Chapter 13:

Amber’s Final Wish

The house was dreadfully empty. A fine layer of dust coated everything, further emphasizing the feel of emptiness and sorrow that lingered in my mind. Wearily, I sat down in my favorite armchair, right in front of the dim fireplace. With a careful flick of my flint, I created a small blaze that did nothing to chase away the darkness I felt in my heart.

My daughter was dead.  There wasn’t anything that could change that.

I sighed heavily, and pulled out the last, finished project that Amber had finished, right before she died: a beautiful, flawless, detailed portrait of both Celestia and Luna. In the portrait, they were poised as if they were raising the sun and moon respectively, and the border was that of an old clock. Inscribed on the bottom were the words, “May the sun and moon remind us of better times”.

It was easily Amber’s best work. Quite possibly, it was the best stained glass art in all of Equestria. Certainly, to me, it was the most impressive work of art I had ever seen.

And I could barely stand to be in its presence. I leaned the glass against the fireplace, the light sending colorful lights all across the room. Now, an even larger image of the portrait shown against the floor in front of me, a facsimile made entirely of light.

“Amber…I’m sorry,” I choked out. My face fell into my hands, and I couldn’t hold it back anymore.

A single tear slid out of my hands, and fell onto the light image on the floor. Suddenly, something…happened...I don't even know how to describe it.

The light flashed, nearly blinding me for an instant. When I recovered, I could see there, on the floor…Amber. It was a 3D image of her as a child, made entirely out of ethereal stained glass. She sat huddled on her bed, sobbing in fear. A new figure, made of silver and chocolate colored glass, stepped into the light to comfort her…me.

“I remember this,” I whispered.

Just like that, the entire scene played out before both my mind and my eyes. Amber cried in fear, and I sat on her bed and pulled her into my arms.

“There, there,” I had soothingly said to her. “It was just a nightmare, it wasn’t real.”

Amber continued to cry her eyes out, still terrified from what she had seen. She managed to sob out, “D-daddy! I-I saw you and S-Scorch, and there were monsters, and they t-took you away from me! I was all alone, and it was d-d-dark!”

A reassuring smile slipped across my face, as I cradled her in my arms. To calm her down, I had started singing her a sort of wordless lullaby. It was more a mindless hum than anything, but it had the same effect on her all the same.

Finally, her sobs subsided into scared sniffles, and she had asked me, “Daddy, are monsters real?”

I remembered the answers that had gone through my head. I could have told her a lie, and said that there weren’t any. I could have told her that they only existed in her dreams, and were easily banished with a wish and a prayer.

Instead, I told her, “Yeah. Monsters are real. No matter where you go, there’s gonna be at least one monster hiding in the dark somewhere. But I’m gonna tell you a secret.”

My eyes looked around, as if searching for eavesdroppers, and I whispered in her ear, “Daddy’s an even scarier monster.”

“You are?” Amber had gasped in childish wonder. “Really?”

“Mmhm. But I’m a good monster. I can just…” I then jumped at her, and started tickling her stomach as I said in a playful, growly voice, “SCARE THEM ALL AWAY!”

The filly squealed in laughter, before leaping at me in retaliation, and trying to find a good place to tickle me back. To save her the trouble, I had started to pretend that she was getting me, until she got herself tuckered out. She fell limp in my arms, and sleepily whispered, “I love you Daddy…”

I fell to my knees on the floor, tears cascading out of my eyes. That was one of my most cherished memories of my time with Amber, and it had played out right in front of me. But how?

[Right now, I'd suggest listening to "I, Zero, Your Fellow Interlude - Mythos"]

In answer, the images disappeared, only to be replaced by a stained glass statue of Amber as an adult. Her image gave me a sad smile, and said, “Hi Daddy. If you’re watching this, then…well, I guess I’m dead. If you’re wondering, I finally perfected that illusion charm, and set it onto this. It’s triggered by a sad feeling, and a tear. When that happens, they’ll see their favorite memory or dream to make them feel better.”

Amber always did want her art to bring life back to others…

“I guess if your tear activated it, something really bad must have happened. I mean, you never cry. Ever. You were always too worried about others to cry.” Her glass-self chuckled a little bit. “I remember how no matter what you would be doing, if I had scraped my knee, or hurt myself trying to get my cutie-mark, you’d always stop and help me. No matter what, you’d always make sure others were okay.”

I chuckled too, remembering those times as well.

