Chapters Prologue
Many years ago, before Equestria was formed and ponies even brought into existence, there were four alicorns. They were a family: a mother, a father, and their two daughters, Celestia and Luna. The mother, Lumina, took charge of the light while her husband Niger ruled over the darkness. They lived in a wild land, fraught with danger at every turn. Plants grew on their own power, tangled and unruly, and the clouds moved themselves causing strange and deadly weather patterns. The animals governed themselves in a brutal fashion. If one was too weak to survive nopony would be there to help it and it would simply die.
Yet the world was not without its beauty. Some creatures, such as the Phoenix, gained favor with the alicorns and became their pets and were loyal to their masters. One day the king and queen took it upon themselves to subjugate the realm before them and bring peace to its unhappy creatures.With a down feather from a Roc bird they created pegasi, swift and proud, and granted them wings that they might soar above the ground and have power over the clouds.Taking an enchanted piece of glass, they formed the unicorn, graceful and fair, and granted them the power to raise and set the sun and moon until their daughters grew old enough to take on the responsibility.A simple piece of hard soil was used to create the earth ponies. Plain at first sight they proved to be dedicated and powerful, a force to be reckoned with. They were responsible for producing the food that all needed to live.The land was quickly brought to order with their help, but dangers still lurked. Monsters like the changelings brought deception and anger into the ponies’ lives and wars broke out as they slowly took over the land. A spell was created to reveal who was who they claimed to be and who was a changeling, but still they could not weed out all the changelings. A new type of pony emerged looking like a pegasus but striped like a zebra. Slowly she fought her way through the ranks and took charge of the armies. The vast majority of the changelings were driven to the badlands under her control.The king and queen saw this and granted her eternal youth and life as well as a handpicked patrol with the same privilege on the condition that she guard the borders between the badlands and civilized land and kept the changelings in their grounds. They also gave her a horn, entirely without magical properties, as a weapon to be used only in desperate times. When asked her name she replied that she was called Amber Sands.For several centuries she and her guard kept the borders safe. But it was a lonely existence, cut off from the rest of the world. Unless a filly or colt wandered too far and had to be returned nopony could leave for the changelings fought with an unmatched fury, longing to be freed from their wretched home.
Chapter 1 A winged zebra sat alone in a dungeon. Really it wasn’t so bad, Celestia kept them clean and sunny. But it wasn’t the dungeon that depressed the pony.The door opened and a guard poked his head in. He stared with curiosity at the fallen warrior. Her eyes were the color of amber but they were sorrowful, repentant. This was Amber Sands, the Princess of War. She didn’t seem terrifying with her mane and tail a disheveled mess and dust in her fur. She seemed worn and haggard. He cleared his throat. “You have an audience with Celestia.”Amber Sands looked up as if she had just noticed him. Wordlessly she rose to her feet and walked through the door. Was this truly the Princess of War? How could it be that a fighter like himself would come peacefully to her punishment?They walked through the white hallways into the throne room. The sun had finished setting and Celestia appeared to be ready to go to sleep. Princess Celestia gave him an acknowledging nod. “Thank you, Shining Armor. Guards you are dismissed for an hour.”The doors shut behind the guards and Amber Sands was alone with the ruler of Equestria.Celestia looked down at the pony before her. She towered over her, even sitting on her throne. She filled the room with a sense of command that could not be denied. “Princess Amber Sands, look at me.”The zebra reluctantly obeyed. “Yes, my lady?”Celestia sighed. How should she do this? “Oh forget all this regal stuff. Come over here. Care for a banana?”Amber Sands shook her head.“Hm. You don’t like bananas. Interesting. Sister, it has been too long. We have so much to talk about! Blueblood has definitely inherited your pride, no offense, but Cadence has your grace and beauty…” Amber was her sister only because Celestia had decided such on a whim in her filly days.The zebra gave her a confused look. “Have you come merely to tell me how much my children have taken after me and- and Camelot? And I’m not beautiful or graceful, you know it.”“You still haven’t found Camelot?” Amber Sands shook her head. Celestia sighed. “I suppose I have to get back down to business now, don’t I? You have terrorized Equestria for several months now. Why did you do this?”Amber Sands tried not to look down. “Discord,” She said. “I was fighting the changelings and he came up to me. He- he said that I was fighting without reason. The changelings were far more powerful and a few always slipped past me. That you were cruel by giving me an impossible task. Why should I do this job and still receive no thanks from the ponies I defended? He told me that I should go and be powerful like a thousand changelings, be respected for a change. And- I believed him. I wanted to believe him. I chose to believe him.”Celestia sighed. She knew Discord’s charm too well. “What am I going to do with you, Amber Sands?” She wondered.