//------------------------------// // Research // Story: Predictions and Prophecies // by WaferThin //------------------------------// ACT II OPENING SHOTS Settling back into her seat for the last few minutes of the journey, Twilight berated herself once again for being such an idiot.   The answer should have been obvious all along, really. Given that she had leapt onto the next train to Canterlot just after a huge delivery of books—not to mention that she was bearing saddlebags filled with them—the perfect excuse for her odd behaviour should have been obvious; panicking over a mix-up with her order, she was desperately trying to return vital texts back to the Canterlot Archives. Maybe there had just been too much to think about until the need to consult Paige Turner occurred to her, at which point this most convenient of explanations was just impossible to overlook. It was simple, it was believable—and more importantly, it was Twilight all over.   After the ‘Tardiness Debacle’, as Rarity had appropriately labelled one of the most shameful moments of Twilight’s life, her friends were more than willing to believe that she would get so worked up over a mistake like this.  It went hoof-in-hoof with her tendency to fret over the smallest of details and doubt her own tenacity, leading to the kind of stress that would cause her to avoid other ponies and lash out if they got too close. Heck, it even matched up with what she had said about the problem earlier when Pinkie questioned her—it really was something that her friends couldn’t do much to help with, since she was just returning some books.   Well, it didn’t quite match up to what she had said earlier when trying to get the girls off her back, but nopony seemed to notice that. They were glad just to have dealt with the issue. All in all, it was the perfect excuse.   …No, not ‘excuse’. It was the perfect lie.   Most of her friends were happy to accept her explanation. They had all seen Twilight worked up over something like it before, and they were all just glad that she had come forward with it before it had devolved into another ‘Tardiness Debacle’. After her apology, the group had become much more relaxed, believing that all was once again well between them.   It wasn’t, though. Twilight was burning inside. Lying to her friends like this, over and over again… it was so hard to bear. She was deliberately misleading the girls—the friends who she shared everything with, who trusted her so implicitly. No, even more than that; by not coming forward with the truth, she could be leading one of them to their death. Even after all Rainbow had said, Twilight still felt that doubt, that worry, that horror.   She knew she would never do anything to harm her friends… But could she even trust herself, at this point?   ***   Rainbow Dash sprawled out across her seat behind Twilight, glaring at the back of her head. Despite Rainbow’s best attempts to act normal, she couldn’t quite manage it. Every time Twilight lied to her closest friends, she had to repress the urge to scream at them. How can they not question it? She wondered. How can they be falling for her con like this?   Rainbow had promised her silence, though. She had sworn an oath, to a friend in need. Not that she wouldn’t think twice about breaking it if she needed to, but for now she just wanted to protect everypony; the girls, from Twilight’s stupid idea, and Twilight herself, from the backlash that telling the girls everything would create.   She had been honest, back in the other carriage. If Twilight had told anypony else about this… Rainbow shuddered to think of the consequences. At best, there’d be anger and bruises; at worst, there would be the shattered remnants of a broken friendship.   She knew, deep inside, that it was wrong. Something like this? No matter how ridiculous the whole prophecy idea seemed to her, the fact that her friends might—just might—be in danger because of her silence was almost too much to bear.   Loyalty warred inside of her. Her loyalty to the pony she wanted to protect, and her loyalty to the friends she loved.   For now, she would keep her promise. There was no immediate danger, after all; she certainly hadn’t “abandoned” anypony lately, and she still couldn’t believe that Twilight would ever do something like that. If the worst came to pass, though, Rainbow wouldn’t hesitate to break her promise, to ignore a prophecy she refused to believe and save the ponies she cared about.   Even if it meant breaking Twilight’s heart.   No! She cried out in her mind, resisting the urge to smack a hoof into her own face. You can save her, you can save all of them. Nopony gets left behind.   