Wilted

Chapters

A Moment of Peace
A Moment of Fear
A Moment of Loss

A Moment of Peace

"It's all about finding the calm in the chaos." - Donna Karan

Omen always saw herself as a simple pony. She only had simple desires, simple needs. She merely wanted a place where she could eat and drink without being turned away. The rest she could make do by herself. She knew it didn't seem that way to many ponies, but it was the truth. Being robbed of her sight, hearing, taste, and smell did not mean she was utterly defenseless. There was always the sixth sense, the one she hid, the one which lurked inside her and whispered to her. Sometimes, it brought the future. Most often, however, it simply warned her of anything dangerous in her path. She could always manage to avoid the obstacle, so long as the sixth sense was there. So long as she wasn't completely helpless. So long as she had her guide.

A guide most were afraid of.

It may have made little sense when you think about it, but ponies were afraid of Omen. Deathly afraid. They knew she was blind and deaf with no sense of taste or the ability to smell, but they also took notice of how she seemed to know where she was going regardless. While that wasn't necessarily scary, considering there were other ponies who were also blind and deaf with this ability, it was the way she did it. So effortlessly, without a second thought, like she could see where everything was. But she couldn't. And that made even other unicorns wary. No magic existed that could grant a pony like her with these abilities. At least, none which any user of light magic knew of.

In many towns, this eventually forced her to leave. She would tire of feeling the suspicious looks directed at her, or when she was turned away by a pony who didn't want them near their place of business. It is here where we once again find Omen. She travels down a narrow dirt path, her dark grey head hung as she walks slowly but steadily towards whatever destination the road may lead her. Her dark brown mane, accented with streaks of dark purple, is tied up in a messy, spiky bun, with loose bangs drifting down to cover her face. Her tail is done in a much neater fashion, being brushed to a slightly wavy curve at the end, though the purple streaks in her tail are wound together in a braid that settles over the top of the brown. The unicorn wears only two things, one of them being a plain silver choke necklace, and the other a dark indigo cloak which settles over her body like a weight. The hood of her cloak is down, and this allows for any passing pony to see her plain midnight blue irises and pupils.

Not that there was anypony else walking down the lone country road as the sun began to set. It would have been a rather surreal sight for any who had been coming or going, seeing the blind pony walking ever-so-calmly on the trail which bordered the Everfree, seeming to not have a care about the fact that the creatures of the Everfree were about to come out and play.

Omen was well aware how weird she appeared, but there wasn't anything to be done. This was the smallest path within miles, and she'd rather avoid any big roads, just in case. While she hadn't done anything to most ponies, there were some ponies she had managed to tick off in certain places, and she had no desire to run into them once again while traveling on the road alone.

Sighing, Omen attempted to clear her head of these thoughts. Bringing up her enemies certainly wasn't going to make her any more comfortable with the idea of settling at the next town she came across. She just hoped she didn't make the next town hate her again. Though she sort of knew it was going to happen. It always did. Where could she, someone who to most ponies appeared to be a dark cloud which blocked the sun, find a place to belong in a land of innocent and joyful ponies?

Omen knew that she'd eventually reach a conclusion to that question, but it was an answer she was almost afraid to find at the current moment. Maybe when she got to the end of her options she could give it serious thought. For now, there were still a few more places in Equestria she wasn't shunned in.

Suddenly, Omen stopped. Something was up. It wasn't just her sixth sense telling her that, it was her gut. Lifting her head, it took Omen five seconds to sense eyes on her. She couldn't tell if they had good or bad intentions, but all the same, she tensed up, prepared to run at the slightest hint of danger.

In front of you!

The screech in her head had her leaping backward as something shot in her face, stirring the fur on her chest and her mane. "Who's there?" Omen asked, steadying herself and setting herself in a defensive position. "I cannot hear or see you, so if you are friend, stomp the ground once, if you are foe, twice."

After a small pause, Omen felt the ground under vibrate under her hooves once. Taking a second to make sure there wouldn't be a second vibration, she contemplated trusting whether this pony or creature was telling the truth. Though if it was an animal trying to attack her, they would have simply attacked her instead of complying with her request. Same with anypony that was truly trying to hurt her. So, Omen had to believe they were telling the truth.

Settling down, Omen straightened. "Do you perhaps know Moor code?" She felt the ground vibrate several times. "Good. Now, what exactly is it that you felt the need to get so excited about that you got up in my face?"

There was hesitation in the reply again, and pauses between each tap, but eventually they started to speed up, which slightly confused Omen. This was the fastest response in Moor Code she'd ever felt. She could make out what was being said, but it was making her realize she should have just continued on. This pony was apparently called Pinkie Pie, and she lived in the nearby town of Ponyville. She was also saying something about knowing everypony there, and that she had never seen her before. What came after was a bit garbled, though Omen was pretty sure it was concerning a party of some sorts. Yes, definitely, the word party kept coming up. Wait, hold on. She wanted to throw Omen one? To welcome her?

That statement caught her completely off guard. She had never had a party before. Ever. Not exactly sure what to say to the presumably pink pony, Omen stood there awkwardly for a few minutes, rubbing her right foreleg with her left. A party. To welcome her. Two completely alien things to Omen. And probably something that would end badly.

Taking a deep breath, Omen shook her head. "I'm sorry, Ms. Pie, but I do not think it would be a good idea. I am just going to get this out of the way, to avoid any awkwardness later. I am not a normal pony. I cannot hear, see, taste, or smell, and I have a sixth sense which is very odd and which could have been caused by dark magic."

