The breach

Ruki did not know what to say or do. The breach looked nothing like the huge gap she remembered from her previous passing. Back to the south, when she had crossed the main bridge, she had been overwhelmed by the width and depth of the breach. She had not been able to see the bottom, and she had been overcome with fear when she crossed it. The orange sand that covered the earth on the east… she had found it so weird back then.

Yes, she had been overcome by the greatness of the place, the magnificence of the large bridge… but this, this was something completely different. So far north of the main bridge, the breach was a lot slimmer than it was down there. It was maybe two hundred meters wide, at least not even half of what it was down there. And the bridge did not look and feel as secure as the official one. In fact, it was quite visible that it had not been maintained at all and that time had played with it. Its ropes were of a different kind than the huge ones used down south, and a lot less strong and, Ruki was sure, a lot smaller.

The wood used for the bridge looked half rotten, and Ruki felt scared to cross it. What would happen if the wood would not hold? It didn’t seem so far fetched. Yet she realized she had not for one second wondered if that would happen when she crossed the other bridge. Instinctively, she looked down. There was nothing… it was still so deep; she could not see the bottom. Was there even anything there?

“Did anyone ever go down?” She asked Takato, who was trying to get a fire going but failed miserably. It was no use in the deep snow. They had arrived the previous evening, and he was trying to prepare breakfast.
He laughed. “Down there? I’m sure ponies tried, once. And I’m sure one day, some of them even fell down, too. But I don’t think any of them ever came back. There’s… nothing there, Ruki. Nothing at all.”

Ivy could not believe her eyes when she saw the sun was actually shining. They had been forced to wait a week. The morning after they arrived at the breach she had woken up only to see nothing but sand out of her window. It was one of the sandstorms, the guards who had taken shelter inside the inn, informed her. There was no way they could cross the bridge now. And nobody could tell them how long it would last.

But now, seven very, very boring days later, the sandstorm had disappeared as sudden as it had come. Without waking Taira, Ivy rushed out of their room on the second floor downstairs. The entire road was covered with sand and dust and, she noticed, so was the inn and the guard’s post. She feared what the storm had done to the bridge, but she soon noticed it had not even touched the bridge. Not one bit of sand was covering the bridge. She smiled. This bridge was truly blessed by something magical.

“Well, I think I can let you and your friend pass today.” One of the guards said. He had just come out of his little house. Obviously he had been up way earlier than her, which made her wonder what time it is.
“Thank you.” Ivy smiled. The guard had approved of their passing days ago, while all of them were waiting for the storm to pass. There were a few more travellers in the inn now, who had arrived in the middle of the storm. Would they cross the bridge together? Ivy didn’t know. The guards would probably know what the safest way was.

Well, it was no use just standing there, Ivy realized. She had to wake her sister. Today would finally be the day… she felt the energy rise inside herself. Today she would finally leave this sad place. No matter how she resisted it, the feeling that she should not be so close to the breach had remained steadily inside her. Yet now, today, she could finally cross this bridge and be over with it.

When she opened the door of their bedroom once again, she noticed Taira was already up and had packed all of her things. Ivy realized she had yet to do so; she had rushed downstairs immediately to confirm the storm was really gone. She blushed as she hastily began to pack her own belongings. “The guard said we could cross today.” She told her oldest sister.
“That’s good to hear. I already figured, but it’s still good to hear. I can’t believe I can show you the west today, Ivy. I’m curious if you like it.”
“Me too. I’m excited to go there, after being stuck here for so long. I’m really curious… what it will be like.”

“So, you’re sure this is safe, right?” Ruki asked, while staring at the bridge. She had just eaten two slices of bread, but that did not stop her from feeling faint. She did not like the way the bridge looked at all.
“Yes, I’m sure. I crossed it when I was coming here. It may not look like much, and sure, it’s been neglected for a long time, but it was build safely. It will hold. Yet I still think we should cross one at the time. I will go first, so you can see it is safe.” Takato replied.
 The idea of crossing the bridge all on her own didn’t appeal to Ruki, either, but she did admit it was the better choice.

“Sure.” She answered.
Takato had packed his bags, she had not even touched hers. They were still surrounded by snow, but she had to admit it had faded a bit the last few days. Spring was well on its way. She hoped that the snow would disappear soon, and Takato had promised her they would go to the south a little bit after they had crossed the breach. She’d be glad to be out of this snow, anyhow.

