Heart of Shadow: Passing the Torch

by TheCrimsonDM

Chapter Thirteen: Amber's Light

Passing the Torch

Chapter Thirteen: Amber’s Light

Written by TheCrimsonDM

Moving through the outskirts of town was possibly one of the most unnerving things that Amber had ever done, and certainly the most terrifying. The group moved as quickly as they possibly could while staying quiet, every single shadow stood out as being a threat. Blackout flew over head, attempting to scout out the area for them. Thankfully the possessed pegasi had disappeared from the sky after Twilight’s group had lost.

It didn’t take long in this small town to reach Amber’s home, but upon seeing the door ajar, Amber felt her heart freeze. She took off toward the door, one of the friends had said something to her, she wasn’t sure who, or what they had said. Her mind was too focused on the singular task of getting to her family.

Upon reaching the door she shoved it open only to find the house empty. She stood there for a moment in silence, and then she heard the scream from her parents’ bedroom. With blind courage she charged to the door, kicked it open and prepared to go hoof to hoof with any villainous ponies she found inside.

What she did not prepare herself for however, was seeing both of her parents rolling around on the bed, kissing and sweating, and Amber looked away before seeing anymore. They stopped long enough to stare at Amber. Amber apologized and said, “I’m just letting you know that I’m going to town hall.” She shut the bedroom door and left quietly.

Amber trotted outside, she stopped just long enough to shut and lock the front door. Interrupting that private moment was not the highlight of her day. She attempted to wipe the memory from her mind, the last thing she needed was to be thinking about that while fighting off the possessed ponies and whatever monster had captured Twilight’s group. At the very least this proved that Amber’s parents were still safe from possession. After all, the possessed ponies probably didn’t care for such intimate activities.

Despite her friends bugging her with questions all she could do was mutter, “Their fine.”

The group moved on towards town hall, now that she realized that her parents were safe, her earlier courage was dissipating and the reality of her actions were beginning to sink in. Twilight and her friends were still in danger, they still needed help, but going straight in through the front door was not going to work. There were too many possessed ponies for that to be accomplished.

Amber looked over to Blackout and let out a sigh. “Blackout, if we are going to pull this off we will need a distraction. You’re the most distracting thing I’ve ever met, it doesn’t matter how focused I am, you’ve always managed to snap me out of it, usually with a bucket of water.”

“I only used a bucket of water once,” Blackout replied.

Amber stopped dead in her tracks as she contemplated exactly what that could mean. “But you’ve dumped several buckets of water on… oh sweet Celestia, you disgusting pig.”

“You needed a distraction?” Blackout asked with an evil grin.

Amber pushed aside anything having to do with buckets, for all she cared all buckets anywhere, could go and die in a fire. “Yes, do you have any plans?”

“Yeah, I got one,” Blackout replied.

Before Amber could ask what it was, Blackout took off at such speeds that she became nothing more than a gray blur leaving a black and white trail behind her. Meanwhile shouting, “Hey you stupid ponies, I’ll take you all on for touching my mom! I’m going to kick your flanks!”

Amber quickly hid in between two houses, along with her friends. It didn’t take long before a mass of ponies excited their homes, and chased after the noise. Fear crept along her spine as she saw them, the last thing she wanted to do was get caught now. The ponies’ eyes were black, no whites, not iris color, just pure black. The angry mob chased after the sound of Blackout, grumbling. When the coast was clear, Amber gathered her team and they ducked out into the road. They quickly trotted off towards the town hall.

It took a few minutes but they quickly found themselves in front of the town hall. Amber looked at the others and smiled, “We’re here already, and we can do this without any trouble, right guys?”

They all nodded, and Amber strode forward. Her aim was the double doors. Color Splash spoke up and caught her attention. “Hey, what’s that sticking out of the window?”

Amber looked at the side of the building and saw a thick black shadowy tendril reaching out of the window, and slipping in between the homes. Whatever was making that thing was inside the Town Hall, waiting for them. If it wasn’t for the fact that Twilight Sparkle and her friends were inside this building, there would be no way that Amber would have ever entered it, but as it stood, if Amber didn’t go in, she couldn’t save her mentor, and save the town in the process.

Amber pressed her hooves against the large double doors and gave them both a mighty shove. The inside was dark, and the floor was covered in thick black slime. Amber walked in, trying her hardest to ignore the squishy slime underneath her hooves. Her friends followed in and after a moment her eyes began adjusting. There was a large dark shape in front of them, it’s surface was smooth and the top was rounded. The walls and windows were covered in the same black slime, except for the few windows where the tendrils, like limbs, were attached to the big black shape and extended into the town.

