Amber Shadow sighed, grumbling incoherently to herself as she stared out her window. A vast, sparkling cityscape stretched out beyond the horizon; Equestria, her home.
"Amber!" her mother knocked at her room's door, "Amber, honey, it's time for bed. You don't want to be late for school again, do you?"
Psh, Amber rolled her eyes, School? Lame. Why can't I have at least some kind of adventure?
She closed her eyes, letting her mind take lead of her thoughts.
There's just so many things that I could be doing right now... I could be like Daring Do, exploring the unknown for treasures, ooh, o-or siding up with Twilight Sparkle and her friends to take down the next big threat to Equestria!
A frown crossed Amber's face.
Come to think of it, there hasn't been any major threat to Equestria lately. Maybe if something happened, like maybe a volcano, or--
Her chain of thought was broken by her mother knocking again.
"Amber, have you brushed your teeth yet?"
The mare let out a low growl of frustration, peeling away from her window and stomping to the door.
"Yes, mom," she shouted back, "I brushed my teeth half an hour ago!"
"Okay, honey, just checking..."
Amber trudged back to the window with a huff. A dim twinkle of light sparked in her periphery as she stared back out the window. The mare eyed it for a moment before turning away, lighting her horn and disappearing in a flash.
Amber materialized on her rooftop, her eyes now affixed to the twinkling light far off in the distance. It flickered for a moment before disappearing. The mare cocked a brow, rubbing her eyes before staring back at the former location of the light, then to the sprawling cityscape below.
I deserve more, the thought crossed her mind, What did I do to be stuck in some noble family holed-up in Canterlot?
She sat down on the cold moonlit shingles, closing her eyes again.
This isn't what I want. This isn't the kind of world that I like... no danger, no adventure, what's even there for me anyway? Tea parties and gossiping with ponies that don't understand my ambitions? I'll pass.
What I want is some action. Something for me to explore in life... forget about the other ponies who waste their time doing things like helping others and making new things, what's there to even live for if you're always safe and sound?
She turned around, spotting an old ball that one of the neighbor's foals had kicked onto the roof years ago. Lighting her horn, Amber floated the ball over, lifting it up to obscure the full moon high in the sky.
If only I could remake the world...
The faint ringing of an alarm clock rattled through the air.
"Amber?" her mother's voice called, "Amber, where are you? You're gonna be late for school!"
"Eh," the mare chuckled silently, "School, schmool. I wonder what's up today downtown? Maybe a police chase? A police chase after a group of time-traveling bank robbers would be cool."
"AMBER!" her mother shouted, pulling the window open, "YOU GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT, YOUNG LADY!"
Amber rolled her eyes, lighting her horn and vanishing.
"Fine, mom," she grumbled, reappearing back in her room, "I'm going now. You happy?"
Her mother let out a frustrated sigh, silently shaking her head as she shooed her daughter out of the room. She paused for a moment, staring out the open window before turning away.
Freakin' geez, mom, Amber mentally seethed, storming down the stairs into her foyer, Can you let me have time to myself for just a bucking minute without you barging in?
She spotted her breakfast on the table but nevertheless ignored it with another eyeroll, slinging her bags over her back and making a beeline for the door.
Once outside, the mare let out a deep sigh, taking in the sunlight hitting her face as a breeze rippled through her mane. Putting on her usual façade, she promptly made her way down the street. A brief glint caught her eye as she passed a window, causing her to slow. She turned back, brows furrowed as she stepped closer to the window.
Nothing out of the ordinary, Amber dismissed, turning away from the glass, Probably just a reflection of a passing bird or something...
Her steps slowed to a halt yet again as a piercing, metallic tone began to screech through the air. She shook her head and continued walking. A second ping rung through her ears as she whirled around, catching glimpse of an odd magical spark ricochet from one of Canterlot Castle's towers, and away into the distance. Said tower proceeded to slowly begin to fade, growing increasingly transparent by the second.
I guess mom was right about staying up so late. I'm going loopy now, aren't I?
She came to an intersection as the screech began to subside. A shiver went up her spine as she saw an approaching carriage draw near. It passed her, the stallion pulling it nodding a silent "Hello" as he traveled to who-knows-where with his passenger.
Heh, Amber mentally chuckled, Things would get pretty interesting for once if I decided to just... stick a hoof out and cause a little--
The same carriage passed her again, the stallion pulling it giving the same, friendly nod as he passed by.
The mare frowned, rubbing her eyes as she stared down the road. Both carriage and stallion had vanished from view. She looked back in the direction they'd come from, and--
"Woah, there! Careful, miss!" the stallion exclaimed, swerving around her, "You're gonna get hurt if you stick your hoofout into the road like that!"
Okay, this is getting a little weird...
Amber took a step back, her hoof beginning to sink into the concrete sidewalk. Her eyes went wide as she pulled it from the ground, only to find that the rest of her hooves had also begun to sink.
"H-help!" the mare yelped, fear creeping into her voice, "What the hay is going on?!"
She heard her voice echo on for seemingly forever. That strange twinkle of light from the night before had seemingly returned as well, fixed in place in the morning sky. Though, it seemed... bigger now. Not by much, but it had seemingly grown compared to the night before.
A shockwave abruptly ripped past the mare, blowing her mane in every direction as the very sky itself appeared to ripple. The ground beneath her buckled, and she felt the concrete pavement once again solidify around her hooves, trapping her partway into the ground.
Strangely, however, even when she could somehow feel the concrete reform within her hooves, she felt no pain. With a grunt, she began to pull her hooves out, one-by-one. The sickening sounds of her flesh and bone emerging from solid concrete were for sure sickening, and it took all of her self-restraint to keep herself from hurling.
The mare squinted up at the sky. It was rapidly growing brighter now as the former twinkle continued to expand across the heavens above, enveloping anything that touched it. In the distance, she could see the stallion and his carriage continuing to travel, almost as if he were never affected by any of the current events at all.
"...Miss?" the stallion began, tapping her shoulder, "A-are you seeing this as well?"
She whirled around, her mouth failing to produce words as she sputtered, pointing a confused hoof at the stallion, then at the visual copy of him that continued to travel down the street.
He shook his head.
"I dooooo-oo...n-'t... f......ol-low."
Without another word, he carried on, galloping away and into the solid ground, leaving no trace.
