It's impossible to overstate Malbec's importance in the history of AMBER, both behind the scenes and in the arena itself.
AMBER's first and greatest hero, her journey of personal growth, self-discovery, and Championship victory, fascinated thousands of fans. The saga of her ongoing rivalry with the villainous Thistle laid the groundwork for a thousand fics, and dozens of imitators in the Arena.
Yet, even in the earliest days, her character was never simplistic.
Like her companion, MonoChrome, Malbec was a woman of many faces - firey idealism, and a heroic drive for victory, saw her first claw her way up the UMBA rankings in her pre-AMBER career, and then launch headlong into her AMBER hero's journey. Yet, there was always a darker side to Malbec. She had secrets; and she had her darker side - that firey drive for success could turn easily into arrogance, and more than once she was known to betray her partners in the ring for the chance at individual glory.
But a hero is nothing without flaws, and Malbec always overcame hers.
Perhaps that is what made her such a beloved and enduring figure. She was always a sign of hope.
Malbec always wanted to do better, to be better, to make something good of herself. And she did. Like AMBER itself, she was forged in one of the darkest times of Bastion's history, and grew to be a shining light of its new age.
It's no wonder so many see her as such a powerful symbol. Many younger Trainers have tried to follow in her footsteps, but Malbec has an enduring appeal that is all her own.
- From A Brief History of AMBER by Beam