The doors slammed shut behind them, making Amber jump forward. Her friends quickly turned and saw a tendril pushing the door shut. They were trapped!

“So the little pony has come to ruin my dreams?” A dark, slithering voice said from somewhere near the black shape.

“Who is that?” Amber asked, she could feel her hooves begin to shake.

“Why I am the nightmare, the dreamer, the one who slumbers. And your town is so peaceful in its sleep.”

“Is that what you did to them? Are they sleeping right now?” Amber asked.

“Yes they are, they are all asleep in my wonderful dream. Do you want to join them?”

“No, I don’t, and I won’t let you hold them any longer,” Amber shouted, her horn lit up and a sudden burst of flame shout forth from her horn to light up the room.

The black thing was a giant inky slime, oozing shadows, and tendrils, no eyes, no mouth, nothing that would explain what the heck it was. Except that for a brief instance she caught a glimpse of what was inside it’s blubbery mass. A pony.

“Where are my friends? Twilight Sparkle, and the others,” Amber demanded.

A high pitched shriek filled the room and Amber pressed her hooves to her ears in an attempt to cancel out the sound. The sticky ooze on her hooves got stuck to her fur and mane. Gross.

“You dare use fire on me? You insolent little insect. I will crush you for this. You want your Twilight Sparkle, you can have her!”

Something swooped out from the rafters above them, and Amber had only a moment to roll to the side as it crashed where she had just stood. Slime now coated her fur, she was disgusted at herself and at the slime, but she was more worried by the alicorn standing in front of her.

Twilight Sparkle spread her wings wide and proud, her horn glowed with a dark red light, and she wore an evil grin. “You’ve been a naughty student haven’t you?”

“What the hay, Twilight if your free why are you,” Amber started, and then she saw the black eyes. “Oh crap, you’ve been turned already?”

Amber’s friends stepped back, but two pegasi landed in front of the door. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, both covered in slime, and growling at the group like rabid animals. Amber took a step toward them, but a red beam of energy shot out and hit the ground in front of her hooves. Amber focused on Twilight.

Darn it, I’ve never won a battle against her in practice, I don’t stand a chance in a real conflict What can I do now?

“You know if it wasn’t for Rainbow Dash’s intervention, I would have already dumped you for my student,” Twilight said coldly. “She convinced me that this was normal behavior and that I should instead be trying to help you learn how to get past your anger, if it wasn’t for her I’d have left you. In all honesty it’s not really worth continuing this experiment.”

“Experiment? Rainbow Dash? What in Tartarus are you talking about?” Amber questioned.

“Aside from how you were conceived, I still find myself shuddering when I remember what Maud tricked me into doing. Trixie was also exposed to great amounts of dark magic during her younger years, dark magic that had left a permanent scar on her magical abilities, the fact that the damage showed in you after you started using magic was only too curious for me to ignore,” Twilight explained. “I needed to see what kind of power you would have.

“Sadly I discovered that you were incompetent, could barely learn to use spells, and were far too hard to control. You don’t deserve my tutorage, there are dozens of other ponies in this backwater town that could have received my advice, but you, you got it. I wasted so many years on teaching you, and all for what? For a half wit to go around and abuse the power that she’s been given as small as it is?” Twilight finished with a scowl.

Amber’s heart dropped out of her chest, and settled somewhere on the floor. She sat down, and instantly regretted it as her rump was covered in slime. She didn’t bother to get up though, she just felt useless. She knew that some of what Twilight was saying right now was true, even if it was horrible, she couldn’t be sure that everything Twilight was saying was a lie.

Have I really been nothing more than a burden on Twilight?

“Come here, and I’ll bring you into the darkness with me. There you could find the power needed to gain my respect, you just have to allow yourself to dream,” Twilight said.

Amber looked up into those dark eyes, there was no love there. Twilight loved Amber, as a student, as a friend, and as a step daughter. There was no way that Twilight could be saying all these things right now, whether they were true or not, they were tainted by malicious anger. Luckily Amber had an idea on how to fix this.

”Okay,” Amber said lamely. She stood up and walked with slow heavy steps toward Twilight Sparkle.

One of her friends, jade, shouted, “No, Amber. Don’t trust her, she’s corrupted.”