Frowning, Amber rubbed her eyes again, double-taking at the spot the stallion and his carriage had just been before staring back up the road. He didn't return this time.
"Weird," the mare muttered, stepping off the sidewalk as she made her way to the other side of the street. "Just... everything today..."
The smell of ozone filled her nostrils as she walked, growing stronger and stronger as her head began to tingle. She turned, eyes wide, in time to see an offshoot of the magical spark hurling toward her face.
Amber groaned, squinting in the blinding light all around her.
"H-hello?" she called weakly, pushing herself up, "Anypony there?"
She turned up to the white sky, her eyes wide as she took a shaky step back. The echo of her hoofstep rung through her ears.
"Mom? Dad?" the mare whimpered, glancing over the empty plane. Save for a few vaguely pony-shaped figures just beginning to stir in the distance, Amber saw nothing but emptiness.
A shudder ran up her spine as she spun around, peering in the opposite direction.
Nothing.
"Okay, okay," Amber muttered through her clenched teeth, "This is just some weird, messed-up dream I'm having. I probably just got sick or something while I was on the roof last night, and I'm actually just laying in bed with a high fever or something... right?"
She stared down at her hooves and the off-grey ground beneath them, then back to the blindingly-white sky.
"Right?"
She spun around, her eyes darting between the distant silhouettes dotting the horizon.
"O-or maybe... maybe this is some kind of sick joke! Yeah, that'd make sense!" the mare exclaimed, "Maybe this is all just something some of those colts at school set up, or... ooh, maybe somepony slipped something into my breakfast!"
She paused.
"Wait... I didn't have breakfast, did I?"
Her stomach grumbled in reply to the question.
Amber sighed, her gaze returning to the ground.
"Th-- this isn't a dream, is it?" she mumbled, "Probably nothing caused by what I ate or drank, either..."
A wisp of smoke drifted past her eyes as a thought entered her mind.
I'm scared.
The faint sound of sizzling began to buzz in her ears, followed by more smoke. Sparks. A burning sensation flared up in her skin.
"Wha-ow!" Amber shrieked, flinching as a spark flew from her foreleg, "What's going on?!"
Once again, she glanced about her surroundings. The shadowy figures of other ponies had seemingly vanished, replaced by the same uniform white that painted the sky.
She cringed as the burning sensation intensified, collapsing onto the ground as her legs gave out beneath her.
I... she coughed, wincing as she began to push herself back up, I don't know what it is that you're trying to throw at me, world, but that is not going to stop me.
Her eyes widened as the burning once again intensified, practically enveloping her body in some unseen flame.
"ACK!" she screamed, instinctively lighting her horn as she held her eyes firmly shut, "HOLY BUCK DOES THAT HURT!"
She felt her legs buckle beneath her as every nerve in her body seemingly went into overdrive. The mare let out a shrill scream as she fell forward, crying out a second time as her body hit the ground. Gasping for air, she set her every focus on casting a spell-- any spell that could possibly save her.
Sparks of light began to sputter from her horn, showering the ground with golden flecks before a proper aura began to materialize. A shooting pain began to well up at the base of her horn, working its way back through her skull before washing over the rest of her body as the golden aura surrounding the appendage began to coat her body. She felt the aura lighten, slowly lifting itself off her body until even the pain had dissipated.
Amber opened a fearful eye as the burning sensation finally began to subside. Letting out a heavy sigh, she let herself finally relax, opening her other eye as she peered at the strange bubble surrounding her. Raising a brow, she slowly raised a shaky hoof to the bubble's walls, giving the membrane a tentative poke. Her hoof passed cleanly through the bubble's walls and immediately began to emit smoke as the burning once again began. She yelped in surprise, jumping back as she retracted her hoof.
Grumbling, the mare turned her attention back to the bubble itself. Raising a brow, she took a single step forward, watching as the bubble's walls shifted to accommodate her new location. She took a step back, and the bubble followed. Jumped; the bubble followed.
Huh, she paused, sitting down on her haunches, What did I make back there?
She glanced back to the recently-singed area of her hoof, then back to the bubble's glimmering walls.
...At least I don't feel like I'm on fire anymore...
Amber took a deep breath, letting out a heavy sigh as she stood back up. She once again began to extend her hoof, watching closely for any movement on the bubble's behalf.
Though... her thoughts continued as she retracted the hoof, it's kinda weird how this thing moves whenever I move but doesn't when I just try to stick a hoof out.
She set her hoof back down, lighting her horn.
Maybe I could try growing it? Seems close enough to a shield spell to me.
The mare began to cast the spell. Immediately, she gasped; her horn felt as if it had been pricked by thousands of thorns as the charge of mana reversed. A flare of pain burned at her body as pure mana began to race through her veins, ricocheting about within her before finally dissipating back into her reserves. She coughed, watching a light puff of smoke drift out and away from herself and the bubble around her. She felt her eyes begin to roll into the back of her head as her vision rapidly dimmed.
Well, that certainly didn't work. Magic backfire... figures.
She wavered on her hooves for a few more seconds before she felt herself collide with the ground.
Amber Shadow awoke to the faint buzz of her mana coursing through the bubble's walls. She groaned, weakly propping herself up with a foreleg. Squinting, she rolled over onto her back as her mind began to race.
What even is this place I'm in?
What's going on with my magic?
Why is this happening?
She blinked, lifting her singed hoof back into her vision. The scorch marks had miraculously already healed, for the most part, leaving nothing but a band of bare skin in their wake. Lowering her hoof, the mare turned her attention back to the endless expanse of grey and white beyond the bubble. Just as before, absolutely nothing disturbed the uniform plane before her.
Another thought entered her mind.
Isn't... isn't this what I've been looking for all this time?
Her eyes widened as the beginnings of a smirk began to form across her face.
This doesn't have to be the end of the world. It's the beginning of a new world...
She took a step forward, eyes focused on the shifting bubble as she unconsciously lit her horn.
My new world.
And first off, I need some more space in here.
A charge of mana abruptly shot from her horn; a brilliant pale-gold beam of energy struck the walls of the bubble as Amber yelled out in surprise, tripping over herself. The entire bubble itself rippled at the impact as the charge absorbed into the bubble wall.
"Ugh..." the mare groaned, rubbing her head as she stood back up, "What... what was that?"
No response came to her question.
Just as suddenly as the magical surge just moments before, the bubble began to expand, complete with a Discordian balloon-inflation noise.
