A Filly and Her Dragon: Amber

Chapters

The First Rider
Knight Boot Camp
Final Exam

The First Rider

As the dragon began to descend, Twilight was glad of the wide-open space around her castle. Even with Dazzle where she was, and even with all her friends and Princess Celestia there, there was still plenty of room.

Fluttershy gulped. "Um. She is friendly. Isn't she?"

Princess Celestia nodded. "Amber is one of the nicest ponies I have ever met. As is Blister. Though they are both, how do they say? Snarky in the extreme. Amber will happily tell you you are full of horseapples if she thinks you are."

Rarity gasped at the use of such a word by the princess. Rainbow though only rolled her eyes. "Pff! We deal with Discord all the time. I think we can handle this."

"You wanna bet on that, Rainbow?" A filly's voice said, as the dragon finally landed next to Twilight and Dazzle. "I can out snark him any day of the week. I even beat him at it once. Just ask him," said the filly head that was emerging from the green dragon's forehead in the same way Twilights was.

Rainbow still didn't look convinced, but that was the last thing on their minds, as they took in Blister. If they had thought Dazzle was big, Blister was even bigger, and then some. Her green scales stood out next to the blue on her wing membranes and the blue scales that ran down from her lower jaw all the way to the tip of her tail.

Amber just smiled, as she settled herself back on Blister's scales. She was even younger than the Cutie Mark Crusaders if the girls had to make a guess. Her tan coat and brown mane were a nice contrast to Blister's green. Above her, the dragon's horns swooped above and around Blister's head to form what looked like a crown.

What really threw everyone for a loop, though, was the beautiful blue mane of hair that fell down from Blister's head. Rarity admitted that it was one of the most beautiful shades of blue that she had ever seen. And it was so well groomed as well. How did a dragon even groom their mane?

Spike though finally asked what they were all thinking. "Since when could dragons have a mane?"

Blister giggled as she looked at him. "I think I'm the only dragon who has a mane of her own. I rather like it," she said, running a claw through it.

Amber rolled her eyes, before closing them. Her head glowed a moment, before separating from Blister and forming into a full pony body, just about Spike's size if they had to guess. After a moment, a Pegasus filly was revealed on Blister's snout.

Amber stretched herself for all she was worth. "Oh, man. I haven't been like this in a long time. Feels pretty good to be a pony again." She flew over and landed on Dazzle's snout, before walking up to stand right in front of Twilight. "So, you're the new Dragon Knight?"

Twilight nodded, still not believing it herself. "Um. Yes?"

Amber giggled. "Come on, Twilight. I'm not going to bite your head off." She tapped Dazzle's snout. "I think you're kinda cute actually."

Both Twilight and Dazzle blushed at this, earning another giggle from the filly. "Shouldn't you call her, Princess Twilight though?" Pinkie asked.

Amber shook her head. "Being a Dragon Knight puts us above that. We answer to nopony but ourselves. Not even Sunbutt over here can tell either of us what to do. No matter how hard she tries, Pinkie."

The group gasped in shock at the filly's use of that title. Celestia, meanwhile, just giggled, having long grown used to it. "How do ya know our names, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

Now it was Amber's turn to gasp in shock. "Are you kidding? You girls are famous! National heroes! Only a complete and utter idiot doesn't know your names. You don't have to live in Equestria to know the Elements of Harmony."

The Mane 6 blushed, while Starlight looked away, really ashamed now that she hadn't known who any of them were when they had come to Our Town. How had she missed all of what they had done?

Amber nodded before she looked back at Twilight. "Time for your first Knight lesson, Twilight. Since you really need to learn it now rather than later, apparently. Do you feel anything? Something inside you changing? And I mean besides the obvious."

Twilight closed her eyes and thought for a moment. Now that she thought about it, why did she continue to kotow to Celestia as she did? Why did she just blindly accept everything the princess had ever told her? When had she stopped having a mind of her own, and just did whatever the princess told her? With no questions asked?

Looking back at her life now, Twilight saw many times when she should have stood up for herself. But hadn't. Out of fear of disappointing the Solar Princess? Out of fear of something else? Lesson Zero, the Canterlot Wedding, the Crystal Empire's return, and most damning of all. Tirek and letting Discord handle him.

