The other side of tomorrow

“Stelline…” Twinkle Star whispered again, as the pony came closer.
“Oh, so you do recognise me, Twinkle Star. It’s been a while hasn’t it?”
Twinkle Star couldn’t believe her eyes. Here she was, her older sister, the pony she had been looking for for so long. But Stelline didn’t look like the pony Twinkle Star remembered. She was an adult female pony now, not the teenager Twinkle Star remembered, of course, but something else was different, too. Stelline indeed had obtained the grace of a unicorn. Of course not like Daiya, but she wasn’t just the ordinary pony with the horn, like she used to be. No, Stelline was beautiful now, like all the unicorns on the paintings, and she radiated some kind of power that wasn’t just the royal powers. Of course Stelline had her share of royal powers, which was larger than Twinkle Star’s power, maybe even more than her mothers… But she also had obtained the power of a unicorn, Twinkle Star was sure of that, even though she didn’t really know what it was. Stelline’s horn turned out to be silver and was about average size. Her swirls covered her body but not her neck, and like all other unicors they were beautiful in their own way. You couldn’t hear her hoofs on the floor as she walked, and it seemed as if the light of the torches wasn’t being reflected in her eyes. There was something really sad about Stelline, even though Twinkle Star couldn’t really figure out what it was.

“It definitely has been a while.” Twinkle Star answered, not really sure what to say.
“Who’s that?” Stelline asked coldly, while she nodded at Aline and stopped walking, standing in front of them.
“That’s Aline, my friend and the heir to Daiya.” Twinkle Star answered.
She didn’t like Stelline’s attitude at all. She never really liked Stelline of course, but there was something about her right now that really annoyed her.
“The heir of Daiya, eh… Well, that explained why you were able to enter this place. I already wondered who was able to open the front gate. I haven’t, at any rate. Guess you were luckier than I was figuring out that prophecy.” Stelline said, while she walked around Twinkle Star and Aline.
 “You knew about the prophecy?” Twinkle Star asked, confused.
“Of course I did. I know about a lot of things you don’t know anything about, Twinkle Star.”

Twinkle Star sighed. She clearly remembered why she never liked Stelline. She always used to treat Twinkle Star like a little girl, someone lesser than herself, someone she would never be able to see as an equal. Somehow she had hoped, now that Stelline had grown up, it would be different, but maybe she was wrong after all…
“So, Stelline,” Twinkle Star began, trying to get a normal conversation going,  “How have you been, what have you done all this time?”
To Twinkle Star and Aline’s surprise, Stelline began to laugh. “Twinkle Star! Really, don’t try to be so interested! It’s all over your face that you don’t really care about that. I have been everywhere and nowhere. Nothing that you should know about, anyhow.” Stelline said, while she looked at the painting of Daiya.
Twinkle Star really didn’t know how to respond. How could she be talking like this, pretending to know everything?
“I… I’m just glad to see that you are okay, Stelline. I…”
 “Glad?” Stelline interrupted Twinkle Star, “Glad? Oh come on Twinkle Star! What are you so glad about? You’re not glad to see me because of me at all. You’re not the type of person who would go looking for someone if it wasn’t in your own interest.”
Twinkle Star stared at Stelline. What on earth was she talking about? This nonsense… “Excuse me?” Twinkle Star said angry, “What do you know, Stelline, you haven’t seen me in years, how dare you judge me like that!”

Once again Stelline began to laugh. “Do you really think so, Twinkle Star? Do you really think it has been sixteen years since I heard the last of you?”
Twinkle Star, still angry, began to become a bit confused. What was she talking about? She hadn’t seen Stelline since the eruption.  
“Do you really want to know what I have been doing all these years, Twinkle Star?” Stelline asked, not actually expecting an answer. “I have been everywhere and nowhere. Did you really think I have been here all those years? I come here once in a while yes, but usually I am out there. I know about most of the members of the family that have survived, Twinkle Star. Yes, I knew you survived, and I knew about Crystal, and yes, I know about Regala and Togli. Those two were just as stupid as you, showing up here.” Stelline said while shaking her haid and still looking at Daiya’s painting.
 Twinkle Star looked up in surprise. How could she have forgotten! “Togli! Stelline, is she still alive? Did you save her that day? What happened to her?” She asked. She really wanted to know, not for herself, but for her aunt Regala.
“Heh. I see, Twinkle Star, it was Regala who told you to come for me here, as I expected. Well, Togli didn’t die that night if that is what you mean. But if she is alive right now, that is something I can’t tell you.”
 “Why not? Where is she Stelline! Why can’t you tell me?” Twinkle Star yelled angrily. Why, why, why was she acting so weird? Why couldn’t she just tell her? Once again, Stelline began to laugh.
“Now now, Twinkle Star… if you would already know the end, what is the point in going on, right? You’ll find out whether she is alive one day, and so will Regala.” Stelline said with a cool voice. She obviously didn’t really care about Togli or Regala’s feelings, Twinkle Star noticed.
“but… But what about Regala’s feelings? If you know all this you probably know how she has been last few years, right? She was broken, couldn’t live with herself anymore! Do you really want her to live that way even if you know you can change it?”
“Regala had to change her life on her own. It is not up to me to change it, Twinkle Star. I can’t change lives of others, they have to do it themselves.”
“But if you know her daughter is alive, shouldn’t you tell her that? It’s your responsibility to tell her that!”