Amber blinked, frowning.
It expanded?
She watched as the walls halted their growth at around triple their former distance.
I... what did I even do? It didn't work last time, and I wasn't even charging for a spell, was I? Was my magic somehow able to know what I was trying to do before?
She lit her horn again, only for the searing pain from before to return in full force, coercing a pained yelp from her. She stopped immediately, letting the mana passively absorb back into her reserves as she let out a frustrated grumble.
Maybe it was just a fluke...
The mare sighed, sitting back down with a huff and burying her face in her hooves.
How long has it been since I woke up here? Can I ever leave?
I want to go home...
She peeked an eye out, gasping as the familiar sights of the world she knew greeted her. Birds tweeted as they flew from tree to tree. The scents of fresh flowers and just-cut grass filled the air as foals raced past her on the sidewalk, laughing amongst themselves.
I-- what? her mind screamed, What the hay is going on?!
Amber lit her horn again, her mind focused on a magic detection spell. The world around her wavered for a moment before fizzling away into nothingness. Just as before, she felt the painful beginnings of a backfire, and dropped the spell.
For a few seconds, the mare stood still, blinking as she stared off into the once again endless void of white and grey.
"Wait." she murmured, growing louder with every word, "Wait, hold on... if all that can happen without me even knowing that I'm casting a spell, but every spell I try ends up backfiring, then..."
She fell silent again.
The ground began to rumble as a skyscraper broke through the dull grey ground, rising higher and higher into the white sky until its roof could no longer be seen.
A gleaming cityscape rippled overhead as Amber pranced through the bustling streets. Sights and sounds came from every direction; ponies rambled to each other of their daily lives, street vendors advertised their goods, yelling as loud as their bodies allowed to catch everypony's attention.
Hm, the mare pondered, lifting a hoof to her chin as she took in her new surroundings, A bit too busy. I should tone it down a bit...
The skyscrapers rumbled for a moment before seemingly liquifying, morphing into featureless globs of color before reforming into neatly-decorated suburban homes. Likewise, the bustling street market had all but vanished as well-- all the ponies, of course, being nothing but illusions and spellcraft in the first place, simply disappeared without a trace.
Amber smiled, closing her eyes as she felt a cool breeze blow over her.
That's better.
She took a deep breath and set off to explore her new surroundings once again. Light chirps and tweets seemed to come from every sapling the mare passed by, and even the occasional songbird would come out of its nest to accompany Amber with its musical tones.
The bubble rippled over itself, and the illusion vanished. It was really the most she could do at the moment anyway-- magic here didn't work even remotely the same, and outside of summoning a few small things here and there, the most Amber had been able to do were some convincing illusions that wrapped around herself.
A single, piercing scream echoed in from somewhere beyond the bubble. Amber whirled around, fear setting in as the scream grew louder by the second.
The bubble walls, her eyes widened. someone's outside.
The mare rushed over the empty plane, sparks and smoke streaming across her body as she drew closer to whatever it was that made the noise. A rush of air rippled over her as she grew closer to the bubble wall, blowing the smoke away from her face the closer she drew. There was clearly somepony there-- or at least, what was left of them, based on the rising plume of smoke and flame.
Amber's steps slowed as she reached the wall. Her eyes set on the charred pony just beyond the bubble, then to the empty expanse that made up the horizon. They had managed to breach a small hole in the bubble wall; just enough to stick their hooves inside, and enough to let in a trickle of whatever corrosive air there was outside. Wincing, she poked a hoof out of her bubble, immediately retracting it with a yelp as it began to burn.
"J-just hold on a moment!" Amber shouted to the screaming pony, her eyes darting about for anything she could potentially use.
"Oh, horseapples," the mare grumbled, groaning in frustration. "Alright, here goes nothing!"
She lunged through the bubble walls, her coat and mane immediately igniting with a flash of sparks and smoke. Clenching her teeth through the pain, Amber began to drag the other pony into the bubble by what little remained of their mane. Grunting, she felt cool air wash over her once again as she entered the bubble. She dropped the burnt pony on the ground, the hole in her bubble sealing behind her.
"Hey," she muttered, "Hey, you alright there?"
The burnt pony only groaned in response, their eyes still tightly shut.
"Here, c'mon," Amber sighed, dragging the pony deeper into the bubble. "Let's get you fixed up a bit."
The burnt pony shuddered, curling tighter as Amber sprayed water at them. Coughing, they opened a weary eye, wiping the dripping water away from their eyes. Another round of coughs rattled their singed frame.
"Sorry I can't do much else for you. I'm still kinda learning the ropes of the new magic myself, so all I was really able to do was speed up the healing process a little for your burns."
The burnt pony stopped mid-cough, turning to glare at Amber. A few patches of singed hair floated to the blank ground.
"Hm? Sorry, did it sting back there with the water? It's... It's really the most I could do right now."
She paused, lighting her horn. A fleck of light materialized before her, growing outward into a small case. A first-aid kit really could only do so much, but Amber didn't quite trust herself yet with even trying anything bigger. It wasn't like any of her illusions from earlier would've been any help, either.
The burnt pony only leaned over in response while Amber pulled out a bottle of alcohol and some gauze, staring past Amber at the sprawling landscape around them.
"Sfae," their hoarse voice gurgled, "Oo mfaef a sfaef pfafe?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't understand you with how badly you're still injured. Are you able to write with your burns?"
The burnt pony shot another glare at Amber, shaking their head. A crackle of crimson aura arced up their horn before fizzling with a puff of smoke.
"Hey, let yourself recover a little. If you want to learn how the magic here works, then you're gonna need to heal up first, alright?"
The burnt pony nodded, dislodging more soot from their body. Though, even if Amber did teach them what she knew of the new magic, how far could they really go with a body like that? Just from looks alone, even the simplest new spell she knew would probably knock them out cold. It was better to avoid taking the risk for now. She could summon in some food for the two of them, and maybe try and figure out a healing spell of some kind, but that would be for a little later. The amount of stress everything had been putting her through was far worse than any sort of homework she ever got from school, and some rest was what both she and this other pony needed for now-- under her own sky.
"No, no, you can't treat it like how magic worked before," Amber shook her head. Though the identity of the pony she dragged in days ago was still a mystery to her, --with all the encrusted cinders and burns coating their body, even their gender remained a mystery-- their drive to learn about the new magic of the world was a bit of an indication of what they were like, as far as personality went; hardheaded, determined, and probably more than a little cocky. In fact, in many ways, Amber could even see herself in them.
