A Changeling sorceress to breaks out of prison to travel to Ponyville and bumps into a minty green mare along the way whom she totaly hits it off with.
When Twilight decides to study the magic of non-pony races she inspires a Changeling sorceress, named Amber Fire, to break out of a Las Pegasus prison and travel to Ponyville. Meanwhile, Lyra Heartstrings is returning from Las Pegasus distraught over being single for the first time in years. The two wind up sharing a train car to Ponyville, and it becomes clear to Lyra that this "Unicorn" knows something about humans. Determined to learn everything her new friend knows Lyra winds up getting closer and closer until eventually she learns not just one but two deeply hidden secrets.
(There isn't actually a Pony Souls I, the title is just a joke at bad titles and a hint at the cross over elements. Retitled because I thought of a good one at last.)
Twilight's study was filled with stacks of books from her castle's library. Naturally this was par for the course, the alicorn mare was almost always studying something for one project or another. The stacks of books were arranged in two particular areas around Twilight's desk. On the left was the large pile of books to be sent back to the library, on the right was the slightly smaller pile of books to be red. Atop the desk lay a single old tome, a thick leather bound blank volume, half a dozen quills and three ink pots. As she had many times before, Twilight was working to make a single comprehensive volume on an obscure subject.
This time her goal was to find all she could on spellcasting methods of non-Equestrian ponies, and non-pony species. Surly in all the world there could not be one single way of preforming magic, and logically if one could study all the methods used to cast a spell one could improve the spell greatly. Unfortunately all the books Twilight had red so far were of no use to her latest project.
Twilight's eye scanned the pages of the water damaged, moldering old tome which lay on her desk. It had been delivered to her especially for this project from the Trottingham Museum of Nautical History and was part of the recovered cargo of a mysterious shipwreck found just off the shore of Equestria. At one point it might have contained a few hints of where Twilight might look for such exotic arcane knowledge, but sea water, time, and poor quality ink had all but destroyed the book. Only a few fragments of the text were salvageable.
Twilight felt she owed it to the book to transcribe what she could from it before returning it to the museum. Her quill scratched against a sheet of parchment as she recorded each and every word she could, noting its positioning on the page and the number of the page next to each scrap of text. The sad fact of the mater was after three hours of work she could see that one chapter of the book had been on an exotic form of transmutation alchemy. If it had been in better shape this book just might have held the long lost method to transmute gold back into lead after previously transmuting it into gold.
Her quill's scratching was interrupted by a loud knock on her study door. Twilight looked up and sighed, she had gone to lengths to ensure she was not disturbed while working. “Come in.” She called, levitating a book mark into the book and carefully closing it's cover.
The door opened revealing Spike, a parchment envelope held in one claw. “Hey Twi, this just came for you. I know you wanted to be left alone but well, the courier did say it was in response to a letter you wrote. I figured it might be a reply form-”
Twilight squeed in delight. Her magic snatched the envelope out of Spike's claw, unsealing the envelope in midair so hasten her reading it. Spike sighed and shook his head mumbling something under his breath about patience and a lack thereof.
Noticing her number one assistant's deadpan look Twilight blushed, giggled and gave him a small grin, “Sorry Spike. It's just that I am getting nowhere with my current library and the only letters I sent out last week were asking for books on exotic magic so well...”
Spike nodded, “I get it. Just well, maybe let me finish talking next time?”
Twilight nodded and levitated the letter from the envelope, deciding to read it out loud for Spike's benefit, “Why don't you sit down? If this is someone saying they have a book I can use we will probably have to go and pick it up since they didn't send it with the letter.”
Spike walked over and sat on a stool next to Twilight's desk, “That would be nice. It's been a while since we got to travel anywhere.”
Twilight cleared her thought and began to read.
To Her Majesty Princess Twilight, The Element of Magic, Vanquisher of Tirek, and Lady of Ponyville,
It has come to my attention by the way of a friend of mine who is the head librarian of the Las Pegasus Academic Library that you are in need of information regarding non-Equestrian magic. While it may seem quite odd that a humble prison warden like myself could be of assistance to you in this matter I am able to provide far better information than you could find in a moldy tome some adventurer may have retrieved from some Celestia forsaken tomb.
When I took over running Fort Champron I was informed of a specialty prisoner in the maximum security wing of the dungeons. This prisoner has been incarcerated here for eleven years assuming the records are accurate and was apprehended with other Changlings living within Equestria after their assault on Canterlot last decade. Unlike others of her kind she was never released as during her capture she attacked and killed a half dozen guards before being subdued. According to her file, and the methods used to keep her imprisoned, she is a sorceress with at least three spells none who have examined her thus far have been able to identify.
Normally prisoners in the maximum security wing are not allowed visitors, and by Celesta's Law I cannot permit just any pony to inspect prisoners of war. However as one of our nation's monarchs you have the clearance needed to visit such prisoners. I assume you are most interested in speaking with Amber Fire, as the Changeling is called, and given what I know about your penchant for study you will likely wish to do so as quickly as possible.
As such I have taken the liberty of informing my stallions of your upcoming visit. You should find that upon your arrival an escort to the cell block will be ready. I trust you will remember my name as belonging to someone helpful when promotions are discussed this fall.
Your dutiful subject, Warden Warding Aegis, Esquire
Twilight grinned as she finished reading, quickly reading the letter again to be sure she had missed nothing. Spike snorted, “Heh, somepony's looking to kiss up to the princess.”
Twilight quickly began to levitate several blank journals, quills, and ink pots into the saddlebags she kept under her desk, “Oh Spike, don't worry about it. We both know how career Guardsponies can be. Besides, if he actually dose have a Changeling sorceress I can talk to that will help out my research immeasurably! Remember the Canterlot invasion? Their queen was able to beat Celestia in a head on fight. I could sense her magic she had far less than Celestia so she had to have used It far more efficiently than a pony.
“If this,” Twilight checked the letter quickly, “ah, Amber Fire is willing to share her knowledge it could make up half my book!”
Spike nodded, “Yeah I suppose... But the warden said she is a war criminal. She attacked ponies Twilight! What makes you think she would talk to you? What if she wants something for the information? You shouldn't just rush off to Las Pegasus, we should think about this.”
“Right.” Twilight frowned slightly, tapping her left hoof to her chin in thought, “If she was a Changeling living in Equestria before the Canterlot incident she likely was a spy, or maybe a civilian just looking for a home. In ether case the Changelings are a violent race, I suppose it makes sense that one would attack when threatened right?”
Spike nodded again, “I guess that make sense. But-”
“Oh Spike, I'm a princess. I am sure I can get her a few privileges in exchange for helping the Kingdom's academic society. Why don't you get packed? We're off to Las Pegasus! Oh, and um tell the girls that I'm going to pick up a book and could be gone for a few days.” Twilight replied levitating her now full saddlebags onto her back.
“A few days?” Spike asked in a disappointed tone, “I um, kinda told Rarity I would help her dig up gems this Friday.” He tapped his claws together, torn between going on what could be an adventure and helping a friend.
Twilight frowned, she didn't want to keep Spike from one of the few things he loved to do most. “Well... it's going to be a short trip. I don't think I will need much help. You can stay here if you like. I can handle conducing an interview.”
“Are you sure you wont need the help?” Spike asked tentatively.
“Yes. I can manage this on my own. Well I suppose there is no time to waste.” Twilight grinned sheepishly.
“Yeah guess not.” Spike gave her a smile, perking up after a heartbeat, “Well I guess I'll go see what's in the kitchen. Good luck!”
“You too Spike.” Twilight replied, giving Spike a gentle hug before dashing off towards the train station.
A day and a half later Celestia's sun was starting to dip under the horizon as the train pulled into the station at Las Pegasus. The doors of the train scarcely had time to open before Twilight burst out of the train car and excitedly trotted across the station's platform. She had been to Las Pegasus a few times before, but not enough for the city of lights splendor to be lost on her.
The entire skyline was filled with towering buildings, not simple skyscrapers like in Manhattan but instead replicas of many famous buildings, castles, and keeps from all across Equestria's history. There was even a replica of Canterlot Castle at the center of the city which was lit up with all manner of blazing neon lights which even in the light of sunset were bright enough to cast the city in a beautiful multicolored glow.
As Twilight looked over the city skyline she noticed amusingly enough that construction was underway on a replica of her castle. She didn't have more than a moment to look at the new building before somepony yelled “It's Princess Twilight!”
Suddenly a mob of adoring ponies seemed to materialize out of thin air to swarm Twilight, asking for autographs, favors, offering lunch, and all manner of other things. As Twilight suddenly remembered why she simply outlawed treating her like Royalty in Ponyville outside of her castle's throne room one mare's cry of “Marry me!” simply made the crowd too much for her.
With a flash of violet light Twilight teleported out of the mob of ponies and did her best to sneakily trot away hooves clicking lightly against the concrete platform. She managed only a few hoof steps before a silver armored pale brown earth pony stallion galloped in front of her and saluted, “Your Highness! I've been posted here to escort you to Fort Champron by Warden Aegis's orders. Shall I take you there now my lady?”
Twilight nodded, “Yes please, this is after all official business.” She hoped that her words might get some of the ponies who were now moving to surround her again to leave her alone.
A few of them went about their business as they realized Twilight wasn't on a social visit. The rest however quickly surrounded her and the guard. The guard sighed and stomped one hoof making a loud crash instantly drawing everyponie's attention, “Alright everypony, you got to see the princess, move along. She is here on official Royal business. Need I remind you that delaying nobility in state maters is an arrestable offense?”
The crowd quickly dispersed. Twilight gave the guard a shy smile, “Thanks. I didn't catch your name.”
“Corporal Taproot at your service,” the Corporal tipped his helmet polity before turning and giving a bow as he pointed to a waiting carriage, “I remembered your preference for solitude from the briefing. I hope I was not too rude to your subjects just now.”
Twilight shook her head as the two climbed into the carriage, the driver quickly starting to move. “Not at all. I wasn't aware that delaying a noble was a crime, is that a city ordinance?”
“No... It's a lie the City Guard has been using for a few decades now to help get VIPs like yourself through crowds as quickly as possible.” he admitted with a chuckle.
Twilight grinned slightly, it was a little funny if perhaps rude to the citizens of Las Pegasus. “I understand. So, I don't suppose you know anything about the prisoner I am visiting?” Twilight asked eagerly.
“Yes I do, but not as much as I would like. All guards who take shifts at the prison will eventually see every prisoner. But our patrols and guard posts are constantly changed so none of us can grow attached to the prisoners or become so used to a part of the prison that we become complacent in our duties.” Taproot informed, doing his best to keep a stiff formal posture despite the cart rocking as they sped through the city.
Twilight's ears drooped, disappointed, “Oh. Well what can you tell me?”
“She loves to sing, and to tell stories. The prisoners housed near her cell complain about it constantly. I recall one time I was on shift in her section. She spent the entire evening reciting a story about a group of adventurers on a quest to destroy a magic ring to prevent an ancient evil king from arising again to inflict his evils on the world. I only remember it because of a Batpony who screamed at her 'This is the fifteenth time this month you have told that story!'. She responded by preforming the story as a bardic chant instead of speaking it. Other than her being generally starved, that's all I know.”
Twilight couldn't help a giggle. In her head she pictured Pinkie doing the same thing, 'I've told you the story too much? Okie-dokie-loki! I'll sing it for you then!' Clearing her thought she asked, “Is there a reason she is starved?”
“There isn't much love to be had at the fort your Highness.” Taproot admitted. “Before you ask, we did use to give her standard rations, but she never eats them. A friend of mine looked into her species and told me they can eat normal food but it docent do anything for them. It would be like if you just drank water. You would feel full but gain no nutrients. Personally I think she tells the stories to try to squeeze a few drops of emotion from her cellmates for lunch. If I guarded her wing more often I would try to help, but I am normally stationed in the market district.”
Twilight nodded, “So how dose a market guard know-”
“Oh that's easy your Highness. Amber is pretty famous in the ranks. We all take turns at the prison and you can't help but notice her. They have a magic inhibitor on her so she is in her normal form. She stands out like, well, a bug among ponies.”
The carriage slowed and lurched to a stop, the driver giving the carriage a few light kicks with a back hoof to signal they had arrived at their destination. Corporal Taproot quickly hopped to his hooves and pushed open the door, “After you my lady.”
The prison itself was a rather nice stone structure. It's middle ages architecture betraying how old the fort was, while the techno-arcane devices attached to the walls, gate, and visible on the inner building's roof betrayed how heavily the building had been modified.
Twilight stepped out of the carriage, thanked the driver and took a few steps towards the gate. Taproot quickly moving to her side and waving to the two pegasi guarding the fort's gate, “Her Majesty Princess Twilight-”
“Yeah yeah we know Tap!” The green pegasus on the right groaned, “The warden has been going on about it for days now.”
The other guard tapped a button, causing the gates to swing open, “Go on in your highness. Good luck with your inspection.” she grunted.
Twilight followed the blushing corporal into the fort's main building. The interior was very spartan, bare plank floors, smoothed stone walls, simple white light sconces which held white light spells, and the odd military tapestry were the only decorations she could see. They passed several other ponies as they walked all of which saluted Twilight and offered some form of greeting, save for one stallion who Twilight recognized as a former member of her brother's old squad named Brass Lance. He gave her a smile, a wave, and called, “Tell Shining he's a jerk for not visiting more often.”
Twilight laughed as she waved back. After a few moments she asked, “So... are you taking me right to her?”
“Yes mam. She has been moved to an isolation room for your interview. The warden wanted you as inconvenienced as little as possible.” Taproot informed, “It won't be much longer.”
Twilight nodded quietly following the guard down four flights of stairs to the upper floor of the dungeon. From there it was a quick walk to an iron door with a single view slit covered by a sliding panel labeled 'Isolation Room D'. Stopping at the door Taproot took a brass key out of his armor and unlocked the door, “I am under orders to let you talk with her privately. But if you need me I will be stationed right outside the door. If worse comes to worst, I am sure you can handle one ling far more effectively then I could your Highness.”
“Thank you. I promise I won't make you wait any longer than possible.” Twilight promised before opening the door and stepping into the whitest room she had ever been in.
The isolation room was completely white. The walls, floor, ceiling, light fixtures, table, and chairs were all the same exact shade of white. It was painful to look at. The single color gave the room the illusion of being an infinite void of white. It took Twilight only seconds to assume the paint scheme was some form of passive torture to get prisoners to talk. It turned her stomach to think that ponies would do such a thing to somepony. But those thoughts vanished in an instant as the Changeling stationed across the table from her spoke, “Oh thank god, you're not white! That would have been the Shrine of Amana all over again.”
Twilight gasped, Amber was currently bound more securely then she had ever seen anypony. The Changeling was secured with a straitjacket which forced her forelegs behind her back and over her wings to prevent flight and arm movement. A pair of steel manacles bound her hind legs together to prevent her from tottering around on two legs. A crystal and iron magic inhibitor ring seemed to be hot-glued to her horn, and was being used to help secure a half mask over her lower face which had a few small slits for breathing cut into it. To top off the restraint's her jacket had chains attached which secured her upright to a large wheeled metal frame so she could be tipped backwards and pushed instead of letting her walk.
'Are you really that dangerous?' Twilight wondered, suddenly fearing this might have been a bad idea.
A few silent moments passed, then Amber spoke up, “I really, really want to make a joke right now. But it's based on a reference you wouldn't get. Can we just pretend I said something funny to break the ice?”
The Changeling grinned at Twilight through her mask, her eyes smiled along with the grin. Dangerous or not, she seemed happy. As far as Twilight could tell looked like a normal Changeling. Solid blue eyes, shiny black chitin, pointy ears and, “Hold on, you don't have holes in your hooves.” Twilight observed, nervously staying the first odd thing she noticed aloud.
“Yeah. That's because I don't drain ponies dry, that's actually really bad for you. Like, eating your own weight in food every hour bad. Except instead of getting fat, our chitin gets brittle and crumbles around the hooves.” she replied quickly, an eagerness in her voice, “So you came to chat with me right? That's a nice change of pace. I haven't had someone want to talk to me for... however long it's been since I started living here.”
Twilight tilted her head, eyes narrowing in a confused sort of stare. 'How could anypony be this talkative while bound like that and stuffed in this maddeningly white room?' She wondered before it dawned on her, 'Oh... She feels she is going crazy and wants to talk in order to stay grounded. This is cruel, I will talk to the warden about it.'
Clearing her thought Twilight took a seat across the table from the Changeling and answered, “Yes. I hoped we could talk about Changeling magic. Let me introduce myself I am-”
“Princess Twilight Sparkle, aka Book Horse. I know. You're really famous.” Amber replied.
“Book Horse?” Twilight exclaimed in a mixture of surprise and anger.
“It's meant affectionately... I think. I'm Amber Fire. I'd shake your hoof but I'm tired up at the moment.” Amber joked.
“Yes... Um... Pleased to meet you.” Twilight shook her head to refocus on the task at hand, “I was told that you are a Changeling sorceress. Is that true?”
“Ehhh kinda sorta. I'm more of a wizard then a scourer, and honestly I tended to do more alchemy than spellcraft before I was captured so if you want to call me by my profession, alchemist works best. I would rather be called Amber though. Because you know, I'm a perception... no that's not the right word... um... a parsimony? Or is it parsnip?” Amber sighed, slumping in her restraints and buzzing something in Changlish, “Ah right the word is person. Sorry.”
Twilight couldn't help but giggle, realizing she laughed at the mare she blushed feebly apologizing, “Sorry that was just well... funny.”
“It's ok. I normally speak prefect Equestrian. It's just this room. It's the gods damned plane of suck.” Amber sighed.
“I know! I've only been here a few moments and I swear I already have a headache.”
“Try being here for five days. I keep expecting some monster to charge out of the white and take a bite out of my skull. Right, lets talk about anything else but the white. You wanted to know about Changeling magic? No problem!” Amber grinned.
Twilight nodded eagerly and took a quill, ink, and journal from her saddlebag and got ready to write.
Amber closed her eyes, “I assume you don't mean our shape changing magic. Unless there was some sort of Library of Alexandria moment there are plenty of books on that. So you must mean our lost magic right?”
Twilight raised her head curiously, a hopeful grin forming on her lips. “Lost magic?”
“Yeah. Oh right... you're a pony. We Changelings used to have a single massive hall we lived in, it was carved out of a mountain. One of those realy nice, solid, safe feeling places. When it fell we lost well just about everything. We have a song about it, the part important to you probably being 'The Hives of yore forged mighty spells / love's light captured within gleaming gems / our burning hunger they did quell.'” Amber informed.
“Hold on,” Twilight asked taking a few notes quickly before asking, “You mean to tell me your people have a home city? Where is it?”
“Had. We had a home. One night a dragon decided to make it his home and we were scattered to the winds in one evening. Well those of us who didn't try to fight the thing off. I would have stayed and fought but I was assigned to guard... Eh it's not important. Long story short, we had a kingdom, a dragon took it, the royal family split up, and now most of us are roaming gypsies with tiny family like hives... Unless they have settled down in the last few years.”
Twilight's ears drooped, “I'm sorry... I know what it's like to loose a home.” Suddenly something clicked in her mind, “Amber, when did this happen?”
“No idea. What year is it?”
“It's the year 3487 C.E.” Twilight replied.
“Oh, about thirteen years ago then. Why?” Amber asked curiously.
“Eleven years ago an army of Changelings attacked our capital city. That makes sense now, you were forced out of your home, and with what you eat you would need food... So Chrysalis was just trying to feed her people.” Twilight groaned, slumping to the table, an awful feeling welling up deep inside her, “We would have given food if she had just asked...”
“Pppfff! Chrysalis asking for help, that's a good one!” Amber laughed, her shoulders shaking hard enough to rattle her chains. “If it makes you feel better Chrysalis was our High Queen's youngest daughter. She had 'youngest child' syndrome really bad. Figured a good campaign of conquest would get her mother's favor. On top of that she was a gods damned phyco.”
