Heart of Magic

by TheCrimsonDM

Chapter Three: Sneaky Souls

Heart of Magic Chapter Three

Heart of Magic

Chapter Three: Sneaky Souls

Amber found herself trotting at a near gallop to her cousins house. She needed to talk to Sophie or Hushpuppy. It wasn't a terribly long walk over to Fluttershy and Pinkie's house from Sugarcube Corner. Normally Amber might even enjoy the walk too, take her time, see the sights, talk to ponies. Yet her mission was clear. She needed a spy and either of Fluttershy's kids could easily serve this purpose. The only question was which one did she want to use?

Once she arrived at the cottage she didn't even bother knocking on the door. Once inside she looked around. The place was filled with hanged photos of Fluttershy and Pinkie, as well as few with all the elements of harmony together. One of them showed the six of them standing before a ruined castle, covered in dirt, scrapes, and bruises, yet they were all smiling. Adventure, that was something Amber wanted more than anything in the world, but she would have to wait until she was eighteen so she could go out on her own without any adults telling her what she was allowed to do.

Amber called out in the house. "Sophie, Hush, you guys here?"

A quiet male voice replied from the kitchen. "I'm only as present as this mortal coil forces me to be." To follow the voice was a young stallion with yellow fur and a long green mane covering half his face. His piercing green eye seemed to see through Amber with an eerie presence. He wore a black hooded jacket with the hood drawn over his head.

"Hey, Hushpuppy, what's up?"

He stared at her blankly. "Like, the ceiling or something."

Amber rolled her eyes. "Where's Soph?"

"She's at her club meeting."

Sophie was a member of quite a few clubs. Though the one she was probably at right then was the stuffed animal club. Amber went once, it was weird. It was just a bunch of weirdos collecting plushies and making their own. It was like half obsessed collectors, and half arts and crafts. Of course Sophie was both of those things in the extreme.

"Okay, well I have something I need done." Amber said with a smile.

"I am not breaking into another pony’s home for you."

Amber looked away at the wall and laughed nervously. "Break into a pony's home? What are you talking about? hahaha."

"If that's not what it is, then what do you want? A poem of how the light has faded from this world?"

Amber shook her head. "Nah, none of your emo crap today. Color's been asking about that though. No I want you to get some info for me."

He narrowed his eye. It was almost as if his eye was glowing as a smile grew over his lips. "Gossip huh. I can always do that."

"Okay, good, because you're getting info on what's going on with Twilight and Rainbow Dash. I can smell adventure in the air, and I refuse to be left out yet again."

He let out a sigh. "Not another adventure. Can't you just like, relax for a minute?"

"And get as fat as Black Out, Tartarus no."

His smile completely vanished. "That's rude. She's not... well she's beautiful just the way she is."

"Oh you think she's beautiful huh? Maybe I should go tell her."

His eye widened. "What? NO! You can't." He stepped forward. "Please, don't do that."

Amber laughed. "Oh come on, you've been trying to hide it, poorly I might add, for years now. Just tell her how you feel?"

"She'll kick my flank if she thinks... I mean, I don't feel anything. I was just making a compliment..." he looked down at the floor.

Amber rolled her eyes. "Fine, I won't tell her, if you do this for me."

"Blackmail... you suck."

"And you're going to find out what's going on at the southern border for me. It's something big, big enough to make Twilight and Rainbow Dash worried."

His brow scrunched up as he stared at the floor. "The Southern Border? Didn't you tell us that there was something down there... something dangerous?"

Amber nodded. "Yeah, and you're the only one taking it seriously."

"Of course I am." He looked up and met her gaze. "The world has some serious darkness in it. I'm not just being 'emo' when I tell you that I can sense something from the south. There's some serious negative energy down there. Scary dark energy."

"Yeah... and it's calling for us to defeat it. We fought the darkness once before, and we can do it again. So what do you say? You in?"

"I've been meaning to study the dark energy going on. The world is being corrupted every day, and I want to know what is doing it." He smiled softly. "So yes, yes I am in."

Amber beamed. "Good, now get to work my little cousin. For tonight we do this."

"What are we doing tonight, Amber?"

"The same thing we do every night, Hush. We try to take over the world."

"He blinked, what?"

"It's a joke. We're just gonna go make plans and stuff. Nothing too serious, yet."

The door behind Amber opened up and Fluttershy walked in. Her eyes lit up upon seeing Amber standing there. Of course Fluttershy had to look up at Amber to meet her eyes. "Oh, Amber, sweetie. I'm glad you're here. I need help from a big strong pony like yourself. Could you help you're poor little fragile aunt?"

Amber rolled her eyes. "Fragile my butt, I saw you throw a guy through a window once for accidently saying something rude about Pinkie."

Fluttershy smiled. "Oh no, I never did that. Just like he never called my beautiful wife fat."