“To kill me would be just, m’lady. So many more have died at my horn-”“No !” The ruler leapt out of her throne. “I could not do that. I am in your debt, do you remember? Not to mention you are my sister. I couldn’t end your life. I will send you to Ponyville with my sister. I think she will be able to relate with you better than I ever could.”The prisoner’s shackles fell off her feet. “As you wish it, my lady.” The pegasus was secretly relieved. Celestia had chosen to be lenient. Amber knew she didn’t deserve it.“But that is not all,” Amber Sand’s heart sank. Perhaps she wasn’t being forgiven quite so easily. “You are no longer Princess Amber Sand until you can prove yourself worthy of the title. You are to go by the name Amber and,” Celestia’s eyes widened. “Sister, where has your cutie mark gone? And what about your horn?”Amber shrugged. “My horn broke a long time ago. I filed the stump away. My cutie mark left while I was corrupted. I don’t even remember what it looked like. That’s why I took to wearing a cloak. An adult with a blank flank? Awkward.”Celestia gave her a strange look. “You don’t remember your cutie mark? I remember it clear as day, as well as when you got it.” She yawned. “Sorry, I’m growing tired. I'm usually in bed by now. I will lend you a cloak and send you on your way. You will meet Twilight Sparkle. I believe she will help you make some new friends who will in turn help you by being a good influence. They might even help with your Cutie Mark.” Celestia whispered in her ear. “I hope that when you feel ready you will come back. I have so much to say. Luna!” She shouted. Amber grimaced. Her “sister” had forgotten to move her mouth away from her ear.The Princess of Night flew in through the window like a bird coming to roost in its nest. “Wouldn’t it have been easier to take the door?” Celestia arched an eyebrow.Luna snorted. “It might be so if thou had not assigned the guards to bar the door.”“I never-”“Therefore, I chose to think outside of the metaphorical box. Come on Amber, let us go.” Amber looked at her sister in confusion. Why was she using such archaic speech? At least she was not using the royal Canterlot voice.“Hold up.” Celestia yawned. “Just where are you going?”“To Ponyville of course.” Luna replied. Then she realized her mistake.“And how, Luna, did you know what I needed you to do and where you were needed before I even asked a favor? Have you been eavesdropping again?”“Thou accuse me of spying? Thou art wrong. I,” The princess searched for an excuse. “I merely overheard.” She tossed her mane stubbornly. “And besides, is she not as much my sister as your own?”Celestia laughed wearily. “Of course. I do not blame you; she is your sister too. I suppose you will want to be on your way.”____ An hour later the sisters of night and war departed. They flew for a mile or so before one spoke. “So, Amber, has Cadence seen you yet?” Luna asked.Amber nodded. “She has. I was not sure if she would still want me as a mother.”“Did she?” Luna turned to face her sister.“Surprisingly, yes.” Amber didn’t particularly want to talk. There was too much to think about.Luna looked at her closely. “There’s something different about you.”Amber flattened her ears. “Yes, I suppose there is. My horn is broken and I don’t have a cutie mark. Thanks for reminding me.”“No, it isn’t that. It’s… it’s your mane! It’s flat!”Amber glanced up at her mane. She hadn’t paid much attention to it lately. “Oh. Well.”“Spitfire always styles her mane the way you used to. She really does admire you, Amber. Now I wonder,” Luna mused. “Maybe you’re like Pinkie Pie. When she is depressed, her mane becomes straight like yours. Celestia told me.”“Yes, well, while I couldn’t be more interested in the latest pony fashion styles, is there anything else you need to tell me? Celestia said you might be able to relate better to me. What did she mean?”Luna looked away, her cheeks turning a pale shade of pink. “You don’t have to tell me.” Amber quickly added.“No, I do. I can’t hide this from you or anypony who asks. Let’s sit down over there by that oak tree.”Amber looked down where her sister pointed and wondered why she had to stop to hear this. She knew that Luna had been sent to the moon for a thousand years, but Celestia had been too upset to tell her why. “What could I have missed?”Luna sighed. They had now landed. “I will tell you now. It is a long story, and I am not proud of what I did, but it is one that needs to be told.“I was the youngest filly, but you already knew that. You also know that I ruled the night as I do now. And for years, I was content to do my duty. The night was cool, and beautiful. The stars never left the sky as long as I was there. I wanted to share this gift with everyone in Equestria.