Not this time…   The world around Rainbow Dash began to shake, almost bouncing her off the seat. She glanced around in confusion for a moment, before realising that whilst she had been lost in thought, the train had arrived at Canterlot Station. With a juddering groan, their own carriage ground to a halt.   “We’re heeeeeeeeere!” Pinkie Pie yelled, bounding across the carriage with all her usual energy. As the rest of the group passed her by and headed off the train, Rainbow did her best to play her part. She yawned, she stretched, she plastered on that cocky self-assurance that she was known for. Bringing up the rear of the group, Twilight seemed to be doing much the same; murmuring to herself as she walked and scribbling notes onto a scroll held out in front of her, she was the vey picture of Twilight-ness. She also pointedly ignored Rainbow as she passed her seat.   With a grunt, Rainbow Dash launched herself into the air. Eager to leave the confines of the carriage, she glided over the group’s heads and out of the train door, soaring into the slowly darkening sky above the near-empty platform. The clear blue expanse and crisp air above beckoned to her, but she resisted the urge to truly spread her wings, settling instead for a few quick laps of the station so as to stay close to the group and keep an eye on Twilight.   Besides, why show off now when she had a whole event dedicated to her—and, she supposed, a couple of other possible recruits—in two days time? Then she would really give Canterlot a show, and maybe bag herself a Wonderbolts position at the same time…   Passing by her friends, she was snapped out of her daydreams and back to reality by the sound of Twilight’s apologetic voice.   “I’m sorry, Pinkie, but this can’t wait until tomorrow. I just have to take these books back to the Archives tonight! I’m sure you’ll all manage to have fun without me, though!”   “What’s all this about?” Rainbow asked, swooping down to land next to Fluttershy. Pinkie instantly whipped around to face her, her mouth set in a frown.   “Twilight’s going off to that library instead of coming with us!” Pinkie explained.   “Coming with us where?” Rainbow asked.   Pinkie tutted. “I told you already that as soon as we got here, we totally had to go and check out that sweet shop!” She said. “You know, the one run by Mrs. Cake’s great-aunt’s-second-cousin-twice-removed?”   “Huh, you’re right. How did I ever forget that?”   Pinkie giggled, bouncing on the spot. “Because you’re a silly filly! Now hurry up, let’s get some grub!”   Rainbow scratched the back of her head with a hoof and gave Twilight a sidelong glance. “Actually, Pinkie, I think I wanna… tag along with Twilight?” Her eyes wandered around the station awkwardly, hoping for inspiration. “Visiting that musty old library of hers sounds… uh… fun?”   Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing.“Fun? You think that would be fun? You’d never think something like that! You’d say it was boring!” She paused to give Twilight an apologetic look. “No offense.”   “Some taken, if you don’t mind.”   Pinkie continued as if Twilight had never spoken, giving both her and Rainbow suspicious glances. “This isn’t some kind of super lame prank, is it? Because my Dashie would never turn down super-sugary snacks for some boring, battered old books!”   “I’m still right here, Pinkie…” Twilight grumbled.   “Don’t worry, Pinks, there’s no prank here! Twilight just… ah…” Rainbow wracked her brains for a moment, before inspiration struck. “She said that the Archives have, like, a super-rare old Daring Do book! And it’s, ah, the only one in the whole world! I gotta go see it!” Rainbow nodded emphatically, pleased that she’d found a convincing excuse to keep a close eye on Twilight.   “But you promised me, Dash!” Pinkie whined, sliding up to her. “You promised that we could go eat loads of sugaaaaaar!”   “Well, if you did promise her, Rainbow, then I guess you should go with her,” Twilight said, staring at Rainbow sternly. “I mean, we don’t break promises, right? I’m only going to the Archives to drop these wrong ones off, after all. I’m sure there are other things I can show you around the city tomorrow, and we can check out that book tomorrow.” She gave Rainbow a meaningful look.   Rainbow Dash stared back at Twilight for a long moment. “Well, if that’s all you’re going to do, then I guess I can skip it.” She took a step back from Pinkie Pie. “But you better take me along to… ah… wherever you go tomorrow!” She warned, fighting to hold a smile on her lips instead of a scowl.   