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.