Amber learned that talking to Fluttershy often times came with a load of backstory she just didn't want or need. Also if she was being honest with herself for a moment, hearing some of Fluttershy's stories made her a little bit scary. Amber decided, like usual, to not bring up any questionable content and move onto something different.

Amber knew how to distract Fluttershy from asking any questions about her current mission. "So, Aunt Fluttershy, you said you wanted to teach me how to take care of some of the animals around here?"

Fluttershy smiled. "Of course, and I remember how you declined the offer to be around my stinky pet freaks."

Amber cringed remembering her 'not so friendly' response. "Uh... they don't smell 'that' bad."

Fluttershy looked between her and Hushpuppy and focused on Amber. "So what kind of trouble are you getting yourself into this time, missy?"

***

Trixie stared out at the town from her front porch. Her entire body was relaxed, her soul at ease, and a warm gooey feeling left in her heart. How Maud could make her feel so good, long after making love with her was beyond Trixie's understanding. Of course, she also wasn't arguing about it either. Instead she just continued to stare off into the distance feeling satisfied with how her life had turned out. Retiring from all the big stuff, princesshood, heroism, and even being a stage magician were all things she had done in the past, achievements she was content with having completed. Now she got to be the mommy, take care of her kid, and be a teacher at the same time. Still she knew that soon enough the biggest part of her life these past eighteen years was soon to be over... Amber was seventeen, she was going to be an adult soon, and even if she did stay home for a few more years, she was itching for adventure something hard.

After all, she was Trixie's daughter.

Trixie was going to have to find something to fill her time soon. Maybe she'd pick up a new art form? Go on rock hunting trips with Maud? Who knows, but whatever she did, she was going to do it with the mare she'd pledged her soul to. Together there was no force in this world, mortal or otherwise that could pull them apart. This was the life she always wanted, this was her happy ending.

"Of course," a quiet voice spoke in her ear. "Happy endings don't get to stay."

Trixie nearly jumped out of her skin. Her horn was lit up with a lavender aura preparing for a lightning spell to take care of whatever might be there. She looked around and found nothing. Nopony was there. It was just her, all alone.

Trixie quietly whispered. "Scathe?"

there was no response. Then again, why should there be. Trixie had fully absorbed, and lost Scathe when she lost her alicornhood. There was nothing left of the crazy in her brain...

"Discord?" Trixie dared ask.

Once again, silence. Of course it was silence. The crazy bastard had ran off and vanished about sixteen years ago. Nopony had any news, or information about him since then. Though it wasn't like anypony was really looking too hard. Not after what he did to Fluttershy. No, it was better that he stayed gone.

A timely hoot made Trixie look up and sitting at the top of rafters for her porch awning she spotted an owl who was as young as he was the day Trixie made him her familiar. "Happy endings don't last, Trixie. They never do."

Trixie scowled at him. "Not when you're around, feather brain."

"You had feathers for a moment once upon a time too, don't forget."

Trixie looked away and scoffed. "How could I forget when you're here to remind me. Must be part of the aging process, forgetting all the bad stuff in my past."

Owlicious turned his head to the side. "Aging process. Are you daft? You haven't aged more than a few weeks since you had wings. Even then I think that was just from a loss of magic rather than actual aging."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Oh, so is the back pain, hip pain, and gray hair imaginary?"

Owlicious blinked. "Y-yes... I guess you're not daft, just stubborn."

Trixie had had this conversation many times before. For some reason Owlicious thought she was the same age. At this point she was sticking to the theory that he just didn't understand mortal aging as he was an immortal creature himself. Yet none of these distractions really mattered, if he was here, it was for a good reason. He wasn't the kind of creature to do check ups on ponies.

"What does Twilight need this time?" Trixie asked.

"Why do you always assume that she needs something when I show up?"

"When has it ever been anything different?" Trixie asked. "But hey, I'm not complaining. Maybe this is how I'll spend my time after Amber turns eighteen. I'll do chores for Twilight."

Owlicious laughed at that, it came out sounding more like a series of choked hoots. "I think you'll both find that there will be more serious matters to attend to after that."

Trixie narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Owlicious' voice dropped to only just above a whisper. "You'll find out soon enough. As for why I'm here, you're right in assuming it does involve Twilight. You are to keep this knowledge on strictly need-to-know basis. Only royalty and a few knights are allowed to know this information, since you're the former you get the scoop."

"What happened?"

"Lemon Heart is dead."

Trixie blinked. "Lemon Heart is-"

Owlicious cut her off. "Silence you fool. Nopony other than you can understand me, but everypony can hear you speaking. You heard me right though, she's dead."

Trixie looked down at the wooden floor of her porch. "How?"

"That's still being investigated, but what we do know is it somehow involves the Alicorn Empire."

