//------------------------------// // Interlude: Wish I May, Wish I Mite // Story: Between Bassdrops and Bowstrings // by Quillian Inkheart //------------------------------// Interlude: Wish I May, Wish I Mite The sunset of Ponyville was Octavia’s favorite part of the little town. In Canterlot, buildings got in the way and you weren’t ever able to really enjoy the splendor of Celestia’s grand work. And after the events in Canterlot a week ago, Octavia had taken to enjoying everything she possibly could about each day. Octavia's day had been one of the most relaxing in weeks; she had taken a bath, listened to her favorite composer and practiced her latest composition until her hoof ached. After all that, she went to see Flare, spending a few hours hearing about how the store was progressing and how he was doing. He’d been excited to hear about the incident in Canterlot. Octavia even told Flare about the more sensitive topics as the two shared a few glasses of wine. “So, you told her, huh?” Flare had chuckled, making Octavia choke on her wine. Did everypony know about how she felt about Vinyl?! The two played it safe, not even letting themselves get buzzed on the drinks, and parted ways shortly after. When she’d gotten home, Vinyl had been fast asleep on the couch, her notebook plastered to her face with drool. Octavia, struggling to not burst out laughing, had woke her up and helped her friend up to bed. Not entirely tired, Octavia had taken her spot at the windowsill to watch the night. Overall Octavia felt better than she had in a long time. Finally, she had hope that this wasn’t all her life would ever be. Maybe, just maybe, she could be with Vinyl after all. The stars filled the sky, flickering with iridescent beauty. Octavia adored the night’s sky; it was so full of majesty and grace. Sighing as she sat at the windowsill, she watched the stars come out and the night grow in beauty. A flickering of light, a shooting star, darted across the sky. Octavia smiled and closed her eyes, making a wish. ‘I wish, more than anything, that I will have Vinyl as my special somepony someday.’ Opening her eyes, Octavia was confused to see the star still streaking through the sky. It seemed to shift, still a star but something… more. She watched, confused and awed, as the star careened down, crashing to Equestrian soil not far from Ponyville. She rose, standing at the window, staring where the star had fallen. Without really knowing why, she grabbed her coat and slipped out into the chill night air. Life. Eyes opened for the first time, staring out of a hole in the ground, up at the night's sky. Sensations rushed in like a tidal wave. The little Mite, a creature of legend, drifted up from its landing place, looking around at the world with newborn eyes. However, the Mite wasn’t ignorant; it had been born with knowledge. It knew what it was, a creature born from the magic of a heartfelt wish made on a star and charged with the power to grant wishes. It knew that it wouldn’t survive beyond the light of the sunrise. And it also knew its creator and where she was. The little Mite thought, drifting in the air over the crater that had bore it. Resigned, it decided to find its creator and grant her wish. After bringing joy to the one who made it, the Mite could rest happy. The wilderness was not Octavia’s favorite place to be. Jagged stones made her hooves ache, her body was worn from all this climbing and the wind’s howling was starting to give her a headache. Yet, she could see the star’s crater in the distance, giving off a faint glow. She sped her hooves, using a burst of excitement to grant her strength. As she crested the last hill, she got a proper look into the crater. It was empty. Octavia tilted her head, frowning. No, that couldn’t be it, could it? She slid down the hill, making sure she didn’t trip and fall. The edge of the crater was still warm, making Octavia’s hooves sweat a little. As she leaned over to peer into the hole, a glimmer of light made her turn her head. Not far away was a small glowing sphere of light, drifting at eye-level as if it was watching Octavia. It was no larger than Octavia’s eye and appeared to be a tiny crystal inside of a glowing light. A pair of eyes reflected from the crystal, watching Octavia with curiosity. The mare stared at the sphere of light curiously, reaching a hoof out. “What are you?” The light began to dim as the sphere drew closer to Octavia. As it alighted on the edge of Octavia’s hoof, the pony got a better look at the object. It appeared to be made of an uncut diamond, with a pair of golden eyes spiraling through its many facets and a pair of tiny glowing wings. It wasn't a thing; it was some kind of creature. The little creature blinked, examining Octavia even as it was examined. “What am I.” The voice resonated from the creature’s body. It simply stated the question, not adding any particular