There was no reply for a long time, so long Omen thought Pinkie may have gone, and the unicorn was about to continue walking when she felt the ground vibrate again. 'Like my Pinkie Sense?'

This inquiry also shocked Omen. Pinkie Sense? "It depends. What is your Pinkie Sense?" This got a very swift reply, and what Omen received as an answer made her go stock still. After several more minutes of silence, Omen finally spoke. "Well, yes, it is sort of like that, though a little more powerful. And I don't have my body twitch. I can not believe this. I thought I was the only one with this sort of thing."

'Nope!' Pinkie Pie tapped in Moor code. No doubt she was grinning. Still, despite what Pinkie Pie was telling her, Omen wasn't sure she quite believed the mare. This could just be a trick. Though for what purpose? It was making her head spin.

As Omen figured out whether she could trust Pinkie or not, a breeze tore over them. Suddenly, she felt Pinkie slam into her, and they both ended up rolling away from where Omen had been standing. About fifteen seconds later, Omen felt the ground shake as something slammed into it. Both equally curious and angry, she asked, "What exactly was that?"

Again, Pinkie tapped away at the ground in a super speedy fashion. The answer she gave Omen confirmed that the energetic pony was, once again, telling the truth. She had apparently saved Omen from getting crushed by a large tree branch her Pinkie Sense had warned her about. While there may not have been a danger if Pinkie hadn't stopped her in the first place, and the fact her sixth sense would likely have warned her a few seconds in advance, she was still grateful. And at least she knew now. She was not the only one with an inherit sixth sense. After having traveled all over Equestria, she had at last found someone who understood her in that regard.

Though that didn't mean the town she lived in would welcome her. Had they even accepted Pinkie's sixth sense? The mare either knew what she was thinking, or had wanted to move on to her previous topic about the party. Pinkie began to talk about Ponyville, and how everyone there was so nice, and that they always listened to her about her Pinkie Sense, and that-

Before Pinkie Pie could say anymore, a howl came from the Forest, and the pink mare stopped abruptly. Judging by the sudden feeling of unease she was picking up on, Omen guessed that something bad was going on, and that she needed to get out of there. Before she could, though Pinkie suddenly grabbed her and started running.

Obviously, these actions confused Omen greatly. She couldn't sense anything dangerous happening around her, though Pinkie was running like Nightmare Moon was on her tail. Maybe the pink mare had heard something from the Forest. Yes, that made sense. The Everfree was a dangerous place as far as she knew, especially at night. Which, judging by the cool air whipping through her fur, mane, and tail, she assumed that either it was very late sunset or nighttime already.

Just as suddenly as Omen had been picked up, Pinkie dropped her back onto the ground. She could feel a sense of relief coming from the other mare, and Omen knew that they were safe from the possible threat. Where exactly was she though?

Turning to her sixth sense, she waited for it to give her any clues. For the first time in forever, though, it chose to remain silent. Once she had realized this, Omen felt the ground vibrating under her hooves again, and knew Pinkie must be speaking once more.

While she had caught into the tapping a little late, she pieced together that they were gonna have to stay at someplace called Sweet Apple Acres, in the care of her friend Applejack. Omen had no real care for this. At least she'd have a roof over her head tonight.

Meeting the Apples was interesting, to say the least. They introduced themselves vocally, unaware of Omen's plight, and stood there awkwardly waiting for a reply. Pinkie had gone off somewhere, Omen was not quite sure where, so she had no idea that the Apple family was waiting for her to respond. After another few minutes, Applejack narrowed her eyes and came up, jabbing her in the chest and commenting that she was being rude. Omen only felt the jab, which she recoiled from in an instant. Great. So much for open and friendly. Looks like they wanted her gone too.

Just as she was turning to leave, though, Pinkie reappeared and fixed the situation. 'Hey, where are you going?' she tapped in Moor code. Omen shook her head and sighed. "Where do you think? They obviously don't want me here."

Pinkie looked at Applejack for confirmation. The apple farmer, however, appeared just as confused as Pinkie. "What is she talking about? We introduced ourselves and were bein' friendly." Pinkie face-hoofed as she said, "Ooooooh, silly me, I forgot to tell you! She can't hear or see you! She also can't taste or smell, but that doesn't really have anything to do with why she didn't greet you back! Hehe! Anyway, you have to talk to her using Moor code!"

Applejack looked at Omen again, and now that she really examined her, Applejack noticed how her eyes were a dark blue which extended over the area where her pupils should be, and that her ears gave no real sign of movement to track even the tiniest of sounds. "Oh, well, we're mighty sorry. We didn't know, honest!"

Pinkie Pie face-hoofed again as Applejack once more vocally spoke, but then translated it for Omen after explaining the situation. Omen turned to fully face the Apples and the Pie once more. "It is fine. I've just grown used to ponies jabbing me in the chest as a sign to get lost. I am Omen. It is nice to meet you, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Big MacIntosh, and Granny Smith."

