A guiding star

“And what about Câlin? Is she really Aras' daughter?” Ruki asked while she noticed dawn had come.
The sun was rising, forcing the newly revived stars to sleep. The guardian had not even mentioned them yet, but Ruki knew that their place was different somehow.
“Yes... Câlin, and Meran. You see, us guardians were never capable of having children, not even during the time we spend on this earth as mortals. Our spirits were too bound to the heavens and our bodies were nothing but physical elements that bound us to this earth so our spirits could form a special bond with it.

But both Illuvia and Twinkle Star were different. Half their spirit was made out of a mortal, so their bodies were more than just shells to contain their spirit- they were bound to this earth and therefore capable of reproduction. Now, as you know a child's spirit is a combination of that of it's mother and father. With Illuvia, this meant something curious.

As Aras was a spiritual being, he forced a part of his soul on Illuvia, which connected to the guardian part of her spirit, creating a spiritual child- a guardian spirit not born from Illuvia. And Meran, Twinkle Star's daughter, was created out of love between Twinkle Star and her mortal husband Kiyoi. His soul connected with Twinkle Star's mortal part, and thus she gave birth to a purely mortal child.” Saule explained.

“So Câlin is... a guardian?” Ruki gasped.
She had known Câlin was different- after all, the girl had wings like Twinkle Star had, but she had not thought Câlin was a guardian.
“She is, and she is not. She is not a child of our Mother. Her existence was never intended by Vitalia. So she is not a pure guardian- and it is not a natural assumption that she can return here after her mortal body perishes. Our mother has ordered us to ignore her existence, claiming she would deal with her when the time comes. So we will not interfere.”

Ruki was not in the least surprised that Saule knew all this- she was a guardian. The first of her kind. But there was one thing she did not understand.
“You said Vitalia was very far away now. How could she have told you? How could she have seen all this?” Saule stared at her, and for a moment Ruki felt Saule saw right through her.

“A very good question, Princess Ruki. While we were confined to the heavens, our link with our Mother was strong. And yet through our stones, we were able to see the world here, and sometimes even communicate. I am sure you remember our conversation in the shrine. As Fiume here was linked to the river which flowed through her stone, she could see and communicate with everyone who stepped into the river.

Twinkle Star and Câlin lived close to the river. They played in it- washed in it- bathed in it. Fiume learned all this through her stone and she was able to communicate this to our mother. That is how Vitalia knew. But now that we are back here... I am afraid we are as unable to communicate with her as you are, Ruki.” Saule was genuinely sad of this, Ruki noticed. Their mother was more to them than just the one who created them- Vitalia was a part of them, and they were connected in a way Ruki was sure she would never understand.

“One last question...” Taira began. “You mentioned... You said, the last winged one would have to summon you. Did you indeed mean Twinkle Star? What about Câlin?”
Ruki was glad her mother asked that question. She had wanted to know herself, but a part of her never wanted to know the answer.
“Yes... we meant Twinkle Star.” Saule said after a moment of silence, making Ruki doubt the truth of her words. “We meant our sister. Twinkle Star died because her spirit was only half that of a guardian. It simply gave in.”

“But you just said Câlin was a guardian. Would she not have been able to do it?” Taira asked.
“She would have, I think. Created by our mother or not, Câlin is a true spiritual being, unlike Twinkle Star or Illuvia. I think it is even safe to say that she probably would have lived. But Twinkle Star... there is no way she would have risked her child. She probably did not know this would take her life, but her soul warned her of the dangers. She would not let Câlin have taken the risk, even if she knew it would claim her life and not Câlins. Of that, I am certain.”

Ruki could not disagree with the Guardian. She had seen Twinkle Star around her children... she would never let them take such a risk. She'd rather die herself than to risk her child. That was just the kind of person she was... and the kind of person she would never be again, no matter what would happen.

“Do you have any more questions? If not, my sisters and me would like to go do our jobs. There is much we need to do still.” Saule said.
“Yes, no... of course. Go ahead. Will you come back?” Taira asked.
“We will come back. You are after all, the heirs to the High Throne. Our place in this world is next to you. And if you have any need to talk to us, just use our stones. They should do for communication.”

Saule spread her wings and gracefully lifted herself into the sky. The other four soon followed, but it did not escape Ruki's attention that Fiume stared at Twinkle Star's body for a bit longer. Well, if Saule's story was true, of all the guardians Fiume knew Twinkle Star best, and she knew what it was she had left behind. Had she grown used to Twinkle Star's presence while her spirit flowed through the river? Maybe she had... maybe it had been a comfort for her, knowing Twinkle Star was here, knowing that one day Twinkle Star might summon her back to this world to which she tried to hold on to so desperately.

When the guardians had disappeared out of sight, the world suddenly felt so very dull. The daylight star was still there, even when the sun was shining. It was not as bright as it had been before- but it was still the Daylight Star, shining so bright not even the sun itself could force it's light out of the heavens.

The stones still glowed but not as radiant as they had before, only shining like a lantern in daylight- a beacon for something much brighter. Everything was turning to normal again... Even though so much had changed and the word normal had been completely redefined. Even the green grass and the grey stones felt different, somehow, as if every single thing in the world had it's own soul for a moment.