Twilight sighed. “We don’t break promises, Rainbow. You’ll come with me.”   Rainbow Dash nodded, prompting Pinkie Pie to squeal with joy. “Oh, this’ll just be great, Rainbow!” She babbled, already hopping away. “We can get some samples of everything, and get some discounts because I’m kinda-sorta-not-really-but-totally-close-enough family, and we can…”   Twilight glanced upwards, towards the setting sun. “It’s getting a little late,” she said. “I’ll have to hurry if I’m going to get into the library before they officially close.” She turned back to her friends. “I’ll see you all back at our room in the castle later tonight, right?”   The group murmured their assent, and Twilight gave them all one last, almost sad smile before turning and galloping across the platform and towards the exit, barrelling past the still-chattering Pinkie and disappearing around a corner.   “Well, I suppose I’ll set off too,” Rarity spoke after a moment. “I want to check in with Fancy Pants tonight, and make sure he can spread the news that my new designs will be on show tomorrow—along with my fabulous models, of course!” Letting out a small, self-satisfied chuckle, she turned to Fluttershy. “Would you accompany me, dear? We’ll pass some wonderful dress shops on the way, and I don’t believe you’ve had the pleasure of properly meeting Fancy Pants yet!”   Fluttershy gave a small nod and a smile, and the pair headed off together, leaving Applejack and Rainbow Dash alone on the platform.   “Well, ah reckon ah’m just gonna head straight on down to the castle,” Applejack said. “This fancy ol’ city’s got nuthin’ for a girl like me.” She grinned at Rainbow. “Y’all should probably start flappin’ them wings, or yer gonna loose Pinkie.” With a happy little whistle, Applejack set off herself.   After a moment’s hesitation and one last glance in the direction Twilight had sped off, Rainbow leapt back into the air and headed after her bouncing pink friend.   ***   The Canterlot Archives had once been a single, enormous circular building, standing alone in the centre of a cobblestone square. It had expanded greatly since its first construction, with new wings added and even some small gardens on its grounds, but it still loomed over the nearest shops. It remained one of the most opulent-looking structures in Canterlot, rivalled only by the royal castle, and the marble columns and enormous domed roof of the central building gave it a feeling that was more akin to a place of worship than one of study—though Twilight sometimes had trouble distinguishing between the two.   Beyond the entrance to the main circular building, though, this illusion was completely dispelled. Although the same reverent atmosphere and echoing silence might have been found in a chapel, the building's interior instead resembled any other library in Equestria; shelves hung heavy on each wall, burdened with hundreds of heavy tomes, and the air was thick with the scent of parchment. Bookcases were organised in a vast series of concentric circles, shrinking inwards from the outer walls of the round building and towards the centre, where a single row of counters encircled an enormous golden globe, slowly and continually rotating upon its axis. It shimmered with inlaid enchantments, spells created long ago to protect the many valuable and ancient tomes in the building from the natural damage of dust, heat, and even wear and tear. It was also rumoured to house ancient defensive spells that would assault anypony who attempted to deliberately tamper with the books, but such tales—quite probably due to their very nature—had remained untested and unfounded.   It was also said that the Archives held at least one copy of every publication that had ever been made—and though Twilight had trouble believing such a bold claim, she knew from experience that its itinerary was indeed vast. That was why the Archives acted as a repository for most of the libraries scattered throughout Equestria; should you be missing a title, the Canterlot Archives was almost certain to have several lying around somewhere.   In fact, the wealth of knowledge in this immense building was just a snapshot of its total fortune; below the ground, even more cavernous rooms existed, filled to capacity with texts gathered from all across the world.   So, the idea that out of the uncountable volumes available, one particular prophecy book could be sent to one particular mare at such a crucial time seemed quite unlikely.   It had to have been set up—and if anypony here could help her find out how or why, it was the Chief Librarian.   