Silver and Gold, Rain and the Other

“You mean…” Fleur whispered, but she did not finish her sentence. Yet Ivy knew what her sister was thinking. Did Campestre know? Had she foreseen this would happen? The darkness… Well, it was obvious. Rain and Sun, Silver and Gold… The blue pony and the yellow one?
“I don’t know, Fleur. Those words… I was so shocked after she said them to me. Especially after it became clear it was not a sign of progression for her. Back then, my mother and I decided it was just a part of her madness. We had no idea what she was talking about, after all.

But now… With everything that is happening, everything that happened to you, Ivy, the darkness, those two ponies, his helpers… it’s just a little too coincidental for my liking. But I do not know what to make of it. Had something happened to her? Had she actually seen this black pony, had someone warned her? I do not know. And I do not think we will ever find out. But, if it is true that she somehow knew this would happen… I think it means we have to take this situation even more serious.”

Yes… they definitely should. Up until now Ivy had at least tried to believe this was probably some lunatic trying to take over their rule and the castle, or at most someone like Campestre that they would overcome in the end. But if even Campestre had known about this almost thirty years ago… this was probably far more serious than they had ever imagined. But she still didn’t feel like they knew a lot more. So Campestre had warned their mother years ago. She had not provided them any useful information…

“What do we do now?” Ivy asked. It was Stelline who answered.
“Well, for starters we stay calm. We have to find out who this pony is and what he wants from us. Unless we know both of those things it is useless to decide on our strategy. But of course this leads us to another problem… how are we ever going to find out without us putting ourselves in danger?”

“We…” Ivy had started the sentence without even knowing how to complete it. Of course she didn’t know. The blue pony had sealed her mind, but next time it could end up worse. What if they encountered the black pony with wings, or Câlin? What then? They could not defend themselves. Ivy was sure not even her mother would be able to do so.

“This blue pony…” Stelline began, “Ivy… do you remember when Twinkle Star described the pony that murdered Illuvia?”
 “Yes… a dark blue pony, with eyes darker even than the shadows caused by the fain light of the moon shining through the thickest of clouds… You don’t think… this is the same pony?”
Ivy gasped. It very well could be, after all…
“Maybe so, Ivy. Maybe so. But if it was, and I do think it is likely given the resemblance… I still do not understand why she did not use her powers against you. She could have easily killed you. There must be a reason why you were kept alive, your powers locked inside you. And we have to find out why, Ivy. That’s where we have to start.”

The steady breathing of the girl told Rain she still was fast asleep. She had been awake for so long now, Rain had actually gotten worried. Even Rain had dozed off for a few hours, but when she had woken up the girl was asleep as well. She decided not to wake her up until He would call for her. She needed her sleep more than anything now, and she silently hoped the girl wouldn’t have any bad dreams.

He was nowhere to be seen, but the other was standing in the field in front of her. She was still radiating… but her yellow glow had turned pitch black. The golden light that had surrounded her… it had disappeared after He had been resurrected. It was only darkness, now, that floated around her, that threatened to suck you in if you came too close. And yet it was visible in the depths of the night, as if a darkness that glowed with the last rays of a short winter day.

Should she go up to her? She had no idea why she would do such a thing but she felt the urge to talk to the other rise inside her. Had she ever felt this way in the past, she would not have hesitated. She never liked the other, there always was something peculiar about her… But it had never been as terrifying as this. She had always been able to face her without feeling any emotion. But like so often the last few days, she felt something she had always thought only others were capable of feeling. Was this… fear?

Why she was feeling this, she had no idea. But she was convinced her feelings were nothing but betrayal to her master. After what she had done to Ivy… would He know? When she had met up with Him only a few hours later he seemed not to suspect anything. But maybe he only pretended to. She knew He was capable of seeing right through her if he desired to do so.

“I know you’re there.” She startled as the voice of the other was carried to her through the darkness. There was nothing left for her to do but to walk up to her now.
“You have noticed it too, haven’t you.” The other said. She had to admit she had no idea what the other was talking about.
“Noticed what?” She asked. “The forces coming from the castle… something has changed. I no longer feel one of them. One of the girls on the road… She is gone.”

