//------------------------------// // An Ill Omen // Story: Shattered Wings // by CleverlyDmented //------------------------------// The night sky grew darker as Princess Luna rose the ever-luminescent moon. It was at this time that the girls had been escorted into the guest wing. The Guest Wing, for all intents and purposes, could have been considered a mansion on its own. Coming out from main hallway, one was instantly met with a massive commons area, complete with a kitchen, dining room, and lounge. Through the back left door was a long hallway, adourned with numerous doors leading to 5 different bedrooms and 3 master-sized bathrooms. Through the left nack door, there was a stairwell that led to a subsequent terrace, upon which several gorgeous tables were set for the honoured guests that frequented the castle. Off of the terrace, there was another grand staircase, which led up to a large observatory. This is where Twilight Sparkle sat, gazing through the magic-powered telescope. Beside her was a small, steaming cup of Chai Tea, as per her usual taste. Opposite rested a small notepad, which she occasionally wrote down various notes upon, or drew small diagrams of the different constellations and star patterns she viewed. As Princess Celestia had taught her many times, the stars were millions of miles away. This meant that, when you looked at a star, you were merely seeing how it was in the past, not as it is now. Twilight had taken it upon herself during her beginning years as Princess Celestia's protoge to learn the art of star-reading. It was said that, when observed by a careful eye, the stars could weave together a story of things that were to come, having themselves seen it. Wracked by a bout of nervousness, she stole away to the observatory, hoping to find some clue, some solice, as to what was to be expected. And so, for three hours, she sat in that one, cold spot, never moving, and practically having to force herself to breath. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Being complacent where they were, the other girls clamoured in the commons area. The amenities provided by the extensive staff had done well to placate the whims and wishes of the mares. Pinkie Pie, always one to eat, sat at the small counter seperating the kitchen from the lounge. Servants of different colours and sizes rushed about, doing what they could to prepare a large meal for the girls, as deemed 'Necessary in this time of grief' by Princess Celestia herself. Fluttershy and Rarity lay on small pillows in the lounge, talking about little going-ons around Ponyville in order to distract themselves from the dark thoughts gripping at their minds. "Did you hear, darling, that Roseluck might have to sell her flower shop? Turns out her flowers haven't been, shall we say, right for the picking. Her business is beginning to go under. I just couldn't imagine if the same should happen to my own store!" She rested her forearm over her head dramatically to emphasize how such a thing would be unbearable. Fluttershy, never one to blabber on, politely listened, nodding occasionally to the various tidbits of things such as Big Mac's affair with Ms. Cheerilee, or how Spike had shown up a few days ago, pestering her to make him a nice suit. "The poor darling just has NO sense of fashion. Honestly, I don't see how Twilight can allow him to parade about in such..such...unbecoming attire!" On the terrace, Applejack sat with Scootaloo, nursing a glass of water as she gazed out at the gorgeous view of Equestria. "Ah can see Sweet Apple Acres from here! This view is amazin'!" Scootaloo sat with her head on her forearms, unable to push the thoughts of Rainbow Dash from her mind. In just 24 hours, she had gone from hoping to never seeing her ex-idle again, to being willing to give her own life it it meant Rainbow Dash would pull through. AJ frowned, understanding how the young filly felt. She decided that it was best to try to distract her for now. She would have plenty of time to think later. "So, how's things with th' Cutie Mark Crusaders? Applebloom says y'all stumbled into a rut?" "I guess. It's just, we're running out of things we can try. After a year of doing this, you'd think we would all have our Cutie Marks by now. But, the more we try, the more it seems like it'll never happen." She sighed, switching her mindset from Rainbow Dash to the seeming futility of her efforts to find her talent. "Ah know ah've said this plenty o' times, and i'm gonna keep sayin' it. Ya just can't rush these things. Cutie Marks are supposed to be special, and come when it's time." "I know, I know. I keep hearing the same thing from everypony. That doesn't make it any more