A very young Amy was curled into a tight little ball, doing her best to block out the morning rays and remain asleep. She was succeeding well when she felt a small nudge against her back, to which she responded to with a backwards swipe of her claws and a muffled, "Go away, I'm sleepy." Amy actually thought her words may have been heeded until she heard a deep, rumbling chuckle. Next thing she knew, something wedged itself beneath her and she was catapulted into the air.
Amy's high pitched scream filled the cavern as she flipped up through space. The screams died down slightly as she reached the top of her ark and hovered for a moment, only to increase tenfold as she started to plummet towards the stony ground. Amy continued to scream as she neared her death... a death that was taking an abnormally long time to come... and she was pretty sure her life wasn't flashing before her eyes, she had seen more in her life than just blackness after all. As she used up the last of her air and her scream started to die off, Amy became acutely aware of the other sound in the cavern.
What had started out as a low chuckle was now a loud, billowing laughter that caused the stone walls to shake. Daring to open eyes she hadn't even noticed she'd shut tight, Amy was confronted with a wall of dark purple scales. It didn't take long for Amy to realize these scales covered a broad chest that was moving in tandem with the vibrations filling the air. The little dragoness knew this dragon well, his name was, Onyx. Amy's expression went from terror to fury as righteous anger surged through her body. "That was not funny, Dad! I almost peed myself!" the baby dragoness yelled, voice cracking as it went too high.
This only made the large dragon laugh louder, "AHAHAHAHA! That is not something a brave adventurer should admit, my little fire-starter! An adventurer must be unshakable and fear nothing."
Amy just scowled as she stood up, walking across her fathers palm and kicking his thumb. "I'll show you who's unshakable! Come on, put em up, big guy! I'm gonna take you down!" the tiny dragoness said, following her kick with a fierce grapple. Onyx merely brought his hand closer to his black-scaled face and looked upon his daughter fondly. He chuckled more softly than before as he watched her, both arms and legs wrapped tightly around his digit as she bit and tug in an attempt to bring the fight to the ground. The soft smile only lasted a moment however before it morphed into something more mischievous.
Amy didn't know what hit her as the thumb gave into her wishes and came down, pinning her to her father's palm. "Erk!" Amy attempted to wiggle free, but was held tight by Onyx. As her hits against the thumb grew more feeble, she was forced to say, "O...Okay I-I give! Uncle. Uncle!"
"I suppose I can spare you... if you can tell me what you did wrong, that is." her father said, watching his squirming daughter with a glint in his crimson eyes.
"Are you serious!?" *Squeak* "Okay, okay, just stop squishing me!" *Pant, pant* "...I shouldn't have let anger cloud my judgement... and kept a level head." Amy said, a splash of red spreading across her cheeks.
The large dragon smiled and simply asked, "And?"
"'And' what?" Amy asked back, still furious about the embarrassing position her dad had her in. Onyx only smiled wider.
Amethyst's eyes widened in understanding before narrowing, "Nah-uh, I am not going to say it. Not in a million years!" Her father's response was to put some of the pressure back on. Amy wheezed but the defiance did not leave her eyes, "N-never gonna say it... Never!"
The large dragon just 'tisked' in feigned disappointment, giving the the little dragon in his grasp a pitying look before saying, "That is a shame, my little fire-starter, for now I must resort to my secret weapon."
Amy was going to ask what he was talking about, but never got the chance before the weight of her father's thumb lifted up, only to be replaced by the very tip of a very sharp claw. Amy looked down in dawning horror at the spear like talon resting on her soft stomach, not believing her father would threaten her so. "C-come on dad, y-you don't need to do that. I-it's no big deal if I d-don't say it after all." Amy said, trying and failing to keep her voice from quivering.
He only gave her a sidelong glance before returning his attention to the task at claw. With the lightest pressure he could manage, Onyx started twitching his finger. Peels of laughter were tickle tortured from the little dragoness and she was quickly brought to tears. "No-ho-ho-ho, p-pl-he-ease st-ha-op!" Amy pleaded between the laughs. Her father just kept tickling away at his daughters tummy, a wickedly gleeful smile spread across his muzzle.