“That certainly dose seem like her... She impersonated Princess Cadence in an attempt to marry into the Royal family.”
“What? How dose that even make sense? If she wanted military intelligence and could impersonate a princess... Did she tell you her whole plan? I remember she loved monologues.”
“Sadly no. She did say that she planed to use my brother's love for Cadence to power her magic.”
“Wow... another genius move by fluff brain. How many of us did she have following her? Never mind... I assume you dealt with them... I'd rather not know.” Amber blinked suddenly, her eyes narrowing, “Hold on. If she attacked you eleven years ago that would be an act of war. I was taken prisoner about that long ago. I fought back when those guards came for me... That explains a lot.”
“Why did you fight back?” Twilight asked in a tone of morbid curiosity.
Amber rolled her eyes, “Because dudes in armor were screaming at me, waving spears, and firing spells. Where I'm from you kill those sorts of things before they redecorate the walls with your component molecules. Seriously you ponies are so insanely pacifistic. Not everyone thinks to talk it out first. Most things fight.”
There was a moment of awkward science which Amber broke, “Don't get me wrong Book Horse, I'm not saying I am a murdering psychopath I am fully aware that most things here are sentient creatures just doing their jobs. I didn't mean to kill those guards. I meant to wound them and get away. You don't waste food, and unicorns are well, delicious. I just seriously misjudged how strong your species is. Shouldn't have thrown a Sunlight Spear.”
Twilight's eyes lit up at the mention of what had to be the name of a spell. “Sunlight Spear? Could you tell me about that particular spell?”
“Yeah sure!” Amber nodded as much as her restraints would allow. “So The Sunlight Spear is a piece of miraculous sorcery derived from the Soul of the Lord of Cinder Gwen. In essence, by memorizing the spell patterns and having enough faith you can amplify the power of your own soul, and using the enhanced energy along with the faith you hold as a matrix you can call upon the power of flame to summon forth a bolt of the sun's very flame to throw at an enemy.”
Twilight wrote down everything she could in her journal. “What is miraculous sorcery exactly?”
“It's a means of casting spells. Basically if you have enough faith that the spell will work along with knowledge of how it works, the spell works. A lot of people believed you have to worship a god to cast it but that's not true at all. You basically use your hope to amplify your soul's power to cast the spell.”
“Is that how Changeling magic works?” Twilight asked, quill jotting away.
“Oh no, miraculous sorcery is far older than Changelings. I am sort of the lore keeper of it. Changeling magic is similar though. Using the power of your soul along with complex formula you expend a portion of your life force to... reject reality and then substitute your own. Normally you need to use something as a focus to bind the magic to, a staff, sword, most 'lings use their horn. There are ways around that however, like expending a large number of souls.”
Twilight's quill stopped scratching, “Hold on... is this Necromancy? You keep saying soul, and well um, expending.”
“No. This has nothing to do with meddling with the dead... usually.” Amber reassured, “By soul I mean life force, not the... essence of who someone is. Using sorcery expends a few hours or a day of your life. Now some workarounds for that are being immortal, or harvesting left over souls after someone has died. Now of course it can't be a natural death, or there wont be anything left. Oh! Right! If a Changeling overfeeds we can actually use the emotional energy instead but it is far less potent.”
“Oh.” Twilight smiled nervously, 'At least it's not necromancy.' “So your magic burns through your life span and works by warping reality in accordance with a formula?”
“Yes... I would describe a formula to you but that can take weeks. Hell just attuning a spell can take an hour. I've taught a few 'lings how to do basic sorcery over the years and well yeah I don't think you have the time for nth dimensional calculation formulas. You also have to have the intellect for it, you need to take in the variables within the formula and then let the magic 'run' the spell and direct the flow. It can get very mentally taxing, hell I can't do most of the sorceries I have the scrolls for.”
“That's really interesting. It's almost the opposite of unicorn magic. We concentrate on the effect we want and reach for our magic, then let it work as we will it to. An incantation can help get the instructions clear in your mind while you are casting but other than that it is simple, you just use your own understanding and knowledge to explain to the magic what you need it to do.” Twilight tapped her chin thoughtfully, “Come to think of it, when I studied Changeling transformations all the books said that's how you do it. There wasn't anything on what you are describing.”
“Probably because I am talking about battle magic.” Amber informed, “We also can do unicorn magic, after all we impersonate you guys. But we took care to cultivate our own combat magic. It's an extra edge. When we had our Hall we lived underground, and well you know... In places deep, dark things sleep.”
Twilight blinked realizing something, “Your species is pretty diverse isn't it?”
“That's one word for it.” Amber snickered.
“But you created two different systems for magic...” Twilight's eyes widened as the implications of that hit her, “That inhibitor is only meant for unicorn magic!”
Amber's wings twitched in surprise, “It is? Well now isn't that interesting. Heh... Fortunately for you I have no reason to escape. If I leave I am pretty sure I'll be caught and shot and I really don't want to deal with that annoyance. Besides. The warden has my stuff. I couldn't leave my guitar.”
Twilight frowned, not fully believing her. Something in her tone was off. Still it wouldn't be a good idea to push the issue. “Sooo you play the guitar?”
“Yeah. I sing too. I'm pretty good, at least I think I am. I've had a lot of time to practice.”
"Right. How about we get back to talking about magic? What are some other spells your people used? More common ones." Twilight asked as she dipped her quill into her ink pot.
Amber nodded, and after a quick breath launched into an impromptu lecture on Changeling spellcraft lasting for several hours.
Twilight talked with Amber for several hours before leaving, politely excusing herself. The interview was not as productive as she had hoped, after all Twilight couldn't learn one of the spells for herself since Amber did not have her scrolls. But at the least the alicorn princess had learned everything she believed she needed to summarize Changeling sorcery.
Unbeknownst to her however, Amber had gotten everything she needed as well. A full meal, kind treatment for the first time in years, and knowledge of Ponyville, Twilight's fiefdom. Amber grinned behind her mask as a guard pushed her back to her cell. 'A place of tolerance and kindness which accepts all comers who just want to live in peace.' Amber gleefully thought, 'I could find a place for myself there.'
She would have to make her move soon though. Doubtlessly Twilight would inform the warden that the current inhibitor only worked to block her shape changing and telekinesis. Fortunately the guard whom Twilight had declined an escort out of the prison from seemed rather gullible. To Amber he seemed like a pony who lived by the rules too closely to see how they might be bent by those cunning enough.
Amber turned her head as much as she could towards the guard who was pushing her back to her cell, “So quick request, the Princess told me how long I have been here for. I missed a rather important religious ritual my people hold once per decade.”
The guard nodded, “I see, and you need to preform it. Is it something you can do in your cell? I doubt I could arrange for you to go to a shrine or-”
“It is. I was taken prisoner as I was coming home from preforming it, so unless my possessions have been destroyed they should be in the... vault or whatever. Would you mind bringing the small wooden box to me? Its dark wood, about the size of a cigar box.” Amber asked doing her best to sound as if she were distressed over the matter.
Her guard silently mulled it over for a while, quietly pushing her along the hall. “Possibly... What dose the ritual entail? I wont let you remove your inhibitor.”
“That's fine, I don't need magic for it. I just need to write a small phrase on a strip of parchment, meditate for a time then burn the parchment. It wont be a large fire, and well my cell is stone. You can watch me of course.”
“I see. I suppose a small flame is ok. What dose this ritual mean to you?” he asked curiously.
“It's a memorial to our first High Queen who united the Seven Hives, she ascended into the heavens upon her death to become our people's eternal guide. The meditation and flame is an offering of gratitude... I believe you have something similar for your Princess Celestia. Sending her a card on the summer solstice?”
“I understand.” He hummed one last time, “Very well. The prison rules do say you are allowed to practice your religion while being held here. I'll get your things, but they will be returned to the impound room directly afterwards.”
“Oh that's fine with me. Thank you mister...” Amber trailed off to prompt her guard to say his name.
“Corporal Willow Taproot.”
“Thank you Willow. I promise I won't give you any trouble.” Amber vowed silently adding, 'At least, not severe trouble.'
Taproot wheeled Amber back to her cell in science. It was a fairly long walk. It took them five minutes of walking across two floors, six corridors, and included one stop for a sandwich at the cafeteria along the way to arrive at Amber's cell. It was a simple stone brick room with a single bed, desk, and bucket of water, made unique by one simple modification. Instead of the iron bars like the other cells Amber's had panels of clear crystal joined together with a tough resin. It was meant to prevent her from draining a guard completely and stealing his keys.
The cell's walls were decorated with parchment drawings Amber had made. All prisoners were allowed some small comforts. Amber had asked for her guitar first but apparently musical instruments which could be used to bludgeon somepony were out of the question. So instead she had taken up drawing. Sketches of her old home, a few friends, and many exotic fantasy landscapes made up most of her work. They ranged in quality from amateur to decent and were pinned up with small splotches of the green resin Changeling pods were made from.
Taproot quickly unlocked the cell and pushed Amber inside, unlocking her chains and straitjacket with one quick, well practiced motion. “I'll be back with your box in just a moment.” He promised.
“Thank you.” Amber said polity, giving him a smile as he removed her manacles.
Taproot nodded, closed the door, piled everything up onto the cart and pushed it out of sight. The moment he left Amber stepped over to the desk and took a pencil and a sheet of parchment and began to sketch out the rout from her cell to the isolation room before it faded from her memory. The rout was fairly complex, as the prison utilized a maze like design for the cell blocks. However, the isolation rooms were meant to be visited by ponies not affiliated with the prison and therefore were arranged in the style of a normal building. From that point heading upwards should lead her out.
The moment she finished her map Amber flipped it over and started to sketch on the back. Within a few pencil strokes a picture of a small village at the foot of a towering mountain began to take shape. She could hear somepony's hoof clicks echoing down the hallway as she sketched, and within a few moments Taproot's voice asked, “Is that where you used to live?”
“No. I lived in the mountain. This is a Batpony town we protected in exchange for food. I did have some friends there though.” Amber set down her pencil and turned to face the cell door. Held in Taproot's right hoof was a small, unadorned, darkly stained wooden box.
“Oh, I see. I have your things.” He informed sliding open the small slit in the plate glass door to push the box through.
“Thank you again. This is very important to me. I owe you big time.” Amber said as she picked up the box in her mouth, walked to the center of her cell, and sat on the floor, setting the box in front of her.
Taproot sat down outside the cell, watching for anything which might be out of the ordinarily. However his face had a curious look to it. Amber gave him a smile as she opened the book and rummaged through its contents. He had always asked her a few questions every time he saw her, usually about Changelings.
“Now where has that satchel of herbs got to?” Amber mused doing her best to sort through the box's contents without looking suspicious. “This is always so much easier by a fire... Ah there it is.”
She took a small pouch from the box which appeared to be made of faded, rotting green silk and set it down next to her. The smell of dried herbs quickly filled her cell. After a few more moments she took a small glass bottle filled with a red liquid from the box, as well as a small strip of white parchment, a quill and ink, a flint, and a small steel rod.
“What is in that vial?” Taproot asked concerned.
“Incense, meditation is the biggest part of this.” Amber lied.
“Ah. Carry on.” He gave her a nod.
Taking her quill, Amber wet it with the ink, and began to write a complex series of arcane runes, marks, and symbols in a fine spidery script. She started on one side of the parchment and carried over to the other, filling in as much space as she possibly could. Every so often she glanced up at Taproot, she could see the interest in his eyes. He wanted to ask her about what he believed to be a religious ritual but was clearly too respectful of her faith to do so, despite not being a part of it. 'Ponies,' Amber giggled mentally, 'It's amazing how respectful and trusting a people gets when they haven't had a war in a thousand years.'
As soon as she had finished the parchment strip Amber opened the pouch and removed three dried flowers. Each flower had a bright radiant look to it despite being dry, the deep amber colors and light pink rippling lines colored each of the three heart shaped petals still seemed to be alive. Amber placed the flowers on the parchment strip and rolled it around them tightly before taking the flint and steel in her hooves and striking them to produce a spark. The parchment lit instantly as the spark touched it, a ghostly green flame quickly consuming the offering.
Amber took a deep breath, inhaling the smoke. For a brief instant a blue-yellow glow enveloped her, as if she were a piece of silver in the moonlight. The moment the glow vanished Amber smiled, her eyes glow brightening visibly as a rush of energy shot through her body. Knowing Taproot would realize something was up she quickly snatched the glass vile up, pulled out the stop, slid the opening into a slit in her mask and drank the red liquid down, her eyes brightening even further.
Taproot jumped up, “What are you doing?” He demanded, a hint of fear in his voice.
“Ah! It's good to have some mana again.” Amber smiled, stood up on her hind legs and thrust one hoof into the air. With a sound like glass raindrops hitting leaves a mass of blue-white energy built up around her hoof. In a single motion she threw the ball, and let another form around her other fore-hoof, spinning and letting the second fly after the first.
The first ball streaked through the air with a sound like cracking crystal and slammed into the glass door shattering it into countless shards and throwing them every which way. The second ball smashed directly into Taproot, exploding in a wave of concussive force and throwing the pony into the iron bars of the cell across the hall with a sickening crash.
Taproot slid to the ground, the cell's bars dented inwards. As Amber trotted over to his side the other prisoners in her hall started shouting. Cries of, “By Celestia! Let me out too!”, “Woo! Go get 'em bug!”, and “Quick get his keys!” filled the hall.
Amber laughed and called down the hall, “In a moment everyone.” She placed a hoof on Taproot's neck, frowning as some blood dipped down his forehead. He had a pulse but it was very feint, he could die at any moment. Working quickly Amber took his right hoof and placed it against the inhibitor ring on her horn. With a magical spark the ring's adhesive burned away and the mask's straps unbuckled, allowing her to slip off the ring and the mask. “There we go. Now then I think I promised not to hurt you buddy, but I needed your hoof so sorry about that.”
A deep green magic aura lit her horn as Amber levitated her box to her side and pulled a small pale yellow gemstone. “Here have a lifegem, that should pull you through.” Amber placed the gem on his chest with her magic, took his hoof in her own and crushed the gem with his hoof. As the gem cracked Amber felt his pulse grow just a little stronger. “There you are, you should live now.”
“What are you saving the lock jockey for?” a voice asked.
Glancing over her shoulder as she searched Taproot's unconscious body for the prison key, Amber noticed the Batpony stallion across the hall and to her left sticking his head as far as he could through the bars to see. “Because, I plan to do this...”
Amber concentrated on Taproot's form. His colors. His size. His movements. His voice. In a flash of green fire her form quickly twisted, stretched and morphed, leaving a copy of Taproot in place of her usual self. Whistling happily Amber quickly stripped Tap's armor, dressed herself in it, grabbed her map, tucked her box into a saddlebag, then opened the Batpony's cell with a wink. “Remember Corporal Willow Taproot let you go.”
The stallion winked back, “Why of course you did sir.” He reached under his mattress and pulled out two crudely made lock picks and walked off, whistling as he went.
Amber smiled and then quickly frowned. She desperately snatched the wooden box from her bags, opened and rummaged around inside, her right foreleg impossibly thrust into it up to her shoulder. After a few seconds she pulled a guitar out of the box, somehow the large instrument unaffected by the narrow box's opening. “Oh thank god! I don't have to look all over this place for you.”
She gave the guitar a loving pat. It's black neck had silver frets with pale green metallic arcane runes decorating the spaces between them. It's unusually flat body was shaped like the out stretched wing of a bat and made of a deep near-black purple wood. In place of a hole and chamber to amplify the sound was a silver magic circle surrounded by more arcane runes.
Tucking the guitar back into the box and ignoring a prisoner's confused cry of “How did... what?” Amber pushed Taproot into her cell and started to unlock all the doors in the hall way. With each door she reminded, “Remember Corporal Willow Taproot let you go.” and winked.
With the chaos of an entire maximum security wing loose in the prison Amber figures she could slip away in the form of a guard easily. Also with Taproot taking the blame well the investigation should buy her a few days to get out of the city.
'It's so sad these people think they can make it out.' Amber thought. As the last door clicked open and a jet black unicorn mare gleeful bolted down the hallway Amber smiled. Slipping the map from her saddlebag she looked over her sketch, got her bearings, and headed upwards.
Chapter Three - For a smile they can share the night
Lyra Heartstrings trotted forlornly into the train station at Las Pegasus. She was biting her lip to fight back tears which were forming in her eyes. The last six months had been some of the worst she had ever experienced. Ever since Bon-Bon ended their relationship, unable to deal with Lyra's Human related shenanigans and refusal to get a real job any longer, Lyra had felt as if she were slowly dying. 'I'm sorry I can't get over it. I know I'm obsessed. But Humans, music, and you were the only things keeping me happy.' She mentally sobbed.
Lyra had kept hoping that Bon-Bon was just upset. That it had been just a larger blowup then usual. She would come back to the park bench they had met on one day, and say she wanted her back. But last month Lyra had bumped into Bon-Bon at the supermarket. Another mare had been laughing happily in Bon-Bon's embrace. It had destroyed Lyra to know that her Bonnie was never coming back.
Weeks were spent futilely looking for somepony in Ponyville. Lyra knew full well that Ponyville's supply of lesbians was small, and everypony she knew of had a lover. Bon-Bon had been lucky enough to find whoever that blue furred, green haired, harlot was. In the end she had decided to take a week and go to a city to try a girls club or three. Perhaps she just had to move on and find a new place to live.
Manhattan had been out of the question. If she went there her parents would know she was in town and demand a visit. Canterlot was no good ether, she couldn't stand most Canterlot ponies. Most of the other cities were out too, Lyra couldn't afford to travel very far. That had left Las Pegasus.
She had arrived filled with hope, feeling energized with the thought of a new quest to begin a brand new chapter of her life. Now, after learning that these city girls only wanted to hook up for a night, and that the bright lights of the city were nowhere near as cozy as Ponyville's dim lamps, she was leaving in tears.
It was very late, the clock on the station platform said it was eleven forty-seven. Just minutes life until midnight. Lyra walked up to the teller's booth and passed over a bag of bits. “One for Ponyville. Midnight please.”
The teller gave her a sleepy grunt and passed a ticket over to her in a field of beige magic. “Here.” He muttered.
Lyra took it without a word and sat on the bench, plot on the seat, legs angled over it, spine resting against the back. 'This is comfy. You know Bonnie, you tried it. What's wrong with liking cryptozoology?' Lyra silently lamented.
Trying to take her mind off of things Lyra decided to pony watch. There were not many ponies present, just a dozen or so. A few pegasus were chatting next to the tracks. Some unicorns in cheerleader's outfits were sitting on the benches to her left. Most ponies there were clustered around one spot just out of Lyra's view behind the ticket booth. Curious about what might be so interesting Lyra stood up and trotted over.
An impromptu street performer's stage came into view as she rounded the corner. An old, moth eaten, gray and white cloak had been laid down like a blanket to serve as a stage. An odd looking gunmetal gray cylindrical helmet sat upside done in front of the performer as a change cup, a hoof-full of bits lay shining inside the leather padded interior. The performer stood behind it, a bottle of water held aloft in a green aura, it's contents rapidly vanishing down her lips.
Her fur was a soft white, like fresh snow someone dusted with powdered sugar. Her mane and tail were a vivid red-orange with a brilliant yellow-white stripe down the middle. The full, flowing, long hair seemed to float through the air as she moved making it look like her mane and tail were made of fire. A black cape covered her back and hindquarters, concealing her cutiemark. Lyra assumed it was something music related.
When the mare's eyes opened, Lyra gasped. Her eyes were the exact color of burning coals, and had a comforting warmth to them instead of the savage flame one might expect from the color. Her horn was a little short for a unicorn, and something about the green glow of her magic around it made Lyra feel uneasy. She didn't know why, it was like her brain had misfiled the reason but remembered that color meant something.
