Darke Life

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.

~

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~Character change~

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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.