Amber nodded, as she saw it finally click for her fellow Knight. "Now you're getting it. That's you finally thinking for yourself, and not just believing everything you see or hear."

Twilight's eyes opened, but their gaze was distant. "When did I become such a pushover?"

There was no answer, but Twilight knew in her heart what it was. Becoming Celestia's Faithful Student had changed something in her. Made her believe and buy into whatever the princess said, without thinking if it was the right thing. No more though.

Her love for Celestia and Luna was still there. But no more of the mindless devotion she once had. From here on, Twilight Sparkle stood on her own four hooves. She would fight her fellow alicorns if need be. And if they didn't like it? Then they should have thought of that before making her an alicorn herself, now shouldn't they have?

Celestia smiled, finally seeing the light in Twilight's eyes. One she had longed to see for so long now.

Amber giggled. "Why are ponies always this dumb? It's not as bad as it used to be. But you'd think ponies would be smarter nowadays."

"Hey! We're not that dumb," Rainbow grumbled.

Amber rolled her eyes. "Sure you're not. The Weather Factory just destroyed itself. Not because you had your head shoved up your flank when your pet tortoise followed his natural instincts. That must have been the other rainbow-haired Pegasus that did a Sonic Rainboom."

That shut Rainbow up real fast. She still wasn't proud of herself for that. "Is she always like this?" Spike asked.

Blister nodded. "She always has been. Usually, the ponies in question have it coming as well."

Twilight though had other questions. "So, can you help me?" She asked, craning her neck as far as she could to look at the Element of Magic merged into Dazzle's chest. "Princess Celestia said you could."

Amber flew over and looked at Magic herself. It was real, just like she thought. She hadn't thought of this in centuries. She gulped. "I can try. But I don't know a thing about Magic. I only knew about it."

"But Princess Celestia said you could help? Shouldn't the First Knight know everything about this kind of thing?" Fluttershy asked.

Amber sighed in annoyance, as she landed on Blister's snout. "I don't know what they say about me, but even I don't know everything about being a Dragon Rider. None of us do. I had help when I first started. But even Lumena didn't tell me everything there was to know."

"Who?" Applejack asked.

Amber gained a faraway look in her eyes, smiling at some long-ago memory. "She was the pony who helped me become a Knight in the first place." She chuckled. "I say she was a pony because that's what she looked like. But she was... Something else altogether. I never figured out what she was." She looked again at Twilight. "She looked like you, Twilight. Right down to being an alicorn as well."

Twilight blinked in confusion. "But. I wasn't alive at that time. And there's nopony in my family history with that name. Let alone an alicorn."

Amber nodded. "I know. Lumena said she just liked that form. Whatever that meant. I still don't know a whole lot about her."

Twilight and her friends shared a look. "So where is she then?" Pinkie asked.

Amber shrugged. "Who knows? She used to pop up all the time to come see me. But I haven't seen her in decades."

Twilight and Dazzle shared a puzzled look. "Decades? You do not look that old?" Dazzle asked while Twilight nodded.

Blister nodded. "It's a side effect of being a Dragon Knight. Neither of us has aged a day in over a thousand years. I've only gotten bigger, and grown in my mane."

Amber nodded, her ears dropping. "One of the few side effects of being a Knight. Whether you were immortal before now or not, you are now. I can show you most of them. But not here. We don't have enough room." She smirked at Twilight. "If you don't mind that is?"

Twilight shook her head. "If you can show me, then I'll follow you. I don't know who else to ask, and I have so many questions."

Amber nodded, her Knight Mark blazing with power as she remerged with Blister. Her smirk grew as her head appeared on the dragon's forehead. "Try to keep up," she giggled before she and Blister spread their wings and took to the sky.

Princess Celestia placed a hoof on Dazzle's snout. "We will be here waiting for your return, Twilight. If anypony can teach you right now, it is Amber. I have full confidence in her."

Twilight smiled a little, as Dazzle looked up at her. "Just let me drive our body for now. Relax and enjoy something very few others have ever had the chance to experience."

