Light as a feather

Amber lay in a ditch. The mud on his nose had dried long before, beginning to itch infuriatingly. The moon hung low, casting light enough to travel by but Amber's legs were still not up to par so he had stopped for the night. Working long hours, some shifts back to back, hadn't prepared him for the days of near nonstop walking he'd recently endured.

Was this all a mistake? He wondered silently.

It was all because of that unicorn. He thought sourly. If she hadn't complimented him he wouldn't have given her a second thought. She wouldn't have told him about the contest. He wouldn't have lost sleep. He wouldn't have snapped. He wouldn't have lost his job. He wouldn't have lost his apartment. He wouldn't owe a debt he wasn't sure he could repay.

A weighty sigh escaped his lips.

You're kidding yourself Amber. He mused inwardly. You would have snapped on your own eventually. You would have been evicted eventually. It might not have happened so quickly but it would have happened eventually.

He'd only just begun to drift into an uncomfortable sleep when he was awoken by the flutter of wings. He heard his name softly called the voice nearly undetectable. With a smile he revealed himself to the pale yellow pegasus standing in the middle of the road.

"Twilight said you..." The timid pegasus began hesitating when she noticed the frown on his face. "Oh....um, she only said you had no m..money for the...train..."

"She told you..." Amber said a hint of disappointment seeping into his words.

"I..I'.m sorry. " The pegasus spoke up in an attempt to make things a bit clearer. Fluttershy knew how bad Twilight was at keeping secrets, and when the unicorn came back without the colt the yellow pegasus had been a little worried. "I didn't mean to...p…please don't be mad at her....she only said you were going to Canterlot! I made her tell me the rest!"

The pegasus was breathing hard with her quiet outburst, her eyes brimmed with guilty tears. She hastily reached into the saddle bag on her back pulling out a small drawstring bag. She dropped it between the two of them scooting it forward with her hoof.

"I...It's enough for the train and maybe a...a meal." She explained. "I...we, all wanted… to… thank you..."

"Thank me for what?" The colt asked dumbfounded as he stepped forward lifting the sack with his teeth. He was ready to remark at how heavy it was, there was far more than he needed, when the yellow pegasus made his thoughts disappear. He could feel her lips on his cheek even after she'd fled, wobbling unsteadily in the air as she flew slowly back toward Ponyville.

~~

Celestia's vibrant noonday sun was comforting as Amber admired an unusual statue in the Canterlot Palace garden. The statue had no name plate as the others did and no description. Outside of Ponyville few ponies knew of Discord’s antics, because he had not gotten much further than the small village. His exploits hadn't touched Hoofington, at least not to Amber’s knowledge; if they had then the colt wouldn't have been pondering the statue quite so curiously.

"You looking for something?" An unfamiliar and none to friendly sounding, voice said from just behind him. A dark shadow enveloped Amber’s own as the large dark shape above him blocked the sky.

"Me?" Amber asked finding a rather dour looking pegasus guard watching him expectantly.

"You see any pony else?" Came the sarcastic reply. Amber knew that answer already but he looked around anyway. "The gardens are off limits during the expose. If you're not a participant then I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"The expose!" Amber said excitedly. "That's why I'm here!"

The guard looked disbelievingly at the earth pony. "Have you got an invitation?"

"Invitation…?" The colt replied nervously. He hadn't known he'd need an invitation!

"You aren't getting in without an invitation." The guard reiterated.

"Luke, must you always be so rude to our guests." A vaguely familiar female voice said. "I have his invitation. It seems he forgot to tell me he wanted to participate." The mysterious unicorn from the restaurant gave the colt an accusing though amused look as she entered the garden. As she passed by, Amber stole a glance at the slip of parchment surrounded by an aura of light green magic, floating effortlessly in front of her.

The black parchment gave off a slight blue sheen in direct sunlight, the glittering silver script upon it near illegible to the pony. Not only was the size of the writing a problem but it was written in an ancient Canterlot dialect rarely used outside of history seminars.

"Amber Glaze?" The guard said glaring at him accusingly. The colt tore his eyes away from the slip of parchment looking instead at the menacingly large pegasus guard barring his way. The gold plated armor glinted in the sunlight and Amber wondered if it was heavy. It certainly looked like it was...

"That's me." The rusty orange colt answered.

"I knew a Glaze once." The guardsman went on almost conversationally. “Big bastard of a stallion. Looked a lot like you. You know a Glaze like that?"

"Honestly Luke let the colt through!" The unicorn mare interrupted anxiously. Amber was grateful sensing the disaster waiting to happen if the guard had kept the conversation going. "If you make him even one minute late I'll have you answering to the princess herself!"

The guard gave a half grin at the possibility, backing down as the unicorn continued to stare him down threateningly. The invite went onto a pile of others which vanished into the saddlebag at the guardsman's side. Without so much as a parting glance at either pony the pegasus leapt into the sky and disappeared amid the suns plentiful rays.

Two large double doors swung open at the beck and call of the royal unicorn guards waiting just inside. The colt took his time following as he marveled at the architecture, falling behind as a result. "Hurry up!' The unicorn ordered hastily. "There will be plenty of time for gawking later."

The colt trotted quickly to catch up, his hoof beats echoing in the expanse of hallway. Stained glass windows, telling the history of Equestria, reflected their colorful stories across the marble floors. The colt found himself staring down as much as up while he walked, the unicorn snapping him into attention more than once.

"I thought you weren't going to show up?" She said trying a different tact to keep his attention focused and their pace consistent. The hallway was long and the pace lagging.

"I wasn't." He answered honestly. "But some things happened and I guess I just decided why not."

The unicorn gave him a skeptical glance as the end of the hallway finally came within view. A smile caressed her lips as she stifled a chuckle. "This will be interesting if nothing else."