The pony nodded, shaking more ash from their face and lighting their horn again. They'd spent nearly the entire day on basic levitation, but no matter what, the burnt pony seemed to hardly progress beyond preparing the spell.
"Alright, here," Amber sighed, letting the illusory background dissolve around them, "How about we take a break for now? I know you can't speak much yet, but if you ask me, I'd say that you still need to rest some more after what happened. Things like this take time to--"
She paused, cutting herself off. A faint aura of magic still enveloped the burnt pony's horn, and in front of her floated a single stone, conjured from thin air. Though it was hard to tell through the cinders, it almost looked like the burnt pony was leering at her.
"...O-oh, okay. I guess we'll continue then."
The burnt pony dropped the stone with a nod, their horn still flickering with magic.
Amber took a breath. "Well, you definitely seem to have both levitation and conjuring down through brute force and luck, so I guess we can move onto illusions or something. It's not like I really know all that much else myself, after all."
Frowning, the burnt pony gestured at the glistening bubble that protected them.
"Right, right. It's probably a better idea to learn how to make your own bubble first."
"Steady, steady now, careful!" Amber yelped, jumping back at a small explosion of sparks created by the burnt pony. "No, no, you don't just mindlessly pump mana into your horn. Think along the lines of a shield spell, but at the same time a fireproofing spell. It definitely helped me when I came up with the bubble spell, even if I was in a panic the entire time and throwing out whatever I knew."
The burnt pony raised a crusty brow, lighting their horn again. A crackle, followed by another shower of sparks.
"...Also, you can't just push it out directly. From what I understand at the moment, you need to link it to some kind of strong emotion of some sort. At least, I think that's how it works. Panic definitely seemed to help the spell out, honestly."
From behind their singed coat, it looked to Amber like they rolled their eyes. They lit their horn again, and the familiar aura coating of the bubble materialized over their body, lifting up and outward to form a small bubble around the burnt pony. With the bubble formed, the burnt pony glanced back to Amber, an expectant look in what was visible of their face.
As for the mare herself, she only looked on in confusion. Did the burnt pony really just link the spell with annoyance? Was that really how things were gonna work in this world? Just... link up an emotion --any emotion-- to your spell, and it'd work just as planned? She needed to test this.
"Alright then," Amber nodded, gesturing for the burnt pony to come closer. "Let's work on some basic illusions now. They might not be all that helpful at the moment, but it gives you a bit of peace-of-mind to set up a familiar place to be in."
Snorting, the burnt pony shook their head, sitting down where they stood.
"C'mon, I've been helping you learn all these new things, and I even saved your bucking life, and that's what you're gonna do in return? Treat me like... like trash?"
They snorted, tilting their head up in defiance.
"You know wha? Fine, be that way," Amber huffed, stomping off.
She lit her horn, casting her illusion spell around herself again. The ground melted away into a green hillside of lush grass, accompanied by a lone windmill and a light breeze. Sighing, Amber laid down on the grass, staring at the sky she'd created.
The burnt pony joined her not long after, sitting down nearby on the hill. They lit their horn as well, latching onto Amber's illusion spell.
"Wai-hold on, what?" Amber sputtered, her own hold on the illusion faltering as she stared at the burnt pony, "You can do that?"
The burnt pony didn't even so much as give her a glance in response. They instead kept their focus on the sky-- the very same sky Amber had just created. Clouds began to materialize under the false sky, drifting like giant white cotton balls through the air.
"Oh, I... I guess if that's all you're doing, then I'll let you continue."
Amber mentally slapped herself, How soft was she getting? Whoever this pony is, they were a fast learner, and might even surpass her sometime soon in magic, given their rate of progress. Until only moments ago, she didn't even realize it was possible to modify an already-casted spell, regardless of whether it was in Equestria, or... well, wherever the heck this place was.
Her mood softened. Maybe being softer was a good idea. Picking fights with everyone would serve no use here, not when everything around her was an infinite expanse of nothing. After all, even if they were quickly turning out to be a total jerk, being softer on others did score her a companion.
"Hey," she called, "I think it's probably best if you stop adding onto my illusion spell for now. You're gonna want to keep at least some mana in your reserves if you want to heal up at any decent rate."
The burnt pony glared at her again in response, but nevertheless stopped casting their own spell. Amber dropped hers as well, letting the illusion slowly dissolve around them.
Her eyes widened as the last bits of her illusion spell flaked away.
"The-there's more? Already?" Amber stammered, craning her neck. It'd only been, what-- one, two days? More? It wasn't exactly like she could tell the time anymore, given how there wasn't really a sky.
The burnt pony brushed past her, eyes fixated on the additional bubbles that were now dotting the horizon.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
They glared over their shoulder in return, pointing a hoof at the world outside of their bubble.
"But you're not ready yet! You... you're still covered all over in burns! Are you sure you want to go out there again?"
Amber mentally slapped herself for sounding so much like her parents. She took a deep breath, stepping towards the burnt pony.
"Fine, we'll go together," she smirked, "I've been itching for a bit of adventure anyway."
Generating a movable bubble turned out to not be all that hard, actually; in fact, if anything, it seemed easier to create and maintain one than to generate a large, unmovable one. The nearest bubble from their own wasn't too far, luckily. Though, strangely, the walls to this particular bubble were opaque. Amber stopped a few steps away from the bubble's lining.
"Hello?" she shouted, pressing a hoof onto the walls, "Is anyone there?"
Surprisingly, the bubble rippled upon being touched. Waves fanned out in rings around her hoof, gradually fading away as they traveled.
"Come iiiiin!" a voice squeaked.
Amber stepped back, watching her mobile bubble merge with the one she stood before. The solid colors of the bubble wall drained away, opening a window into the new reality that awaited her and the burnt pony. She glanced back, receiving only a glare in response before stepping out of their bubble. Her eyes were immediately assaulted by a torrent of ridiculously oversaturated colors. Birthday balloons and streamers drifted freely above them, while cakes and other desserts sprouted from low-lying candied shrubs lining the path. The burnt pony appeared to gag at the utter sweetness of the air, turning away and wandering toward a stream of chocolate milk.
"Do you know where my friends are? I... I'm scared."