emphasis. “I am a wish. I am a Mite.” Octavia blinked back, thinking through every old textbook she had ever read. She couldn’t recall any kind of creature named a Mite. “Maybe Twilight will know what you are…” Twilight did indeed. The unicorn was shocked to see the little ball of crystal and light, immediately going into an overjoyed fit. “It’s a Mite! They’re exceptionally rare! Where did you find it?” The purple unicorn seemed to have produced a notebook and quill out of nowhere, levitating both beside her. Spike was well behind her, yawning pointedly. Octavia had woken the two up without considering that they might be asleep, and was feeling rather bad about that fact. “I found him just outside of town. I watched a star fall and land there and—” “A star?” Twilight asked suddenly, scribbling in her notebook. “Nopony has ever been able to discover where Mites come from. They have notoriously short life spans and never interact with any pony that tries to communicate with them.” “Uh… But, it spoke to me, Twilight.” Octavia was nervous about mentioning that. She wanted information, not to throw Twilight into one of her ‘fits’. She’d rather not spend all night answering a million questions. Twilight just stared at her, looking curious. “What did it say?” “When I asked what it was, it said it was a wish.” Octavia looked to Mite, which had taken to sitting on her back. It was a strange sensation, like having a weightless ball of warmth resting on your bare skin. “How can that be true?” “It is true.” The Mite said, making Twilight gasp. “I am a wish. Your wish.” Twilight began writing furiously. “What do you mean, you’re her wish? Why doesn’t your kind converse with ponies normally? Why did you come out of a falling star? What…?” twilight trailed off, noticing that the Mite wasn’t answering, but was just simply staring at Octavia. Octavia looked between Twilight and the Mite, then sighed. “Why won’t you talk to her?” “Because I am your wish. It is you I seek.” The Mite blinked, tilting as if confused. “Do you not want your wish?” Octavia felt her heart skip a beat. “What do you mean?” “I am here to grant your wish. That is why I was born. It’s the only reason for me to exist.” Twilight was lost to her notes now, scribbling furiously; Octavia might as well have been alone with the Mite. She reached out a hoof, picking the creature off her back, and held it in front of her. “You grant wishes…?” The Mite bobbed. “Yes.” Octavia’s breath caught in her throat. She could wish that Vinyl loved her! She could be with her friend as early as tomorrow! “What do I do? How do you grant my wish?” “Just wish it and it will be so.” The Mite blinked again, as if confused. “Okay…” Octavia took a deep breath, closing her eyes. “I wish…” Octavia trailed off, frowning. “What will happen after I make my wish? Will it be granted instantly?” “I will perish and your wish will become reality.” The Mite said with a hint of sadness. Octavia suddenly felt distressed. She had nearly taken this creature’s life away. “And you’re okay with that?” Octavia set the creature on a nearby table, looking at it, concerned. “I neither am nor am not okay with this turn of events. It doesn’t matter, either way.” Twilight moved up beside Octavia, lowering her notebook. “A wish-granting creature… From the sounds of it, they’re born from the wishes of those who wish on falling stars. I’m assuming that’s what it means by ‘your wish’, right?” Octavia gave a small nod, not looking from the Mite. The creature was small and pitiful, but precious in its own way. Twilight had said they had a short life span and Octavia could understand why. Who wouldn’t pass up a free wish? Who wouldn’t pass up a chance to have anything you wanted? Images of Vinyl flashed in her mind. She wanted her friend to love her so deeply, but… Would it be worth sacrificing this creature’s life? Furthermore, would it be right to wish love onto somepony? Would that be taking away their free will? Octavia frown at the little Mite, which stared back at her, completely ambivalent. “What’s wrong?” Octavia was startled by Twilight’s voice. She had forgotten the unicorn was there. “Oh, I just… I couldn’t make a wish, knowing it would destroy this little guy.” Octavia smiled, holding out a hoof for the Mite. As it drifted to her hoof, it spoke again. “I will perish with the rising sun regardless. Please, make a wish and be happy. That way, maybe my life will not be in vain." Octavia felt her heart clench. She sighed out, looking to Twilight. The mare had no answers in her concerned eyes. Looking back to the Mite, Octavia made a decision. “Very well then, little one. I’ll make a wish, sure enough.” She smiled warmly, nodding to the Mite. “I wish you are able to live a long, full and profitable life, filled with joy and happiness. I wouldn’t wish for anything other than that.” The Mite blinked, froze and blinked again, as if it