The unicorn finished the water and passed the bottle back to a pink pegasus mare with a smile, “Thanks! Right, back to the music.”
She gripped her instrument with her magic and pulled it off of her back. Lyra gasped a second time. 'That's a guitar! Where did she buy a Human instrument? How dose she play it? You would need fingers... Maybe she figured out the trick I use to play my lyre.' Lyra thought excitedly.
Admittedly the instrument only resembled the guitars she was familiar with. It looked like a bat's wing with silver arcane decorations all over its body and fret board. The unicorn's glow moved from the guitar, splitting in two before resting over her hooves. Astonishingly she stood up on her hind legs, gripped the guitar's neck with her right fore-hoof, gave the strings a few prods with her magic, and strummed a single cord with her other hoof nodding happily, “Alright everyone, she's still in tune. Let's go for something with more energy this time. Remember, I really want to get to Ponyville by midnight, so if you can spare some bits that would be awesome.”
She strummed a haunting string of slow, low pitched notes. The guitar's arcane runes shown brightly, proving to not be just for show as instead of the sound one would expect a string instrument to make a metallic, buzzing, electronic sound split the air in a hauntingly beautiful melody. The mare grinned and in a dramatic, melodic, haunting voice intoned “In ancient times...Hundreds of years before the dawn of history...Lived a strange race of people... the Druids.”
She strummed a few more notes before resuming, “No one knows who they were, or what they were doing... But their legacy remains. Hewn by their hands into the living rock... Of Stonehenge.”
Lyra had just long enough to think 'Did she say hands?' before the mare swept her left hoof in a full circle, strike a powerful cord, the song shifting into an intense, upbeat throbbing rhythm and she began to sing in a loud, carrying voice, “Stonehenge! Where the demons dwell, where the banshees live and they do live well. Stonehenge! Where a man's a man, and the children dance to the Pipes of Pan!”
The mare wasn't the best at playing an instrument, but her singing was incredible. Lyra assumed that her guitar might be better played if she wasn't also preforming some sort of dance. While she played, the flame-maned unicorn appeared to dance salsa style with her instrument. Standing on one's rear legs was a challenge, Lyra knew that from experience. The sheer practice that had to have gone into this performance was what made it really special.
Lyra became lost in the song's depiction of a mythical haunted land of dark and strange magics. She could almost see a stone ridden field, filled with dancing humans, a pale ghostly moon glowing ahead with the image of a dragon's face glaring down upon them. Her fantasy was shattered as the song shifted a second time, the notes growing loving, kind, and hopeful. As the mare continued her song Lyra realized that she was staring directly into her eyes.
“And you my love, won't you take my hand? We'll go back in time... to that mystic land. Where the dew drops cry, and the cats meow. I will take you there, I will show you how...” The mare sane with a soft smile before hopping backwards, striking a harsher cord and running off into the next verse.
Lyra felt herself smile deeply, 'She did say hands!'
The song held one more energetic verse before wrapping up with a second haunting monologue and trailing off with a flurry of notes which held a natural sound rather than the instrument's previous electrified tones. Before the mare could finish her song Lyra blurted “I'll buy you a ticket!”
The mare stopped playing with a soft screech of magic on strings, then grinned happily, “Thanks a lot miss! Right then everyone, show's over. Hope you liked me.”
The crowd slowly dispersed, a few ponies commenting rudely about the odd style of music, others praising it for innovation. The preforming mare chuckled and shook her head, “Look at them. They must never have traveled to a Batpony town. Rock's all the rage with them. It's probably the higher hearing range.”
She slung her guitar onto her back with a flourish of magic, got down onto all four hooves and held her right hoof out, “Name's Amber Fire. Sorry about singling you out there, you just felt way too sad. I thought it might help.”
Lyra winced, 'It's that obvious?' “Oh! Um it's nothing.” She quickly shook Amber's hoof, “I'm Lyra. You wanted to go to Ponyville right? I live there, we could ride together if you like.”
“Sure thing. Still need a ticket though.” Amber quipped as she emptied out the helmet and rolled up the cloak with her magic, before stuffing them into a tiny wooden box despite the logical impossibility of it.
“Is that bigger on the inside? I've herd of those boxes, how did you afford one?” Lyra asked.
“I found it in an old keep under some rubble. Most useful thing I have ever owned.” Amer quipped dryly.
“Oh cool!” Lyra remembered exploring a few patches of woods as a filly, 'Too bad I never found anything that cool.' She quickly trotted to the ticket counter with Amber right on her tail.
“Excuse me sir, I would like to buy her a ticket.” Lyra informed, passing over another fifty bits.
“'kay.” came the grunt quickly followed by the ticket and a yawn.
The two mares sat down on the benches. Amber curled up on all fours, Lyra in her favored position. Amber couldn't help but crack a grin, “I had no idea a pony could bend like that. Is that comfortable?”
To Lyra's amazement Amber proceeded to squirm into a similar position before shrugging. “Huh... Ok. Why doesn't everyone sit like this?”
“I know right? It's so comfortable! And you can rest a snack on your belly and just tip your head to reach it.” Lyra replied happily.
Amber nodded, “Look... it's probably none of my business but I don't like seeing a mare all down like that. What's wrong? I wont tell anyone.”
The mint green unicorn frowned, sighing as the sudden good mood vanished. Amber winced as the wave of sadness rippled outwards, her stomach turning thanks to the sheer amount of it.
“Well...” Lyra took a breath and mumbled, “my marefriend broke up with me after twelve years just six months ago.” She looked at Amber shyly, hoping that she wouldn't have a problem with her orientation.
Amber frowned, “I've been there. I'm sorry.”
Relieved to be accepted Lyra opened up, “I just... she already got another marefriend and so I came here eloping to find somepony but everyone here is just a Discord damned fillyfooler. Nopony wants to even try for a real relationship you know?”
Amber nodded, mulling over a few ways to try to cheer Lyra up, “Let me see if I can get this strait. You are from a small town?”
Lyra nodded.
“And you are very lonely right now?” Amber asked.
She nodded again.
“And we are about to get on a train at midnight.” Amber stood up, got to her hind hooves and quickly leviated her guitar into position, “Lyra, the gods of rock just might smite me if I don't play this right now. Besides, I will never get this chance again. Oh, um, this isn't a proposition or anything. I'm not that kinda girl. The propositioning a stranger for sex kind that is. I am the girl who likes girls kind though. Um, I mean, er – ahem...” Amber blushed and gave a guitar string a quick pluck.
Lyra was about to ask what she was going to do when a quick flash of green magic around Amber's guitar cut her off and a string of soft notes began to drift through the air. Hiding her blush with a smile Amber started to sing, “Just a small town girl... Livin' in a lonely world... She took the midnight train goin' anywhere! Just a city b-girl... Born and raised in south Detroit... She took the midnight train goin' anywhere!”
Amber slid her hoof across the strings, making the guitar shriek musically for a moment before continuing, “A singer in a smoky room, a smell of wine and cheap perfume... For a smile they can share the night, It goes on and on and on and on!”
Lyra laughed, the fact that a song perfectly described the situation did cheer her up. Within a few moments the upbeat and hopeful song did it's work. At the second Chorus Lyra couldn't help but sing along, “Don't stop believing', Hold on to that feelin'...”
Amber smiled happily, “Hey! You're pretty good!”
The train whistle blowing loudly jostled both mares out of their impromptu duet. Amber sighed and slung her guitar onto her back, “We finish that later. Your voice goes well with the music.”
“Sure!” Lyra giggled.
The two collected their things, checked to make sure they had their tickets, and then boarded the train together and smiling.
Because of how empty the train was this late at night, Amber and Lyra were the only two ponies in their car. It was a very relaxing experience to have the full cozily decorated room-sized space to themselves. For Lyra it was like having a friend over to just hang out. For Amber it was a novelty to have someone else within the same room as her and not be bound and gagged.
Lyra lay down on her back, stretching out along one of the bench seats as the train whistled and begun to slowly chug it's way down the tracks. Amber sat on the floor, her back to the wall as she gently cleaned her guitar with a small silk cloth. Lyra gave the other mare a few moments before asking, “Soooo where did you get a guitar?”
“Well this one was made for me by an old friend. He's pretty good at carving instruments, as you can tell. This was the first guitar he made, but it works better than it's predecessor did. Then again, I did beat her to hell dragging her all over the place with me.” Amber answered, breathing on the silver runes to polish them.
Lyra rolled over, facing Amber as she continued, “Yeah but I mean, that's a fictional instrument. Or at least it's supposed to be.”
Amber gave Lyra an odd look, “Well... sure... I guess they are not common here. I'm not actually from Equestria. I'm from a country to the north west. These are pretty common up there. Not electric guitars though, these are still pretty rare. But you need one to play the old songs correctly.”
“Oh cool! I've never met a foreign pony before.” Lyra flashed a grin at Amber, her reservations against talking about her hobby slowly falling away, “So you know that the guitar is the signature instrument of humans? Is Human Mythology popular where you come from?”
“Yeah I know that, but Human Mythology is not popular in Duskvale. Sure the music is loved, but that's mostly because of a Batpony five hundred years ago who managed to get some runecraft working which lets you play these with the proper electric guitar sound. The music takes on such a different quality when played with the right instruments. It's almost magical. Some people think that ancient ponies may have used the Myth to hide a music based system for casting spells from the government of the time. So it's popular for that reason. Basically, they think its magic and want to use it.” Amber ranted, lovingly polishing the circle of runes on her guitar to a gleaming shine.
“What do you think?” Lyra asked curiously.
“I think that humans had some damn good music which gets your blood pumping and your body shaking when played just right.” she replied.
'Could she also believe they were real?' Lyra felt her heart skip a beat. 'She would be the first person I ever met in person who dose...' Trying not to seem excited and failing Lyra asked, “Why do you say that? Do you think they were real?”
Amber turned to look at Lyra for a moment. “Well... I do have all the known songs memorized, and I can play them, sing them. I can even write them. I've also traveled all around, seen a lot of different things. You really can see human influence everywhere. Doorknobs for instance, tricky to use with a hoof, piece of cake for a hand.”
Lyra hopped up to her hooves, “Oh my gosh that's exactly what I think too! I've never met anypony else who believes they are real too. We should totally compare notes! Oh um, are you a just like a lore fan or a LARPer? Because that would suck... I'm more of the cryptozoology type.”
Amber held up one hoof in a warding gesture, “Whoa! Don't have a heart attack. I'm not a nerd... Ok I am a nerd, but humans existed. There is just too much proof.”
Lyra sighed, “No there isn't. All we have is speculation... I am so sure that there have to be artifacts out there though.”
“Um,” Amber bit her lip for a moment then started to rummage through her box for a few moments. “Hold on. I honestly forgot that roomer about your country...”
“What roomer?” Lyra asked curiously, twisting to try to see what Amber was looking for.
“There is a roomer in my home country that your nobility actively suppresses certain intellectual discoveries. You know, in order to keep the status quo of your culture going unchecked.” Suddenly Amber grinned, “Ah ha! Here it is.”
Amber winked to Lyra and said as firmly as she could, “This is not authentic. It's a reproduction from sketches of a piece some Dro- um, some miners found while excavating a mountain.” Amber withdrew her hoof from the box taking a dull gray piece of armor from the box and holding it up to Lyra.
Lyra's eyes nearly bugged out of her head, “Sweet Celestia that's a gauntlet!” It looked nothing like the types of Gauntlets which were described in the books Lyra had read, this design was far more protective looking. Instead of only the wrist and back of the hand being plated the gauntlet had an attached leather glove with segmented plates running along each finger to give as much protection as possible without sacrificing dexterity.
“Yep! Officially they say the original must have belonged to a female Minotaur, or a Diamond Dog with a slim frame or dainty hands. But I think we know better right?” Amber winked.
Lyra gingerly lifted the gauntlet with her magic, bringing it closer to inspect. Her eyes drank in every rivet, noted how each plate curved, where they suggested the fingers would have to bend. “There is no way a Diamond Dog's paw would need a three sectioned finger guard. As for a Minotaur, maybe a foal, or caff, or whatever they call their young-ones could use this... But I am really sure that even they don't send children to fight.”
Amber nodded and gently took the gauntlet back, her green aura gently taking it from Lyra's own. “Yep. So it has to be human. Or an ancestor of humans... Possibly some other ape species. But I'm gonna hold out for humans.” Putting the gauntlet back in her box Amber returned to caring for her guitar.
Lyra twirled a lock of her mane with a hoof idly. “So you carry around a replica piece of human armor, a human instrument, and know a lot of human music...” Lyra stopped talking, her voice trailing off in embarrassment.
“What?” Amber asked.
“Oh, um, nothing!” Lyra shouted with a shaky, embarrassed grin. 'Pull yourself together Lyra! It's too early to ask her out.'
Amber raised an eyebrow as the sudden sharp spike of love which welled up in Lyra hit her tongue. 'That's strange... Why dose it taste so good?' Her eyes widened as she remembered what she had been taught in school, 'By the Hive! She is falling in love with me! Um...' Amber faked a cough, hoping to hide her stunned expression in her hoof as she quickly went back to polishing. 'What do I do? If I let her get too close to me she could find out that I'm not a pony... but damn that's delicious... and I will need food...'
The two ponies spent a few minutes in silence as the train chugged on. Each to embarrassed to talk further until Amber came to a decision and cleared her thought. “So, since I am intending to move to Ponyville for at least a few years, I will need someone to help me find a place to stay... Some help getting a job... and at least one friend. Wanna hang out sometime?”
Lyra's face fell at the word friend, 'Friend? Like... only a friend? But... I... No...' Her body went limp as she plopped to the bench.
Amber could feel a crushing wave of sadness flood the train car the second Lyra went limp. 'Ack! How can her despair be this bad every time?' Amber mentally shouted.
A few tears started to run down Lyra's cheeks, “The first pony to ever share my hobby and be into mares and I get friend zoned!” she sobbed.
Amber winced, Lyra's sadness had been disgusting at the train station but this was the single most putrid tasting emotion she had ever had the displeasure of tasting. “No, I was-” Amber's attempt to explain she was being coy died as she felt her stomach churn. 'Oh crap! Why did I eat that bagel back at the station?'
Lyra continued to sob, not noticing Amber queasily backing away. “I should have known better than to get my hopes up... I must not be anyone's type.”
Amber's face scrunched up, she had always been sensitive to negative emotion. Coming right on the heals of that potent love made it far worse, as she had unintentionally eaten a good mouthful of it. Amber's eyes opened wide as she felt her guts contract, “Oh god! Please stop being sad!” she moaned.
“Oh I'm sorry. You only destroyed my first happy moment in months, friend!” Lyra shot a tear filled glare at Amber.
Amber opened her mouth to object, gagging instantly as the action allowed even more of the soul crushing sadness to slip into her system. “Seriously, stop it! I-urk!”
Lyra sank into the seat, eyes turning to the floor. “What do you care?”
Amber couldn't take it anymore. Feeling everything in her system rushing back up she turned away from Lyra and entered into a violent retching fit as her thought fought to keep down what her guts said had to go.
The sound made Lyra look up. Seeing the other mare shaking, and looking away from her she almost said something mean but then the sound the mare was making clicked, “Are you going to be si-”
The distinctive sound of vomiting filled the train car along with Lyra's scream of “Oh ick!”
The second she felt herself stop Amber moaned, and wiped her mouth off with her magic. Seeing a large amount of green changeling spittle mixed in with the orange and dark purple sick she winced. “Oh god that's nasty...” 'Well better hope she has never seen a Changeling's spit-clay before.' The sudden taste of surprise told her that Lyra had.
Amber winced, her stomach was still protesting too much for her to be able to fight. If Lyra decided to attack her she wouldn't be able to fight back.
“Y-you're a Changeling aren't you?” Lyra asked in a surprised but peaceful sounding tone. 'Well I certainly didn't think I would ever have a friendly chat with one...' Lyra's eyes suddenly narrowed, “Where is the real Amber Fire?”
Amber turned around slowly, “I am the real Amber Fire. I made this shape up.” Amber scrunched her face up, spitting out a few splotches of orange, “Go ahead and kill me if you must, just don't be sad. Your sadness tastes like the rotten asshole of a road killed skunk slathered in cheep beer.”
“You were feeding off me?” Lyra asked in a panicked tone, “You were gong to make me a zombie weren't you? Well screw that! Twice is enough for me!”
“Ugh, no I wasn't!” Amber protested, “All Changelings can eat emotions that are just in the air, it's not healthy to drain a person directly... Even if that dose let you pick the good tasting emotions out.”
“Oh.” Lyra noticed she had leveled her horn at Amber. She sat down as slowly as she dared, fearing a sudden attack. “Hold on, why should I believe you?”
“Dose it look like I am lying?” Amber demanded.
“Um... no it just looks like you are sick.”
“Because I am! I can't handle negative emotions. I am guessing you were attacked by Chrysalis? Well she's not normal. In fact, she is gods damned crazy, and so are her groupies! She found a way to eat all types of emotion at once and then use the positive to convert the negative directly into magic. Her plan was to use that power to take over a few kingdoms to impress our High Queen.” Amber squirmed and held up a hoof, using her magic to scoop up all the vomit she could and nodded at the window, “Can you open that? This reeks.”
Lyra nodded and opened the window. Mostly by reflex on hearing someone ask her for help. If Amber was telling the truth that was a lot to take in.
Amber quickly tossed the wad of sick out of the train and shut the window, “Thanks... Ugh... Look. Changelings are not normally predators. Chrysalis thought we should become predators. She was in a huge debate wither mom over that before our Hall was taken over by a dragon. I am alone, I didn't agree with Chrysalis's philosophy, and I am just looking to find a place to live. I've had a really shitty life, like you have no idea how bad it's been ok?”
Lyra squirmed on the bench. Changeling or not Amber was talking like a pony, not some monster. 'But isn't that what Changelings do? Gain your trust then drain you dry?' Lyra wondered. Suddenly a way to figure out the truth hit her. “I... I think you are telling me the truth. But I want to be sure. How do you know about Ponyville?” Lyra locked her eyes onto Amber's body, 'If she shows even a single sign of lying...' Lyra didn't actually know what she would do.
Amber fidgeted for a moment before sighing, “This will sound bad...”
“Just tell me the truth.” Lyra ordered.
“Ok. I was a prisoner at Fort Champron for the last decade, Princess Twilight came to see me to try to learn about Changeling magic and when I learned that there was a place that treated an alicorn like a normal pony and tried to accept everyone I finally had a place to escape to. So I broke out. Then you got me a ticket.” Amber winced, expecting a hostile reaction.
“A decade? Were you a part of the Canterlot invasion? Because your people zombafied me and made me attack Twilight and Princess Cadence!” Lyra asked accusingly.
“No! I was living with my roommate in Trottingham and was attacked by guards. I guess they did a sweep for Changlings after the attack. I never knew why I was arrested until today...” Amber trailed off, kicking the floor with her right fore-hoof gently, “I know why they didn't let me go though... When they arrested me I fought back... I accidentally killed a guard. I only meant to hurt him enough to get away.” Amber sighed. She hated killing without a purpose. It showed as her ears fell and her mouth pulled into a frown.
“You killed a pony?” Lyra asked in fear.
“I seriously didn't mean to! I heard that pegasus were resistant to electricity, so I figured a lightning bolt would just stun him... I um, well... only know one lighting spell. It's apparently too powerful for a pegasus to tank. Look, I really do regret killing him. The worst thing you can do is kill without the need to. It removes a food source, makes all the people in the area sad or angry so no one can eat around there for a long time, and worst of all someone isn't alive anymore who didn't deserve to die.” Amber lamented.
“I believe you.” Lyra said. It shocked her a little, but she meant it. Nothing said Amber was a lie as far as she could tell, and her tone was sincere and regretful. Just like her's had been when she had to come out to her parents knowing it would hurt them.
“You do?” Amber asked.