“But I soon noticed that the gift was not wanted. The ponies shut their eyes to what I knew was beauty; they ignored my calming darkness. They slept through the night. They never appreciated what I did.”Amber was starting to understand what Celestia had meant. Nopony ever gave her a simple thank you for keeping their skins on their bodies. In fact, she was pretty sure that very few knew of her existence. She could never leave her job for anything. Until now. Celestia had sent the best of her elite forces to hold the changelings at bay.The funny thing was Amber was the eldest of the sisters. She had been born during the dark times of Equestria, even before the Windigo kind drove the ponies to inhabit Equestria. Wild creatures, satyrs, minotaurs, Timber Wolves, Changelings, and worse roamed free, terrorizing the ponies. Her parents began training her for battle the day she received her cutie mark. They believed that she was to be Equestria’s protection. But she had been noticed noticed. She had eventually corralled most of the creatures into the Everfree Forest, but the most intelligent ones, the Changelings, had been banished to their own barren land. Harsh? Perhaps, but not compared to what they had done to the ponies.“I grew bitter. I resented Celestia for receiving the better realm, I was angry that nobody appreciated me. Bit by bit I turned into a monster, literally. My mane and tail became spangled like the night sky and transparent. I could change its length and I could use it to lift things without a levitation spell. But it didn’t stop there. My coat turned darker until it was black as the night, but without any stars, just the moon for my cutie mark. My eyes shifted and changed until they were a dragon’s. I became Nightmare Moon.“I was pleased with the change to say the least. I would force the ponies to notice me, and they would see that my realm was every bit as beautiful as Celestia’s. In a sense, I would outshine Celestia herself. She tried to help me, to bring back the real me, but it was too late. So she tolerated my moodiness and let me be. But that wasn’t enough. Not for Nightmare Moon. Finally, I refused to bring the moon down from the sky. Celestia begged and pleaded but my heart was stone. So she harnessed the Elements of Harmony. We used to use them together, but now she was forced to use them alone. I was sent up to the moon I loved so much for a thousand years.“But I did not change for the better on the moon. I grew even more bitter and went over the events of that day until they became my sole thought. I completed the change to Nightmare Moon. It came with power beyond belief. Dark power. Evil power. I now lived for revenge and to bring eternal night to Equestria.“On the thousandth anniversary of my banishment the stars helped me out of my stone prison. I was free to take
Equestria. I had been watching Celestia over the years. She had sent her star student, Twilight Sparkle, to Ponyville to stop me. It was the Summer Sun Celebration, to commemorate Celestia’s work, specifically the one thousandth anniversary of my banishment. That fueled my anger.
“She and five friends wielded the Elements of Harmony once again. But now there was a sixth Element. Magic. Her pupil had created the spark despite my best efforts. They stripped me of my powers and I was restored. I was a filly again. I repented of my past rebellion, and Celestia miraculously forgave me. That’s really all there is to say.”The sun was now rising in the east from Canterlot. “I have a question.” Amber looked up at her older sister. “How come you talk all medieval around Celestia?”Luna laughed. “I find it easier, but Celestia is the only one who understands what I’m saying. Language has a tendency to change over a thousand years.”The sisters watched the sun rise together. Luna was no longer resentful of its beauty and light, but she said that it hurt her eyes, even at this early stage. “We had better hurry to Twilight’s house. Come on, I’ll race you!”Amber wrinkled her nose in confusion. Race? They hadn’t raced in years. But when Luna began running Amber couldn’t resist the challenge.____ Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes to a new day. She smiled with pure delight and looked over at a baby dragon sleeping in a basket. “Come on, Spike, it’s already 7:00 in the morning. That means that we have thirteen hours left to spend. I already have my schedule planned out.”Spike blinked sleepily and stretched. He scratched his scales and blinked again. “Twi, you need to loosen up a bit. Do you really have to plan out every day of your life?”“Of course. How else would I know what to do when?” Twilight picked up her schedule. “For example this afternoon I will go to Sugar Cube Corner from 1:00-2:30. How would I have known that if I hadn’t had my schedule?” The purple mare grinned in triumph. She loved being right.“I don’t know, make the occasional spontaneous impulse?” The dragon grumbled. He had been up late the night before after eating an entire tub of ice cream. “Besides, didn’t you decide not to make any more agendas?”Twilight had not actually promised that, just no more late night pacing. “Spontaneous impulse? That could lead to disaster! If I didn’t have everything planned who knows what could go wrong?” Twilight’s eyes widened in horror and slight confusion. “How do you do that anyway?”Spike gave her an irritated look. “Observe.” He pasted a ridiculously happy grin on his face. “Hmm, it’s a lovely day out. I think I will go sit on the porch until I feel like eating breakfast.” He opened the door. Nothing had gone wrong as of yet. He walked outside the door, turned around to face Twilight, and grinned. “And now I think I will tap dance.” Actually, he was quite good at it. He didn’t fall off the porch. So far so good. “You see Twi, nothing bad happened. I just made a spontaneous-”
“Twilight Sparkle! Thou art awake!”