Twilight nodded, as she felt her companion spread her wings. Everyone around her gave the two of them plenty of room, Celestia quick to grab Spike in her magic as he made a run to make sure Twilight didn't leave him out of this before Dazzle pushed herself off the ground. Quickly gaining altitude, she came alongside Blister and Amber.

Amber and Blister shared a smile, before flying off into the west at a rather fast pace, forcing Dazzle and Twilight to keep up.

Twilight wasn't sure how long they flew for. Ponyville had disappeared beyond the horizon long before, and what towns or cities there were had long ago given way to wild and untamed lands. Forests, rivers, and mountains, for as far as the eye could see.

While she had grown used to flying, Twilight found the experience of flying but not actually doing any of the work, rather fun. She could feel every flap of Dazzle's powerful wings. In fact, she could feel everything that her dragon companion did. It was an odd feeling to be sure. But Twilight rather enjoyed it. Maybe this was normal?

Finally, though, Amber and Dazzle began to descend to the ground below. With no idea of how to do the same, Twilight urged Dazzle to follow them. To the alicorn's surprise, the dragoness did so without hesitation and was soon gliding to a smooth landing in a large clearing. Forest surrounded them on three sides, while a river flowed by serenely on the other.

Amber smiled as the two came to a halt before her and Blister. "You got the landing right at least. That's a good start."

Twilight smiled sheepishly, before looking around. "Where are we anyway?"

Amber rolled her eyes. "The maps call it the Undiscovered West. There's not a town or pony for hundreds of miles in every direction. The nearest town I can think of is Tall Tale. But that's hundreds of miles north of here."

"And we came out here, why?" Dazzle asked.

Blister rolled her eyes. "Do you really want to do this in a place where ponies live? Ponies are scared to death of dragons. Better to do this as far away as possible. Though we have nothing to fear if we are attacked. Even less so than we used to."

Dazzle and Twilight shared a look. They couldn't really argue with that logic. Twilight, though, watched in surprise as Amber closed her eyes, head glowing, before separating from Blister and reforming into her Pegasus form. "How do you keep doing that?" She asked.

Amber giggled as she stretched. "Easy, really. Just concentrate on your pony form, and your Knight Mark will do the rest. It gets easier every time you do it too."

Twilight wasn't so sure about that but decided to at least try it out. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her pony form. Her Knight Mark glowed in her mind, and she felt herself separate from Dazzle, her body reforming into her usual form. She blinked as she tried to reorientate herself after being merged with Dazzle for so long.

Amber chuckled. "Let that be your second lesson on being a Dragon Knight, Twilight. Welcome to Dragon Knight Bootcamp. By the time you go back to Ponyville, you'll be as ready as you'll ever be."

Twilight frowned. "What about you? Where will you go? Where is your home?"

Amber's ears fell. "I don't have a home or a family. I haven't had either in a long time. I'm an only child. Mom and dad never had kids after me. As much as they tried. Though they couldn't have been more proud of me when I became a Rider if they had tried."

Twilight felt her sink. That wasn't fair at all. But the look in the filly's eyes said that was a story for another day, and so Twilight kept her question to herself for now. "I have so many questions. I don't even know where to start."

Amber smirked. "Trust me. Been there. Done that. At least you have someone here to help you. I didn't. Had to learn the hard way. Lumena only guided me."

Twilight and Dazzle shared a look. "Like what?" Dazzle asked.

Amber's smirked as she flew up to be eye level with the alicorn. "Like this." And punched her in the face.

Author's Note

First I need to thank Not Quite Equine for the cover art of Amber and Blister. Made during her last art stream on Twitch a few days ago. Even if I didn't ask for it as such back then. But it still works.

Knight Boot Camp

Twilight squawked in surprise, her head reeling back more in shock than in pain. "What was that for?!" She grumbled.

Amber only giggled. "Oh don't be such a wimp. Did you even feel that? Or are you all flab and no meat on your bones?"

Twilight blinked. She had not felt that in fact. Actually, now that she thought about it, she did not feel any pain or discomfort at all. All she felt was a burning desire to return the punch tenfold. "How did I not feel that? Why do I feel the need to give it right back?"

