Darke Life

Chapters

Chap. 2: Why does she have a grenade launcher?
Chap. 3: Shadow Coat and Crimson Mane
Chap. 4: The Portal is Collapsing
Chap. 5: She's gone...
Chap. 6: Leave already!
Chap. 7: On Our Way
Chap. 8: Confrontation
Chap. 9: Apologies
Chap. 10: Known
Chap. 1: Stormy Wish

Chap. 2: Why does she have a grenade launcher?

I was led to a couch in the living room (a pretty big one at that), with red velvet seat covers and matching throw pillows. The walls were baby blue with baby pink spider webs painted on them, and some sloppy writing painted on the wall in the far corner. Even squinting, I couldn’t read it. But it made me miss my sister Riley.

“Amber?”

“Yeah?”

I hesitated a moment before turning to speak to her. “D-Do you know how I can get home?”

Her face turned red as if she wasn’t sure how to answer, then she hung her head low to let her face be covered by her mane. “I’m not sure if I can do that. I’m not even sure what your name is.”

“Trevor Gunner.”

She slowly held her hooves out and grabbed onto my wrist. “Trevor?”

“Yes Amber?” I smiled warmly, and her face turned a little redder.

“Do you think you can sleep with me tonight? I-I get scared sometimes…” She looked up with her big red eyes tearing up, blushing around her cheeks; her hooves were even getting warmer around my hand.

D’awwwwww.

Damn it brain. She’s not even the same species as me.

Damn it body. Neither are kittens and they’re still adorable.

Shut up.

“I guess so. Show me the way.” I slightly chuckled, and she hung her head back down, trotting to a dark room down the hall.

She nodded in time to my footsteps, her mane bobbing with her. I noticed she had what appeared to be a fire tattoo on her upper back thigh. “What’s that?” I softly poked it, and she flinched. I noticed the skin around that was slightly cooked, as well as the other parts of her body I’d seen earlier.

“It’s a long story.” Her eyes showed no emotion; she didn’t even turn her head as she glanced into my eyes. “And I hardly know you.”

“Maybe we can change that.” I picked her up and set her on my shoulders, holding onto her legs and walking the rest of the way to her bedroom.

Damn it brain. Why did I have to say it like that? Now it’s just flirting. With a horse.

She shook her head and placed her chin on my head, her soft breaths hitting my forehead. It had a weird calming effect. I stared at the bed, a gothic-styled rosewood bed that seemed hand-carved. Err, hoof-carved. The bedsheets, covers, and comforter were all pure white, the pillows were black and there was a baby-blue gingham plaid duvet. It had different animals along the end, all looking tucked in and cozy.

“That’s cute, where’d you get that?” I gestured to the duvet. Amber stood up on my shoulders and catapulted herself onto the bed.

“My sister made it for me when I was still a filly.” She threw her Transformers T-shirt off and into the corner, where it whacked into the wall and slid into a clothes basket. She had bloody bandages wrapped all around her chest, over one shoulder and up half her neck. It even trailed off to her waist. What the hell happened to her?

“Sister? You act like you’re an only child.” I cocked my head slightly, then took my place on the bed next to her.

Oh sh-

“Your clothes are still wet! What are you doing on my bed?!” She narrowed her eyes slightly and stood up, pushing me onto the floor.

“I forgot! Humans like me get used to something the longer they’re around it.” I spat in reply, standing up. “Ugh. How am I going to get clean clothes in Ponyville?”

She seemed to think a moment, then slammed onto my chest in a crazy burst of speed. Amber then leaped over my face and galloped down the hall, out of sight.

I sighed and started running after her. “Oh come on Amber! I just got comfy!”

I managed to get lost in about five seconds. Looking around though, I guess that was easy to do. The hallways must’ve been a hundred feet long each, with many different doors to different rooms.

“Amber! Where are you?” I cried out, cupping my hands around my mouth.

No response.

The smartest thing to do at this point was guess. There was a staircase down what seemed to be the longest hall of all, and I decided it was a good guess. Climbing over the banister, I slipped.

“HOOOOOLYYYY SHHHHHH-“ I must’ve fallen down three flights of stairs. When I came to contact the cold concrete floor, I heard a sickening snap. Instantly I started shuddering. “O-O-Ohh God…” I started lifting myself up to see my disfigured hand, oozing blood at the wrist and two fingers.

“Hey!” I heard an unfamiliar voice yell at me, with Amber snickering behind him. “I don’t know who you are or what you want, but I’m working on very delicate experiments down here and I will not have your interruptions! Now stop bleeding on my nice clean floor and shut up!”

Geez. Who peed in his Cheerios this morning?

“It’s alright Crash. He’s a friend of mine, Trevor.” I looked up to see a black colt with huge wings, looming over me, with Amber to his side. One of her hooves was around his shoulder, the other on his belly.

Crash was above average size of a pony. He had charred black skin, greenish-blue glowing eyes with no pupils, and purple bloody wings. His chest heaved with anger, but a few moments of staring at me and it stopped. He threw Amber off of him, and into the darkness; so dark I couldn’t even see where she went. Crash started muttering to himself, throwing piles of papers and glass beakers onto the floor.

“Where is it… where is it…” He grabbed a grenade launcher off the shelf. I suddenly realized he had a Russian accent.

I had no time to watch him be crazy. “What the hell?! Where did you just throw Amber?”

He turned back with hate in his eyes. “Stay out of it. Your pathetic mind couldn’t comprehend.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists, taking a few steps closer to him. “How dare you…” Suddenly a black hole appeared in the wall, and Amber trotted out gleefully.

“Hey everypony! Wassup?” She had a stoned attitude about her, and a soda in her hoof. “Man, you oughta be down to Sugar Rush’s bar at this hour. They ran out of soda so she started serving Heart Attack’s Patented Sugar Energy Drinks.” She sipped the “soda” and jolted, losing her balance and falling over.

Crash and I stared at each other for a moment, then ran to her side. “Amber!” I stared at the spilled drink. It was hot pink, with navy blue and a bit of yellow mixed in, along with some sprinkles and candy charms, half dissolved. As soon as it hit the floor, it evaporated.

“What did you drink?” I stared at her, and she licked her lips, closing her eyes and laughing.

“Miracles in a bottle! Awwww yeah.” She laughed again, then looked sick. “I shouldn’t be drinking that shit.” Amber slowly climbed out of my arms and wobbled her way across the room. She hit her head on the wall, then slumped to the floor.

I stared at Crash. “How often does she…?” He shook his head.

“If I were you, I would be much more worried about your disfigured appendage. Come here and I will fix you.” I slowly walked to him, and he started wrapping my hand.

Amber got up suddenly, her mane looking slightly puffier. She took the grenade launcher and smiled, not looking any bit different than she had when she’d jumped over my head earlier.

“Alright! Who’s ready for some fun?!” She yelled, laughing maniacally. Even Crash looked scared.

“W-Why does she have a grenade launcher?”

Crash replied, “I think the better question is why is she pointing it at us?!”

Yeah, I weird chapter. But over time, things will be explained. (Pssh. Maybe.)

Chap. 3: Shadow Coat and Crimson Mane

Amber fired the grenade launcher twice. Twin bombs, aimed at me. I quickly barrel rolled to the side, as did Crash. They hit the wall, and Crash spat on the floor.

“Damned mare can’t calm down! FOR ONE BUCKING MOMENT, CAN YOU DESIST FROM BLOWING A HOLE IN MY WALL?!”

Amber chuckled sheepishly and dropped the launcher, her cheeks turning bright red. “Ooooooopsies…”

Crash stood up and flared his wings out, stomping toward Amber. I watched his eyes glow a strange green, and with his wings out he looked even larger in size. I took a moment to prop myself up on my good wrist, then raise myself up. No use; the blast from the grenades had pushed me down with too much force. I couldn’t get up. Fear struck me as I thought of being paralyzed.

Suddenly Crash started yelling in Russian. “Kogda-nibud' ya ub'yu vashi zhalkiye zadnitsy!” I guessed that Amber understood, because she fell backwards and yelled back.

“Crash, I know you’re angry, but please calm down! It scares me when you say things like that!” He narrowed his eyes at Amber, then withdrew his wings and trotted away. He then grabbed a small electronic and a small screwdriver, proceeding to take it apart. I finally managed to get up and ran to Amber.

“Glupyye zhalkiye kobyly.” Crash muttered.

Amber shook, slowly getting onto her hooves.

“Are you alright?” I helped her up, and she shook her head. I gave out a little gasp as she started tearing up.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine…” She wiped her eyes with one hoof, then stood up, shaking as she trotted to the hole she’d blasted in the wall.

I glared at Crash, who didn’t seem to notice, then followed after Amber. She reached into the wall and pulled out a large bag of gold coins, which as I saw, was one amongst many.

“Why are there…?” Crash interrupted me.

“Paranoid mare. She was taught to mistrust banks, so she keeps her bits in the wall. WHICH SHE KEEPS BLASTING OPEN!” He turned to snarl at Amber, and she whimpered before handing me the bag of what I understood was filled with “bits.”

“Here. We’ll go get you some clothes. I think I know just the right place as well.” She quickly patched up a few stray bricks that had flown out when the wall exploded, stacking them in quick secession. Next thing I knew, the whole wall had been fixed.

Amber smiled and took the bag of coins from my hand, bouncing excitedly up the stairs. I turned to Crash and stepped to his side, towering over him by at least two and a half feet.

“I don’t know what your problem is, or why you mistreat Amber, but quit it.” I glared a moment, and he glared back.

“Just get out of my laboratory, human.”

I turned abruptly and stomped up the stairs.

If I had a tail, he would’ve just been pimpslapped with it.

I came up beside Amber as we made our way closer to the edge of the Everfree. There was a wooden shack underneath a tree. Amber seemed to recognize it, as her trotting increased in speed. She practically SLAMMED herself through the open window, but landed inaudibly on the inner floor. She turned to me and smiled.

“Five minutes. If I don’t come out then, come on in.”

“Is this your house?”

“No. But it’s not like Shadow Coat will care. He’s probably still tinkering on his portals.” She rolled her eyes and sighed, blowing her mane out of her face.

More than an hour passed by, and Amber hadn’t come out. I sat back against the wall and sighed. “I’m coming in!” I yelled, then opened the door.

There was a lot of yelling coming from the basement. I could make out three voices; Amber’s and two others. There were also a lot of beeps and explosions.

