Decisions of Destiny

“I will never be able to do this!” Ruki cried out.
How could they expect it from her? Why was it important anyway? She was here to learn how to sense powers of the east, not to move fallen trees out of the way!
“Yes, you will. Keep trying, Ruki.” Orihiko said.
She was one of the elder women of the Asano Bond and apparently supervising this part of her training, which so far had only existed of making her body stronger.

It was true; she could feel her body getting stronger. And she had heard the explanation a thousand times now; if her body was strong, she will be able to use more of her psychic powers. However so far, she hadn’t even been aware of those powers. How could she use them?
“You are too impatient, my girl. Do this first. Then comes the next step.” Orihiko said.
Ruki groaned, trying to pull the tree again.

It was hot. Here in the forest it was cooler than outside, but it was still hot, which made the work even harder. But she was determined. She would do it. She would complete the training and not disappoint Takato… She hadn’t seen him in months. He was at the house, sometimes, but usually he was away on errands she was apparently not allowed to know anything about. And when he was here, he avoided her. He acknowledged her, he talked to her formally during dinner, showing interest in her progress, but nothing more. He denied everything that had happened on the mountains when she first started her training.

Ruki had not. She would not. Those memories were too precious to forget. She didn’t share them with anyone, least of all Flora, but she would never forget nor pretend she had forgotten whenever she ran into Takato. She could not. She would… never forget until she was strong enough to be able to remind him of what happened, and force him to acknowledge her as his equal. The others in the Asana Bond may see her as equal, or even look up to her, but Takato… she did not even know what she was to him. But she would not forget. She would hold on, get stronger, help out the bond… And find a way to fight the loneliness that surrounded her like the trees of the forest did.

Twinkle Star took another bucket of water out of Fiume. She was washing her baby girl together with Câlin outside, in the shadow of the trees. It was a hot day and her baby could use a nice and cool bath, and there was nothing as suited for that as the clean, fresh water from Fiume. She could hear the crickets chirping from the field on the other side of the river. It was so peaceful…

“Here you go Câlin. Now be careful. Only wet the towel slightly before you wash her back. Make sure it is not too wet, okay?” She asked her daughter who was sitting next to Meran.
 “Of course, mother. I know.” Twinkle Star watched as Câlin carefully dipped the towel into the bucket and then squeezed the remaining water out of it.

The hot sun shone down on Fiume, making it possible to see the bottom clearly. She could see the fish swing and the water plants grow properly. It was a beautiful day, but one on which she would have to keep her children in the shadows. The sun was too hot for them to be in right now. She even worried about Kiyoi who was off to the village. She hoped he would keep his straw hat on while he was in the sun. She ordered him too but he seemed to think he looked silly. Necessary as it was, she did have to agree with him on that point.

She watched as Câlin was carefully washing young Meran’s soft coat. Meran’s mane had grown rather long already. Would they be like hers, always growing, never stopping? She loved the yellow lock in the front of her daughter’s face. It always seemed to flow differently from the rest of her mane. If her mane were on the right side it insisted on the left side, and vice versa.

“Like this?” Câlin asked. She had helped Twinkle Star with the bathing of Meran before, but she had never done it alone.
“Yes, exactly like this. You’re doing very good, Câlin.” She smiled.
She had the best children in the world, she thought when she heard Meran giggle. Her daughter liked the refreshing water.

She was unwillingly taken back to Chifre’s words when she saw her two happy children. There was something she had to do, five years from now. She would have to meet her family once more and perform a task that they thought would save the world. Well, Chifre seemed to believe it, and Twinkle Star did not doubt it was true, either. She could feel it, somehow… that the fate of the world would be decided that day. And she had a part in it. She would go, she would do it. Whatever it was, how hard it may be, she would go, and she would do it, because she wanted to save the world for the sake of her children.

Ivy aimlessly wandered around in the small corridors of the castle. Of her castle. She could hardly believe that one day, this castle would be hers alone. Once in a distant past that was her future as well. Once ,she was destined to be queen and rule from this castle. Even though that past was long forgotten now, this castle would still be hers and she would perform her duties of steward from here.

She had been unable to say no when her mother told her that this castle would be hers. How could she? All her life she had lived here. She would love to have it to herself one day, maybe even raise her children here… But it was still strange and different somehow. This castle in a few years time would no longer be her mother’s castle. It would no longer be the queen’s castle. It would only be her silly castle from which she as steward ruled. It would still be the place where everyone would go if they had a problem that had to be dealt with, or when a child was born, or when a marriage was being arranged… but no longer because they wanted to see the queen.

