A harsh light permeated Flowing Wind's eyelids, awakening him and prompting him to shield his face from the sunlight. Yawning, he sat up in his bed and stretched. He had slept very soundly and now felt rested and alert. Strangely, he recalled dreaming of a large clocktower built with an old style of architecture. He could remember nothing else. He noticed Crystal's absence and smiled knowingly. She had probably allowed him to sleep in and taken on the morning chores herself, bless her.
Unfortunately, his peaceful thoughts were shattered upon his remembrance of the previous night's events.
Snapped awake by the revelation, he rolled onto the floor, attempting to disentangle him from his bedsheets. He failed to do so and fell face first onto the wooden floorboards.
"Owww..." he groaned, sitting up and rubbing his throbbing nose. "I suppose that's one way to wake up in the morning..."
Ugh...you can say that again.
His spine stiffened.
~~~~~~~~~~^~~~~~~~~~~
Crystal Star's hooves trotted back and forth across the kitchen floor as she prepared breakfast. Her filly, Sugar Fields, had yet to wake up. Although Crystal hummed and whistled a tune as she worked, an air of worry permeated the room. Crystal couldn't help worrying about the state of her husband. However, she had since calmed down from the previous night's events and-
"AAHHH!!"
Wind came barreling out of the kitchen hallway, a wild look in his eyes. Upon slamming into the far wall with a thunderous crash, he slid to the floor, groaning.
"W-Wind?!" Crystal exclaimed, rushing to his side
"Owwww..." He slowly got to his hooves, leaning back and forth unsteadily. Unconvincingly, he said "I-I'm fine...sorry for startling you..." He grinned crookedly, squinting his eyes. "M-morning, honey."
She blinked. "...Good morning. I...uh...take it you didn't sleep well?"
He winced, sitting down at the breakfast table. "No such luck. I just had a, um, bad dream. Just now."
"I...alright. I'll finish cooking breakfast, then. You're okay, right?"
He smiled just a little too wide. "Everything's fine."
Crystal awkwardly turned her attention back to the meal. Once she turned her back on him, Wind dropped his smile and let out a sigh of relief.
Thank the stars... he thought to himself. I don't like lying to her, but it's not exactly an easy situation to explain.
You can say that again. When are we going to get going?
He made a quiet squealing noise in the back of his throat.
...hello...?
Mornin'.
He began to grind his teeth together. ...G-good morning. Are...are you my conscience? Please tell me you're my conscience.
That's right, your conscience is speaking to you. How are you? it replied in a sarcastic tone.
Rolling his eyes, he shifted in his seat and took a deep breath to calm himself. Mild p-panic attack.
We haven't even departed yet. You need to get ahold of yourself.
Still slightly jumpy, he warily glanced about the room. Are you who I think you are?
Depends on who you think I am.
"Wind?"
Flowing Wind was jolted out of his conversation by Crystal's voice. He gulped. "Y-yes?"
She sat down at the table, her eyes pointed towards the floor. Taking a deep breath, she replied.
"T-the Oracle brought you back early this morning. She couldn't tell me everything, she said...but she told me enough. She said that you'd be going away for a while...and that...you might not be coming back..."
Wind blinked, still processing what Crystal was telling him. "I...Crystal, of course I'll come back. I could never abandon you. I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you myself..."
"N-no," she replied, sniffing. "This way was probably the easiest for me."
He leaned forwards, resting his hoof on Crystal's shoulder. He silently thanked the voice for giving him a moment alone.
"Crystal, slow down. I want to talk to you about it first. I have to let Sugar know. I can't...I mean, I can't just leave you."
She gazed into his eyes, smiling sadly. "No. You have to go now. The Oracle told me that you only have three days...and that any amount of time spent away from the mission is a waste."
"Crystal..."
They sat in awkward silence for a few moments, listening to the sound of the wind. It rustled and flowed past their little cottage, flying off to distant lands. The two farmponies looked up into each other's eyes and came to an understanding without words.
"She said that you should hurry."
"Y-Yeah." He smiled. "I guess I shouldn't keep the world waiting any longer."
She nodded. The two got up and walked to the door of the cottage. He had failed to notice that his old saddlebags, empty the night before, had been filled to the brim. As he swung them over his shoulders, he had no doubt that they contained packaged food, tools, and other items essential for travel. He turned back to his wife, regret in his eyes.
"And Sugar...?"
"I'll talk to her when she wakes up."
"...thank you."
As he opened the door, a rush of cold air hit him. He turned back to Crystal one last time, and seeing that there was nothing left to be said, he left his cottage and stepped out into the flowing wind.