A Three Foal Wish

by Seeking Dusk

Prologue: Wishing on a Star

"I still can't believe I let you guys talk me into playing that game..." Daine sighed, whined really, as a trio of young men made their way down the city streets, Daine fuming somewhat as his two companions followed a few steps behind. "Despite my insistence that I suck harder than a black hole at first person shooters..."

"You didn't even try," Patrick snorted, failing to hold his composure at Daine's tone, picking up his speed so he could walk abreast with his irritated companion.

"You killed me when I was trying to figure out how to switch to the grenades!" Daine protested, jabbing an accusing finger at Patrick.

"Only once..." Patrick tried, going for the role of peacemaker.

"Six. Times. Six." Daine was not pleased at all. "You were just pissed I kicked your butt at Smash Bros."

"I never owned a Nintendo console in my life, not counting the game boy and 3DS." Patrick countered. "Also, I WAS trying to tell you how to switch grenades but I got shot by James here."

"Wha..? Don't try and blame me for that now," James protested. Then, after a pause, he added, "not that a grenade would have helped you."

"That's it! Next time we game to figure out who picks the food and who covers the bill, we play something we are all good at. Like Pokémon," Daine grumbled. "My meowstic, luxray and pyroar would kick all your collective asses."

That, of course, immediately started a full scale bicker-fest as the three friends made their way back to their hotel. Considering this was the first time they ever met in person, it was going swimmingly. True, they had been online friends for years, but only Daine and Patrick had met in person. Of course, they only had a seven hour drive between them, unlike the fifteen hour flight between them and James.

The Convention was the perfect time to get together. Booking through the registration deal got them cheaper flights to the city and a deal on the hotel. Sharing the bill of a hotel room lessened the weight on the wallet even more, and all that was left was hoping for the best. Despite the misgivings of others around them, the best did happen and the three got along fine.

The only real issue came from the proposal to game for rights to pick the supper menu. At this point, none of the three remembered who proposed it, only that James won by a landslide, and Daine lost pathetically. So they got Thai food, and Daine's MasterCard got to dance around the magstripes. And of course James ordered something expensive. Well, by Daine's standard, but he was always a bit stingy.

"So... plans for the rest of the night?" Patrick asked when Daine finally ceased his efforts to bite James. Granted, his attempts were remarkably dignified, but they were still attempts to bite. James walked with Patrick between himself and Daine as a result.

"Meh... read a book, work on the theory of relativity?" Daine shrugged, flippant though apparently fascinated with the cracks and gaps between and in the pavement, and doing his best to daintily step around them all.

"Get Daine a muzzle?" James offered a slight grin on his face as he watched Daine's antics.

"Gnaw James' ear off?" Daine suggested brightly, deciding to get in on the game.

"Apply for a restraining order?" James countered pleasantly, speaking up a bit to be heard over the sound of the traffic racing by, the timing of the traffic lights sending a fair amount of them in motion.

"Hire a hitman?" Daine said, skipping up to the low stone railing and managing to keep his balance on it for four or five steps before hopping back down.

"Why would Daine need a muzzle? If anything, I'm the one that would, given how I keep nomming your ear in chat. By the way... Boop! And Boop!" Patrick said, delivering one to each of his friends.

Both Daine and James looked at Patrick, then sighed, Daine patting Patrick on the shoulder, James yielding to the urge to cover his face with his palm.

"There, there, Patrick," Daine said. "We still love you."

"How about we watch some shows or something?" James said when the urge to face palm finally subsided. "I got Pacific Rim on DVD."

"We can have a marathon of movies and TV shows," Patrick said, expanding on James’ idea.

“A marathon? Um… It’s late and…” James tried, his protests weak on his lips.

“No, no, no, that’s a great idea!” Daine said, clapping his hands together once and looking off into the unfocused distance as he thought it through. “It is, it really is. There wasn’t anything we were interested in scheduled for tomorrow anyway, so we aren’t missing anything. We can marathon it all night, then sleep come sunrise!”

“Um… I don’t know…” James said, suddenly regretting his suggestion. His friends continued as if he hadn’t spoken.

“But what do we watch aside from Pacific Rim?” Patrick asked. You couldn’t have an all-night marathon with just one movie. You needed more than that to whittle the hours away.

“We can… we can hit Day of the Doctor… Maybe A Canterlot Wedding… James’ hasn’t watched Window of Opportunity yet either,” Daine said, writing out a list in the air.

“Guys?” James tried to interject. Now, it wasn’t that he wasn’t loud, he was just being ignored in their exuberance for what was, to be honest, originally James’ idea.

“You haven’t watched How to Train a Dragon either, so we can add it to the list,” Patrick grinned, a grin that widened when Daine grimaced in response. “Both One and Two!”

