Lieutenant Colonel Fizzlepop was still sorting through her feelings by the time the Friendship Express was making it's final approach into Ponyville late that afternoon. She didn't feel as elated or relieved as she had when she rekindled her friendships with Spring Rain and Glitter Drops, or as overjoyed when Grubber came back into her life.
Instead, it felt like she had opened a very old can of worms by going back to Foal's Peak. She was grateful that some ponies there would now have closure about what had become of her, but something still didn't sit right. The fact that she was as decorated as she was for bravery, and yet got this tripped up with her own emotions frustrated her to no end, and right now, she was afraid that she was headed for another bout of anxiety that had plagued her for the first two weeks after Twilight had left for Canterlot.
And it still felt like she was forgetting something today.
Even though she had returned and had a much more civil conversation with her mom before leaving, her first attempt at a reunion still weighed heavily on her mind. She hadn't even wanted to go home, so why was she so bent out of shape on what her mom did to her old bedroom?
Truth be told, she and her mom hadn't really had the best of relationships even before her accident. She wouldn't call the home broken, but her mom was all about berry farming, and it kept the bills paid, but Fizzlepop remembered that she was all about magic. She was an only child, and her father had died in a logging accident barely after she was born, and she didn't even remember him.
So was there even a relationship to save, rekindle, or start over? From memory, it didn't really sound like they had a lot in common.
Her current train of thought was halted by the actual train's brakes applying as they slowed to stop at the Ponyville platform. Today, it would be making an extended stop here for loading up deliveries before heading up the mountain to Canterlot for the night, before restarting the weekly schedule on Monday morning. Speaking of schedules, Fizzlepop hoped that getting back to her regular routine would help her set her mind at ease.
That, or figuring out a civil, but firm manner of letting Spring and Glitter know when she meant 'no' when she didn't feel comfortable with a suggestion. Just because it had gone somewhat smoothly with them didn't mean it would go smoothly with everypony else from twenty years ago.
Seeing a good portion of Ponyville heading out for dinner made her realize that the hayburger and cider was just about done wearing off, and she was ready for a good meal herself. While Sundays were normally Grubber's day off, today was the Mares Day dinner in the castle dining room, and anyone who wasn't out here at the various eateries were probably going to be in there treating the mares in their lives to a nice evening.
Coming up to the castle, she trotted up the front stairs and through the large double doors to the lobby, where a few families were already mingling with punch and snacks. She quickly slid off to the right, and made her way down to the basement barracks, where she could finally get out of this dress coat. It looked nice and all, but it got a bit irritating after awhile.
She descended the stairs, and entered the first room on the right. Her armor was still pristine on the center mannequin, and right next to that was Twilight's wrapped gift. She turned to one of the spare mannequins on the left wall and—
Twilight's gift!
In her focus to make sure all of her medals were positioned properly on her sash, she had forgotten to drop the gift-wrapped, twine-tied box off at the post office before she boarded the train east this morning.
"Ugh... Can anything else go wrong today?!" She angrily muttered through gritted teeth. She lit up her horn, carefully removed her Wings of Valor, and returned it to the display case on the far wall, before quickly taking of her sash and dress coat, and hanging them quickly but neatly on the second mannequin. It was far too late to get anything sent via post now, so the only option was to get back to the train up to Canterlot, and after taking a deep breath, Fizzlepop figured that an evening with Twilight would probably be the best thing about today. Grabbing the long, flat box in her magic, she headed back out into the hallway, up into the foyer, and out into the Ponyville evening. She made for the train platform at a healthy trot, and got there with just a couple minutes to spare. She was able to fit the box in the seat next to her as the train pulled away from the platform and began it's run up the mountain.
