//------------------------------//
// Chapter 41 - Portents 
// Story: Second Chances, Many Changes 
// by ASGeek2012 
//------------------------------//

As I headed towards the main entrance of the castle and tried in vain not to feel disappointed, I played out the chess match and Discord's last conversation with me in my head. I envisioned the chess pieces which still stood on the shelf in my room. Almost hourly I had checked those damn things to see if they had changed. I felt like I had all the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle but had to put them together while blindfolded.

I was halfway across the entrance hall when a balcony door banged open above me. I had only barely lifted my head when a rainbow blur rocketed in and came to a hovering stop next to me. "Candy, where's Twilight?!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

I looked at her and hesitated in my response. Her coat was scratched, her hair in disarray, and some of her feathers looked broken or disjointed. "What happened to you??"

"Never mind that. I need to talk to Twilight right now!"

"She's in the lab," I said, though the words were barely out of my mouth when I heard wings flapping behind me.

"No, I'm right here," said Twilight as she landed nearby. "Rainbow, where have you been? I sent you on a recon mission two days ago!"

"Well, what do you think I've been doing all that time, huh?"

Twilight gasped. "Are you all right?! What happened to--?"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Never mind what happened to me! Right now I've got a question for you."

"What is it?"

Rainbow suddenly zoomed up to Twilight and hovered muzzle-to-muzzle with her. "Have you lost your egghead mind?!"

Twilight cringed. "R-Rainbow, what in Equestria are you talking about?"

Applejack trotted into the chamber. "What's all the ruckus? Rainbow, what in tarnation happened to ya?!"

Rainbow Dash drew back and folded her fore-legs, frowning at Twilight. "I spent the last two days looking for that stupid changeling-queenling-whatever and turning up nothing. So I think, you know who might know where Sevfivtoo is hiding out? Her partner in crime, Wuntusix."

Twilight sighed. "I know where this is going."

"Oh, do you?" Rainbow said in an icy voice. "I'd love to hear the brilliant idea behind it."

Applejack frowned. "Rainbow, ya ain't makin' no sense."

"Twilight's the one not making sense! I went to the sheriff thinking I might pay Wuntusix a little visit." She clopped her fore-hooves together. "You know, maybe 'persuade' her to talk? But guess what? She wasn't there! You know why? Because Twilight took custody of her!"

My mouth dropped open. "What??"

Applejack looked as shocked as I felt. "Twi, didya really do that? Is she here in the castle right now?"

I shivered and stared at Twilight.

"Yes, I did, and she is," Twilight said in a soft voice.

Applejack gave her a wary look. "Ya didn't do nuthin' like ... experiment on her, did ya?"

"Of course not!" Twilight snapped. "I would never do something like that on an unwilling creature using spells I've only just barely begun to understand myself."

Rainbow scratched her head. "Experiment? Well, maybe that wouldn't be so bad, but--"

"Rainbow!" Twilight cried. "Don't even kid about that!"

"Fine! Whatever your reason was, where are the guards? Who's watching it?"

"For the moment, Spike is in charge of her."

Rainbow just stared for a moment. "You left a dangerous changeling in the care of Spike? Are you nuts?!"

"I gotta admit, sugarcube, I'm kinda lost myself," said Applejack.

Her words were nowhere near as strong as what I could have expressed. I felt betrayed; how many times had I visited that castle and had no idea it was there? Did she forget this was the same changeling that tried to make it possible for Sevfivtoo to mind-control me? Again?

"I had to take her in," Twilight said in a low voice. "Wuntusix is dying."

"Whoa, what?" said Applejack.

"What the hay are you talking about?" Rainbow said. She glanced at me. "Wait ... you don't mean ... when Candy threw it against the tree ...?"

Bile rose into my throat as my stomach turned. I gave Twilight a stricken look.

"No," Twilight said firmly. She looked me in the eye. "Candy, you had nothing to do with this at all. Rainbow was right when she said changelings are very resilient to physical damage."

"Then how can it be dying?" Rainbow said.

"Any creature that goes without food will eventually perish, Rainbow."

"I never even thought it might actually be starvin'," Applejack said in a subdued voice.

Twilight gave Rainbow a cold look. "But it's 'just a changeling,' right?"

Rainbow recoiled. "But ... I ... well, I didn't mean I wanted it to die!"

