The snow-smothered road. Twilight recognized it as she followed closely behind the rest of the group. Even with the haunting and limited illumination of the Crimson Ring, she could recognize the incline around her, the snow covered trees that, in another time, had broken up the orange glow of the sun with streaks of shade. She looked ahead and saw the edge of the incline, where the path tilted back down into the small valley that housed Little Lapis. They had been going at this for hours, not stopping or resting and only talking a little bit after that fiend attacked them. To see such familiar territory and remember the warm, cozy village that had welcomed her with open hooves after the disaster on that train…
“Twilight?” Drifter called out when Twilight broke into a brisk canter, picking up her own pace somewhat to keep up. Twilight didn’t seem to hear her, moving ahead of the group with visible eagerness and hope on display. If they could see her face, they would see a hopeful and desperate smile as she approached the crest of their ascent.
When Twilight did, finally, reach the top of the rise, she froze and went rigid. Her ears fell flat against her head and her body visibly sagged. When Drifter and the others came up to her side, it became clear why.
Twilight had never seen the changes.
Where once there had been an open, cozy and inviting mountain village, there was now a heavily guarded military checkpoint with only minimal qualities one could associate with a town or settlement. Fortified stone walls surrounded the entire assortment of buildings, armed guard patrols walked on top of and around the walls while others still patrolled inside. Several of the ponies on the wall had high-end light spells going at all times, illuminating much of the surrounding environment in bright, multi-colored glows. Twilight couldn’t even see any foals from where they were.
Drifter closed her eyes and rested a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder in sympathy. “...I thought you would have seen this coming. I’m sorry.”
“I should have…” Twilight replied emptily, shrugging Drifter’s hoof away. “...I guess I was just hoping to see something familiar, is all… the area around the town is still the same.”
“That it is,” Palmwood added solemnly, looking at the two with a grim look. “There are still civilians in the town, though. Foals aren’t usually allowed outside unless they’re doing something productive, and the civilians help with manual labor, farming or maintenance on the Sunstones.”
“Sunstones?” Twilight asked, her ears perking up. She glanced at the group curiously.
“They’re artificial crystals made in the Crystal Empire.” Wonderboom answered, looking at the town critically. “They generate immense amounts of light and energy, not unlike the sun used to before it got smothered. They are portable and are typically used to feed the crops with a suitable substitute for natural sunlight. It’s how we’ve kept ourselves fed these last twenty years.”
“Wow… such bright light needs a pretty potent spell. How did they pull it off? Who worked on it?” Twilight inquired as the group gradually began to make their way down towards the town.
“Well, Sunburst worked alongside Maud Pie and Starlight Glimmer to get it worked out,” Drifter explained. “He did a lot of research on the magical theories and techniques for an easy-to-use version of the spell so that we could have enough of these stones to go around. Starlight handled the practical field tests and initial batch of Sunstones while Maud Pie helped them figure out which types of stone or mineral would have the desired effect.”
“Wait, Starlight? Sunburst? How are they doing? Are they still around?” Twilight pressed, remembering just how out of the loop she was when it came to her friends and acquaintances.
Drifter cringed visibly and looked away. It was Wonder who spoke up when she cleared her throat. “I mean, they’re alive. But, well… Starlight’s developed a deficiency with her magic. Too much strain has caused her mind and body to lose a lot of their fortitude when it comes to magical energy. She can’t use it in large amounts without serious risk. If she uses a large spell now… it could very easily kill her.”
“On the plus side, though, she doesn’t really need to use super strong magic anymore. All of her work is inside the barrier and that’s where Sunburst is.” Palmwood added with a small smile growing on his face.
“They’ve reconnected a lot, I take it?” Twilight pressed, though her face turned to one of confusion and bewilderment when Drifter burst out into a short and uncontrolled laugh.
The thestral look-alike quickly reigned in her reaction and shot a knowing grin at Twilight. “...Something like that.”
“I don’t get- oh…” Twilight stopped talking, a small red tint coming to her cheeks.
“I hate to interrupt,” Luna cut in with a frown on her face. She shifted Blackberry on her back to give her wings a bit more wiggle room. “But I think we’re noticed.”
