Of Ponies and Fate

7 years later....

At the top of a peak in a mountain range far removed from Equestria's heartland a foal waited for the sun rise while doing something a foal of his age normally did. He was contemplating his place in the world. Unlike the foals his age in the village below he felt like he didn't belong here. Even his name, Sage Quill, didn't seem to fit in with the village of his birth. It was a hard, desolate place high up in the mountains of northern Equestria.

The settlers that had come here on an expedition for the crown centuries ago had named it Boulders Rest, aptly so for its abundance of rocks and little else. They had stopped here on their expedition when they had discovered an abundance of iron and copper in the region. The village was established later as a mining town and to this day still was.

Everypony in Boulders Rest had a job related to mining the mountain, well, everypony but Sage.

He was the only unicorn besides his mom in the small village. His father, Stone Shod, was a quiet, gruff earth pony who seemed to grunt more than talk, and his brothers had just as much personality and were just as talkative. Normally they only talked to him when they wanted to poke fun at him for being a weakling. Not that it wasn't true, when he was a waneling he was always sickly, and though he had recovered and was now healthy, his body had been weakened considerably. Even the color of his coat and mane only added to his fragile image, both were shock white and seemed to glow with pale light when the sun hit them just right.

Only his eyes appeared to possess strength. They were the brightest sky blue and the effect they had with his monochrome appearance was striking.

When Sage had realized he couldn't be usefull as a mining pony he had set to work trying to find a way to use his magic to help the miners.  His mother had been so happy the day he came and asked her to buy books on magic from the caravan that came through town quarterly to take shipments of metal to Canterlot. He'd learned a lot about magical theory, but he found performing anything more than his innate telekinisis was far to taxing for a unicorn his age.

The mist surrounding the high reaches of his perch slowly gave way to the morning suns enkindled warmth, parting the grey curtains to reveal the vast peaks and deep dales of the Crystal Mountains, farther to the north than even Sage's remote home. Even after seeing the spectacle his entire life it's effect was not diminished. In fact, it only made his wonder grow thinking of the possibilities that lay just beyond the horizon.

He had often fantasized of adventures to far off lands, of heroic battles and ancient mysteries just waiting to be solved.  Boulders Rest didn't have a well stocked library but what few fantasy novels there were he had read countless times.

"I wonder if their awake yet!" he said to himself excitedly, shaking off his reverie.

Last night he heard the news of a family of unicorns that had come in with this quarters caravan.  And even more than that they had come with their foals, one he heard, was around his age.  He was so excited he had trouble sleeping and woke up early, galloping up the steep incline to his favorite perch.

With the sun at his back he trotted back down into town to ask for the travelers at the inn.

The town was alive with activity reserved only for the promise of trade and news that the caravan brought.  Sage had to dodge and weave through the crowd of caravan hirelings hard at work unloading the heavily laden carts.  The freshly churned mud of the main road was littered with large crates and barrels of supplies the mining town would need in the coming winter months.

Pushing his way through the throng he caught sight of the tavern just ahead.  Excitement lent his stride more speed as he evaded the busy workers. Upon opening the wooden double doors and entering the tavern Sage found a large ashen earth pony behind the reception desk giving him an annoyed look that told him to keep his enthusiasm in check.  He would try but didn't think he would be all that successful.

"Hey, do you know what room a family of unicorns might be staying in?" Sage asked with barely contained excitement.

"And why would they want to see you kid?" asked the innkeeper grumpily.

"Aw, come on!  I just want to play with them!"

"Look kid, that family is some well to do Canterlot types here on business.  They don't want to be bothered by some local." stated the innkeeper.

"I don't want to bother them!  I just want to make some friends!"

"Oh you do?  How wonderful!" Came a voice behind Sage.

He turned around to find a white coated unicorn mare with a white and purple streaked mane smiling at him intently.  The innkeeper, taken aback by the sudden intrusion, simply went back to his business.

"Um, yes mam I do." Sage said with some trepidation.

"Well if you look around outside I'm pretty sure Shining took Twilight off somewhere to play guard captain again." said the smiling unicorn with a glance out the window.

"Thank you mam, I'm gonna go find them!" Sage called back already half-way out the door.

He was already out of town again when he realized he had no idea where his potential new friends could be.  It didn't matter though, he knew all the best spots on the mountain so it was only a matter of time before he found them.

