//------------------------------// // Now an empty canvas. // Story: Worlds Reset // by TheMajorTechie //------------------------------// Amber groaned, squinting in the blinding light all around her. "H-hello?" she called weakly, pushing herself up, "Anypony there?" She turned up to the white sky, her eyes wide as she took a shaky step back. The echo of her hoofstep rung through her ears. "Mom? Dad?" the mare whimpered, glancing over the empty plane. Save for a few vaguely pony-shaped figures just beginning to stir in the distance, Amber saw nothing but emptiness. A shudder ran up her spine as she spun around, peering in the opposite direction. Nothing. "Okay, okay," Amber muttered through her clenched teeth, "This is just some weird, messed-up dream I'm having. I probably just got sick or something while I was on the roof last night, and I'm actually just laying in bed with a high fever or something... right?" She stared down at her hooves and the off-grey ground beneath them, then back to the blindingly-white sky. "Right?" She spun around, her eyes darting between the distant silhouettes dotting the horizon. "O-or maybe... maybe this is some kind of sick joke! Yeah, that'd make sense!" the mare exclaimed, "Maybe this is all just something some of those colts at school set up, or... ooh, maybe somepony slipped something into my breakfast!" She paused. "Wait... I didn't have breakfast, did I?" Her stomach grumbled in reply to the question. Amber sighed, her gaze returning to the ground. "Th-- this isn't a dream, is it?" she mumbled, "Probably nothing caused by what I ate or drank, either..." A wisp of smoke drifted past her eyes as a thought entered her mind. I'm scared. The faint sound of sizzling began to buzz in her ears, followed by more smoke. Sparks. A burning sensation flared up in her skin. "Wha-ow!" Amber shrieked, flinching as a spark flew from her foreleg, "What's going on?!" Once again, she glanced about her surroundings. The shadowy figures of other ponies had seemingly vanished, replaced by the same uniform white that painted the sky. She cringed as the burning sensation intensified, collapsing onto the ground as her legs gave out beneath her. I... she coughed, wincing as she began to push herself back up, I don't know what it is that you're trying to throw at me, world, but that is not going to stop me. Her eyes widened as the burning once again intensified, practically enveloping her body in some unseen flame. "ACK!" she screamed, instinctively lighting her horn as she held her eyes firmly shut, "HOLY BUCK DOES THAT HURT!" She felt her legs buckle beneath her as every nerve in her body seemingly went into overdrive. The mare let out a shrill scream as she fell forward, crying out a second time as her body hit the ground. Gasping for air, she set her every focus on casting a spell-- any spell that could possibly save her. Sparks of light began to sputter from her horn, showering the ground with golden flecks before a proper aura began to materialize. A shooting pain began to well up at the base of her horn, working its way back through her skull before washing over the rest of her body as the golden aura surrounding the appendage began to coat her body. She felt the aura lighten, slowly lifting itself off her body until even the pain had dissipated. Amber opened a fearful eye as the burning sensation finally began to subside. Letting out a heavy sigh, she let herself finally relax, opening her other eye as she peered at the strange bubble surrounding her. Raising a brow, she slowly raised a shaky hoof to the bubble's walls, giving the membrane a tentative poke. Her hoof passed cleanly through the bubble's walls and immediately began to emit smoke as the burning once again began. She yelped in surprise, jumping back as she retracted her hoof. Grumbling, the mare turned her attention back to the bubble itself. Raising a brow, she took a single step forward, watching as the bubble's walls shifted to accommodate her new location. She took a step back, and the bubble followed. Jumped; the bubble followed. Huh, she paused, sitting down on her haunches, What did I make back there? She glanced back to the recently-singed area of her hoof, then back to the bubble's glimmering walls. ...At least I don't feel like I'm on fire anymore... Amber took a deep breath, letting out a heavy sigh as she stood back up. She once again began to extend her hoof, watching closely for any movement on the bubble's behalf. Though... her thoughts continued as she retracted the hoof, it's kinda weird how this thing moves whenever I move but doesn't when I just try to stick a hoof out. She set her hoof back down, lighting her horn. Maybe I could try growing it? Seems close enough to a shield spell to me. The mare began to cast the spell. Immediately, she gasped; her horn felt as if it had been pricked by thousands of thorns as the charge of mana reversed. A flare of pain burned at her body as pure mana began to race through her veins, ricocheting about within her before finally dissipating back into her reserves. She coughed, watching a light puff of smoke drift out and away from herself and the bubble around her. She felt her eyes begin to roll into the back of her head as her vision rapidly dimmed. Well, that certainly didn't work. Magic backfire... figures. She wavered on her hooves for a few more seconds before she felt herself collide with the ground. Amber Shadow awoke to the faint buzz of her mana coursing through the bubble's walls. She groaned, weakly propping herself up with a foreleg. Squinting, she rolled over onto her back as her mind began to race. What even is this place I'm in? What's going on with my magic? Why is this happening? She blinked, lifting her singed hoof back into her vision. The scorch marks had miraculously already healed, for the most part, leaving nothing but a band of bare skin in their wake. Lowering her hoof, the mare turned her attention back to the endless expanse of grey and white beyond the bubble. Just as before, absolutely nothing disturbed the uniform plane before her. Another thought entered her mind. Isn't... isn't this what I've been looking for all this time? Her eyes widened as the beginnings of a smirk began to form across her face. This doesn't have to be the end of the world. It's the beginning of a new world... She took a step forward, eyes focused on the shifting bubble as she unconsciously lit her horn. My new world. And first off, I need some more space in here. A charge of mana abruptly shot from her horn; a brilliant pale-gold beam of energy struck the walls of the bubble as Amber yelled out in surprise, tripping over herself. The entire bubble itself rippled at the impact as the charge absorbed into the bubble wall. "Ugh..." the mare groaned, rubbing her head as she stood back up, "What... what was that?" No response came to her question. Just as suddenly as the magical surge just moments before, the bubble began to expand, complete with a Discordian balloon-inflation noise. Amber blinked, frowning. It expanded? She watched as the walls halted their growth at around triple their former distance. I... what did I even do? It didn't work last time, and I wasn't even charging for a spell, was I? Was my magic somehow able to know what I was trying to do before? She lit her horn again, only for the searing pain from before to return in full force, coercing a pained yelp from her. She stopped immediately, letting the mana passively absorb back into her reserves as she let out a frustrated grumble. Maybe it was just a fluke... The mare sighed, sitting back down with a huff and burying her face in her hooves. How long has it been since I woke up here? Can I ever leave? I want to go home... She peeked an eye out, gasping as the familiar sights of the world she knew greeted her. Birds tweeted as they flew from tree to tree. The scents of fresh flowers and just-cut grass filled the air as foals raced past her on the sidewalk, laughing amongst themselves. I-- what? her mind screamed, What the hay is going on?! Amber lit her horn again, her mind focused on a magic detection spell. The world around her wavered for a moment before fizzling away into nothingness. Just as before, she felt the painful beginnings of a backfire, and dropped the spell. For a few seconds, the mare stood still, blinking as she stared off into the once again endless void of white and grey. "Wait." she murmured, growing louder with every word, "Wait, hold on... if all that can happen without me even knowing that I'm casting a spell, but every spell I try ends up backfiring, then..." She fell silent again. The ground began to rumble as a skyscraper broke through the dull grey ground, rising higher and higher into the white sky until its roof could no longer be seen. A wide grin spread across Amber's face. "Bingo."