Trixie felt her face screwing up as she processed the information. In the last seventeen years she was far from close to Lemon Heart, but it still hurt if only vaguely to hear she was gone. What was more pressing to her was the 'how' of the whole situation. Lemon Heart was an alicorn, and they can't just die. The only thing Trixie could think of was if somepony could somehow remove the 'alicorn' from the pony. Only Celestia and Luna had any idea on how to do that, or at least they knew how to cover it up and hide it. Nopony could just take the alicorn out of the pony, well... aside from-

"Red Velvet," Trixie whispered so softly, that there wasn't even sound, just air leaving her mouth.

Owlicious nodded and fluffed his wings for a moment. "Now you know why I'm here. You've been summoned to the Castle."

Trixie stared at him. "Oh wow, so good of you to direct me to 'the castle'. That information is so well detailed that I won't have any problem finding it in Equestria. Next you'll tell me the time for the meeting is in the near future."

"Oh drop your smart flank attitude for one moment, seriously, this is why I quit being your familiar." He shook his head. "You are to meet at Twilight's castle at midnight tonight. She thought it would be a good time to head out without anypony suspecting anything."

Trixie could promise that there would be at least one pony in her household who would be suspecting everything, and it wasn't going to be Maud.

"Fine," Trixie said. "I still have my secret meeting cloak, I'll be there."

Owlicious hooted gladly. "Twilight will be seeing you then." He flapped his wings and swooped out from the rafter and out into the open sky. For a long moment Trixie just stared out at the sunset.

Maud's voice came from the doorway. "I'll keep Amber home tonight."

Trixie smiled and glanced back at her beautiful wife. "You know you're the perfect wife right?"

Maud smiled. "I prefer the term flawless."

Trixie's smile widened. "You rock dork."

Maud smiled at her and returned inside. "I'm starting dinner soon. Help me out."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Makes a pun, then forgets to say please when asking me to help with dinner. If she wasn't so gifted with those hooves of hers, I might just take offense at that."

Yes, this really was her happily ever after. Even so, why did she get the horrible, gut pinching feeling that it wasn't going to last?

***

Night had finally fallen and Amber found herself in her room, lying on her bed, and staring up at her ceiling. Her rear hoof kept tapping the end of the bed post as she tried to quiet her busy mind. It was already dark outside, but aside from a few creaks and groans from the old house there was nothing much to concern herself with. Her mind was still trying to figure out what was going on, even her mom was acting weird at dinner.

Three light taps at the window drew her attention. With just a spark of her horn the window unlocked itself and open up. A dark hood poked its head in along with a yellow muzzle. Hushpuppy's voice came out as a whisper. "The darkness is embracing tonight."

Amber rolled her eyes. "Sure, and did you manage to find anything else, you know valuable?"

A small smile crept over his lips. "Everyone is trying to be quiet about this, but secrets are kept in the dark, and I'm good friends with the dark."

"And what does that mean exactly?"

"That there's a meeting going on tonight discussing whatever is bothering all the adults. All we have to do is find it."

Amber gave him a look. "Okay, well that's a start at least. But if they're meeting in a bar again, I do not want to break in."

Hushpuppy shook his head. "It didn't stop us last time, so I doubt they'll try it again. No, they're going to be looking for somewhere safe, secure, and private."

Amber scratched at her chin for a moment. He had a good point there, but where would they go to hide at? They had to know already that Amber was going to be finding out where they were. Rarity had a usually private house, and more than a few meetings had been held there in the past. However, the problem with that was that Amber couldn't be sure this was something Rarity would be involved in. Fluttershy's house had two kids, one of which were currently standing outside of Amber's window like a weirdo. Twilight's treehouse had proven to be unsafe for meetings time, and time again. The tree castle was a possibility, but it was also way too obvious, they had to stop using it ages ago.

Hushpuppy's voice came out quiet. "Hey, someone's sneaking out of your house?"

Amber rolled off her bed and trotted to the window sticking her head out to join Hush Puppy in looking outside. The back door was currently open with a cloaked pony standing there. Maud's head was sticking out from the doorway and her voice came out quiet and gentle. "Can you walk to the castle by yourself?"

Trixie's voice came out from under the hood. "Of course I can. I'm not that old you know."

"Are you hungry? I packed a lunch just in case."

Trixie shook her head. "I'm going to a secret meeting, not a picnic... but thank you."

"Be safe, love."

Trixie leaned up and kissed Maud on the lips. "I will."

Trixie then trotted away in the opposite direction. Maud watched her for a moment before her head swiveled back toward Amber's room. Hush Puppy ducked into the bush and Amber pulled her head back inside so fast she almost had whip lash from it. They both stayed still and remained silent until they heard the back door shut. Hush Puppy was up first and had his head in her window again. "So, I guess we know where they're going tonight."

Amber nodded. "Now I just have to sneak out of here."

Comments

[TheCrimsonDM]

9763850
At this point I think that's what classifies as a recurring joke in this series lol

[TheCrimsonDM]

9764533
lol it's one of my favorite references XD