Omen wasn't normally so formal with ponies after she thought they were sending her away, but she understood. Mistakes happen. Misunderstandings occur. She had had more in her lifetime than someone like Applejack will ever have in hers. After 'chatting' for a bit with the Apples, with Pinkie acting as a translator, Omen finally decided to retire. Apple Bloom guided her to her room, and showed Omen the bed. While she appreciated the young filly's help, she knew it was not necessary. Not that she would tell the filly that. She wouldn't be that mean to a mare so young she didn't even know where foals came from. Just cause the world treated her wrong didn't mean she had to treat it the same. She might actually have found a home by now if ponies weren't so judgmental about her innate abilities. Well, maybe. There was still the premonition thing. Sometimes she got warned about things at the last second, and ended up helping a pony, sometimes even saving their lives. It was another reason why ponies were freaked about her. While it didn't happen often, it happened enough to where a lot of ponies knew about it. At least, on the west side of Equestria. She hadn't really graced the east with her oddly unsettling abilities yet. Thankfully, it appeared she didn't have to worry about what the east thought, considering they welcomed Pinkie and her Pinkie Sense without a second thought. This might actually be the place she could settle and make a home for herself.

This thought hit Omen like a brick to the head. She might actually be able to settle in Ponyville. She might actually be able to get a life. It all depended on what her sixth sense did, and if the ponies here were as accepting of that sort of thing as Pinkie has claimed them to be. The Apple family seemed to have backed up that statement thus far. When Pinkie undoubtedly took her into town tomorrow, she could gauge if everypony else was just as nice as the Apples.

For now, though, she really ought to rest. Today had been a long day. It had started even before dawn, with the local baker of a small village several miles from here pushing her out the door and onto her back. From there, she had been punched in the shoulder, and told by the local librarian, who knew Moor code, to get out of town. She had listened, cause what else could she do?

From there, she had wandered the roads all day, taking the back trails, even if it meant more walking and less time to stop and relax. Omen hadn't even meant to end up near the Everfree. Sure, she knew she was sort of drifting that way, but she hadn't thought she was that close. Guess it was a good thing she had been on that trail though. Because of her slight error, she may have just found the one place in Equestria where she could settle down. Stop wandering the roads. Take a break. For the rest of her life.

The thought brought such joy, Omen found herself unable to sleep. Getting up, she allowed her hooves to guide her towards what she assumed to be a wall of her bedroom.

As she stopped in front of said wall, the entire world suddenly opened up before her. She could see everything. In front of her, sturdy oak planks made up the walls of her room, and behind her, a modest full-sized bed was pushed up against a corner. There was also a nightstand with a lamp on it next to the head of the bed, though the lamp was off, casting the room in utter darkness. The door to the room could also be seen from the corner of her eye, appearing to be made of a fairly darker wood than the normally light-colored oak. Pine, perhaps.

However fascinating these small facts were to Omen, they were not the thing which held her attention. No, it was the window which was implemented into the wall her hooves had led her to. The window itself was as simple as everything else about the farmhouse, square in shape with white moldings. What was revealed by the window, though, was not quite as plain.

Down below and to the west, the apple orchard stretched out as far as the eye could see. The barn rest right next to it, towering over the trees and spreading a rather sinister shadow over the orchard. That was still not what drew Omen's attention though.

Down the hill and to the east, the little town of Ponyville lay bathed in the moonlight. Its many buildings were oddly shaped and differed in height, but compared to a lot of other towns Omen had pictured in her mind, it was by far the most beautiful little village she had seen. The addition of the moonlight shining off the glistening rooftops and washing the roads in silver didn't hurt the town's appearance either.

As she stared at this, something suddenly flew into Omen's line of sight, blocking her view of the city hall. Distracted, she shifted her gaze from the town to the flower which ever-so-gently floated down onto the windowsill outside. It appeared to be one of the flowers from the orchard, one which had been very late in blooming, and now would never get a chance to grow into an apple. The thought sightly grieved Omen for some reason. She wasn't really sure why. It just felt like a tragedy to her.

As she thought about this, something odd began to happen to the flower. A gentle breeze stirred its petals, and suddenly, brown began to appear on the edge of each petal. Omen noticed this, and watched in shock as the brown spread and the flower began to wilt. In no time at all, the flower had turned to dust, which was carried away by another breeze.

After this, the world returned to complete darkness. Omen wasn't worried though. She sometimes had visions like these. Though none of them had ever been so long and vivid, nor had she ever seen something so weird during one of them. A flower wilting? What could that mean?

Troubled, Omen headed back to the bed and climbed in. Perhaps she could figure it out tomorrow. Right now, she really should get some sleep. The next 24 hours were most likely going to prove to be long and full of surprises. If she didn't get any proper sleep, she might miss something important. Something which could reveal whether her vision had been a sign of good tidings- or bad.

A Moment of Fear

Omen was not quite sure how she got there, but she knew the moment her consciousness came back to her that she was at the outer limits of Ponyville. On either side of her, she could pick on the presences of both Pinkie Pie and Applejack. She wasn't exactly sure what they were doing, but then after a minute, Pinkie suddenly grabbed onto her and started to pretty much drag her forward.

At that moment, the world was once more opened up to her. Ponyville was laid out before her, though this time, she was with within the town itself, in the area which appeared to be the town center. Also, it was daytime, meaning the beautiful light of the moon, which had bathed the streets in shimmering silver, was now replaced with the light of the sun. It beamed off the tops of the buildings, much like the moon, but with far more intensity, and with it came warmth and a feeling of liveliness.

Marveling at the sight before her once more, Omen almost didn't notice it until it was too late. It started with such a small thing. The petals which had fallen from the flowers of the orchard were being swept up by a large gust of wind and descending upon the town. At first, it only added to the splendor of the small village. But then the wilting began. It was much like that of the flower she had seen earlier. All the petals, every single one, began to die away. As they did, the world around Omen started to darken. For no apparent reason, the sun dimmed, and its light and warmth was drained from the very air.