There was that voice again. Amber looked around. It seemed to come from every direction at once, as... as if--
A quiet sob rumbled up from the ground. The sky darkened, replacing the clear, sunny sky with dark, bulging clouds. The crying grew louder by the second, echoing from all around. Amber shrunk back, eyes wide. They weren't just in another bubble, they were in somepony's mind. How such a thing happened? She didn't know. Though, the burnt pony didn't appear to mind, based on the fact that they were currently uprooting a candy bush.
"H-hey, it... it'll be alright, we can be your friends too!" she stammered, staring into the sky. Warm raindrops began to patter down on her face. "Just... tell us your name, and we can maybe help you find your mom and dad."
"Yo-you promise?" the crying softened, as did the rain. "You promise you can find my mom and dad?"
"I... I promise."
The clouds began to part.
"Do you know where I am? I know you're there because I can hear you, but I don't know where I am..."
"Hold on a second, 'kay? I'm not sure if this'll hurt or not, but I'm about to try something."
Amber lit her horn, her mind reaching for the surreal landscape around her.
Peace.
It started off slow at first; balloons and streamers began to vanish one-by-one. The colors began to fade after that, desaturating to less eye-straining levels. The landscape of the bubble shifted next, warping and gurgling like water as absurd cliffs and valleys flattened themselves out. From the corner of her eye, Amber spot the burnt pony rolling their eyes at the disappearance of the candy bush, opting instead to light their horn and surround themselves in an illusion.
"W-what are you doing?" the filly's voice pleaded, "I... I feel--"
And now for the final part. Amber could only thank Celestia for the fact that the magic system in this bubble remained the same as the one in her own. This was a new spell to her-- she wasn't only working with illusions this time. This was a real landscape, and one that existed inside the mind of a filly, at that. There was no room for error. With the previous spell still active, Amber closed her eyes, imagining what the filly might've looked like. She seemed quite playful, so bright colors were certainly going to be a part of her. Maybe... maybe she would look something like one of the Elements of Harmony? ...Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie was her best bet for a body to give the filly.
She opened her eyes, the mana streaming from her horn beginning to run low. The filly now standing before her blinked, staring down at her hooves, then back to Amber.
"I'm... why am I Pinkie Pie but younger? I'm not even pink! I was green!"
Amber clenched her teeth. Did the filly not like Pinkie? Did she just royally screw somethi--
"I... I mean I guess that's okay. I don't think there's all that much candy that's green anyway..."
Well that was a relief.
The illusion spell around the burnt pony dropped. They stepped up to the filly, giving her an experimental sniff before gagging again.
"Don't mind my partner there, um..."
"My name's Minty Chips, ma'am."
"...Yes. You can just call me Amber. I don't really know what my partner's name is, though. Once again, don't mind 'em for now, they're still recovering."
Minty pointed a hoof at the burnt pony. "Where are they going, then?"
Amber's eyes opened wide. "Wait!" she yelled, bolting after them, "Wait, what are you doing? We're supposed to stick together!"
"Go," the burnt pony rasped, glaring back at the mare. "...want...leave."
"You... you want to leave already?"
The burnt pony nodded, turning their attention back to the bubble wall. A looming shadow grew over them.
Amber rubbed her eyes. That bubble hadn't been there before! And even if it was, it certainly wasn't as close as it was now!
A horrible screech filled the air. The looming bubble grew even closer, threatening to envelop them entirely.
"A-Amber?" Minty stammered, stepping away from the bubble walls, "I'm... I'm scared..."
Something dark shot out, piercing a nearby treetop. A mechanical grinding noise emanated from beyond the walls as the intruding object reeled itself back into its bubble, dragging the tree with it.
Thunk.
Everything went still for a moment. The tree had caught on the bubble walls and didn't appear to be moving any further. The grinding sound had since halted as well.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR--
All at once, the noise sprung back in full-force. Minty's entire bubble shuddered, inching ever closer to the dark bubble that'd attacked them.
"Wun," the burnt pony rasped, "Wu-un! Leave!"
They stomped their hooves, eyes fixed on their invaders. They lit their horn, wincing. Crackling wisps of energy spiraled out in every direction; strands of mana connected to the bubble walls, anchors of magic lodged themselves into the ground, burying them deep into the solidifying soil around the burnt pony. Amber could only watch-- when did they ever learn such a spell?! This was even beyond her own ability, and she was the one that'd taught them!
For a moment, she saw the flash of a sadistic grin on their face. A bright, crimson light enveloped them.
Her vision lurched alongside the rest of the bubble. Another anchor had pierced the bubble wall, embedding itself deep into the ground beside the burnt pony.
"What in buck are you doing?" Amber shouted, "You're going to get yourself killed! You even said yourself that we should run!"
"Sometimes, running just isn't enough anymore, Amber."
Amber squinted at the arcing ball of light.
"...Ruby?"
"We will discuss this later. I have a bubble to pop."
The crimson light subsided. The burnt pony-- Ruby was still visibly charred, but it seemed that whatever spell she'd been casting was both healing her and charging some kind of attack.
The bubble lurched again. A third anchor snaked its way into the bubble, latching itself onto the walls themselves.
Without warning, arcs of mana burst from Ruby, feeding through the wispy connections to the bubble and into the anchors, traveling up and out of Minty's bubble. The blood-red charge of mana vanished into the attacker's own vessel. Something appeared to swirl about for a moment within the darkness obscuring its innards, sparking and ricocheting about several times before fading entirely into the black.
A deep groan howled through the air. The anchors swayed in the artificial breeze, rattling about as if they'd grown rusted and slack with age. The dark bubble looming before them mirrored the actions of its appendages, rolling ever so slightly to one side.
The anchors grew taught again, snapping into perfectly-straight lines of black before ripping themselves free. They made a frantic retreat from the innards of the bubble, waving and swaying about while they moved like snakes in a flame.
And then, silence.
The crimson glow about Ruby flickered for a couple of seconds before ultimately dying away. Steam rose from the charred mare. She wavered on her hooves before collapsing to the ground.
A shrill screech shot through the air. Amber tore her disbelieving eyes away from her once self-declared rival and back to their attackers. The dark bubble had drastically shrunken in size in the few seconds that'd gone by, and only seemed to be accelerating. Smaller and smaller it shrank, collapsing in on itself at an exponential rate until all that remained was a single, minuscule blip of darkness. The now marble-sized bubble fell anticlimactically to the ground.
