//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: The Dream // Story: My Warrior Ponies // by Winter Solstice //------------------------------// Amberpaw woke at a distant voice calling her name, it was Longtail her mentor. “Wake up Amberpaw, we're going on dawn patrol!” Longtail called, his face poked through the apprentice den. She shrugged off her sleep, stretched and had a quick groom; she had finally learnt how to do it! And padded out. “We’re going along the Riverclan border, there has been some unusual activity near Sunning Rocks” Longtail explained “Really?” Amberpaw replied, her heart skipped a beat, what if Hawkpaw was there! She wanted to see his brown fur and amber eyes. She jumped up with some new energy and followed her mentor to the dawn patrol. The patrol consisted of her, Whitestorm, Sandpaw and Longtail. “What do you scent, Amberpaw?” Whitestorm asked as they went closer to the border. Amberpaw lifted her head and sniffed in deeply, “I smell Riverclan” “That’s because we're near the border mouse-brain” Sandpaw commented, Amberpaw ignored her and carried on. “I smell mouse!” “You can’t hunt, since we're on border patrol” Longtail said, Amberpaw looked longingly in direction of the scent and followed the patrol, they paused at Sunning Rocks. Whitestorm scanned the border for any Riverclan cats a patrol appeared, Amberpaw searched for Hawkpaw and saw him next to an older cat, most probably his mentor. Amberpaw wanted to talk to him, but her clan mates would never allow it. She looked regretfully at him and followed the patrol closer. “Ripplefur, how’s your clan?” Whitestorm greeted, as they drew closer to the border. “Our clan is fine with plenty of fish” Ripplefur answered coolly, Amberpaw saw Hawkpaw take a hesitated step towards her but drew back. Both patrols withdrew to their territories. “Psst!” Amberpaw’s ears twitched as she heard that sound, she took a small step and called to her mentor “I’ll catch up, I think I smelt somethin’!” She looked back to find the source of the sound. She looked at a bush that was rustling, “Hawkpaw, what ya doin’ here” Amberpaw hissed. “I can’t wait once a moon for Gatherings to talk to you, we barely get a chance to talk! We should meet up tomorrow night” Hawkpaw whispered, as he climbed out from behind the bush. “When?” “Let’s meetup here, we can both access it, and it will be fun!” “Isn't it against the clan rules, to meet up with other clan cats?” Amberpaw asked. “We're just meeting up, we're not doing anything bad!” Hawkpaw answered, he looked at her expectantly. “Okay” Amberpaw agreed “I'll meet you tonight near Sunning Rocks!” “I’ll be there!” She called other her shoulder as she raced to catch up with her clan mates. Amberpaw reached the patrol and Sandpaw gave a snort, “You took your time” She commented, and raced back to camp. Once they entered the camp Amberpaw spotted her friends across the clearing. “Hi y’all!” She called to her friends; they started to cross over to her. “Did you get to fight a Riverclan patrol!” Swiftpaw asked “Really Swiftpaw!” Snowpaw sighed “It’s okay to ask, alright!” Swiftpaw retorted, she angrily pawed the earth. “So,” Lightpaw looked sternly at Swiftpaw, “Did you find anything?” “What- I didn't find anything, it was fine, nothing was there, let’s drop it!” Amberpaw stammered, she turned and walked to the apprentice den, “I need to sleep” She could see her friends’ shocked expressions. She climbed into her nest, she didn't want to think about them. But she felt guilty, they didn't know what was happening she just couldn’t explain it. She closed her eyes and saw a pair of liquid sunlight eyes stare back his brown fur close to her and breathed in that wonderful scent. They weren't doing any harm, were they? Swiftpaw let out frustrated hiss of shock, what happened to Applejack? Where was the element of honesty? What had happened to her friends? “I’m going to talk to here!” She announced, she raced to the apprentice den. “Amberpaw, what happened back there?” Amber flicked her tail, “Go away Swiftpaw” she grumbled, and laid her head down on her mossy nest. “Not until you tell me what happened!” “I don’t need to tell you every little thing!” Amberpaw snapped. “Well you are the one pon- I mean cat that was supposed to be truthful!” “Who says I’m lying!” “You are such a bad liar!” Swiftpaw growled “Takes one to know one!” “I am way better than you” “It always was about you, you had to be the best at everything, well now I am better at something that you're not!” She growled as she ran away from the apprentice den, Swiftpaw raced to catch up but she was gone, she must have run to the woods, she thought. Well I don't care, she’s just jealous that I'm better than her. It’s not my fault, right? I need to clear my head; she raced out of the gorse tunnel, her paws felt lighter than air. She missed flying, her hooves stroking fluffy clouds, that easy mobility in the air. She sighed and at the sky, her eyes reflected the blue shades of the sky. Her eyes started to water, she checked no one was there; she couldn't let anyone see her like this. It would ruin her image. She closed