“Right, here I go, then. Watch carefully where I place my hoofs. If there’s a weak point, I’ll let you know. I’m sure you can still hear me when I am on the other side.” Takato said.
 Ruki, her heart beating in her chest by now, could only nod. Takato walked to the edge of the bridge and slowly put his first hoof on the wood of the bridge, which was also still covered with snow. She could hear the wood moaning under his weight, but it held him just fine. Slowly but steadily, while holding the upper rope, Takato advanced over the bridge. To Ruki it seemed to last an eternity before he had finally reached the other side.

“I made it!” He yelled, when he left the bridge.
“It’s perfectly safe, Ruki! You can do it, come on!”
 It was obvious he was trying to encourage her, but Ruki had to admit he wasn’t particularly succeeding. She almost fainted while she walked towards the bridge. Well, it could hold Takato, and he was quite a bit larger, and probably heavier, than her, so she just had to keep telling herself that she would be fine.

The bridge moaned beneath her just as much as it had beneath Takato. She did not feel safe or protected at all. She felt a deep urge to run back to the east, and not cross it at all. It took all of her willpower to keep going. She was, for once, thankful for the snow. She could follow Takato’s hoof steps precisely. She focused on them and tried not to look at the dark void beneath her. She was once again reminded of her previous crossing of the breach, and she simply could not remember this fear, or even the urge to look down.

She tried to resist it. She really did. Yet when she realized she was more than halfway trough, she no longer had the power to. The urge to see what was beneath her simply took over. She just had to see… For herself, what it was down there that kept the west and the east divided. So she held on to the rope and looked down. She didn’t see anything… it was only a dark, empty nothing. But she could feel it… A flow of power that felt so familiar and yet was so strange. She wanted to see it with her own eyes…

And then, it broke. She could hear Takato call her name, but all her energy was focused on holding on while the wooden planks gave way beneath her. With all her power she held on to the rope, desperate not to let go.
“Ruki! Hold on, I’m coming!” Takato yelled.
She did not know if it was such a good idea that he did. Wouldn’t the rest of the bridge give in, too? But he was her only hope. She tried, but she could not get back on the bridge on her own.

Takato had soon reached her.
“Hold on to me. I’ll pull you out.” He said. With one leg she held on to the bridge, and with the other she held on to Takato. She could feel he was using all of his strength to pull her out of the hole that had appeared. Finally, she was able to use her own strength to pull herself on top.
 “Let’s go!” Takato yelled when she was safely on the bridge, and they both ran to the other side, which was, thankfully, close by.

When she was safely on the ground, Ruki dared to look back. There was a giant hole in the bridge, where she had been standing. She had been lucky to have survived. At least four or five planks had given away. But why? Right when she wanted to ask Takato, The rope of the bridge broke, exactly where she had fallen. One by one the four ropes gave way until with a deafening sound the bridge broke in two pieces that both hit their sides of the breach. With the impact some more wood came loose and fell into the darkness, but Ruki never heard it hit the bottom.

“Wow.” Takato said, when all was quiet again. “What happened?”
"I... I don't know. I was... I stopped walking for only a moment, and it just broke, and I fell."
Ruki found it hard to hold back her tears. Not only because she had been so scared, but also because of the small voice inside her that told her that she had brought it down  upon herself by giving in to the urge to look down.

"Well, it doesn't really matter anymore, Ruki. We're here now, and we are safe. We just have to find another way if we ever have to get back. Let's leave this place behind now. We still have quite a way to go."
Ruki smiled gratefully. She was glad they made it, and for the first time she realized she was back in the West.

"Right, ladies. Here are your papers. Kindly hold on to one while you are in the west as it is your identification. Please hand the second one over to the guards on the other side." the guard said while he gave Taira the two pieces of paper. She quickly put them in her bag and thanked the guard. She looked at her younger sister and noticed the poor girl was rather nervous. Well, it couldn't be helped. They had to cross it anyway and this bridge was the safest by far.
"It will be all right, Ivy. Trust me."

They said goodbye to the guards who had kept them company during the sandstorm, and walked to the beginning of the bridge.
"Ready?" She asked, and Ivy nodded nervously. Taira set her hoof on the bridge, and once again she was surprised to notice how the bridge did not move or make a sound. If she hadn't known any better she would have thought the bridge relied on wood instead of rope.

They walked steadily over the bridge, and Ivy followed Taira closely. Slowly but surely the other side became visible before them. It was there all right… the west. Even in a remote place like this, it looked so different from the east. The way the buildings were build, the materials used… She had not told Ivy, or anyone, but one of the things she clearly remembered about the west was it’s wealth. The white marble of the large hotel shone softly in the early sunlight, it’s garden carefully tended to. The moment she set her hoof on western soil, she could feel her royal powers slipping away. Here, she could not use them. She would be just like Ivy here, without powers. The west… they were now in the land where men controlled the powers of the earth.