I sympathized with Rainbow Dash. What had I thought once? That hate came more easily when I could think of something or somepony as a faceless monster. I had to be reminded it was a flesh-and-blood living creature. I shuddered as I recalled my violence against it despite Twilight's reassurances that I had not injured it.

Injured her. I still had trouble considering the changeling to be more than a thing.

"So why'd ya bring the critter here?" Applejack asked.

"I hoped the harmonious energies in the castle might help stabilize her until I can figure something out," said Twilight. "And I thought if Spike and I treated her kindly, that might help as well. Or she could feed indirectly off the love Spike and I feel for each other. All it seems to be doing is delaying the inevitable."

"Twilight," Rainbow said in a contrite voice. "When I said I thought about, well, roughing her up, I never meant ... I-I didn't know ..."

Twilight waved a hoof. "I understand, but I wish you had come to me first. I could've told you that I had already thought of that. Drones have an innate sense for their Queen's location, so I thought Wuntusix might have that same sense for Sevfivtoo. She does somewhat, but in her depleted state, she would never be able to pinpoint Sevfivtoo's location from this distance."

"What about Kevin?" I asked. "Can't he lead you to her?"

"Kevin never had any contact with Sevfivtoo while she was building her power," said Twilight. "This is very frustrating. I have everything in place to pinpoint Sevfivtoo's location the moment she approaches Ponyville again. My recent research has allowed me to understand changeling magic more than I ever had before. If she comes in range of my wards, and she uses any magic, especially mind magic, I'll be able to home in on her as good as any changeling Queen might."

"Twilight, I don't get this," I said. "How can Wuntusix be dying? When it ... when she was disguised as Sweetie Belle, I practically lavished affection on her."

"That puzzled me as well until I talked to Wuntusix about it," said Twilight. "Apparently, Sevfivtoo used her as a pawn. She purposely kept Wuntusix starved for love and affection, likely in hopes of forcing her to drain other beings and thus fall more in line with Sevfivtoo's thinking. The last being Sevfivtoo had offered in that way was Sweetie Belle."

I again felt sick.

Applejack frowned and scrunched up her muzzle. "That's ... disgustin'."

"I'm with you," said Rainbow. "That's totally demented."

"So Wuntusix was already far gone by the time she took on Sweetie Belle's appearance," said Twilight. "Candy could only sustain her, like a pony on life support."

"So where are ya keepin' her?" asked Applejack.

"In the guest room that Chrysalis used during the summit," said Twilight. "And, yes, Rainbow, I took precautions. There are shields in place."

"Well, um, good," Rainbow said, though her voice lacked the conviction it had earlier.

"And I'm sorry for my snide comment, it was uncalled for."

Rainbow's ears drooped. "No, I kinda deserved it. I just ... I mean, what the hay am I supposed to think about changelings now? All I ever knew was the trouble they caused us!"

"Maybe consider that it's not the changelings who are at fault, but Chrysalis," said Twilight. "Yes, their means of feeding are unique and problematic, but if Chrysalis hadn't been bent on conquest, maybe things would've turned out better."

"Since we got that straightened out," said Applejack as she stepped up to Rainbow. "What's with ya lookin' like somethin' the cat dragged in?"

Rainbow waved a hoof. "Eh, I tussled with that bugbear thing again."

Twilight gasped. "You did what?!"

"I was following up a lead outside Appleloosa," said Rainbow. "But instead of Sevfivtoo, I found that over-sized bug, so I dropped by to say hello."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Say hello?"

Rainbow smirked. "Say hello, uppercut to the jaw, same diff."

Applejack frowned. "Twi, ya think we're gonna hafta deal with that thing again?"

"I was hoping not to worry about it for a while, considering how busy I've been," said Twilight. "Before I got distracted, all I had learned about it was that it had been consigned to Tartarus, but it must have managed to escape."

"I swear, that place seems ta have more holes than a consarned sieve."

"I received some reports of sightings of the creature, but no attacks, and it was moving away from Ponyville. It almost seems to be looking for something." Twilight turned to Rainbow. "I don't like that you found it when you were following a lead on Sevfivtoo, especially when I'm almost sure its attack on the train was no coincidence."

"An' Rainbow had ta go and rile it up," Applejack said in a sour voice.