“Yeah.” Lyra affirmed sliding down into her seat relaxed once again. “So... you're a friendly Changeling. That's well new.”
Amber shook her head. “It's actually very common. It's just... to come to Equestria we have to fly over a large stretch of glacier through Windigo territory so we usually don't come here. Back home we were friends with a colony of Batponies. Normally my people are symbiotes, companionship and protection, in return for food and well, companionship. It just looks like you've had bad experiences with our more... war hungry faction.”
Lyra hummed in interest, “Really? That seems so... wired.”
“Yeah really. Some of us even had Batpony lovers.”
“Hold on, how dose that work? You're bugs. Do you even have sexes?” Lyra asked confused.
Amber gave Lyra a heated glare, “That's really racist you know. Of course we have sexes. Most of us are female. Besides we're shapeshifters, I can be any sex or combination of sexes I want. Watch.”
With a series of flashes of green fire Amber switched herself from female to male, and then cycled between three different blends of stallion and mare traits. After her display she changed back into her white unicorn mare form, “I just so happen to enjoy being female. After all it's what I feel like I am in her.” She tapped the side of her head gently.
Tasting Lyra's interest Amber blushed as well, “Right... I'm going to pretend I can't taste that.”
“You can taste-” Lyra asked blushing deeper.
“It's an emotion isn't it?”
“Oh...” Lyra squirmed embarrassed for a few moments before asking the first thing that came to mind to try and distract herself, “Um, so, what do you really look like?”
Amber frowned, “I'm sure you would find me ugly... and I would rather not taste your disgust. Your sad is bad enough.”
“Please? I want to see... I just, I need to see it so I can be sure I wont be afraid of you.” Lyra informed. 'Because Changeling or not, you just might be my only shot at another relationship. I can't just let someone else who likes humans go just because of their species can I? I mean she is a Changeling so it's not like what she normally looks like matters. She can look like anything she wants... Ohhh that could get fun!' Lyra thought, a silly grin forming on her face.
Amber sighed and closed her eyes. In a flash of green fire her lovingly crafted pony form vanished. Lyra stood up and walked around Amber, taking in her true appearance. She was black, but more glossy looking than the Changelings Lyra remembered. Her chitin had a sort of opalescent shine to it, and her shell was a pale amber color that shimmered in the light giving it the appearance of being on fire.
Lyra dipped down to inspect Amber's hooves and wings more closely. The appendages lacked the holes she remembered others of her kind having, and her mane and tail didn't appear mangy. She couldn't see Amber's head crest through her mane, which had the same shape as her pony form's but at a much smaller volume and size and was colored charcoal gray and black. Her horn was still short, and too Lyra's surprise her face had the same structure as in her unicorn shape. Amber's eyes were the same amber hue as her shell and unlike the changelings Lyra had been attacked by, they didn't appear to be glowing.
“There... are you happy?” Amber asked.
“Yeah. You are weirdly pretty.” Lyra answered surprised by her answer. “How come you-”
“I don't have the holes because I am not overeating or starving. Our bodies can't handle the extra energy and it slowly burns away at parts of us.” Amber closed her eyes, returning to her unicorn form in a flash of green, “Do you really find me pretty like that?”
Lyra nodded, “Yeah. I don't know why though. Maybe it's the shininess... Hold on, both eating too much and eating too little cause the holes?”
“Yeah. You burn your body with too much food, or your body burn's itself for food.”
“And you were a prisoner... How come you don't have the holes? Did they feed you?” Lyra asked suspiciously.
Amber laughed, “I escaped by tricking a guard into getting me my things. Here hold on.”
Amber reached into her box and pulled out a small reddish gold metal flask, “This is called an Estus Flask. The liquid inside it restores your body to it's prime. No, you can't have any. It's hard to get, and it wont work on a pony anyway.”
“Oh.” Lyra smiled, “Sorry for being suspicious.”
“Nah that's ok. I suppose you have a right to be. Oh! Right. So before I puked...” Amber bit her lip, 'Why is this so hard suddenly? I just want to ask her to help me get settled... Is it because she thinks I'm pretty? No that can't be it that's just silly.'
“What?” Lyra asked curiously. It was clear from her posture and tone that she had come to accept that Amber didn't mean her any harm. Besides, her love for the strange and exotic humans was helping her slowly come to love the equally strange and exotic species Amber belonged to. 'Or well, just her at least.'
“I was trying to mention I was being coy... You know, with the 'let's be friend's' thing.” Amber admitted. “It was kinda because you taste amazing when you are happy but well... I don't know... You actually seem really nice. So screw it! I'll give you a shot. And if we just can't click after a while I would like to be friends. Especially because you know who I am.”
Lyra frowned, blushing lightly, “Are you asking me out?”
“Yeah, I guess I am.” Amber admitted.
Lyra smiled, 'Its not like I'm in a position to turn down a date... Changeling or not.' Slipping into her favorite 'sit like a human' position Lyra added, “I won't tell anypony what you are. You just want to live your life. I won't take that from you. I'll help you find a place to life in town too. But as for a date... I'm sorry but I won't let you ask me out.”
Amber blinked, her ears drooping. “But you said I was-”
“Amber,” Lyra winked flashing the changeling a grin, “I'm a top. A stallion asks a mare out on the first date, it's tradition. So Amber, wanna go out sometime?”
Amber laughed, almost falling to the floor. Shaking her head she smiled brightly, “Ok now I really do have to go on a date with you. You are hilarious! Sure let's go out sometime... But we go to a restaurant or something, I have had enough Sad a la Lyra for one year.”
The two mares giggled at the joke for a while before continuing to talk, getting to know one another until Lyra at least felt she had to sleep. Yawning, she stretched out on the bench and curled up. Noticing Amber getting out some parchment and a pencil she asked sleepily, “Aren't you gonna sleep?”
“Nah I don't sleep. I wait.” Amber quipped.
Lyra was too tired to question that statement. So with an “Oh, ok.” she rolled over and quickly fell asleep.
“Lucky...” Amber muttered starting to sketch out a starry night sky over a mountain range, “I'd kill to get to do that again. It's gonna suck being all alone for the next few hours.”
The scratching of Amber's pencil was the only sound in the train car for the rest of the night.
The train ground to a halt at Ponyville Station with a hideous screech of steel on iron. Within a few short moments of the train coming to a full stop, the doors opened and ponies began to file out. Only seven got off the train, most ponies who had been on board were there for the next stop in Canterlot. So were the several dozen ponies waiting to board the train.
Lyra and Amber quickly moved off the boarding ramp to let the waiting ponies climb aboard. As she trotted away from the ramp Amber looked up at the buildings nearby, drinking in the scenery. 'This is quaint even for ponies.' Amber mused as she took in the thatched roofs, waddle and daub buildings, hoof made glass panes, and the cobbled streets. The longer she looked however the more she could see that wasn't quite medieval in it's design.
A good number of buildings had a radio or TV antennae skillfully hidden by a chimney or within the fold of an eve. The old Victorian looking iron streetlamps were retrofitted with electric lights. The town hall featured modern styled architecture, as did many smaller buildings which Amber assumed were shops or other public buildings. The town was only primitive in appearance.
Unfortunately, it seemed that the town's medieval village aesthetic had been completely destroyed. Some newer buildings featured crystal construction. It was easy to tell why. In the distance a large crystalline tree held aloft a towering keep, like a middle finger to tasteful architecture everywhere. Amber assumed this was Princess Twilight's home, and therefore concluded that the princess had employed color blind simpletons for architects.
“So this is Ponyville. Aside from that eyesore of a keep, it's not half bad.” Amber commented.
Lyra nodded, “Yeah. It feels like home, I honestly don't know what I was thinking. Deciding to see about moving I mean.” To herself she added, 'That is so true about the keep... Twilight should paint it to look normal or something. Or maybe they could have Rarity or Pinkie decorate it better.'
The minty mare's eyes suddenly widened. Her tail stood up in alarm, and a sharp gasp caused Amber to look over in worry. “What?”
“You are new in town! And you aren't intending to just pass through. We need to hide!” Lyra looked around frantically for a hiding place before grabbing Amber in her magic and galloping behind a group of trashcans on the edge of the platform.
Amber yelped in surprise, “What? Is there a mafia or something?”
“No! I mean... It's usually not a bad thing but you are a... well you know. Pinkie Pie throws a party for everypony who moves in.” Lyra explained.
Amber giggled, “I am kinda trained for infiltration you know. I'll be fine, it's just a welcome party right? Besides I doubt she will notice me.”
Lyra winced, “Famous last words.”
“I don't follow.” Amber informed with a frown.
“Shhhh!” Lyra hushed, “These aren't just your normal parties, and Pinkie is the mare who organized a town wide snowball war. Not a fight, a real war! With factions, and objectives, and tactical stuff. She's also the Element of Laughter so-”
“Hey Lyra! Why are we hiding?” a high-pitched voice asked.
“Eep!” Lyra yelped.
Amber looked over, perplexed to find a complexly pink frizzy maned mare crouching behind the cans with them. “Apparently were hiding from someone named Pinkie Pie.”
“That's me! Oh! That means I won! Weee!” Pinkie grinned incredibly wide, the sheer wave of undiluted happy that accompanied it hitting Amber like a slap to the face.
“So what are we gonna play next? Oh I know! Let's do a scavenger hunt! I know have a list here somewhere,” Pinkie reached one hoof into her mane and started to rummage around before stopping dead, “Hold on... I don't remember starting to play hide and go seek. Oh my gosh are you knew?”
Lyra nodded a shaky grin on her face, “Yeah she's moving into town. I promised I would help her get a place to stay and well you know how the mayor likes to close the real estate office for lunch-”
Pinkie gasped for a full three seconds, giving Amber a look of shock and surprise, “You don't have a place to live? That's awful!”
“Yeah I know.” Amber said quickly as she realized how the pink mare's personality worked, “I herd you like to plan parties for everyone, but well I don't exactly live here yet. So you know-”
“I know.” Pinkie interrupted with a nod. “You find a house, and I'll plan a housewarming party! After all you can't have a house warming parties without houses! Or a house that's already warm because then it would have to be come a house Hot-ing party, and that could make your house way, way to hot! Like Super-duper mega hot! So just let me know once you have a cold house and then I'll have a party to warm it up.” Pinkie finished her rant with another of those far to wide, far to happy grins.
“Umm... ok...” Amber smiled quickly before looking over to Lyra, “Soooo.”
Lyra started to walk off, “We'll see you later Pinkie! Come on Amber this way.”
As the two mares walked down the street Amber let out a held breath, “Oh god she's creepy.”
“Creepy? Pinkie? How can you think that?” Lyra asked with a concerned look.
“How is she so happy?” Amber asked, sounding a little shaken.
Lyra frowned in confusion for a moment. 'Oh right! She can taste emotions. Ha!' Giggling Lyra explained, “That's just Pinkie. You get used to her. Trust me, her hyperactive happiness isn't the weirdest thing about her.”
The two mares quickly made their way to the center of town, secure in the knowledge that the party ambush had been avoided, for the moment. Fortunately the rest of their trip was entirely uneventful. Without much more difficulty than having to step aside to avoid a small herd of fillies playfully running down the street while screaming 'pew pew pew!' and other sci-fi sound effects, Lyra and Amber arrived at the Town Hall.
The large, tower-like building looked rather busy with at least one pony entering or exiting through the main doors every moment Amber looked at it. Through the large stained glass windows she could see plenty of ponies inside, some apparently having loud, hoof waving discussions. “Um, will we get to see whomever we need to see?”
Lyra needed, “Yep! Don't worry about the lobby. That's where anypony can petition anypony on the town council for whatever needs to be done. The offices for the important things are in the back.”
Lyra led Amber inside, through the densely packed crowd of ponies airing endless opinions, and to a small sign at the back of the room by a door. Squinting at the sign Lyra hummed then smiled, “Real Estate Office, Room 8. Right let's go!”
Amber followed Lyra as she pushed open the door and stepped into the oddly quiet hallway. A few short steps later and Room 8 came up on their left. Lyra knocked gently on the door, a polite “Come in.” greeting them as she opened the door.
A dark red pegasus stallion sat behind the room's large wooden framed desk. He had a board look about him, as if the day was passing about as quickly as ketchup pouring from a bottle. As Lyra opened the door he smiled, clearly glad for a distraction. “Lyra! Good to see you. Is something wrong with your new home?”
Lyra shook her head and trotted to a stool in front of the desk, plopping down atop it and nodding to Amber to do the same, “No it's fine. Actually I'm trying to help her get a place to live.”
The pegasus nodded and held out his hoof for Amber to shake, “I see. Nice to meet you miss, I'm Sunrise Glow, Ponyville's city subsidized housing agent.”
“Impressive resume. Right, so here's how this works. Since Lyra brought you to me I guess you don't have much money?” Sunrise asked.
“No... I'm moving from Duskvale. Traveling ate up all of my money.” Amber answered.
“Duskvale... Where is that?” the stallion took a form from a drawer of his desk along with a quill, “Sorry I have to ask, city records.”
“It's a small country on Equestria's North West border. Good luck getting there though the only safe rout through the ice canyons is in Windigo territory.” Amber answered.
Sunrise winced, “Say no more. I assume you are in the process of immigrating?”
Amber nodded.
“Right. Well city subsidized housing dose count as establishing a residence, so don't worry about that. Now let me see if I have the information right. Your name is Amber Fire, you are a snow colored unicorn with a flame colored mane and tail, orange eyes... Um what is your cutiemark? Would you mind lifting your cape?”
Amber frowned, brushing the old worn black cape with her hoof, “I um, actually don't have one.”
“What? Really?” Sunrise and Lyra asked as one.
“Seriously? How at your age...” Sunrise asked.
Amber nodded and lifted the edge of her cape with her magic, twisting her flank to show the bare white fur.
Sunrise frowned, changing topics, “Sorry... Well then, this will be the first time I write blank in that column. Ahem, now you said you were an alchemist, do you intend to establish a business or will you be seeking employment?”
Amber tilted her head, “Huh... I suppose I could set up a small alchemy shop. Oh... Is this because I have to pay off the house?”
The stallion shook his head, “No. Under Celestia's Social Welfare Act of 1278, article 54 section D, all ponies who claim Equestrian citizenship are entitled to a home which meats the current minimal comfortable living standards. Additionally, all who maintain a residence in Equestria for at least 5 months a year are entitled to a living wage not to exceed the minimum amount required to provide the basic essentials for life.”
“Oh. Why ask me about a job then?” Amber asked.
“Since you are broke, you will be setting up the shop in your home right?”
“Yeah I suppose.” Amber nodded.
“Which means you require a larger area of land. Let see...” Sunrise stood up and trotted to a filing cabinet. He opened the top drawer and began to dig through the files within until he took out a few pages and red them, “Humm... well this is a bit of a problem.”
Lyra frowned, “What?”
“Right now there aren't any residential-shop lots available.” Turning to Amber he asked, “Normally I wouldn't offer this, but you said you were an adventurer. I am sure you can come up with some extra bits, and construction crews are cheep. If you would like I can get you a small home you can convert into a shop and give you the license to modify the building so you can have a basement dug or a second story added on.”
Amber smiled, “I would love a basement actually! I'm more comfortable in a cool, dim, enclosed space.”
Sunrise bang a hoof on the cabinet as he smiled, “Excellent! Now you wont have to find a few months to stay someplace until a few more buildings get built. Right so then I'll just fill out the papers.” He crossed back over to his desk, continued to fill out the form pausing only to ask, “Across the river or on the edge of town?”
“Edge of town please.” Amber answered.
Sunrise nodded, scribbled down the last bit of the form, returned to the cabinet sifted through some folders, slipped the form into one folder, took a single brass key from inside and then held it out to Amber. Taking the key in her magic's grip Amber tucked it into her saddlebag next to her box. “Congratulations Ms Fire, you are now the proud owner of 17 Sunset Street. Lyra, can you show her the way?”
“Sure!” Lyra said with a smile.
“Right. Welcome to Ponyville Ms Amber. Oh! And if you see a pink mare with a frizzy made and tail and three balloons on her flanks-”
Amber winced, “I already met Pinkie Pie.”
“Ah. Good. Well have a great new life miss.” Sunrise smiled and gave the two a dismissive gesture.
“Come on, I'll take you home.” Lyra said excitedly.
The trip to Amber's new home was not a long one. It wasn't a strait one, the two had to take several different roads with many twists and turns. Amber admired how easily Lyra was able to navigate the way, it reminded her of how well she used to know the old Hall. If she kind of closed her eyes she could imagine her old home.
Walls of brown stone supported by arches of green biomass, carved frescoes filled with luminescent moss to light the way. Endless twisting mazes of halls and rooms, perfectly navigable from years of practice. The warm safe feeling of being away from the sky.
When she opened her eyes again Amber smiled, 'It may be open to the sky, but it dose feel safe here.'
Her thoughts were interrupted when Lyra cheerfully announced, “Here we are!”
Amber looked up. Leading away from the road a fair distance was a simple dirt path leading through a freshly mowed grass lot to a decently sized house. It had a wooden tile roof instead of the town's normal thatched design, each tile was stained a reddish brown color something akin to a mocha. It contrasted nicely to the lighter colored wooden supports which crisscrossed the walls and formed the windowsills. The front door was colored the same as the roof and had a black iron handle along with a knocker.
The building looked to be cozily sized. There would be just enough room to convert the structure into an alchemy lab and a store front. For anything else she would have to dig. 'Good thing I always liked burrowing. Oh! I should do everything like my old quarters!'
Noticing Amber's grin Lyra smiled even wider, “It feels great docent it? I remember getting my first house. Well, apartment. It was in Manehatten. When I moved to Ponyville I felt like I was completely free. No neighbors only one wall away, and all the space to myself... Then well... I got lonely. So you know if you ever feel like you need company...” Lyra trailed off blushing.
Amber nodded, “Sure, after you show me where you live and at least two dates.”
“Oh right. We agreed to go out to eat. When do you want to do that?” Lyra asked curiously.
“How about you pick me up here tomorrow night? I'll have a lot of digging to do, and I'll need to get some cash together to get some remodeling done for a shop. Is there anyplace I can sell things?”
Lyra nodded, “Yeah, just follow the street off to the left and you will find three pawn shops. Oh and there is the park I play at just past the last pawnshop, if you put a hat out ponies will give you a few bits, just dance or play or sing, begging is not illegal but well, it's kinda rude.”
Amber nodded, kicked her left hoof against the ground for a second then timidly wrapped her arms around Lyra in a quick hug, “Thanks.”
Lyra' heart sped up, she returned the hug, pulling her forelegs perhaps a bit too tightly before letting go, “No problem... See you tomorrow night?”
Amber nodded, “Yep.”
Lyra gave her a smile then happily skipped off down the street, the smile sticking with her all through the night.
Amber's first day at her new home passed quickly. There had been a lot to do, after all opening an alchemy shop was a better plan then her original idea of just singing for money on the street. First she inspected the interior of the building, sketched out a new floor plan for the remodeling, decided where to set up a garden for ingredients on her property, and estimated how long it would take to dig a suitable living quarters under the house.
After that she had to sort though her belongings to find anything she could part with. That was a difficult task. Her Bottomless Box was filled with all kinds of things, some were powerful artifacts, some were magic trinkets, others were objects that had just tickled her fancy, or she kept a hold of because who knew when she might need a spare blade or five. Fortunately there were plenty of gemstones, bits of precious metals, potions she could get rid of, and a few weapons she could sell without winding up causing damage when someone got a hold of it later.
The first pawn shop she had tried purchased most of her potions and some of the silver bits she had. The second had snatched up the blades she brought and simply claimed were “antiquated”. The third had taken the rest of the blades, the metal, and her potions. After asking why no one was interested in the gemstones Amber was informed that gemstones in Ponyville were nearly worthless, due to a massive mining operation for all sorts of gems made possible by a local pony with a talent for finding gemstones, and a deal she made with a mining guild.
