Approaching Storm

Ivy watched as her younger sister carefully put her new necklace around her neck. The green pendant, shaped like a heart, had been her birthday gift this year, and she felt excited about wearing it in the public for the first time. That night would be the night of the midsummer festival, the shortest night of the year. They had been celebrating this for as long as she could remember, but only recently had her mother told her that it was actually a very old tradition from the Old Lands. During the festival, ponies from the country would perform songs and plays for the queen and her family, and there was plenty of food, music, and dancing… She loved the festival, and Ivy had been looking forward to it since spring first announced itself.

“There, done. You look gorgeous, sis.” Fleur complemented her. Her sister was already done dressing, and she looked really pretty, as well. For the first time, Ivy could see her youngest sister as a woman. Something had changed in her over the past year, which made her grow up so much… Something she had wanted to prevent, but she knew there was no stopping it. Of course, her mother and older sister were getting help getting dressed, but she and Fleur preferred to do this together, like they used to do when… well, when they were still alone together, something that felt like an eternity ago now. One day, she was supposed to be queen… now she would be a steward. She didn’t really mind, but for some reason she longed back to the days when her only future was that of becoming queen. Everything had seemed so simple, back then…

“Thank you, Fleur. Isn’t it beautiful?” She asked, while she adored her pendant in the mirror.
“It definitely is. Mother had it imported from Kin, right?”
“So she told me. Oh, did you hear already? About Togli giving birth?” Ivy said, a little excited. She had heard her mother and Stelline discuss it earlier, they had received a letter that morning, but her excitement about the midsummer festival had made her forget all about it.
“Oooh, she did?”
“Yes! They had a lovely baby girl, or so I’ve heard. Her name is Ingvilda.”
“Sounds nice! I’m sure Katine is delighted that it’s a girl.” Fleur grinned.
Ivy thought so, too. Even though they hadn’t been on the last trip to Kin, she clearly remembered queen Katine from when she was still a girl.

“I’m sure the twins won’t go to the festival, right?” Fleur asked, and Ivy agreed.
“No. Their first public appearance will be at her ceremony… when Twinkle Star has returned with Fiume’s water. She won’t be shown before that.”
Once again, a strange old custom from the Old Lands. Didn’t her country have anything that was original? They should have. Because even though this country was only a shadow of the Old Lands… it was still a country too, right? There were a lot of ponies living here now, born here, that didn’t know anything of the old lands. This land was their home, and not just a place to hide from the past. Maybe, when she was officially steward, she would introduce something like that…

“Shall we go downstairs, then?” Fleur asked, and Ivy agreed.
The festival was finally there! She walked to her balcony and closed the large doors, and then straightened her satin white curtains. She could see the ponies in the fields beyond the castle gates, finishing the decorations for the festival. She could see the stage where she would sit with her mother and sisters, the tables full of fruits and other treats, the pile of wood that would be used for the bonfire when darkness would arrive, late that evening…
“Ivy?” Her sister asked, and Ivy realized she had been standing there for a while now.
“Right, I’m sorry. Let’s go.”

They left her room and walked down the stairs, where they walked to their mother’s room. Their sister Stelline was there, looking more beautiful than Ivy had ever seen her. Her silver hair was braided, and she was wearing a beautiful cloak… light green with a light blue brim.
“Oh, you two look beautiful!” their mother exclaimed.
Regina looked very beautiful herself, but Ivy realized at once something was missing. She had her cape, her Star shaped wand… But she didn’t have her crown. Her Queen’s Crown… it was taken by the strange pony that had killed Illuvia. Of course, her mother had sent out warnings to every befriended kingdom, but so far… It had not been found, and it wasn’t very likely that it would be any time soon. So for now, her mother had to go to the festival without the Queen’s Crown… And Ivy silently wondered if it would remain like this forever.

“No, don’t drink it!” Twinkle Star shouted, when she realized what Câlin was going to do.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s sea water, you can’t drink that!” Twinkle Star realized how foolish it was not to tell this to Câlin before they had arrived. What was she thinking?
“Sea water is really salty,” she continued, “so you can’t drink it. It’ll only make you thirstier. I still have enough fresh water, so just tell me when you’re thirsty. Don’t drink this water, okay?”
Câlin didn’t look like she really believed it, and Twinkle Star was sure she would try it out when she wasn’t watching, but Câlin would realize soon enough that she was right.

When Câlin continued to play with the gentle waves, Twinkle Star once again tried to recognize something. Anything. But it all looked the same to her; the yellow beach and the dunes that protected the land from the turmoil of the sea.

Were they really in Madash already? Twinkle Star felt that if they were, she would have at least recognized something. They had been walking on the beach a few hours now, and evening would come soon, but she hadn’t even seen one of the beach houses she had seen so often in Madash. She knew the northern part of the country was rather empty, but she was certain she would have seen some sign of life. But all she saw was the endless ocean and the large dunes. The beach was completely deserted, and Twinkle Star was sure no one had visited this part in a long, long time.

“Come on Câlin, we’ve got to get going.” She told the playing girl, who reluctantly came out of the water. They continued to walk southwards. At least Twinkle Star was sure that was the right direction, and of they weren’t in Madash already, at least they would be there soon. The border couldn’t be that far, she was sure of that.
“How long do we have to keep walking?” Câlin asked after a few minutes.
“I don’t know. To be honest, I’m afraid we’re not in Madash yet, and I’m nut sure how far the border is. But once we’re in Madash, it’s a few days until we get to the capital city. I hope the Queen and her family are in the royal palace, because if so, we don’t have to walk any further.”