“Awww! Come on Shadow Coat!” Amber yelled out, laughing.

An unrecognizable voice, probably “Shadow Coat,” started screaming. “Amber, why the buck did you shoot me?!”

A male voice called out. “Hey guys, I think I heard something upstairs. Don’t play without me!”

Amber sighed. “Fine.”

Shadow Coat agreed. “Hurry up, I was almost about to get your merits!”

The other colt laughed. “Like hell!” He started coming up the stairs, and I just sat there. He was a buff blue Pegasus, with a red mane and green eyes. He stared back at me, obviously freaked out. He had the Xbox symbol on his flank, in the same place that Amber’s fire tattoo had been. I nearly jumped up with excitement.

“Xbox?! Awesome!” The colt jumped with a loud “Waugh!”

“Amber! I think he’s here for you!” He said after staring at me a little longer.

“Is it one of Celestia’s guards again, coming to imprison me? Again?”

“No!” Then she started jumping up the stairs. She smiled when she saw me, laughing.

“Oh. That’s Trevor, my human friend. You know how Shadow Coat’s been tampering with portals?” The Pegasus nodded. “Well I took one of his prototypes and I sent it to Crash. He managed to send it out and get Trevor.”

“Oh.” The colt stepped back to the landing, yelling down to the basement. “Hey Shadow Coat! There’s a human here! And also Amber took one of your portal prototypes!”

Another pony stepped up the stairs. A unicorn. He had black skin and a navy blue mane. His eyes were also green. I assumed this was “Shadow Coat.”

"Amber, I knew my invention went missing! When did you..." He marveled at me. "You got a live subject?"

Amber beamed with happiness. "Yep! He's awesome. He's got fingers." She raced to my side and grabbed my hand, extending each of my fingers and staring intently at them. The blue Pegasus snickered and covered his face.

Shadow Coat glared at Amber. "You still don't have to take my stuff."

"Then don't have such interesting stuff!"

The blue Pegasus raised his hoof. "Uhm..."

I interrupted. "Sorry about coming in during your little... 'fun', but I've been waiting outside forever."

Amber laughed. "Oh yeah. Sorry, I was beating some flank. Especially Crimson Mane's." She whispered the last bit and pointed to the Pegasus.

Crimson Mane shook his head and laughed again. "Nuh-uh! I got more merits than either of you got from me!"

Amber's eyes slowly narrowed, and she tapped her hoof lightly. I suppose Crimson Mane got the message, because he backed up and his eyes widened.

Suddenly Amber smiled and trotted past him, slightly jerking her hips to swat him in the face with her tail.

"I was kidding. I don't wanna be brought back to Celestia's damned dungeon for killing somepony. Again.."

Chap. 4: The Portal is Collapsing

Amber grabbed my arm and started pulling me down the stairs. I had to duck under a few hanging pipes and such. Unfortunately I missed one, and I got propelled backwards a few steps.

"Hehe... sorry. This is after all, a home for a pony." Shadow Coat snickered.

"Just great. Now I've got a broken wrist, a bruised forehead, AND nothing in my stomach." As if on cue, my belly lurched and growled. I stood up, rubbed it a bit, and followed the ponies down the stairs again.

Holy. Shit. The basement was FILLED with electrical contraptions and such. Crimson Mane had to fly over them. Shadow Mane levitated the objects away, and Amber...

Where'd she go?

Suddenly Shadow Mane turned to me. "You didn't lose Amber... did you?" I nodded, and he sighed. "Great. Now she's going to pop up out of nowhere and scare the living buck out of me." I chuckled. This place was so cool; where "buck" was the equivalent of-

"Peek-a-boo!" Suddenly Crimson Mane screeched. Poking her head out of a box was a baby-pink pony with a hot pink fluffy mane. "Hi there!" Crimson Mane turned and ran behind Shadow Coat, shaking. The pink pony laughed and combed out her mane. It was just Amber in disguise.

"Holy buck, Amber! Quit doing that!" He sighed, trying to get rid of his heavy breathing.

"Aww, but if I did your lives would be so calm and boring!" She laughed again. "Like Shadow Coat's. Forever alone."

Shadow Coat growled and shook his head.

Crimson Mane continued. "You know how scared I am of Pinkie Pie."

Amber swiped a towel across her skin, revealing her burnt orange flesh, then throwing the towel at me. It slung over my shoulder and stayed there.

"I understand why. She's..." Amber shuddered. "... nothing is supposed to be that... bouncy... and pink."

"You're afraid of the color pink?" Amber nodded slightly, and Shadow Coat couldn't resist laughing. Amber sighed and jumped out of the box, grabbing hold of a ceiling pipe and hanging from it from her back hooves.

"You're just jealous that you're not as bawss as me." She put her hooves on her hips and smirked.

Shadow Coat stopped laughing and glared up at her. "What?"

Suddenly she flipped off the pipe and landed right in front of their television, on one hoof. "I SED.... U B JELLIEZZZ!"

Holy shit. I couldn't stop laughing.

Shadow Coat had been experimenting on a portal for at least three hours. I lay down on the table and stared at the ceiling.

"Dude, how long does it take to rip apart the fabrics of time and space and get him clothes?!" Amber pouted, lying across my chest.

Crimson Mane sighed and faceplanted the table.

"Amber, we've told you already, Shadow Coat never got a live subject. Plus, it's kinda hard to get specific objects from a specific place. How did he even get here?"

"Duhh, like I said, I took one of Forever Alone's prototypes and Crash perfected it."

Crimson Mane and Shadow Coat both did a double take, staring at Amber with wide eyes.

"You're still with Crash?!"

Amber blushed and started playing with her hooves. "Not like with-him-with-him, but..." She closed her eyes and leaned her head back. "He's pretty much living in my basement. Experimenting on other things for me. I pay him to. Plus, the Russian jerkbag has nowhere else to stay. Everyone thinks he's the new 'blight upon society' because he's got anger issues and a Russian accent. It's not like it was his fault he was kidnapped and brought here."

"And he scares her too much for her to get rid of him." I muttered.

Suddenly Amber uppercutted me. BOTCH'D!!!

"Oww! What the hell?!" I snapped. She knocked me back onto the table, placing her forehooves on my shoulders and her back hooves on my hips. I couldn't move. Amber narrowed her eyes and brought her muzzle to just above my nose, snarling.

"I am not afraid of anything. I may dislike things, but I own no fears. If I truly wanted to get rid of him, I would. But he is one of the few creatures who does not fear me. So the next bucking time you dare to question who I am...." She placed her hoof on my neck and pressed down slightly, choking me. "Think about it first."

I managed to gargle a few words out. "Try me... bitch."

She smiled, as if she accepted my challenge. Suddenly Amber disappeared in a flash of green. I quickly sat up from the table and saw Shadow Coat levitating her away from me. She had duct-tape over her mouth and looked REALLY pissed off.

"That's it, Amber. I'm sick of you trying to control others with fear. Just calm down and sit in the corner." Amber's eyes widened, and she stifled a laugh. As Shadow Coat peeled the tape off, she spoke.

"Sit in the corner? What, are you gonna make me think about what I've done as well? I'm a grown mare, Shadow Coat!"

"A grown mare who still acts like a filly. Just sit quietly and let me continue my work. I need silence," Amber opened her mouth and lifted a hoof, "silence," she put her hooves on her hips, "SILENCE, to create another portal."

Amber shut her mouth and jumped through Shadow Coat's levitating bubble, then trotted to the corner and sat down. I stared at her a moment and sighed.

Crimson Mane finally pulled his headphones out. "Sorry, did I miss something? Looked like Amber was about to break some bones in here."

Shadow Coat shook his head and faced his work again, then gasped and jumped up.

"I think I've got it! Quick, get behind the steel wall!" I jumped off the table and got behind the barrier, following Shadow Coat. Crimson Mane grabbed Amber by her tail and dragged her to the wall as well. Surprisingly, she didn't fight back. She just stared at the portal Shadow Coat created.

Shadow Coat shot out another blast of magic, hitting the portal in the center. It glowed, then started growing. He strained to feed the portal, then was blasted back by his own magic, a fearful look on his face.

"It's collapsing! If something doesn't go through it, it won't stay stable!"

"Well then toss some of your useless junk in there!" Crimson Mane yelled. The portal suddenly started gusting out black air, then turned into a vacuum, sucking away all the oxygen in the basement.

Amber suddenly turned her head, her eyes glowing a vibrant red. "I'll go."

"Are you bucking insane, Amber?! Nothing can survive in there!"

Her eyes flashed once more, then she lowered her head and started rearing. Suddenly her hoof-tapping turned into a full-on gallop towards the portal. "Exactly."

"Amber, NO!"

Chap. 5: She's gone...

I collapsed onto my knees as the portal kept pulling me and the ponies closer. I reached one arm out as Amber kept galloping toward the portal.

"Amber! Don't!"

Too late. She'd jumped through the portal, and it closed behind her. All the things that were mid-air, sucked toward the portal, dropped to the floor, some shattering.

"She went through the portal..." Shadow Coat said, sounding confused.

"She... SHE COMMITTED SUICIDE!" Crimson Mane gasped. "She didn't seem like the type."

I shook my head. "I wouldn't even know if she were... I hardly met her."

Crimson Mane nodded. "She's got a couple... problems. Actually, I'm surprised she didn't off herself earlier."

Shadow Coat nodded. "I heard she started cutting."

I looked up. "Huh?" Crimson Mane said with me.

Again, Shadow Coat nodded. "Somepony from school challenged her to a fight. Before she could answer he pinned her. Tsk, tsk... all up her foreleg. Completely exposed. Everypony saw."

I sighed. "I don't even know anything about her. Crash said she's annoying, you say she controls others, and Crimson Mane..." We both faced each other. "Actually, he's had his headphones in pretty much this whole time." Crimson Mane smiled sheepishly.

"She got me my first Xbox."

"Dude, she bought you an Xbox?!"

"Well, no..." Crimson Mane smiled again. "When I was a little colt and she was a little filly. We used to play in the Forest all the time. Then one day she came to my house and gave me a little cardboard box covered in duct-tape. It was completely silver, with black X's on each side. It was a play-on-words kind of thing: an X-box."

"Oh." I shrugged. "Well, I-"

Suddenly the portal reopened. Amber threw herself out of it and landed face-first on the floor. Her back legs were bent at odd angles, and she didn't move. Then she slowly lifted up on her front hooves and wobbled to stand.