"Hey, it was plenty riled up all on its own!" Rainbow protested. "Besides, it could've been a coincidence."

"Even if it was, Sevfivtoo would be foolish not to take advantage of the distraction if it did attack Ponyville," said Twilight. "I'm worried that if it attacks again, it'll take all of us to fight it. On the train, we barely made a dent in it."

"So? We just didn't have time to get our game on. This time we'll--"

"Consarn it, Rainbow, willya think fer jus' a second?" Applejack snapped. "Who's gonna protect Candy if we're all busy fightin' that thing?"

Only when I felt an ache did I realize my ears had flattened hard against my head. I looked at the scratches on Rainbow's coat. Some were encrusted with thin lines of dried blood. I remembered how disheveled Twilight had looked after her battle with Sevfivtoo. This crisis endangered my friends now as well as me. Perhaps I had believed them to be indestructible considering what they had faced in the past, but they were flesh-and-blood ponies just as capable of being hurt as me.

My throat tightened. Maybe Discord was trying to tell me that a sacrifice was the only way out, that Michelle was right all along. Yet why had he been upset over it?

Applejack turned to me. "Hey, ya okay there, sugarcube?"

No, I wasn't. I wouldn't be okay until this nightmare was over. I didn’t trust my voice and simply nodded, though my ears remained flattened.

"If it's the pendant the changelin's after, mebbe ya should think about givin' it back ta Twilight."

I had considered that, but it would work only if I truly wanted to give it to her. I was not at all sure I could. Michelle was my responsibility. Perhaps that was foolish, or that I was just letting guilt over her death creep back into my thinking. I could not stand the idea of another friend being hurt or dying because of me.

Twilight stepped up to me. "Candy, you're welcome to give it back to me if you wish, though I'm not sure how much it will help. Sevfivtoo will have no idea that you've given it away until she sees for herself."

I placed a hoof over it. "What other choice do we have, though?"

"I'm going to come up with a contingency plan to protect you regardless," said Twilight. "I just need a few days."

"Isn't the weddin' comin' up in that time?" Applejack said.

Twilight face-hoofed. "Ugh, I forgot all about it!"

"Maybe we should have them postpone it," Rainbow said.

"No," Twilight said firmly. "If we do that, and word gets out why we did it, Sevfivtoo will just abort her plans and we're back at square one. I'm not giving up a chance to take her down once and for all. I'm more than a match for her alone. Maybe I can break away from the battle with the bugbear long enough to take her out if it comes down to that."

"That's gonna be mighty tricky, Twi," said Applejack. "'specially if we gotta go full rainbow on that critter. We're gonna need all of us fer that."

"Let me do some calculations," said Twilight.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Oh, right, your mighty slide rule will take it out."

Twilight glared at her, but I shared some of Rainbow's attitude. I knew Twilight was just doing what she did best, but I felt like we were missing something. Unfortunately, the missing piece likely had to come from me.

As if reading my mind, Twilight asked, "I take it there's been no change in the chess pieces?"

"Nothing at all," I said.

"I can't believe you're actually taking anything Discord says seriously," Rainbow said.

"Unfortunately, he's got a dang good track record so far in this mess," said Applejack.

"If he's not the one behind it all," Rainbow grumbled.

"Despite all his faults, Discord has never done anything that intentionally led to somepony's death," said Twilight. "He may have done terrible things in the past, but killing was not one of them. Now, I don't mean to sound short, but I have a lot to do. I'll talk to you later."

She turned away from us and vanished in a flash of teleportation magic.





After leaving the castle, I wandered aimlessly around Ponyville, despite having lots of things I could do. I could go visit Fluttershy. I could go to the boutique and get back to work. I could see what the Crusaders were up to. I could lounge about in the park. I could window-shop in the marketplace. Every prospect triggered a troubling thought or an uneasy feeling; never had I had so much to do and nothing to do at the same time.

Eventually I would be forced to head back to the boutique anyway, as it was growing close to lunchtime. I had enough bits I could get a hayburger, but that would just earn me a lecture from Rarity about proper diet. I didn't need that kind of mothering that day.

"There you are, Candy!"

Ugh, but I needed this even less.

I tried not to frown as I turned at the approach of that infernal mint-green unicorn, but I failed to keep an impatient edge out of my voice, "Hi, Lyra. What is it?"