As the sun withdrew its relaxing rays, shadows began to form on the ground in a most unnatural way, seeming to almost be alive. Wait, they were alive. And they were all beginning to gather together, getting bigger and bigger, until they seemed to swallow the sun whole. When they did, darkness fell. Not just normal darkness. No, it was something so entirely different, even Omen, a pony who had only ever seen darkness except for the rarest of moments, knew it was a new kind of darkness, one which was completely, utterly evil.

Watching in frozen horror, Omen saw the shadows call the stars to it, and suddenly, the shadows were no longer shadows, but the night itself personified. And the night was angry. Very angry. It raised a giant hoof, and then brought it down upon the Earth, shaking the planet to the very core. Everything around Omen crumbled into dust, until all that was left was ruins. Ruins of a place which had been so happy and free, so innocent.

With nothing left to take its rage out on, the night turned to Omen. It seemed to have known she was there the entire time, watching in utter shock. Descending upon the Earth, it began to circle around Omen, creating a tornado of darkness and stars as it roared its fury at the helpless pony.

At this point, Omen felt like the tiniest of creatures. An ant would not even begin to describe how small she felt. This was something beyond her. Far beyond. There was nothing she could do to stop this thing. Absolutely nothing.

Standing there, taking the brunt of night's eternal wrath, Omen thought she spotted something through the inky blackness. It was a figure of some sort. Their color contrasted greatly with the ebony color of the night, their coat seeming to consist of a dark yellow, while their mane and tail were so dark pink, they could almost be mistaken for violet. The figure was tall, standing well above any pony she had ever encountered, and had impressively large wings. Omen could almost mistake the figure for an alicorn, except for the fact they had no horn.

Seeing no other option, Omen opened her mouth to call out to the pony, but then the night suddenly shifted around her again, hiding the pony from sight. Then it reared up, crashing down on her with the force of a thousand tidal waves. It smothered her, squeezed her, refused to let her escape its grasp as it tried to invade her body and mind, tried to take all free will from her.

Omen wanted to scream, but every time she started to open her mouth, the night pressed closer, eager to get in her head and transform her into their tool. So she kept her jaw firmly in place, working through the agony as the night began to become more and more restless, more impatient, and tried harder. It sliced at her side, wrapped her in a grip so tight she thought all her bones may break, slammed her into invisible walls and floors, anything to get her to open her mouth so they could invade, so they could take her and use her.

Trapped, Omen could only wish for rescue as the night continued its torture. Suddenly, though, there was a bright flash, and another figure appeared in the light. Omen could not properly see who it was, but she didn't care. She was just grateful about the fact that the night seemed to be afraid of her or his presence, releasing Omen and shying away from the light.

Omen would have thanked the pony, but then she woke up.

It had been a year since that dream had occurred, and for Omen, it was a distant memory. Ever since she had officially moved to Ponyville, she had found the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Life had gotten much, much better for Omen since she got here. Everypony here was much nicer to her than any town she had gone to before. For the first time in a long time, Omen was happy.

And then Twilight was made into an alicorn.

Omen had been just as shocked as everypony when the unicorn bookworm had ascended, but she had been happy for her. Since moving here, Omen went to the library as much as possible, where she would sometimes run into the unicorn and chat.

At least, until Tirek destroyed it. While his appearance had not been a great shock to Omen due to a small vision she had in front of the library, she was still angry. While she may not have been able to read, there were special types of books made for ponies like her, and she had enjoyed flipping through them.

Oh well. It was in the past, and now Twilight had turned the castle library into a local library. At least she could go there now. It was a magnificent place, the castle. She had seen it in a dream once, though only for a second. Then she had ended up in Canterlot for some reason, wandering empty streets. The dream had weirded her out a little, but she had shrugged it off.

Until the day it happened. Until the day Equestria learned things they were never supposed to. Until the princessdom fell. And it was all Omen's fault.

Omen yawned as she settled down against the apple tree, her thoughts content and calm. She could feel the light of the setting sun warm her as she let out a relaxed sigh.

She loved coming to the orchard to 'watch' the sunset. She may not be able to see it, but she still figured it must be a magnificent sight. Or at least, she wasn't supposed to be able to see it.

Once more, though, the world opened up to her, and she could see the sun sinking below the distant Crystal Mountains. Letting a smile overtake her face, she wondered why her sixth sense was showing her this. Maybe it was a sign that her troubles were finally over.

That thought was dashed the instant after she had it. As she watched the sun set, she was suddenly gripped in an uneasy feeling, something which put her on edge and made her become wary of her surroundings. While the last of the sun's light went away and the stars began to come out, an image flashed in front of her. It was that of a tall dark yellow pegasus. Their face was hidden in shadow, so Omen could not see who they were, but the aura coming off this pony was dark. Very dark.

Leaping to her hooves, she braced herself for attack. Instead, the world went completely dark once more, cutting off the vision. Knowing that it was over, Omen relaxed once more, though was quick to leave the orchard. She knew who that pony had been. Kinda. It was the same from her dream a year ago. Exactly who it was though? No idea. And why show them to her after all this time? Sometimes, Omen's sixth sense irritated her. It may help her through normal, everyday life, but the way it sometimes showed the future was extremely cryptic. It personally made Omen want to strangle whatever force was giving her this sixth sense.

Sighing again, Omen decided to head home. Skirting the town square, for she felt little want to be in the company of anypony right now, she made her way out of town and towards the Everfree. Halfway between Ponyville and Fluttershy's cottage, Omen's home sat in an overgrown field. It was a rather humble abode, made of wood from the Everfree and was just barely big enough for two ponies. Fitting, for Omen at least, just in case somepony came over.