The cityscape of Canterlot gleamed in the setting sun, as did the handful of waterfalls that descended and flowed off in multiple directions through the prairies, plains, and forests below. She had last been here two weeks ago for the monthly Friendship Council meetings, which was a fantastic way to keep in touch with everypony. It was one of the oldest cities in Equestria, founded well before Celestia chose to rule there after the destruction of her castle in the Everfree Forest. While the castle was visible from hundreds of miles away to the west, it was actually one of the newer sections of the city at only nine centuries old. The inner city was more than a millennium old, and was consistently being renovated. The buildings slowly got higher over the centuries, keeping the surrounding hills free from development. Before the ruling class came to the city after the Celestia-Luna Rift, the mountain locale came to riches through the labyrinthine crystal caves and chasms underneath the city, containing aetherium and other precious and magical gems.
The trip up the mountain went through several tunnels, and careful eyes looking out the window on the last one could spot long-abandoned mining operations in the crystal caves. This late, coming out of the last tunnel wasn't flooded by daylight, but rather the lights from the cityscape, as it was dusk by the time the train had pulled into the station, which was where it would stay until 6 AM, when it would depart for the Crystal Empire. When she heard the train brakes hiss, she magically grabbed her box, and made her way out onto the platform, well within city limits. As she passed by Restaurant Row on the way to the castle grounds, she noticed an even bigger bustle than Ponyville, as nearly every fine dining establishment was packed to capacity for Mares Day dinner services.
Upon coming to the castle gates, she was let in with a respectful nod from the gatekeepers without pause, as the Canterlot E.U.P. recognized her as a Friendship Councilor, even out of her armor. Twilight was quite clear when she had instructed the staff and caretakers that the whole of Canterlot Castle was open to every member of her Friendship Council, as she considered them an equal part of her throne.
Before heading into the castle, she made a brief stop at the courtyard to take in the absolutely stunning view of the prairies below at night. There were several of these balconies around the southwest side of the castle, and even the airship docks on the north side of the city offered vistas that were unlike anything else on the continent.
A few moments later, she headed into the cavernous castle foyer, and spotted the nearest officer on patrol.
"Excuse me, Lieutenant, where might I find Princess Twilight tonight?" Fizzlepop asked the armored stallion.
"I believe she's just wrapping up in her private dining hall, Councilor Berrytwist." He answered cordially.
Fizzlepop thanked him and headed that way, gift box in tow. The royal dining hall was in the same section as the throne room, the Princess' private study, as well as her personal quarters. Passing the throne room doors, she went down further to the entrance to the royal dining hall. There stood Lieutenant Colonel Speartip at the door.
"Evening, Lieutenant Colonel Speartip. Good to see you again. Is Twilight available?" Fizzlepop asked.
"Likewise, Councilor Berrytwist. Yes, her guests just departed for the night, head right on in."
Fizzlepop walked forward with a smile, and pushed the doors open, finding Twilight currently gathering used dishes up at the long dining table, and turned to see who was coming through the door, smile widening almost immediately.
"Fizzlepop! Well isn't this as surprise!" She happily exclaimed, setting the dishes down and immediately came forward for a hug. Fizzlepop enthusiastically returned it, and offered Twilight the box.
"Happy Mares Day, Twilight." The unicorn said with a smile.
Twilight's expression was touched as she took the box in her magic, undid the twine, and began to remove the gift wrap. The paper fell away to reveal a large framed picture. She looked down at the photo, and her eyes began to tear up. It was a landscape photo of the Ponyville E.U.P. in front of the stairs of the castle, joined by Spring Rain, Glitter Drops, Grubber, and the staff of the School of Friendship, which included Starlight, Sunburst, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"I figured you had space on your wall for everyone back in Ponyville." Fizzlepop said with a half-hearted smile.
Twilight wiped her eyes and came in for another hug as she gently set the picture aside, but noticed that her former Captain was a little slow on the uptake this time.
"Fizzlepop, is something wrong?" She asked, standing in front of her. The unicorn let out a sigh, and dropped the smile.
"Yeah. This is basically the best part of a rather miserable day. I'm up here because I forgot to send that in the mail today, and I really wanted to get that to you on time." Fizzlepop explained.
Twilight smiled, came to her side, and put her hoof around her shoulders as she walked them over to the dining table.