“I know, but I want to be powerful,” Amber said.

When she reached Twilight she reached out and hugged the corrupted alicorn. Twilight returned the embrace and a cold pain shot through Amber’s heart, sinking through her bones, and her mind. Amber’s horn lit up, and an orange light cast itself over the room, she channeled the magic through her horn, and then through her body. There was a horrifyingly loud zap, and both Twilight and Amber let out howls of pain, as lightning crackled off of Amber’s body and through Twilight’s.

Shocking herself in order to injure Twilight, hopefully snapping the alicorn out of her corrupted dark sleeping stupor at the same time. Amber kept the spell up, and the seconds passed slowly, painfully, she couldn’t count how long she had held the spell for, but it felt like hours, hours of agonizing pain as each one of her nerve endings screamed at her to stop. The edges of her vision began to darken, and she finally had enough.

Amber dropped the spell, and slumped against Twilight’s shoulder. Something hot ran down Amber’s nose, and over her lips. She tasted copper.

Twilight straightened up and pushed Amber back a little, holding her up and looking into her eyes. Amber saw the purple eyes shed grown so accustomed to seeing, and saw the worry held inside them. The worry quickly turned into fury and she looked up at the shadowy blob with a death glare that Amber had not seen from Twilight before.

“You stupid, sniveling, conniving, son of a cur,” Twilight snapped. “I’m going to rip you to shreds, and pour salt on what’s left, and as it the chemical reaction burns you like acid I’ll laugh. You will bubble and foam and I will be laughing!”

Angry Twilight sure is scary.

Twilight leapt into the air, and as she did, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash caused after her. Twilight turned around and lightning crackled off of her horn and struck the two of them down. Twilight turned as her friends fell limply to the ground, twitching. Amber watched as Applejack leapt from the rafters but, Twilight swatted her away with a wing and proceeded to shoot lightning at her.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stood wearily, the color returned to their eyes, along with a very confused look.

Lightning is the key to snapping them out of this, well either that or just pain in general will do the job.

Twilight shot lightning at the slimy mass of darkness and another high pitched shriek sounded. That’s when Pinkie Pie jumped off of the rafter and although Twilight adjusted her aim to shoot at her, Pinkie did an impossible dodge mid air and landing on Twilight’s back sending her to floor. The tendril at the door whipped away from and raced toward Twilight.

Amber stood up, and although her body was shaking with pain, she focused more magic into her horn and flames spilled forth. The flames struck the tendril and another less powerful shriek sounded throughout the room. Amber stepped forward, through the pain, and the fear, she found a righteous burning fury deep inside, and latched onto it. The blood running down her nose grew worse.

The tendril squirmed on the floor, but Amber stomped on it, hard. It vanished.

Amber spun around to face the giant slime and watched as Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack all held an enraged Pinkie Pie down. The three tendrils sticking out of the windows slipped into the room and whipped around wildly, lashing at everything in sight. One of them hit Applejack, sending her sprawling and sliding along the slime covered ground. Another one grabbed Rainbow Dash by the wing and Fluttershy was thrown off of Pinkie Pie.

Just as Pinkie stood up, lightning crackled and struck Pinkie dead center in the chest, she didn’t fall over but she screamed out in pain. Twilight turned and shot lightning at the tendrils but they easily dodged the attacks. Twilight was focusing on individual lightning bolts, trying her best to hit them, but they were too fast.

Amber shook, her head throbbed, her horn was burning from the strain, and all she could taste was copper. That’s when the dragon appeared.

Amber’s eyes went wide as a slime covered Spike charged Twilight. A window broke, and Blackout flew down and swung a hefty looking hammer down onto the tendril holding Rainbow Dash. The hammer slipped from Blackout’s hooves and hit the floor sliding. Amber pushed herself forward, her body screamed in pain, but she walked through it. The only thought running through her head was that she had to end this madness now.

Spike swung at Twilight, but the alicorn teleported away. Amber took a step forward. Blackout regrouped with Amber’s group, and although they looked scared, they looked unhurt. Amber took a few more steps, her head screamed with pain. Spike noticed her, and charged, the madness clear in his rage filled black eyes. Amber’s hoof hit something metal. The hammer lay at her hooves.

I bet that I could use this.

Amber picked up the hammer with her telekinetic grasp, and just as Spike reached her, she swung hard. Her blood pumped hot, her body ached, and she wanted nothing more than to kill the slime and go to sleep. She hit Spike across the jaw, and sent him flying over the ground before he landed a few feet away, and slid through the slimy floor until he brushed up against a wall.