Pushing her way through the barley that grew in the field, Omen stepped up the stairs to the front door and opened it, walking inside and shutting the door behind her.

Directly in front of her, the living lay spread out, with a small reclining chair and nightstand. There was also a coffee table at the other end of the room, which held an incense burner. Going over to the table, Omen carefully lit up her horn and touched it to the tip of the incense. The heat radiating from her horn made it start to smoke slightly, then it burst into flame. Pulling back, Omen waited a few seconds, then blew out the flame. Immediately, the enticing aroma of sugar cookies filled the air as smoke wafted up from the long, thin stick.

Breathing it in, Omen allowed the enticing scent to lull her into a more calm state. Heading over to the door, she locked it, then trotted to the chair.

Getting on it, Omen got comfortable and closed her eyes. Maybe all she needed was a little sleep. Then things might go back to normal, at least for a little while.

With that, Omen drifted off into unconsciousness, unaware of what was about to happen.

It was...night? Of course it was night. She knew that. She'd gone to see the sunset, after all. So why did this feel wrong?

Looking up at the sky, Omen shuddered at the black emptiness. The moon hung low, but that was the only thing in the inky darkness of space. No stars twinkled up above, and that made the moon seem far less friendly than it normally did. Wait. Hold on a minute. She could see. That means this must be a dream. Unless she was having another vision.

But no. She remembered heading home and going to bed. That meant Omen was asleep again. Letting out a slight sigh of relief, she glanced around. What exactly was going on this time? What was this empty field and sky supposed to show her?

Suddenly, the sky was no longer empty. Instead, the same creature from last year descended. The night personified. Stars once more glittered in its shadowy form, and it still towered over the whole of Equestria.

Staring up at it in fear, she expected for it to attack her again. Instead, the night simply just stood there, looking down at her. After a minute, Omen began to think that it was playing a game. After several more minutes, she began to realize the night was not going to do anything. But why? It had been so eager to try and take her over the first time. What had changed?

Omen did not receive an answer. At least, not at first. After another ten minutes of being watched, Omen was actually beginning to get bored. By this point, she had started moving around the area she was in, and surmised that it was the place where Fluttershy's cottage rested, oddly enough. Except without the beautiful home.

Curious, Omen tried to piece together this dream that was no doubt courteous of her sixth sense. First, an angry night which had destroyed Equestria and tortured her. Then one who simply stared at her like it was waiting for something. Finally, there was the yellow pegasus and Fluttershy's home.

The dots initially connected to Fluttershy being the yellow pegasus, but there was no way. Fluttershy was not that tall, and her fur, mane, and tail definitely were not as dark as the pegasus in her dreams and vision. Plus, her aura wasn't as dark as the one coming from the pegasus. Actually, her aura wasn't dark at all.

Maybe it was a relative of Fluttershy. Did Fluttershy even have relatives? Now that Omen thought about it, she had never heard even one word about the family of the Element of Kindness. It kinda puzzled her, actually. She knew a little bit about each Element, and their families was one of them. Twilight Sparkle obviously had her parents and a brother. Rarity also had her parents and a little sister. Pinkie had told her about her family back on the rock farm. Applejack...well, everypony knew how many family members she had. As for Rainbow Dash...actually, she didn't know anything about the weather pegasus's family either. What was it with the two pegasai of the Elements of Harmony having no family?

As she mulled this over, Omen didn't notice that the night was shifting its attention away from her. Lifting its colossal head, the night stared off into the distance, like it was seeing something. Just as Omen glanced up at her companion once more and realized this, there was a bright flash of light, and then Omen found herself back within the town of Ponyville.

Startled, Omen glanced around rapidly and noticed all of Ponyville was present. There was Carrot Top, Filthy Rich, Derpy, the Elements, and...Princess Luna!

The minute Omen saw her and what she was doing, the truth came crashing down on her. She was in an interconnected dream, shared by everyone in Ponyville. That also meant they were in her dream too. This was bad. Very, very bad.

Nopony should ever be in her head at night.

As if to confirm this, the creature from before reared its ugly head once more. Night personified. The thing which the sixth sense had been warning her about. She had let it loose upon every pony in Ponyville.

"Luna! How do we stop it?!"

Omen's head snapped to Twilight, and she had the second, and perhaps most terrible, epiphany tonight. This wasn't her fault. This thing was the real night. The one in her dreams had been a vision of the future, one which could come true if she screwed this up.

Setting her eyes on her opponent, Omen narrowed her navy blue orbs as she glared at the creature. The sixth sense had warned her about this, and now she needed to be ready to act.

While the Elements managed to rally the town and begin attacking the monster, Omen joined in of her own accord. Floating up into the air, she summoned her magic. As she did, a great glow of light came from behind her, blinding anypony who dared to look, and making the night shrink back in fear.

"Begone, you evil creature!" Omen yelled and hurled the ball of light at the night. It hit it straight on, making it let out an ear-splitting shriek. It was clear that her blast had weakened it dramatically, and this meant it would be much easier to subdue it.

That is, until, Omen heard this.

"Thou are doing great, my little ponies...but thou would not have had to do this if I had not created this beast. I fail, even when I am attempting to protect my ponies from being subjected to my evil once more."