She was also told that the same fashion designer, a unicorn named Rarity loved to use gemstones in her products and might buy some of the more interesting gemstones from her. After getting directions to Rarity's shop Amber arrived to find the Carousel Boutique closed until tomorrow, a note on the door saying the owner had gone to Canterlot for the day. Deciding to return tomorrow before her date with Lyra, Amber trotted back into town to hunt around for a few supplies and hire a construction crew.
Much to her surprise Ponyville had a booming industry of craftsponies. Within a half hour of searching she found a carpenter's guild, proposed the remodeling with a group of workers, got a quote for a mere 340 bits. Even more astonishing to her was the fact that the work ponies left their guild hall with her to start work immediately. Once on site their foreman informed Amber that they should be done by sundown, as the job mostly involved removing two walls and adding supports to the ceiling to make up for their removal.
While her home was being worked on Amber went out again and picked up a few tools she would need for digging herself a living space. The pick, mason's chisel, and mallet did cost her a little more than she wanted to pay, but she could tell the tools were of fine quality. She commented on the quality as the store clerk rang up her purchase, and was drawn into a conversation on masonry and subterranean architecture. Amber may not have been a Drone, but she had picked up the basics of shaping stone, and like every Soldier in a hive she was trained in how to fortify a position. It was a little difficult for her to rephrase everything to not blow her identity, but in the end Amber felt she hadn't blown her cover and defiantly enjoyed talking to someone else who preferred stone overhead.
She returned home with her new tools about an hour before sundown to find the construction crew had finished and polity waiting for her on her lawn to pay them. Their foreman had taken the opportunity show off their work, which was quite good, it was hard to see the structure had been modified. To Amber's annoyance they insisted on an extra 90 bits in payment, due to 'unforeseen difficulties in concealing the remodeling'. Paying them had her right back where she started, completely broke.
However, she had her tools, a home, and the entire night to work before she should be able to make a little more money. An unexpected bonus was a few pieces of scrap materials left behind by the construction crew. A quick assessment showed there was enough wood left to make two signs so Amber decided to delay digging and make up a sign for her shop.
An hour later, with two nicely shaped signs fashioned from the scrap wood and cut to shape using a hand axe she found in her box ready for decoration, Amber realized she had no way to mark the signs. She didn't have any paint, or markers, and pencil wouldn't show up on wood well. She did have ink, but it was given to her while in prison and tended to fade badly over time. Eventually a small iron rod caught her eye and the idea of heating the iron to burn letters into her signs occurred to her.
That is when Amber noticed the fireplace. It was left untouched by the construction workers and was in the room she had designated as her lab. 'I have a home, with a hearth in it.' Amber suddenly realized. For the first time in a long while there was a fire she could call her own, which as located in a safe place also of her own.
She trotted over to the hearth, it's smooth gray stone bricks had a rustic quality to them. The fireplace was quite large as the room used to be a kitchen and this was meant to be used for coking. Amber smiled, 'This is great! I can't even remember where my last bonfire is. Now I can have it in my home. I'll know exactly where I will turn up if anything goes to shit.'
She grabbed the remainder of the scrap wood with her magic and arranged it in the hearth. The moment the kindling was arranged into a nice pyramid Amber opened her box, took out a shortsword, and a strip of red cloth. The cloth was quickly tied around the sword's hilt like a ribbon, then in one quick motion Amber slammed the sword point down into the middle of the kindling with her magic. Taking a deep breath Amber moved as close to the fireplace as she could, sat down, closed her eyes and began to meditate. Amber focused on her past, reflecting on her life was always her go to choice for meditation.
This was only the second bonfire she had built. The first one she made many years ago, only a few short days after maturing from her nymph stage. The very first day of her adult life Amber started to remember things she had never done, places she had never been, creatures she had never fought. She struggled for months to find out if the memories which had suddenly appeared in her head were from a past life, or insanity. That question was had been answered by that first bonfire. The crackling orange flames had spoken to her, filled her with hope, made her feel safe, replenished her soul, and astoundingly enough summoned her box to her side allowing her to use magic which she had believed only existed in her dreams.
It had taken her years and years of meditation to fully unlock everything she knew now and even still she couldn't remember everything. It wouldn't have ever been possible if her soul magic didn't catch the attention of her hive's High Queen. Her first few cracking blue soul bolts were delivered while High Queen Polygyne the Uniting had been inspecting her soldier's training regime. At first her highness wondered if Amber's Sargent had discovered a way to train changelings into having a new ability, or unlocked some latent magical potential, but after a few months of study and questioning Amber it became clear that her abilities were unique.
The more Amber came to remember, the more skill at arms she developed. Her fighting style became unorthodox, relying on standing upright, and using her magic fields to enhance her hooves ability for fine manipulation of weapons instead of telekineticly wielding them. She swiftly became known all throughout the hive for her method, not only because it was strange, but because it worked incredibly well for her. She made a name for herself in the ranks, and when a large group of diamond dogs assaulted the village her hive had protected her methods proved to work in battle as well as in duels.
The High Queen asked her to train others in her style after that, but noling was able to use it as well as Amber did. It was instinct for her. In her previous life she had fought so many times that she subconsciously shapechanged herself selectively when in danger. Her stance and muscles going from a normal Soldier's to something different, something which could stand atop battle rather than push through it. The shape needed to preform as she did wasn't intuitive for her hive sisters, only three others had managed to replicate it.
Under her Queen's orders Amber trained them in the sorcery she herself was still remembering how to use. The four of them became Polygyne's personal guards. For a long time, life was wonderful. She had a place where she was needed, loved, and respected. She had friends and comrades. Then in one single night all of that had been taken from her as the dragon took over their Hall, crushing the hive in the process.
That night was perhaps the most important in all of Amber's life. The others had rushed Polygyne out of the Hall, Amber staying behind to prevent the dragon from simply filling the escape tunnel with fire. She stood up to the beast for only a few short moments, then it had crushed her underfoot like a common insect. Amber remembered that moment perfectly. The fear, the pain, the adrenaline. She knew it was the end for her, there was no time to dodge, no possibility to block or deflect. She had slipped up, and because of that she had seen her own organs burst from her chest before everything turned black.
Then she woke up beside the bonfire she had lit those several years ago, unharmed but understandably shaken. She wasn't confused, she remembered dying countless times in her past life now. She knew that if killed she would awaken next to a bonfire she had lit or attuned to. But she didn't know why.
By chance Amber was found by a zebra alchemist. She helped Amber learn to meditate, how to allow herself to remember more, and even taught her the basics of Alchemy. It took her two months of instruction at the zebra's hoof but she found her answer. Dying had awakened a dormant part of her soul, up until that moment she had been a sort of half-reincarnation of a long dead warrior. But in death, a fragment of that warrior's soul which survived the nothingness of the abyss joined with her own, passing on a curse and a blessing.
The sudden crackling of flames startled Amber out of her mediation. In the hearth before her danced a bright orange flame. The fire radiated warmth, hope, joy, and fellowship. She could almost taste it like an emotion. There was life to the fire. Her bonfire was ready.
It seemed almost like sacrilege to use this flame simply to heat iron, but Amber still needed to make her signs. She stood up to retrieve the iron rod and jumped in shock, bright daylight poured through her windows. She had been meditating all night, “Damn! Did it take that long to light last time?” Amber asked herself, quite confused.
Before she had time to try to remember how long it should have taken someone knocked on her door at a rather excited sounding pace. Completely baffled that someone was knocking on her door Amber trotted over and opened the door with her magic, “Hello?”
Standing in the doorway were three young mares who looked to be in their late teens or early twenties. The first Amber noticed was an orange pegasus with a strait purple mane and tail, deep purple eyes, and a cutiemark of a winged wheel. The second was a white unicorn with curly pink and purple mane, leaf green eyes, and a cutiemark of a microphone and a bar of notes that Amber noticed was the 50's cord progression. The last was a yellow earth pony who had her red mane and tail bound with ribbon into two practical looking braids, pumpkin orange eyes, and a crossed carpenter's hammer and apple slice cutiemark.
“Hi!” the three greeted loudly in unison.
Amber blinked to try and process why anyone would be at her door. The short pause was all the yellow pony needed to start talking in a light southern drawl, “I'm Applebloom, these are my friends Sweetie Belle and Scoots.” she pointed one hoof to her friends as she spoke, “We heard that you just moved in and are an alchemist, but also play music and used to be an adventurer.”
Scoots nodded, “Yeah! You sounded pretty cool, so we thought we should say hi.”
“Also,” Sweetie Belle added, “since you are not from Equestria I thought you might have a few good songs you might be willing to teach me.”
“How do you know where I live? Or that I even moved here?” Amber asked suspiciously.
“I'm friends with Sunrise, he mentioned you.” Scoots answered. The orange pegasus fluttered her wings slightly, “Also Lyra was singing love songs in the park this morning, and Pinkie is planning a new pony party, so basically the whole town knows someone just moved in.”
“Oh.” Amber commented.
“So how's your alchemy?” Applebloom asked curiously, “I tried my hoof at alchemy for a while, but I didn't quite get the hang of it.”
Amber stepped outside, closing the door behind her. “I don't have my lab set up yet, so I'm not open for business. I'm not sure what I'll be selling exactly ether. I do plan on selling stamina and magic replenishing droughts, but I'll have to think on what I can make that wont get me in trouble.”
Applebloom nodded, “That could sell pretty well... you know, long as you don't get any side effects from them.”
“What about music? I would really love to hear any songs from your country!” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Do you have any about your old adventures? Why did you stop exploring stuff?” Scoots asked, eyes filled with excitement.
'Looks like digging a basement will have to wait.' Amber groaned inside her head, “I can play a few songs for you later, I was planning on finding someone named Rarity to try and sell some gems t-”
Sweetie Belle grimaced, “Oh, don't go with that cape on. My sister will keep you in her boutique for hours ranting on about how you should put on something so old and worn.”
Amber hummed, “What? She's your sister? Excellent! Do you know if she is currently buying anything? I'm completely out of bits.”
“Rarity is always buying gems. If she finds one she loves she will use it as the centerpiece for something sooner or later. But seriously, take that off or you might wind up getting a full dress fitting.” Sweetie warned.
“Good to know,” Suddenly a playfully malicious thought popped into Amber's head. “So, you are saying that your sister is a cliche fashionista?”
Scoots laughed, “That is so not true! But she is obsessed with clothing being prefect.”
“Sweet!” Amber grinned widely and opened her door, retrieving her box with her magic while snickering.
Applebloom tilted her head curiously, “What are you doing?”
“Just picking out some old clothes.” Amber informed opening her box and rummaging through it, “So um orange one... Scoots right?”
She nodded, “Yeah.”
“Right, I used to adventure all around my homeland and the neighboring kingdoms. You... wont have heard of any of these places but I can show off a bit of my collection to you.” Amber informed.
“Awesome!” The three mares shouted.
Amber took a black tabard out of the box. It looked very old, the fabric was moth eaten, faded, ripped in places, and threadbare in others. The front was emblazoned with the image of a dear skull. “I got this as a reward for saving a knight's life, another knight was out to kill him.”
Setting the tabard down Amber proceed to take out other bits of clothing. All of them were in just as poor shape as the first garment, none of them were the same color, and each had its own story. When she was finished Amber swept off her cape, causing the three to gasp loudly, “What?” Amber asked concerned.
“You don't have a cutiemark!” Applebloom exclaimed pointing.
“Well aware.” Amber replied, slowly putting on the clothes she picked out.
“But, all the stuff you did to get those clothes...” Scoots frowned, “You have to have a special talent for adventuring!”
“I am actually a far better fighter then I am an adventurer. I just never got a mark is all. I don't really care about it anymore, I'm tool old for that kinda thing.” Amber said, tying a sash about her waist with her magic. 'Maybe I should have come up with one when I made up this shape...' Amber mused, 'It's not like I have any Batponies to distinguish myself from while I am shifted here.'
“You have no problems not knowing what your special talent is?” Sweetie Belle asked in awe.
“I like to think that I traded my ability to be amazing in one thing, to be good in one thing and ok in a few others.” Amber frowned and reached into her box, rummaging around for a set of old leather pony boots she knew were in there somewhere.
“Yeah but you should still... I mean you look about as old as my sister, and we got ours years ago. You...you... you are going to walk into my sister's ship dressed in that pile of old rags aren't you?” Sweetie asked, her confusion trailing off into a prankster's giggle.
“Yep!” Amber replied with a wink as she found and slipped the boots on over her hooves.
Rarity hummed in concentration, three red ribbons held aloft in her magic, each one spending a few molments at a time atop a swatch of shimmering golden samite fabric. Each ribbon was exactly the same shade of cherry red, but each slightly diffed in the pattern of threads. 'Smooth strait lines, diagonal uniform lines, or woven diamond patterns?' She mused.
The ringing of the boutique's bell shook her out of her concentration. Laying the three ribbons atop the fabric sample Rarity lightly cleared her thought, slipped her glasses off with a quick flourish of magic, and greeted, “Good morning, welcome to the Car-” Rarity's greeting cut off the second she noticed her customer.
Or rather her customer's ensemble. Whomever had entered her shop ha done so in the single most ruined outfit Rarity had ever seen. Not one article within the outfit was intact, everything at least three rips, two runs, three threadbare patches, faded beyond belief color, and was positively filthy. Her voice somewhere between a scream and a gasp Rarity asked, “Celestia above! Where on earth did you get your ensemble?” her voice cracked, a deeply concerned expression not only covering her face but also her body posture.
The pony smiled, her mouth barely visible behind the hanging rags of her hood, “Oh I just picked it up piece by piece.” A green aura of magic levitated a small cloth bag out from a fold in her clothing, “I have recently moved into town and-”
Amber swore she only blinked. Suddenly she found herself standing on a small raised podium, her hood and cloak having been removed from her person and currently being tied onto a dress form by Rarity's blue magic aura, “...wanted to know if you would like to buy some gemstones?” she finished in a confused mumble.
“We will talk business later darling, help me get these off of you.” Rarity ordered, her magic stripping off the outer layers with precision, “The medieval look dose look good for you, but you simply can't walk around in a museum piece!” She scolded.
“Museum piece?” Amber asked, frowning in a half upset manner as she took off the sash holding her tabard on.
“The fabric your cloak is made from appears to be several thousand years old,” Rarity informed, inspecting the article closely, “Judging by the thread count and how much the fabric has faded, this is not a reproduction. Assuming I am remembering the date of this particular design correctly, you are trotting around in an authentic suit of clothing from the period just before the Reign of Discord.” Rarity trotted up to Amber and glared directly into her eyes, “So. Take. It. Off.”
Amber gulped and nodded, quickly stripping herself down to the fur and gently laying out each article. A few seconds after she stripped down the sound of the three mares she had come with laughing reached her ears. “Pwahahaha! That backfired so hard!” Scootaloo laughed, quickly sitting down to hold her sides.
“Backfired?” Rarity asked as she put the clothing carefully onto a dress form, “Did the three of you get this mare to put this on as some kind of a prank?”
Applebloom nodded, “Well... kinda. But it was her idea in the first place.”
Rarity turned to Sweetie Belle, “You shouldn't have encouraged her. This might be the only relatively intact piece of clothing from the era. This could revolutionize the next five years of fashions, and with how old it is...” She shook her head, “Well let's just say that a stray leaf could possibly tear it.”
Amber smiled slowly, “So you like it?”
“Like it? No. Far to drab and ruined. But this is an exceptionally rare treasure, it deserves respect and I could learn a lot from it.” Rarity turned to face Amber with a questioning look on her face, “You mentioned you had something to sell correct? Would you part with the clothes? I would like to make pasterns from them and well this outfit belongs in a museum.”
“Sure, why not. It's not like the clothes do anything.” Amber answered. She floated her saddlebags back on, having slipped out of them in her haste. “What would you be willing to pay me for it?”
Rarity pressed a hoof to her chin in thought, “Well, it's a priceless historical relic. But then again these sort of things always have a price do they not? I can offer you a fair price, certainly not as much as somepony else might be willing to pay you-”
“I need to set up an alchemy shop. How about you fund that and I'll give you these clothes and the rest as well.” Amber offered.
“You have more?” Rarity's ears stood up sharply, “I cant even imagine where you would get a single entire outfit and you have more?”
Amber nodded and took her box from her saddlebag ad began to rummage through it. “I'm a retired adventurer. Most of us wind up with large collections of things. I picked up this lot in a land called Drangleic. Don't bother looking for it on a map, you wont find it. It's all ruins, bone dust, and a surprisingly large amount of things that want o eat you.”
Amber spent a half hour taking out items one by one for Rarity's inspection. Applebloom, Sweetie, and Scoots gathered around as well listening as the foreign mare recounted her adventures and the story of each piece. She wasn't the best story teller, but it was fun to talk to someone about the adventures she could remember. By the tenth piece, a blue and white knit shawl, she had gotten a little to into telling the story and had taken a long thin silvery sword from her box to duel an imaginary foe with as she spoke.
“So there I was, standing with one hoof on the crumbling railing, and the other firmly planted into the face of the Hollow, the other one with the axe came charging up to me and smashed my sword out of my ha-er grip and it went sailing right into the lava! Now his buddy up on the roof top chose that moment to fire an arrow and pegs me right in the back. I don't know how he managed it but he got right though my armor. My whole right side goes limp, and I start to fall backwards into the lava. So I reach out and grab hold of this shawl which was around the axe guy's neck to try to pull myself to safety. The roof guy fires a second shot and hits the axe guy, who swings widely in a death flail and knocks me right onto the bridge and lets go of his axe which goes flying, smashes into the bow guy and knocks him clean off the roof! It was awesome!”
Her four listeners had grown entirely silent. “Ya'll were shot in the back?” Applebloom finally asked in a skeptical voice.
“Yeah.” Amber replied, lowering her sword in confusion.
“And it paralyzed your right side?” Rarity asked with a single raised eyebrow, “I for one can enjoy a tall tale as much as the next pony but there is an art to telling them.”
Amber smirked, “Oh! I gotcha how am I ok now. Magic healing fire ball.”
Scootaloo deadpanned, “Really?”
Amber nodded, Closed her eyes and slowly raised one hoof. A flickering gold light winked into existence only to flare into a bright, yellow, sun-like ball of radiating light, “Yeah. Here watch.”
“Watch what?” Sweetie asked before yelping in unison with the others as Amber slid her right foreleg along her sword, cutting herself rather severely.
Rolling her eyes at the response Amber held out her leg, the light pulsing for an instant, it's yellow energy stretching out and knitting the flesh back together. “Relax, that didn't hurt and the damage is fixed. That will stick around for a few minutes by the way. If you got hurt in like, the last hour or so step into the light.”
Applebloom nodded impressed, “So... Magic healing fire ball.”
“Yep.” Scoots said bluntly.
Amber slipped her sword back into the box and gave Rarity a little wave, “Right so that stuff's all yours. I have to dig a basement and I got a date tonight so I need to go. I'm sure your daughter, or sister, or whatever she said she was can tell you were I live.”
She trotted out of the shop humming softly to herself. 'It will be nice to spend a few hours digging. Should I do a flat bed or a bowl? I could use spittle to form a sort of clay cover and shape out a nice depression in the top-'
“Hey wait!” Scootaloo's voice interrupted her thoughts.
The orange pegasus zipped up next to Amber, her eyes filled with awe, “Are you telling me you actually fought three stallions in a crumbling keep over a bed of lava?”
“Yeah.” Amber kept walking.
Scoots wings buzzed, “That's amazing! I thought you were just well you know, making stuff up! That's totally right out of a Daring Do novel! You should totally teach me how to fight. I mean you use your hooves like you were in there right? I could learn!”
Amber shook her head, “You can't actually. I use my magic field to give myself better dexterity with my hooves. I've tried it without that going but I just cant ever move things right. I basically trade my ability to cast unicorn magic for better manipulation and grip.” Amber explained.