Amber nodded. "Easy. We don't take crap from anyone. Not from me, not from the princesses, and certainly not from anyone else." Her smirk grew. "Hit me. I know you want to. Show me that spirit that made you stand up to Nightmare Moon, and stared down Tirek. Or are you a coward who doesn't deserve her crown? Your friends must do all the work for you."

Twilight's blood began to boil. Oh, that was it. Say what you wanted about her physical abilities, but you did not question her spirit. From behind, she heard Dazzle growl in defiance. That was all she needed, as she threw all of her strength and stamina behind her hooves and punched Amber square in the jaw.

It was like hitting a mountain, and the filly didn't even flinch. Her smile softened, though. "Okay. I did feel that. Remind me to never make you mad, Twilight. And I'm sorry I had to say it like that. But I needed you mad enough that you would hit me with all you have."

Twilight felt the fire in her blood begin to cool off, but it was still there. "Why? How did you take that? How did I take that?"

Amber nodded, poking her chest. "It's part of what it means to be a Dragon Knight. You're way stronger now than you ever were before. Even as an alicorn. Applejack could buck you as hard as she can, and you wouldn't feel it."

Dazzle gave Blister a look. "Does it have something to do with us? I have an urge to rip you apart for hurting Twilight like that."

Blister could only shrug. "Possibly. I feel the same every time someone tries to hurt Amber. I know she can take far worse than what Twilight just gave her. But the feeling remains."

Amber nodded. "It's part of the Oath we took as a Knight. Even if you didn't know you took one, Twilight. We answer to no one, and we take crap from no one. Not from each other, and certainly no non-Knight. If someone does? We give it right back, and make sure they learn their lesson."

Twilight frowned. "That is not very friendly."

Amber rolled her eyes. "Friendship will only do so much. It might be magic, but sometimes magic isn't enough. You unicorns never have seemed to learn that lesson."

Twilight's frown grew. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Amber knew she was treading a very fine line at the moment, but she didn't care. "I was born in the Three Tribes Era, Twilight. Unicornia rubbed their magic superiority in everypony's faces every chance they got. I still remember it. I know you don't mean anything by it. But somethings I still haven't outgrown."

Twilight felt her heart sink at the thought. It was often forgotten that Amber had been born before Equestria had been founded. Therefore, some things would be different for her, even having seen so much change in the world. Good and bad.

Amber sighed. "I envy you, Twilight. You have a place to go home to. A family to go back to. Me? I don't have any of that. I live alone." She tapped Blister's snout, who only gave her a worried look. "I've never forced Blister to stay with me, but she's never left my side. But it's not the same." She sniffed. "Goddess above, I want friends again. I want to be with ponies again."

Twilight's heart fallout from under her. She quickly wrapped a wing around the filly. "Then come back with me, Amber. Come back with me to Ponyville. You do not need to be alone anymore."

The Pegasus looked up at her. "Twilight..."

Twilight shook her head. "No, Amber. Maybe you are older than me. But this isn't right. It is not fair you live by yourself." Her smile grew. "I can't be your family. That is not right of me. But I can give you a home. My castle has far more rooms than even I know what to do with."

Dazzle nodded as she smiled at Blister. "And I am sure there could be enough room for the two of us. Or another cave close to mine. I have so many questions to ask of you."

Blister smiled, and for the first time in a very long time, so did Amber as she smiled. "You mean it?"

Twilight pulled the filly close. "I mean it, Amber. My home is your home. If you will have it?"

Amber's squee was all the answer Twilight could get, but it was enough as the Pegasus hugged the alicorn, one the princess was happy to return. For a moment, they stood like that on Blister's snout.

Eventually, though, Amber pulled away with a huff. "Hey. Wait a minute. I'm supposed to be helping you! Not the other way around! When did that change?"

Twilight giggled as she stepped back. "I am sorry. I do want to learn though. I do not know who else to ask. Crystal has not been a Knight for very long. I am not sure if she would know enough or not."

