//------------------------------// // Ch. V: Home (Amaris) // Story: The Witches of Moonlight Lake // by Phoenix Heart 27 //------------------------------// (Same Saturday as before…) The sound of an electric alarm clock blared through the small apartment. A light blue hoof smacked into it to quiet the offending sound. The body that the hoof was attached to slowly rose from the bed. Glancing at the clock, Amaris stretched as she looked over onto her nightstand at the little cotton filled cloth doll with button eyes. Reaching out and grabbing it, she  brought it closer to her to inspect it. “Okay little doll, let's just see who your bonded to?”, Amaris spoke to the doll as she lit her horn and performed a bond tracking spell she learned from a library book. Her now black aura steeped into the doll’s cloth frame as it began to glow bright orange. After a few minutes, the glowing stopped and Amaris sighed. “Well, whoever you were bound to is long dead. Therefore, you are an unbonded doll. Practically a toy. However, I know you are no mere toy. Somehow and I don't know how, but I sense great potential in you. As well as an uncanny urge to make more of you for some reason.”, She ranted to the doll as if it could actually hear her. Taking a deep breath, she got up and got ready for her day. Stepping into the tiny on-suite bathroom, she took a quick shower and brushed her teeth before drying her fur with a towel (‘Not sure if a drying spell would be wise’ she surmised in her head as she did). After all that was done, she ventured downstairs with her saddlebags and went to start on breakfast for her and her mom. As she got breakfast ready, Amaris heard the unfortunate tell-tale sounds of a glass bottle falling onto the floor and a choice swear to follow. That to her, signaled that her mom was awake. Quickly getting three plates out, Amaris scrambled to get her senses together as she adjusted her saddlebags and went into the living room where her mother lay slightly hungover on the couch. Grabbing a pain reliever, she slowly approached her mother. “G’morning Mam. How was your night?”, Amaris asked her mother as she passed her the painkillers and a bottled water. Her mother only sighed and grumbled something low and in their native Eponan dialect as she tossed the 2 pills back and drank some water. “déanfar an bricfeasta i nóiméid.”, Amaris said in response to her mother's grumbling about needing food. She then went back to the kitchen to finish up breakfast. A short while later, a large burly stallion came sauntering through the back door. A tired grin on his face as he walked up to Amaris. “G’morning daidí. You're just in time for breakfast.”, Amaris chuckled as her father nuzzled against her side playfully before taking his seat at the table. Her mother having already seated herself, was smiling sadly as she kissed her husband on the cheek as he sat down. “So, réalta beag. Got any big plans for today?”, Connor McLeash asked his daughter. Purposely saying his nickname for her in a warm tone. “Not really. Gotta head to the park in a little while, my friend, Solange text me a mere second before you came in dad. Says she wants me to meet up with her and the rest of the crew there.”, Amaris replied as she casually levitated the plate of pancakes towards herself...only for the plate to fly straight into the ceiling fan above them. Splattering pancake mush and butter all over. “I'm so sorry! I--I didn't mean to do that! In the name of Luna, today's starting off uafásach.”, Amaris sputtered out as she levitated (with a bit more control) a broom and dustpan to her and started cleaning up her mess. Yet when she was done, she looked up at her parents and they had a shocked look to them both. Once they both recovered from the shock, it was her mother, Diana who spoke first. “L-Little darling...why is your magic black? Like onyx black?”, Diana asked in a tone that betrayed her concerned look. “*sigh* Do you want the full story or the cliff notes?”, Amaris replied. “Both!”, Her parents said together. So it was that Amaris told her parents what had happened. From what had been happening to her magic recently to the incident in the woods with Solange and Terra. Needless to say her parents were both shocked beyond words. Thankfully, Amaris was able to read their faces exactly and proceeded to show them the voodoo doll she found. “I am just glad neither one of you girls were hurt” Diana started as she hooded Amaris back the doll “However, I...I think you should just...go and meet your friends. Be quick now and don't have them a waiting!”, She finished as she all but herded her daughter out of the house. Not taking into consideration that she probably should've checked her daughter's flanks for abnormalities. As she thought that to herself, her phone rang with a group call. “Hello?”, The still shocked mare answered. “Have you. Looked at. Terra or Amaris’s cutie-marks recently?”, Sammy Bridleway said frantically on the other end of the phone. “No, why?”, Both mothers responded. “Because I think it's time.”, Sammy stated. “WHAT?!?”, Diana and Bundty Cakes shouted in shock. “How sure are you, Sam?”, Diana asked. “Absolutely certain. It's time ladies. Our girls deserve to know the truth.”, Sam replied as she said more stuff before hanging up. Hanging up the phone, Diana turned to her husband. Fear etched across both of their faces. “*sigh* What are we gonna do lamb?”, Conner asked in a rarely used unsure tone. “I don't know, but I do know one thing: Our girls’ secret will be spoken and we'll have to deal with 3 emotionally charged teenagers...Faust help us all.”, Diana responded with a sigh as she and her husband sat on the couch.