bearable to wait. What if we never find our talents? We'll be blank-flanks for the rest of our lives! We may end up living lives as ditch diggers! Who wants that?" "Well, if ya can't be patient, why not look into what yer already good at, rather than trying things that most ponies wouldn't do? Take Sweetie Belle for example. She's the best singer ah've ever heard. For all Rarity knows, her little sister could be tha next Sapphire Shores!" She chuckled, visualizing Rarity's reaction in her head. "Well...maybe you're right. But still, I can't worry about it right now. Rainbow Dash comes before any stupid Cutie Mark." She returned to her sad disposition, staring blankly at the ivory table. Applejack gave a sigh, placing her hoof on Scootaloo's back. "Ya have mah word that Rainbow Dash is gonna pull through. We're gonna get that Dragon Pearl, and we're gonne make it back lickity split. Cross mah heart, hope tah fly, stick a cupcake in mah eye!" She beamed an almost mother-like look at Scootaloo. She reminded AJ so much of her own little sis. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Twilight Sparkle stared into the viewing glass on the telescope. Her body was sore and stiff, a result of sitting in one spot for so long. The cup of tea had thrice been refilled by the ever-attentive servants of Princess Celestia, and the once fresh notepad was now filled with scribbles, scratches, and diagrams of stars. After three hours of tireless work, Twilight had decided that she had gathered enough information to calculate an accurate prediction. Turning away from the machine, she began to flip through the notepad, mentally noting several pieces of information, such as distance between stars, distance from said stars to the earth, and general patterns of star alignment. With a sigh, she pulled upon her extensive library-gained knowledge of the information that would leave normal ponies baffled. She, however, was no normal pony. Ever since she discovered her ability of Transfiguration, she had been treated as a superior by much of the magic community. Even Trixie, the once boastful and crude con-artist, had no other choice but to accept Twilight as her better. Another thirty minutes passed, and Twilight had been forced to retrieve another notepad to write down her findings. Satisfied that she had done everything she possibly could, she began to decode the cryptic message that the stars held. Piece by piece, she began to understand the stars ancient language, decyphering a prediction that would change their lives. With wide eyes, she stared down at the small tablet. Written on it were three words...words that brought violent bouts of sobs to her. She couldn't contain her fear any longer, small drops pelting the booklet, smearing the words that she had implanted in her mind. The three words that would haunt her for the rest of her life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The night was dragging on, and the girls, minus Twilight, had gathered into the lounge area. Princess Celestia sat atop a luxurious pillow in front of the cobblestone fireplace. Similar seats had been set around her, and the girls slowly filled them up. "My servants tell me that Twilight Sparkle is in the observatory. If I'm correct, she is star-reading." Pinkie blinked, biting into an expertly prepared sandwich. She spoke through a full mouth. "Wath thar-reading?" "Star-reading, my young subject, is an ancient art perfect nearly 2000 years ago by Starswirl the Bearded. Using basic principals such as a stars location and size, he learned that one could make accurate predictions of the future. Twilight had chosen to learn this skill at a very young age." The others seemed mystified. Scootaloo, more than anypony else, was confused. "Excuse me, Princess, but I thought stuff like that was made up just to con ponies out of their hard earned bits?" "On the contrary, acts such as hoof-reading or gazing into a crystal ball, when done by an expert, can prove livid and correct results, much the same as star-reading. The sole difference between these three is that only a unicorn could successfully read your hoof or look into a crystal ball. Star-reading can be done by anypony with the knowledge of it." She smiled at her subjects, happy to see that their interest in her words was truly genuine. "So, does that mean that Twi can tell the future?" Applejack, having always been a very skeptic pony, was having second thoughts, mostly because it was Princess Celestia who had told her this. "Well, in a sense, yes. She can see certain things, but not specific events. When looking into a crystal ball, a unicorn is given a visual image of events. Hoof-reading gives them insight to