Amber nodded. "After three years? She probably does know quite a bit. How she doesn't snack on the Crystal Empire, I'll never know. The same goes for her dragons. One is bad enough. Two has to be a handful."

Twilight and Dazzle giggled. "Should I worry about wanting to eat what Spike does?" Twilight asked, settling down once more on her dragon's snout. "I have not felt any different about that yet."

Amber shook her head. "You can eat them as he does. It won't hurt you. But you'll usually stick to the same stuff you've always liked I've found. I mean. My diet hasn't changed all that much. Maybe that's just me though. I haven't asked Orchid and Lilly."

Twilight nodded, a weight coming off of her shoulders. Her nose wrinkled in disgust, however, as she smelled a foul odor coming from the pair in front of her. A green cloud also seemed to be coming from Blister's mouth as well. "What is that smell?" She coughed.

Amber blinked, before realizing what she was doing and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. It's my breath weapon. Chlorine gas. Blister has it as well. Very dangerous if inhaled or it gets on you. But you'll be fine."

Dazzle was surprised by this bit of news. "There has not been a dragon that can breathe that in centuries. I did not think that there were any left."

Blister only smiled, as Twilight looked between the two of them. "What are you two talking about? I thought dragons could only breathe fire?"

Dazzle shook her head. "Most do. But in very rare cases, some breathe other things. Acid, or cold for example. Or Blister's gas. I for one breathe fire. It's been a very long time since I've seen a dragon that breathes anything else."

Amber nodded. "Here's another lesson in being a Knight, Twilight. What our dragon breathes? We can breathe it as well. You just need to be careful where you aim it, or you're going to hurt someone, or worse. Trust me. I have. Several times. Not everyone deserved what it did to them. Some did."

Twilight closed her eyes a moment. Now that she thought about it, she could feel a flame inside of her, wanting to be unleashed. How did that even work? Not knowing what else to do, she tried to breath out the fire she felt in the same way she had seen Spike do the same.

All that came out was a small spark and a puff of smoke. Her ears dropped in annoyance. "Really? That is it?"

Amber and Blister giggled. "We'll work on that," Amber replied.

Twilight groaned as she all but collapsed onto Dazzle's snout. "I do not think I can do this. I do not think I am cut out to be a Dragon Knight."

Dazzle gave her a worried look. "How bad can it be? Amber does not seem one to torture you with training. Blister has been nothing but nice to me. Though there is little she can teach me. Age is all she has on me."

Twilight sighed. "No, Amber is not doing anything to me. No more than putting me through my paces at least. And I thought Applejack and Rainbow Dash were tough teachers. I can keep my flame up finally, and I am not as tired as I usually am. I knocked a hydra around earlier after it tried to eat us."

Dazzle chuckled. "That does sound fun." She sighed as she looked down at the Element of Magic fused to her. "I am still not sure what I can do with this. If anything at all. It has not done anything since I got it."

Twilight shook her head. "I can't help you there. I only ever thought of it when I and the girls had to use all of the Elements of Harmony. I never even thought I would see it again after we returned them to the Tree of Harmony."

Dazzle snorted. "Well, much of the time I do not even know it is there. Only if I have an itch down there do I remember it is there. But it is strange. I feel stronger day by day. I am past the age when dragons continue to grow in power. But mine is still growing. Perhaps it is this gem."

Twilight frowned. She felt the same as well. As an alicorn, she understood that she would continue to grow stronger as she aged. But this felt different, as she flew down and looked at Magic. It was rather novel to be the smaller of the two for once. "Maybe. I do not know who to ask more, though."

"Maybe I can help," Amber said, as she flew up next to Twilight. "I remember Lumena said something about Magic way back when. I didn't understand it, and I still don't. I'm a Pegasus. Not a unicorn. Magic is your thing."

Twilight gave her a look. "And what is that?"

Amber tapped her chin. "She said something about Magic would finally unite with the one always meant to bear it in the Age of Harmony. I know Princess Celestia used to bear it. But I don't think she meant her. I think she meant you, Twilight."

Twilight and Dazzle shared a confused look. "What does that mean?" Dazzle asked.

