Twinkle Star’s gift

Twinkle star sighed when she saw the last rays of sunlight disappear behind the horizon. It would be the very last sunset she would see here in Kin. Tomorrow morning, she and her family were leaving, heading back home. Twinkle Star had spend all day saying goodbyes and packing her stuff. She had talked a long time with Togli, and she was still thinking about that conversation now, a few hours later, while she was watching the sun set from her bedroom window. Besides the usual stuff, she had Togli had a short conversation on the mind seal in Togli’s mind. Togli had decided not to go to Madash, something she had wondered about since Regina had mentioned to her that the ponies there knew things about mind seals, and they might in fact be able to help her out. But Togli decided that, even though she really wanted her memories back, she was content for now. She didn’t want to travel such a long way now that she was pregnant, and she wouldn’t be able to do it when her child was still young. So she decided to accept she would not remember anything from her own childhood for a while. Her recent family was more important, and besides, she would always have her mother with her from now on. She would remember eventually, she decided.

And even though Twinkle Star totally understood this decision, in fact, she would probably choose the same, she didn’t feel good about it. Because she in fact was really anxious to find out who placed the seal and for what reason. There was more to it, she was absolutely sure of that. But how would she ever find out if no one would go searching for the answer? Someone had to go. Someone had to go to Madash, and see if they could help out. And it wouldn’t be Togli. But Twinkle Star knew who it had to be. She jumped off her bed and left her room. All was quiet in the hallway. Even Aline wasn’t close; she was washing Regina’s hair so at least it would be clean at the beginning of their journey. Twinkle Star sneaked trough the hallway, into the hall, and off to another hallway. She walked even softer here, and softly knocked on one of the doors, hoping this was the right one.

Thankfully, Togli was the one opening the door. She had the right one.
“Hi there, Twinkle!” Togli said happily. “What’s up?”
“Well, I… I want to tell you something. Can I come in?” She asked, and Togli nodded.
“Sure! Stanno’s not here, anyway. He’s downstairs helping his mother.” Twinkle Star entered the room, and she noticed how much prettier it was than the ones she and her family were sleeping in. The walls were all light green with dark green motives. There was a large veil across their bed, and there was a nice table with two chairs. Several paintings hung on the wall.
“Nice room you got here.” She said to Togli.
“Yeah don’t you think? We just moved in here from Stanno’s older room. It’s really nice.” Twinkle Star stopped halfway the room, and turned around.
“Togli… do you remember telling me you’re not going to Madash to find out about the mind seal?” she asked her cousin.
“Yeah, sure. Why?” Togli asked, a little confused about the subject.
“Well… I don’t know. I totally understand you don’t want to go, or at least not any time soon. However… I think someone should go. It is too much a mystery to be forgotten. Whoever did this to you… What else has he or she done? What else is he going to do in the future? And most of all… Why did he or she do it? Don’t you want to know?”
“Yeah, sure, but… I don’t know anyone who wants to go.”
Twinkle Star smiled. “Togli… If you let me, I will go. I will go to Madash to gather information for you about it. Who knows, I might find the answer. See it as a wedding gift. What do you think?”
Togli was completely surprised by this, Twinkle Star noticed. But she was touched by the gesture. “oh, Twinkle Star… thank you, thank you so much! I don’t know what to say! You have no idea how much this means to me!” She said, with tears of joy appearing in her eyes.
“Really, it’s nothing. I’ll go to Madash. If I find something that might help you, I’ll report here straight away. How’s that?”
“It’s wonderful, Twinkle Star. It’s the best gift I got.”

Twinkle Star and Togli kept talking for a while, about the seal, so Twinkle Star would know what to say when she would finally arrive in Madash, but also about less important things. But Twinkle Star couldn’t stay all evening. She had to tell the others that she wouldn’t go home with them. Because she had already decided she would go right away. She didn’t want to waste any time. It would be at least two months to Madash, so she would be away from home for at least four months, if she would stay there for just a week, and she kind of planned to stay longer. For Madash was not only the country that knew about the mind seals, but also the country of Matoe and Daryia, and of Taishi. The ponies from her mother’s story about Anrui. And she wanted to meet them, if she had the chance.

An hour later she knocked on her mother’s door.
“Come in.” Her mother’s voice said. When Twinkle Star entered the room, she noticed her mother was already packing. Regala had already moved out earlier that day. She had already gotten her own room, so why wait?
“Oh hi, Twinkle Star, what is it?” Regina said, happy to have some company.
“Hi mom. I… I have something to tell you.” Twinkle Star said with a serious face. “Sure. What is it?” her mother asked, quitting whatever she was doing to listen to her daughter.
“I… I’m going to Madash, mother.”
“What? Why? When?” Regina asked surprised.
“I’ll leave tomorrow. I’ll go to the other side of the mountains, so I don’t have to cross them later. It’s a great shortcut. And I want to go. You told us the ponies in Madash know about mind seals, right? I want to go, mother. I want to find out. I promised Togli I would go.”
“But Twinkle Star…” Her mother said, and Twinkle Star noticed tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry, mother. I know you’ll miss me. I’ll miss you too. But I’ll be back, I promise. I won’t leave like last time, and I promise you, I will be back after I found all I could in Madash. Can you trust me on this?” Regina smiled, while crying. She would definitely miss her daughter.
“Of course I trust you, honey. I will just miss you very much, that’s all. I feel like I will never get the time to get to know you better. There’s always something. Will you promise me that when you come back, you will spend some time with me?”
“I promise, mother. I honestly do. I want to get to know you, too.” Regina was relieved by this. Out of all her daughters, Twinkle Star was the one she knew littlest of. It had always been that way, but she had always hoped it would change soon.