James sighed, giving up. He had to admit, a movie night didn’t sound all that bad. It wouldn’t be the worst thing they dragged him into. He grinned. “I get to pick some of the shows too, deal?”

“Of course!” Daine said immediately, grinning at James’ expression as he realized that he hadn’t been overlooked, but instead deliberately ignored. “Between our hard-drives, DVDs and the Internet, we have limitless possibilities!”

James tried to hit Daine on the shoulder, though his target danced away and started humming a show tune merrily.

“Hey, look; a shooting star!” Patrick pointed out. He had a fascination with astrology and tended to check NASA’s releases for interesting events in the night sky. “The meteor shower is starting early.”

“When you wish upon a star,” Daine started singing. This time, James’ hit did land, and the dark skinned youth chuckled, but did stop singing.

“Why don’t we make a wish?” Patrick suggested. James and Daine gave him a matched set of raised eyebrows. Daine ruined it a few moments later when he burst out laughing.

“Seriously?” James asked, but he then shrugged in another non-committal manner. “Why the hell not?”

Daine coughed a few times from laughing too much but nodded. “A tad on the childish side; but sure.”

“Then I’ll start!” Patrick said happily. He opened his mouth, then closed it with a thoughtful look.

“What’s wrong this time?”

"You're not supposed to tell anyone what you wish for, doofus." Patrick replied.

"You're also supposed to wish on the star when you see it, not after it's gone," James pointed out.

"Considering it's a meteor shower, there's lots of chances." Patrick mused, then quoted the opening line from one of his favourite games. "I was just a child when the stars fell from the sky. But I remember how they built a cannon to destroy them, and how in turn that cannon brought war upon us."

"What?" Daine said after a pause. "Why would you let your cannon turn on you? You should have brought it up better. For shame," he said, shaking his head and looking up. "Maybe we should do this from the room. The window is higher than the street lights."

"It's from Ace Combat Four, referring to Stonehenge. A--" Patrick was about to explain, but was cut off.

"Hold on," James said. He pointed to a bright spot that was streaking across the sky. "That one!"

Though the urge was there to say something corny like 'make your wish!' the three kept the thoughts internal and silently made them known to the falling star. With a soundless flare, the star exploded into light, and the night sky was still again.

Comments

[Phoenix Swift]

I'm faving and liking this so hard, it might leave a mark.

[FourthWallAfroBrony]

References in the first chapter? I can tell we're gonna get along JUST fine...

[Scarlet Storm]

Ace combat 4,yes,yes!!!!

[bobbananaville]

This is my main problem with stories pertaining to humans in Equestria. People just don't know how to do character introductions RIGHT.
I don't want to read about people arguing about nintendo or what they're going to do for the weekend. Yes, maybe it might be a bit necessary for worldbuilding (which doesn't seem very necessary in a HiE story) and character introductions (which is best done in the HiE part, in my opinion, though I get wanting to show us a bit of their pre-Equestria lives. Not that it works here). But it's just not very interesting reading this first chapter, which appears to be about fuck all and not much else.
And in terms of character building, I haven't seen much at all. I know that Diane is a bit of a biter (yay, a quirk! Anything else interesting or otherwise distinct about this character?), but thus far they all just seem to be names on a screen. I can't assign identities to them. I can't view your characters as characters as of yet, just words that I'm told 'bite' each other and tend to reference pop culture. Yes, this is only the prologue, but the prologue is the introduction. It's what is meant to draw people in. If you can't draw people in with the prologue, you aren't getting as many views, and the ones who decide to persevere in hopes of something maybe being good or in desperation for any HiE at all aren't going in with very high hopes.

[gcdensmore]

You are one of five people I know who have played Ace Combat 4. And for that I now like you.

[SocomJKS1]

I alredy love it. Good job m8.

[Autum Breeze]

i didn't expect them to be bronies. at the mention Canterlot wedding, i thought someone was going to roll their eyes.

[Greatazuredragon]

"What?" Daine said after a pause. "Why would you let your cannon turn on you? You should have brought it up better. For shame,"

That one is going to get on swimmingly with Pinkie Pie...

[Wind of the Skies]

Ace combat four? I REMEMBER THAT! Great game but ultimately forgotten by the masses. P.S.2 for the win!

[Tide Hunter]

Well, by Daine's standard, but he was always a bit stingy.

Diane is a guy? Diane is usually a female name. You have generic male names, Patrick and Steve sorry, James, and a generic female name. However, all three are male, apparently.

[Cerulean Rush]

7241356 I think it's pronounced dayne

[Ephedianroyalty]

7241356
Ey, ey, it’s Daine, not Diane. You misread it

[Killjoy1221]

At first, I thought there were all really good friends. But I've realized that they're also drunk.