Amber shrugged. "I don't know. She said a lot of things I had no idea what she meant."

Twilight rubbed her snout irritably. "So what am I supposed to do then? I can't remove it from Dazzle. We have tried that already. It did not work."

Amber smirked as she poked her. "You're the Princess of Friendship, Sparkle. You tell me. Have you seen how bad the rest of the world is? Equestria is an island paradise in a sea of chaos. Griffonstone is a joke, and it will never get better at the way they are going. Pinkie and Rainbow helped, but not enough."

Twilight's ears fell. She had been afraid of that. Gilda might have returned the Idol of Boreas, but the griffons were nowhere near back on their claws. No one wanted to be king or queen, so the throne remained empty, though Princess Celestia had tried to subtly suggest Gilda should take it.

Amber shook her head. "Oh, and there's another Dragon Knight that just appeared. A unicorn in Las Pegasus. Celestial Rose, I think, is her name. Didn't expect to see another one so soon."

Twilight blinked in surprise. "Is that what that feeling was earlier?"

Amber nodded happily. "Yep. We feel it any time a new Knight appears and first joins with her dragon. I felt it when Orchid and Lilly came together, and I felt it when Crystal came together with the twins. I think hers was even more of a kick since she has two."

Dazzle gave her a curious look. "Have you met them?"

Amber shook her head. "Nope. I want to though. I haven't seen Orchid and Lilly in centuries though. They stick out even when they're in their pony forms. And their dragons even more so."

Twilight sighed. "So what do we do tomorrow then? I do not know if I am cut out to be a Dragon Knight."

Amber's ears fell as she hugged the alicorn the best she could. "Come on, Twilight. You're doing great. None of us got it right at first. Just look at me. I made plenty of mistakes back then. Blister can tell you all about it. In excruciating detail, if she feels like it."

Dazzle looked around, surprised Blister was not there as well. "Where is she? I thought she would be with you."

Amber tried not to look green at the thought. "Hunting. Hydra is her favorite, and there are supposed to be a few around here. No matter how much I see it or am part of it, I still get queasy at the sight."

Twilight tapped her chin as she looked up at Dazzle. "Can we eat meat and gems? I never thought of it until now."

Amber nodded. "Yeah. We can eat anything our dragon can. You'll just get a lot of disgusted looks from other ponies if you do though, but it doesn't hurt us at all."

Twilight looked green at the thought, even as she heard Dazzle's stomach growl, as did her own. "Well. I am feeling a little hungry. As gross as it sounds, it does sound good," she smiled sheepishly as she flew up and merged with Dazzle.

She giggled as her head formed on her dragon's. Whatever else, this feeling was always amazing as she stretched her wings, her ability to take command of Dazzle's body coming easier every time she did this.

Dazzle was more than happy to let Twilight take command as they headed for the cave entrance, Amber quick to get out of their way. "Then let us hunt. I need to spread my wings." Twilight nodded, before the two took off into the coming night, already beginning to look for something to eat.

Amber giggled as she landed on a large boulder curled up with a contented sigh. "Good luck you two. Don't do anything too stupid."

Author's Note

Alright. Change of plan. Amber's full story will come in a later story. So this will be her helping Twilight learn what it means to be a Dragon Knight. Blister will do the same with Dazzle. New cover art was done by SkullJooce (or Not Quite Equine) back in October as a Commission. LightningStrike34 was right about the old cover art. But I felt this one works.

Check on Ch. 1 again. The ending has been updated to account for the change in plans.

Final Exam

As Twilight stretched Dazzle's wings for all they were worth, she stopped suddenly as a jolt of power passed through her. Judging from Dazzle's reaction, she had felt it as well. She gave Amber a concerned look. "What was that?"

Amber shrugged her head as she and Blister watched the pair. "That was something new for me too. Pretty close too if I felt it right. Las Pegasus again, maybe? I haven't looked at a map in a while. I felt something smaller a few days ago. Right after Celestial's awakening. "

Dazzle gave Blister a puzzled look. "Does it always feel like this? I felt both of them as well." Twilight nodded, showing she had as well.