The minute the sentence was out of Luna's mouth, the night grew tenfold in strength. Aghast, Omen tried to use the light on it once more, but it merely blasted her from the sky. She heard several ponies cry her name in outrage, and could see as Ponyville attacked with renewed vigor. However, the creature was far too powerful at this point. There was no feasible way for them to defeat it.

Seeing this, the night opened up a rift, and Omen knew in the bottom of her heart it was going to escape to the real world and bring ruin to Equestria. Just like her dream had warned. Just like she'd ignored. She should have known that this creature would react with Luna's emotion. It was the night, and Luna was supposed to be its master. But it seemed that Luna's emotions had once more led her astray. She may have had good intentions, but in the end, Luna was once more going to lead Equestria to fear.

Speaking of the princess, something seemed to be going on between her and Twilight. Luna was clearly irritated and confused about something, and Twilight seemed just as puzzled by whatever was bothering them.

Turning her ears so she could hear the conversation, Omen picked up on a half-finished sentence Twilight was saying. "...understand! That should have worked! You've forgiven yourself for what happened, and we've forgiven you! So why is the Tantabus still alive?!"

It was at this moment Omen had another horrible realization. The Tantabus, as it was apparently called, obviously worked in the dreams of ponies . This meant that it had to spread though. How to accomplish that? By invading the dreams of anypony that another pony was dreaming about. Which meant if she saw the Tantabus in her dreams, even if it was just a vision, the creature was still there...and it had been for a year. Even if it seemed impossible, the Tantabus had been feeding off her for almost as long as Luna.

The revelation brought about the unveiling of another thought, one Omen dreaded. If it was tied to her just as strongly as it was tied to Luna, then when Luna finally broke free of her guilt and forgave herself, it must have transferred its main feeding over to her. But what was it feeding off of? What did she have to get over? Would she even be able to do it in time?

As if to answer that question, the rift closed behind the Tantabus, sealing its way into the mortal world. The Tantabus had escaped, and it was all Omen's fault. She had been warned a year ago, but had failed to act. She hadn't told anyone, she hadn't sought out advice. Instead, she had simply shrugged it off.

It was a punch in the gut. Equestria was going to fall. Because of her. Standing up, Omen winced as her wound from the blast made pain radiate across her entire body.

Then she looked up. And was nearly muzzle to muzzle with Princess Luna.

Slightly startled, she locked eyes with the princess. Luna seemed to be pretty pissed at her for some reason. That was never good. "Um, may I help you, your Highn-"

"How. Long. Have. You. Known?"

Omen could see that nearby ponies were beginning to take an interest in the events unfolding next to them, and turning their horror-struck eyes from the spot where the Tantabus had disappeared to Luna and Omen.

Shifting uncomfortably, Omen moved back slightly and let out a deep sigh, closing her eyes. "A year. I knew for a year that thing was coming. I just didn't know what it was or when it would strike."

Luna seemed about to go off on her, but then a grim look crossed her face, and she turned her eyes towards the gathered ponies. She appeared to be searching for something. "It does not matter. We may still stop it, but we have to get back before it finds a proper host."

A sick feeling hit Omen as the last of the puzzle fell into place. Flying up into the sky swiftly, her eyes flashed over the crowd, just like Luna, except she already knew what she was looking for. Or, more importantly, what was missing.

She was right. Her dreams were right. The vision in the orchard was right. "Oh no," Omen muttered as the truth struck her like the Friendship Express at full speed. Going back down to Luna as the princess prepared to wake, Omen laid next to her and whispered in the princess's ear.

"It's already too late."

A Moment of Loss

When Omen woke up, the first thing she did was go straight to the castle. She let herself in without a word. She knew Luna and the Elements were going to be expecting her. She also knew one of them would be gone.

Entering a large, cavernous space, she stopped when her sixth sense whispered that she was in the throne room. Sitting, she stared straight ahead, knowing the five Elements and Princess Luna were here. "Has Luna told you?" she asked, breaking the silence after several minutes of silence.

Rainbow flew over to her and got in her face. "Told us what?! That she was torturing herself for something that wasn't her fault?! That she thought she was so bad she had to die every night to remind herself not to make the same mistake?! That she didn't realize just how much power her emotions gave the Tantabus?! That we weren't there to remind her that her past mistakes didn't matter anymore?!"

The outburst from Rainbow was unexpected, even to her friends. Omen took a moment to digest what she was feeling from the pegasus, and figured that Rainbow must feel as guilty as Luna. She was Luna's friend and the Element of Loyalty. She wasn't supposed to let her friends down. But she had, and now it was going to cost them. At least, that was only her assumption, considering she still couldn't hear a thing in the waking world.

That wasn't the most important matter though. There was still something none of them seemed to have taken note of. Perhaps it was their shock, or the fact that they normally didn't notice in the first place.

Peering around Rainbow, she set her eyes in the general direction of Luna. "So, I take it you haven't told them about her? I don't think they'd even be here if you did."

Rainbow turned her gaze from Omen to Luna, and all the other Elements, who had been watching the display, also turned to look at Luna. "What is she talking about?" Twilight asked. Luna bit her lip and sighed. She opened her mouth to respond, but then shut it. Going completely rigid, the tension in the room went up as Luna muttered, "Oh, Celestia, no...."

Omen knew something must be happening to the other princess. It would only make sense that the night would go right for Celestia. But they still hadn't broken the news to them. How long before they noticed? How had any of them not noticed by now anyway? It had to be shock, like she previously assumed.

Twilight was obviously the first to leap to action. "Come on, girls, it's time to go to Canterlot!" She began to charge her horn for teleportation when Omen spoke again.