Amber walked forward, and saw a beam of blue energy flew by her, lancing her cheek. Amber screamed in pain as she turned, and faced the white unicorn, saw the black eyes, and with mind numbing swiftness she swung towards the unicorn’s forelegs. The unicorn leapt back, inhaled deeply, her cheeks puffed out, and finally she exhaled a gout of flames at Amber. Amber couldn’t dodge the blast, and she knew it. Her mind raced, and the flames crawled towards her as time slowed down to a crawl. She looked around.

There was no escape, no safety. Her only defense was the heavy hammer she held in her magical grasp. She had the hammer. Without hesitation, Amber threw the hammer at Rarity’s head. The hammer flew, but its aim was not true, as it barely bumped against the white unicorn’s skull. But the weighty object was more than enough, as the unicorn was knocked to the side, and crimson liquid ran down the side of her face, her eyes fluttered for a moment before returning to normal.

Yep, it’s pain that snaps them free of the control, but I suppose it makes sense that if they’re asleep all you need to do is wake them up.

Amber turned to face the slime. And flinched as two tendrils came whipping toward her at lightning speeds. Twilight tried desperately to shoot them, she hit one of them, and it vanished in a cloud of smoke. The other one, smacked against Amber’s chest.

For a brief moment, Amber felt a bit silly, she came in here with a group of untrained youngsters, she knocked out a dragon, beat his wife, and electrocuted her own teacher. Sure they had succeeded in saving their friends, but it looked like that wasn’t going to be enough to save her.

The surging pain in her chest made her lose any thought’s as she was sent flying through the air. Her body was racked with tremendous agony as she flew through the interior of the town hall, she looked down at the slime covered floors and wanted to laugh as she thought about how hard it would be for the town to clean this mess up.

The wall was quickly approaching; her vision was blocked entirely by black slime covered wall. Then she stopped, she stared at the wall for the longest moment before she looked around, her body ached from the movement. Everypony had stopped moving as well, the tendril that had hit her was perfectly still, it was almost as though she was staring at a still image of the events before her. The window that Blackout had broken through shone brightly onto the slime monster, and from its light Amber could see the pony inside.

It was a brown mare with a silver mane; she looked old and wore glasses. Mayor Mare, she was the giant slime creature. Amber felt bad knowing that Twilight might kill her after time resumed and Amber hit the wall. After all, having her student die would probably destroy her, and that broke Amber’s heart. She didn’t want to be that much of a burden.

Not to mention how hard this would hit her parents.

How would Maud and Trixie react over this? Would they ever be able to return to a normal life? Have another kid? Do anything other than fall apart? Amber wasn’t sure that either of them could ever recover from this.

Amber closed her eyes, and prayed, prayed to whatever gods might be listening that everypony could move on after this. Amber wasn’t sure how she knew that the speed and trajectory she was currently moving at would crush her spine, snap her neck, and break many other bones, hopefully her death would be quick, because that did sound really painful.

“It won’t have to be this way,” A young mare whispered into her ear.

Amber looked but couldn’t see anypony.

“What, what’s going on?” She found herself asking. “Are you an angel?”

“An angel, well I’ve been called that by many ponies before, but usually they end up calling me the devil after they realize just who I am. But you might be too young to understand what I’m talking about,” she said.

“I’m going to die, aren’t I?” Amber asked, but she wasn’t sure how she knew he’d have the answer.

“You’ll only die if you don’t choose to use it,” she replied.

“Use what?”

“The power inside yourself,” she explained. “There is a reason that Twilight choose you for her apprentice, you just have to look deep inside. Trust me, your story is just beginning. Right now, it’s time you finally accepted the torch, it’s been passed to you, now take hold of it.”

Amber closed her eyes, and she could see it. A bright orange light, it was warm, and full of energy. She could almost touch it, she reached out with a hoof but it was just a little too far to touch. She scowled, and then lashed out with her magic, if she couldn’t reach out to, she’d bring it to her. The second her magic touched it, her entire body burned brilliantly. Energy flowed through her, pure power, stronger than she had ever felt before. When she opened her eyes again, all she could see was white.

Amber howled, and time resumed but instead of hitting the wall, she willed the wall to be destroyed. White energy and orange flames whipped out form her body and slammed against the wall, leaving nothing to stop her. She flew through the hole, and decided that she wanted to go and stop the slime now. She suddenly stopped mid air and saw all the ponies below her, the entire town had surrounded the town hall, their dark eyes and scorn, were now aimed at her.

