there's anything you need, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask!"

It was a bit disconcerting to see a unicorn able to control other pony without dark magic or a mind-control helmet. However, it was apparently an easy trick - and as soon as Obsidian herself would get some candies, she could turn Cupcake into her obedient slave as well!

And everypony was encouraging her to ask in case of trouble or issues... that could prove to be useful as well.

"It's less about being hesitant to embrace friendship, miss headmare, and more about still trying to figure out what exactly I'm doing in a foreign country, thousand years into the future, with no one familiar and with every single life expectation thrown out of the window!"

She couldn't help herself but correct Starlight, surprising herself with a hint or two of bitterness in her voice. Friendship... as if it was the only important thing in the modern Equestria. "I'll do my best to finish everything in as timely a manner as possible. Good day, miss headmare." She turned away to leave the office.

The headmare's voice came to her from behind. "I... may be more able to relate than most; I had my life expectations shattered, no friends, and a lot of bitterness."

The look on her muzzle was actually genuine, and she seemed concerned... but wasn't going to force it. "If you feel like it's overwhelming you, you're always welcome in my office. I may not be in your exact shoes, but I've been close enough. Trust me."

Perhaps it would be a good idea to visit this place again, sooner or later. Obsidian bowed once again, turned away and left. Delivery, notice, shelves... she wondered how big this library could be. A thousand books? Two thousand? Surely no more than that, as the area around them wasn't truly a full-fledged city, but rather an overgrown village; there was no reason to keep so many books nearby.

Hopefully, Cupcake was done with his candy. A pocket-sized map could be useful, but Cupcake's main value was the fact that he apparently also already knew everypony around; no map could replace his experience.

Sure enough, he was seated like a squirrel, on top of Bold's desk, munching noisily on the candy disc. Bold, unperturbed as usual, simply continued on with her typing... though she was leaning back in her chair far enough to avoid his rump, which was practically in her face.

"Odd job, right?" She sounded completely bored. "Fine. There's the package," she pointed a hoof at a plain-brown wrapped box, about as big as a breadbox, "and the letter's under Cupcake."

"OH!" He reached down and pulled it up, holding it out to Obsidian. "Okay, I guess we're off, then!" The front of the letter said {To Professor Fluttershy, c/o Twilight's School Of Friendship}, and had a stamp of a pony she didn't recognize on it.

"Don't lose them," Bold said before she refocused on the window, looking out at the sunny day outside, sighing longingly.

"We won't! Okay, princess! Let's go DO THIS THANG!!!" Cup sprang off the desk like a rabbit, and skipped his way out into the hallway.

Fluttershy... oooh, one of the bearers of the elements of Harmony. Wonderful. Hopefully she would be an easy target - plotting against Princess Twilight would be hard, but Professor Fluttershy should be able to provide Obsidian with some information... with or without her knowledge.

The young mare grabbed both letter and package with her magic and rushed after Cupcake. Errands like these shouldn't take up too much time, and it would be wise to get something to read about Starlight Glimmer, as well.

In his own erratic way, Cupcake led her about the campus a bit before finally getting down to business and bringing her to another block of offices. This one had a name placard on the door: [THE GREAT AND POWERFUL GUIDANCE COUNCILOR IS IN!]

Cupcake smiled. "This is Councilor Trixie - she's lots of fun, and a former stage magician to boot! Don't mind if she gets loud and obnoxious and stuff; she's still really nifty!" He knocked on the door.

"Councilor Trixie, ma'am? Deliveryyyyyyyy!!!!!" From inside came a single word: "Enter!"

Cupcake's smile got brighter. "Heh, watch this!"

With that, he opened the door. At first, it simply appeared to be an office like Starlight's... though there were a number of promotional posters for 'The Great & Powerful Trixie' pinned to the walls in numerous places. However, there was nopony here...

Smoke filled the room, and a proud voice called out, "Behoooolllllld!" As the smoke cleared, there was a powder blue mare standing on the desk, her forelegs out in a grand gesture, with what appeared to be a cloak on her back, festooned with stars.