"Oh, I will stop... as soon as you admit your third mistake." he said in a calm tone that betrayed his joy at the moment.
Amy did her best to escape her father's claw, trying to get on all fours and crawl away, but he just kept rolling her onto her back and assaulting her with playful precision. Amy's lungs began to burn and she was forced to give in, "O-o-okay, I-I'll say it! J-just st-ha-ha-op!" Onyx smiled widely as he lifted his claw, hovering it over his daughter's weak spot in-case she tried anything. Amy took a minute to catch her breath, glaring weakly at her father as she panted.
When her breathing finally steadied, Onyx gave her a look that said, "I'm waiting."
Amy mumbled something under her breath, which her father responded to by moving his ear closer. She mumbled again, slightly louder, but Onyx again moved his head closer. Finally, Amy turned her head to her father's ear and yelled, "I should've used my head when challenging a stronger opponent instead of my brawn! Are ya happy now!"
Onyx chuckled at his daughter's antics as he lowered his hand to the ground so Amy could hop off. Once she did, she crossed her arms and turned her back to him. the large dragon then spoke, "Yes, I am happy, my little fire-starter. For you see, there is more to this than you realize. It is true that you must learn to use your head when strength alone is not enough, but you must also know when an opponent is too much for you to handle head-on. Wisdom, Amethyst, is knowing your own limitations and how to best work with them. Believe me... I know the consequences of not choosing ones battles wisely." Onyx's voice took on a saddened tone as he finished speaking and Amy looked over her shoulder.
When she looked at her father's solemn expression, Amy couldn't help but look over his form. As always, it caused her heart to sink. Onyx was of an imposing stature even by the standards of dragons. He was covered in walls of muscle and stood a full head over even the largest of dragons, but he lacked something many prided themselves on, wings. He also had many scars running along his body where scales no longer grew, including a large one across the top of his muzzle. These things, Amy knew, where not what Onyx was thinking about. Looking to his lower-half, She saw her father's greatest shame. His left hind leg was missing from the knee down.
She turned fully, intending to comfort her hero, but was interrupted by a peculiar sound. *Knock, knock, knock* "Miss Thistle, are you in there? We've been sent to escort you to the castle."
As Amy tried to make sense of what was happening, she noticed the world around her begin to melt. She looked to her father and saw him to slip away. "Daddy!" She cried as she ran towards him, hand outstretched, only for the ground to disappear from beneath her. Amy once again found herself screaming as she tumbled through space.
~8~
Amy's eyes shot open with a gasp, a single tear escaping from them. It took her a moment to register where she was, the train compartment she had fallen asleep in. *Knock, knock* "Miss Thistle, this is the royal guard. Are you alright? The train is ready to depart. " came from the other side of the door.
Amy sat up quickly and wiped the moisture from her eyes and face. "Y-yeah, I was just sleeping, I'm fine. Just give a minute, okay?" She said as she tried to recover from the memory. Even shaken, she was still somewhat upset with herself. Now Amy didn't even have the option of sneaking away from all this. "Well, at least they woke me up before that dream could have gotten any worse." Amy thought bitterly. They always got worse.
Amy reached under the seat and got her staff, everything still hanging off its end. Standing, she pulled the cloak around her and the hood up. Chances were Twilight had already informed the princesses about the debacle in Ponyville somehow, but The shadows of the cloak still provided some comfort to the dragoness. "Who Knows? Maybe she just decided to let things lie... Yeah, right" Amy thought to herself. It was unlikely, but the thought did help push her forward.
Leaning the staff over her shoulder, Amy was the picture of a vagabond. Her cloak even had dirt still crushed into it from her two meetings with the ground. A little upset her her cloak had to be parted some to carry her things in such a fashion, she did her best to put it out of her mind and slide the door open. "Alright fellas, I'm ready. Lead the way." Amy said with a nod that could have been either in greeting or to signal her desire to get moving.
