Shards Of Sombra: Amethyst · 1:26am Jul 3rd, 2021
[Artwork by the incredible Magfen]
[ AMETHYST ]
One of the more violent and aggressive shards, Amethyst is a killer, plain and simple. She delights in attacking foes (such as her poor younger sister) and seems to be full of hate and anger. Her role was as an assassin, sent to deal with anyone who stood in the way of Onyx's plans - namely, Obsidian. When that plan was put into play, she made an effort to stop The Siddy Six, yet was brought to heel with her brother Tourmaline and placed in the care of Obsidian herself.
Amethyst (or 'Amy') has had her horn ringed to keep her magic at bay, and she spends much of her time either grumbling and swearing at her 'roommates', or doing things that don't quite make sense. Is she plotting some sort of revenge, or maybe there's more to this psychopath than first meets the eye? No matter the outcome, it's fairly certain that, before it's all said and done with, Amethyst will be shedding someone's blood again.
[STORY NOTES]
Amethyst started out as merely a lackey for Onyx in Obsidian: Daughter Of Sombra, but she started to grow on me as the story rolled along. I became interested in the idea of how anyone like her could ever be rehabiliated, much less ever find peace. But as Wungi & I continued to write, more and more of her unfolded, like a beautiful flower amidst a field of poisonous thorns. There's something IN there worth saving; what it is, remains to be seen.
The level of anger I had to project through her in the story was cathartic for me; going through some personal issues at the time, her venom became almost like therapy for me, getting in a stock of spite and hate... though I did curtail her language for the FimFiction release - towards the end, she had a bit of a potty mouth, so I waited until Obsidian: Shards Of Sombra to let that show. I mean, I already had Flurry Heart in mind as a swear-a-holic, so why not restore that in Amy as well?
The first actual artwork of her can be seen in chapter eight - 'Sombra's Shards', as it was the first artwork ANY of them appeared in. That look on her muzzle there was vicious... however, when I saw Magfen's artwork above? TEARS, y'all... she was so magnificently WICKED, I could hardly believe my eyes. Even now, looking at the art above, I'm getting a touch choked up.
Her Cutie Mark, by the way, has an interesting detail; the dagger that's stabbed through the center? That is Amethyst's Foci Dagger, her favorite tool in the whole world, from the first story. And as of this writing, is currently locked away in Twilight's vault... for now.
When writing her out, I wanted Amethyst to be REALLY GOOD at being angry; other emotions tend to make her feel awkward and weird, as she's spent much of her life angry. I did my best to translate that idea - someone who's PERFECT in their element, but damn near crippled outside of it. I sometimes fall into the same category, so I was writing from firsthand experience in that vein... though I doubt I would ever be as wickedly nasty as Amy gets.
Honestly, I'd pretty much expected both her and Tourmaline to bite the proverbial dust before the end of the first story - but Obsidian's want for a family made me reassess their characters. For what it's worth, I'm glad I did - she turns out to be quite a character, and the scenes with her in them are fun and snarky to write out.
Originally, she was going to be so savage that she wouldn't speak, except for magically - that idea was scrapped rather quickly, as I wanted her to goad Siddy as much as possible. She even continues to do so after she LIVES under Siddy's roof; the nerve...
[Factoids]
A theme song for Amethyst? Hmmmmm... I'd have to say Korn's Freak On A Leash; it speaks of personal pain and holds enough hate in those vocals to do well by someone as furious with the world as she is.
Notice, if you will, that Amy actually has a double horn, like a rhino; I wanted to play around a bit with different horn styles, and this one struck me as appropriate to such a prickly personality as hers.
The back and forth between her and Obsidian were some great parts for both of them; in my mind, I can still see that kitchen, because it's the same scene I always saw in my head when they matched wits there.
The inspiration for Amethyst came from slasher flicks, a dash of Wolverine from Marvel Comics, and a hint of Project Horizon's Psychoshy. I wanted a killer, and I GOT one.
{SPOILER}
Each one of these files will get a spoiler for the upcoming, unpublished story; read at your own risk.
All of Obsidian's hard work at reaching her sister does not go unrewarded, and Amethyst ends up becoming far more than anyone ever thought she was capable of. Especially Amber.
She's the kind of mare that my Bionicle OC would like... maybe even offer her a job as an agent; his eyes and ears in Equestria (like in Kratus' Logs) and if necessary, the embodiment of his will and wrath as they not only act as spies, but as saboteurs, assassins and representatives when he needs to remain hidden in the shadows.
And he trains them to improve their skill set. But the question is, would she accept such an offer?