The day had been starting out so peacefully for Jayfeather. He needed more of these. Lately, there hadn't been many days like this one. Walking through the forest surrounding the camp to gather herbs.
For a whole season after the Dark Forest Warriors had attacked, the clans had been at relative peace, due to the whole scare of it all. Until the past season. He shook his head, feeling frustrated as the memories of when there had been stony silence at the last gathering. Again, the clans were tense.
Jayfeather certainly knew the peace wasn't going to last, he'd be mouse-brained if had thought it would last. But even he didn't expect that it would start so soon again, and so tensely. He scowled slightly, thinking about it, shaking his head as he continued down the trail.
Sniffing the air, Jayfeather's tail twitched as he realized that the marigold he was searching for was through a bush. With a grunt, he began to push his way through it.
Blinking in surprise, the colors exploded around him, the world blinking open to him again like in his dreams. Immediately, his fur began to stand up in surprise, and he quickly looked around.
Not one of these again... Jayfeather said, wrinkling his nose as he looked around for a Starclan member. It's probably going to be... Suddenly, he froze as a familiar scent floated toward his nose.
"Hollyleaf!" He said, looking slightly unsure, his ears prickled. He didn't often show himself like this, but he had only seen his sister a few times in his dreams, and hadn't got a message from her directly yet.
Slowly, Jayfeather saw the black image of his sister emerge, looking rather amused. "Hello, Jayfeather."
"Have you come to give me a message?" Jayfeather said, blinking as he took in Hollyleaf's details.
"You always try to get to the point, don't you?" Hollyleaf said, letting out a light laugh as she looked at Jayfeather's annoyed expression, immediately her mood became more serious. "... Yes, I have."
"What is it?" Jayfeather said, leaning in slightly toward his sister. "It is from Star Clan... right?"
Pausing, Hollyleaf's eyes darted the other way slightly, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Well, not exactly..."
Jayfeather's tail lashed out slight in frustration as he narrowed his eyes at the she-cat. "What do you mean, 'not exactly'?" Slowly, he tried to peer into what Hollyleaf was thinking, but all he could see was a flash of images running through her mind, not being able to see any one image's details.
"Well, we have gotten many different signs recently... I can't tell you everything..." Hollyleaf said, her tail whisking around as if she expected some other Star Clan member to be listening to their words.
"Well, are you going to tell me?" Jayfeather said, narrowing his eyes a little at her.
Looking hesitant, Hollyleaf slowly leaned toward Jayfeather, her eyes swarming with many different emotions. "Somethings come up..." She hissed slightly, her ears flattened against her head. "Something dangerous is coming to the forest... but we don't know what..."
Jayfeather's eyes widened, before he rolled them. "You don't know again?"
"We can only sense darkness coming in the future..." Hollyleaf mewed, obviously sounding frustrated, her tail curling around her paws. "But we have found something that may be able to save it..."
"What is it? Do the three have to come together again, even without Firestar?" Jayfeather said, raising his eyebrow slightly.
"... Possibly," Hollyleaf said, her green eyes set on Jayfeather. "But... you'll need help from newcomers. New cats will come... with many different colors. Wings and horns. They will help defeat the darkness that is coming toward the borders..."
Jayfeather immediately pulled his head back, wrinkling his nose. "Cats with wings? Are you mouse-brained? And what in StarClan is a horn?"
Hollyleaf's tail twitched slightly as she leaned back onto her haunches. "I know, it seems impossible..."
Immediately, Jayfeather snapped back at his sister. "You think?" He hissed, before beginning to stalk off back into the bushes, to get sapped back into the familiar darkness of his world.
"Wait!" Hollyleaf cried, quickly stepping in front of Jayfeather. "There's one more thing."
"What is it?" Jayfeather said, rather irritably as he glared at his sister.
Frowning slightly at his rebuke, she slowly began to speak. "This danger... it might be just as bad as the Dark Forest. Maybe worse."
Immediately, Jayfeather's pelt began to crawl upward, as he stared at his sister. "How can you say that? How can anything be worse than... than that?"
Hollyleaf's expression turned into a grimace. "I do not know... but I do know that these cats that are coming hold the power to help you three in protecting the clans."
Slowly, the she-cat rose from her position, looking alert suddenly, her ears folded back. "I... have to go. But remember what I told you, Jayfeather. Don't forget it." Not long after the last of her words, Hollyleaf got up, and without another word, spun around and began to walk in the other direction.
"Wait! Tell me more!" Jayfeather yowled after her, immediately trying to duck into a bush he saw her disappear into. As soon as he hit it though, his blindness came back, and the vision was gone.
"Fox-dung!" Jayfeather hissed, trying to shake his way out of the bush.
~~~
Suddenly, in another universe, a lavender unicorn woke from her dream with a start, her purple eyes wide as she blinked the sleep out of her eyes. "What in Celestia was that about?"
From the basket on the floor, a groan was heard. "Twilight! It's still early!"
Blinking, Twilight turned head toward Spike, looking rather sheepish. "Sorry, Spike. Go back to sleep. I'll give you a few more minutes when it's time to get up later."
"Okay, you better..." Spike muttered drowsily, shifting in his bed. Soon, only snores left the basket, leaving Twilight with only her thoughts.
"I wonder what that dream was about..." Twilight murmured to herself, shifting in her bed. "It had seemed so... real. And I wonder why I could understand them. I mean, I would have guessed that they would hiss or something like Opal does... scientifically, that's what all cats do. Plus, what were they talking about? Winged and horned cats?" Twilight said, and for a few moments, her eyes flickered toward the moonlight pouring through the windows, trying to figure it all out.
But soon, the alicorn burst out in a small fit of laughter. "They're right! I look into these things way too much! It was only a silly dream! Nopony would be able to know what all dreams are about!" She said, settling down as she stretched her blanket covers back over her.
It was only a dream. Tomorrow was going to be fine. At least, that's what Twilight told herself.
~~~
Twilight awoke in the morning, bright sunlight already streaming into the window next to her bed. Letting out a yawn, she slowly pulled herself out of bed. She put on a gentle smile as she passed Spike's bed.
"I'll start on some breakfast for us," Twilight murmured, but was only answered with a loud snore. Holding back a laugh Twilight trotted down the stairs. "I suppose I could make a daisy and daffy sandwich," The lavender mare said to herself as she bgan to shuffle around some food on the counter with her magic. "I could probably make some toast and put a gem in it.... do we have any gems?"
Suddenly, a yell was heard from upstairs, making Twilight quickly put her head up. "Spike?!"
A muffled reply was shortly followed. "You got a letter by the Pri-" Spike's answer was cut short as another belch echoed from him.
Quickly, Twilight headed up the stairs, blinking toward the purple and green dragon. "Are you alright?"
:"Y-Yeah... now there's a scroll too..." Spike said, groaning slightly as he pulled the blanket back over his head.
Slowly, Twilight's magic surrounded both the letter and the scroll, and immediately her eyes flicked over the letter briefly, before a small smile encased her lips. "Spike? I think I know what we're going to do today."