Ruby stirred nearby, groaning. Had she really been holding onto that rivalry mindset for that long? It'd been, what-- five? Six years since they first were at odds with each other over some competition on who could levitate the most pencils at once. Nevertheless, Amber rushed to the mare's side. However annoying Ruby may have been throughout their years knowing each other, she did just save them. It was the least she could do to at least help her back to her hooves.
"I..." Ruby coughed, pushing away Amber's hoof. "I finally did it. I've bested you in something, Amber."
"What."
Ruby coughed again, a little bit of soot spilling from her mouth. "You really need to get better at reading others. Though, I do have to..." she rolled her eyes. "--ugh, thank you for saving me back when I was on fire and all. But now? I've been learning, and I don't need to stand in your shadow any longer, Amber. Your days of ruling the school are over."
She rolled onto her hooves, shaking the ash from her charred body. "This is where we part. I'll see you again soon, Amber."
Ruby lit her horn, surrounding herself in a bubble as she trot away.
Amber felt a small poke in the side. Minty Chips sat down in front of her. She glanced at the retreating Ruby, then back to Amber.
"So... is it just gonna be the two of us, then?"
It took a moment for Amber to respond. All that time, the burnt pony she'd been nursing and teaching was Ruby? It certainly explained the complete lack of appreciation for her efforts, that's for sure. That mare seemed to always be looking for ways to one-up everypony around her, regardless of what they were doing.
Now that she thought about it, Ruby's defeat of the invading bubble was very likely just a way to show off. At least she got her satisfaction.
She turned back to Minty. Ruby didn't need Amber anymore, but by all counts, this filly certainly still needed a guardian until she could defend herself. Maybe she'd make a good sidekick in the meantime.
"So how do you make those bubble-thingies anyway?" Minty poked at the walls of the bubble. "I know that the one we're in is one that I technically made, but... I... don't really think that it'd count as 'making' a bubble."
Amber shrugged. "From what I know, I'm pretty sure these things can only be made by unicorns. Maybe alicorns too, but I have no idea." she lit her horn, stepping out of Minty's bubble and casting a miniature one around herself. "Like that; I don't see how earth ponies like you or pegasi would be able to do that, though."
The black marble from earlier caught her eye. It looked quite a bit less threatening in this form than whatever the ever-living buck it was when it was attacking them, that's for sure. She lit her horn again, picking up the marble. At the very least, simple levitation spells still worked more or less the same. It would've been an absolute nightmare to have to re-learn everything from the beginning.
A distant cry of protest rose from the surface of the marble.
"Do you think it's still dangerous?" Minty squeaked, peering at the swirling darkness inside. "What if it grows big again and tries to eat us like it did last time?"
Amber let the marble fall back to the ground, shaking her head. "No, I don't think it'll be a threat anymore. I doubt it'd be able to grow back to size again, either. Whatever it was that Ruby did back there seemed pretty darn strong," she raised a hoof above the tiny bubble. "But just for good measure..."
A puff of smoke and soot sputtered from beneath her hoof as she stomped down on the marble. Even given its marblelike size and apparent hardness when she held it moments earlier, the marble still popped like the bubble it truly was.
"So then," Amber looked back up, then to Minty. "How about we see what other survivors there are around here?"
"Y'know, for a place that seemed so empty not too long ago, you really have to wonder just how fast these things grow in size."
Misty nodded, staring up at the looming bubble towering above them. This one appeared to be much less threatening, at the very least-- though, whether that would prove to be true on the inside was something they'd yet to discover.
A pained shriek tore their attention away from the bubble. An older stallion was running toward them at high speed, smoke and flames almost entirely engulfing his body.
"REALMS," he screeched, wincing through the bright flames eating away at his body. He didn't appear to even dare to set hoof inside their moving bubble. "OH, CELESTIA, PLEASE, TELL ME THAT YOU COME TO OFFER US YOUR REALM!"
Amber took a step back, horrified at the inferno wreaking havoc on the stallion's already-singed frame. "I... realm? Are you talking about our bubble? Please, come in he--"
"DEATH, SWEET, SWEET DEATH!" the stallion cackled, falling to his haunches. He threw his head back, letting out a final screech before his movements stopped. The flames now began to die down, flickering gently through the patches of smoke still clouding his body.
"Minty, don't look."
The filly turned away. She was behaving so well. Amber lit her horn, focusing on her bubble's walls. This wasn't something Minty should see, regardless of whether or not she was looking away. It'd be best to leave only a small opening for herself to see and turn the rest of the bubble opaque.
The last of the flames subsided. The last tendrils of smoke dissipated almost as if by magic, leaving behind the charred bones of the stallion. Cracks began to materialize on the bones, spiderwebbing across the smoldering surfaces.
Amber kept her eyes on where the stallion once stood for just a little longer. Slowly, she began to turn her head back to the humongous bubble they'd been standing beside. It was the only place the stallion could've possibly come from. This place... this place killed ponies.
She took a step, jerking back at the touch of something soft. Eyes wide, she looked downward. A fine, bone-white powder coated the ground right in front of them. Some patches of the powder were even smoldering still. Was this what would've happened to Ruby if she wasn't dragged into the bubble in time?
Turning back to the former location of the stallion, all that was left to see was a small pile of that same bone powder.
"Amber, I'm scared..."
The mare nodded. "I know. We should probably--"
A metallic groan pierced the air as a portion of the looming bubble opened up. Another pony-- a mare, this time, tentatively craned her neck. She yelped at the touch of the outside air when it burnt the tip of her muzzle, flinching back inside.
"Git out there!" a rough voice barked from behind her.
The mare lowered her head, closing her eyes as if she was accepting her fate.
"Wait!" Amber shouted, turning her bubble transparent again. "Miss, you don't have to die out here."
Minty gasped, tugging at Amber's mane. "Come on, let's go!"
"Minty, if we go, then another pony is going to die!"
Against the pleading of the filly, Amber stepped toward the opening. The mare that exited soon took notice, looking between Amber and whoever it was that was forcing her out.
"Out!" the voice growled. The mare jerked forward with another push. Part of her face began to sizzle.
"No-- sir!" she stepped back again and pointed at Amber and Minty. "I've already found a couple! Doesn't that mean I am allowed to stay?"