Hours had past since his search started and his weak constitution was causing him to tire. He had checked all the likely areas he could think of. The only places left were hard to get to, or dangerous paths that skirted cliffs. This only caused him more worry as the sun was slowly consumed by the heavy autumn mists. Soon it would be impossible to see the ground in front of his hooves let alone the many precipitous drops that had claimed the lives of many wayward climbers.

Sage was contemplating going back to town to check the inn again when he heard a high pitched scream forcing him to pick up his pace. While there were many accepted dangers that came with living high up in the mountains, from falling off cliffs to avalanches, the scream he heard was not of surprise, but horror.

A second scream echoed off the cliffs around him.

He was making good time over the rocky terrain but his breath came in quick rasps as his fortitude failed.

Finally rounding a rock face onto a narrow trail cut from the cliff he found the source of the terror filled cries. A purple unicorn foal cried out again as a larger white unicorn colt fought off a rabid diamond dog almost two heads taller than himself.

"Twili, RUN!" the colt yelled futilely over his shoulder

He was doing well but a second, smaller diamond dog had circled around the two combatants and was hungrily closing the distance with the unicorn foal.

Fear gripped Sage like he'd never before known. He wanted to help her but one look at the rabid canine sent jolts of terror up his spine. Its drool pustulated from behind rows of jagged teeth coated in a seething white foam.

Sage mustered all his courage, refusing to lose two friends before he even met them.  shaking himself violently he began taking step after slow step.

His hoof scraped the ground as he forced himself forward. Thinking a diamond dog had snuck up on her the foal turned with a start toward her would be attacker.

She locked eyes with his, and the fear in her eyes changed to a desperation for help. He tried to envision all the stories he'd read of heroes overcoming evil until they were all that filled his thoughts. Closing his eyes in an attempt to shut out his fear he became aware of the sound of hooves clopping and the wind rushing over his face. By the time he opened his eyes he was already half way to her in a full gallop.

Behind her the rabid diamond dog raised it's claws to down the foal.

"TWILIGHT!"

Sage barreled into her, knocking her aside towards the wall of the cliff as the claws came down. His vision jarred with the impact and he hit the ground hard, blasting the air out of him.

His side was awash with white hot agony and any breath he recovered escaped as weak whimpers as he tried to regain his senses.

His vision focused again to find the foal backed against the rock face with the diamond dog inching closer.

Looking around for anything to-he didn't know what-just anything to slow the beast down. A rock sat a few feet from where he laid. With effort that almost caused the crushing blackness to close around him, he lifted the rock with telekinesis and hurled it at the bloodthirsty animal now only inches away from its frightened meal.

It struck true to the beasts head, causing it to whimper in pain.

Spinning to face him with barred teeth, the diamond dog gave a low growl followed by a bloodcurdling howl. Sage locked it with what he hoped was a defiant stare knowing that his end was near.

His gaze shifted to Twilight as the beast was almost over him, 'at least I remembered her name' he thought sluggishly as he slowly lost consciousness.

The breath of the deranged creature stank as its jaws moved for his neck when a streak of white slammed into its side sending it sailing over the edge of the ravine.

"Twili!  Are you alright!" called an exhausted Shining.

'Huh...  Funny how I'm remembering names now....' thought the barley conscious Sage.

"I'm fine big brother-!" Twilight managed between sobs, "-b-but (sniffle) what about him!"

"We need.....to.....town.....as......." Shining said in seemingly disjointed words as Sage's adrenaline ebed and the darkness finally took him.

                  .................................................................................................................

"This isn't some magic trick where I wave my hand and everything becomes fixed, there will be consequences! Consequences neither of us will be able to foresee!  You have to be sure!"

"I am sure."

                   ...............................................................................................................

Night Lily trotted from one end of the waiting room to the other at a frantic pace. Dispite what she had told her husband the fatigue was taking its toll on her. Her midnight blue coat seemed to be paling and her platinum mane, usually so meticulously cared for, hung off her shoulder in tangles. She didn't have to look in a mirror to know that bags had formed under her eyes, but such trivial things were unimportant compared to being here when her son woke.

Two days had passed since her son had been carried back to town horribly maimed by a beast that had attacked him and two other young ponies while playing outside town. The guards at the gate had taken him to Redcross, the only practicing doctor the town had.

As far as doctors went he was talented, but the lack of a hospital in Boulders Rest forced him to practice without relying on the advanced medical equipment that many towns took for granted. Even with his best efforts her son would have died twice of infection in the first twenty-four hours if not for the large quantities of antibiotics brought by the caravan for the winter months when fevers in young foals ran high.

He had informed her that Sage's immune system was the weakest he'd ever encountered in a patient, and told her to prepare for the worst before rushing back to the operating room to deal with another post-op complication.