was shocked. Slowly, its glow intensified. “As you wish.” And then, in a bright flash, the Mite was gone. Octavia stood, waiting for something more, but when nothing seemed to happen, she began to get panicked. Was her contradictory wish impossible? Had she just destroyed that creature? Just as she was about to actually show her panic, lights began to flicker to life all around Twilight’s library. Twilight, who had been writing frantically up to this point, stopped, looking around in wonder. The lights began to spin, gathering at a point in front of Octavia. She stepped back, a little worried and a little amazed, her breath quickening in excitement. Slowly, a form rose from the light, a pony-shaped creature made from what appeared to be crystallized light. Within its many-faceted body, Octavia saw things; things she couldn’t explain. She saw fame, love, bits, anything she could have ever wanted, reflected back onto her eyes. The Mite stared at her, a smile on its face. “Thank you, Mother.” Octavia blinked, a little shocked by that title, but realized that, if this creature had been born from her wish, it was actually rather fitting. She had never considered herself ‘mother’ material, but she found that she enjoyed the idea of the Mite looking up to her like a mother. The Mite was obviously a stallion – or the equivalent for it's kind, Octavia supposed – but she couldn’t keep calling him Mite for another moment. “You are most welcome.” Octavia bowed her head politely. “Do you have a name?” “A name?” The Mite tilted its head, then gave it a rueful shake. “I do not believe I do. How strange.” The Mite blinked a few times and smiled. “Dolus. I believe I will be Dolus.” Octavia felt strangely content. She had given Dolus this gift and now… now it was free. Twilight looked like she was about ready to foam at the mouth. “Dolus, can you speak to me now?” “Indeed. What is your name?” Dolus responded. Twilight looked like she was about to pass out with excitement. “Twilight. Twilight Sparkle. May I ask you some questions about Mites? We know next to nothing about your people.” Dolus looked to Octavia, who nodded. Turning to Twilight, he copied Octavia’s nod. “Of course, Miss Sparkle.” He smiled, then looked to Octavia again. “And I’m afraid that, after this, I must go. I wish to stay, but I realized many things, when I bonded myself to you, Mother. I have things I must do.” Octavia felt her eyes go a little wide. “Bonded with me?” “Yes. By forming a bond with you, I was able to grant your wish. It was the only way. So long as you breathe, so will I. Through you, I learned more emotions than despair and what they mean. In your memories, I learned what it means to live, learn, and grow.” Dolus smiled. “And I also learned what I must do to show you how thankful I am for all of this.” Octavia smiled back, waving a dismissive hoof. “You don’t need to do anything for me, Dolus. Anypony who knew anything about Mites would have done the same, I’m sure.” “But I do. As far as I know, I am the first Mite who will ever survive the rising of the sun.” The Mite bowed low to Octavia. “I promise, I will repay you.” Octavia looked up to the sky, which was beginning to glow orange with the coming dawn. Surprisingly, she wasn’t at all tired. Sitting at the windowsill, she stared out over Canterlot in the distance, thinking about everything that had happened. She smiled, remembering the look on Dolus’ face as he was given emotions. He was, in a way, her creation, her child. She smiled as she backed off from the window, the sunrise basking her in its radiant glow. Dolus would be leaving Twilight’s library right about now, wandering off to do whatever it was he felt he needed to do to repay her. Today, Octavia had changed the fate of a life; she had never imagined she would ever do something so beautiful, but the very idea of it made her smile in pure joy. She heard a sound from behind her, looking over her shoulder as Vinyl walked down the steps, rubbing her eyes. “Tavi? What’re you doin’ up so early?” She trotted over, looking out the window from beside her roommate. “Looks like it’ll be a good day.” Octavia nodded, putting a hoof over her friend’s shoulder, pulling her close. She thought she felt Vinyl lean into her, but maybe that was just wishful thinking. “I couldn’t agree more, Vinyl. And, while we eat, I have quite a story to tell you.” The DJ smiled, nodding as she leaned out of her friend’s hold. “Eggs sound good?” Vinyl asked, grinning. “The same as every morning?” Octavia leveled a stare at Vinyl, who scrunched her face up slightly. Octavia let out a pleasant laugh, nodding. “Eggs sounds wonderful, Vinyl. Thank you.” “What for?” Vinyl asked, turning to head into the kitchen. “It’s not anything new.” Octavia watched as she levitated her cooking apron on. She smiled, resting a hoof over her heart. “For being you, Vinyl.” She whispered, mostly to herself.