"I know just what you need. Spike! Get the cheesecake back out!"
Before Fizzlepop knew it, she was sitting next to Twilight at the dining table with a silver platter with half a Manehattan-style cheesecake between the two of them.
"Alright, now we are officially prepared for miserable-day-unloading, Fizzlepop. I'm all ears." Twilight said, taking her first bite. Fizzlepop also took her first bite, took a deep breath, and figured out where to begin.
"Yesterday, during Mares Day prep, Glitter Drops asked me if I'd ever returned home, to Foal's Peak. I told her that I hadn't, and she suggested that I go back for Mares Day. I really should have shot that down."
"It didn't go over too well?"
"I hadn't set hoof there in over twenty years. Memories so far back that I'm not sure if they're accurate anymore. It gave a couple ponies closure, who were wondering if I was even alive, but my reunion with my mom... Could have gone better. When I saw my bedroom, and how there was nothing left... I got so angry, and I know that there really isn't any reason for me to be. It's been two decades, Twilight. I mean, if she kept my room exactly the way I left it for that long... That wouldn't have been healthy at all... So why am I so upset at it?" Fizzlepop paused, taking a couple bites of cheesecake. "A neighbor suggested that maybe I've been keeping the different areas of my life separate, and... I still think that's for the best. I told him that if you try to put a sheet of glass back together... You get hurt."
"At least they know you're okay." Twilight offered.
"That's the single concession that I've taken from today. If it is possible to start over, I have no idea how. And I think part of it is because of everything I've been through with you."
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, reaching the end of her cheesecake.
Fizzlepop sighed again, blushing at the cheeks.
"Twilight... Everything you've done for me... Opening my eyes to friendship, taking me in, giving me a home, a purpose, something to strive for every single day, after being alone for so long... I came to view you as a surrogate mother to me. I'm sorry if that's weird, Twilight, but it's the truth. And now I'm wondering if that mindset could sabotage any attempt to reconnect with my real mom, who I had trouble connecting with even before my accident."
Fizzlepop was now averting her gaze, showing more interest in the last of her cheesecake than her mentor sitting next to her. She sipped at the glass of milk next to her plate, wanting to take as long as possible before she had to try to look her in the eyes again. The Princess of Friendship had noticed how flustered the unicorn had gotten, and smiled gently at her when she finally got up the courage to look back.
"In a way, I suppose I'm... Flattered. I wanted to be a friend first and foremost, but you know what? If that's the mindset you needed to make the kind of progress you have, then so be it, Fizzlepop. But that shouldn't mean you can't try again with your mom. Maybe what you both need is a new perspective. I'm not saying it'll happen over the course of one or two visits, but you two can absolutely build something new over time. Just like with me, and Grubber, and Glitter and Spring."
Fizzlepop smiled back.
"I don't know where to start just yet... Maybe start writing to each other, like she suggested."
"Maybe you've done enough thinking for one day. Maybe pieces will start to slide into place when you've gotten a good night's sleep and you get back into a regular routine tomorrow. Lieutenant Colonel?" She called towards the door. A moment later, Speartip entered.
"Your Highness?"
"Councilor Berrytwist will be staying here tonight before catching the train in the morning. Please show her to the nearest guest suite." Twilight told him. Speartip gave a short bow in return.
"Certainly. Councilor, I'll be right outside when you're ready to retire." Speartip replied as the unicorn continued to sip at her glass of milk. Twilight gathered up the forks and empty plates and the platter with a quarter of cheesecake still on it to take back to the kitchen.
"Have a good night, Fizzlepop."
With that, Twilight took the dessert dishes to the kitchen, where Spike was currently cleaning up and getting the last of the dinner dishes done.
Fizzlepop had a good point. Maybe correspondence was a good first move.
"Hey Twilight. Just about finished up here." Spike said as she deposited the plates and forks in the sudsy soap-filled sink.
"And there's one last thing before we turn in for the night, Spike. I need you to go over to Records, and get me last year's census for Foal's Peak."