“Will you go alone?” Regina asked.
“I… I don’t know. Maybe I’ll ask Aline to come with me again.” To her surprise, Regina sighed and faced her daughter with a sad face. “I… I’m sorry Twinkle Star, but I… I had somehow hoped you would take Crystal with you.”
“What? Why?” it was Twinkle Star’s turn to be surprised now.
“Well… She misses you, you know. She might never admit it, but she is truly missing you. She thinks it’s wonderful you found such a great friend in Aline, we all do, but she has spend a year with you, looking for the new Friendship Lands. And then you suddenly took off, without saying goodbye to anyone, not even her. And when you returned, you didn’t have any attention for her at all. She’s had a hard time as well, Twinkle Star. Even though you didn’t notice it.”
Twinkle star immediately knew her mother was right, though she didn’t like to admit it. She hadn’t paid a lot attention to Crystal at all when she got back. But Crystal seemed satisfied with hanging out with Ivy and Fleur. And Twinkle Star had so many other things to think of. How could she know?

“I… I know mother, I know. You’re absolutely right. I should have paid more attention to Crystal. Maybe I’ll take her with me instead, though I don’t know how Aline will react.”
“Why don’t you go with three? I’m sure Crystal will be fine. She likes Aline, too, you know. Why don’t you go ask her right now?” Regina asked.
“I will. Thanks, mom.” Twinkle Star answered.

Twinkle Star walked out of her room, and went straight to Crystal and Stelline’s room. To her relief, she found Crystal alone. Stelline was taking a last hot bath. “What can I do for you, Twinkle Star?” Crystal asked, while she jumped on her bed. Crystal looked happy and refreshed, as she just came back from the hot bath.
“Well… You know, I’m going to Madash tomorrow. I’m not going home with the others. I want to find out about the mind seal Togli has, and according to mom, they have answers to that in Madash. Anyway, I was planning to go with Aline, however… I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come along. You know, travel with me again for a while.” C
rystal didn’t really know how to respond. “Oh, Twinkle Star… Are you sure you want me to come along with you two? I mean, I don’t know her very well, and…”
“Well, I haven’t even talked to her yet. But I’m sure she’ll be fine with it. I really want you to come, Crystal. If you want to, of course.” Twinkle Star said with a smile.
“Oh, well, in that case… I’d love to come along! I would like to travel again. When you’ve done it for such a long time, sitting still in one place seems a bit boring, right?” Crystal said, and Twinkle Star agreed with her sister.
“Definitely. So we’ll go to Madash tomorrow. It’ll be a long journey, though. Madash is far away.”
“I don’t mind. As long as we’ll return eventually.”
“We will. Well, I guess I’ll better go and ask Aline now, right?” Twinkle Star asked, and Crystal nodded.
“Yeah, sure. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, then!”

Twinkle Star said goodbye to her sister and walked out of the room. She hesitated for a while before she entered her own room again. It all felt so sudden, and yeti t was something she had thought of for a while. But she had never expected to travel with her sister Crystal again. It felt like ages ago that they’d travelled together. And they had been travelling for almost a year together. That was longer than any time she had spend with Aline. And yet, she felt as if she knew Aline much better than her own sister. It would be a weird journey with those two…

She entered her own room, and she noticed Aline sitting in front of the mirror one again.
“Hi there, Twinkle! Where have you been? I didn’t expect you to leave again.” Aline said exited when she noticed her friend.
“No… I didn’t plan to at first, either. However… I had to talk to Togli. Look, Aline… I won’t be going home tomorrow. Instead, I will travel to Madash. It’s a country by the sea, two months travelling away. I want to find some things there about the mind seal of Togli. Crystal is coming with me… and, well, I was wondering if you wanted to come along too.
To Twinkle Star´s big surprise, Aline didn´t answer immediately. Instead, she just stared in her mirror as if there was something rather exiting on the other side. At last, she said: “I… I’m sorry, Twinkle, but I don’t think I will come along.”
“What! Why?” Twinkle Star almost yelled.
“Because I really want to get back to the Friendship Lands. I really want to make it feel like home now. I’ve really been looking forward to going back. Unlike you, the Friendship Lands is not the place where my family lives. Nothing binds me to that place, so I have to make it home myself. And I need time for that, Twinkle Star. I really want to go back. I don’t want another journey in a while.”

Twinkle Star was stunned by the answer of her friend. Aline wouldn’t come along… “Are you sure? I mean…”
“Yes, Twinkle, I’m sure. I’ll definitely miss you, but please, do go on your journey. It’s what you have to do. And Crystal will be just fine company. And you’ll be back, right?”
 Yes, she would be back. Of course she would be. But she had never imagined to make this journey without her friend. She had gotten so used to Aline’s company, it was hard to imagine her life without it. But she would go on her journey. She had already promised, and she wouldn’t go back on that. Besides, she had travelled alone with Crystal for a year. She could do it again. But she would definitely miss Aline, and suddenly, she felt as if she couldn’t be so sure of the fun factor in this journey.