“But... you cast a spell while holding your sword.” Scoots frowned slightly in confusion.
Amber nodded, “Yeah but that's not unicorn magic. Anyone could do that.” Suddenly a thought occurred to her, “Actually... Pegasus are supposed to be nimble. Humm tell you what I'll let you give it a shot.”
“Awesome! Heh, I'll totally use it to show up mother next time we have a sparing match. She wont just magic her way to victory next time!” Scoots grinned wickedly.
The two made their way to Amber's home and stopped in Amber's yard. 'I really don't want to teach some random mare how to fight... Thankfully my methods wont work for her.' Amber chuckled. The large front lawn would make for a perfectly suitable arena. Taking her sword from the box Amber set it down on the grass and continued to dig though for something to let the other mare try. “Ok so I got rid of a bunch of my blades yesterday but I still have a fair sized armory. What do you want to try first? Sword, polearm, axe, mace, spear?”
Scoots shrugged, “What would be the easiest?”
Amber slid a long spear from the box and levitated it over to Scoots who grabbed it with her left wing, tucking it under the limb to hold it. She blushed lightly, “I um... I'm kinda handicapped. So I can't really move this very well like this.”
“That's cool. You're gonna use your fore-hooves anyways.” Amber replied. She bit her lip for a moment, 'Right... stealth shift. Hopefully she won't notice.' Amber focused on the several small changes she used to fight like he old self. A few green embers flared around her joints, neck and back for an instant as she reshaped the parts selectively. Partial shape changes were never clean, the sound of grating bone and popping tendons accompanied the embers.
Scootaloo winced, “Are you ok?”
“Yeah, I'm fine.” Amber pushed herself up onto her hind legs, standing as stably as she could. “Just popping a few joints. Right, can you stand up like this?” 'This should get rid of her.' Amber grinned confidently.
Scootaloo frowned, “Could you stand up like tat a few more times?” She asked politely.
“Why?” Amber asked.
“Well I don't think most ponies should be able to do that, you got some talent. But as a filly my friends and I were abducted by changelings and well, it's hard, but I can kinda do a little of their shape changing. If I see you do that a few more times I might be able to stand up, ad that seems key to how you fight since you occupy your hooves with a weapon.”
Amber stared unblinking at Scootaloo for a few, long, silent molments. “What?”
“No seriously! Mom really pissed off their queen once, so she tried to destroy Ponyville as revenge. It didn't work but her soldiers did manage to capture Bloom, Bell, and me. What's her name... Chrysalis? Anyways she kept us in a pod thing. I figured we wouldn't get any food but a few changelings brought us some realy terrible soup. I figured they felt sorry for us, but anyways I ate it and-”
Amber's left eye twitched, “She put fillys in a pod... and...”
Scoots frowned, “Are you ok?”
“No! No I am not ok! That raging idiot put a child into a god damn stasis pod, didn't put you to sleep, and didn't even notice when her Drones did what they normally do with pod held captives, and gave you Broth. It's a fucking miracle you are alive right now! No one is supposed to be awake for the conversion process and Drones are too stupid to give the right dosages!” Amber grit her teeth and hissed, doing her best to repress the building murderous rage.
Scootaloo's ears raised up in alarm, “I should be dead?”
“Yes! Look... Changelings can convert ponies into Changelings. It's a long, slow process, takes months. It's also very dangerous, especially if done to young ponies. Basically if there are not enough Changelings in a hive to reproduce, ponies can be converted, or at least that was the original idea behind the recipe. It's half spell, half alchemy, you are lucky in that the bits of your biology that changed didn't end up killing you.” Amber growled and punched the ground, “Just throw out all of our traditions the second you can! Is that what you decided? I swear if I wasn't dead set on retiring I would track you down and-”
“You're a changeling aren't you?” Scootaloo asked calmly.
Amber winced, “Shit... Um... you didn't hear anything!”
“Relax! Not everypony in a tribe is the same, so why would you guys be? Besides, if you were infiltrating why would you show off unique powers? That would be incredibly stupid. I won't tell anypony though, most ponies here would be afraid of you.”
“But not you?” Amber asked nervously.
“Nah. I don't think you want to hurt anypony. Besides, if you hurt me, mom would beat the crap out of you, and mother would get one of the Princesses to banish you into the sun or something.” Scoots replied.
A bad feeling started to bubble up in Amber's guts, “Um, who's your mom?”
Scoots puffed out her chest, “Rainbow Dash, element of Loyalty and Honorary Wonderbolts Ace Flyer.”
“Oh,” Scoots added quickly, “I have two moms actually. Sorry, I'm used to everypony knowing that for me 'mom' and 'mother' are two different ponies. So Rainbow is mom, and Twilight is mother.”
“Who?” Amber asked, eyes widening a little bit, 'Oh shit I think I just revealed myself to the worst possible pony...'
“Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. Come on, I thought even a foreigner would know our princesses.”
“Gods dammit...” Amber cursed. Taking a deep breath she sat down on the grass, “Ok... So how about this, I teach you to shapechange properly and you don't tell your mom who I am ok?”
“Um, why shouldn't I?”
“Because she visited me in Las Pegasus before I broke out of prison there and would totally put the dots together in a heartbeat and ruin my whole, I just want to live a nice normal life again thing.” Amber answered.
“Hold on, you are the same ling that she went to interview?” Scoots snickered, giggled, then fell over laughing, “Oh my Celestia! She is still across the country on a city wide manhunt for you hahaha, and you literally are right down the street form her house!”
“Yeah. I figured no one would look for me here. Also she described it as a nice place.” Amber admitted.
Scoots stood back up and wiped a tear from her eye, still giggling. “Um... can I at least tell her that somepony said they saw you somewhere else? I'd like to have mother home again. Oh and you were gonna show me how you stand like that.”
“Yeah. Sure.” Amber groaned. “This is why they said Soldiers can't do infiltration work isn't it?”
Lyra hummed happily, bouncing her way up the street in a manner very much resembling Pinkiepie. 'My first date in months!' She mentally screamed in delight as she rounded he last corner before arriving at Amber's new home.
Skidding to a stop she took a deep breath, doing her best to calm down and not appear to overeager. Unfortunately she had stopped to ask a friend what to do on her date and they had wound up drinking coffee together as they talked. 'I really should have told the Batista I was joking. I hope 12 shots of espresso isn't a deadly dose.'
The second she felt calm Lyra trotted down the street slowing down for a few moments in confusion as she spotted Amber with Scootaloo of all ponies. The two appeared to be practicing martial arts, each was squared off against the other, and wielding what looked to be a blunted wooden spear. Lyra remembered Scootaloo being interested in learning how to fight, and she assumed that Amber knew how to, but the real question was much more simple. “Scootaloo, when did you learn to stand like that?”
Scoots yelped as her name was called, the distraction allowing Amber to get a jab in and knock her onto her left flank. “Ow! Ah, pony feathers...” She cursed.
Amber shook her head, and held out a hoof to help Scoots back up, “You need to focus better. Also dodge. Learn to dodge.” Turning her head to face Lyra, Amber smiled and plopped down onto all four hooves, “Hey! You're all ready to go out then?”
Lyra nodded, “Yep! But seriously Scoots, when did you learn to do that?”
“Amber taught me.” the orange pegasus replied, “It really dose make fighting easier to know how to balance like that. I could probably make the Canterlot University boxing team if I could just get stepping back on two legs down.”
“You'll get used to it. Oh and for the record Lyra knows.” Amber informed, levitating the gear the two had been using to practice back into her storage box.
“Oh. Well that's good.” Scoots grinned and closed her eyes in concentration, a thin line of green flame rippling over her fur as she pushed her joints back into the normal shapes for a pony.
Lyra grinned, “You taught her how to shift properly? That's awesome!”
“I know right?” Scootaloo grinned widely.
“She has a ways to go still, but it looks like she was given the full shape changing capacity. She just lacks the instinct to control it. Hold on, dose the whole town know you can do that?” Amber asked curiously.
“Yeah. I found out I could do it at a party Pinkie was throwing. So word spread like wildfire. Took a week to prove I wasn't a changeling. I guess I should let you two go then. More practice tomorrow?” Scoots asked.
Before Amber could reply a cyan pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tail dropped from the sky, landing with enough speed to be missed if a pony blinked. “There you are Scoots! Since Twi's still out of town I figured we could go get dinner at the Hay Burger tonight.”
“Sure mom! Oh! This is my new friend Amber, she's teaching me a fighting style from her home country.” Scootaloo replied.
Amber winced, Scoots earlier description of her mom as being able to beat the crap out of her seemed quite accurate. 'There's no way I could visually track that pegasus at her top speed, and a punch from her at even half her full speed could likely go clean through my skull.'
Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder at Amber, turned around and offered her a slim smile, “Oh, hey there.”
Amber held her hoof out to shake, but quickly pulled it back in holding I to her barrel and offering a bow. 'That was close! What the fuck brain, yes just shake hands with a princess's wife.' “I am most honored to meet you, your highness.”
Dash blinked, “Um, I'm not royalty.”
“You are wed to one of the rulers of this Kingdom. While I understand that Duskvale's nobility has a different hierarchy from Equestria's, I assume that being wed to a monarch is still a mater of status. As a former Royal Guard I have to respect your position.” Amber explained.
“Well when you put it like that I guess you have a point,” Dash said giving Amber a smile, “But well we are pretty chill in Ponyville, and Twi actually made it illegal to refer to her by her title within city limits unless it's official business. So you don't need to bother with the whole 'praise the royals' thing. Besides, I'm awesome on my own merits.”
Lyra cleared her through, “I don't mean to be rude but the two of us have plans for dinner as well.”
Scootaloo leaned over and whispered something to Dash who grinned lewdly. “Oh! Heh. Well have fun you two.”
She and Scoots walked off down the street, talking about each others' day as they went. Amber smiled as they went, “That was the most refreshing encounter with nobility I have ever had.”
“Twi and Dash are just regular ponies.” Lyra explained, “Twilight was appointed to her position, and she married Dash for normal people reasons not some horse-apple of a reason like most nobles do.” Giving Amber a smile and a little eager bounce Lyra asked, “So what are you in the mood for? There are all kinds of places in town to go eat at... I mean I know you can't eat much but you have to like some pony foods right?”
Amber nodded, “I like soup. We do eat physical food sometimes, you know, if there isn't enough to go around. I've never found a pony food like Broth, but soup is close and some is even halfway decent.”
“There's a cafe on Stirrup Street which has good soup, it's not too far way.” Lyra said excitedly trotting off in the direction of the restaurant.
As the two walked they did their best to keep up a simple conversation. Lyra did her best to avoid any subjects which might accidentally get Amber to say something somepony shouldn't hear but after a short while she couldn't help but ask, “So you're teaching Scootaloo how to fight. Where did you learn?”
“Why are you asking?” Amber counter questioned.
“Well, almost no pony in Equestria really can fight. Even the guards are a little poorly trained. It's interesting to know somepony who can.” Lyra explained.
“Well, I was trained to fight since I was five. Pretty normal for my species really. High Queen Polygyne did make a few changes to the standard training for my brood though. The idea was to try and train us to more easily take over territory. She was gearing up to drive some of the monsters out of her mountains to allow a Batpony village room to expand. That sort of thing is necessary where I'm from. In Equestria you are perfectly safe aside from the odd creature attack. You've tamed your kingdom almost completely, and well since your ruler can simply hit any nation she docent like with solar flares no one dares make war on your country.” Amber sighed.
Looking at Lyra she continued, “It's not very fun. I guess you read about battles and stuff in school or for fun. But it really isn't fun. There is a primal joy to it and I have always loved wining a duel, but an actual fight for your life sucks. Especially if you get injured.”
Lyra nodded, “Well yeah... but still, it's a rare skill to me. That's interesting. Besides knowing somepony who could save me from a timberwolf is pretty cool!”
Amber nodded in agreement. “Yes. It is nice to protect your home and people. That can have an element of fun to it. But the actual fighting is horrible. Especially in mass combat. I only was in a real battle once, and well um, it didn't end well for us.”
“How bad was it?” Lyra asked in morbid curiosity.
“I got goomba stomped by a dragon, and probably got my Queen killed because I couldn't delay the beast long enough.” Amber answered in a flat tone.
“... Oh...” Lyra's ears drooped sadly.
“It's fine, that was a really long time ago. It is the worst thing that's happened to me recently sure, but I've had worse.” Amber said trying to cheer her date back up. “How about a less depressing topic? I invented a spell which modifies your normal telekinesis to enhance your hooves grip using a five fold manipulation point system.”
Lyra made a face as she attempted to understand what Amber meant. Suddenly she beamed a massive grin, “You made a spell which lets you use your magic like hands?”
“Yeah. I figured you might like it. You saw me playing my guitar, that's the spell I was using. There are a few advantages over normal telekinesis, you can put your own muscle strength into the motion and it's less mentally taxing... but well you know, touch range.”
“You totally have to teach me how you do it!” Lyra informed, she opened her mouth to continue speaking but stopped, frowning deeply as she spotted two ponies at the cafe they were headed to.
“Ugh... let's find someplace else.” Lyra mumbled.
“Why? Is that it up ahead? It doesn't look buis-”
Lyra pointed with one hoof towards a cream colored mare with a blue and pink curly mane and tail, “That's my ex, and her replacement for me.”
“Oh, I'm sorry.” Amber looked where Lyra was pointing, stopping in surprise. “Hold on a moment...”
Lyra lowered her hoof, “What?”
“Stay here if you like, I need to get closer. Something smells.” Amber answered starting to trot foreword.
“What do you mean? Nothing looks-”
“No Lyra, I meant smells literally. I'll be back in a second.” Amber slowly trotted down the street, doing her best to look inconspicuous and thus failing horribly at it.
She moved closer to the mare Lyra had pointed out and her blue friend. Amber sniffed the air as she walked, trying to see if she really smelled what she thought she was, or if she simply was remembering the scent. As she got within a dozen yards of the two ponies Amber nodded to herself, 'Yep. That's a changeling sent trail.' she confirmed. 'But who made it?'
The trail led directly to the blue furred mare. She didn't look out of place, just a normal earth pony. She had the standard pony build, strait banged, shortly cut green mane and tail, green eyes, a cutiemark in the shape of a green bean pod. But the smell. It came from her. Amber narrowed her eyes, ether she had recently spent a few hours with a changeling in her natural form or...
Amber looked down at the street for a moment, shutting her eyes tightly in the hopes of preventing any of the tell-tell blue glow of a hive link from showing. She opened herself up, searching for an active hive mind, and found one. 'Thorn? How the hell is she still alive? Did her majesty make it out then?' A smile formed on Amber's face as a small spark of hope filled her heart.
The blue furred mare sputtered, some of her drink splashing Bon-bon's cheek. “Amber?” The mare choked, her head twisting to the side to look directly at Amber. Bon-bon didn't react at all.
Amber blinked, severing the connection before trotting over to the table and sitting down, “Hey Thorn. Long time no see.”
“You're telling me! I thought you were dead. We should talk later, my marefriend and I are on a date.” Thorn smiled, her eyes flashed green. Bon-bon nodded dumbly.
'Crap. She's infiltrating... I wonder if she has more then the one puppet.' “Sure. When and where?” Amber asked.
“Sunset, our house on Oat way. It's number 19.” Thorn decided.
“No problem, I'll be there... Just one question, I'm moving in here. I'm not encroaching on any territory am I?” Amber asked trying to sound casual.
Thorn winced, “Oy... Look Amber, deception isn't your strong suit. Maybe take some acting lessons sometime ok? I'll tell you everything later. I just want to enjoy lunch now.”
Amber nodded, “Ok. See you later.”
Turning around Amber trotted back into the street doing her best to merge with the crowed before looking about for Lyra, jumping a foot in the air when she appeared right beside her. “Ah! Don't do that!”
“Sorry... I um...” Lyra pursed her lips for a moment before asking, “What was that about?”
“Oh, the blue mare is a friend of mine. Why don't we go to my house? I'll tell you everything.” Amber offered.
“I really couldn't care less about that love steeling meanie.” Lyra huffed.
“You kind of hit the nail right on the head there Lyra.” Amber said giving her a serious look, “Trust me, you want to hear this.”
“Fine...” Lyra sighed.
The two went back to Amber's house and as soon as Lyra was inside Amber shut the door, looking out through the glass to make sure they had not been followed. “Ok. We should be clear.” Turning to Lyra Amber informed, “Thorn, the blue mare, is a changeling. Also your ex is currently her puppet.”
“What?” Lyra asked her eyes narrowing.
“I'm not joking. I swore I smelled a sent trail, so I followed it in case someling other than me lived here. Turns out one dose. Her pony name is Rose Thorn, she was one of the Royal Guards too.” Amber sighed.
“What?” Lyra's lips pulled back in a snarl.
Amber held up her hooves, “Don't get mad at me!”
“I'm not mad at you! I'm mad at that brainwashing dungheap!” Lyra shouted, she slammed one hoof into the ground, “I am going to go squish that bug right now!”
“Don't do that!” Amber warned, “At least not yet.”
“Why not? I've had one of you controlling me before, I know what it's like to be trapped in your own head while you do things you aren't wanting to do.” Lyra's eyes widened for a moment in realization. “Maybe Bonnie didn't break up with me! I'll bet that cockroach made her do it!”
Amber's eyes narrowed, “Hey! Knock that off. We aren't even insects!”
Lyra growled, “Sorry! But-”
Amber paced the room as she spoke. “I know, stay mad. You can use that later, but we need to know what's going on. Thorn was always a good warrior, but she lacked initiative. If she hasn't changed in the last decade, which she might have, she is probably working for someone else.”
“What so changelings are attacking again?” Lyra asked.
“Maybe. Or maybe it's just a few of us trying to survive.” Amber bit her lip, “Look... If it's just Thorn here I'll help you get your marefriend back. If it's more than that well that depend son what's happening.”
“Wait, you found her by smell. If we go around town you could smell if there were others.”
“No I couldn't. I found her because she was laying a scent trail. Which is bad, that's usually ment to direct Drones around a hive. Also our shapeshifting is complete, I smell like a unicorn right now not a Changeling. Besides Thorn is a Harvester, she's very adept at taking shapes and creating identities. She could just go to ground now that she knows I'm here, assuming she thinks I'm a threat.” Amber kicked one hoof against the floor in thought.
“So what do we do then?” Lyra asked eager for some sort of plan.
“I need to know why she is here, then we can plan. She asked me to meet her at sundown at a house somewhere in town. Can you show me where 19 Oat Way is?”
Lyra growled, “That's Bonnie and my home. I could take you there with my eyes shut.”
“Good... Because I'm trying to retire, and I'm also really rusty at military operations. Tell me everything about the house. If this is a trap I want to know where the exits are.'
The sun sat low on the horizon as all of Ponyville quietly began to shut down for the night. The shops closed down one by one, ponies went home, the street lamps flicked to life. A few bars and the town's nightclub were the only places which were not winding down or already resting until the light of Celestia's sun returned in the morning.
Lyra and Amber stood side by side on Oat Way. The residential cobble street was almost entirely deserted, only a few ponies who were headed home were moving up or down its length. Amber looked towards the 19th house on the street with an angry sadness. Lyra's looked at the house as well, but with anger alone.
“You still haven't told me the plan.” Lyra accused.
“Because you won't be doing anything yet.” Amber answered, taking her saddlebags off with her magic.
“But I should know what the plan is!” Lyra snapped. Her face fell the moment after her outburst. “Sorry, I'm just... anxious I guess.”
Amber sighed, “I understand. Look... I've done this kind of thing a lot. It's not going to be good, and someone will be hurt or dead by the end of this.”
Lyra frowned, “Yeah! That... that dungbeetle will be the second I get my hooves on her!”
“Thorn was laying a scent trail. We normally do that to direct Drones... they are basically mindless. Follow any order you give them. Without a trail they can get lost and do some weird things.” Amber explained, “Thorn probably has a bunch of Drones, and it is likely she is getting the town ready for them to operate in. That has some nasty implications.”
