The spirit of Fiume

Something had changed. The moment Twinkle Star opened her eyes, she knew something had changed. Everything around her was still dark, and Kiyoi was sleeping softly, his rhythmic breathing being the only sound she heard. Was something wrong with her daughters? Twinkle Star slowly got out of bed, trying not to wake her husband. She walked out their bedroom and to their daughters’ bedrooms, but she found both of them sleeping softly. Nothing was wrong here… and still she was absolutely sure there was something different.

Realizing she wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep, Twinkle Star decided to drink some milk downstairs. When she had her cup filled she sat down on the couch, still haunted by the feeling that something had changed. She listened to the soft sound of the river flowing, looking around her house so see if anything here had changed then. No, it all looked the same, it sounded the… The river.

Twinkle Star jumped up, almost spilling her milk all over her house, an act that would make her youngest daughter proud. She had never, ever heard Fiume before. The river always flowed quietly. She had never given that much thought, but now that she actually heard it, she realized how weird it was. Twinkle Star quickly put her cup away and opened the door of her house.

Outside, the sound was a lot stronger. The river was flowing with a strength she had not heard before. What had happened? What had changed? She rushed over the square to the river. When she reached it, the river seemed to flow faster indeed, but that was not all that had changed. How she could see it in the dark starlight Twinkle Star could not tell, but the river was no longer as pure as it has always been.

Slowly, quietly, Twinkle Star put her hoof in the water. The sheer force of the river amazed her. So long had she been used to the soft touch of the water that never seemed to exert any strength on her or her family, that she was completely shocked to feel its pressure on her hoof now. Even her three year old daughter had been able to play in this water without her being afraid of her being swept off her hoofs.

“Fiume?” She thought, hoping the river would answer as it had once done. But instead, only silence greeted her, and Twinkle Star became painfully aware that there was nothing there. It had not responded to her calls the past few years, but she had, somehow, always been aware that the river had something, a spirit, something that could answer her, like she could see it standing in front of her but it chose not to reply. But now, that sensation was completely gone.

“It’s not going to answer, you know.” Twinkle Star looked up, not completely surprised that her daughter was standing there. If Twinkle Star had noticed the change, so would Câlin have.
“Câlin… so you noticed, as well.”
“Of course. The river’s spirit… wherever it went, it’s no longer here.” Her daughter confirmed.
“But where then did it go?” Twinkle Star thought out loud.
“I don’t know.” Câlin answered. “But I wonder what it will mean for the flowers, and the forest… they have grown to depend on the clear water, that much is for sure. I do think… our next spring will not be as beautiful as we have grown accustomed to.”

Twinkle Star looked at the river rumbling.
“It might be not your destiny… But that doesn’t mean you should run away from it.”  The words the river had once spoken to her… Surely, she would never hear them again.
“You better stay away from the river now, Câlin… and make sure your sister does, too. I’m afraid the river is no longer safe for you two to play in.” Twinkle Star said to her daughter, remembering all the fun times they had.

“I was afraid of that.” Câlin said, regret shining in her voice.
“Well…” Twinkle Star said, “Let’s go inside now, Câlin. It’s still night time, and you need to get some sleep. You have school again tomorrow, after all.”
“I don’t know if I will be able to sleep.” Câlin admitted. Twinkle Star smiled at her young girl. “
Sure you will, my dear. I will tuck you in, and I’m close by as always.”

Câlin smiled slightly as they walked back to the house. Twinkle Star wasn’t even sure if she was being able to sleep. So many questions ran through her head she barely knew where to start. What had happened to the river? Why had it changed? Where had its spirit gone? Would it ever return to how it was? What would it mean for them, and for the forest? So many questions… and once more, no answers.

The village appeared before them as a blessing given to them by the Guardians themselves. Days they had travelled, first down the mountain, then through the plains. Climbing down the mountains had taken a lot more time than Hikary had ever suspected. The ground had gotten slippery and they were of course no longer able to cross the water, so they had to find a new place to climb down. And the noise the waterfall was making was also not enlightening their spirits.

When, after two nights, they had finally reached the ground, they were on the other side of the river. With no means of crossing now that the water had become just that, normal water, they  decided to just stay on this side of the river and when they got back to the village, they would cross the bridge there. Ivy especially had been a fan of this plan. She had been severely shocked at what had happened at the top of the mountain.

Truth be told, Hikary had not seen it coming. Yes, she had been aware that the special powers the river seemed to have most likely originated from the stone. But she had not thought that those would disappear the instant she took the stone out of the water. In retrospect, it was foolish of her not to consider the possibility. She had been too caught up in her fear that it would not be there, or that they would not be able to reach it, and later in her excitement that they had found it, to make sure both she and Ivy were at a safe place.

Thankfully, Ivy did not get hurt, and nothing worse had happened. The river was just an ordinary river now. She could see it everywhere; the water no longer flowed silently and peacefully but it hit the ground with full force. She could no longer see through the clear water, it had become muddy because all the stuff that had been on the bottom of the river for so long without the water affecting it was now being swept away.