The force of Luna’s Royal Canterlot Voice blew him backwards into the house, slamming him into Twilight. “Let me see that schedule.” He groaned.
“It is good to see you once again, dear friend!”
Luna rushed into the house and tackled Twilight. “I mean, it’s good to see you.” She blushed. In her excitement she had reverted back to what had given the ponies their first impression. A tall, annoyed looking zebra in a cloak followed behind her begging her not to use “the voice.” Twilight wondered why she was wearing a cloak in the middle of spring.“Yeah, well, good to see you too, Luna. Who’s your friend in the cloak?”“Come on, sister.” Luna encouraged the stranger. The black and white pony stepped forward and pulled her cloak off with her teeth to reveal a sight that Twilight had never seen. A winged zebra. She had never seen a pony that tall, and by an adult age they invariably had found their special talent. Twilight’s mind immediately began forming questions. Was she some new breed? Where was she from? Was she from the place that Zecora had come from? How did she break her horn? But before she could ask any questions, Luna yawned and interrupted her thoughts. “Excuse me, but if thou- I mean you do not mind, might I depart? The sun has finished rising and I grow tired.”Twilight smiled and gave her assent. Luna took off through the window and left them in peace. The zebra commented that she seemed to enjoy going through windows; it was the second time she had seen her do that.“So, what’s your name?” Twilight laid her first question down.“Amber.”“Not Princess?”“No.”“How old are you?” Twilight realized her breach of etiquette too late, but the stranger took no offense.“Very.” She shrugged.“And yet you are not a Princess?”“I was not an alicorn to begin with. I was given a horn without magic to use as a weapon.” The zebra kept any emotion out of her voice.Twilight was immediately curious about who had given her the horn and why, but was beginning to wonder if Amber would ever answer with more than two sentences. “What were you in charge of?”Amber’s eyes began taking a distant look. “Honorable war.”“Can you tell me any more than that,” For a war Princess Amber wasn’t particularly bold. “Or are you just shy?”For once, the librarian couldn’t even think up any more questions. She just sat and stared at the newcomer, which made Amber very uneasy. Would she hate her after all she had said? She had wanted a home so badly. Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. Only a fool would welcome war into their home. Perhaps Discord would do that, and they were sworn enemies.The dragon walked in carrying a tray with two bowls of soup and two sandwiches. Maybe the pony was a fool! Dragons were dangerous. This one was only a baby in a… lacy pink apron? Never mind that, he would grow up someday and he would be a killer. “Twilight! I brought you lunch.” He called. He didn’t sound evil like the ones she had met, but it was probably all a disguise. He had fooled the one she might call a friend! She charged him, her mind going back to the Dark Days of Equestria.
Chapter 2
_____ “Agh! Twi? I think your friend here is a little, um, angry for no reason! Help! ” Spike was running for his life.“That’s a lie! You welcomed this creature into your home? He is a dragon; they are no good! He will grow, and he will eat you. I’m trying to protect you.”“I don’t know what’s she’s talking about! All I eat is gems, honest!” Said Spike. The dragon was cornered and Amber was trying to stab him with her horn, forgetting that it was broken and gone.Twilight’s eyes widened in horror and tried to levitate Amber back by her tail. “What do you think you’re doing? I know Spike; he’s not like other dragons!”“Heya Twilight! Ooh! Are we playing a game?” A familiar voice chimed. Twilight hadn’t heard her come in, but that didn’t matter.“Pinkie Pie! Help me pull her off Spike!” Twilight continued tugging to no avail. The combined force of the two mares finally won over and Spike was free. His first course of action was to run up to his room and slam the door shut behind him.“Let go of me! He’s getting away!” Amber ran in place, still held down. Surely her tail wouldn’t hold up under this much strain.“Stop. Now.” Twilight said. Her voice had a dangerous edge to it that even the former Princess of War could recognize and respect. She stopped trying to escape, or at least didn’t try nearly as hard. “Sit down. We need to talk this out.”“Who is the pink one?” Amber panted. “Why is she here?”“Silly! It’s Twilight’s one year and seven month anniversary!”Twilight gave her a confused look. “What are we celebrating?”The pink earth pony giggled. “Don’t you remember? You came to Ponyville a year and seven months ago, and that’s when we unlocked the Elements of Harmony,” She giggled again, “Wasn’t that great?”Amber was still exhausted from fighting to get at Spike. “You fight well, Pinkie Pie,” Amber gasped. “But on the wrong side. Dragons are evil.”