The guards looked up at her for a moment, but they were trained well and didn't let their shock show or for it to stop them from fulfilling their job. The pegasus of the two merely said, "Very well, come along, Miss." and they both turned and trotted away, a curious dragoness following behind them. Amy couldn't help but wonder if the two were brothers, for even though the other was a unicorn, they both had white coats and blue eyes. Though the answer mattered little to her, the speculation helped keep her mind off the aristocratic ponies whispering around her. Amy's sharp hearing picked up a few fragments here and there, such things as, "Criminal", "Beast", and "Taking to the dungeons".
"Idiots." Amy thought, "No matter the country, the upper crust is always moldy and stale." She smiled at the internal joke, but it still didn't quell the anger in her heart. Amy had always hated those who judged based on appearance or species, the hatred seeded deep in her memories. "Stay on track, Amy! Focus on the present, the past is gone."
Ahead, Amy could see the royal castle in all its glory. With tall, shining white spires and golden roofs, all hanging precariously from the side of the mountain. It really was a sight to behold and Amy wondered how the royal castle of Uncornia would stack-up in comparison. As they neared the ramparts, Amy took notice of the ponies walking their lengths. All of them were white in color, and though it was hard to tell, she was pretty sure she saw quite a few blue eyes as well. Now that was just creepy, and had sparked the dragoness's intrigue.
"Uhm... Is there any particular reason all you guards look the same? Not that that's bad or anything... just a little strange." Amy asked awkwardly, hoping that the question didn't come off as offensive.
The Unicorn was the one that turned his head and answered her, "Don't worry about it, Miss, we get that question quite often from foreigners. As for the answer, the armor of the Celestial Guard is enchanted to change coat, mane, tail, and eye color when wore."
Amy, nodded her head, remembering Lore Finder mentioning something like that before. "Ohhh... Why?"
This time, the pegasus answered, "In the Guard, we are all united in our duty to serve and protect the crown. The enchantment represents that unity. Only those guards who have distinguished themselves are granted the privileged to stand out."
Amy nodded, "I guess that makes sense... So the enchantment also makes you all look the same in bone structure and stuff to, huh?
Both guards turned their heads in sync, "No, what makes you think that?"
"O-oh, nothing. Hey look, we're almost at the gates!" Amy said quickly, hoping to distract them from her unintentionally rude remark. Amethyst Thistle was no speciesist... she just had trouble telling ponies apart without using their colors, manestyles, and cutie marks. She was sure it was just her lack of interactions with the colorful herbivores that kept her from noticing the subtle physical differences between them.
The guards standing in front of the large, golden gates shifted slightly and Amy could see their narrow a bit, "Who is this?" one of them asked her escorts.
"This is Amethyst Thistle, the one Princess Celestia sent us to escort to the palace. We apologies for our late arrival, but the train had to undergo repairs in Ponyville."
The guards relaxed at the answer and began the procedure to open the gates. Amy was quickly ushered forth into the palace, not being able to enjoy the sights and architecture that Equestria's finest could provide. All in all, the trip through the palace was uneventful. She received looks from the staff as was the norm and was taken to a room to wait. Amy was quite surprised. The guards left, telling her that Princess Celestia apologized for not being able to meet with her upon arrival as she had wanted to, but because of the delay, did not have the time.
Amy was definitely not complaining about it. She fully expected to be confronted by somebody, whether it be the princesses, Twilight Sparkle, him, or, and she shuddered at the thought, the pink menace, when she arrived at the castle. Amy feared that Just thinking of the crazy mare would somehow make her appear and the dragoness couldn't relax until she searched the bedroom for her presence.
Taking off her cloak and placing it on the big bed with her other belongings, Amy looked around her temporary quarters.The room was quite luxurious. It had high ceilings, probably to accommodate guests of different species, and beautifully engraved walls, all in one shade of purple or another, which Amy could appreciate. walking under the six-point chandelier to reach the closet door, Amy found it to be a spacious affair, easily capable matching her bedroom's size at home. After searching it thoroughly for any signs of pink, Amy left it untouched, having no need for the storage space. The last room to check was the bathroom, which was just as splendid as the rest of the suite. After finding nothing of any unwanted surprises, Amy made use of the facilities and showered. The task was slightly ungainly as the shower-head was placed as high as possible while still being in reach of pony hooves, meaning it was level with the base of Amy's neck.