"Amber!" The three of us yelled. She smiled and held her muzzle, which was leaking blood. Her mane was coated with dried blood, and she had scratches and scars everywhere.

"What happened to you?" Shadow Coat said, grabbing a roll of bandages.

"H-How long have I...?" Her eyes rolled to the ceiling, and she fainted.

~Character change~

I woke up on a silver lab table with Shadow Coat at my side, wrapping bandages around my hooves. Needless to say, it was painful. From what they'd been telling me, I was only gone for a few minutes. On the other side of the portal, however....

"Ha! Little fillyfooler, can't play with her precious fillyfooler friends?" A dark voice said.

"Soul, stop!" I yelled back, although everything was black.

He laughed. "I can see why Father abandoned you. You're weak. You can't take a hit from a dead parasprite. Not only that, but you play around with the wrong sex. You're supposed to find a prince, Amber! A prince! Not another mare to accompany you over the ruins of Equestria. I pity whoever you were left with."

"You should! I...!" I stopped. My own brother was glad I was gone. Sure, I'd never met him, but he'd met me when I was a baby. He wanted to keep me, but our Father, King Sombra, had refused. They'd left me with a foster family, and I...

"I killed them, Soul."

His glaring green eyes lit up with curiosity, and perhaps, with pride.

"I KILLED THEM, SOUL! I bucking killed them! They mistreated me like Father had! When the house lit on fire and they were telling me to put it out, I didn't! I smiled, and laughed at the fire! They beat me... until my ribs were broken and my eyes were swollen shut. So while they burned and screamed, I laughed!" I looked down to my ribs. Still broken, but mending with the wraps I wore. Then I looked back at the black cloud of mist surrounding me.

"I laughed... while the only family I ever knew burned."

"Not even my sister Patches fully made it. Her wings were bloodily torn off, and she became an Earth pony like me. But she was the only one who had faith in me, and that's why I rescued her and not the others."

He laughed lowly, and smiled. "Ahh, but you are an Earth pony for a different reason. Explain why."

"But you already kno-"

"EXPLAIN!"

I sighed, tears forming in my eyes. "Father believed that I was not truly worthy of the family crest. So, within the few moments of birth and life, when a unicorn's horn hardens, he... ripped it off of me." Here came the tears, and I was left sobbing.

"You were never worth it Amber."

Suddenly his hoof struck out. It hit me under the jaw on my sternum, and I was thrust into a wall. THE wall, of my mind. I was imprisoned in the box of my head again, as a demonic Essence controlled my body, that which only knew the rule of King Sombra himself.

(Start music, which actually does explain what is going on here, from 1:20 to 1:48. (Despite what most are saying, it's not much of a girly song. It stands up against abuse.))

He is We- Too Beautiful (Amber's Theme) Lyrics

"Let me out of here!" I cried out, standing up in defiance. I could see what my body was doing. Being beaten by my own Father. He ordered the Essence to keep my body still as he struck me, again and again. In an echo, I could hear his yells.

"Pathetic child! I wasted all that I could to rid myself of you, and you returned! Luckily for my honor, nopony knows what you truly are! Not even the closest of your friends, only that Crash fellow! Rid me of you and be gone!" And with the last words, he opened a portal and threw my body through.

I sat up as stiff as possible, staring at the walls with my chest heaving.

"Whoa, Amber, are you alright?" Crimson Mane took a step forward.

I jumped off the table and whipped up the stairs, tears running down my face.

You don't know what I've been through...

You don't know what I've done for you...

Father, get out of my...

"HEAD!" I yelled out suddenly. Then I realized I was still on the table.

Crimson Mane took his step back, sinking to the floor.

"S-Sorry." I chuckled lightheartedly, trying to pretend it was alright. "Just those voices in my head, getting to me again." I sighed. They'll never understand though.

Chap. 6: Leave already!

I sat outside of Shadow Coat's little shack, and with a sigh took out my pen-knife, carving shapes into the ground as I waited.

Amber had been inside for at least half an hour, trying to recover from the portal incident. The colts, Shadow Coat and Crimson Mane, had been thoroughly worried when Amber hyperventilated out of nowhere. She wheezed and coughed, then suddenly her scars and wounds healed over with some sort of blackened crystals. I was sent outside while Shadow Coat investigated it. Amber told them she was fine before jumping off the table and shattering the crystals on the floor.

"Amber, you're not fine." Crimson Mane said to her as he helped her up with his wing.

She shook her head again. "You don't understand. Sombra... King Sombra was beating me... he told me how worthless I was, a disgrace to his..." She raised her head, eyes watering, then shook the tears away.

"Disgrace to his what?" I asked. Amber turned to me.

"You're supposed to be outside." Shadow Coat said.

"Ehh. Boring out there, all there is to do is look at stars, and well, since "stars" are the reason I'm here, they've lost their charm." Crimson Mane chuckled.

"Ain't that the truth." Amber looked up.

"I don't recall you ever being in this conversation." She spat at Crimson Mane.

"Uh, I was just..."

"I want to go home."

"Amber, you can't-" Shadow Coat interjected.

"I could take her." I brought in.

"Not the home you've seen, my pathetic dwelling in the Everfree. MY home, in the Crystal Empire."

"Crystal Empire?" The colts and I all looked at each other confused.

"King Sombra is currently in rule. He's killed Cadence and Shining Armor, Twilight's brother. He's ruling over the crystal ponies as slaves. Now will you allow me to leave or not?" Her eyes glowed that sky blue again.

"Why do you want to go to the Crystal Empire? If everypony's a slave, then-"

"No. I cannot be enslaved. I'm going to..." She stood up, taking a deep breath as the crystals over her wounds disintegrated into her flesh. "I'm going to stand up to my father."

"Father?"

"How do you know your dad's in the Crystal Empire? And where is that anyway?"

"I just told you. He's King Sombra."

"Your dad is King Sombra?!" My jaw fell open. "He's killing rulers and enslaving the others?! And you're his daughter?"

Amber nodded. "Okay. Sit down, guys. There's a.... there are a few things maybe I should tell you about me. Things I've hidden."

"A long time ago.... well, not that long really.... since I'm not much of a grown mare yet. A long time ago, King Sombra ruled over the Crystal Empire. He was a power-hungry unicorn with black magic, black as his heart. He enslaved the entire pony population of the Crystal Empire and ruled over them for many years. The poor crystal ponies were broken under his rule. Sombra used spells to counter the crystal unicorns' magic so they couldn't overpower him, and he kept a large crystal dome around the Empire so no ponies, especially Pegasi, could escape. But for those Pegasi who would try nonetheless, he broke their wings, or put a curse on them so they could not fly more than a foot off the ground.

"Well, this was a very pathetic existence for the ponies, especially those who were to serve the King himself. He had slaves kept as chefs, bodyguards-"

"Hold on." Crimson Mane interrupted. "Bodyguards? If he was such a tyrant who would want to guard him?"

"Nopony." She retorted. "He cast black magic on their minds. Anyhoof, he kept them as chefs, bodyguards, and even some would write letters for him. His favorite was a young filly by the name of Heart Lollipop, or just Heart Pop. To, hum..." She giggled nervously here, "To put it simply, she made his heart pop, as well as a couple other internal and... external organs."

"So she gave him a boner?" I laughed.

Amber glared at me, then sighed. "Yes. A "boner." And he loved her, so, so very much. He would often invite her to his chambers late at night to get to know her better. She wasn't afraid of him as others were. She knew he was alone on his throne and wanted company, therefore she wouldn't mind coming to his palace late at night to get to know him as well. And their love grew, so much that they wished to be together.

"But Heart Pop was afraid. She had so many friends in the Empire, they didn't know about her affairs with Sombra. So she requested that he kill them.... quickly and silently.

"He respected her wishes, and he killed them in the middle of the night. She was finally happy without the burning and scolding opinions of those ponies. And that night they met in his chambers as they always did. He called her his lovely secretary, and she called him her King."

"My Queen," Sombra spoke to his love, "How I wish to make you my Queen. We could rule together, over this great Empire, with our own brood."

"But my King, the subjects would be outraged. They might bring their spirits up so powerfully they could finally revolt, and break your curses." Heart Pop looked away, and Sombra gently brushed her mane behind her ear.

"But my love, I will cast another spell on them. They will never do to us that which we do not wish for them to. We could control them," His hoof curled up, around her ear as he brought her muzzle to his for a slow kiss, "Forever."

"But I am not as immortal as you, Sombra." Sombra's lip curled as he acknowledged this fact. "I cannot be, not with the most powerful of magic.... unless you harnessed Celestia herself's powers."

Sombra spat, jumping from the bed and trotting to the window to watch over his enslaved Empire. "I cannot fight an Alicorn my dear. I have regarded this with all of my thoughts, finding a way to defeat her, but I cannot." He sighed and turned to look at Heart Pop. "But I promise you, we shall rule over this land until you lie on your death bed. And we shall rule together." He brought himself close to her, softly rubbing his muzzle against her chest, up her neck in a loving embrace.

"A-And with our children...?" She blushed, grabbing his head softly and bringing it to hers for another kiss.

"But of course." And he slowly pressed himself against her, bringing her down onto the bed for the night's opportunities.

"Amber... did you really have to go into detail there?"

"I'm not bucking finished!" She reached out and back-hoofed Shadow Coat.

"So they did the big deed, so to speak. And while Heart Pop carried her young in her womb, she held inside herself an evil offspring. And the evil in fact, radiated into her head and often made her sick or dizzy. King Sombra felt sorry for her and retired her early from her duties as his secretary. For the months of her pregnancy she lie in a throne next to his, so sick she could hardly move. And it only got worse the nearer she was to having Sombra's child."

"Was she pregnant with you?" I asked.

"No. My brother, Darke Soul. Once he was born, and at least a few years old, Sombra approached Heart Pop at her desk again. He spoke of having a second offspring, a daughter, for her to love and cherish as he cherished his son Soul. But she was very afraid of the headaches and sickness that his offspring brought her. He coaxed her into it with his black magic, and once more they returned to his chambers.

"But something was wrong with this fetus. It had no activity in the womb, no kicking or moving as other fetuses would. Heart Pop lost hope, believing she would not have an alive second baby. So King Sombra cast another spell on the child. It would be alive, he hoped, but even after the spell, the fetus has no movements. He too, lost hope. So on the night of Heart Pop's giving birth, he nestled her close to his muzzle and planted a firm kiss on her belly. Heart Pop rubbed his head, feeling tears run down her face as she expected a dead baby.