“And now we’re back to square one.” Twilight continued holding Amber down, though it wasn’t entirely necessary. “Which is where we’re supposed to be anyway. Pinkie, would you mind sticking around? I think you need to get to know Amber.”“Ooh! I love making new friends! Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie, and I know everybody here in Ponyville, except for you! You must be new! What’s your name?”“Amber, tell Pinkie Pie who you are.” Twilight commanded.“Who I am, or who I was?” Amber fixated her eyes on the ground.Twilight was not in the mood to give a long answer. “Both.”“I was Princess Amber Sands. I used to be the Princess of War.” Amber didn’t look up. “Now I’m just Amber. I’ve done terrible things and that’s really all you need to know.”“And why did you attack Spike?” Twilight demanded.Amber’s eyes lit up a little. “Because he’s a dragon, and all dragons are-”“Evil, yeah, you made that point earlier. But besides that?”“I was trying to protect you.” Amber’s ears began to droop a little. In Twilight’s mind she was starting to act like a filly that had been scolded. “I thought you would hate me after knowing my past, so I also wanted you to like me for caring about you.”Twilight softened. Amber was from the edges of Equestria. She probably hadn’t met a single good creature besides the occasional colt or filly that had gone wandering too far. “Amber, Equestria is different when you get deeper into the borders. You can’t judge if anybody is good or bad by what they are. You have to get to know them before you judge them. I hatched Spike, and he isn’t a regular dragon. I kind of think he was created by a spell. He doesn’t even have any wings. Spike is sort of my assistant. He helps me around the house. I already know he’s not evil.” Her cutie mark should have been a podium; it seemed that her special talent might be lecturing. Her face lit up. “I can put that in my next letter to Celestia! Would you mind?”Amber shook her head. Now her sister had a pen pal? “So… do you hate me?”Twilight laughed. “No, Discord could do that to anybody. You’ve spent too much time on the borders.”Pinkie Pie shook her head in confusion. “Whoa, hold up a second. So now I know your name, and who you used to be, but I’m kind of missing the middle part! It’s probably pretty important. Like, what happened? Why isn’t she Princess anymore? How come she doesn’t have a special talent if she’s a princess? And why-”Twilight stuffed her uneaten sandwich in the earth pony’s mouth. “Questions later. She just got here, Pinkie, couldn’t you be a little bit more polite?”“Thowwy.” She mumbled around the food. “I’m juth curiouth. Tho, why are you here?”“Can I tell you later? I’ve had a really long day.” Amber interposed. She liked the mare, but she really was tired.“Ith onwy noon.” Pinkie swallowed the sandwich.“Well…” Amber gave Twilight a pleading look.“She’ll tell you along with everyone else. Later. ” The purple mare came to her aid.“Okie dokie lokie!” She chirped and bounced out the door. If the pair had been listening they would have heard the delighted gasp signifying that Pinkie had a plan for a party.Amber watched her go and threw her cloak on her back again. She had not appreciated Pinkie’s question about her cutie mark. “I guess I like her. She’s nice enough, I mean.” She commented. “So, what are your other friends like?”Twilight smiled. Amber was becoming more social by the hour. “Well, you just saw Pinkie Pie; she’s the best pony you could trust to find a reason to throw a party. Did Luna explain the Elements of Harmony to you?”“Well, she mentioned the stones anyway. I already know what they are, but perhaps something has changed since I’ve been here.”Twilight smiled. At least somepony around here appreciated history. She explained how they had been used in the past millennium, and how Luna and Celestia were now severed from their powers. In her zone, she went on to explain how she and her friends had come by the treasures, and how they had been used, and why they were not stones anymore but jewels. Amber listened raptly to every word.When Twilight finished, Amber cocked her eyebrow. “You mentioned six elements. Everybody knows there are only five. Magic isn’t an element, it never has been. Don’t lie to me, I hate lies.”“Well, I’ve yet to meet a pony who liked bein’ tricked,” An orange pony drawled.Twilight turned around, surprised. “Applejack? What are you doing here?”“Surprise! It’s later!” A chirpy voice announced.