Light as a feather

-Chapter 22-

I’m not strong enough. Amber thought even as he propelled himself toward the massive stallion at his bedside. I wasn’t then…and I am not now.

The needles and tubes tore free as he threw himself at his father, fury burning in his identical blue eyes. Hitting the ex-royal guard pony was like slamming into a brick wall, it hurt, but the colt persisted as together they tumbled into the hospital wall. The machine reading his vitals flat lined as it was no longer attached to him, the steady blip becoming a long wail of sound that hurt his ears.

“Why the fuck…are you…here!?” Amber screamed slamming his hooves into his father between couplets of words. It became apparent in short order just how weak he had become as his strikes did little to shift the leering smile on the brown stallions face, nor alter the amused contempt in his matching blue eyes. “What the fuck…gives you….the right….to call me….your son?”

Amber realized only when he was mid flight that he had in fact been bucked. His body slammed into the bed he had occupied not moments before, the metal frame creaking as it absorbed his weight briefly before he continued rolling, falling to the floor on the other side with a heavy thud. Ignoring the sudden and severe flare of agony resulting he shrugged free of the blankets and sheets he had taken with him, as he tried to stand realizing he couldn’t feel his left hind leg. The large earth pony’s hoof steps resounded heavily as he crossed the floor.

As it is you’re hurt enough for the both of us whelp.” The stallion remarked as he came into view, rubbing absently along his jaw where Amber had managed to land a glancing blow. Standing over the colt as if he were a foal again the massive earth pony smiled humorlessly. “I’d praise you for that much were I so inclined.”

Amber lay on the cool tile floor; his eyes brimmed with tears, blood seeping from a fresh cut above his eye. The colt scrambled away, pressing himself as deep into the corner as he was able, memories and real life coalescing into a living nightmare. He was inadequate, worthless… weak…

“Still scared of your old man?” The stallion chuckled at the sight of his son quivering. Amber squealed as the stallion approached and slammed his hoof into the wall at side of his son’s head. Taking the pony’s jaw in his other hoof he turned the colt’s head side to side studying him. The muzzle scar was clearly visible amid the bruising and the blood trailing down his face, the makeup having been stripped away in the time between the fall from the cloud and the present moment.

“Look at me.” The stallion ordered expectantly. Amber squeezed his eyes shut tighter. A scowl crossed Honey Glaze’s face before the large pony slammed his hoof into the wall again splintering it, powder showering the colt’s mane and the top of his head. His ear flicked unconsciously to rid himself of it. “LOOK AT ME!”

With a staggered cry Amber’s eyes shot open meeting those of his father. A smirk settled on the massive stallions face at the colt’s submission turning to a scowl when he realized their eyes were still and would always be the same. He snorted his contempt of this fact.

“That color ill befits you.” The stallion snarled, his tone laced with malice, a bit of his Canterlot elite upbringing slipping through amid his disapproval. With a shove the stallion released Amber, the gesture knocking the colt’s head into the wall. The rusty orange pony slumped, his body sliding down to rest completely on the floor. He curled into a fetal position, quiet sobs escaping his throat.

Twilight burst into the room not a minute later alerted by all the noise. She stopped short at seeing the mess the dueling pair had created. A smile flitted across Honey Glaze’s face upon her entrance. "On your hooves boy," He snapped pulling the colt upright by the scruff of his mane. “You’ve got company.”

Twilight paled at the sight of her friend, primarily the gash across his head. The left half of his face was soaked with blood, the viscous fluid dripping to the tile. The stallion smiled wider as her eyes narrowed dangerously, a very un-pony like growl escaping her throat as she voiced her displeasure. Amber wobbled unsteadily but remained standing as a tense minute passed.

"Aren’t you going to introduce me?" His father mocked, lifting Ambers gaze from where it stared into the floor up to the purple unicorn. Twilight strained to hear Ambers whispered reply. The stallion cuffed the colt roughly across the back of the head, causing him to stumble forward. "Speak up boy!"

"My name," The unicorn said defiantly, her horn glowing with magic "is none of your concern."

"It’s okay Twilight." Amber said meekly. The lavender unicorn reluctantly cancelled her magic, stepping back as the chocolate colored pony stepped forward exultantly. In the span of a few moments she’d studied him, burning his image into her brain, recognizing him as a bad pony. His sand colored mane was streaked with grey, the same grey peppering the dark chocolate brown coat along his chest and flanks. His honey jar cutie mark had faded with age as had the numerous scars littering his pelt.

"Twilight…Sparkle?" The stallion queried with a spiteful jeer.

"How do you know my name?" She asked, her innate curiosity winning out over her anger, but only for a moment.

"I know more than your name Miss Sparkle.” He answered with a smirk. "Celestia’s most prized student, element bearer…”

"Princess Celestia…” Twilight interrupted annoyed at hearing her mentor’s accolade defaced.

"Oh she and I are well past titles.” The stallion replied cynically, a smirk settling on his lips as he drew nearer to the angry unicorn, his face scant inches from her own their eyes locked. “You see, I know your dear princess in ways you loathe to imagine.”

She gave no reply, the calm expression on her face conflicting with her swirling thoughts. The stallion took his leave, his self-satisfaction evident in his patronizing gait. She did not watch him go.

Instead she rushed to Amber’s side concern for his well being winning out over her argument with his father. The colt wrapped his hooves around her and without the even the slightest hint of hesitation buried his head into her chest. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as she had been expected being hugged by a male, rather it was calming, like a foal embracing it’s mother after having a nightmare. He shuddered violently as he cried and Twilight held him, indifferent to the tears and blood discoloring her fur. She stroked his mane and made reassuring mumblings as her gaze drifted out the window, where from the sky the stars fell like rain.