The stone rested in her bag, covered in her blanket. Unlike their first stone, it had not spoken to her. Whether it was unable to or just not willing to, Hikary did not know, but the stone was silent. It still shone with a bright blue light, like it had done when they had found it, which was the main reason the stone was covered in her blanket now. Somehow, Hikary was not afraid the stone might get damaged. It had endured so much for so long, and it still wasn’t even scratched.

“I guess we will make it before nightfall after all.” Hikary said, and Ivy looked relieved.
“A real bed… You have no idea how I’ve longed for that. And fresh food!” Her younger sister exclaimed.
“Yes… that will be nice.” Hikary agreed with her younger sister, and together, they picked up the pace a bit more.

Evening was approaching the moment they set their hooves on the trade route. It was quiet, only a few lonely travellers were still walking, and the only sound Hikary heard was the flow of the water. On the bridge near one of the fences, Hikary saw a big pile of flowers, and an older female pony that passed them looked away, sadness in her eyes.
“What happened here?” Ivy whispered.

“I don’t know. I guess we’ll figure it out once we reach the town.” Hikary said while walking on.
When they entered the town, it seemed quieter than the last time they were there. While last time they could hardly move through the crowd, there was now enough space on the streets, and the few ponies that walked around seemed lost, as if they were not even sure why they were there.
“Let’s go to the vegetables shop.” Hikary suggested.

They walked through the alleys to the vegetables shop, where they found the one of the ponies they had stayed with before they had left. She was busy closing the shop.
“Good evening.” Hikary said.
“Oh, good evening, miss Hikary!” the female pony named Mari said, looking up. She seemed obviously relieved to see Hikary and Ivy again.
“I take it your journey has been successful?” she asked.
“It has been. Ivy and I would like to make use of your hospitality once more, if it is not too much trouble.”

“Oh my lady, of course it is not too much trouble! The guest room has been prepared for your return! Please, enter. It is an honour to have you in our house.”
Hikary smiled, not knowing how to react to such politeness.
“Thank you.” She muttered, and she followed the ponies into the house.
They had not told them where they had been or what their purpose was, so Hikary could safely ask “What happened to the river? It seems… different somehow.”

Ivy glanced at Hikary, but stayed quiet.
“Oh, my lady, so you noticed too… A few days ago, we heard it… we all did. We never really paid attention to the river’s lack of sound, until we were confronted with the opposite. The river, it just… started to flow harder, became noisier, and the pure water just dissolved into the muddy water that flows through it now. Our village… always thrived on the pure water from that river. We traded it, for ponies from far away places valued the pure water, and ponies on the trade route rested especially here because of it and we were able to get so many things we needed because of that water. All of that… is now gone. And we don’t know why, or if it will ever return.”

Hikary had known this, but somehow, she had not realized that this would mean that these ponies here would lose their source of trade. But now that she did, it hit her with full force. By taking the stone away, she had caused this village to lose its only source of trade. They had nothing else. These wastelands grew no fruits or vegetables, nor had any of the ponies here developed a special skill apart from keeping an inn, because of this water. And it was not only this village… There were other ponies, villages even maybe, depending on this river. What would happen to them?

“Mari, what did those flowers mean? On the bridge?” Ivy asked. Mari’s face grew grim.
“When the water changed… a little girl was playing in the water. Her parents had not paid any special attention, for why should they? The water had never harmed anyone. But the new force took the girl off guard, and she was swept away. She was… not able to fight back. They found her, a kilometre away from here. She drowned.”

Hikary heard Ivy gasp, but she herself had not been able to utter a sound. A little girl had died… because of the stone.
“Horrible, isn’t it?” Mari said, while putting a cover on the vegetables. “Many see it as a bad omen. They think we’re going to be punished, they think we should leave this village. The parents of that girl… She was buried this morning, you know. Those parents are thinking of leaving. They have a baby boy… they want to raise him somewhere else, not next to the river that killed his sister.”

“That’s… terrible.” Ivy whispered, looking down, trying to hide her tears.
 “Yes, it is. The poor girl… she was only six years old.” Mari sighed.
“I will have to throw some things away. Do you mind waiting inside?” she asked.
“No… of course not.”
Mari smiled and left the store, while Ivy and Hikary moved to the living room without speaking a word. They sat down, putting their bags carefully on the floor.

“We… we killed her.” Ivy whispered. Hikary looked up.
“No… no, Ivy, we did not. It is not our fault. It is horrible that it has happened, but it was not our fault. We did not know this…”
“We KILLED her!” Ivy yelled, interrupting Hikary.
“The girl DIED because we took the stone! Are you going to deny that?”
“No, Ivy, but…”
“It’s our fault! She died, she died, she…” Ivy could not speak anymore. Tears drowned her face while her voice was locked inside, only able to gasp and cry. All Hikary could do was hold her sister.