"Mmmmmmfine. Make it quick and be sure they don't leave. You know he wants to expand his realm."
Whoever it was that the voice belonged to retreated deeper into the bubble, leaving the mare finally alone. She sighed, rubbing her singed muzzle.
"Are..." Amber stepped up to the mare. "Are you okay? Who was that?"
"Nothing. Why did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"That. Showing yourself when it was obvious what was going to happen. You know that you won't be able to form a shield anymore the moment you step hoof in here, don't you?" She tilted her head, peering at Minty. "And a foal, too? I... is..." she did a double-take. "Is that Pinkie Pie? Are the Elements finally retu--"
"Sorry, no," Amber shook her head. "This filly, for whatever reason, was practically turned inside-out by... well, whatever it was that happened. The --what did you call it, realm?-- that she came from was actually her own mental landscape. This was just the best I could do for her when it came to giving her a body again."
The mare snorted, lowering her head. She stepped back, gesturing for Amber to follow. "Alright. Well, I suppose I should lead you in, then, before I'm expelled a second time. It took so much work trying to avoid having to do this, too!"
Amber glanced at Minty for a moment before stepping in herself. She could quite literally feel her bubble being peeled away as she entered, unlike previous times when it simply merged with whatever bubble she entered until she left.
Almost immediately, her ears were bombarded with the sounds of battle. Some kind of clash-- no, a battle-- she gazed up, expecting to find a group of pegasi duking it out in the air. The sight that met her eyes was far from what she imagined.
One pegasus, obviously scarred from some past run-in with the noxious outside air, was repeatedly bashing himself against the bubble walls, a sickening crack creaking from his bones with every impact. It was a wonder how he didn't appear to be injured.
Nearby, a group of earth ponies sat idly, chewing on some kind of vegetation that grew under the shade of some trees.
Even the unicorns --the ponies that seemed to have more of an advantage than usual as of late-- seemed to be doing more to actively harm themselves than to hurt others, with their rapid teleportation apparently putting a massive strain on their mana pools, if their fainting was any indication.
There was only one thing that was certain; whatever it was that she may have expected to find in this place, this-- all of this-- was far beyond anything she could've imagined.
"Stop, stop!" an exasperated voice groaned from all around. "Back to your quarters!"
The ponies around Amber immediately halted what they were doing, some even breathing sighs of relief as they trudged back to wherever they'd come from.
"Newcomers!" the voice turned its focus to Amber and Minty. "What brings you to our humble realm?"
The mare standing beside her chuckled, backing away.
"Hmf. That was some excellent performance there then, Missy. I expect you to bring me more by tomorrow."
"No," Amber stamped her hoof in the ground. "You --whoever you are-- do you even realize what you've been doing to the ponies you send out there?"
"I send my champions out of the safety of our realm in order to invite others that may be less fortunate. Do you not understand that? These ponies are battle-hardened, and it is their choice whether they wish to leave or not. From how few of them ever return, I presume that most opted to leave, unfortunately."
Amber groaned. "No, no! You aren't getting the point! The reason why so many ponies seem to 'leave' is because they're dying out there!"
"Ah, well, I suppose I'd might as well take the two of you on a tour of the place. Missy, you may return to your quarters for the day. You will be joining these two in combat tomorrow to show them the ropes."
Did he just ignore her entirely? Amber looked around. She still couldn't see who the voice was coming from. Either way, he seemed more than just a little full of himself-- he was willing to send ponies out to die just to further his cause of 'inviting' in ponies!
A stallion emerged from the shadows, flinging his headset aside, where it grew a set of legs and skittered away. He held out his hoof. "Please to meet the two of you. My name is Mil 'round these parts."
Amber stepped back from Mil. "You're... a pegasus."
"Yes, and?" Mil boasted, "In this new realm, anypony has the capability of using magic, no matter what tribe they hailed from!"
"That's... great?"
"Indeed it is!" Mil continued, wrapping a wing around Amber. "My realm is a utopia, and my hardened warrior-messengers spread the knowledge of its existence all around!"
Maybe it was better to shut up for the time being. It's not like Mil was really listening, anyway. At least by sticking with him, it'd be easier to figure out just what the heck this place was.
"And over there is the living quarters," Mil gestured with a wing. "It's not much, but it's honest work. My own magical abilities are still pretty shaky at the moment, to be honest. A unicorn such as yourself that has the ability to generate their own realm out in the open is just the kind of pony we need around here!"
They passed a couple of ponies. Amber couldn't help but notice their glares.
"Wait up!" Minty squeaked, running as fast as her short legs could carry her. "You grown-ups walk too fast! I was just stopping to look at what some foals over there were playing with, and then when I turned around, both of you were gone!"
Mil chuckled, ruffling the filly's frizzy mane. "You're a little young to be lookin' like Pinkie Pie, aren't you?"
Minty looked to Amber, who in return shrugged. "She didn't have a body anymore, so I had to make her one. The first thing that came to mind was Pinkie Pie, so..."
"Make her one?" Mil raised a brow. "Now that is something I'd like to hear about! Come, let's find a place to sit. We can discuss what you bring to this realm over drinks. Anything you prefer?"
"Hot cocoa!" Minty peeped, grinning.
"...Water's fine," Amber sighed. Maybe she'd be able to prevent any more bloodshed by teaching Mil some of the spells she knew. At the very least, that way he could perhaps make sure that the ponies he sent out were better protected.
Mil nodded. "Cocoa and water it is, then! Let's grow a happy little tree right here for some shade."
He unfurled his wings, a light aura developing around his entire body. It was strange watching a non-unicorn perform direct magic-- without a horn, or really anything specialized in regards to channeling mana, it instead just... appeared, regardless of where the spell would be directed.
Mil took a deep breath, grinding a forehoof into the ground as he muttered something under his breath. Slowly but surely, a thin trunk began to emerge from the ground. He opened an eye, peeking at the spindly stick of a tree he'd grown. He grunted in annoyance, returning his concentration to the spell. It was clear that he struggled to cast really anything, so the fact that he was able to create... well... all of this amazed Amber all the more.
A few more minutes of spellcasting came and went before there finally was a decently-large tree to sit under. Simply out of courtesy, both Amber and Minty decided to turn down the drinks-- Mil had struggled enough already, regardless of whether or not he actually knew what was going down out there.