"You have reached the offices of The Gr-r-r-r-reat and POWERful..." She stopped mid-sentence, then put on a small scowl. "Oh. It's you, Cupcake - why didn't you say so? Waste of a perfectly good smoke bomb..." She then noticed Obsidian, and she went stock still for a moment.

Then: ".... The, uh, Great - I MEAN, Gr-r-r-r-r-reat and POWERFUL Tr-r-r-r-rixie!"

Cup put on a goofy grin. "Yeah, she's STILL awesome!"

"So," the blue mare took her seat, waving away the last of the smoke and giving a slight cough, "what can I do for you?"

Considering that it was Cupcake calling councilor 'loud and obnoxious', Obsidian was expecting a small disaster, a pony that would be so repulsive that she wouldn't be able to force herself to enter her room - and his comment that she was 'lots of fun' didn't exactly ease her mind.

If anything, for obvious reasons, Sombra's daughter was intrigued by this claim of power and greatness - just who exactly was this mare, and why she was behaving that way?

Could she be a... challenge?

Maybe it was the same thing as with Lemon - a case of pony with a little bit of authority and far too high an opinion about themselves. And what was a 'stage magician'?

As soon as Obsidian entered the room, however, she saw something very, very familiar - smoke. A lot of it. Her first reaction was panicky and not too pleasant; usually smoke like this meant that her most honourable father was nearby, and in a VERY foul mood, if he was able to emit so much of it. Luckily, the councilor had immediately announced herself, putting her nerves on ease a bit.

Obsidian breathed deeply a few times to calm herself, before she levitated package forward. "Good morning. The headmare asked us to deliver this to you."

"A package? I don't recall ordering anything... why did-"

Trixie's own magic enveloped the box... and as soon as it did, the lid flew clean off, there was a loud }POP!{, and party streamers and confetti shot into the air as a score of filled balloons drifted out, and somewhere, a kazoo blew a single note.

Tied to the string of a bright pink balloon was a note that read: [HAVE A GREAT & POWERFUL HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!] Along with this, another balloon floated nearby, a small gift box hanging from its string.

Trixie jumped at first, then gave a half-smirk. "Hunh. Looks like your mother's still got it, Cup; I hardly expected anypony, apart from my Bestie, would even remember! I'm flatt-... ooh, what's in the box?"

She reached over and took hold of the smaller wrapped gift, eyeballed it for a moment, then opened it carefully... and her eyes grew wide when she saw whatever it was. "OH! Oh, WOW - it's perfect!"

She used her magic to withdraw a necklace with a pendant that was shaped like a magic wand; the star at its tip gave off a soft, blue glow. It was fitting, as the glow matched the color of the councilor's coat. With a giggle, she used her magic to fasten it around her neck. That done, she smiled beatifically at Cupcake and Obsidian.

"Trixie is most pleased! Make sure to let your mother know how kind this was of her! Oh, I can hardly wait to show it to Starlight - in fact, I'll show her right now!" She drew herself up onto the desk again, and smiled broadly.

"Please, show yourselves out - The Gr-r-r-r-reat and Powerful Tr-r-r-r-rixie is off!"

There was another large }POOF!{, and the desk was completely empty... though Obsidian caught the last glimpse of a silvery tail slipping out of the doorway behind them.

Cup beamed from ear to ear as he looked around at all the confetti. "That's my momma!"

Now just wait a second - while Obsidian was a bit put-off by the loud sounds around her, she quickly got over herself and started to think about this whole situation: there was literally no possibility that even a few of those balloons would fit into the package! And there were far, far more than balloons inside. Was it magical? Unfortunately she didn't think about scanning it before - it could be interesting, to taste modern magic, even when it was used in a such vulgar way.

"... is your mom a unicorn?"

Wait, that wasn't right - wasn't he the son of Pinkie Pie? Mica tried to explain his family tree to him, but without making notes there was no feasible way for her to remember it all.