“Pinkie!” Twilight exclaimed. How long could it have possible been? She glanced out her window. The sun was nearly finished setting. She had really rambled when she began lecturing. “You haven’t even had time to plan the party,” A thought struck her. “Have you?”Pinkie Pie giggled and bounced in through the door, followed by her four closest friends. “Did you really forget about my party cannon?” She fired it at a coffee table, turning it into a table with decorations and a board game. “Silly, all I had to do was announce it to all of Ponyville! Everypony wanted to come! Well of course they did! It’s a party, who wouldn’t want to come? And now Amber has lots and lots of friends!”A swarm of ponies followed through the door, to Twilight’s horror. It wasn’t that she minded all the ponies coming to her library, she was afraid that Amber would be intimidated by all the new faces. She had spent so much time at the borders she probably hadn’t seen many friendly faces. Her natural instinct would probably to label them as enemies. She turned to Amber. “Listen, whatever you do, don’t attack them. They’re not enemies, or changelings, so don’t worry.”Amber’s sides were heaving, her eyes wide. The pink pony had returned, startling her. Not that she minded the pink one’s presence, but she had brought a mob of ponies with her. The library was growing crowded, every inch of space was being used. She could have sworn that she had seen two of the same pony, but perhaps it was her imagination. Twilight said something to her, but she couldn’t hear what she had said.Amber backed towards the stairs, panting even harder. Two steps up. There was more air up here, she could breathe now. Two ponies, one cream and the other sea-foam green, noticed her moving and walked up the stairs.“Hi, I’m Lyra, and this is my best friend Bonbon. Are you Amber?” The green one asked.Amber backed farther up the stairs, stumbling over the ones she couldn’t see. “Oh, uh, yes, that’s me. Uh,” She glanced behind her back. Twilight had left her window open to let air in and out. “Yeah, it’s nice to meet you, Lyra, but uh,” Her eyes widened as another wave of ponies came in through the door. “I really need to go now.”“How come? I thought this was a meet-and-greet so you could-”“Thanks, but I really need to go right now!” Amber whipped around and bolted the next few stairs when a grey pegasus offered her a home-made muffin. When Amber jumped and began flying out of the crowd the pegasus pursued her, insisting that they were excellent if she would just try one. As Amber dashed away the pegasus muttered something about, “Just don’t know what went wrong.”Finally she was free of the remaining stairs. There were just so many ponies in one confined place. And they just wouldn’t leave her alone! Yet another approached her, but this time Amber didn’t even take the time to notice what he looked like. Her breaths came in short, ragged gasps now, and her pupils had dilated smaller than a pin. Sweat beaded on her forehead. She had to get out, now.The window was open, but only halfway. Amber only noticed too late. She spread her wings and soared through the window, breaking the glass and cracking her skull. She forced herself not to scream in pain and flew onward.Amber felt the wind flowing over her wings, stinging the cuts from the glass, but it was nearly drowned out by the throbbing pain in her head. It had only been a small crack, not much more than a particularly bad headache, but it dominated her entire will. She could only fly for so much longer before she crashed.She squinted her eyes, trying to find a decent landing spot, but a drop of blood trickled into her eyes, blinding her. She flew around recklessly hoping that when she collapsed she would land on something soft.No such luck. Her left wing struck against a cliff, sending her tumbling away from the precipice with a sickening crack. She began tumbling down the side of the cliff, worsening the lacerations on her body.
Chapter 3
_____ “Ugh! Fluttershy, come on! We’re already late!” A cyan pegasus complained. She had been kept waiting for an extra hour. If there was a party, she had promised Pinkie she would be there.“Sorry, Rainbow, I hate to keep you waiting, but this really can’t wait.” The other pegasus reminded her friend.“That’s what you say every time.” Rainbow Dash groused.“And I mean it every time,” Fluttershy tone was firm and (dare I say?) assertive.“Yeah, I know. I just wish we could hurry this up, we’re already late if you haven’t noticed.” Rainbow Dash was famous for her speed, not her patience.After perhaps ten more minutes of similar conversation the pair finally left, Fluttershy’s saddlebag strapped across her side. “I really am sorry, Dash, but you know how much I hate leaving my cottage when some poor little animal is sick.” Said Fluttershy.Dash sighed. “Yeah, well. Let’s hope there’s some cake left. If we hurry, we can catch Twilight. I’ve been wanting to ask her if I could borrow the next Daring Do book. The author leaves you with these terrible cliff hangers and I’ve been barely getting any sleep I’ve been so nervous.” She accelerated sharply at the thought of the next Daring Do book waiting for her to read it.