//------------------------------// // 1. Wishes // Story: Good Things Come // by Sweet Tale //------------------------------// Collapsing onto the sofa after another day of odd jobs with my construction trade neighbour, I thought that my life would get better as I got older - oh how wrong I was. 5 years since I had moved out of my 4th foster home, I was now living by myself with no permanent job, living off the government benifits and struggling to make ends meet. Wait...backpedal a bit, I'll start from the beginning. My name is Owen. I was born in 1989 in Portsmouth, England, to two loving parents but was quickly placed in foster care soon after - for what reason? I still don't know. Until I was 18, I was placed with 4 different foster families who took care of me and loved me as if I was their own. I went to school in a run-down area and was constantly bullied for being adopted. Not my fault is it? Due to this, I was always the social outcast and never really got any friends. When I reached 18, I ended up working odd jobs for various neighbours with one giving me a permanent position in his family construction business. Eventually I managed to save enough money to move out into my own place - a penthouse on the seafront. At the age of 21, unfortunately the business, like many others, collapsed due to the economic recession and I found myself without a job. Not finding a job soon enough afterwards, I resigned myself to applying for benifits and living expenses. And it has been that way for 2 years now. Sure there have been a few odd jobs with people looking for a one-day-worker but it still wasn't enough. My life was shit...but I was happy. Happy to still have some money and a roof over my head. Good things come to those who wait, right? Bullshit. --------------------------------------------------------------------- So, back to the present, here I am, collapsed on the sofa, worn out after a day's work at a local construction firm. Turning off my Ipod, I quickly undressed myself and showered. Once clean as a whistle, I went onto my laptop to check my online bank to see how much money I have to last me 2 weeks. After closing down at least 12 pages of job searches from last night's search session, I got to my bank account and read the screen...although I wish I didn't. "What? £17.60? Good god..." I slammed my head on the table, catching a bottle cap which had been left there from the previous night. "ARGH! You son of a...mother f--" Stopping myself from letting out an expletive, I retreated to my bathroom to survey the damage. Sure enough, there was a circular indent on my forehead, excreting a familiar crimson fluid. After applying a bandage to my head, I went to my bedroom and fell onto the bed. I looked at the clock. "18:00. Hmm...yeah, I've got some time." I turned on my Xbox 360 and started playing Half Life 2. God knows how many times I've completed it before but it'll always keep me amused no matter how much of a shit day I've had. Playing until 8PM, I noticed it was rather warm for this time of night and decided to go for a walk to the woods about 2 miles away. Walking down the coastal path, listening to Maroon 5 on my Ipod, I gazed at the late evening sky. Hues of orange and yellow scattered the sky, weaving around the clouds. A beautiful sunset. Arriving at the woods about and hour later, I found myself reliving childhood memories of running around the woods, playing with my foster siblings. "Heh...good times....good times..." I felt a tear run down my cheek and quickly rubbed it away hoping to maintain my macho-ness...yeah...I failed. I sat down near a tree close to a path and sobbed. "Why is life so hard? *sniffle*" I regained what little composure I had left and started wandering through the woods, using my LED torch I had purchased a few days ago. After about twenty minutes, I came across a wooden stump, which was unsheltered due to a circular gap in the trees. I sat down on the stump and looked upwards, gazing at the night sky. 'It's so beautiful. I could sit here all night', I thought to myself, admiring the view of the many constellations in the dark abyss. After about ten minutes or so, something flashed just out my line of vision. I looked up to see shooting stars - loads of them. I had never seen such a display! "Wow! This is incredible. It's...it's so magical.", I tried to think but instead said out loud. Then, an idea. A silly one, childish, but right now, I didn't care. "I can't believe I'm about to do this but..." I looked up at one shooting star in particular and said... "I wish to get away from all of this. I wish for a different life." Just like that, the shooting star dissapeared and the display was over. 'Weird - it stopped when I made that wish', I pondered. "Meh, never mind...right, time to head back methinks. Should get to bed if...wait...w-w-what's that?" My vision had locked onto a bright light from where I had looked to make my wish. The light got brighter and brighter and brighter still. Shielding my eyes from the blinding shine, I found myself feeling dizzy. Trying to remain upright, I stepped back from light, only to trip on something. The light was so bright now, I could not see what it was. I waited for my body to hit the ground...but it didn't. I was falling. Falling faster and faster. Praying for this nightmare to end, I hit and crashed through a wooden structure (I think it was wood, can't be sure with no sight) before falling to ground with an audible thump. I felt the remains of whatever I had crashed into rain upon me hitting various parts of my body. The white light that devoured me ebbed away slowly and my vision was slowly returning. My hearing was slightly off as every noise was muffled. I managed to lift my head off the ground and saw three different coloured shapes in front of me. Not being able to see or hear what they were, I tried to lift myself off the ground, but my arms gave way and I fell once again. The shapes immediately shrunk into the distance and disappeared. My head started to pound away and I tried screaming - but to no avail - I blacked out. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tonight was a special night in Equestria. For once every one hundred years, stars would rain across the sky. It was common tradition that whoever would witness a shooting star, would wish upon it, hoping it would come true. In Canterlot, Princess Celestia was just finishing her daily court sessions with various ponies - many coming to ask for help with their lives. After the last pony was seen to, Celestia stood away from her throne and retreated back to her chambers. Arriving at her door, two unicorn guards gently bowed and opened her chamber door with hues of mint green and orange magic. Celestia thanked them and walked inside. She waited for the doors to close fully before flopping down onto her bed in exhaustion. "Ugh, what a day. Some of those requests were just...absurd. I mean, I expected something outrageous to come from Pinkie - a cupcake museum? Goodness me...", she stated out loud to herself. Shortly after a brief conversation with herself regarding the day's events, three sharp knocks sounded on her door. "Who is it?", Celestia answered in a sing-song voice. "It is I, dearest sister.", came a voice from the door. "Oh, Luna! Come on in." Celestia opened the door with her magic and Princess Luna trotted in and stood next to her sister's bed. "You asked to see me, sister?" Luna quipped. "Oh, of course, I had almost forgotten. Luna, do you know what day it is today?" "Uhh...Wednesday?" "No! Well...yes it is I suppose but that doesn't matter. Tonight is a very special night. It is the Night Of The Shooting Stars!" Celestia stated proudly. "Oh! Is it that time already? My, how time flies when you're..." Celestia and Luna's smiles both retracted and looked away from each other for a second. An awkward silence filled the room. Celestia looked at her sister with guilt and remorse. "Luna..." "Sister, it is fine. I should not have mentioned it......anyway, what did you want me for?" "Well, you do know that this night is very strenuous on one of us and I know that I was planned lead the festivities but today has been exhausting. I was hoping that you would be able to manage it tonight." Luna's face was one of pure shock. "WHAT? You want me to control the stars tonight? To hear all of the wishes and sift out the correct ones? Umm...I'm not sure. The last time I lead this night was over one thousand years ago..." Luna sat on her haunches and lowered her head to avert her sister's gaze. Celestia trotted over and lifted a hoof under Luna's chin to meet her eyes once again. "Luna, you can do this. Don't think for a second that you've lost your talent. I know you can do this. It'll be easy" Celestia said with a warm smile. Luna shuffled her hooves for a few seconds before contempating an answer. "Ok, sister. If you think I can do it, then I will" Luna replied with a wide grin. Celestia embraced her sister with a hug with Luna kindly returning it. "Oh Luna, I know you'll be just fine. Now, the time is ripe dear sister. It is time for duties to raise and lower our respective lights! With that, the royal sisters walked to the balcony of Celestia's chambers. Celestia concentrated her magic on the sun, lowering it slowly below the horizon. Luna watched in awe as the colour of the sky turned from a rusty orange to a navy blue. Luna then raised the moon with her own magic, raising it high into the sky, illuminating the city below. Both sisters, done with their duties, retired to the warmth of the castle before tonight's festivities began. The time arrived all too quickly for the nervous Princess of the Night. Celestia had gone to bed hours beforehand so Luna was left by herself. She paced back and forth on her balcony, waiting for the right moment to start the show. Soon enough, she sat on her haunches and concentrated on her magic. Her magic latched onto the stars in the sky and she began to gravitate them towards the Equestrian sky. The stars rained over the sky leaving streaks wherever they passed. After a few minutes, Luna began to hear wishes of the many hundreds, if not thousands, of ponies watching this magnificent sight. Some of the wishes were basic, such as asking for some help with a daily routine, wishing for a friend to get better, you know, small things. Some wishes were questions asking for advice for which Luna would offer advice back. Of course there were the ponies who were selfishly wishing for unfair or unorthodox things such as a winning lottery ticket or wishing that something bad would happen to another pony. Luna would cast those wishes aside without thinking twice. Over the course of the night, Luna began to grow tired and eventually was agreeing to most of the wishes so that the voices in her head would stop. "I wish my homework was easier." *YAWN* "Yeah, sure..." "I wish I was in the Wonderbolts." "Huh...maybe...." "I wish to get away from all of this. I wish for a different life." "Ye...Yeah ok" She was almost falling asleep at that point and she figured enough was enough. With that, Luna stopped her magic and the star show was over. She got up slowly, stretching with a groan, picturing her asleep in bed, then remembering she also has her night duties. She walked inside and started thinking about some of the wishes that she accepted. "Hmm, I gave that child a new friend to play with...yeah that's nice. That businesspony will have some help with his accounts...good for him. I gave that pony a different li--" Luna froze in shock at what she just remembered. Granting a pony a different life. Luna thought of the possibilities of what could happen. "Oh no. No no no no no! Anything could happen! But what if--" Luna cut herself off before she drove herself mad with worry. "No Luna, no. Just calm down. I'm sure he meant a better...lifestyle. Yes, of course! No need to worry......Right, I should get a coffee, begin my duties and forget this ever happened. Everything will be fine." Luna stated to herself, not noticing a bright light soaring towards Ponyville. A/N - This is my first EVER attempt at writing a fanfic. Any positive or constructive feedback is greatly appreciated!