The warm water did wonders for Amy as it cascaded down her smooth scales, relaxing tense muscles as it washed away both dirt and some of her anxieties. She stood under the stream for quite some time, even hunching down to let the water run over her head and spines. When she finally left the shower, her legs actually wobbled a little bit and Amy realized how stressed she actually was. Flopping down on the bed, she finally allowed herself to think of the situation at hand, hoping her newly calmed mind and body would serve well in thinking of a solution.
In all honesty, she wasn't completely opposed to the lime light as Lore Finder assumed. Quite on the contrary, Amy greatly enjoyed praise and adoration, and only avoided them out necessity of the position she ended up in life. If things had unfolded differently, she would be straight-up ecstatic about being publicly acknowledged by royalty for her exploits, it was part of her childhood dream after all. "The World Renowned Dynamic Dragon Duo..." Amy remembered. *Snort* "Yeah, like that even has a chance of happening... That life was forfeit as soon as I abandoned him." the dragoness said to herself, the end of her statement coming out as a pained whisper.
Welp, that didn't last long. Amy's thoughts were once again in the turbulent past, and she was thinking of all the things she should have done. Reaching to her things, Amy retrieved Erik's journal and began reading through some of his daring adventures. She laid on the bed for what felt like hours, practically studying the gryphons exploits, noting what worked for him and what got him into heaps of trouble so as to help her own ventures.
It was with dazed acknowledgment that she told whomever was knocking to come in, finally pulling her strained eyes away from the ancient writing... Erik's poor penmanship didn't make reading it any easier. The door opened to reveal a smartly dressed butler pony, not a hair out of place in his mane or curly Q mustache. "Their Highness, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna cordially invite you to dine with them this evening." the stallion said with a prim and proper accent.
Amy, now fully aware of her surroundings, had to think about her answer. She thought of declining, as well as just asking to leave this whole thing. But she knew from experience that only those wishing to hide guilt ran away and could very well lead to the ponies coming up with all sorts of misconceptions without her there to debunk them. In her early days, she had been less eloquent in her evasions of fame, and Amy had to fend off all sorts when people mistook it as evidence to wrongdoings she didn't commit.
"Madam, your answer?" The stallion asked, snapping Amy from her thoughts.
"Ummm... Suuure, tell the princesses I'll be there."
The stallion nodded his head and began to leave, "Very good, I'll return when it is time to eat."
He didn't make it out the door before being stopped by Amy saying, "H-hey, wait!" he turned and quirked in eyebrow in silent question. grabbing her cloak and holding it out to him, Amy asked, "Do you think there's time to have this washed before the dinner?"
The stallion merely walked up, grabbed the cloak daintily by the hem in his teeth and draped it over his back. "I'll bring it with me upon my return. Farewell, madam." He said as he exited.
Once Amy was sure he was away from the door, she fell back onto the bed, arms out to her sides. "Well, Amy, this is it, whatever happens from this point on, you'll just have to deal with." the dragoness said to herself before gulping, "Lets just hope I can handle it..."
~8~
Spike was silent for the entire walk back to the library, allowing the ponies around him to fill the air with chatter.
"So, ya think this mysterious dragon is related to Spike? Well, I reckon Ah can't say much different, Ah thought the same thing when Ah saw her."
Twilight nodded her head at Applejack's statement, "Most definitely, even without the resemblance, her reaction to seeing Spike makes it obvious. She knows something and she didn't want us find out what it is."
"Besides, my Pinkie sense said somepony's long lost relative was in town!"
Twilight looked over to Pinkie Pie with obvious skepticism on her face, "Really, Pinkie? How often have you experienced that one?"
Pinkie smiled brightly, "Two and a half times!"