Lyra chuckled as she trotted up to me. "What is it, she says. Very funny."

"Believe me, right now, I'm feeling as far from funny as possible."

"Well, I guess I can understand that. It did seem like you were having an argument with that otherworldly being in the alleyway."

I stared. "Wait, what?!"

"Oh, come on, Candy, you can tell me," Lyra said.

"I don't have anything to tell you!"

"I only caught a glimpse of it," Lyra continued as if I had said nothing. "But the more I thought about it, the more it looked ... um, well, like something I don't quite have a name for yet, but I know--"

"Frankly, I don't think you know anything," I muttered.

Lyra frowned. "Well, there's no need to be rude."

I stomped a hoof. "I have every right to be as rude as I want! If you knew the tiniest bit about what's really going on--"

Lyra smiled. "Ah! So you do know something!"

I face-hoofed and took a deep breath. "Lyra, please, I'm close to saying something I'm sure I'm going to regret."

Lyra opened her mouth to reply, but another painfully familiar voice cut her off. "She's not the only one!"

I turned my head as Bon Bon cantered up to us. Great, this again. Why did their arguments seem to follow me around? "Lyra, stop it," said Bon Bon. "This is going too far."

Lyra gave her friend a cross look. "What are you talking about? You're the one who gave me the advice."

"I did not mean for you to go browbeat Candy about it!" Bon Bon declared. "I told you that in hopes you'd understand things might be a little stressful for her, and that you should give her some space."

"Look, just admit it, you think I'm weird for believing in this!"

"For the last time, no, I don't. I just wish you'd back off a little. I have no idea why you're so obsessed with this lately."

Lyra frowned. "Remember what I told you happened in the castle? If that weirdo Tree Hugger could figure out my, um, hobby, then others will also, and I'll need proof that I'm not insane."

I really should have galloped away from them as fast as I could, but that would leave me alone with my thoughts again. I had the chance to vent and decided to take it. "Wait a minute, just what the hay did you tell her about me, Bon Bon?"

Bon Bon sighed. "Just that you're ... not from around here."

"That you're an alien," Lyra declared.

My ears flattened, and I drew back a step.

Bon Bon clenched her teeth. "Lyra, some tact, maybe?"

Lyra rolled her eyes. "What? It's not like it's a huge secret! It's in the public record, for Celestia's sake!"

I frowned. I supposed when Rarity told town hall about my origins, they had to put it in the official record. I just never had anypony throw it back in my face before.

"Besides, I started figuring out for myself that Candy was involved in something odd."

"But that doesn't mean you can hound her about it!" Bon Bon cried.

"I'm not hounding her!"

"Yes, you are!" both Bon Bon and I said simultaneously. Bon Bon continued, "Seriously, Lyra, I wished I had never mentioned Candy to you. I only did so because I wanted to give her credit for the work she did on the dress."

"Hmph," Lyra snorted. "A dress I haven't even seen yet."

"Because every time I bring it up, we go back to Candy again and your obsession."

"Or maybe you just don't want to show it to me!"

"Or maybe I just don't want to hear you talk endlessly about one subject!"

"Then maybe we should just stop talking, period!" Lyra shouted.

"Maybe we should!" Bon Bon yelled.

"Wait, stop! Stop!!" I cried, stepping between them. "You're kidding me, right? You're messing up your friendship over me?!"

Lyra and Bon Bon exchanged frowns. "Well ... not directly," said Bon Bon in a lower voice.

"I don't care if it's direct or indirect! I refuse to be part of this!"

"It didn't start with you," Lyra said in a more contrite voice. "It started with my, um, particular interest that--"

"Oh, for Celestia's sake, Lyra, just tell her what it is!" Bon Bon exclaimed.

"Actually, I don't care," I said. "It's still the most stupid reason for screwing up a friendship I've heard in my entire life."

Both ponies' mouths dropped open as they stared at me. Good, it at least got them to shut up, and I had not even begun to vent.

"You two have absolutely no clue what it means to have a serious issue with a long friendship. And if you must know, Lyra, that's what the incident in the alleyway was about. So pardon me if I'm not all bursting at the seams to tell you about it!"

Lyra's ears drooped. "Oh ... um ... I didn't know."

Bon Bon sighed. "See, Lyra? She just proved my point!"