"Then the womb moved. The fetus kicked, a strong apple-buck kick, against Sombra's lips. He drew away, and he looked at his wife. They became overjoyed, until the worse began to happen. More kicking. The pain was unbearable for Heart Pop, and she grit her teeth on her own hoof."

"No, my love, you can overcome this." Sombra nuzzled her softly on her cheek, and she spat.

"I don't believe I-" and the womb sprung open. Blood flew everywhere as the young mare's belly burst open. Her inner organs were smashed, and her eyes rolled back in her sockets. King Sombra's beautiful Queen.... was dead.

And out crawled a small little unicorn coated in her mother's blood. She had a pure white coat and a mane the same color. Her eyes were sky blue as her mother's, blinking open as she looked around. The spell that had brought her to life had taken the life of another. She lowered her back hooves, no longer needing to buck her way out. She wobbled to the floor, her small hooves click-clacking as she wobbled to Sombra.

"Daddy." She raised her hooves and smiled at him. But he glared down at his child. She had taken his love from him, and Sombra much would've preferred her as a stillborn. He looked at her short scruffy mane and tail, coated in his love's blood and gore, and to her horn. It hadn't hardened yet, as unicorn horns were soft at birth and hardened with age. With hatred in his heart, he brought his hooves up... and snapped off her horn.

Amber looked down at the floor. "Five days later, he had snuck into Ponyville and left the filly on the front step of an orphanarium. He left a note saying her name was Darke Amber, and with a final glance to the baby lying in a basket, her mane stained blood-red from her gory entrance to the world, he vanished into smoke."

I looked up at her. "So.... you killed your mother when you were born."

"Yes." She whispered. "And I was abandoned for what I'd done."

Shadow Coat and Crimson Mane looked kind of sick at this point.

"Ohh, don't worry you two." She managed a weak chuckle, then sighed. "I'm still not done with my story."

Amber sat on the porch of her home, rocking a hoof back and forth to play some sort of mini-soccer game with a pebble.

"Amber!" Her father's name called. "Bring me my lighter, you worthless foal!" Amber sighed and stood up, quickly trotting to the kitchen. She reached into the top drawer and pulled out a lighter, then brought it to the backyard, to her father who was in the hammock with a cigar, as always.

She'd known this miserable existence for nearly five years. Her family treated her differently, as if she wasn't even one of them. Which, she supposed, she wasn't. Amber looked nothing like either of her parents, and mysterious white crystals grew out of her mane and tail. She wasn't a pegasus like the rest of her family, although she had a small broken stub on her forehead that resembled a unicorn horn. It was small though, and since she was afraid of being laughed at for it, she hid it; she never questioned the blood-colored crystals of it though. And in many showers, the crystals would diminish, or break and fall out of her mane or horn. And sometimes, if she washed her mane really well, some of the red coloring she couldn't understand would wash out and down the drain, but never would all of it come out completely. So she would disregard it, and think back to all those ponies at school who called her a freak for her sudden flashbacks, spells of dizziness, and wobbly legs.... and ability to sneak about with no notice from others. She felt her stealth as a good thing though.... not some freak ability.

Amber reached up and lit her father's cigar. When she was finished, she smiled up at him, expecting some sort of praise like he gave her sister Patches, or her brothers Torch, White Summers, or Black Snow. But he glared down at her, much like Sombra did. Amber felt deja vu. She knew she'd gotten that look somewhere before.... from a grey unicorn with a black mane, but she couldn't recognize him.

"What are you standing there for?! Get the hell away from me!" And he struck her. Amber's hoof let go of the lighter, still lit somehow, and they both watched in horror as it struck their tiny cottage.

Tiny, wooden cottage.

"You dumb little foal! Look what you've done!" And her father jumped from his hammock and ran into the house to get his wife, children, and valuables.

"Dad! What happened?!" Torch yelled out, pushing the family's safe out the door.

"Amber lit the house!" White Summers yelled out. "Snow, get the bookcase!"

"White, that doesn't matter right now!" Their mother yelled from the kitchen. "Torch got the safe! White, get the- AIEEEEEE!" Suddenly Amber saw clearly. Her mother had been lit on fire, as had her father. Torch's wings were caught in the doorway, and burning wood fell down and crushed him. White had fallen under the bookshelf he'd loved so much, and Black Snow, the only other Earth pony in the family, was being burned alive as well. Patches though, Amber's sister, was flying above the house with a large bundle of blankets and a bag of canned foods. She tossed it down to the front yard and yelled to Amber.

"Little sis! I don't think any of them are going to make it! We need to get out of here before we die too!" And she flew back into the house to get the bandages and medical supplies, in case she could save her family. But Amber didn't move. She sat in the hammock and watched the house burn, tears running down her face even though she was smiling. Her family was dying. She didn't care. Now they felt all the pain she'd felt, only amplified. They knew how it was to be broken and not saved, watching as others smiled at their misfortune. And she let out a small chuckle.

A giggle, almost. Then a bigger one. A snicker, then more. Amber hd burst into a fit of insane laughter right before their eyes, rocking the hammock back and forth. "Look who's..." Her eyes were turning dark, the blue of her eyes turning to the same blood red of her mane. "Look who's in pain now! Hehehe.... heehee hahahahahahaaa!" But now sitting at a distance was no longer amusing. She had to get close to feel their pain for herself. She slowly jumped down from the hammock and peered into the still burning shell of her house. An ember struck her, and she flinched. But then it didn't matter. She smiled her creepy, delusional smile and trotted even further into the house, ignoring the fire that was cooking her flesh as she finally came close to her father. She bent down, holding his blazing head with one hoof and whispered,

"Look who can't take the heat."

She dropped his head and quickly galloped toward an opening in the wall in which she could escape. There was no way she would become part of this bonfire. But Amber tripped over a long wooden plank, and slammed into another small fire that seemed to be eating the house. She cried out in agony, her flesh cooking and mane burning as well. But she didn't care. She jumped out of the fire and outside, rolling on the grass to put out the fire that wanted to kill her.

Patches fell out of the hole in the house that Amber exited from. She had ragged, bloody stumps coming from her sides where her wings had been, and Amber gasped. She quickly came over to her sister, wrapping her back with bandages. When Patches opened her eyes, she gasped.

"Amber, you..."

"I didn't mean to kill them." She lied.

"Your coat is burnt.... and your mane too.... oh! And your eyes!" She suddenly stood up and backed away from what seemed now like a monster.

Amber looked to the smoldering house, then stepped closer, staring at the little embers that still flicked and danced about in the wood.

One ember jumped out and burnt her flank. "Owch!" But it continued to stay there instead of going out. Then it moved, in some sort of strange pattern, leaving a large black dot of burnt flesh on her flank with some sort of spiral going around it.

Patches and Amber both stared in horror. Then another ember flicked out and continued the same pattern on the other side of her flank. When they diminished, Amber turned to see what had been clearly etched onto her flank as a permanent cutie mark:

A fire.

"So that's what it is." I spoke out, staring at her cutie mark.

"Yes. And.... I've killed a lot more since then. That's why I hide away. But now, I'm going to use this... killing urge, to end my father. I won't let him continue his killing rage so long as I have one too. I'm going to the Crystal Empire to fight him."

"Amber, you can't. I get why you'd want to fight for that cause, freeing slaves and all, but I won't stand for you murdering anyone."

"Anypony." Crimson Mane corrected.

"Anyway, I think the main problem here is getting me out of Equestria. I need to get home soon, and if you are going to kill your dad, that's great, GOOD FOR YOU, but I'd like to not be around for that."

"Then leave!" She jumped up and glared at me. "I've just exposed my entire life, the only reason I exist, and you want to leave?! Then leave already!"

"Reason you exist?" I turned back to glance at her.

"I wasn't created to have friends! I was created to be in the Crystal Empire! To kill!" Suddenly she grabbed a crystal out of her mane. It was hard and black, with jagged points on each end. "Put this into the portal's equation, Shadow Coat! Liquefy the crystal and mix it in with the portal substance, and he can go back home. Just get him away from me." She sighed and threw the crystal onto the desk, turning to trot up the stairs.

"Amber, wait!" Crimson Mane turned to me and tsktsk-ed. "Just leave bro." Then he flew up the stairs after Amber.

Long chapter. Took about two and a half hours to type. Ohh, and yay! For my birthday present, I get to go to the mall and get a Pinkie Pie plush! Can't wait!

Chap. 7: On Our Way

I followed Amber and Crimson Mane up the stairs in a hurry. "Amber wait! I'm sorry!"

She was sitting in the corner, hunched down with her hooves over her ears. Crimson Mane stood nearby with his hoof on her shoulder.

I stopped. "Uhm.... is she...?" Shadow Coat nodded.

"She gets mindbucks sometimes, so just try to keep from mentioning whatever's got in her head this time."

Amber slowly stood up and turned around to face us. Suddenly, she looked angry. "Not a mindbuck this time. A call. My father is challenging me to come fight him."

"Oh." Shadow Coat turned to exit back into the basement.

"Are we really going to do it Amber?" I asked sheepishly.

"Buck yeah. You honestly think I told everyone all that as some sort of twisted bedtime story? We leave tomorrow morning."

Amber and I made it back to her home in no time. Suddenly in the sunrise, I saw her house for what it truly was. There were bloodlines down the house that appeared to be recent. Scratches were everywhere in the wood, and some windows were boarded over. My best guess was to keep prying eyes out. Around the house was a broken wrap-around deck with quite a few boards missing. This too was covered in a bloody mess.

"How do you live like this." I pondered aloud. Suddenly Amber's ears pricked up.

"What? This is the way I have lived for years."

"How many?"

".... nine years."

"How old were you when you started living here?"

"Five. Just after I killed my foster family."

"Oh. Sorry." I opened the door for Amber and followed her to the basement.

"It's fine. I mean, meh, sure, it shook me up, but in a good way. My life has improved since the incident. No more abuse, and all the others at school were too afraid of me to mess with me. And for those who weren't...." She pulled a green crystal out of her mane and swung it through the air.

"So I see."

She tossed the crystal aside and nodded.

"So wait, you're only fourteen?"

"No. Thirteen."

"But you said nine years."

"So my math was off. Calm your cutie mark."

"Excuse me, you pyro, but I don't have a tattoo on my ass like you do."

"Good point."

"So, back to telling me about yourself..."