Everypony else looked ahead and, sure enough, there were at least a dozen guards on top the walls glaring down at them. The group had yet to enter the bright parts of the illumination spells radius’. “Who goes there?!” One of the guards demanded.
“Are we in trouble?” Blackberry muttered from Luna’s back, looking up.
Drifter rolled her eyes and glanced back at Luna. “No, Blackberry. They’re just doing their job. Strict and heavy defense is one of the only things keeping things orderly inside the border. I think they’ll let us in when they know it’s us.”
“Then let us not keep them waiting any longer. Shall we?” Luna asked, a general voicing of agreement going through everypony present. As one, the group of ponies trotted forward into the light spell, revealing themselves to the guards atop the wall.
A collective gasp of shock and awe went along the entire wall and, much to Drifter’s amusement, one of the guards fainted. Drifter opted to speak up first. “Send word ahead to Princess Flurry heart; Twilight and Luna have been found. Let us in, we have wounded and would like to use Lumberjack's inn to rest and rejuvenate.”
For a few moments, there was silence. Then, the large metal gates before them swung open with a loud creak echoing across the valley. One of the guards, a pegasus, hopped down and gently glided forward until he came to a soft and graceful landing before the group. He looked at Princesses Luna and Twilight in awe and wonder before dropping into a deep bow. “...I didn’t think I’d ever get to see you two… it’s an honor to see you at last, your majesties.”
“PRIVATE! GET BACK HERE!” A loud and angry stallion shouted from the wall, but a sharp glare from Luna instantly made him shut up. Luna approached the kneeling stallion and lowered herself to be at his level.
“...How old are you?” she asked in a gentle voice. The pony looked up at Luna with young and wondrous eyes.
“I’m… I’m fifteen, your highness.”
“Fifteen…” Luna breathed, unbelieving.
“Not even an adult…” Twilight furthered, one of her forehooves now covering her mouth.
“It’s been a rough twenty years, you two…” Drifter said softly before nodding for the private to get a move on. “Everypony has had to their part for us to make it this long…”
The wooden door swung open with a jingle and loud creak. Instantly, a wave of relaxing and wonderful warmth washed over the entire group. For Twilight, it was the most relaxing and soothing thing she had felt since she woke up. The inside of the old inn was different now, as was to be expected. There were fortifications along walls and over the windows, as well as some varying weapons behind the counter and along the walls.
Behind the counter, looking over an old and worn book, was a familiar burly brown stallion. His mane, tail and beard had all gained gray streaks and his face was covered in wrinkles. He glanced up at the sound of the jingling door and smiled when he saw Drifter. “Well, howdy Drifter! It’s been a-” his gravely and aged voice stopped the moment he saw Twilight and Luna. “I… I must be seeing things… must be dreaming…” he whispered, his eyes wide and his smile gone.
Twilight was the first to approach, coming forth at a brisk canter and looking Lumberjack up and down with wide eyes. “You’re… You’re so-”
“Old?” Lumberjack finished tenderly for her, smiling warmly at the young Princess. “You know it’s been twenty years, right?”
“Yes… I know…” Twilight sagged and sat herself down on her haunches with her ears falling against her head. “I just… I guess no matter how much I tell myself things are going to be different, I'm not really prepared to believe it until I see it…”
Lumberjack nodded solemnly before moving out from behind the counter. Twilight’s eyes widened even further when his hind legs and waist came into view. They weren’t moving. Instead, his hind legs were supported by a pair of wheels on long metal legs. The squeaks and low rumble wheels echoed in Twilight’s mind. She opened her mouth to ask, but no words came. “Hey, chin up, now,” Lumberjack said, ruffling Twilight’s mane. She looked up into his face to see him smiling back. “I don’t need my back legs to make the best bowl of soup you’ve ever had.”
“I agree entirely,” Drifter said while closing the door behind the group. “Though, Jack? When are you going to acknowledge Princess Luna, here?”
Lumberjack stiffened slightly before turning rapidly to try and bow to the lunar princess. The speed of his turn caused his wheels to tip off balance, dragging him by the waist to the ground with a loud thud and agitated yelp. Everypony winced. “Guh… heello Princesss…” Lumberjack groaned from the floor.