"Bon Bon, stop it," I snapped.

"Hey, I'm on your side!"

"I didn't ask you to take sides, and I'm not taking sides either! Maybe Lyra is obsessing too much, but did you stop to think that just maybe she might really be upset about people finding out? Because if there's any pony who knows about keeping a secret that she thinks is so terrible -- like, just to pick something at random, being an alien -- it would be me. Or maybe you just never had a situation where you had to keep something secret."

Bon Bon gave me a shocked look and blushed. "Er, well ... I-I guess some of us are just lucky that way, but ... um ..." She glanced at Lyra. "Maybe I could've been a little more understanding."

Lyra sat and folded her fore-legs. "Hmph. At least." She paused, and her expression softened as she glanced from me back to her friend. "And, well, maybe I should've pulled back a bit."

"And maybe you should consider, oh, I don't know, that others won't think badly of you if they knew?" I said. "Gee, I wonder if we can find a pony around here who was in that situation, too? Oh, wait!" I raised a fore-hoof. "Guess that's me again. This is your lucky day."

Lyra and Bon Bon exchanged another look. "I guess it's kind of stupid to argue about this all the time," Lyra murmured.

"I never wanted to argue in the first place," said Bon Bon in a soft voice. "Really, I just didn't want to see you disappointed or hurt."

Lyra smiled. "I'm really sorry, Bon Bon."

"So am I, Lyra."

Lyra turned to me. "And I apologize, Candy. Bon Bon was right, I was hounding you."

"Give it a week, and maybe I can talk to you about whatever it is you want," I said. "Just let's do it on my terms, okay?"

Lyra's smile widened. "Thanks."

"Come on, Lyra, let's get some lunch," said Bon Bon.

Lyra rose to her hooves. "I'm with you. See you later, Candy."

"Yes, see you later," said Bon Bon. "And thanks."

I gave them a small smile as I watched them leave. I took a deep breath and let it go. Hopefully, I got them out of my hair for--

"Woohoo! Go Candy!" an exuberant high-pitched voice suddenly cried behind me.

I whirled around. A smiling Pinkie Pie sat in a folding chair, popcorn at one hoof, the other curled around a banner reading "TEAM CANDY."

"Not only did I get to see you rip two ponies a new one at the same time, you solved a friendship problem, too!" Pinkie chirped. "Were you secretly recruited by the Cutie Map?"

"Er, no, I just--"

"Oo, I know! Rarity is making it look like she's teaching you fashion, but she's really secretly training you to be a friendship expert."

"Really, Pinkie, I sort of just sneaked up on that one, and only to--"

"A friendship ninja, then!"

That bit of imagery was so bizarre it made my brain simply stop for a moment.

Pinkie giggled and hopped out of her chair. She trotted over to me and pulled me into a hug. "However it happened, I think Rarity would be proud of you. Aaaand I think it means you're really getting the hang of living in Equestria."

I honestly had not set out to solve anything, I just wanted them to leave me alone. What had I actually done but simply relate to them my own unusual experience? I doubted that was worthy of praise. Certainly nothing like what the others have done.

And I still couldn't fix my own friendship problem.

As for getting the hang of this world, maybe Pinkie was right. Sometimes I couldn't see the forest for the trees when it seemed like impending disaster loomed on the horizon. I had settled into a routine when I wasn't tied up in emotional knots over Michelle. Being a pony and living in Equestria became a little less strange each day.

Sometimes when Rarity and Sweetie Belle greeted me in the morning, especially in those moments when I could almost bring myself to call Rarity "Mom," it seemed as if I had been a pony all along and only imagined I had been human. A far cry from when it felt like the other way around, that this existence was a nightmare that I could not wake up from.

"Thanks, Pinkie," I said in a soft voice.

"Hey, I think that deserves a treat," said Pinkie. "What do you think?"

"Um, a treat?"

"Sure! Come with me to Sugarcube Corner and I'll make us ice cream sodas."

My stomach rumbled a bit. "Well, actually, it's getting towards lunchtime."

"Oh, you're right! I'll have to put in a few extra scoops of ice cream."

I rolled my eyes. "That's not quite what I meant. I ... um ... you know what? That sounds like a great idea. Lead the way."





"I should've hung out with you today," said Sweetie Belle. "Maybe I would've gotten an ice cream soda, too."