"Amber Heart Darke, or Darke Amber, or Darke Heart, thirteen years of age. Black mane, orange coat, red and sky-blue eyes. Fire cutie mark, which is really just a burn. Retired assassin, very few friends, atelophobic, clinomanic," She took a breath, "Can't handle being near many others at once, violent cuddler, shy kisser, and daughter of King Sombra. That's basically my life right there. Oh, and I love going to Starbucks." She looked up at me as she neared the end of the stairs. "Anything else you wanna know?"

"Nope." I chuckled, "But, uh, what's an atelophobic?"

"Atelophobia is the fear of not being good enough for the special somepony you love."

"Oh. I have that for a couple girls..." I blushed and rubbed my neck. "Clinomanic?"

"Clinomania is not wanting to get out of bed when you have something important to do."

"Guess we share a couple traits."

"So I see. Hey Crash." She elbowed the dark Pegasus and trotted away. He looked up from the desk and rubbed his eyes.

"Damned mare, I was having the best dream."

"And honestly, we'd love to hear it. Wouldn't we, Trevor? But I need your help first. I'm going to face my father and I need some armor and smoke grenades."

He looked pleased. "Facing your father? Can I tag along? I'd love to see you ripped to shreds."

It took Crash five minutes to get at least forty different grenades into a pile. He was snickering deviously, and his wings were flared out to help him move faster. I stared at an array of M67 frags, M18 smoke grenades, and strange enough, Molotovs made from apple liquor.

"Amber?"

"Oh, you'll have to give her a moment Trevor. She is changing in the other room."

"Why? Ponies don't need to wear clothes like humans do. They don't have to worry about their bodies."

"True, she is one of very few ponies to always wear clothes. But it is to cover her wraps, which help her broken ribs. She's also particularly picky about who gets to see her body, a habit she picked up from her time in the human world."

Amber stepped out of Crash's bedroom, which was coated in blood, and took a twirl around. She was wearing silver armor with white runes carved in the metal. She smiled and pointed a small pistol at me.

"Nice gun."

She tossed it to me, and I caught it, leaning against the wall. "Yeah, I pilfered it from your world. Needed protection. You own any?"

"Nah. It's illegal."

Amber looked up from a box she'd been digging through, her back hooves dangling out above her head. "Ille- Ille- it's what?"

"Illegal. Against the law? Not allowed? I'm only seventeen. I can't own guns."

"Oh. So, my gun...?"

"Not supposed to have it."

"Oh. Well buck that."

I snickered. "You have the kind of attitude that my little sister Riley would shun."

"She sounds nice."

"She's mental. Hallucinates. Schizophrenic too. But I love her." I sighed and leaned even further against the wall, now propping myself up on my elbow.

Amber suddenly looked down. "Oh.... I'm sorry."

"She's getting treatment. And she likes baking chocolate cookies."

"I like cookies."

"Doesn't everyone?"

"Everypony." She smiled, sliding her armor off. "As long as you're here, you might as well learn our language."

"Everypony? Learning your language? Buck that."

"You're catching on already."

I laughed and nodded.

"So what shall become of you after this fight?" Crash pondered.

"I'll come back here. I'll gather my bits and prized possessions, and I'll move too." She smiled sadly. "I can't stand the memories this house has hidden, secrets only I know."

"What'll happen to me?"

"I'll devote all my time to getting you back to Earth."

"Really?"

Amber nodded. She slowly moved her mane aside, and I finally saw her full face. The left side, the one covered with her mane, was faded white with no burns or scratches whatsoever. Her eye was sky blue at the top but red at the bottom. She smiled, and I saw the slightest pair of fangs.

"I promise, with the last bit of my body that is still pure."

"Amber...."

"No time for that." She dropped her hoof, and her mane covered her face again. "I haven't slept in hours. I think I'll go nap."

I lie on the obviously pony-sized couch and yawned with Amber over my chest. Her chest bobbed slowly as she continued napping. I pushed her to the side and stood up.

Now may be my only chance to look around for an exit.

I took a walk around the living room first. It seemed everything was in the shades of black and purple. And if it was a stationary object like the wall-phone, it was a bloody mess. Then I turned to the scribbled message in the corner of the room. In shaky, thick blue crayon, was a note.

Once you are dead, nopony can hurt you. There is only silence, no more pain. Just NOTHINGNESS.

The message thoroughly creeped me out, and I took a step back, slamming into Crash. He had his arms folded, and he looked like he had been standing there for a while.

"Uhh, hey Crash."

"Curiousity is not a very becoming trait, Mr. Gunner."

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind." He motioned to the note. "So you found Amber's note."

"Yeah. What is this anyway?"

"This is Amber's home. Always has been. She never left the house that burned. She simply built it back up. She says this is her new home, but it is the same as her old one. She cannot leave the dark memories. She doesn't want to. She is a mare of torture; she will stay for the painful memories, if nothing else."

It took me a moment to process this. "So, when she said that after her old house burned, she left to build a new one...."

Crash nodded. "She lied. Truthfully, I see why she didn't want to start anew; she didn't want their bodies found, and she didn't want to be tormented or killed. Many ponies would run, and hide, until the insanity, and guilt, and TERROR of killing their own family, regardless of foster or genetic, took hold of their mind and tore it apart."

"She's an incredibly smart mare, I'll give her that. Building a house over her family's graves, so that nopony can find them. Strong too. If I killed my parents, I would definitely go mad, and never return to sanity. Yes, she did dive a bit off the deep end for a few years. But then the Mental Health Hospital threw her a line and she swam out, so to speak. She's still shaky every now and then as well. She hears voices, she sees things, occasionally wounds will appear on her body from nowhere. But she gets over it, and she continues the day-to-day loneliness."

"Aside from you." I gestured to Crash.

"No. No no no no no. I stay in the basement, and she stays upstairs. Sometimes she will come down, but not very often. Other than that, we avoid each other."

"Why?" He opened his mouth, but a different voice spoke.

"Hey, you two done?" Amber sat up and rubbed her eyes. "I'm ready."

We were already on the train to the Crystal Kingdom. The Conductor was a drab-colored stallion with a drooping mane. Amber told us what it meant.

"When a Crystal Pony gets like that, it means they are feeling harassed or upset. It's usually the effect of Sombra."

"So they have physical changes when their mood changes?" Crimson asked, not looking away from the Conductor.

"Yeah. Like how when I'm angry, I might go R4GE." Crimson shuddered.

"R4GE Amber.... not a pretty sight."

"Certainly not."

"Uhm, what's R4GE Amber?"

Amber tapped her hoof to her chin as she thought. "Well, sort of like a Discord-ed version of me. My skin and mane go all...." She pointed to the Conductor, "And three little slashes show up on the left side of my neck. My eyes'll go green, and a gaping hole appears in my stomach." She traced an oval on her skin to show me.

"Ohh."

"That's not all. I'll go cannibalistic, and my voice'll echo. And my left hoof can transmit the R4GE virus."

"Virus?"

"When somepony has the R4GE virus, their stomach will tear itself apart like my R4GE stomach. Of course, hardly anypony can stand living with the R4GE virus, and it kills them."

"Remind me not to piss you off."

"Reminder, don't piss me off."

"Yeah, ha-ha. How long does this train ride last?"

"Half an hour or so."

"Greeeaaaaat." Now I get to spend a whole half hour with THIS crazy chick. I swear to God, I'm going to wake up one morning splattered in my own blood, and she'll walk in, just like....

"Did you sleep well? Ohh, don't mind me. I'm just cutting you open to eat your intestines!" I said out loud. When I saw everyone staring, I turned away. Great, Trevor. Now you're talking to yourself.

Chap. 8: Confrontation

"Ugh. Amber. Get off of me." The burnt-orange mare was asleep in my lap, purring like some sort of psychotic kitten. At first it was cute, but now I needed to move, and her head was pretty heavy.

"Hunh.... mhhhrr...." Amber purred again, and she blushed slightly.

"Amber!" I attempted to throw her off of me. Suddenly, her eyes opened wide. They were green with bright red irises. Her arms flailed, and she fell off of me, screaming.

"NO!" She was panting, looking around for some unknown evil.

"Amber, are you okay?!" Crimson Mane took her hoof and helped her up.

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine. I just.... nightmare."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah Crimson. I'm fine. I just hope this train ride's over soon."

We finally got off the train, and ended up in some white snowy oasis. I shivered and pulled my T-shirt tighter.

"Ugh... I don't see anything. Where the fuck is this "Crystal Empire" anyways?"

"Only a couple miles straight ahead."

"How do you know?"

"...."

"What?"

"Just a feeling. Like my crystals, the energy in them, it grows stronger the closer I get to Sombra.... I've no doubt he's having the same feeling. He knows we're here."

The kingdom of crystals gave off an eerie greenish grey glow as we walked through the streets. Amber ducked under various hanging lamps and tossed me a jagged crystal.

"Owch! What is this?"

"Crystal berry scone. Since you haven't eaten in a while."

"T-Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. You'll probably die soon."

"What?!"

"Well?! Sombra's violent!"

We finally neared a large black-crystal structure. Jagged rock stuck out at odd angles, and the whole thing gave off an unearthly glow.

"Is that...?"

"Don't worry Crimson. You guys can wait outside for me."

"A-Are you sure? I mean, I..."

"I'm fine. Just, y'know, stand to the side or whatever and keep throwing grenades at him. No biggie."

"But didn't you just say..."

"Crimson." She turned around and promptly blocked his way. "I'll be fine. Yes, I want a little help, but I need to take down my father myself."

"..." Crimson was blushing and staring into Amber's big red eyes. "O-Okay!"

"Thanks."

"N-No problem..."

We ascended the large black steps into Sombra's main hall. Paintings all over the walls, both thinly veiled by black crystal (no surprise) showed off a large grey unicorn. His horn faded red at the tip, and his eyes were green. His irises were a ruby red, and thick purple smoke drifted from his eyes.

"Sombra?"

"Sombra."

A deep voice called out.

"You called for me, Amber dear?"

"... dad...."

Sitting on a black crystal throne was a dark grey Unicorn. He looked sickly, and his eyes were duller than in the paintings. He coughed violently before settling back in his throne.

"I knew you would come for me, Amber. I felt in the crystals. They made me feel well again."

"You're sick." Her expression instantly changed from dark and angry to a cool concern. "You're not going to live very long, are you."

"No." Another fit of coughing, and what appeared to be crystal-blood was hacked up onto his hoof. "But I so missed you Amber darling. I haven't seen you since you were a filly. You're so grown now...." His glowing eyes assessed every inch of her body slowly, as if internalizing every glitch and scar she had and assessing her weak points.

