Truth of the Heart

by Rose Quill

Come, Said the Crow

Truth of the Heart

Scipio Smith

Chapter 1

Come, Said the Crow

The birds were singing in the trees as the sun rose, cheeping and chirruping to greet the dawn.

A fiery cat, crimson and gold and burning and with eyes of deep red, appeared in the tree beneath the loudest part of the chorus, hissing and spitting. With cries of alarm the birds took wing, and soon quiet reigned around the Palace of Friendship.

Sunset Shimmer smiled contentedly as she dispelled the illusory feline. She pulled the curtains tightly closed, so that not even a chink of light could enter, and then trotted silently back to bed.

Twilight was still asleep. That was the reason, rather than any hatred of avians, why Sunset had scared off the birds. She didn't want them to wake Twilight up.

Sunset climbed back into bed and sat on it, head resting on one hoof, leg lying on the pillow, watching Twilight's breathing chest rise and fall as she breathed in softly. She was so beautiful. The way she was lying, her bangs had fallen sideways so that they covered one eye. Sunset reached out, and with a gentle hoof brushed them out of the way.

"I love you," Sunset whispered.

Twilight let out a small sound, somewhere between a groan and a mumble, and slowly opened her eyes.

"Hey, you," she said softly. "Have you been up long."

"Up?" Sunset said. "I've been watching you sleep all night."

Twilight groaned. "Yeah, whatever. Do you know what time it is?"

"Time to stay in bed for a little longer," Sunset said.

"Sunset," Twilight replied sharply. "The train leaves at ten o'clock, we have to make sure we're there on time. Now, did you see where I put my checklist last night?"

Sunset flopped onto her back. "You don't need to worry so much, we've got plenty of time yet."

"You don't know that," Twilight said, leaping out of bed. "Now, do you know where my checklist is?"

"Underneath the book you were reading last night," Sunset said.

"Thank you," Twilight said, levitating the book out of the way and holding up her checklist so that she could read it, drawing the curtains as she did so. "Now then: get up early; check. I think."

Sunset got up. "I'll make breakfast."

"Could you get Spike up as well?"

"Sure."

"Thank you. Wake up Spike; check."

Sunset chuckled.

"Hey, Sunset," Twilight said quietly, looking up from her list.

Sunset paused on her way out of the bedroom and turned back to look at her. "Is something wrong?"

Twilight smiled contentedly. "No. Nothing. It's...thank you, for agreeing to come with me."

"Thank me?" Sunset said. "I should be thanking you, inviting me to come with you on your big family get together. What are you thanking me for?"

Twilight hesitated, scuffing her hoof from side to side. "I...we're serious, aren't we? I mean I think we're serious, and we're living together which suggests that we're serious? I mean I think you think that we're serious, but I want to be sure because-"

"I think we're serious," Sunset said. "Very serious." More serious than you realise. That ring's burning a hole in my pocket, and I'm not even wearing anything.

"Good," Twilight said, a look of relief crossing her face for a moment, replaced shortly after by an expression of concern. "Since we're serious, and what with us living together and all...I'd like my parents to approve...of you. Of us. I know it's stupid and old-fashioned."

"Old fashioned doesn't make it stupid," Sunset said. "It just makes it old fashioned, is all. And I get it. It killed me when I thought my sister didn't care what I thought about the guy she was marrying, like I wasn't a part of her family. You care what your parents think, it shows you love them."

Twilight smiled. "Well, thank you for coming with me, and taking the time to let them get to know you. I'm sure they'll love you like I do. But not exactly like I do."

"Yeah, I'm sure they will," Sunset murmured. "Provided they like reformed rage demons. Anyway, I'll go wake up Spike, and then I'll fix breakfast."

Twilight nodded. "I love you."

"I know," Sunset said.

"Ugh," Twilight groaned.

"What, it sounded cool in the movie," Sunset said. When Twilight's expression remained blank, Sunset waved one hoof. "You know what, forget it, it didn't sound cool?"

"Not really."

"Okay, I won't say it again then," Sunset said leaving Twilight to her checking and double checking and triple checking.

She trotted down the palace hallways, her hoof-falls echoing through the over-cavernous corridors. It was big, this place. Too big for Twilight, though she pretended not to think so, but Sunset liked it. It was, she had to admit, the sort of place she had dreamed of living in when she had patiently plotted her takeover of Equestria.

Not too long ago, Twilight getting a place like this would have made me so mad. Now...the fact that I'm not mad has nothing to do with the fact that I live here.

She reached Spike's room and knocked on the door. "Hey, Spike, are you awake?"

No answer.

Sunset knocked again. "Spike?"

When there was still no answer, Sunset opened the door and went inside. Spike was asleep, as she had expected, burrowed into the centre of his bed, curled up around something that, on closer inspection, turned out to be a Rarity doll.