She rounded the table at the end of the waiting room and was about to make another round when an exhausted Redcross made his way through the double doors from the operating room. He didn't look much better than herself and his face was drawn as he prepared to give her news of her son.

"Mrs. Lily, you might want to sit down for this." His voice full of apprehension.

"Oh Celestia! You can't mean-!" She choked as two days of tenuous hope crumbled beneath her sobs.

"What? No Mrs. Lily your son is going to recover!-" He waited for the news to sink in before continuing, "-but your son will carry scars the rest of his life as well as light nerve damage on his right side."

"Is he awake?"

"He is, but he's very weak so please keep it shor-" He was interrupted by a teary eyed hug from the relieved mother.

"Thank you so much doctor, for saving my son!"

Redcross let the fatigue of the last two days fall away as her relief and joy washed over him, this was why he became a doctor.

"It was no trouble at all. Now you might want to clean yourself up a little before you see him, no sense in worrying him after he just woke up." He suggested as he pulled himself free of the hug, "I'll go inform your husband of his recovery. If something happens call for the nurse, I'll be back shortly."

Wiping her eyes as he walked out into the night she turned to the doors of the operating room more than ready to see her son. She found him sitting up in his bed staring out the window next to him intently, as if his gaze could pierce the night and mist to far lands beyond.

Hearing her hoof steps he turned to face her but quickly winced with pain as the motion pulled his stitches taut.

"Ow! Hey mom!" He called cheerily all the same

He appeared paler than usual but other than that he seemed his usual self. She could have cried from joy, but held it in, not wanting to worry him.

"What have I told you about wandering outside of town!" She had switched seemingly from the worried mother stage to the disciplinarian stage in an instant now that she was sure her son was safe.

"I uh, well I was-" He floundered for an excuse to avoid his mothers wrath as she closed the distance to his bed.

Her face relaxed when she stopped at the side of his bed wrapping her fore hooves around him gently so as to not cause him discomfort.

"You're grounded as soon as you get better" She whispered as she broke into a fit of tears.

They stayed like this for several minutes before he nudged her away. She was reluctant to let him go but she knew he had to be getting uncomfortable in the awkward position.

"Mom, where's Twilight and Shining?" He asked as he laid back down in his bed.

She was only confused for a moment before she connected the names to the two that had brought him back to town.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry but they're already gone. The caravan couldn't wait or they would get snowed in at the passes to the south." She saw the shadow cross his features and hastily added, "-but they left you a letter dear, it's right here."

She levitated the letter off of the nightstand and realizing he was to weak to use magic, opened it and held it out for him to read. The time passed slowly as he worked his way down the lengthy message, but by the time he finished he was smiling ear to ear.

"Mom, I'm going to Canterlot!" He proclaimed, beaming with enthusiasm.

"Of course dear, you can send letters to your new friends at the post offi-WHAT!" She nearly shouted as her mind processed what her son had said.

"Go then." Came the gruff response from the door as Sage's father entered the room.

He was a stocky stallion with a chestnut coat, a dark brown mane with grey patches, and emerald green eyes that seemed to bore into whatever he looked at.

"Don't you encourage this!" Lily warned.

"Why not? He's obviously made up his mind, 'bout time if you ask me." He stated matter-of-factly. "Honey, he's been goin' in circles tryin' to figure out what he's gonna do with his life, and now he's finally made a decision for himself and your gonna say "no" without hearin' him out?"

Sage was shocked to hear his dad say so much in one sitting, never mind the fact he was the one supporting him and not his mother. He had no time to think on this, however, as his mother was looking at him expectantly.

"I want to enroll to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns and become a diplomat so I can travel the world.  I can study all winter before the next caravan comes and take it to Canterlot in the spring and apply for the entrance exam when I get there. Twilight says it's the best school in Equestria and I really, really want to go, please mom!" He explained while putting on the biggest puppy dog eyes he could manage in his shape.

Night Lily was too busy wondering how she had raised her son to have such mature dreams to respond. She looked from her son who was using that face she was so weak against to her husband who simply raised an eyebrow at her and let out a sigh of defeat.

"Fine, but you better study all winter, I'll be watching you. If you don't, your not going. Is that clear." She conceded with a hint of a smile.

"Crystal." Sage affirmed, his own smile only growing wider.

                    ....................................................................................................................

"You have to catch the signs. The Fates may reign chaos on this world and I can't tell you what the future may hold. In order to limit the damage I can only look at the event we intend to change."