"I suppose I am."

"How I would have loved to watch you grow up.... I was a fool to let you go."

Amber turned away, her eyes tearing up. Sombra continued.

"Amber, I need a favor of you."

"What do you want?"

"I want you...." He started hacking, this time not quite as bad. "I want you to let me write a letter."

Amber nodded slowly and took a quill and scroll from the nearby desk. Wait, when did that desk get here?

"Come here and give them to me."

She trotted over to him on her hindlegs, holding the quill and scroll in her forelegs.

"Thank you." He levitated the quill and scroll with another eerie green light. He seemed to write particularly quickly, only stopping to re-ink the quill or cough. He then rolled up the scroll and levitated it to Amber. "For you."

She took the paper cautiously. "Why write me a letter when I am in the same room as you?"

"The things... I have never been able to say."

Amber unfolded the scroll and her eyes instantly started skimming. Sombra wheezed and nodded every time she looked at him. Her eyes then watered, and she started crumbling the paper.

"Lies lies lies lies lies lies..." She impaled the letter with a bloody red crystal that materialized from her hoof and suddenly threw it at her father's head. "LIES!!!"

Sombra caught the crystal. His eyes returned to a vibrant color, and he stopped coughing.

"Indeed they are, you pathetic foal. But they got you to drop your guard." He rose from the throne and suddenly threw a spiked crystal back in return. Amber turned to us, her eyes wide, and mouthed,

Run.

Crimson, Shadow, and I ran out into the hall to avoid the battle.

Amber suddenly drew a long crystal spear. Sombra did the same, but his was more jagged and dark.

"Shall we then?"

"We shall. I'll show you what you gave up."

Sombra let out a fierce battle cry and lunged for Amber. She barely dodged and slammed her elbow down onto his head. In return, Sombra elbowed her in the stomach. As she doubled over, her father raised his spear over their heads.

"I regret nothing."

"Yeah, let's see about that!" As the blade headed for her head, Amber performed a sweep with her hoof and knocked Sombra down. His weapon clattered on the floor between them. Amber got to it first and began to twirl it like a baton. After the fifth twirl she snatched it and headed for her father as if the spear was a jousting stick. He disappeared from sight in a flash of green crystals.

Amber looked around slowly.

"Wheeeeeeeeerrrrreeeee aaaaaaarrrrrreeeee yoooooouuuuu?"

"I'm everywhere but nowhere."

Amber smiled and suddenly swung around, clashing her spear into his stomach. He growled in pain and pulled it out. The wound scabbed over with crystals and disappeared. His skin was good as new.

"Abracadabra."

"You're an idiot." She swung the spear at him again, slicing his cheek. But this time it didn't heal. Sombra gasped.

"N-No!"

"No indeed. Crystal toxins from the Crystal Heart. Awh, you should be so proud of me. You may have its power, dad, but you can't control it. The light is now infecting your dark. Destroying you slowly." She jammed her spear through his stomach, and he bent over in pain, coughing up bloody crystal again.

"Slowly...." She twisted the spear.

"Painfully..." She jammed it deeper.

".... mine!" Sombra suddenly interrupted her with a firm hoof to the lower belly. Amber gasped in pain, and was sent flying into the wall. Sombra materialized another spear.

"The power of the Crystal Heart shall be all MINE! You pathetic, worthless, idiotic foal!" Amber was slowly standing up when she was shoved against the wall and held up by her throat. Sombra smiled wickedly.

"And on your birthday too. Do they know? They probably don't. They don't care for you, Amber." He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "I gave you many chances to join me, and you gave it up for.... what, a stallion? A pathetic stallion at that." He tsk-tsked.

Her eyes rolled up to the ceiling, and she gasped for air. "I.... s-surrender..."

"Mm, what was that?"

"I... give... up." Her body went limp, and Amber stared down at him.

"Swear your oath of loyalty."

"I swear."

"Your body is now mine to control. Your friends are goners. You didn't even put up a fight worthy enough to save them." Sombra grinned again. "Welcome back to the family, Darke Amber..."

As I peeked at Amber through a crack in the door, I saw her mouth the words,

I'm sorry.

Chap. 9: Apologies

I saw from my window that Amber was doing a good job following in Sombra's hoofsteps. Her mane had grown during her transformation, and was flowing down her side like some sort of anti-material. She wore the metal breastplate and arm-covers that Sombra did, as well as an almost perfectly matching crown. The only missing pieces were the cheek-guards on the crown, and the royal robe.

Amber was sitting on the balcony of the royal castle, watching the crystal ponies trot by in their shackles. Her newly-grown horn slowly levitated a glass to her lips as she watched them. Her transformed eyes, which now matched Sombra's, watched each and every pony as they stumbled along. You can tell she's holding back tears, I thought.

From the tiny little chamber we were sentenced to, Crimson, Shadow, and I watched the outside world. We were locked in the very top room of the tower, surrounded by black jagged crystals. Amber had told us this was the room where Twilight Sparkle was held when Sombra first captured her. Amber brought us food twice a day, always staying a little longer to make conversation or stare out the window at the Crystal Empire.

Twice a day, she gave us her apologies for letting this happen.

"Guys, I'm really sorry. I-I just... I figured if he beat me, he would kill you, and I would die if that happened. I just thought that this way, he wouldn't kill you. A-Again, I'm really sorry...."

Crimson and Shadow just turned away, and she sighed. Amber turned back to the doorway and headed out.

"Sombra told me that you three are sentenced to your death tomorrow morning."

"At least he'll be killing me, and not one of my best friends." Crimson spat coldly. Amber's eyes teared up, then shocked brighter with rage.

"I did this to save your flanks! It's not like I knew he would do this!"

Shadow Coat turned. "What does it matter? We're dying, your dad's taking over your brain, and you're not even stopping it. Look at you! You look just like him!"

Amber turned and started to trot away. "That's it. I'm telling him to move your deaths up. You have three hours."

Crimson's eyes watered, and he turned away angrily. The door slammed shut, and we were all alone in the tower.

"I can't believe this." I mumbled, laying back.

"Shadow?"

"Yeah Crimson?"

"You were right."

"What?"

"That day when I first met Amber in fillygarten. You were right, she IS a freak."

Shadow silently nodded. I spoke up.

"Well, from what I understand, she's being brainwashed. She has no choice. And well, did you see her? Amber looks like she's hardly slept. Probably guilty about letting us get into this situation."

My coaxing didn't seem to faze Crimson. "Amber is moving up our deaths, Trevor! Do you not understand that?!" His hooves repeatedly motioned to the door where Amber had exited. "She. Is. Going. To. Let. Us. DIE! She's exactly like Sombra, brainwashed or not! Look at her. She's given up her best, her ONLY friends!" His eyes started watering up again, and he went to sulk in the corner.

"Crimson."

"What?!" He snapped.

"You liked her, didn't you."

His face went more crimson than his mane. "Not anymore. I won't even bother with that freak for the next few hours of my life."

"Let's go." We all turned. A guard was in the doorway.

"Let's go. Execution is now."

"W-Wait, we're supposed to have three hours!"

From behind his armor, the guard smirked. "The Princess seemed so agitated that three hours became three minutes. Now let's go." He prodded me first, and we headed down the long staircase.

The first thing we saw at the bottom of the stairs was a large grey unicorn similar to Sombra, only younger. His greenish-grey eyes flashed at us, and he flicked out a long snake-like tongue at us.

"Say goodbye, prisoners."

"Soul, play nice. Goodbye, freaks." Amber was on the unicorn's back, glaring at us. The male unicorn laughed ferociously and lunged at Shadow, who squealed and stepped back.

The guards led us to a large platform that overlooked the Crystal Empire. Near the ground was some sort of large tank with jagged crystals in it.

"Jump." Sombra instructed. His throne's not too far... I thought, Maybe if I...

"Give it UP with the damned escape plans!" Amber interjected. "You're outmatched. So go. Execute. NOW."

A trie of guards came, ready to push us to our doom.

...

.....

"... are you guys okay?"

The three of us, Crimson, Shadow, and I, were encased in some blue bubble. We turned to the voice and saw Amber. The armor was off, her hair was shorter, and her eyes were back to normal. We were inside a sort of shelter made of crystals.

"What do you want?! Haven't you done enough?!"

"Easy there, Crimson. This is just a hallucination. I blasted you with some temporary magic, and as you can see, it's already fading." She pointed outside the wall, and the white surroundings were starting to revert to their crystally counterparts.

"Just listen. I'm gonna get you guys out of this. I promise."

"Why should we believe you?!"

Amber stepped forward and nuzzled Crimson slowly. She had tears streaming down her cheeks. "Because if you don't, you'll have to die. And that would kill me inside...."

Everything was silent. Then the bubble shook, and we returned to reality. We were about to be pushed to crystal impalement when Sombra spoke up.

"You spoke to them, Amber."

"Yeah, so?"

"Your message was LOCKED to my magic. You're still their ally." His eyes gave off cold hate. "Her too. Kill her too."

The guards grabbed Amber and prepared to throw her over as well. "N-No, wait...!"

We were sent over the edge of the balcony, and shut our eyes in terror.

A warm feeling washed over us, then we crashed into a hard tile floor. I blacked out a while.

"Trevor, sweetheart?" A familiar voice stood over me, and I struggled to open my eyes. My mother was standing over me and smiling.

My mom held out a bowl of soup and petted my head softly. "Were you out at your friends' again? I found you passed out in the kitchen."

"Huh? Y-Yeah, I guess." I groaned and looked around. I was back home, in my bedroom. "How long was I gone?"

"A couple days, sweetheart. You didn't answer my phone calls or anything." Mom nervously cocked her head. "You don't know how long you were away? You weren't drinking, were you...?"

"No, Mom! No!" I sat straight up. "I would never. I'm not into that kind of stuff."

She smiled warmly. "Now don't yell. You have some guests who seem to need their sleep. I found them nude in the kitchen with you. I also seemed to notice some tattoos on their buttocks. A bit inappropriate for your age, but I believe they were in some sort of traumatic coma or something, or a gang. I hope you don't mind that I found some clothes for them to wear, out of your dresser. Oh, and the girl is wearing some of Riley's and my clothes."

Wait. Girl? Friends? Passed out in my kitchen? I was home?!