“Rainbow Dash! Wait up!” Fluttershy cried. “I can’t fly fast like you! Wait!”Strangely enough, Rainbow Dash came to a complete stop, hovering several feet over the ground, her ears pricked forward in attention. “Hang on a sec, Shy. I thought I heard something.”Her friend caught up and stood next to her. She perked her ears and listened expectantly. After a moment she shook her head. “I didn’t hear anything. What did it sound like?”Rainbow Dash considered for a minute. “Like somepony crashing a long ways. It was west, a little less than a mile, over in the White Tail Woods. Come on, let’s go!” She took off without looking back to see if Fluttershy had decided to follow. If she had she would have seen a yellow pegasus pony flying as hard as she could, protesting, “Wait! We don’t even know if you heard it! We’ll miss the party! Pinkie hates it when we’re late, but it drives her crazy if we don’t show up at all!”Rainbow Dash ignored the comment and flew on, the night’s anticipated festivities forgotten. “If you want to go that badly, you can go, but I need to check this out.” She glanced back again. “So are you coming or not?”Fluttershy slowed down for a moment or two, torn between an unknown sound that possibly didn’t exist, and going to Pinkie’s party alone to explain that Rainbow Dash had been chasing phantom noises rather than going to the party. Pinkie would probably understand, but if she didn’t then Fluttershy hated to let her down and break the news. “Wait for me! I’m coming!” She finally said and sped up to try to catch her athletic friend.*~*~*~Amber woke up laying on the ground. She groaned and opened her eyes and blinked. The world was blurred and smeared, like when somepony spilled water on a painting. Everything she saw was in various tones of grey because it was so dark. Luna had raised the moon and stars as she had every night before, but clouds obscured them from sight. Amber idly wondered why the weather pegasi hadn’t cleared them. It cast a gloomy undertone to everything.Her wing ached with a fury. She raised it and gave it an experimental flap. Instantly she regretted it. Sharp pain coursed through the limb and she groaned in spite of herself. Evidently she had broken it. “Everything breaks.” She grumbled. “First my horn and now my wing. Why don’t I just break my neck too?” She glanced around quickly. “I didn’t really mean that!” She added hastily. The pain in her head had lessened to a dull ache, but it was still very strong. She began to assess her overall damage, but then decided that it would be ill-advised. If she counted every injury the pain would be unbearable.Hesitantly she wobbled to her feet and took in her surroundings. She was in a forest, but not one she knew. The trees were tall and noble, but shady and gloomy in the dark. Nothing else for it but to walk and hope I find my way out. She thought. The shadows didn’t spook her so much as what was lurking in the shadows. Normally a Timber Wolf or two wouldn’t have been a problem on her own, but she was used to having a team watch her back in combat. About twenty unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies had accompanied her in her duties as Princess. One of them she had fallen in love with to her own surprise. Camelot. An odd name, and a perhaps even more eccentric pony, but he was her Shining Armor.She plodded forward slowly, trying not to look at the trees. In spite of her best efforts her eyes wandered and the trees were unavoidable. The forest was coated in what would be vivid shades of red, orange, and yellow in the daylight. During Luna’s time they were coated in a blue tint, and the tones were duller, but still beautiful. It was almost time for the annual Running of the Leaves. The moon lit the way with its pale, white light. Spooky to say the least. Beautiful, but spooky.She stumbled a couple of times. The third time she tripped and fell on her face and didn’t bother getting up. The moss was cool, comforting even. It soaked up the blood flowing from a deep cut she hadn’t noticed earlier. Her eyes fluttered shut and she sank into a deep sleep.But her sleep was not a restful one. Even in sleep memories would plague her, but more vividly, and in a far more ghoulish way. And tonight she would relive one of her most hated memories.~*~*~*It was her first village. Complete desolation surrounded her as she took in the damage. Buildings were brought down to the ground, ponies were strewn haphazardly, either dead or dying. One in particular caught her attention.“Small one!” The filly she had addressed looked up. One of her eyes was missing, and she didn’t have much longer to live. Her one eye widened and she cringed as she saw who had spoken to her.“Am I right in believing that I saved you one time? Your name is Flower, is it not?” The filly nodded weakly. Amber smiled sadistically. “May you die knowing that in telling me where you lived and by trusting me you have brought this upon your own weak, foolish kind.” Amber turned her back, not caring if Flower had listened or not.She stumbled over one body, tripping over the next. She landed in a pool of blood, though not her own. She wiped the blood off her eyes with her hoof, simply irritated by the delay. What a sight she must have been, a warrior princess, blood dripping from her lethally sharp horn, iron hoof guards red with rust. Her mane flickered like fire, and her coat was stained red from the blood of the ponies she had once protected. Soon she would make her way to Canterlot and take the throne as her own. She was the eldest, did that not count for anything?