"You'll never be able to stop the Tantabus. Not when it possesses one of you."

It was like lightning had struck each Element. They went stock still, and Twilight's horn died out as she took a slow look around the throne room. Then all eyes were on the empty chair. "No....Fluttershy...."

A dam broke at Rarity's words. Twilight was suddenly charging her horn again, Rainbow was flying out of the throne room faster than she'd ever flown before, threatening to tear the castle apart with a Sonic Rainboom. Rarity had her fainting couch out, and was swooning as she fell into it. Luna was weeping once more, blaming herself for all this. Applejack seemed about ready to tear her throne out of the floor and throw it at some imaginary Tantabus she was staring at with smoldering eyes. Pinkie Pie was gone. Just gone. She had disappeared even faster than Rainbow Dash.

Meanwhile, Omen stepped forward to speak again, though was cut off as Twilight's horn flashed, enveloping the entire room in purple light. Before anypony could even blink, they were in Canterlot, directly in the courtyard of the castle.

Twilight wasted no words. Neither did the other Elements, at least the ones who had stayed in the throne room with Twilight. Though Rainbow and Pinkie appeared as the three who had teleported ran across the courtyard, joining their friends in their race to the throne room.

Omen and Luna, however, went much slower. The power of the Tantabus...it was something that the Elements could not comprehend. Except maybe Fluttershy. But that wasn't by choice. Due to the fact the Tantabus needed a host with which to spread its nightmares, it must have viewed Fluttershy as the most logical choice. She was weak-willed, but still possessed strength unknown within her. She may not be the fastest flyer, but she was good enough for the Tantabus to be able to spread the nightmares faster. Besides, it would have been a lot harder to take over Rainbow Dash or any of the others.

Not that she needed to explain this to herself. Omen just felt like mulling it over might make the blow easier. Once they arrived, she could feel Luna stiffen next to her, and from the emotions flowing around, Celestia was either dead or extremely injured. Omen would guess dead. If the Tantabus was going to take over the princessdom, it would need to stop the day- permanently.

Omen could feel something blast everything around her, but for some reason, she didn't go flying back like the Elements and Luna did. She could feel the floor vibrate as each of them hit either a wall or the floor. From there, the very air trembled with power, as if the Tantabus was gathering power for another, final blow against the Elements. Though probably not Luna. It may want to keep her around, considering.

Then it suddenly stopped. Everything went completely still. Until she felt the dark aura curl around her, and she could feel Fluttershy in front of her.

Omen felt her magic writhing around inside her, wanting to rise to the surface and defend her. She knew that would be a useless endeavor, if even Celestia was not powerful enough to stop Fluttershy, she certainly couldn't.

Omen could feel Fluttershy circling her, and she had a sneaking suspicion that she was talking, probably about what Omen already knew, perhaps even gloating about the fact that she was the reason the Tantabus escaped. Omen did not care. She knew she was to blame for this mess, and she was not going to feel guilty about it. That would only give the Tantabus more power.

Then something happened. Fluttershy got closer. Incredibly close. Closer than she should be. It activated something in Omen. It wasn't her magic, no. It was something far more powerful. She had no idea where it came from. She had no idea what it might do. All she knew is that Fluttershy and the Tantabus were way too deep into her personal space, and she needed them out. Now.

For those watching, what happened next was a shocking sight. Omen suddenly went from her defensive stance to being stiff as a board, then her horn started to glow. Most thought she was simply going to perform a spell, until her entire body began to do the same. Oh, and she started to rise into the air. The unicorn's mouth opened up in a soundless wail, followed by words pouring out. Words no one, not even Luna or Twilight, understood.

Finally, there was an explosion that rocked the entire mountain to its core. After that, darkness descended.

Omen stood on the edge of what had once been a balcony of the royal castle, but now was nothing more than a ledge that led down into the abyss below. There was no longer a Canterlot. The entire city had been blown off the face of the mountain. And it was all Omen's fault. Like usual it seemed, these days.

Staring grimly at a horizon which should have been lighting up with the first rays of dawn, she began to wonder about herself. Why had she been born? What had been the purpose of her powers? Why even show her the future and guide her through life if, by the end of it all, everything would be destroyed? Why have her save all those ponies if they were all gonna die anyway?

Omen could not find the answers. She could not even understand why everything had changed. She now had all of her senses, and yet, the sixth sense was still there. If it could have granted all her senses to her this entire time, why block them all out? Why make it so she could not hear? See? Taste? Smell? It made no sense. Unless this was another dream. Another reminder that the moment she woke up, this is what she would see. This was the future she had brought. So what did it matter if she awoke? There wouldn't be anything worth waking to.

As if hearing her thoughts, the force which had cursed her seemed to invade her dreams, and then images of ponies from Ponyville began to flash around her. Oh. That's right. Maybe they were still alive. Unlikely though. For only one of three things could have happened: she had destroyed the castle, she had destroyed Canterlot, or she had destroyed Equestria. In any case, the truth wouldn't matter. If she had only blasted Canterlot or the castle to smithereens, it was highly likely Fluttershy and the Tantabus had survived and gone out to end Equestria anyway. If she had actually decimated Equestria herself...well, Fluttershy would likely be dead then, but so would everypony else. Again, it didn't matter what the true outcome had been. Equestria was doomed. Because of her.

She really needed to stop repeating that. She got it. This was her fault. Reminding herself every few seconds wasn't going to change anything. This was her masterpiece, and she was going to have to face and get used to it. So she closed her eyes, and woke up.