Moving swiftly towards the globe, Twilight passed many empty reading tables, scattered seemingly at random throughout the room. In fact, she only saw one other pony as she trotted past one of the innermost rings, and he bore the navy sash that marked him as a member of the library staff. She began to worry a little; it must be even later than she had thought, and Paige may have already begun closing for the night. She might even have left entirely—she was ageing, after all; Twilight had nothing to assure her that Paige Turner would even still be working here other than her conviction that the mare she knew would never leave her Archives if she had the choice.   Twilight was actually a little disappointed in herself; it took something like this, to remind her of a pony who had helped her so much in her studies. She found herself hoping that Paige was still here, so that she could at least see her again.   Luckily, as she hurried past the last circle of bookcases, Twilight caught sight of the blue-coat and the scroll-and-inkpot cutie mark that she remembered so well, as the pony they belonged to removed her own sash. With a happy little cry, she trotted up to the counter.   "Paige! Miss Turner, I—”   "I'm afraid the Archives are about to close, miss…" the earth pony began as she turned, before cutting off in surprise at the sight in front of her. "Miss Sparkle?" She gasped. "Is that you?"   Twilight giggled. "I'm afraid so!" she bounded around to an opening in the counter, rushing to embrace the librarian. “It’s so good to see you again!”   Paige returned the hug for a moment, surprised, before leaning back to get a good look at Twilight through her thick-rimmed glasses. "My, my! It's been, what, two years now since I last saw you here?"   Twilight had, in fact, visited the Archives only a few months ago, but given that Paige hadn’t seen her that night when she searched for a time spell, she could only nod.   Paige ran a hoof through her light green mane, which seemed to contain a fair amount more grey than Twilight remembered from all the days she had spent in the elderly mare’s company. They had spent long hours together in the Archives; sharing the young filly’s appreciation for literature, Paige had been only too happy to help Twilight with her studies. She had been the one to introduce her to the Dewey Decimal System, to systems of organisation and planning that had become the basis for so much of her life. Twilight had often thought of Paige as being a part of the library itself; like some great reference book, she seemed to always be to hand and to have just the information Twilight needed. She wondered how differently she might have turned out without Paige’s constant guidance.   "You're down in Ponyville now, right?” Paige asked, interrupting Twilight’s reminiscing. “Ended up with your own library, I hear!"   Twilight nodded emphatically, and Paige responded with an almost proud smile. "I should have seen that coming, really! You practically worked here back when you were studying under Princess Celestia—and you did such a good job of it, too! I tell you, these new assistants I’ve gotten myself lumbered with could learn a lot from visiting your place, I’m sure!" She frowned for a moment, thoughtful. "In fact, I think I was sending a shipment over to you—just the other day, actually…"   A shiver ran through Twilight's body as she thought about what came with that shipment. It threatened to suck all the pleasantness out of the reunion, but she forced herself to keep smiling. "That's actually why I'm here," she explained. "There was a bit of a... problem. With the delivery."   "Oh, really?" Paige moved away from Twilight, heading back around the desk to consult the Archives’ order book. "Did one of our carriers forget something? I swear, those foals barely even care at times! They're not like you—always so careful, you were!” She turned back for a moment with a sly smile. “Not to say there weren’t accidents, though! Say, remember when you spilt some coffee on one of Shining Star's shield spell scrolls that you'd borrowed, and you tried to create a replica of it to replace it with?" She chuckled as she shuffled through her records. "I'm sure I still have that somewhere! Written on a bed sheet, wasn't it? Ah, but you always were a resourceful filly! Why, I remember—"   "There was no problem with the delivery itself," Twilight interrupted. Somehow, she had completely forgotten Paige’s habit of drifting off topic in the middle of conversation, or how it had tended to irritate her during her studies. Regardless, she was in no mood to relive any more of her most embarrassing moments. "I was actually given a text I hadn't requested at all." Loosening the straps on her saddlebag, she floated the dreaded book over to Paige's desk.   “Oh?” Paige glanced at the cover as it settled onto the counter. “That’s rather unusual! I can’t believe I’d miss something like an unrequested book leaving the Archives!” She giggled a little to herself, turning her attention back to her records. “Well, I’ll just check the order sheet again for… ‘Predictions and Prodigies’, was it?”     “Prophecies,” Twilight corrected absently as she gazed up at the towering globe, analysing the flickering runes on its surface. She’d often found it relaxing to study those ancient, mystifying spells, and Celestia knew she could do with some calming. “Specifically, a more recent and complete version of it. I had my own copy in the Canterlot Castle library, but it was little more than a reference guide to other texts…”   Paige hummed thoughtfully as she nosed her way through the outgoing books section of her records. “Yes, I think I know that one,” she said. “We’ve got a dozen or so copies of it here. Strange little number, though; no publication date, no recognised author, no publication house, and no actual content other than references to other books about fortune-telling and whatnot!” She shook her head a little. “I don’t think we’d ever loaned out a single copy, right up until last… ah, here we are!”   Twilight snapped around. “You’ve found it?”   Paige gestured with one hoof at a table in the centre of the page. “Yes, right here; ‘one copy of ‘Predictions and Prophecies’, on loan to Miss Twilight Sparkle, pending confirmation of intention to borrow’.” She tutted lightly to herself. “I can’t believe I’d forgotten that! It was the first time in ages that I was actually unsure about an order—but, knowing you, I felt it was safe to assume that you’d rather have more books than less! My years must be catching up with me, to overlook something like that…”   Twilight wasn’t listening any more. She was staring at that tiny line of hoofwriting, desperate to find something she’d missed. There was nothing more to be seen, though; no secret message, no new clue to guide her forward.   It was a dead end.   Panic began to build in her chest again, and she struggled to keep it down. Think, she ordered herself. There must be something more. Think about—   Kill.   She winced. No, not that! Think about this logically. You’re standing in the biggest library there is, with a mare who knows it back-to-front. There must be something more to find here!   “Paige,” Twilight called out after a few moments; while she’d been lost in thought, the mare had drifted across to a nearby bookshelf, and was reorganising a few titles. “What did you say about this book?”   “Hmm?” She turned to face Twilight again. “What’s that? Oh, that prophecy book. I was just saying that I left it in for you. I figured you’d rather have more books than less! It was probably just one of these new assistants, the ones I was telling you about?” Tutting, she pointed at a book in front of herself. “You see this?  They’ve put an anthology here, in the Archaeology section! Absolutely hopeless I’m afraid, my dear.” She raised her voice. “Crystal, could you check Anthologies? I have a sneaking suspicion that somepony’s made a mistake…”   “No, not that,” Twilight replied, struggling not to feel frustrated. “I mean before, about how there’s no author?”   Paige turned, frowning. “Did I say—” Her eyes lit up after a moment. “Oh, yes, I remember! No author, no publisher, no date of release! Most curious.” She stopped again. “Come to think of it, they arrived in a rather odd fashion, too. A good dozen or so of them were just left on the doorstep, a good few years back! I guess some mailpony just didn’t care enough to wait a little. I swear, Twilight, everypony has to rush about these days! It’s not like it used to be; why, back when I was a filly—”   “So you can’t identify who delivered them, either?” Twilight cut off the elder mare’s ramblings, struggling to hide her disappointment.   Apparently forgetting about the shelf, Paige returned to her counter. “I’m afraid not, my dear!” she said. Closing the order book, she squinted at Twilight. “Say, why are you so interested in the book? It’s just an accidental delivery, after all—it’s not like you’re doing another one of your reports on it!”   “A-actually, yes, I am!” Twilight leapt onto the explanation given to her. “This book, It… ah, it really… affected me, so I thought I’d do some research on the field of prophecy. Since I was in town anyway, I thought I’d stop by here and check the book’s history, before delivering my report to the Princess in person.”   