Stelline didn’t answer, but kept staring at Daiya’s painting, not moving, not looking guilty or upset. Twinkle Star couldn’t believe what was going on. How could she be acting like this? She didn’t seem to be happy to see Twinkle Star, only annoyed. And she was acting so… arrogant, so full of herself.
“Twinkle Star…” She heard Aline whisper behind her.
“What?” Twinkle Star whispered back.
“If she really knows all that stuff about you and your aunt being alive and all… how come she doesn’t know about your mother and the new Friendship Lands?” Before Twinkle Star realised what Aline actually asked, Stelline already answered.
 “Oh, I do know, little girl. I know my mother founded the new Friendship Lands. I know about her, about Ivy, about our youngest sister, Fleur.”
“Then why didn’t you ever go there? Didn’t you want to see your mother again?” Aline asked with a scared voice.
She didn’t know what to do, Twinkle Star noticed. She knew Aline was very uncomfortable, even more than she was. Even though Twinkle Star was surprised and annoyed by Stelline’s behaviour, she remembered Stelline and she knew Stelline had always been arrogant, but Aline didn’t knew it at all, she didn’t knew how to handle this situation.

“No, little girl.” Stelline answered with the same cool, cold voice. “I don’t care about her, or those new lands. It’s not my problem.”
“STELLINE YOU BITCH!” Twinkle Star yelled. How could she? How could she say that? Twinkle Star felt as if she was exploding from anger. “How dare you speak about mother like that!” she yelled.
“oh shut up, Twinkle Star! Just shut up! It’s not up to you to tell me how to treat others! You know nothing about me!” Stelline said, now angry as well.
 “Oh don’t I? Maybe you should listen to others once in a while instead of believing you are the only one who is right! I know you are mother’s oldest daughter and it’s your destiny to…”
“SHUT UP about destiny Twinkle Star! What are you trying to do here anyway? Telling me what my destiny is while you don’t even know your own?” Stelline yelled, while walking around Twinkle Star and Aline, who was standing behind Twinkle Star, obviously afraid of the two angry ponies.
“At least I am looking for mine! You’re not doing anything!” Twinkle Star yelled back.
 “Looking for yours? By doing what? Running out on mother while she needs you? Coming here, telling me what to do? Who do you think you are, Twinkle Star? You’re not someone who can walk in here, telling me what to do, telling me what my destiny is!”
“Maybe you just have to shut up, SHUT UP Stelline! All you can do is pretend you’re so great and treating others like they are lesser than you! But what have you ever done with your life? Nothing! All you have done is hide from the rest of the world! There are ponies out there that need you! Why are you running from what you have to do!” Twinkle Star yelled while Stelline had turned her back on her, walking to the hallway on the left.
“Oh DROP DEAD Twinkle Star! You, that stupid friend of yours, the entire family for all I care. I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU ALL!” Stelline screamed and then galloped away into the hallway where she came from.

For a while Twinkle Star and Aline just stood there, not daring to breath. Twinkle Star felt her heart beating fast. What on earth just happened? What was up with Stelline? The stupid little bitch… how did she dare to talk about her mother and her family like that? Twinkle Star hardly could believe it. The stelline she remembered… sure, she was arrogant, and yes, she could be mean sometimes, but she had been loyal to her family, she cared for the ones she loved, she didn’t hate them or wished them to die… Why had she been acting like this? Twinkle Star didn’t really know what to do. She wanted to go after Stelline, but she knew that wouldn’t be the right thing to do now. She had to think and calm down herself.

When Twinkle Star looked at Aline, she noticed she was crying.
“What? What is it, Aline?” She asked, a bit shocked to see her friend this way. “Twinkle! I’ve been so scared!” She said while her voice was trembling. Aline had her head low and was crying out loud now.
Twinkle Star was a bit confused by this. “What? Aline, what are you so afraid of?”
“You! And Stelline! You two, I don’t know, I felt as if somebody was trying to strangle me, as if… the world was closing in on me, a-as if I wouldn’t get out…”

Twinkle Star sighed. She was finally calming down a little bit now. She understood Aline’s fear a little. She would never be able to feel it herself, but that fear… Both she and Stelline had been really upset and she knew that they both had been raising their powers to protect themselves and attack others if they had to. That too was a part of the royal powers. Not only would they guide them, help them to protect others, but naturally also would protect themselves and also could make them attack others if they were threatened. Of course neither she nor Stelline had been close to that, for a lot more has to happen to wake that power, but the threat was there and to someone who couldn’t shield herself from this, it must be terrifying to feel, this power, as if she had no control over her own life anymore, as if there was no way out, as if your life depended on someone else’s decision... Twinkle Star walked towards Aline and have her a little hug.
 “It’s okay. It’s over now.” She whispered, while Aline kept sobbing.
“I… I was just so afraid she might hurt us…” Aline said softly.
 “Don’t worry, Aline. I don’t think she ever could hurt us, even if she wanted to. And even then, I’m here to protect you.”
Aline looked up. “Why did that happen, Twinkle Star? I thought… I never thought the heir to the throne could be like this, I thought she was supposed to protect us!” She said, while she began to cry again.
“I know. I know, Aline, but I guess even unicorns are just ponies who have their own feelings. I am sure Stelline has a reason for her behaviour, even though I don’t know what. Why don’t we just get out of here, ok? Get some fresh air. We’ll decide what to do next tomorrow morning.”