One entire week had passed since the fiends assaulted Canterlot. One whole week since Princess Celestia died in battle against Luminous Horizon. One week since Luna had dimmed the sun to no more than the last traces of sunset, letting it’s dull glow tell all of Equestria the horrible truth. One week since Moonrise Drifter had been informed of her birth mother’s death and isolated herself away from everypony else. One week since Twilight and her friends were told, Twilight's cries, sobs and sorrowful screams being heard all throughout Canterlot.
Now, Twilight Sparkle, Moonrise Drifter, and Princess Luna all stood in front of Celestia’s grave, marked by a tall, ornately carved stone in the heart of Canterlot. For now, the stone held her name, the years she had lived, her titles and an etching of her cutie mark. Luna had ordered with no room for argument that Celestia’s memory would be honored far better than this. Some of the finest sculptors in all the known world had been contracted to carve a statue of Celestia to place here.
The sun was presently rising, Luna’s face twisting slightly with strain as she brought the substantially larger celestial body into it’s position while also lowering the moon below the horizon. When it was done, she dropped the spell and let out a breath.
“Has there been any sign of Horizon or his fiends…?” Drifter asked coldly, almost no emotion in her voice. Her eyes were glued to the symbol of Celestia’s cutie mark.
“I’m afraid not, Drifter… None of the scouts or patrols have seen anything, nor any of the towns or settlements across Equestria that we got in touch with.” Luna replied with a sigh. “But I know Horizon well enough to know that this is only a temporary reprieve. We aren’t done yet; not even close.”
“Of course we aren’t...” Drifter muttered quietly. Twilight looked at the two of them sadly, giving Drifter especially a quick examination. Her wounds were mostly healed; she should at least be able to fly without problems now, and her claws were steadily regrowing; on the hoof that still had them, at least. The others would take a lot longer to heal, as they needed to regrow completely from scratch.
Twilight looked back at Celestia’s grave and felt a tear slide down her cheek. “I… I still can’t believe it…”
“Nor I, Twilight Sparkle. Nor the rest of Equestria…” Luna sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. “We’ve done as much mourning as we can afford for now, though. Horizon is still out there. I have no doubts that he’ll be coming back to the forefront sooner rather than later.”
“So what’s your plan?” Drifter asked, looking between the two of them.
“I need to get back to Ponyville... “ Twilight started, smiling faintly at the fond idea of going home. “I’m going to need to make sure it’s extra defendable, make sure it has a guard post and training stations for getting recruits and ponies ready to defend themselves.”
“Indeed. Canterlot suffered much damage during the attack, so for now, my efforts shall be directed towards repairing that damage and plugging any gaps in security that fiends could exploit.” Luna added with a frown. “I also have to assume my sisters responsibilities over the sun…”
They all fell silent for a few moments. Finally, Drifter sighed and turned away from the grave with a slow trot.
“Where are you going, Drifter?” Twilight asked curiously, shifting to look at the back of Drifter's head.
“I have my own responsibilities to attend to… for one thing, I need to help Palmwood and Wonderboom find their mother… and failing that, I’ll take care of them.” Drifter shivered with subtle anger and grief, though she composed herself rather quickly. “And once that’s taken care of… I’m going to find Horizon. When I do, I’ll let you know. We’ll tear him apart for everything he stole from us.”
“Are you sure? We could really use your knowledge on the fiends, now more than ever.” Twilight asked gently, trotting to Drifter’s side.
“I’m sure. I’ll make sure to keep fiend levels as low as I can, just like before, and I’ll send you letters with information on the fiends whenever I can.” Drifter replied before looking at Twilight with a soft smile. “It was an honor to meet you, Princess Twilight. I hope we meet again someday soon.”
Twilight shifted uncomfortably at the use of her title. “Please, just Twilight is fine. And yeah, I hope so, too.”
“Take care of yourself Drifter. We’ll certainly need you in the near future.” Luna cautioned before giving a reassuring nod. “And if you need it, there will always be a place for you here.”
“Thank you…”
That said, Drifter spread out her wings and took flight, soaring into the air and turning north. Her destination was a small encampment that had been put together by various ponies who had lost their homes or families in the battle in Canterlot and the train. Palmwood and Wonderboom would be waiting for her there.
Turning her eyes up somewhat, she saw the sun slowly ascending higher into the air. Drifter winced as she felt a spark of sorrow run through her. She forced down her sob and glared ahead.
...Celestia saw Horizon’s true colors, eh? Drifter thought, recalling how Luna recounted the situation in great detail. A furious scowl crossed her face. Yeah, I see them too. I just don’t see them through some sort of love-tinted filter. A hate filled glow overcame her eyes and she bared her teeth on instinct. Her claws flexed eagerly under her skin.
Your true colors are those of an abomination. I am going to find you, Horizon… and when I do, there won’t be a power in all of creation that will save you from the fate you’ve sealed yourself into. With a growl and new resolve burning in her eyes and pumping through her veins, Drifter gave her wings a mighty flap, accelerating and vanishing into the distance.