“We should bring her inside.” Taira said, breaking the silence.
“We can't leave her hear out in the grass. She deserves a place in the castle, where everyone can pay their respect to the woman who saved us all, before she gets buried.” Regina, crying once again, nodded slightly.
“She deserves the most magnificent grave in the entire kingdom. We will create a shrine just for her where she can rest eternally, close to the castle, so that no one who visits us can forget what she did.”

“A shrine might be a good idea.” Taira agreed. “But she will not be buried here.”
“Excuse me?” Regina said, astonished.
“Mother... Twinkle Star has a family. She was so anxious to get back to them. And they are waiting for her. She belongs with them... the highest honour you can do is to bury her where she is close to her children.”

“No.” Regina said. Ruki was amazed- she had never seen her mother and Regina disagree before. “She is my daughter. I will not have her be buried in a place I can not visit.”
“She is your daughter.” Taira agreed. “But she is Câlin and Meran's mother. I will bring her back to them. We owe them that, mother.”

“Taira, no...”
“And that's FINAL, mother! I will bring her back to where she belongs!” Taira said firmly.
Nobody dared to disagree with her. Regina stared at her eldest daughter for a few moments before she conceded.
“Okay. You're right. But please... let her be here a few days so I can say goodbye... and anyone else who wants to.”

“Of course.” Taira agreed.
“And we will make that shrine you mentioned. It's a good idea. No one should ever forget what Twinkle Star has done for us- all the things she gave up so that we might live. We will forever honour her, even if her body returns to her family.” Taira stepped forward, and bowed slightly before Twinkle Star.

“We should find a few strong ponies to move her inside.” Taira said.
“I'll do it. If someone helps.” Ruki's father offered.
As Fjaril trotted off to find more strong ponies, Ruki suddenly overwhelmed by everything that had happened. Now that the worst was over, everything that had happened suddenly caught up with her.

She got up and walked away from the circle and her family and wandered towards the edge of the forest. She didn't want to see the body any more. She didn't want to talk to her family and her parents- she just wanted everything to go far away. The sun had climbed over the mountain now, brightening up the day that felt so very dark.

“Ruki... are you okay? I mean, of course you're not, no one is, but...” Yuuro's voice came to her while she was hoping to be alone, but somehow she didn't mind that he was here. She could deal with him. But only him, and no one else, like he somehow had become a part of her she could endure even if there was no one else in the world she wanted to see.

“Everything has changed now... hasn't it?” Ruki asked.
“I... yes, yes it has. I think.”
“The Guardians... I am happy we managed to summon them. I really am- we had to. The world would have died if we hadn't. If Twinkle Star hadn't made her sacrifice- we would have all died anyway. But the world we wanted to save and the world we received... I can't help but wonder if they are the same.”

“Why wouldn't they be? It's still the same world, isn't it? You're still here, and so am I. The sun is shining. Tonight it will step aside so we can see the stars shine brightly again. Things are back to normal.” Yuuro said.
“It's not the same. The guardians... they are here now. They won't go back to the Heavens. They might be spiritual beings, but their role is here on this earth.

And they ally themselves with us. They see us still as the queens our ancestors once were. But we're not what they want us to be, are we? We are the royal family of the Friendship Lands... not of the entire world. There's no way we can do that. There's no way I...”
“There's no way you'll have to do it alone. I'll be here for you. If you want me to.” Yuuro interrupted her.

For a few moments, Ruki didn't know what he was talking about. Why would he be there for her? Sure, he was her friend, but...
“Do you mean... you are...” Ruki gasped, not really knowing why she was so surprised and shocked about something she had known for a while. Of course she had known- it had always been so obvious. So why did her heart beat so loud now?

“I love you, Ruki. I have loved you for a very, very long time. I want to be there for you. No matter what it is you're about to face- I want to be there by your side and support you. I want to be the one you turn to when the burden becomes too much to bear. I want to be there to cheer you on when things go as planned. Please, Ruki, will you marry me?”

Ruki lost her voice for a moment. Marry him? She had never even thought about marriage. Her parents weren't even married officially. And Yuuro... yes, she enjoyed being with him. No, it was more. She loved being with him, no matter how she felt. He made her feel secure and safe, in a way she had never felt around anyone- not even her father.

I met Câlin. I came back here, and I got married. I got Meran. There is absolutely no reason left for me to wander around... I found my place, and it's right here with them. Twinkle Star's words came back to her like a wave crashing on the shore. Yes, that was what Twinkle Star had said. She had found her place in the world... with her family. Once she had been lost like her, but then she had found Kiyoi and found her place.

Looking at Yuuro, Ruki wondered if that would work for her as well. Was her place next to Yuuro? Was she like Twinkle Star, ans was her fate the same? No more reasons to wander around, lost and searching for a place she might never find... because her eyes were closed to the obvious answer that was next to her all the time.

“I would love to, Yuuro.” She whispered while she got lost in his deep eyes.
The kiss they shared was so different from the kisses she had once had with Takato- it was so safe, so secure... and she knew that no matter what burdens lay ahead, at least she would never be forced to face them alone now.