Lyra paused for a moment, “Like what?” she asked with a curious expression.
“Like she plans on modifying the town by having the Drones dig and build. Or, more likely, she is using them to attack, probably to capture the town for a food resource. Meaning she or someone she works for wants a mobile food supply, and is willing to drain ponies dry. Or she is working for a non-Changeling who wants slave laborers.” Amber's aura unlatched the clasp of her saddlebags as she spoke, retrieving her bottomless box from the inside.
“Oh... So you think she is going to attack us?”
“That's the most likely event. Also, my Adventurer Sense is tingling, I'm pretty sure that this is going to end with me standing blood soaked and half dead atop the corpse of... I don't know... some sort of floating blob creature that's little more than a giant eyeball and a fanged maw with a bunch of tentacles that end in more eyeballs.” Amber said with a strait face.
“Has that happened to you?”
“No. But it would be in line with my track record of small things like this which get way out of hand and end in a fight against some kind of ancient horror.”
Lyra nodded. The minty mare took a half step back from the house. “Sooo what are you going to do?”
“Well I am going to go in full armor, armed to the teeth, with potions in my bandoleer ready to go. If I'm wrong, I look silly and I can live with that. If I'm right, I am ready for the inevitable trap.”
Amber opened her box and started to sort through the contents with her magic. A green glow spilled from the box as she slowly took out item after item. It took Lyra a few molments to realize Amber was getting a suit of armor ready. A quick ripple of green flames accompanied Amber as she stood up on her hind legs, joints popping as they reshaped. “It's fitted to me for when I'm standing this way.” she explained, nodding at the pile of armor.
Amber slipped into the armor piece by peace. First a padded shirt and pants, followed by some formed pieces of a material Lyra feared was leather, then a chainmail hauberk, and lastly several dozen black metal plates. It looked like a fairly complected task, her magic had to individually move, attach, and then adjust each piece. Fortunately it didn't take Amber more than a few minutes.
The assembled armor was jet black. It was stylized to appear like a series of organic themed mechanical parts with an over all pony-like shape with most parts blending together as if the plates were the carapace of some strange creature. The silvery chainmail hung a ways down her hind legs almost like a dress providing a splash of color to the blackened steel. Amber's helmet left her horn uncovered, but could otherwise be described as a dome bottomed bucket with a T shape cut out of the front.
A flash of green fire lit up the inside of the armor for a split second as Amber dropped her unicorn guise. Her horn glowed green as she levitated a large towershield from the box and slipped it over her left foreleg. A second later and her slender silvery sword was held loosely in her other hoof. As a finessing touch Amber took a green cloak and fastened it to her breastplate. As the cloth draped over her shoulders, the image of a seven pointed crown in black embroidery was displayed prominently as if it were a badge of office.
Lyra frowned, realizing in that moment exactly what was about to happen, “You... you don't need to do this. We can call the guard.”
“No we can't,” Amber looked over at Lyra, her yellow eyes faintly glowing through her helmet's view slit. Amber hissed a long sound of irritation, “And here I was just two days from retirement.”
Amber took a few steps towards the house, looking over her shoulder to call, “The moment anything bad happens, get what's her name and run. We will meet back at my place.”
Lyra nodded and gulped, her heart speeding up to a rapid pounding beat.
Amber looked at the door. Behind it could be any number of opponents, all manner of deadly traps, any deadly beast under the sun. 'Only an idiot would take the door.' She decided. “I'll keep the damage to a minimum.” Amber called then turned towards a window, raised her shield, and charged.
Amber covered the ten yards to the window in a few short seconds of rattling steel. She jumped, tucked her legs behind her shield and smashed through the glass in a thunderous crash of glass and metal. Her iron shod hooves slammed into the wooden floor, biting into the timber. Shield held aloft she quickly scanned the room. 'Empty.'
The room was only empty for long enough for the changeling to stand up. Thorn galloped into the room, her pony guise covered in a suit of bronze Equestrian guard armor, and a flanged two-handed mace was held tightly in her tail. “I knew you were working with another hive!” Thorn exclaimed, transitioning to a bipedal stance with a subtle green flare, her armor shifting with her. “You were always so dedicated. You always have to have a master.”
Amber grinned, “I'm on my own actually. Trying to retire.”
Thorn rolled her eyes, transferring the mace from her tail to her right hoof. “You kept your old armor... Are you still blindly loyal to Polygyne?”
Amber nodded her head. “If her majesty is behind this, I will happily take this town in her name.”
Thorn's eyes narrowed, her lips pulled back in a sneer for an instant only to be interrupted by an exasperated sigh, “Look, I always cut you some slack. You did figure out a good way to fight, and you can't hold too much against someling who had their skull caved in like that. But you need to get over the old hag, if she is still alive she rules over noling today, and her hall is a dragon's toilet. You are a good Soldier, work for us.”
Amber shifted her hooves, putting her shield between herself and Thorn as well as readying her sword. 'You insolent unbaraki!' Amber clenched her teeth in anger. “Who's 'us'?”
“I know you hate her, but Chrysalis is the rightful heir to the Hives. The other Royals are all dead. She isn't all that bad seen from within her service.” Thorn sighed, “But you really hate her. So now-”
Amber lunged, her sword flying point first directly for Thorn's left eye. Thorn leaned right, swinging her mace to smash Amber's blade off course. “-I have to parry your attack.” Thorn finished as the clash of steel echoed through the house.
“You don't know if her majesty is dead, you only assume so. Serving Chrysalis makes you a traitor.” Amber spat sweeping her blade to slash Thorn from right flank to left shoulder.
Thorn nimbly hopped backwards, avoiding the blade and screeching out a quick phrase in changelish, “Hazkal, ara'novor or!”
Within molments eight unmorphed Changeling Soldiers burst out of the kitchen, instantly firing a barrage of green magic rays. Amber's shield took one direct hit, a layer of molten metal running down the surface as the outer layer melted under the impact. The rest of the rays smashed through the house's wall, leaving a three pony wide hole to the street.
'Knew it.' Amber muttered to herself. She focused for a moment allowing a blue white nimbus to build up around her sword-hoof as she prepared a counter attack.
Thorn sprinted forewords, sweeping her mace and smashing it against Amber' shield with a sound like a hammer striking an Anvil. Shock ran through Amber's arm, the shield's straps being the only thing keeping it in her grip. With a growl Amber thrust her hand up, a blue bolt of magic slamming into Thorn's left side.
Thorn cried out in pain, stumbling backwards. Amber slammed her shield forwards, catching Thorn in the chest and knocking her to the floor. Amber stabbed her blade downwards, hoping to impale Thorn, only to dive to the side as Thorn's squad fired off a second salvo. The green bolts hissed through the air, punching holes in the wall with explosive flashes of green.
Thorn rolled away as well, springing up in a flash of green fire, shapeshifting her injury away, then charging in mace held low. The moment she came into range Thorn unleashed a hail of sweeping blows, hammering against Amber's shield, striking at the damaged spot. Amber was forced back by the assault, her quick steps taking her out through the hole in the wall into the street.
The changelings hesitated for a moment before shifting into a rainbow of different unicorn shapes and advancing towards the hole to keep their leader covered. Amber's shield leg began to throb with pain. Fighting through the distractions about her she conjured another ball of blue light. Seeing the glow Thorn jumped back, shouting “Zharr!”
Her command brought another salvo of magic rays, several burned shallow pits into Amber's shield. Amber did her best to ignore the new assault. Flicking her fetlock down the conjured blue orb split into a dozen small bolts which sprayed outwards in a wide arc, making a sound like shattering glass. Thorn dropped, ducking under the barrage at the last minute. Her soldiers were not as lucky.
Three of them took most of the bolts, collapsing in pain as their disguises dropped in a green blaze. 'Three down. More in reserve most likely. She's better than she used to be and I'm rusty.' Amber observed. 'Shit.'
Thorn sprang nimbly back up, a flare of green spawning her large insectoid wings for just long enough to leap upwards, soar a dozen feet into the air and come slamming downwards mace first. Amber side stepped, countering with a horizontal slash which Thorn parried with her mace's haft, dismissing her wings to maintain her earth pony guise. “You are better at battle magic, but I know that suit's too heavy to fly in.”
Amber grunted and lashed out with a floury of strikes, scoring two shallow cuts on Thorn's forelegs. Thorn growled as she was hit, kicking with one hoof against Amber's chest throwing her back. The remaining troops took the opportunity to fire again, one ray burning a hole in Amber's cloak.
“Oritsir!” Amber cursed harshly, pulling her shield up to block the Soldier's line of sight.
Taking advantage of the distraction Thorn muttered softly to herself, moving one hoof over her mace as a dull blue glow enveloped the weapon. “Hey! Do you remember the last time someone used this on you?” Thorn called.
Amber's head turned, her eyes widened in terror. She didn't remember, she couldn't remember, but she remembered what she had been told. Thorn spun the mace in a circle over her head, sweeping it up into a high guard, the blue glow crackled around it like fire. She stepped forewords swinging the mace strait down. Amber rolled to the side, the stone where her chest had been exploding in a concussive blast, shards of stone zipping off into the night.
Thorn let the mace bounce back upwards like a smith at an anvil, slamming her weapon down again. Amber rolled once more, a second explosion of magical energy blasting a head sized hole into the street. Thorn let her mace bounce a second time, Amber pulled her shield up, the mace struck the stressed metal, and with a sound like a bell cracking in half the shield split into three large chunks. Ambers foreleg shattered along with her shield, the magical energy penetrating her armor and heading right for her exoskeleton, pulverized green flesh oozed from the gaps in her left foreleg's plates. There was far to much pain for her to scream.
Thorn pulled her mace up to strike again as it's glow faded away, pausing for an instant to see if she had felled her opponent. Ignoring the pain of her shattered limb with a surge of adrenaline, Amber stabbed upwards with her sword amid a scream of rage and pain. The blade's icicle like point plunged into Thorn's left hip, skidding off the bone before bursting through the other side. Leaving the blade inside her, Amber rolled back, pulling herself to her feet, her injured leg dangling limp at her side, still dripping.
Thorn screamed, she let go of her mace with one hand to reach for the sword lodged in her hip. Her squad cried out in alarm, three of them firing magical rays. Amber dove forewords, grabbed Thorn with her good hoof, twisted herself, and threw Thorn into the three rays flying their way. For an instant Thorn vanished in a flash of green light and a cloud of burnt fur smell.
The magic burned the fur off of Thorn's left side as the ray's energy rippled across her. Her mouth opened in a silent scream before she hit the ground with a sound like a wet sack of flower hitting dirt. The two soldiers who didn't attack ran forewords, dropping their pony disguises before scooping Thorn up and rocketing upwards with a buzz of straining wings.
The remaining three's horns auras shifted from green to blue as they prepared to use battle-magic, only to wink out entirely as one shouted, “Tok'kad!” quickly pointing in Amber's direction, returning to changeling form and taking to the air.
“Yeah, you better run.” Amber laughed softly, hissing with each breath as her shattered left foreleg shot pain all through her. 'Oh gods I think it's egg shelled...'
Something massive slammed into Amber's back knocking her to the ground face first and pinning her in place. “This one's secure!” A stallion's voice bellowed.
“Your highness, these three are dead.” another called from down the street.
“Blaze Bolt, try to catch those changelings!” a mare's voice ordered.
'I know that voice...' Amber realized. It was hard to place the voice's owner through her pain but suddenly it clicked, 'Oh crap! It's Twilight.'
Thinking quickly Amber took a breath to speak, “Sorry for the trouble, Royal Business. Tracking down rebel traitors, did not mean to engage them-”
“You are in full battle armor, you meant to attack.” Twilight said accusingly.
The guard pinning Amber town twisted her up into a sitting position to face Twilight who continued, “Funnily enough I just spent three days hunting for a changeling only to find that my home is being attacked by them...” Her eyes narrowed as she looked through the helmet's slit visor. “You're eyes are... those are yellow. Dose anypony here know what that means? Is she some sort of special caste?”
Amber shook her head, “No. It's just an eye color. Blue is pretty, so we shift to have it normally. Look my leg's broken and I am unarmed. You can have your stallion let go.”
Twilight twitched as she recognized Amber's voice. “By Celestia's mane... You were here the entire time?” A eye twitch and a burning glare of repressed rage fluttered across Twilight's face for a moment, sending a jolt of fear down Amber's spine. “Somepony get some rope, or chain, or anything to tie her up with.”
“Wait!” a voice cried.
Amber looked towards the sound, Twilight and the dozen guardsponies turning as well. Lyra stepped out of a hedge beside the damaged house, a dazed and wobbling Bon-bon laying across her back. “Wait!” she called again trotting carefully so she would not drop Bon-bon. “Your highness, Amber only fought them because they were changelings and they had Bonnie brainwashed and were doing some smell thing to our town and we were really sure that they were planning something really bad like the last attack and-”
Twilight sighed, “Lyra, this changeling is a violent criminal. I might have let her go if I found her a few days ago, but I just get off the train and the first thing I hear is a pony screaming about an attack on Oat Way. Now three changelings are...” Twilight frowned, “Dead... Ok maybe you have a point. But she is still a fugitive.”
“For a crime that happened forever ago and she is really sorry for!” Lyra shot back, starting to sound angry.
“She can defend herself.” Amber muttered trying to ignore her leg, and the guard who was putting all kinds of pressure on it.
Twilight sighed and turned back to Amber, “Lyra... she is dangerous. Amber told me about changeling battle magic, we don't have anything that can prevent her from casting it, it's not like a weapon we can take from her. She... you, are also a trained soldier I can't let you run free even if I wanted to.”
“Look, I seriously want to retire. My Queen is probably dead, I am tired of fighting, I don't like it, and from what you described Ponyville seemed like the one place I might be able to fit in. I only wound up killing today because well, defending your home is the responsibility of every citizen. I even bought a house here. I... Why am I trying to use our honor code as a defense to a pony?” Amber sighed.
“Honor code?” Twilight asked curiously.
“Maybe Zecora has a potion that could suppress her magic? Would you let her go then? Please Twilight? She saved Bonnie for me.” Lyra pleaded.
“Wait, Zecora?” Amber asked looking up quickly, “Short zebra mare, talks in rhyme, amazing at alchemy?”
“You know Zecora?” Twilight and Lyra asked in surprised unison.
“Yeah! She taught me alchemy. She lived with the Batponies just outside my hive's hall. Look, she will vouch for me, I do not break oaths, and I own a home here therefore I will not harm anyone who lives here.” Amber smiled, her hopes starting to rise.
“Well...” Twilight frowned, sighed, and turned to three of her guards. “Please bring Zecora to the castle. Everypony else escort the prisoner to the thrown room. Lyra, you come too. I'll have somepony get Bon-bon treatment. Amber, if Zecora can assure me that you will not harm anypony in Equestria, I will think about granting you amnesty if you also appear to be truly sorry for your crimes.”
“Yes!” Lyra exclaimed gleefully, “Seriously, Twilight, she's a hero! Amber deserves a second chance.”
“Well... I gave Discord a second chance. I suppose that makes it only fair to give you one too. At least as long as you are not dangerous.” Twilight gave Amber a glare her voice regaining an angry tone, “Even if you did make me tramp all over Las Pegasus for three days.”
Amber laughed through clenched teeth, “Sorry about that. Didn't think you would look for me personally... Could I slip into my unicorn shape please? Because seriously, leg, broken, pain.”
Twilight looked to her guards and nodded. The stallions formed up around Amber, those with spears pointed them at Amber's throat.
With the tell tail flash of green fire shining through the openings in her armor Amber was once again her favored white unicorn self. Her formerly injured leg quite fine, at least in this form. “Oh thank the gods! That is so much better.”
“You can heal yourself with shapeshifting?” Twilight asked curiously.
“Kinda, I didn't imagine my leg broken so it isn't. If I change back its broken still.” Amber answered, smiling shakily as she added, “Also, your guards are aiming for all the wrong spots... Need someone to teach them how to fight someone in full plate?”
Twilight rolled her eyes and turned around walking down the road. “Come on everypony, let's have a last minute trial.”
Twilight's keep seemed totally alien on the inside. Ponyville's medieval appearance was supplemented by modern materials, designs, and conveniences. The two eras were quite different of course, but skillful artisans had managed to blend the elements together into a unified design. Twilight's 'Palace of Friendship' however lacked any such thought.
The interior felt off. It was perfectly functional of course, and a lot of work had been done to run wires for electric lighting where needed and to install proper ovens and other similar appliances. But the shapes the castle had grown in seemed completely unnatural for a building with the jutting facets of crystal forming each and every surface. The colors of each crystal blended together in places as light passed through the translucent layers, refracted, warped, and gave some seams between gem stones a tie-dye halo.
Nopony could quite stand the interior of the keep for long, not even crystal ponies who had been brought in to see if they could endure the building. After ten years of assuming she would get used to it and yet never adapting, Twilight had decided to do something to make it livable. After all, castles of any kind were expensive, hard to build, and took a long time to finish.
A massive renovation project was underway at the moment. Many rooms were to be painted, some areas were to be covered in plaster to smooth out a surface, and countless paintings and wall coverings were being put in. Very few rooms in the were currently finished but fortunately Twilight's throne room was one of them.
Technically it was the Palace of Friendship's secondary throne room. The primary room being the one in which her friend's throne s and the round table were located. But since that room was unsuitable for governing this one had been constructed especially for that function. It was large, spacious, and open with a raised dais at one end of the room which supported the throne, and rows of benches along the walls for ponies to listen to court proceedings on.
The room was painted in a pale blue with accents in a deeper blue, gold, and the occasional bit of purple as a highlight. Several large columns supported the vaulted ceiling and large brass chandeliers lit the room up brightly. Tapestries woven with images to replicate Canterlot Castle's stained glass windows decorated the walls between the pillars. Behind Twilight's simple carved white marble throne was one large gold colored tapestry depicting the Elements of Harmony as they had been when they were gemstones.
Twilight's attention was fixed on the armored changeling seated before her. Her guards had relaxed their weapons somewhat, but each of them stood stiffly at attention, doing their best to be ready for anything. 'They are making her look far more intimidating then she normally is.' Twilight said to herself as she waited for Zecora to arrive.
It had been some time since she had sent for her. Long enough where an emergency crew from the hospital had arrived and taken Bon-Bon in for treatment. Lyra had asked if Amber could do anything and after learning she couldn't, she had left with the medics for the hospital to wait at Bon-Bon's side.
'Maybe she was brewing a potion when they arrived and can't leave until it's safe to leave alone.' Twilight rationalized.
Finally after what seemed like an eternity the room's doors opened and Zecora trotted in, her escorts stopping at the door. “Apologies for the time which has gone by. It is late and I felt not at all spry. A solution to this problem I had to make, so I brewed a brown potion of wake.”
“She had to make coffee.” one of the guards escorting her translated.
Twilight couldn't help but grin a little at Zecora's choice of words. “It's fine Zecora, I'm sorry for having to send for you and not coming over myself but this is official business.”
“This guard spoke of an attack, and a prisoner with chitin of black. Is this the person I must see? She who sits before me?” she asked as she walked towards Amber and the circle of guards.
“Ye-” Twilight began.
Amber turned around, prompting the guards to level their spears. Amber rolled her eyes, “I'm saying hello.” Amber waved to Zecora, “Olarom burc'ya Zah'kora or. Or gai Tracyn Shi'yayc.”
Zecora stopped dead in her tracks, a shocked expression on her face as she asked, “Never did I think to see you after that day. Aside from this, you have been well I pray? I see you are dressed today, why not your true form display?”
“I'm pretty sure that my left front leg is egg shelled, otherwise I would.” Amber answered with a grim smile.
Twilight nodded, “So you do know Zecora, it's good to know that you tell the truth.”