--

“Hast thou located our sibling Captain Armor?” Luna asked, not bothering to acknowledge the presence of the guard pony with a look. Her eyes instead scanned the pages of several texts spread out on the table before her, her attention divided between research and the words of the Captain.

“I have ponies on it as we speak Princess Luna.” Shining Armor answered. “I myself intend to join them as soon as I have seen to your well being.”

“Then join them.” Luna muttered dismissively. She waved a hoof flimsily indicating he was free at anytime to leave the room and begin his search, but he did not leave. He stood in the doorway, watching the pages of the books flip with an almost monotonic precision. He could not help but wonder if she was truly reading them to their full understanding or merely gaping at sentences hoping one would jump out at her with the answers she sought.

“Idle hooves are the Nightmares plaything Captain.” Luna muttered perilously. “Speak if you will.”

“My sister, Twilight Sparkle, she was on that cloud when it fell,” Shining Armor began his voice resolute, “She was hurt…” he hesitated recalling that several ponies had not made it, fully aware that had things gone differently she could have been among them. “I want to know why.”

“You seek answers I do not possess Captain.” Luna said turning to meet his gaze for the first time. “While my sister is missing you will know only what I know, which is little more than you do at this moment. I suggest you find my sister should you wish to know the whole of what plagues us.”

Shining Armor hesitated to voice further thoughts on the subject and instead bowed politely, excusing himself from her presence. He wandered the halls lost in thought, while at the same time struggling to subdue the steadily building anger. Eventually his gaze found it’s way out of the window, where the stars fell, streaking across the dark night sky in a vibrant display that, were it not a bad omen, may have been considered beautiful. After only a moment more the stallion donned his helm and trotted quickly toward the doors intent on beginning his search for the solar princess and what answers she held.

--

Amber woke the next morning, he had no idea how he surmised it was morning considering the sky had been dark since Celestia’s disappearance, to find the twitchy pegasus stallion pacing near the bathroom door, the Wonderbolt mare, minus her blue jumpsuit, watching him with an expression of annoyance. She was the first to notice he was awake, the relieved smile touching her lips turning to a scowl as the fidgety stallion realized the same moments later.

"I told you I would catch you!" The pale stallion, his name escaping Amber at the moment, remarked as he smiled broadly. His wings were enveloped in bandages and immobilized by an ugly harness around his midsection, having been apparently injured at some point. He had moved his ceaseless twitches to his hooves, the action causing him to tap or pivot irrationally, when he wasn’t ceaselessly pacing. The whole spectacle was enough to make Amber dizzy.

"You alright?" The small Wonderbolt at his side asked, concern replacing her usual insults. Amber nodded in response, unsure about opening his mouth to speak lest he vomit what little hospital food he’d been able to stomach. The gash on his head had been wrapped in a bandage, and every so often he would catch her gaze trailing to it, questions about its origins evident in her steely grey eyes. She seemed to realize it was not one he’d sustained from the fall, but thankfully left her suspicions unvoiced.

“Bad news,” A tall unicorn pony in a white coat stated as he emerged rather suddenly into the room flipping idly through a chart, not bothering to look up and see if anypony was listening first, “The cloud is gone, vaporized, kaput. Good news, all non winged participants escaped with their lives, including you.” He continued encouragingly his gaze directed toward Amber, a genuine though somber smile on his lips. There was an unspoken sadness in his eyes however.

“You have been out for three days." The doctor continued muttering half to himself as his eyes scanned the chart some more. What the hell was so interesting that he couldn’t look Amber in the eye when he addressed him? "And it would seem your injuries are less severe thanks in part to your friends here."

The little Wonderbolt flushed and looked away, while the twitchy one couldn’t smile any wider if he tried. "However I’m afraid there is still some bad news. You’ve sustained permanent damage to the nerves in your left rear leg,” The twitchy pegasus gave a sheepish grin to which the Wonderbolt swatted him on the back of the head with a wing an unspoken understanding between them. The doctor ignored their antics as he continued, “As a result you will have a slight limp for the rest of your life, occasional numbness, as well as…”

The doctor hesitated before directing Ambers gaze to his cutie mark. The feathers of his left flank were covered by a mess of bandages. The doctor explained what waited beneath them, “…massive scarring caused by a pattern of wounds that when properly mended will cover the entirety of your cutie mark.”

“I’m sorry.” The doctor apologized somberly seeming to understand Amber’s downtrodden expression. Amber had always secretly hated the mark but it saddened him to see it marred.

“I’ve still got the other one right?” Amber joked mirthlessly. The sliver of a smile on the twitchy pegasus’s lips was shot down as the small Wonderbolt again swatted him with her wing. The disheartened colt’s eyes flicked a moment toward their marks, a snowflake with a pair of wings, and …what was that supposed to be? Amber turned away from the stallion’s flank, at which he realized he had been staring to long, in his attempt to decipher just what the image was supposed to be. It looked like a warped orb of some kind, the edges bent and battered.

“It’s a bubble.” The stallion said with a smirk understanding Amber’s intent.

“A bubble…?” The colt repeated slowly.

“It’s a long story.” The stallion looked embarrassed as the Wonderbolt beside him blinked quizzically and sat on her haunches a wicked grin teasing her lips. There was a malicious glint in her eye, and Amber could almost see her hooves grinding together in anticipation. She tapped her hoof on the floor impatiently. “Are you going to tell us or not?”

“Only if you tell me yours,” The stallion shot back with a devious smile. Amid a shrug and a sigh the mare agreed twirling a hoof in a gesture of impatience. The stallion began to speak, his twitchy hooves tapping a steady rhythm on the tiles.