"So," Mil sat down with a grunt, gesturing for Amber and Minty to do the same. "I... if you'd like, you could ask some questions first. I know I was being all big and boastful earlier, but..." he leaned in close. "To be honest, that's really just for show. Very few ponies here seem to respect me. Only reason why they don't revolt is 'cause they don't have anywhere else to go."
...He was absolutely clueless, wasn't he?
Amber rolled her eyes, frowning. "Well, I'd might as well start, then. Mil, do you have any idea just how deadly it is out there?"
"Uhm... maybe?"
Amber facehoofed. "Okay, first off, tell me how you managed to even survive the disaster. You don't exactly strike me as the kind of pony who can survive on sheer wits alone like I did."
"To be honest," Mil chuckled, scratching his head. "I'm pretty sure it's more or less been dumb luck that's kept me alive all this time. When I woke up, I was already protected by this..."
"Bubble?" Minty chirped.
"Sure, we'll go with that. In any case, I never had to worry about being unprotected like a lot of others did. I did find a couple friends early on, though we went our separate ways trying to find anyone else that we recognized, and... well, we never saw each other again."
Was that why he kept sending ponies out to their deaths? Was he really just hoping that one of his friends would be brought in one day?
"Anyway," Mil continued, "You were saying?"
"You..." Amber shook her head, gesturing at the fortified bubble walls. "You should just come with me. You need to see things for yourself."
"What do you see, Mil?"
The stallion shaded his eyes with a hoof, peering at the endless stretches of white.
"Nothing."
"Exactly," Amber nodded. "And now, look down, near the entrance of your bubble. What do you see there?"
"I..." Mil hesitated. "I see grey."
"Yes, and what does that grey look like?"
The same metallic groan from before came from below. They could barely see the tip of the next pony's muzzle beginning to emerge.
"What does it look like, Mil?" Amber repeated. "Tell me!"
"Ashes!" the stallion sputtered, "It looks like ashes! There, I've said it!"
"And where do those ashes come from?"
Minty whimpered, backing away from the two.
"It..." Mil hung his head. "It comes from my ponies."
"Then call off the next expedition," Amber ordered, "We don't need any more ponies dying as it is."
Amber set down her shovel, stepping back from the monument.
"Are you sure--"
"Yes," the mare deadpanned. "It's the least you can do to at least memorialize all the ponies that you sent out to die. I've already made a base for--"
"No, no, I'm not talking about the monument," Mil shook his head. "It's just... I really don't think I deserve to run this place anymore. Not after the things I did."
The stallion turned, gesturing to the watching ponies around them. "Even if I built a hundred monuments, I'd still be the pony they remember as the one who sent their loved ones out to die. It's a miracle that I haven't yet been long-since assassinated by now."
"Heh. No kidding."
"Honestly, I think it'd be a good idea to just..." Mil paused, taking a breath. "Leave. It'll only cause more harm if I stick around any longer. In fact, I'd might as well head out right now. I--"
Amber rolled her eyes, enveloping the distraught stallion in a bubble. "You aren't going anywhere 'till you at least finish this monument. If you want to get out of this place that badly, then you should come with me once this is done."
"Sure?"
"Either that or be incinerated out there on your own. By the way, do you have some sort of anti-magic enchantment going on at the surface of this place's walls? I remembered that when Minty and I came in, our bubble was completely stripped away."
Mil cocked his head. "Stripped away? I..." he blinked, narrowing his eyes. "I think I remember casting something that merged the realms of others into this one. Here, I'll... I'll undo it."
The stallion closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. The ground beneath them began to tremble a little, but halted as suddenly as it began. Hairline cracks formed through the air, as if reality itself was beginning to shatter. Amber could barely hear the gasps and shouts of the surrounding ponies over the crackling of arcane energy.
With a final flash of light, everything around them vanished. Amber whirled around to Mil, a deadly glare set on her face.
"What. Did. You. DO?"
Mil shrunk back with a squeak, pointing a hoof at the outside walls of his own megabubble. "I... I separated you from the rest of the integrated realm. We're in the last location you were in before you entered. The hole that was left behind should've immediately been filled to prevent a tear in reality."
Amber sighed, her glare softening a little. "Alright, then. We'll head back in, finish the monument, and leave without you giving me another heart attack. Capiche?"
"What about that filly that was with you?"
"Minty stays behind. Now that she doesn't need to worry about either being stranded alone or being sent to her death, I'd prefer for her to settle down and live a little more normal of a life around others. I can't keep a filly like her safe all the time when I'm traveling, anyway. She could be killed."
"Killed?" Mil sputtered, "What kind of traveling are you even doing?"
"Easy traveling, if all goes well. Things... haven't always gone well. Especially recently, with, oh, y'know, sen--"
"Yes, yes, I know, I'm a terrible pony. I get it already. Saying it again and again is really beginning to take away from its impact."
She snorted, rolling her eyes. Mil might still not see the entirety of his impact, but... she paused, staring to the rounded top of the stallion's bubble. Somepony had to stop him, and the further she could get him from this place, the better. She glanced back at Mil.
"Let's just get this monument done and go."
Actually finishing the project surprisingly took very little time. All there really was left was some engraving work into the pedestal and some detailing to the surrounding flower bed. Now, though, it was time to leave.
Minty, of course, begged Amber to stay.
"Wait! Please!" the filly wailed, clinging to Amber's legs. "Why can't you stay, too? If Mil wants to go then he can go by himself!"
Amber shook her head. "I... can't stay. I've been trying to find the cause of this whole mess is. Maybe when I do, I could bring back the old world-- maybe even to the point where nothing out of the ordinary ever even happened. I know Mil's done some bad things, Minty, but his ability to work directly with bubbles might help in fixing all of this."
She paused, smiling. "--And maybe one day, I will fix this, and everything will finally be back to normal."
"Her body, too?" another pony stepped up beside Minty. "While the two of you were working, Minty here explained how you made her the spitting image of the Element of Laughter."
"Ehhhyes?" Amber forced a chuckle. "I'm... honestly not that sure about whether or not I can restore everything. At minimum I'm hoping I can just bring back the old world."
"Right. I understand," the pony nodded. "Thank you so much for your efforts. Let's hope that your quest succeeds!"
"Experience is really all I've got, so I'll be hoping that too." Amber turned to Mil. "C'mon, let's head out now. It's high time these ponies stop worrying about their lives."
