Rain drops fell against the windows to the southward veranda. It was stormy outside, the winds howled in the dark. The old Canterlot house was stone, but it had its share of nooks and crannies. The winds made strange noises as they sought through the weaknesses in the building. This wasn't what had woken up Angel, nor the the fact that her light hind leg had slipped out from under the sheets, and was fairly cold and ache from it. Ever since becoming a mother her senses were on constant alert all night. It had taken only a few sniffles from one of her foals to wake her up. A sobbing and whimpering noise, that was aggravated every time a loud high pitched roar of wind was sent through the house, called her from down the hallway. Silver slept as soundly as a huge boulder, it was doubtful that Angel could wake him with any gentle effort, and he wouldn't be running on all cylinders if he did wake up at this time of night.
Angel was curled up tightly against her husband, her front legs around his waist, nose on his neck. Even when they were not involved in any intimate encounters, she loved nothing more than being with him, for his very presence assured her that everything would be alright. It took some very subtle movements and flexibility in order to make her way out of the bed without waking up. She kissed his cheek, and clopped silently down the hallway. She and Silver had discussed carpeting the floor to reduce the sound of hooves, but it would be much harder to keep clean that way. With a nudge of her nose, she pushed open the door to the boys' room, eyes adjusting to the darkness fairly quickly as she peered inside to see if any of her little stallions were awake.
Quick slept almost as soundly as his father, noise itself wouldn't wake him. A conversation wouldn't. If the wall of the bedroom fell out, it would at most cause him to turn over in his sleep. Quick didn't get scared anymore, not publically. She knew he could be frightened, but it didn't make him cry or retreat. Roll on the other hand was a softer boy. But something was wrong, because he was awake, she could see that much, but he hadn't turned to face her. He was sitting on his rump, his body twitching. Something was wrong with his eyes, but she couldn't see what. Occasionally his body would make twitching motions, as if acting out movements in a dream.
Instantly on alert, Angel entered the room and sat down on Quick's bed. The two had only recently been given their own beds on opposite sides of the room after sharing one as foals, which instantly elevated Silver and Angel to best parents ever status. Angel placed a hoof around her colt, a concerned tone drifting out towards him. "Roll? Roll, what is it?"
"She's coming after me! It's Sarah... she's hungry, and she looks like Sarah and then she doesn't, and I can't find you, mom where are you!" He was practically wailing the last part almost in desperation, his forelegs shifting a bit again as he ran in his dream. Angel could diagnose many magical ailments. Even pegasi could be magically afflicted, but Roll didn't show any signs of an evil dream spirit affecting him in anyway, or even one of Nightmare Moon's lingering nightmare strands. It was an especially magical dream she could tell that much, and it was an abnormal one. Yet she couldn't see anything apparent about it. Even though Roll was frightened, the magical energies felt... wholesome, good. Then she saw what was wrong with his eyes, there were tiny lights inside of them. This was an especially powerful dream. His body tensed. "The shadow goes deep! The war begins tonight! She'll bite fate with her teeth! One pony will challenge an army with his might. One white feather falls… the sun shines on a hill… a dark princess calls… and one heartbeat stands still." And with that it was over, he blinked. "Mom?"
Roll was being held tightly in the forelegs of his mother, her hooves gently stroking his mane and back. She did not wake him, or try to rouse him out of it, for she knew doing such a thing during one of his episodes could be dangerous. She merely held him, horn glowing and recording his words to be inscribed in her records later. It may be important, especially if the situation worsened and she needed to relay the transcript to a therapist or counselor. Alicia was a good family friend, but no doctor, and her help could only go so far. When Roll finally spoke, Angel breathed a sigh of relief, and looked down upon her son. She was never sure if he could remember what happened or not, and didn't want to bring it up to him.
Roll disarmed the situation. "You're squishing me." But he didn't mind her hugs in anyway, he was much more up for cuddling than his bigger brother. His little hooves pushed a little at her stomach, and hugged it. Luna would be the only one who could really confirm it, but it was likely that this had been a true dream of premonition. It wasn't clear, but some parts had been. Sarah; her looking like herself and then not, and then clear stanzas which were obviously part of a prophecy. Sarah... she had been gone for quite a while now. Cutie Mark Crusader senior member, a month of frolicking with other kids doing many crazy activities, and picking apples afterwards. Then she had written about going to stay somewhere and that Silver knew the details. After that she hadn't gotten much.
Sarah had been gone for almost four weeks now, and would be due to return home any day now. Angel had only gotten a single letter from Sarah, but had, a bit reluctantly, convinced herself that Sarah was busy making friends and had no time for her mother. Of course Angel was not okay with this situation though, even though Sarah was the oldest and her younger sister Emerald was out on her own. Angel had a deep attachment to her first born, and didn't want Sarah leaving the nest yet.