So the other had already noticed. Of course Ivy wasn’t gone, but the other no longer sensed her powers. No one could hide their powers from the other… only when their powers were sealed for eternity was the other unable to see them. She wondered if it would be the same with their Master. “I have not felt it, you know I cannot. I do not know where she might have gone.”

“Maybe… she slipped away to get help. But there is none out there that will aid her now. But if you see or feel any sign of Twinkle Star, notify our Lord at once. It is His order.”
“Yes…” She bowed slightly to the other. More and more she felt like a second rank pony, somehow lesser than the other. Why did the other give her this command, what did He not do it directly?

The other said no more and she retreated. When she returned she noticed little Câlin was awake. “Have you slept well? Are you hungry or thirsty?” she asked.
“No… I’m not.” The little girl replied. Well, the girl was just her peculiar little self. She knew the girl was sad, or confused. She just had to be. But she didn’t show any sign of her emotions. She did not even sense them, and she wondered if the other was able to do so.

So the girl surprised her when she asked: “Have you slept well?”
“I… yes, I guess I did. Why do you ask, Câlin?” She found it suspicious that the girl would take such an interest in her. Was she up to something?
“No reason… you were talking in your sleep, which kept me awake.”
“I was? What did I say, then?” She could not even remember dreaming, let alone talk. 
“Do not take him away… from me… is what you said.”

A spark of recognition flamed up inside Rain. Yes, she had said such a thing… and it had never been just a dream. She had said that, once, in despair… but she did not remember why or when. And it had not been the first time in the last few days that she had been through something like this. Ever since they had left the Old Friendship Lands… no, ever since her Master had regained his body on this earth, she had been confronted with feelings and memories she had not even known she had. Her entire life had been devoted to her Master. There had never been anything else… Or anyone else.

Or had there? She knew the other had done things out of His control. She never knew what, but He had to seal her mind several times to let her obey Him. Of course she was not supposed to know this, but some things simply could not be kept hidden. Had her Master sealed her mind, too, some time? It would be perfectly natural if she could not remember, then. “No, no…” She refused to believe it. She refused to even accept that it could be a possibility. She knew, her entire life, her training, her first steps… it had all been devoted to Him and it cannot be that she had ever done something to disobey Him.

But she had… already, she had. Instead of killing Ivy, she had sealed her powers. And it was not something that she had never done before…
“Wait… what?” She whispered to herself.
“Did you say something?” Câlin asked.
“I, no, I…” Had she done something like that before? When? Why? How? On His orders? No… It was something she had done on her own.

But other than that, her mind was completely dark. She could not touch them… the memories she did not doubt she had inside her.
“Are you sure you are okay?” Câlin asked. The girl was standing between the wet leaves, hiding in the darkness she had created.
“Yes… I am fine. Do not worry about it.” She said, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible.
“Right.” Of course, Câlin did not believe her. But she didn’t seem to care enough to continue.

“She needs you.” Câlin announced after a couple of minutes had passed. Of course, Câlin meant the other. And indeed a few moments later the other appeared in front of them. “We have a job to do.” She announced, and Rain realized it was time for her to go. She told Câlin to stay where she was. Câlin sat down and nodded. Rain trusted the girl; she would not go anywhere.

She trotted after the other into the darkness of the valley before them. Her clouds were still doing their job perfectly. “What do we have to do?” She asked, her heart beating faster. The other did not reply. Had someone left the castle once again? Would she be forced to kill now? It was most likely. The other could detect ponies much faster than she could, and she still did not feel anything.

They were indeed heading for the castle. She saw it, no, she sensed it. The force field that was surrounding it… It was pathetically weak. She was surprised the other had actually been able to attack it without breaking it. As they advanced, she began to sense it, too. The flow of powers… Hidden, and weak, definitely, but they were there.
“Who is this?” She asked. She didn’t recognize the pony. She didn’t feel like anyone from the castle. Those powers were too weak to be from the queen or any of her daughters, and still it was too strong to be from, say, someone from a steward family.
“Someone from the royal family… But she has not been here before. I do not know her. She is not a princess.”

“So what do we do now? Do we attack her?”
“Yes. But let’s wait a few moments. Let’s see if they let her in. If they don’t, we’ll get her. And if they do…”
“What then?” asked Rain.
“If they do let her in… It is time to show them they are not safe even inside their little force field. We’ll show them… there is nothing they can do against our Master.”