Generations-Chapter 14
Generations-Chapter 14Sweetsong and Waterfire stayed with the Sparkle Ponies for nearly a week. This breed of pony was extremely efficient and resourceful in their use of the land. They wasted nothing, and were overly cautious that they did no harm to the precious oasis ecosystem in which they lived. Sweetsong had always thought of herself as being quite environmentally conscious, but she was truly impressed with these ponies' dedication.
The two had explored every corner of the oasis, and they were amazed at the flora and fauna the island in the sea of sand held. It was incredibly diverse for such a small area, and each part of the oasis had its own little selection of plant and animal life. The ponies were very eager to show them around; even Starbeam warmed up to them after a few days and took them to another pond which was used for swimming and other amusement.
But after about a week, both Sweetsong and Waterfire were ready to leave. They had enjoyed their mini-vacation, but Sweetsong especially was anxious to get back to Dream Valley. She'd been away from home for over two months! When she explained this to Desert Rose, she seemed a little disappointed, but understanding. The two had become fairly close in their short time knowing each other, and Desert Rose wasn't ready to part with her yet.
That said, Sweetsong once again invited her and all of the Sparkle Ponies to the valley. She received the answer and explanation that she'd expected: that Sparkle Ponies just don't travel that much, but thank you anyway. But Sweetsong still couldn't help but feel disappointed; there was something suspicious about the way everyone refused to travel. They couldn't all be that much of a home-body...were they afraid of something? And if so, what?
Sweetsong pondered the question as she packed her small bag the night before leaving. Waterfire walked into her room, having finished packing his own bag. He accidentally nudged her bag, and a book fell out. He picked it up; it was the diary.
"We haven't read anything about Twilight and Barnacle for awhile," he mused as he flipped though the pages. "Seems there's only one entry left."
"Will you read it to me?" Sweetsong felt badly that she'd forgotten about Twilight, and wondered how her old friend was doing. Besides, it would take her mind off the other things.
"Sure," Waterfire nestled into the rocking chair. "Dear Diary..."
Barnacle threw the door open at Twilight's house. She'd just been writing in her diary, and his loud entrance startled her. For a moment, she was irritated and furrowed her brows, but as soon as she saw his face, she knew something big had happened. He was pacing and seemed angry and upset at the same time.
"What's wrong?" she asked gently. He said nothing and clenched his teeth. It almost looked like he might cry from anger and frustration, but he choked it back.
"Twilight, we have to get out of here," he said firmly.
"Why? What happened?"
He sighed, wondering where to start. "I spoke to my mother. It seems I have an arranged marriage that no one ever bothered to tell me about, and she's forcing me to honor it." He nodded to himself. He didn't want Twilight to know that it was specifically her that his mother opposed. Then she would just blame herself, and might call off the engagement herself. It was best to just keep it simple; he didn't want to repeat the nasty things Majesty had said, nor even think about them.
Twilight was shocked, but regained her composure quickly. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to leave...with you."
"And how do you think your mother is going to react to that?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"She'll probably disown me," he answered flatly. He gritted his teeth again and looked away.
"Barnacle, I can't let you do that. Give up your birthright; your chance to be King..."
"Twilight, it's my decision. Being King is not the path for my life; I've never desired it anyway. You are my life. I asked you to marry me for better or worse. Just because the worse side happens before the ceremony doesn't make me take back the offer."
Twilight smiled. She loved him dearly, and although she felt guilty for what he was giving up, she didn't want to imagine her life without him either. "Where will we go?"
"Your mother was born in the Snowy Mountains. That's where all So-Softs are from. We'll be accepted there and we can marry legally. Who knows, you may even have some cousins or other relatives still living there."
Twilight considered; her father had told her that her mother was born and raised on the mountain; in fact, that's where they had met. But there was something wrong; something dark and ominous from way back in her memory... She couldn't pinpoint it though, and had no time to dwell on it trying to remember. She put it from her mind and focused on the task at hand. "When do we leave?"
Barnacle took a deep breath; she wasn't going to like this answer, "I have to leave tonight."
"Tonight?" Twilight's eyes grew wide.
"Yes, my mother threw together this arranged wedding for tomorrow to try and force me into it. Fortunately, Sunlight is on our side. I packed a trunk and told him where it was in my room. If you'll pack yours and bring it to the castle, in the library there's a loose floorboard that you can hide it under. Sunlight agreed to ship them to us, so we'll just have to tell him where it is. Then you can join me tomorrow night in the mountains."
Twilight just nodded; it sounded like a good plan, but she had so many things running through her mind, it was difficult to know what to say.
Barnacle put a hoof on her shoulder, "I've got to go. I want to get out of town before anyone realizes I'm missing. My mother has restricted me to the castle grounds," he rolled his eyes. "Sunlight helped sneak me out; he's risking his job for us you know." Twilight just nodded and hung her head. Everything seemed to be happening all at once, and she didn't want him to leave just yet.
He put a hoof under her chin and lifted her head. He gave her a long kiss and held her tightly for a moment. He backed away and caressed her cheek. 'I love you,' he mouthed, and then he was gone.
Twilight turned around slowly and walked upstairs in a daze to pack her truck. If they were having the ceremony there, she would need her wedding dress and the tiara. She put in her portrait from Starflower, and the little pencil drawing she'd made of Barnacle. She also made sure to bring the picture of her parents that sat on her bedside table. She smiled to herself as she looked at it.
She included some other odds and ends, and some papers she thought she might need. She sighed heavily. She'd packed for vacations before, but this was entirely different. She was leaving for the rest of her life, and it was hard to know what she would need. She stayed up until the wee hours of the morning trying to make sure she didn't forget anything, but even after she finished she couldn't sleep because she was so nervous.
She wrote an entry in her diary about the events of the evening, and it made her feel a little bit better by helping to put things in perspective. She put it in the trunk as well: she was sure she'd need a diary as a married woman! As she did so, she thought of another book and ran into the other room to grab her Rosetta. This was the only published copy, and she'd need it if she was to have more copies made.
She sighed as she mentally double checked everything she had packed, and drew the curtains. It was almost dawn, but it was very cloudy, keeping the sky darker longer and giving her a little extra time. If she was going to be sneaking around the castle, she'd better do it in the cover of darkness before anyone else woke up. She harnessed herself to the trunk and pulled it out the front door. She took one last look at her house before trotting down the street.
She made her way into the castle and into the library through the back way. She found the loose floorboard, and dropped the truck into the shallow space below the floor. She cringed at the noise, but no one stirred. She breathed a sigh of relief and snuck back out, this time going by the main gate. Sunlight was waiting for her. They said nothing, but just gave each other a long hug.
"Barnacle told you where the trunk is hidden, right?" Twilight asked, meaning her own trunk in the library. Sunlight just nodded, thinking she meant Barnacle's trunk in his room.
"Good luck," was all he said and gave her another short, encouraging hug. She nodded, and took off flying toward the north.