... something wasn't right. I turned to my left and saw the spare air mattresses blown up in the corner. Each one held one of the ponies from Equestria, but.... they were human!

Human. They still had their hairstyles, and their skin was slightly tinted of their original coat colors; Amber however, stayed a slight pumpkin-tan. Crimson and Shadow were wearing some of my clothes, and Mom had managed to fit Amber into one of Riley's shirts and her own long skirt. They had blankets pulled over them, and were each sleeping softly.

"Amber? Crimson Mane? Shadow Coat?" I choked out. Mom cocked her head again.

"Strange names. Are they in a gang?"

"N-No Mom. Just nicknames they like... can I wake them up?"

"If you must. But I'd be careful with the girl over there." Mom seemed to be slightly scared. "I nearly woke her while dressing her, and she swung her fist out and nearly gave me a black eye. Now I have to find someone to fix the hole in the wall." Mom left the room, and I jumped out of bed.

"Amber! Crimson! Shadow! Wake up!" The boys stirred, but Amber pulled the blanket tighter. I whipped it off and gasped.

Mom was right. Amber's skirt had a slit up the side and proudly displayed her fire cutie mark. Since I didn't want to bother Crimson and Shadow by asking them to moon me, I took Mom's word for it and threw the blanket back at her. Amber slowly sat up.

"What is so important you had to interrupt my sleeping, Crash? I was having this weird dream. Y'know how I went to the human world a couple times? Well, I was ruling with Sombra and he was about to kill my friends, so I saved us by sending us to the human..." She suddenly opened her eyes and stared at her hands, "... dimension."

Crimson and Shadow were having different opinions on their surroundings. "Holy buck! What the buck are these?! Why am I-" Amber cut Shadow off.

"We're in the human world. I did it to save your flanks."

"What?"

"You heard me, Crimson! I saved your flanks because I'm not how Sombra wants me to be! I still love my friends, more than anything and everything! At the last second, I opened a portal to the human dimension with Crystal magic. The magic was so pure it cleansed me back to normal. When we were supposed to hit the spikes, we fell into it and wound up in the last human place Trevor remembers being at. Luckily, Trevor has quite a caring mother that she's allowed us to stay here a bit."

"What about when you moved up our executions?"

"I did that to end the suffering as soon as I could."

"And hissing at us?"

"Staying in character."

"What about.... um..."

"That's it, Crimson. That's all I did." She stood up and pulled her shirt down a bit. "Now if I recall, I still have money here to get around. Trevor, you're old enough to drive, right?"

"Yeah. Where do you need to go?"

"The closest bank. I need to take some money out."

I jumped into my white Audi A6 and threw open the passenger side door. Crimson climbed in. Amber and Shadow sat in the back.

"Wells Fargo."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Only bank I knew at the time."

We left the garage and started driving down the street. Amber readjusted her shirt again and stared at out surroundings. Shadow chose the time to ask questions.

"How long will we be here?"

"In the human world? Hard to tell. I used some pretty advanced magic. Probably a year."

"Seriously?"

"Am I the only one who noticed you guys are older?" I interjected. "You were thirteen in Equestria, and you're seventeen here. What happened?"

Shadow spoke up. "We have longer years, so it takes us longer to reach a certain age. When we crossed over, the days that we have been alive were probably very thoroughly and complicatedly calculated and we became that amount of days here."

"How many days are in your year?"

"Four hundred forty-nine."

"Wow."

"Yeah. So I guess somehow that crosses over to seventeen?"

"I guess."

"Wow." Again.

"There's the bank." Amber spoke out. "I'll only be a minute." She jumped out and ran out to the bank. I sat back in my seat.

"So she's going to get money, and you guys'll work on getting back home?"

"I suppose so. There isn't anything else we can do while we're here."

"There's tons. If you're only seventeen, you still have to go to school. Things will be different though. A lot different."

"You'll help us though, right?" Crimson interjected.

"Of course. Maybe now that I've gotten used to your lifestyle, you can try mine. You can stay at my house, see what it's like on Earth, y'know?"

"Sounds fun!" Amber jumped back into the car.

"Where to?"

"We need clothes. To J.C. Pony's!"

"Err, on Earth, it's J.C. Penney's, Amber."

"Right. To that place!"

Chap. 10: Known

"Amber? Are you okay?"

I came out to the balcony, where Amber was sitting dangerously close to the edge. She pulled her jacket a bit tighter and nodded.

"Of course."

"Well... you turned tail pretty quickly when those guys recognized you."

"Yeah, I.... I guess I did."

"Something wrong?" I sat next to her and turned her head to mine. Her ruby eyes were surrounded by tears, and she didn't seem to defend herself against them. She just sat there and let me do anything.

"Trevor, sometimes I wonder."

"Well, every human does, in fact I think every living creature tends to wonder someday." I chuckled, and she narrowed her eyes slightly, then sobbed.

"I don't want to be here."

"I felt the same way when I was in Equestria."

"But... when I was here before, everyone knew me. I wasn't just the crazy girl with her own style or whatever, I was Darke. Darke Amber, the girl in middle school with two names and the red eyes. I... I didn't need to work very hard on anything because I already had everything."

"Everything? Is that what you wanted?"

Amber leaned her head on my shoulder. As we sat there, my mind drifted to the activities we'd done since the ponies became human.

Amber had come out of the bank with a stuffed wallet and a black credit card, and when she jumped back into the car, she demanded that we go shopping. Since it was an early day, and she promised to pay for everything, we went to the mall.

Amber had cleared out every store of clothes in orange, black, and red. She picked out at least seven different pairs of shoes, and twenty pairs of stockings and patterned tights. She even offered to buy Crimson and Shadow some clothes.

'Some' was an understatement. She bought them at least a full wardrobe for a year. When we walked past a cupcake shop, Amber dropped her shopping bags and ran inside excitedly, while Crimson shuddered and stayed outside. Amber came back out eating a rainbow-frosted treat with white sprinkles.

From shopping we went to dinner, then my mom came with us for groceries. She was appalled by the amount of money Amber was toting, and even more by the amounts Amber was willing to pay.

But when we got home, Amber was recognized by my neighbor Keith. He called his friends out to see her, and they all made catcalls and whistles until she ran upstairs and set herself on the balcony all alone...

"Amber, don't you want everything you could ever ask for?"

"Trevor, I already had everything in Equestria. I had Crimson, Crash, Shadow Coat... nice home, fair amount of money." I scoffed. Fair was a bit under exaggerated. "I... didn't want or need anything else. I had a good life, despite all that I'd ever done."

"I'm sorry you left it all."

"Sweet Celestia, is this all there is?"

"Hm?"

"Is this all to life? Just... endless torment until death? We live to die?"

"I thought you were immortal like Sombra."

"I can be killed, but not my natural forces. And even if someone were to attack me, I usually heal myself. The crystals are my source of eternal life, basically."

"So what's with this death talk?"

"Crimson lost his wings when we passed over. Shadow lost his horn. I lost my crystals, and therefore my immortality." She looked at me. "I... I only realized this now. I don't want to die, but I don't want to live. I just...." Amber sighed and stared at the sky.

"I don't want to have to watch my friends die, make new friends, and watch them die too. I... really don't want Crimson to die. Not now, not never. I stay awake at night realizing that one morning, I won't have him to wake up to. I won't have anyone."

"So why don't you treasure him for as long as he's around?"

"That'll only make the final moment harder, won't it?" Amber looked at me curiously, and a fresh wave of tears ran down her face.

"Amber?"

"Yeah Trevor?"

"It's okay. I promise." She began sobbing, and I pulled her closer and comforted her like a child. "Shhh..." Amber sobbed harder and harder.

"I-I'm so afraid of my friends dying that I've tried to end myself, but... every time I do, I'm brought back. I could never join them in the afterlife. They'll die someday, and I'll be forced to stay alone forever. I'll forever be an outcast since most ponies will fear me, knowing whose daughter I am, and the others would probably be sex-hungry stallions who want nothing more than to use me, then leave."

"What...?"

"It's true. I'm sure that I've met about sixty different stallions in my lifetime, two being Shadow and Crimson, and the rest being arrogant stallions with... urges."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"All I had to do was tell them my name, and they'd go. No harm really done."

Again, I looked down at her. Amber's eyes were still slightly wet, but she had mostly stopped crying. She gulped, like her throat was dry.

"Do you want some water?"

"Yes... please."

I stood and headed inside, sliding down the stairs and into the kitchen. I'd just stepped into the doorway when I fell back to avoid knocking down my sister.

Riley was about fifteen years old, with long curly hair in a shiny orange-red. She had freckles all over and bright blue eyes, but most people remember her by her hair. Half of her head was dyed a swampy green, almost like moss. Riley smiled at me and held out a cookie.

"You wan' one?" She giggled. Oh yeah, did I mention? My sister was a bit retarded. Not in the sense that I called her stupid, but that her eyes sometimes drifted and she had an unmistakeable lisp.

"Oh... I just came to get Amber some water." I took the cookie and gently pressed it to her mouth. She bit it and chewed a bit, then gulped it down.

"Tha' girl ya woke up wit'? She's nice. She was helpin' me wit' bakin' t'ese!" Riley took a larger bite of the cookie, and I laughed.

"Yeah. Amber's really nice. I'm glad she decided to visit." I reached up into the cabinet and grabbed a glass, then turned on the tap water at the sink. Then, my mom rotated my direction as she set off the stove.

"Where are your friends from anyway, sweetie?"

I paused to think. "Well, I think that Crimson and Shadow were from some small little town a bit far from here. But Amber came from somewhere even farther away. Some Empire, I think."

My mom gasped. "Empire?"

"Yeah. I think she was the daughter of the King and some peasant woman." As soon as I spoke, I bit my tongue. No way could I explain where they really came from. The less I said, the better.

"That's funny. I can't think of any Empires existing since 1880." She muttered a bit, then looked back at me. "Don't they have any families? It's not legal for them to be living on their own, and it's a bit strange that no calls have been received from their parents."

Then, I felt a familiar spike in the room. It was that strange feeling I got around the Crystal ponies. I turned, and Amber was in the doorway.

"It was a street named Empire," Amber lied, saving my butt from any more questions, "and I lived with my two families."

"Two families?" My mom rose an eyebrow.

"I was abandoned by my dad, but I was raised with a foster family. Then, my brother came along and he brought my dad too. Said that they needed a place, and they stayed." I saw a glimmer in her eye as she looked up at the ceiling lights. "My mom died giving birth to me. Dad didn't really want me after I took the love of his life."