"Hold on... as far as I remember, your mother is Pinkie Pie - I believe that, in the books, she was shown as an earth pony? Which makes this whole situation right now..." she sighed with exasperation, "... impossible!"

Cup gave Obsidian a knowing smile. "As I said... that's my momma."

He made a flourishing gesture with a hoof. "She has a magic that's pretty much practiced in defying the laws of... well, everything! She used to be the Element of Laughter, but she's always been weird and wondrous! I think she said something about a 'fourth wall' at one time, but I think she broke it. Still," he continued, "she's always been able to do things that a lot of others say is impossible."

He grew a proud expression. "Impossible just means momma hasn't tried yet! Heck, even ol' Discord says she's one of his favorite pones... after Miss Fluttershy, of course."

Earth ponies with magic... defying the laws of the universe...

Perhaps Obsidian wasn't learned enough to be able to research it properly, yet she was intrigued nonetheless. It seemed pretty chaotic, though, and was used in a way that Obsidian just couldn't approve - but it didn't change the fact-

"Discord? That name sounds familiar; are we possibly talking about a very, very... unconventional creature? At any rate, let us go to Miss Fluttershy already, and you can explain to me the rest during our travel".

"Oh, YEAH! I keep forgetting you're so new to all this!" Cupcake led the way as they left the office, but fell into step next to Obsidian as they continued down the hall.

"Discord the draconequus! He was a problem a looooooooong time ago, and got turned into a pigeon toilet - at least, that's what HE called it - for a thousand years. He got out, though, and tried to go back to his ways of being a TOTAL meanie... but Miss Fluttershy made friends with him - his first friend - and that's what started him on the road to redemption!"

"Since then, he's... been kinda troublesome, 'cuz he likes chaos and stuff, but he's no longer trying to turn Equestria into Chaos Central; he's living in his place in the Outer Realms, where he and Miss Fluttershy have tea parties and such." He smiled. "He used ta foalsit me and my siblings; he's sooooooo much fun, and he's really cool, too! This one time, he gave us all wings, and we flew all over the place, just like pegasi! Well," he amended with a sheepish grin, "more like clumsy, blind seagulls actually - we had the wings, we just couldn't control them very well! I had a blast, though!"

They reached the end of the hallway, where it almost looked as though the doorway to the last classroom was nothing but a bunch of vines.

"The doorway's a bunch of vines," Cup explained, "because Miss Fluttershy just loves nature and animals and stuff like that; she says it makes the critters feel more comfy!"

So modern Equestria had a problem with a mad god of chaos - a problem that they brought on themselves. He sounded pretty tame right now, but it didn't change the fact that he was THE spirit of disorder, brought to heel only with this so-called 'friendship'. It had to be a powerful force indeed; to hear such casual talk about such a legendaily powerful being was a bit unnerving, to say the least.

In Sombra's daughter's humble opinion, the situation was far too delicate to just ignore... but it wasn't her problem. At least not now, and not too big to handle, perhaps? Besides, giving wings to foals didn't sound too unreasonable... in fact, it was downright tame, in comparison to what he was before.

"Vines? Inside?" She trotted forward to examine them closer. Honestly speaking, there wasn't much in the way of plantlife in her Crystal Empire... especially under her father's rule. Especially especially in his palace.

"Critters? Cupcake, what exactly does she keep in her class?"

Cupcake laughed. "Well, come find out!" With that, he easily pushed the vines aside and entered the classroom.

Author's Notes:

If you're going to have a secretary/receptionist, I'd think you could do worse than naming them after a font style. And I love it when characters seem to name themselves so easily.

The Glim-Glam and the Trix. One of my favorite pairings from the show, I wanted to make sure to try to capture their personalities correctly... I think I must have re-re-REwritten Starlight's lines about a dozen times before I sent them along in the roleplay, and I just HAD to get Trixie as right as possible - I am a fan of hers, after all. But I believe I got it 'close enough for jazz', so to speak.