She waved a hoof, and thought that it would be better if they all woke up now. Suddenly the entire town blinked in unison, and when they opened their eyes again, the color had returned. Off in the distance Amber saw Trixie and Maud hiding behind some wooden crates and watching. Amber nodded, and smiled at them. Then she floated back through the hole she had made.

Inside she saw the slime, but it was different now. Mayor Mare was a small ball of light surrounded by a deep dark shadow, that shadow reached out with lines in many different directions, but largest line drew southward, like a giant string being pulled taught.

Amber looked at the string and crushed it with a thought, white light and fire burned it down. The slime began melting, and Amber reached out mentally, she wrapped a kinetic cocoon around Mayor Mare and pulled her free from the slime.

After laying the sleeping pony on the floor, Amber floated down to her side. Twilight stared at her with wide eyes, her lip was trembling. Amber ignored her and pressed a gentle hoof to Mayor Mare, she saw a pit of darkness inside of the pony underneath her, and Amber reached for it mentally, and washed the darkness away.

Amber landed on her hooves and let out a deep breath, the power, the energy, the magic, all of it left her in an instant. She looked back at Twilight, and smiled.

“See,” Amber said, something hot and coppery fell out of her mouth. “I told you I was good.” She looked down and saw the pool of crimson running out of her mouth, her nose, she even felt the liquid running down her ears and eyes. Amber sat down and thought about it, it sure seemed like she was bleeding a lot. Well I defeated the nightmare slime thing and saved the town, guess I can take a nap now.

Amber didn’t even get to lay down before the blackness swept over her, and all she could hear was Twilight screaming, what she was screaming was hard to make out, it was like Amber was underwater, though that might be blamed on all of that darn liquid running out of them. She fell into a dark world, one with no dreams, one where she didn’t’ feel the pain of her injures, nor had to worry about the ponies around her, too bad she knew she’s have to wake up soon.

***

Amber woke up, her body was full of dull throbbing pain, and she felt the not so comfortable bed beneath her. Everything was white for a few seconds as her eyes slowly adjusted to the sterile white lights above. Trixie was sobbing into Maud’s neck while Maud held her tightly. Twilight stood on the other side of Amber’s bed.

“What happened?” Amber asked weakly, her voice was horse.

“You…” Twilight seemed lost for words, she closed her eyes and finished, “You saved our lives, Amber. But you nearly died.”

Trixie gasped. “Don’t tell her that! My precious little foal does not need to know that!”

Maud stroked Trixie’s mane. “Shhh, she needs to know. Or else she might try to use that power again.”

“You are forbidden from using that power, do you understand me,” Trixie snapped.

Twilight nodded. “That power could easily kill you if you use it again. I think for now, you should avoid using it if possible.”

Amber shook her head, the world spun out of control, so she stopped moving. “I don’t know how I did that, but it was amazing. It was like I was a goddess.” She stayed quiet for a moment before asking, “How is everypony doing?”

“The village is freed from that thing’s grasp. Mayor Mare is being checked out by some doctors in the next room over, she looks fine though. Amber you and your friends were very brave, I should have put more trust into you and for that I’m sorry,” Twilight apologized.

Amber’s laugh was strained and it seemed to catch everypony off guard. “I told you I was capable. Next time you better clue me in, or else I’ll come into town trying to rescue my parents again.” The memory of what she caught her parents doing flashed in her mind and she cringed. “Ew, just… no. Don’t make me see that again.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow and a sly smile grew over her lips. Trixie blushed and hid her face into Maud’s chest. Maud stared flatly at Twilight and said, “What? We’re married, and we didn’t have any kids around. We’re entitled to do that.”

“You two never change do you?” Twilight asked rhetorically.

“No, we don’t,” Maud replied.

Trixie squeaked.

Amber smiled, closed her eyes and drifted off back to sleep. She was happy to know that everything was okay, and that her parents had been saved. It felt like things were going to change for Amber from now on, and hopefully she would get to go on some adventures with Twilight now. It felt like this was just the beginning of what was to come.

Comments

[Midnight Dreamer]

“An angel, well I’ve been called that by many ponies before, but usually they end up calling me the devil after they realize just who I am. But you might be too young to understand what I’m talking about,” she said.

I'm getting Kyubey vibe here