"Oh my. But... the daughter of a king and peasant? Where did that come from?"

She folded her arms a bit defensively. "My dad's name was Kingsley IV. It was passed down like royalty to all the sons in the bloodline, except my brother. So compared to him, my mom wasn't much special."

My mother looked to me, and I shrugged. "Well... here's your water." Amber took the glass and gently pressed it to her lips. I blushed as I watched her tip her head back gently, closing her eyes as she took a few swallows.

"Thanks, Trev."

"N-No problem."

My mom seemed to feel my nervousness and cleared her throat. "I'll be in my room if you need me." As Amber was still distracted, my mom pushed between us and slipped me a condom under her hand.

Great. Just what I needed right now was my mom misunderstanding. Amber and Crimson were together.

... wait. They weren't. She was still open, and I had a chance. Once Amber set the cup in the sink, I took her hand and pulled her up the stairs.

"Hey, want to just talk in my room? It's too cold outside anyway."

"Oh... sure." I saw her blush as I smiled back at her, and we headed down the hall.

I made sure my room was clear before I invited Amber in and locked the door. She laid herself out on the bed and groaned softly, and I saw her body stretch out a bit before relaxing back.

"Holy Luna, it's late..." Amber stared out the window at the rising moon.

"Yeah..." I crawled onto the bed next to her and smiled, then pulled off my shirt and slid it onto the floor. She peered over at me and blushed. I clicked my tongue and smiled. "So..."

"Uhnn?" She could only let out a small whimper as I suddenly grabbed her hands and pressed myself against her, feeling her warm clothes against my bare chest. Amber seemed to acknowledge my body, and her eyes peered down my chest and then back up to me.

"Y-You're pretty... in shape..." I smiled wider and gently pressed my lips to hers.

"Mmm..." She relaxed, and I pulled her up with me. I swung each of her legs over my lap so she was straddling me as we kissed, and she certainly didn't seem to mind...

Suddenly I felt a very shy yet very warm thing poke at my lips, and I pulled Amber closer as her tongue slid to mine. As we gently wrestled our tongues together, I felt the Crystal-pony feeling sharpen, almost enhance. I pulled away long enough to see Amber staring in shock at the door. The handle rattled, and Shadow's and Crimson's voices came from outside.

"Hey! Let us in!"

"Yeah! C'mon!"

Amber climbed off my lap and turned to her shopping bags, pretending to be distracted as she searched for something. I stood and opened the door to see the boys staring in shock at me.

"What? It's my room." I rose an eyebrow.

"But... you're shirtless, and Amber's in here." Crimson narrowed his eyes.

"What's it to you? You two aren't dating. Besides, I was getting ready for bed." Crimson pushed his way into the room and glared at Amber as he pulled off his 'Me Gusta' sweatshirt and his black tank top underneath, and searched for a clean shirt.

Amber didn't look up, but it seemed like she could feel Crimson glaring at her. "It's not very polite to be mannerless to one whose done all she has."

He grumbled, and Amber shooed her hand for us to turn away as she changed.

"Hey. If you want to be a total jerk to me, so be it. But don't get Trevor into this." She swatted Crimson, and he turned, staring at her angrily.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Crimson. Just quit it. I saved your life, many more times than you care to realize, and you still treat me poorly for one little thing."

"You let your dad brainwash you and had us locked in a tower!" Crimson shouted.

"At least I was kind enough to feed you!" She shot back.

"You nearly got us killed!"

Amber's eyes suddenly flashed brighter, and I stepped back in fear. She clenched her fists as she spoke. "I had a plan to let you live the entire time. Don't speak to me like a child, Crimson."

He narrowed his eyes again. "You are a child."

Just as Amber raised her fist to strike him, I jumped forward.

"Wai- AGGGHHHHHHH!!"

Chap. 1: Stormy Wish

My name is Trevor Gunner. Actually, it was, until my life went wrong at about age seventeen. I was in my bedroom actually, playing some video games at around midnight. But I was getting bored on Sonic Generations, especially just unlocking Rouge (and getting bored of her too), so I went downstairs to snack on those cookies my sister Riley just made for our mom’s book club.

Chocolate chip oatmeal. Eck. I never liked oatmeal, but Riley usually put too much chocolate into them to taste anything else. We called them grenades. Back to the cookies. I pulled the top off of the glass container and took three. Staring out the window, I saw a shooting star.

I snickered. “I wish Riley didn’t use so much chocolate in these cookies.” Then I sighed. What I really wanted was a new world. School was too easy. No chores or main complications in my life were distracting either.

Suddenly the world was purple.

Everything… was purple. I dropped the cookies and ran to the door, thinking my house was on fire or something. But then everything disappeared. Suddenly I remembered what Riley was always telling me about shooting stars. Careful what you wish for.

I woke up in the middle of a field. The sky was a midnight blue with grey clouds everywhere, and the moon shone a bright white. As I sat up, I realized that my wish came true. But hey, I still had a cookie on my chest. I snatched it up and ate it, realizing I was much more hungry than I had been a few minutes ago. Or had it been longer? Had I been in a coma? And better yet… where the heck am I? Wherever I was, they obviously didn’t know the term ‘tone it down.’ Everything was bright yellows and purples, with hearts and balloons everywhere.

I strolled my way into town. Nobody was in sight. That made sense, since it was about midnight. But I didn’t care, up until a raindrop splattered in a nearby fountain. Another one pattered me in the eye. I looked around for a shelter. Since most of these trees were shorter than me, I decided maybe a house for the night. Surely someone would be kind enough to take me in. I ran out of the park and into what seemed like the town square. I looked up into the sky as the drizzle turned into a full-on downpour. I saw what appeared to be a hotel, or just an apartment tower, looming up about half a mile. I supposed I could get to it in five minutes if I started jogging now.

I was in full sprint forward to the tower. I didn’t expect the whole thing to be pitch-black though. Every window was dark, curtains shut tight.

“Looks like nobody wants me around tonight, huh.” I jammed my hands into my pockets and looked around. Nothing really close by, except… hey! In the distance, maybe another half-mile away, was a large house. The lights were on, and I saw what appeared to be a fifteen to seventeen-year old girl walking around behind the curtains, although her anatomy appeared slightly… messed up. I shrugged it off and ran to my fullest, ignoring the searing pain in my knees from my previous run.

I was now thoroughly soaked through to my boxers, but I had made it to the house. It looked kind of like a child’s tree house, but also like that candy shop I had seen on the main road. The colors were all black and grey, with a burnt gold around the windows. I noticed the curtains were purple with fuchsia lace in the form of spider-webs. I knocked on the door a few times and waited. Then I knocked again, slightly harder.

“Please, someone let me in! I don’t know where I am and I need a place to stay for the night, please!” I nearly started crying. I could NOT stay out in the rain all night. I really hoped that girl would come and open the door.

Then, softly, I heard a voice call.

“It’s unlocked.”

I never threw a door open so quickly, not even that time when I was about to hurl and was rushing to the restroom. “Oh God, thank you, thank you, thank you. Please, ma’am… excuse me, but where are you?”

“Kitchen.”

Now I was kind of scared. A girl I didn’t know, hostile or not, in a room filled with knives and other possible weapons, who didn’t seem to care that a complete stranger was in her home. There was a chance that she would attack me.

I slowly entered the room with the kind of fear you only get playing Slenderman and wondering whether or not the next turn is gonna have his face right there. And I saw her. She wasn’t human. She appeared to be some sort of equine. Her body was a scorched orange; slightly red in some places where it appeared her flesh had been cooked. I didn’t think that had just happened, either. She must’ve had those burns for a while. Her hair- err, mane, was messy with a few curls, and a rich black with some dark red highlights in the light. One of her eyes was bloody red, and the other a sky blue. She was bending over to search in the refrigerator, and she was wearing a baggy Transformers T-shirt, having it hang off of one shoulder.

“W-What are you?” I asked, taking a step back after observing this horse not only performing human actions like looking for food, but also talking to me.

She pulled her head out of the refrigerator and stared at me. Her left eye, which was blue, slowly faded to red like the other. “What? I thought humans like you would know what a damned pony looked like.”

I never thought that a pony could curse. “W-What?”

She jumped up onto the counter with a glass of grape juice in her hoof. How she could hold that, baffles me. “Well, you’re a human. I’m a pony. Don’t typical humans see ponies every day?” I nodded, and she continued. “I’m Darke Amber, and you’re in Ponyville. Or at least as close to Ponyville as I like to reside. You’re mainly on the edge of the Everfree Forest right now, in the middle of a storm. And this…” she gestured with one hoof to the room around us, sipping her juice before continuing, “is my home.”

“P-Ponyville?”

“You passed through the portal, unwittingly believing it was a shooting star. When you wished, the portal misbehaved and transported you here. It was originally supposed to get a different human.”

“Yeah, about that. How do you know what I am?”

Amber waited a moment, licking her lips and staring at the ceiling. “How shall I put this? Ah, yes. Long story short, I have visited the human world before. Might I say, I saw things I can never forget. I have been tormented in ways I shall never forget. But here, perhaps, a human would be at peace. I was supposed to send the portal out and retrieve a specimen. But I didn’t expect to get you."

“You see,” she continued, “I’ve known about the existence of humans for a while. Most of my childhood was devoted to proving this to the all-powerful ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia. But instead, they were afraid of what they did not know, and did not want to know. Then…” her eyes misted over, and she froze in place as tears rolled down her cheek. “Then, things changed. And I no longer spent my life trying to prove humans existent. Sure, there was the occasional day that I wanted to go back to my research, and there was the occasional believer who wished to help me, but I didn’t. I stayed in the shadows with my equals.”

“Equals?”

“Different story for a different time, my friend. And eventually Princess Celestia came to find me. It took her no time, and I was thus banished to the Everfree. Here, I built my house, studied my notes, and returned to work on my research for the first time in a decade.”

“Why would you do that?” I stared at her for a moment, and she wiped a tear.

“To clear my head. And eventually they came to tell me my banishment was over, but I much preferred to stay here. I sent out twenty different portals over the course of a year, but none returned with a human. Until now.” She gestured to me again.

“So all I am is a specimen to you? Nothing more?” I had never been so insulted. She shook her head and looked out the window at the rain.

“It’s almost sunrise. You may need some sleep, if we’re going to send you back.”

“You’re sending me back?”

Amber turned back to me for a moment and smiled mischievously. “Unless you wanna stay.”