another ponies emotions towards a future event. Star-reading is one of the most difficult ways to tell the future, mainly because the results of even dedicated work are often incredibly difficult to understand. Predictions are usually done in sets of three single words, which can be determined by different formulas and processes. These three words weave together to give an accurate, but foggy, prediction." The girls muttered amongst themselves as Princess Celestia informed one of the servants to go check on Twilight. Dinner had been served, and generous amounts of food were placed in between all of them. It was just as Princess Celestia was about to take a bite of her salad that a trembling and broken voice tore through the near silence. "P..Princess..." The voice, muddled by tears and harsh sobs, belonged to Twilight Sparkle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Princess Celestia urged the girls to give Twilight room as they began to clamour around her. She was pale, almost as if the life had been drained from her body. Servants ran around, fetching glasses, water, and fans to allow her some comfort. All she could do was sob uncontrollably as her friends watched her near-mental breakdown. "Twilight, what's wrong, darling? Are you ok? Are you ill?" Rarity looked at her, worry filling her eyes. Her questions were only answered by a gentle shush from Celestia. "My Faithful Student, what have you seen in the stars tonight? I fear they bear bad news..." Her usual calm look was replaced with extreme concern. She knew that Twilight had a tendency to snap when she got scared or nervous, but she had never before seen her like this, so broken and weak. Taking a moment to collect breath, she spoke, trying her best to keep her voice at an audible level. "Princess...i-it's horrible. I did everything I could, reviewed and reviewed my notes, and I only keep coming up with the same answer..." She was visibly shuddering now, and was quickly covered with a thick wool blanket, compliments of the Palace staff. "Please calm down, Twilight. We need to know this." For the first time in nearly two hours, Fluttershy spoke up. Inside, her heart cringed. If this was how Twilight was reacting to the news, she knew that it would be 5 times worse on herself. Thoughts of Rainbow Dash slipping away in the cold hospital as her friends failed at their task brought her to the brink of tears. But she held them in, at least for now. "T-three words....Success, meaning that we would be successful in our goal." The girls instantly calmed down, Fluttershy letting out an audible sigh of relief. "The next word is Sacrifice. Somewhere on our journey, something of great importance to us will have to be given up in order to save Rainbow Dash." Still, the girls weren't as worried. To them, anything was worth giving up to save Rainbow Dash. "Ok, Sugarcube. Now those don't sound nearly bad. What's got ya so flustered?" "The final word....Death...." Silence filled the room. Even the servants, up until this point constantly working to keep things spotless, stopped. The expression on Princess Celestia's face had even changed, showing that she herself was deeply hurt. "Twilight, you don't think..." She began to say, unsure of where to go with her question. She knew exactly what her student was thinking. She knew that what was about to be said would set of a strong reaction from everypony in the room. "Yes...I do, Princess..." She turned to her friends, tears falling down her face as she was forced to break this news to her friends. "Alone, Sacrifice or Death would mean one thing. Together, the two only spell out one thing for our quest..." She looked down, unable to face her friends with the horrid words that were soon to come out of her mouth. She wanted nothing more than to disappear. "W-what is it, Twilight?" Fluttershy had quickly gone from her relief to intense fear. Sacrifice was one thing, and death was straightforward enough, but Twilight seemed absolutely pained, as if somepony had driven a stake into her chest. "P-please. We have to know...." Pulling herself together for one final moment, she looked up at her friends, unable to see clearly through the torrent of tears that flooded her eyes. "Before our journey is over....if we're going to save Rainbow Dash....one of us will have to give our own life....." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pandemonium ensued as she spoke. Everypony in the room, even the powerful Princess Celestia and her group of servants, was in tears. Scootaloo, out of shock, collapsed, unable to bear the facts that were placed before her. Probably for the best, the Princess thought. Let her sleep. Applejack, Twilight, and Rarity huddled together, unable to stop themselves from breaking. The three formed a close hug, unable to cope any longer with the dangers ahead of them. Pinkie sat next to Scootaloo, stroking her mane as she bawled her eyes out. Even Celestia sat off on her pillow, holding her head down as a torrent of tears fell. She held the risk of losing her most faithful student, as well as any one of her most loyal subjects. Fluttershy was the odd pony out. She was crying, but nowhere near the level of her friends. She stood up, walking over to Princess Celestia. She stood tall, wiping tears off of her cheek as the beautiful Princess looked at her. "Are you ok, Fluttershy? I'm sorry about all of this. I know you were with her when Rainbow Dash..." She looked down, to sad to look the young mare in the eye. But Fluttershy wasn't the weak pony that she had always been. Not now, when the life of the one she loved most hang in the tender balance between their world and the afterlife. No, she couldn't afford to be that pony. This was more important than that. This was more important than even her own life. "Princess, if it comes to it, I will be the once to sacrifice myself for Rainbow Dash." Her words shocked the others into absolute silence. The crying mares stared at her as if she had just slapped the Princess. "F-fluttershy? W-where did that c-come from?" Twilight looked at her friend, no longer seeing a weak pony, but seeing a brave, kind mare, willing to give up what she held most dear for her best friend. She had a new respect for Fluttershy. So did the others, it seemed, as they stood up, walking to surround her. "No, Sugarcube. Yer her best friend. We all know that. If anypony should live out of us, it's you. Ah ain't lettin' you do something stupid." She put her hoof on her friends back as she wiped more tears from her eyes. "You heard the prediction, just like I did. It's because I'm her best friend that I would do this. She means the world to me." Fluttershy was shocked at even herself. Where was this courage coming from? She'd never spoken with such confidence in her life. Now, faced with the prospect of losing the one she loved most, she was willing to do any and everything to prevent that....even if it meant giving her own life in return. "Fluttershy," Princess Celestia spoke, looking down at her. "You've once again proven how strong the bond of friendship truly is. Do not worry about the prediction. No matter what, you must return. Rainbow Dash is counting on you more than anypony else. You know that as well as I." She looked around at the other girls, now drying the remainder of their tears away. "You four are her closest friends. You are all equally important in this quest. No matter what it takes, you must all try your absolute best if you are to succeed." "Princess Celestia, you have our words that we ain't gonna slack off. Not when it's our best friends life at stake." AJ bowed to the Princess, showing her honesty in her words. The others joined her soon afterwards. "Than you are all the greatest friends a pony could ask for. The Elements of Harmony were wise in choosing each of you. Draw on that power now, in this most difficult of quests, as it will take all of your power and knowledge." She stood up, looking down at Fluttershy. She gave her an encouraging smile and spoke to them all. "You each will play an important role in this journey, one of you moreso than the others. But know that, in the end, you are all heros. Maybe not on an epic scale, but to the mare laying asleep in that cold hospital bed, you're all better than even the Wonderbolts. Now, the hour is late, and you must depart early if you are to make it to the border by mid-day. Please, take to your bedrooms, you will find that things are comfortable enough. I will be in to wake you." She turned around, ready to leave, when a small voice called out to her. "P-princess Celestia..." Scootaloo's voice trembled, the pitiful sound enough to bring even a Stalliongradian to tears. "I want to see Rainbow Dash. I want to be there. Tonight. She can't be alone. I-it's just not right." She was fighting back an onslaught of tears, but held a strong gaze on the stunned Princess. "Please...." She smiled at the small filly. Celestia could tell that she held a lot of potential, and having Rainbow Dash as an idol only showed her good taste in role models. "Of course. I will escort you to the hospital. She would be happy to know that you were there with her." She motioned towards the door, and the servants quickly opened them. "Good night, girls. Sleep well." With that, she and Scootaloo disappeared though the doorway. None of the girls slept well. None of them slept at all.