“Of what crime is she accused? Perhaps everypony is confused.” Zecora paused for a moment and looked to Amber with a small frown, “Nothing in this tongue rhymes with your name, is there another label you can claim?”
“Oh, I just translated it.” Amber informed.
Zecora nodded.
Twilight cleared her throat for attention, “Amber is guilty of the crime of prison breaking, as well as the murder of a guardspony some ten years ago. Additionally, tonight she violated several laws regarding felons and the possession and use of deadly spells... She might be guilty of three counts of murder as well, I don't know if the legal definition covers changelings. Also, she could have been acting in self defense in those cases.” Embarrassed at her lack of knowledge Twilight looked over at one of her guards, “Could you get me the legal documents related to murder? I would like to see what the exact wording is.”
“Technically it was military action by a foreign government against insurgents, not murder. You could bill the Hive for damages.” Amber commented.
Zecora frowned, “Amber your fate I do bemoan, but Twilight and I must speak alone.” Looking at Twilight she asked, “She will remain here if you desire, she cannot break vows nor be a liar.”
Twilight's face scrunched as she considered the request. She knew Zecora well enough to know she must have a good reason, but what couldn't be said for everypony to hear? “Why can't we talk here?”
“Because that is not the best thing to do. In this case I should speak alone to you.” Zecora said adamantly.
Twilight nodded, “Alright. Do you guys think you can hold Amber here safely?”
“Yes mam.” A tall pink stallion answered. The group of them nodding in agreement.
“I will sit here until you two are done.” Amber promised.
Twilight stood up and walked down the carpeted length of the room. Zecora fell into step as the two met and within a few molments they reached the hallway. Zecora pulled the doors shut and nodded. In a low tone she informed, “I am sorry we must talk this way, I do not wish to do harm today.”
“Don't worry it's not a problem to talk here, just unusual.” Twilight said.
“No Twilight, I speak not of you. I speak of she of amber hue.” Zecora informed, “She is not quite right in the head, the result of once being nearly dead. Her madness is not a danger, but it did make her life stranger.”
Twilight took a moment to process the rhyming speech. The two had been friends long enough for her to understand what Zecora meant, but in this case Twilight needed to make absolutely sure she understood. “Do you mean that Amber is crazy, but not dangerous. That she is crazy because of an old injury, and you don't want to mention that arround her?”
Zecora nodded.
“Why not?”
“Making Amber remember... is like letting loose an ember. It could burn away, or create flames which stay.” Zecora answered. She sighed and continued speaking before Twilight could interrupt, “Changelings were a proud people not long ago. In my youth this I came to know. A kingdom much like Equestria I found, only it lay deep beneath the ground. I traveled all over the world as you know. Duskvale was not a place from which I wished to go.”
“So then Amber's story of a changeling kingdom being destroyed by a dragon is true?”
“That is not so, I can tell the tale as it should go.”
“But you said that Amber can't tell a lie!” Twilight exclaimed.
“One can lie and yet know it not. Some things Amber's madness has wrought. Her flesh was healed, but her memories did yield. The truth of things before her injury is distorted, but she doesn't know and believes all is sorted.” Zecora explained.
“So she has amnesia? No, I'm sorry. You mean she remembers events before she was hurt incorrectly, but thinks that is how it really happened. Is that what makes her crazy? How was she hurt?”
“Amber made her fame fighting Diamond Dogs, her hive was at war with them over logs.”
“Over logs?” Twilight asked, entirely lost.
Zecora sighed, “A forest sparked the war's ember, both sides needed timber. Amber studied how the Dogs fight, and for that her they sought to smite. She learned to stand as they do, and a fighting style from that grew. The Dogs saw this as an insult most dire, and sought to kill Amber Fire. But kill Amber they could not, because of the magic her studies had wrought. She led her Nest to many victories, and was seen fondly in her people's memories.” Zecora paused to give Twilight a chance to ask questions.
“I'm following you, keep going.”
“The old hive Queen liked what she saw, so Amber from the field she did withdraw. Amber was made the personal guard of her youngest daughter, for which she was very grateful as she tired of slaughter. Amber adored the royal nymph Polygyne, she thought her life was something fine. But one night saw the doors unfasten, as in came a Dog assassin. He butchered the Royals in their beds, severing the hive mind's threads.”
“So Amber was made the guard of the changeling Queen's youngest child as a sort of retirement?” Twilight asked, her eyes opening wide in a moment of realization, “Could she tell me anything about Chrysalis then?”
“Chrysalis is not the Queen of which I speak, a far older Queen ruled that peak. The old Queen's third eldest daughter the assassin missed. That is the changeling you know as Chrysalis. She and the young Polygyne were saved, because Amber awoke in time. The assassin struck her with a mace in the head, but she shouted the alarm before laying like dead. Her guard's injuries distressed young Polygyne, but fortunately for them I was in time.”
“So you saved her life?”
Zecora nodded. “They were my friends, I could not allow them to meet their ends. Chrysalis is quite wicked and cruel you know, she believed her younger sister had to go. I took them both to a home around a nearby bend, a place owned by another friend. He was a batpony smith if you must know, he hid us from the new Queen below. When Amber at last awoke, I learned her mind had broke. The basics of her life remained, but through fantasy's filter it all had been strained. She believes in a former life, filled with naught but strife. It is in a place which dose not exist, save for in the mind madness kissed.”
“So... if that's the truth, what dose she think happened?”
“She believes her past life died, and that soul in her dose abide. A noble knight of a race fictitious, from a land naught but viscous. In Amber's version of time, the Hive Queen was Polygyne. The reason she is part specter, is to be her loyal protector.” Zecora finished.
“So she believes that she is the reincarnation of a knight and that she exists to protect a changeling filly which she believes is their Queen? Then why is she in Equestria?” Twilight asked in confusion.
Zecora looked down, eyes closing in sadness, “One memory taken by the mace, is that of Polygyne's face. For her Queen Amber went to look, it is like the ending to a sad book. She came back many times, ranting about crimes. Amber believed she had things from her former life, that thieves had stolen them at the point of a knife. My friend and I were filled with sadness, a true friend struck down by madness. I asked her what had been taken, then my smith was awaken. We worked hard together, to make those items as Amber's tether. It worked well to keep her grounded, I was happy my plan was well founded.”
“I think I get the idea. You couldn't fix her memories so you made her comfortable, gave her things she remembered having. So I guess she just left you three one day to try to find her Queen.” Twilight's ears fell, “That's horrible... What actually happened to Polygyne?”
Zecora kicked the floor nervously, “I had to do something extreme, or she would die in Chrysalis's scheme. I do not like what I had to do, do you really wish me to tell you?”
Twilight thought for a moment and nodded.
Zecora delayed a moment longer than answered. “Polygyne was too young to change, and her knowledge a problem could arrange. So I brewed a special potion, made from pegasus emotion. The potion stripped her of changeling form, as a pony she was reborn. Her memories I washed away, I hope they return some day. With her to Equestria I fled, lest she turn up dead. She was placed into foster care, I know not where.”
“You turned her into a pony, got rid of her memories, and then just gave her to the foster system, and you don't even know how she is now?” Twilight asked incredulously.
“There is no way I could know, many ponies the potion did show.” Zecora frowned, not quite liking how her words sounded, “One by one many forms the potion used, to the final one is permanently fused.”
Twilight nodded, understanding, “So she could have changed appearance a lot. Did she at least agree to this?”
Zecora nodded. “She did not wish to die. So she agreed to live a lie. Her personality of course remains, but no royal blood is in her veins.”
“Oh!” Twilight nodded, fully understanding now. “You made her no longer a threat to Chrysalis by removing her claim to the throne. Then you brought her somewhere she could live happily... But why do you live here then? Shouldn't you have tried to keep an eye on her?”
“Chrysalis might recognize me one day, for Polygyne's safety I stay far away. As for the Everfree, it simply feels like home to me.” Zecora finished.
“So... I guess you want me to let Amber go. She said she wanted to retire, she even has a house. I looked up the deed.”
Zecora nodded, “Twenty-three years since she hatched in her nest, half of them spent flowing her mad quest.” Zecora blinked a look of confusion running over her face before it was replaced by a look of recollection, “Yes I see, that did allude me. To say it may seem cold, but Amber might feel old. She is not, they live a lot.”
“Is that alluded you?” Twilight asked.
She shook her head, “Amber's age reminded me, of how old Polygyne will be. Nineteen years as of this may, alas I can't remember her birthday.”
“Hold on, Amber was made a soldier at age three?”, Twilight exclaimed in shock.
Zecora laughed, “Changeling Soldiers are a special breed. They grow up quick as a weed. On their second year they molt, like that they become an adult.”
“Wow... That's a really short time to be a filly.” Twilight mused.
“It is longer for some castes then others. Most changelings spend years with their mothers.” Zecora informed.
“Well, in light of all that I suppose I should see about granting her amnesty. She deserves someplace to be happy.” Twilight concluded.
“I am glad you think so. May I talk to her before I go?” Zecora asked hopefully.
“Of course.” Twilight answered. Turning quickly she pushed the throne room's doors open. “Guards, you can let her go I have decided to grant her amnesty. Amber, Zecora wants to talk to you. Can somepony find Spike for me? I need to write a few letters.”
Amber smiled, equally grateful and relieved she had been granted a second chance. 'Finally. I can find some peace here. I have a home, a store, an old friend lives nearby. I've made some new friends too. Life's looking up.'
Twilight took five steps towards her throne, her tone relaxing from the stiff courtly fashion she had been using before. “I can grant you permission to live in Ponyville for now, but your citizenship and amnesty will have to be approved by Princess Celestia. It's more of a formality than anything else.”
Amber sighed, ears drooping. “Is there any chance she will say no?”
Twilight looked over her shoulder, opening her mouth to reply, and the throne room's left wall exploded in a green-black blaze of magic. Shards of crystal sprayed around the room, larger chunks sliced through three guards felling them instantly. Everyone alive coughed and choked on noxious fumes.
Eyes watering Amber looked at the demolished wall, “Shit...”
Hovering just outside the hole was a whole platoon of Changeling Soldiers. The Soldiers hovered in place, eyes narrowed in focus, energy shields raised to block any retaliatory strike. A few Scouts nimbly darted back and forth in front of their ranks, their four wings thrumming as they looked inwards, doubtlessly scoping the room out for survivors. A pair of Magi clumsily hovered just behind the Soldiers, their large, gangly bodies looking as if they did not belong in the air, green vapors drifted from their horns and eyes, a remnant of whatever spell they used to breach the wall.
The holes in their legs were what Amber noticed first. Then the tattered wings, shortly cut mangy looking manes and tails, and the dull, drab, dead color of their chitin. The worst thing was the acidic metallic burning odor coming off them. Amber could smell it from across the room. These Changelings overfed, frequently, and the blued steel armor they wore bore the symbol of a four pointed crown topped with rounded gemstone caps. This was Chrysalis's Swarm.
Those observations became moot as more smoke cleared, revealing the Changeling Queen herself. Her gnarled horn stuck out of an elaborately deigned helmet, which had a larger version of her crown slipped over it's blued steel surface. Her forelegs, chest, flanks, and back were covered in a suit of half-plate stylized to give her a more imposing look with fearsome jagged angles and spines. Not that she needed the help, her burning green eyes seemed to burn into everyone in the room and the delighted, malicious grin on her face held a special sort of horror.
Chrysalis's eyes scanned the room, quickly finding Twilight. She flashed a wicked grin, her two-tone voice oddly cordial in tone, “I choose a random room to breach into and what do you know, there's my favorite little nemesis. Ha! This is your throne room. How very much like a pony, the throne room right on an outer wall.” Her eyes narrowed curly, “Kill her guards. There is no comet to save you this time Twilight, you will not take me by surprise another time, and I do think I will simply burn your little village to the ground.”
Twilight coughed, a cloud of the smoke still clinging around where she fell. “I see you got out of that pocket dimension. I have gotten a lot stronger since then.” She stood up, flaring her wings threateningly.
Chrysalis flinched, it was clear she wasn't expecting to fight a young alicorn today. “So you got some wings, they wont help you after I rip them from your shoulders!” The hive queen's horn flashed green, a hail of magical bolts shrieked towards Twilight.
The molment Chrysalis opened fire her troops flooded into the room. The guardsponies were quickly overwhelmed by the swarm, each of the nine separated and forced to fight a loosing battle on their own.
Twilight jumped, pushing down wither wings to spring into the air, avoiding the barrage by a hoof's width. Zecora ran for cover, getting behind a pile of rubble. From her position Amber could see the zebra looking through her saddlebags, presumably for a weapon or potion.
The swarm seemed to be ignoring Amber for the moment. 'Probably because I'm kneeling like a prisoner.' Amber observed, 'But I am not a prisoner am I? I was pardoned... or at least will be. Maybe. If Celestia wills it.'
Amber watched as Chrysalis and Twilight engaged in an aerial battle. Violet and dark green energy rays slicing the room around them as they flew to out maneuver one another. Their beams blasted, burned, and smashed chunks of crystal out of the walls, floor, and ceiling. Amber could tell that both fighter's were holding back, testing the waters. 'Chrysalis probably wanted her alive last time they fought. I doubt Twilight has seen a Queen's full power.'
Amber stood up, a realization hitting her almost as hard as Thorn's mace had, 'If I save Ponyville I could use that as leverage to push Celestia into granting me amnesty!'
Her hoof went to her box, pulling the lid open the lid before slipping inside. It took only a few molments for Amber to find what she was after. With a quick pulse of her magic and tug with her foreleg she slid a war standard from the box. It's green banner was identical to her cloak, but old, stained, and tattered, with an additional blue ring around the crown emblem. She slammed it into the floor, the sharpened steel butt-cap piercing deeply into the crystal, allowing the standard to stand free.
A few of Chrysalis's Soldiers looked over at the movement. Two of them turned back to fighting the castle guards. Three broke off, looking at her to see how best to attack, one of them however stopped, hovering in air recognizing the banner. Pointing one hoof at Amber's banner, green eyes wide with alarm she shouted a phrase in Changlish which was lost to Amber in the clash of battle. But several nearby Changelings looked over at the cry.
'That's right, some of you still remember me don't you?' Amber grinned, wishing she was in her Changeling form so her fangs could ad to the intimidating look she was trying for. The cry was repeated until about half of the soldiers were slowly forming up into ranks, moving around slowly to try to encircle Amber.
Looking around the throne room Amber's eyes found a banner bearing the same star burst and starfield design as Twilight's cutiemark. Her horn lit up as she ripped it free of the wall. In Changlish she called, “I am Amber Fire, personal guard to her majesty Polygyne. Your actions shame our Hive irreparably.”
Amber grabbed the banner with a hoof and pulled, ripping the cloth free. As quickly as she could manage she floated over Twilight's banner and tied it to her standard. Holding her old banner in her hooves Amber concentrated, flickering dull orange flames engulfed her hooves, igniting the old banner instantly. “A foe without honor is a foe already beaten.” Amber continued, the blazing banner falling to the floor.
The Changelings started to advance, horns lighting to fire magical bolts, two of them sporting the blue-white glow of battle-magic. Amber stomped one hoof into the ground, lunging with both her hooves thrust outwards, a torrent of flame spiraling outwards in an arc from each, bathing the ranks of soldiers in choking flames. “Burn heretics!”
The Changelings towards the edges of the flames shot sideways in the air, narrowly avoiding the roaring flames and coming out lightly singed. Those in the middle were not so fortunate. Several choked on the flames, falling coughing to the floor, chitin charred and smoldering. Two screamed, rolling on the ground ablaze, one dropped dead outright.
Amber tucked and rolled, coming out of the dive by springing back up to her hooves. Snapping her left hoof towards one of the unscathed Soldiers she threw a second sweeping line of flames, dismissing the magic from her right hoof as she did so. A blue white glow lit up around her right a split second later, just in time for a large crackling bolt of blue energy and a green ray to slam into her right side, throwing her violently to the rubble strew floor.
Amber rolled to the side, ignoring the pain from the hit, firing off two blue bolts in the direction she had been hit from, following up with a wave of flames one more time. The fiery aura around her hoof died, the spell's energy depleted. 'Crap... I'm running out of mana...' Amber realized with a grimace.
Her display of arcane power attracted the attention of the two Magi. The tall Changelings looked at one another and nodded, their horns lighting up with a deep green aura. One's spell energy slowly begand to build up at a point just in front of him, preparing a spell for later casting. The others horn blazed bright blue as he conjured a shimmering blue forcefield in a half dome to cover his companion.
'Of course they would prepare barriers in advance...' Amber grumbled. The art of pouring a few days worth of magic into a spell to hold onto and use later was something their caste had perfected ages ago. Amber had absolutely no way to tell how much it would take to break through the field, and with the other Magi charging a spell she didn't have time to try more than one thing.
'No time to go to my box for a potion or weapon...' Her eyes darted around the room, seeking anything that might help. A glint of metal caught her attention. Just behind the hovering, glowing aura radiating Magi, laying on the floor beneath some rubble, a fallen guard's spear. Amber grinned, her horn flashed green, her telekinetic grip found the spear, pulled it from under the rubble and sent it flying.
With a loud squelch the spear burred itself in the Magi's side, steel blade plunging in clear to the socket. The Magus screamed, voice reverberating with arcane power as the shock shattered his concentration. His gathered spell energy rippled, bubbled, warped, then compressed inwards to a single point of green light before blasting outwards. Everything became white. All sounds in the room were replaced by a loud high ringing which seemed to echo through Amber's skull.
As her head slowly cleared Amber found herself at the edge of a large scorch mark on the floor. Traces of blue-white energy zipped around in the air in front of her, the only remains of the force field. There was no sign of the Magi who she had hit. Amber was fairly certain the small green and black lumps were his friend. Despite the explosion most Changelings were still fighting, the spells effects clearly limited to Amber's area of the room.
The ringing persisted in her ears, white spots clung to her eyes. Amber stumbled back a few steps, reaching into her box to try and find anything at all. As she searched the green eyed Changeling Soldier dove from above, slamming her shoulder directly into Amber's chest, throwing her backwards. Amber hit the ground, her new adversary firing off three energy rays at once in a small arc.
Two slammed into the floor on ether side, the third caught Amber square in the chest, vaporizing the outer layers of metal. A metallic smoldering smell filled her nostrils as wisps of smoke poured from her armor. Before she could get up the Soldier followed her rays up with another charge, spinning around at the last minute to slam both her hind hooves into Amber's chest. A loud metallic clang of chitin on steel pierced Amber's ears, the first sound other than the ringing in the last few seconds.
Fortunately her armor held despite the damage. Amber grunted her hoof flashing blue as she threw the last of her prepared spells. A flash of blue-white energy exploded just in front of her, the concussive way throwing her and her attacker apart a few feet. Staggering to her hooves Amber panted, 'Oh gods, that kick knocked something loose...' Amber groaned, wrapping one foreleg around her chest.
Her attacker pushed herself up as well, horn glowing green as she slid a short sword from a scabbard on her back and flipped it up, readying herself to strike.
“Look to your left old friend! This battle is not your end.” Zecora called.
Amber looked just in time to see the zebra throw a glass potion bottle her way. Catching it with her magic Amber pulled the bottle to her. Unsure of what it was Amber shrugged and hurled the bottle at the soldier with a loud cry of “And we shall know no fear!”
The glass bottle shattered at his hooves, blue liquid simply forming a pool on the floor. The Soldier looked over at Amber completely baffled. Amber turned to look at Zecora equity confused. The Changeling Soldier turned to look at the zebra alchemist as well.
Zecora face hoofed, cursing in her native tongue before shouting, “Such stupidity, I am reeling! That was a potion of healing.”
“Oh!” Amber and the Soldier exclaimed together.
“Heh, oops?” Amber shrugged, giving her foe a pain filled, shaky grin.
The Soldier nodded, “Oops.” She agreed before charging forewords, short sword thrusting strait for the weened spot on Amber's chest plate.