Ivy was curious at the plans for the new castle. It was going to be big, she knew, and beautiful. She knew the location, and it was perfect. You could see it from miles away, and from the castle you could oversee the entire area. She wanted to see what it was going to look like, but the designers were still only drawing. She would see it in due time.

In due time… she would go back to Batafurai with Hikary and Taira. Not to visit Fjaril, Sindo and the others, but to see if the Holy Stone of flowers was one of the stones needed. And if it was… they would have to take it, and destroy Batafurai forever. Even if the stone would not get destroyed during the ceremony, even if they could return it, the butterflies and the special flowers and trees will die. It would never be the same again… and Ivy wondered if that was a future she could possibly accept.

She decided to leave the castle corridors and go out, to get the depressing thoughts out of her head. The sun was blinding her when she opened the door. The warmest day they had had so far this summer. Nobody really seemed to do anything. On her way to the gate she noticed Tsuyo laying in the garden under a parasol reading a book. Even she had gotten the afternoon off from her mother.

When she stepped out of the gate which was already open, she noticed it was even warmer in the field, with no option for shelter except for the lonely large tree. Ivy wanted to move towards it, but when she got closer she noticed Taira and Hikary were already sitting under it. She waved at her older sisters, but she decided not to join them. Instead, she went off to the river, to cool herself.

“Where do you think she’s going?” Taira asked. Hikary shrugged.
“The river, I suppose. I’m sure she won’t be the only one there though.”
Considering the heat, more ponies will go to the river in search of refreshment. That was exactly why she had proposed to Taira to not go there but to stay close to the castle, in the shelter of the large tree.
They had a big bottle of cold water with them for refreshment, and they were simply enjoying the summer. It was not weather in which any learning or work could be done. Even their mother had taken the day off, and that was the first time she had done that ever since Hikary had regained her memories.

“Do you think it will be cooler tomorrow?” Hikary asked her sister.
“I don’t know. I hope so. I don’t mind a free day but… it’s making me restless. I want to do something, but it’s simply too hot right now. Can’t you make some rain?” Taira asked.
 Hikary smiled. Yes, once she was able to do that… summon the rain under her command. But that was when she was under Aras’ rule.
“I’m afraid not. I lost that ability the moment Aras was defeated. You are no longer in control of the sunlight either, are you?” Hikary asked.

“I’m afraid so.” Taira sighed deeply. “If I was, I would make the sunlight a little less intense.”
Hikary smiled at her sister while she drank a bit of water.
“I know. It would be nice, but… let’s just enjoy it. Once it is winter again, we will complain that it is too cold.”
As reply, Taira closed her eyes and dozed off, her hat gliding over her eyes. Hikary smiled. Her sister was working so hard… a little time off didn’t hurt her at all. And the shadow of the tree protected them from the worst heat. While her sister slept, she would watch over her. She took another sip of the water.

Taira had to blink a few times when she opened her eyes.
“How long have I been asleep?” She asked her sister, who had not moved from her spot.
“An hour, I think.” Hikary answered.
An hour… Taira got up, her body stiff from the hard ground on which she had slept. “It hasn’t cooled off even a little bit.” She noticed when she was up. She was sweating from that little move.

“I know. But it’s only a few hours past noon yet. It will be a while for the sun to be low enough so that it will actually cool off a bit.” Hikary answered.
Taira smiled. Her sister knew so much… She envied that. Taira liked to think she knew a lot herself, but for some other reason Hikary always had information ready. She always had to look things up.

“By the way, did you receive any new letters yesterday?” She asked, remembering the mail pony.
Hikary shook her head. “No, I’m afraid not. I think the one from Madash will be the only one… for now. I will go there once summer will be kinder to us. I wonder if I will find anything, though.” Hikary sighed.
“I hope so, too.” Taira said.

The stones… for weeks they had waited for any other replies, any signs, they asked every traveller that stopped in their country, but to no avail. Nobody knew anything, nobody had seen anything… But they would not give up. This beautiful world… whatever it was that they had to do to save it, they would do it. And Taira would be at the front, she had decided a while ago.

She would, one day, become queen. But before that, before she would allow herself to follow in her mother’s footsteps and take care of all the things she had so carefully build, Taira would prove herself worthy of being a queen of this beautiful country. She would find her daughter, prove the ponies that they could trust her, prove to her family that she was worth it to be a part of it and most of all, prove herself that she was worthy of the title that was one day waiting for her. She was, after all, the true heir by blood and birth, but she would prove herself to be the true heir by actions and understanding as well.