"...Riiight... Well, anyways, I think your Pinkie sense may have been off-"
"Oh, come on Twilight! Don't tell me you're still a skeptic after all this! Pinkie's Pinkie sense is right, that dragon is definitely related to Spike. I mean, she looked like an older girl version of him for crying out loud!
The three ponies and one baby dragon looked up at their prismatic friend, surprised she finally said something. Rainbow Dash had been silent since Amethyst got away from them. Twilight shook her head, "No, Dash, that's not it. I believe in Pinkie's ability, but I'm not so sure Amethyst Thistle was ever 'lost'."
"What'cha tryin' ta say Twi?" Applejack asked, not liking what she suspected the answer to be.
"What I mean is, I don't think she and Spike were separated. I think she aba-Owch! Be careful Spike!" Twilight said over her shoulder with a slight glare, but the look soon turned sad.
Spike retracted his claws from his surrogate sister's hide, not realizing how much he had tensed. "S-sorry, Twilight, I wasn't paying attention," Spike said apologetically, before pointing forward, "Hey, we're at the library."
The group didn't waste any time getting inside and once the door was shut, Rainbow Dash asked, "Okay, here's the plan. We rush to Canterlot, capture her, and get that dragon to squeal like a pig." The pegasus punctuated her statement by punching her front hooves together. "We're gonna-"
"Write to the princesses." Twilight interrupted, "If that dragoness is really Amethyst Thistle, than the ceremony tomorrow is in her honor. We can't just charge in start bucking dragons upside the head. Spike take a letter." Said dragon leapt from the lavender unicorns back and silently walked to a desk.
"...Spike, are you alright? You've barely said a word since Amethyst ran away..." Twilight asked gently, not really understanding what this was all like for him. How could she? Twilight had always known she was loved by her family. It was never in question for her and the others.
"Yeah, I'm... I'm good..." Spike said with little conviction, but his voice took on more power when he continued, "I just really want some answers, and to know where I came from!" His voice began to taper off as the anger was replaced with sadness, "And then when someone who probably has the answers shows up... I let her get away... It's not that I don't think of you guys as my family... but it's just so hard not knowing why I was left in Equestria... why I wasn't wanted..."
Spike hadn't realized there were tears swimming in his eyes or that he was speaking in nothing more than a whisper until he was swept up into a pair of purple forelegs. "Don't worry, Spike, we'll find the answers..." was all Twilight could think to say. This wasn't like the problems she and her friends often had to deal with. This ran far deeper than a missed homework assignment or a miscommunication between friends and they couldn't just fix this with the Elements of Harmony like Nightmare Moon and Discord.
Spike hugged his adoptive sister back, finding comfort in the embrace. When he was once again composed, he pushed out of the hug. "Thanks... I needed that," Spike said.
"Hey, don't be so down in the dumps, Spike! Maybe your actually a dragon prince and you were brought to Equestria to learn to become a super-duper dragon king! Or maybe you come from a family of legendary dragon thieves and you were hidden here to keep you safe from scurvy pirates! Oh, oh, or maybe pfft!-" Pinkie's rambling was cut short by a blue hoof and Rainbow Dash saying they got the picture.
Twilight Sparkle giggled at her friends antics before turning back to Spike, who was now flustered from realizing he had just gotten all sappy in front of Twilight's friends. He just hoped none of them told Rarity about this. "Pinkie's right... in her own way. We won't know anything until we talk to Amethyst Thistle. Maybe there really was an important reason for you being brought to Equestria." Twilight said to her adoptive brother.
"And Ah don't claim to know her all too well, but Amy didn't strike me as the sort to abandon her kin. Just too nice to do somethin' so despicable." Applejack added.
Spike smiled, their words giving him some hope for what the answers may be. Twilight saw this and asked, "Feeling better?"
"Yeah... How about that letter?"
Twilight nodded before standing with a determined look in her eye, "Spike take a letter. 'Dear Princess Celestia...'"
Spike chuckled at the unicorn as he began to write down her words.