her eyes, and let the tears flow. She let out a light sigh and curled up close to an oak, spent a long time just sitting there recounting memories of Equestria. She felt the earth beneath her paws; no one knew the sky better than her. She missed home, where everything made sense, she whimpered slightly. She wanted to be back in Equestria,where all her friends were normal, where Applejack didn't lie. Where Princess Celestia and Luna looked over them. Where they had the elements, she knew here they were drifting apart. “I want to go home,” she sobbed, and dropped her head on the ground. Her parched throat needed water she found a close stream and lapped up some water. She needed to get back it was getting dark, she followed her scent trail back to camp. Her friends were waiting at the entrance, she must have spent longer out there then she realised. “Where’s Amberpaw?” Lightpaw asked “Have you seen her?” Snowpaw questioned “No, why?” Swiftpaw replied. “She’s gone missing, no one has seen her!” Petalpaw explained. “I’ll find her!” “No, you must stay in your den” Lionheart ordered from behind her, “Let the warriors look for her” “But we're the ones who know her the best!” Swiftpaw countered, Swiftpaw knew that even though they had a fight. She was their friend. Amberpaw ran towards the woods, Swiftpaw’s words still scorched her pelt, the weight of the guilt still heavy in her fur. She stopped at an apple tree. The branches becoming bare as the golden leaves gently floated towards the frosty earth. “That tree must be a green gala apple tree!” She recalled Granny Smith’s words, she remembered Granny’s old raspy voice, she had years of experience. She thought of her siblings, Applebloom and Big Mac, she so very wanted to go home. Yet she yearned to stay, she didn’t know why, both ways were pulling her like a magnet. She felt too tangled up to ever find a way out. She curled up under the roots of the apple tree, “You aren't gonna bloom now, but when you do, you’re gonna have the yummiest apples, you hear” She snuggled up and went to sleep. She opened her eyes and heard a sobbing sound nearby, she pricked her ears and carefully crept to the source of the noise. It was a small kitten; her eyes were wet from tears. She was bright yellow with red markings and a large bow on her head. “What happened to y’a, sugarcube?” Amberpaw asked gently. She gasped as she saw the kit’s face. “Applebloom?” “You have to help me find ma sister!” Applebloom wailed. “No, no this can't be happening!” Amberpaw exclaimed , “What’s happening to me!” Her mind swirled with images of her family crying, some ponies, others catified ponies. “Princess Luna, wake me up, please wake me up!” She screamed. Then it stopped, a majestic, dark brown tabby with green eyes appeared. “Greeting young one, I am sorry that you could not meet this Princess, but I am here to tell you something important” “Who are you?” Amberpaw inquired “I am Sunstar, leader of Thunderclan before Bluestar” “Why are you coming to me?” “There is an important role you and your friends must play in the clans” “Shouldn't you go to Lightpaw or Petalpaw or..” Sunstar gestured for silence. “I have decided to come to you” “What for?” “An old foe has returned, the clans have never faced it before but you have,you and your friends must save the clans from…..” “Amberpaw! Wake up Amberpaw!” Longtail said urgently. “What?” Amberpaw groaned, she opened her eyes to see that she was in the Medicine Cat’s den. “Good, she’s awake” Spottedleaf murmured, she nosed her body checking for wounds, “Are you hurt?” “No I’m fine, really!” Amberpaw answered. “Don’t go off like that we were so worried!” Petalpaw whispered, “The whole clan were looking for you!” “They were?” “Yes, I think Bluestar is really angry though, you made every cat frantic just looking for you!” Petalpaw explained. From outside the den Amberpaw heard Swiftpaw’s impatient mew “Can we come in?” “Yes you can, she’s finally awake!” Spottedleaf replied, her friends came rushing in. “We were so scared!” Lightpaw exclaimed. “Why did you go?” Snowpaw asked. “What happened?” Brightpaw questioned. “I’m sorry! But I need to tell you something” Amberpaw meowed, “Privately.” “Can we go outside Spottedleaf?” Petalpaw asked her mentor. “Alright but if Amberpaw has any headaches come straight back here” Spottedleaf agreed, the six apprentices walked out of the medicine cat den. “Let’s go out to the forest where it more quiet!” Brightpaw suggested. "No, when Amberpaw went missing the camp was worried, they wouldn't just let us out” Lightpaw explained. "Let’s go out by the dirt place!” Swiftpaw muttered, her friends silently stalked their way out into the forest. “Okay I think no one can hear us” Lightpaw mewed, as they passed a sycamore, the mane six paused and stared at Amberpaw. Amberpaw flinched at their gaze. “What did you need to talk about, that was so super-duper secret!” Brightpaw asked. “Sunstar visited me in a dream; he told me that we had roles that had to help the clans.” Amberpaw said, “There a dark force coming something we've tangled with before” “What is it?” Swiftpaw inquired “It’s….