Blister shook her head. "No. This felt different for some reason. But I can't say why. It almost felt like when Orchid and Lilly joined with their dragons. And yet, not at the same time. I do not understand it. We have felt Celestial joining her dragon. This is something else."

Amber rolled her eyes as she stretched their wings. "We can figure this out later. Right now comes the fun part." She smirked. "I've taught you everything I know, Twilight. Time to see if you've been paying attention."

Twilight frowned. "Hey. I always pay attention when learning anything."

Amber giggled as she took flight, forcing Twilight and Dazzle to do the same. "Maybe. But this is not the same thing as being Princess Celestia's personal student. I won't hold back or coddle you. If you can't keep up, then you don't deserve to be a Knight or even be a princess."

Twilight growled. Oh, that was it. Question her all you want, but the moment you even insinuated that Princess Celestia had made a mistake in making her a princess or anything else? Then the gloves were off. With a roar, she forced Dazzle into an attack.

Amber smirked as she directed Blister to dodge, but felt her heads snap to the side as Dazzle slapped her with her tail, earning a growl from her dragon. Grabbing the dragon's tail in her claws Blister threw the other pair to the ground with a resounding crash heard for miles around.

Twilight groaned. Okay, That had hurt. She watched as Amber flew higher and higher, before diving again, a look of pure bloodlust in her eyes. Twilight watched as the filly's cheeks puffed wider and wider, readying her breath weapon.

And Twilight loved it. Her own blood was running hot. Maybe it was the thrill of combat, or the power of Magic pulsing threw her and Dazzle, but she did not care anymore. Right now, every part of her being demanded blood, and Twilight was more than happy to give them it, even as Amber and Blister unleashed a cloud of poison gas on them.

Twilight responded even before she could think of it, unleashing a wave of flame from her pony and dragon mouths. The clash of the opposing breath weapons created a shockwave that flattened trees for miles around them.

Amber felt herself being pushed back, inch by inch. How? Since when was Twilight so strong? Nothing had ever been able to push her back before. It was a rather novel experience, but it only made her and Blister angrier as they put all of their power into their attack.

After a moment, however, Twilight and Dazzle's attack ended, earning confused looks from her fellow Knight and dragon as they cut off their own attack, and found empty skies before them. Had Twilight really run off? That was really lame of her if she had.

With a loud pop of teleportation, Twilight and Dazzle appeared right behind Blister. Amber barely had time to turn her head before Dazzle grabbed them, and threw them off into the distance, she and Twilight quickly behind them.

Amber groaned as they crashed to the ground some distance away. That had hurt. No more mister nice Knight. But before she could do anything, Twilight and Dazzle landed on top of her and Blister, knocking the wind out of them.

Twilight smirked evilly as she leaned down till she was snout to snout with Blister. "Do you yield yet, my little pony? Or do I need to knock you around some more?"

Amber glared at her, fighting to break free, but froze as soon as she felt a claw next to her filly head, poised to cut it off if Twilight so much as twitched. No one had ever been able to do this to her but once. Only Lumena had. How?

Twilight's smirk grew by the second as her claw came closer and closer to the filly's head. "I can do this all day, Amber. Don't think that I can't What about you? My blood is up, and I am all for taking this to a messy end. Are you?"

Amber gulped. She rather liked staying alive, thank you very much. Finally, she relaxed and smirked as well. "Okay, okay. I yield. I rather like my head to still be attached after all of this. You passed."

Twilight blinked, as she finally came to her senses and what she was about to do. leaning back, before getting off of Blister's body. "I am sorry about that. But I was ready to rip you to shreds. I do not know why. I've only been this angry when I fought Tirek."

Amber nodded, as she and Blister got back to their feet. "It's your Dragon Blood. You have it no matter what form you're in. The angrier you are, the more powerful you become. You're strong as it is, Twilight, being an alicorn. Add on whatever the Element of Magic is giving you..."

Blister nodded, her confusion growing at one thing in particular. "Since when could a dragon teleport? I've never heard of it being possible."

Dazzle could only shrug. "I don't know how I did it. Only that we needed to, and we did it." She looked up at Twilight, who could only shrug as well. "But it could come in handy in the future if we can do it again."