“I’m going to be relieved when we arrive.” Câlin said, and Twinkle Star felt the same. Even though she loved to travel, she would be glad to arrive and relax her body for a few days.
“Me, too, Câlin, Me, too…” She answered the girl, who didn’t say more. They walked on for what seemed like forever, without seeing anything but sand, dunes and the endless ocean. The sun was still burning brightly, and from time to time they trotted through the shoreline to get some refreshment. Yes, she would be glad to arrive, but she did enjoy the beach; it was peaceful somehow. For some time she was able to forget all about everything that worried her; the strange presence Câlin had sensed back at the crossroads, her sister and her children, how long it would take them… But something Câlin said roughly awakened her from her daydreams.

“It’s getting dark.”
“Yes…” Twinkle Star wanted to say more, but then she realized Câlin wasn’t just referring to the coming evening. When she stared over the ocean, she could see dark clouds in the distance. They were heading to their direction, she could see that. It troubled her, because if it started to rain, they wouldn’t have any place to hide from it. She had wanted to stop walking for today in an hour, but now she decided it was best that they kept walking.
“We better get moving, Câlin. We don’t want those clouds over there to surprise us.”
"Is that where the weather comes from? Across the ocean?” Câlin asked as they picked up their speed a little. Twinkle Star had to grin.
“No, of course not. There’s nothing at the other end of the ocean.”
 “Has anyone ever been there?”
“Well, no… not as far as I know. Princess Lenna told me that any one who ever tried to go too far, never returned. So no one dares to go there, now.”

Câlin was quiet while she thought this over. Twinkle Star wondered if it would be safe for them to fly. They had never flown in daylight, at least not unless they really had to, but now she thought it may not be such a bad idea. They would be able to travel a lot faster, and maybe even run into a house before the rain would come.
“Listen, Câlin, do you think you can fly low to the ground, like we practiced a few nights ago?” She asked.
“Yes, I guess…”
The two of them made their wings appear, and a few moments later they were flying two meters above the ground.

Flying so close to the ground disabled them to fly at full speed, but it was at least a lot faster than walking. Unfortunately, the clouds were moving in closer than Twinkle Star had thought they would. As they crept closer to the beach they felt the wind picking up strength. The wind came from the sea, like the clouds were, and the air smelled even saltier than before. As they got closer the clouds looked even darker and gloomier than they had done before. This isn’t good, Twinkle Star thought, this isn’t just another summer rain. It was more like a storm, in which they had no place to hide.

The wind got stronger and stronger and Twinkle Star realized they had to get back to the ground. Câlin simply couldn’t fly well enough to handle this kind of weather. Yet walking on the ground didn’t turn out to be that easy anymore, either. Sand was being blown in their eyes, and the sea had gotten stronger and louder. The waves had gotten higher and the white fume on top of them looked as if it was going to swallow them of they got too close. Twinkle Star tried to shield Câlin from the wind, but it was no use. And the clouds weren’t even above them yet.

Twinkle Star thought it couldn’t get much worse, but she was wrong. When the clouds finally covered the sun, it became dark almost immediately. When the clouds finally broke, it took about two seconds for Câlin and Twinkle Star to get completely soaked. The wind was still gaining strength and blew the raindrops hard to their bodies. “We have to keep walking!” Twinkle Star yelled at Câlin, but her voice was stolen by the wind. Still she walked on, hoping to find some shelter before the storm would get too heavy. She began to panic, as she couldn’t think of any way to hide from the storm if they wouldn’t find a house or something soon. They couldn’t cross the dunes here, they were way too steep and to fly over them would mean to risk being blown away by the wind, and she knew Câlin would not be able to save herself.

“What are we going to do?” Twinkle Star heard Câlin’s voice inside her head. The wind was blowing so loud she couldn’t even hear Câlin’s real voice anymore.
“I don’t know. We have to get going, we have to find shelter!” She yelled, convinced Câlin wouldn’t be able to hear her.
“There is none. I’m scared.”
It took Twinkle Star a moment to figure out how it was possible that Câlin had heard her, and if she wasn’t in such a bad situation she would have slapped herself for not realizing it sooner. Of course, Câlin could hear Twinkle Stars voice inside her head, too. How could she not have realized this sooner? She wondered why this was, but another gust of wind made her understand that this was definitely not the time to worry about it.
"You don't have to be, Câlin. Don't worry, I'm here, and I will protect you."

They struggled on, and Twinkle Star lost track of time. The dark clouds covered the light of the sun, so Twinkle Star had no idea what time it was. It was late in the evening, she suspected, but there was no way to be sure. The storm was still raging, and if anything it was still gaining strength. Lightning lightened up the sky for a fraction of a second a few time every minute, and the roaring of thunder scared Câlin every time. Twinkle Star felt so guilty that she couldn’t offer the girl better protection, that she couldn’t hide her from this storm… but when lightning struck again, she saw the outline of a house on the horizon. Only when lightning struck again half a minute later could Twinkle Star believe it. They hadn’t been able to see it for a long time because the rain limited their eyesight, but there was indeed a house, and it wasn’t even that far away. She could feel Câlin had seen it, too, and together they ran as fast as they could towards it.