It didn't take long for Rolling Wave to slowly relax again, as usual he made no mention of the dreams he'd just had. The breathing he had slowed down, and his head slumped against her neck, resting there. He was asleep again, soundly and deeply. No more was made of it, even the winds outside had died down a bit. The storm was easing up.
It was quite a while before Angel left Roll again. She stayed with him for almost an hour, in case anything happened again. When nothing did, she tucked him back into bed, and kissed him. Angel returned to her room, and resumed her favorite position right next to Silver, nuzzling into his neck. "Don't worry Silver, house is just burning down, nothing to worry about," she whispered in a tease.
He had been snoring for while. The comment she gave didn't wake him up in any way, thought he mumbled a bit in his sleep. When she nuzzled his neck, he tensed a little and breathed a deep sigh, and then continued sleeping thought without the snoring, breathing slowly and contently.
***
A quick shower had freshened up both of them, though Angel had gotten distracted a bit during the preening, and brushing of manes and feathers. Oat toasts simmered in butter, apple jam spreads, cheeses, fermented fruit juice, made their morning spread complete. Silver had set up while Angel had busied herself with her lengthy morning routine. Quick was hovering out in the yard, Roll trying to follow suit. Though Quick tended to be loud in all his efforts, he was a very attentive big brother. Little Roll was in good hooves. Though that brought the premonition Angel had been witness back to the fore of her mind again.
Angel had cut her morning routine short. In fact, she would have cancelled it completely if she hadn't been planning on going to town that day. She needed to look presentable, after all. Silver had found Angel sitting in the middle of their bedroom, a very strained look on her face. It was a look she hadn't given him in years, in fact almost the same one she'd given him when she'd found out the truth about genocide on Earth. "Close the door." She said, her voice not even so much as hinting at playfulness. Breakfast was made, it could wait a minute or two.
Silver knew that look, and it caused him some moment of worry visible on his face. Horn shimmering, the door closed behind him. Breakfast could wait indeed. He sat down not far from her. "You go first." He said.
"It's Roll." She said with worry. Thank Celestia, Silver wasn't in trouble this time. "It's happening again." She had spoken with Silver about the colts active night terrors on several occasions before, but he had never sounded as worried as she did now. They didn't happen every night, usually only during strange or powerful weather.
"He's had another dream?" Years ago Silver, even though he had learned to accept fantastic things, and even embraced them with excitement, things like premonitions gave him pause. However she had seen his acclimation to the world over the years. Especially the past two under the influence of Novaria. His eyes were keenly interested. "What was it about?"
Angel began to pace. She was scared, although she had no idea of the things that Silver was involved in, and certainly no idea of the things that Sarah had gotten herself involved in. "It was about Sarah. He was muttering things, she was herself, and then she wasn't herself, she kept changing." She said. "Silver, I know you're against it, but I really think we should involve Princess Luna in this. She'd be able to see what's going in his dreams." She pleaded.
The mention of Sarah was a genuine surprise to him. She asked her to play the premonition back to him, and he got to hear it a few times. He closed his eyes and sighed with a grunt of dissatisfaction. "Symbolic and useless, all it really tells is that some awful is going to happen." He didn't pace, but was obviously weighing the words of the prophecy. "I think you should go to Luna about the stanza part. The part of about Sarah... the princesses shouldn't know about that part, if you want to protect Sarah." He said.
Angel immediately narrowed her eyes, a hint of suspicion flaring up inside her. She didn't want to think that Silver would lie to her, but something about it just didn't make sense. "And... why would Sarah need protecting?" She asked hesitantly.
"I can't tell you. Not all of it." He said first and foremost. "Your mothers orders, eyes-only secrecy. The documents are in my study but since you've abdicated, you're not a princess of Evodia and you can't read it." He explained, walking over to the window looking out. "I was doing a project that required screening for candidates for a mission among the pony populace. I had sent my list of candidates and set up a training camp. Sarah... it was around the time she learned she wasn't an earth pony. I had gotten a migraine attack and she ran home for the medicine. The door to my study was open. Usually my papers are kept on secrecy paper, but not this one. She read it, added a false name, and snuck out there in disguise… I can't say anything more than that. Not where she is, what the mission is. In fact I'm skirting the boarders even telling you this much."
Angel was quiet for what felt like hours. A mix of emotions ran through her. Confusion, fear, anger. Part of her wanted to strike Silver with her hoof across the back of his head, but that wouldn't solve anything, and she had never once, never ONCE hit him. What sort of example would that set for her children, for herself, for her mother? She sat in silence for a good long while, and eventually turned to face him. Her eyes were filled with hurt and betrayal. "I am not going to waste my energy becoming upset, I can tell that whatever you're doing. nothing I can say will get you to change her mind." She raised herself to all fours. "I will only tell you this. You bring her home safe. Because if anything happens to her, and you did nothing, I will not forgive you." She hissed the last part in a barely audible voice. "You bring her home, Silver." She pushed past them back out towards the kitchen, where breakfast was waiting.
Angel didn't say it out loud, but the 'or else' in her voice was impossible to miss.