“Lumberjack,” Twilight started with a small smile forming on her face, remembering how clumsy his bow to her had been when they first met. “Stop bowing to everypony. You’ll hurt yourself. That’s an order.”
Palmwood chuckled. “Yeah, good luck with that.”
Lumberjack cast an irked glance at Palmwood. “I can follow orders thank you very much!”
“You sure?”
“Ah, piss off,” Lumberjack grumbled before starting to roll himself to the fireplace that was still resting comfortably on the far end of the room. “I see you’ve got a wounded pony there, Princess Luna. Set him down on the couch over here. There’s a first aid kit in the closet on that wall over there. I’ll lend a hoof once soup is ready.”
Luna gave a curt nod and made her way towards the couch. Wonderboom made her way to the aforementioned closet for the first aid kit. Palmwood followed after Luna to check on Blackberry. Drifter stood idly for several moments before looking over at Twilight with concern. Despite the smile Twilight had been wearing, it was clear to Drifter that the alicorn was incredibly distraught. She turned and made her way for Twilight with a concerned look.
“Twilight? How are you holding up?” she asked gingerly, resting a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.
Twilight twitched from the contact before looking down. “...Not good. Everything’s so different and… I mean, I know I should expect things to be different and I should prepare myself but… I just…” she began, her voice trembling and cracking frequently. “I can’t believe… I don’t… I’m... I’m so-”
“Shh, shh…” Drifter cooed gently, wrapping a wing over Twilight’s back in an effort to comfort her. “It’s shocking, I know… You’re going to be alright, okay?”
“...I’m sorry…” Twilight finally managed before shrugging off Drifter’s wing.
“What for? You didn’t do anything wrong, Twilight.” Drifter asked curiously. Twilight turned to look at Drifter directly in the eyes, revealing an unfathomable guilt burning behind her own.
“Yes, I did! I sent my friends away at Mount Eclipse! I kept telling them that we’d w-win it together! If I had kept them with me, we would have won! I’m the princess of friendship! What good does it do for me to be the princess of friendship when I forced my best friends away when I needed them most?!”
“Twilight, stop,” Drifter said firmly, her expression hardening. “None of this is your fault and don’t you dare start blaming yourself for any of it, you hear me?”
Twilight backed away and shook her head. “...You just keep telling yourself that, Drifter… But you’re not me. You don’t have my title or my responsibilities! You weren’t chosen by the tree of harmony to wield the element of magic, the keystone of friendship and harmony across all of Equestria and beyond! You’re half fiend! YOU-”
Twilight didn’t get to finish. A gauntlet covered hoof suddenly lashed out and smashed into Twilight’s cheek, sending her crumpling to the ground in a gasping heap. Drifter’s eyes were furious and a scowl had appeared on her face. “You think I don’t get it!?” Drifter shouted, the entire rooming going silent and still. Drifter marched over and, without trying to be gentle, rolled Twilight over until she was on her back and then pinned her down. “I am half fiend, Twilight! But I’m also half pony! Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?!”
Twilight was silent.
Drifter growled. “Every pony that dies at the claws of a fiend is a personal failure to me! It shames and disgusts me that I have to share even one percent of my genetics with those monsters! They are, by all rights, my brothers and sisters and I’ve had to watch them eat, rip,shred and murder countless hundreds of thousands of ponies! You can try to blame yourself for everything that’s happened if you want, but you’re wrong and you won’t make anything better by doing so!
“I should know. I’ve blamed myself for the fiends and every life they have taken on more than one occasion. It’s easy to attack yourself when you fail, but do you know what that does?” Drifter leaned down and drew her next words out through clenched teeth. “It makes you incapable of seeing the real enemy and incapable of stopping them. So stop blaming yourself right now, Twilight! I’ve already been through that whole song and dance and it got me nowhere. And right now, we need everypony to be at their absolute best!” Drifter then backed away from Twilight with a shove, taking deep, shaky breaths. She looked up to the rest of the room, where she saw everypony else looking at her with looks of shock.
Visibly wilting, Drifter shook her head and stormed out of the room, heading upstairs to the beds. For several moments, the entire room was silent.
Twilight sat up slowly, blinking. Her eyes followed where Drifter had gone before, with a hint of unease, she stood up and followed the hybrid out of the room.