~*~*~*“No!” She mumbled. “NO!” She tossed painfully in her induced slumber. The motion worsened her wounds but was still not enough to break the cycle. Every night it was the same thing. She feared sleep and the nightmares that were guaranteed. She rarely slept, only enough that she wouldn’t give the impression that she was weak. The nightmares would never end, not until the day she died._______“Hey Fluttershy, are you sure this will work? That isn’t very many bandages.” Amber slowly opened her eye halfway to see a blurry blue blob with a multicolored top. After blinking a few more times the blob shaped into a pony with a rainbow mane.“Of course it’ll work, Rainbow Dash.” A soft voice replied to the strange question. “I’ve already splinted her wing. It’s a good thing I thought to bring my bag with me. I’m not sure what we’d do.”“DO!” Said Rainbow Dash. “That’s it! In Daring Do and the First Crusader she was in this exact same situation. A prince was hurt and lying on the ground, so she splinted his wing and put bandages on his cuts. Then she made a quick fly over and found the nearest town and flew the prince to the medics.” She clapped her hooves excitedly. “This will totally work! Come on, Fluttershy, you go ahead and tell somepony that we found her while I bring her over!” She trotted over to Amber. “Oh hay, you’re awake. I’m going to fly you over to Ponyville, okay?”Without waiting for a response she began tugging on the pegasus’s forelegs, flapping her wings as hard as she could. Amber winced as the pegasus jarred her wing. The zebra was raised about two feet off the ground before dropping again. Rainbow Dash panted for breath. “That’s okay, maybe the tail works better.” She grabbed Amber’s tail in her jaws and tried again.“Ouch! ” Amber glared at her self-proclaimed rescue team.Rainbow Dash’s face fell. “I don’t get it, it worked fine in the book.”“Creative license.” Amber growled. She was lost, in pain, just roused from a nightmare, and wasn’t in any particular mood to deal with a fanfilly. “This is the real world, and-” She stood up. “I can walk.”Fluttershy stood awkwardly to the side, not sure if she should try to join the conversation or not. “Well, I suppose that’s a relief, you know, since we can walk to Ponyville.”“Yeah, I guess I could fly up over the treetops and show you guys how to get there.” Rainbow sighed. “Really slowly.” Of course if you can perform a Sonic Rainboom on command just about any pace seems slow.The group began its slow journey back to Golden Oaks Library. The moon glided through the stars like a lone swan on a silver lake. Amber trudged along the path with Fluttershy while Rainbow Dash flew a feet above the ground. They didn’t say anything but kept their eyes on the sky to see the morning sun as it began its daily ascent. It was about mid-morning by the time they were back in town. Needless to say the welcoming party had quickly turned into a search party in their absence. What they hadn’t expected was Princess Celestia being a member.Celestia did not appear surprised to see Amber walking back, but she didn’t seem especially angry or happy either. “We need to talk.” She turned her back and walked into Twilight’s library. Amber sighed inwardly. Celestia did not seem to be in the mood for a friendly chat. Wordlessly, she followed and shut the door behind her, ignoring the stunned looks from the bystanders. The last time Celestia had said those words and entered the library conditions had not been good for Twilight. Most of them were still in the dark as to exactly what had happened.“Why did you run away?” Celestia cut to the chase. “Twilight was reluctant to make friends, but she didn’t run from her troubles quite so quickly.”Amber looked down at the hardwood floor and began counting the knotholes. She had counted to thirty-five before realizing that Celestia was still waiting for an answer. She didn’t look up. “I was afraid.”Celestia looked surprised, but the corners of her mouth quirked upwards in a smirk. “Amber, the guardian of the Changeling Schism, was afraid? Afraid of what? Making friends?”Amber shook her head. “No, I was scared of all the ponies. I have-” She trailed off and mumbled.“You have what?” Celestia put her head on her hooves in a listening posture. “Do tell.”Amber mumbled again. “Didn’t quite catch that.” She teased.Amber growled. “I have claustrophobia, okay! She growled between her clenched teeth. “I got scared because I felt trapped. I should be used to feeling trapped, but usually somebody has my back and I didn’t know how to deal with it so I jumped through the window and now I have a splitting headache and I can’t close my wing and I think I broke it.” Amber snapped. “Can I go now? I’m not in the mood for a lecture about how I need to face my fears.”Celestia apologised. “I’ll escort you to the hospital.” She offered.“No thanks.” Amber grimaced. “I can walk myself.” She promptly lost consciousness from pain and exhaustion. Celestia smiled, levitated her, and took her to the doctors.