Twilight nodded as well. "What happens now then?"

Amber smiled. "You tell me. I've got nothing else to teach you. And I am done being alone. I'm going back to Ponyville with you, Twilight. My home is long gone, and my family passed into the Summer Glens a long time ago. It's time I stop living in the past."

Twilight's smile softened as she spread her wings and took to the air once more, followed soon after by Amber and Blister. "Well then. Follow me. I have plenty of spare rooms in my castle. But we need to find a place for Dazzle and Blister to stay, and I know just the place. I hope it's still empty."

Amber and blister shared a confused look, before speeding off to try and keep up with Twilight and Dazzle.

Hours later, the group landed on what was now known in Ponyville as Dragon Mountain. Even now, many months after the incident, Twilight could still remember each and every bump and bruise she had received. She could still see the marks everywhere when she and her friends faced the drake.

Amber looked around as Twilight lead them inside. The cave was rather spacious. Plenty of room for Blister to stretch out when she wanted to. As they came to the back of the cave, she could see where the last occupant had laid. "No treasure? I was kinda hoping he had left it."

Twilight shook her head. "Apparently not. I had wondered what had happened to it. Maybe he came back and took it all? It does not matter now. Dazzle and Blister should be able to fit in here together."

To make sure, however, Dazzle lay down in the same spot as the previous dragon. She fit rather easily. But when Blister tried to fit in beside her, they found she would not fit and was painfully squeezing Dazzle against the cavern wall.

Amber snorted as they separated once more. "Okay. This is not going to work. Is there another cave around here?"

Twilight craned her neck around. In the back, she could just make out another passage. "I can see another passage back there. Maybe it leads to another chamber?"

Amber and Blister shared a look, but decided it was worth at least to be sure, and walked off, leaving Twilight and Dazzle to finally relax. Twilight had to admit that this was a rather nice spot to stay. Not as good as her bed in Ponyville of course. But she could see herself staying up here on occasion.

Dazzle sighed, as Twilight separated herself into her pony form once more. "Do you think they'll find anything?"

Twilight shrugged. "I don't know. As far as I know, no one's been here since that dragon left. I was too busy trying to nicely get him to move to look around. I didn't even know about that passage until the last few minutes."

Dazzle nodded, and settled in, while Twilight looked around the cavern. There wasn't much new she hadn't seen the first time. But now that she had the time, she could see claw marks on the walls and even scorch marks on the ceiling. Strange she hadn't seen those the first time.

At that moment, however, her Knight Mark blazed with power. Shocked, Twilight looked down at the glowing symbol. It almost seemed to be pulsing with unknowable power. "Is this supposed to happen?" She asked, looking back at Dazzle, who only shook her head, confused as well, feeling Magic blazing with power in her chest.

"Least it isn't just me," Amber said with an annoyed look as she and Blister returned, this time coming in from the main entrance. "And no, I have no idea what the hay this is. It's new for me as well."

Twilight rubbed her snout irritably. "Great. Just great. I assume you two found something since you came in the front way?"

Blister nodded. "Oh yes. There is another cavern not too far back from this one. It opens onto the other side of the mountain. Good hunting grounds all around us. I think I'm going to like living here."

Dazzle nodded. "Then I think it's settled." She smiled at Twilight. "Will you be returning to Ponyville soon?"

Twilight nodded. "As much as I've loved all of this, I want to sleep in my own bed again. And Amber still needs to find a room of her own."

Amber nodded. "Then I say we get going. I'm looking forward to sleeping in an actual bed. I haven't done that in a million years it feels like."

Twilight giggled as she re-merged with Dazzle before joining her fellow Knight at the entrance, and taking off, turning their wings towards the distant lights of Ponyville, even as the sun began to set.

Even as they did, all across Equestria and the Crystal Empire, every Dragon Knight felt something begin to stir in them. A calling they could not resist. Even if they did not know what it was or where it came from.

Author's Note

My first action scene. Not the best, I know. But I had to start somewhere. One day I will come back and show what is calling all of the Knights together. Right now, other things need to be worked on more.