"Okay, because that's not creepy or anything," Sunset muttered. "Come on, big guy, time to get up."

Spike's only response was a loud snore.

Sunset frowned for a moment, her horn glowing azure as she flung open the curtains. "Hey, lazyscales, get up!"

Spike's response was an even louder snore than before.

Sunset blinked, then a smirk spread across her face as a thought struck her. She crept up on the slumbering dragon, until she was half lying on the bed, her face about an inch away from his ears.

Clearing her throat, Sunset put on her very best Rarity impression. "Oh, Spike darling, however did you achieve such a sparkling finish on your scales? You must let me see what it feels like to kiss them you adorable little Spike-wikey."
That got him up fast enough, green eyes snapping open as Spike gasped. "Huh? Wuh? Rari-" Spike rolled over and fixed Sunset with a glower. "Oh, it's you."

"Sorry to disappoint, Spikey-wikey," Sunset said.

"And I was having an awesome dream as well," Spike said, rolling onto his back.

"A wet one, I'll bet," Sunset said, hauling herself off the bed. "A Rarity plushie, really?"

"She gave it to me herself," Spike said defensively.

Sunset blinked. "I really have no...there's no accounting for taste, I guess. Anyway, I'm making breakfast, what do you want?"

"A jewel cake," Spike said.

Sunset gave him a side-eye. "My ears are still ringing from what happened I gave you jewel cake for breakfast. What do you really want?"

"I dunno," Spike replied. "Why are you getting me up anyway?"

"Because Twilight wants you up," Sunset said, levitating the little dragon off the bed and onto the floor. "She's worried we'll miss the train."

"That won't happen," Spike complained.

"But Twilight's worried that it will, so no going back to bed," Sunset said, leaving the baby dragon to finish waking up while she headed down into the kitchen.

Outside, some of the birds were starting to gather again, the scare of Sunset's illusory cat having worn off. Sunset didn't bother them again, they weren't likely to disturb anypony now that everypony in the castle was awake. She paid them little notice as she started to gather plates and dishes from the cupboards, although she did look slightly askance at the big black crow that had settled on a branch of a nearby tree. She hadn't seen its like before, but it was only a crow after all, you found them all over the place.

"Caw! Caw!" the crow said, the harshness of its croak cutting through the chorus of the more melodic birds like the sound of a gong being rung dispelling the beauty of a string quartet. "Caw!"

"Caw yourself," Sunset muttered, turning the oven on and opening up a pack of crumpets.

"Come!" the crow said loudly, just as Sunset was about to put the crumpets down on the grill. "Come! Come!"

Sunset paused. Did I just hear that right? She shuffled over to the window, and looked out at the crow on the tree. She could have sworn it was looking right back at her.

"Did you just say 'Come'?" Sunset asked. "Where you talking to me?"

The crow stared at her, or appeared to, but said nothing further.

The two matched gazes for a moment, before Sunset realised the absurdity of trying to outstare a bird, and turned away.

He just said 'Caw' again, and I misheard, that's all. He wasn't talking to me, he wasn't talking at all. I just misheard because I got up too early this morning.

"Sunset!" croaked the crow. "Come, Sunset, come!"

Sunset froze, her eyes widening. She hadn't misheard that. That bird had definitely spoken to her.

She trotted back over to the window, where the crow was still staring.

"Come," said the crow. "Sunset, come."

How is it doing that? Sunset wondered. I'm not Fluttershy, I shouldn't be able to understand it at all. How can it talk to me? Can crows be trained to talk like ponies?

"Come," the crow repeated.

"Come where?" Sunset demanded. "What are you talking about? What do you want?"

The crow tilted its head, as if the answer should have been obvious and she was a dunce for not working it out.

"What?" Sunset said loudly. "Don't clam up now."

"Sunset? Who are you talking to?" Spike asked as he came in, rubbing his eyes.

Sunset turned away from the window to look at him. "I, uh..." she looked back, the crow had gone.

Did I just imagine all that? I didn't, did I? I can't have. But then where did it...maybe if I get a minute, I can ask Fluttershy about talking crows. If not, it'll have to wait until we get back.

Sunset shook her head. "I wasn't talking to anypony, Spike, don't worry about it. Now, what do you want for breakfast?"

Comments

[llDenkerll]

shhhh, quiet, just accept my premature favorite

[nemryn]

That was the reason, rather than any hatred of avians, why Sunset had scared off the birds.

Dumb birds.

[Shatter Star]

Its here! Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes!

[Bryan Luna]

Well that was odd.

[brisa_mlp]

dumb birds... oh wait birds don't bother me well ok I got no beef wit the birds. Where are you hiding that ring sunset

ohhh cool why did I not know about this