Aline and Twinkle Star’s love alliance

The rain saved her? How could that be? Twinkle Star didn’t really know how to answer.
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
“The rain took me away from the darkness…” Togli whispered,
“I know it sounds weird but… that is what I remember. First there was darkness, and then the rain came and light came back to me.”
 Rain… Regala had told Twinkle Star that it was raining pretty bad the night Togli disappeared. But Togli had just said she didn’t remember anything about that time…
“Did it have anything to do with your fall?” Twinkle Star asked, but Togli shook her head.
“No, it doesn’t. It’s just darkness. Blacker than the night in which the stars are shaded. The rain took me away from there. That’s all I know, and I’m sure of those memories.”

It took her away from there… that had to mean it happened after Regala lost her. Meaning she didn’t regain anything, she just remembered something she hadn’t forgotten in the first place. But still Twinkle Star was interested in Togli’s story. The rain… how could the rain save you? And did it have anything to do with the weird weather over there?
“My lady… Could I please be alone for a while?” Togli asked softly, and Twinkle Star nodded. “Yeah, sure. Take your time. I’m in my room, or otherwise I suppose I’m in the dining room. Dinner is supposed to be soon.”
“I understand. Twinkle Star… thank you, for everything.” Togli answered as Twinkle Star got off the bed.
“No problem.” Twinkle Star left the dark room, and as she closed the door behind her she noticed Togli had already lied down again on the bed. Poor girl, Twinkle Star thought once again, she had to be really tired from everything. How could she not? So many things had happened in such a short time for her.

As she turned around, she almost bumped into Stanno.
“Watch it!” She said, a little more annoyed than she should, not  because he bumped into her but more because he disturbed her thoughts.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Twinkle Star, I… I…” Stanno said, and Twinkle Star looked in his eyes. Confusion… Stanno looked bewildered and confused. Why was he here, anyway?
“What are you doing here?” Twinkle star asked suspiciously. In her time here, none of the royal Kin members had ever come up here, only waitresses and servants. She didn’t even know where they all lived.
“I… Twinkle Star, is it true, about Anda?” He asked, still looking confused.
“How much do you know?” Twinkle Star asked him in return.
“I… Your mother came into the throne room. She told me and my mother that Anda is actually a girl from your family. She is the daughter of your mother’s sister, who is also here, right?” he answered her.
“I… yes, this is true. She is my cousin, Togli.” Stanno sighed. He appeared to calm down a bit, and Twinkle Star wondered why the hell he was so confused and interested in this all.
“Where is she now?”, he asked, “Is she okay? Regina told me she was up here. She shouldn’t have so much to deal with.”
“She’s in my mothers room, right here. And she’s okay, she’s resting.” Twinkle Star answered. “That’s good.” Both of them didn’t really know what to say. Twinkle Star wanted to ask him why on earth he was so upset and concerned, and Stanno didn’t really know what to say.
“Okay, well…” Stanno began, “I’ll be going then, I guess. I’ll see you at dinner, right, Twinkle Star?”
She nodded, happy this awkward conversation was over. Stanno turned around, walking out of the hallway and down the stairs.

That was just weird, Twinkle Star thought. Why on earth was he so concerned? Sure, it’s a big thing, having a waitress turning out to be a member of the royal family. What would happen now with her? Surely Katine wouldn’t let her remain a waitress. Would Togli come with them to the new lands? Twinkle Star sure hoped so. Togli seemed like a nice girl, and it would be so great for Regala. Thinking of Regala… how would she be? Twinkle Star turned around as well, and walked towards her and Aline’s room. She softly knocked on the door, and a moment later Aline opened it.

“Oh hi Twinkle!” She said excited.
“Hi there Aline. How is Regala doing?” Twinkle Star asked, and Aline nodded.
“She’s doing just fine. She’s rather confused, and I couldn’t give her any answers, but she’s talking again. Just had some water. She’ll be fine. Maybe you can answer a few question’s of hers?” Aline explained.
 “Sure.” Twinkle Star said, and she walked in the room. She was happy the curtains were open here. It made the entire situation loot at least a bit less depressing.
“Hello there, aunt Regala.” Twinkle Star said when she noticed her aunt sitting on Aline’s bed.
“Hello there, Twinkle Star.” Regala answered softly.
“Aline told me you had some questions?” Twinkle Star said, and Regala softly nodded.
“I… yes. It was Togli, right? I saw her, I… how?” Twinkle Star explained her aunt how she realised Togli was working here. The times she saw her, the story of Stanno, and finally, Togli’s answer that she remembered the burning Friendship Lands. She explained that Togli had no other memory of anything that happened before Regala had lost her.

“So… She does not remember me?”
“Not consciously, no. But she told me you  felt familiar, you looked familiar. I think she realises somewhere you are her mother, only she doesn’t have an active memory of it. But she saw how you reacted, aunt Regala. I think she knows.”
“I… this is so hard for me to believe, Twinkle Star. I thought I had lost her forever. I looked so hard, but I could never find her. And now she is here, happy, healthy, grown up since the last time I saw her. I… I wonder if she has changed a lot.”
 Twinkle Star sighed. “I suppose she has, aunt Regala. After all, everything that she came to be is lost, all her memories are… She just has to start from scratch. And what’s more… something Regina noticed, and I noticed it too. We don’t know how it happened, but… Togli shows no sign of royal powers whatsoever. In the past… was she able to hide them?”
Regala shook her head firmly. “No, not at all. Togli wasn’t strong, Twinkle Star, and she didn’t know how to handle the little powers she had. I let it be, after all, what good could those powers be anymore? She never hid them, and she didn’t had to, anyway. Ponies that weren’t used to powers wouldn’t notice it anyway.”