"Yes, well, then we'd have two ponies at the table who could manage only half of a healthy dinner," said Rarity in a lofty voice as she left her seat.

"Um, heh, sorry," I said sheepishly as I picked at a few sprigs of parsley with my fork.

Rarity gave me a small smile; she wasn't really upset with me but couldn't pass up the opportunity for a playful jab. "You can make up for it by helping me clear the table."

Sweetie hopped off her seat. "I'm going to bed. I'm tired."

I levitated dishes and silverware to the sink. "I'm probably going to turn in right after this, too."

"Okay, then, good night, Candy!"

"Night, Sweetie."

I smiled as I watched her leave. Rarity trotted alongside me, carrying the glassware and more silverware. "In all seriousness, Candy, I'm happy to hear you helped Lyra and Bon Bon. They've been such good friends ever since I can remember. I would hate to have them toss it away over something trivial."

"I kinda had my own motivations for doing it, to be honest," I said.

"Nevertheless, I still commend you for it." Rarity sighed dramatically. "Even if your Manehattan mannerisms were showing."

I grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You would. Anyway, I heard they were going out to dinner to celebrate the anniversary of their friendship, so that's a good sign." She dropped her voice lower as we set about washing the dishes. "Now, Candy, I have to ask: are you holding up okay? Do you need to talk to me about anything?"

"I'm holding up," I said in a neutral voice. "As for talking about it, kinda yes and no. I wouldn't know where to start."

"I often find that the beginning is a good place."

I snorted. "You're getting as snarky as me."

"I see no reason to insult your mother."

We both laughed. "Thanks, I needed that," I said, smiling. "But, really, I can't say anything that hasn't already been said. I just want this to be over."

We were quiet for a few moments. "If I may make an observation, dear?" said Rarity.

"Sure."

"Don't be too hard on yourself."

"I'm not."

Rarity raised an eyebrow.

"Well, not much," I added.

"I've seen how you look at those chess pieces, like their very existence bothers you," said Rarity. "Please don't feel like you need to solve everything."

"But in a way, I do. Discord gave those to me. Cherry is my friend. All of you hardly know her."

Rarity considered for a long moment. We really had gotten so used to each other. She knew exactly when I could not be pushed any further on a given topic. "Then let me say this instead: don't underestimate yourself."

I couldn't quite meet her eyes. "I guess I'm not sure what you mean."

"You're smarter than you give yourself credit for. Don't fall into the trap that because you are 'just' a teenager that you're too emotional to be useful."

"I never said that!"

"You don't have to. Your actions and your tone of voice often speak volumes."

Had I been giving off that sort of vibe? "I don't know what to say," I said in a soft voice.

"You don't need to say anything," Rarity said. "Just think on it for a bit."

"I will, I promise."

We finished up the dishes, and she drew me into a tight hug. "And, Candy? Whatever happens over these next few days, please ... be careful."

I thought that a strange bit of advice, but I nodded and smiled faintly. "I'll try."

"Good night, Candy."

"Good night."

I almost did it. The word almost came to my lips. Never had there been a more appropriate moment. Yet I held back again. Why did I keep doing that?

In my room, a pale light fell upon those damn chess pieces. They remained maddeningly the same. I sometimes hoped I would find Discord among them again, if for no other reason than--

Wait. Pale light?

I glanced out the window. The moon was on the other side of the boutique, and I hadn't turned the night light on. Where the hell was light coming from? It moved when I moved.

...

My horn was glowing.

It was not the full-on glow of levitation magic, or anywhere near how it lighted when Cherry manifested. No more than a faint pastel shade of blue shone from it.

"Cherry?" I called out. "Are you doing this?"

Silence.

The glow faded, leaving me in darkness.

I flicked on the light. I stepped into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I touched a hoof to my horn. Everything seemed normal.

My heart didn't pound. My throat didn't try to close up. My ears had not flattened. I had no sense anything was wrong. I had read that maturing unicorns could experience occasional sporadic energy discharges that were effectively harmless, but they usually caused tingling or other odd sensations. I felt good, like I did when either Rarity or Sweetie Belle hugged me.

Maybe it meant something good was going to happen. Maybe it meant nothing. Either way, I was too tired to worry about it. I lighted my horn just long enough to take one final look at the chess pieces before settling down to sleep.