Omen awoke with a ringing in her ears. That was only one of the oddities to greet her when consciousness greeted her once more. Then she noticed how images were forming in her mind. It was not like when she got visions, no, this was entirely different. She could see, in a sense. It was like her brain was looking through a second pair of eyes at the world. It was kinda creepy, actually.

Around her, the castle was nothing but a smoldering hole in the side of the mountain. The burning Canterlot surrounded her, but she did not pay attention to that fact. No, her focus was on the Six, Luna, and Celestia.

Oh Celestia. The Tantabus had had no mercy on the leader of light and love. It was clear Celestia had put up a fight, considering that Fluttershy had a couple scars on her, too, but nothing as bad as what the Princess had gotten. There were deep gashes everywhere, on her side, on her feet, on her face. On some of them, you could see the bone showing through, and blood pooled around her still form. The ruler's magenta eyes were still open, milky and staring at nothing. Though for as bad as those were, it was her broken front right leg, twisted neck, and the giant piece of glass shoved through one end of Celestia's neck and out the other that told of what had really killed her.

Omen did not know whether she should throw up or be fascinated by the grotesque display. She was also now worried about the thought she was thinking of being fascinated with this twisted scene.

Meanwhile, Luna was also sitting up and looking at the same sight. It was like she could not stop looking at her sister. She seemed frozen, and in a state of complete disbelief. To her, Celestia dying was impossible. Inconceivable. Something that happened only in her darkest of nightmares. Then again, considering the being who had done it...

Omen shifted her 'gaze' to Fluttershy. She was exactly like the pegasus she'd seen in her visions. Tall, imposing, dark. Though there was a surprise addition to her appearance that even Omen had not seen. It was her Element necklace. Though instead of being a light pink, like her cutie mark, the Element had also taken on a darker color. One quick glance at her flank confirmed it. The butterflies were also a dark pink now.

Omen was slightly impressed by what the Tantabus had done, though could still not help wondering exactly what had given her this odd new sight in the first place. Probably the assholes who were running the sixth sense that she acquired at birth. They decide that now, of all times, was the perfect time to allow her sight. At least, none that came from visions of the future. It was like the biggest kick in the head. It almost made Omen laugh out loud.

But no. She knew now wasn't the time to sulk. There was something to be done in these moments of shock and confusion. Even the Tantabus seemed to be recovering. It wouldn't take long though. Fluttershy would be back on her hooves to at any time, and Omen had already wasted enough time.

Getting up, Omen trotted calmly over to Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus was simply laying there on the ground, staring ahead at nothing as the Tantabus regained its strength.

Seeing shards of glass from what had no doubt been a picture of the Elements defeating an enemy before its imminent destruction, Omen chose a fairly large piece out and held it in her hoof. Staring at it for a moment, she then looked up at Fluttershy. She could end it here. If they killed Fluttershy, the Tantabus would be forced to vacate, and they had a chance to catch it before it escaped again. Could she do it, though? Could she become the evil many a pony had thought she was before?

Heh, they would think of her as a monster anyway, whatever she chose. Kill the innocent Element of Kindness, or let the world descend to eternal nightmare. Any way you look at it, Omen would be the main catalyst for the events that would come after this.

Fluttershy twitched, signaling the Tantabus was ready to strike again. It was now or never. Looking at the shard of glass in her hoof, Omen took a deep breath, which then hitched in her throat. She could see it. The true answer. They would never be free of the Tantabus. Even if they did get it out of Fluttershy, it would still exist. There was only one way to end this. She could see it in this single shard of stained glass. The future stretching out in two different directions. True, each one had many smaller paths that could lead to different outcomes for some, but in the end, each fate would close in the way she saw in the glass.

And so she put down the shard, letting out a sigh. She couldn't go the other path. She was too much of a coward.

"You made the right choice."

Omen looked over her shoulder. She could still not hear, but she had felt Fluttershy walking up behind her. "Whatever you said, I highly doubt it," she told the pegasus wearily before walking past her and out of the ruins of Canterlot. The Tantabus was free to do with the Elements and Luna what it wanted. She didn't want to play a part in this anymore. She just wanted to spend the end of the world in peace.

The minute Omen entered Ponyville, ponies surrounded her. They bombarded her with questions she could not hear, pleaded for things she could not respond to, and yelled out insults she had no other choice but to ignore.

Omen didn't care. She just kept on walking towards her home. Eventually, everypony else seemed to get the gist. That, and they remembered she was deaf.

Reaching her field, Omen made her way into her house at a leisurely pace, not bothering to acknowledge the storm that was beginning to cover the sky above. The storm which would likely bring the end of peace forever.

Heading to her incense, she lit it once more with her horn. And then another surprising thing happened. Words suddenly appeared on her tabletop. Reading them, or trying to, Omen tilted her head. This didn't like normal Equestrian. She'd seen signs in dreams and visions, and never had she come across such odd lettering.

Not sure what to make of it, she shrugged, backed away from the table, and went to her recliner. Getting on it, she reclined it, stretching out and letting out a sigh. It wasn't a content one, but it wasn't sad either. It was just a sigh. Then she closed her eyes. Not to sleep. No, simply to fall into her thoughts. She doubted she would ever sleep right again, considering the Tantabus was free. Nightmares would be the only thing this land ever had any more.

And you know what? Omen really didn't give a shit anymore. The world was ending, and there was not a damn thing anypony could do about it at this point.