This was what Twinkle Star was afraid of. There was no way Togli had been able to learn how to cover her powers in such a short time. There had to be another explanation, but Twinkle Star couldn’t think of what it was.
“Where is she now? Is she okay? Can I see her?” Regala said, suddenly panicking. “She is okay, aunt. She is resting now in your room. I don’t know if you can see her now…” Right when Twinkle Star wanted to say she was willing to go and ask, a pony knocked on the door, announcing dinner was about to be served.
“I… I guess we will have to go. Do you want to come to dinner, aunt Regala?” Twinkle Star asked. “No, I am sorry. I don’t feel very well. If you will excuse me for dinner? I really want to spend some time alone and think.” Regala answered.
“That is okay. Do you want me to ask Togli if it is okay that you visit her later?”
“Oh, if you want to do that… Thank you, Twinkle Star.” Regala said thankfully.
“It’s no problem, really. Are you coming, Aline?”

Aline followed Twinkle Star out of the room and down the hallway, which once again was deserted. They heard some voices down the hall, and Twinkle Star realised Crystal and Stelline were already downstairs. They both didn’t know anything about Togli yet. Would Regina tell them? She probably would, Twinkle Star realised. It was not something she cared about. Aline knew now, but she hadn’t made any comments yet. She probably would later, when they were in bed that evening. Aline loved to talk before she went to sleep. No, she loved to talk whenever, wherever. She was extremely quiet now though. Probably still having a bit of a hangover, Twinkle Star thought, and she grinned without Aline noticing. They stopped in front of Regina’s room, as Twinkle Star had to ask Togli whether it was okay if Regala stopped by later. She slowly opened the door, and whispered to Aline that she had to be quiet. She suspected Togli was sleeping.

This, however, was not the case, and for a moment Aline and Twinkle Star didn’t know what to say. Togli lay on her bed, almost the same way as when Twinkle Star had left her, however a pony was standing next to her. Not just a pony either. “Twinkle Star!” he said shocked, and if it wouldn’t have been that dark in the room Twinkle Star was sure she could see the same confused look in his eyes again. What on earth was Stanno doing here?
“I… I wanted to ask Togli if… No, nonono. Wait. What are you doing here?” Twinkle Star said, probably just as confused as Stanno.
“It is okay, my lady.” Togli softly said. “Please, do not be upset with him. I am glad he is here.”
Twinkle Star looked at Togli. “Okay… but why is he here?”
“I do not think that it is any of your business, Twinkle Star. Please, leave, and do not tell anyone I was here visiting her.” Stanno said, a bit annoyed with Twinkle Star. Aline looked around confused, not understanding what on earth was going on.

“No, I think we can trust Twinkle Star.” Togli softly said to Stanno. “Can we trust you, my lady? Will you promise you won’t tell anything to anyone?”
“Yeah, sure… But what is this all about?” Twinkle Star asked, just as confused as Aline.
“Do you think this wise?” Stanno said to Togli. “What if they tell? We do not know how my mother will react.”
But Togli shook her head. “It is okay. We can trust them, and I think it is good that somebody knows. They can help us. We can’t do this alone anymore.” She said to Stanno, who as an answer sat down and sighed, obviously not agreeing with Togli.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you…” He said softly.
 “Nothing will happen.” She answered, and by now, Aline couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Can anyone please tell me what is going on!” she said, now a little bit annoyed by all the mystery talk.

“I will, my lady. But you two have to promise you won’t tell anybody. Will you promise?” Togli asked, and they both answered yes.
 “Very well. Stanno and I… we have a relationship. Over a year already, I think. I liked him from the beginning, ever since I began to feel well again. Stanno here liked me too, but for a while he tried to forget about his feelings. I was but a waitress, he was the heir to the throne. You two know Katine. Status and appearance is everything to her. We both knew she would put an end to this relationship as soon as she would find out. So we had to move in secrecy, meeting in weird times, in weird places. We have managed so far. I love Stanno, and I know he loves me. But we both live in fear of anyone discovering us.” Togli told them. Twinkle Star wasn’t that surprised. It all made sense. Togli’s messages to Stanno, his concern, the blushing. She could see Aline was a lot more shocked, though. Her crush flew right out of the window.

“I see…” Twinkle Star said softly, not really knowing how to respond otherwise.
“But now, everything has changed.” Stanno continued the story of his lover. “Anda… I mean, Togli, can no longer be a waitress here, of course. She is a royal pony of your house. She will have to return with you.”
Twinkle Star sighed. This was true, but…. “But, wait a minute. It is true that everything has changed, but can’t you use it for the better? I mean, now that it turned out she is in fact a royal pony, Katine won’t be having a problem with your relationship, won’t she? Why don’t you simply tell her, you fell in love afterwards? Sure it may be hard to believe, but what is there she can do? If my mother tells her she is happy with the engagement of you two, I don’t think Katine will protest, now will she?”
Twinkle Star said excited, because she thought she had discovered the answer.
“We can’t do that.” Togli sighed.
“Why not? I mean, sure it is a bit if lying, but it’s for the best, right? You two can be together forever!”
“We can’t do it because they will find out the truth.” Stanno said.
“But how?” Aline asked, also not understanding what was wrong with Twinkle Star’s theory.
“We can’t because they will realise in nine months something wasn’t right.” Togli said softly. “In nine months they’ll see we had a relationship for a much longer time, Twinkle Star. I’ve been pregnant for two months now. In nine months, I’ll give birth to his child.”