Paige beamed at her. “That’s my Twilight!” She said. “Always going those three steps further. Why, I can still remember—”   “You were right, Miss Paige,” a voice called from behind Twilight. “A Collected History of Shetland Excavations, in with the anthologies!”   Twilight turned to face the newcomer. It was the stallion she’d past earlier, the library worker who had been organising some other shelf. His dark brown mane and purple coat contrasted greatly with the pale yellow glow of his horn as he floated the offending book over to the correct shelf.   He almost dropped it when he saw Twilight looking at him, though.   “M-miss Sparkle!” he stuttered, flustering. “Why, what a pleasant surprise!”   “Do you know each other?” Paige asked, pleased. “Why, Twilight, I didn’t think you knew any stallions here in Canterlot!”   “Actually, I’m afraid I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Miss Sparkle before,” the stallion corrected her. “I just… recognise her. Who wouldn’t? The Princess’ protégé, the Element of Magic—the saviour of Equestria several times over, no less! You’d have to be blind to not know her on sight!”   Twilight chuckled. “You’d be surprised, actually…”   “Well, Twilight, this is Crystal Clear. He came to me not three months ago—he was practically begging for a job, would you believe! I’m glad I gave him the chance, though. He’s the hardest working pony here!”   Crystal tittered, blushing. “I don’t think I can accept such an honour,” he said modestly. “You still work here, after all, Miss Paige.”   Paige snorted. “Nonsense! He puts in far more time and effort than any of the rest of the slackers I made the mistake of hiring, Twilight—he’s working now, after all! Why, you’re still here long after I leave, some nights!”   Crystal gave Twilight a worried glance for a moment. “Not that often, Miss Paige,” he corrected quickly. “Anyway, I think I should be off now. I’ve got an important… meeting, tonight.” He nodded at Twilight. “It was an honour to meet you, Miss Sparkle.”   With that, Crystal turned and left, disappearing around one of the bookshelves. Twilight stared after him for a few moments.   “Off to meet some pretty young filly, I’d imagine!” Paige said. “Still, he’s a little odd, that one. It’s all work when he’s here, but he doesn’t have much to say about anything else he does.” She winked at Twilight. “In a way, he reminds me of you!”   Twilight blushed, turning away. It was true; she hadn’t ever really shared much with Paige. Then again, there hadn’t been much to share in those days outside of being the Princess’ student.   Paige glanced up towards one of the high-vaulted windows, now darkening rapidly. “I suppose you’d better hurry away, as well! You should head on down to the castle— the Princess won’t be around all night, and I need to close this place up!”   Blinking, Twilight realised how dark it was—night had fallen. “You’re right, I should get moving.” She leaned in for one last hug. “It was great seeing you again, Paige. I’m sorry I couldn’t spend longer with you.”   “Don’t you fret, Miss Sparkle,” Paige reassured her. “I’m sure you’ve got far more important things to do than keep an old mare company.”   Kill.   “Believe me, Paige,” Twilight muttered, squeezing her tightly for a moment. “There’s nothing I’d rather do right now than spent as much time as I can with the ones I care about.”   A few seconds passed before they broke the hug. Paige gave her a very odd look, but Twilight just replied with a simple smile and turned to leave. She only made it to the first circle of bookcases, though, before one last thought struck her.   “Hey, Paige?” She called back to the librarian. “What’s your own take on the field of prophecy?”   Paige looked up, surprised. “What do you mean?” She asked.   “The idea that the future is predictable; that it’s set out before us, and we all must follow a set path. What’s your take?”   Paige was silent for a long moment, staring at the ground. Finally she raised her gaze again, looking back into Twilight’s heavy eyes. “I think we all make the choices we do because we must,” she said. “Whether that’s because we can, or because we have to… what does it matter?”   Twilight stared at her old mentor, puzzling the statement over for a few seconds, unpicking what meaning she could. Finally, she gave a smile that seemed almost sad.   “Thank you, Paige,” she whispered. “I never really said it to you before, so… thank you. For everything.”   Then she turned and galloped away, through the growing shadows of the library and out into the cooling darkness of Canterlot.