“Daddy…even when you told me that I was adopted, I knew deep down in my heart that it didn’t matter. You raised me as your daughter, and taught me everything I needed to know. Because of you, I learned things that were more important than anything school had to offer. You told me how to always be kind to others, how a simple nice word could make all the difference for somepony. You taught me that I should hate the action, not the pony.”

She paused for a moment to let her words sink in.

“Right now though…I just really want to tell you something.” Her eyes closed, and crystal tears started falling out of them. “Thank you, Daddy. Thank you for taking me in, for being an actual father. You gave me a life, and I lived it. You gave me everything I needed.”

Amber looked up at me one last time, and smiled.

“I love you Daddy. I love you so much. Thank you for everything. Please, don’t forget that.”

“I won’t,” I croaked out.

The light disappeared, leaving me huddled in the darkness by a ring of pale light on the floor. Finally, everything caught up to me.

“Amber…my daughter,” I sobbed.   “My precious, precious daughter.”

[Music over.]

XHXHXHXHXHXHX

True to her word, Nayru had definitely healed Scorch. Her wounds had all but disappeared, and though her legs were still somewhat stiff, she was able to move. I don’t know why Nayru was so insistent about the dragon accompanying me, but I wouldn’t argue. After I had gotten Scorch caught up with everything, I told her to pack a bag with whatever she wanted to salvage from our home.

In the end, she just packed a few books on plants that grow in Equestria, some seeds from her garden, the usual supplies, and a chunk of wood from the doorway. This had been her first true home, and now she was about to leave it…probably forever.

“Are you ready?” I asked her as I tightened the straps on my backpack. I now had a small walking staff slung through the loops on the end of the backpack, a worn strip of hard oak that could take a lot of abuse before even showing the slightest sign of damage. That battle with Torrentican had made me realize that I WOULD need to learn how to use a weapon of some sort with this body, and I figured I’d have to make due with a staff for now.

Scorch nodded in answer to my question, a far off look in her eyes. Her own backpack was secured tightly to her in anticipation. Quietly, she asked me, “Where are we going now?”

I motioned for her to follow me down the path that would lead us both out of town. “We’re going to Canterlot to see the princesses. Amber made that glass for them, and I’m gonna make damn sure that they get it.” I sighed heavily. “May as well make sure her last wish doesn’t go unfulfilled.”

The dragon’s face fell, but she still said, “Right…what about after that?”

“I don’t know. We’ll figure it out when it comes,” I replied. “For now…Esperanto.”

Together, the two of us started to walk along the road, about to leave Pine Falls behind…for good. Fifteen years…we had spent that entire time in that little town. Now, we were about to see Equestria in its entirety.

But first…

I spied Silver Bars walking out of the bank, an expression of fear and worry on his face. He spotted me, and paled at the rage he saw in my eyes. In a flash, I was standing next to him, baring my teeth.

“You!” I snarled. I pressed him against the wall, in front of all of the ponies who were going about their day, and shouted, “YOU MURDERED MY DAUGHTER!”

“N-n-no! I didn’t do that!” he protested, struggling in my grasp. “It-it was that Torrentican fellow! He’s the one you want!”

I slapped him across the face, and roared, “DON’T TRY AND WEASEL YOUR WAY OUT OF THIS! YOU PRACTICALLY PUT HER HEAD ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK AND TOLD HIM WHERE TO STRIKE!”

He choked and spluttered for air, his face slowly turning blue as his breath became more and more strangled.

“I oughtta kill you, right here, right now,” I growled. “All you’ve done your entire life is cheat, squander, and let greed rule your every action. You’re a coward, a liar, and a pathetic excuse for a pony. If anypony deserves to be hated, it’s you. If anypony here deserves to be DEAD it’s you...not Amber.”

His eyes started to roll into the back of his head…and then suddenly, I flung him to the floor, where he coughed at the sudden intake of air. He looked at me in confusion.

I gave him a disgusted look, and growled, “But that wouldn’t be right. Amber wouldn’t have wanted me to become a murderer over a fuckup like you.”

Before I could lose my temper again, Scorch and I ran. Sky saw me from the air above the entryway, and he gave me a farewell salute. I waved at him, but never glanced back at Pine Falls. It was my past now.

My present, and future, lay on the road ahead.

Just as we reached the top of the hill, I let out a long, piercing howl. On the waterfall that rested besides the town behind me, three graves gave me a silent farewell. The newest one, smaller and more elegant than the other two, was made of pure marble.

Here Lies Amber Heart.

Taken too early.

Artist, Optimist, and Loving Daughter.

May Celestia’s sun warm her, and may Luna’s Moon protect her.

Esperanto

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